The Shudder Lingers Read online

  Stacey felt the emotion rise in her throat, as the death threat from earlier in the morning and the emotional thank you from Lizzie, simply got to her. Slade offered her a serviette. She took it and wiped away the tears, “I’m sorry. I have no idea why that should have made me cry. Thanks Lizzie, you too are like the sister I never had. I can’t wait to see you out of here.”

  Elon chirped Slade, “Please can you tell us a joke, before we all start crying.” Everyone laughed and with the emotional moment broken, it allowed the conversation to drift to lighter matters. Stacey could not help but immerse herself deeply in enjoying the moment with Slade and their friends, blocking out the world beyond. She noticed Slade staring intently at her. She winked at him and smiled.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Having expected some form of violent reaction from Daniella or even another death threat, several days went by without any incident. Although Stacey was vigilant, she never sensed any danger, and wanted to believe that the original call was more intimidation than intent, and she hoped it was not the calm before the storm.

  All that changed on Wednesday morning, when Stacey received the next death threat, the message was the same as before, except that the caller indicated that she now had less than two weeks left, the same electronic voice ended the message with, “Tick-tock, tick-tock.” Although more prepared for the call, Stacey still felt weak at the knees, and a shudder ran down her back. She knew that this was serious and that it was not simply an intimidation call. She felt dizzy as she walked down the office passage looking for Slade. She found him in a project room and beckoned him out, “I have just had another death-threat call.”

  Slade held her tightly and as he looked up, he saw Daniella and Jackie huddled together, looking their way, with satisfied smirks written all over their faces. Slade ensured that Stacey did not see them, as he led her to the pause area and poured her a cup of coffee.

  While they sat in silence, Slade’s mobile phone rang. He answered, “Hi Magriet. How are you?”

  Magriet answered, “I’m afraid not well. Gerald has disappeared and there has been no sign of him since yesterday. Have you seen him or spoken to him?”

  Slade said, “I’m afraid not. Are you sure he is not at home or something?”

  “Of course, I’m sure. As I said, there is absolutely no trace of him. His mobile phone and car keys were in his office. I know the signs; this does not feel right.”

  He replied, “Sorry Magriet, I did not mean to doubt you. Please keep me posted and let me know if there is anything I can do.”

  Stacey had been preoccupied with her death threat and was not paying attention to Slade’s call, “Who was that?”

  Slade whispered, “That was Magriet. Gerald has disappeared.”

  Fear swirled through her body, “It has to be Daniella. She has had him killed.”

  Slade hushed her as two colleagues entered the pause area, “I’m sure he is just fine. He is probably hiding away on some stakeout.”

  Stacey jumped up, “I need to run. I have something I need to attend to. I’ll see you at home tonight. I’ll cook.”

  As she turned her back on him, he said, “Please don’t do anything silly.” Without turning back, she waved a hand at him.

  Stacey drove speedily to Gerald’s offices and found Magriet, “Do you have a moment for me please?” They went into a small meeting room and sat down.

  Magriet said without preamble, “I was thinking about the chair on the table. I recall now that it was the calling card for a small-time inner city gang. They gain access to an apartment block, and then climb around the outside of the building via the balcony and gain access in that way. Climbing around a high rise balcony is a rite of passage. Their modus operandi is small-time theft. So, I don’t think it is anything to really worry about.” Stacey nodded, before Magriet continued, “But, that’s not why you are here.”

  Stacey nodded, breathed deeply and then whispered, “No it is not.” She wrung her hands and stared at the ceiling before finally fixing her gaze on Magriet. “I want to disappear.”

  Completely taken aback, Magriet blurted out, “You want to do what?”

  “I want to disappear.”

  Magriet said, “I heard that, but exactly what do you mean by disappear?”

  Stacey stuck her chin out and stated confidently, “I have decided I want to bring down Daniella. I want to create the impression that I’m dead. By going undercover, I will have a huge advantage.”

  Magriet crossed her arms and stared intently at Stacey, “Shit. You really are serious. I have to take my hat off to you, but do you have any idea what you are up against?”

  Stacey replied, “Yes I do. I have been praying as well. I think I might have an advantage with God on my side.” All she got was a raised eyebrow from Magriet. “I’m serious, I want to do this.”

  Magriet sat in silence and finally unfolded her arms, “I believe you. If you don’t want to get yourself killed, there is a heck of a lot I need to teach you and prepare you for.” She left the office and fetched two cups of coffee, “OK, let’s get started.”

  Several hours went by as Magriet discussed the intricacies of the underworld and how Stacey might survive undercover. Finally, Magriet said, “Great, I think we have covered all angles. Shall we do the video recording?” Stacey nodded.

  Magriet fetched her camera and set Stacey against a white wall, so that there was nothing visible that anyone watching the video could see. When they were done shooting the video, Stacey gave Magriet a hug, “Thanks.”

  She nodded, “I’ll have someone pick you up tomorrow morning as planned.”

