your naivety.’ He looked at Jeanette. ‘Please sit down, Miss Louw. We can’t negotiate unless we are all calm and relaxed.’
‘Negotiate?’ she asked.
‘That’s right. But before we begin, let me ask, for interest’s sake, how did you imagine things would proceed from here? Did you truly believe that Eric would voluntarily tell the police everything?’
‘Last night Kappies sang like a canary, Quintus.’
‘Very well, let us say Kappies tells them everything he knows. What then?’
‘Then they come and get you.’
‘There’s nothing that connects me with him, Mr Lemmer. Nothing. He’s not an employee, not on contract, nor has he ever been in this building. His knowledge is quite limited because we are not fools. Naturally, there are other options. Such as passing on certain information about Kappies’ colourful history to the law enforcers. That would shed new light on his testimony. But in my opinion there’s an easier way. We live in Africa, Mr Lemmer, where justice has a price. More so in certain provinces. Where is Hoedspruit again? Limpopo, if I remember correctly … Now what do we know about the general morals of Limpopo?’
‘Are you going to bribe the press as well?’ asked Jeanette.
His kindly face was back. He smiled as though a child had asked a cute but stupid question.
‘And what are you going to tell the press, Miss Louw?’
‘Everything.’
‘I see. Let me get this clear. You are going to tell the press an incredible story based on the word of a highly unstable labourer at an animal rehabilitation institution who is wanted by the police for the mass murder of five innocent black people. In addition, you expect them to accept the supporting testimony of a man who has served four years for road rage murder?’
‘Manslaughter,’ Jeanette corrected him.
‘I am certain the press will take the difference into account, Miss Louw.’
‘The government is going to reopen the Samora Machel affair this year.’ She said it without much enthusiasm. She realised, as I did, that he had a point.
‘Aah,’ he said. ‘So if the police and the media don’t work for you, there’s always the government. And they will believe Misters Lemmer and Le Roux? Even though fifty-one per cent of our company will be in the hands of the black empowerment group Impukane in a few weeks? And a former ANC minister and three former provincial premiers on the board of directors? Miss Louw, from what I gather, you are a capable businesswoman despite your aberrations. I didn’t expect naivety from you.’
‘I’ll get you, Quintus,’ I said.
‘You have an interesting thought pattern, Mr Lemmer.’
‘You think so?’
‘Not illogical. The concept of identifying a scapegoat who must be punished is very instinctive. But that leaves no room for nuances.’
‘What nuances?’
‘The nuance of a generous offer.’
‘Let me hear it,’ I said. Jeanette glared at me, but I ignored her.
‘I understand your need for justice, Mr Lemmer. You feel that Jacobus le Roux and his family were done a great injustice, and that it should be rectified. Am I right?’
I nodded.
‘Very well. I believe we can help. According to the evidence available to me, there’s little doubt that Jacobus is responsible for the sangoma murders. But assume that I can rectify the matter, so that he is no longer a suspect. Would that be reasonable compensation?’
‘It would.’
‘And if I guaranteed that Le Roux could live his life freely, without fear of complications from the past; and if, furthermore, I offered to use the services of Body Armour extensively, in future, at a retainer of, should we say, fifty thousand per month?’
‘A hundred thousand,’ I said.
‘No,’ said Jeanette.
‘Not now, Jeanette.’
‘Seventy-five thousand,’ said Wernich.
‘Over my dead body,’ said Jeanette.
I ignored her. ‘On one condition. You answer all my questions.’
Jeanette stood up. ‘Fuck you, Lemmer. You don’t work for me any more.’ There was more disappointment than dislike in her voice. She went to the door, opened it and walked out.
‘I will answer your questions,’ said Wernich, as though she didn’t exist.
‘Excuse me a minute,’ I said, and went after her.
Louise followed me silently with her eyes as I crossed her office. I didn’t wink at her; I was in too much of a hurry. Outside in the passage I saw my boss heading determinedly to the lifts. ‘Jeanette,’ I called, but she ignored me. I ran after her. She pressed the button on the elevator bank with vigour. The doors opened and she stepped in. I was just in time to prevent the doors closing.
‘Jeanette, listen …’
‘Fuck off, Lemmer, let go of the door before I
There was only one thing to do. I grabbed her Armani suit and dragged her out of the lift towards me until her body bumped hard into mine. She was enraged. I put my arms around her and squeezed her tight with my mouth close to her ear.
I just had time to whisper, ‘They’ve got microphones, Jeanette,’ before she tried to knee me, but I was expecting it, knowing her background. I pressed my legs tightly together. She hit my thigh hard. I held her tighter. She struggled. She was a strong woman and she was angry. A dangerous combination.
‘I won’t accept his damn offer, I’ll get him, just listen to me, please, we can’t afford to let them hear us,’ I whispered desperately in her ear.
I thought she was going to break free, but she relaxed slightly and hissed, ‘For God’s sake, Lemmer.’
‘Microphones and video cameras. The place is wired, Jeanette. We can use that.’
‘How?’
‘You’ll have to help.’
‘Is it necessary to hold me so bloody tight?’
‘Well, I’m starting to enjoy this.’
Jeanette Louw laughed.
I walked back to Wernich’s office. Louise was on guard, her hands folded on her lap. Her eyes followed me with disapproval.
I smiled sweetly at her. It met with the same success as my wink. I would have to change tactics.
In his office, Quintus Wernich was on the phone. I heard him say, ‘I have to go,’ before he put the phone down. ‘You seem to have lost your job, Mr Lemmer.’
‘Do you think I can take her to the labour court, Quintus?’
Wernich smiled without humour. ‘I would have offered you a position, but I think our mutual dislike wouldn’t be the ideal foundation for a close working relationship.’
‘In any case, I don’t have the intellectual capacity for the corporate environment.’
‘Touche,’ he said.
We sat and looked at each other across the glass desk. He sighed deeply and said, ‘So, where were we?’
I tried to guess whether Jeanette would have had enough time to do what she had to do.
‘You owe me answers, Quintus.’
‘For what it’s worth,’ he said.
