Sauer was out now. “Don’t forget to get the keys,” Hobbs shouted at him. He then put him arm around Doctor Mayer’s shoulder and walked with her into the mortuary.
“Why are we here?” Sauer asked Hobbs as he walked into Doctor Mayer’s office.
“To weigh you, you baby elephant,” Hobbs replied. “We need an outsider who will monitor our bet.”
“You made me drive all the way down here to be weighed? If we walked here I could have lost a total of five pounds. Easily.” Sauer felt his dignity was touched in a bad way. “Where exactly is this scale you’re talking about?”
“Inside there,” Hobbs said, indicating towards the cold rooms.
“What is it with you?” Sauer asked. “This is the second time this week that you are dragging me into a place full of dead bodies. What is your problem?”
“Don’t worry,” Hobbs replied, “Doctor Mayer has not yet packed the corpses out for the day.”
“And you know this how?”
“Because I come down here every morning to bonk her remember.”
The two of them walked into the massive cold room. The idea of all the dead bodies that would soon cover the slabs had chills running down Sauer’s back. Doctor Mayer already stood next to the electronic scale.
“Hop on,” she said to Sauer. He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the scale. Like that was going to make a massive change. The numbers ran across the digital screen for a while before they stabilized on two hundred fifty-six pounds.
Fuck I’m fat! I should be max two hundred forty pounds!
Doctor Mayer jotted it down in a book and then asked Hobbs, “How many do you smoke a day?”
“Sixty, and that is on a good day. On a bad day he smokes double that!” Sauer yelled. “He smokes me out of the bloody office!”
“Now, now boys—play nicely,” Doctor Mayer said. “Come, off you go. I’ve cadavers to dissect.”
The two walked out of the cold room and into the warm morning sun.
“May I now please go have breakfast?” Sauer asked.
“Puff, puff,” Hobbs replied.
Sauer ignored him and got into the driver’s seat of the Turtle. He pumped the brakes a few times and felt them getting stronger. Aha, so this is how the brakes work!
Sauer slowly backed the Turtle off the pavement, carefully maneuvered it out of the alley and drove to a fast food restaurant. This time he managed to bring the Turtle to a standstill by itself. He did not have to use a parking meter for that, but he had to pump the brakes for almost half a block. He got out and walked inside without waiting for Hobbs. He fell down in the nearest chair. Through the window he saw Hobbs leaning against the Turtle, smoking. Instead of ordering his usual toasted bacon and egg sandwiches, he ordered a bowl of fruit salad and two poached eggs. He ate alone as Hobbs never bothered to join him inside. Hobbs might have a cup of coffee with him on an odd occasion. He finished his food, paid and walked back towards the Turtle. He got back into the Turtle and watched as Hobbs blew smoke rings into the air.
“At least I don’t pollute the air like you do,” Sauer said in between eating.
“Yes, I know,” Hobbs said, “but you are very guilty of sight pollution.”
“Sight pollution?”
“Yes, sight pollution. Think of all the people that gag behind your back at seeing the sight of you.”
“Fuck you!”
“Perhaps we should concentrate on our killer for a moment,” Sauer said.
“Let’s find a common denominator,” Hobbs replied.
“Did they not all belong to the same chat room or something? Perhaps there is a site where desperate spinsters can get their rocks off.”
“You heard what Patel said. Most of these chat room lovers don’t even live in the country,” Hobbs replied.
“Perhaps we should go speak to Jimmy Love again,” Sauer said.
“And learn what from him? That he wants to fuck me up the ass?” Hobbs ranted. “Okay, it’s a start. Perhaps some of his mates had drug habits to support and therefore were desperate enough to service these girls.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sauer started the Turtle and drove down town. They cruised slowly through the streets of Hillbrow. It was the most crime infested area in the whole of Johannesburg. Thirty years ago it was strange to find a black man living here. Now it would be strange to find a South African citizen living here whether they are black or white. Nigerian drug traders shared the hovels with human traffickers from Asia and the Scandinavian countries. Sauer pumped the brakes in advance and brought the Turtle neatly and quietly to a standstill outside a crumbling building: The Mews. When they last spoke to Jimmy Love he lived in this building.
