The Liberian Agenda Read online

  “From her symptoms, I would say she has a classic migraine. She describes a very bad headache, light sensitivity, aureoles of flashing lights and a partially blocked field of vision. I prescribe rest in a darkened room and Imitrex which is a migraine medication,” the doctor said.

  “We have a very important function to attend at the U.S. Embassy tonight. Are you sure you cannot give her something that will enable her to go?” Joseph asked.

  “No. I cannot recommend that she attend any function in her state. Her equilibrium is off, she's nauseous and in much pain. She needs to rest,” the doctor said.

  Most people would have bowed under the pressure of the president’s glare; however, the doctor remained impassive. He had helped Joseph’s mother give birth to him and had served as the Saytumah family doctor ever since.

  Joseph sighed. “Very well. I will, of course, cede to your diagnosis. How does one get these classic migraines?”

  “They can be triggered by a number of things, such as the consumption of chocolate, red wines, and nuts. Stress can certainly trigger them, as well as changes in hormone levels.”

  “Hormones? Is she pregnant?” Joseph asked.

  “No, I'm not pregnant. And by the way, I’m right here. Will you two please let me be so I can rest? And please, please, turn off that light. My head is killing me,” Sonia said.

  “Certainly, Madame Saytumah. Take two of these pills every four hours as needed and get some rest.” The doctor held a bottle of pills out to her.

  “Thank you, Doctor.” Sonia took the bottle from him.

  While the doctor packed up his medical bag and said his goodbyes, Sonia opened the pill bottle and poured two pills into her hand. She reached for the glass of water sitting on her nightstand and pretended to take the medicine. She slipped the pills under her tongue, drank a sip of the water, threw her head back and swallowed.

  The doctor nodded in approval. “Take good care of yourself, my lady.”

  “I will, Doctor,” Sonia said.

  As soon as Joseph and the doctor left the bedroom, Sonia spat the pills out into her hand, wrapped them in a tissue, and threw them into the wastepaper basket by the bed. The tissue had just landed when Joseph returned to the bedroom.

  “I really needed for you to attend the function with me tonight. I am not an ogre, however. Given your condition, I will attend the function alone. You stay here and get some rest. I fully expect you to be fit enough to attend tomorrow's event at the embassy. Since you appear to be prone to getting these migraines, I will instruct the kitchen staff to limit your intake of the foods the doctor identified as triggers,” he said.

  “Joseph, I’m not a child. I’m fully capable of limiting my own intake of the foods the doctor identified as triggers,” she said.

  “We will discuss this in more detail some other time. Right now, I need to leave. The embassy function begins in an hour and the roads have not been in the greatest condition since the recent storm. I will see you later, darling.” He leaned down and kissed her on her forehead. She closed her eyes and said nothing. He stared down at her for a moment, then left.

  Sonia lay there in bed for a while. After ten minutes, she got up, pulled on a pair of black pants, a black top and a pair of soft loafers. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail then headed into the master closet and pulled out the bag Tara had given her. She rummaged down to the bottom of the bag, opened the false bottom and extracted the pistol, the ammunition clips, the earpiece and the disc drive device.

  She pulled a black messenger bag off a shelf in the closet and put the weapon, the clips and the device inside. She pressed a button on the ear piece and placed it in her ear, then she slung the purse around her body crosswise.

  “This is Sonia,” she said. “Can anyone hear me?”

  “We hear you loud and clear, Sonia,” Tara said.

  “Tonight's the night. Do you understand? My husband is away and I am going for the information tonight,” Sonia said.

  “Understood. Keep your communication device on. We’ll be with you every step of the way. Where is Joseph?” Tara asked.

  “He is at a United States Embassy function,” Sonia said.

  “Good. If he’s at the embassy, we can keep an eye on him and inform you when he leaves,” Tara said.

  “Good. Thank you,” Sonia said. She took a deep breath and released it. “Well, here goes nothing.”

