Murder in the Mine (eBook)

An Obed de Swardt Thriller, Book 6

Gerrie Radlof, Pieter Haasbroek (Autoren)

Pieter Haasbroek (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
113 Seiten
Pieter Haasbroek (Verlag)
9780001021488 (ISBN)

Infos

An explosion rips through the Main Deep gold mine, burying a team of miners alive.

But as one engineer takes his last breath, he whispers a cryptic clue that turns this tragedy into a murder investigation.

In the heart of the Johannesburg gold fields, the brilliant private investigator Obed de Swardt, the 'Wandering Detective,' arrives on the scene. While police call the disaster a tragic accident, Obed is convinced it was sabotage. His suspicions are confirmed when he's brutally abducted by ruthless agents desperate to know what the dying man told him.

Now a marked man, Obed is thrown into a shadowy world of international espionage and deadly conspiracy. He must uncover the identity of the mysterious girl from the party and expose a sophisticated sabotage ring before they strike again. But the mastermind behind the plot is a dangerously captivating woman from his past. A woman who is just as likely to kill him as she is to kiss him.

This high stakes blend of classic adventure and spy fiction is a must-read for anyone who loves relentless action and intricate mysteries. Perfect for fans of Alistair MacLean and fast-paced pulp thrillers.

A dead body, a dark mine and a town full of secrets. Fans of pulp, action, and mystery, your next obsession is here. Murder in the Mine is the explosive new chapter in the must-read Wanderer Detective Series. Dig in now!

Textauszug

6. MURDER IN THE MINE

Chapter 1

Obed de Swardt ran at full tilt. He held his head high, the muscles in his throat constricted. He doubted he would make the post, but this very uncertainty spurred him to a greater exertion of strength. His mind was operating almost purely on reflex. He estimated some twenty paces remained. To his left, from the corner of his eye, he saw five men storming towards him. One of them was a fair distance ahead of the others, and even from the man’s posture, it was quite clear that he felt convinced he could intercept Obed. Obed merely rolled his eyes. He considered the gap between the foremost man and the four behind him. Then he contracted his muscles. It was as if he lifted himself before planting his right foot and shooting through the group. The next moment, he gathered himself and dived through the air. He planted the ball against the right-hand post and then executed a swift somersault before landing firmly on both feet.

Scarcely had he turned around when Ekkie Eksteen clapped him on the shoulder. The sturdy hooker was breathing heavily.

“Magnificent, Obed!” he exclaimed. They were old friends and had been playing together for Diggers for a long time. “If you keep this up, you’ll be playing for Transvaal again this year.”

“And what about Transvaal’s new hooker?” Obed laughed, a twinkle in his eyes. “How in the blazes did you manage to get here so quickly? I imagined I’d left the entire team behind in the middle of the field.”

Ekkie just laughed. The season had barely begun, and they had only come to the field for a practice that afternoon. The coach joined them and he, too, congratulated Obed on that sprint. Unconcernedly, Diggers’ star winger shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re not yet accustomed to my perfectly ordinary play,” he answered mischievously, “a few pleasant surprises await you.”

“Hey, Ekkie!” one of the other players called out to them. “There’s someone on the sideline who wants to speak to you.”

Ekkie and Obed both looked in that direction. They immediately spotted the constable waving at Ekkie.

“What is it now?” Ekkie grumbled. “A man can’t even come and loosen his limbs a bit without them trotting after you like a pack of curs, dragging you back to the harness.”

“Who’s to say that’s what it is?” Obed remarked. “Perhaps it’s a salary increase or even a promotion.”

Detective Sergeant Eksteen glared at his bosom friend as if he found his humour highly inappropriate. Obed paid him no mind, falling in beside Ekkie without an invitation.

“Well,” Ekkie inquired, almost curtly, when they reached the constable. “What is it?”

“The Major wants to speak to you immediately, Sergeant,” the man answered, and it was clear to the two friends in their sweat-drenched rugby clothes that he was excited. “There’s been a series of explosions at the Main Deep mine. According to the report, it doesn’t really look like a crime, but the Major reckons that if it is sabotage, it’s been done so skilfully that the Sergeant himself must take over.”

“Oh, is that so?” Ekkie retorted. “First a little honey around the mouth and then the whip across the back, work till you drop! Very well then, Constable, you can let the Major know that I am getting ready immediately.”

“You are to meet Major Laas at shaft number three of the mine.”

As soon as the constable had departed, Obed yelled to the coach that he and Ekkie would not be able to practice any longer. They had urgent business to attend to.

“We?” Ekkie remarked dryly. He gave Obed a sideways glance as they jogged towards the changing rooms to shower and change. “What exactly do you have to do with this case?”

“Do you really think you can possibly tackle something like this single-handedly?”