  Stacey felt a surreal calmness as she drove home. She took a long shower and started preparing lamb shanks for dinner. She opened a bottle of her favourite Shiraz wine and said to herself, “It might be a while before I get to taste a good bottle of wine again.” While the lamb was cooking she stood on the balcony and took in the view. She closed her eyes and listened to the familiar sounds from the city, and then opened her eyes and took in the view. She was ready for her disappearing act.

  Slade arrived home and sniffed the air, “Smells great. What is the occasion?” Stacey just smiled and said nothing.

  They sat down to dinner and enjoyed the meal, laughing and sharing memories from their early dating days. When the meal and the bottle of wine was finished, Stacey leant across the dining room table, “Slade, there is something I need to tell you.” She noticed the colour leaving his face. “Before you say anything, please hear me out and allow me to finish.”

  He started, “I don’t like the sound of it. I recognise that tone in your voice. You are about to do something that I will find crazy, and no matter what I say, you will do it anyway.” He looked at her, and saw a look in her eyes. “I knew it.”

  She held up her hand, “Let me explain.” Reluctantly he sat back and listened. She went through the plans and the planning with Magriet earlier in the afternoon. The more she spoke, the paler his face got, “And finally, please don’t forget to do a bank transfer to Gerald’s company tomorrow. I will need some money to live off.”

  Slade was unable to find words, and all he could do was continually shake his head, “I really don’t like it at all. I might never see you alive again.”

  She placed her fingers over his mouth, and whispered, “I promise you that I will survive. I will also arrange to meet you from time to time. Please just trust me.” He nodded half-heartedly. She then held his hands and pulled him up, “All I want now is for us to make passionate love. I need to feel that bond between us.” She slowly led him away to the bedroom.

  Chapter Fifty

  Stacey was up early and went for a long run, knowing that at least for a while she may not be free to do so. After a long shower and breakfast, she got ready to leave. Slade was hovering over her every move, “I had really hoped that you would have changed your mind overnight.”

  She frowned, “I’m afraid not.” They embraced for a long time, befo
re she gently pushed herself away from him. “Goodbye for now. I love you madly.”

  “Me too.”

  Stacey left her apartment, only pausing briefly to blow Slade a kiss. As she entered the elevator, she thought about how weird it was to be leaving home with only the clothes she was wearing and some cash in her pocket. She took no clothes, no jewellery, no watch and no phone. She walked briskly to cover the three blocks, and saw the car sent by Magriet waiting as planned. She knocked on the window and the stranger opened the door.

  The driver was a middle-aged coloured woman who greeted her politely, but then turned to focus on the road. Magriet had told her not to engage with anyone unless absolutely necessary. They rode in silence until they reached the safe house. The driver pointed to a dilapidated house. “Go knock on that door.”

  Stacey thanked her and headed to the door, her previous confidence had suddenly vanished, and she found her stomach churning. She got to the third step, and then turned, ready to quit her plan, turning to look at the car that dropped her off, she saw that it was already racing away. As she paused on the steps, she studied the neighbourhood, it was what could only be described as a poor middle class area.

  She heard the door ahead of her opening as the hinges creaked. Looking up, all she saw was a hand beckoning her to come forward. Despite the warm morning she felt cold as she tentatively took the few steps towards the open door. The hallway was dimly lit, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust from the strong light outside. She closed the door behind her and only then did she recognise Magriet standing there.

  Magriet said, “Hello. Follow me.”

  They entered another door and headed up a stairway, where there was another door. She followed Magriet and entered a more modest and well-lit communal area. Magriet waved her in, “Welcome to your new home. This will be your temporary base. Your bedroom and bathroom are at back there. You will notice that there are no windows on this floor. This place was designed with false windows from the outside, but it is sealed inside. That has allowed us to keep this place secure for many years.”

  Stacey walked into the room allocated to her. It was sparse and a far cry from her bedroom in the apartment.

  Magriet then took her into another room which was fitted out as a dressing room with several cupboards. She opened one and pointed inside, “You should find some clothes in here. Please remove what you have on.”

  Stacey was about to object, as she had put on her favourite pair of denim jeans in the morning. She saw the annoyed look on Magriet’ s face, and realised that if she was to go undercover, she could not wear anything that would be recognised. She got undressed and handed her clothes over. She rummaged through the cupboard and found something to wear.

  Magriet then opened another cupboard door, “This is our disguise cupboard. Every time you go out, you will use this and change your appearance.” She pulled out a funny looking outfit and threw it at Stacey, “Here, try this on.”

  Stacey held up what appeared to be running pants but with significant padding around the bum area and the legs. She burst out laughing, “You have got to be kidding me?” Magriet was not even smiling. Stacey took off the pants she had on and pulled on the padded pants. She saw a small mirror against the wall and looked at herself and laughed again, “OK, I get it. This is part of the disguise. It should be fun to have a different body type, at least for a while.” This time she did get a smile from Magriet.

  Finally, Magriet showed her the various wigs and the make-up stand. She said, “Each time you head out, wear a different wig, change your make-up, wear different jewellery or use these skin-coloured stickers.” She passed a handful to Stacey, “Some of these stickers have scars, moles or tattoos. Very useful when you want to change your appearance.”

  Stacey said, “Cool, this could be fun.”

