Blindside

by Wilna Adriaanse

  “What were you going to do?”

  “Take you to bed.”

  The heat began in her stomach and swiftly spread to the rest of her body. “What stopped you?”

  He swung his legs up onto the lounger and stretched out. “I don’t remember.”

  She searched for something to say, but gave up. They sat watching the scattering of guests at the bar. How they were still standing was a mystery to her. She had been to a few hard-core police parties in her lifetime, but these people made her colleagues look like amateurs.

  “You and Mrs Visser …”

  He turned his head slightly. “What about us?”

  “Doesn’t her husband mind?”

  “It sounds like you think we’re doing something that might upset him.”

  “I’m not judging. Just asking.”

  “I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

  “Yet you wanted to take me to bed tonight.”

  “Not past tense. I want to take you to bed. And the two of us don’t work together.”

  “Neither do you and Visser.”

  “But I work for Gabriella’s family.”

  Ellie felt as if the gas heater had suddenly been turned higher. She swung her legs off the lounger and sat up.

  “You can’t leave me alone now. It’s almost five. If I have to get Enzio to your friends by eight, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, it’s nearly time to wake him up.”

  “I’ll sit with you, on condition you get me some coffee and something to eat. I’m ravenous.”

  He got up slowly, lightly patted her leg where the firearm was fastened and shook his head.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes when he returned a while later with a pot of coffee and a plate of sandwiches.

  “Is Patrice up?”

  “I told you, I’m a good cook.”

  They ate in silence.

  “How well do you know Greyling?” Nick asked.

  “As well as one knows the guys in another department. I first met him when he and my dad worked on a case together.”

  “What can you tell me about him?”

  Ellie added milk to her coffee and a spoonful of sugar. She stirred slowly and took a sip before she answered.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything. Personality, strong points, weak spots.”

  “I don’t know him that well. As far as I know, he’s a good detective. He works hard. The guys reckon he’s reckless sometimes. Takes unnecessary risks. Others say that he gets things done.”

  “Personal life? Is there a wife? Kids?”

  “He’s not married and I don’t think he has kids.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “I don’t know.” Ellie looked at him, but glanced away quickly. “Why the sudden interest?”

  “He’s going to try to make Enzio’s life difficult today, and that means he’s going to make my life difficult. I want to be prepared.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t help you more. I don’t even know what the new information is that they claim to have.”

  “Why are the Hawks investigating the murder of a security guard?”

  “Only reason I can think of is that it’s part of a bigger invest­igation.”

  “Like an investigation into Enzio’s activities?”

  She nodded.

  “Anything specific you know about?”

  “I’ve told you before, someone like him is permanently on the radar. Any movement draws attention.”

  “Will you tell me if you hear anything else, or won’t your conscience allow you?”

  “I’ll tell you. I’m not going to go looking for information and I’m not going to milk my ex-colleagues, but if anything comes up, I’ll tell you.”

  Ellie looked out over the sea and realised that the darkness was lifting. She could see the horizon. Day was breaking, and the world was waking up. Inside the house, it was quiet for the first time since last night. So quiet that she could hear the cry of a seagull. They were still lying in the warm spot under the gas heater, a small island in the cold morning air. She considered telling him about her conversation with Ken Visser, but decided against it. Maybe later. First she had to try to work out what he’d meant.

  Nick looked at his watch. “I suppose I should have a shower and get dressed.”

  “Do you have to go back home?”

  “No, I’ve learnt to keep an overnight bag in the car for nights like these.” He got up slowly, stretched and yawned. “Thanks for the company. I enjoyed it.”

  He walked away, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. “I still don’t know what your answer would have been.”

  “Neither do I. Now we’ll never know.”

  He groaned, turned and came back to kiss her forehead. Again he patted the pistol on her thigh. “This is a picture that’s going to haunt me for a long time.”

  Ellie heard herself laugh. A strange sound she hadn’t heard for a long time. A spontaneous, playful sound. She got up as well, and felt the cold sea breeze tug at the hem of her skirt, blowing it against her legs. She couldn’t remember when last she had felt so beautiful and so desirable. And young. And slightly breathless.

  CHAPTER 33

  It was half past nine on Tuesday morning when Nick and Allegretti entered the club. Enzio was mixing his languages.

  “Fuck! If I get my hands on him …”

  Nick was controlling himself with great difficulty, but knew that, if he lost his cool, he’d only get Allegretti even more worked up. After a huge amount of trouble, they’d reported to the Sea Point police station at eight, only to hear that Vermaak wasn’t in yet. Nobody knew who Greyling was. After they’d sat waiting on the hard seats for an hour, someone offered to phone Vermaak. Something had come up; Vermaak couldn’t make it. Enzio immediately started swearing and making threats, and Nick felt like he was going to have a gallbladder attack.

  “If they want to play hardball, I’ll give them a game they’ll never forget.” Allegretti sat down behind his desk. “But first I have other things to do, and that’s why I need you.”

  Nick sat down as well.

