into the very back while Warren and Esteban took the middle.
As they exited the airport they had a view out over the ocean. The beach
was broad and sandy. Gentle waves lapped the shore.
After a short distance, they passed a large unfinished cement structure
that was weathered and crumbling. Rusted rebars stuck out of the top
like the spines of sea urchins. Jack asked what it was.
‘It was supposed to be a tourist hotel,’ Arturo said. ‘But there was no
money and no tourists.’
‘That’s a bad combination for business,’ Jack said.
While Esteban played tour guide and pointed out various sights, Jack
asked Arturo if they had far to go.
‘No, ten minutes,’ Arturo said.
‘I understand you worked for GenSys,’ Jack said.
‘For three years,’ Arturo said. ‘But no more. The manager is a bad
person. I prefer to stay in Bata. I’m lucky to have work.’
‘We want to tour the GenSys facility,’ Jack said. ‘Do you think we’ll
have any trouble?’
‘They don’t expect you?’ Arturo asked with bewilderment.
‘Nope,’ Jack said. ‘It’s a surprise visit.’
‘Then you may have trouble,’ Arturo said. ‘I don’t think they like
visitors. When they repaired the only road to Cogo, they built a gate.
It’s manned twenty-four hours a day by soldiers.’
‘Uh-oh!’ Jack said. ‘That doesn’t sound good.’ He’d not expected
restricted access to the town and had counted on being able to drive in
directly. Where he expected to have trouble was getting into the
hospital or the labs.
‘When Esteban called to say you were going to Cogo, I thought you’d been
invited,’ Arturo said. ‘I didn’t think to mention the gate.’
‘I understand,’ Jack said. ‘It’s not your fault. Tell me, do you think
the soldiers would take money to let us in?’
Arturo flashed a glance in Jack’s direction. He shrugged. ‘I don’t know.
They’re better paid than regular soldiers.’
‘How far is the gate from the town?’ Jack asked. ‘Could someone walk
through the forest and just pass the gate?’
Arturo glanced at Jack again. The conversation had taken a turn in a
direction he’d not expected.
‘It is quite far,’ Arturo said evincing some unease. ‘Maybe five
kilometers. And it is not easy to walk in the jungle. It can be
dangerous.’
‘And there is only one road?’ Jack asked.
‘Only one road,’ Arturo agreed.
‘I saw on a map that Cogo is on the water,’ Jack said. ‘What about
arriving by boat?’
‘I suppose,’ Arturo said.
‘Where could someone find a boat?’ Jack asked.
‘In Acalayong,’ Arturo said. ‘There are many boats there. That’s how to
go to Gabon.’
‘And there would be boats to rent?’ Jack asked.
‘With enough money,’ Arturo said.
They were now passing through the center of Bata. It was composed of
surprisingly broad tree-lined, litter-strewn streets. There were lots of
people out and about but relatively few vehicles. The buildings were all
low concrete structures.
On the south side of town, they turned off the main street and made
their way along a rutted unpaved road. There were large puddles from a
recent rain.
The hotel was an unimposing two-story concrete building with rusted
rebars sticking out the top for potential future upward expansion. The
facade had been painted blue but the color had faded to an indistinct
pastel.
The moment they stopped, an army of congenial children and adults
emerged from the front door. Everyone was introduced down to the
youngest, shy child. It turned out that several multigenerational
families lived on the first floor. The second floor was the hotel.
The rooms turned out to be tiny but clean. They were all situated on the
outside of the U-shaped building. Access was by way of a veranda open to
the courtyard. There was a toilet and a shower on each end of the ‘U.’
After putting his bag in his room and appreciating the mosquito netting
around the inordinately narrow bed, Jack went out onto the veranda.
Laurie came out of her room. Together, they leaned on the balustrade and
peered down into the courtyard. It was an interesting combination of
banana trees, discarded tires, naked infants, and chickens.
‘Not quite the Four Seasons,’ Jack said.