The Monster's Daughter (52 page)

“There. That wasn't so bad.” Tessa reached out for Tilly's hand as she walked out of the dentist's office. The girl grimaced, exposing one of her front teeth that had just started coming in.

“
Ja
,” Tilly said dramatically. “It was.”

“But you missed a school day.”

Tilly's expression mimicked a cartoon character thinking, her index finger held to her mouth, her head tilted to one side.

“And …” Tessa dragged it out, loving the eager anticipation in the child's eyes.

“We get waffles and ice cream!” Tilly gave a little leap, her short chestnut hair flopping in the air. Tilly looked nothing like Tessa. Her olive skin was noticeably darker, her features were rounder and far less delicate. Tessa knew that a deceased father would explain only so much as far as the dramatic difference in their appearances was concerned, but people were usually satisfied with something as simple as matching hair color, and Tessa matched Tilly's as close as she could, covering her white roots on a weekly basis with a home-coloring kit.

“Mathilda did well today,” the dentist said, lingering in his consultation room's doorway.

“Tilly.” The girl rolled her eyes.

“Ja.”
Tessa smiled, rolling her eyes too. She was surprised when the dentist let his gaze linger for just a little too long. She was used to it in Unie, where eligible women were few and every young farmer had only one purpose when they came to town on weekends, but she didn't expect it here in the city, from a married man to boot.

“When is your next appointment?”

“We won't get back to Oudtshoorn until February, I think.” Tessa removed her purse, moving to the receptionist's desk.

“It is 152 rand.”

Tessa felt anxious as she handed over the notes. The lease money on Andrew's land was barely enough to get them through the month after the mortgage on the house on Pierneef Street. The pickup had broken down earlier that month, which was all it took to destroy the last of her savings.

“Waffles now.” Tilly shifted her weight back and forth from one leg to the other. “I'm hungry.”

“How about I make waffles when we get home, huh?”

“No! You promised. Wimpy Bar waffles.”

Tessa nodded. “I did.” She kissed Tilly on the nose and took her hand as they walked down the block to the shopping mall. They took a window seat at the Wimpy and Tilly eagerly grabbed a laminated menu, then pretended to consider her options.

“Just Rooibos tea for me,” Tessa told the waitress after Tilly gave her order.

Tilly prattled on about the trauma of having her teeth cleaned. Tessa listened patiently, her eyes drifting outside. A woman, her figure bent with packages, made her way through the parking lot, shooing a limping beggar away from her car. A security guard stepped closer and the beggar hobbled off to the shade of a nearby tree.

“
Ma
, you're not listening to me.” Tilly glared at Tessa.

“I am, darling. But I need you to talk a little less and finish your food. I'd like to get home before dark.”

“I'm full.” Tilly pushed the half-eaten waffle away.

Dry heat rose up from the asphalt as they walked back up the street, Tilly's leftovers wrapped up for Tessa's dinner. She anticipated the hot air that would assault them as soon as she opened the pickup's door.

“Can I have that,
Miesies
?”

Tessa was startled by the voice, a faint memory flickering in the back of her mind. She swung around, grateful that Tilly was inside the car when she saw the beggar standing a few feet away from her.

“I'm hungry,
Miesies
.”

“I don't have money.”

“I just ask leftovers, is all.” He gestured to the plastic bag in Tessa's hand. “Please,
Miesies
. Please.”

“Here.” Tessa held it out to him.

The man reached for it, his hand shaking. “
Dankie
,
Miesies. Dankie
,
dankie
.” He hobbled away.
“Kgotso.”

“Jacob?” The man looked nothing like the boy who had once lived in her house. He was frail beyond his years, his flesh seeming to cling to his bones by mercy alone, his skin weather-beaten. He turned around to face her, brown eyes full of sorrow.

“Hey,
kaffir
.” It was the security guard. “I told you to
fokof
. I will
bliksem
the
kak
out of you.” He lumbered forward, his face red from the heat, a police-issue
tonfa
in his hand.

