“But, apparently, a lot of money went missing,” the inspector drawled.
David glanced at him sharply. “I had nothing to do with that.”
Govender grunted again. “I heard that orphanage up in Harrismith is doing well. They built a new library for the kids.”
“I’m very happy for them,” David replied steadily. “Someone must’ve made a substantial donation.”
Govender smiled. “You mentioned last time that you were delivering equipment to the Umvoti Mill?”
David nodded.
“Where did you get the money to invest in a new business, Mr Roth?”
“I sold my petrol station and garage in Boston. To Phiwe M’Lozi; he was the assistant manager at the time.”
“And how did you get the job in Dalton?”
“A Ms Prinsloo contacted me. She found my details on the internet. I have a website.”
Govender seemed to accept that easily. “You have some good friends on your side, Mr Roth. Everyone I asked vouches for you – the police involved in the Boston incident, the authorities who investigated.”
David didn’t respond.
“But it also seems you’ve got some enemies …”
David looked up sharply.
“Yesterday, you mentioned that Peter Calder removed a document from the Umvoti Mill records. Well, this morning an anonymous caller phoned our offices and told us quite a lot about you, Mr Roth. It seems they knew about your stint in prison as well. They also alluded to your collaborating with Peter Calder in the theft of those documents.”
“What!”
“We contacted the mill about the theft, and their financial manager, a Mr Maritz, confirmed that there were papers missing.” Govender watched him carefully. “How can you explain that, Mr Roth?”
David was barely listening. Someone was accusing him? Of theft?
“In fact,” Govender went on, “Mr Maritz was quite helpful. He tells us his secretary was with Mr Calder the whole time he was packing away their auditing equipment, and that Ms Barnett was in no condition to take any papers as she was ill at the time. He suggests that, if anyone took anything, it was you.”
David tried to stay calm.
“Do you have the document, Mr Roth?”
David was icily firm with his reply. “No.”
“Would you give us permission to search your flat?”
David held his temper in check. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Govender looked at him, his head inclined. “I believe you,” he said, sighing heavily. “But I’m afraid we’ll have to search your flat anyway. We have a warrant. May we have the keys?”
David nodded stonily and fetched his flat keys from below.
He handed them to Van Heerden, who glanced at Govender expectantly. Govender turned to David. “Would you like to be present during the search, Mr Roth?”
David shook his head. Van Heerden nodded once and tossed the keys almost casually to the two uniformed policemen waiting on the walk-on.
So that’s what they were here for, David realised. To search his flat, not to arrest him, he hoped.
“Does Ms Barnett know where the missing document is, Mr Roth?”
David was pulled back into the questioning. “Kathy? I don’t know. I don’t think so. Peter didn’t give it to her.”
Govender raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think so, because she told you?”
David looked at him squarely. “No, because I asked her.”
“You asked her? Last night? When you were together?”
David stared at him. He knew. Govender suspected he and Kathy had been together. He didn’t want to tell the inspector she had spent the night; it wasn’t what a gentleman did. Besides, it had nothing to do with Peter Calder’s death. He avoided the question by asking another. “Why are you so interested in this document? Did Mr Maritz say what was on it?”
Govender shook his head. “No, he just said it was important.”
“Important enough to get Peter killed?”
Govender stared at him. “Why do you say that, Mr Roth?”
“Peter might or might not have removed something after I left,” David told the inspector, again truthfully. “But perhaps it’s not me you should be questioning.”
“Really?” Govender asked. “Who do you think I should be questioning, Mr Roth?”
David frowned. “Perhaps you should find out who that anonymous caller was,” he told the policeman. “And perhaps you should ask Mr Maritz about the deaths that have been occurring at his mill, because while he’s accusing me of theft, he’s still scraping some poor guy out of his shredder. Why don’t you ask him about that? There must’ve been witnesses.”
“We did ask. Unfortunately, there was a shift change when that accident took place. There were no witnesses.”
“Well, what about the man who died in that car crash?”
“We’re looking into that incident, too, Mr Roth. There seem to be no witnesses there either.”
David glared irritably at him. “Then what else can I help you with?”
“I’m just curious, Mr Roth. About a few other things.”
David tried to clear his mind so he could focus on Govender’s next question.
“Who is Patterson?”
David looked up. “Patterson?” he echoed. “Never heard of him. Why?”
“We went through Peter Calder’s things at his office. We found an entry in his diary. On the day he died, Peter Calder wrote the name in his diary. We were wondering if you knew who the person was.”
David shook his head. “Sorry, don’t know him.”
Govender stared out over the bay. “Pity,” he said.
David sighed. “Look, Inspector, are you going to arrest me?”
Govender took a deep breath, apparently relishing the fresh breeze that had started up. “No, Mr Roth. We’ll let you get back to your cleaning,” he said, standing up. “We’ll return your flat keys as soon as we’re finished. Take care of yourself, Mr Roth, and when you see Ms Barnett, tell her to take care too.”
David watched the policemen as they climbed down the boarding steps and onto the jetty. Sergeant van Heerden walked off, but Inspector Govender stopped and turned. “Oh, one more thing, Mr Roth,” he called, “if you do come across that document, be sure to let us know.”
CHAPTER NINE
David went below and sat down at the saloon table. The upholstered bench seat was still sandy and soiled, but he was too preoccupied to notice. Someone had accused him of theft. Someone thought he was in cahoots with Peter Calder. Why would they think that? And why phone the police and deliberately set them on him? Because they were that desperate to get that piece of paper back. Had it been Maritz himself? Had he phoned the police anonymously with a tip-off on David’s past, and then feigned innocence when the police phoned back to verify the theft of the document? But why? What the hell had been on that piece of paper? And what else would they do to get it back?
David thought about Kathy. If someone suspected him, then they might also suspect Kathy. They must have said as much to the police; otherwise Govender wouldn’t