  “Nicky, if you fuck this one up, don’t bother to come back here. And if you tell the old man, I’ll feed you to the fishes. This is between the two of us. This is your one chance to show me I can trust you and keep a place for you when I take over.”

  “I’m not going to try to convince you again that you can trust me.”

  “I don’t want advice or comments either. I’m going to tell you what has to be done, and that’s how it’s going to be.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I need Clara to disappear for a few days. I’ve already told her a story, and she’s very excited. Visser can’t know about it, and that’s why I don’t trust any of the other staff. I suspect he’s paying them to watch me.”

  Nick shook his head. “Start at the beginning.”

  “I’ve told you it’s important that we make Mang happy. The rhino horns have been confiscated at a roadblock. I know Williams is sitting on a shitload of abalone that’s ready to be sold. I offered him a good deal to sell it to me, or at least to allow me to be the middleman so that we can get Mang off our backs, but he doesn’t even want to talk to me. He just sent a message that he already has a buyer. Visser has been saying for a long time that we should use Clara, but that would be a fuck-up. That’s why I want her out of the picture. His plan is to kidnap her and hold her hostage for the abalone. Williams will kill us, but I don’t have any other ideas. Mang’s threats are getting worse. Now I’ve made my own plan. If I can get Clara out of the way and keep her somewhere for a few days, I can pretend to have had nothing to do with the kidnapping and bring her back safely. And hope Williams will be grateful enough to be prepared to do a deal.”

  “Bloody hell, Enzio. I understand you’re under pressure, but do you realise that if this goes wrong you’ll have Williams, Visser and Mang after you? Do you really want to run that risk?”

  “What els
e can I do? I’ve racked my brains. We need this deal. And as long as I’m in control, I can make sure Clara is safe.”

  “And what do I do with the McKenna girl?”

  “She can’t know – she’ll call Williams immediately. As far as she’s concerned, it’s got to be business as usual. Get Fritz to take me somewhere and say I didn’t feel it was safe for the two of them to travel so far on their own. That’s why you have to take them.”

  “Where am I supposed to take them?”

  “I rented a house in Blouberg. In another name.”

  “What will they think they’re going to do there?”

  “I told Clara I booked a photographer to take shots for her portfolio.”

  “Did she believe you?”

  “She’s a sweet girl.”

  “Enzio, the meeting, her moving in with you, the ring and the engagement … was it all part of this plan?”

  “No. I know you don’t believe me, but the night I saw her at the club she was just another beautiful girl. We had a great time and it was only the next morning that I found out who she was.” He held up his hands. “Okay, granted, I think the fact that she’s Williams’s niece might have had something to do with the fact that I asked her out again, but the better I got to know her, the more I genuinely liked her. I mean, what’s not to like? Did you see the other men last night? They were drooling like a pack of old bulldogs. I didn’t exactly plan to get engaged this quickly, but I wanted to show Williams I’m taking good care of her, and that I’m not just keeping her as a plaything.”

  “What are you going to do if her life is worth less to Williams than a consignment of abalone?”

  “I can’t think about that now.”

  “You know Visser will never let you get away with it.”

  “You know what … maybe it’s time we got them out of the business. They’re like leeches. And my sister looks good in black. I’m sure she won’t be too sad.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Accidents happen.”

  Nick got up and started pacing. He tried to process the information as quickly as he could. He tried to foresee the potential scenarios. Find the holes in Allegretti’s planning. At the moment it felt like it was full of holes, but if he told Allegretti so, he would have to come up with an alternative, and he couldn’t. The plan didn’t even have to go wrong to have far-reaching consequences for a lot of people. He didn’t want to be in Ellie McKenna’s shoes when Williams heard what had happened. How was she going to prove she wasn’t part of the plan?

  “Let me think about it and make sure we’re not missing something.”

  “You can think, but they have to be gone by tonight, or I’ll have no control over what Visser is going to do.”

  Ellie didn’t know why she’d thought Clara would sleep all day. Maybe it was because she felt as if she’d been run over by a train herself. The early-morning energy had vanished by ten, and when Clara phoned at half past ten, she felt like saying she was ill.

  “I want go and show my ring to the family. We phoned them last night. You should have heard the way Enzio spoke to Uncle. He’s such a sweetie.”

  Clara sat in the passenger seat and didn’t stop talking for a minute. She kept looking at her ring and rattled on about wedding gowns, honeymoon destinations, how hard it was going to be to choose her bridesmaids.

  Ellie wondered if the ring included all those things. Or were they figments of Clara’s imagination? Did Enzio really say they were getting married, or was it one of those open announcements with no expiry date?

  “I want you to be one of my bridesmaids.”

  “That’s very nice of you, but I’m useless at that kind of thing. You have enough cousins and friends. They’ll do a much better job.”

  “But I consider you one of my good friends!”

  “I’m just saying … don’t feel obliged to include me.” It was like a vine, Ellie thought. One that kept growing until it was out of control. The first lie planted the seed, and every consequent lie fed the first one. Until you could no longer see through the tendrils and you hardly knew, any more, where it had all started.

