"Where should I hide the parts?" Isaiah asked.
"I don't know and I don't want to know where you hide them." Shadow said. "You must understand that the less we know about what other operatives are doing the less information we can give the enemy if we are captured and tortured. We are all human beings and can easily crack under severe torture. Our enemy is made up of vicious people who will stop at nothing to protect their hated ideology but no matter what they do to you, you cannot tell them something that you don't know."
***
Isaiah Zuma and Bogdan Vodnik sat at a small white steel table covered with a red tablecloth on the pavement outside a continental coffee shop in Hillbrow. It was Saturday morning and the pavements were filled with people doing their shopping or merely strolling along looking at the displays in the shop windows. A black man sitting at the same table with a white man and drinking coffee attracted very little attention in Hillbrow with its cosmopolitan population, unlike the rest of the country where such a meeting would be viewed with suspicion and distaste.
"So, Mister Zuma, I understand from Catherine that there are certain items that you need that are not obtainable without attracting the attention of the authorities." Bogdan said as he stirred sugar into his coffee. "What makes you think that I can obtain these items for you?"
"I've heard from several people that you are very good at getting things that can't be obtained by the man in the street." Isaiah replied. "I've also heard that, for the right price, you are even able to get things that are illegal."
"Price does play a role in my business." Bogdan said. "But I also have to consider my own well-being. Risk is something that always has to be taken into consideration."
"Of course." Isaiah said, nodding.
"So, now that we understand the situation," Bogdan said, "what is it that you need me to get for you?"
"What I need you to get for me is eight lengths of one hundred millimetre steel water pipe exactly two hundred and fifty millimetres in length and threaded at both ends." Isaiah said. "I also need sixteen steel end-caps to close the ends of the pipes and eight of these end-caps must have a three millimetre hole drilled in the centre. Then I need eight electrical detonators like the ones used in the mines and ten metres of plastic-coated electrical wire."
Bogdan stared at Isaiah, his eyes narrowing as he tried to comprehend what the purpose of his client's needs was. Isaiah saw understanding creep into the man's eyes.
"These items that you want imply to me very dangerous applications." Bogdan said. "So dangerous that I have to decline to honour your request. In fact, your requirements have put me in a position where I feel compelled to report the matter to the authorities. But, on the other hand, I may be dissuaded from this course in return for something of monetary value."
"I have never said that I won't pay you for the items that I need you to get for me." Isaiah said. "But now it seems that you are attempting to blackmail me. Is that correct?"
"I have never liked the word 'blackmail'" Bogdan said. "Let's rather say what I'm asking for is done in the interests of the safety of our country."
"The safety of our country or the safety of your government's racial ideology?" Isaiah asked.
"Let's not split hairs, Mister Zuma." Bogdan said. "You are obviously intent on the treasonable act of attempting to destabilising the country and ultimately overthrowing the government. Surely you don't expect me to be part of something that carries such a huge risk, do you? As I said earlier, risk plays an important part in my business and the higher the risk, the more valuable it is."
"Unfortunately I'm a poor man." Isaiah said. "I would never be able to come up with the money that you are alluding to and that would assure me of your loyalty. But I do have something that I think you should consider before you make a final decision."
Isaiah reached into his jacket pocket and took out a brown envelope. He handed it to Bogdan.
"I'm sure that, having been in the country for some time now, you are aware of a law known as the Immorality Act that your government made to try to ensure the purity of its supporters." Isaiah said. "Breaking this law is considered to be a very serious crime and the penalties are particularly severe. I understand that you aren't a South African citizen and one of the conditions that allow you to stay here is that you obey all the laws of the country. I very much doubt that you will be allowed to stay in South Africa if the authorities see these photographs."
As Isaiah spoke he watched the white man open the envelope and take out the three photographs. He saw the man's eyes widen in surprise and heard him draw in his breath sharply as he recognised the images.
"You may not like the word 'blackmail', Mister Bogdan." Isaiah said. "But I don't have any problem with the word. The stakes in the game we're playing are too high to worry about morality. Obviously those are prints and, in case you're wondering, the original film is in very safe keeping."
Bogdan looked up at Isaiah, the hatred in his eyes plainly visible. Isaiah stared back at the white man and was relieved to see the hatred replaced by a look of resignation as the man realised that he had been outwitted. Slowly the white man's gaze dropped to the table top in front of him.
"Please understand, Mister Bogdan." Isaiah said. "At no time was I not going to pay you for your services, but it was you who raised the stakes. I'm not alone in this game and the organisation that I'm part of can be just as ruthless as its enemies. Any kind of retaliation by you will have dire consequences for you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Bogdan continued to stare at the table top in front of him.
"Do you realise that you are forcing me to become a traitor to South Africa?" he said.
"You aren't being a traitor to South Africa." Isaiah said. "You're being a traitor to an ideology that's hateful and barbaric. Apartheid is a crime against humanity. But let me assure you that I will pay you for the items that you're going to get me. It won't be as much as you were expecting but it will cover your expenses. I'm going to pay you one thousand Rand in cash when you deliver the items to me. But again I must warn you. We're playing a very dangerous game and the stakes are extremely high so please don't even think of betraying us. Your life isn't worth it."
