Daddy Long Legs

by Vernon W. Baumann

  ‘As Detective Human said earlier today, I learned that my son had been kidnapped ... by the heartless man that has been plaguing this area for more than twenty years.’ Joemat paused for what seemed an eternity, making a visible effort to control his emotions. ‘There’s not a lot I want to say. I have said too much already. I have spoken too much. Empty words, fuelled by ambition and conceit. Empty words that have done immeasurable harm.’ Joemat bit down on his lower lip. ‘I stand before you today. A grieving father. Concerned only for the safety of his child. His only child.’ Joemat’s lips quivered as tears rolled down his cheeks. ‘In the past, I said many things. I questioned the abilities and motives of the good men that were commissioned to catch this killer.’ He turned to Human. ‘Men like detective Wayne Human.’ He reached out and took Human’s hand. Human stood stiffly, looking awkward. Joemat addressed the reporters. ‘My statements over the last few days have been completely unwarranted ... my undeserved criticism of Detective Human and his squad has been totally without basis. I want to take this opportunity, right now, to affirm my complete confidence in Detective Human and his detectives and to state publicly that I believe in him, and that I trust him, unequivocally.’ Joemat again turned to Human. ‘Detective, I want to take this opportunity to apologise, publicly, for my egregious behaviour and for doubting your abilities and efforts. Please accept my sincere apologies.’ Human nodded stiffly. ‘If there is any man in this entire country that can save my son, then it is this man, standing right next to me.’ A fresh flood of tears welled up in Joemat’s eyes and washed over his cheeks. He turned to the media delegates, gripping the nearest microphone with an intensity that whitened his knuckles. ‘Oh dear God, please don’t hurt my little boy,’ he said, wailing. ‘I will give you anything. I will give you everything I have but please, dear God, I beg you, please don’t harm my little Alex. Please don’t harm my boy.’ Joemat sobbed painfully, his face contorted in open grief. The tears washed down his face, soaking his collar. His P.A. stepped forward and, cradling the premier in her arm, led him away. Human nodded at Lerato. She stepped up to the podium.

  ‘I will now take any questions on behalf of premier Joemat and the South African Police Services.’ And for the next half hour, Lerato fielded questions from dozens of publications and networks, both local and international. Human stood nearby, once again glad for Lerato’s presence. When they were done, the sun was already low in the sky, a dim orb sinking behind the western ridges that flanked the town of Hope. In complete silence, Human drove her to the guesthouse where she was staying. In the dirt road outside the B&B, they sat without speaking, each engrossed in respective thoughts. Eventually Lerato turned to Human. She tenderly placed a hand on his arm.

  ‘Do you want to come inside?’ She spoke the words with great care, averting her eyes.

  Human looked at her, his heart beating inside his chest, awed by the clean lines of her beauty. ‘Tomorrow’s going to be a hectic day. I want us both to get as much rest as possible.’

  She nodded mutely, trying her best to hide her disappointment. ‘Yes, of course.’ She hovered for a moment longer, unsure. And then, with such delicate subtlety that Human had to convince himself afterwards that it had even happened, she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his cheek. She exited the car without saying a word and disappeared into the house while Human looked after her with. Surprise? Delight?

  During the short drive to his own lodgings, Human tried to focus on the case and the work that lay ahead. But all he could think of was her words, the subdued and ambiguous invitation. Yes. Of course they all needed to have an early evening. The first one in a long time. Yes. Of course they needed to be fresh and wide awake for the challenges posed by the latest developments. Tired minds achieved little. And they were all, without exception, exhausted. Yes. Of course Human’s rejection of Lerato’s invitation had been professional.

  But come now, detective. You’re too old to lie to yourself this blatantly. Surely. You knew that once inside her room. Once you were alone with Lerato. You wouldn’t be able to control yourself. You wouldn’t be able to trust yourself. And you wouldn’t be able to resist. Once you were alone with her. You knew you would have to feed the thing that had been growing inside you since that very first day.

