Blindside. Wilna Adriaanse
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see her again.”
“Would he kill her?”
“That’s not what I mean. He could simply make her disappear for a while.”
“I want everything you’ve got on Williams and Allegretti. And I mean everything.” She got up and he followed her to the door. At the car he bent down to kiss her, but she moved away. “You know how Clive and I struggle to get information about that lot. Why haven’t you helped us?”
“I didn’t go looking for this. Besides, it’s not the kind of information you share with the whole office. At some point we’ll join all the dots, but for now, it’s not for everyone’s eyes and ears. Fresh eyes are always welcome, though.”
He pinned her against the car with his body, put his hands on her hips and kissed her. “Come back to bed.”
“Another time. You’ve given me too much to think about.”
She looked in her rearview mirror as she pulled away. It wasn’t the first time she had looked at him like that. Not the first time, either, that she had wondered about the two of them. But just like the previous times, it was too much trouble to keep wondering. On the few occasions when they’d spoken about their relationship, he’d basically told her to stop scratching where it didn’t itch.
The N1 was quiet. As she drove into the city, she noticed that even the late-night beggars had vanished. By now they were huddled under cardboard and newspaper. On shop verandas, in recesses, under flyovers.
She took a deep breath when she pushed open the door of her cottage. Her father had helped her buy the little house between Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak when she had started work at the clinic in the city. He had never asked her why she didn’t want to live closer to home. Not even after she had left the clinic and was driving to Bellville every day.
The traffic on the big freeway just above the house had bothered her at first, but now she was barely aware of it.
Her initial plan had been to fix the place up one day – nothing fancy, just the odd touch to make it seem like she’d gone to a bit of trouble. But now, on a cop’s salary, the extras would have to wait. In the master bedroom she had a new double bed, two unmatched bedside tables and a chest of drawers she’d found at a second-hand dealer’s. The smaller bedroom had a single bed and a desk. The desktop was neat, apart from a few files and documents she was working on.
The sitting room was furnished with a big sofa, also from a second-hand dealer, and two armchairs she’d bought from a colleague who wanted to get rid of them. The walls were bare, except for two framed posters. One had been a present from her colleagues at the clinic when she’d left. It was a quote by Kurt Vonnegut: We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
She kicked off her shoes, dropped her clothes on the floor and put on her warm pyjamas. A few minutes later she pulled the duvet up to her chin, turned on her side and curled up. The freeway was quiet. She listened to the sound of an occasional vehicle until it faded away. And pricked up her ears for the next one. It was one way of controlling her thoughts and drowning out the voices in her head.
“You’re not here any more to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do,” she spoke into the dark after a while. She snuggled deeper under the duvet and tried to breathe through the anxiety.
Her mom had never forgiven her for joining the force, though she had said from a young age that it was what she wanted to do. Her dad had spent many evenings discussing it with her, trying to make sure she was doing it for the right reasons. During the selection process, she was asked why she wanted to sign up. She must have given the right answers.
The real reason was much simpler than anything she had written on an application form or stated in an interview. As a child she had believed that, if she became a police officer herself, she could prevent something from happening to her dad. Some ghosts you learn to control as you get older; the rest you learn to hide, because you’re scared the world won’t understand.
CHAPTER 9
It was after eleven on Thursday morning when Nick managed to get away from the club. The meeting with the security staff had been a long one. He had spent Wednesday inspecting Enzio and Gabriella’s security systems and going through their movements with a fine-tooth comb.
He was cranky when he got to Allegretti’s house. When he stepped out of the lift and saw Enzio snorting coke at the bar counter, he felt like hitting the man.
“Christ, Enzio, if you don’t slow down, you’re going to fry your brain.”
“If you’ve come to lecture me, you can fuck off.”
“Do what you want, as long as you keep your habits and pleasures under control. If you really want to cause shit with your old man, become a junkie.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Then don’t behave like one. We have a lot to talk about and I want you clear and sharp.”
When Allegretti looked up, his eyes were shining and he smiled. “What do you think I’m using? Vim?” He rubbed the last of the powder into his gums. “Best on the market. I’m razor sharp. Try me.” He held up the sachet. “Why don’t you try some? It cost me a shitload.”
Nick saw how his jaw was moving, always a giveaway. The strange chewing motion. He shook his head. “Not while I’m on duty.”
“Your loss.” He tossed the sachet into a drawer. “Why the long face?”
“Your security is up to shit. It’s a wonder someone hasn’t hit you yet.”
“Why would they want to?” Allegretti came around the counter and sat down in an armchair. Nick sat down opposite him.
“Cut the crap. Do you realise there were times during the past month when your cameras and alarm were switched off?”
“No, I don’t. But I’m not here to give other people cheap thrills.”
“I don’t mind if you switch off the cameras when you want privacy. Just switch the bloody things back on, preferably before you go to bed. Especially the ones on the stairs and the patio. And the alarm.”
“Sometimes I don’t go to bed at all. And sometimes I want my thrills on the patio.”
“Well, switch them back on when the thrills are over.”
Nick felt his neck muscles stiffen. The lift doors opened and Gabriella walked in. She was wearing a figure-hugging summer dress. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. He couldn’t help going quiet for a moment. She clearly wasn’t wearing anything underneath, except a tiny G-string. Her cheeks were glowing. He didn’t think it had got that warm already. Then again, Gabriella seldom worried about the weather.
“Hello, my darlings.” She looked at Nick, leaned over him and kissed his cheek. His suspicion that she was wearing only the most essential underwear was confirmed. “And the frown?”
“You’re late.” He indicated the chair next to Enzio’s. “Sit, so I can talk to both of you.”
Her eyes widened. “Am I in trouble?”
“He’s whining because we switch off the cameras and alarms in our houses.”
She gave Nick a wide grin. “Darling, I don’t mind if you see what I’m doing inside my house, but it’s not for everyone’s eyes.”
“I can’t do my work if you don’t take responsibility for your own safety. And I don’t want you driving around on your own any more.”
“Ken doesn’t want a tail.”
“I work for your father, not for Ken. I’m sure he can look after himself. My responsibility is to keep the two of you safe and out of trouble.”
Gabriella got up, walked around the bar counter and came back with three glasses and