A Devil Is Waiting

by Jack Higgins

  She opened the door, hair tied back. “Good God, Jack, you are in a mess,” she said.

  “I’m in trouble.” He was half sobbing. “Deep trouble. Can I come in?”

  “Of course you can.” He staggered past so close that he bumped into her and made for the sitting room. She frowned then, some inner caution making her leave the front door slightly ajar, and went after him.

  He was helping himself to a whiskey from the sideboard. She said, “I’d say you’d had strong drink in abundance, from the state of you. What’s this all about?”

  “Well, your good friend Owen Rashid could make a better story of it than I can. Not that he’s available to tell you anything, as he’s out there in the wild blue yonder flying to Rubat in his Learjet.”

  “He’s what?” She was not pleased, and it showed. “I think you’d better explain what you’re talking about, or Talbot Place will be needing a new estate manager.”

  Kelly was helping himself to another whiskey. “You wouldn’t want to know what lover boy got us all into.”

  She was furiously angry now. “Tell me what all this is about, damn you.”

  “Why not?” He held his glass high. “To Owen Rashid, the Real IRA, and Ali Selim and Al Qaeda, may they all rot in hell. I was in over my head, I was so stupid, but I can’t go to prison again. I’d rather die.”

  So he took a deep breath, tried to pull himself together, and told her everything.

  Five minutes was all it took and her life changed totally. She sat there, looking at him gravely and rather sadly.

  “So you’ve told me the truth, Jack? They’ve flown off with the young woman and are on their way to Rubat right now?”

  “Absolutely, Jean, you’ve hit the nail right on the head.”

  “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’ve just got something to do. Have another drink if you want.”

  She walked out, crossed the hall into the study. There was no way she could leave Sara Gideon to her fate. How strange then that the man she needed to do the right thing now was the man she had threatened to have killed. She had put Sean Dillon’s mobile number into her phone from the card he’d given her at the luncheon, called him now, and he answered at once.

  “Who is this?”

  “Jean Talbot. I believe you might still be in the vicinity of Shepherd Market?”

  “How the hell did you know that?”

  “I think you should know that Henri Legrande and Owen Rashid have kidnapped and drugged your friend Sara Gideon and are en route to Rubat with her, acting under the orders of Ali Selim. Jack Kelly’s at my house now, drunk out of his wits, and has confessed everything to me.”

  Kelly appeared in the doorway of her study in time to hear, and pulled a Colt .38 semi-automatic from his pocket and aimed at her, hand shaking.

  “Stop that,” he bellowed.

  “You can go to hell,” she replied.

  He fired, bouncing her back against the wall. He stood there staring at her, shocked at what he had done. There was the roar of the Mini Cooper arriving outside, and Holley, first out, came through the front door, already ajar, and flung himself down, firing blindly. Kelly appeared from the study, gun raised, and it was Sean Dillon who shot him twice in the heart.

  He stepped across Kelly as Holley picked himself up. Jean Talbot was trying to stand, blood seeping from her sleeve and soaking her blouse.

  “Oh, dear,” she said, as he raised her, then eased her into a chair. “I’m stuck with having to thank you for saving my life instead of making plans to end yours.”

  “I’ll expect you learn to live with it,” he said, as Holley came in with some kitchen towels. “Good man, Daniel. I’ll see to Jean, you call Roper, tell him what’s happened and what she said about Sara. Also, a disposal team will be needed for Kelly. We’ll leave the front door unlocked.”

  “A disposal team?” Jean inquired, as Dillon padded a towel and slipped it inside her blouse.

  “We have our own funeral people. They’ll clean the place up, take the body away and deal with it.”

  “And what happens to me?”

  “We’re going to take you to Rosedene, our own private hospital.”

  “How kind.” She smiled, but winced. “It’s beginning to hurt.”

  “Don’t worry, they’re the best in London for gunshot wounds. They also do a great cup of tea.”

  “That’s comforting,” she told him and fainted. He caught her, held her close, and called Holley, who had been in the hall, talking to Roper, then trying to contact Sara.

  Holley’s face was hard and set. Dillon said, “You look like the devil himself, Daniel.”

  “I feel like him. Roper said we must get Talbot to Rosedene as soon as possible. Professor Bellamy’s been notified and is on his way over from Guy’s Hospital to receive her. I’ve been trying to reach Sara on her Codex. Only got her recorded message. Roper has sent Tony Doyle straight round to Highfield Court to do a proper search.”

  “Bring Talbot, put her in the back seat, and let’s get moving. We have to pass Sara’s place on the way. Tony is bound to be there. He’ll do the full police search, he’s very methodical.”

  Holley carried Jean Talbot out, Dillon put the front door on the latch so that the disposal team would get entry, and a few moments later, the Mini Cooper was on its way.

  Doyle’s van was in the drive of Highfield Court, so Dillon dropped Holley off and carried on, with Jean Talbot still unconscious in the back. Holley tried the doorbell, and Doyle appeared, his face somber.

