You changed your hair again, he said.
She ran her fingers through the spiky red highlights. I like it like this. You OK? You look a little wired.
Im fine. Just working hard. He smiled weakly. Come inside. Its good to see you. Want a drink? He picked up her bags and ushered her inside.
Coffee would be great. Oh, here. I got you something. She unzipped one of her bags and took out a little package. Happy birthday. Forty-five.
He took it. Forty-six. And it was nearly two months ago.
What a close-knit little family we are. Well, arent you going to open it?
He tore the wrapper. Handkerchiefs.
Irish linen, she said. Had to scour London for them. I got them embroidered, too, see? Adam OConnor. She exaggerated the O.
I know you think its stupid, me changing my name. But its important to me. Its heritage.
She shrugged. Do what you want. Fine by me.
Nice hankies.
Kind of a lame present, huh?
No, really. I like them.
Sabrina glanced around. Wheres Rory?
Tennis camp, he replied instantly.
Tennis camp? Youre kidding me, right?
Adam shook his head. Nope. Tennis camp.
When?
I drove him up there yesterday.
Where?
He made a vague gesture with his hand. Up in Donegal.
They even have things like tennis camp in this place?
Whatever they call it. Activity holiday, something like that. Why, you think were all bog paddies living in mud huts out here?
Oh, give it a rest with the whole Irish thing, Adam.
Anyway, so hes at tennis camp.
She shrugged. Fine. Its just I thought he hated sports.
Adam headed for the kitchen to put some coffee on. You know what kids are like. One of his friends plays and so he wanted to have a go. Itll do him good. Get him away from that damn chess computer of his.
When will he be back?
Couple of weeks.
Sabrina made a face. Jesus, Adam. You didnt think to tell me about any of this before? I was really looking forward to seeing him, you know.
He sighed. Look, the truth is that I totally forgot. I was meaning to call you about it ages ago. It just slipped my mind. Im sorry.
I spoke to him on the phone not long ago, and he never said a word about going to any tennis camp.
Well, you know Rory. He moves in mysterious ways sometimes. Like I said, Im really sorry.
Im sorry too. She sighed. Just disappointed, thats all.
The coffee was beginning to bubble up in the percolator. Adam took two mugs from the shelf and poured it out for them. Sabrina settled on a stool at the mahogany breakfast bar and sipped her coffee. She felt soft fur brush her leg, and a Siamese cat jumped up on her lap. Hey, Cassini. She stroked the cat and it rubbed its head against her.
Youre the one visitor he doesnt bite, Adam said, pulling up another stool. He likes you.
She forced a smile. Anyway, here I am. Rory or no Rory.
Its really good to see you, sis. Really good. She watched him. Is something wrong?
Like what?
I dont know. You just seem a little tense. Things going all right here?
Things are fine.
Thought maybe youd heard from Amy or something. He snorted. Who? No, I dont think so.
Hows business?
Business is great.
She touched his arm. Look, I know that you and I arent that close. But youd tell me if something was wrong, wouldnt you?
Adam forced a laugh. Dont be silly. You know I would. Im just a little tired. Ive been working late a lot the last couple of weeks. New project. He paused. Speaking of which
She glanced up. What?
He hesitated. I have to go away too.
What? When?
Tomorrow morning. Something really important just came up. Theres this conference in Edinburgh, and someone dropped out, and Ive got to speak in their place, and, well
I just love your sense of timing.
I know. But youre more than welcome to stay here. As long as you like.
All alone?
Youve got Cassini for company. And you dont even have to worry about feeding him or letting him out. All automated. The house takes care of everything.
Wonderful.
You should have everything you need. But if you need to go out for anything, the password to open the front door is Constantinople.
She raised an eyebrow. Constantinople?
Just say it into the sensor. Itll recognise any voice. And if you want to lock the guest bedroom door, just tell the house lock and itll hear you. OK?
Yeah, like Id need to, out here.
And if you lock it, Ive set it up so you just say Cassini and itll unlock again. Its the same password for all the bedrooms. Popular security feature. We never use it ourselves, though.
She glared at him. Fantastic, bro.
