The Seventh Secret

Chapter 12 — Arrival on African Soil

After Purdue’s flight crew had made sure his passengers had only the best liquor and meals, the group arrived at a private airstrip just south of Walmer, a suburb of Port Elizabeth. The aircraft touched down just after 6.30pm after a two-day stint with a stay-over in London which had almost turned into a catastrophe. On Crystal’s insistence, they had had dinner at a restaurant Ashford, although Purdue and Nina thought it would have been better to get takeout and turn in early.

Eventually, with Sam backing her, Purdue and Nina had surrendered to what they had considered an unnecessary trip. The menu had been excellent, the wine exquisite and the service surprisingly fast, but as they had left the establishment to go to the taxi Purdue called, they had hit a snag. Crystal’s bag had been ripped from her with such force that she had been slammed down on the pavement. Sam had pursued the thief, but when the culprit had disappeared into the shadows, two gunshots had rung out, and a slug spark just to Sam’s right had discouraged him from following the man any further.

He had expected to hear Nina call out to him — Are you alright, Sam? But there had been no response from her. Instead, she had joined Purdue in helping Crystal to her feet. Panting wildly, Sam had returned to the others to see if Crystal had suffered any injury.

“Careful, old boy,” Purdue had warned, concerned about Sam’s recklessness. “Your chivalry is admirable, but if you really want to get yourself killed…”

“What?” Sam had stood with his arms akimbo, huffing and puffing from the brief pursuit as security and a local police patrol car had taken up the task of searching the vicinity for the perpetrator. Purdue did not really have anything to finish that sentence with. He had been hoping the journalist would know that he meant it as an admission of friendship, that Purdue would be upset if anything happened to him. He had merely patted Sam on the back in acknowledgment and opened the door for the chatting ladies to get in the car safely.

Apart from that unsavory incident, they had made the rest of their long trip without any unwanted adventure.

There was enough of that coming for all of them, having never been to this South African city before. Although they had traveled in luxury, the flight had been exhausting.

"I just want to go to bed," Nina complained, rubbing her lower back. “You can wake me when you have found the wreck.”

Crystal smiled and nodded, “I feel your pain, Nina. Some barbiturates would come in handy right about now. When will we get to the house, Dave?”

Purdue shrugged and looked at Sam.

“Oh, uh, apparently it is a rather short drive from here along the highway, through the whole city and a few kilometers to the outskirts. The rental car lady said it should take us about thirty minutes max to get there,” Sam reported as he tossed Purdue the keys to the rental car.

“When are we meeting up with Dr. Malgas and his team?” Crystal asked. “My flash drive with the contracts it was in my purse. I will have to redo them at the house before the meeting.”

“Oh, you can borrow my laptop if you want,” Nina offered.

“Thanks, sweetie,” the lawyer sighed. “I hope they don’t show up too early. I’m fucking exhausted.”

“I’ll make sure we set a comfortable time for everyone,” Sam assured them. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed Dr. Malgas’ number. “No time like the present.”

The women scowled at him. Sam laughed, “No, girls, I meant to call, not to have the meeting!” Relief eased their expressions as they sank back in their seats with an exchange of scoffs and chuckles.

Following the GPS’s directions, they drove north along the eastern beachfront, toward the neighborhood where their holiday rental was located. They passed grimy downtown streets under lonely yellow lights that illuminated the vacant parking lots of dilapidated factories to get on the highway that crossed the harbor.

“In the 1950’s my aunt was here to claim land she’d inherited from a relative,” Crystal remarked as they drove up the ramp to the wide highway from where they had a view of the old city center. “I just saw the old graveyard on the hillside. It’s deserted and vandalized with graffiti. My aunt’s photographs were monochrome, but in them this area looked very posh, and the old colonial buildings were in pristine condition.”

In the front passenger seat, Sam was discussing a proper time to meet with Dr. Malgas, just nodding to Purdue every now and then to confirm.

“Look, there is some clock tower!" Nina pointed at the roofless skeleton of what had once been the majestic courthouse, now reduced to a boarded-up attest to the area’s decay. “Oh, what a shame!” Nina exclaimed. “I’m not a religious person, but Jesus, that neo-Gothic church actually has a makeshift clothing store in it!”

“It's evident that the grand parks and kirkyards of the city center have fallen prey to mismanagement and vandals," Crystal remarked, screening through her aunt's photos in her mind. "The pictures she showed us depicted a flourishing First World gem, but I suppose that is what corruption and change of political climate do. Pity.”

Little did the group know that they played witness to the conditions Cheryl had to survive under. They had no idea that one of their colleagues on this expedition actually lived in the run-down buildings with the ornate architecture, offering oral sex and sodomy for less money than they would use to pay a parking meter.

