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Blindside

Page 29

by Wilna Adriaanse


  He wiped his hands against each other before holding out his hand. “A pleasure. Rika told me she had a daughter. She didn’t tell me the daughter is just as lovely as the mother.”

  Ellie withdrew her hand. She hoped she had misheard him. Her mom giggled and the blush on her cheeks deepened.

  Janus gallantly pulled out a chair. “Sit down. I’m sure we have another bottle of wine somewhere. Ricks, what do you say? Didn’t I see another cold one in the fridge?”

  Ellie wondered if she had stepped into the wrong house. Or maybe it was all just an absurd dream.

  “I don’t want anything to drink, thanks. I just came by to see how you are, Mom.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Where’s Douglas?”

  Her mother touched her hair and averted her eyes. “The neighbours. They wanted a dog.”

  “Did you give the dog to the neighbours?”

  “I told you he was driving me crazy.”

  “You’re not serious! How could you give him to strangers?”

  “Don’t act all high and mighty. You didn’t want him either.”

  “I can’t take him, Mom. There’s a big difference. I’m not even living in my own house at the moment.”

  “Did you lose your house?”

  “No, I’m living with the people I work for.”

  “Your mother said you used to be in the police, but you’re in security now,” Janus interrupted. “I must introduce you to my son. He has a lot of contacts in the security industry. You’ll have lots to talk about.”

  Ellie felt a headache begin to throb behind her eyes.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you gave Douglas away?”

  “You never asked. And don’t be rude. Janus is talking to you.”

  Ellie got up, looked at Janus. “Please excuse us for a minute. Mom, can we talk privately?”

  For a moment it looked as if her mother was going to refuse. Then she got up slowly. Ellie took her arm and led her to the bedroom. She prayed all the way that there wouldn’t be signs of Janus in the room. The bedroom was neat and ice cold. Ellie shivered. Janus might not be visible there, but neither was her dad. Ellie closed the bedroom door.

  “I’m ashamed of you, you know? I sure as hell raised you better than this,” her mother said.

  “The feeling is mutual. What do you think you’re doing? Dad’s ashes are still in the cupboard. We haven’t even scattered them yet.”

  “If you’re referring to Janus, it has nothing to do with you.” She held up her left hand. “In case you haven’t realised it – I’m no longer a married woman. I can see who I want to see when I want to.”

  Ellie looked at the finger that still showed a mark where the ring used to be. How the hell did you take thirty-three years off your finger and use that same hand to pour wine for a strange man?

  “What do you know about him? He could be a crook, for all you know. At least let me make some enquiries first.”

  Her mom laughed out loud. “God have mercy on me. If I need the police, I’ll call them. You’re not going to play cop in my own home and spy on my guests. I won’t hesitate to show you the door.”

  Ellie was suddenly fraught with tension. She had to get away from there.

  “Mom, I really just wanted to visit tonight. I hoped we could chat. I’m leaving now. I’ll come another time. But please remember, I don’t have money. If you spend all Dad’s money, or give it to other men, there won’t be any more.”

  Her mom opened the door and walked out. “Don’t bother to come again. And while you’re leaving, why don’t you take your father’s ashes with you? And there’s a box of his stuff at the bottom of the cupboard.”

  Ellie only started breathing properly again when she stopped in front of her house. She took the box from the boot, unlocked her front door and put the box on the bedroom floor. She picked up the smaller container and stood with it in her hands for a long moment before she put it away in her cupboard. She imagined she could hear her dad complain about being shoved into a cupboard. If he’d had a choice, he would probably have wanted to return to Ireland. But he had never said so. There had been no note either with a request of any kind. She remembered him saying once that he wanted the wind to blow away his ashes. In a beautiful spot where it was green. He was never one for barren landscapes. His Irish blood had yearned for green pastures and water.

  “Until then, you’ll just have to stay in the cupboard,” she said out loud and went to the bathroom, opened the taps and lit two big candles. She sank down into the water and surrendered herself to the weightlessness.

  CHAPTER 30

  Nick heard the vehicle come up the hill and stepped back into the shadow of a shrub just before the car turned the corner and swung into her driveway. The door opened, Ellie got out, took a large cardboard box from the boot and struggled to close the boot. When she finally managed, she dropped her car keys and he heard her swear loudly. She had to put the box down to unlock the front door. Then she picked up the box again and staggered through the door. He saw her kick the door shut. He would like to know what was inside that box. Maybe he should knock. Think of some excuse. The thought died an instant death. He might have snorted and drunk too much with Allegretti today, but he had always been able to keep a clear head. This job was dangerous if you couldn’t.

  He watched the house. In his imagination he recalled the interior. He saw the lights go on. Her bedroom. After a while another light went on. She was in the bathroom. When the light went off he watched for movement behind the bedroom curtains, but then he saw the flickering in the bathroom window. She had lit candles. Women didn’t light candles to take a shower. She had to be in the bath, and planned to be there for a while. He could be in and out before she knew he was there. Maybe there were a few answers in that box.

  He weighed up the possibilities. He may have been sober enough to keep the car on the road, but he didn’t know how quick he’d be tonight. Before he knew it, the front door opened. She came out, got into her car and pulled away hurriedly.

