Blindside

by Wilna Adriaanse

  “Probably because we were at work and couldn’t answer.”

  “Hmm, that was always his excuse too.”

  Ellie felt the muscles in her neck stiffen. She found it difficult to speak through her clenched teeth. “How are you? I’m sorry I haven’t been around, but my new hours are tough. I don’t have time for anything else.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you shopping?”

  “No.”

  “Are you at Aunt Vera’s?”

  “No.”

  The spasm was moving up into her head. “Is everything okay at home?”

  “Yes. The dog is still driving me crazy. Maybe I should give him away.”

  “Don’t be silly. You can’t give an old dog away. He’ll pine.”

  “We all have our problems.”

  “Have you been drinking?” It was the one question Ellie knew not to ask, but her mother sounded strange.

  “If you must know, I’m on a date. I can’t speak to you now.”

  Ellie’s hand gripped the balustrade she was leaning against. “What do you mean, a date?”

  “A nice man invited me to lunch and I agreed.”

  “Who is he and where do you know him from?”

  “It’s none of your business”

  “You can’t be serious. Dad’s body isn’t even cold yet.”

  “He’s been cold for a long time.”

  The line went dead. Ellie stared at the phone.

  A wave broke over her head, receded, broke again. And again and again, until the door opened and Clara came out, giving a little twirl.

  “You like? She added a few more highlights.” She looked at her watch. “How much time do we have? They can take me for a Brazilian wax now. I thought I’d spoil Enzio tonight. He works so hard.”

  Ellie struggled to understand what Clara was talking about. It took a while before she looked at her watch. “We should still make it.”

  Clara turned and went back inside. Ellie got back into the car. She closed the door. For just a few moments she wanted to hear nothing at all. Preferably not see anything either. But her cellphone rang just as she had shut the door. When she saw it was Brenda, she got out again and walked away. The car might be bugged.

  “Yes, what’s up?”

  “Nothing, I just wanted to chat.”

  Ellie ran her hand over her face and searched among all the pictures and words in her mind for something to say.

  “Are you there?”

  “Yes, but can I call you back?”

  “I’ll be quick. A guy came looking for the owner of the company.”

  Ellie sat down on a low wall. “What did you say?”

  “Nothing, I gave him a card. He said he’d call him.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Do you know how many times I’ve been screwed in my life?”

  Ellie didn’t answer immediately. She wasn’t sure she’d heard right.

  “What are you not telling me?” Brenda asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play all innocent with me. I’ll pick up my handbag and leave. I may not have your fancy education, but if you want to piss me off, treat me like I’m stupid. What’s going on?”

  Ellie got up and wished she could get back into the car. All this noise … She couldn’t focus. “Brenda, if you tell me what happened, I may be able to answer you.”

  “I’ve already told you. Now I’m asking you who he was, because I’d bet an important working part of my anatomy that he wasn’t here for your boss’s name and number. I’ve been around men long enough to know that he was after something else.”

  “I don’t know who he was. What does he look like?”

  “Tallish, well built, short hair. I’d put him in his late thirties, early forties. Attractive in his own way, but not exactly a hunk. Nice jeans. White shirt. Scar next to one eye. Makes it droop a bit.”

  Ellie got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I can’t say for sure, but it sounds like Nick Malherbe. He works for Enzio Allegretti. You told me about him. Are you sure he didn’t say anything else?”

  “Why would he come looking for your boss?”

  Ellie sighed. “He doesn’t trust me.”

  “Does he have reason not to trust you?”

  Ellie looked at a young woman in a short skirt, matching jacket and high heels hurrying past, straight into a man’s embrace. They kissed and crossed the road to a restaurant. It could have been her. She could have had a corporate job and met people for lunch. Worn stylish clothes. Instead, she was sitting on a pavement, dancing around the truth until she was no longer sure what the truth was.

  “I’ll come and see you after work. We can talk then.”

  “I like you, but I’ve been in the game too long to be sentimental about anyone, so if you don’t come with the truth, don’t bother. It’s not like the two of us are going to cry about each other.”

  “See you later.”

  Ellie took the other phone out of her pocket, but before she could use it, a call came through. It was Clive.

  “We’ve had a call from someone enquiring about a job. Our contact in Joburg flagged the call. He said something didn’t sound right. Do you have any idea who it could be, or do you think it could have been a random enquiry?”

  “I’ve just spoken to Brenda. Someone came to the office. Asked for the owner’s name and number. From her description, it sounds like Nick Malherbe.” She told him about setting off the alarm.

  “Jeez, Mac. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I thought I’d convinced him it wasn’t me. I still think he’s fishing. He didn’t trust me from the start and he said so. I’ll lie low for a few days and stay away from him. With everything Allegretti and Visser are planning, Malherbe doesn’t really have time for a witch-hunt.”

  “I don’t like it. On the other hand, I didn’t expect it to be plain sailing. Let him dig. He’s not likely to find anything. But be careful. Remember what I told you – I don’t want shit of any kind on my watch.”

  “I hear you.”

