Then I saw the movement, far down the road.
‘We’re at the road.’
‘Walk towards the house.’
They approached, still too far away to recognise in the dark.
‘Eric, put your hands on your head.’
Both figures did that.
‘No, not both of you. Just Eric’
One of them dropped his hands. I let them come within a hundred metres of me, then aimed at the upper thigh of the one who was not Eric. I shot and he dropped.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’
‘Lie down next to him.’
‘Shit, Eric, my leg!’
I ran through the trees beside the road, closer to them.
The other man moaned about his leg. Fifty metres, then I dropped flat at the edge of the trees and took aim.
‘Eric, I’m going to bleed to death.’
‘Shut up, Kappies.’
I could see them clearly. Eric lay beside Kappies.
‘You’d better help him,’ I said.
Eric sat up. He just looked at his partner.
‘Help me, Eric’
Eric grabbed at his waist. For a second I thought he was going for a gun, but then I saw him taking off his belt.
‘It’s not working.’ Kappies voice was panic stricken.
‘Lie fucking still, I’m doing what I can.’ Eric took his shirt off and ripped it. ‘I’m not a fucking doctor.’
Feverishly, he wound the cloth strips around the wound.
‘That’s all I can do.’
Kappies just groaned.
‘Time for answers,’ I said.
‘What do you want?’
‘I’ve got just two questions. Answer quickly. If you take too long, I’ll shoot him again. In the other leg this time. If you lie to me, I’ll shoot you.’
‘Please,’ begged Kappies.
‘Ask what you want to ask.’
‘I will count to three. If you don’t answer, I’ll shoot him. It’s in your hands.’
‘Ask.’
‘Right. Question one: who do you work for?’
He didn’t answer straight away. ‘One.’
‘Two.’
It was Kappies who shouted, ‘Es Cee Ay.’
‘What?’
‘Southern Cross Avionics,’ shouted Kappies.
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Now, question two: who gave the order to kill Emma le Roux?’
‘What do you mean?’
Eric was trying to gain time. I fired, deliberately aiming just next to Kappies’ foot. He screamed in terror.
‘Please, please, it was Eric!’
‘It was, Eric, you fucking know it.’
‘Listen,’ said Eric in a rush and looking in my direction. ‘The order came from the top.’
‘Who gave it?’
‘Tell him, Eric’
‘One,’ I counted.
Silence.
‘Two.’
‘Shit, Eric, tell him.’
‘Wernich.’
‘Who is Wernich?’
‘Quintus Wernich. He’s the chairman.’
‘Of what?’
‘Of the board.’
‘Where is he?’
‘You said two questions.’
‘I lied.’
Kappies moaned again.
‘Where is he?’
‘He lives in Stellenbosch,’ Kappies yelled. ‘We don’t have his address.’
‘Who were the three that attacked Emma in Cape Town?’
‘Kappies, keep quiet.’
‘It was Eric and Vannie and Frans.’
‘Fuck it, Kappies, I should have let you bleed to death, you coward.’
‘And who attacked us, at the road?’
‘They did. Those three.’
‘Was it you lot who threw Frank Wolhuter in the lion camp?’
‘Yes.’
‘You were there too, Kappies.’
‘I sat in the Jeep, I swear.’
‘What did you get from Wolhuter? What did he want to show Emma?’
‘A picture.’
‘What picture?’
‘An old photo. Of Cobie and Emma, when he was still in the army.’
‘Did you torture Edwin Dibakwane?’
‘Who’s that?’
‘The gate guard from Mohlolobe.’
‘We were all there. Kappies too.’
‘But Eric put the snake in your house.’
Bosom buddies, obviously.
‘What were you doing with the Jeep in the hospital car park the other day?’
‘We wanted to put a GPS sensor on your car, but you came out.’
‘How did you know which one was my car?’
‘We hacked into Budget’s computer system.’
‘There was a GPS thing on Emma’s car.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why did you wait so long before you attacked us?’
‘We didn’t think she would find anything,’ said Eric.
‘Then she got the letter.’
‘Yes.’