  “Fuck.” He couldn’t leave his hiding place immediately, but Ellie had hardly turned the corner when he was sprinting to his vehicle, parked in the side street. He stumbled and nearly fell over a tree root, but he managed to unlock the vehicle and get it started before he had even closed the door. He caught up with her before she reached Rhodes Avenue. The streets were reasonably quiet and he had to brake to give her a chance to pull away at the stop street. He was using one of Allegretti’s older vehicles that was usually parked at the club. He wasn’t sure if she had ever been in the parking garage. If so, he hoped she didn’t re­cognise the BMW.

  Ellie cursed as far as she drove. She had barely immersed herself in the warm water when Clive called to say Zondi wanted to see her. He gave her an address in Newlands where she was to meet her. The weightlessness had passed and a heaviness had taken its place. A pressure, as if she was carrying a load.

  Before she had reached the M5, her cellphone rang again. It was Clive.

  “What now?”

  “You’ve got a tail. Go to the nearest garage with a convenience store and buy something. Preferably something that looks like an emergency. You know, women’s stuff, something like that.”

  “I refuse to buy tampons at a bloody garage.”

  “If they look at the CCTV footage and you walk out of there with a packet of chewing gum, you might as well pack your stuff. Not milk or bread either. You can do without it. If they picked you up so quickly, it means they’ve been watching your house.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Some way behind you.”

  “Can you see who it is?”

  “No. White BMW. Oldish model.”

  Instead of turning onto the M5, Ellie turned into the next street and tried to remember where the closest convenience store was. “What does Zondi want?”

  “She’s going overseas for a fortnight and wants to see both of us before she leaves. We were going to arrange it during the week,
but something came up and she’s leaving for Joburg tomorrow. I’ll try to see her at the airport before she flies tomorrow. I suspect she just wants to make sure we’re all still where we’re supposed to be.”

  “Fuck, and for that you drag me out of my first peaceful bath in three weeks? Tell her I’m fine and not to worry.”

  “I’ll stay with you until you’re back home.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Nick had to brake quickly when Ellie didn’t take the turnoff to the M5 but swung into the next street. In his condition, his brain and limbs struggled with the change of plan. When she stopped at the Engen convenience store a few moments later, he would have bet his front teeth that that wasn’t where she’d originally been heading. Nothing she could buy in that shop could be so important. Especially not after she’d run a bath and lit candles. It didn’t add up, no matter how he looked at it. He stopped across the street. When he looked in his rearview mirror he spotted the white bakkie. His befuddled brain told him it had been behind him for a while. It was too dark to see the registration number. He tried to spot an identifying feature, but it was an ordinary Isuzu, double cab. The bakkie had pulled off too, and the driver remained inside.

  Nick shook his head. He wasn’t hallucinating. Something was going on, but he wasn’t lucid enough to figure out what. But he heard the inner voice and felt the tremor and that was all he needed. The question was whether the bakkie was after her or after him. The voice told him to go home, drink a cup of strong coffee, have a cold shower, eat something, then rewind and look at everything properly. The problem was that, if he went home now, he’d never know how this scene would play out. What if someone was after her? If they wanted to harm her, surely they didn’t have to wait for her to leave her home? It wasn’t particularly hard to get in there. Unless they wanted to make it look like an accident. He took out his phone and called Monica.

  “I need your brain.”

  “I don’t think you’re properly wired for my brain, but tell me how I can help.”

  “I’m wasted after spending all day with Allegretti, making sure he doesn’t get up to all kinds of shit.”

  “Where are you? Are you in trouble?”

  “I don’t know.” He told her, starting with Ellie arriving at her home. “My first question: What could be so urgent that it makes you get out of a bath you had just got into, after you’d lit candles?”

  “Cigarettes, airtime, food, bread, milk, tampons.”

  “Would you get out of the bath for any of those?”

  “No, but people are different. She might hate black coffee or bitter tea. Maybe she has an urgent call to make and she’s out of airtime.”

  Before he could answer, Ellie came out of the shop with a small package, got into her car and drove away.

  “Nicky, are you there?”

  “Yes, she’s back in her car. Do I follow her, or wait and see what the bakkie does?”

  “Follow her, but as soon as you see she’s home, carry on and see what the bakkie does. How wasted are you?”

  “You don’t want to know. Keep your phone on until I’m at her house. If the cops pull me off, they’re going to lock me up for the night and you’ll have to make a quick call or two.”

  “My darling, if you drive in that condition, it’s your responsibility. Why were you at her house anyway? And don’t lie to me.”

  “I’ve got a premonition.”

  “I’m worried about you.”

  “There’s no reason to worry.” He went quiet. “She’s home.”

  “Do you see the bakkie?”

  “No.”

  “Go home, but stay on the phone so I can make sure you stay awake. You’re ageing me before my time. I was watching my favourite opera on TV.”

  “While I’m working my arse off!”

  “Where’s Allegretti at present?”

  “Asleep. I told Patrice to watch him and call me if he wakes up, but I doubt it very much. That man has big problems and they’re giving him nightmares.”

  “Has he given anything away?”

