The Shudder Lingers Read online

  Copyright © David J van der Merwe

  writing as David Vander

  ISBN -13: 978-0-620-81663-2

  All characters in this publication are fictitious

  and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead,

  is purely coincidental.

  Book cover design and typesetting

  by Gregg Davies (www.greggdavies.com)

  All rights reserved.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted

  No part of this publication may be reproduced,

  distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,

  including photocopying, recording, or other electronic

  or mechanical methods, without the prior written

  permission of the author, except in the case of brief

  quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain

  other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is dedicated to

  family and friends who have

  encouraged me to keep on writing.

  Prologue

  Accused of a double murder, Stacey is intimidated by the police who appear to have sinister motives. She finds herself pitted against an increasingly hostile Daniella for control of a successful technology business in Cape Town. The business uses drone technology to thwart perlemoen smugglers and support rhino anti-poaching efforts in the Kruger Park. Daniella employs intimidation tactics against Stacey, while mysteriously using the business and its drone technology as a front for criminal activities that rage across the Western Cape. Stacey and her soul mate, Slade, embark on an adventure full of intrigue, murder and intensifying deception. Stacey is gradually drawn into an entangled web of criminal complexity and ongoing skirmishes with Daniella. Survival for Stacey means making tough and innovative choices.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Background

  Also by David Vander

  Chapter One

  Stacey Saranga stared out of the window as the starkness of the Karoo blurred past. Her mind was in turmoil as she reflected on the events of the past few months and on the deaths of Wilson Spectre and Wang Lee the day before. Emotionally she vacillated between moments of guilt and relief, never pausing on either for too long. The occasional tear rolled down her cheek. She turned to glance at Gavin Spectre, who seemed distant and was clearly trying to come to terms with the trauma of his father’s death. Stacey reached out and gently squeezed his arm. He turned and offered a strained smile. Words were unnecessary. She could see how the pain of losing his mother and now his father had made him resilient and had brought about a maturity beyond his years. She reflected on how he had changed since she first met him as a grumpy teenager, and how he had become calmer and more self-controlled. He had grown into a lanky young man, sharing the same light Mediterranean skin and blue eyes as his sister Lizzie.

  She reverted to staring at the distant horizon, reliving the brutal confessions of Wang Lee before he had died. She mulled over two unanswered questions, namely: did Daniella Arundel actually kill Kirsten Spectre and who was the young Chinese guy that she had seen several times, seemingly following her? Physical exhaustion finally stifled her efforts to focus on either question, and as Daniella's name softly passed over her lips, she felt the all too familiar shudder. She closed her eyes in a silent prayer, no more shudders please. She attempted to shut out the day before, but images of a slumped and dying Wilson kept flashing before her. She could not forget how Wang had taunted her, either.

  Her mobile phone buzzed, and a text from Slade Kent appeared, “What time will you be home?” She felt a tingle of anticipation, longing to feel her fiancé’s strong arms embrace her. Looking up, she saw a distance marker for Cape Town. She sent a message back, “About one hour. Can't wait to see you. Love Stacey.”

  Gavin spoke for the first time on the journey home, and in an anguished tone, he said, "Not long to go. As soon as we get home, I want to go and see Lizzie. She needs to know what happened to Dad." Stacey turned to see a tear running down his face. He seethed, “Why did he have to be murdered like that? Why did Wang have to shoot him? They were business partners, surely they could have worked out their differences? Life isn’t fair.” She felt an urge to respond, but words eluded her, and so she simply gave his arm another gentle squeeze. He whispered, “Thank you Stacey,” and a few seconds later, “I'm so sorry for everything you have had to endure since you met our family.” Again, she remained silent.

  It was dusk as they approached the Cape Town, where Table Mountain was shrouded in light clouds, appearing majestic, yet eerie in the fading light. Shortly thereafter, Gavin turned into the driveway of the Spectre home. The house looked dark and deserted, except for one light shining upstairs. Gavin parked the vehicle and opened the trunk, “Here, let me grab your bag. I will unpack later.” He took her bag and placed it next to her car. He approached Stacey, opened his arms to give her a big hug, and held on tightly for a minute. She could feel the tension in his body. He moved away and whispered, “I'm off to see Lizzie.” He jumped back into the vehicle, reversed and then sped away.

