Recipes for Love and Murder (10 page)

‘There's one piece left,' I said. ‘But I've got plans for it. I brought you some muesli buttermilk beskuit.'

I told them about my meetings with Kannemeyer and Anna.

‘Does sound like someone wiped off their prints before Anna picked up the poker,' said Jessie, taking her coffee and a rusk.

‘And it simply doesn't make sense for Dirk to wipe his own poker, you'd expect to find his prints on it,' said Hattie, accepting her tea and ignoring the beskuit.

‘Ja, but he is a bloody idiot,' said Jessie, ‘so he might do such a thing.'

‘I think we must talk to him,' I said.

‘But would he talk to us?' said Hattie. ‘I gather he's not a friendly chap.'

‘I have a piece of that chocolate cake,' I said, ‘and a lamb sandwich. With mustard and gherkins. That could make him talk.'

‘I don't think we should be giving that bastard cake and lamb,' Jessie said. ‘He deserves a sharp kick in the balls.'

‘The man has a gun, you know,' said Hattie. ‘But I agree he's more likely to talk to a tannie with food than a pair of
Gazette
investigators.'

‘Okay,' said Jessie. ‘You can try going in with the food and I'll wait outside. If you shout, I'll come running with that kick. And a pepper spray.'

I could've used Jessie in my days with my husband. I gave her another beskuit.

‘Dirk's staying at the Dwarsrivier Bed & Breakfast,' said Jessie. ‘I saw his car outside and I spoke to Tannie Sarie, who cleans at the B&B. He's booked in for a couple of days.'

‘Why'd he move out?' I asked.

‘It's a crime scene. The forensic team from Oudtshoorn was here – the LCRC. They've put that yellow tape all over the place.'

‘Goodness, Jess. How do you know all this?' asked Hattie. ‘Are you seeing Reghardt then? Does he tell you these things?'

‘Not exactly,' said Jessie, twirling her ponytail around her finger. ‘We have seen a bit of each other, though, and I did overhear him talking on the phone, and then I just happened to drive by the Van Schalkwyk farm. Came straight back when I saw the LCRC vehicles.'

Hattie shook her head.

‘I think we should visit the crime scene ourselves,' Jessie said. ‘Soon. Before Dirk goes home. The LCRC will be finished there today and the police guard will be removed.'

‘Oh, golly, Jess, I don't want you getting into trouble,' said Hattie.

‘Anna's the one in trouble, for a murder she didn't do. We've got to try and help her.'

‘We can't go breaking the law,' said Hattie.

‘Maybe
you
can't,' said Jessie. ‘You're the boss. But I'm an investigative journalist; I'm expected to break the law.'

‘Maybe we can stretch the crime scene tape a little,' I said, ‘without breaking it.'

Harriet sighed, and said, ‘Girls, girls, please don't do anything stupid.'

Jessie winked at me. We both looked at Hattie with wide, innocent eyes. Jessie had her last sip of coffee. Her hand touched the pepper spray on her belt.

‘Let's go,' she said. ‘I bet Dirk's hungry.'

CHAPTER TWENTY

The Dwarsrivier Bed & Breakfast was only two blocks away, but the summer sun can fry you on the pavement, so we went in my bakkie. There were a lot of cars outside the B&B; I had to park a little way down the road. We walked slowly towards the building in the skinny shade of some thorn trees. It was one of those low square houses they built in the seventies, painted a pale brown without much character. Nothing like the original Victorian Ladismith houses. But it had a nice lawn in front of it with edges of pink flowers and a bench in the shade of Karoo willow tree.

‘That's Dirk's Toyota,' said Jessie, pointing out a big white 4×4.

There was also a Hilux van outside the guest house, and a family was unloading backpacks from it.

‘They don't look like hikers,' I said.

They were well dressed, not the type to get their boots muddy. On the side of their van was a picture and some writing.

‘Seventh-day Adventists,' said Jessie. ‘I did an article . . . ' She was looking up the road. ‘Isn't that Anna?'

Yes, it was her, jumping out of her farm bakkie. Now she was striding towards the B&B. She was further away than us, but moving fast, her head down and her eyebrows coming together in a frown.

‘She must have got out on bail,' I said.

