The Constant Gardener Page #8

Nothing. Right.

Well, thank you for the warning.

You've been very kind.

I was afraid you'd say that.

In case you meet any bandits.

I, uh - I wondered if you could help me. Yes, sir?

Thank you for agreeing to take me, Mr. -

Please. I can't hear you. Please put these on.

I said thank you for taking me, Mr. Andika.

Jonah. No formalities up here.

Do you know about Southern Sudan, Mr. Black?

The place we're going to is a food camp,

but on the way we must drop to some villages.

We'rejust about to do a live run. Take a look.

His name is Brandt, this man you want to see.

He works at the clinic up there.

He's a good man, but he pushes God with the pills.

Don't get him started.

Better strap yourself in. We're landing on the surface of the moon.

Hi. Uh, Robert Black, freelance journalist.

I'm looking for Dr. Brandt.

Dr. Brandt? Yeah, he's just here. He's traveling over from the village. Thank you.

- Dr. Brandt? - I'll see you over by the tent.

My name is Robert Black. I'm a freelance journalist. Uh-huh.

I'm told that you're the man to talk to. I don't know about that, Mr. Black.

But I can tell you what's happening around here, yeah? Good.

Meet my self-appointed assistant, Abuk.

Abuk. Hello. How are you?

Hello. How are you? I'm very well.

Follow me. Come this way.

Youse need to go all to the medical center, quickly as possible.

I only give the food to the women, Mr. Black.

The women make the homes. The men make the wars... and hooch.

Adam was God's first draft. He got it right with Eve.

You tell that to your readers, Mr. Black.

It's a philosophy that I learned from my wife.

Cherish her, man. Cherish her. One of God's finest creations.

Now I'll show you what the devil's up to.

Our treatment center. Pretty crude, isn't it?

Well, I've seen hospitals little better. In Nairobi.

So have I. Gharan, what surprises have they got in store for us this month?

Have you checked those things? Ja? Should be boxes.

Free medicines, Mr. Black.

Most of them well beyond their sell-by date.

The drug companies donate them. It's a tax break for them.

Disposable drugs for disposable patients.

Out here they have absolutely no shelf life.

Safest thing to do is incinerate them.

Big pharmaceuticals are right up there with the arms dealers.

This is how the world fucks Africa, Mr. Black.

Blood on their hands? It's how they expiate their guilt.

Pharmaceuticals, the aid agencies, everybody.

This whole machine is driven by guilt.

Is it?

And now you will sample my goat stew. Come with me.

So tell me, Robert,

do you believe an individual can redeem himselfby good acts?

Abuk.

I do, yes.

Maybe the redemption is in the struggle, huh?

God has your head. The devil has your balls.

So which particular devil had yours?

Oh, you don't want to know about that, Robert.

What's your paper really interested in?

In the big pharmaceutical companies.

African guinea pigs. Cheap trials for unsound drugs.

Uninformed consent extorted with threats against children. Who are you?

Christ! Payoffs, cover-ups.

You were in Nairobi. At the hospital. Unmarked graves.

I knew I'd seen you somewhere before. Murder.

You're the husband. That's right, Dr. Lorbeer.

Markus.! Markus.!

Something's going on out there. Why did my wife come here?

She-They had written this report.

Sixteen pages of inspired guesswork.

I was supposed to provide the missing clinical data.

Testify on tape. And did you?

This could be a raid.

Tribesman. Nasty. They steal cattle, food, children.

- I think maybe we should leave. - Did you testify on tape?

She was a very persuasive woman, your wife, Mr. Quayle.

And, no, I do not have the tape. They took the tape.

But you kept a copy of the report, yes? Yes, I did. You're welcome to it.

Level four alert! They're leaving in five minutes.

If you don't want to die, my friend, you'd better come with me to the airstrip.

Hurry.

- We can still make it. - What were Tessa and Bluhm doing at Lake Turkana?

Are you crazy? We've got to get out of here, man.

I mean, these people, they kill anybody. Sorry.

Have you lost your senses?

- There was something else! There was a letter!

Look, you're a lunatic. Do you know what you're doing?

You're killing us both. We'll take our chances with them.

No!

- Get down!

Abuk!

Abuk.! You okay? Come with us, quick. Run.

Run.

Wait. Wait!

Be careful! Abuk, be careful!

Here!

Hurry on up! Where have you guys been?

Sorry about that, Jonah.

- I'm sorry. I can't take the girl. - I'm not leaving her.

- We're only allowed to evacuate aid workers. - Well, to hell with what's allowed.

I'll- How much do you want for her?

- Look, there's $ . - Don't embarrass me.

You can't buy this. The rules are made for good reason, please.

This is a child's life! There are no rules to cover that!

Look, there are thousands of them out there.

I can't make an exception for this one child.

Yes, but this is one we can help! Here.

Abuk.! Abuk.! Abuk.!

Listen, that's the way it is here.

Keep your money. Strap yourself in, and let's go.

What- What'll happen to her?

She might make it to a refugee camp... if she's lucky.

This is what you came for, I believe.

Your wife would have made that tape public, Mr. Quayle, with my voice on it.

That letter was my insurance policy.

But how did they know where to find her?

They were on their way to Marsabit, taking the whole rotten package to Grace Makanga.

Makanga would have put it in front of the U.N.

But someone knew exactly where Tessa and Arnold would be.

That was me.

I radioed Nairobi.

KDH security man name of Crick. God, Christ, man.

I didn't know they were gonna be murdered.

My oath to God.

Crick's going to know that you were up here.

Going to be very interested to know where you're headed.

What do I tell him?

He'll know.

He's been there before.

Mr. Andika? Yeah?

I'd like to apologize if I embarrassed you earlier.

It's all right.

Do you think that it would be possible to land the plane here?

Lake Turkana? It's possible, but you don't wanna go there.

It's-There's nothing there but crocodiles.

Let me take you back to Loki.

Well, I- I wouldn't be alone for long.

Please. I'd be, um- I'd be grateful.

I have one more favor to ask you, I'm sorry.

Do you think you could post that envelope for me? It's quite urgent.

Ah, Rome.

If we have lost in Justin and Tessa...

two valued friends,

the diplomatic community has lost a true gentleman-

courteous, self-effacing,

large ofheart.

That he chose to take his own life in the same remote spot...

where Tessa met her tragic death...

is a sad reflection ofhis tormented state of mind...

but also typical ofhis discretion.

He would not have had us troubled.

He would not have had us inconvenienced.

Nothing in his life became him...

like the leaving it.

I have, uh, chosen a text I know Justin and Tessa would approve.

It's an epistle. Noncanonical.

"My Dear Sandy: Your naivet? is beyond belief.

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