felt dead, as if no one lived there. He put the food on the counter and went up the stairs. His legs were stiff from the earlier exercise. He brushed his teeth long and thoroughly. Washed his face. He found clean clothes, dressed in a hurry and jogged down the stairs. He was out of the door when he remembered the food parcel. He went back. Charmaine had left a note again. It read:
Timon of Athens
He hadn?t the faintest idea who that Greek was.
Bushy Bezuidenhout looked pointedly at his watch as Griessel entered the house opposite Sangrenegra?s.
?Sorry, Bushy. It?s been a rough morning.?
?Very rough, I see. What happened to your head??
?It?s a long story,? he said and he could read the drunkenness question in his colleague?s bloodshot eyes.
?How?s it going here??
?The other night-shift people have already gone. I?ve been waiting for you.?
He felt extremely guilty and for a moment considered telling him where he had been. But he had already given one version of his night over the phone to Matt Joubert. He didn?t want to go through it again. ?Thanks, Bushy.?
?Nothing happened here. No suspicious vehicles, no pedestrians except an old girl taking her dogs for a walk this morning. Carlos?s last lights went off at a quarter-past twelve.?
?Any sign of him this morning??
?Nothing. But he has to report to the police station before twelve, so he will probably start moving around soon.? Then, as an afterthought. ?We should have bugged his phone.?
Griessel thought it over. The chances that the assegai man would phone him were slim. ?Maybe.?
?I?ll be off then.?
?I?ll stay until eight tonight, Bushy.?
?No, it?s okay. I won?t be able to sleep that long anyway.?
Vaughn Cupido was on the third floor with a large pair of binoculars.
?
Benny, what happened to your head??
?It?s a long story.?
?I?m not going anywhere.?
Griessel put his dish of food on a chest of drawers and went to stand next to Cupido. He held out his hand for the binoculars. Cupido handed them over and Griessel aimed them at Sangrenegra?s house.
?There?s not much to see,? said Cupido.
That was true. Most of the windows had reflective glass. ?He has to go to the police station.?
?Fielies will follow him in a car.? Cupido tapped the radio on his hip. ?He?ll keep us informed.?
Griessel handed the binoculars back. ?I don?t think he?ll come in daytime.?
?The assegai man??
Griessel nodded.
Cupido sat in an armchair that had a view outside. ?You never know. I try putting myself in his shoes, but I can?t. What?s in the package??
Griessel leaned back against the wall. He would have preferred to lie down on the double bed behind them. ?Lunch.?
?Are you back with the missus, Benny??
?No.?
?Made it yourself??
?Do I question you about your fucking eating arrangements, Vaughn??
?Okay, okay, I?m just making conversation. Stakeout was never my idea of high excitement. So, tell me about the knob. Or is that also off limits??
?I bumped my head on a washbasin.?
?Sure.?