“
Nee, Baas, nee!
” Jakob crouched down, his body curled into a ball, arms outstretched to stop the anticipated blows, the leftover container falling in the dirt. “Jakob didn't do anything. Honest! Please,
Baas
.”

“No!” Tessa stepped in front of the security guard. “You can't do that. Not anymore.”

The guard looked confused for a moment. He pushed Tessa out of the way, landing a blow on Jacob's arms. Jacob covered his head, a strange high-pitched yelping escaping his lips. The security guard lifted the
tonfa
to strike another blow. Tessa grabbed at the stick, trying to ward him off. He pushed her off easily.

“Help!” Tessa started screaming. A few passers-by watched the commotion from across the street. “Help us!” She yelled at them.

The dentist came running out of the building, the receptionist on his heels.

“He attacked us.” Tessa pointed a finger at the security guard.

“Chris?” The dentist gave the security guard a questioning look.

“This piece of rubbish has been bothering people at the mall. I saw him following these people.”

“He works for me.” Tessa faced the dentist. “He was waiting for us to finish.”

The dentist studied Jakob where he lay on the ground, a look of disgust on his face. “He looks like a
skollie
.”

“No.” Tessa balled her fists. “He is with me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Tessa crouched next to Jacob, touching him gently on his shoulder. “Jacob, it's time to go now.” He only emitted the strange yelping sound in response.

Tessa switched to Sotho. “It's all right, son. I'll take care of you.” She saw recognition in his eyes.

“I tried to come to the place you told me,
Rakgadi
. It was so far away.” Jacob wiped his eyes. “It was too far.”

“Please come, son. Get into the car. It will be all right now.”

“
Sis
. Holding on to a black like that.” The security guard sneered.

The dentist eyed Tessa, unsure of what to make of the scene. She opened the back of the cab. Jacob slowly climbed inside, every movement strangely graceful. Ignoring the stares, she got into the pickup and pulled into the street.

“Why are we taking that
kaffir
with us,
Ma
?”

Tessa smacked Tilly on her leg, harder than she intended, her emotions threatening to take control. “Don't you ever let me hear you use that word, hear?”

Tilly's mouth scrunched up, tears welling in her eyes. “Everybody else does.”

“Not you. That man back there …” Tessa's voice broke. “I knew him long ago. He is a good man, you hear? A person.”

Tilly nodded, tears flowing freely. Tessa felt a pang of remorse as she saw a welt forming on her daughter's leg. She turned her attention to the road, not trusting herself to speak for the two-hour journey back to Unie.

Alet picked Mathebe up at his house. Miriam waved from the
stoep
as she ushered Celiwe and Little Johannes back indoors.

“Miriam is taking the children to her mother in Grahamstown today,” Mathebe volunteered.

“So you're home alone? Are you going to do push-ups all day and leave your socks on the floor?”

Mathebe's back stiffened, and Alet smiled. She put the van in gear, telling Mathebe of her hunch about Trudie being Theresa. “I called Bloemfontein this morning. They're checking with the area schools to see if there is any record of Theresa Morgan. I think we should grill Wexler about Trudie, see what he knows.”

Mathebe nodded. “What about your father?”

Alet shrugged. “He's in PE with his wife and her family until Christmas, probably getting daily updates from Mynhardt on whether I'm being a good girl, so no worries.” Mathebe gave her a look that she decided meant either that he was worried about her or that he thought she was full of it. She pulled up to the curb in front of Zebra House. The smell of breakfast wafted through the air.

“Coffee?” Maria greeted them at the door.

“Thanks, Maria. And we need to talk to
Baas
Jeffrey.”

Maria's eyes darted to the office. “
Baas
Jeffrey …”

“Is he here?”

Maria shook her head. “He left last night.”

“Where?”

“I didn't ask,
Mies
.”

“Fok.”

Mathebe reached for his radio.

“Get in touch with the airports,” Alet said. “He's going to try leave the country.” Alet turned to Maria. “Do you have the keys for the office, Maria?”

