Read Online The Disappeared by Vernon William Baumann - Free Book Online

she hoped – prayed – that this was where gogo now was. She stopped in front of the old Frigidairewith its over-sized
door handle. And felt her stomach fall away into a deep dark pit of panic. A
cold sweat sprouted from her skin like a thousand little black liquid mushrooms
    There was
nothing on the fridge door. Nothing! Gogo would never – never! – go to Bethlehem
without leaving a message. Blind panic gripped Lindiwe. Her heart hammered a
frenzied beat against her chest.
    Where in
God’s name was she?
    Lindiwe looked
around the large kitchen. There was only one place left to look . Lindiwe
slowly walked through the darkened living room. She stood before the door that
led to the outside stoep . She placed her hand on the door knob.
    There was only
one place left where she could be.
    But Lindiwe
knew what she would find. Before she turned the knob and opened the door. She
knew she would find nothing. Because gogo was gone.
    Lindiwe stood
on the stoep of number nine Marula Street as the cold fingers of dread
slithered across her skin. She stood – as immobile as stone – as a creeping
realisation bloomed in her mind. Gogo was gone.
    She was
scared. She was confused.
    Gogo was gone. Forever.
    She felt the old
dark longing rise up in her.
     
 
6:29
     
    Dammit !
    Joshua stood
in front of the Shellfilling station. It was typical of a hundred
others in small towns all over the country. It seemed the smaller the town the
more run-down its garage.
    The signage
was old and the petrol pumps looked like they came from the 80’s. Whereas large
filling stations in the big cities had modern smart-looking convenience stores,
this one seemed to make do with a hole-in-the-wall cubicle that advertised some
of its products on the large cracked glass pane that fronted the store. The
words BISHOP MOTORS were emblazoned across it. The letters were cracked and
some were peeling. Below the sign were posters advertising the main cellular
networks. The posters were old and faded and bore the greasy marks of Prestik
adhesive gum on the corners. Below the cellular posters was the bright yellow
logo advertising the National Lottery. A white plastic garden chair was
standing next to the entrance of the little shop. Next to the chair was a large
commercial freezer with the logos of various ice-cream manufacturers. Josh
instantly recognised old favourites from childhood: KingKone, Rolo and
the ever-present Dairy Maid orange suckers. Stacked against the freezer was a
small square blackboard. Someone had written DORITO’S & 1 LT COKE – R12.95
on it with big slanting capital letters.
    The first
thing Josh noticed was that the derelict filling station seemed strangely at
odds with the pristine little town. It was like the ugly sister with the bad
breath. Josh guessed this was Bishop’s version of downtown.
    The second
thing he noticed was that the garage was completely abandoned.
    Initially he
had assumed it was too early and that the owner hadn’t arrived yet. But then he
saw that the door to the shop was standing wide open.
    As soon as he
arrived, he had walked up and down the oil-stained concrete. Knocked on the
door of the toilet. Had looked round the corner. And peered through the cracked
window of the shop. After a while he had even called out a few cautionary hellos .
But nothing.
    And then an old
habit tugged at him. As he looked at the empty store the thought crossed his
mind. To enter the little shop and loot as much as he could carry. As much as
he could stuff into his duffel bag. He eyed the row of Camelcigarettes
behind the counter. He eyed the Coca-Colafridge in the corner. And the
big display filled with half-a-dozen brands of crisps. These were of course
small fry compared to the grand prize – the cash till. Whatever it contained – and
in all honesty it couldn’t be much – it was more than he had at that moment.
Slam the till. Grab the bucks. And run.
    Old habits die
hard. But Joshua immediately choked the thought. He