Lauren stiffened. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘I’ll take Lauren to Hartmann,’ he said, grabbing Lauren’s wrists. ‘A piece of her anyway. As an encouragement to him to sign the papers.’
The dull ache of dread spread through Lauren’s gut. Was this it? Was this how it ended? She wasn’t used to praying or making deals with God, but she’d promise anything, anything, to any all-powerful being, if He, She or It would come good and get her out of this.
‘You’re both lunatics,’ she said. ‘It’ll never work. No contract you get signed will be worth the paper it’s printed on. Nobody’s going to let murderers run an international company.’
Gunther laughed. ‘Don’t be naïve, Lauren. Many international companies are already run by murderers.’
‘You know what I mean.’ She kicked out at him. ‘If he signs under duress it isn’t legal. How can it be?’
‘But no one will know he signed under duress,’ Ingrid said. ‘He will be signing over half his profits to the daughter of his old friend, Jaap Binsbergen. Hartmann has too much at stake to mention why he has suddenly decided to right an old wrong. After all, he will still have his company to run and his philanthropic ventures to maintain. And he won’t be able to do that if he is in prison for drug smuggling and people trafficking.’
Gunther pulled Lauren towards him and looked right into her eyes. ‘We have proof,’ he said, nodding. ‘from that very first bus trip to Nepal, right up to last week. The commodity may have changed but old man Hartmann still likes to keep his hand in.’
‘Then let Katti go. What do you need her for? If you have that sort of information on her father, you don’t need to use her as a lever to get what you want.’
Ingrid made an irritable sound. ‘That’s enough. Do what you have to do, Nick. Oh, Baba. Be careful.’
Viktor struggled into a sitting position, looking dazed. Blood covered one ear. He raised his hand and touched the side of his head then looked at his sticky fingers as though he couldn’t work out what had happened. ‘Bebe?’ he murmured. Ingrid cooed softly, her arm around his shoulders.
‘He needs attention,’ Gunther said. ‘You’d better get him to a doctor. I’ll take Lauren with me to Hartmann’s place. Might as well take Katti as well.’
‘No. I want her with me until everything is settled. And for goodness sake, tie her up, Nick. Do I have to think of everything?’ Ingrid took off her coat and wrapped it around Viktor. ‘Come on, Baba. We’ll go to Doctor Kleitman. He won’t ask questions.’
‘Don’t bother taking that one to Hartmann,’ she went on, jerking her head towards Lauren. ‘Dispose of her now. This is not going as I’d planned. We need to move carefully.’
Lauren wrenched herself away from Gunther, fury driving out all thoughts of self preservation. ‘You’re barking mad, the pair of you! Stark fucking staring mad!’ She lurched over to where Ingrid knelt and kicked her in the thigh. ‘Bitch. Mad fucking bitch.’ Before Ingrid could react, Lauren slammed her bound fists into the woman’s face. With a guttural cry Ingrid sprawled across Viktor.
Gunther strode towards Lauren. Lowering her head she took him by surprise, butting him in the abdomen. Winded, he dropped the gun, sending it skittering across the rock floor.
Ingrid scrambled to her feet. She grabbed Lauren by the throat, hissing through her teeth. The two women swung away, Ingrid clutching Lauren’s collar and punching her hard in the face. Lauren’s nose burst with a pop. Blood splattered, rills of crimson streaking her mouth and chin. Enraged, she drove her knee up into Ingrid’s groin, thudding hard into her pubic bone. Ingrid grunted and bent over.
‘Bebe,’ Viktor croaked, scrabbling to his knees.
Gunther shoved him back. ‘You’re in no fit state,’ he said. He scanned the cave floor, seeking the gun.
Wiping blood and mucus from her face, Lauren saw Katti grab for the gun before Gunther got to it. Jesus, God, let her get it. Please let her get it.
Ingrid hurled herself at Lauren, jostling her towards the cave mouth. Lauren yelped trying to backpedal away from the edge. Ingrid redoubled her efforts, wrestling Lauren further and further onto the icy ledge.
Katti flung herself out of Gunther’s reach, clutching the gun in both hands. ‘Stoppit!’ she screamed at Ingrid. ‘Stoppit! Let her go!’
‘Get the gun from her, Nick,’ Ingrid shouted, forcing Lauren to her knees. ‘Nick.’