Bogdan glared at Isaiah but the black man could see that his adversary had accepted defeat.
"When the items are ready, how do I contact you?" Bogdan asked.
"Pack them in an old cardboard box and put the box in the rubbish bin behind your house. Then stand an empty green wine bottle and an empty Coke can next to the bin. When I see that two items there I'll collect the box and leave your money in the bin in a brown envelope. In future, if we have need of your services again, I'll contact you through Catherine."
"I'll have the items for you in a week's time." Bogdan said as he stood up from the table and walked away, putting the envelope with the three photographs in it, in his shirt pocket.
***
Bogdan Vodnik walked along the pavement, his anger growing with every step that he took. He cursed himself for his stupidity. You've been set up by one kaffir and outwitted by another kaffir, he berated himself. His anger became a rage as he realised how easily he had been trapped and how helpless he now was. If he went to the authorities it wouldn't take them long to find out about all his other illegal deals and if they ever found out that he was negotiating with the Nigerian drug dealer he would more than likely spend the rest of his life in jail. Well, he told himself, I may not be able to get back at the kaffir who had tricked me but I can do something about the one who set me up.
Bogdan walked quickly to the block of apartments where he had rented a first-floor flat for his meetings with Catherine. This was to be their first rendezvous since Julia had got back from Europe. He climbed the stairs, unlocked the door and entered. He turned, closed the door and locked it. He heard Catherine put down the magazine that she'd been reading while she sat in one of the lounge chairs waiting for him. He turned and walked towards her. She stood up and smiled at him co
yly.
"So, what was the outcome of your meeting?" she asked.
"This." Bogdan said and punched Catherine as hard as he could in the face with his fist.
Catherine let out a short startled cry as Bogdan's fist connected with her nose. She fell backwards, blood pouring out of her nostrils and running into her mouth and trickling down her chin. She struck the floor with a dull thud, her skirt riding up her golden brown thighs. She struggled to remain conscious as Bogdan stepped closer and kicked her viciously in the side of her face. Dimly she heard the horrible crack as her jawbone shattered.
"You fucking double-crossing black kaffir!" Bogdan shouted struggling to speak properly through his anger. "You set me up so that that Zuma kaffir could blackmail me! You're going to pay for what you did, you fucking kaffir bitch!"
Catherine lay on the carpet staring up at Bogdan, shocked and trying not to choke in her own blood. He could see her beginning to drift into unconsciousness as she struggled to breathe. He saw the confusion on her face as she tried to understand what she done to make Bogdan so angry. The pain in her head must have been excruciating and, as he stared down at her, she blacked out for a short while. As she regained consciousness Bogdan aimed a vicious kick at the side of her head. Her head snapped sideways and she lost consciousness.
Bogdan stared down at the unconscious woman. He drew back his foot to kick her again but something told him that he was very likely to kill Catherine unless he controlled himself. He stood looking down at her, breathing heavily, his heart racing. He took the envelope out of his shirt pocket, extracted the three photographs and tossed them onto the carpet next to the unconscious woman. He turned and walked to the front door, unlocked it and walked out into the passageway. He closed the door and walked away.
***
Isaiah strolled across the Deep Reef Gold Mine's property towards the houses where the white mine staff lived. He had just completed his daily shift and still wore his dirty white overalls and his white hardhat with its lamp and battery pack. As he neared the row of grey houses he glanced at the rubbish bin at the back of Bogdan's house. Next to it saw the green wine bottle and empty red Coke can. He breathed a sigh of relief. The white man had done his job.
Isaiah walked casually back to the mine's operational area, glancing around furtively to see if anyone was watching. Nobody took the slightest notice of him. He went to the mine's ablution block, showered and dressed in his blue denim slacks, a blue T-shirt and his sandals, but instead of leaving his overalls to be cleaned at the mine's laundry he took them back to his dormitory and stowed them in his locker. He then walked to the dining hall to eat his evening meal.
It was just before midnight when Isaiah got out of his bunk. The dormitory was busy as the men who would be working the late-night shift prepared to leave for work. He dressed in his dirty overalls and left the residence, the distant roar of the huge extractor fans that helped to keep the temperature underground at acceptable level filling the air. Men milled around on the property some about to begin work and others coming off their shift.
Nobody took any notice of Isaiah as he walked towards the white mining staff houses. He went to the rubbish bin behind Bogdan's house, carefully lifted the lid and placed it on the ground. He felt inside the container and found the cardboard box that contained the items that Bogdan had provided. He lifted it out and placed it on the ground. He took a brown envelope out of his pocket and placed it in the bin and replaced the lid. He picked up the cardboard box and walked away. He left the mine's premises and headed through the darkness to the buffer zone and the abandoned gold mine where Paul and his illegal miners worked.
