Chapter 32.
They lay him on the mattress, took the hand-cuffs off him. While he was waking up, in his drowsiness he wanted to know what was happening but they didn’t answer him. They got him to take off his clothes and put on the pyjamas and handcuffs with chain on his arm and locked it.
They took the two way radio out the mini bus and while Peter drove it, Andy followed in the Opel. They dumped it and put a match to it then came back to the shop.There was no new on the kid-nap. Not in the papers, radio or television.
David gave Copper the job of looking after Robbie. That saved the other two, Andy and Peter from wearing all the disguise
Copper handed Robbie a burger.
“Why are you holding me here? What is the reason?” Robbie asked still recovering from the chloroform.
Copper didn't answer him and closed the door behind him then put on the music 'Tschaikowsky Symphonie no 6. As long as they held him captive they would keep communication down to writing notes and the music would be played continuously.
The next morning we bought a newspaper to see if there was an article on the kidnapping. On the second page it was reported that a businessman had disappeared from outside his house and the police regarded it as being too early to speculate on what has happened to him.
Copper went into the cell, shuffled Robbie's hair, then took a photo of him with the Kodak Polaroid and walked out without saying anything.
“You guys will never get away with this.” He said in the cocky attitude that he always had.
They looked at the photo and after one night he looked haggard.
They started to plan how the money must delivered and did some trial runs. They worked out the exact speed the carrier would have to travel to get to the delivery spot and then off they went.
In all likelihood the police will be wire-tapping the telephone calls that came into the Bruce's house. They prepared what was going to said before-hand and make it as short as possible because the police had ways of keeping one on the line talking while they traced from where the call was being made. We were going to phone from shopping centres, hospitals, cinemas and other populated areas where even if they traced the call nobody would be able to describe the person who had made the call and they would not use the same location twice.
On the third day that they had him captive Copper made the first call from a public telephone at Groote Schuur hospital. The phone was answered by Dianne Burns after the first ring indicating that they were expecting the call.
“You know what our demands are; everything is in the letter that was placed in the car. A second letter with instructions can be collected at the parking aria of your local beach buried under the sand next to the warning board.” Copper said, then put down the receiver and left the place walking at a speed.
In a plastic tube they put the photo of Robbie holding the newspaper and a note typed on the portable Olympia type writer that read. “In future all contact made by you in answer to our demands must be done in the congratulations columns of the smalls ads in the Argus newspaper at night and The Cape Times in the morning using the codename The Rogue. All you need to put in the newspaper is. You agree. Please send next instructions. Written in code it would read like this. ‘The green light is shining. The Rogue”
Earlier he sent Andy down to the beach with his costume and towel. He was to bury the cylinder with the letter inside, have a quick dip in the icy water and then hang around just outside the car park and wait to see if it was collected. When he returned later in the afternoon he said. “Two guys came in an unmarked car and dug out the letter then came and asked youngsters in the car park if we had seen anybody near the sign. I don’t know what they were told.” He said.
“Was there anybody else with them?” David asked.
“No.” He said. “I went back to the beach and sunbathed. Later I found a lady sunbathing by herself and asked if I could join her. I gave her a lift home to try to fool the cops just in case they had posted somebody else to see if anybody left immediately after them.”
“Good move.” He said. “All we need to do now is to wait and see. Oh by the way what happened to the lady?”
“I took her home.” Andy said grinning like a clown.
On the fourth day they still had heard nothing. They waited till the evening papers came out then went to buy the Argus newspaper. There was a second article on the kidnapping but nothing by the family in the congratulations section of the smalls.
KIDNAPPERS ESTABLISH CONTACT
By Brian Thomson.
Cape Town Tuesday 14th May 1998
The kidnappers who are holding hostage Cape Town businessman already established contact with the Victims family a top police official said.
The call came almost a week after the abduction of the 5I year old Mr. Robert Bruce.
Cape Town police detective sergeant David Abrahams said it follows that when kidnappers call the Victims family ransom demands follow.
Mr. Bruce was seized in front of his residence around 7.00 PM last week in Llandudno.
Mr. Bruce is an investment adviser and Junk Bond salesman and heads a company Bruce Investments in Cape Town.
Detective sergeant Abrahams said the family refused to say whether there is a ransom demand.
Hippo’s Crossing – Chapter 11
David said to the others. “We’re getting no reaction from the family. Let’s stop feeding him for a few days, let them know what we’re doing and leave the ball in their court.”
He got Peter to phone from Cape Town station. Again the phone was picked up after the first ring. “The Rogue…It’s the lion, listen.” He said. “We’ve stopped feeding the kidnapped. We will start feeding him when we hear something positive from you.” Then he put the handset back and left the station.
The next evening a notice appeared in the Argus.
We are having trouble with exchange control. The Rogue.
