Read Online Payback - A Cape Town thriller by Mike Nicol - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mike Nicol
Ads: Link
sign that meant nothing to Mace. He waved a greeting. The dj held up some vinyl in return.
‘We’re getting started,’ he said into the mic.
‘Not now,’ said Ducky, gesticulating at the dj, pawing at Mace’s sleeve. ‘Not now, buddy. Give us five, hey.’
At Ducky Donald’s clutching, pain seared up Mace’s arm. Through a grimace to keep in the throb he said, ‘Tell me Ducky. What’s your theory?’
Despite the booze he caught the edge to Mace’s tone, hesitated, then leered forward. ‘It’s because no way that woman’s gonna want the kinda death toll a bomb would set up in here. You know what I mean? One or two and a coupla amputations even she can live with. The body count goes any higher, they’re gonna lose the PR spin.’ Triumph smeared a smile across his face. ‘She blows a bomb, she’s got twenty dead right off.’
‘Which is why we’re going to take a look around again.’ Mace steered a passage to Matthew. ‘The bouncers know what they’re looking for?’ He nodded. ‘You tell them their wands burp for a tooth filling, entry’s denied.’
Matthew spluttered ‘Ca-ca-ca…’
‘Christ,’ Mace filled in for him.
Pylon and Mace did another tour of the premises, mostly by flashlight. Everything was how they’d last seen it.
‘Should of arranged for dogs,’ Pylon said. ‘You can’t tell just looking at things.’ They were at the window in the empty office space upstairs: below the street partied. ‘Seems they don’t even wait for the club to open.’
Mace pointed out the Toyota with Sheemina February’s sidekicks . The coloured guy was on his cell inside the car; the white guy leant against the bonnet, smoking. ‘Mr White I recognise from this morning. Chances are they’re only monitoring. No ways she’d send them in to do the job.’
Pylon rested his forehead against the windowpane. ‘We’re just supposed to hang around waiting for the shit to happen? Or we’re going to hassle them?’
‘No point in hassling.’
‘You’ve got a plan to do anything?’
‘Be patient.’
Pylon clucked. ‘How about Gonsalves? You speak to him?’
‘I did.’
‘And?’
‘And he gave me advice, same as Sheemina February did. Stick to the safaris.’
‘Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful.’ Pylon straightened, clicked the knuckles of his left hand. ‘Talking about Sheemina February, I found out something. She’s STASI trained, explains why she stuck the warder with the sharpened hairbrush. A year before she got caught, pitched up as a legal assistant in a blue-chip firm in town. One smart cookie from what I’m told. Into contractual law.’
‘Now into PAGAD.’
‘Someone’s got to do it. Useful common interests though.’
Mace laughed. ‘In bombs?’
‘I believe.’
‘She wore the glove then?’
‘Birth defect. So the story goes.’ Pylon turned back to the window to scope the street. ‘There were no cars against the curb that would be a help. These guys’re so into car bombs.’
‘Not this time. This time they’ve got to blow the club. Close it down. A car bomb wouldn’t do the structural damage.’
‘Would if it was big enough.’
‘Big enough would be beyond their league.’
Pylon gave his partner a sceptical look. ‘You’ve got a strategy?’
‘Keep Mattie boy from catching it. Like Ducky wants.’
‘Everyone else can go to hell?’
‘We save him, we save everyone.’
People surged in the street towards the club doors, sound came thumping up from below. The rave was on. Pylon pointed at the PAGAD guys on the corner: both were out of the car but not intent on moving. ‘We’d better go party,’ he said. ‘Check out the patrons.’
Pylon did the circulating. Mace took the door. The bouncers were good. Everyone got the going over. If women complained there wasn’t a female for the pat search, he told them if it was a problem they didn’t have to come in. If the wire in their bras got the wands buzzing, he told them get rid of
‘We’re getting started,’ he said into the mic.
‘Not now,’ said Ducky, gesticulating at the dj, pawing at Mace’s sleeve. ‘Not now, buddy. Give us five, hey.’
At Ducky Donald’s clutching, pain seared up Mace’s arm. Through a grimace to keep in the throb he said, ‘Tell me Ducky. What’s your theory?’
Despite the booze he caught the edge to Mace’s tone, hesitated, then leered forward. ‘It’s because no way that woman’s gonna want the kinda death toll a bomb would set up in here. You know what I mean? One or two and a coupla amputations even she can live with. The body count goes any higher, they’re gonna lose the PR spin.’ Triumph smeared a smile across his face. ‘She blows a bomb, she’s got twenty dead right off.’
‘Which is why we’re going to take a look around again.’ Mace steered a passage to Matthew. ‘The bouncers know what they’re looking for?’ He nodded. ‘You tell them their wands burp for a tooth filling, entry’s denied.’
Matthew spluttered ‘Ca-ca-ca…’
‘Christ,’ Mace filled in for him.
Pylon and Mace did another tour of the premises, mostly by flashlight. Everything was how they’d last seen it.
‘Should of arranged for dogs,’ Pylon said. ‘You can’t tell just looking at things.’ They were at the window in the empty office space upstairs: below the street partied. ‘Seems they don’t even wait for the club to open.’
Mace pointed out the Toyota with Sheemina February’s sidekicks . The coloured guy was on his cell inside the car; the white guy leant against the bonnet, smoking. ‘Mr White I recognise from this morning. Chances are they’re only monitoring. No ways she’d send them in to do the job.’
Pylon rested his forehead against the windowpane. ‘We’re just supposed to hang around waiting for the shit to happen? Or we’re going to hassle them?’
‘No point in hassling.’
‘You’ve got a plan to do anything?’
‘Be patient.’
Pylon clucked. ‘How about Gonsalves? You speak to him?’
‘I did.’
‘And?’
‘And he gave me advice, same as Sheemina February did. Stick to the safaris.’
‘Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful.’ Pylon straightened, clicked the knuckles of his left hand. ‘Talking about Sheemina February, I found out something. She’s STASI trained, explains why she stuck the warder with the sharpened hairbrush. A year before she got caught, pitched up as a legal assistant in a blue-chip firm in town. One smart cookie from what I’m told. Into contractual law.’
‘Now into PAGAD.’
‘Someone’s got to do it. Useful common interests though.’
Mace laughed. ‘In bombs?’
‘I believe.’
‘She wore the glove then?’
‘Birth defect. So the story goes.’ Pylon turned back to the window to scope the street. ‘There were no cars against the curb that would be a help. These guys’re so into car bombs.’
‘Not this time. This time they’ve got to blow the club. Close it down. A car bomb wouldn’t do the structural damage.’
‘Would if it was big enough.’
‘Big enough would be beyond their league.’
Pylon gave his partner a sceptical look. ‘You’ve got a strategy?’
‘Keep Mattie boy from catching it. Like Ducky wants.’
‘Everyone else can go to hell?’
‘We save him, we save everyone.’
People surged in the street towards the club doors, sound came thumping up from below. The rave was on. Pylon pointed at the PAGAD guys on the corner: both were out of the car but not intent on moving. ‘We’d better go party,’ he said. ‘Check out the patrons.’
Pylon did the circulating. Mace took the door. The bouncers were good. Everyone got the going over. If women complained there wasn’t a female for the pat search, he told them if it was a problem they didn’t have to come in. If the wire in their bras got the wands buzzing, he told them get rid of
Similar Books