  They said goodbye and Ellie was relieved to see Clara coming towards the car. Imagine having time on a bloody Thursday to have your fanny waxed! Ellie thought. While she had to freeze outside and hear that her mom was on a bloody date. She hoped the wax had hurt like hell.

  “Thanks. I’m ready. Enzio is in for a nice surprise.”

  Ellie didn’t answer. She got behind the wheel and pulled away. People are starving and homeless, she wanted to say, but bit back the words.

  Enzio was already at the restaurant. To Ellie’s annoyance, Nick Malherbe and a security man were sitting at another table, from where they had a good view of the restaurant and the outside area. There was a flutter in her stomach when she saw he was wearing jeans and a white shirt. She wondered whether he would even care if he knew she’d found out that he’d been asking around. To her surprise, he got up and came over.

  “Join us for a bite to eat,” he said, smiling.

  She had to stop herself from glancing over her shoulder. “Thanks, but I have a few calls to make.” She added on impulse: “We’re quite busy at the office and I’m trying to get the admin done.” She watched him as she spoke, but he showed no reaction. He didn’t look away, he didn’t move.

  “Make your calls. I’ll order something to drink in the meantime.”

  Ellie walked out onto the terrace, from where she looked down at the harbour. She dialled Clive’s number.

  “What are the chances of getting access to Malherbe’s cellphone records?”

  “What are you hoping to find?”

  “I want to make sure he’s the one who phoned the Joburg number. And it won’t do any harm to find out who else he’s been calling.”

  “And what will you do when you know? Assume that it was him. Remember, we didn’t go into this with a plan, because we didn’t know what we might find with Allegretti. At the moment your role is observation, not action.”


  “It could be years before we find anything usable. I suspect Malherbe could give us a few answers …”

  Clive tried to interrupt, but she stopped him. “Wait. Listen to me first. It’s no good tracking Allegretti’s phone calls. We know he’s up to no good. But it could be interesting to see who Mr Malherbe calls. He and Allegretti don’t always see eye to eye.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, but don’t hold your breath. If he has his own agenda, he’ll make sure there are no loose ends.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Nick watched Ellie standing at the railing. Her body language showed aggression today. He saw her trying to keep her hands still, but not succeeding.

  He sent Monica a message. I want McKenna’s cellphone records.

  Not so easy. Especially if we want to stay under the radar with this operation.

  Everything is for sale these days without having to go through official channels. Don’t make me teach you your job.

  Let me see what I can do.

  When Ellie joined Nick about ten minutes later, the security man had left and a rock shandy was waiting for her. He paid attention, she thought.

  “Problems?” He smiled again, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

  “Doesn’t every job have its problems?”

  “I’m glad we’re getting a chance to chat. I think the two of us got off on the wrong foot. As you may have discovered, Enzio isn’t always the easiest person to deal with. He’s headstrong. And with the shots fired at his car and the security guard’s death soon afterwards, Clara moving in was a bit inopportune. I haven’t had a chance to find my feet in Cape Town. If I came across as hostile, I apologise. It wasn’t personal.”

  On any other day she would have played along, but not today. She was tired and wanted to go home. She wanted to have a shower and, when she got out, she wanted to be herself again. In her own home. She wanted to play her guitar. With her files at hand. In her files the world was black and white. There were no half-truths. The photos in the files were static and didn’t smile unexpectedly. She trusted her files. And she wanted to talk to her dad.

  “What have you been smoking?” she asked.

  He seemed taken aback by her reaction. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Cut the crap. We didn’t get off on the wrong foot. You don’t trust me, and it has nothing to do with the shooting.”

  He gave an easy laugh and Ellie suspected it was the first honest moment between the two of them. The scar next to his eye made a little dent and pulled the corner of his eye downward slightly. She felt an urge to stroke it with her fingers. The thought had hardly formed when she shook her head. This job was doing strange things to her mind.

  He leaned back in his chair. “What would you have done if you were in my shoes? Firstly, I don’t trust security companies prepared to work for people like Allegretti and Williams. It usually means they’ve shat on their own doorstep and have to take any job that comes their way. Most security companies I know – those that value their reputation, anyway – are very particular about the clients they take on. Secondly, Nazeem Williams and Allegretti Senior have crossed swords a few times. There’s not much love lost between them. It’s not only you I don’t trust – I have my doubts about Clara’s bona fides as well. To tell you the truth, I’m not being paid to trust people.”

  She allowed him to finish while she sipped her rock shandy. When he stopped talking, a waiter came over to take their order. She ordered sushi and he asked for hake and chips.

  “I don’t work for Nazeem Williams. I work for Fast Security, who has a contract with Williams to look after a relative. As far as I know, she doesn’t have a criminal record and she’s not suspected of any illegal activities. Secondly, you look like someone who understands the difference between right and wrong. Why would you distrust people who work for the Allegrettis when you work for them yourself?”

  He glanced at where Enzio and Clara were sitting. “I grew up poor and decided early on there’s nothing honourable about poverty and suffering. I make no secret of the fact that I’m doing it for the money.”

