“I don’t mind if you switch off the cameras when you want privacy. Just switch the bloody things back on, preferably before you go to bed. Especially the ones on the stairs and the patio. And the alarm.”
“Sometimes I don’t go to bed at all. And sometimes I want my thrills on the patio.”
“Well, switch them back on when the thrills are over.”
Nick felt his neck muscles stiffen. The lift doors opened and Gabriella walked in. She was wearing a figure-hugging summer dress. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. He couldn’t help going quiet for a moment. She clearly wasn’t wearing anything underneath, except a tiny G-string. Her cheeks were glowing. He didn’t think it had got that warm already. Then again, Gabriella seldom worried about the weather.
“Hello, my darlings.” She looked at Nick, leaned over him and kissed his cheek. His suspicion that she was wearing only the most essential underwear was confirmed. “And the frown?”
“You’re late.” He indicated the chair next to Enzio’s. “Sit, so I can talk to both of you.”
Her eyes widened. “Am I in trouble?”
“He’s whining because we switch off the cameras and alarms in our houses.”
She gave Nick a wide grin. “Darling, I don’t mind if you see what I’m doing inside my house, but it’s not for everyone’s eyes.”
“I can’t do my work if you don’t take responsibility for your own safety. And I don’t want you driving around on your own any more.”
“Ken doesn’t want a tail.”
“I work for your father, not for Ken. I’m sure he can look after himself. My responsibility is to keep the two of you safe and out of trouble.”
Gabriella got up, walked around the bar counter and came back with three glasses and a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée. “All this serious talk is making me thirsty.” She poured three drinks. Enzio took a large gulp, then looked at Nick.
“Drink the damn stuff, I paid thousands for it. I won’t tell the old man you drank on duty. Don’t be so anal, for chrissakes.”
Nick ignored him. “We have to talk about the shooting at Barkov’s place as well. I spoke to our people in Joburg. Your name is on Barkov’s radar and it can only mean he reckons you were involved in some way.”
“Why would Enzio want to shoot up the Russian’s house?” Gabriella looked at her brother, who was topping up his drink.
“I told you it wasn’t me.”
“I don’t think it was you personally. But did you give the order?” Nick leaned forward on his chair.
“I don’t have to discuss my business with anyone.”
“I don’t think you understand. I’m going to try to explain it to you once more, slowly. You don’t want to be on Barkov’s radar. He’s not known for negotiating. Understand?”
“He’s a stupid thug. I can’t believe you want me to sit back and allow him to carry on as if Cape Town belongs to him.”
“If you’re Superman, why did Ken and I have to move to Cape Town? You know you’re no match for the Russians,” Gabriella interrupted.
“Is that what your husband says?”
“It’s what I say.”
Allegretti’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his sister. “If I were you I’d watch what I say.”
“Why did Ken suddenly go up north?” Nick asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t ask him about his business.”
Nick sat back again. “Let’s get back to your security arrangements. From now on, nobody drives anywhere alone. The cameras stay on and if they have to be switched off, they get switched back on within an hour. I’m sure you can do whatever it is you want to do in an hour. The security at the club must be stepped up, and you –” he looked at Enzio “– don’t do a thing unless you’ve cleared it with me first.”
“When did I start working for you? You’re the hired hand who’s supposed to make sure I’m safe. You do your job, and I’ll do mine.”
“That’s right, but I can’t do my job if you start a war without telling me about it.”
“I don’t need you to sort out my problems. If you want to make yourself useful, why don’t you get Clara to move in? Talk to Williams, do something, make it happen.”
“Now isn’t a good time. Can’t you wait a month or three so we can figure out what’s going on?”
“No, I’m not going to wait. Don’t even mention it again.”
“Then tell her uncle we have everything under control and we’ll look after her.”
“I tried, but he says it’s his conditions, or she doesn’t come.”
“I don’t have time for strangers getting underfoot.”
Gabriella got up and sat down on Nick’s lap. “Let’s do something fun. I don’t feel like listening to him any more. Or to your boring talk.”
Nick lifted her off his lap, got to his feet and fetched a bottle of water from the fridge behind the bar counter. He drained the contents in a single gulp. “Don’t be difficult.”
Enzio got up too. “I have to go. Clara’s at a shoot and I’m meeting her there.”
“You’re not going on your own.”
“You know I do what I want, but because I know you’re liable to run to the old man, I’ll humour you and let Fritz drive. Don’t push your luck too far.”
“I want at least two people in the vehicle with you at all times.”
When he had left, Gabriella walked out onto the patio. Nick watched as she pulled her dress over her head and dived into the pool, clad only in a G-string.
His erection was so sudden and so fierce that for a moment he felt light-headed.
“Come keep me company,” she called when she came up for air on the other side of the pool. “I won’t bite.”
“I need to go. There are a few people I still have to see.”
She got out of the pool and came walking towards him. He found it hard not to stare.
