by Chris Lofts
Wheeler sniffed a laugh to himself. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know.’
Helix lunged at him grabbing a fistful of rags. ‘I could always beat it out of you, you maggot.’
‘More to the point, Major, what does Julia Ormandy have on you or my wife?’
‘Ex-wife,’ Gabrielle snapped.
‘Who said she had anything on us?’ Helix said, taking off his poncho.
‘What brings you out here, complete with mysterious friend?’ Wheeler raised his eyebrows. ‘And what about your brother Ethan? Is he with us, listening in as usual, gathering evidence?’
Helix fastened his shoulder holsters. Was Wheeler just fishing or did he really have contacts in Bristol? Was he here out of his own curiosity or was Gabrielle right, someone sent him? ‘Over there,’ he said, pulling on his jacket. ‘Yes, the pit. Over you go.’
Gabrielle caught his arm. ‘What are you doing?’
‘It’s OK. You go back to the schoolhouse, I’ll be down in a bit.’
‘You’re not going to…’ she said, nodding at her ex-husband.
‘Once I’ve dealt with him, I’ll go after the other two. They won’t have got far. We can’t have any loose ends, Gabrielle.’ He had no intention of going after the others, but Sofi would. Her simple “on it” in his ear confirmed it.
She shook her head. ‘Loose ends? What do you mean?’
Helix pulled out one of his handguns, pointed it at Wheeler. ‘Move it.’
Gabrielle canted her head to one side, eyes fixed on his. Was she trying to read his mind? Why should she care about Wheeler? He’d made her life a misery. When she found happiness, he’d colluded with Lytkin and McGill to not only destroy her reputation, but to murder the person she’d fallen for.
‘Is this what you want, Gabrielle?’ Wheeler said. ‘Me, dead and buried?’
She snapped away and screamed. ‘No! I wanted you to live, stripped of your liberty and privilege, boiling the hot oil of shame for what you did. You’re cursed, Justin. Death follows you. Walt and Issy are dead because of you.’ She shrugged and looked up at Helix. ‘I don’t know what I want. I’m exhausted.’
‘It’s OK,’ Helix said, pressing his forehead to hers. ‘Trust me.’
She blinked up at him and whispered, ‘I do.’
The attempt to swallow caught in his throat as she turned and walked away. What did she mean when she said, ‘I don’t know what I want.’ Pushing away the self-doubt, he ground his teeth and turned back to Wheeler.
‘Cat got your tongue, Major?’
His hand was like a vice, gripping his gun so tightly that his whole arm shook. He wanted to smash the smug grin from Wheeler’s face. ‘I said, move it.’
Wheeler shuffled towards the pit and stood at its edge. ‘You’re not going to kill me, Helix.’ A cloud of breath drifted over the pit as he folded his arms and sighed, staring into the distance.
‘Really?’ Helix said, glancing down the path as Gabrielle picked her way through the slush, her arms crossed over her chest.
‘Yes, really. Because you want what I know. I’ll take the chance. This isn’t a social visit. Whatever Gabrielle was about to say just now, you stopped her. If I’m wrong and you don’t need my help, I’ll be dead in the next few moments.’ He turned his eyes to the pit. ‘Maybe you’d be doing me a favour.’
20
26 Hours
Wheeler’s thrashing around in the stinking soup and bodies in the pit was small compensation for the irritating fact that he was right. Helix wanted to know more. In the absence of a fully formed plan, if he had something Helix could use as leverage, it made sense to hear what it was. But it could wait.
‘I’ve got the other two,’ Sofi reported. ‘What do you want me to do with them?’
‘See what you can find out about Wheeler while I decide what to do with them.’ Holstering his gun, he turned from the pit, deaf to Wheeler’s complaints about freezing to death. ‘I want to know if he has contacts in Bristol and who they are. How does he reach them if he can’t go within five miles of the perimeter?’
‘OK. I’ve halo-cuffed them. They’re both doing their best tree-hugging impression. I’ll have a chat with them.’
Tree-hugging. He smiled to himself. Another Ethanism. The brief association evaporated like a warm breath on an icy morning. Traipsing back to the village, he checked the time. Twenty-seven hours to go. He needed to get a grip.
