‘Everything is fine. I’m just being careful. Those chaps may be hanging around. If I take you to the guesthouse they might follow us. You go to Patel’s, stay there for a couple of hours. Our friends will get bored – they’ll be getting drunk somewhere by then. I’ll pick you up later. If I’m going to be late I’ll phone and Patel can take you home.’

Father Petro looked at Lindi and saw the doubt in her face. ‘Sister, you don’t like my plan?’

‘It’s not that. Why didn’t you tell him where you’re going? You obviously don’t trust him.’

Father Petro made a face and tapped his nose. ‘How do you say it? Need-to-know basis?’ He laughed.

‘I think I’m about to have a sense of humour failure.’

‘What?’

‘Never mind. What about Patel? He must know what you’re up to.’

‘He thinks I’m just going back to my flock in the church. I didn’t tell him anything about going to Malelane.’

‘You’re sure about him?’

‘He’s okay … I think he’s okay. He’s a good man but he’s in a bad place so he doesn’t like to take sides. So we are not going to test him. He will show you off to his wife, you have a nice dinner and then we start again in the morning.’

Sanjit Patel came back. ‘My wife is very much looking forward to seeing you, Ms Seaton.’

‘Okay, my friends, I’d better get going. Now, Patel, you take care of our guest.’

They watched Father Petro de Freitas drive out of the car park.

‘My car is in the back, Ms Seaton. Give me a couple of minutes. Let me just lock up and I’ll be with you.’

Lindi heard him as she walked out to the back of the shop. The suave soft-spoken elegance was gone. He was barking out instructions to the workers who were still in the shop. One came to the delivery bay, opened a steel box fitted to the wall and turned a switch inside it. It unfurled the steel shutters, which came down sedately, except for the occasional jerk, like a mechanical hiccup. Just before it fell below her eyeline, Lindi saw Patel make another call on his mobile phone. A couple of minutes later he came out with the staff. One pulled down the final shutter manually. He locked that too and gave the keys to Patel.

‘Good night, sir,’ they said in unison.

‘Six o’clock sharp-sharp,’ he said. He didn’t return their farewell. He turned to Lindi. ‘Okay, Ms Seaton, we’re ready.’