‘She's also coming to see Dirk,' said Jessie.

‘I bet she's not bringing cake,' I said.

‘Anna,' I called and waved. She didn't look up. We moved faster. ‘Anna!'

She saw us, but didn't look happy about it. Jessie ran ahead and stood at the gate entrance, blocking her way. But Anna didn't slow down; she was going to crash right into Jessie.

‘Anna. Wait!'

I wasn't running, because I don't believe in running, but I was walking very fast and my breathing interfered with my shouting. Anna stopped and glared at me. She was wearing those farm boots and jeans and a man's white shirt.

I wiped sweat off my forehead and waited for my voice to catch up with me before I said, ‘What are you doing?'

‘Tannie Maria,' she said. ‘Stay out of the way.'

She pushed Jessie aside as if Jessie was light as a meringue and barrelled up the concrete path towards the front door. A man with a big beard jumped out of her way and into a flower bed. Before she stepped inside she rested her hand on a bulge at the back of her shirt. It was a gun, tucked into her jeans.

Jessie pulled out her pepper spray.

‘That's no match for a gun,' I said.

‘I know,' she said, ‘but Dirk's got a gun too, and she might need help.'

‘Jessie, no,' I said but she scooted up the path and into the building.

I plodded after her, armed with only my Tupperware. I crossed a dark carpet with a mottled pattern to get to the reception area where there were some beige couches and a young redhead behind a desk. There was no sign of Anna or Jessie.

‘Call the police. Now,' I said. ‘And an ambulance.'

The girl just looked at me with her mouth hanging open. I grabbed the phone off her desk and dialled.

‘Ma . . . ' called the girl.

She wrapped her finger around a strand of her hair, and twisted it round and round. The policeman who answered the phone tried to ask me twenty questions but I got him to put me onto Detective Lieutenant Kannemeyer.

‘Anna's just arrived at the Dwarsrivier B&B where Dirk is staying,' I told the detective. ‘She's got a gun.'

‘I'm on my way,' he said.

‘We may need an ambulance too,' I said, just before he hung up.

‘What room is Dirk van Schalkwyk in?' I asked the girl.

‘
Maaaaaa
. . . ' she called, her eyes wide open.

I heard noises and saw an open door leading to a courtyard. A woman in a floral dress with a scarf covering her curlers came waddling out of a little office.

‘Jaaa . . . ' she said to her daughter.

But I was already on my way outside. A row of guest rooms opened onto an area with a pool, a table and chairs with a big umbrella, and some deck chairs. Kids and teenagers were swimming, and lying around the pool. Jessie was trying to get them to move into the reception area but they were ignoring her.

‘Emergency evacuation,' said Jessie. ‘Move it!'

A girl on a deck chair rolled from her back onto her side.

‘I was here first,' she said.

A little boy ran and jumped into the pool, splashing us all. It was a rude thing to do but I welcomed the cold drops on my face and arms.

Anna was moving along, checking on each of the rooms. Her gun was held behind her back. These were badly behaved youngsters, I thought, but they didn't deserve to get caught in a gun fight. I slipped off my shoes, stood on the first step of the pool and opened up my Tupperware. I unwrapped the cake, and held it out in front of me. I had their attention.

‘Cake,' I said. ‘If you hurry inside now, you will each get a piece. Stay inside till I call you.'

The kids were up and in that room like spring hares. I could hear the redhead and her ma shouting at them as they dripped water across the carpets. I felt bad lying to them about food. But I had a plan, so I wouldn't really be lying.

‘Clear out,' said Jessie, waving her pepper spray at a couple peering out from one of the rooms. They looked at Jessie and Anna then scuttled away.

There were just two more unopened doors.

‘Don't do it, Anna,' I called. ‘Come sit and talk and with me. I've got a lamb sandwich and cake.' I clutched my Tupperware to my heart. ‘Please.'

But she was as focused as a lioness stalking her own dinner. Jessie was following her, getting closer.

‘Fok off,' she said.

She turned the handle on the second-last door, and opened it a crack. I closed my Tupperware and took a few steps back. Things were looking bad. Jessie gripped Anna's shoulder and Anna struck out at Jessie, sending her flying backwards. Jessie lost her balance and toppled into the pool, splashing us with some more cool water.