  Magriet said tersely, “You have no idea just how much fun it will be. The kitchen is stocked with basic essentials every third day. It definitely is not a holiday club, so be satisfied with what you get. Finally, here is a false identification book. As of today, your name is Sarie.”

  Stacey said, “Thanks Magriet. I really appreciate your help.”

  Magriet said, “Pleasure. I just hope it works out as you planned. I will be in touch via others but will try and pop in here once or twice a week. Remember never to try and contact me directly or come to the office. Good luck.” She gave Stacey a hug and left.

  She slowly walked around the room, taking in her new quarters, trying to make the conceptual shift from her apartment and plush offices to what was to be her temporary home. She said aloud, “I guess you will just have to suck it up.”

  With that she heard a shuffle from the next room and froze. She slowly inched towards the sound coming from a closed door. She contemplated running after Magriet before stopping. Suddenly the door in front of her was flung open, and a young black woman was staring at her, “What are you staring at?”

  Stacey was flustered, “I-I guess I didn’t expect anyone else to be here.”

  The young black woman just laughed, “Don’t worry, you are not the only one hiding away.” Before Stacey could reply, she came over and shook hands, “Just a reminder, in here we don’t ask any questions of each other and we only ever use our fake names. The less we know about each other the better. My name is Gladys.”

  Stacey replied, “Hi, my name is St… I mean Sarie.” With that, Gladys returned to her room and closed the door.

  Stacey returned to the dressing room and looked through the wigs. She chose a blonde wig and tried it on, this should be fun for a few days she thought. She went back into the dressing room and looked at herself in the mirror, and instantly gave her new outfit the name Fatpants.

  She went to the kitchen and boiled the kettle. She found a tin of cheap coffee, and grimaced, not quite my favourite cappuccino, she thought. She saw a small television in the corner, which at least had a few reasonable channels on. She would be watching the news tomorrow, hoping to watch the story of her own disappearance.

  By late afternoon she had paced the small communal area at least a hundred times, knowing that she had to sit tight for the first two days before she dared venture out, but the boredom was already getting to her. Since childhood she had always been a busybody, and she realised that being still and just chilling was going to be tough. She found some old magazines and browsed through them.

  It was early evening before Gladys returned from wherever she had been. Magriet had warned her not to talk much, but she was glad she had company, even if it was going to be a largely silent relationship. She greeted her, “I’ll make supper for us.” All she got was a nod of the head.

  Stacey set about cooking dinner. With limited choice she rustled up a very basic spaghetti bolognaise. She called Gladys when it was ready, and they sat in silence at opposite ends of the table. Midway through scoffing her food Gladys looked up, “This is good. Thanks.”

  “Pleasure.”

  After dinner, Stacey retired to her room. The bed and pillows were far from comfortable and she settled in for her first night undercover. It promised to be a long night.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Stacey woke up feeling groggy, disorientated and her body was aching all over. She opened her eyes to darkness, expecting to see some ray of light somewhere in the room. Flipping on the light switch, she saw a small bedside clock, which showed that it was after eight and yet everything was dark. She then recalled that the top floor of the safe house had no windows. After stretching, she took a shower, only to find the water lukewarm, yet another discomfort she was going to have to deal with.

  Gladys had already left the safe house and once again she found herself alone. She found some cereal and poured a bowl full, before plonking down in front of the television. She jumped in surprise when the screen showed a picture of herself with the caption, Local businesswoman missing. She fumbled with the remote to turn the volume up. The news reporter was giving a short description of her to th
e audience. He then continued, “This makes it the second strange missing person report this week, following the disappearance of a private investigator, also known to be linked to WKJD. Stay tuned as we track this evolving story.”

  Stacey sat in silence, trying to imagine what must be going through Daniella’s mind. Her thoughts then drifted to Slade and then Lizzie. While she was watching the adverts on the television, she suddenly had an uncomfortable reminder. She jumped up and frantically paced around the room. She said out loud, “I’m an idiot. I planted the seed with Daniella that Lizzie had been kidnapped. She will be released in a few days and then Daniella will know that I faked the story!” The calm façade gave way to nervousness, “Damn. I thought I had it all figured out. When Lizzie returns, Daniella will know that I have most likely staged my own disappearance.”

  She moped around for the next hour, with self-doubt creeping into her mind. She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, and even her eyes were reflecting the self-doubt. She splashed her face with cold water, hoping it would help. She looked into the mirror again, “Get a hold of yourself Stacey, you cannot let one small mistake trip you up.”

  She spent the afternoon flipping between news channels, hoping for further news coverage on her disappearance. It was late afternoon before her story appeared again. The news reporter said, “This morning we covered the story of the missing business woman Stacey Kent of WKJD. This afternoon a video surfaced on social media, which has the local newspapers and radio stations abuzz with intrigue. It would certainly appear that the missing status of Stacey and Gerald Visser, a private investigator, could well be linked to local businesswoman Daniella Arundel, who is also a director of WKJD. Listeners will recall that she was recently targeted in another video related to the murder of Kirsten Spectre. This story looks like it is going to capture the imagination of Cape Town over the next few days.”