by Mel Comley
‘Quick, Tony, he’s getting away.’
‘Are you positive it was him? Because if that car is heading for the motorway there will be no turning back if we’re wrong, not for miles.’
‘Then you’re going to have to take my word for it. I’m ninety percent sure it was him.’
‘That’ll do for me.’ Tony revved the engine to try to disperse the crowd. His persistence paid off, and as the crowd thinned out they saw the Lexus join the motorway and put its foot down.
Chapter Thirty-Four
After travelling non-stop for almost two-and-a-half hours, it soon became apparent that Lorne’s guess had been right. Bourges would be their next stop.
Tony had done well to keep their hired Renault close behind the powerful Lexus, whilst still making sure that there were at least three or four cars between them and Baldwin. Tony observed and commented that the Lexus didn’t seem to be in any kind of hurry to get to its location, which was fine by them.
Lorne was deep in thought about the kiss they’d shared, which neither had mentioned since and she jumped when Tony spoke, pulling her back from her wandering thoughts. ‘Here we go. Looks like you were right.’
The Lexus pulled off the motorway and onto the slip-road signposted for Bourges. Tony dropped his speed when the cars between them carried on up the A71 motorway, leaving them directly behind Baldwin. Lorne opened the glove compartment, took out the disguise and handed it to him.
‘We better add mind reader to your list of abilities.’
Lorne laughed and said, ‘I didn’t realise there was a list going, we’ll have a chat about that later, I’m dying to hear what else is on it.’
They followed the Lexus into town on the N151, going past the small airfield on the right. They saw the sign for a German cemetery and an image of the day Lorne had spent with the Capitaine sprang to her mind and she quickly discarded it. That was something she definitely didn’t need reminding about, especially now, with the way things were developing with Tony.
The Lexus pulled up outside the stunning Best Western Hotel, and out stepped Baldwin, he stretched and patted the roof of the car, telling the driver to move on, before he walked into the hotel.
‘Jesus, I never thought I’d say these words,’ said Tony, as he drove past, ‘but boy, am I glad to see Baldwin.’ He blew out a relieved sigh. ‘We took a risk following the Lexus, and thanks to you, our gamble has paid off.’ Fifty yards up the road he brought the car to a halt and they both swivelled in their seats to look behind.
‘What do we do now?’
‘Now that we’ve sighted Baldwin, I’ll get in touch with London and get them to keep an eye on his car, I just saw it pull into the hotel’s car park. We’ll hang around here for a while, make sure Baldwin stays inside then we’ll need to find a hotel close by with vacancies.’
‘Why don’t I go and find us some lunch.’
He took out his wallet and handed her a ten-euro note, gave her a crooked smile and said, ‘Please, try and find something different, I’m all baguetted out.’
‘I’ll do my best, but baguettes appear to be the Frenchies staple diet. I’ll try and find a hotel, too.’
Tony nodded and surprised her again by brushing his lips against hers. ‘Be careful, keep your wits about you, and don’t be long, just in case Baldwin does take off somewhere.’
Lorne set off and soon stumbled across a Patisserie that sold proper sandwiches as well as the dreaded baguette. She bought a ham and cheese, a tuna mayo sandwich and a couple of almond croissants that took her fancy. She left the baker’s and turned right, that’s when she spotted a small hotel squeezed in the middle of a row of shops. Nothing as high-class as Baldwin’s choice, but she knew it would likely suit their needs as long as it had a shower and a bed that would do for them.
She crossed the road and booked a room before heading back to Tony. She plonked herself back in the passenger seat, feeling pleased with what she’d achieved in the ten minutes she’d been gone, but as she handed the two bags containing his lunch, Lorne noticed his eyes were on stalks and his jaw had dropped open. ‘It’s not that surprising you know they do have normal bread here too in France …’
He halted her with his hand and shook his head. ‘You’ll never guess who I’ve just seen going into Baldwin’s hotel.’
Considering the population of France she found it almost impossible to guess, but looking at the disbelief embedded in his features she knew she wasn’t going to like his answer. ‘Come on, Tony, the suspense is killing me.’
