Yet another mission accomplished. Once the door was firmly closed behind her, Saskia quickly removed the 1942 ‘Man of the Year’ medal from her jacket pocket and dropped it in her rucksack before making her way to her car.

The man lying on the floor of Emil Coetzee’s den was obviously Tom Fortenoy. Norman, Saskia’s unlamented erstwhile husband, was a huge Fortenoy fan, and had zealously collected all his appalling ‘Emil and the Boys’ albums over the years. Much to her dismay, before Norman had decided to leave her he had dragged her to a Fortenoy show, which had proved to be one show too many. All this was not to say anything about Norman, but to say that Saskia knew exactly what Tom Fortenoy looked like. She therefore knew that the body on the floor did not belong to Emil Coetzee. She knew that Rutherford and Joseth wanted her to believe it was Emil Coetzee on the floor dressed in khakis. She also knew that they wanted her to believe Golide Gumede was responsible for whatever had happened to the body on the floor. What she did not know was how Tom Fortenoy had come to be lying there.

‘So you will write the story?’ Rutherford asked.

‘The story of how Golide Gumede attacked Emil Coetzee in his home?’ Saskia asked in turn.

‘And killed him,’ Joseth provided.

Even as Saskia wondered what exactly these men were up to, she asked no further questions but simply and compliantly said, ‘I guess instead of writing a biography, I’ll be writing an obituary.’

Rutherford and Joseth looked very pleased with themselves and with her.

Once outside and alone again, Saskia could not stop herself from reaching into her rucksack and touching the Selous School for Boys 1942 ‘Man of the Year’ medal. The touch stopped her feeling sick to her stomach.

Spokes

SPOKES

Spokes placed The Chronicle on his desk and began reading Emil Coetzee’s obituary as written by Saskia Hargrave:

Emil Coetzee: A True Patriot.

As the nation mourns the loss of one of its greatest sons, Emil Coetzee, it is important to remember the life that Golide Gumede has taken from us all.

Emil was born in Durban, South Africa on 18 April 1927. His parents, Johan Coetzee and Gemma Coetzee (née Roberts) had met seven years earlier at the intersection of Borrow Street and Selborne Avenue, right here in the very heart of the City of Kings, so Emil was very much one of our own.

Emil spent his early childhood at the Williams’ Arms surrounded by a loving mother, a formidable great-grandmother, and the colourful lodgers of the boarding house his great-grandmother owned, which is probably where he developed his admirable ability to fully understand his fellow man.