Siren Song (Harrison Jones and Amy Bell Mystery Book 1)

by Rebecca McKinney

  He poured the wine, handed out the glasses without ceremony and took a sip of his own. The silence of an unspoken truth hung over the room.

  ‘I made love to Lucy when she was fourteen,’ he said. ‘She told me she was sixteen, and at the time I believed her. I had only recently met her parents.’

  Harrison nodded, apparently satisfied. ‘And were you the one who got her pregnant when she was seventeen?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Okay. You realise that you’ve just admitted to the statutory rape of a child.’

  ‘Of course I realise that, but we are trying to prevent a greater crime now, are we not?’

  ‘Unless we’re too late. However, ... Tim, please, carry on.’

  Tim snatched a glass and drank greedily. ‘When I was working at LASAR-Net, Lucy showed up one day and she had Kostas with her. She said Kostas was interested in what happened to the people who finally made it to Britain.’

  ‘I wanted to make a very large gift to a refugee charity in Scotland, and I wanted to see their work before I did so.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘Yes, I gave LASAR-Net a sum of fifty thousand pounds. It was enough to secure their operations for a year.’

  ‘Nessa Walker mentioned this when we spoke to her,’ Amy interrupted. ‘She didn’t say it was that much.’

  Kostas shrugged. ‘I am privileged to be able to help.’

  She wanted to ask about Maryam and the icon, but Harrison silenced her with a glance.

  He turned back to Tim. ‘What made you and Lucy decide to leave Edinburgh?’

  ‘She was being harassed by her mother. Threatened with being cut off, cut out of her will, called a slut and a bitch and all sorts. Elizabeth got drunk and set her abusive texts. Completely mental, mate. The woman is off her trolley.’

  Kostas showed no reaction to Tim’s description of his former lover. Whatever he may have felt for Elizabeth in the past, he had no interest in defending her now.

  ‘Did Lucy have any contact with her father during that time?’

  ‘Fuck no,’ Tim spat. ‘Anyway, we packed up and left. We travelled around Europe for six months before we got here.’

  ‘What did you do for money?’ Amy asked.

  ‘We busked. Tell you what, as soon as Lucy opened her mouth, the money flooded in. She kept saying she wanted to come to Athens. For weeks, it was all Athens, Athens, Athens. It was all about him.’ He glanced at Kostas. ‘You were the only reason she wanted to come here.’

  Kostas made an innocent, helpless expression.

  ‘Was she in touch with you during this time?’ Harrison asked Kostas.

  ‘No. It was only after they arrived in Athens, she made contact. Of course, I invited her to my estate. I organised a house concert for them, and invited my closest friends, including some people in the music industry.’

  ‘Tim, Maya Retsikas told us she asked you and Lucy to leave the co-op. She said that you argued in front of the clients, and she suspected that you had been stealing? What can you say about that?’

  ‘We were pretty skint. We had stuff to buy. We were just a bit desperate. That place is rolling in money, I didn’t think they would miss a few old mobile phones and that kind of shit.’

  ‘You stole from a charity to buy drugs,’ Amy said.

  Tim nodded. ‘It sounds pretty shit if you put it that way.’

  ‘What drugs?’ Harrison asked.

  ‘Just hash. Honestly, that was it ... at first.’

  ‘At first?’

  ‘There was plenty more on offer at his parties.’

  Kostas shrugged. ‘Some of my friends do things that I don’t fully approve of, but this is life. I never forced Tim or Lucy to take anything.’

  Tim closed his eyes, and the words poured out of him like water. ‘I knew Lucy was falling for him. She got closer and closer to him, and more and more distant from me. We started bickering all the time, and finally she just ... snapped. She attacked me, like, physically battered me. She’s a big strong girl; it bloody hurt, you know? Finally, I lost it and slapped her. Then she said she wanted me to leave, so I did and that was it. I haven’t seen her since.’

  ‘Did she come to you?’

  ‘Yes, she came to me,’ Kostas said. ‘And she asked me if I would pay for Tim’s flight back to Britain. So, I bought him a ticket and sent my driver to pick him up and take him to the airport.’

