Deadline

by Zaheera Walker

  “Well, it’s about time, Mrs Black.” He peeled back the veil and tasted her lush lips. “You are all mine. The longing is over.”

  She gasped as he scooped her into his arms and walked through the rain of confetti. “I dreamt of this day.”

  ***

  “You are the modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Congratulations.” Smith looked immaculate in his black tuxedo. His partner nudged him for comparing them to the ill-fated couple. “This is my wife, Christine.”

  “Finally, I get to meet you, Feriyal. My husband has told me so much about you.” She bent to kiss her and decided to hug her heroine as well.

  “And you’re a very lucky man, Mr Black.”

  “I’ve never been to a wedding like this. Out of this world. Can’t believe you put this all together in such a short time.” Smith was awed.

  “My personal assistant came to my rescue. Glad you enjoyed everything. You are going to join us for lunch, right?”

  “Lunch at the Langoustine. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. We’ll leave you to meet the other guests. Once again, congratulations and best wishes for many years of bliss.”

  There was a feast of seafood, roast lamb with mint sauce, grilled chicken, buttery potatoes, spicy rice and salads. For her guests from Phoenix, Feriyal requested a buffet of various curries, bread rolls, biryani and pickles. Everyone ended their meal with decadent soji decorated with sultanas, almonds and cream.

  Ting, ting, ting. Shane clinked his fork against his glass flute. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please? I’d like to say a few words before we leave.”

  “Can’t believe it’s that time already? Doesn’t it bring back memories of Lou’s special day?”

  Peter rolled his eyes at her. “After the way he treated our girl, I’d rather not think about it.”

  “Don’t be bitter. We were all happy on that day. There will be good times ahead.” Anne stroked his arm, trying to smooth out the pain in his heart.

  “Feriyal and I would like to thank you for sharing this day with us. Everything was magical. Don’t you agree?”

  The guests roared in agreement. Some drummed the tables, while others waited for him to continue.

  “A lot has changed in the past few months. ‘Change’ is an intimidating word, but it brings new opportunity. Feriyal’s mum passed away and her world collapsed.” He fixed his gaze on her and mouthed a kiss.

  “My parents wanted to settle down, but they, too, passed away a few weeks ago. Our lives changed, but it brought us closer. Today, we are married. I guess what I am trying to say in a roundabout way is: tear down the walls of fear and rebuild anew. It has been wonderful having you with us today, but we have to leave now. Please stay and continue the celebration.”

  She rose to walk out with him when someone popped the big question.

  “Why haven’t you tossed the bouquet?”

  “Oops. I knew I was forgetting something. Can all the single ladies line up behind me?” She turned to face the other way and inhaled deeply.

  “One; two; three.” The roses and baby breath went flying and eager hands scrambled to catch it. It landed on Anne’s lap and she jumped in terror. “I’m happy with

  my man, thank you very much. Here, you can have it.” She hurled it at Charmaine. “See, you tempted fate when you planned this wedding. Now you have to plan your own.”

  Everyone laughed and the couple stepped out to embark on a new journey.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The siren blared at 12:17pm. Prisoners scurried into their cells for lockdown. Two male nurses carried a stretcher and a medical bag into the isolated cell. Something was going down. Vishen was writhing in pain. His wrist was bleeding from a gash. A bluish-pink imprint chained his neck. “It wasn’t meant to be like this. I did everything to take my misery away and then you had to come.” He was cursing the warden who had refused to share his name. “Why did you come back? I wanted to die and you came back to spoil it.”

  The nurses worked fast to stop the blood. A wad of cotton wool was used to plug the wound. It added pressure and reduced the blood flow. A crepe bandage was wrapped around firmly to keep everything in place.

  “This is going to hurt a bit. I’m trying to get a drip up. You’ve lost a lot of blood and your pressure is very low.” The needle pierced through without much effort and the line was running fine. “We’re taking you to the hospital. You’re going to be fine. Just relax.”

  “I don’t want to be fine. I don’t want to live. She belongs to him now. It’s too late. Can’t you see?”

  They lifted him onto the stretcher and wheeled it out.

  ***

  “What do we have here?” A state doctor looked at the file and then stared at the patient.

  “Awaiting trial prisoner. Tried to cut his wrist with a sharp object. He was founding hanging from a bar, but the warden called for help.”

  “Okay. Let’s take a look.” He slipped on a pair of gloves. “Looks like some fabric cut into his neck. Do you know what he used to hang? This cut on the wrist is pretty deep.

  Must have been a very sharp object. Not a knife. No.” The nursing assistant read some notes from the prison. “It says here he tore his shirt into strips and joined the pieces together. He tied it to the window bar and made a noose for the neck.”

  “A very creative prisoner. I wouldn’t have thought of that.” He chuckled and continued the examination.

  “As for the wrist, the warden who found him suspects he broke off the metal handle used for flushing the toilet and filed the one end. He suspects the prisoner stabbed his wrist with it.”

  “What’s he in for? Judging by the cuts and other injuries, I would say he is showing signs of early depression.

  Is he on any medication?”

  “When the nurses brought him through, they warned me to be safe and laughed. I didn’t find it funny and asked why. Turns out he is the man accused of raping and strangling women from Phoenix.”