In the building’s foyer hung an old stench of stale urine. Trash was littered everywhere, especially along the walls. People just kick the debris out of their way. Nobody bothers to pick it up. Cockroaches and ants crawled over the debris. The mice and rats would not be far behind. Everything was quiet.
These residents slept during the day and played their vicious games at night. The staircase was on the right side of the foyer. The urine stench got stronger.
Hobbs followed Sauer up the stairs. The escalator had long ago ceased to operate. The shaft is now being used as a trash pit. One could hear the rats squealing and fighting over food. The smell from the shaft was unbearable. The detectives moved quickly and quietly as not to alert anybody.
On the third floor, Sauer stopped and caught his breath. Hobbs was right behind him. Sauer turned to the left and walked down the hall. Outside the second to the last door, he came to a standstill. He indicated that they should just kick the door down. Knocks were not easily answered in buildings like these.
He started counting down from three on his fingers, and with one almighty kick, kicked the door clean from its hinges. They stormed into the one bedroom apartment and found a very confused Jimmy Love struggling out of bed. Love’s face became horrified when he saw Sauer entering. He screamed like a girl and pulled the filthy sheet over him. Next to Love a young boy still slept soundly. Both were naked. Sauer growled at Jimmy. He walked over to the bed and sat next to the sleeping youngster.
“How old is he?” Sauer asked Love.
“Eighteen,” Love lied.
“Really,” Sauer said. “Perhaps I should wake him up and take him in for questioning.”
“No, no please don’t,” Love said desperately. He got out of bed, hands hoisted above his head. He was naked. A silver crucifix hung around his neck on a long chain reaching almost to this stomach. Pale skin covered his bones. He did not look good…acquired immune deficiency syndrome. “Put on some damn clothes,” Sauer bellowed at him. The young boy sighed in his sleep and moved slightly. Johnny scrambled for a pair of shorts lying on the floor. He pulled them on hurriedly. He looked up and saw Hobbs’s deep brown eyes glaring at him from the doorway. Jimmy froze for a moment and looked at Hobbs. He saw the chiseled cheekbones and the straight nose. Oi, he is so gorgeous.
Jimmy threw his hips to the left side and slowly minced towards Hobbs. Hobbs looked at him the way people look at someone who stepped in shit. Jimmy stopped in front of Hobbs, placed his hands on his hips and gave Hobbs the top to bottom look-over. He extended his right hand towards Hobbs. “Morning Captain,” he cooed. Hobbs ignored the hand.
Sauer shook the shoulders of the sleeping youngster hard. He just grunted and turned over.
“What the fuck did you feed this child?” Sauer bellowed.
“Nothing that he did not want to take,” Love said, not taking his eyes off Hobbs. “To what do I owe the pleasure of having such a real hunky policeman in my bedroom so early in the day?”
“We came to see your little black book,” Hobbs said.
“Oh there is no need for that. Believe me. You are definitely under the top ten in my books.”
“We want to know who the other nine are.”
“Why? You don’t strike me as the insecure type.”
&
nbsp; “Give me the information or I will throttle it out of you.”
“Like hell you will,” Love said, hands on the hips. He picked up a gown, wrapped it around his thin body and said to Sauer, “Why must he always threaten me? Why can’t he speak to me like a normal human being?”
“Ask him nicely.”
Jimmy turned back to Hobbs and asked, “What exactly do you want to know?”
“All your contacts,” Hobbs answered.
“And if I don’t want to give it to you? I know my rights, you know.”
“Well, if you don’t want to cooperate, then Hobbs will talk to you.”
A smile spread over Jimmy’s face. “So, he will, will he?”
“With his fists,” Sauer replied.