  Chapter XVI

  Sonia opened the door to the master bedroom and peered out. No-one was in the hallway. She slipped out, closed the door, leaned against it for a moment, and listened. The house was quiet.

  She turned right and walked down the hallway to the living room. No-one else was there. The servants had probably retired to their quarters for the evening. She crossed the living room and turned down the left corridor that led to the nonresidential portion of the Presidential mansion. She passed several offices. The doors were closed. She could see no lights shining under them. No–one appeared to be working late tonight.

  When the cat’s away, the mice will play. She stifled a hysterical giggle.

  She walked quietly up to the door of the Presidential office. She put her ear against it and listened for any sound coming from within. There was nothing but silence. She closed her eyes for a moment, said a silent prayer, and slowly turned the knob. When it had twisted all the way, she pushed opened the door. The office was dark.

  She stepped in, closed the door behind her, then tiptoed past the small area where Fatima used to sit and entered the larger section where her husband worked. She felt along the wall until she located a light switch and flipped it on. The empty office looked different than it did during the hustle and bustle of the day. Somehow, it seemed more elegant. There was a sense of history in the furnishings, the books, and the artwork. She shook it off. This was no time for sightseeing.

  “Get with the program,” she murmured under her breath.

  “Did you say something, Sonia?” Tara asked.

  Sonia jumped. She didn’t realize she had spoken out loud and forgot that she was wearing the earpiece. “I’m in the Presidential office.”

  “Good,” Tara said. “Now go over to the desk and turn on the computer.”

  “Okay.” Sonia crossed the office, went behind the desk, pulled the large chair back, crouched down, and searched for the computer’s power switch. She pressed it and jumped at the sound of the computer coming to life. She took a deep breath and expelled it. “It’s on.”

  “Good,” Tara said. “Now plug the device into a USB slot.”

  “Okay.” Sonia got down onto her knees and searched for a USB slot on the back of the computer tower. When she found one, she pulled the device from her bag, plugged it in and stood up. “Done,” she said. “What now?”

  “The upload is working. We’re receiving the information. Just let the device do its thing,” Tara said.

  Sonia sat in the large leather desk chair and watched the computer screen. What appeared to be file names flew across it at almost lightning speed. After a minute or so, she began to get anxious. “How much longer?”

  “I don’t know,” Tara said. “It depends on the amount of data in the computer.”

  “I can’t stay in here much longer,” Sonia said.

  “Don’t worry,” Tara said, “Joseph is still at the embassy.”

  “Yeah, but what am I going to do if a guard or someone else comes in here?” Sonia asked.

  “We went over that. Remember? You just tell them that Joseph asked you to retrieve some information for him and bluff your way out. If that doesn’t work, Plan B is for us to retrieve you,” Tara said.

  “Right,” Sonia said. She crossed the office, put her head against the door and listened. She heard the faint sound of footsteps. It sounded as if someone were slowly coming down the hallway toward the office. Her heart leapt into her throat. She flicked off the light and tiptoed quickly across the floor to a door she had noticed on the other side of the room. Squinting her eyes,
trying to see in the dark, she held out her hand feeling for the far wall. When her hand hit it, she put her back against it and slid to her right, searching for the door. She stared in the dark toward the front door of the office and listened. The footsteps got louder.

  “Oh my God.” Sonia’s voice was barely a whisper.

  “What?” Tara asked.

  “Someone’s coming.”

  “Remember the game plan,” Tara said.

  “Too late,” Sonia said. “I turned out the light and decided to hide instead.”

  “What?” Tara’s voice was a hiss in her ear. “Why did you do that?”

  “Shh,” Sonia said, “I can’t talk now.” Her hand hit the door knob. She said a silent prayer that it would be open. She twisted the knob and pressed against the door. It opened. Breathing a sigh of relief, she slipped inside and had just pushed the door shut again when she heard the door to the office open.

