Man of Many Talents

by Adele Reynders

Chapter 8

  "The case is extremely sensitive," Henk told her when he phoned the next afternoon. "The late Wynand had the undivided attention of a few enterprises focused on him with everything he was busy with. They reckon that the man had a brilliant mind. However, interestingly enough, the watch dogs of the Reserve Bank had their eye on him even before he left for Europe with his new wife. That was probably the reason why he left South Africa. How are things there in the bush? Are you missing me while I am not there?"

  "The bush is beautiful, as usual." She ignored the last question. Sometimes one had to apply the brakes when things were going too fast. Henk was a very attractive man, with a string of women inviting him out regularly for gourmet dinners and cozy cocktail parties. However, not one of the women could keep his attention for long, because he was still waiting for his ex-wife to realize her mistake and return to him, as he admitted to her. Before he was prepared to let go of the past and move into the future, she would not be available to help him shorten the long wait!

  "What are you doing now?" Henk asked. He did not want to say good bye yet.

  "At the moment I am sitting on the patio, looking at the opposite river bank. The lions have been around all day. It seems as if they are getting ready to attack a buffalo bull. The lionesses are quite active in stalking him, while the male lion is lying on his back, obviously waiting for the call to come and have dinner. There, I can see the one lioness attacking! Oh no, I cannot look now. I think the buffalo has had it."

  "A lion catch, right in front of your house! I want to be there with you," he groaned. "That is something that should be shared."

  "I don't think the lions would be prepared to share their catch with you," she teased him and turned her binoculars to look at the area around her. Then she noticed something at the house down the road. To her surprise she could see a man through the binoculars. He was busy watching the same scene with the lions and the buffalo through a telescope. She said, more to herself than to Henk: "I wonder when they arrived?"

  "Who are you talking about?"

  "Guests in the house next door. People looking at the lion catch. No wait, he is turning the telescope this way. Gosh, he nearly caught me out spying at them with my binoculars. This is embarrassing."

  "People in the house next door? Left or right?" he asked anxiously.

  "The one you tried to sell to Chris. Was that left or right? You can decide." she answered and concentrated on the scene at the river."

  "That is impossible."

  "Okay, the house on the south side. Does that sound more possible?"

  "There cannot be any people in that house."

  "Well, then I must be dreaming, but I am not going to look through my binoculars at them again.

  "No, you'd better not. Lana, listen to me. You have to remain calm."

  "Impossible," she teased him. "The moment is too big. The male lion has also arrived on the scene."

  "Lana, shut up!" The angry tone of his voice caught her undivided attention.

  "Stand up and walk into the house. Don't quarrel with me now. Your life could depend on this."

  "The lions are on the other side of the fence. How can my life be in danger?"

  "Woman!" His voice sounded like a bolt of thunder. "Do what I tell you."

  "Okay, I am getting up and I am walking in."

  "Take the computer and your car keys and climb in your Nissan and drive to my house. Now, immediately, Lana."

  "You must be joking." She flopped on to one of the dining room chairs. "I am busy looking at a lion catch. That is the reason I moved to the bush. I only want to find lions on this side of the fence and then all my bush dreams have come true."

  "Lana, I am going to get a heart attack if you don't listen to me. I am not joking. I have never in my life been so desperate and serious to try and open somebody's ears."

  "Henk, why are you doing this to me?" She switched the computer off, folded it up and placed it in its special bag. Then she walked out of the kitchen door to where her bakkie was parked underneath the carport, and got in. As if Henk could see her, he phoned again.

  "Are you on your way, Lana?"

  "No, but I am sitting in my bakkie. Now I am turning the key. The engine is starting and I am waiting for the bang, but no, I am putting the bakkie into reverse and I am driving out from under the carport. The car bomb underneath the bakkie did not explode. Should I close the gate behind me?"

  "No, do not close the gate behind you. And stop making fun of this," he barked impatiently. He did not find her jokes funny at all. "Just continue driving. And don't switch off the phone."

  "What is going on, Henk? You owe me an explanation," she asked after a while.

  "How far are you?" he demanded to know.

  "On the tar road. I am going to turn left now towards your house and the centre."

  Is there anybody behind you? Are you being followed?" She could hear the anxiety in his voice. "Please make one hundred percent sure."

  "No, nobody." She watched the road in the rear view mirror. "Definitely not."

  "Blame it on the lions," he mumbled.

  "What?"

  "Drive to my house. You can switch off your phone now. I will phone you again a little later." The next moment the cell phone was dead, but Henk had impressed the seriousness of the situation upon her and she knew she would be stupid to turn around, even though she had no idea why he was acting so strangely.

  Henk's son Hendrik was waiting for her in front of the house. He opened his father's garage and gestured at her to drive in. Then he ran up to her and opened the door for her.

  "Lana, are you okay?" His green eyes were large with concern. She could see the resemblance between him and his father and her heart started beating faster.

  "I think so. Why? What is going on with the Maritz's today?"

  "I don't know yet, but my father told me to inject you with a sleeping draught and lock you up in the guest bedroom if you made a move to leave here. He said that somebody is trying to harm you, but that you think it is a joke."

