Claire said, “Would the Colonel put up with something like that?”
Formutesca told her, “None of it will be happening out in the open.”
“On the surface,” Gonor explained, “we are all very happy and trusting toward one another.”
Claire said, “Why?”
“Foreign investment,” said Formutesca.
“European and American business concerns,” Gonor said, “tend to pull out of African nations at the first hint of trouble. Which is only natural.”
“Not only is insurrection hard on factory buildings and equipment,” Formutesca added, “but revolutionary governments tend to nationalize everything they can get their hands on.
“Whatever we do,” Gonor said, “must therefore be done with utmost discretion. None of us dares hint in public that we mistrust our president. None of us dares make a public move to stop his preparations for retirement at national expense. We can only try to learn his plans and keep them from happening.”
Parker said, “His money’s in New York. If I’m the specialist you’re looking for, you want someone to steal the money back for you.”
“Not exactly,” Gonor said, “but very close. We didn’t merely want a thief; we wouldn’t ask a thief to take the risks of safeguarding our national honor for us.”
Parker nodded. “Besides, he might not turn it over to you when he got it.”
“Also a possibility,” Gonor said. “So what we have been looking for is a planner, the sort of individual who organizes large-scale robberies.”
Parker said, “You want me to plan the job?”
“Yes.”
“And who does it, once I plan it?”
Gonor gestured at himself and at Formutesca. “We do. Four of us from the mission.”
“Have you ever done anything like it before? Any of you?”
Gonor shook his head. “No. But we are willing to learn.”
“You’re amateurs who”
There was a knock at the door. Parker saw Gonor and Formutesca tense. He turned and opened the door, and it was the other two. They came in quickly and one of them spoke to Gonor, who shook his head.
Parker said, “Gone?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“He scares easy,” Parker said. “That’s the second time today.”
“Hoskins is a cautious man,” Gonor said.
“So am I,” said Parker. “And so far I don’t like what you’re up to.”
Gonor frowned. “Why not?”
“You want me to train you to do something you don’t have any experience at. You’ve gone around talking loose talk to a lot of wrong people, telling bees all about this pot of honey you know about. So there’s Hoskins buzzing around, there’s this other bunch buzzing around who are they, anyway?”
“I’m not sure,” Gonor said. “They trouble me, in fact. Three white men? Unless they are from Karns
but I don’t believe Karns would have sent me to you and then sent others to tell you not to help me.”
“They had accents,” Parker said. “Faint accents, maybe something like yours.”
Formutesca said something, very fast. The other two looked excited and said things. Gonor shook his head, looking angry, and snapped something back at them. Then he turned away, saying, “I don’t like his being involved.”
“Who?” Parker said.
“General Goma,” said Formutesca.
“Yes,” said Gonor. He turned back to Parker. “You see,” he said, “Dhaba was formed from parts of two former colonies. There were certain white factions who wanted to retain control through front men, primarily through General Goma, who was the other candidate in our first election. But Goma’s connection with the whites became known and he was defeated.”
Formutesca said, “There was a rumor around for a while that he was building a mercenary army, going to take over anyway, but nothing came of it.”
Gonor said, “Nothing could come of it. Mercenary armies take money, and General Goma has none. His white supporters are former colonists, and of course most of their valuables stayed behind in Dhaba. Without money, General Goma is no threat.”
“So he’s after the diamonds too,” Formutesca said.
Parker said, “Diamonds?”
“The Dhaba unit of currency,” Gonor said, “is the basoko. It is not a hard currency, of course, and Colonel Lubudi naturally didn’t dare ship large amounts of it out of the country. In the first place, a great quantity of basoko in the world markets would attract attention to itself. In the second place, if his defection created a sufficiently large dislocation in his wake, the basoko could quickly become valueless.”
