Dark Intent (28 page)

Jan Krige’s farm, near the Kruger Reserve

Kallis was in a good mood after he had left Dalton at the house with the others and set off to see Krige.
He knew Dalton and the woman would have heard him departing but they were now a depleted force. Dalton didn’t have the brains to decide on a course of action, Steiner couldn’t move and the woman was nothing to be reckoned with. The only thing Dalton would be capable of doing was to taunt the others and he would soon get tired of that. If he took one of the cars he wouldn’t go to the farm for fear of being wiped out by either Krige or himself and he would run the risk of the woman singing like a bird and him being hunted down like a dog, unless he killed her. When and if Dalton managed to get his act together he would have disappeared.

After thirty minutes Kallis finally reached the main gate leading onto the farm.
He parked the car, climbed over the fence and in the dark could just see the house in the near distance, only the one wing jutting out from behind a
kopje
. He went over to the side of the track that led to the house and when he was reasonably well concealed by the wild vegetation he started his approach. The going was fairly easy and after a few minutes he was in line with the
kopje
and had a clear view of the house. There were no lights on in the building and the only light came from the outside where a lamp had been attached to the roof overhang. Krige was either not there or he was asleep. To Kallis, Krige’s absence was more likely because the front yard was ideal for parking a car or utility vehicle and nothing was there. He was prepared to wait rather than go looking for him in the house and sat down behind a rock where he had a good view of the track and the house. In the dark he was close to being invisible.

Kallis waited for nearly forty minutes before the lights of a moving vehicle appeared at the start of the track near the gate.
The driver was going fast but being the only one around he was obviously confident there was no danger and he was in his element. As the vehicle neared the
kopje
he saw it was a Land Rover and it momentarily went out of sight before appearing again in front of the building. It swung in a circle and then stopped. Kallis had not seen Krige before but he had a general description of him and when the driver got out he was definitely Krige.

Kallis was transfixed by the sight of the man who had recently occupied his thoughts with a feeling of ambivalence, on the one hand admiring him for his determination and on the other despising him
because he had the white file.

In two giant strides Krige went up the front steps onto the verandah and then into the house, switching on some side lamps and transforming the front reception room into an oasis of light.
He poured a drink and sat down, taking a magazine from a rack. For Kallis it was a perfect setting, his target quietly seated, no one else in sight. It was time to move and Kallis, at last feeling the white file in his hands, left the
kopje
. He walked casually towards the verandah, climbed the steps and stopped just before the wide doors. Krige was three metres away and still reading when Kallis spoke.

‘Jan Krige,’ he said.
‘At last we meet. John Kallis.’

The look of surprise on Krige’s face when he twisted in his seat and saw Kallis could not have been easily imitated.
For a moment he stared and then he got to feet, his eyes never leaving Kallis.

‘I’ve heard of you,’ he said, throwing the magazine onto the chair.
‘Now get off this farm.’

Jan Krige’s farm

Steiner drove at well over
the speeding limit until he and Kirsty finally neared the gate of the farm. ‘What do you think I should do?’ he said. ‘Kallis has still got his lead and we want to reduce it by as much as we can. Mere minutes can alter the balance in this game.’

‘Go through the gate and drive along the track that leads to the house,’ she said.
‘When you near the
kopje
you will see a relatively unused track that veers away to the right and comes out at the side of the building. No one would go down that side of the house at this time and we can leave the car there.’

‘Perfect,’ said Steiner.
He drove through the gate and followed the track. When he was close to the second track to which Kirsty had referred she pointed to it. It wound round in a semi-circle through thick undergrowth and in less than a minute they reached the side of the house. He cut the engine and before getting out placed his hand on her arm.

‘This is where we part company,’ he said softly.
‘You know this place as well as anyone and I would like you to enter the house from the rear. You saw the lights are on in the front room and that indicates Krige is there. But we don’t know, and it could be to our advantage if he isn’t because you know the combination to the safe. That is where I think he is keeping the file.’

‘What about Kallis?’ she said.
‘If he was coming here he must have arrived by now. If he is here, his car is probably hidden near the gate. But, he might have come and gone.’

‘We don’t know,’ said Steiner, ‘and that is why we will have to very careful.
I’ll go round to the front. Take care of yourself.’

She watched him go and then started for the rear of the house.

When Steiner came to the front corner of the house he saw Krige’s Land Rover and walked slowly towards the front doors. The windows of the lounge were high enough above ground level for him not to be able to see inside and he had covered three-quarters of the distance to the doors when he heard Krige speaking. As Steiner listened, Krige stopped, and then came the unmistakeable voice of Kallis. Steiner couldn’t believe his luck.

