by Hilary Green
*
Nick Marriot reached the Druid’s Rest, as Pascoe had predicted, shortly before midnight. He was driving a minivan emblazoned with the title British Conservation Trust; an organization which, like all those invented by Pascoe to cover Triple S operations, was provided with impeccable credentials. Stone grinned as they met and nodded towards the van.
‘What are we on tonight then?’
‘I thought badgers,’ Nick returned. ‘They’re nocturnal.’
‘Badgers…’ Stone repeated, pursing his lips thoughtfully. ‘They’re the big black and white jobs, aren’t they? Or am I thinking of pandas?’
‘Not a lot of pandas in North Wales,’ Nick told him. ‘I think we’d better stick to badgers.’
Stone had booked two adjoining rooms for them, and prudently stocked his with beer and sandwiches before the bar closed. They settled down to these with the map spread between them.
‘What’s the situation at the moment?’ Nick asked.
‘Barney called in about two hours ago,’ Stone told him. ‘They managed to get up on the hill above the quarry where they had a pretty good view. The place is still crawling with police – or was at that time – and they’ve brought in dogs, as we expected. Barney said they seemed to be concentrating on this area, north-east of the quarry – which is reasonable because that’s the direction Leo was headed last time I saw her – but, they didn’t appear to have picked up a definite trail. If you look at the map you’ll see why, probably…’
Nick leaned over the map. ‘Yes, I see. A stream. Of course, Leo would make for water. The question is, which way did she go – up or down?’
‘Well, the obvious way would be down.’
‘So Leo will have gone up.’
Nick looked up and caught Stone’s eye and they both grinned.
‘OK,’ Stone went on. ‘Assuming she followed the stream up as far as she could that would have brought her to here.’ His finger indicated a point on the map. ‘You can see from the contours, this ridge is pretty steep and, having flown over it this afternoon, I can tell you they wouldn’t get up there without ropes and all the rest of the gear. They could have headed downhill and taken shelter in an isolated building somewhere along this valley. There must be plenty to choose from. But there is one other possibility. You see here? There’s a saddle which they could have crossed to get into the next valley. It would be a tough climb, but not impossible. The question is, which did they do?’
Once again Nick met his eyes. ‘You’re asking me if they took the easy option or the difficult one? We’re talking about Leo, remember?’
Stone laughed briefly. ‘OK. So we’re both thinking along the same lines. But what about the other girl? You’ve seen her. Did she look the mountaineering type to you?’
Nick pursed his lips and shook his head. ‘Little short legs and a pasty complexion – more your Pekinese than your wolfhound, if you get me. However, having said that, from what I saw I’d take odds that if Leo told her to shin up the side of a house, she’d have a go.’
Stone nodded. ‘I agree. So we start looking on that side of the mountain.’
‘I start looking,’ Nick corrected him. ‘Strict orders from Pascoe. You’re to stay out of sight.’
‘Bloody hell!’ Stone exploded. ‘What am I supposed to do?’
‘Get your head down and have a sleep, I should think,’ Nick suggested reasonably.
Stone glowered at him. ‘And if you find her…?’
‘I’ll give her your love, shall I?’
Stone knew that Pascoe’s decision was the correct one and that it was useless to argue, but he saw Nick off with a bad grace. Barney called in on the radio soon afterwards. He and Viv had combed the roads in the area without seeing any sign of the two girls, and had attempted to follow the stream where the police were searching, under the pretext of looking for a likely trout pool, but had been turned back. They had decided that there was nothing more to be done that night and found themselves bed and breakfast at a farmhouse. After that there was nothing he could do either so he turned in and dozed fitfully until the birds woke him around 5 a.m.
Nick returned just after six, looking weary and cold. He, too, had had a fruitless night, enlivened only by an encounter with a helpful constable of naturalist leanings who had wished to give him a conducted tour of every badger set in the vicinity.
