Sometimes things go wrong so quickly that you don’t get a chance to do anything, Clive had warned her. Ellie couldn’t believe what was happening.
Clara hadn’t stopped screaming at Reggie, but he ignored her. When both Ellie and Clara were in the car, one of the men got behind the wheel and they drove away. Ellie sat hunched over. She couldn’t see where Albert had taken Nick and the guards. Clara was in the back between Reggie and herself. The girl was punching him.
“Stop it!” He grabbed Clara’s hands. “Don’t give me even more reason to slap you.”
“Wait until Uncle hears …” She began to sob and Ellie put her arm around her. She was still trying to breathe through the pain at the pit of her stomach.
“Where did the others go?” Ellie’s voice sounded strange even to herself.
“I don’t know. They’re not my concern.”
It went quiet in the car. Ellie didn’t know how fast they were driving, but it had to be way above the speed limit.
About fifteen minutes later she was surprised to see them turn into her street. The car came to a stop in front of her house. Reggie got out and opened the door. She gave him a puzzled look. “Why are we here?”
“It’s your house. Do what you want.”
“What about Clara?”
“You don’t have to worry about her any more.”
“I don’t have my key.”
“No problem. I’m sure you can afford a new windowpane.”
He took her arm and walked her around the house to the stoep.
She had just reached the top of the steps when she felt Reggie’s arm around her neck. She struck out and tried to kick him, but he lifted her off her feet. It started going dark around her.
The next moment an immense heat spread through her body, like fire. Her knees gave way and she slumped to the ground, hitting her head on the edge of the stoep. She tried to lift her right hand against the burning, but the arm was useless.
“Want to tell me again to act like a man?”
“Reggie, fuck, brother, come!”
Ellie heard the voice far in the distance. Then silence fell.
CHAPTER 34
The office was so crowded that they were standing shoulder to shoulder. Not a good idea, Nick thought – tempers were flaring. It was hard to focus on the conversation with everyone talking at the same time. The man behind the desk was Brigadier Ibrahim Ahmed. A muscle was twitching at the corner of his mouth; when he spoke, it was through a fine spray of saliva. At the moment he was shouting at Greyling. The fair-haired man next to him was Lieutenant Clive Barnard, apparently the handler. The woman, Brigadier Andile Zondi, spoke without letting up, as if she couldn’t hear anyone else. She was shouting at each one in turn.
“They come in here, without telling anyone anything, and when they fuck up, it’s our fault!” Greyling said.
Nick looked at him. “Are you referring to us?”
“Who else do you think I’m referring to? You didn’t even have the decency to let us know you were here!”
“Because you’re so famous for fucking things up. As you’ve just proved again.”
Greyling took a step forward and Nick felt his body tingle in anticipation. He had been wanting to hit a few people since Tuesday night. He felt his fists open and close.
“Greyling, if you want to sleep in the cells tonight, go ahead and hit someone!” Ahmed’s voice rose above the rest. “Didn’t I tell you you were playing with fire? Not once, not twice. And every time you assured me you knew what you were doing, and told me to trust you! And here I am, with my finger up my arse! The people in the big offices want answers from me. What do you suggest I tell them? Not to worry? They can trust you?”
“This is the last time you ever use any of my people!” Zondi continued. “And you had the audacity to try to teach me my job!” She pointed at Albert Greyling. “You bloody white men think you know it all.”
“Keep race out of this fucking mess, please. I don’t have time for that shit as well,” Ahmed said. “And Greyling, I want a report on my desk before I go home tonight.” He turned to Nick. “The same goes for you. Why didn’t you tell us you were here?”
“Too much information has ended up in the wrong hands in the past three years,” Nick said, and looked at Greyling. “Now I understand why.”
“Are you saying I’m a snitch?”
“You can call yourself whatever you like.”
Before anyone else could move, Greyling darted forward. Nick saw him coming and turned. Greyling’s fist glanced off his shoulder. Before he could retaliate, Clive intervened and forced the two men apart.
“I swear I’ll lock you both up if you don’t stop this shit!” Ahmed said and looked at Nick again. “We want everything you’ve got. Don’t even start telling me it’s your case. I don’t give a fuck whose case it is. You came into my backyard uninvited, and now you’re going to do what I say.”
“Just for the record, this is our case, and we’re not done with it yet.” Monica spoke for the first time.
“His cover has been blown. What’s he going to do now?”
“We have a few other options.”
“I want a report, and I want everything you’ve got. It’s not negotiable. And about the way forward – we’ll see.”
Monica looked at Ahmed. “I refuse to be a part of this circus any longer. Get this chaos under control and the two of us can talk. And for the record: I’m not giving you any information before I’m certain you’ve plugged all the holes. You can’t even look after your own people, let alone mine.”
“I’ve seen my fair share of fuck-ups, but never on this scale,” Nick added. “Whoever dreamed up this operation should be charged with gross incompetence.” He looked at Greyling. “A freaking two-year-old could have told you it was a suicide mission.”
Greyling moved towards Nick again, but retreated when Ahmed gave him a look.
