Read Online The Colour of Gold by Oliver T Spedding - Free Book Online Page B

replied. "Catherine seems to be just what we're
looking for. She's clean and neat, seems pleasant and courteous and
obviously has had some schooling as she speaks quite well. But
perhaps we should employ her on a trial basis."
    "Yes, that's a
good idea." Bogdan said. "But, as she's not allowed to live and
work on the Reef we can fire her at any time if we're not happy
with her work. Basically she's just a casual worker. We don't have
a contract with her and if she causes any trouble we can always
threaten to call the police."
    Bogdan walked
to the veranda.
    "Okay,
Catherine." he said. "We've decided to employ you. You can start
tomorrow."
    ***
    The white
Toyota drove through the gateway of the alley leading from the
courtyard at the back of the bank as it did every Friday morning at
this time. It paused until there was a gap in the chain of passing
vehicles and then accelerated into the bustle of the mid-town
traffic. The driver, a white middle-aged man wearing a cream safari
suit drove defensively, taking care not to get too close to the
cars in front of him and constantly watching the vehicles ahead and
behind him. In the front passenger’s seat sat a young white woman
with short, blonde hair and wearing a dark blue bank security guard
uniform. Alone in the back seat, another middle-aged white man,
also wearing a safari suit idly watched the surrounding traffic. In
the boot of the car lay a small steel trunk containing fifteen
thousand Rand in cash that was destined for the small bank branch
in the black township of Dobsonville, seven kilometres away to the
South-west. The branch had no safe as it was considered to be a
real risk to keep cash anywhere in a township where not even the
bank’s security personnel could be trusted.
    Although the
driver of the bank car thought that he was monitoring the traffic
in front and behind him effectively he had no training in this type
of surveillance. Unnoticed by any of the three bank officials, a
white BMW driven by a large black man, kept pace with them four or
five cars ahead and as they progressed through the business centre
the officials failed to notice another car, this time a dark grey
Ford sedan with four black men in it, that pulled into the traffic
and keep pace with them about half a block back.
    “Don’t get too
close to them.” Shadow said to Moses, the driver of the Ford. “Once
we get into Main Reef Road we can move up on them. The traffic will
be a lot thinner and we’ll almost be at the turn-off to
Dobsonville. The timing has to be just right. We don’t want anyone
between us and the whities. When they get to the robot we have to
be right behind them. Chris will be right in front of them and with
a little luck the robot will be red. If not Chris will either have
to wait for a gap in the oncoming traffic or he’ll stall the BMW.
That’s when we’ll hit them from behind. After that you know what to
do.”
    The three
vehicles moved out of the busy business centre and onto the main
road towards Johannesburg. As Shadow had predicted the traffic
thinned markedly and the three black men could see their
accomplice, Chris, in the BMW immediately in front of their quarry.
The turn-off to Dobsonville came into view. The black gang was in
luck. As the BMW reached the turn-off the robot turned red. The BMW
braked to a stop with the bank car behind it. The Ford closed in on
the two vehicles.
    “Okay!” Shadow
said. “Hit them now!”
    The Ford
crashed into the back of the white bank vehicle with a solid crunch
and a tinkle of falling glass. As quickly as he could, the black
driver, Moses, slammed the car into reverse and pulled back
slightly and, before the bank officials could react, the four black
men jumped out of their car. Peter, one of the other occupants who
had been in the Ford, reached the driver’s window of the Toyota in
three long steps. He had already drawn his 9mm automatic and he
held it against the closed window of the car inches from the