But Gunther’s attention was elsewhere. He turned his head at the sound of sirens in the distance. ‘Well, here comes the cavalry,’ he muttered. ‘Too late as usual.’
Lauren tried to wrench her wrists apart. The tape twisted but held. Ingrid thumped her on the shoulder and she toppled over, slithering on the sheet ice. Ingrid booted her hard and fast, every kick sliding her nearer to the edge and the sheer drop to the rocks below. Winded, Lauren dug her fingers into a crack in the rock floor. Through involuntary tears, she saw Katti swaying from side to side a few feet away, the gun shaking in her hands. The wail of the sirens grew louder.
‘Give me the gun, Katti,’ Gunther said. ‘Come on, Katti, give me the gun.’
‘Noooo.’ Katti swung the weapon from Gunther to Ingrid and back again. ‘Make her stop! Make her stop!’
‘Ingrid,’ said Gunther. ‘Leave her. The police are coming.’
Ignoring him, Ingrid smashed her boot into Lauren’s ribs. Lauren shrieked as her fingernails tore and she lost her grip on the shallow fissure. Every kick from Ingrid pushed her closer to the rim of the cave mouth.
Panting, Ingrid sank to her knees, her face bloated with rage. ‘This is your fault,’ she said, battering Lauren with her fists. ‘Why did you have to interfere?’ Spittle flecked her lips, her blonde hair tumbled from her French pleat and whipped free.
Twisting away from the blows, Lauren rolled sideways. Digging her knees and elbows into the crackling ice, she inched herself away from the brink. Ingrid thudded her fists into Lauren’s shoulders forcing her backwards again.
‘Stoppit!’ Katti pointed the gun at Ingrid. ‘Stop pushing her or I’ll put a bullet in your back.’
Gunther eased towards Katti. ‘Don’t shoot,’ he said, his voice calm. ‘You could hit Lauren.’ He reached out his hand, fingers wagging. ‘Let me have the gun, Katti. Come on. Give it to me.’
Viktor got to his feet, arms stretched for balance. ‘Careful Bebe!’ He lurched towards Katti, reaching for the gun. Gunther turned, colliding with him. Unsteady as he was, Viktor slipped and sat down heavily. He lay still, groaning.
Grunting, Ingrid put all her weight into another shove. Lauren felt her toes slip over the lip of the cave. A burst of warm wetness seeped into her jeans as her bladder loosened. JesusGodJesus! Her scrabbling feet found an icy ridge below the cave mouth. Digging her toes into the outcrop, she prayed it would hold her weight. She brought her bound hands up and clutched at Ingrid’s jumper.
‘If I go over, bitch,’ she mumbled through blood,. ‘you’re coming with me.’
‘You think so?‘ Ingrid dug her long nails into Lauren’s hands, piercing the skin. Lauren moaned, her fingers slowly unbending as the stronger woman forced her hands downwards. Ingrid finally wrenched herself free of Lauren, skidding sideways with her own momentum.
‘Ingrid, for God’s sake,’ Gunther called. ‘Come away.’ He made a move towards her but swung back as Katti released the Luger’s safety catch.
Sobbing, Lauren hitched forward, desperate to get off the ledge before Ingrid steadied herself and came back at her. As she dug her toes into the shelf of ice, she saw Katti start towards Ingrid clutching the weapon.
Gunther lunged at Katti, grabbing her wrist. As he twisted Katti’s arm upwards, fire spurted from the barrel of the gun. The first bullet exploded off the cave roof, sending the sound of gunshot clattering around the cavern.
The second bullet shattered an icicle at the cave mouth. Shards of ice spattered down like a shower of hail. The biggest piece, the huge point of the icicle, crashed onto Ingrid
’s skull, shattering over her head. Ingrid tottered for a moment arms windmilling, then fell, screaming, into the cold, sharp air.
As the echo of her cries faded, Viktor’s howl broke the shocked silence.
‘Bebe! BEEBEE!’ Viktor stumbled towards Gunther and thudded his fists into his chest, roaring out his pain. Gunther backed away, warding off his tormentor.
Levering herself up over the ledge, Lauren rolled away from the sheer drop. Katti stumbled over to help her, tossing the gun aside. When Lauren was far enough back from the ledge to be safe, they both glanced down.
As Lauren clung to Katti, three police cars skidded to a halt, carving dark crescents into the virgin drift. In the centre of their circle a black shape lay still on the apron of snow beneath the cave.