‘Rene.’
Lorne’s brow furrowed and Tony became frustrated with her. ‘Jesus, your detective brain really has gone rusty, hasn’t it?’
Hurt by his putdown, she snapped, ‘Well, tell me then, smartarse? Stop bloody playing games.’
‘Ok, I’ll spell it out for you, Lieutenant Rene Levelle.’
‘WHAT?’
‘You heard me, Rene just entered his hotel.’
‘Jesus! By herself?’
‘Looked like it. So maybe your Capitaine wasn’t the problem after all.’
‘Bugger off, Tony. He was never my Capitaine anyway. I told you that you were wrong about him, but you wouldn’t listen. Don’t forget …’ She paused, as the picture of the one she loved passed before her mind’s eye. ‘The Capitaine was one of Jacques closest friends.’
Tony eyed her suspiciously and took his time to respond. ‘Hmm …’
‘Is that it? Is that the best you can offer, agent boy.’
A heavy silence filled the car before either of them, both sitting twisted in their seats eyeing the hotel behind them, spoke again.
‘So, what happens now?’ As usual it was Lorne who broke through the deafening silence.
‘It’s simple … We wait.’
She could tell his annoyance still lingered and tried to lighten the mood. ‘We could always eat lunch. I didn’t get a baguette, as ordered.’ Smiling, she handed him the two bags, this time he took them, if a little hesitantly. ‘Will ham and cheese, be all right?’
‘Whatever, I’d prefer it if it was washed down with a nice pint of Bitter.’
Lorne let out the breath she’d been holding in as the tension lightened in the car. ‘Huh, some hope of that happening over here. Do you think they even know what Bitter is?’
Tony shrugged, turned in his seat and angled the rear-view mirror towards the hotel’s entrance before tucking into his sandwich, giving the impression it was the first time he’d eaten in two weeks.
Deep in thought, Lorne nibbled at her tuna sandwich.
‘Penny for them?’Tony asked, with a mouthful of bread.
Her head shook slowly and she refused to tell him. Her mind was shooting off in different directions, going over all that had happened to them in the last twenty-four hours. Everything from nearly making love to Tony, to the shock of learning that the Lieutenant was probably tucked up in a hotel room with Baldwin.
She took to people-watching the neatly turned out French ladies in their couture skirt suits, window shopping in their lunch hours, while Tony kept a vigilant eye trained on the rear-view mirror.
About an hour or so later Tony announced, ‘Shit … There’s Baldwin.’
Just as Baldwin crossed the road, Lorne turned in her seat and watched as he climbed into the same Lexus. ‘Did Rene come out of the hotel before him then?’
‘Didn’t see her … I don’t like the look of this.’
‘What do you mean?’ Lorne saw his features etched with concern. Then Tony surprised her by planting a kiss on her lips. ‘What the hell … Why did you do that?’
He pointed in front of him and she noticed the Lexus a few cars ahead of them. ‘Oh, I see. Where do you think he’s heading now?’
‘I haven’t got a clue, I’ll get onto London ask them to pick up his tail.’ He made the call then said, ‘I’m going in.’
‘What? Into the hotel, you mean? What if Baldwin comes back?’
‘It’s a risk I’m wil
ling to take, Lorne. Something doesn’t feel right, and until I put that feeling to bed it’s going to be a distraction. I’ll be right back.’
Before she could argue, he’d leapt out of the car. She looked over her shoulder and watched him run into the hotel.
* * *
This time the receptionist proved to be more helpful, and told Tony that Baldwin had just vacated his room. He pretended he was an associate of the criminal and that Baldwin had thought he’d left something behind in his room. The receptionist rang for the bellboy who showed him up to the suite recently vacated by the criminal.
The bellboy unlocked the door and threw it open, then ashen faced stumbled back into the hallway. Tony barged into the room and immediately told the dumbfounded young man to "call the police".