  But that was the problem. Not that Human wanted her. Not that she awakened something both beautiful and primal within him. It was that he was still a married man. And despite the awesome truth of his feelings for her. A truth he could no longer ignore. Despite all this. Human was too decent to cross that line. To cheat on a woman whose idea of love was needy and paranoid self-obsession. And as long as he remained a married man, Human would never be able to break his vows. Because that was exactly who Human was.

  That night, turning restlessly in his bed, Human tried but couldn’t push Lerato Mathafeng from his mind. Eventually, swimming in agitated thoughts, he fell asleep. It was just as well. Before morning coloured the night, they would all face a fresh disaster.

  ***

  Tense and corrosive dreams rolled around Human’s head all night. Like an oil slick upon pristine waters. Like congealed coffee in a mug. It coated his sleep. Thick and muddy. Preventing REM. Hindering rest. Floating just below wakefulness. Hovering just above true sleep. He tossed and turned. Blistering images searing his mind.

  He was caught in a giant spider’s web. Spun between two towering skyscrapers. Sticky tendrils trapped him. Ensnared his limbs. Leaving him spread-eagled against the dirty sky. Exposed and vulnerable. Naked. From within the skyscrapers, reporters gawked and pointed at him. The strobe effect of a hundred camera flashes broke the darkness with intermittent brightness, like silent lightning.

  And then.

  He felt vibrations rolling like thunder through the giant web that trapped him. Violent and ominous, the quivering racked his body. Sending painful tremors through his prostrate frame. Something was approaching. Something huge and terrifying. Was creeping along the web. Crawling towards him. And with each terrifying tremor, it was moving closer.

  With superhuman effort, he wrenched his head loose from the gooey, sloppy adhesive that glued his body to the massive strands of the giant web. With a snap, his head broke loose. And he turned. Just in time. To see. A huge, hairy insect pincer reach for him. As the thing bore down on him. He looked into its thousand eyes. And saw –

  Bam. Bam.

  Human broke free from

  (the sticky web)

  sweaty sheets. And escaped

  (the monster spider)

  his hot fetid bed. And fell to

  (the earth a thousand kilometres beneath)

  the floor next to his bed.

  He sat up in dishevelled panic.

  Bam. Bam.

  What in God’s name?

  At the same time his phone started ringing.

  Bam. Bam. Bam.

  Someone was knocking on the door. ‘Detective! Detective!’

  His phone was ringing. Human picked up the mobile phone. And looked at the screen. It was a number he didn’t recognise. He answered the call, standing up and reaching for the door, clothed only in a t-shirt and boxer shorts. Amidst the confusion and the loud banging, he managed to pick out only disjointed words. ‘Detective Human ... house ... burning.’ Human twisted the door handle and opened the door.

  What? Oh my God.

  Frenetic thoughts flooded his mind.

  My house is burning. My house is burning!

  Blurred images of his modest middle-class house in Centurion flashed through his mind. He saw hot tongues of flame devouring his home. Angry towers of fire destroying everything. He immediately thought of his wife.

  Oh my God. Magda!

  Framed by the doorway, stood one of the task group’s detectives, a bulky man in his early twenties with a receding hairline and a huge ginger moustache. Human looked at him with shock. ‘My wife,’ Human blurted incoherently. ‘My wife.’

  The detective looked at Human with confusion. He grabbed him by
the shoulders as if to wake him up. ‘Detective Human. The house is on fire.’

  Human shook loose from the man’s strong grip. ‘My house is on fire.’

  The burly detective grabbed Human’s shoulder. ‘No detective. Our headquarters. It’s Hill Street.’ Human looked at the man with shock, for the first time truly comprehending. ‘It’s burning down to the ground.’

  Human stood for a second, the last vestiges of the restless dream still haunting his mind. Then he snapped awake. ‘Oh my God. Oh my God.’ He rushed back inside, hurriedly searching for his clothes. A million thoughts, concerns and questions raced through his mind. ‘What about the fire department?’ he asked with mounting fear, wondering if Hope even had a functioning fire department.

