Night of a Thousand Whispers by Howard Kiel

Author:Howard Kiel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2018-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

The plane descended from the north, riding in on a south-westerly. Autumn was already upon the southern lands. Captain Roberts’ voice came over the intercom. Twenty-one degrees outside, but the wind chill was high. Kate watched from the window as they made their landing approach. It seemed such a dry, brown place they were entering. She had been to South Africa before, but never ventured far from the surf coast. She had imagined the interior to be lush, dressed in green forest, full of gorillas and mist. But then, she supposed, many people imagined Australia to be a place where kangaroos hopped down the main street and koalas nestled in every tree. She certainly had… till she had gone there.

The jumbo’s engines screamed into reverse and the rushing tarmac beyond the porthole windows slowly tempered its pace, and soon the big bird was idling gently toward the terminal of Tambo International Airport. Kate stood up and retrieved a light jacket from the overhead locker and slipped her arms inside.

‘Last time I was in South Africa, it was for a surfing competition,’ she said, catching Austin’s eyes as he gazed up at her.

‘Won’t find much surf in Jo’burg,’ he quipped in response.

‘Cape Town,’ Kate told him. ‘A lifetime ago. Never been to Johannesburg before.’

‘You haven’t missed much,’ Austin grunted. ‘Fast becoming the crime capital of the country. I was here six years ago on an army exchange with the South African Security Forces.’

‘Friends here?’ she asked.

‘One or two,’ he admitted.

Kate was not surprised. Despite seeming to be a loner, she was getting used to the fact that wherever he went, or whatever he needed, Austin “knew” someone.

A hostess wandered up the aisle, her face drawn as tight as the smart fitting suit she wore. As she neared Kate she smiled, unconvincingly, and requested that Kate take her seat and remain in her seat belt until advised otherwise by the “convenient little light” at the front of the cabin. Kate returned an impatient glare – after all, the plane was taxiing so slowly that she considered precautions unnecessary – but she sat down anyway and scowled at the departing woman’s backside.

‘Don’t you hate air hostesses,’ she muttered acerbically, just loud enough for the nearest twenty passengers to hear. ‘All attitude and no brains.’

‘Not words I’d choose,’ Austin replied honestly.

Kate immediately turned her wrathful gaze on him. ‘You blokes are all the same, aren’t you? Pretty face – and they can do no wrong.’

Austin’s face creased into a mischievous grin. ‘Funny you’d say that,’ he chuckled. ‘Me and Maurice Hayek were saying the same thing last week. I think your name came up in the conversation too.’

An hour later they were in a taxi heading for their hotel in Jan Smuts Avenue. It was resort style in the exclusive suburb of Westcliff. A number of multistoried pink rendered buildings on a hillside overlooking Johannesburg, with cascading, sculpted gardens and outdoor play areas, all bisected with ambient pathways and access roads. The concierge

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