Mavinda jabbered at the guard. The man winced and said a few words in reply. Then Mavinda translated.

‘He says the enemy attacked two hours ago. They came out of nowhere. A hundred of them.’

‘What happened to the rest of the Presidential Guards?’ Loader said.

Mavinda related the question. The guard wetted his lips again before making his reply.

‘Many of his brother soldiers chose to flee, when they saw the rebels approaching,’ the major said. ‘Only a few remained. They were cut down in a matter of minutes.’

‘By the Machete Boys?’ Mallet asked sceptically.

Mavinda shook his head. ‘KUF paramilitaries. General Kakuba’s men.’

‘KUF?’ Loader frowned. ‘But those guys we dropped upstairs were from the Machete Boys.’

‘They’re just scavengers,’ Mavinda said. ‘They wouldn’t have the skill or discipline to attack the palace. Only the KUF are capable of such a thing.’

‘Looks like they made short work of the opposition here,’ Mallet observed.

‘Do they wear lucky charms as well?’ Loader joked.

Mavinda’s expression was deadly serious. ‘The KUF are the closest thing the rebels have to a professional fighting force. Many of them deserted the army with General Kakuba. They even dress like soldiers.’

‘They must be the ones being trained by the Russians,’ Webb said.

Mavinda stared at him with raised eyebrows. ‘Russians?’ he repeated.

‘They’re supporting the rebels,’ Mallet said. He told Mavinda about the military advisers, the Kremlin plot to back the coup.

‘The Russians have chosen a dangerous ally,’ Mavinda said after he’d finished. ‘General Kakuba is a terrible man. He has attacked many villages in Karatandu. His soldiers rape, kill and loot anything they can find, then burn the villages to the ground. They say he eats the livers of his defeated enemies.’

‘Let’s hope we don’t bump into that fucker,’ Loader said.

Mallet said, ‘What happened to the president’s family? Ask your man.’

The major relayed the question to the wounded guard. He responded in a croaking whisper, then coughed up a gout of blood.

‘He says they managed to escape,’ Mavinda said after the man stopped talking. ‘Through a service exit.’

‘He’s sure?’ Casey asked.

‘The family fled before the KUF rebels could get into the compound,’ Mavinda said. ‘This man says he is certain of it. The senior ministers tried to flee through the same exit, but the rebels cut them off and herded them into this room with the remaining guards. Then they executed them, one by one. The staff pleaded with their captors to spare them, but General Kakuba did not care. Some of his men were laughing when they tossed grenades at the victims.’

Casey suppressed a shiver. The man said something else. Mavinda’s face clouded with unease.

‘What is it?’ Bowman demanded.

‘He says Mr Gregory is with the family as well. He helped them to safety.’

‘Mike? He’s with the family?’