Private Gold

Chapter 30

Joey unlocked his front door and walked tiredly inside. It was just after nine p.m., but now that his adrenaline had ebbed he felt as exhausted as if he’d pulled an all-nighter. But there was still an important job to do. He needed to look at Khosi’s USB device and see what was stored on it. He thought he had a much better picture now of what it might, in fact, contain. Joey felt dread curl in his stomach as he plugged in his laptop and waited for it to power up.

He got a Coke from the fridge and took a gulp, feeling the sugar hit his bloodstream, providing a much-needed boost of energy. Sugar was a quick fix, even though you paid the price for it later, as Khosi had always joked.

Was that a noise coming from downstairs?

Joey put down the Coke can and listened, but the weird scraping sound he thought he’d heard was gone. All he could pick up was the soft humming of the laptop’s fan.

Probably nothing. Even so, he should set the house alarm.

But when Joey tried to activate it, he found that the system was offline, the red buttons flashing randomly and the screen display blank.

That was strange. It had never happened before. Still, the storm had been violent, and a power surge might have damaged the control panel. He would have to sort it out in the morning.

Joey plugged Khosi’s USB into the laptop, and felt the knots in his stomach tighten as he read the file headings.

“Initial Offer of Bribery to Stop Investigating Egoli East.”

“My Investigation into Bribery — Who’s Behind It?”

“Threats Against My Life.”

“Information for Joey if Anything Happens.”

Joey tensed as he heard another strange sound from below.

What was it?

Tree branches, heavy with rain, scraping over the garage roof, perhaps?

Trying his best to ignore this distraction, Joey focused on his computer screen again.