  Whoever entered the office turned on the lights. She could see the light in the small space under the door she’d just closed. Sonia held her breath. She prayed that whoever it was wouldn’t notice the computer was on or see the file names flying across the screen. She heard the door to the office close then heard footsteps crossing the office. Soon, she heard the sounds of drawers opening and closing and the tap of computer keys.

  “Oho! What have we here?”

  Sonia’s blood froze. It couldn’t be. It sounded like Saye. Her mind raced. If it was Saye, he hadn’t come here to see Joseph. He’d disappeared after David’s kidnapping. Joseph told her he suspected his brother had been the brains behind the operation, because he and Fatimah were lovers. Saye had to know Joseph had issued orders for his arrest and that Joseph’s men were looking for him.

  “Saye,” Sonia whispered.

  “What? Did you say Saye? Is he there?” Tara asked.

  Sonia tiptoed away from the door. “Yes,” she whispered. “I think he’s in the Presidential office and that he just discovered the uplink.”

  “Where are you?” Tara asked.

  Sonia glanced around. There were file cabinets lined up against the walls and a photocopier. “I’m in some sort of file room inside the Presidential office suite.”

  “Hold on,” Tara said. Sonia heard a muffled conversation – as if Tara had placed her hand over the receiver of a telephone. After a moment, Tara spoke. “The uplink has stopped. Saye must have pulled the device from the computer. But it looks as if we already have more than we need to prosecute.”

  Relief poured through Sonia. “Thank God.”

  “Listen to me carefully,” Tara said. “We’re on our way and will be at the Presidential mansion in ten minutes. Keep this link open and stay in that file room. Do not move. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes,” Sonia said. “I hear you. But what about my son? I have to get to him.”

  “No,” Tara said. “He’s asleep in his nursery, right? That’s the safest place for him to be right now. You don’t want to have him anywhere near you in the event you’re discovered. This is for the best.”

  She thought about it. David certainly wouldn’t be safe with her in the file room. And it wasn’t as if she had a plan for getting to him at this point anyway. She walked over to the door of the file room again, pressed her ear up against it and listened. All she heard was silence.

  “Í can’t hear anything,” she whispered. “Saye must have left.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t open that door,” Tara said. “If he’s still in there and you open the door, you’ll be exposed.”

  Sonia’s anxiety levels rose as she waited. She had to get out of this file room. The longer she stayed there, the more likely she was to get caught. If she could just get back to the bedroom or to the nursery unseen, she’d be good to go. Joseph would blame the uplink on someone else.

  She pressed her ear to the file room door and listened for another five minutes. Upon hearing nothing, she decided to take a chance. She put her hand on the knob and turned it ever so slowly until it would no longer turn. Breathing a silent prayer, she pushed the door open just a crack. The lights in the office were off.

  Sonia smiled. Her risk had paid off. “They’re gone,”

  “What? Who’s gone? Don’t tell me you opened the door,” Tara said.

  “Yes, I did,” Sonia said. “Now, I’m going to see about my son.” She walked across the Presidential office and headed toward the exit.

  The desk lamp clicked on. She gasped and whipped her head around to look. She saw the outline of a man sitting at the desk. Adrenaline kicked in. Her heart began to pound.

  The man leaned forward. It was Saye.

  “So,” he said, “it is you who did this.” He held up the drive.

  Sonia’s mind raced as she wondered how to play it. She decided to try to bluff her way out. “Saye! What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask the same of you, except I know what you’ve been doing. I knew that whoever put this device on my brother’s computer would have to come back for it. So I waited. I had no idea though that little Sonia would become a player.”

  “A player? What device? What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “Don’t play dumb with me. You are anything but dumb. Why do you think Joseph chose you? Did you think it was solely for your pretty face and firm behind? Those come a dime a dozen here in Liberia.” He looked her over. “Although, you are very gifted in that sense too.”