  ‘That’s what happened, Tim?’

  ‘Yeah, that’s what happened, except I didn’t get on the plane.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Tim squirmed. ‘Because I wanted her back.’

  ‘So where have you been staying since then?’

  ‘Different places. Crashing on sofas and stuff.’

  ‘Your mum has reported you missing to the police, here and in the UK. Why haven’t you been in touch with her?’

  This merited only a shrug. ‘Dunno. My mum’s a pain in the ass.’

  Harrison turned to Kostas. ‘Did Lucy stay with you after that?’

  Kostas put down his glass and combed his hair with his fingers. ‘This is where it becomes rather embarrassing. Lucy stayed with me for a short time. Less than two weeks. And then my wife came home early from a business trip and found her there. There was a scene, and we all said some things that should not be repeated. Lucy came back to Athens and asked me for some money. She didn’t know what to do at that point. Of course, I wanted to help her, so I ...’

  ‘Can I ask you something, Kostas?’ Amy interrupted. ‘Did you love Lucy?’

  ‘Everybody loves Lucy.’

  ‘That’s not what I asked. Did you really care about her?’

  Kostas sighed and stared at the wall above Amy’s head. ‘If you want the truth? She turned me on. I wanted to sleep with her. I wanted to help her establish her singing career, and I didn’t want to hurt her. But I didn’t love her. Is that a crime as well?’

  ‘Maybe it should be,’ Amy muttered. ‘How did you try to help her?’

  ‘I introduced her to a man I know, Victor Mikos, and he offered her a job on his yacht. He likes to provide entertainment for his friends and associates. As you know, Lucy had some experience ... along those lines.’

  ‘What kind of entertainment, exactly?’

  ‘Singing, of course. What else?’

  ‘Not sex?’

  ‘I would never have knowingly put Lucy into that situation. She’s the daughter of a business partner, after all.’

  ‘But now you aren’t so sure,’ Harrison said.

  Kostas looked momentarily surprised, then nodded. ‘Now I am not so sure. Some stories have recently reached me through sources I would rather not disclose.’

  ‘What stories?’

  ‘About a pale-haired angel on Victor’s boat, and the things she does.’

  ‘Have you tried to get her back?’

  ‘At first, I tried to deny what I had heard. I felt so guilty, I pretended it must be someone else. It was only when Tim called me and asked if I had heard from her, that I ... began to think about what to do. Victor is ... not a man to be toyed with. Lucy entered into a contract with him.’

  ‘Without knowing the terms,’ Amy said.

  Kostas took a drink and swallowed heavily, ‘Listen, we all know that this is an unsavoury business, and that I have not acquitted myself ... honourably. But whatever you have heard, I hope that you agree that we are allies. For Lucy’s sake.’

  Harrison took one of the vine leaves from the plate, bit into it and chewed thoughtfully for half a minute. ‘You’re right, this is very good.’ They all waited while he ate the rest of it. ‘This is what we’re going to do. In the morning, all four of us are going to take the ferry to Hydra. You’re going to get us on board Victor’s boat ... what’s it called?’

  ‘Circe, after the –’

  ‘The enchantress who held Odysseus and his men captive on her island and made them into sex slaves. How very appropriate. You and I are going to go see Victor, and you’ll do what
you need to do to negotiate Lucy’s release.’

  ‘You seem to assume Lucy is being kept on board against her will?’

  ‘We have information of our own, which you have very helpfully confirmed,’ Harrison said. He put down his glass and looked at his watch. ‘That’s your hour. We’ll meet your car tomorrow morning at ten at Café Stelios.’ He stood up and retrieved his coat. ‘Otherwise, we can have the police in Edinburgh into your apartments at the Western Harbour tonight. You get me? I assume that is agreeable?’

  Cracks were now showing in Kostas’s glossy exterior. ‘I suppose it must be. I will have my driver take you back to your hotel, and meet you there in the morning. It will save time.’

  ‘We can make our own way. One more thing, Kostas. The man you have looking for Tim? Call him off.’

  ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

  ‘Then you have nothing to worry about.’ Harrison walked toward the door, motioning for Amy and Tim to come. Tim remained fixed to the white leather sofa.

