The ICE Sequence by F. Paul Wilson

Author:F. Paul Wilson [Wilson, F. Paul]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2020-07-07T05:00:00+00:00

SUNDAY

May 22

1

MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE

There he is, Amaury thought as he watched the bearded figure stride down the wharf. Still the Indiana Jones hat and his skinny arms sticking out of his sleeveless safari jacket. The black duffel on his shoulder looked new.

“Bonjour,” Amaury said as Jeukens reached the Sorcière’s dock. “Right on time.”

Jeukens seemed tense. He’d already glanced over his shoulder twice since he’d appeared.

“Is something wrong, mon ami?”

“What? No, nothing.”

And now a third look back.

“I was wondering whether you’d show.”

Jeukens stared out over the channel where the as yet unseen sun was starting to ignite the horizon. “You said to be here at first light Sunday morning. Sunrise is six thirty, so here I am.”

“Bon, let us get you aboard and settled.”

Jeukens handed his duffel across, then stepped onto the deck.

Amaury hefted the bag, surprised at the weight. “What do you have in here?”

“A tent and food.”

“We have tents and food.”

“I didn’t know if you had a tent for me, and”—he winked—“I already know what your food is like.”

Amaury laughed. “The more food, the better! As a matter of fact, my two helpers, Bakari and Razi, are in town stocking up. You will meet them soon.”

Jeukens gestured to the two holding cages that crowded most of the aft deck space. “It appears you’re planning on bringing back a lot of the little creatures.”

“Depends on how plentiful they are. I want to be prepared if we find a large colony.”

“I’m willing to bet you’ll find more than you ever imagined. But where are the traps?”

Amaury pointed toward the foredeck. “Up there, under that tarp. Live traps, of course. They fold flat for transport.”

“Spring doors?”

“Exactly. Designed to catch raccoon-size animals so they should have no problem holding our little primates.”

“If I were you I’d worry less about their fitting inside and more about their staying in the trap until you can get them to your transport containers.”

This bothered Amaury. “What do you mean?”

“They’re smart and adaptable. They learn very quickly.”

“Ah, but the cages are strong and the wire mesh is tight.”

Jeukens was smiling. “We’ll see. You’re going to export all males at first, I assume?”

A smart one, this Afrikaner.

“Yes. Mostly. That leaves the females to continue breeding.”

“And keeps your competitors from establishing their own breeding pairs, right?”

“Exactly. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all.” Another wink. “And I don’t think the males you leave behind will have a problem with it either.”

They both laughed at that, but the Afrikaner’s bonhomie was out of character. His smile seemed forced and faded quickly. Another glance back toward the city.

“How much longer before we leave?”

“As soon as my men get back. Not long. Is everything all right, mon ami?”

“What? Yes, fine. I simply wish to be off. It’s been my dream to see those primates in their natural habitat, and we’re wasting time.”

What was wrong with Jeukens? He looked as if the hounds of hell might be sniffing after him. What had happened since he left here Friday? Amaury had no idea, but he was sure it couldn’t have been good.

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