Owen Able and the Two-Headed Dragon

Chapter 8

Andrew goes outside and removes some items from his Mercedes C 63 AMG and places them in various pockets of his beige leather jacket before closing the passenger door and locking the car with a beep from his remote.

Moments later, Nicole arrives in a silver 1987 Corvette Callaway C4, also known as the Sledgehammer.

Andrew slowly walks around the car whistling. "What a beauty!"

Sleek lines, wide body kit, aerodynamic design, pop-up lights, two-door sports coupé. An iconic car. A marvel for its time and extremely rare. In fact, this is the only one in existence. The car idles with a deep rumbling sound that would make any car enthusiast keel over in euphoria. Nicole pops her head out of the window.

"Come on. Hop in."

Andrew opens the passenger door and slides into the leather sports seat. "Is this really the Sledgehammer," he asks.

"The one and only," Nicole says with a smile.

"Wow!" Andrew exclaims.

"She's mostly authentic, but received the Able touch to keep up with modern times, like most of Owen's cars," she says.

Nicole calls up the navigation system on the LED display. "What's the address of this restaurant we are going to?" she asks.

"Seventy-seven Regent Road," he says.

Nicole is about to enter the address when suddenly there is a beeping sound and a 'No Signal' icon blinking in the top-right corner of the display.

She taps the display. "Now this is odd. Perhaps Owen was working on it. I'll ask him to take a look when he gets back."

"It's not a problem. I can give you directions to the place," Andrew says.

"Great. Then buckle up. It may be a bumpy ride."

Nicole pulls away. The turbochargers whistle and hiss under the powerful roar of the 5.7-liter engine as she steps on the gas and changes into second gear.

"I'm sure you know the way to Sea Point, or do you want me to give you some directions?" Andrew asks.

"No, I'm all good. I'll take the R43 and climb onto the N2. The highway will take us all the way to Cape Town City. You can give me directions once we're there."

The sun is sitting low on the horizon. Sunset is less than an hour away now, at around seven p.m. Nicole turns off the R43 and onto the highway.

She looks at Andrew with a grin on her face. "Well, they say it's around an hour and a half's drive from here to Sea Point. Shall we test that theory?"

"I have no doubt you can get there faster, but then we'll be early and will have to sit and wait for Susan to arrive. So, we might as well take a slow, enjoyable ride," Andrew says.

"Did Owen tell you about last night perhaps?"

Andrew twitches his fingers. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean I don't believe you're a good, responsible driver."

Nicole playfully revs the engine while looking at Andrew. "Are you sure?"

"Sure about getting there faster, or that you are responsible?" he asks.

Nicole effortlessly accelerates to 160 km/h from 120 km/h, then drops back to 120 km/h and back up again. The bonnet of the car rising each time she steps on the gas, the engine giving a deep throaty roar, turbochargers whistling and hissing. All the while she is looking at Andrew. "Are you sure I am a responsible driver?"

Andrew resents the thoughts going through his mind, but he cannot help but ask himself if someone who has spent time in the loony bin can ever really be sane again. "I love speed, Nicole, don't get me wrong. But I have a wife and kids you know."