  Kostas followed them to the door and dropped his voice. ‘I think you understand that there are more lives at stake than just Lucy’s.’

  Harrison placed his hand deliberately on Kostas’s arm. ‘I’ve been hired to ensure Lucy’s safety. Nothing else.’

  ‘Then you will use only the information you must, and leave the rest. You must give me your word.’

  ‘If we get Lucy off that boat, then yes, I give you my word. And we will see you at ten tomorrow morning.’ He dropped his hand and looked around Kostas. ‘Tim, you come with us.’

  Tim levered himself off the sofa, snatched his coat and trailed them down the stairs like a sullen child. It was an almost silent taxi ride back to the hotel, with Tim staring at his fingernails and jiggling his leg. Amy turned to search the traffic behind them every so often, but there was no way of telling which of the glaring headlights might be following them.

  The woman at the hotel desk informed them that there was a conference in the hotel and there were no vacant rooms.

  Harrison sighed, not managing to hide his frustration. ‘Right, Tim, you’ll have to bunk in with me.’

  ‘He can have my room, Harri,’ Amy said, before she had a chance to consider the implications. ‘You need your sleep, and this one looks like a proper pain in the arse.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Upstairs, Harrison waited while Amy gathered her bag.

  Tim sat on the bed, chewing his cuticle. ‘How do I know you’re on my side?’

  ‘It’s called trust, Tim,’ Amy said. ‘I’m sorry if you don’t know how to do that. I promise you, Harrison and I just want to get you and Lucy home safe. That’s all.’

  ‘I don’t have to stay here, you know,’ he said. ‘If I want to take off, you can’t stop me.’

  ‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ Harrison snapped. ‘Kostas Gianopoulos is a dangerous bastard. If you’re too thick to figure it out, I’ll spell it out to you in two words. Human trafficking. Do you know what that is?’

  ‘Yeah, but ... Kostas isn’t involved in that…is he?’

  ‘This thing is a hell of a lot bigger than you know. He has a man out there…’ he pointed to the window, ‘looking for you. He didn’t want you getting near Lucy or finding out what he’s up to. He would have had you killed if we hadn’t got to you first. How much money did he pay you to leave Greece in September?’

  ‘He didn’t…’

  ‘Don’t lie to me.’

  Tim shook his head, mouth slightly open, as if the denial had caught in his throat. ‘Couple of grand.’

  ‘A couple of grand that you’ve been pissing away, pretending to look for your girlfriend but really just taking drugs and sleeping most of the day. You think he’s going to let that go unpunished? You’re here for your own safety, so you will stay in this room with the door locked, you will stay sober, and you will be ready to leave here tomorrow at nine. Do you understand me?’

  Tim said nothing.

  ‘They will kill you, Tim,’ Amy added. She had to say it. Whatever came of it, her conscience demanded this. ‘They will dump your body at sea and you’ll disappear forever. It’ll be like you never existed. Listen to me. Don’t give them the chance.’

  Tim laughed. ‘You seem to know a lot about their plans.’

  Amy looked at Harrison. ‘He doesn’t believe me.’

  ‘It’s up to him.’

  ‘Fine,’ Tim huffed. ‘Whatever. I’ll stay here, alright? Thanks for the room.’

  They left Tim Cartwright to his less than sweet dreams and headed along to the far end of the corridor.

  Harrison unlocked the door of his own room, and for a couple of seconds they both stood staring at the one double bed.

  ‘Well now, how did we get ourselves into this situation?’ Amy let out a laugh. ‘You want me to sleep in the bath?’

  He pulled off his boots, hat and coat, and collapsed onto the chair by the window. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m too knackered to even think about doing more than sleeping in that bed. You’ll be safe enough.’

  ‘That’s good to know.’

  He got out his phone. ‘I’m going to phone Colin. Maybe he can get us some information on Victor Mikos.’

  ‘This thing stinks, you know that? The man should have been arrested by now.’

  ‘Even so, he’s our ticket on and off that boat.’

  ‘How’s this going to work tomorrow, Harri?’

  ‘I’m still trying to work that out.’