  “Not yet, but I don’t think it’ll be long now. Visser is putting the pressure on, and Mang also needs to be kept happy.”

  Monica began to say something, but then Nick noticed the white bakkie a few vehicles behind him. “The bakkie is back.”

  “Shake him off, but for God’s sake, don’t kill anyone in the process. I’ll stay on the line.”

  Nick looked in the rearview mirror. The guy was good. He knew how to keep his distance. The best way to shake him off would be to wait for a traffic light. He got his chance as they were approaching Coen Steytler Boulevard. He braked when the light turned orange, and slowed down. Just after the light had turned red, he accelerated and sped over the intersection. Two cars hooted, but when he checked his rearview mirror, the bakkie was stuck behind the car in front of it. He drove to the club as fast as he could, parked the BMW and took the Range Rover.

  By the time he got to his apartment, he felt as if he’d run a marathon. He knew he had to eat and shower first, but the bed looked too enticing. He had just closed his eyes when he remembered Monica. He picked up the cellphone.

  “You still there?”

  “Yes. Please tell me you’re home so I can relax.”

  “I’m home.”

  “I’m not going to give you a lecture because I know you won’t listen, but I hope you know I’m not happy. That was an unnecessary risk. And not to be repeated.”

  “Something isn’t right. I don’t think Ellie McKenna is who she says she is.”

  “Then do something about it, Nicky. Other than camp out in front of her house.”

  He muttered something and ended the call. He hated complications, especially if he’d gone to so much trouble to plan something in the finest detail.

  He lay in bed for a while, too tired to get up, but his brain was back on track. After a while he got up, had a shower, heated a Woolworths ready meal and ate it, slowly going over the events in his mind. When he had finished, he dialled Ellie’s number. He took a few deep breaths to get rid of the worst of his irritation. He would make some friendly small talk and ask whether she’d had a good weekend. Tell her Allegretti was planning to fetch Clara tomorrow. The phone rang and rang. What if the bakkie was part of a team and the others had gone to her house? When he phoned a second time, she answered.

  “Why don’t you answer your phone?” All his good intentions had evaporated.

  “Because I’m in the bloody bath. What do you want?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Fuck, please tell me you didn’t call to ask me that. And you consider yourself good at your job!”

  “I’m asking you again: Who are you and who are you working for?”

  “I’m going to put the phone down now.”

  “You’re playing with fire and you’re going to burn your fingers. And probably not only your fingers.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll give Mr Williams the message.”

  Nick cursed under his breath. “It’s a friendly warning.”

  “What do you want to say to me? Please say it and get it over with. I can’t have this conversation with you every few days.”

  “You have a hidden agenda.”

  “You’ve said so before.”

  “You’re backing the wrong horse. I’ll say it again, you’re going to get hurt.”

  “Your friendly warning is duly noted. Was there anything else? My bath is getting cold.”

  “Enzio is fetching Clara tomorrow.”

  “I’ll phone him tomorrow morning to make arrangements.” She ended the call, looked at her bathwater and decided she was clean enough. While she was drying herself, she felt herself shaking. When she took her pyjamas out of the cupboard, she looked at the container inside. She expected to hear him say something, but all she heard was her own breathing.

  CHAPTER 31

  “I need you. How soon can you be he
re?” Allegretti asked when he called Ellie the next morning.

  “Give me an hour.”

  “Okay. But not a word to Clara.”

  Ellie promised not to say anything. She phoned Brenda. “How was your weekend?”

  “Not as exciting as it used to be. You’re making me lazy.”

  “I was followed last night. Please keep your eyes and ears open this week. I’ll drop in sometime.”

  “I don’t do funerals. Just saying, in case you’ve got plans. Watch yourself.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Oh, yes, that other kid, Happy, was here. Said he needs to speak to you.”

  “If you see him, tell him to give you a message. Or to phone me.”

  An hour later Ellie stopped at Allegretti’s house. In the boot was a bag of clothes in case she didn’t get a chance to go home. She sighed when she saw the Range Rover. She had hoped Nick would be otherwise occupied today.

  Before she could lock her car, the garage door opened and the black Maserati drove out. Nick Malherbe was at the wheel and Allegretti was in the back seat. They stopped and Ellie got into the front.

  “Good morning, sweetheart.”

  Ellie greeted Enzio over her shoulder and nodded in Nick’s direction.

  “I need your help to buy Clara a birthday gift. You know her. You know what she likes.”

  Ellie was about to tell him she was the wrong person to ask when his phone rang and he began to talk. She glanced at the man beside her. He appeared to have had a rough night. There were bags under his eyes and he looked pale. She hoped he felt as bad as he looked.

  After a while they stopped at an apartment block in Sea Point. For the first time she noticed the two security guards in the vehicle behind them. She wondered how much fuel these people wasted in a month.

  The guards leaped out and stood ready when Allegretti got out with her and Nick Malherbe. The three of them entered alone. The doorman gave them a friendly greeting and pushed the lift button.

  The apartment into which they emerged wasn’t as shiny and modern as Allegretti’s house or the apartment where Nick Malherbe lived, but it was spacious and tastefully furnished.

 

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