Anna pushed the door open with her foot, holding her gun out in front of her. The room was empty.

Then I heard a toilet flushing, and the sound got louder as the bathroom door opened. It was not Dirk who stepped out, but a woman in a long dress.

‘Voetsek,' said Anna, chasing her from the room.

The woman shrieked and ran into the main house.

There was still the sound of gurgling and splashing . . .

Oh my God, Jessie! She can't swim,
I remembered.

I jumped into the pool and managed to get a grip on her chin and hold it out of the water. She sucked in air. I held her head up and dragged her to the shallow end, where she sat on the step, coughing.

Anna was rattling the door of the last guest room. It was locked. The curtains on the windows were closed. She stepped back a couple of paces from the door, the gun at her side. I thought I saw the curtains twitch slightly, but I had water in my eyes and couldn't be sure.

Anna ran and kicked her big boot smack into the door. I heard a crunch as the lock splintered; it fell open and she flew in.

Then the shooting began. It was loud. So loud.

Then it was quiet. Very quiet.

The silence was broken by sirens. Getting closer. They were here at last. But it was all over now. Dirk came staggering out of the room, his face and sideburns all bloody, his arms bleeding. There was blood on his hands, dripping off his fingertips. I watched him stumbling towards the pool. He couldn't see.

I should've called out, to stop him. But I didn't.

He fell in. I could've jumped in to try and rescue him. But I didn't.

Jessie and I rushed to the room. Anna was sprawled across the floor. Her jeans darker than they should be and her white shirt blotched a bright tomato red.

‘No,' I said. ‘Anna . . . '

I tried to go to her, but big hands were pulling me back, out of the way. Men in uniforms were everywhere. Then I was sitting. On a chair, outside, I think.
Anna.
I wondered if she was where she wanted to be now. Together with her Love. United with Martine.

People, people were swarming all over.

But I felt so alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

‘Are they all gone, Tannie? My ma said it was firecrackers but Pa said it was shooting.'

I am not sure how long I had been sitting there in my own world, before this little voice pulled me back. My blue dress had dried, sticking to my skin.

‘And then I saw the people with the blood,' he said, ‘so Pa must have been right. Firecrackers can't do that to you, can they, Tannie? Ma says they are dangerous. There were policemen here, Tannie, there are still some.'

He was looking up at me with big eyes, his hands held together in front of him. A skinny boy in swimming shorts and hungry ribs. There was a policeman putting yellow tape around the room. ‘POLICE' was written in blue capitals across the tape. Another policeman was taking photographs.

‘Are they dead, Tannie? Are they?'

‘I don't know,' I said.

‘Me and my sister went inside, like you said. We were hiding behind the couch.'

I realised I was clutching the Tupperware to my chest. I relaxed my grip and put it on my lap. His gaze followed the food.

‘I was scared, Tannie. We were all scared. But it's over now, isn't it?'

‘Yes,' I said, ‘it's over now.'

The adults and some of the children were going back into their rooms, but a few of the children stayed in the safety of the main house, peering out from the doorway. They were frightened and needed something for the shock.

‘Cake,' I said, standing up, pulling at my dress to get it straight.

The little boy raced ahead of me into the house, saying: ‘It's the tannie with the cake. It's all over now, she says. She's going to give us cake.'

I sat on a beige couch and the kids shuffled closer to me, to my Tupperware. The couches were pretend leather; they felt plastic and sticky. There was a policewoman in the office talking to the ma in her curlers.

‘Children,' I said, ‘I promised you all cake. And you will get it.'

‘We were scared, Tannie,' said a little girl. ‘It was loud. And there was blood. We saw it.'

‘Like tomato sauce,' said an older boy. ‘All over. A big mess.'

He pointed to where the young redhead was busy cleaning the mottled carpet.

‘I was trying to get you safe quickly,' I said, ‘so I didn't explain very well. I have only one piece of cake here.'

The children's faces dropped like the sinking dough of a cake when you open the oven too soon.

A small girl started crying, ‘I'm huuuunnnnngry.'

‘But it is a big piece, and you will each get a taste of it,' I said as I opened the Tupperware. ‘And then I am going to go home and bake you a cake, and bring you back a big piece each.'