?Okay what, Jaaa-mie??
?Okay, I get it.?
?Get what??
?What you said.?
?Say it, Jaaa-mie.?
?Why do you keep calling me, Jaaa-mie? I get it, okay? First you look near the victim.?
?Did you look there??
Keyter said nothing, just held his steering wheel in the ten-to-two position.
?You are not a wart on a detective?s backside. Two years at Table View Station says nothing. Burglaries and vehicle theft don?t count here, Jaaa-mie. You button your lip and listen and learn. Or you can go to Matt Joubert now and tell him you can?t work with me.?
?Okay,? said Keyter.
?Okay what??
?Okay, I won?t talk.?
?And learn.?
?And learn.?
?Then you can get out again, because we are not finished here.? He took a step back to make room for the door. Keyter got out, shut the door and folded his arms on his chest. He leaned back against his car.
?Are we sure that she didn?t do it?? asked Griessel.
Keyter shrugged. When he saw that was not sufficient, he said ?No,? cautiously.
?Did you hear what I said inside there??
?Yes.?
?Do you think she could have done it??
?No.?
?But she wanted to??
?Yes.?
?Now think, Jaaa-mie. Put yourself in her shoes.?
?Huh??
?Think the way she would think,? said Griessel, and suppressed the impulse to cast his eyes heavenwards.
Keyter unfolded his arms and pressed two fingers to his temples.
Griessel waited.
?Okay,? said Keyter.
Griessel waited.
?Okay, she is too small to stab Laurens.? He looked at Griessel for approval. Griessel nodded.
?And she can?t get her hands on the revolver.?
?That?s right.?
The fingers worked against his temples.
?No, fuck, I don?t know,? said Keyter with an angry gesture and straightened up.
?How would
feel?? said Griessel, patience dragging at his voice like lead. ?Your child is dead. And it?s your lover who did it. How would you feel? You hate, Jamie. You sit here in the house and you hate. She is sitting in the police cells and you know she will get out on bail, sometime or other. And you wish you could beat her to death for what she has done. You imagine it in your head, how you shoot her, or stab her. And then on the radio you hear about this man who has his knife in for people who mess with children. Or you read the papers. What do you do, Jamie? You weep and you hope. You wish. Because you are small and weak and you need a superhero. You think: what if he comes with his big assegai? And you like thinking about it. But the week is too long, Jamie. Later you start thinking: what if he doesn?t come? Bothma said the revolver was hidden. So ten to one she had looked for it. Why, Jamie? In case the assegai man didn?t come. And then, what is the next logical step? You look for the assegai man. And where do you begin to look? Where do you look for someone who has it in for Laurens just as much as you? Because she had a temper. A hard woman. Where do you look??
?Okay,? said Keyter and kicked at a clump of grass with a Nike Crosstrainer. ?Okay, I get it. You look here, on the plot.?
?There?s hope for you, Jamie.?
?The laborers??
?That?s right. Who cleans the stables? Who cuts the feed? Who did Laurens shout and swear at when they came to work late? Who will do a little favor for five hundred rand??
?I get it.?