  He held up a Codex. “This is Sara’s. I found it beside the bed, and from the state of that, I’d say she’d not been between the sheets. But it did look as if it had been slept on.”

  “She was absolutely exhausted when I left her,” Holley said. “I think she probably flung herself on the bed fully dressed and just crashed.”

  “No sign of a struggle. Whatever happened must have been slick and quick.”

  “According to Kelly, she was to be drugged with Seconal.”

  “Now that would really put you to sleep,” Tony said. “Anyway, there’s nothing more that we can do here, so let’s get back to Holland Park.”

  They left, Doyle locking the door, and as they went down the steps, Holley’s Codex sounded. Roper said, “Are you still at Sara’s?”

  “Just leaving.”

  “Well, get here fast. I’ve just had confirmation of where Ali Selim may be from Greg Slay. Quick as you can, Daniel. I think time is of the essence now. I’ll contact Sean.”

  “Anything interesting?” Doyle asked.

  “Oh yes,” Holley said as he got into the van. “I’ll explain as we go. Holland Park and fast as you can.”

  At Rosedene, Dillon walked behind the wheeled stretcher on which Jean Talbot lay, all prepped up for her operation, drowsy from drugs already. They paused at the entrance to the operating room, where Charles Bellamy and his team waited. Dillon stood to one side, gazing down at her.

  “You know, I used to be an actor before the IRA got its hands on me, and actors never say good luck.”

  “So what do they say?”

  “Break a leg.”

  “There’s an old Irish saying: When you’ve sinned, a devil is waiting.” She smiled faintly and touched his hand with some difficulty. “God knows, I’ve sinned enough in my time, so you must be my devil. May I say break a leg to you?”

  “And why would I need that?”

  “Oh, I think you know, my friend. Another performance, I’m sure. You’ll never leave that woman in such dire straits. It’s not in your nature. Give them hell. They deserve it, all of them.”

  Her eyes closed, and the nurse pushed her through into the operating room. Bellamy nodded, and Dillon nodded back and went out to reception, where he found Maggie Duncan.

  “A lovely lady,” she said.

  “She’s certainly that,” Dillon said. “Can I see Harry Miller?”

  “I wouldn’t suggest it. The operation was fine, but he’s had
a secondary infection. Lots of penicillin will make it right, but at this moment in time he has a fever.”

  “Well, tell him I was asking for him.”

  “Try again tomorrow,” she said.

  “I’ve a strong suspicion I’m needed elsewhere right now, so I won’t be here tomorrow.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “How many times have we patched you up, Sean? You’ll never stop until—”

  He cut in. “They bring me in inside a body bag.”

  She crossed herself. “God forgive you for saying such a wicked thing.”

  As he went out, his Codex sounded, and Roper said, “Things are hotting up, Sean. I’ve just heard from Greg Slay that Ali Selim is definitely in Rubat on this boat, the Monsoon. You’d better get there fast.”

  “On my way,” Dillon told him, and ran to his Mini Cooper.

  At Hazar, Greg Slay had tried innumerable times to connect with Roper, but the sandstorm blew fiercely, and it was well over an hour since his first attempt when he finally heard Roper’s voice.

  “How are you?” Roper demanded. “What about the sandstorm?” He’d phoned Slay again so the others could hear him.

  Slay said, “To go through it once more, the Hawker was delivering Ali Selim to Rubat. He’s down there now, staying on a luxury dhow owned by the sheikh who loaned him the Hawker that got him out of England.”

  “Have you had any dealings with him?”

  “Only secondhand. My partner, Hakim, turned out to be Al Qaeda, and Ali Selim ordered him to kill me.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “I can only imagine he’d discovered I was the Raptor pilot who’d been giving him problems in Afghanistan.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Hakim beat up my mechanic, Feisal, because he refused to help him, and was about to blow my head off with an AK-47 when I shot him dead. We dumped the body, but Ali Selim remains a problem. The Sultan is extremely sick, with only a medical man keeping him alive. The Council of Elders are old fogies who get no respect from the lower orders. Most of them work for Rashid Oil, so they enjoy a good standard of living, but Al Qaeda has a strong following.”

  “What about the military?” Holley asked.

  “There’s only Rubat town and port to bother about, so a sort of police militia is in charge, run by a Colonel Khazid. He and his men are totally controlled by Al Qaeda. What are we talking about here?”

  “Well, I don’t know what anyone else wants to do,” said Holley, “but I intend to fly down there as soon as possible to retrieve Sara Gideon.”

  “You think you can do that?”

  “If it’s going to be done, now is the time. Sara is in the air on her way, fast asleep, not knowing what’s happening. Now Roper tells me Ali Selim hasn’t been crowing about this, hasn’t phoned in to say he’s got her, and she’s destined to be the most valuable kidnap victim of all time. He’s got her, in the sense that Owen Rashid and Legrande have her on the Lear, but they won’t arrive in Rubat for a while. My Falcon is one of the fastest planes around. I’ll have the advantage of surprise. Ali Selim’s keeping quiet about where he is, but doesn’t realize that we know. That should count for a lot.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t land at Rubat if I were you. Hazar would be much more sensible.”