The two women drew back to where Sammy lay, well away from the edge. As she wiped away blood, tears and snot, Lauren watched Gunther struggle with Viktor.
The gunman seemed to have gone crazy at seeing his wife fall to her death. Lauren was shocked at the change in him. Cold, calculating, unemotional when it came to other people’s pain and distress but wild as a madman at his own.
Love, she thought. Takes all kinds. What would Wolf’s reaction be? Was he as besotted with Ingrid as Viktor obviously was? Somehow, she thought not. She hoped not, for his sake as well as her own.
Viktor released Gunther and sank to his knees, his head bleeding, his face grey in the stark white light. He curled up, sobbing, drumming his fists on the ground like a large toddler.
Lauren searched Katti’s eyes. They were dull with shock. Her mouth was open and spittle gleamed on her teeth. They both needed a doctor, sleep, a shedload of TLC.
She heard the crackles of police radios far below, and shouts carrying on the still night air. Searchlights probed the cave, tracing across the damp ceiling showing stalactites where it narrowed to a passageway. The front of the cave looked like a mouth with one tooth missing where the icicle had broken off.
Ice Queen, Clara had called Ingrid. Kind of appropriate.
Lauren looked up sharply as Gunther approached. He held the knife Ingrid had dropped in the struggle. ‘You won’t get away with this,’ she said. ‘You’re crazy. You and that blonde bitch.’
‘I agree with you about Ingrid,’ Gunther said amiably. ‘She certainly was obsessed beyond reason. Me though? No. I think you’ll soon see that I am still in possession of all my wits.’ He placed his hand on Lauren’s knee and she jerked her leg away from him.
‘Keep your filthy fucking hands to yourself.’
He laughed. ‘Lauren. Lauren. You’ve got it all wrong.’
She looked back at him, stony-faced. How very different from the last time she’d seen him. She remembered him blowing on her hands to warm them. She gritted her teeth. She’d rather freeze to death than have him do that now.
‘You must both be stiff with cold,’ he said. ‘It’s pretty chilly up here, isn’t it? Though it never actually freezes inside the cave. The temperature always stays the same, summer and winter. Did you know that?’
She could smell his aftershave – some spicy, lemony shit – and see strands of his fair hair backlit from the glow of the lamp. She turned her head away from him. How could she ever have thought this man attractive? He was slimy. A slug, a snail, a –
Gunther grabbed her taped wrists and lifted the knife.
‘What are you doing?’ Lauren lurched backwards but he held her fast. The blade glinted, cold against her skin. ‘Stop it. You evil bastard! No.’
Gunther smiled as he slid the flat of the blade along her wrist. Lauren tensed, jerking back from him. Her breathing was shallow. Sweat beaded on her forehead. JesusGodJesusNo. The blade slipped under the tape. Gunther jerked it upwards and the knife sliced through her bonds. Her wrists were free.
‘To be honest, Lauren, that would have been a whole lot easier if you’d kept still.’ He threw the knife down. ‘Now, let’s get you and your friend out of this hell-hole. Can you manage that path, do you think? I’m afraid I don’t know the way through the tunnel.’
Eighty-nine
The car was the same – the maroon Beamer. Lauren sat in the front passenger seat. Katti, wrapped in a blanket, was in the back. Lauren glanced at the dashboard clock. Ten past two. She’d have sworn it was nearer five am.
Gunther slid into the driver’s seat and grinned at her. ‘Here,’ he said, handing her a cotton handkerchief. ‘I’ll have to buy you a pack of these for yourself one day.’
Lauren took it and dabbed her face, staining the white cotton with her blood. A lot more blood than the last time he’d offered her his hanky. Her head was throbbing.
‘I’ll put the heater on full. You’re shivering.’ He turned to take a look at Katti. ‘Okay in the back there?’
Katti nodded. ‘Feel a bit sick, that’s all,’ she said. ‘Probably the drugs. So much crap in my system.’
‘You need to sleep it off. Get your head down.’
The BMW bounced over the rutted snow, the headlights sweeping up and down the wall of rock ahead, throwing the giant boulder into relief. Gunther swung the car out onto the road and stopped for a moment.
Lauren glanced across at the commotion below the cave. Sammy’s body was on a stretcher being lowered from the cave by wires. She turned to Katti, who watched impassively as the body jerked down the rock face.
