Wild Justice by Wilbur Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

expression showed no remorse, no real concern, and her voice was calm and light as she went on.
    Two of my officers will now pass down the aisles and they will collect your passports from you. Please have these documents ready.’
    Her eyes flicked sideways, as movement caught her eye. From beyond the service hangars a line of four armoured cars emerged in line ahead. They were the locally manufactured version of the French Panhard with heavily lugged tall tyres, a raked turret and the disproportionately long barrels of the cannons trained forward. The armoured vehicles circled cautiously and parked three hundred yards out, at the four points – wing tips, tail and nose – around the aircraft, with the long cannon trained upon her.
    The girl watched them disdainfully until one of the doctors pushed himself in front of her. He was a short, chubby little man, balding – but brave.

    â€˜This man must be taken to a hospital immediately.’
    That is out of the question.’
    â€˜I insist. His life is in danger.’
    â€˜All our lives are in danger, doctor.’ She paused and let that make its effect. ‘Draw up a list of your requirements. I will see that you get them.’
    â€˜T hey have been down for sixteen hours now and the only contact has been a request for medical supplies and for a power link-up to the electrical mains.’ Kingston Parker had removed his jacket and loosened the knot of his tie, but was showing no other ill effects of his vigil.
    Peter Stride nodded at the image on the screen. ‘What have your medics made of the supplies?’ he asked.
    â€˜Looks like a gunshot casualty. Whole blood type AB Positive, that’s rare but one of the crew is cross-watched AB Positive on his service record. Ten litres of plasmalyte B, a blood-giving set and syringes, morphine and intravenous penicillin, tetanus toxoid – all the equipment needed to treat massive physical trauma.’
    â€˜And they are on mains power?’ Peter asked.
    â€˜Yes, four hundred people would have suffocated by now without the air-conditioning. The airport authority has laid a cable and plugged it into the external socket. All the aircraft’s support system – even the galley heating – will be fully functional.’
    â€˜So we will be able to throw the switch on them at any time.’ Peter made a note on the pad in front of him. ‘But no demands yet? No negotiator called for?’
    â€˜No, nothing. They seem fully aware of the techniques of bargaining in this type of situation – unlike our friends, the host country. I am afraid we are having a great deal of
trouble with the Wyatt Earp mentality—’ Parker paused. ‘I’m sorry, Wyatt Earp was one of our frontier marshals—’
    â€˜I saw the movie, and read the book,’ Peter answered tartly.
    â€˜Well, the South Africans are itching to storm the aircraft, and both our ambassador and yours are hard pressed to restrain them. They are all set to kick the doors of the saloon open and rush in with six-guns blazing. They must also have seen the movie.’
    Peter felt the crawl of horror down his spine. ‘That would be a certain disaster,’ he said quickly. ‘These people are running a tight operation.’
    â€˜You don’t have to convince me,’ Parker agreed. ‘What is your flying time to Jan Smuts now?’
    â€˜We crossed the Zambesi River seven minutes ago.’ Peter glanced sideways through the perspex bubble window, but the ground was obscured by haze and cumulus cloud. ‘We have another two hours ten minutes to fly – but my support section is three hours forty behind us.’
    â€˜All right, Peter. I will get back onto them. The South African Government has convened a full cabinet meeting, and both our ambassadors are sitting in as observers and advisers. I think I am going to be obliged to tell – them about the existence of