Assassin's Web

by Richard T. Burke

  The prospect of clean sheets drew me upstairs like a magnet. The room contained a freshly made double bed. A modern touch lamp sat on top of the bedside table. A built-in wardrobe with mirrors on the doors occupied the end wall.

  I studied my reflection for a moment. Several pale stains marked the front of the blue hoodie. My hair stood up at odd angles. A layer of stubble coated my chin, and dark shadows rimmed both eyes. My appearance matched what I would expect from somebody on the run from the law.

  I grabbed the towel and headed down the hall to the bathroom. The smell of perfumed soap invaded my nostrils as I entered. A single toothbrush sat on the shelf above the washbasin, accompanied by an assortment of female toiletries. All the evidence supported the hypothesis that there was no special person in Val’s life.

  I washed my face. The floral scent lingered on my skin even after drying. Squeezing toothpaste from the tube, I rubbed my finger over my gums and teeth. Then I stripped off and stepped into the shower cubicle. I turned up the temperature and basked in the steaming hot jets of water.

  The stress of the day gradually dissipated leaving me feeling both clean and relaxed. With a towel around my waist, I scooped up my clothes and headed back to the guest bedroom. There, I dropped the bundle on the floor and clambered between the sheets. Within minutes, I was asleep.

  Chapter 41

  When I eventually blinked awake, daylight streamed around the edges of the curtains. I held my wrist to my face, trying to make sense of the watch dial: eleven o’clock. I had slept for almost the whole morning. Easing back the covers, I lowered my feet to the carpet. A dull headache throbbed behind my eyes.

  I padded across the carpet and edged the door open. A pile of neatly folded clothes greeted me. On top sat a note.

  Help yourself to any of these. Val.

  I grabbed the bundle and dumped it on the bed. The clothing must have belonged to Val’s deceased husband. To my relief, the contents included several pairs of clean underwear. Amongst the items were also a couple of T-shirts, a long-sleeved shirt, a lightweight, green pullover and a pair of brightly coloured beach shorts. Finally, I could discard the stained hoodie.

  After taking another shower, I dressed in a yellow T-shirt and the shorts. When I inspected myself in the mirror, I looked ready for a day at the seaside. All I needed were the sunglasses.

  The sound of clanking pans carried from downstairs. I descended the stairs in bare feet and discovered Nick bent over the stove. He also wore a T-shirt and the same pair of trousers he had been wearing for the past few days.

  He glanced up at my arrival. “Not before time. I was beginning to wonder whether you’d died in your sleep. If you’re hungry, I’ve got toast and boiled eggs on the go.”

  “That would be great.”

  “I take it you slept well.”

  “Like a log.”

  Nick focused his attention on the saucepan.

  “Do you think we’re safe here?” I asked to his back.

  He turned around slowly. “For the time being, as long as we don’t do anything stupid to give away our location. That means no using the phone or the computer.”

  “And what happens when the contract is up?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “That’s your problem, not mine. My responsibility ends at midnight.”

  “Right.”

  An awkward silence developed as he continued to prepare the meal. After a few minutes, he placed a plate in front of me containing a slice of unbuttered toast and an egg in an eggcup.

  I wasn’t particularly hungry but downed the food anyway. When I had finished, I carried the dirty crockery to the sink and did the washing up. Nick stood beside me with a tea towel and dried the dishes. Between the two of us, we portrayed a picture of domesticity.

  “Have you heard any more news?” I asked when we had cleared the draining board.

  “No, but Val said it was alright to use her computer,” Nick replied. “Like I mentioned earlier, don’t type in anything that identifies you. That means no webmail or other sites that require a username to access them. Is that clear?”

  “Sure.”

  “The machine is in the dining room. The password is Eddie one two three four.”

  “I assume Eddie was her husband.”

  “That’s right.”

  “What happened to him?”

  Nick hesitated for a moment. He seemed to debate with himself whether to answer my question. Finally, he shook his head slightly and sighed. “He was in my company. We were on station in Afghanistan. Reports came in of a patrol being hit by an IED. Some of the men were badly injured, so they sent us out in a helicopter to retrieve them. Everything was going well, and most of the wounded were on board when all hell broke loose.

  “The insurgents had been hiding, waiting in ambush for help to arrive. Suddenly, we found ourselves tangled up in a gun battle. Eddie caught one bullet in the chest and another in the upper arm. I hauled him into the chopper, and we took off. At first, I didn’t think the injury was that serious. The body armour protects the torso, so the chest shot only caused some bruising.

  “He was bleeding a fair bit, but the medics were concentrating on the wounded we rescued from the vehicle. It was only when he collapsed that anybody realised how bad it was. It turned out the bullet in his arm had nicked an artery. He was dead by the time we arrived back at base.

  “Before he died, he made me promise to look after Val if he didn’t make it. As you might expect, his death devastated her. I did what I could to help. The army pension just about covers the cost of her mortgage but not by much. When it happened, she was studying computing at college, so had no other source of income. I tided her over until she finished the course.