  ‘They’ve been alerted,’ the detective said, watching Human jump around the room, trying to slip into his trousers and shoes with as much speed as possible. Without stopping to brush his thin dishevelled hair, Human rushed out the door, followed closely by the detective.

  ‘Let’s take your car,’ Human said, running towards the detective’s white Toyota Tazz. Moments later the hatchback was racing through Hope’s eerily deserted streets. Up ahead, hidden behind the houses of Hope’s residential zone, the night sky was lit by an angry orange-red. Human looked at his watch. It was a few minutes to three. A couple of minutes later they pulled up outside Eighteen Hill Street. Or what was left of it.

  The house that served as the detective unit headquarters was entirely consumed by huge roaring flames. Curls of orange fire leaped out of windows. Exterior walls, once white-washed, were now blackened and crumbling. Even the corrugated roof was choking with flames, buckling and warping under the intense heat produced by the fire. In the quiet of the desert night, the flames roared and crackled with satanic intensity.

  Human jumped out and surveyed the scene with growing despair. He rushed up to the entrance of the house, fuelled by panicked desperation, but retreated as the intense heat from fire blasted him like a furnace. On the lawn in the front yard, burning pieces of debris smoked and sizzled like beacons. Human stepped back, looking at the burning house with anguished gloom.

  He felt someone’s presence next to him. It was Lerato.

  ‘That’s all our evidence. Up in flames.’

  Silence.

  ‘We still have the files in the safe.’ A small distance from them, the local fire department was busy unfolding fire hoses from within a specially modified Hilux pick-up, painted bright red.

  ‘Yes, the files in the safe,’ Human said without much conviction. Yes, there were the files in the safe. But the greater majority of evidence and material, carefully collected over twenty years of investigation, were being devoured by the flames before them. It was a disaster of epic proportions. And a major setback to the case.

  ‘How could this have happened?’ Human and Lerato stared at the intensifying flames.

  ‘That’s a very good question,’ Human said.

  They stood and looked on with mute despair. Around them several of the detectives from the task team gathered around them. In silence they watched the house disintegrate before their eyes. Eventually Human shook the cloying dismay from his being. With a look of grim determination, he plucked out his phone and dialled. On the other end, a sleepy Tina answered the phone.

  ‘Wh – what?’

  ‘Tina, sorry to wake you, but we’ve had ourselves a little disaster.’ In terse, economic sentences Human explained to Joemat’s P.A. what had happened. ‘I need Kimberley’s best arson investigator here, before dawn. Can you organise that for me?’

  ‘Yes, yes, of course.’ Tina was now wide awake.

  ‘I trust my request will be expedited with the authority of the premier’s office?’

  ‘Yes, of course, detective. You know you have the full backing of the premier.’

  Human ended the call. He turned to Lerato. ‘No use messing around with middle management when you got the top brass on your side.’

  Two hours later, inspector Jan Oliphant arrived while the Hope fire department was busy dousing the last of the flames. Together with Lerato and Human, Oliphant stood before the gutted building. Only the blackened walls remained and a section of the roof over the southern wing where the fire damage was the least. Everywhere else, the roof had caved in, lying smouldering within the charred carcass of the house. Gaping holes where the windows had been allowed a glimpse into the roasted and blackened heart of the destroyed building. In some places, one could look straight through the charred remains, into the singed yard behind where the thatched Lapa was a giant smouldering lollipop. From the scorched house, smoke rose in a serpentine plume, spiralling high into the early morning air, visible from several kilometres away. Like flies to a steaming turd, a ring of onlookers had formed around the smouldering husk.

  ‘Tell me, detective, what makes you suspect arson specifically?’ Oliphant stood, staring at the smouldering remains, flanked by Human and Lerato. In his right hand, he held a huge heavy-duty steel case. ‘The fire could have resulted from any number of causes.’

