‘France. He had a call from someone there about Liam.’ Andi realised Janine probably didn’t know the latest news. She lowered her voice, not sure if it was a good idea for Vincent to know Liam hadn’t killed himself, even though he was dead now.
‘Tom got the idea, from something you said, that Liam faked his suicide. The men down there don’t know this. Anyway, Tom had a call from a woman in France. Seems Liam had stayed there, but was killed in a car crash. He left Tom a note with a code. Tom worked out the code and followed it to a bank in Geneva. That’s all I know. Tom tried to ring me earlier, but Vincent intercepted the call. From what he said, I guess Tom has the money and is on his way back here.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ said Janine. ‘Tom was with me the first time we met them.’ She nodded towards the stairs.
Andi noticed her voice softened on Tom’s name. How crazy was that? Handcuffed to a radiator, and she could still pick up on it. ‘Are you okay?’
Janine screwed up her face. ‘I think I’ll be all right. I don’t know what they used to knock me out, but I felt sick and dizzy when I came round. I’ve no idea what happened.’
Andi shuddered. Janine must have noticed and shook her head. ‘I didn’t mean that.’
As they were on opposite sides of the room, the twins could hear their conversation.
‘How long will it take to get from Geneva to here?’ asked Sophie.
‘That’s a good question. I’m not sure. I think from what Vincent said, Tom is driving.’ She and Janine tried to work out the distance and times. ‘Guess it depends on ferries and stuff. Late tonight maybe, but more likely early tomorrow morning.’
‘That long, huh?’
Andi knew exactly what Sophie meant. It would seem like forever.
Chapter 25
Tom
Tom decided he wouldn’t ring Andi until he actually had the money. It was stupid, and he wasn’t usually superstitious, but he didn’t want to tempt fate.
He woke early. The bank wouldn’t be open, so he found a small café near the hotel where he ordered breakfast. He wondered whether the rucksack and two bags would be large enough to hold the cash. How much did that amount of money weigh? Hopefully he’d find out soon enough.
After he checked out of the hotel, he drove the hire car to the bank, and parked in the secure area the banker described. As soon as he entered, the well-dressed lady rang for Monsieur Dupree.
The man gave a little bow, and Tom almost expected him to click his heels together.
‘Once again, my apologies we were not able to complete your request yesterday.’
‘But you have the money now?’ Tom held his breath until the man nodded.
‘If you will come this way.’ Monsieur Dupree took him to another room. Tom paced around the room until the banker returned with the money.
The rucksack would have been enough on its own, but he split the notes between the three bags as it was easier to handle that way. He couldn’t see surveillance cameras in the parking area, but guessed they were there. Where would the bags be safest? He pulled up the carpet in the boot, and pushed the rucksack and two bags into the spare wheel area. That would have to do for now.
He drove out of the city, and once he reached more rural areas he looked for somewhere quiet to stop. He turned down a narrow road, more like a lane, and drove until he came to a secluded area shielded by trees. Before opening the car boot he looked around carefully, feeling like a criminal. Strictly speaking, he was. If possible, he would smuggle just under a million pounds across the channel. The thought made him sweat.
He pulled the bags out, and distributed the money more evenly between them. He put the rucksack back into the spare wheel area, and managed to force the two smaller bags into the space between the carpet and body. That would have to do. If they did a full search of the car at customs they’d find the money, but it should pass a cursory look. He wiped his forehead, and got back in the car.
Now to phone Andi and give her the good news. He didn’t care how Liam had acquired the money. Fraudulent trades, gambling? He just wanted Andi to know they would be safe.
Andi picked up the phone on the second ring, but he only managed a couple of words before she gave a sharp exclamation.
He didn’t like the sound of Vincent or his threats. Andi and the girls were in trouble, but at least he had the money, and had persuaded Vincent he’d be there as soon as he could.
He tried to quash his worries about them. No time for that now. He checked the boot again, pulled the cover over the rucksack, and straightened the carpet. He had no idea what it would be like going through customs. How did people smuggle goods? His own few items were in the department store carrier bag on the backseat, along with his laptop.
He used his phone to check the route options. Vincent said they were at a place called Little Lessing in Cambridgeshire. He’d already decided against flying back with a bag full of cash. The Newhaven ferry looked to be his best bet. One left Dieppe at 6 pm. He checked the route again. He should be able to make it in time.
What an irony. When he’d hired the car, the girl at the desk told him he could drive anywhere in Europe. He hadn’t taken much notice, as his only plan then was to find Vivienne and Chris Toogood. Now he’d do what they suggested.
He drove as fast as he dared. All he wanted was to get to Andi and the twins, but it wouldn’t help them if he got pulled over by the police, especially not if they searched the car.
As he drove, he tried to think of better places to hide the money. He could never make this a lifestyle. His stomach churned constantly.
The motorways were well signposted, and when he felt tired he stopped at a café. He parked as close as he could to the building. The last thing he needed was for someone to steal the car.
He bought a takeaway coffee and a bottle of water, and hurried back to the car. He’d heard people on Colin’s courses talk about living on their nerves. Now he knew how they felt.