  “My dad always said every person has a price.”

  He nodded. “What’s yours?”

  She played with her chopsticks. “I don’t think it’s a calculation you make in advance. Rather, you identify it when the opportunity arises.”

  “That’s an interesting view.”

  The food arrived and he looked at hers disapprovingly. “That’s another thing about growing up poor. You’re always afraid of going hungry. And that just looks like going hungry.”

  Ellie felt herself smile and realised how stiff her facial muscles were.

  “You’re not really a brunette, are you?”

  “No.”

  “You have your father’s eyes and probably his hair colour as well. Does the change have anything to do with the job?”

  For a man who had said very little to her up to now, he was suddenly too chatty. She smelled a rat. Nevertheless, it felt good to have a normal conversation for a change.

  She shrugged. “I suppose I just felt like a change.”

  “You don’t look like someone who likes drastic change.”

  “Based on what?”

  “You’re too exact and precise. Changes and surprises aren’t your thing.”

  “There’s always an exception.”

  He motioned with his head at where Allegretti and Clara were sitting. “Do you think it’s true love?”

  She looked at the two sporadically glancing at their phones and sending text messages. Ellie remembered the surprise Clara had in store for Allegretti and stopped herself just in time from mentioning it. If he were Clive, she would have told him about the Brazilian wax. She could just imagine Clive’s reaction. She was tempted to tell Nick he should be able to recognise true love himself, after two marriages, but she realised she would have to explain where the information had come from.

  “Does it even exist?” she asked.

  He gave her an inquiring look. “That’s a cynical reply.”

  Ellie just moved her shoulders slightly.

  “Did you set off the alarm the other night?” He smiled as he asked the question and she couldn’t help returning his smile.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you did. What I don’t understand is what you were doing on the stairs. Unless you were eavesdropping. Were you eavesdropping?”

  “Will you believe me if I say it wasn’t me?”

  “I want to believe you, but there’s no other explanation. There were no ants in the sensor, no moths or any other insects.”

  “When last I looked moths could fly.”

  “I don’t think this one flew away.”

  “What’s the use of denying it then?”

  “You do realise it could be dangerous to listen to people’s conversations and sneak around the house in the early hours?”

  She nodded. “That’s why I don’t do it.”

  At that moment Allegretti and Clara got up and so did Ellie and Nick. When they reached the terrace, the second guard was also ready. Ellie wondered why he hadn’t joined them for lunch.

  “May I ask you a favour?”

  Nick nodded. “Shoot.”

  “Can Clara go home with you? I have to go past the office. One of my officers fell ill and I have to make another plan or we’ll lose the contract.”

  “She’s welcome.”

  “Thanks.”

  Clara didn’t look put out when Ellie explained that she had to go to her office. Ellie looked at Allegretti. “May I please use the car?”

  “Be my guest.” He seemed distracted.

  To Ellie’s surprise, she found Happy with Brenda when she arrived at the office.

  “And now, that you’re hanging around here?”

  “Nei, I just came to see why you’re so scarce these days.”

  “I’m busy.” She wanted to ask him if he had any news, but thought better of it. “How are you?”

&nb
sp; “As well as a poor man can be.”

  “It’s good to see you, but Brenda and I need to talk.”

  “Fine.” He made no move to go, so Ellie took money from her purse. “Buy food.”

  “Do you have to say it every time?” He took the money and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Is there something else?”

  He looked at Brenda.

  “I’m not going anywhere. Say what you want to say.”

  Ellie shook her head and pulled him through the door to the pavement.

  He kicked at the kerbstone. “People are talking about you.”

  “Who are they and what are they saying?”

  “Nei, just in general. I thought I should warn you. Watch out for Reggie. You know him. He was in the car when you left in that Golf in such a hurry.”

  “What does Reggie say?”

  “Reggie is Mr Williams’s nephew and, seeing that Mr Williams has no children himself, Reggie sees himself as the crown prince. I scheme he’s always had his eye on the lovely Clara and he doesn’t like it one bit that she’s with the Italian.”

  “That doesn’t explain where I come into the picture.”

  “Reggie doesn’t trust anyone. Especially not if Mr Williams seems taken with them.”

  “And Mr Williams is taken with me?”

  “I’m just saying what I heard. Maybe not taken with you in that way, but he may trust you too much for Reggie’s liking.” Happy shuffled his feet forward and back. “It’s complicated. If you’re a part of that world, you sleep with one eye open, because loyalty is a word that’s got a lot of holes in it.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate the warning.”

  “It’s not really a warning. Let’s just say you and I have shared a piece of local gossip.” He went back to the reception room with her and looked at Brenda. “Later, sister. Nice meeting you.”

  Brenda tilted her head sideways and pointed her finger at him. “Last time I checked we weren’t related.”

  He raised his hands slowly. “Sister, you have some serious anger issues.”

  As he walked out, he glanced back at Ellie over his shoulder. “See you.”

  Ellie turned to Brenda. “I don’t have much time. Walk with me.”