Wolf Logic

by Masha du Toit

  Robertson grimaced. “How the hell are we supposed to deal with stuff like that? So you think Seepie had some spore grenades stashed away there behind his desk?”

  “Who knows,” said Lategan. “I sort of doubt it. He doesn’t go for the really lethal stuff. Knows we’ve got an eye on him. And, anyway, he didn’t seem nervous enough. And Bandiet detected fairly high levels, but not high enough for that. Or so Samuels says.”

  “Maybe his whole stock got stolen.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Do you think that Mandla put them up to it? Got them to steal equipment for whatever the game is that he’s fooling them into playing? That’s how he knew we might hear something?”

  “That would be my guess,” said Lategan. “But since I’ve been told not to notice it, I’m going to try and forget what I’ve seen.”

  “You’re probably right,” said Robertson and groaned as he stretched in his seat. “Beanie, can you step on it a bit? I want my coffee now.”

  -oOo-

  Nico woke to a clattering that turned out to be Billy, beating eggs in a metal bowl. He crawled out from his nest of blankets and went to see if he could help.

  “Rise and shine,” said Billy. “Late as it is.”

  Spyker, who was lying on the sofa, groaned and pulled a pillow over his face. “Do you have to make such a racket?”

  “Oh, don’t you want pancakes, then?”

  Spyker grumbled and hissed, then emerged from his blankets. “What’s the time?”

  “Late.” Billy shuffled the pan on the hotplate, testing its temperature with his finger. “No, you don’t.” He pushed Nico gently away. “You’ll only burn yourself.”

  Spyker made his way out to the toilet, still muttering like a pot just coming to boil. As soon as Spyker was out of the way, Nico looked for Billy’s backpack. He spotted it under Spyker’s worktable and after a glance to check that Billy was occupied, headed in that direction.

  “No, you don’t,” said Billy, not even looking at him. “You stay away from that. We’ll look at it just now, after breakfast.”

  Nico considered sulking, but he’d tried that strategy with Billy before with unsatisfying results. Instead, he pulled himself up on one of the counters and sat there, feet kicking.

  “Remind me,” said Spyker, coming back, looking marginally more awake. “Why we thought it was a good idea to take that little—human hurricane along on a job?”

  “It was your idea, dude.” Billy poured batter into the pan, lifting the bowl high and watching the thin stream with satisfaction.

  Nico listened with interest. They must be talking about the previous night’s expedition, but he didn’t understand what the fuss was about. It had been a thrilling experience all round, and he couldn’t wait to see what was in those bags they’d come away with.

  “You’re telling me.” Spyker took a little bottle off a high shelf. “I think my life is shorter by several years.”

  “Well,” Billy shook the pan expertly. “We never could get in without him, you’ve got to admit that.”

  Spyker grunted, unscrewed the bottle and drained it in a gulp.

  “Get some plates ready, won’t you?” Billy said to Nico. “Forks too. There’s some honey in that box there and some lemons.” He lifted the pan, shook it and flipped. “Perfectimundo. Who gets the first one?”

  Spyker’s mood improved as he ate, although he still grumbled a little. “It’s an absolute miracle we got out of there in one piece. Why didn’t you keep a hold of him?”

  Billy sucked honey from his fingers. “You try it some time. Anyway, nobody did see us in the end.”

  Nico had gulped down his share of the pancakes and now stared impatiently at the backpack again.

  “Okay, little dude,” said Billy. “Why don’t you bring that bag over here and we’ll have a look at our haul.”

  The bag was not as heavy as Nico had expected. He dragged it over to Billy, who wiped his hands on his shorts. “Okay. Let’s see what we have here.” Out came a lot of little boxes of various sizes. Billy opened one of them and Nico frowned down at the little silver disks in disappointment.

  “Batteries,” said Billy, tipping the box out on the table. “I think we got enough, hey, Spyker?”

  Spyker pulled a face. “Should be. Can’t really have too many. What about the gold wire?”

  Nico found it in the bottom of the backpack, a long, shining roll. “Excellent,” said Spyker, taking it from him. “And it looks really good quality too, for a change.” He twisted an end loose and touched it with his pale tongue. “Hmm. This is going to make all the difference.”

