by Jack Higgins
“Well…” But Anderson’s comment was lost in the guttural sound of the engine.
The car reached 60mph before it got to the gates.
Chance had pulled up a map of the area round Calder in the plane and memorised the useful details. There was a small wood on the coast closest to the castle. But if he drove past that, the road doubled back after ten miles and then came out at a point on the seafront further along. It was a greater distance across to the castle, but it was probably a good place from which to assess what was going on, and he’d have the car with him ready for a quick getaway or a rendezvous elsewhere. For the moment, Chance was on his own. But he was expecting Ardman to arrange company for him very soon.
He got company quicker than he expected.
Twenty minutes after leaving the RAF base, Chance was passing the wood he had seen on the map. He thought he caught a glimpse of another car in the black of the night, parked off the edge of the road, almost in the trees. But as he glanced over he saw something else, further ahead.
A figure stepped out of the trees and walked into the road – right in the path of the car.
Chance slammed on the brakes. The anti-lock light flashed on as he tried to steer away from the man. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, and Chance could make out every detail of the figure picked out in the brilliant glare of the headlights as he stood motionless in the road.
The man was wearing a long dark coat that flapped in the wind, revealing a dark suit beneath. Despite the fact that it was pitch-black apart from Chance’s headlights, he was wearing dark glasses.
And he had judged it perfectly. The car screeched to a halt less that a metre short of the man, who nodded appreciatively.
Chance was already pulling his handgun from the bag on the passenger seat. He tucked it into the back of his trousers out of sight, then got out of the car. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he yelled at the man.
The man smiled back and took off his glasses. “I’m pleased to see you too, my friend. Any chance of a lift?”
Chance stared in disbelief. “Ralph? But – how did you know it was me?”
Ralph shrugged. “Who else would be driving like a maniac along this road in the middle of the night?” He opened the passenger door. “You mind if I move your bag?”
The room was right at the top of one of the towers. The top of the tower had been glassed in like a conservatory, except the glass was a geodesic dome of angled panels. There was a small metal telescope set up on a bracket at one side, facing in the direction of the mainland. Not that Rich could see the mainland. In fact, he could see hardly anything, the night was so dark.
Bannock had pushed Rich and the Banker out of the stone staircase that emerged into the room, and then pulled the heavy wooden door closed behind them. The sound of his laughter was cut off by the slam of the door.
“I don’t know what he thinks we’ll be able to see from up here,” the Banker said.
The place was lit by small but powerful lamps set into the stone floor. The light cast eerie shadows across the glass dome. Rich walked quickly to the telescope. Maybe it was infrared. But through it he could see almost nothing. A dark mass that might be the mainland, but no sign of a boat. Or of Jade.
“Whatever he’s planning,” Rich said, “it’ll be something we can see. He’ll have light when he wants it. But Jade and Dad – or whoever it is – they don’t know they’re heading into a trap.”
“And we can’t warn them. Not from up here.”
Rich wasn’t so sure. “If we had a torch, we could shine a warning.”
“But shine it where?”
“All round. Up here we could make this tower into a sort of lighthouse.”
“Except,” the Banker pointed out, “we don’t have a light.”
Rich knelt down beside one of the lamps in the floor. It was protected by a thick glass cover, but there was a slightly raised metal rim. “If I can prise this open, we can get the lamp from inside.”
“I doubt it will come out.”
“We won’t know unless we try, will we?”
He could feel his nails tearing as he scrabbled to get them under the metal rim. It was a slow and frustrating process, but Rich thought he could feel the thing moving. Soon he was sure, and the warm metal rim and the glass cover came away in his hand.
The Banker joined him and shielded his eyes from the glare of the lamp. The glass had been slightly tinted, so beneath the cover the light was even brighter. It was hot too. Rich could feel the heat as he reached for the bulb and snatched his hand away.
“The bulb on its own isn’t much use,” the Banker pointed out.
“Have you got a hanky or something I can use as a glove?” Rich was already wrapping his own hanky round his fingers. Would it be enough to stop him getting burned? “It looks like the bulb is just connected to a wire. There may be some slack in it.”
The Banker handed Rich his hanky. “You could be right. Let’s pray you are…”
Rich managed to lift the bulb and its connector out of the housing and on to the stone floor. But the wire was only about a metre long. “We can’t lift it high enough.” He looked round. “I doubt if any of the others are much different, even if we had time to get at them all and see.”
Lights came on in the castle courtyard below. They could see through the dome that Bannock and a group of other men were walking quickly across the castle and climbing the battlements further along. In the dim light from the courtyard, Rich could see them setting up searchlights. And something that looked like a gun.
“We could try shining the light through the telescope, if it comes free,” the Banker suggested. “Though that will only shine it upwards.”