‘I want you and more specifically the white file,’ said Kallis.
‘Don’t drag this out. I’ve already waited too long for it.’

‘Your audacity amazes me,’ said Krige, calmly.
He had faced many situations like this before and he had always come out on top. ‘You have obviously missed your vocation.’

Kallis levelled his pistol at Krige’s chest.
He had already noticed the holstered gun on Krige’s belt. ‘I’ll show you who’s missed his vocation,’ he said, part of him enjoying the foreplay and the other losing patience. ‘I’ll count to three and if you don’t give me the file I’ll slowly go to work on you with this gun until you do. I’ve not seen anyone who can stand pain like that. I’ll get the file in the end. There is no one to stop me.’

‘It’s not here,’ said Krige.
‘My lawyer has it.’

‘You’re lying,’ said Kallis.
‘Yesterday you killed him. Your Land Rover was seen near his house at the time of his death. It’s in the papers. Don’t tell me you went there without already having it in your possession. You killed him for some other reason.’

Krige thought of the Beretta at his side.
Somehow he had to stall for time until he could get it into play. ‘You are the last person who should talk about killing,’ he said. ‘I have heard from a reliable source that you got Rupert Bosch to steal the black file for you from the group offices. Last night someone shot him dead in his car. I believe it was you and you killed him because he posed a threat. With the black file in your hands, and I think it is outside in your car, there is only one thing that is missing from your collection. It is File A and you are convinced I’ve got it.’

‘So what if the black file is in my car,’ said Kallis, grinning confidently.
‘You won’t get it and I’m getting tired of your shit.’

With amazing speed for a heavily-built man, Kallis dropped to one knee and fired.
The bullet hit Krige in the shoulder, causing a stab of pain, and as his free hand went involuntarily to the wound, Kallis fired again, the bullet penetrating high up on the right thigh. The leg bent and Krige stared at him. ‘What’s next,’ he said, staying on his feet with difficulty. ‘You’ll never get that file.’

Steiner had heard and seen enough.
Using the rail, he swung himself onto the verandah and sprang through the doors. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Kallis took his attention off Krige and spun round. When he saw who it was, he took a step to the side, raised the gun and fired. But Steiner was already moving and as the bullet flew past his cheek he turned, and with consummate ease delivered a high, venomous kick that struck Kallis on the side of his head, killing him before his body reached the floor.

For a while Steiner looked at the body and then he faced Krige.
‘So, I’ve done your dirty work for you,’ he said, unemotionally. ‘You must be pleased.’

Krige had already drawn his gun, which was hanging at his side.
‘You did it for yourself,’ he said. ‘What made you come back?’

‘I think you know the answer to that,’ said Steiner.
‘What will you do with it now that you again have it in your hands? Teichmann will hunt you down as if you were a rabid dog.’

‘I work for him,’ said Krige, smiling.
‘When he sees Kallis and hears the story he will be standing in the queue to congratulate me. By that time I will already have retrieved the black file from Kallis’s car.’

‘Teichmann couldn’t care about stories,’ said Steiner.
‘Why do you think he asked me to help him? He didn’t trust you and Kallis and all he wanted was the return of the files. You two failed to deliver and whatever you tell him he will still ask for them. If he doesn’t get them you’ll become history. And, you won’t have the files with you.’

‘Where will be they be?’ asked Krige.

‘I’ll have them,’ said Steiner, smiling. ‘Surely you must know we’re all in this for what we can get.’

Krige grinned.
‘The white file is in my safe, for which you don’t have the combination, and I’ll soon have the other. I’ll tell Teichmann I know you spoke to him and that you were playing a double game on behalf of your masters, the DSO. He’ll believe me when I also say I do not know who has the files, and I’ll ask to be released from the job of finding them. The group trust me completely.’

‘The first thing he’ll do is contact me,’ said Steiner, getting ready to move.
He knew what was coming and he wanted it, the sooner the better.

‘You won’t be available,’ said Krige, stepping backwards to increase the distance between them.
He had seen how fast Steiner could act.

‘Where will I be?’ asked Steiner.

‘Dead,’ said Krige, slowly raising the pistol, certain that Steiner couldn’t reach him before he shot him.

But before he could detonate the charge, Kirsty’s voice came from behind him. ‘No he won’t.
I’m here to make sure. Get rid of the gun.’

Krige knew it was Kirsty.
‘Come and get it,’ he said, turning rapidly, desperately trying to level the gun. But she was ready and without hesitation fired two shots, hitting him in the centre of the forehead, killing him and then watching him fall. She stood still, looking at the man she had killed, feeling no remorse. He had deserved it, as had the others who were now going stiff. She looked at Steiner, the man who was so gentle, so dangerous and who was always there when she cried for help. He had killed but it was self-defence. They had left him no choice, men like Kallis, Dalton and those who had gone before, Koch, Richter and there bosom friends. They were all of the same type and there would always be men like them.