Jimmy minced back to the bed and plonked himself down next to the sleeping boy. He picked up a green bag from the floor and started unpacking the contents on the bed: sex toys, condoms, a scarf, a huge, rubber band, some more condoms, tubes of different, flavored lubrication and finally, his Blackberry. He switched it on and handed it to Hobbs.
Sauer opened the bedside table’s drawer. Inside were more sex toys, condoms, tissues, K-Y Jelly and a few gay porn magazines. Sauer threw everything on the floor as he unpacked. Eventually, he ripped the drawer from the table and emptied its contents on the sleeping boy. He went through it, picking up scraps of paper, reading and throwing them down on the floor. Then he picked up a piece of paper that made him freeze. It was a business card. He got up and handed the card to Hobbs. Hobbs looked at it, then at Jimmy. The card read: Pastor Leslie Adams. Theology Professor.
“I thought you did not know any of the other women that were killed,” Sauer said storming at Jimmy. Jimmy’s face went ash. He gave a small yelp and bolted for the front door. He screamed as he ran down the hall. Neither Hobbs nor Sauer gave chase. They knew that, people who run, eventually tire. They were not about to tire themselves with a meaningless chase. They would rather come back in the still of the night and find their target in bed, fast asleep. Besides, anybody in Jimmy’s physical condition wouldn’t get far.
Sauer ripped the filthy sheet off the sleeping boy. He was not older than fourteen. Sauer looked at Hobbs and saw the horror in his eyes. He rolled the sheets around the sleeping boy and threw him over his shoulder. Sauer followed Hobbs down the hall. As they walked down the stairs, sleepy residents peeked at them from behind chained doors. No doubt they were awoken by Jimmy’s shrill screams.
When they got to the Turtle, Sauer unceremoniously dumped the youngster in the back of the cruiser and covered him with the blanket. Sauer revved the engine as they pulled out. Black smoke floated between the high-rise buildings. The noise reverberated endlessly between the tall buildings. The youngster slept undisturbed.
“I wonder what drugs Love fed the poor child.”
“Enough to knock him out so that he does not need to know what Love had in stall for him.”
By the time they got back to the office, the sun was beating down on the sleeping boy. His face and arms were already turning pink. This child must hardly ever see the sun. Sauer did his usual parking stint on the pavement. Both detectives got out of the Turtle and slammed the doors as hard as they could. Hobbs’s refused to close. He clipped the door gently, but gave a loud curse. Even that did not wake the boy. So Sauer shook his shoulders.
“Why you doing that for?” the boy scream bewildered and confused. Then he looked around dazed at his surroundings.
“Oops…sorry. I did not mean to do that. But wakey, wakey, sunshine—we want to ask you some questions,” Sauer purred.
The youngster struggled to get up. “Where am I?” He rapped the blanket tightly around him despite the heat.
“Who’re you? What am I doing here?” he asked bewildered.
“I am your worst nightmare, my boy. But firstly, tell me. How old are you?”
“Where am I? Where have you taken me?” the youngster retorted.
“What is your name?” Sauer shouted.
“Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare!”
The boy stared at Sauer. Reality was slowly sinking in. Right now, silence was the best form of defense.
“And I suppose asking you to cooperate and give me your real name is out of the question.”
“You got that right,” the youngster replied with real attitude.
Sauer looked at Hobbs standing and smoking on the other side of the Turtle.
“You know what I think?” Sauer said to Hobbs, seemingly ignoring the youngster. “That the inmates at the holding cells will be forever in our depth if we locked this white, naked young man up with them.”
“Oh yes! I think they will have the mother of all bum fests.” Sauer unceremoniously picked the scrawny youngster up and walked towards the holding cells.
“Fuck you, fuck you…let go of me!”
Sauer stopped, dumped the youngster on the ground and said, “Prepared to talk now?”
The youngster nodded his head.
“Right, first of all—how old are you?”
“Eighteen,” the youngster answered quickly.