When he reached the entrance to the old mine Isaiah he connected his hardhat's lamp to its battery and clambered into the sloping tunnel. He walked down until he reached the second level, knowing that this tunnel had already been worked by Paul and his miners. After walking a short distance along the level tunnel and inspecting the walls on both sides, Isaiah found a small alcove where a particularly large rock had been dislodged. He placed the cardboard box with the bomb fitting in the recess and pushed the rock up as close as he could, effectively hiding the alcove. He then walked back to the entrance at a measured pace, carefully counting his steps - forty two paces. He walked up the sloping tunnel to the entrance and left the mine, feeling sure that his cache was safe.
***
Isaiah read the note that had been passed to him by someone he'd never seen before as he walked from the surface station at the top of the Deep Reef main shaft to his dormitory. "Tomorrow after you have finished work dress in casual clothes and walk towards the Orlando East beer hall. Walk along Armitage Street. A white Datsun will stop next to you. Climb into the car and you will be taken to a safe house. If you are being followed it will be by someone on foot so it will be easy to lose him." As he walked towards his dormitory Isaiah tore the note into tiny pieces and dropped them at intervals a he walked.
The following day after Isaiah had completed his shift and returned to the surface, he showered and dressed in his casual clothes. He left the mine premises and headed towards Soweto shielding his eyes from the slowly setting sun as he walked. He glanced back over his shoulder several times to see if he could spot anyone following him and, although he noticed several men walking behind him he had no way of knowing if they were following him or not. He reached Orlando East and found Armitage Street. He began walking along the uneven road and heard a car approaching from behind. The car stopped next to him, the back door opened and he climbed in, closing the door. The car drove off along the street.
There were three men in the car. The driver, wearing a leather jacket, a man in the front passenger's seat wearing a dark grey suit and a man sitting in the back seat wearing blue overalls ignored him completely. The car moved through the drab township in silence until it reached the suburb of Diepmeadow. It stopped at an intersection.
"Get out and walk down that street until you get to number one sixty two." the man in the blue overall said. "Knock on the door three times, wait five seconds and knock three times again. Somebody will then let you in."
Isaiah climbed out of the white Datsun and walked along the street to number 162. The house was a small dwelling built of rough dark brown bricks with a rusty corrugated iron roof, a badly scarred brown wooden door with tiny windows flanking it on both sides and a leafless old peach tree standing forlornly next to it. Isaiah knocked on the door three times with his knuckles, waited five seconds and then knocked again. The door opened and he walked into the dim interior.
"Greetings, Comrade I.Z." Shadow said. "Have you received the goods from the white man yet?"
"Yes, Comrade J.M." Isaiah replied. "I've hidden them…"
Shadow held up his hand.
"Don't tell me where they're hidden." he said. "Can you fetch enough parts to make one bomb and bring them here tonight?"
"Yes." Isaiah said. "But the hiding place is quite far from here."
"That's no problem." Shadow said. "I'll arrange transport for you. The car and the driver that brought you here will be back shortly. He will take you to fetch the parts. But don't take the driver with you or tell him where you're going. Get him to drop you off near your hiding place and walk there on your own. Again try to make sure that nobody is following you."
The driver of the white Datsun drove Isaiah to the edge of the buffer zone. He walked into the dark wasteland and headed towards the abandoned gold mine, stumbling through the bushes and trying not to make any noise. He reached the mine entranced and clambered down to the sloping tunnel. He walked down until he reached the second level. From there he carefully paced out the forty two paces in the darkness and felt along the tunnel wall until he found the hidden alcove. He located the cardboard box of bomb parts, withdrew one length of threaded pipe and two end caps, a length of plastic-coated electrical wire and a detonator and walked carefully back to the sloping tunnel and up to the entrance. He left the old mine and walked cautiously back to the wa
iting car. He climbed in and the driver drove him back to Diepmeadow. He entered the house and, in the dim light from a candle, placed the contents needed to make the bomb onto the kitchen table.
"What about the explosives?" Shadow asked. "When will you have enough for one bomb?"
"By the end of the week." Isaiah said. "We can build the bomb over the weekend.
"Good." Shadow said. "My guys will pick you up on Saturday morning at about eight o'clock just as they did today except that you must walk along Ramushu Street. Okay?"
"Yes." Isaiah said. "I'll be there."
***
Isaiah and Shadow sat down at the battered kitchen table in the little house in Diepmeadow. The parts for the bomb that Bogdan Vodnik had supplied lay on the table top together with a small cheap brown suitcase, a cheap wind-up alarm clock, a ,45-volt lantern battery, two tubes of quick-drying chemical adhesive and several pieces of thin insulated electrical wire. Although the inside of the house was dull and gloomy the light that entered through the small kitchen window was sufficient for the two men to work in.
"What happens when you make a pipe bomb is that when the explosives inside the pipe ignite they create an incredible amount of pressure because there is nowhere for the pressure to escape." Isaiah told Shadow. "The pressure eventually becomes so great that it bursts through the pipe walls and causes the explosion. That's why we have to seal the explosives inside the pipe."
The Colour of Gold Page 17