  Human turned to the investigator. ‘Let’s call it a series of unfortunate events.’

  The arson investigator looked at Human with interest. ‘Seems to be a lot of that going around.’ He turned his attention to the house. ‘Let me do a prelim and I’ll get back to you in an hour or so.’ Human nodded sombrely. Oliphant laid the heavy-duty case on the ground, released the latches and opened up the giant steel container. He extracted a pair of heavy-duty gloves and slipped them on. Donning a disposable blue jumpsuit and a pair of safety goggles, he waved at the two detectives and headed for the smouldering structure’s still-intact main door, in the relatively unscathed south wing.

  True to his word, about an hour later while the detectives were eating a morose breakfast, Oliphant contacted Human. A few minutes later they joined the arson investigator inside the destroyed house. ‘This is where the fire started,’ Oliphant said, pointing to the blackened floor of the filing room, where they were standing amidst a chaotic muddle of smoking debris, black sludge and charred furniture. ‘I can confirm without a doubt that an accelerant was used, most likely petrol.’ Human nodded. Despite the intense heat, the distinctive smell of petrol was still noticeable. ‘In addition, I quickly interviewed some of the fire fighters. They confirmed that the flames were yellow and white. They also told me the colour of the smoke during the initial stages of the fire was black. Now, this may indicate other factors, however this is yet further preliminary evidence that petrol was used as an accelerant.’ Human nodded, saying nothing. Everywhere he could see the charred remains of the case files.

  ‘Any signs of a break-in, inspector?’ It was Lerato.

  ‘I’m so glad you asked me that.’ He turned to Human. ‘Tell me something, Detective Human, who all has access to this building? And is it locked when no-one is present?’ Human looked up, intrigued.

  ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘Let me show you.’ He led Human and the others through the blackened reception area to the front door. He stepped through the doorway and invited the others to join him. Outside the early morning Karoo sun baked the world. He pointed to the door lock, where a key was plainly visible in the keyhole. ‘Whoever started the fire didn’t need to break in. They just used a key.’

  Human and Lerato looked at each other, stunned. Human turned his back to the group and walked away, his cell phone already to his ear. Lerato approached Oliphant.

  ‘So tell me, inspector, you’re absolutely sure the fire started in the filing room?’

  ‘Oh, absolutely.’ Oliphant wiped sweat from his brow, leaving a black smear across his face. ‘But here’s the interesting thing. The filing room is not a very good place to start the fire. I don’t know how much flammable material the room actually contained, but if I wanted to start a fire ... I would have begun somewhere around there,’ he said, pointing to the central part of the house. ‘If the fire had started in this area, there would have been noth
ing left. I guarantee you that.’ Human returned to the group.

  ‘I managed to confirm that Davis and Bothwell were the last detectives on duty last night. Davis assures me he locked up. Bothwell backs up his story. More importantly, Davis still has his key.’ Human looked at Lerato, a grave expression on his face. ‘You know what that means.’

  ‘Sowaar,’ Oliphant said, reverting to Afrikaans. ‘If you asked my opinion, I’d say it was an inside job.’

  The saboteur had struck again.

  Enough was enough. And Human had more than enough. Drastic measures were needed.

  Human bundled Lerato into an available squad car and drove to his guesthouse. Lerato looked at him with concern. ‘What are you going to do, Wayne?’

  ‘Something I should have done a long time ago.’

  Moments later Human was on the phone with Joemat. He outlined his plan and what he needed from the premier. Not surprisingly, Joemat offered his full cooperation. Then he phoned Joe Ndabane. He gave his superior a rundown of the latest developments. He also took pains detailing all the suspicious events that had been occurring since the beginning of the investigation, including the leaks. ‘What are you saying, Wayne?’

  ‘I’m saying sir that, not only is someone leaking confidential information to the media, but there is a mole in the squad. There is someone who is actively sabotaging the entire investigation. There is someone, sir ... a police officer, who doesn’t want us to catch the killer.’