Dark Intent (21 page)

‘It’s an unjust world,’ said Steiner.
‘But I believe you will get what you so badly want and more.’

Before Smith could say anymore Steiner said goodbye and replaced the receiver.

Late the following afternoon, he packed a small canvas bag with a change of clothing and personal items. He had decided to drive to Pretoria in his recent acquisition, a five-year-old Mercedes Benz, and at seven he was on the main freeway heading inland.

After three hours at the wheel, Steiner stopped at a motel for the night.
At nine the next morning he left the motel and reached Pretoria without stopping. He made his way to the Plaza Hotel. It was close to twelve and he went in and asked at the desk for Kirsty Krige. The receptionist buzzed her and in minutes she appeared in the lobby where he was waiting. She was casually dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt.

‘It’s great to see you,’ she said as she walked up to him.
‘I’m so glad you came. You’re actually on time.’

He liked her mocking sense of humour.
‘It’s good to see you had a safe return. I got here sooner than I thought.’

‘Perhaps that is because you drive too fast,’ she said.
‘Would you like something to drink in the bar before we have some lunch?’

‘Sounds great,’ said Steiner.

They seated themselves on stools at the bar that was surprisingly quiet for the time of day, and ordered drinks, a dry martini for her and tap water for him. She took a sip from her drink and looked at him with surprise.

‘Don’t you drink?’ she asked.

‘I used to drink,’ said Steiner. ‘I gave it up when I started to like it too much.’

‘That’s the first time I have heard someone speak with such conviction,’ she said.
‘I am impressed. I know a lot of woman who would love to hear that from their husbands.’ She was quiet for a moment and then changed the subject.

‘What have you been thinking about since I last saw you?’ she said.

‘You mean about this business?’ said Steiner.

‘You know what I mean,’ she said.
‘You are too intelligent to come all the way up here and not give the business, as you call it, any more thought.’

‘I guessed that would get you going,’ he said, smiling.
‘Of course I’ve been thinking about it. It is clear to me that before I start I need to know the names and contact details of those involved and gain some understanding of what they hope to achieve, what they have achieved and who they are working for. I can’t just run around in the dark.’

‘What do you mean by I?’ she said.
‘We are in this together or don’t you know.’

‘I can’t work effectively and look after a woman at the same time,’ he said, deliberately drawing her out. He had realized during the conversation in Durban that she was the type who would want to be
actively involved.

‘I am up to here in this mess,’ she said defiantly, holding her finger against her throat. ‘If you don’t want me with you I’ll work alone.’

He thought for a while. She was intelligent, strong and could be a real asset. He did not think she would give in at the first sign of danger which he was sure would come in whatever form. He could not think of anyone else he would rather have with him on the job that he knew lay ahead. He shifted to the edge of his stool and turned to her.

‘We will work together,’ he said.
‘I just wanted to see if you have spirit as well as good looks.’

She laughed.
‘I honestly don’t know why I’m doing this with you.’

‘I do,’ he said.
‘Let’s get some lunch and then we’ll get started. I don’t want to drag this thing out anymore than I can help. I’m sure that applies to you.’

After a lunch of filet steak, new potatoes and salad she and Steiner went up to her room.
They seated themselves, Kirsty on the bed and Steiner on a chair near the window. Steiner began.

‘As we firm up on what we know it is a good idea to make some bullet points,’ he said.

‘I’ll do that,’ she said going to the desk and getting a pen and paper. ‘Not that you can’t write.’

He carried on.
‘The points are no more than a way of getting the information we have on these people into our minds. It is merely preparation for the job ahead. It should only take us a couple of hours. After the list is complete we will study it until we know the contents off by heart. We can then throw the list away because we have to move on and keep pace with the men we are interested in. It sounds to me as if things are really beginning to get going. At this stage we have to try and put ourselves in the position of our antagonists, know how they think, and be aware that there are things they are doing which we know nothing about. We’ll just have to pick those up as we go. Does that make sense?’

‘Don’t tell me you were a shrink in your previous life,’ she said.
‘If you were you must have been pretty good at it.’

‘Thanks,’ he said.
‘I hope that was a compliment.’ He continued.

‘It is important to remember you are not writing a novel. You are only making points. We will begin with John Kallis, the group operative.
He wants to get hold of both files. He knows as much as we do about your husband’s handiwork in Durban and later with John Dalton in KwaZulu-Natal. He believes the white file is held either by your husband or by his lawyer. Therefore he knows where to get it. We think he is in some way linked to Rupert Bosch, the man suspected of stealing the black file. It is possible Bosch stole the file for Kallis, who knew about his dealings with the blacks and threatened him. We think Kallis now has the black file. He wants both files for personal gain. This applies to nearly all the key players.’

Steiner sat back in his chair.
‘How was that?’ he said.

‘It will serve its purpose,’ she said, pleased. ‘Who’s next?’

I suggest we go onto Krige, your husband. As with Kallis, I will tell you what I think is fact and what is conjecture. Feel free to add or change anything.’

They completed the first draft of the list in a little over two hours and it covered John Kallis, Jan Krige, David Staples, Rupert Bosch, Johan Teichmann and the dead guerillas, John Nofomela and Paul Ngwenya.
After they had reworked parts of it they had the final copy. They then spent another forty-five minutes reading and re-reading the contents. When Steiner felt they had gone as far as they could he looked at Kirsty. He really admired the way she worked.

‘You did a great job,’ he said.
‘I feel I can get inside the head of any one of these men and know what he is going to do next.’

