Chapter 3

I followed Angie to the galley. Though the weather had improved, the breeze was still on the cold side. The occasional spray blown over the bow would also not help if it caught you unaware. With a last backward glance towards the horizon, I entered the inside of the ship behind Angie, closing the hatch on my way to the galley.

Roland was in the galley, munching away on a huge sandwich as Angie and I got to the little mess hall. It looked delicious, the sandwich, I mean.

“You two out for a stroll on this fine morning?” Roland asked as he swallowed a mouthful of sandwich.

“You don’t have a brig on this tub of yours?” I countered.

“No. Why?”

“I thought we could cage this tiger in there...” I said and got a lighting-laced evil eye from Angie.

“More likely cage him, before I dump the sod overboard!” Angie snapped.

“Oh! Come on you two. You’re saddled up with us all here, so why not just call a truce while we are all mixed in here?”

“Can’t this ship go a little faster?” Angie asked.

“Yes, it can do seventeen knots, but not right now. The seas are a little on the rough side,” Roland said, and licked off his fingers after he finished demolishing the sandwich.

“Well, then I’ll go to my cabin. The air is much fresher there!” Angie exclaimed and made to move out of the mess room.

“Oh, come on Miss Angelique, at least get some warm coffee,” I said, and Angie gave me a fiery look.

Roland looked amused.

“Well, it seems like my passengers don’t get along all that well. Maybe I should ask Chief to devise some kind of brig, and cage you both. I don’t need a murder on this ship of mine. It might inconvenience the crew,” Roland said, and wiped his hands on a sheet of towelling paper, discarding it into a waste bin with a flick of his wrist.

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll just stay out of her majesty’s way,” I said, accepting a mug of coffee from a smiling Cookie. Angie took a mug from Cookie too and walked over to a table a little away from Roland and me.

“So, I take it you are happy with what you found in the hold?” Roland asked.

“The main parts, yes. But we have no idea what we’ll find in the desert. We might have to do another run to get what else would be needed. That is if the aircraft is in any condition to be saved,” I said, and took a sip of the coffee. I must say Roland does have good coffee aboard this ship of his.

“I have a feeling that the aircraft will be flyable. We’ll save it, and you can fly it out to Lüderitz, for a superb overhaul,” Roland said, and I saw Angie flashing Roland a quick glance.

“I’ll have to calculate the fuel weight. Lüderitz is 211 kilometres, straight as the crow flies, from Dooievlei.”

“Not only the fuel but the cargo and us also.”

“Roland, if you want to get the aircraft out of that desert, you go by my instructions. It will be me, and me alone in that aircraft! I have only 2200 feet to work with on a rough and uneven surface, so the aircraft must be as light as I dare to go. Minimum fuel, NO cargo, and NO passengers.”

“You’ll take the cargo and us along!” Roland snapped.

“Turn this ship around. Your down payment for this trip, I’ll take as expenses. The contract is cancelled,” I demanded, drained my coffee, placed the mug on the table, and turned to leave. Angie was staring at me with her mouth half-open, her coffee forgotten.

“You will fly that damn plane out, even if I have to force you at gunpoint!” Roland snarled. I turned towards Roland.

“You will look nice, charred up and black,” I said. “Because that is what you’re going to be if the aircraft doesn’t get airborne with all the weight aboard, and we hit those dead camel thorn trees at the northern end of the pan.”

Roland just looked at me. He was clearly thinking this over, weighing up his options of letting me fly the empty aircraft out, and trucking the cargo out overland.

He must have come to a conclusion because he just sighed and said: “Good. You do what is best. But just get that damn aircraft out of the desert.”

“Roland, why is it of such importance to you to get the aircraft out of the desert?” I asked Roland directly, looking him in the eye.

“It is of no concern of yours, you just fly the damn thing out to Lüderitz and take your payment.”

“AND the aircraft. It’s part of the deal. I get paid, plus I take ownership of the aircraft.”

“Not anymore. I need it as transport for my various business ventures. End of discussion,” Roland said and turned to walk out the mess room.

He did not get far.

“That aircraft is mine. I will decide where it flies, and when.” Angie said, with clear determination in her voice. “You can take the cargo, Roland, AFTER I have a look at it and decide on what to do with it. Now, I’m going to my cabin.” Angie drained the last of her coffee, placed the mug on the table, and with a swing of her hips, left the mess room, with her red braid of hair swaying from side to side. Roland shrugged and sighed.

“I must think of a brig on this ship,” Roland said. Then he turned and left me alone in the mess room. At that stage, Cookie was busying himself with the preparation for lunch. I looked at him in the galley, wondering what he thought of all this mess.

“Cookie, what’s for lunch?” I asked. He stopped long enough to come over to me.

“Fried fish, mashed potatoes, and sweet green peas, but that is not what you were interested in, was it?”

“No,” I said softly. “You did see something out on the horizon. Another ship, same as this one. I saw it through my field glasses, about ten kilometres away.”