‘You’ve had a bad time, Katz,’ Lauren said. ‘You’re in shock. Lie down. Stretch out in the back there.’
Dumbly, Katti nodded and sank down onto the leather seat.
Police cars stood with their doors open. Blue lights flashed, turning the snow intermittently azure. An ambulance had arrived and Ingrid’s body was being stretchered into it. Viktor was in the back of a police car with a burly cop next to him.
Lauren studied his haunted face as he watched the stretcher slide into the ambulance. She caught herself feeling pity. Stop that, Keane. Don’t waste your sympathy. Once again she wondered what Wolf’s reaction to Ingrid’s death would be. He’d still not shown up – but of course, Ingrid hadn’t passed on the message. Wolf probably hadn’t even been there, in the bathroom, as Ingrid had claimed.
Poor Wolf. He had a difficult time ahead of him, whichever way you looked at it. Played for a fool by this woman, who’d used him simply to get closer to Katti, to track her movements. Much good it did her, since Sammy had got there first.
‘God, she must have been obsessed,’ she said. ‘Ingrid. Seems like she had enough on Hartmann as it was, without bringing Katti into it.’
‘She wanted to hurt him in every way she could,’ Gunther said. ‘Or maybe hurt Katti simply because she was his daughter.’
‘She was obviously nuts.’ Lauren sighed.
She glanced at Gunther. Wolf wasn’t the only one who’d been taken in. She’d got her own wires well and truly crossed over Gunther – or Gerd, or Nick, or whatever he was calling himself tonight. So he was an undercover cop after all. He’d known all along the police were on their way. He’d left the phone switched on apparently, so his colleagues could listen in and their location could be tracked.
‘Why didn’t you just shoot the pair of them when you had the chance?’ she said, dabbing her lip again.
‘Ingrid and Viktor, you mean?’ He lifted a shoulder. ‘I couldn’t just shoot them in cold blood, Lauren. It was their arrest I was after. Been buttering up Ingrid for months, trying to catch them out. I was hoping to get you and Katti away from them, but Ingrid wouldn’t allow it, remember?’
He patted her knee. ‘Sorry I wasn’t much use to you in your hour of need, but, well, Katti had the gun by then, and frankly, I didn’t know what to do. I was scared you’d go over the edge.’
‘Scared? You? Some cop.’
‘Believe it or not, Lauren, we are human.’
Once they were out of the narrow gorge, Gunther put his foot down. Lauren gripped the seat as the car accelerated out of a curve, leaving the sheer walls of rock behind. The Beamer flew along t
he deserted two-lane road towards Nuremberg. Now and then they passed through sleepy villages. Cold stars glimmered above.
‘Anyway, getting Katti was a bonus,’ Gunther said. ‘It’s the gang I’ve been after. To put a stop to their trade in young women.’
‘How did you get Ingrid to trust you?’
‘Give and take. I was able to offer incentives.’ He reached up and massaged his neck. ‘Posed as a player in their game. An investor.’
Lauren looked over her shoulder. Katti was now asleep in the back, her breathing slow and even. Poor Katz. Her drug use was well beyond recreational this time. Maybe it would encourage her to give it up.
‘Well, Sammy won’t be tricking any more girls into loving him,’ she said softly. ‘No more women will be fooled by his handsome face.’
‘There’ll be others to take his place,’ Gunther said, as the Beamer purred through a deserted small town. ‘And the guys don’t have to be good looking. A promise of marriage can be all it takes to attract these girls. Some of them are happy to be mail-order brides. Or they’re told they can get an education, better themselves. But when they get here, none of these things are on offer. No husbands. No jobs. No colleges.’
‘And Ingrid was behind all this?’
‘Behind some of it. She and her cohorts.’ Gunther shrugged. ‘Though I suspect Ingrid got involved in all that purely as a way to bring Hartmann down. He’s been her main target all along. Still, two birds, one stone and all that.’
He eased the Beamer around a curve. Snow began to spatter the windscreen, then flurry after flurry buffeted the car. ‘And we may’ve taken them down now, but others will soon spring up in their place. There’s no shortage of slimeballs eager to make an easy fortune.’
‘Was it true what Ingrid said about her father? Binsberg, was it?’
‘Jaap Binsbergen. Dutch guy. He financed the first Dreambuses back in the late sixties. Sold a house he inherited, apparently. Seems like Hartmann took him for what he could get for a few years, then ditched him when the company took off.’
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