69. Walter goes into action
My hunch was right and Bonga confirmed it. Khalinda called 2-days prior to Angela's disappearance asking for help and a place to stay until she got on her feet. She told Bonga that her family turned their back on her and due to her mental issues, everyone she knew basically distanced themselves from her. I must say I was impressed, she managed to convince Bonga to let her use one of the farmhouses he planned on turning into a country lodge which was a 20 minutes drive outside of the city, not only that, but she also managed to get him to rent her a car because she needed transport for job searching. At that point, I was convinced that she was definitely a sociopath, well, psychopath considering what she did to Angela. It didn't take much to convince Bonga to give us the location of the house, especially after I told him what she was actually doing at that barn. I didn't tell him everything though, just that she was up to no good and the police were looking for her. I finally hung up the phone and Walter's eyes held so much anticipation, especially seeing the smile on my face.
"We got her!", I said,
His eyes lit up, "We found her?!", he excitedly lifted me and twirled me, placed me down and on impulse, he planted a kiss on my forehead. I was happy we found her, but I was even happier to see him smile and relieved, at that moment, it dawned on me that I was actually doing all that for his sake. The thought of him hurting and wallowing in guilt sank my heart, if I wasn't sure I loved him, that night it became clear because all the sadness, anxiousness, and pain I felt melted with the smile on his face, it was like he was the one kidnapped because I let out a sigh of relief when I saw him that giddy, funny thing is I wasn't even aware that I had been holding my breath. All I know is all the tension I felt, melted away.
We went inside and informed everyone of the information and their tears became of joy, Walter also informed Angela's father. Again, I am not sure what they spoke about or what he said because, within minutes of that call, we were around the coffee table with the tactical force team studying the blueprint of the farm where she was held, all thanks to Bonga.
After all was done, the team went to the farm, and they invited Walter with them, they said his role was to distract Khalinda, and make sure she didn't do anything rash. Lira, Rachel, and I silently remained in her apartment, anxiously praying and waiting for them to bring her home safely, my prayers also covered Walter's safety. They left a police officer with us, in case Khalinda contacted Rachel.
Thirty minutes went by, 30 minutes soon turned to an hour, and an hour turned to 2, I was beginning to get anxious, the place was not far from the city and it was one woman, so I couldn't understand why it was taking so long. My stomach was knotting, I began to feel antsy, my heart pounding and my palms sweating nonstop. I struggled to keep my head clear of any dark thoughts, and it was too hard to keep in control. I feared the worst, and I was becoming physically sick. I glanced over at Lira, and she was the same, she was in agony, she couldn't even sob out loud, she snuggled up against my arm and with a trembling voice, "They are okay right Thandie, I am sure they are okay.", I knew exactly that she was battling the same dark thoughts as I was. We had to convince each other they were okay because the alternative was just too unbearable. I couldn't lose Walter like that, no, I refused to lose him like that. There was still so much I wanted to do with him, and at that moment, it dawned on me that life was fragile, human life was like a candle, it could easily be flickered out. So I promised myself that when he came back, I wouldn't hold back anymore, fuck morals and fuck people's opinions when I had him back again, I planned on not letting him go. No matter what, I was not planning on letting him slip through my fingers, never again.