He heard the man’s thundering feet in the hallway behind him as he tentatively walked towards the bed, where he saw the naked body of Lieutenant Rene Levelle lying on the bed. Actually, she wasn’t entirely naked, a sheet of hotel-headed notepaper lay across her breast, on it, in capital letters were the words, LORNE IS NEXT.
‘Bastard.’ Tony searched the room quickly, to see if he could find any possible clues as to where Baldwin would turn up next, but found nothing in the lavish suite. Not that he ever thought he would. He left the room before the locals turned up, suspecting he would be held for questioning, despite discovering the Lieutenant’s body with the bellboy.
Instead of taking the lift he found the access to the stairs, ran down, pausing at the bottom, to make sure no one could see him trying to sneak out. When the receptionist, who was dealing with a guest, turned her back he took his opportunity and bolted out of the hotel.
‘Phew, that was a close shave … Lorne?’ he said, as he settled behind the steering wheel. But he was talking to himself. Lorne was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter Thirty-Five
‘Get off me you … you disgusting piece of …’ Lorne’s vitriolic attack was stopped mid-sentence by Baldwin’s hand swiping across her face.
‘So, Mrs ex-Detective, we meet at last. Yes, I can see the resemblance with dear Charlie now, and I don’t mean just a physical similarity either, it is clear whose side of the family she gets her feistiness from.’
Baldwin laughed, and a chill raced along Lorne’s spine, one hand covered her stinging cheek while the other lay in her lap, clenched into a tight fist, ready to hit out. Why the hell did I let my guard down? How in God’s name did I allow myself to get abducted?
She could have kicked herself for not paying attention to her surroundings, she truly was rusty. Baldwin had sent one of his men to snatch her and he dragged her from the car screaming and shouting. To her dismay not one person attempted to help her. The brute threw her into the back of the Lexus, where she came face to face with the sadistic maniac, who over the years, had successfully ripped both her professional and personal lives to shreds.
‘You won’t get away with this, Baldwin.’
The two men in the front seats laughed, but The Unicorn sitting alongside her did nothing.
Slyly glancing out of the corner of her eye Lorne could see his head was turned towards her, a smug grin pulling at his mouth. She swallowed noisily and said, ‘Tony won’t let anything happen to me … London HQ have been tracking your vehicle …’
His fist connected with her face, hard. Her natural reaction sent her hands up to cover her nose and mouth, she fought hard not to cry, to show any weakness, but failed miserably. She didn’t need a doctor to tell her that he had broken her nose. Remembering she had placed a serviette in her pocket from when she’d eaten her sandwich, she dabbed at her nostrils.
‘Right, let’s get one thing straight, you speak only when you’re spoken to. Have you got that?’
She turned to face him, her defiant, hatred filled eyes brimming with tears.
When she didn’t respond Baldwin raised his fist towards her face again, and stopped within inches of her left eye. ‘I said … have you got that?’
She felt fear for the first time in her life, genuine fear. Thinking quickly, she knew her survival would be down to the training she had received in the Met, with ‘how to manage criminals’ top of the list. An image of her daughter popped into her head. If Charlie managed to survive his brutality, there’s no reason why you can’t do the same. She nodded and his clenched fist dropped to the seat between them.
‘As long as you understand that, Lorne, there’s no reason for us not to get along. You and I could become … good friends,’ he said, in what he clearly thought was a seductive manner. His two henchmen chuckled and Baldwin’s hand unclenched to stroke its way from her knee up to her thigh. Lorne squeezed her eyes shut and stiffened beneath his touch. He laughed and Lorne suspected she was in for an uncomfortable ride, in more ways than one.
How the hell can I get out of this … what a mess, girl, what a bloody mess!
The white serviette had already changed colour from soaking up her blood, and Baldwin surprised her by handing her a packet of tissues he’d taken out of the pocket in the car door. ‘Not for your benefit, but mine. I don’t want you bleeding all over my leather seats.’ His laugh chilled her to the bone.