  Billy was rooting through what was left in the backpack. “Potassium nitrate, charcoal—we’re going to need plenty of that to make the trailing writing thingy you wanted. And sulphur, all here. Also these little babies.”

  He unpacked two more things Nico didn’t recognise, flat boxes covered in knobs and sliders.

  Nico was still disappointed. The gold wire was nice, but the rest? “What?” He picked up one of the batteries. “Do? What?”

  “It’s for our piece. You know, graffiti?” said Billy. “We do graffiti with effects. Lights, that kind of thing. Spyker embeds energy trails in the paint. Does all kinds of cool things. With these—” He tapped a battery. “I can rig up lights all over the piece. And with a bit of work these—” He touched the mysterious boxes “—will let us to hack into the lighting rig, reprogramme stuff.”

  Nico stared at him blankly and Billy shook his head. “Easier just to show you. So do you want to learn to solder?”

  Cards and Dice

  Gia stood under the shelter of the guard post, watching the traffic stream by. She had to stop herself from patting her pocket to check that it still held the tightly folded papers she’d pulled out from behind the cistern. The guard was not watching her, but she did not want to take even the smallest chance of attracting attention to the printout.

  A car that looked like her father’s approached and she picked up her bag. But it showed no sign of slowing and drove on past. Gia relaxed again, disappointed. She was looking forward to seeing her father, but her feelings were not unmixed. He’d want to know about Nico, whether she’d found out anything. She wasn’t looking forward to his inevitable disappointment.

  A minute later another car turned into the gate, long, shiny and black with tinted windows. Just like the car that had taken her and her mother to the Pillays’ place. Of course she should have known they would send a driver. Gia nodded farewell to the guard and got inside. To her disappointment there was nobody to meet her in that creamy interior. Only the driver sat up front, waiting patiently as she lifted her bag in and closed the door.

  The drive seemed to take a long time. At last they saw the ornate gates of the Pillays’ home swing open before them.

  As before, the driver took the car around the back and stopped outside the kitchen door. An impeccably clad woman Gia assumed must be some kind of secretary led her inside. The air was sharp with the smell of new paint and the floor was covered in drop sheets. Ladders stood against walls and men in overalls crowded the corridors.

  “Oh, there you are, Gianetta!” Mrs Pillay waved then spoke to one of the paint-splattered men. “Jonas, I have to go do something quickly. Melindra—” She turned to the woman who had been guiding Gia. “Can you check that the mirror tile is the right size? They’ve just delivered it. It’s in the hallway. Gianetta, come with me.” Mrs Pillay strode rapidly past the rows of paint cans, her heels clicking on the unfinished flooring. “Are you well, Gianetta? Careful, that wall has just been painted. If you touch it, the finish will be damaged and they’ll have to redo it. Here we are.” She ushered Gia into a little sitting room. And there was Karel, getting up from the chair.

  “Dad!” Gia was in Karel’s arms, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt his body shake as he laughed. “Gia,” Karel held her away from him. “Still in once piece, I see.” He looked as though he hadn’t slept in days.
>
  “Are you alright, Dad?”

  “I’m fine, sweetheart. We’ll talk more later, okay?”

  Mrs Pillay was regarding them with a fixed smile and she stepped away from her father.

  Then Gia noticed that Kavitha was there too, standing next to a draped form that could only be a dressmaker’s dummy.

  “Hello, Gia,” said Kavitha. “Good to see you again.” As always, Kavitha looked as though she’d stepped out of a fashion plate, perfect in her soft, moss-green dress.

  “How touching,” said Mrs Pillay. “To see a daughter so affectionate with her father. And how is your mother, Gianetta?”

  “Ah, um, I haven’t heard much from her recently.” Gia glanced at her father and, seeing no help from him, tried to think of something safe she could say. “Special Branch don’t like the new recruits being in contact with their families.”

  Kavitha broke the slightly awkward silence. “So,” she said. “Let’s have a look, shall we?” She reached toward the draped form, but Karel was there first.