He zipped his jacket against the cold. His heart filled with the fire-light glow of the previous night, the gentle tempo of the candle-lit lovemaking, Gabrielle in his arms, not just in his dreams. And again that morning, rays of sunlight substituting for the candles and the warm embers of the fire. In the intervening hours, he’d lain listening to her breathe, a nascent plan taking shape in the darkness.
He wasn’t in the habit of smiling at strangers, but he hoped his nodded greetings and waves might quell suspicion amongst the villagers as he made his way back to the schoolhouse. A dog barked beyond a thicket, its yapping more excited than aggressive. Passing through a narrow gap between two holly trees, he came into a small clearing. A skinny three-legged dog hopped and skipped in the snow picking up and dropping a stick in front of a kid bundled up against the cold. Helix lifted a hand. ‘Is that your dog?’ he said.
The kid looked up and smiled through the gaps in her teeth. ‘Yeah, he’s called Trio, cos he’s only got three legs,’ she said pulling her woolly hat out of her eyes. ‘You’re Heeliss, Gabrielle’s boyfriend,’ she added.
Helix gave her a look of mock surprise. ‘You’re very well informed, who told you that?’
‘SJ. She’s my best friend in the world.’
‘Wow. You’re lucky to have a friend like SJ. She’s really cool.’ He held out his hand. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Milly,’ she said, slipping her mittened hand into his. ‘Gabrielle’s my teacher.’
He gave her hand a gentle shake. ‘Ah ha. Is she a nice teacher?’
‘Yep. Much nicer than the old one.’ Milly nodded. ‘Are you and Gabrielle going to have a baby, like Bo and SJ?’
He smiled at the question. ‘Err. I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it.’ Something yawned in the pit of his stomach. Along with seeing Gabrielle again, the chance of being able to sit and simply chat about anything or nothing had been a constant theme of his dreams. During the short time they’d spent together, there had always been more pressing priorities. Some things never seemed to change.
The dog yapped and danced in circles next to them. ‘I think he wants you to throw his stick,’ he said, crouching down beside Milly. ‘And you’re going to get all cold and wet sat in the snow like that.’
‘I’m stuck,’ she said, slapping her hands in the snow.
‘You’re stuck?’ he said, tossing the dog’s stick across the clearing. ‘What happened?’
‘I got my welligog stuck in the mud,’ she said, pulling up her two-sizes-too-big coat. ‘Look.’
The dog came sliding back with the stick, showering them with snow. Helix feinted another throw. The dog took off. He tossed the stick in the other direction.
‘Do you want a hand?’
‘Yes, please.’ She nodded. ‘I tried to pull it up, but I fell over.’
‘Let’s get you on your feet first,’ he said, putting his hands under her arms. ‘Ready?’
She nodded. ‘Go away, Trio, I’ll play in a minute,’ she yelled, shooing the dog away.
With the child back on her feet, Helix knelt in the snow. ‘You hang on to me and I’ll give your foot a pull.’
She slung her arm around his neck as he scooped the snow away from her blue boot. ‘It’s really stuck,’ she said.
The boggy mud yielded with a generous slurp and Helix made a drama of falling backwards in the snow and rolling around, much to the dog’s excitement.
Milly giggled and threw the stick. ‘Did you hurt yourself.’
Helix laid still. ‘I’m OK. I might need you to give me a hand up t
hough.’
She ran over to him and tugged at his hand. Helix felt the glove slip and not quite on his feet he fell back again leaving her with the glove in her hand. She gasped, her eyes fixed on his prosthetic fingers.
‘You almost pulled my hand off,’ he said, rolling on to his knees. ‘You must be strong.’
Milly stepped next to him and took his hand. ‘What happened to your hand?’ she said, handing him his glove. ‘Does it hurt?’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘I got into a light-sabre battle with a bad guy called Darth Vader and he chopped it off.’
She gave his hand a tug. ‘You’re fibbing.’
He laughed. ‘OK. You got me.’ He pulled the glove on. ‘I had an accident and I hurt it really badly, so they gave me a new one, cool eh?’
Somewhere in the distance someone called her name.
‘That’s my mum,’ she said, pressing her hand to her mouth. ‘I’ve got to go and do my jobs.’ She tossed the stick for the dog. ‘See you later, Heeliss.’
