Blindside. Wilna Adriaanse

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СКАЧАТЬ to make a lot of money in little time. With Barkov suddenly operating on his turf, it’s getting harder and harder to repay his debt. The old man is old-school, and might have had some boundaries, but it’s a new world and I think the younger Allegretti is trying to show the old man and the rest of the world that he can do it better.”

      “Why do you think the old man doesn’t know what his boy is getting up to?”

      “The younger Allegretti is probably paying a few people to keep his father out the picture.”

      “I hear what you’re saying, but my money is on Williams or Mang. It’s their style. Allegretti has too much finesse for an ambush like that.”

      Ellie laughed. “Finesse, indeed. I didn’t know you knew the word.”

      “Don’t underestimate me.”

      “In different circumstances I would also have said it looks like Mang or Williams’s style. Even Jonathan’s, but our handsome Italian friend is in trouble, and a man will do strange things with his back to the wall.”

      “We’ll have to start at the bottom, with some of the foot soldiers. Maybe someone will get nervous enough to talk.”

      She perched on the corner of her desk. “It feels like we just can’t get a break. The bloody files are getting thicker, but there’s always a loophole somewhere.”

      Before they could continue, Ellie’s cellphone rang. She listened for a moment.

      “I’m not coming out in this tearing wind to listen to fairy tales. And if you’ve been drinking, I’ll have you locked up with the 28s.”

      She ended the call.

      “Who are you threatening?” Clive asked.

      “Happy. He says he’s got information.”

      “They can be worse than bloody flies.”

      “How about coming along? Fresh air would do you good.”

      He got to his feet. Ellie picked up her handbag and followed him outside.

      “This wind is enough to make you want to kill someone …” The moment the words were out, he looked at her. “Sorry.”

      She looked through the car window at a cluster of plastic bags blown against a fence, like white and yellow flags. “Forget it. It’s not like you can remove the word from the dictionary.”

      “I know I’m not in a position to talk, but try not to be so angry. It won’t help. He of all people understood the risks of the job.”

      “I know, but being angry gives me something to do.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “The alternative is to live with this gaping hole inside me, and I can’t do that right now.”

      “If you want to be angry at something or someone, I have a few suggestions. From affirmative action appointments who are promoted far beyond their capabilities, to our fucked-up legal system. Or our own department, that’s got no idea what’s going on in its own backyard. And everything in between. It’s a long list.”

      “Will you tell me if you hear anything?”

      “About?”

      “My dad.”

      He gave her a brief glance. “Depends.”

      She sat in silence, gazing at the other vehicles on the road. The traffic on the N1 was heavy and the going was slow.

      Clive changed the subject. “I remember when I was a child there were two peak hours every day. Now it’s peak-hour traffic all day long. It’s ridiculous. Don’t people work any more?”

      “There’s probably a laptop and a smartphone in every car. We are the most well-connected people in the history of the world.”

      “If you ask me, we’re too well connected. Ansie and I went to Struisbaai last weekend. The first time in almost a year. I wanted to do a bit of fishing and enjoy the silence. True as Bob, she was on her cellphone all weekend. If it wasn’t her mom, it was her sister or a friend. And when she finished with them, she called the kids to find out if they were okay. They were only too glad to be on their own for a day or two, but no, she had to be on their case.”

      “It must be hard to raise children today.”

      “The older I get, the worse I sleep, especially when I think about my daughter. Still, you have to get out of the kids’ hair now and again. And it’s not like we left them on their own. They stayed with friends. It’s good for kids to get a look at other families sometimes. They think their own home is the worst and their parents are the cruellest. After a weekend of being on their best behaviour, making their own beds and helping with the dishes, they’re grateful for a while.”

      Ellie smiled. “Did you manage to enjoy the weekend in the end?”

      “I pried her away from the phone for long enough on Saturday night for a bit of a cuddle.”

      She laughed and looked at him. His blond hair was thinning. There was a bulge over his belt that hadn’t been there before and when they’d had to go for their mandatory fitness exercises he’d griped for a few days in advance. Clive was one of the few people she would trust with her life.

      Under the flyovers in the city centre they turned left into Christiaan Barnard and continued to Sir Lowry Road.

      Ellie pointed to the right. “He’s waiting at the Eastern Food Bazaar.”

      He turned. “Really! Gone are the days when they were happy with half a loaf and a packet of red viennas.”

      They found Happy at a table in the Turkish section. He smiled when he saw them.

      “Aweh! Nice of you to come.” He held up a fist and Ellie pressed her own against it. Clive ignored the greeting.

      “What’s with him? Looks like he’s got heartburn.” Happy looked towards Clive. “Cherry giving you grief?”

      “Enough with the wisecracks. What have you got for us?” Clive sat down facing Happy and Ellie.

      “Eish, what’s going on? Must I sit here and talk on an empty stomach?”

      “What do you want?” Ellie got up. “Keep talking. I’ll order.”

      “To start with, a schwarma …”

      “This isn’t a dinner date. No starters. What are you drinking?” Clive said.

      “Hey, bra, you’re difficult today. Make it a Coke.”

      She looked at Clive but he shook his head.

      When she returned to the table a few minutes later with Happy’s food, he and Clive were in the middle of an argument.

      “You don’t understand how dangerous this job is. If they find out I’m talking to the Boers, I’d be СКАЧАТЬ