After breakfast they went out to the van and called Triple S HQ on the scrambler. Pascoe came on the line very quickly.
‘I’ve been waiting for you to call. The Cavendish Agency have been in touch. Omega left a message for you on their answering service sometime last night…’
*
The two women left the cottage at first light on a day which had dawned grey and overcast, with rain threatening. During one of her spells on watch, Leo, prowling around the house, had found some coats in a cupboard and, after a brief struggle with her conscience, had ‘borrowed’ two anoraks. With these zipped to the chin and the hoods drawn close around their faces they were not only protected from the weather, they were also very much less easily recognizable. After a short distance Leo led the way off the track and struck out for a band of trees which ran along the side of the hill for several miles. There was no path and, once again, they found themselves having to force their way through dense undergrowth and climb over fences and dry stone walls but Gwytherin was only just over six miles distant and by midday they were crouching under the shelter of the downward-sweeping branches of an ancient yew, looking down at the outskirts of the village.
Several times during the morning the police helicopter had beat up and down the valley, while they froze under the sheltering trees; and now, watching the road, they could see police cars moving backwards and forwards, but there was no sign of the lines of men sweeping the countryside which Leo had feared. They shared a packet of biscuits which they had brought from the cottage, and waited. A little after two Leo began to search for a vantage-point from which she could see the car-park in front of the little inn. The roof of the inn itself was clearly distinguishable and they had seen people coming and going over the lunchtime opening period but the car-park itself was hidden. In the end she found that the only way to see it was by clambering up into the branches of the yew, and it was from here that she saw the Conservation Trust van drive in and pull up.
*
Nick parked the van and looked around. The car-park was deserted, but he had not expected to find the girls waiting for him. He got out, stretching himself, and gazed casually about him. The main part of the village was hidden from him by a bend in the road, along which cars passed frequently. To one side of the inn a narrow lane ran back towards the hillside, bordered by a few cottages. The rain had settled to a steady, fine drizzle and, apart from a young man stoically sawing logs in the garden of one of the cottages, there was no one about. He reached into the van and drew out a map and a pair of field-glasses and began to study the hills around section by section, as if planning the next phase of his survey. He could still see no sign of Leo and her companion, but once again, that did not unduly surprise him.
It was the coloured anoraks that caught his eye, as two weary hikers came trudging down the lane, and it was a moment or two before he could be sure that it was Leo. The man in the cottage garden looked up and gave them a cheerful good-afternoon and he heard her reply in an accent that would have located her origins in upper-class Edinburgh. He walked over to meet them and was touched by the evidence of prolonged strain on Leo’s face. When, he wondered, had she last had a really good night’s sleep? However, this time he was prepared for the unsmiling greeting.
‘You’re here. Good,’ she said curtly.
‘Yes,’ he returned. ‘Let’s get going, shall we?’
‘Hallo there!’ a cheerful voice hailed them from the other side of the road. ‘How are the badgers?’
Nick swung round and his stomach churned at the sight of the police car parked opposite. The driver in the process of climbin
g out was his nature-loving friend from the previous night.
Behind him Nick heard a sudden movement and Leo said, very softly between her teeth, ‘Stay still,’ and he guessed that Margaret had been about to bolt. He went forward to meet the constable.
‘Hallo! Fine, thanks. You were quite right, there were two sets at the head of that valley.’ (He hoped to God there were – or that the copper didn’t know for certain, either.)
‘Oh, that’s great! And a litter in both of them?’
‘Yes. All doing fine.’
‘Did you find any others?’
‘Oh yes. Quite an encouraging night, really.’
‘How many?’
‘Six, altogether.’ (Was that about right? How numerous were badgers in this part of the world?)
‘Oh, that’s good news. I don’t suppose you’d tell me where the others are?’
Nick smiled apologetically. ‘Sorry – regulations, you know. We’re not supposed to tell anyone – even the police. That is,’ he laughed, ‘not unless you suspect them of receiving stolen goods or something.’
