relatively stable oasis in a cauldron of trouble. Gambella, in turn, profited greatly from its neighbors’ woes. Poor for years, the country’s ethos held that any business was good business; Gambella’s particular interpretation of that philosophy meant it was possible to buy almost anything here, including people.
“Left. The stall is in the middle of the block,” said the Voice.
Nuri walked briskly, brushing past a man trying to sell watches. They were counterfeit Rolexes, of high enough quality that they would have passed muster even in Switzerland.
Shady dealers aside, the city reminded Danny of Istanbul in Turkey. It had the same otherworldly feel, and the same wide range of languages spoken in its streets. People hustled here, literally and figuratively, trying to get ahead.
“Just follow my lead,” whispered Nuri, slowing his pace as he came near the shop he’d been seeking. “And don’t show your gun unless absolutely necessary.”
Danny glanced around. He wasn’t just looking for a potential enemy, but trying to gauge how the others on the street saw them. A black man in Western clothes trailing a man of indeterminate race — Nuri would be taken for Egyptian here — they would be seen as businessmen rather than tourists. Strangers with purpose.
It occurred to Danny that the spy was adept at seeming to be whatever anyone wanted him to be. His baggy pants were similar to what the Ethiopians standing in the doorways of the shops wore. His beard, two weeks old, made him look Muslim. Nuri’s skin wasn’t as dark as his, but Danny had no doubt that of the two of them, he was the one more likely to be regarded with suspicion.
“Toroque!” exclaimed Nuri, spotting the owner of the stall he’d come to find. He used English, which was the language of commerce here, and second nature to most of the people on the street. “You’re here. Very good.”
Toroque squinted, as if trying to remember the face. He pretended to recognize it and smiled. In truth, Toroque’s memory for faces was as poor as any man’s on the planet. As the local saying went, he might have forgotten his own had he not seen it in a mirror every day.
“And what can I do for you today?” he asked.
“Much, I hope. My friend and I are looking for a vehicle. A special vehicle.”
Toroque frowned, as was his habit when a profitable deal presented itself. “Special vehicle?” He shook his head. “No. Here there are no special vehicles. I know of a motorcycle perhaps.”
“Oh.” Nuri had played this game once before with Toroque. “Well, too bad then.”
“But maybe if you explain to me what you need,” added Toroque quickly, “then maybe I can be of aid if I hear of something.”
“I need something very special to drive, for an important person. Something big. Very unique.”
“No, no.” Torque shook his head. “No. No.”
Nuri nodded and put out his hand to shake. “Thank you,” he said. “Maybe in the future…if you…”
He ended his sentence there, his voice trailing off as he turned to Danny.
“What sort of thing — my English is not very good,” said Toroque, who had been awarded a medal for his English studies in elementary school. “What are you looking for? An SUV?”
“An SUV might do,” said Nuri.
“Ah, too bad. I know a Land Rover.”
“Too plain,” said Nuri dismissively. He would settle for it if he had to.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Toroque now began to worry. He had already begun counting the profit from this deal, and it was escaping him.
“The SUV is a Mercedes, maybe?” suggested Nuri. “Or for that matter, do you know of a Mercedes sedan? That would be excellent.”
Toroque frowned. There were very few Mercedes in this part of Africa. Not only were they highly impractical, but the recent boom in Russia and China had encouraged the northern Africans who specialized in stealing the cars from Western Europe to ship their wares there. Few made it this far east, and the prices were necessarily exorbitant.
“I know of a sedan,” said Toroque. “I can take you to see it. But it is a Toyota.”
Nuri raised his hand in assent.
“Perhaps some tea first,” suggested Toroque. “And a smoke.”
“We have many things to do today,” said Danny.
Toroque frowned. It was common here to sit with a salesman for a while. It was considered good manners, and generally improved the price. Nuri glared at Danny, but there was nothing to do about it: Toroque turned quickly and walked into his shop, practically sprinting past the two small tables of dusty knickknacks to the back room. He walked past his cluttered desk, plucking the keys to his pickup truck from the corner as he passed. He slapped the frame of the back door — it always stuck — then turned the knob and opened it. Outside, he had to shoo away some of his neighbor’s chickens from the truck bed before they could proceed.
Danny realized he’d made a mistake and remained silent as they drove down the narrow byroads of the central market area. Kids played in the dust, kicking stones around in their approximation of soccer. They were dressed in little more than rags, and all were shoeless.
The neighborhood changed quickly. On one block, small buildings leaned against each other, as if they were made of wax and had melted under the unrelenting sun. On the next, tall walls tipped with razor wire and pieces of sharpened glass rose along the pavement, protecting the homeowners from the noise and possibility of kidnapping.
And then the area changed again, the walls and houses giving way to tall chain-link fences and steel-sided warehouse buildings.
“We are almost there,” said Toroque. He already knew the Toyota was not going to be acceptable — the fender was bashed and it barely ran — but he hoped an alternative would occur to him. Perhaps they would settle for one of the pickups he had.
“This vehicle, you know, is for sale,” he said. “For a very good price, I could give it to you.”
“It is very nice,” said Nuri. “But not really what we’re looking for.”
“A little paint — I have a brother-in-law who could paint this very nice.”
“Let’s see the Toyota.”
They did, and it was just as Toroque had expected — too old, too undependable, and too small besides. But inspiration struck as they walked through the gravel parking lot toward the Land Rover, which was an even older vehicle. He might not have a suitable vehicle, but a friend of his did: two in fact.
“Land Cruisers,” he offered when Nuri frowned at the beat-up SUV. “Jet black. Purchased by a movie company and left here.”
“Left?” asked Nuri.
“That is the story. Perhaps they did not pay the right bill. In any event, you can have them very cheap.”
“Let’s see them,” said Danny.
Nuri suspected that the cars were stolen, though the story that Toroque told was in fact true — a movie company had shipped them into Ethiopia about a year before, planning to use them during the filming of a movie. But the movie’s funding had fallen through at the last minute. Not only had the movie never been made, but the SUVs’ ownership was caught up in a legal battle as the film company’s creditors tried to get back some small fraction of the money they were owed.
“I hope it is settled soon,” said the owner of the warehouse where they were stored. “I am owed a fortune in back rent for storage.”
Despite the fact that they had been hidden under tarps for several months, the glossy black surface of the SUVs shone. Danny nodded to Nuri, who had already decided the vehicles were precisely what they wanted. Negotiating a price was difficult, since the owner of the warehouse was sure the film company would come to reclaim the SUVs at any moment.
“Then what do I do?” he asked. “Tell them they are getting a wash?”
“If that works,” said Nuri.
“Perhaps we should have some tea,” suggested Toroque.
They worked out a lease agreement, with Nuri having to post what amounted to a bond in case they failed to return the vehicles. The amount was high enough that Danny suspected the warehouse owner hoped they would not be returned.
Deal done, tea finished, Nuri and Danny drove the vehicles to the other side of the city, where Nuri had more