Newhaven to this Little Lessing place was the least of his worries at the moment. He’d look at the route on the ferry. He constantly checked the clock, but allowed himself to relax as he got closer to Dieppe.
He joined the queue for the ferry, pulling up behind a people mover full of noisy children. He could hear them clearly; goodness knows how the parents coped. A car screeched to a halt behind him, and his head thumped in time with the music, which increased in volume when the couple opened their doors to catch the evening breeze. His shoulders ached. He tried to relieve the tension with some neck exercises. Hopefully all the noise would be a distraction, and keep attention away from him. When the cars moved, they waved him through after a cursory glance at his passport.
He followed the line of vehicles onto the ferry, and parked. He didn’t want to leave the car, or more correctly, didn’t want to leave the money. He looked at the closed boot. The bags were hidden as well as he could manage. There were too many people around for him to pull them out. Someone would see and become suspicious, or if he took the bags with him they might get stolen. He was getting paranoid. He checked the car was locked several times, before he finally went up to the passenger deck.
Despite a relatively good sleep the night before, he felt tired and stiff. He wandered around the ferry as people rushed to find the best seats. There wasn’t anything appetising in the café, and he felt too stressed to eat, but it was good to walk around. He tried not to think about customs officers searching his car. He had to reach Andi and the girls, and he had to have the money.
Once the ferry left Dieppe he found a seat, and much to his surprise fell asleep. He woke to the announcement that drivers should return to their vehicles.
He longed to check the bags were still in place, but he made himself sit in the driver’s seat, fingers tapping the steering wheel. Eventually the cars in front of him moved. This was it.
The line of vehicles snaked away from the ferry. His hands shook on the wheel. He clenched one into a fist, anything to stop t
he tremors. His heart leapt and jerked, and he didn’t think a heart attack could be much worse than how he felt. He took deep breaths, and cruised to a halt behind the queue of cars. There was a different car in front of him this time, but the children were as noisy as the ones at Dieppe. A baby wailed in the car behind him.
He must have appeared as guilty as hell. The customs woman looked between him and his passport several times.
‘Open the boot, please.’
‘It’s empty. I’ve only got the stuff on the back seat.’ Damn, he should have kept quiet. He reached down and pulled the lever to open the boot.
She narrowed her eyes. ‘You don’t have much luggage. What was the reason for your visit?’
‘My brother died. He was killed in a car crash. Hell of a shock.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s been a terrible few days.’
Her expression softened a little. ‘Sorry to hear that.’
She walked towards the boot. The baby in the car behind ramped up the noise levels. The mother got out of the car, and jiggled the baby on her hip in an effort to calm him.
The customs woman glanced in the boot, slammed the lid closed, and gave a knock to let him know he could go.
He wanted to jam his foot hard on the accelerator, but forced himself to keep to the speed limit, and drive away like any other tired traveller.
A mile or so outside town, he pulled over and got out of the car. He walked in circles beside it for a couple of minutes, until his muscles stopped shaking. He grabbed the bottle of water and swigged half of it down. He needed a quieter life than this.
He had checked the route on the ferry, and guessed the hardest part would be locating the house. Little Lessing was so tiny it barely rated a mention, and apparently Martin’s place was several miles away from the village.
The ferry had docked just after ten, and it was now close to eleven. The drive would take about three hours. Andi would be frantic by then. At least Steven was with her. He felt a little better, and got back into the car. He had never visited this part of the country, but the route looked relatively straightforward. Despite the sleep on the ferry he felt exhausted.
He got lost around Cambridge. He didn’t have GPS, and his phone battery was low, so he didn’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary. He found the road he wanted, more through luck than good signage. He wished this whole thing was over, but what would he find when he reached the house?
There were no streetlamps to signal he was in a village, and he drove through it before he realised he’d gone too far. On his second drive along the road, he saw the narrow left turn, just a vague shadow in the darkness. Little Lessing was tinier than Poldrayth.
Vincent told him they’d leave the house lights on. Good thing too, or he’d have driven past the driveway. He signalled through force of habit, and turned off the road. The gravel driveway widened into an area large enough to park four or five vehicles. Two cars and a van were together outside the house, which left him space next to a line of trees and bushes. He’d just turned the engine off, when the driver’s door was wrenched open. Someone reached in and hauled him out of the car.
Chapter 26
Andi
Dave brought them something to eat and drink at some point in the afternoon. He took them to the toilet one at a time. Not to the ensuite bathroom attached to the bedroom, but to the small, windowless toilet down the passageway. At least he kept Mickey away from them.
After he brought Andi back, he unlocked Sophie’s handcuffs and took her along the hallway. Andi held her breath, and tried to hear what went on while they were out of her sight. Dave went through the same routine with Kristen, and Andi didn’t relax until both girls were back in the bedroom – ridiculous, given their circumstances.
‘Where do you think they’re keeping Dad?’ asked Sophie.
‘I don’t know. I guess the garage, or maybe the room that was used as a darkroom.’
Kristen gave a shiver. ‘I wouldn’t want to be in there.’