“Gentlemen, I’ve heard enough.” Monica picked up her handbag. “From where I’m standing, I can see you’ve got serious problems. I don’t want to take up any more of your time. We’ll make contact again.” She beckoned to Nick. As they walked out, she gave Andile Zondi a nod. “Good luck.”
Nick and Monica sat facing each other in a flat in Tamboerskloof. It belonged to Interpol and Monica usually stayed there when she was in Cape Town. They had just returned from Ahmed’s office and Nick realised they were both reluctant to start the conversation.
Eventually Monica broke the silence. “What happened?”
“I fucked up.”
“If I’d wanted simple-minded explanations and excuses, I could have stayed in that office with that collection of egos.”
Nick put his hands behind his head, lowered them again, and looked out over the sea.
“I don’t know what you want to hear. I lost focus.”
“Evidently. The question is why?”
“Maybe things were going too smoothly. We’d made such good progress recently that I didn’t think anything could derail us. I expected the occasional hiccup, but nothing on this scale.”
“Yet you were worried from the start about Clara and Ellie McKenna. Why didn’t you do something about it?”
Nick ran his fingers through his hair, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“I’m telling you, I lost focus. Usually I sum up a situation reasonably quickly, but with the two of them my footwork was slow. And it’s no good asking why. I don’t know. The only reason I can think of is that I didn’t want them to be a problem. The end was so close, I just wanted to get to the finish line.”
“Was that the only reason?”
“What are you implying?”
“Was there never a more personal reason?”
“No.”
“Nicky, the door is closed, it’s just the two of us. It’s important for me to understand what happened here. It’s the only way I can protect you.”
“I don’t need your protection. I fucked u
p an operation and I’ll face the music. The explanation is simple. I was serious when I said it was one of the messiest operations I’d ever seen. Unfortunately, I have to point a finger at myself as well.”
“I agree, but that doesn’t bring us any closer to a solution. Are we simply going to walk away from three years’ worth of work? Or are we going to try to do damage control? Get someone else to take your place?”
“I want to go back.”
She shook her head. “Your cover’s been blown. You’re not going near Allegretti.”
“We don’t know for sure. There’s a chance he believes I’ve been arrested.”
“If you do go back, it means we have to trust that lot in the office to protect your identity.” She shook her head again. “I’m not comfortable with that, especially after seeing you and Greyling behave like schoolboys.”
“He …”
“Nick Malherbe, you’ve never underestimated my intelligence before. Don’t start now. We both know what this is about.”
Nick looked out at the sea again. In truth he wasn’t ready or willing to talk about it. He’d had the bitter taste of anger and disappointment in his mouth since Tuesday night. It wasn’t the first disappointment of his life, or the first mistake he’d made, but this one was particularly galling. He’d sacrificed a lot for this job, and he was good at it. They hadn’t picked him because he was mediocre. He’d been the best candidate by far.
He got up. “See you later.”
“Where are you going?”
“To bed.”
“You don’t set foot outside this flat without letting me know.”
CHAPTER 35
Ellie opened her eyes and listened to the beep-beeps and the soft buzzing. She heard them every time she opened her eyes. They’d been the first sounds she’d heard when she’d woken up the first time, and by this time it felt like one of those nightmares from which you couldn’t wake. One that never ends.
She knew she was in hospital. The how and why lay hidden in the haze hovering at the edge of her consciousness. Even when she was awake. Sometimes images emerged from the haze and came towards her, but before she could make out what they were, they disintegrated, along with the rest of reality.
Faces and voices came and went. It reminded her of the club, where the flashing lights splintered reality, and with every flash a new reality was created. Maybe she was at the club.
This time the haze seemed to have retreated a little, and she studied her surroundings. She was in a bed and there was a large glass pane in front of her. On the other side of the glass she could see a desk and more beds. Next to her bed was an array of instruments, which seemed to be the source of the sounds she’d been hearing. At the foot of the bed, a blonde woman in uniform was leaning over something that resembled a table. She was writing. A man was sitting on a chair just outside the door. He seemed to be wearing a uniform as well, but it was different from the woman’s.
Suspended from the stand next to the bed were three clear plastic IV bags, dispensing various fluids. For a while she watched the drops falling rhythmically into a tube, staying there for a while, then being released again. She was getting blood as well. She wondered whose blood it was, and how her own blood was reacting to the strange blood. Was it colder than her own, sweeter? She hoped the donor was a happy person. She could do with some happy blood. Strong blood.
She must have dozed off again, because the next time she became aware of her surroundings, the bright lights had made way for a dim light shining at the foot of the bed. The woman who was sitting there now had dark hair.
“Hello. You’re awake.”
“I’m thirsty.”
“We don’t want you to drink water yet, but let me moisten your mouth.”
“What’s the time?”
“Two in the morning.” She held an ice cube to Ellie’s lips and Ellie licked it. “Do you know where you are?”
“I take it I’m in hospital. Or part of a medical experiment.” Her tongue felt thick.