  “When I left the armed forces, I got some work from friends and contacts, but it soon dried up. I could have worked for a military contractor, but I’d had enough of being shot at. Then, an opportunity arose for ... a private contract.”

  “That’s when you became a hitman?” I asked.

  “Yes. Val helped me to organise the technical side. She never knew what the work was about, although she isn’t stupid, and I imagine she figured it out for herself. I paid her for the services she provided, and she’s been helping me out ever since. She doesn’t need the money anymore; she has a good job at an engineering company. After all the training, she’s become something of an expert with computers. I don’t have much of a clue about technology.”

  “Join the club,” I said. “I wish I’d stayed clear of the damned things. That’s what got me in this mess in the first place.”

  “But you’re keen to go online now?”

  I shrugged. “Needs must. I want to find out what new crimes I’m being accused of.”

  “Okay, but remember what I told you.”

  I headed into the dining room. A sleek, black laptop sat on the table. I lifted the lid and pressed the power button. Within seconds, a password prompt appeared; obviously, this machine was vastly superior in performance to my own ancient computer. I tapped in the characters and the background changed to show a man in army uniform smiling into the camera: Val’s deceased husband I assumed.

  I fired up a browser and typed my name into the address bar. A dozen images of my face stared back at me, including the photographs I recognised from my passport and school identity card. The Top Stories section at the head of the page contained three news articles ranging in age from one hour to five. I clicked the first link.

  Police widen manhunt for serial killer. The article from the Daily Mail described the six murders of which I was accused, confirming the most recent victim as my former neighbour, Mrs Owens. According to the story, over two hundred detectives were now working on the case. They hadn’t yet identified the man who had fallen from the balcony; a Photofit of his face accompanied an appeal to the public for information.

  Law enforcement agencies were still searching for the car belonging to the woman who had died in the flat. It seemed our camouflage work had bee
n effective. As I expected, they had traced the call to my sister and established the location from which I had placed it. Once again, the police were encouraging any witnesses to come forward.

  Starting with a summary of my life history, the journalist questioned how a paedophile and future mass murderer could work undetected in a secondary school for so long. He called for a tightening of procedures to vet teachers. The piece concluded with a brief reference to my sister’s abduction, proposing the hypothesis that the childhood incident had been an inciting factor in the crimes I later committed as an adult.

  In a fit of despair, I placed my head in my hands. How the hell was I going to get out of this mess?

  Chapter 42

  Val arrived home shortly after two o’clock. By now, I was sitting on the sofa, watching the television with the sound turned down low. Nick was busy changing a light bulb in the kitchen.

  “Did you sleep well?” she asked.

  The woman standing before me gave off an aura of professionalism. The white blouse and black trousers suited her.

  I clicked the off button on the remote control and levered myself upright. “Yes, like a baby.”

  “Very trendy.” She smiled, looking me up and down. “Are you planning a trip to the beach?”

  “Thanks for lending me the clothes,” I replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious in the garish shorts and T-shirt compared to her smart attire.

  Her smile dimmed a little. “I have no use for them. I was going to take them to the charity shop but never got around to it. What have you two boys been up to while I’ve been away?”

  Nick came through from the kitchen. “Oh, he’s been depressing himself by reading the news on the Internet.”

  “I assume things haven’t changed for the better,” she said, slumping into the armchair and kicking off her shoes.

  I resumed my place on the sofa. “You could say that. At least the murder count hasn’t risen from six since last night.”

  “How could the police get it so wrong?”

  I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, but I suspect somebody is putting a huge amount of effort into framing me.”

  “And your theory is it’s related to the dark web thing?”

  “It’s the only explanation that makes any sense, but even then …”

  “John told me about the two policemen who visited your house. Do you think they’re the ones behind it?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure. According to my neighbour—the one who was murdered—they were around the back for a few minutes while I was out. A short time later, they turned up with a search warrant, suggesting I’d downloaded illegal material. The next thing I know, a policeman is carrying off my computer in an evidence bag.”

  “And had you?”

  I felt the colour rise to my cheeks. “You mean pornographic images of children like they’re saying? Of course not.”

  Val leaned forwards, an apologetic expression on her face. “I’m sorry; it was a question I had to ask.”

  I exhaled a long breath. “It’s okay. I understand. Yesterday was the first time you’d met me. For all you know, it could be true.”

  “No, you can pick up a vibe off somebody. It’s obvious you’re not a paedophile … or a murderer.”

  “Have you come across many murderers before?” I replied without thinking.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Nick flinch slightly.

  Val switched her focus to him. “Get real, John. I’m aware what you do. I don’t approve, but I’m not about to tell you how to live your life. Still, can’t you choose more of the jobs like the one you’re doing now?”

  It was Nick’s turn to blush. “They don’t appear that often, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  The conversation stalled as we each mulled over the recent discussion.

  “What are we going to do about you, Alex?” Val said, her tone brightening.