  “What?” The doctor’s eyes ballooned in anger. “I have to stand here and save this monster’s life when he went around killing women.” He tore off his gloves and squirted a red liquid on his hands. He scrubbed his hands under running water and dried them with a paper towel.

  “We haven’t finished, Doctor. Where are you going?”

  “I’m done here. How can I stand here and treat someone who should be executed? The warden should have left him to hang. One less criminal to worry about.”

  Vishen was sedated, but he could hear the commotion. That’s right. They should have left me to die. I have nothing to live for anymore.

  “You can’t make such comments. It’s your duty to save lives. Good or bad. Are you going against the oath you took when you became a doctor?”

  He scrunched the paper and tossed it into the bin. “I’m done here.”

  He threw his hands in the air and mumbled that he was not prepared to save the life of a killer.

  “If you leave, I swear I will report you. You’ll never work as a doctor again. Is that what you want?” Her eyes grew dark with anger and her index finger pointed straight at him. “So what’s it gonna be? Stay and finish up what you started or hang up your coat for good?”

  He had held down three jobs to pay for medical school. While his friends were club hopping, he had stayed behind to study. To be a doctor was a dream come true. Could he throw it all away? “I didn’t mean to be subjective. This thing has me in a tight spin. I’m sorry. We’ll put this incident behind us and start again. Do we have a deal?”

  “How about you buy me coffee and it’s all forgotten? You can afford a cup of coffee on your salary, can’t you?”

  “That’s very funny. Ha. Ha.” He opened the patient’s file and entered his notes. “I’m writing a script for pain medication. Please feed it into his drip every three hours or as needed. Guess the police will want a report from me. I’ll leave you to it and don’t forget what the prison staff warned.”

  She clicked her tongue and rai
sed a fist at him. “Get out of here before I hit you with something heavy.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Mid-week madness often gave Smith a throbbing headache.

  “Sometimes I wish criminals could go on annual leave. Leave me alone to catch up on some paperwork.” He massaged his temples and unfolded his third Grandpa powder that morning.

  “Let me get you some fresh water, Captain. This has been here all ofyesterday.” The cleaner lifted the jug and scanned the film of dust on the surface. “I’ll finish the mopping when I get back.”

  “You’re a star. Thank you so much.” He returned to his notes when a slight knock disturbed his concentration. “Yes?”

  “Captain, this report just came through now. It’s about the serial killer. Thought I’d bring it straight through before it got mislaid.”

  “Don’t tell me he’s made a run for it. I wouldn’t put it past him, that crafty son of a…” He decided to hold back on opinion or it could fuel the pain building in his head.

  “Here, take a look for yourself. I have to head back to

  the charge office. We’re understaffed and it’s a mad, crazy day.”

  “Thanks, Constable. I’ll go through it in a minute.”

  “Here’s your water.” She poured some into a tall glass and handed it to him.

  He tilted back his head and emptied the white powder into his mouth. It coated his tongue and some hit the back of his throat. He swigged a bit of water and twisted his face. “Bleh. I hate the taste, but it’s the only thing that helps me.”

  “Maybe you should try some breathing exercises. Get some fresh air when you can and don’t drown yourself with all this work.” She pointed to the files stacked in his trays.

  “That is damn good advice. We just need someone to remind us at times.” He looked at her plain face and felt a tinge of embarrassment.

  “I... what is your name?” She had cleaned his office from top to bottom twice a week for two years and he had barely exchanged a few words with her.

  “Dora Ndlovu.” She extended her hand to him and did a little curtsy.

  “I always wanted to chat to you. Tell you how much I admire you. My son wants to be a policeman and I tell him how hard you work every day.”

  The compliment made him turn beet-red. Being a policeman was a calling and Smith enjoyed serving his people. “Oh, thank you. That has just made my day. Tell you what, Dora, when my work is not too hectic some time down the line, you can bring him in to spend a day with me. How’s that?”

  “Oh, Captain. He’s going to be so happy when I tell him.” She threw her arms around him for a split second and broke away to complete the mopping.

  “Great. I look forward to meeting him. Now, let me get back to...”

  What was I was doing? “Yes. The report. Let’s take a look.” His eyes darted from left to right. He read faster and faster. I don’t believe this man. What a coward! He went around planting fear in the community and now he wants the easy way out. Good thing they got to him in time. He must have his day in court and I want to be there when sentence is passed.

  ***

  “I wish we could stay here forever.” Feriyal rolled against Shane and lowered her head to his chest. “This place has such beautiful memories.”

  “Why do you think I chose to bring you here? This is where we kissed like wild animals for the first time.”

  She whacked him with a pillow. “How can you say that? I can remember exactly how I felt when our lips sealed. There was nothing wild about it.”

  He grabbed the pillow and tossed it away. “How did you feel, Mrs Black?” His arms coiled around her and he kissed her like a man on fire; hot and burning.

  “It made me weak at the knees. I felt like I was melting. That was my first time and I didn’t want it to end.”

  “It’s not going to end, but right now we have to get ready.”

  “What’s the rush? We have all the time in the world. Well, the rest of the week.”