She stuffed the used serviette back in her jacket pocket, tore open the tissues, and continued to mop up the blood still pouring from her nose. After a while, because of the blood loss, she felt light-headed, and the smell of the leather interior made her want to throw up. But the fear of what Baldwin would do to her if she vomited forced her to swallow down the bile forming in her throat.
‘Now, tell me what you and that cretin of an agent know?’
‘We know nothing,’ she snapped, regretting her harsh words immediately.
‘Want another thump?’
Lorne shuffled backwards until she was up against the door, Baldwin’s arm shot out and grabbed her by the wrist, twisting her arm he forced her back beside him.
‘Play nicely and you’ll come out of this smelling of roses. Don’t, and you’ll come out of this resembling a pit bull who lost a fight. Do you know what happens to pit bulls that lose, Lorne?’
Petrified she shook her head.
He placed a pointed finger to her temple and his mouth towards her ear, instead of whispering, he shouted, ‘BANG!’
Lorne flinched and let out a muffled scream, despite trying her hardest to remain calm and unperturbed her nerves were already showing signs of being shattered.
‘Now, tell me what you know?’
Lorne told him some of what she knew. ‘Okay, we don’t know much,’ she swallowed more bile, and it combined with the blood at the back of her throat, making it a struggle for her to talk, but the thought of his fist connecting with her face again urged her on. ‘We know that you’re involved in stealing art,’ she paused, and waited for him to speak. When he didn’t she sighed heavily and continued, ‘And, it’s pretty obvious you’re receiving a lot of help from the police in this country …’
‘Go on. Don’t stop there, this is just getting interesting.’
‘That’s about it … we saw the Lieutenant go into your hotel, presumably for a … rendezvous with you.’ She eyed him out the corner of her eye and noticed a smile had crept onto his lips. Huh! He’s not even going to deny it, the crazy shit!
‘That’s pretty good for an ex-copper. And you’re right. I did get some help from the police and Interpol in the form of Rene, but not any more …’
If by leaving his sentence unfinished Baldwin’s intention was to get a reaction out of Lorne, she refused to give him the satisfaction. When she remained quiet, her abductor finished his story.
‘What, no twenty questions, Lorne? You disappoint me, or maybe the broken nose I gave you has helped to finally keep you in line.’ He paused to laugh, and Lorne shuddered despite trying to hold back the threatening nausea. ‘Let’s just say the sexy French Lieutenant has outlived her usefulness.’
Lorne sucked in a breath. She ended up having a coughing fit as she choked on the blood and bi
le caught in her throat. How could he? But she already knew the answer to that, and again knowing what she knew now, she feared for her own safety. Which led her to fear she’d never see her family again.
Dad, he’ll come to my rescue. If I don’t call before nine this evening, he’ll send out reinforcements. Don’t be an idiot Lorne, Tony will have that all in hand by now, as soon as he realises you’re missing he’ll get on to London, and … The conversation went on in her mind as different likely scenarios played out.
Baldwin had been keeping a watchful eye on her. ‘I can see your tiny copper brain working overtime, ex-Inspector, but I’d advise you not to go there. I pull the strings remember, and if I decide to leave you dangling there is little you and your so called rescuers, can do about it.’
Lorne stared at the passing countryside and refused to answer, her eyes screwed up as she wracked her brain for ideas to help her escape, at the same time she prayed neither Tony nor London would let her down.
Chapter Thirty-Six
After telling Headquarters about the two mishaps that had occurred, Tony was ordered to pursue Baldwin. London had already informed him they had picked up the Lexus and were following it via satellite. Pulling out into a gap in the traffic, he immediately ground to a halt. With his mind distracted thinking about Rene and Lorne, he hadn’t seen the car coming out of the side turning that bashed into him.
‘What the fu … you, bloody imbecile.’
Since driving in France he’d already come to the conclusion the average French resident couldn’t drive properly, so he wasn’t surprised when one of them hit him. But he was bloody annoyed about it. This was all he needed. He feared by the time the police turned up and took the relevant statements, Lorne would be miles away. As the irate Frenchman stood in the road gesticulating furiously at him, Tony rang London again and apprised them of his latest balls-up.