TurfWars-Criminal Underworld

Secrets

Thando’s face was the last thing Hlubi expected to find at her door step. After the night’s events, she was expecting some form of retaliation from Spanner. She expected one of his men to know at her door within the next 24 hours. She was ready. She had known that her actions carried heavy consequences that she will need to face at some point. With no protection available anymore she was a sitting duck waiting for the hunter to take aim and fire. She thought of going to the station and confessing to Kraft, he was a kind man that helped every officer under his care. That idea was thrown out the window when she thought about all the sins she had committed against that station. They outweigh the punishment she was going to get. Life in prison for an ex-cop was the equivalent to hell. She had never been to hell but she imagined it wouldn’t be any different. Plus, Spanner would reach her in there. She would join countless others who have become statistics in prison. An officer’s ‘accidental’ death. She thought of turning State witness, revealing all that Smiles and his gang had done, “would Kraft accept that?” she asked herself as she sat in her stylish living, all shiny and clean. A glass coffee table in front of her with a glass of Gin untouched since it was poured. Next to it, a bottle of Gin, half way through. Her mind was deep in thought, anxious and stressed. She awaited Spanner to make his move. The knock on the door startled her and as reflexes go, she drew her gun immediately and aimed it towards the door. The knock came again. She did not wait to ask who it was. She knew who was knowing. Spanner’s men have finally come to visit her. She aimed her gun and opened, ready to pull the trigger, if she was dying she was talking one of them with her.

The clam, silence and tranquillity that now flowed through the hospital corridors of Grey General did not reflect the, chaotic mess that was boling in James’s mind. The events of the previous hour made it difficult for him to understand what was going on. He thought of the shoot-out at Chiliza’s, how he escaped death, now this chase that has landed someone in hospital. The case was getting to him. He was finding fire and no water to put out the burning blazes. Mazibuko approached him and sat next to his sombre body that was hunched low, trapped in a depressing state. “I reported the matter to the station. They waiting for us to go give our statement.” Mazibuko looked at the detective who did not say anything in response. “I wanted to find out what the boy had” Said James in a mournful tone that portrayed death. “Which boy?” asked Mazibuko. James looked up as the footsteps of a nurse walking towards them caught his attention. It was Maria. James stood up, a little energized and ready to hear what Maria had for them. “I just spoke to the doctor, your friend is lucky, the bullet missed any vital organ, so she has no internal bleeding, but A few fractures on her spine, close to where the bullet passed through, shows some worrying signs on the X-ray, so she is staying the night for observation” silence befell James as he processed the information Maria was saying to him.

“And the baby?” asked Mazibuk, she is okay, sound asleep with the other babies. “Can we see her?” asked James when he finally found his voice. “The baby, sure you can follow-”

“Not the baby, the girl” said James. Maria looked at James and then at Mazibuko. “We just need to ask her some questions” assured James.

“I’ll go see if she is awake, meanwhile I’ll have to re-patch you” She pointed to his shoulder. “Yeah, I need another healing touch” Maria walked away as Mazibuko turned to James “Detective, I know I have not passed my exam yet, but you are in no condition to ask questions on a case you are directly connected to”

“Constable, I just need to know what she knows about Smile’s death”

“How is she connected?” asked Mazibuko as concern befell his face.

“Toolkit might have told her something, why else would Spanner’s men want her?”

Mazibuko spent a moment thinking about what James had just said. From afar Maria called James through. “Give me 5 minutes Mazibuko” said James as he made his way to the Maria.