“Really,” Sauer said, “you look awfully small for an eighteen year old. Now tell me, what is your name?”
“Stevie Love,” The youngster said quietly. Sauer stared at him in confusion.
“You married to Jimmy or what?”
“No, he is my brother.”
“Brother, as in blood brother?” the amazed Sauer asked.
“Yes, as in blood.”
“And Love is you proper name?”
“Yes…no…yes…but that was a long time ago.”
“Talk to me,” Sauer said, “explain everything to me.”
“Our real surname is Westley. But Jimmy changed it a long time ago. Just after he came to fetch me.”
“Fetch you from where?”
“Can we go inside somewhere please? People are staring,” the youngster asked.
“Does that bother you? I though your kind liked being stared at.”
Sauer looked around and saw several uniform policemen staring at them. He picked the boy up from the ground, put his arm around Stevie and guided him towards their office.
Sauer pushed Stevie towards the pink couch in their office and sat down behind the desk. Hobbs hovered at the door, smoking the last bit of his cigarette.
“And,” Sauer said looking straight at Stevie.
“Jimmy and I are only half-brothers. We think. The bitch that gave birth to us was a prostitute. Jimmy is a few years older than me…”
“How many years?” Sauer interrupted.
“Eight,” the youngster said.
“Carry on,” Sauer said.
“Like I said, life was hell. The bitch used to lock us in a room for days on end. I think she forgot about us sometimes.”
The boy looked down. He fumbled with his fingers.
“And…” Sauer said.
“There was another baby at one stage, a girl. She used to cry all the time. She was locked in the bedroom with us. I was very small then, but I remember Jimmy trying to make things better by telling us stories. One morning, when we woke up, the baby was quiet. Jimmy told me later that she had gone to heaven. He cried a lot that day, but he told me that day that he would take care of me for the rest of my life.” The youngster paused.
“How old is Jimmy now?” Sauer asked. Hardened policemen don’t fall for soppy stories, even if they are true.
“Twenty…I think,” he answered honestly.
“And that makes you eighteen?” Sauer asked as he stretched across the desk ready to clobber the youngster. The youngster got such a fright that he jumped up and landed behind the couch. There he stood clinging to his blanket.
“Sit,” Sauer growled.
The bewildered Stevie looked at Sauer, at Hobbs, who stared back at him blankly, and looked again at Sauer’s angry face. He slowly climbed back over the couch and sat straight up, the blanket still wrapped around him tightly.
>
“Now,” Sauer said, “let’s start at the very beginning.” Sauer paused. He took a pen from the drawer and started writing on the case file in front of him.
“Firstly, how old are you?”
Stevie realized his calculation mistake. Sauer was glaring at him…so he decided to be honest.
“Twelve.”
“What is your real name?”
“Stephen Wesley.”
“What is Jimmy’s real name?”
“Dudley Wesley.”
“Where do you live?”
“With my brother Jimmy Love,” he said in all honesty.
“Where did you live before that?” Sauer growled even deeper at him.
“With my mother. And whoever the man of the moment was.”
“And where was this?”
“Wherever the man of the moment’s place was.”
“So you moved around a lot.”
“Yes.”
“What is you relation with Jimmy Love?”
“He is my brother. Actually, my half-brother, I think. We don’t know. We never asked about it.”
“How long have you been living with him?”
“It will be ten years next month.”
“And why are you not at school today?”
“Because the schools have closed for the summer holidays,” Stevie said sarcastically.
“What grade are you in?”
“Six.”
“Where do you school?”
“At Saint Mary’s in Hillbrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Saint Mary’s is one of the oldest schools in Johannesburg. It was once considered to be one of the most posh schools in the country. The Catholic school was almost a century old and was run by nuns and priests.
Sauer sat back. For a moment he was surprised by the answer. Just a little boy caught in a horrible nightmare from which there is little chance to escape. He looked at the youngster differently now.
“So, it is just you and your brother. No other sibling?”
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