“Following us?”

“Could be. He’s not changing course,” I said, and Cookie looked thoughtful for a moment.

“So, I’m not going bonkers. I did see something.” Cookie said and looked at me, continuing softly. “The ‘Sea Swan.’ She’s out of Swakopmund. I saw her in the harbour at Port Owen. But they left long before us. She belongs to Max,”

“Who’s he?” I questioned.

“One dirty sun-of-a-bitch. Always giving the boss trouble. He wants to buy us out. Hostile takeover. But I’ve said enough. Let me get going on lunch.”

Cookie went to get on with his business and left me pondering the new development. Could it be this Max guy and his cronies that attacked Angie? And what does he stand to gain by attacking Angie? Then it dawned on me: they were not attacking Angie ... they wanted to kidnap her!

If they kidnapped Angie, they could use her to lever Roland into doing something he would otherwise not do; like handing over the cargo and the aircraft; or Roland’s business; or all the above. I need to get more information on this Max guy. What are his motives, and above all what and where are his weaknesses? Know your enemy. Know him well.

I got up and went in search of some fresh air. I’m not used to this ship sailing stuff. It takes forever to get somewhere. Twenty-four hours to get from Port Owen to Lüderitz, a mere 326 kilometres. Shit, it only takes three and a half hours by car!

I saw Angie out on the deck next to the railing. For a moment she looked in my direction, catching my eye. I nodded my head in a “come along” fashion, turned, and went below to my cabin. If she understood I did not know, because she looked back at the sea, holding on to the railing, and making no move. She just flicked a loose strand of hair out of her face.

I was back in my cabin for about fifteen minutes when a soft knock on the interconnecting door alerted me. I opened the door and let her into my cabin.

“Roland is up to some tricks,” Angie said and sat down on the bed like last night, with her back to the bulkhead and feet dangling off the side of the bed. A soft aroma of Chanel number five perfume drifted past me. This girl does have some good taste when it comes to perfume.

“Yeah, he seems to try to go out of his way to stir up shit,” I said, taking the chair out from under the cabin writing desk and sitting down. “Well, besides Roland’s antics, who is Max?”

“Max?” Angie looked a little flustered and shook her head in the negative. “I don’t know any Max. Why do you ask?”

“This morning I was out on deck. Cookie was throwing stuff over the side, and he thought he saw something on the horizon. Then after our coffee break, and you left, I spoke to Cookie, telling him what I saw. He said that it could be the ‘Sea Swan,’ out of Swakopmund.”

“The Sea Swan? I don’t know it.”

“Cookie said it belongs to a guy called Max. Always giving Roland grief and trying to take over Roland’s business.”

“That is news to me,” Angie said, her green eyes reflecting concern and worry.

“Angie, I think that the attack on you was not to hurt you, but to kidnap you.”

“Why would anyone try to kidnap me?”

“Well to put some pressure on Roland. Maybe they think that by kidnapping you, they could get Roland to sign over his shares in the business to them. Or another theory: try to get him to hand over the DC-3.”

“You think so?”

“It’s only speculation. I don’t have any evidence. All I want is for you to be aware of what goes on around you. They might try again,” I said and Angie looked thoughtful for a minute, staring down at her boots. Her hands were folded in her lap.

“So, me coming along on this trip might pose a problem?”

“No. On the contrary, it’s good you are here where I can keep an eye on you,” I said.

Giggle. “Why do you want to keep an eye on me?”

“Well, if you were at home there would have been no one around to help you. Here you at least got me.”

“Why thank you! I thought you wanted to drown me or something,” Angie said smiling, wrinkles forming over her nose. And oh boy, I see for the first time she’s got freckles too! A light sprinkle over her nose and cheeks.

“Looking at you and Roland, I speculate you have a better chance at survival here with this group.”

“Where you can keep an eye on me?” Giggle.

“Well, you know what I mean,” I said, looking out the porthole.

“So, you think I can trust you? How do I know you’re not working undercover for that, what’s his name, Massy or something?” Angie asked. Her smile was gone from her face and replaced by a stern look. “Just waiting for your chance to kidnap me or drown me.”

“I had plenty of opportunities, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. I suppose it’s true. Twice out on the deck, you could have just pushed me overboard.”

“And what would that have accomplished?”

“I don’t know. Really, I have no clue about what is going on here. I don’t know who to trust. But I realise that I can’t do it alone: find out why that damn plane is so important to Roland, and now this Massy guy.”

“Angie, why do you keep calling him Massy? As far as I know, he is Max. I have no surname for him either.”

“Oh, Max, yes you said Max. I just could not recall what you said...”

“Do you know anything about a hostile take-over of Roland’s business?”

“No. But come to think of it, there was an incident I recall. Roland got a phone call from someone. I overheard him shouting to whoever was on the other side of the phone. Something about a map of some sort. He said that he did not know about it and for them to lay off him. He would take the appropriate action if they didn’t. I never asked him about it,” Angie said and looked at me with a question in her eyes. “I thought that it had to do with the diamond deposits off the west coast.”