‘Alright. See you later, Milly,’ he said. ‘Oh, which way is it to SJ’s?’
She pointed to a path leading from the clearing. ‘Through there.’
‘Great. Thanks,’ he said, waving her off.
He trudged through the woods, brushing snow from his trousers and jacket and shaking it out of his hair. Stepping through a gap between a pile of brush wood and logs, he spotted Bo ducking out from his and SJ’s cabin. Bo strutted like a peacock, his hands on his hips. What was it with this guy? If ever the diggers needed a poster-boy, Bo with his dreads and beard beads would get the job.
‘Hey, Bo,’ Helix said, deploying his best bonhomie.
‘Now what?’
‘What do you mean, now what?’ he replied, his hands held out.
‘Ever since you and your plastic friend turned up, we’ve had nothing but grief.’
Helix folded his arms. ‘You sound like Walt. You might want to be careful.’
‘Meaning?’
Unfolding his arms, Helix took a small step towards Bo. ‘Meaning I need to know if I can trust you, Bo.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Walt’s back up there in the pit along with his mate Issy. I gave Issy the benefit of the doubt and he disappointed me. Walt showed that he couldn’t be trusted by stealing my jacket and weapons before running off and squealing to Wheeler.’ He narrowed his eyes and stared into Bo’s. ‘And now they’re dead.’
‘Don’t fucking—’
Helix’s left hand flashed towards Bo, grasping a thick handful of his wire wool beard. ‘Don’t fucking what?’ he hissed, extending the blade between the knuckles of his right fist. ‘Is there anyone else in this rat’s nest who can’t be trusted?’ He gave Bo’s beard a tug. ‘Speak up or you’ll be getting a haircut. Maybe you can use it to knit yourself a hat.’
‘No. No. We’re all good.’ Bo nodded. ‘Nobody to worry about. All cool.’
Helix let go of his beard with a shove. ‘Good.’
‘What have you done with Wheeler and the other two?’ Bo said, catching his balance.
‘Wheeler’s up to his waist in shit and corpses. The other two are with Sofi waiting for my instructions.’ He nodded back up the path. ‘I haven’t decided if Wheeler is going to be any use to me yet. If not, you’ll have three corpses to bury in that pit. If he can help me, you’ll never have to worry about him again. Either way it’s a win-win for you.’
‘A win-win sounds good,’ Bo said, preening his beard.
Helix pulled a fake smile. ‘We try to please.’
‘Are you guys coming over the cookhouse for breakfast?’ Bo said, pointing to the octagonal thatched building at the centre of the compound. ‘We cure our own bacon, make our own black pudding and there should be some sausages too.’
‘Maybe later,’ Helix said, pinching his bottom lip. ‘Bring SJ up to the schoolhouse in a bit? There’s something we need to discuss.’
‘Sure,’ Bo said. ‘I’ll get her up. She’s not exactly an early riser these days what with the baby…’
‘See you in about half an hour.’
The compacted snow and frozen puddles were brittle underfoot as Helix crunched his way back to the schoolhouse. Kids darted back and forth, feeding animals, fetching wood and water. The smaller ones approached their tasks with enthusiasm, their morning-fresh faces glowing in the chilly air. The teenagers were as sullen as adolescent city dwellers but instead of a phone in one hand they lugged a bucket or basket. One particular reprobate was getting a bollocking from whom Helix supposed was her mum and told to shake herself and not to answer back. He paused for a moment, catching sight of Lauren and Milly with armfuls of kindling wood, picking their way along a path, Trio the dog bounding along behind them.
He leapt up the steps to the schoolhouse and pushed through the door. Gabrielle was sitting at the table, a framed photograph of her and Eve in her hand. Her hair carried the scent of wood smoke and beeswax candles as he kissed her on the head.
She took a deep breath. ‘Is he dead?’
‘No, he’s not dead. Not unless the cold has got to him in the last—’
‘Don’t you tire of death?’ She exhaled, standing the photo on the table. ‘How many people have died in the short time we’ve known each other?’
Sitting opposite her, he took her hand. ‘I don’t exactly—’
‘Two more this morning. Were they really necessary?’
‘It wasn’t exactly me, I didn’t pull—’
She pulled her hand away. ‘Please don’t treat me like an idiot. I know how it works, I was there at Helix towers when Ethan installed your new CPU or PCM or whatever the hell it is.’