“My brother is a shit-stirrer.” She stood in front of him and tossed back her hair, showering him with droplets. He imagined he could hear a sizzling sound.
“Well, speak to him. He’s no match for Barkov and company.”
“He won’t listen to me.”
Drops of water glistened on her skin. He fetched a second bottle of water from the fridge and drained that as well.
“Gabi, I’m not going to interfere in your marriage, but maybe you should warn your husband not to bite off more than he can chew.”
“I don’t really care what he does.”
“Whatever … he’s looking for trouble and it’s going to affect all of you.”
She lay down on a sofa without towelling herself dry and Nick nearly laughed out loud when he thought about his mother. He couldn’t decide what would be worse for her: the naked woman in the sitting room, or the wet body on the furniture. She would be proud to know that, at the age of thirty-eight and in his current situation, he still remembered her admonishments.
“Are you seeing anyone?”
He sighed and shook his head. “We’re not having this conversation again.”
“Look at me and tell me you never think of the possibility of the two of us.”
He looked at her naked body and felt his fingertips tingle. “Any man would look at you and dream.”
“It doesn’t have to be a dream.”
“I work for your father.”
“You’re using my father as an excuse. You know as well as I do that he’d give me to you on a silver platter.”
“He likes me because I do my job. Work and pleasure have never been bedfellows.”
She smiled. “Such a cliché.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“That you’ll give us a chance.”
“Don’t complicate your life. Try to work things out with Ken.”
“And if I leave Ken?”
He shook his head. “Don’t do it.”
“You know I can’t help who I am. I didn’t choose to be an Allegretti.” Her eyes were very bright.
&n
bsp; “I know, but that doesn’t mean it’s a sentence. Find something to do with your life. Keep yourself busy. It’s not healthy being idle.”
“Should I go and work at a nail bar too?”
“An honest day’s work might not be a bad thing.”
She laughed out loud. “You know I’ll never stop hoping.”
He walked to the lift. A man could only stand so much. Waiting for the doors to close, he saw her get up and stretch before pulling her dress over her head. She saw him watch and smiled.
“Get a job!” he called out before the doors closed. For a moment he rested his forehead against the mirror. Danger and stress he could handle, but not torture.
CHAPTER 10
On Friday morning at seven, Nick locked the door of the apartment and set off on foot in the direction of Sea Point. He was slightly early for the bus and joined the short queue.
When the bus came, he took a seat right at the back and watched the other passengers who got on. School children, youngsters who looked like students, working people. Two elderly women, handbags tucked tightly under their arms. A dapper gentleman with a cap and walking stick.
The bus moved slowly, giving him the chance to survey his environment. He didn’t like the colossal new stadium in Green Point and wondered how the city fathers could ever have approved it. They drove past the Gallows Hill traffic centre. Legend has it that criminals were hanged for their transgressions here in the early days at the Cape. It was strange that the name had never been changed over the years. Maybe the place’s history was so dark that no one wanted to tamper with the name. In Somerset Road there were modern shops on both sides of the street.
When they reached the city centre, Nick got off at the station and walked to the Golden Acre, where he got into a taxi. In London he had always used public transport. Since returning to South Africa, he preferred to be at the wheel himself, but the Range Rover had a tracking device and he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. Soon after he had started to work for the Allegrettis, he had picked up a tail on one or two occasions. After a while, things had settled down.
He hadn’t noticed anyone following him since he’d arrived in Cape Town, but Paul was terrified that they might be spotted together, so he always made doubly sure when the two of them met up.
“I don’t care that you’re positive no one suspects us. You’re not going to try to be a hero when my head’s on the block,” Paul had said in no uncertain terms.
The taxi took the N1 to the northern suburbs. Occasionally Nick looked in the rearview mirror, but he saw nothing that warranted his attention. At a shopping centre in Durbanville he got out, paid the driver and walked the remaining block to the restaurant.
Paul was waiting at a table in the corner, a cup of coffee in front of him.
“Were you careful?”
“Yes.”
“Did you switch off your cellphone?”
“Yes. Relax, will you?”
Paul sat back, noticeably relieved, but still frowning. “I hope you’re here to tell me my job is done.”
Nick ordered coffee and shook his head. “Do you really want to leave this exciting life behind and go back to a desk in a grey office?”
“You forget I like grey. I’m crazy about monotone. Colour is overrated.”
Nick smiled. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to hang on for a while longer. Whenever you get sick of it, think about your grandchildren. One day, when they hear what you did, you’ll be their hero. At least they’ll know you didn’t spend your entire life crunching numbers.”
“Grandchildren.” Paul shook his head. “Why would I want to add to the overpopulation of the planet?”
The waitress came to take their order. Nick asked for the farmer’s breakfast. Paul ordered fruit, yoghurt and a muffin with honey.
Nick sat back as the girl walked away. “Last time we spoke you said you’ve more or less worked out what the setup is at the club. Tell me.”