Steiner stood looking at Krige, and then he walked to her.
He took her in his arms.

‘For a moment, when all that was about to end, I thought you weren’t coming,’ he said.
‘I don’t like it when you leave it so late.’

‘I wanted to see if you could come out alive,’ she said.

Thank you,’ he said, smiling. ‘The next time you dream up something like that let me know so I can come prepared. You’re a very good shot. Where did you get the gun?’

‘I wondered when you would ask,’ she said.
‘It belonged to Dalton.’

‘I thought you put it in the drawer,’ said Steiner.

‘I was worried they would kill you,’ she said. ‘I was there to protect you.’

‘I’ve never heard that before.
Do I look incompetent?’

‘No,’ she said.
‘But I’ve now seen you shot by two people. One was when you were in this room three weeks ago and the other was when Dalton got you. You will just have to accept that you attract bullets.’ She broke out laughing. ‘I’m sorry. All this is my weird sense of humour. Forgive me.’

‘With difficulty,’ said Steiner, his face creasing with mirth.
‘You had me going.’

When she had stopped laughing she said:
‘What do we do with the bodies?’

‘One of them is your husband.’

‘He is no different from the other two. He had his chance and blew it.

‘I’ll phone Teichmann,’ he said.
‘I’ll also tell him to collect Dalton. I don’t want to return with him still there. But first I want to retrieve the files. We’ll start with the black file and use my car. Kallis would have parked beyond the gate. I’ll get his keys.’

After Steiner had found Kallis’s keys in one of his pockets, they went to the Mercedes and drove down the track to the gate.
Once through Steiner went slowly along the road that came in from the left. They soon found the car and after stopping next to it Steiner went to the boot and opened it. They started their search, looking in the cases, and were rewarded when, in the second case they tried, they found a package.

‘Have a look,’ said Steiner,
handing the package to Kirsty.

She opened the envelope, extracted the bound file with State Security 1960 to Present, File B embossed on it and went to the inside of the back cover.

‘This is what really counts,’ she said. She stuck her finger nail just under the corner of the synthetic backing and carefully peeled it away. Staring at them was the deep, round indentation of the Oriental seal.

‘God, it is actually the original File B,’ she said.
‘Like the other one, it kills those who get involved with it. Just the sight of it makes me go cold.’

‘Don’t lose sight of it,’ said Steiner.
‘Let’s get back to the house. All we need now is File A. Are you sure you remember the combination?’

‘Yes,’ she said.
‘I only hope he hasn’t changed it.’

‘We’ll see.’

They soon reached the farmhouse and went through the lounge to the study. The safe was in the corner of the room and Kirsty immediately went to it. She dialled the combination and then tried the door. It yielded and right in front of their eyes was a package, similar to the one that housed the black file. After she had removed the file from inside the envelope she turned to the back cover and peeled away part of the synthetic backing. The seal was there and she returned the file to its envelope.

She put the file under her arm but before she shut the safe she noticed a similar package on the bottom shelf.
She took it out, removed the file that was in it and looked for the seal inside the back cover. She glanced at Steiner. ‘The seal is not there. I feel like a detective.’ She replaced it, shut the safe and turned to Steiner. ‘Do you want to phone Teichmann?’ she said. ‘There’s a phone on the desk. I would like to hear what you say.’

They went to the phone and Steiner pulled up two chairs.
‘Please sit down,’ he said.

After they were both seated she said:
‘I am really interested in what you say about the files, particularly when you used those nebulous words when you spoke to him.’

He dialled Teichmann’s home number and he answered.

‘Teichmann.’

‘Johan.
It’s James Steiner. Do you remember me?’

‘My memory’s not that bad,’ said Teichmann.
‘How can I help you?’

‘I and Kirsty Krige have retrieved the originals of the two files,’ he said.
‘But before I go any further I’d like you to arrange for something to be done.’

‘You actually got them,’ said Teichmann quietly.
‘What do you want done?’

‘I would like you to send some of your people to the house where Kirsty and I have been staying and collect John Dalton’s corpse.
They will find it against the wall at the back.’

‘What’s the address?’ said Teichmann as if he was arranging to meet someone for tea.

Steiner gave it to him.

‘Is that all?’ asked Teichmann.

‘No,’ said Steiner. ‘After collecting Dalton I’d like them to go to the Krige farm. At the front of the house they’ll find the bodies of Jan Krige and John Kallis. They must also be removed. I would like all this to be done now. Kirsty and I will soon be returning to her house and we don’t want to see Dalton lying in the back yard.’