Rich ran to the telescope. It was fixed to a tilting bracket, but the fastenings were badly rusted, and Rich guessed it had been there for longer than the glass dome. The damp, salty sea air had done them a favour, and a good wrench got the telescope free of the bracket. The Banker was right: clamping the telescope over the light shone a focused beam upwards. Rich put his hand over it.
“We need something to angle it down again,” the Banker said.
“Your glasses?”
They tried, but the thick pebble lenses only diffused the light. Rich tried angling the tinted glass cover he had pulled free, but that did no good either – the light just shone through it.
“We need something like a prism,” the Banker said. “Perhaps if we smashed the dome we might get a piece of angled glass.”
“A prism! Of course.” Rich rummaged frantically in his pockets. “Don’t say I’ve lost it.”
“Lost what?”
“This!” Rich pulled the large diamond triumphantly from his pocket.
The Banker’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.
“I got it from Eleri,” Rich explained. He held it over the light shining up through the telescope. The diamond seemed to glow from within, but by angling it, he managed to catch a facet that deflected the light.
“Do you know what that is?” the Banker asked quietly.
“It’s a great big diamond – a huge prism.”
Rich stared into the heart of the stone, marvelling at the way the light reflected round within it. It was almost blue, it was so intense. And right in the heart of the diamond… Rich peered closer. “There’s something inside. Very small. Tiny. Looks like writing or something. An imperfection?”
“It is not an imperfection,” the Banker said. “It is a set of numbers. Account numbers and access codes.”
Rich looked at the Banker, the reflected light playing across the man’s face and shining off his glasses. “This is where the data is stored?”
“All the information that the Tiger needs. And you had it here all the time. If he finds out – he’ll take the diamond. He’ll have the money. And he will kill both of us as well as your friends out there.”
“I’m afraid I lied to you in Venice,” Ralph said. “The road forks just up ahead. You wa
nt to go right.”
“I know,” Chance told him.
“And I really think you should slow down. You could seriously injure someone.”
“I’m getting close to it,” Chance admitted. “Now, what are you doing here?”
“As I said – I lied to you. My Italian colleagues actually stand to lose an awful lot of money if the Banker hands over the account details. Whether he gives them to you or to the Tiger, they still lose out. So, it was time to call in a favour. They knew that I had certain friends in British Intelligence, and Scevola made it very clear to me what would happen if I didn’t make contact on his behalf. He really isn’t a very nice man, you know. Just here,” he added, as they reached the fork in the road.
“You want me to get Ardman to let you keep your money?” Chance slowed very slightly for the turn. “I can’t do that.”
“That’s a pity. A great pity.”
They drove in silence for almost a minute. Then Ralph went on, “You know, I don’t mind so much if Ardman and your people get the money. Financially speaking, I don’t stand to lose very much at all. But if the Tiger gets it, he will be even richer than he was before. He will be in a position to challenge our business ventures – mine and Signor Scevola’s.”
“Can’t have that,” Chance replied. “Tell you what – you leave the Tiger to me. Can I drop you somewhere?”
“I knew you’d see sense, my friend. There is one slight complication in that Scevola has made it very plain that if I don’t persuade you to get his money back, he will kill me.” Ralph grinned suddenly. “But you can leave me to worry about that. You can drop me just before we reach the coast. There is a lay-by that will do. We’ll be there in…” He made a point of looking at his watch. “Oh, I knew there was something – sorry, I so nearly forgot.”
“Forgot what?”
“About the watch.”
“What watch?”
“The one I gave Rich. I’m afraid it contains an extra feature.”
Chance felt himself go cold. “What feature?”
“A small, but immensely powerful explosive capsule. Like I said – time to call in the favours. You do a little favour for me, like get my account numbers and passcodes so that Scevola doesn’t have me shot. In return, I shall do a little favour for you. Like make sure that explosive capsule isn’t triggered by a remote signal from Signor Scevola. Because if it is, Rich will never know the time again.”
The car stopped almost as abruptly as it had when Ralph first stepped in front of it.
Chance turned slowly to face his passenger. “You do anything to harm Rich and I’ll kill you.”
Ralph smiled sadly. “I know. So for both our sakes, let us hope you can get me what I want.”
“Why can’t you get it? You found the Tiger.”
“Hardly. I have no idea who the Tiger is, and until very recently no idea where he was. I assume it is the Tiger you are coming to see, but I confess I might be wrong. I was merely waiting for you.”
“And how did you know where I would be.”
“A lucky guess,” Ralph confessed. He waited while Chance started the car moving again, then continued, “It seemed likely that you would come after Jade when she made a sudden trip up here.”
“You’ve been watching Jade?”