  “Let me.” He twitched the fabric away. The dressmaker’s dummy was revealed, clothed in the wedding gown that Gia had last seen when it was still only partly finished.

  “Oh.” Gia forgot her shyness, fascinated. The dress was gorgeous. It was better even than she’d imagined it would be. There was a classic Oriental touch to the sculpted folds, but it was utterly modern too, clean and unfussy. Some changes had been made since she had last seen it—new details, like the lines of seed pearls that curved across the bodice.

  “We thought it needed just a bit of visual interest there,” said Karel. “It was just a little bit too stark without a bit of detail. It needed something a little romantic.”

  “It’s lovely, Dad.” Gia reached out to touch the little beads, but did not quite dare. “Just lovely. The pearls are perfect.”

  “Good,” said Kavitha. “My mother and I wanted you to have a final look at it. You are the one who did the original design, after all.”

  I doubt your mother cares much, thought Gia. “Thank you for giving me the chance,” she said and was rewarded by the amused glint in Kavitha’s eyes. There was a beep and Kavitha looked at her handbag.

  “That will be Luxulo.” Mrs Pillay drew back her sleeve with one fingertip and glanced at her watch. “He’ll be wanting to know if you are ready for this evening’s rehearsal.”

  Kavitha took out the texter. “Yes, it’s him,” she said. “He wants to start a bit earlier, Mother. Which means we’ll have to leave soon.” She looked at Gia and her father. “I’m so sorry. I hoped to have a little more time with you.”

  “Not a problem,” said Karel, already covering up the gown. “Is this the wedding rehearsal?”

  “Oh! No,” Kavitha laughed. “It’s this speech I’ll be doing at the Grand Parade. It’s the first time I’ll be speaking in public, with Luxulo, you know and he’s got a voice coach and everything...”

  “The Grand Parade? So it’s for the Mere Delegation ceremony?” said Gia.

  “Yes,” said Kavitha. “You wouldn’t believe the fuss. They’re setting up this enormous stage that’s made to look like a ship. All Luxulo’s idea of course.”

  “That sounds amazing,” said Gia. “I’d love to see that.”

  “Would you?” Kavitha looked pleased. “I think that can be arranged, actually. Aren’t there supposed to be some Youth Brigade cadets as part of the ceremony? I’ll speak to Luxulo, if you like.”

  “You’ll do nothing of the sort, Kavitha,” said Mrs Pillay. “Now, Mr Grobbelaar, I do apologise, but we must get ready to be off ourselves. Let me see you out.”

  -oOo-

  “Gia!”

  Mandy came rushing out of the studio and folded Gia in a hug. “Oh, sweetie it’s so good to see you! How are you? No, wait, come upstairs. I’ve got some soup on, so we can have supper. Go up to your room and change out of this horrible uniform.” She continued talking as Karel and Gia followed her up the stairs to the front door. “I couldn’t believe it when your father told me you’d be spending the night. I made you a special supper. What do they give you to eat there? Is it at least edible?” Mandy paused for breath at the top of the stairs, standing aside so that Karel could unlock the door.

  “It’s okay,” said Gia. “It’s not that bad, really.” She was looking at everything, drinking in the everydayness of it all. The stairs, the hamsa hand knocker, the smell of ancient floor polish that she’d not really noticed until now. It was all exactly as she remembered, which made it somehow worse because she knew that everything had changed.

  How could it all still look the same? Her mother was gone, probably for good. Nico had disappeared and nobody knew where he was. As she stepped through the front door she felt their absence like a missing tooth, a raw wound in the fabric of the house.

  “You go up to your room, get changed,” said Karel. “Then we can talk, okay?”

  -oOo-

  After a shower and back in her everyday clothes, Gia still didn’t quite believe she was home. She sat at the kitchen table watching Mandy prepare supper. Mandy had explained that she’d decided to spend the night, instead of going back to her own home after her day’s work. “It’s a special occasion!” she’d said. “I might not see you again for weeks. And we’ve got such a lot to talk about.”

  But so far, not much had been said. Karel was downstairs doing some last-minute work on a client’s dress and, without him in the room, it did not seem right to discuss anything important.