The woman laughed. “No, nothing as interesting as that. You’re in hospital.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Two days.”
“When did I wake up for the first time?”
“Yesterday afternoon. Are you in pain?”
Ellie shook her head slightly. Her body felt stiff, but she felt no pain.
“We’re keeping you under reasonably strong sedation at the moment, so that your body has a chance to recover.”
“Have I had an operation?”
“Do you know what happened?”
Ellie thought for a moment. “Not everything, but I have an idea.”
“Try to sleep some more.” The sister sat down at the foot of the bed again.
Ellie closed her eyes and when she opened them again, the room was brightly lit and people were walking to and fro on the other side of the glass. The face at the foot of the bed was a different one yet again.
“Hello, love. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll bring you some ice.”
Ellie looked at the activity. No one stayed in the same place for long. They reminded her of confused ants. Only the figure at the door was static.
When the sister returned, a man came with her. He wore loose-fitting blue clothes and a cap.
“Good morning, I’m Dr Brits, the surgeon who operated on you. I’m glad to see you’re awake. How do you feel?”
Compared to what and whom, she was tempted to ask.
“I’ve felt better.”
“Any pain?”
“I can manage it.”
The sister drew the blinds at the window and the sliding door.
“I’d prefer to keep you pain-free, so tell the sister as soon as you feel any pain.” He drew back the bedding and the sister helped him fold back the hospital gown. Ellie felt her skin contract in the cool air. Or maybe it was the two pairs of eyes scrutinising her naked body. The doctor touched her here and there, gave the sister a few orders and covered her again. “Everything looks fine. No sign of infection. That’s always good news.”
“How long will I have to stay here?”
He smiled and touched her arm. “Unfortunately you’re going to have to extend your visit with us for a while.”
Ellie wondered what Brenda would say if she heard him call it a visit. Brenda! Had someone told Brenda what had happened? And Clive, and …
“Where’s my stuff?”
“What are you looking for?
“My cellphones. I have to call someone.”
“We gave everything to your family.”
Ellie wanted to say she had no family, but the talking had tired her out, and she felt her body relax as she surrendered to the haze.
When she woke up again, the room was no longer brightly lit, and she felt pain.
Pain might not be the right word. A fire was steadily consuming her from the inside. She felt her forehead break out in sweat and nausea wash over her like waves, but when the new sister on duty asked if she was in pain, she shook her head. The haze had lifted for a while and everything seemed clearer. The memories were no longer visions with dim outlines. They had sharper edges now. Cutting edges.
She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, but it was hard, between the fire and the knife edge.
“Are you sure you’re not in pain?” The sister looked at the IV bags and tapped the meter. “This isn’t moving. Goodness, you must be in agony. Wait, I’ll fix it. Why didn’t the alarm go off?” She got busy with the meter and the bags. “You can never trust these things,” she grumbled. “Sorry about this. You’ll feel better soon.”
Ellie wished she could tell her she wanted to hold on to the pain a while longer, sharp edges and all. At least it was something to hold on to. Sometimes it was good to vanish in the haze but sometimes she was afraid she’d get lost there, and that no one would find her again.
“You can’t look like this when yo
ur visitor comes. He’ll think we’re not looking after you.”
“Who is it?”
“Your brother. He’s been here a few times, but you’ve always been asleep and we didn’t want to wake you.”
“My brother?”
“Yes, evidently he’s come from far, so we made an exception.”
“I …” She wanted to say she didn’t have a brother, but her mouth was too dry.
“There you go, it’s running again. You’ll feel better in a minute. Call us straight away if it happens again.”
Ellie looked at the woman’s busy hands. Small hands, short nails. When she put her palm on Ellie’s forehead her touch was cool. She felt the haze descend again until she could no longer hold on.
Someone touched her hand, and when she opened her eyes, Clive was there. He looked old. Could one age in three days? she wondered. He was dressed in scrubs.
She took his hand and he twined his fingers through hers while he searched for words.
“Are you my brother?”
He gave a lopsided smile and nodded. He sank down onto the chair beside the bed without letting go of her hand. “God, Mac … I’m so sorry.”
“Does my mom know?”
“Yes, she’s been here, but it really upset her. The doctor told her to wait a day or two before she comes again. I asked her to phone me if she wants to come, and offered to bring her.”
“Don’t let her come. Give her my love.”
She looked at him and wished she didn’t have to ask. “What happened?”
He ran his hand over his face. “I’m not supposed to upset you. I can only say hello.”
“I want to know.”
“How much do you remember?”
“Not everything, but I’ve got an idea.”
“We traced your phone to the house in Blouberg. I gave Greyling the address and waited for further orders. He called Williams and said Allegretti had kidnapped you and Clara, but he had the address and Williams’s people could go and fetch you. You can imagine how many points he scored with Williams. In the meantime, Malherbe had got wind of something and fled with you and Clara. Greyling and Williams’s guys picked you up when you turned out of the street. They let the others know, and they waited for you on the West Coast Road, near Rietvlei. The road was deserted. Can you remember what happened there?”
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