Tell Me No Secrets

by Lynda Stacey

  ‘Roberto, you’re such a bloody hypocrite. In fact, you’re a drug dealing hypocrite.’ She pushed out her bottom lip and sulked. ‘How did they finally get Giancarlo? God knows they’ve tried for years,’ she cried. ‘Will he go to prison? He won’t survive surrounded by villains.’

  Roberto laughed and shook his head. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, Isobel. He would survive and those villains, my dear, are people like us. Drug dealing criminals.’ He paused before moving away from the window. ‘But stop worrying, they can’t pin anything on him. He’ll be clean, he’d have made sure of that. After thirty-six hours they have to release him.’ He walked to the door. ‘I’m going for a swim.’

  ‘Swim?’ she screamed. ‘Giancarlo, your uncle, is rotting in a foreign police station and all you can think of is going for a swim.’

  Roberto moved quickly, his hand grabbing her by the throat. ‘Don’t ever challenge me about my family ever again. I’ve told you, he’s clean,’ he hissed, before dropping her like a stone. ‘Plans are already in place. He’ll be out before the end of the week. Now, I’m going to the pool. I need to check the scuba gear out.’

  Isobel massaged her neck. ‘Touch me like that again and I’ll cut your air supply, you bastard.’

  Roberto looked directly at her, his eyes widened. ‘Don’t give me ideas, you might just regret it.’

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Kate looked up at the new moon.

  ‘You’d think they’d wait for a full moon, wouldn’t you?’ she said to Eric, who drove as slowly as he could. He’d switched the headlights off and navigated the lane with a torch, until he was sure that he’d reached the cliff top car park.

  ‘What?’ He turned to look at her.

  ‘The moon. It doesn’t give off much light, does it? You’d think they’d wait for a full moon.’ She tipped her head on one side and studied the moon with interest.

  Eric laughed. ‘Noooooo, it’s the last thing they’d do.’ He pointed up into the sky. ‘You see it’s the moon that dictates the current. When it’s a full moon, the currents in the sea are stronger and more treacherous.’ For once he looked as though he were preening himself and Kate smiled, pleased that her lack of knowledge had given him the opportunity to do so.

  She and Eric sat in the car. They were pretending to be a courting couple and kept low, covered with blankets, hoping that no one was watching. They kept a close eye on the clock. They’d been told to stay hidden until at least eleven o’clock. Then and only then were they to crawl to the edge of the cliff and lay in the undergrowth to watch the sea. Kate thought of her jeans and how dirty they would be by the time she’d crawled through the mud. It would be another pair that she’d most probably throw in the dustbin. Or would she? Being dirty hadn’t killed her before, nor had it hurt her, and she’d come to the conclusion that keeping her obsession under control was something she needed to do.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Eric said at last as the clock ticked over to eleven o’clock and he carefully opened the car door retrieving a bag from the back seat. ‘Here, I brought you a rug.’ He passed it to her. ‘I knew how worried you’d feel about lying in the dirt.’

  They moved in total darkness through the undergrowth. Only the lights from the moon and stars lit up the ripples and shimmer of the waves that glistened back at them like a mirror lying on its side.

  ‘Can you see anything?’ she whispered to Eric as he shuffled like a snake toward her through the grass. The abbey stood eerily to their left and below them a cliff face that dropped eighty feet to the sea.

  ‘Follow me. I can just about see the edge,’ Eric murmured as a noise from the cliff top made them both stop in their tracks. Kate felt her heart pound. They waited and listened for the noise to repeat itself, while staring at one another, unable to move. They watched and waited silently. The noise had gone, yet still they waited, until they were sure they were alone.

  ‘Where are the police?’ Kate asked as she tried to peer through the darkness.

  ‘They’re down on the quayside, hiding in that boat.’ He pointed to a huge fishing boat that sat in darkness.

  ‘Is Ben with them?’

  ‘He is. Look, you can just see one or two of them on the deck. Also, look over there.’ He pointed to the abbey. ‘They have look outs just beyond the ruins.’

