Zandile keeps a long distance between her car and Kasi Chef. Her heart pounds as she thinks what might be in the boot of the car she is following. She calls the office.
“Cynthia, are Detective Mdluli and Detective Msomi there?”
“No, they are still out,” says Cynthia.
“Get them to call me urgently. And use that new equipment of yours to track Kasi Chef’s car for me. I’m following him and I don’t want to lose him.”
“OK, Detective Cele, I’m on it,” says Cynthia.
“Where’s Commander Ncube?”
“He left early to attend a dinner hosted by the Premier. He will be taking calls only after nine.”
“Fine. I’ll send him a message. Get Mdluli and Msomi to call me as soon as possible,” she barks into the phone. “It’s urgent. And keep tracking Kasi Chef’s car, and mine.”
It is easier now to tail Kasi Chef without raising suspicion, because they are in the township where there are many cars. Kasi Chef takes it easy, staying within the speed limit. Zandile keeps him in her sights. But soon he turns into a road leading away from the township. There are fewer cars on this road so Zandile keeps a longer distance between them. She knows the road will reach a T-junction further ahead. She presses the accelerator pedal, worried she will lose her quarry.
Zandile approaches the T-junction at high speed, only to find that Kasi Chef’s car has disappeared. She parks on the side of the road and calls Cynthia.
“Cynthia, I’ve lost Kasi Chef. Which way did he go?”
“He took a left towards Adams Mission,” says Cynthia. “He is just a few kilometres from where you are.”
“So, he is straight up ahead if I take a left?”
“Yes. And not very far from where you are right now.”
Zandile presses the accelerator pedal. She hasn’t travelled far when Cynthia calls. “He just took a left turn and is slowing down considerably,” she says.
“I think I know where he turned. Is there a large building at the corner of that left turn?”
“Yes. He passed a large building after he turned. He is on the move but real slow.”
Zandile knows the area. Many professionals are moving to Adams Mission because land is cheap. There are no tar roads yet, but there is electricity and running water.
If it really is his missing wife’s body, then where was he hiding it? The only place we didn’t check that was big enough to hide a body is the long chest freezer in the kitchen, she thinks. Not unusual for a chef to have at home. But the thought of a frozen corpse sends a cold tremor coursing through her body.
Her phone rings.
“He has just stopped five hundred metres ahead of you,” says Cynthia.
Zandile hits the brakes. She continues on foot, gun and binoculars in hand. There are no street lights in this area and houses are far apart, so the moon and the stars shine bright. After negotiating a bend on the gravel road she sees the brake lights of Kasi Chef’s car bright in the distance. She hides behind the trunk of a mango tree and looks on through her binoculars.
***
Tell us what you think: Should Zandile lie low until backup arrives, or, being armed, head straight in?