Paul frowned. “You don’t meet people that stupid every day. You could have hired an eight-year-old to figure it out.”
“Is it as we thought? Is dirty money going through the club?”
“I could have told you that without selling my soul. Why else would they have bought the club?”
“I know you said so, but without evidence my hands are tied. How do they do it?”
“First, there’s the door money. The club has a capacity of six hundred. For the club to rake in the kind of money they put down to entrance fees, on average between eight hundred and a thousand people need to go through those doors every night of the week. Close to two thousand on Fridays and Saturdays.”
“Could the numbers be real?”
“I suppose so, but the club’s licence, fire and health certificates put its capacity at six hundred. It’s possible that they let more people in occasionally, but every night? The risk of losing their licence is just too great.”
The waitress brought their food and they both had a bite of two before Nick continued.
“How much can they launder like that?”
“It’s a simple calculation. The entrance fee is R200. Multiply by six hundred. That gives you R120 000 per night. Multiply by five nights a week, four weeks per month on average. That gives you R2,4 million per month. To slip an extra two or three hundred thousand in is not rocket science. So we’re looking at a possible R3,6 million a year. Not bad. And we haven’t even looked at the liquor and food sales yet.”
“Do you mean to tell me the auditors don’t pick it up?”
“Are you stupid, or just pretending to be? Do you think I don’t know how to fix the books?”
They ate in silence for a while.
“You say they can also slip money in through the bars?”
“Do you know how many shots there are in a bottle?” asked Paul.
Nick shook his head. “No, but I suppose I should. I’ve emptied a few in my lifetime.”
“Let’s say you have more or less four bottles of tequila for the night. Your books can’t show you sold twice as many shots.” Paul sat back and dabbed at his lips with his napkin. “As I’ve said, it sounds like small change, but if you add it up at the end of the year, you’ll be surprised. And remember, they bought the club for that purpose, so the numbers have been inflated from the start.”
“And you’re still keeping track of everything?”
“Yes, but let me tell you, if you drop the ball and I have to stand up in court and skip the country and spend the rest of my life living in some godforsaken village under a false name, I’m coming for you first. I’m not joking. Make sure you have a watertight case. I don’t want to have to go underground with a wig and a false moustache.”
“I see Allegretti bought new vehicles. Where did the money come from?”
“That’s how they move the money around. He also bought polo horses, a house at Val de Vie Estate near Paarl, where his horses are stabled, a powerboat, and he added to his share portfolio. Very conservative, and he sees to it that the amount doesn’t correspond with any amount that came in via another route. The trick is integration. Once it’s done, it’s harder to follow the money, but not impossible. There are often crumbs that help you pick up the trail. Are you aware that Allegretti’s lost hundreds of thousands at the gambling tables over the past few months?”
Nick nodded. “You told me so on the phone.”
“It’s an easy way to hide money, but if you’re not careful, the bug bites, and before you know it, you’re hooked.”
“Maybe that’s why he’s so on edge at the moment. He knows he’ll have to get the money back before the old man finds out. Things are beginning to make more sense.”
“I’ve said it before, it’s not rocket science.”
“Do the cops ever show up at the club?”
“Frequently. But it’s not as if they come over and introduce themselves. The faces also change.”
“And you’re sure they’re cops?”
“You reco
gnise them a mile off. Maybe you should introduce yourself and compare notes. Won’t it simplify things?”
Nick shook his head. “Under no circumstances. There have been too many leaks already. At the moment I trust no one.”
“There must be someone you can trust.”
“We simply don’t have time to separate the sheep from the goats. Just accept for now that all cops are dirty, at least to some degree.”
Paul looked at his watch and got to his feet. “I have to go.”
“I’ll grab a lift with you to the city centre.”
“You must be joking.”
Nick got up as well and put a few notes on the table. “There are no taxis around here.”
“There are buses.”
“Dammit, Paul … Do you know how long it’s going to take me?”
“Your time versus my neck – no contest. See you later.”
Nick walked to the Standard Bank on the corner. When a minibus taxi stopped, he asked where they were heading.
“Bellville station.”
He got in. His chances of finding a taxi there were better, or he could take the train to town. He cursed under his breath.
CHAPTER 11
At three on Friday afternoon Ellie knocked on the door of Brigadier Ahmed’s office. She waited for a moment before turning the knob. He looked up briefly when she put her head around the door.
“Mac, come in.” He continued to write, then closed the file.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. First, tell me how you are. How’s your mother doing?”
“She has good and bad days. I don’t really know what’s normal in a situation like this, so it’s hard.”
“And you?”
She shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“Now I know you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying. I just don’t know what to say, because I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”
“You should talk to someone.”
Ellie shook her head. “Please, no. It’s the last thing I’ve got energy for.”
“I hear you’ve let Greyling talk you into an undercover operation.”
“He didn’t talk me into it. Brigadier Zondi and I discussed it at length. There won’t be another opportunity like this anytime soon.”
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