  Kate watched in awe as the men moved silently along the cliff. ‘My word, you really would have no idea that they were there, would you?’ She turned back towards the sea. ‘Is that the Red Lady?’ She pointed to an object, its position only just seen by a distant glint in the moonlight as it floated out of the harbour walls.

  ‘That’s kind of the point, Kate. They’re not supposed to be seen. I’d been told where they’d be, or I wouldn’t have noticed them either. As soon as the Red Lady pulls back into the dock, they’ll arrest all on board, including Rob, and then you’ll finally be free of him.’

  Kate sighed. Eric sounded sincere and it brought a lump to her throat. ‘Really wish we could have been down there, in the thick of it.’

  ‘It was impossible. Ben’s taking quite a risk allowing us to watch from here. If the authorities knew, they wouldn’t be best pleased with him,’ Eric whispered as he indicated toward the harbour.

  ‘Do you think they’ll catch them?’

  ‘Certainly they will, it’s a sure thing. Apart from our evidence, the authorities got a tip off, but they only have one chance and they have to catch them in possession of the drugs. Timing is imperative. So you can guarantee they will all be in exactly the right place to jump as soon as the boat gets back.’

  Kate’s mind went to Rob. She’d really thought she’d known him. She thought he’d loved her, but all the time he was dealing drugs, possibly from her house. Her stomach turned when she thought of all the drugs raids she’d been on in the force. The times the occupants had pleaded with her, saying how they knew nothing of their partner’s deceit and how she’d disbelieved them. She hadn’t thought it possible that someone could have a house full of drugs without the other knowing. She sighed and wondered how many of Rob’s friends had been collecting them from her house, when they’d just dropped in for coffee. She’d been nice to these people, made them drinks and more often than not had left them sitting at the kitchen table chatting with Rob.

  ‘I know where I’d rather be right now,’ Kate whispered, ‘and to be honest, Eric, it’s not lying in the grass with you. No offence intended, of course.’

  The Red Lady drifted over the surface of the sea. Its engine had been cut and it was slowly being pulled along by the current as Isobel sat by the wheel, using it to slowly manoeuvre the boat in the direction she wanted.

  The captain had been bound, and pushed into the small space beneath the seating. His eyes were like saucers, as he stared directly at where Isobel sat.

  ‘You can’t do this, I’ve done nothing wrong,’ he pleaded. ‘I have children, five of them, they need me.’

  His voice had turned from a soft whimper to a screech and Isobel glared into the darkness where she could clearly see him staring back at her. ‘Shut up or I’ll throw you in. Do you think we don’t know what you did?’ she growled, as her foot kicked out at him. ‘Roberto, are you sure it’s still safe to go ahead? Do you really think he spoke to the police?’ She pointed to the captain.

  ‘It had to be him. Who else knew? Giancarlo says we go ahead and, as for him, he’ll pay for what he did. Giancarlo will make sure of that,’ Roberto said.

  Isobel was not convinced and turned to see Luca stare down at the captain. Their eyes connected and Isobel watched as the captain’s eyes pleaded with him. It was a look of knowing, followed by one of need.

  ‘What the hell’s going on?’ she demanded, glaring at them both.

  Luca shrugged. ‘What do you mean, what’s going on? Nothing’s going on.’ He walked up the deck and began checking the dive cylinders for air, but Isobel knew him better, knew he was up to something and didn’t like it.

  ‘I saw that l
ook. You’re in it together, aren’t you?’

  ‘Isobel, you’re imagining things, now can we get that engine started, or are we waiting for dawn to break?’

  Isobel bristled. ‘We’ll have to wait till we get away from the shore before we start the engine, you know that.’ She studied the water, watching for her opening on the tide. ‘Shame it’s not raining, it would have given us a lot more cover,’ she said as she turned to Roberto and allowed him to zip up her dry suit. ‘Roberto,’ she whispered. ‘I think Luca could be the snitch, I think they’re in it together.’ She pointed to where Luca stood, weight belt in hand. She clicked the engine into life, masking her words with the noise. ‘I don’t like how he looked at the captain, it’s as though they’re up to something, I just don’t know what.’

  ‘You’re imagining things, Isobel. Luca is family. He wouldn’t grass on us. Giancarlo would kill him.’