“Alright. He says they will meet us in Bluewater Bay at 10 am tomorrow morning. I gave him the address. Apparently his team comprises of two assistants to do the cataloging and two security men to make sure we don’t get uninvited guests,” Sam grinned.

“Nice,” Purdue said, tapping the steering wheel cheerfully as they left the city limits towards where the highway only had the vast ocean to the east as company. They marveled at the natural beauty of the massive bay area. As the sun surrendered to the night, the fishing trawlers and gigantic cargo ships changed into a collection of pleasant dancing orbs floating on the water. The city flaunted its legendary blue skies and temperate climate to the Scottish explorers, as they drove along the quiet street.

When they finally arrived in Bluewater Bay, most stores had already closed, but they bought something to eat at a local fast food restaurant before seeking out the beach house Purdue had rented for the next few days. As Purdue collected the key from the landlord, they were all grateful that the long travel was over.

“I want the room with the shower!” Sam shouted the moment he laid eyes on the glimmering shower screen in the dark of the first room down the corridor.

“I think they all have en-suite bathrooms, Sam,” Purdue laughed. “Sorry, no special treatment for Pulitzer Prize winners.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Nina said, as she went down the dark hallway to the stairs to find a room on the second floor of the abode that possessed walls resembling a plaster of Paris finish with kitschy framed paintings of shells and starfish, sea urchins and mermaids. “Anything good up there, Nina?” Crystal called as she watched the historian look around the upper floor through a thick Perspex pane that served as a modern banister.

“Aye! Come see!” Nina answered from inside a room where she had just switched on the ceiling light. “It’s quite lavish for a place that usually hosts people who just tread sand and lug fishing gear in, I suppose.”

Crystal raced up the stairs, her long legs easily carrying her skinny body — the body of a master diver. Purdue and Sam used the time to set up their equipment in the living room, which exited right onto the deck that overlooked the road that separated them from the beautiful oceanfront. Two wooden door frames fitted with glass opened up to the outside eastward to the sea. To the north a sliding door opened to the lawn with a fire pit, where they could have a barbecue.

“They call it a braai here,” Sam remarked after he explained the steel grid on the pit to Purdue. "It's a barbecue of sorts. Around here people apparently look for any excuse to throw a braai to spend time with friends outside. At least, that's what Dr. Malgas told me.”

“Well, in this climate it’s perfectly understandable,” Purdue smiled as he surveyed the distance to the beach from where he perched on the low masonry that surrounded the fire pit. “My God, this is a perfect piece of heaven, isn’t it?”

“Aye,” Sam agreed.

“And somewhere just ahead of us is a hidden treasure. I only find it hard to believe that the coast guard or geo-engineers have never noticed it. Admittedly that part of the story is a bit weird to me. What say you, Sam?”

“I agree. But Dr. Malgas has always been a very solid, even-keeled academic. He is not a man to jump at shadows or just embrace hearsay at a whim. To be honest, it was his integrity that had me approach you about this find,” Sam declared.

“You know, that is not as far-fetched a method to prompt decisions as you might think. A lot of my explorations, friendships, relationships…”

“Nazi ships…” Sam jested. “Couldn’t resist,” he shrugged.

Purdue laughed. "Yes, most of my decisions are the product of an equal helping of logic and intuition. Reputation is more important than anything in business. Therefore, it is always important not to burn bridges without careful consideration."

His eyes pierced into Sam, perplexing the journalist somewhat. Was that a secret message he hid in his words, meant especially for Sam?

“But some bridges left untouched could spell disaster,” Sam replied.

“That, my friend, is where the bloody problem lies!” Purdue avowed. “Sometimes the worst of bridges left could serve as the only path out of a bind… if the enemy is not crossing them, of course.”

“Aye. Gospel truth.”

"Nothing is ever easy when it comes to decisions. No matter what resources one has, no matter how well things are going. One wrong decision can obliterate years of achievement. Has that ever crossed your mind?" Purdue asked. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, scrutinizing Sam's face as if he was interested in his opinion.

Sam was now convinced that Purdue was trying to tell him something. Either that or he was using the discussion to prepare Sam for some revelation.

“Perhaps such decisions should be thrown onto the table among trusted friends, to ascertain the general consensus in that matter," Sam winked. He was trying to keep the conversation from getting weighty and thick, but he maintained a serious tone as not to trivialize Purdue's apparent predicament. "Get a second opinion, perhaps," he shrugged, looking over the waves that were rapidly disappearing under the veil of darkness and reduced to only the burbling sound of a salty breath.

Purdue’s countenance remained unchanged as he looked at Sam, “What if it’s too late for that?”