  "I think your father is paranoid and he is watching too many horror movies. It cannot be nearly as bad as he is making it out to be."

  "Perhaps it isn't as bad, but I have never heard my father in such a state. He never watches horror movies and he has never been paranoid before." Somewhere in the house a phone started ringing and Hendrik turned around. "That is my dad on the land line. My aunt will answer, but he wants to talk to you."

  "Lana, hurry up. It is for you," Henk's sistercalled from the front door.

  "Henk Maritz, you owe me an explanation," she confronted him without greeting him after she picked up the phone.

  "I know … and I will. Are you sure there were people in the house three plots from you?"

  "That is a positive, General. There was a man on the patio. I saw him for the last time when I sneaked to the bakkie. He was still as fascinated by the lions, as I was before you urged me away from there."

  "Well, then he is an intruder. You see, Lana, that house in the bush next door to you belongs to me."

  "Oh Henk," she knew she sounded sarcastic. "What a co-incidence!"

  "I am serious. My wife and I bought a few houses in Martloth Park as investments when the prices were low. That house was the last one she had chosen. Because she was so in love with the place I bought it and decided to keep it for when she would return." He sighed. "In any case, there wasn't supposed to be anybody inside. My other houses are rented out from time to time, but not that one."

  "So you have a squatter you did not know about. I wonder how long he has been there."

  "Yes, I wonder, too, and I believe the telescope was not there to watch the lions with, but to watch the neighbour with, and that was why he turned the lens towards you."

  "Now that I have left there they will have ample time to search my house."

  "That is correct, but what they are searching for is with you, I suppose?"

  "Yes, the computer is in
my bakkie."

  "Good. Before you even think of jumping into your bakkie to be a heroine and try to catch the thugs single-handedly, stop. I phoned the police already and asked them to investigate."

  "I would not dare. And it seems as if I am a prisoner, myself," Lana grumbled as she noticed Hendrik and Henk's sister in the study with her. Both of them looked quite determined and capable of preventing her from leaving. She took a white tissue out of her handbag and waved it in the air. "White flag. May I please fetch the computer from my car?"

  "Is she allowed to do that?" Henk's sister asked cautiously.

  "What did my father say?" Hendrik also got a watchful expression on his face.

  "He said we should tie her up and lock her into the bathroom."

  "Is that so?" Hendrik asked and then nodded. "Then so be it."

  They burst out laughing at the same time and Henk's sister gestured. "Fetch the thing, Lana. My brother does not want to keep you a prisoner; he only wants to make sure that you are safe."

  "Wow, thanks."

 

  At some time during the night Lana became aware of somebody leaning over her. She could feel the presence, rather than see the person, but her throat closed up from tension. The bed made an indent as someone sat down beside her and she anticipated the hands closing in around her neck. However, nothing happened and she wondered if the intruder could hear her heavy heartbeat. She felt for the switch of her bed lamp on the other side, but could not find it in its usual position. She shouted and jumped out of bed and walked into the wall where her bedroom door was supposed to be.

  "Lana?" Henk switched on the light and noticed how she was holding her head. "Oh no. Hendrik, come and help here, please!"

  "No, don't worry, I am okay. I just forgot where I was." Lana rubbed her forehead next to the scar, and then she rubbed her shoulder. The next moment he embraced her and held her tightly, as if he had to hold her upright.

  A very confused and sleepy young doctor came stumbling out of his room. "What is going on? When did you arrive, Dad?"

  "Five minutes ago," Henk answered. "There are people in the lounge. We have work to do. I just came to say hello and report to Lana, but when I saw how deep she was sleeping I couldn't get it over my heart to wake her up. Then she woke up by herself …"

  "I see." Hendrik wiped his face. "It seems as if you have the matter under control again, or what, Dad?"

  "Yes, my son. You can go back to sleep again."

  "Good night, Dad. Good night, Lana." He turned away and probably fell asleep again long before his head hit the pillow. They could almost immediately hear his regular breathing again.

  "Well, at least he doesn't have a concern in the world," Lana smiled and turned to Henk. "Now that I am awake you will have to tell me what you found out today, and what our plan of action is going to be."

  "It is very simple. The people are waiting in the study with another computer. We are going to link the two computers and transfer everything to the new one. Then we are going to set the old one up to be stolen."

  "Stolen, how?"

  "From your bakkie or house tomorrow morning. We are going to arrive at your house as if nothing happened."

  "It sounds feasible to me. Let me get dressed. I am not used to wearing pajamas anymore. Your sister is a real lady."

  When she walked into the study a little while later, she encountered three men with big frowns on their faces. She greeted them, but could see that they were whispering to one another and concentrating on the task.

  "New developments," Henk explained to her. "There has been a lot of activity on Wynand's bank account since we had written the CD."

  "Does that mean that someone has access to his accounts and programs via the internet?" Lana asked.

  "Yes, but it seems that, whoever it is, cannot get to everything. I suspect that the person attending to Wynand's matters after his death does not have all the passwords and numbers that Henk came across. That is why they need the laptop. It is all on there," The man explained as he was sitting behind the computer.