Thirteen Hours

She was using the story to punish herself, thought Dekker. It was her penance, this exposure. But she stopped and looked around. 'There's usually some water here. It's hot...'

'I'll ask Natasha,' he said and got to his feet. When he went out of the door he saw Josh down the passage, looking restless and worried.

'Are you finished?'

'Not yet, Mr Geyser.'

The big man nodded and went back into the conference room.

Rachel Anderson heard the voices further off, but not the words. They went on for so long that she grew increasingly convinced that there were no tracks leading to her. The tension dissipated slowly from her body; her heartbeat steadied.

Until she heard the click-clack of a woman's shoes, right up close to her, just two or three steps away.

'OK. Thank you,' said the same black woman as earlier.

'I hope you find her,' said the man's voice.

'She can't be far. We will go and search the park.'

'Good luck.'

'OK.' She heard the woman walk away. Moments later the door closed and then she knew she would be safe.

Melinda Geyser gulped down half a glass of water and kept it in the hand that was resting on the arm of the couch.

'We went to play for a wedding in Bethlehem in the Eastern Free State. After the reception we stayed over in the chalets at Lake Athlone. The place was empty. We made a fire outside and sat in the dark, drinking and chatting. Da

'The guitarist kissed me first. He said he knew what would make Da

When she fell silent, Dekker asked: 'Was that on the DVD?'

She nodded.

'Barnard wanted to blackmail you.' He spoke with certainty.

'No. He was the one being blackmailed. When I passed the DVD back to him and said I knew what it was, he said he had to pay sixty thousand for it. He said it arrived a week ago by registered post, with a note saying: Watch this when you are alone. Or Melinda's career is over. The call came three days later, from a man wanting fifty thousand or he would put it on the Internet. I asked Adam why he had paid sixty then. He told me the other ten thousand was to make sure it was the only copy.'

'How did he manage that?'

'I asked him that too. He said this wasn't the first time he had had to protect one of his artist's interests. He had people who help with that, an agency. They followed the trail of the money transfers, until they found the man.'

'Was it the bass guitarist?'

'No. Da

'Your ex?'

'You have to admit there is some kind of justice in it.'

'How did they make sure it was the only copy?'

'I don't know. I tried to phone Da

Dekker digested this information. This thing was getting big. And complex. 'But why did Barnard tell you this, if it was sorted out?'

'I think the video aroused Adam.'

'So he blackmailed you?'

'No, he simply spotted an opportunity.'

'Oh?'

'He told me there was nothing to worry about. I was grateful. Then he smiled and put the DVD in the player. I could have walked out. But I wanted to see it again. One last time. We watched it together. When it was over he asked if he could kiss me. I said yes.'

She saw Dekker's expression and she said: 'I was very grateful to Adam. He was discreet. He went to a lot of trouble and expense. Seeing that video again ... yourself. Young ... so ... randy ...'

Dekker continued to frown.

'You must be wondering how a born-again woman could do something like that. You see, Mr Dekker, I don't believe in a condemning God. I think it was Bishop Tutu who said "God has a soft spot for si

Dekker was speechless. They sat there in silence, listening to the hiss of the gas lamp. For the first time she clasped her hands on her lap. 'You want to know why I told Josh. That's the thing I can't really explain. I walked out of here with the DVD in my handbag. I knew they knew, Willie, Wouter ...'

'Wouter?'

'The financial director. Wouter Steenkamp. His office is next to Adam's. I knew they would have heard me because I'm loud when it comes to sex. Adam had his ... talents. The sound of Natasha's voice when I passed her ... Maybe she was in the corridor when it was going on. She suspected something. But I was out of there and went and sat in my car. I had the DVD and I wanted to break it. I never knew how hard that is. It bends, but it doesn't easily break, just like the human spirit. I took a pair of tweezers out of my handbag and scratched it with that. That was the best I could do. I scratched it until I was sure it would never work again. I phoned Da

Chapter 22

When Vusi Ndabeni parked opposite Carlucci's the police helicopter was overhead, the wap-wap of its rotor blades deafening. He spotted Mbali Kaleni standing next to a patrol vehicle with a radio microphone in her hand, the wire looping through the open window. She had a map book of Cape Town open on the car's bo