‘I know you can perform miracles but that’s stretching things a bit,’ she said, laughing.
‘It has certainly been a valuable exercise.’

Steiner got to his feet.
‘Let’s have a break,’ he said. ‘Would you like a cup of coffee downstairs?’

‘Yes,’ she said.
Working with Steiner was an experience she was enjoying even though they had only just started. He was so aware and prepared to listen.

In the lounge they placed their order for a pot of coffee and a plate of sandwiches.
After it arrived Steiner said to Kirsty.

‘When do you think you will leave the hotel?
I assume you do not intend to return to the farm.’

‘I’ll leave when this work is over and rent a flat somewhere, probably away from the city,’ she said.
‘When I returned from Durban I filed for divorce. That should go ahead pretty quickly without my having to appear in court. I’ll have to discuss with my husband what happens to the farm but in any event I do not intend to live there again. Where are you going to stay while you’re up here?’

‘I’ll book a room here,’ he said.
‘Ideally I would like the space and privacy of my own place but I won’t be here long enough. This thing will soon be over if we know what we’re doing.’

She looked at him, pensively.
‘How would you like to share a flat with me?’ she said, smiling. ‘We can get one now and I will stay on after you’ve gone. You won’t get many other offers like that.’

He thought for a moment then said:
‘I’ll take you up on that. We can try some agents now and see what’s available. How does that sound?’

She got up. ‘You know the answer to that.’ she said.
‘We’ll make the calls from my room.’

They went up to her room and started going through the list of estate agents in the yellow pages.
There were five well known agents near the hotel and they decided to give them a try. They went to each agent and were shown two-bedroom flats and houses available. Nearly all the two-bedroom places were flats in the city area and as far as they were concerned they left a lot to be desired. They were about to give up for the day and when they were shown details of a small period house five miles out of Pretoria and on the road to White River and the Kruger Reserve.

‘That’s the one,’ said Kirsty. She spoke to the agent who said the house was vacant and on a one-year let.
He agreed to show them before it got dark. Twenty minutes later they arrived at the house in the agent’s car and he wasted no time in showing them around. It was in good condition and fully furnished.

‘What do you think of it,’ said Kirsty when they were alone and the agent had gone round the back.
‘I like it.’

‘It has been well maintained, has a good view of the mountains and is far enough from the main road for you not to be bothered by noise,’ said Steiner.
‘It is also very quiet and has privacy. But I’m no expert, having spent a lot of my life in flats, some good and some bad. It really is your call since I won’t spend much time in it before completion of the work up here and I head for Durban.’

‘You sound very confident,’ she said.
‘I will be lonely when you go but I can always move on. I’ll get the agent to fill out the papers in my name. He told me that if I like it we can move in first thing tomorrow morning. He will also have the telephone connected. Let’s find him and return to the hotel.’

When Kirsty and Steiner reached the hotel it was early evening and they decided to have a drink in the bar before going into the restaurant for dinner.

After they had been served she said to Steiner: ‘Have you decided what we are going to do tomorrow? I get the feeling you think it is time to get to know those men out there. Am I right?’

‘Yes,’ said Steiner.
‘Unfortunately we have to face them if we are going to come out on top in this case and get hold of those files. Sometimes I wish I had never heard of them.’

‘Is that all you want?’ she said.

‘Yes,’ said Steiner. ‘Retrieving the originals is the only way of totally deflating these men. They will quite literally be destroyed, with nothing to offer anyone. If I had to create my own file, those people would be in it and at the top of the list.’

She laughed.
‘I’m glad you’re on my side. I wouldn’t like to have to face you.’

‘Don’t have too much confidence in me,’ said Steiner.
‘I still experience fear. I did when I had to go against Richter and Koch in the Cartwright case.’ He looked into his glass. ‘There is a saying that I used to try and instil in my unconscious mind. It was: The intellect toys with the concept; only the intuition understands.’ He smiled.

‘I don’t care if you feel fear,’ she said, her eyes alight. ‘All I know is that I’ve seen you in action. You move as if you’re in a void and no one else exists, total isolation.
That is alright with me.’

‘We should be concentrating on the job.’ said Steiner, smiling.

‘I’m waiting,’ she said, mischievously.

‘There are four men out there who either have one of the files, File A or File B, or have nothing,’ said Steiner. ‘I think it reasonable to assume that no one has managed to get hold of both files. If they hav
e, we will soon know about it.’

Steiner ordered another drink for Kirsty and poured water for himself.
‘The four men are Krige, Kallis, Bosch and Staples. Now, we can’t deal with them all simultaneously. We have to take them one at a time, remembering their association if any with the others, and which file or files they need to complete their haul. Tell me who you would tackle first and why?’

She thought for a while, running her finger round the rim of her glass.
‘I would first work on Rupert Bosch,’ she said. ‘He probably stole the black file and Kallis might have got it from him. He knows of Krige and Staples and we think he wants both files. But the black file comes first. I would contact him and give my name, and by using bait ask him for a meeting, preferably at his house when he thinks it’s safe. We both go together but I am the one he will expect to meet. You will stay in the shadows. I will tell him that Kallis phoned me and said he had stolen the black file. We think he will admit taking it and say Kallis took it from him. If he doesn’t it might be necessary for you to appear and take over. I will ask him if he wants the white file. I will tell him that Krige has it. I will also say I know how to get it.’ She sipped her drink and then carried on. ‘Bosch’s importance to us concerns the black file. If he asks me why I’m doing this I will say revenge and the file should go to the proper authorities. Basically we are playing him along and selecting our moves accordingly. There are no hard and fast rules in this game. What do you think?’