said, 'blow your nose.'
Tandia was obliged to rise from the small chair and reach past the white officer to get the roll. As she did so his legs closed around her thighs just for a moment then he released her again. It was a crude, intimate gesture yet so quick that she wondered for a second whether it had happened at all. Her heart beat wildly as she sat back in the small chair. Eyes lowered, she unwound a length of toilet paper, tore it off the roll and proceeded to wipe her nose and then blow it hard. The paper was hard and unyielding, not suitable for the task' she was using it for. Having cleared her nose somewhat Tandia was forced to hold the sticky mess in her closed hand.
The police sergeant leaned backwards on his hands opening his crotch even further. 'Did you report this rape to the police?' he asked.
'No, sir,' Tandia replied softly.
'And where did this rape take place, and what time also?' Tandia spoke. in small sobs. 'This morning. About six o'clock. At the Indian cemetery. Where, whereâ¦they buried Mr Patel!'
'The person who you said raped you. Can you describe this man to me?'
'There were two of them, but I did not see them,' Tandia sniffed.
The sergeant raised his eyebrows, his voice affecting surprise. 'Now all of a sudden it's two men, hey! Two men raped you, but you didn't see them? How can this be? It is already light by six o'clock?'
'From behind, they grabbed me from behind. Only one raped me.' Tandia shuddered involuntarily.
The sergeant leaned forward and folded his arms across his chest, rocking slightly. 'This is a very curious business. They raped you in broad daylight, or one of them did anyway, and you didn't see them?'
'He told me to shut my eyes. Also the other one said if I opened my eyes he would kill me. I was very afraid!' How could she tell him that they had been policemen? He wouldn't believe her and any chance she had of getting off would be destroyed forever.
'And you didn't report this to the police?'
'No, no sir.'
'Why not? Don't you know it is against the law not to report a crime?'
'I was too afraid, sir,' Tandia replied softly.
'Afraid? All of a sudden you're afraid of the police? Innocent people got no reason to be afraid of the police. You prefer a rapist to a member of the Sou' African police force?'
'No, sir. I was very frightened, sir. I didn't know what to do, I didn't want to make any more trouble!'
'Oh, I see, you were already in trouble. What trouble is this? Tell me. What sort of trouble were you already in?'
'About Patel. Mrs Patel was going to kick me out.' Tandia whimpered, looking up and appealing to him with her eyes. 'She hates me.'
There was a long pause as the policeman appeared to be thinking. When at length he spoke there was a hard edge to his voice. 'I think you lying, you hear? You lying to me, jong.'
Tandia looked up in alarm. 'No, sir! It is true! I will swear on the Bible!'
The white man had the distant look in his eyes again, as though he could read things dancing in the air. When at last he spoke his voice was quiet. 'You a whore. A black whore who does it for money in the cemetery. Sies, man. Did you do it in the cemetery next to the grave where your father was buried?'
'No, no!' Tandia cried. And then she froze and her eyes widened in alarm. It had taken all this time to sink in. The voice, the frightening voice after the boot had rested on her neck as she lay at the foot of the marble cross, it belonged to the one in the graveyard who had been called Geldenhuis. It was Geldenhuis who was questioning her.
Tandia knew she was utterly and devastatingly beaten, that if she admitted she knew him she wouldn't leave the police station alive.
Geldenhuis changed tack suddenly. 'This money, you said you had to pay for a new gym frock? Where did you get this money?'
'It was mine, sir. I saved it for ten years.'
His voice suddenly boomed above her. 'You got this money from being a prostitute! You went to the coolie cemetery before
Tandia was obliged to rise from the small chair and reach past the white officer to get the roll. As she did so his legs closed around her thighs just for a moment then he released her again. It was a crude, intimate gesture yet so quick that she wondered for a second whether it had happened at all. Her heart beat wildly as she sat back in the small chair. Eyes lowered, she unwound a length of toilet paper, tore it off the roll and proceeded to wipe her nose and then blow it hard. The paper was hard and unyielding, not suitable for the task' she was using it for. Having cleared her nose somewhat Tandia was forced to hold the sticky mess in her closed hand.
The police sergeant leaned backwards on his hands opening his crotch even further. 'Did you report this rape to the police?' he asked.
'No, sir,' Tandia replied softly.
'And where did this rape take place, and what time also?' Tandia spoke. in small sobs. 'This morning. About six o'clock. At the Indian cemetery. Where, whereâ¦they buried Mr Patel!'
'The person who you said raped you. Can you describe this man to me?'
'There were two of them, but I did not see them,' Tandia sniffed.
The sergeant raised his eyebrows, his voice affecting surprise. 'Now all of a sudden it's two men, hey! Two men raped you, but you didn't see them? How can this be? It is already light by six o'clock?'
'From behind, they grabbed me from behind. Only one raped me.' Tandia shuddered involuntarily.
The sergeant leaned forward and folded his arms across his chest, rocking slightly. 'This is a very curious business. They raped you in broad daylight, or one of them did anyway, and you didn't see them?'
'He told me to shut my eyes. Also the other one said if I opened my eyes he would kill me. I was very afraid!' How could she tell him that they had been policemen? He wouldn't believe her and any chance she had of getting off would be destroyed forever.
'And you didn't report this to the police?'
'No, no sir.'
'Why not? Don't you know it is against the law not to report a crime?'
'I was too afraid, sir,' Tandia replied softly.
'Afraid? All of a sudden you're afraid of the police? Innocent people got no reason to be afraid of the police. You prefer a rapist to a member of the Sou' African police force?'
'No, sir. I was very frightened, sir. I didn't know what to do, I didn't want to make any more trouble!'
'Oh, I see, you were already in trouble. What trouble is this? Tell me. What sort of trouble were you already in?'
'About Patel. Mrs Patel was going to kick me out.' Tandia whimpered, looking up and appealing to him with her eyes. 'She hates me.'
There was a long pause as the policeman appeared to be thinking. When at length he spoke there was a hard edge to his voice. 'I think you lying, you hear? You lying to me, jong.'
Tandia looked up in alarm. 'No, sir! It is true! I will swear on the Bible!'
The white man had the distant look in his eyes again, as though he could read things dancing in the air. When at last he spoke his voice was quiet. 'You a whore. A black whore who does it for money in the cemetery. Sies, man. Did you do it in the cemetery next to the grave where your father was buried?'
'No, no!' Tandia cried. And then she froze and her eyes widened in alarm. It had taken all this time to sink in. The voice, the frightening voice after the boot had rested on her neck as she lay at the foot of the marble cross, it belonged to the one in the graveyard who had been called Geldenhuis. It was Geldenhuis who was questioning her.
Tandia knew she was utterly and devastatingly beaten, that if she admitted she knew him she wouldn't leave the police station alive.
Geldenhuis changed tack suddenly. 'This money, you said you had to pay for a new gym frock? Where did you get this money?'
'It was mine, sir. I saved it for ten years.'
His voice suddenly boomed above her. 'You got this money from being a prostitute! You went to the coolie cemetery before
Similar Books