They didn’t answer the notice. Next morning Copper went to have a look at Robbie. “Why are you not feeding me?” He asked "Mr. Could you please change that awful fucking music."
Copper walked out laughing under his hood. He went back an hour later.
“You…you can’t do that man. I’m very thirsty. I haven’t had anything to drink for two days.” Robbie said.“Please man. Can’t I have some water?” Robbie pleaded."And that music, can't you put on something else."
On day five of the kidnapping David said to the boys.” I think we need to put pressure on these people. They are not taking any notice of our threats. Let’s have him record a message. Maybe that will make them sit up.”
Peter found a shop in Sea Point that sold second hand goods where he bought a tape recorder then came back to the office.
Robbie got off his mattress and immediately asked. “Have you got some water for me please?” Copper said nothing and handed Robbie a note.
'We are having some problems with your family. They don’t want to pay. What do you think we must do to you before they will pay?'
“I don’t know. How must I know? I am so thirsty; can I have some water pleaseee?” Robbie asked.
Robbie wrote another note. 'Okay you can have some water but first you must do something for me.'
“What do you want me to do?” Robbie asked.
Again copper wrote a note.'Tell them that they must pay. If your message is convincing enough I'll bring you water.'
Copper came back and picked up the recorder.
"Can I have some water now please?”Robbie asked.
Copper didn't answer and walked out again.
The four of them listened to the tape.“Dianne this is Robbie. Please help me I’m hungry and thirsty.”That’s all he could say before he burst out crying.
“Maybe that will help. But she must be so pist-off having seen the pictures of him with that prostitute she might not care.” David said. “Okay, Andy you can go to the Protea Hotel. All you have to say when they answer is 'Rogue…This is The Lion. Listen to the message.' Then turn on the tape and when the message is finished put the phone down. That should take a minute. Then you get out of there.” He paused then turning to Peter said. “While Andy is phoning can you stand in front of him so no one sees him put the tape recorder to the phone.”
When they came back from Protea Hotel Andy said. “When I put the tape on and she heard his voice, she called Robbie, Robbie. Then I put the phone down.”
"Okay we can only wait and see what they do. Copper took a cup of water through to Robbie which he gulped down then asked for more. Copper shook his head to say no.
David was sure they were going to hear from them the next morning because it was too late to put anything in today’s evening paper The Argus. they took another photo of Robbie. In all the time David had known him, even as a kid, I had never seen him look so bad. “If this doesn’t get them to do as we ask nothing will.” He said.
David typed a letter and gave them further instructions just in case a notice appeared in the paper.
Once you have the money and we see the notice in the newspaper we will let you know where to get the first tube is, with the instructions.
We reiterate. 1) Do not engage the police or get them involved.
2) Do not follow the driver who will be known by the code name of The Rogue.
3) Do not put any device into the kit-bag or in the car that can follow the vehicle.
5) The driver may be requested to change cars several times. So forewarn him.
Should all the above be adhered to we will let you know where Mr. Robbie Burns can be found.
They put the photo and letter in a tube then Andy went to bury it in the ground by the first window facing the road of Green Point light house. Then he went to Groote Schuur hospital again and from a public box he phoned. “The Rogue…this is The Lion. Find a tube with your next instructions under the ground by the first window facing the road at Green Point light house.”
Somebody said. “Where did you say?” Andy didn’t answer because he knew this was a way of stalling him. He left and returned to the office.
That afternoon Andy and Peter went looking for a white car to steel. It didn’t matter what make it was as long as it was white. They found one, a Toyota Camry at the naval base parking in Simons Town. Peter hot-wired it and drove it out like he owned it. He later told me that under normal circumstances he wouldn’t be seen dead in one of them. Andy followed him in the Opel Corsa back to Muizenberg and parked it in one of the side streets where they could collect it the following day and went back to the office.
They had changed hotels in the morning so that they didn't create suspicion when they booked out. Copper and David first looked for a second hand helmet and when we found one in a pawn shop they went looking for a bike they could steel. They found one parked on Main Street at St. James parking lot. It was a Kawasaki KX125, just what they needed. Copper who is a genius at hot wiring had the pleasure then he rode it back to the office.
David had never stolen anything like that in his life but now he could be called a thief and face a criminal jail sentence and dreaded even the thought of spending a couple of years in a South African jail. They went back to the shop and Copper, in his charitable mood bought Robbie a burger and coke. He took it into the cell. He was received literally with open arms but he wouldn’t let Robbie touch him. In the time that he had been held captive he had only seen Copper and then in disguise. He had never seen the others or heard their voices so it would be difficult for him to point them out in a parade if they were caught.
They were all at the office and David wanted to clear the place of any evidence. The last thing they did was take everything out the office that could be traced back to them and went to dump it in the sea They only kept one overalls for Copper who would be riding the bike the next day.“All right then we pay the hotel bills tonight. How’s that?” I asked.
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