Ask No Questions

by Hartley, Lisa

  Ask No Questions

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  Epilogue

  Copyright

  Ask No Questions

  Lisa Hartley

  The blood haunted her.

  She saw it pool beneath her feet when she walked down the street, felt it spatter her skin as she showered.

  The images she could pretend she had forgotten: Nicky on the floor, the blood leaking from her throat, arcing across the room close to where the body lay.

  The body.

  The small, thin, curled-up ruin of a child.

  No, the images were there too, stuck in her head, replaying on a never-ending loop of horror.

  At the hospital, when they undressed her, dried blood cracking and flaking from her clothes as they were removed, she had remained silent. When she saw her stained knees and hands, Nicky’s blood branding her, she had said nothing.

  She knew she had failed.

  Two bodies. Two lives snuffed out.

  A team of police officers who should have known better, who could have done more.

  And Caelan herself, who had fought to save her colleague’s life, and failed, watching Nicky’s gasping, choking dying moments every time she closed her eyes.

  And the blood. The blood would never leave her.

  1

  As she opened the door, the heat flew at her, wrapping itself around her like warmth from an oven. Yesterday, the temperature had reached twenty-six degrees and today promised to be hotter. October was proving the perfect time to escape the grey misery of Britain for Egypt’s winter warmth.

  She slipped on her sunglasses, the white tiles on the stairs outside her door appearing to glow in the glare of the sun. People were already in and around the kidney-shaped swimming pool, children shrieking as they leapt into the water. Caelan kept walking towards the double doors of the restaurant. Several people smiled as she passed, and she nodded at them, her eyes busy behind the dark lenses, ever alert. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and wore a baseball cap. In this heat, a hat was wise, but in Caelan Small’s life, blending in had always been advisable.

  In the restaurant, she removed the sunglasses and hat, collected a plate of scrambled eggs and toast and set it on a table. As she sat down, a smiling young waiter approached, dressed in white trousers and a shirt printed with palm leaves. He had a silver jug in each hand, and he held them both aloft as he said, ‘Good morning. Tea, coffee?’

  Caelan turned a teacup the right way up on its saucer. ‘Coffee, please. Thank you.’

  The waiter bent to pour the thick brown liquid into the cup.

  ‘From England?’ he asked. Caelan nodded. ‘Cold there? Rain?’

  She smiled. ‘Yes. We do have sunshine, but it’s never as hot as it is here, even in summer.’

  ‘I would like to see snow. One time.’

  Pouring milk into the cup, she nodded. ‘I hope you do. Snow’s pretty, but I prefer your sun. Thank you.’

  He moved away, still smiling.

  She ate quickly, then sat for a while, taking her time over the coffee, the only person who was breakfasting on her own. As usual, the observation didn’t bother her. Being alone meant fewer complications.

  After collecting her snorkelling equipment from her room, Caelan strolled through the lush green gardens, threading her way between the terracotta-painted blocks of bedrooms and down towards the beach. She stopped to take a bottle of water from the fridge that stood next to the beach bar, found a sunbed and stripped down to her bikini. She had a paperback with her, but for now, she was content just to lie there, watching and listening.

  * * *

  Richard Adamson reversed into a parking space, tension beginning to knot his stomach. The summons to an anonymous hotel could have only one meaning.

  They were worried.

  A threat, a person of interest. A risk. Discreet phone calls here, clandestine meetings there. Consequently he had been asked to leave his cosy office and drive down here, taking the usual precautions.

  He reached up to twist the rear-view mirror towards him, checking his appearance. He had no idea who he would be meeting, but it paid to look the part. The right facade was key in this game, and it was a game, to him at least. Cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek. He strode across the car park, buttoning his jacket.

  The receptionist was a young man, fiddling with a smartphone that he hurriedly shoved into his pocket as he saw Adamson approaching.

  ‘I have a room booked in the name of Lysander,’ Adamson said. The receptionist’s hands moved over the keyboard of the computer that sat on the desk in front of him. He nodded, turned to lift a sheet of paper from the printer behind him and pushed it across the desk.

  ‘Room 205. If you could fill in your car registration and sign here, please.’

  Adamson scribbled a jumble of letters, including an approximation of the name that was not his own. Once he had his key, he turned away and made for the stairs. He never used lifts if he could help it, a trick he’d been taught early in his career. A closed box that could be halted at any point, made unreachable and inescapable? No thank you.

  He reached the top of the stairs and pushed through a fire door. As he passed Room 201, the door opened. He hesitated. They had been watching, then. He turned his head, sensing movement inside the room, then moved closer to the door. A man stood inside it. Richard smiled to himself. Cloak-and-dagger. He stepped inside.

  The room was the usual budget-hotel mix of clean white bedlinen and muted paintwork. At the desk in the far corner a woman sat, her gaze fixed on a laptop computer. He waited, studying her profile. This was a surprise. He had met her before, but not for a while, and never like this. Whatever the reason for his presence here, it was obviously serious. Elizabeth Beckett had any number of assistants and lower-ranking officers she could have sent in her place. She was an assistant commissioner, responsible for Specialist Crime & Operations, and part of the Metropolitan Police’s senior management team. In Richard’s small and discreet corner of the Met, Beckett was God.