Look, Im really sorry. Theres nothing I can do about it. Just bad timing, like you said. Why dont you call Nick? Maybe he could come over and join you.
Nick and I arent together any more. Not since he started screwing the model I used in his last shoot.
Thats a real shame, Adam said absently. He bit his lip. Listen, Ive got to go and get my things sorted out for this conference. Help yourself to more coffee. See you in a little while, OK?
Sabrina watched him leave the room. He definitely seemed odd. She poured herself another cup and sat stroking Cassini. Tennis camp, she muttered.
Chapter Eight
When Jeff walked into the office at Le Val, Ben was slamming down the phone. He sat down heavily in his desk chair, clapped his hands to his head and swore loudly.
Listen, Ben, Ive got to tell you something. The doctor said
I already know what the doctor said, Ben replied without looking up.
Youve spoken to him?
I didnt need to. Shannons lawyers just told me. Multiple contusions, possible lower back injury, out of action for at least three weeks.
Jeff looked perplexed. The bastards been talking to his lawyer? Already? From his hospital bed?
Ben got up from the chair and went over to the window. Not one to waste time. Hes threatening to press charges. Grievous bodily harm.
Nothing that grievous about a bit of a twisted elbow and a couple of bruises. Shannon can take it.
Tell that to the lawyer, Ben said. But thats not all.
Jeff was quiet for a second as the meaning sank in. He swallowed. Hes suing us, isnt he?
For loss of earnings, Ben said, still gazing out of the window. Over the roofs of the facility buildings he could see the trees beyond. He so much wanted to be there. Hidden deep within Le Vals sprawl of woodland was the tumbledown ivy-covered ruin of an old church that for the last seven hundred and fifty or so years had been home to the wild creatures of the forest. It was a place Ben loved to go and spend time away from everything, just him and the stillness of the sun-dappled woods, the whisper of the trees and the sound of the doves nesting in the remains of the steeple. At this moment, all that seemed infinitely beyond his reach.
As in one point two million kind of earnings? Jeff asked quietly.
Ben nodded. He tore himself away from the window, went back to his desk and reclined in his chair. The Swiss gig will have to be cancelled. Which basically leaves Shannon and the rest of the team out of a job. And Im responsible for that.
Cant they manage without him?
Apparently not. He insists they need a leader. Its his contract, and he can do what he wants.
Then were fucked, Jeff said.
They sat in silence for a long time. Three minutes passed, then four. Both men sat staring into space.
Why? Why? Ben muttered under his breath. Why did I have to hit him?
You didnt exactly hit him, Ben. If youd really hit him, youd be up for manslaughter now.
Thats a comforting thought, Jeff. Thanks for that. Ben took out his cigarettes and Zippo, and lit one up. Offered one to Jeff, and they sat smoking together.
Theres got to be a way out of this, Jeff said. Is there no way we can just deny responsibility? Pretend it never happened?
Nice idea, if you can forget the six witnesses who saw him go down. Seven, if you include Brooke.
Brooke wouldnt say anything.
Thats not the point, Jeff. If it comes down to it, I wont ask her to perjure herself for nothing.
It was self-defence. He made the first move.
But I overreacted. I didnt have to cripple the guy.
What about public liability insurance?
I dont think the policy underwriters would be happy about forking out a seven-figure sum because I beat up my client.
It wasnt your fault. The bastard had it coming.
It is my fault. No excuses. Ive put the customer in hospital, and thats it. He has every right to sue for loss of earnings.
Silence again for a few moments.
How about this? Jeff suggested suddenly. We go back to the hospital, you and me, right now. We hang around and wait until Brooke and the doctor are out of the way. And then we slip into Shannons room and tell him that if he goes ahead with this, well
Forget it. Thats not going to work either.
Then were fucked, Jeff said again. Completely screwed. Dead in the water.
Maybe not, Ben said. Ive got another idea.
