'Are you certain?' Diamante asked. His eyes shifted toward his partner as the captain reached the body.
'Yes,' Seronga replied. 'Sergeant, tell me. How is the bishop?'
Despite the fact that he wanted to get away, Seronga felt that was a question the deacon would have asked.
'The wound was mortal,' the sergeant replied. 'I'm sorry.
We tried to position ourselves as close as possible-'
'I saw what you were trying to do,' Seronga interrupted. 'There was nothing you could have done to prevent this.'
'Let's go, Seronga,' Pavant said.
They began walking back toward the terminal. Diamante walked backward, alongside them.
'One more thing, Deacon,' Diamante said. 'Did you happen to get a look at the pilot or notice the serial number of the aircraft?'
'I'm sorry, I did not,' Seronga replied. 'After the guard fired at me, I covered my head. Forgive me.'
'That's entirely understandable,' Diamante said.
The sergeant headed off to join his partner. The men continued toward the terminal. Suddenly, Diamante stopped and turned.
'Senor deacon!' the sergeant yelled.
'Yes?' Seronga said.
'The tour director told me your name was Tobias,' Diamante shouted after him.
'It is,' Seronga said. What had they done wrong? Something inside his belly began to burn.
'The deacon just called you 'Seronga,' ' the Spaniard said.
Seronga felt Pavant's fingers dig into his side. Neither man had caught the slipup.
'You are mistaken,' the Brush Viper replied. 'He said 'lion.' That is my nickname.'
'I see,' Diamante said. 'I'm sorry. Este Men, be well,' he added. 'I will see you later at the church.'
Seronga and Pavant continued toward the terminal. He was glad Diamante had been distracted enough to believe that and not to notice that part of his shoulder holster was visible through his torn shirt. He pulled the ripped fabric higher to cover it up.
'I'm very sorry for what happened out there,' Pavant muttered as they reached the door. 'That was very careless of me.'
'Now we've all apologized for something,' Seronga said. 'Let's just get out of here.'
The body of the dead bishop had been covered ^vith a large
r
228
OP-CENTER
shawl. The thick weave was soaking up the dead man's blood. It was the white and black zigzag pattern of the Kava tribe of northeastern Botswana. The tribe members were mostly Vodun.
No one in the terminal was the same person they had been just a few minutes before. They would never be the same. They would be unable to forget the moment, the shock, the sights, smells, noises.
People were either subdued or animated. Strangers had become instantly bonded by the tragedy. Some were frightened, others relieved. A few people were talking. Others were standing around, quiet and unmoving. Some were tearfully hugging new arrivals. Still others were trying to get a look at the body. The short, lanky ticket agent was doing his best to keep people away. The statuesque woman from the refreshment stand was helping. A Spanish soldier asked if he could help Seronga, but the Brush Viper insisted he was all right. He had only been grazed. Seronga and Pavant were able to slip through the terminal without being stopped.
But they were noticed.
THIRTY-FIVE
Maun, Botswana Friday, 3:18 P.M.
A third person had moved when the guard fired at the bishop.
It was Maria Corneja.
The woman had left Paris Lebbard sitting at the curb in his taxi while she went into the terminal. She saw the shooting. It was done in close quarters with eyewitnesses who could have ID'ed the killer. An amateur. She saw the deacon run onto the airfield, pursued by two swarthy men. All three men moved like soldiers. She did not need a cast list to know who everyone was.
Maria followed the Spaniards toward the tarmac. The plane was airborne before she could reach the field. Instead of continuing outside, she doubled back to the cab. She grabbed her camera and snapped several digital pictures of the airplane in flight.
Lebbard had jumped from the cab when he heard the shots. He ran toward Maria.
'What happened?' he asked.
'A passenger was shot,' she said. 'Go back to your taxi. You'll be safer there.'