  Interesting.

  He stood perfectly still, hands by his sides. After a minute or so, the woman turned in her chair. She smiled, got to her feet. She was in her early fifties, her silvery hair loose around her shoulders, a pair of glasses lying on the desktop. Rubbing her eyes, she stepped forward.

  ‘Richard. It’s good to see you. Thanks for coming.’

  Not that he’d had a choice. He shook her hand, her grip firm, her skin cold.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ he told her.

  ‘Coffee?’

  ‘Please.’

  She glanced over to the man who still stood by the door. ‘Will you organise some, Davy? Thank you.’

  Davy’s lips tightened, but he nodded and left the room. A spark of amusement flared in her pale-green eyes as she watched him go. He clearly resented being used as a waiter.

  ‘Shall we sit down?’ She waved Richard towards the navy-blue sofa that stood under the window, then dragged the chair from the desk and settled into it. ‘You’re no doubt wondering why you’re here.’

&nb
sp; He smiled. ‘And why you are, ma’am. With respect, I wasn’t expecting you.’

  ‘The Home Secretary insisted I talk to you myself.’ She watched his face, but he was ready for her.

  ‘The Home Secretary? I see.’

  She laughed. ‘As inscrutable as ever, Richard.’

  ‘I knew it must be important.’

  ‘We’re being discreet. Though,’ her gaze roamed the room, ‘hiding out in a hotel does seem rather ridiculous. I arrived here in the early hours, scurrying up the stairs like a teenager late home from a night out.’ She sighed, and Richard wondered if she was thinking of her own children, away at university as far as he knew. Leaning forward in her chair, she set her hands on her knees. ‘We have an issue, and we would appreciate your help.’

  ‘I’ll do all I can, as you know.’

  ‘I do. It’s part of the reason I wanted to speak to you myself, regardless of the Home Secretary’s wishes.’

  He raised his eyebrows, happy to let his guard down slightly, though he knew flattery when he heard it. There was silence until the man she had called Davy knocked on the door and came back in bearing a wooden tray. He set it on the desk, and Beckett leant over to pour three cups of coffee from the insulated jug, a delicious aroma drifting through the room as she did so.

  Silently she handed Richard a cup and saucer. Davy went to the door, locked it and engaged the security chain. When Beckett glanced at him, he nodded, moving back to pick up his own drink. Beckett sipped, gazing over towards the window. Richard waited, knowing she would not be rushed. Eventually she raised her eyes to his.

  ‘This is difficult.’

  ‘What’s the problem?’ Richard concealed his impatience.

  She cleared her throat. ‘We believe a person has entered the country whom it’s necessary to find and then keep within sight. Discreet but nevertheless careful surveillance.’

  Another surprise. This was not what he had been expecting her to say. In fact, he was disappointed. But then she had to be referring to someone notorious, or it would be being dealt with further down the ladder. Much, much further.

  ‘Okay. And how do I fit in?’

  Elizabeth Beckett took another mouthful of coffee, then set the cup on the saucer and replaced it on the tray. She held his gaze, and when she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. ‘Caelan Small.’

  Richard’s throat tightened, though his expression didn’t change. ‘What about her?’

  ‘We want her to do this for us.’

  ‘But—’

  Beckett held up a hand. ‘We need her, Richard.’

  He was already shaking his head. ‘There’s no way.’

  ‘We think there’s a good chance she’ll agree.’

  ‘Caelan made it clear she would never work for us again. I’m sorry, ma’am, but it’s impossible.’ And why would they want her to? It was a puzzle.

  Beckett was quiet, her eyes studying his face. He stared back, knowing that what he had said was true.

  ‘We’d like you to talk to her,’ she said eventually.

  ‘Me?’ Richard suppressed a snort of amusement. ‘Caelan wouldn’t listen.’

  ‘She has in the past.’

  ‘No. She may have ignored me slightly less often than she did most people …’

  ‘You had a relationship with her.’

  Now he did laugh. It was no surprise that they knew. ‘That’s not how I’d describe it.’

  ‘Nevertheless, we’d like you to try.’ Her tone made it clear there was no room for argument.

  Davy had resumed his position by the door. He shuffled his feet and touched a hand to his jacket, by his hip. Richard swallowed.

  ‘I don’t even know where Caelan is.’

  Beckett smiled. Safe ground again. ‘We do. Egypt.’

  ‘Egypt? Why?’

  ‘Even Caelan Small goes on holiday.’

  ‘Under which name?’

  ‘Her own, for a change. Perhaps her guard is down.’

  Richard doubted that. He sighed as Beckett slid a bulky white envelope from the inside pocket of her jacket.

  ‘Stay in the room that was booked here for the rest of the day,’ she continued. ‘A car will pick you up at seven, and your flight leaves at nine. I presume you have a bag packed?’

  He dipped his head. ‘Yes, ma’am.’ It was part of the job to be ready to leave at a minute’s notice.

  ‘Excellent. You’ll be met once you land at Sharm El Sheikh.’

