Pinnacle Event

16

“Oh, you’re black,” Rachel Steyn said as she opened the door. “Oh, forgive me, I didn’t … I just assumed a South African policeman would be, well, a white man. Please come in, I am awfully sorry for that greeting.”

“My name is Mbali Hlaganani,” the guest said, stretching out her arm on the doorstep.

“Well, if they had told me that, I would have known, please, do come in.”

Mbali stepped into the luxurious villa on the beachfront.

“Most police and security services in South Africa are black. Some are colored, some Indian, a few are whites.”

“Yes, of course, I haven’t been there since I was a child,” Rachel admitted. “I thought we would sit out by the pool. I have lemonade and biscuits.”

“First, Mrs. Steyn, I want to express my sympathy on the death of your husband. I want you to know that my organization is working hard with the Israeli government to determine who killed him and why.”

“Killed him? So you think it wasn’t an accident?” Rachel asked.

“Most definitely. Haven’t the police told you that?”

“No, they just said they were investigating, but I suspected it as soon as I got the call.”

“May I ask you why you were suspicious?” Mbali asked.

Rachel exhaled and paused, briefly. “Dawid thought he had been followed a few times in the week before, before he died.” She paused again and looked at the ground. “I told him he was being silly, paranoid. Who would want to follow him?”

Mbali took a cookie from the platter. “Well, that is the question, Mrs. Steyn. Your husband was involved in international finance and controlled very large sums of money.”

“Yes, but so do many men.”

“Maybe the Trustees have made enemies, Mrs. Steyn. Now that you are a Trustee, it may be important that you know who your enemies are.”

“So, you know about the Trustees. Of course you would, wouldn’t you.” Rachel Steyn said, more to herself than to Mbali. “The others have suggested bodyguards for me and the children, but I have said no. It would scare the kids and I don’t even know who they would be protecting me from. Do you think I should have bodyguards? Do you know who or why?”

“It’s such a lovely view from here,” Mbali replied. “Maybe we should walk along the beach,” she said pointing to her ear and then raising a finger to her mouth.

Rachel understood immediately. “Yes, I was going to suggest that. You may want to leave your shoes here.” Mbali did and also left her mobile. Seeing that, so did Rachel.

As they strolled down the sand on the empty beach, Mbali wrapped her silk scarf around her chin, covering her mouth in case they were being filmed and a lip reader might be used later. “I am going to tell you a story that is true, but hard to believe. It is why your husband was murdered and why many more people may be soon.

“Your husband’s father was one of the original Trustees, men who had worked on the South African nuclear bomb project. When they left the country, they took some bombs with them. Earlier this year, after two decades, they sold them to somebody. That somebody killed them to wipe his traces, so no one would know who had bought the bombs.”

Rachel put her hand to her mouth. “So that’s where the half billion dollar deposit came from?”

“Yes, from Dawid’s killers. And they are likely to use the bombs to kill thousands more, here in Israel, or in South Africa, or in the U.S. We don’t know where yet. But maybe you can help us figure out who they are.”

They turned and began slowly walking back to the house.

“I gave the police all of Dawid’s records, all of his computers. I only have copies, but I have been over them a thousand times. There is nothing that even suggests where the money came from or why. Do you think Dawid knew about the bombs? I do not believe that.”

“We assume all the Trustees did, but maybe not. I doubt he would have willingly been part of a plot against Israel or a plot to kill thousands of people.” As she said that, Mbali thought that she really knew very little about Dawid Steyn and whether he would have agreed to sell nuclear bombs.

“How can I help you find his killers?” Rachel asked as they approached the villa.

“Maybe you ask for an emergency meeting of all of the new Trustees. You have talked on the phone, but you have not all met each other before? If you got together maybe we could get someone to say something, or do something. Let me do some planning and bring a proposal back to you.” As they walked onto the pool deck, Rachel’s mother appeared, having picked the two children up at their school. The two girls ran to their mother and then looked up in amazement at the tall, black woman.”You are so pretty,” the younger girl said to Mbali. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Mbali and I have a little boy about your age. His name is Nelson. What’s yours?”

When, a half hour later, after a tour of the kids’ rooms and artwork, Mbali prepared to leave, she whispered to Rachel, “Don’t tell the others about me, but I will stay in touch.” Mbali handed her a mobile phone. “If you need me, hit speed dial #1. Anytime. Don’t use it for any other calls. Check the voice mails every day. The PIN is the month and day Dawid was killed.” Rachel grasped the phone and Mbali’s hand and squeezed them.

“Toda raba,” Rachel whispered.