“If Dirk Laas sees you, he’ll have a stroke. You had better stay away, Obed. I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

“Oh, no,” Obed shook his head. “I want to be in on it from the beginning.”

“Man, is it impossible for you not to stick your nose into other people’s business?”

“Ekkie!” Obed cried reproachfully. “I really didn’t expect that from you. How many times have I helped you out of a pickle? How many times was it I, Obed de Swardt, the Wandering Detective, who had to intervene to save you poor little detectives from a predicament? How many times...?”

“Wait, wait,” Ekkie stopped him. “Unfortunately, I don’t have my violin with me.”

“Your violin?” Obed asked, surprised.

“Of course. Then we can make an orchestra of it. You blow your trumpet and I’ll play my violin.”

They laughed. Suddenly, Obed was serious again.

“How does this business sound to you, Ekkie?” he asked, without the slightest hint of jest in his voice.

“I don’t know. It’s impossible to make any deductions. The mere fact that Major Laas suspects sabotage, or even considers the possibility, is serious enough. I usually never judge before I’ve investigated the case myself and read the various reports.”

“I can smell it,” Obed said quietly. Ekkie glanced at him once with an expression as if he found Obed’s word perfectly natural.

“Why do you say that, Obed? I know that your judgment is seldom, if ever, wrong. But what on earth can you deduce from the constable’s brief message?”

“It’s not that, Ekkie. I constantly move within the circles from which criminals are born, from which they are hired, and where sabotage and such matters are planned. One notices things. It is like a storm you can feel brewing. I knew that something was going to erupt sooner or later. If I had to tell you now where I heard this or that which makes me think so, I wouldn’t be able to. It’s just an impression, a sixth sense, which eventually becomes so strong that one can rely on it.”

“Then we must hurry,” was all Ekkie said, thereby showing complete faith in his friend. “But I still think you’d better not come with me, Obed,” he continued immediately. “I know you so well that I can trust you even if I found you with a smoking revolver in your hand and a man lying on the floor before you with blood still flowing fresh from the wound. Unfortunately, my chief does not agree with me in all respects.”

“I won’t place you in an awkward position, Ekkie,” Obed assured him. “Laas knows we were practicing rugby together this afternoon, anyway. I’m sure he’ll be expecting me there.”

“It is not an awkward position for me, Obed,” Ekkie countered. “It is just that I am often in a position to help you, but if Major Laas finds out, he might put a spanner in the works for me.”

“In any case, I won’t be able to stay there for long,” Obed replied, as if something else had suddenly struck him. “I promised Maans I would be at the Randover tonight, you know we finally bought the hotel and that Maans is managing it. There’s a big reception tonight for a young songstress who has sung all over Europe, even behind the Iron Curtain. Several of the ambassadors and consuls from the countries she travelled through will be at the reception.”

“Whose ambassador are you then?” Ekkie inquired dryly.

“I am just the co-owner of the hotel,” Obed replied in the same spirit. “But of course you know what happened some time ago with the actress Manine Minette, she was abducted on her first night here. Maans just feels that such a thing must not happen in our hotel and...”

“And so the Wandering Detective must come and keep a watchful eye on the songstress?” Ekkie laughed. “What will Tessa say, man?”

“Tessa doesn’t have me under lock and key yet,” Obed joked with a smile. “Before the cows are in the kraal, the field is still wide.”

For Obed’s large black Cadillac, the distance to the Main Deep mine on the West Rand was child’s play. When they reached the gates in the high wire fence, they noticed that a large crowd had already gathered inside by the mine buildings, mine offices, and around the headgear towers. Ekkie jumped out as soon as they were let through and ran to shaft three while Obed looked for a parking space. A short while later, Obed joined the group of officials, detectives, and police close to the shaft, within the circle of onlookers. Ekkie was deep in conversation with Major Dirk Laas. Obed moved to the back of the group of lawmen so that he was within hearing distance but not noticed by them.

“According to the fellows who have already come out, it will take months before the original tunnels can be excavated again,” Major Laas explained. “It is a great disaster.”

“But have they determined what the cause of the explosions was?” Ekkie inquired.

“No, that is completely impossible. Perhaps some of the others who were deeper inside, if they ever emerge alive, will be able to offer clues. Two of the mine captains, however, claimed that there was a supply of explosives in a number of the new tunnels. It was stored in various places because, as you know, rich veins were discovered a few weeks ago. It would have made Main Deep mine the mine with the highest gold production on the Rand within the next few weeks. They were busy with a network of tunnels and blasting occurred almost every day.”

“So they think that some of the supplies accidentally...”

“It could be,” said the Major, “that if one lot exploded, it set off the other stockpiles as well.”

“But according to the constable, you claimed that the possibility of sabotage exists.”

“That, yes,” Dirk Laas shook his...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.9.2025
• Übersetzer: Pieter Haasbroek, Ai
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9780001021488 / 9780001021488