  Isobel shrugged. ‘Only one way to find out. You have to speak to him,’ she said with a knowing look and watched as Roberto strode towards where Luca stood.

  ‘Come on, Luca, what the hell’s going on? Did you snitch, because I swear that if you did, I’ll kill you.’ Roberto squared up to his cousin.

  But Luca backed off and paced nervously. ‘Don’t be stupid. Why would I do that?’ Once again he looked at the captain and again their eyes connected.

  But Roberto laughed and patted him on the shoulder. ‘You’d always look after the family first, right?’

  ‘Right,’ Luca responded and breathed out heavily as though relieved. He glared at Isobel and then turned his attention to the dive gear.

  But Roberto stood his ground and stared at him, while nodding and smiling. ‘Okay. No hard feelings, then?’

  Luca held out his hand to shake Roberto’s. ‘No, no hard feelings, not from me, cous.’

  Roberto shook his hand, holding on tighter and for just a few moments more than needed. ‘Good, now throw the snitch overboard.’

  Luca spun around on the spot. ‘But … I … I … I don’t want to kill anyone. What if he is innocent, what if he didn’t snitch?’

  The panic was clear in Luca’s voice and Roberto knew it. He strode back over to where Luca stood and in one fast swing, his fist connected with Luca’s face and Roberto watched as he fell to the deck. ‘It’s either him or you that snitched, who else would it have been?’ He rubbed his hand. ‘So here’s the deal, throw him over or I throw you over, which is it to be?’

  ‘Roberto, come on. We grew up together, like brothers. I wouldn’t rat on you, you know that.’ He looked up. ‘Okay. You win. He goes overboard. But you’ll need to help me.’

  Isobel shook with anxiety as she watched Luca and Roberto drag the screaming man along the deck and with one splash, he was flung over the side, still bound, like a piece of discarded rubbish that no one wanted. Her throat constricted and she began to gag repeatedly, knowing that their drug dealing days had just turned into murder. ‘I wasn’t a part of that … not me, I didn’t agree to murder.’

  Roberto walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. ‘No you didn’t and I’m sorry, but it had to be done.’ His voice was calm and Isobel shook with fear; it was more than obvious that killing was natural to him. He showed no remorse, unlike Luca who was now throwing up over the edge of the boat. ‘I need you to focus, Isobel. I need you to steer the boat.’

  She nodded, knowing that right now her main prerogative was to stay alive and navigate the boat safely through the waves. Turning devices on, she set the compass to hone in on the wreck. The days of guessing and working to landmarks were a thing of the past.

  ‘Nearly there. Are you ready?’ she queried and looked between Roberto and Luca as they tightened their weight belts. ‘Roberto, do me a favour, drop the anchor,’ she shouted as she cut the engine and turned the boat against the waves.

  ‘Isobel, I’m not dropping it, it’s far too deep here, the swells too high. The anchor wouldn’t hold,’ Roberto replied, then turned and pointed to the water. ‘Me and Luca will take care of the drugs. Just keep the boat in this position while we’re gone. You know the dive plan. Twenty minutes and we’ll be back up.’

  ‘What if …’ She was going to say, What if Luca is the traitor? but stopped herself.

  ‘Pre dive check?’ Luca queried and turned to Roberto for help.

  ‘Sure,’ he replied as he moved in front of his dive buddy and began to check the kit.

  ‘B.W.R.A.F,’ Luca said as the check began. ‘Burgers with Relish and Fries,’ he continued with a laugh, as though trying to ease the tension that showed all over Roberto’s face. ‘It’s a way of remembering the initials.’

  Roberto glared. ‘I know what it stands for, now turn around, let me get on with it.’ He began checking his buoyancy aid, weights, releases and air. All were secure and all his instruments were clipped into the central zone.

  ‘You look good to go,’ Roberto said as he moved away. ‘Have you got the lift bags, SMBs and markers?’

  ‘Sure do. I’ve even got three different torches, just in case we need them,’ Luca replied, patting his pockets in a final check to ensure they were there. ‘You want checking?’ he asked as Roberto moved away, turning his back as he looked over to where Isobel was tapping the dials.