  “Then we’d drive down to Rubat?”

  “Good God, no, it would take forever, and the roads are hell. We’ll use one of my Scorpions. It’s only half an hour in one of those, and we do it so regularly, we’re not even checked. So when are you coming?”

  Holley turned to Roper. “You didn’t tell Ferguson that we were going to lift Legrande and Kelly. Have you told him about these developments?”

  “No, I haven’t, because it would mean Henry Frankel and the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister all getting their political knickers in a twist. And the newspapers, who don’t give a damn about anything except their front pages, would all spew the story worldwide. Then the government would tell the Gideon Bank that they can’t pay to get her back because it would set a precedent, and that would be the ministerial cherry on the cake.”

  He swung his chair round to look up at his screens, and Holley said, “We’d better check that my plane is fueled.”

  Roper turned. “Good God, are you still here? I ordered your Falcon filled up at Farley Field within ten minutes of hearing she’d been taken. I asked the armorer to sort out the weaponry you’re likely to need—Semtex, timers, all the usual toys.”

  “You’re a gem,” Dillon told him. “I always said it.”

  “Just one thing more, since we’re circumventing every avenue of government. I’d just like to say, as a crippled veteran who’s seen it all, that I don’t give a stuff for Owen Rashid and Henri Legrande, and my opinion of Ali Selim is even lower. Blow them away, and let’s get rid of these people once and for all. I want to see Sara Gideon back here in this computer room, bright and cheerful and unsullied. That’s what it’s all about.”

  “And that’s what you’re going to get.” Holley turned to Dillon. “Let’s get moving, Sean.” And they hurried out.

  FOURTEEN

  Roper called in to Greg Slay to tell him of the Falcon’s departure. After that, he left Dillon and Holley alone for the long flight. It was five hours later that he called them and discovered Dillon was doing the flying.

  “What’s Daniel up to?” he asked.

  “Checking the weaponry.”

  “He’s taking it hard, I think.”

  “Wouldn’t you?” Dillon shook his head. “He adores Sara Gideon. I’ve never seen such a change in a man.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Wonderfully well. This latest Falcon is a fantastic plane with phenomenal speed, so we’re catching up enough to say we could be landing at Hazar around an hour after they’ve landed at Rubat.”

  Holley had come in, wearing desert fatigues, moved into the copilot’s seat and put on the headphones. “How are things, Giles?”

  “Not as good as they are for you. Dillon tells me that you’re eating up the miles.”

  “That’s what we need, but our greatest strength will be the total surprise when we come knocking on the door. It will be close to midnight,” Holley told him.

  Dillon cut in, “Any word from Ferguson?”

  “Not a one. They’ll be too busy putting the world to rights and having a good dinner. I’ve checked at Rosedene on Harry. His fever is improving, so the penicillin is doing its work.”

  “And Jean Talbot?”

  “She’s post-operative, but Bellamy’s pleased with her and says the operation was a success.”

  “Give her my best,” Dillon said.

  “You can do that yourself, Sean, when you two get back with Sara.”

  “You think that’s a given, do you?”

  “It always has been. I can’t see you coming back without her. I’ll do my best to keep Ferguson off your back. I gave him a call, reported on Harry, and said he was best left alone.”

  “Take care,” Holley called and turned to Dillon. “Have yourself a break, and I’ll take over again. Have a cup of tea and a sandwich or something. Have a look at the weaponry the armorer selected for us and check them out. There’s enough for Greg Slay if he wants to come to the party, too.”

  “Not much doubt of that, as he’s flying us into Rubat. He’ll play his part in the rest of it, I’m sure.”

  Holley said, “It’s like going back into the past, to what happened to Rosaleen in Belfast when I killed the four men who’d raped her.” His face was bleak and hard. “If anything bad has happened to Sara, I’ll have Ali Selim’s life if it’s the last thing I do on earth.”

  “We’re getting close now and you’re feeling stressed.” Dillon patted him on the shoulder. “Just take it easy, Daniel, relax. Put the plane on autopilot, let it fly itself for a while, and watch the stars come out. We’re going to pull this off, I promise you.”

  The Learjet was passing through considerable turbulence
, Owen Rashid at the controls. He eased the column forward and went down three thousand feet, finding things calmer, and Henri Legrande joined him on the flight deck.

  “How is Sara Gideon?” Owen asked.

  Henri sat down in the copilot’s seat. “Sleeping very peacefully. I’ve looked Seconal up on the laptop in the cabin. What I read confirms that the effect lasts eight hours. It seems that when the subjects come back to life, as it were, they’re in good shape and able to operate physically and so on, but they’ve no memory of what’s happened. They need to be told it’s eight hours on.”