  The house was full of people when they arrived. Surely some of them had normal jobs, Ellie thought – or were they all involved in Williams’s activities? Was that why they could fill a house at noon on a Tuesday? Even Reggie was there. It was clear that he was not happy, and Ellie noticed that he didn’t congratulate Clara.

  “So the Italian put a ring on her finger and now she thinks it spells true love!”

  Ellie didn’t have to look up to know he was standing next to her.

  “I think she would want you to be happy for her.”

  “Why would I be happy when she’s prostituting herself to someone like that?”

  “That’s a mean thing to say. I hope you don’t say it to anyone else.”

  “Hey, lady, you haven’t been around for long enough to know any­thing. Don’t lecture me. I’ll say exactly what I want about Clara.”

  “I’m sure you’re entitled to say what you like, but I’m pretty sure Mr Williams won’t like that kind of talk.”

  “And you’re going to tell him?”

  Ellie planted her feet slightly apart. “I might.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yes. I don’t like you talking that way about Clara. She hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s your problem if you don’t like her fiancé.”

  It might have been the exhaustion, or the tendrils that wanted to entangle her today, but the more she told herself to shut up, the angrier she became. Maybe it was what she saw in his eyes when he looked at Clara. It frightened Ellie. A man like Reggie was a bad loser. He had probably already boasted that Clara was going to be his one day.

  “Fiancé!” He spat the word out.

  “She has the right to choose who she wants. Grow up and act like a man.”

  She saw his eyes narrow. “You’ve got a fucking nerve!”

  Ellie turned and walked away.

  “Nice girl you’ve got working at your office. Maybe I should pay her a visit. She looks lonely all on her own.”

  Ellie was about to turn around, but stopped herself. If she did, he would have won.

  “Miss McKenna.” Williams came walking in her direction. For some reason he refused to call her by her name.

  “If I had known he was going to ask her to marry him, I would have warned you.”

  He gave her a lopsided smile. “I’m sure you would have.” His eyes moved across the room to where Clara was surroun­ded by cousins and aunts. “What can we say? At least he had the decency to phone last night and speak to us personally. I’m sure you understand, it’s difficult for us not to have been able to share such an important occasion in her life. Her mother has been crying since last night. She isn’t even sure she’ll be welcome at her daughter’s wedding.”

  “I don’t have children, but I can imagine it must be hard. I truly hope you’ll find a way to solve your problems. Clara loves her family and you are the father she never had.”

  “Thank you, it’s very kind of you to say so. One can only try. A child needs parents. That’s why there’s so much trouble today. Too often, children are left to their own devices.” He motioned at a few young men standing on the sidelines. “That’s why I take an interest in so many of the youngsters. They need guidance. It’s important for a child to learn responsibility. And that’s what I give them. Many people think I’m giving hand-outs, but hand-outs have never helped anybody. I believe in hard work and responsibility. That’s why I have great respect for you.”

  Ellie felt her throat constrict. A shiver went down her spine, but she nodded. “Thank you.” She hesitated. “About my contract. I take it I won’t be needed any further?”

  He sighed. “It’s difficult for me. My instincts say I must continue to keep an eye on Clara, but I also realise I can’t do it for ever. I’ll tell you what, stay till the end of the month. I’m sure Allegretti will understand
, and it will help me sleep a little better.”

  Mavis interrupted them to say the food was being served.

  “I’m glad I don’t have to pay your food bill. Seems every time I’m here you’re feeding an entire village.”

  Mavis linked her arm through hers and laughed. “We enjoy it. And Nazeem will tell you it keeps me busy. What else would I have done with my time? Come, I want to introduce you to my sister. She wants to meet you.”

  When Ellie stood in front of Clara’s mother, she knew where Clara’s features came from. The woman must have been a beauty as a girl. Though she was still attractive, the years had left their mark on her face.

  She took Ellie’s hands. “I want to thank you, Miss. Clara has only good things to say about you. She’s very grateful.”

  “She’s a lovely girl, Ma’am, and I’m glad I had the chance to meet her.”

  “Will he take good care of her?”

  “He seems very fond of her. In the time I’ve lived there he’s never been unkind to her.”

  The woman wiped her eyes. “As long as he takes care of her.”

  Ellie was glad when someone brought Clara’s mother some food. She was in dire need of fresh air. She went out through the nearest door and breathed deeply when she got to the pool. For the first time, she thought she heard her father’s voice. It said: You can do it.

  Ellie took out her phone and sent Brenda a message. I want you to go home and stay away from the office for a few days. If you see anyone suspicious or feel uncomfortable, phone me and go to the nearest police station. Tell them someone is harassing you.

  What have you done now?

  Pissed off one of Williams’s guys.

  I’m not scared.

  Please, Brenda. And if you see Happy, tell him to call me urgently.

  Okay, boss.

  Thanks. I’ll speak to you later tonight.

  Then she sent Clive a message. Allegretti and Clara got engaged last night. Something is going on, and I suspect Clara is part of it. See what you can find out. Ask Albert to sound Williams out. Maybe he’ll say something.