  “I arranged a breakfast for us on the mountaintop. We have to be at the helipad in twenty minutes. Hurry up now. The weather is beautiful and I don’t want to miss this experience.”

  “You’re a hopeless romantic, Mr Black. Just give me a few minutes and then we can leave.”

  “Perfect. I’ll just call to check if everything has been arranged. See you in a bit.” He strolled out to the garden and made a few calls.

  ***

  Her hands trembled as she fastened the belt. “My heart is thumping so loud. Can’t you hear it?”

  “Are you nervous, babe?”

  “Hell yeah. I’ve never been in a helicopter before. An aeroplane is one thing, but this.”

  “I’m going to be right next to you. The ride to the top shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes.” The blades picked up speed and the pilot gave them a thumbs up. “Here, put on these headphones and clip this button when you want to chat.”

  She felt the helicopter rise and tilt to the side. Her insides felt hollow and she gripped Shane’s hand.

  “That’s just for take-off. You’re buckled in, so you’re not going to fall.”

  He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s going to be smooth thereafter. You’ll see. Give it a few minutes and you’ll get the hang of it.”

  “Why’s he going so close to the mountain? That’s a bit dangerous.”

  “He’s just trying to impress us with his flying skills. Oh look, there’s some buck grazing.”

  “Wow, that looks awesome. There’s a trail of hikers down there as well. You’re right; this is amazing.” The knots in her stomach loosened and Feriyal was enjoying the unspoilt beauty.

  The helicopter descended on the mountaintop and Shane grabbed a wicker basket. “Time for breakfast.” He unclipped a knob and rolled back the door. “After you, babe.”

  Feriyal stepped down and kept her head low. Shane joined her and swung around to wave the pilot off. When the sound of blades cutting the air died down, there was a deafening silence. Alone on the top of the mountain.

  “Look over there.” He pointed to a rocky mountain in the distant.

  “That’s Cathedral Peak.”

  “How do you know? It could be anything.”

  “I saw it in the brochures at the information desk. Somewhere around here is the battleground. It just slipped my mind. Always had a fondness for history.”

  “Oh look. This is stunning.” She bent to pluck a lilac flower growing between some rocks.

  “You’re not allowed to do that.”

  “Why? It’s just a flower.”

  “These are indigenous. It might be the only one of its kind. That is the reason we are not allowed to pick or remove anything up here.”

  “In that case, I won’t, but you have to promise you’ll buy me flowers. Lots and lots.”

  “Always. There will always be flowers to remind you of the colour you brought into my life.” He lifted her and swung around.

  “What do you have in here? I can hear my stomach rumbling.” She lifted the cover and pinched a strawberry from a plastic tub. “Mmm. Delicious.”

  Shane spread the picnic blanket down and decorated it with oats, fresh fruit, croissants, jam and cream. He poured fresh orange juice into glass flutes and handed one to her.

  “Here, let’s make a toast.”

  “What are we going to toast? Let me see. Okay, I’ll do this one.” She raised her glass and caught his gaze. “To us and our blessed life together. May we grow from strength to strength.”

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  “Come, let’s have breakfast. The helicopter should be back to collect us in about thirty minutes.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  “Welcome back, you guys. Or should I say Mr and Mrs Black?” Charmaine ran up and hugged them both.

  “It does have a nice ring to it, but let’s not get all formal. Maybe it’s time that you started calling me Shane. How were things during my absence?”

&nb
sp; “Hey guys, seems like the newlyweds are back.” One by one, the staff filed up to congratulate them. There were hugs, lame jokes and kisses before everything went back to normal.

  “Everyone’s thrilled to have you back. Now, getting back to your question.” Charmaine creased her forehead, trying to recall.

  “Was everything okay while we were away?”

  “Everything ran like clockwork. We met each deadline and the paper hit the streets on time.” She took a step back to admire the new bride.

  “Look at you, Feriyal. You’re glowing. Marriage definitely suits you.”

  “Thank you. I feel on top of the world and, now that my batteries are recharged, I’m ready to work again.”

  “I’ll leave you ladies to chat while I check my diary and make a few calls.” He kissed Feriyal and nodded at Charmaine.

  “So how was the honeymoon? Where did you guys go?” “Cathedral Peak in Drakensberg. That’s where we met. He chose to take me back to relive that moment. You should go there sometime. Tucked away in the heart of nature.”

  “Maybe someday. It does sound idyllic. Oh yes, before I forget. The wedding album arrived yesterday.”

  “Can I see it? I’m dying to see what I looked like.”

  “Go make yourself a cup of coffee and I’ll bring it right through.” She trotted off towards her cupboard and stopped dead in her tracks. “With everything going on, I almost forgot. Entries for The Quill award are now open. You must enter.”

  ***

  “Hey Shane. Been a while since we chatted. How’s it going with you?”

  “Incredible. I’ve never been more pleased. Everything all right on your side? Guess the trial is going to come up soon.”

  “That’s one of the reasons I’m calling. You won’t believe what happened while you were gone.” He chuckled and drummed his desk. “He tried to end it.”

  “Are we on the same page here? Who are we talking about? Tried to end what?”