The copper laughed too. ‘No, no. Not so far as I know.’
Nick saw his eyes go past him to the two girls and turned casually.
‘Oh, by the way, these are my two assistants – Miss Kendall and Miss Ferguson.’ ‘Ah, so you don’t have to do all the work by yourself,’ the policeman said. ‘Good-afternoon, ladies.’
Nick prayed that Margaret would have the sense to keep her mouth shut. She nodded and Leo said, in what she called her Jean Brodie voice,
‘Oh, it would be far too great an area for one person to cover alone.’
‘Talking of which,’ Nick put in, ‘how’s your hunt going? Any luck yet?’
‘Not so far, but it’s only a matter of time. We’re checking all the empty holiday cottages. We reckon they may be hiding out in one of them. By the way, I suppose you didn’t happen to see anything unusual during the night, did you? Anyone moving about, or a light in an isolated building?’
They consulted each other’s eyes and shook their heads.
‘Sorry,’ Nick said. ‘Wish we could help.’
‘Oh, not to worry. We’ll pick them up before long,’ the copper said, cheerfully.
‘You’re not only just going off watch, are you?’ Nick asked.
‘No, just going back on, actually. What about you?’
‘Oh, we’ve finished around here,’ Nick said. ‘Just about to move on to our next base.’
‘Fresh fields and pastures new, eh? Well, don’t let me keep you. I must be on my way too. All the best, then.’ He nodded at Leo and Margaret. ‘Goodbye.’
‘Goodbye, Constable,’ Leo replied demurely.
They watched him climb into the car and waved as he drove off. When the car was out of sight Margaret whispered,
‘Mother of God!’
Leo’s lips twisted for a moment into her irrepressible grin.
‘Poor man! I hope he never finds out how close he was!’
‘Come on,’ Nick said. ‘Let’s get out of here. Where did you spend the night?’
Leo jerked her head in the direction the police car had gone.
‘Like the man said, in an empty holiday cottage.’
‘Did you leave any signs that you’d been there?’
She treated him to a withering look that was only partly acted.
‘Do me a favour! The only people who’d know would be the owners.’
‘Well, let’s pray the owners haven’t chosen today to pay the place a visit.’ Nick said. ‘Get in.’
The women climbed into the back of the van, which was cluttered with a variety of equipment, including one or two shapeless heaps covered with some old blankets.
‘There’s a police road-block about four miles further on,’ Nick told them. ‘If they look like checking the back I’ll bang on the partition. Be ready to get under those blankets. OK?’
They settled themselves on the floor and he climbed into the driving seat and started the engine. The check-point was one he had passed through the night before and he hoped that there might be someone on duty who remembered him. As they approached he saw a small queue of cars, mostly holiday-makers out for the day, ahead of him. The police check seemed fairly cursory, just a quick glance into the car and a few questions; but as he edged nearer to the front of the line Nick felt his palms beginning to sweat and was suddenly angry at the whole situation. Here he was, an ex-copper himself, sweating with fear in spite of the fact that he was still working for the forces of law and order. But how did you convince a policeman of that if you were found aiding and abetting the escape of two prisoners, both accused of murder and now suspected of armed robbery as well? He remembered Pascoe’s warning – ‘this one is strictly a YOYO’ – and felt his mouth go dry.
‘Hallo, sir. Still at it?’ inquired the constable at the window.
‘Just finished,’ Nick said. ‘Moving on now.’
‘You haven’t picked up any hitch-hikers by any chance?’
‘Hitch-hikers?’ Nick looked around at the empty seat beside him. ‘No. Not much room for them really.’
‘Have you seen anyone hitching – two women, in particular?’
‘No, sorry.’
‘Righto, sir. Sorry to detain you.’
The man stood back and Nick let in the clutch and resisted the temptation to accelerate too fast. When they were well clear he reached for his microphone and said, keeping his voice low so that the Donelly girl would not hear,
‘Delta One, this is Delta Two. I have collected the parcels. Heading west on the A548.’
