?For foot work, Benny. I can?t spare men from the unit. You know everyone is snowed under with work. And Keyter is new. He has to learn. You will have to mentor him.?
?Mentor him??
?Make an investigator of him.?
?It?s times like this,? said Griessel, ?that I know why I?m an alcoholic.?
24.
Griessel, Keyter and the dogs sat in Elise Bothma?s sitting room. Keyter, in a loose white shirt, tight jeans and new bright blue Nike Crosstrainers, asked the questions as if he were the senior investigator. ?What sort of dog is this, ma?am? Looks like a Pomeranian cross, but don?t they bark a lot at night? I hear they bark so much, the genuine Pomeranians . . . looks like there is a bit of Dachshund in this one. You say you heard the dogs and then Miss Laurens went out to look??
She was a fragile woman. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her voice gentle and she hadn?t been expecting the question at the tail end of the dog speech. ?Yes,? she said. She sat hunched up and did not raise her head. Her fingers were entangled in a tissue. The room smelt strongly of dogs and rooibos tea.
?Do you know what time that was?? asked Keyter.
She said something, but they couldn?t hear it.
?You need to speak louder. We can?t hear a word you say.?
?It must have been just before two,? said Elise Bothma, and sank back, as if the effort was too great.
?But you are not sure??
She just shook her head.
?Do we know what time she phoned the station?? Keyter asked Griessel.
He felt like getting up right there and taking the little shit outside to ask him who the fuck did he think he was, but this was not the time.
?Two thirty-five,? said Griessel.
?Okay,? said Keyter. ?Let us say the dogs began barking just before two and she got up then to look. Did she take something with her? A weapon? Snooker stick or something??
Bothma shuddered and Griessel decided this was the last one he would stand before taking Keyter outside. ?A revolver.?
?A revolver??
?Yes.?
?What revolver??
?I don?t know. It was hers.?
?And where is the revolver now??
?I don?t know.?
?Did anyone find a revolver with the body??
Griessel just shook his head.
?So the revolver is missing now??
Bothma nodded slightly.
?And then, when did you get up to go and look??
?I don?t know what time it was.?
?But why did you go out? What made you??
?She was too long. She was gone too long.?
?And you found her lying there??
?Yes.?
?Just as she was when we came??
?Yes.?
?And nothing else??
?No.?
?And then you phoned the station??
?No.?
?Oh??
?The emergency number. One zero triple one.?
?Oh. Then you waited in the house until they came??
?Yes.?
?Okay,? said Keyter. ?Okay. That?s the story.? He stood up. ?Thank you very much and sorry for the loss and all
