The Wall

29

The screech of brakes outside. Thembinkosi and Nozipho walked across to the window in the small bedroom and looked out. Another Central Alert car, again a Polo. Again, two more people who initially stayed inside the car. The car with the guard who had first been there had disappeared. The two drivers of the two remaining cars were talking to each other. The two rookies who had shown up earlier were standing a few meters away, also chatting.

“They’ll blame us for it!” Nozipho declared.

“For what?”

“The murder. If that’s what it is.”

“Did I tell you that I saw a boy running away?” Thembinkosi asked.

Nozipho shook her head. “You think he…”

“No, but that’s why they’re here.”

“And… the woman…”

Thembinkosi glanced around the room again. “Did the two people in the car really come from here?” He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a photo from the lounge. “Was this one of them?” he asked.

Nozipho took the photo from him. “Well… I don’t know.”

“But it was two men, right?”

“Uh-huh. Think so. I didn’t pay enough attention. I didn’t want to stare.”

Thembinkosi retrieved the photo, and tried to imagine the bearded man without a beard and then just unshaven. But he couldn’t be sure. “I also didn’t look at them carefully. Didn’t seem important. We have to get out of here.”

“But how?”

“You’ll need to put on something else. Come on!”