Read Online Death Dealing by Ian Patrick - Free Book Online

and Mgwazeni to wait and went over to speak to
the teenager.
    After a few minutes Thabethe
returned.
    ‘Let’s go. There’s a guy who is
interested in selling directly to me. If he gives me a good price we can work
with these boys. They know me. They’ll work with me.’
    They followed the teenager down to
the end of the street, turned the corner, and in the distance saw a man sitting
on a low wall adjacent to a vacant plot of land. The teenager nodded to
Thabethe and went off in the opposite direction. Wakashe, Mgwazeni and Thabethe
walked together down to the man.

3   SUNDAY

 
    10.20.
    The gang of six
were back in their favourite spot in Albert Park. Their
Saturday night had been fuelled by noxious fumes and corrosive alcoholic
liquids . They were all feeling the effects. The sweltering heat didn’t
help.
    ‘ Eish, ou babelas!’ said one, producing
sympathetic chuckles from the others, and they all launched into a discussion
of whose hangover was the worst. That in turn gave rise to arguments about
which alcoholic drinks produced the worst hangovers. That then gave rise to a
discussion of money. More money meant better quality drinks.
    ‘You heard that one
guy last night, Loku,’ said one of the men. ‘He was saying the people on the
third floor at Victoria Lodge, just down by Esplanade, they’re going on holiday tomorrow morning early. Rich people. We can hit that
flat tomorrow…’
    ‘Yes, Loku,’
interjected his companion. ‘Those people they got the money…’
    ‘No,’ replied Loku,
brusquely cutting through the suggestions of the two men. ‘Tomorrow morning we
hit the house in Glenwood. I told you before. I want to get those bastards in
Glenwood. Those two - amaIntellectuals - who go to the private school. Their sister, too. That one she was looking at me sideways. I want to teach her a lesson, that
one, and her brothers too. Tomorrow morning, that is the house we are hitting.
Before they go to school. I want to teach those rich bastards something good.’
    The others joined
the gang leader in a hubbub of bravura gesticulations and jeers as they talked
about how they were going to teach some rich kids a lesson. The first speaker
was not going to let go too easily, however, of the idea of breaking into the
flat in Esplanade Avenue.
    ‘We can do
Glenwood, bra Loku. Is fine. We can
do that one early, like you say. But then we can come down here and do Victoria
Lodge too. Those people they are leaving the flat after breakfast, that guy was
telling us. We can do Glenwood and then we can come straight down here.’
    ‘Is true, Loku,’
said the man’s companion. ‘That flat there they have big money, and the guy was
telling us he thinks those people they got a gun. He thinks they got another
one pistol, and he thinks because they are going to some fancy place they won’t
take their gun with them. They might leave the gun in the flat. We can get
another pistol, bra Loku. I think
that one they got is a Beretta M9...’
    Loku’s failure to
respond immediately suggested that he was willing to be persuaded. This encouraged
the others. They saw the sense in what these two were saying. The murmured
comments suggested to Loku that there could be something in this. They needed a
gun. The idea of taking down the Glenwood guys tomorrow and then going straight
on to another job just around the corner down here, had merit.
    ‘OK,’ he said.
‘Maybe. Maybe we can do the two jobs tomorrow morning. If there’s a gun there,
then we can do that Victoria Lodge, but only after we do Glenwood.’
    They all clambered
into the conversation. They sensed potential rewards, and as each person offered
a new possible action, the others spiralled up on top of the suggestion, adding
their own ideas. Excitement grew, and the group became increasingly animated.
    ‘Let’s go and look
at the flat,’ said Loku, suddenly. ‘Come. We can go and take a look. Then we
can make a plan for tomorrow. We can come back after