  ‘That doesn’t fill me with confidence.’

  ‘Nor me. I’ve never had to do anything like this before. I’m kind of making this up as we go along.’

  ‘Now he tells me. God help us.’ She took off her shoes and massaged the underside of her foot. Anticipation jittered through her. ‘I’m going to get changed and have a wash.’

  She dug her pyjamas and wash bag out of her rucksack and went into the bathroom. While she was in there, she heard his voice in muted tones through the door, but couldn’t pick up any of the words. By the time she emerged again, he had finished his call and was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, arms folded behind his head.

  ‘Did you get him?’

  ‘Yeah. Hopefully he’ll have some more information before we go tomorrow.’

  ‘Okay.’ She slipped into bed and lay beside him for a few minutes, feeling dizzy with fatigue and adrenaline. A lifetime had passed since yesterday morning, when she’d appeared at his house with little more than a dream to go on. Maybe this whole thing was a dream, and they weren’t even here. Maybe she would wake up in her flat, back in her quiet little life, and find that this whole fantastical adventure had been wishful thinking.

  Harrison let out a snore. It defied belief that he could fall asleep so fast. She nudged his arm. ‘Harri.’

  ‘What is it?’ he murmured.

  ‘Do you really want to sleep in your clothes?’

  He roused himself only long enough to strip down to his t-shirt and boxers and brush his teeth. They lay side by side under the covers, like brother and sister forced to share a bed on holiday.

  ‘Are you okay with this?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. Quit reading my mind.’

  ‘Sorry.’ He turned his back to her and lay on his side. ‘Night, then, sis.’

  Amy rolled away and turned off the light. ‘Goodnight, Indiana.’

  THIRTY-TWO

  Harrison woke in the dark, the echo of a voice still ringing in his ears. There was an unfamiliar smell in the room and a symphony of strange clunks and whirs. For a bewildering moment he couldn’t remember where he was. Then the person beside him in the bed murmured and turned over, and it all came back.

  It was a little before five am, he was still wearing yesterday’s shirt, and Amy was dreaming. She was twitching and making little noises, and he resisted the urge to touch her and bring her out of it. After perhaps thirty seconds, she sucked in a deep breath and sat up.

>   ‘You okay?’ he whispered.

  She whirled toward him. ‘Oh my God, Harri. You gave me a fright.’

  ‘What were you dreaming about?’

  ‘Mmm,’ she rubbed her cheek and the reflection of the traffic light from outside moved across her pale skin. ‘Tim. I dreamed that the bastard did a runner.’

  ‘That’s not good.’ Harrison bolted out of bed, suddenly wide awake. ‘Where did I leave my specs?’

  ‘Right here.’ She took them off the single bedside table and handed them to him.

  ‘Thanks.’ He pulled on his jeans. ‘Did you keep the spare key for that room?’

  ‘Yeah, it’s ... in the back pocket of the jeans I was wearing. Oh shit , you don’t think ...’

  ‘Yeah, I do think. I’m going to go check.’ He switched on the light, found her jeans draped across the luggage rack and pulled the key card out of the back pocket. ‘Stay here.’

  He opened the door and scanned each direction down the long corridor. It was dimly lit, empty and silent. He ran along the carpet as lightly as he could, landing on the balls of his bare feet and hoping he wasn’t going to wake the whole hotel. Holding his breath, he inserted the card into the lock, waited for the green light and pushed the door.

  The security chain had not been fastened. Harrison gritted his teeth and stepped into the room. Even without turning on the light, he could see that the bed was empty.

  ‘Idiot,’ he muttered. ‘Tim Cartwright, you absolute prick.’ He turned on the light and searched the room. Tim had left nothing behind. The bed was still made. He was hours gone already.

  Harrison felt a surge of anger at Amy for suggesting giving Tim the room on his own. Then he turned it back on himself. This wasn’t Amy’s fault. He’d agreed to it, at least in part because the prospect of sharing a bed with Amy was preferable to the alternative. He braced his hands against the desk and fought down the urge to kick something. Anger wasn’t going to help the situation. They had tried to help Tim and he’d chosen to throw himself to the lions.