Chapter Nine
The next morning
The rust-streaked prow of the ship cleaved through the waves at a steady ten knots, throwing up a bow wave of white spray. The tweendecker cargo vessel was more than forty years old, and every inch of her hundred-and-sixty-foot hull was crusted with salt and oily grime, but she was a fast and reliable ship. Her speed was one reason shed been chosen for this assignment; the other was that her Icelandic captain and his crew of six were savvy enough to take the cash and ask no questions of the two men and the woman they were being hired to ferry eastwards across the northern tip of Scotland into Scandinavian waters. They wanted to know even less about the cargo that their three passengers had stored down below.
The ship had sailed in the night from Clifden on the Irish west coast. A few hours into the voyage, the sun was shining but the salty sea wind was cool as they left the Outer Hebrides behind them, the Orkney Islands a few hours ahead. The diesels kept up their steady grind, the clouds drifted overhead and the sea foamed white in their wake as the vessel ploughed onwards towards Stavanger, Norway, where the plane would be waiting to deliver the package to its final destination.
The stocky guy was not feeling good. He hated this fucking pile of rust, the stink of oil and ocean, the nauseous pitch and yaw of the floor under his feet. He was ill all the time, and hed have loved to shoot down one or two of those incessantly screeching fucking seabirds. Not the most rewarding job hed been on. He couldnt wait for it to be over.
The things you have to do for money, he was thinking as he clanged open the hatch and carried the tray down into the part of the hold that was off-limits to the crew. He hated having to act as waiter to the damn kid, too, and carried the tray carelessly. Some water sloshed out of the tin cup and spilled onto the thin cheese sandwiches. If the kid complained, then fuck him. Let him starve.
Down in the murky shadows, the stink of oil was even stronger. The guy could make out the pale shape of the mattress on the floor and the dull glint of the handcuffs that secured the kids left wrist to the pipe.
Hold on. He shone the torch. The white circle of light danced on the rusty wall.
The handcuff was dangling empty from the pipe.
He dropped the tray with a clatter and stood there, mouth hanging open as his rising fury quickly gave way to fear. He dropped into a squat and rubbed his chin. If hed lost the kid, he was a dead man.
Spotting a twisted length of wire lying among the filth on the floor, he picked it up and examined it, and his rage started flooding back. Little bastard.
He couldnt be far away. The guy muttered and cursed and shone the torch this way and that in the shadows.
A soft sound came from behind him. He started to turn towards it, but then something came whooshing out of the darkness and caught him a glancing blow to the side of the head. His vision flashed white with pain. He dropped the torch and fell to the floor. The hard object hit him again and he felt unconsciousness washing over him.
Then he was dimly aware of someone bending over him, feeling through his pockets. Light footsteps running away.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to clamber to his knees, just in time to see the kid momentarily framed in the sunlight that streamed through the open hatch. Then he was gone.
Come back here, you little fucker, the guy yelled out. His head felt ready to explode as he staggered to his feet and over towards the hatch, stumbling over the length of iron pipe that the prisoner had hit him with. He tore the .45 auto from his belt and went for the phone in his pocket to alert the others.
It was gone.
Rorys heart was pounding in his throat as he half-ran, half-clambered up a clanking metal stair and sprinted along a railed walkway. He glanced frantically up and down the length of the ship and over the side at the heaving grey-green ocean and shivered in the cold, wondering where on earth he was. Gulls and cormorants were swooping and circling overhead; he could see dark islands on the horizon. His mind was working so fast that he was tripping over his thoughts, but he knew hed already made two mistakes.
First mistake: when hed taken the kidnappers phone hed seen the black butt of a pistol sticking out of his belt. He should have taken it, even if he didnt know how to work a gun.
Second mistake: in his haste to get away, he hadnt shut the hatch behind him. Theyd soon be searching the ship for him. He ran on, his footsteps ringing on the walkway.
A riveted door swung open a few yards ahead, and Rory ducked behind a girder. The two men who came out of the doorway were wearing oil-stained overalls and talking in some language he didnt understand. They were rough-looking, dirt on their hands and faces unshaven. It sounded like they were sharing a joke. One of them was lighting up a cigarette, and Rory caught a whiff of the smoke as they came past. For a moment he thought he was going to cough, but he clamped it in tight and held his breath. His heart was thudding so hard that he was convinced they would hear it over the rumble of the ship. He shrank behind the girder, trying to make himself as small as possible.