Somewhere along the way, the sexy historian had forgotten that her looks and petite body gave most women in their twenties a run for their money, but from now on, she decided, she would not be intimidated by anyone anymore. Dr. Nina Gould reclaimed her old self at that moment, and when Purdue stroked her luscious dark tresses she vowed to embrace her innate fury and use her delectable feminine wiles once more.
“Why thank you, Dave,” she smiled in a special way he had not seen in years. “Call me if you need me… for anything.” Nina walked off, flicking her hair back. Where the ends bounced off the small of her back, Purdue watched her curvy hips sway seductively. It provoked a reaction in him, an intangible yet powerful reaction that he dared not act on while planning this important expedition. He had to keep his bearings to get the project off the ground and complete the salvage. But after that was taken care off, he had another excursion to embark on.
He heard Sam talking on the phone about a beach house he wanted to rent. Crystal was filling in her contract templates as the rain began to patter against the study windows. The light grew faint from the darkening weather, and he switched on the hallway lights, still catching sight of Nina's petite frame descending the second story stairs.
Purdue smiled and whispered, “Time for me to get you back, Nina.”
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.