  ‘I’m okay, thanks. I like to do my own checks. Don’t you worry about me,’ he said smugly. He glared at Luca, spat in his mask, rubbed the spit into the lens and then leaned over to rinse it in the bucket of water that stood on the deck. Pulling hoods and gloves into place, the mask was positioned, its skirt safely tucked under the edge of the hood.

  ‘Ready?’ Isobel asked and both Luca and Roberto held up their hands signalling they were okay and ready to go.

  ‘Regulators in, air out of the jackets. You need to go in negative and descend quickly.’ Roberto looked at Luca and waited for his signal.

  Isobel turned to Roberto. ‘Okay. You’ll be over the wreck in five, four, three, two, and go,’ she whispered, and watched as they both dropped backwards off the boat and into the sea. Both were in unison, both equalising as they went.

  It had been twenty minutes since Isobel had watched the large orange balloons float to the surface, and she knew that a lobster pot of drugs would be tied below each. They were just too far off the boat for her to reach and with divers below, she knew better than to start the engine. Roberto and Luca should have been back by now. Their planned dive time had been twenty minutes and that time had now doubled since their descent. She looked back to the shore, paced up and down the deck and wondered what to do.

  The plan had been to retrieve the drugs, but no one had spoken of what to do if Roberto or Luca didn’t return. She couldn’t leave, but didn’t know how long she could stay. Either way, Giancarlo wouldn’t be pleased. She’d seen what he did to people who disobeyed and she had no intention of joining the exclusive group of people who were now missing, never to return.

  She looked at where the drugs floated on the surface, constantly checking for air bubbles, hoping and praying that the men would surface and soon. The lift bags began drifting towards her and she reached over the side in an attempt to grab them. The tide pulled it back and forth, but each time they just managed to elude her grasp. Cursing she grabbed hold of a rope and began throwing it toward the bag in the hope that she’d alter its path and steer it closer to the boat. Reaching out she attempted a grab, missed and grabbed again. Then, from nowhere, an arm came from beneath the waves and dragged her over the side and into the water.

  Luca surfaced. He was some way from the boat and after pulling his mask from his face, he stared at the surface of the sea, watched for air bubbles, and prayed that Roberto hadn’t noticed the direction he’d escaped in. Surely by now he’d have realised, surely he’d be looking for him and his only hope was that Roberto might think he’d been lost at sea, trapped within the wreck and drowned. The last thing he wanted was to face either him or Giancarlo, ever again. Both were ruthless and, family or not, he’d be living on bor
rowed time, watching his back and waiting for the inevitable. No, it was better to escape now, to make a permanent getaway. He wasn’t going to wait for Roberto to turn on him again and he wasn’t a hardened drug dealer or murderer, and if that was what his family expected, then he couldn’t do it. He had to leave the family, and he had to leave tonight.

  The Red Lady bobbed up and down in the distance. The waves lapped up against her side and he squinted in an attempt to make out where Isobel stood. And even though the bright orange lift bags still floated around on the surface, neither Isobel nor Roberto were anywhere to be seen.

  A wave splashed over his face and, taking in a deep breath from his regulator, he replaced the mask, deflated his jacket and dropped below the surface.

  He began heading for the shore. Only from there could he escape to safety.

  Kate watched through the binoculars.

  ‘I’m freezing cold and bored. I can barely see a thing, Ben and the authorities are still hidden, and we’re lying here on a cliff top, when we could be in bed,’ she whispered and then laughed. ‘Not together, I might add.’

  Eric lay on his back looking up at the stars. He’d long since got tired of watching the waves. ‘I haven’t seen anything of interest since we got here. I was just thinking about the fact that right now, I should be curled up in bed with Eve in my arms,’ he said dreamily as once again he picked up his mobile and checked for messages.

  ‘Err, hello, what did you say?’ Kate squealed a little louder than was necessary.

  ‘Oh, err, no, no, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,’ Eric rambled. ‘It’s more of a wish list. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that either.’ He turned over and once again began to take great interest in what was happening on the water.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It was some hours later that Eric and Kate had given up the watch and arrived back at the office. Patrick was in reception, trying to operate the coffee machine, but stood back contemplating the buttons.