  Stacey stood mesmerised, staring at the Spectre home, pondering how fate had brought her here as a part-time house sitter, and how, over time, she had become entrenched in the lives of the Spectre family and lured ever closer to WKJD, the family-run IT business in Cape Town. She also wondered how a drone application she wrote years before could have ended up bringing her even closer to WKJD in the way that it did. As she looked up at her old bedroom window, a gentle shiver ran down her back as she thought about the fact that Kirsten’s body had been in the wall behind her bed for months. She knew that this was not a happy place, and she silently hoped never to return here again.

  Suddenly she felt the hairs on her arms standing upright, and instantly knew that she was not alone. She intuitively felt something behind her and spun around, just as someone was approaching her from the shadows, in a slow but deliberate way. As much as she wanted to flee, she was cemented to the ground.

  As the person slithered from the shadows into the dimly-lit
street, Stacey recognised the tall outline of Daniella, her red hair glowing in the street light. Although relieved, her voice quivered, “Hi Daniella. I didn't expect to see you here.” Daniella continued approaching slowly, but deliberately, and stopped one foot away. Her dark piercing eyes had been intently locked onto Stacey, reflecting a deep and dramatic anger. Stacey spluttered, “D-Daniella, you are frightening me. I assume you have heard about Wilson?” The only response was more of that intense stare that seemed to be gouging at her. Stacey felt her knees quaking and glanced up at the light in the window of the house, silently hoping someone was watching, and would come out to ease the tension.

  In that brief moment, while Stacey’s eyes were diverted, Daniella drew back her arm and landed a hefty punch straight into Stacey's face. Stacey felt instant pain and was propelled backwards against the wall. She held her nose with both hands and felt a trickle of warm blood running into her mouth. Daniella leant closer, “You killed Wilson, you little bitch. Your days are numbered. You’re next.”

  Stacey was shaking, and with anger welling up inside, she contemplated returning the favour when car lights suddenly lit up the driveway. Daniella walked over and got into the passenger seat, after which the driver backed out of the driveway, and accelerated away. Stacey wiped away the blood and hurriedly threw her bag onto the back seat of her car. She was fuming with anger and fumbled to get the key into the ignition. With her fingers trembling, it took a while to dial Slade’s number.

  He replied after the first ring, “Hi, where are you? I am waiting for you outside your apartment.”

  She replied tensely, “I will be there in about ten minutes.” Slade Kent sensed the edginess in her voice, but by then she had cut the call. Stacey replayed the strange and frightening few moments with Daniella in her mind, before angrily whispering under her breath, “I don’t know what that was all about from Daniella. I know she lost her lover Wilson, but why threaten to kill me? Something doesn’t make sense!”

  Stacey drove off feverishly, almost crashing into another vehicle in her rush. With her heart pounding after the close encounter, she arrived at her apartment block a few minutes later. She screeched to a halt, jumped out and ran to him.

  Slade stood tall at six feet, and opened his arms to embrace her, drawing her close, and giving her comfort. She felt the strength of his broad shoulders, and all the turbulent emotions of the last few days seemed to explode all around her and she started crying uncontrollably. He held her closely, allowing her the time to let it all out, until she slowly pushed herself away and looked into his eyes, staring silently. He noticed traces of blood on her nose and shirt but said nothing. She wiped her eyes, grabbed her bag and they headed into the building.

  She unlocked the door to her apartment and they went in. Slade offered her a cup of coffee, which she gratefully accepted. They went out onto the small balcony, holding hands and staring out over the city lights. Slade softly said, “I'm so glad you are safe. I was worried sick about you. Tell me what happened out there in the Karoo, I just have a sense that there is a lot to tell. And how did you get that blood on your nose?”

  After a deep breath, she touched her nose gingerly and told him, “The bloody nose is from Daniella. She was waiting for me when we got back from the Karoo, and accused me of killing Wilson, and then she punched me.”

  He replied in shock, "Wilson is dead?”

  She nodded, “So is Wang.”

  He shifted uneasily in his chair, “What? They’re both dead? And why is Daniella accusing you? Why did she hit you?”

  He waited patiently, holding her hand, squeezing it gently for encouragement, as she started recounting the full details of the trip out to the Karoo. She unpacked in detail the events of the previous Saturday. She recounted how Wilson, Wang and herself had set off in the morning to test the drones and App. She then detailed the anxious moment, when Wang had pulled a gun, and pointed it at Wilson and herself. She shared the harrowing experience of being tied up in the boiling sun, and how Wang had taunted her continuously. She elaborated on how Wang had then shot Wilson, allegedly for stealing Daniella away from him. She shivered as she described the freakish event of Wang dying after a cobra had bitten him. She sniffed deeply and drew a breath. Then she explained the silent arrival of Gavin, and how he had used a drone to record Wang confessing to killing James Arundel, as well as record Wilson and Wang’s final living moments. She quivered as she relived the whole ordeal, and she felt Slade's hand tighten as she saw the anger rise in his eyes.