  ‘And what shall I tell Caelan?’

  Beckett held out the envelope. ‘That we’d like to talk to her, in the first instance. She’s due to fly home in three days anyway. Someone will be waiting for her at the airport then too.’

  ‘And if she refuses?’ He took the envelope, turning it over in his hands. It would contain his tickets, a passport and driving licence, credit cards, and cash; both Egyptian and sterling. The name on the passport and other items would not be his own.

  ‘If she refuses, we’ll keep trying to persuade her.’ Beckett’s back was straight, her shoulders back, confident that Caelan would listen to them and be ushered back into the fold. Richard wasn’t so sure.

  ‘How?’ He hoped he didn’t sound as sceptical as he felt. Why would they even consider asking Caelan? There were other officers who would be eager to step in, himself included. He gazed at Beckett, considering the possibilities. What was she up to?

  She stared back at him, her eyes narrowing. ‘Let us worry about the detail. Talk to her, get her to see sense.’

  ‘I have to be honest, ma’am, I’m not sure that anything I say will make a difference. Caelan walked away from the job with no intention of coming back.’

  ‘I’m aware she resigned. We’re still paying her, though.’

  ‘That was part of the agreement.’

  Beckett lifted her chin, her eyes cold. ‘Well, then the deal has changed, or it could easily do so. We want her to do this, and we think she’ll agree.’

  The skin on his arms was prickling, part of him understanding already.

  ‘Who will she be finding?’

  Elizabeth Beckett turned away, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. With a sharp, quick movement, she turned back, meeting his gaze and holding it. She said the name softly, as if it were a curse. It was what Richard had expected to hear, but still he wanted to cover his ears, to leave the room, climb into his car and drive away.

  Instead, he closed his eyes, remembering.

  2

  How the hell was he supposed to find her? The receptionist had insisted he could not give out Caelan’s room number, and the hotel grounds were extensive – he could wander around all day and still not see her. Richard swore under his breath, wiping his hand across his face, sweat already soaking his back. In his cotton chinos and polo shirt, he felt ridiculous. As he crossed a sun-drenched courtyard, he saw a few shops and hurried across to them.

  Back in his room, he pulled on the swimming shorts and flip-flops he’d purchased, applied plenty of suncream and went outside again. In this heat, she would surely be by the pool, or on the beach.

  He tried the pool area first, examining the women who were possibilities without appearing to stare. It was tricky searching the crowd with bikini-clad bodies in all directions. His sunglasses would help disguise what he was doing, but he didn’t want to give the wrong impression and risk drawing attention to himself.

  There was no sign of her.

  He strolled around the edge of the pool, then sat on the side with his legs dangling in the water. A rest wouldn’t hurt. He was considering grabbing a beer before heading down to the beach when a touch on the back of his neck caused him to freeze.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ The voice was quiet but unmistakable.

  Caelan.

  He kept his eyes on the water in front of him. Wearing only shorts he felt strangely exposed, as if he were naked and utterly defenceless. As usual, Caelan was in control of the situation. He could feel her fingernail on his
skin, not painful, not yet, but there all the same. He had been stupid to sit down here, leaving himself vulnerable. Mistakes like that could be costly.

  ‘Looking for you,’ he said.

  Caelan snorted. ‘Well here I am. What do you want?’

  Richard hunched his shoulders, willing her to remove her hand. ‘Could we find somewhere quiet to have a drink? I want to talk to you.’

  ‘Want to, or have to? I’m sure I can guess.’

  She moved away, and he clambered to his feet, turning to look at her. Her hair was dark, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses. He had no idea what Caelan’s natural hair or eye colour were because both had changed so often in the time he had known her. Sometimes he thought she did it for her own amusement, keeping the mystery, the illusion, of Caelan Small alive.

  She stalked away. He hurried after her, aware that she could disappear into the sprawl of the hotel again if she chose to.

  ‘Where are you going?’ he asked.

  ‘You didn’t answer me, not that you needed to. I doubt you turning up here is a coincidence. I’m going back to my room.’

  More apprehensive than ever now that he had found her, he followed, surprised when she made no attempt to stop him. When they reached her door, she removed her sunglasses and glared at him. He forced himself to meet her gaze. Brown eyes. Hazel? Probably her natural colour; he was close enough to guess she wore no contact lens. She truly was on holiday. High cheekbones, small nose. Neat eyebrows, drawn together in a frown.

  ‘Can I come in?’ he asked. She shrugged as she removed the card that served as a room key from her shorts pocket and unlocked the door.

  Inside, the air was cool, the air conditioning whirring away high in the corner. Richard took off his sunglasses and glanced around. It was a mirror image of his own room. Bathroom to the left of the door, then a square area beyond, the floor tiled in terracotta, the walls painted white. Two queen-size beds. A chair, upholstered in a burgundy and gold fabric that matched the bedspreads. Dark-wood furniture – a square table, a wardrobe and a desk with a cupboard built in, a chest of drawers. Her suitcase stood in the corner, padlocked. She threw her snorkelling gear and hat onto one of the beds and rounded on him.