“
Nee, Mies
. Only the
baas
and
Mies
Tilly.”

“Has
Mies
Tilly been here?”

“I don't know,
Mies
.” Maria was close to tears. “I just do my work. I don't know what's going on here.”

“What do you mean? What's going on here?”

“
Mies
, last night during dinner
skollies
showed up here. They yell. They knock things over, scare the customers and
Baas
Jeffrey he does nothing.”

“What
skollies
? Have you seen them before, Maria?”

“
Nee, Mies
. They are rubbish, not from here. They had
pangas
, guns.” Maria gestured to her side, her voice getting higher. “I could see, here under their clothes.” She pulled a tissue out of her bra and dabbed at her eyes as she spoke. “The short one he hit Lukas when he tried to stop them, said they'd kill him. The other two broke plates and glasses, threw the chairs.”

“What did they want?”

“I don't know,
Mies
. Lukas and I hid in the kitchen. When we came out again the place was all broken. A big mess. Lukas says they took bottles from the bar. We had to work all night to clean up.”

“Why didn't you call the police?”

“
Baas
Jeffrey said no,
Mies
. Wouldn't do no good. He says Lukas and me have to stay here. Then he just goes and leaves.”

Mathebe walked over to the bar. “Maybe there are fingerprints.”

“
Aikona
. I do a good job,” Maria sobbed. “Don't go saying I don't.”

“It's okay, Maria.” Alet said. “We only want to catch them.”

“You talk like
Baas
Jeffrey is a criminal,
Mies
. If he goes, the job goes. Then what will become of us?”

“We don't know that yet, Maria. Don't worry. We just want to find out what happened.” Alet took Maria upstairs to one of the empty guest rooms, trying to calm her down.

Mathebe met her at the bottom of the stairs as she came down again, his face ashy. “The captain has arrested Miss Pienaar.”

“What?”

“For Mr. Jakob Mens's death.”

“But the evidence is circumstantial, if that. There's no way he's going to make that stick.”

Mathebe cupped his hand around his mouth for a moment. “They need to discredit Miss Pienaar. With Mr. Wexler gone, the only other person tied to the case is Mrs. Terblanche.”

“And Mynhardt made sure everybody knows about me and Boet Terblanche.”

Mathebe nodded. “It does not look good.”

“Dammit.” Every way Alet looked at it they had their backs against the wall.

“I think you need to listen to your father, Constable Berg. You need to remove yourself from this case as soon as possible.”

Alet turned to Mathebe, unsure that she had heard him right. “You want me to what?”

Mathebe held his hand up. “If you stay, they will get desperate. They will try to hang you.” He looked over his shoulder. Outside the guesthouse, a police van pulled up.

“What about you?”

Mathebe smiled. “I am not a threat. You are the troublemaker.”

“So what do I do?”

“You have to ask for leave. Say you are thinking of quitting.”

“Mynhardt's not going to fall for that.”

“Then you have to make your father believe, Constable.”

Alet imagined the exchange between herself and Adriaan. “That's going to take more acting skills than I've got, hey.”

“You will do all right. Parents want to believe. And you are your father's daughter.”

Alet didn't quite know how to take that, but she didn't have time to worry about it just then. While Mathebe ran the investigation, Alet took Maria and Lukas back to the station to show them mug shots. Both of them identified Skosana without hesitation and pointed out one other man, a known associate.

Alet tried to piece things together. Wexler ran the operation, that much was obvious. Somehow Skosana and his henchman, Ngwenya, were involved. But something had gone wrong. Perhaps Trudie discovered
what was going on, and Wexler had Skosana kill her? Tilly said the Bravermans paid the money and left with the baby. This happened after Boet and Jakob found Trudie's body. It didn't make sense. Why would Skosana go after the Bravermans? And why would he leave Ngwenya behind at the crime scene? More important, why would the Thokoloshe risk coming in to Unie and causing havoc at the guesthouse? She had to find a way to get to Skosana.