  He spoke through clenched teeth, “Well, Wang is lucky he is dead, otherwise I would have done something to him which I may have regretted.” She looked at him but did not respond. She went on with her horrible tale. Slade was patient as she explained the details, only jumping in to clarify his understanding every now and then.

  Eventually he queried, “Coming back to your bloodied nose and Daniella’s punch, how did she know you would be back at the Spectre home at that particular time?”

  She stared at him. “I don't know. That is strange, how did she know? Even more strange was the way she threatened me.”

  Several hours went by as they discussed the details of what had transpired. She paused often to take a deep breath, clearly finding solace in being able to talk through the traumatic events. Slade patiently listened, offering emotional words of support or giving her an encouraging hug. She observed his gentle empathetic support and was grateful that she was with her soul mate.

  It was late in the evening when Stacey fell asleep in Slade's arms. He gently picked her up and took her to bed, covering her with a duvet. He returned to the lounge and replayed some of the events in his mind. It plagued him that Daniella had known the timing of Stacey's return to Camps Bay. “Something doesn’t make sense,” he whispered to himself. “This is far from over.”

  Slade awoke early in the morning to the sounds of the city, having fallen asleep on the couch. He was stiff, and stretched as he got up, before going in to check on Stacey. He panicked momentarily when he did not find her in the apartment but was relieved when he found a note on the kitchen counter saying, “Gone for a run.”

  But when he saw her returning from her run he was somewhat taken aback as she had dark rings under her eyes and her face was severely bruised from the punch that Daniella had landed. He looked at her athletic body, her long brown hair, but was again drawn to her bruised face. She grimaced as she smiled at him, “It doesn't look good does it?”

  He shook his head, “No, but my love, in a few days’ time, the bruising will disappear, and you will look your normal gorgeous self.” She gave him a flirtatious grin.

  Chapter Two

  Stacey reluctantly got ready and headed into work. She was certainly not ready to return but needed the distraction from the stressful weekend. Kate and their boss were chatting at the coffee station when she walked in. Kate took one look at her and rushed over, “Oh my gosh Stacey! What happened to you?”

  Stacey noticed a condescending raised eyebrow from her boss. She replied, “Well, it’s a rather long story. I will share it with you over lunch.” She stared at her disappearing boss, knowing full well that all the distractions in her life was having an impact on her work. Despite loving her role as an independent contractor doing data analytics, and having always been a star performer, she feared losing her job, as she knew that she had not been as focused as was to be expected.

  Kate had known Stacey since their university days and knew that her friend would talk when she was ready. Kate gave her a hug and said, “I can see that you are troubled. Let me know if you want to talk or if you need anything.”

  Stacey set up her laptop and tried to focus on responding to emails but found it difficult to concentrate. At noon, she received a call from reception, “Stacey, I have the police and an investigator at the front desk.” She nervously got up, fearing the worst. At the reception desk she found two burly police detectives and the welcome sight of Gerald Visser, the Spectre family’s
private investigator. Over the past few months, a strong bond had developed between Gerald and Stacey. Although Gerald was the investigator, Stacey had a knack for asking questions that could lead to answers or make observations that brought in a different perspective. Gerald was a thin, wiry coloured man of medium height, with wrinkles that showed hardship, but also deep character. His dark eyes were sharp but reflected empathy. He came across to greet her, but he slowed down when he saw her severely bruised nose, “Hey there Stacey, I'm glad to see that you are alive, although clearly bruised. The police are here to take your statement on the deaths of Wilson and Wang. I thought you may need some support," he said, and she nodded approvingly.

  She realised that she had not provided a statement to the police in the Karoo and allowed herself to calm down slightly. She ushered them into a small meeting room and they all sat down. Without any introductions, the first police officer asked her about the incident and started taking a hand-written statement in his notebook. Stacey carefully recounted her story, but the police officer was painfully slow in capturing the statement and kept asking her to repeat herself. She felt irritated and offered to write it herself. Gerald sensed her frustration and gently encouraged her, “Relax Stacey, just stay focused on what happened.” She knew that he was a deeply sincere man, and she truly appreciated his support.