Stone’s voice came back over the loudspeaker.
‘Well done, Delta Two. We’ll pick you up a couple of miles further on and check your tail. Delta One out.’
A few minutes later Nick saw the white Capri in his rear-view mirror. It stayed with him for a few miles and then Stone’s voice came over the radio again.
‘Delta Two, this is Delta One. You’re clean, as far as we can tell. We’ll drop out of sight now and monitor you on the direction-finder. OK?’
‘Roger, Delta One,’ Nick replied. ‘Delta Two out.’
He saw the Capri turn off at the next junction and drove on for another ten miles before pulling into a lay-by and going round to open the rear doors. Leo climbed out, stretching herself, but Margaret remained hunched up on the blankets, apparently half asleep.
‘Well,’ Nick said, ‘we’re clear. What now?’
Leo glanced back into the van. ‘I’ll come in front and direct you. Will you be OK there for a bit, Meg?’
Meg nodded drowsily. Nick had the impression that she was too tired to care. Leo walked round and got into the front of the van and Nick took his place beside her.
For a moment they looked at each other in silence; then he leaned forward and kissed her softly. She leaned against him and he held her and rubbed his face in her hair. As she drew back he looked at her and asked,
‘Are you all right?’
She smiled at him, the bitter-sweet, slightly mocking smile that always made his heart turn over.
‘Yes. I’m all right.’
Reluctantly he turned away and started the engine. As he pulled out onto the road he said,
‘Are we going home?’
She sighed and shook her head. ‘’Fraid not, sweetheart.’
He put his hand in his pocket and drew out a small object about the size of a button.
‘In that case, you’d better have this. You seem to have been rather careless with the last two I gave you!’
*
‘You dropped her where?’
Stone was a cool man, some people who didn’t know him well would have said a cold man. He rarely showed emotion, still less often lost his temper, but at that moment all the anxiety and frustration of the last twenty-four hours vented themselves on Nick. They had arranged a rendezvous by radio and now they were sitting in the van in another deserted pub car-park.
‘Look!
’ Nick said, in a gritty tone that matched his partner’s. ‘Pascoe told me to be guided by Leo’s decision. And Leo was determined to go back to Daltry Road.’
‘You idiot!’ Stone snapped. ‘Of all the bloody stupid, incompetent … Reilly tried to shoot her! And you’ve let her walk straight back into his hands!’
Nick’s face paled. ‘You didn’t tell me that!’
‘I told Pascoe, on the phone. You said he’d briefed you.’
‘He did, but he never mentioned that. All he said was, if Leo wants to come out, then ditch Donelly and bring her back here; but if she feels that she can carry on, let her – at least then we shan’t have to abort the whole operation.’
‘Typical!’ Stone exclaimed. ‘Bloody typical! Never mind what happens to Leo, as long as the operation goes ahead. God, sometimes I hate that bastard!’
‘I don’t think that’s entirely fair,’ Nick put in quietly. ‘But it’s true he didn’t tell me the whole story. When did Reilly try to shoot her?’
Stone told him what he had seen in the quarry.
‘Do you think it’s possible that Leo didn’t realize?’ Nick asked.
Stone frowned, biting his knuckle. ‘Perhaps. That first bullet must have been pretty close, but she might have thought it was just bad marksmanship. But she must know that someone shopped them. What did she say to you?’
‘Well, she reckons the whole thing was engineered by Reilly to get rid of her, all right. But her theory is that the best way to convince him that she really is kosher is to go straight back as if nothing had happened.’
‘I see her point,’ Stone muttered unwillingly. ‘No one would put themselves in that kind of jeopardy unless either they were a complete fool, or they were totally innocent and had no reason to suspect any harm.’
‘That’s what she said,’ Nick told him. ‘Only she quoted Shakespeare – “whose nature is so far from doing harm that he suspects none”.’