He swivelled in the chair, leaned his elbows on his knees, his forefingers massaging his temples. ‘I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. You know that.’
‘They weren’t a threat. Simple village folk scratching a living, that’s all.’
‘They were a threat!’ He slammed his hand on the table, firmer than he’d intended. ‘Anyone getting between me and you and Ethan… There will be no loose ends, Gabrielle. I’m not prepared to risk it.’ He rested his hand on hers. ‘All the time they were associating with your ex-husband—’
‘And what now, then?’ she said, brushing his hand aside. ‘What’s the plan to get out of this mess?’
He folded his hands in front of his face, prayer-like. ‘I’ve asked SJ and Dread Boy to come up, I want—’
‘Don’t you dare get her involved in this mess.’ The photo toppled as she jumped up from the table. ‘She’s due in three months.’
‘Easy, tiger,’ he said, his hands held up. ‘I need to know if we can trust him. I know she’s solid.’
‘His name is Bo, Helix. You won’t choke if you say it.’
‘Alright, alright. Can we trust him? That’s what I want to know. If he’s going to run around the village blabbing about what’s going on, I need to rethink the whole thing and I don’t have time for that.’
‘Yes!’ Gabrielle folded her arms. ‘Yes you can trust him. He’s not going to do anything to jeopardise the village or us. Satisfied?’
He pushed up from the table and wandered over to the log burner. ‘Can we stick the kettle on?’ he said. ‘These sorts of things are always best discussed over a brew.’
Gabrielle took a stoneware jug from the windowsill. ‘Mint or nettle?’
‘I was rather hoping for Earl Grey.’
She filled the blackened kettle and slid it over the hot plate. ‘Don’t hold your breath.’
He rested his hands on the tops of her arms. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to the pale skin of her neck. ‘I really like it here,’ he breathed.
‘I’ve missed you so much.’
He pulled her close. ‘Earlier on,’ up by the pit. You said you didn’t know what you wanted.’
‘Oh no,’ she gasped. ‘That wasn’t about you. I didn’t mean… I was being melodramatic.’
‘And that you were exhausted?’
She sighe
d. ‘For a moment it felt like I was back in London. At the Observatory. With Justin. That was exhausting. And seeing him out here…’ She pressed her cheek to his chest. ‘I could listen to your heart forever.’ She drew a deep breath. ‘Could you ever see yourself living out here permanently?’
‘Nothing much keeping me in London now,’ he said, his hands sliding down her back. The job will go to shit now Yawlander’s gone. That’s if I’ve still got a job.’
She looked up into his eyes. ‘You didn’t answer my question.’
He leaned in and kissed her.
‘Aye, aye,’ SJ called from the door. ‘We can always come back if you like.’ She slung her poncho over the back of one of the fireside chairs, sniffing the air. ‘Smells like rutting roe deer in here.’ She slumped into a chair. ‘Ignore me. My sense of smell is all over the place. I could smell a fart in a thunderstorm at the moment. Oh good, you’ve got the kettle on.’
Gabrielle greeted her sister with a kiss on each cheek before turning to the door. ‘Come in, Bo, no need to hover over there. Make yourself comfortable. Helix, grab a chair for Bo.’
‘Sure. Here you go,’ Helix said, turning a chair out from the table. ‘Take a load off.’
Bo stuck to the room’s perimeter as he shuffled to the table. ‘Thanks.’
‘Right. What’s up?’ SJ said, her hand resting on her bump.
Helix slipped off his jacket, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. The atmosphere in the room thickened as he summarised the key points. SJ’s normal bright countenance dulled with each detail, Bo’s eyes grew wider, his beard preening and bead twiddling more frantic.
‘Jammed between the proverbial rock and a hard place, I would say,’ SJ offered. ‘Poor Ethan. Fuck.’
Bo rubbed his hands up and down the legs of his trousers. ‘So, what are you going to do?’ He leaned across the table, pulled the net curtain aside and smeared the condensation from the window. ‘Are they going to come for you?’
Helix accepted a cup of nettle tea from Gabrielle with a nod and half a smile. ‘That’s why I wanted to talk to you guys.’ He sniffed the tea and put it on the table. ‘We’re going to have to leave.’