  Sonia fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. If allowing Saye to ogle her would distract him or at least keep him talking until Tara and Tyrone could get there, then let him ogle away. “What do you mean he chose me?”

  “Joseph had his eye on you ever since college. My father sent him to America to get an education and to find an American-born wife with the skills, knowledge and connections to take our little operation to the next level. Like the good son he has always been, he took that charge very seriously. He was already obsessed with you. But when he learned that you planned to attend law school and that you were the daughter of a powerful U.S. Senator, it was even easier for him to sell you as a potential candidate to my father. The fact that he found you only served to prove to my father, once again, that he had chosen the right son to be his successor.” Saye’s tone was bitter.

  Sonia swallowed hard. It was one thing to know that Joseph had used her. It was another to know that he’d been sent to America for that very purpose. “You mean . . . you mean he’s been planning this ever since we were in college? But why? For God’s sake, why?”

  “So that when we executed the coup d’état you’d be able to help negotiate with the U.S. and other countries to give aid to Liberia and to help legitimize the new government. My father was supposed to execute the coup but he died before we could get all the pieces in place. After his death, I always thought it would be me who took the reins, but Joseph beat me to the punch. He was always doing that – taking things he had no right to. This is my birthright. I am the eldest son. I should have been my father’s successor – not Joseph.” He swept an arm across the desk. Pens, papers, photo frames and other items fell onto the floor. He looked up at Sonia. The rage and madness burned brightly in his eyes.

  This man is out of his damned mind. What am I going to do?

  She thought about the gun in her bag. She really didn’t want to have to shoot her way out, but if that was her only option, she’d take it. But how would she get the gun out and the safety off fast enough to use it?

  “Keep him talking, Sonia. We’re five minutes away.” Tara’s voice was quiet in her ear.

  “Wow,” she said. “Here I was thinking that Joseph changed once we got to Liberia. I had no idea he’d been planning this since college.” She stepped over to a small desk on the other side of the room to put some distance between them and sagged against it, as if in shock. “I was just a pawn in his little game.” She shook her head.

  Saye laughed. “We are all just pawns in my father and Joseph’s little games. But no longer.
So, Sonia, what are you doing here? Who are you? A spy for the U.S. government? Or are you just working for them? Are you having fun playing Jane Bond? I heard that Joseph was keeping you hostage here and that he wouldn’t let you take my little nephew out of the country. How is little David after his terrible ordeal? Did those bad men hurt him?”

  The fact that he could make light of the kidnapping and the hell he had put them through made Sonia forget all about keeping him calm and talking. She wanted to slap him. She stood up straight, put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you ever mention my son’s name again, you son of a bitch. How could you? How could you arrange to have your own nephew kidnapped and then joke about it? He’s just an innocent little boy.”

  “There is no such thing as innocent in Liberia. Children younger than my nephew are witness to terrible atrocities if not the subjects themselves. Joseph was kidnapped when he was just a boy and his kidnappers did not treat him so nicely. They whipped him to within an inch of his young life,” Saye said.

  “I know,” Sonia said. “He told me about that while we were in college. They did that just to get back at your father. It’s one of the reasons I’m so determined to get David somewhere safe – out of this madness.”

  Saye laughed. “Safe? Do you think anywhere is safe? Even if you did manage to get David out of the country, Joseph would hunt you to the ends of the Earth to get him back. And if he didn’t get you, one of his enemies would. But don’t worry, my dear. It will all be over soon.” He sent her an evil grin.

  “Over soon? What do you mean by that?”

  “My men are on their way here as we speak. I am here to claim the government of Liberia. I am executing a coup d’état and you are my first prisoner. It will be nice to have you chained up in my dungeon for as long as it amuses me. As for David,” he shrugged, “it is best not to leave any former heirs to the throne lingering about.”

  Sonia saw red. She pushed off the desk and started to take a step toward Saye fully intending to rip his throat out with her bare hands. As if she could sense Sonia’s intent, Tara spoke up.