Andi agreed with her. At least here they could see the sky, and for some reason that gave her hope. She thought about the times she’d gone out with Vincent. How could she have been so pathetic? Why couldn’t she see he pretended to like her, so he could discover what he needed to know? Stupid, stupid. Did she need assurance so much? What kind of person did that make her?
This was many times worse than the previous days, but Sophie and Kristen didn’t say much. After she told Janine about Tom going to France, Andi ran out of conversation. Janine still looked ill.
Whenever their glances met, Andi asked how she felt. Janine sometimes nodded, and occasionally managed a few words. She looked better as the day wore on, and pulled herself upright against the wall.
‘I’m sorry for how I was that day we first met,’ she said. ‘And for the private investigator.’
Andi shook her head. ‘Forget it. Compared to this lot, he was a delight. Tom said you were worried about the trouble Liam might cause you.’
‘It was a nightmare,’ said Janine. ‘I still can’t believe I did that.’
They lapsed into silence again.
Dave looked in on them a couple of times, and even gave her a smile.
Around seven, Mickey brought them some food. Andi hated his expression of outright lust tainted with brutality, when he looked at Sophie and Kristen.
She was relieved to see Dave appear at the door. He took one of the plates and bent down next to her. ‘You’re doing the right thing. As long as Tom turns up with the money you’ll be okay.’
She felt she could trust him. She had to. This faint hope was all there was – and Tom. ‘How are the others?’
‘Same as you. Fed and watered.’
She hoped that was the truth.
‘Where are they?’
He shook his head, and indicated to Mickey to go downstairs.
When they’d eaten, he unlocked Andi’s handcuffs and walked her along the passage to the toilet. It was good to be able to stand, and a relief not to be restrained. She felt so vulnerable locked to the radiator. After she finished, she came out of the small bathroom onto the landing.
Downstairs, Mickey opened the door to the darkroom.
‘What time do you think Tom will get here?’ she asked Dave.
‘Andi?’ yelled Steven. ‘Are you okay? The girls?’
Mickey slammed the door shut. Something smashed, and there were yells and thuds.
‘Steven,’ she screamed. What the hell was Mickey doing to him?
Dave shook his head, as if she were a naughty child, and gently but firmly pushed her back into the bedroom. ‘Mickey doesn’t need an excuse to use his fists, but if you give him one he’ll take it. That was a stupid thing to do.’
She wasn’t sure if he meant her or Steven.
Dave repeated the bathroom routine with the twins. Andi was so concerned about Steven they were back before she could worry about them. Janine was last to go to the bathroom, but Dave didn’t bring her back to their room. One of the other bedroom doors opened.
What was this change in Dave’s routine? There was no more noise from the darkroom. She strained to hear. What had happened? Was Janine part of the group after all, or had she thought Dave was okay, when in reality he was as bad as Mickey? Handcuffs clinked on metal, then a door closed and Dave walked past their room.
‘Where’s Janine? What are you doing?’
‘Separating you, that’s all.’
‘Because of what just happened?’
He shook his head.
As it got dark, someone switched the upstairs passageway light on, which sent shadows across the bedroom. Andi looked towards the gloom where Sophie and Kristen were, but from their breathing she thought they had drifted off to sleep.
If they got out of this in one piece, they’d probably need counselling. Be positive – not if, we will get out of this. Tom must be close now. She dozed, then jerked awake as Dave went past the door.
She hoped Steven wasn’t badly hurt. Where
were Barbara and Martin? At least they’d believe her now. It wasn’t much comfort.
Tom said he had the money. Did he? It must be the coded address in Switzerland. Or had he lied? She hoped not. She was frightened of Mickey and his brother. Please hurry, Tom.
Kristen fidgeted and sighed.
‘How are you?’ whispered Andi.
‘Okay, I guess.’
‘Yeah, me too.’
Kristen wriggled around. In the light from the passageway Andi could just make out her tired smile.
She tried to think of something to say. Her days were always filled with words, telling the girls what to do, asking them about their day, work meetings and on it went. Now she was out of words.
‘Mum.’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m sorry about the shoplifting.’
She hadn’t expected that. Not with their current situation.
‘It’s just… everything’s been so crappy. School and home and stuff.’
It sounded as though Kristen had more she wanted to say. Andi pushed down the urge to reply.
‘It made me feel better for a while. I didn’t need the stuff. I liked it, but didn’t need it. Guess it was like sticking a finger up at everyone.’
‘Dad and I separating wouldn’t have helped.’
Kristen shrugged in her teenage way.
Andi wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to mean, but Kristen spoke again.
‘Soph and I went to this party. Started out at Kate’s, but then someone said they knew about another party, so we all went along. It was good. I drank quite a lot. This guy Greg was there. I’d fancied him for ages. Everyone did. I didn’t think he even knew I existed, but he spoke to me, knew my name. Well, both our names ’cos he couldn’t tell us apart.’
Andi guessed where this was headed, but she was determined not to interrupt Kristen. They were hardly in a good situation. Whatever Kristen had to say, it couldn’t be worse.
Lies of the Dead Page 18