“Angie, can you recall Roland’s exact words?”

“No, but let me think about it. It was about five or six months ago. Do you think it has something to do with this trip?” she asked.

“One never knows. It might have played a part in Roland’s decision to go out to the crash site.” I sighed. What is going on here? And like Angie asked; why is the plane such an important object in this whole thing?

There came an urgent knock on my cabin door. I looked at Angie, and she quietly got up from the bed, a frightened look on her face.

“Busted.” She whispered and made for the interconnecting door. Without another word, Angie went through the door and quietly closed it. I got up from my chair and opened the cabin door.

“Sorry to disturb you Mister Windsor, but I just need to tell you about the ship following us.” Cookie said. He stood there with a tray carrying some dark red juice in a jug and two drinking glasses. I frowned at the two glasses but said nothing.

“Come in, Cookie.” I invited and stepped back into the cabin. “By the way, what’s your real name?”

“Anton Stiglitz, but call me Cookie. Everyone does.” He smiled, and I detected that I do have an ally aboard this ship. How this will pan out, I had no idea. “I brought you some juice. It might be a tad better than too much coffee.”

“Thank you, Anton. But tell me about the ship.”

“Yeah, the ship. It’s gone. Just disappeared off the horizon. If it is Max and his crew, I think that they are holding back.” Cookie said, smiling at me for using his name.

“I wonder why.”

“Could be that they don’t want to be detected.” he ventured.

“That means that we could maybe expect something from them.”

“Or, that they have established our course and speed and worked out where we are going and when we will get there.”

“Thanks, Cookie. Let me think about this. Do you think Mister Rothman has any idea that we are being followed?”

“Well, if he had bothered to look at the radar display, he would have noticed it.” he said, and I knew then, that Cookie knew a lot about ships and how they operate.

“Cookie, tell me, have you worked on many ships before?” I asked.

“Yes Sir! I served as commander of a frigate in the German Navy, many years ago. I also did a stint as a navigation officer on a German submarine before that.” Cookie proudly stated, half-standing to attention. I wondered what happened to relegate him to becoming a cook on a diamond mining ship.

“So, Cookie, I do believe that you are qualified to see what you saw. Thanks for telling me.” I said.

“The pleasure is mine Sir, Mister Windsor. Now, let me get back to the galley.” Cookie said, smiled, and made to leave.

“You haven’t seen the ice princess, have you?” I asked as an afterthought.

“No Sir, I believe she’s in her cabin.” Cookie said and winked. “That one is not tameable. Better watch your step, Sir! By the way, cranberry juice is her first choice after Rooibos tea and coffee. Under that picture, next to your desk, there’s a door there. Go, invite her for juice.”

I closed the cabin door as Cookie left. Yeah, he’s right, she’s not tameable, but she’s a lonesome young girl in a big, big world. In the meantime, the Albatross II crept closer to the port of Lüderitz. We’ll be there by two or three AM.

I knocked on the interconnecting door. A moment later it opened, and Angie looked at me with a puzzled look on her face.

“Are you thirsty? Cookie brought us some cranberry juice.”

“How did ... Never mind. Let’s have some juice,” her face lit up, and she came into my cabin.

“Even two glasses. You must be careful, Cookie will know.” She said and poured some juice into the two glasses, handing me one.

“And what will Cookie know? That I don’t use the same glass twice!” I laughed. Her green eyes twinkled, and a bright lovely shy smile came from her.

“Now, you sit on the bed and give me the chair. That damn bulkhead is hard on my back!” Angie said and took my chair. Sitting down with the glass of cranberry juice in her hand and crossing her legs, she shot me a fiery look. “Hmph! Ice Princess, indeed! You and Cookie should lower your voices when you gossip.” She snorted and took a sit of her drink.

“And you should not be eavesdropping on the adult discussion!” I said. “It’s rude and not meant for innocent ears.”

Angie just looked at me, smiling shyly.

For most of the day, Angie remained in her cabin. Only once she strolled out on deck but avoided me and the rest of the crew, including Roland. I went out for fresh air once or twice but did not venture near Angie if she was on deck. There was also no sign of the ship following us. This made me uneasy. If the crew of that ship had any ill intent, I would have liked to know about it.

The day progressed slowly. The only indication that we were moving was the coast leisurely slipping by, and the slight froth from the bow. Behind us, our wake splayed out over the swells, to be wiped out by the movement of the sea and the slight breeze. It was getting warmer the closer we got to Lüderitz.

With nothing else to do, I went back to my cabin and took out a paperback brought along for who knows what and tried to read a bit. I told you, a three and a half-hour drive by car takes twenty-four hours by ship. Only Roland knew why he chose to use the ship. I thought he would be in a hurry to get to the “crash site” in the desert. I say, “crash site,” in quotes because I am starting to realise that the DC-3 sitting in the desert, ain’t that “crashed,” as everyone wants to make-believe.