  At last, just as Mandy placed the steaming pot of soup on the table, Karel came in the door.

  “That smells good, Mandy,” he said, pulling out his chair. “I think I might just feel up to eating, for a change.”

  “Well, that’s good news.” Mandy straightened the tablecloth. “We got some nice fresh bread to got with the soup— Gia, why don’t you cut us some slices.” She ladled soup into the waiting bowls then pulled out a chair for herself. After a short grace, during which Gia was uncomfortably aware of the empty spaces left by her mother and her brother, they began eating.

  “So,” said Gia. “What did you tell Mrs Pillay about Mom, Dad?” She’d been wondering about this since leaving the Pillays’, but had not felt safe speaking about it even in the chauffeur-driven car.

  Karel gave a dry laugh. “You handled that pretty well, I thought. Nosy old bag, isn’t she?” He sprinkled pepper on his soup. “I told her that your mother was visiting some sick relatives, but as you saw, I don’t think she’s convinced.”

  “How did you get Luxulo to allow me out like this?”

  “It was Kavitha’s idea, actually. She asked where you were and I didn’t see why I shouldn’t tell her. So she cooked up the whole thing. Got Luxulo to say that you had to get leave for the whole night. She’s a tough cookie, but there’s a really nice girl under all that gloss.”

  For a few moments, the only sounds were the tap and clink of cutlery. Then Karel put his spoon down. Gia looked at him warily. What’s coming now?

  “Gia.” His voice was soft. “Do you really have to go back, tomorrow morning? To that place?”

  She felt a sting of anger. Why is he making it so difficult for me? With an effort to keep her voice from showing her irritation, she said, “I’ve got to go back, Dad. I’ll get into all kinds of trouble if I break my contract now.”

  Karel shook his head and he seemed about to say something, but Gia didn’t give him a chance. “And there’s Nico too, isn’t there? While I’m in there, I might find out something useful.” She stared down at the table, feeling as though she’d broken something by saying her brother’s name. “I mean, you’ve not found out anything, have you?”

  Karel did not move or say anything and Mandy lowered her head as if she were suddenly exhausted.

  “No, Gia,” said Karel. “There’s been nothing. We’ve not found out anything. In fact, we were hoping that you might have.”

  Gia swallowed dryly. “I’ve found out some things, but not
hing directly about Nico. I’ve—” How could she explain it all? “I managed to get access to their computer files—”

  Her father’s head came up at this. “That sounds dangerous, Gia! I don’t know—”

  “I know, Dad.” Gia felt another flash of anger. What does he expect me to do, just sit around and do nothing? “I’m really, really careful. I was able to do a search through the files of the people who were most likely to be involved. The Special Branch Children’s Unit people, Mrs Solomons and Captain Witbooi. But all I found was the information they had about Nico from that test they did to see if he’s a magical. There was nothing more recent than that.”

  “So you don’t think Special Branch has him after all?” Karel started tearing his slice of bread into little bits, seemingly unaware of what he was doing.

  “I don’t really know,” said Gia. “But I don’t think they have him, Dad. I mean, I have no proof of it, but I just don’t see how it could be them. He just—disappeared, didn’t he? Right out of his bedroom. How would Special Branch do that?”

  “I don’t know.” Karel stared down at the table. “I don’t know. So you think it’s the Belle Gente, then?”

  “I really don’t know, Dad.”

  His shoulders lifted and fell in a great, tired sigh and he reached forward to put his hand over hers. “Okay, Gia. You’ve done what you can. Thank you. And I want you to stop...doing whatever it is you are doing to look on those computers. If something were to happen to you—”

  Gia gripped her father’s hand, her anger draining out of her. She turned to Mandy. “You must have asked Granny for help. And the caretaker? Didn’t they have any ideas?”

  Mandy shook her head. “Granny’s been doing everything she can. She’s got lots of friends, you know. Magicals. But so far she’s not got anything certain. She says there are so many magicals now, coming in from all over the world because of all the trouble and riots and things. So many strangers that her regular network is not much use any more.” Mandy rubbed her fingers over her forehead and Gia realised again how tired she must be.