  “John’s arrangement expires at midnight,” I replied. “I guess I have no option but to turn myself in at that point.”

  “I have to say, it’s all a bit weird. John told me your brother-in-law is the one who placed the job. How is he involved in all this?”

  I sighed. “Who knows? I went around to see him on the same morning the contract for my protection appeared on that site. Something or someone had scared him shitless. I assume they must have coerced him somehow. At first, he pretended he wasn’t home. When I threatened to smash my way in, he told me he would try to help. He also warned me to stay clear of the police.”

  Val tugged at the loop of her earring. “There’s been no mention of him in the news, at least not as far as I’m aware.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “I must have read every single story about the case on the Internet, and not one of them made any reference to him. I hope he’s okay.”

  “They would’ve mentioned it if he was hurt,” Nick chipped in.

  “It still begs the question of how he placed the contract if he isn’t involved in some way,” Val said.

  “The night before it all kicked off, I went around there to ask his advice about this dark web page. We tried to access it, so I showed him the piece of paper containing the username and password. Maybe the site was temporarily down and came back up again later. He could have used it to place the contract.”

  Val frowned. “Have you still got the website details?”

  Nick and I exchanged a glance. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

  “It’s on my laptop.”

  “That’s not a good idea for several reasons,” Nick said, scowling at me. “First, you’ve seen the mess Alex has landed himself in by messing with this stuff.”

  “I’m a big girl,” Val said. “I don’t—”

  “Second,” Nick interrupted, “I think there may be something on the machine that can be used to trace it back to a location.”

  Val pushed herself out of the armchair and paced backwards and forwards in front of the sofa. “I’ll turn the Wi-Fi router off. That way it can’t send out any data. I just want to look at it.”

  “It’s still an extremely bad idea,” Nick said. “I told him I’d only bring him here if he didn’t involve you.”

  Val halted her pacing and glared at him. “That’s not your decision to make.”

  Nick’s expression tightened. “Do what you like. You always do.”

  She stood with hands on hips, eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to say? You don’t own me. You helped me out, and for that, I’m extremely grateful. But that doesn’t mean you get to rule my life. I’m well aware of the risks, but it isn’t right to abandon him just because it’s the easy way out.”

  “I apologise,” Nick said, forcing an unconvincing smile. “Go and fetch the laptop, Alex.”

  I alternated my gaze between the two, then pushed myself off the sofa and hobbled across the room, closing the door behind me. The muffled sound of raised voices followed me up the stairs. Upon reaching the bedroom, I flopped down on the covers. It was clear they needed some time in private to sort out their differences.

  Eventually, the argumentative noises faded. I gave it another minute, then grabbed the laptop case and carried it downstairs. When I re-entered the lounge, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Val sat on the armchair with her arms folded. Nick had wedged himself into the corner of the sofa with a scowl on his face. Neither looked at the other.

  Val jumped up at my arrival. “I’ll turn off the router. Bring the laptop through to the dining room.”

  I followed her into the hallway.

  There, she knelt and flicked a switch. “Right, that’s the box turned off. I suggest we disable the Wi-Fi on your machine too, just to be doubly safe.”

  She grabbed a chair and shoved her own laptop to one side to make space for mine.

  I rummaged in the bag for the mains adapter. “Can you plug this in, please? It only lasts a few minutes on battery.” While she unravelled the cables, I opened the lid and pushed the power
button.

  “Here.” She handed me the connector, and I slotted it into place. While the machine booted, she studied it critically. “I remember these. I think it’s time for an upgrade. It must be at least ten years old.”

  “Nine,” I replied, smiling, “and yes, it’s a pile of crap. It belongs to the school.”

  She reached forward and flicked a switch on the side. “That’s the Wi-Fi turned off too.”

  “I always wondered what that did. Now I know.”

  We sat in silence as the machine completed its laborious startup sequence. Eventually, after much whirring and clicking, the login prompt appeared.

  “Bloody hell, is that Windows XP?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid so. They haven’t got the budget to upgrade.”

  “That might explain something. Microsoft hasn’t been updating that operating system for years, so it wouldn’t come as a great surprise to find it’s infected with malware.”

  “My brother-in-law checked it over on Monday night and told me it was clean.”

  Val raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

  I typed in my password. After a few seconds, the icons started to appear one by one, accompanied by more clicking noises.

  Val folded her arms. “If I knew it would take this long to boot, I’d have done something useful, like writing a novel.”

  Finally, the laptop responded to my requests to access the file explorer. I navigated to the folder holding the screenshots I had captured at the Internet café.

  Val dragged the machine closer and squinted at the image showing one of the jobs. “There isn’t much detail, is there?”

  Nick spoke from behind us. “The site lists the basics—otherwise somebody might identify the subject and warn them. Once the job is accepted, the person placing the contract sends through the particulars using Bitmessage. It’s a program which uses Tor to send encrypted messages.”

  Val shook her head. “Yeah, I’ve heard of it. You’re saying you have no idea who the target is in advance.”