Thirteen Hours

' Voelvry? Like in "free as a bird"?'

Mouton sighed. 'Have you ever heard of Johannes Kerkorrel and Koos Kombuis?'

'Yes.'

'They were part of it. That's where I began, touring with one of those guys. We slept in kombis and we didn't have a studio or a label. We sold tapes out of the back of a minibus in the late Eighties. I did everything from driving the van to trying keeping the guys sober, buying food, building sets, fixing the amplifiers, putting up posters, collecting the ticket money .. .Those were wild days, it was great. Voelvry was protest music in Afrikaans, you know, against Apartheid. The students bought into that like you wouldn't believe, in their thousands, while mom and dad in the suburbs were listening to Bles Bridges' love ballads. This new wave happened right under their noses. It was then that Adam came to see me - that's when we began to work together. We were the men who made Voelvry legit. We gave them a label that took them mainstream, with management and marketing and promotion. It just got bigger and bigger and just look at Afrikaans music now. In the last five or six years it has exploded because the language is under threat, and all the papers can write about is harassment, I fucking ask you, or about that "De la Rey" hit, but few people listen to the whole CD. Do you know most of the songs are about sex and booze?'

'What songs?'

'On the "De la Rey" CD.'

Dekker shook his head, thinking before he replied: 'Did Adam Barnard say anything during the past week about a DVD?'

'What DVD?' There was genuine surprise.

'Any DVD.'

'We are busy with a couple of DVDs. Josh and Melinda's is scheduled for the KKNK, a live recording ...'

Dekker shook his head again. 'Did Barnard say anything about a DVD that he received in the post?'

'Why would anyone send him a DVD? Production and promotion is my department. If he did receive anything he would have passed it on to me.'

'There is a possibility that he did receive a parcel containing a DVD. Last week. Did he mention anything?'

'Not to me. What kind of DVD was it? Who said he received one?'

'Did he open his own post?'

'Adam? Yes, who else would do it?'

'Didn't he have a secretary?'

'Natasha is PA to both of us, but she wouldn't open our post. We do almost everything electronically. If there were a DVD, she would have brought it to me. What was on this DVD?'

'I can't divulge details at this stage, Mr Mouton. Who can I speak to about payments that Mr Barnard would have made during the past week or so?'

'Payments? Why would you want to know that?

'Willie ...' Groenewald cautioned.

'It's my company, Regardt, I have a right to know. What are the Geysers going around saying?'

'Willie, his investigation is sub judice. That means he doesn't have to—'

'I know what it means, Regardt, but it's my company now that Adam is no longer with us.'

'Mr Mouton, unfortunately you are obliged to answer my questions.'

The Adam's apple bobbed; the hand fiddled with the silver earring. 'What was your question?'

'Who can I talk to about payments that Mr Barnard made in the past week?'

'To whom?'

'To anyone.'

'Adam was in charge of finance and admin. He signed the cheques. But Wouter would know. He's the accountant.'

'Where would I find Wouter?'

'Next door down.'

'Thank you,' said Dekker and rose. 'I will also have to search Mr Barnard's office. Has anyone been in his office since yesterday night?'

'Ask Natasha, I don't know.'

Dekker went to the door.

'They're lying,' said Mouton. 'The Geysers are lying to save their own butts. Payments? What payments?'

'Willie ...' said Groenewald.

Griessel sat in the absent director's office. The big chair was comfortable and the desk very broad and clean. He studied the sheet of white paper the Provincial Commissioner had given him. Bill Anderson was written on it. Plus a number with overseas codes.

He was reluctant to make the call. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. He would try too hard to reassure and that would spark false hope, and he knew how the man felt. If Carla were to phone him from London and say there were people trying to kill her, people who had killed already, he would go out of his mind. He would climb on the first fucking plane.

But that wasn't all that was worrying him.

Ever since John Afrika had walked out of here and shut the door behind him, Griessel had been worrying about the other alternative. What if Rachel Anderson were not a mule?

Gennady Demidov was notorious, with an extensive web of activities. Rumour had it that there were city councillors in his pocket. SAPS members as well. At least a few uniforms. There had been a complaint of assault, something about people being beaten with baseball bats because they didn't want to sell property to Demidov - property that the city council needed to buy to build the World Cup soccer stadium. The docket disappeared from the Sea Point station and witnesses stopped talking. Six months ago the Organised Crime Unit had been cleaned up with great fanfare.

There was a new commanding officer, new detectives, quite a few from Gauteng and KwaZulu, but six months was a long time. The Russian had deep pockets.

He would not be very popular with the Commissioners for that theory.

Griessel sighed, lifted the receiver and heard the dialling tone.

He would say: 'This is Captain Benny Griessel.'

At least that would feel bloody good.

Chapter 24

Vusi Ndabeni, Mbali Kaleni and the young man in the apron stood at the computer in the small cubicle of an office at Carlucci's. They watched the email download.

'Don't you have ADSL?' asked Kaleni, as though it were a crime not to.

'We don't need it,' said the young man.

Vusi wondered if he was supposed to know what ADSL was, but he was saved by a cell phone ringing. Kaleni's.

'Yes,' she answered sharply, irritable. She listened for a long time. 'Hold on.' She took her big black handbag off her shoulder, plunged a hand into its depths and brought out a black bound notebook and pen set. She opened it solemnly, put it on the table, clicked the pen in readiness and said: 'OK. Shoot.'

Then: 'I mean, give it to me.'

She made a note, said, 'I've got it,' and ended the call. 'Vusi, I am going to Parklands. They have a hit on the registration number.'

'The Land Rover?'

'Yes. A Mr J. M. de Klerk of Twenty-four Atlantic Breeze in Parklands registered a Two thousand and seven Land Rover Defender One-ten Hard Top in September. Registration number CA four-one-six, seven-eight-eight-nine. And he was born in Nineteen eighty-five. A young guy.'

'Not a Russian,' Vusi said in disappointment.

'Must have a rich dad,' said the young man in the apron as he opened an email.

'Those Landies cost three hundred grand.'

'Where does he work?' Vusi asked hopefully.

'Same address. He works from home.'

Griessel heard the phone ring on another continent. It was crystal clear and he wondered what time it was in West Lafayette, Indiana.

'Anderson,' said the voice on the other end.

'Mr Anderson, my name is Benny Griessel ...' Griessel was aware of his Afrikaans accent, and for a fraction of a second the logical next sentence lay on the tip of his tongue,'... and I'm an alcoholic.' He bit it back and said, 'I am a Captain in the South African Police Services and I'm in charge of the search for your daughter. I am very sorry for the circumstances, but I can tell you we are doing our absolute best to find her and protect her.'