Deon Meyer by Dead Before Dying (html) Read Free Book Online

Town businessman who was shot with a Tokarev pistol at a Newlands hotel last night.
     
     
According to Col. Bart de Wit . . .
     
     
Joubert leaned against the car and looked up at Table Mountain. He sighed, not seeing how clearly the mountain was visible this morning or how the morning sun made a bright splash in the bay. Then he folded his newspaper, got into the car, and drove off.
     
     
    * * *
“What’s beyond me is why he had a bit on the side with a horse-faced blonde when he had a film star at home,” Griessel said.
     
     
Joubert wasn’t listening. “Have you seen the paper?”
     
     
“No.”
     
     
Then de Wit came in, ramrod straight, self-satisfied. The detectives fell silent.
     
     
“Good morning, colleagues. Beautiful morning, isn’t it. Makes one grateful for the privilege of being alive. But there it is, we have to get on with the job. Before we discuss yesterday’s cases . . . I’ve now met all the officers personally and we had productive discussions. Today I’m starting with the noncommissioned officers. I want to get to know you all as soon as possible. Mavis has a list. All the adjutants must check the time of their appointments. Right, let’s discuss yesterday’s cases. Captain Mat Joubert called me for assistance with a murder in Newlands . . .”
     
     
He looked at Mat and gave him a friendly smile. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Captain. Can you give us a progress report?”
     
     
Joubert was somewhat taken aback. He’d asked de Wit to come to the scene because it was standard procedure with all murders that had a high publicity potential. Now the man was giving it a different interpretation.
     
     
“Uh . . . It’s pretty thin, Colonel. The deceased certainly had extramarital relationships. Today we’ll check whether there’s a jealous husband in the picture somewhere. Perhaps someone at his office . . .”
     
     
“You can drop that,” de Wit interrupted him. “As I told the press last night, this is the work of a Chinese drug ring . . . Good piece in Die Burger this morning. If you dig deeply enough into the deceased’s background you’ll find the connection. I think the investigation can only benefit if you involve the narcotics bureau as well, Captain. Drop that jealous husband theory of yours. Interestingly enough, last year at the Yard we had two similar murders . . .”
     
     
De Wit broke eye contact with Joubert. Joubert stopped listening. There was an uncomfortable feeling in his belly, as if an insect were scrabbling through his entrails.
     
     
Reluctantly he phoned the officer commanding SANAB— the South African Narcotics Bureau— after the morning assembly.
     
     
“What have you appointed there this time, Joubert?” the voice at the other end asked. “A clown? Cloete of public relations has just phoned me, asked whether de Wit had spoken to me. Cloete is mad as hell because your new boss chats to the newspapers himself. Cloete wants to know whether he can retire now and fish full-time. and what’s this crap about the Chinese mafia?”
     
     
“It’s based on the previous experience of my commanding officer, colonel. at this stage we have to investigate all possibilities.”
     
     
“Don’t give me that official smokescreen, Joubert. you’re just shielding de Wit.”
     
     
“Colonel, I would appreciate it very much if you and your staff would provide murder and robbery with any information which could cast more light on the possibility.”
     
     
“Ah, now i’ve got it. You’re under orders. Awright, you have my sympathy, Joubert. If we uncover a Chinese smuggling ring in the next two hundred years, you’ll be the first to know.”
     
     
    * * *
The investigating officer had to be present during the postmortem. That was the rule, the tradition— no matter what the state of the remains.
     
     
Joubert had never enjoyed it, not even in the good old days. But he could erect barriers between himself and the unsettling process that repeated itself