Ralph laughed. “Not exactly. There is a tracking device inside one of the glass beads on that lovely necklace I gave her.”
The dark shape of the castle was looming large above Halford when he checked over his shoulder. His arms were aching from the effort of rowing, but it looked like it wasn’t far now. If he had to, he would row right round the little island until he found somewhere to land the boat.
The good thing was that he had managed to get there without being seen. There didn’t appear to be any security to speak of. He had caught the odd glimpse of movement on the battlements, but nothing worrying.
Until he saw the light.
It blinked out from the top of one of the towers. Three rapid bursts of brilliant white, shining across the water. Then a pause before three longer flashes. Then three short ones again. Several thoughts went through Halford’s mind very rapidly. First, that the flashes represented SOS in Morse code. Second, that someone was therefore in trouble.
The last thing Halford had time to realise was that the someone in trouble was himself.
Then powerful searchlights cut through the night, picking out the small boat and dazzling Halford. He threw his hands up to shadow his eyes as the machine gun fire started. Water splashed up all around. Splinters of wood whipped at his hands and face as holes drilled across the boat towards him.
On the shore, Jade felt her whole body heave with fear and horror as the tiny, distant boat tipped over. A moment later, she saw a trail of fire from the battlements of the castle.
A missile of some kind crashed into the middle of the pool of light, disappearing under the broken boat. A moment later the water erupted in a violent explosion as the sea itself seemed to catch fire.
Smoke drifted across the area of light. Behind it, Jade could see only the splintered debris from the rowing boat.
22
The old poacher was standing in the woods, close to where Jade had last seen him. There was a gap through the trees and he was staring down at the sea – watching the wreckage of the little rowing boat still burning where the rocket-powered grenade had exploded.
“That was my boat,” he said to Jade as she approached. He sounded shocked, his eyes were wide and his face was pale when Jade turned her Maglite full on him.
“That was my friend,” Jade said. “And you told them he was coming.”
The poacher shook his head, his mouth still hanging open. “My boat. I – I didn’t know they’d do that. I thought they’d pay me a few quid and see him off the premises. They have before.”
“Yeah, well now you know the sort of people we’re dealing with,” Jade said angrily. She was in shock herself, she realised – shaking uncontrollably. If she stopped talking her teeth would start chattering. “They’re crazy murderers, and they’ve got my brother and another man prisoner over there. You’re going to help me get them out.”
“Not me.” He backed away, evidently terrified by what he’d seen. “I ain’t doing nothing.”
“You’re helping me,” Jade insisted, advancing towards him with the Maglite held like a club. “Whether you like it or not.”
“You’re mad.” The poacher stopped as he reached a tree and pressed against it, cowering from Jade. “I haven’t got another boat.”
“Reckon I’m mad now? Wait till you see me when I get to the island. Think I’m mad? Wait till you hear how I’m going to get there.”
“There’s no way. Not now my boat’s gone.”
“You said there was a causeway – that it used to be passable till the sea rose or the road sank or whatever.”
“I said no one’s been across in years.”
“At low tide, it’s passable,” Jade reminded him.
“May be passable. And low tide isn’t for…” He risked a quick look at his watch. “Not for another hour.”
“Long enough for me to get started and hope the water doesn’t get too deep before I get too far. And if I can’t get across, I’ll come back – I’ll come back and I’ll find you.”
“You are mad!” the poacher said. If anything, he’d gone even paler.
“And while I’m trying not to drown and to rescue Rich, you’re going for help. You’re going to the police…”
“Police?” It was almost a yelp.
“The police, and you’re going to tell them that someone blew up your boat and the man you lent it to. Tell them to get in touch with a man called Ardman – they can find him through MI5, I should think.”
“MI5?” The poacher almost collapsed as his legs gave way.
Jade grabbed him and hauled him up against the tree. She had the flashlight pressed across his throat. “Ardman, MI5 – remember that. You tell them what happened an
d make sure they send help or – I mean it – I’ll be back for you.”
“But – the police, my traps…”
“I don’t care about your traps. You’ve got a mobile – call for help. Then clear them away before the cops get here. But first, before anything else, show me where this causeway is.”
Jade had stopped shaking and worked off a lot of her anger and emotion. With some satisfaction – and the distant hope that maybe Halford had survived somehow – she followed the poacher through the woods to where he said the causeway used to be.
Shining her torch at the ground, she could make out what might once have been a cobbled roadway, covered at the edge with grass and earth. It led into the woods in the direction of the pathway that she and Halford had followed – perhaps that had originally been the road over to the castle.
A few minutes later, with the poacher long gone, Jade was having second thoughts. Would he really call the police? Should she have done it herself, and risked having to wait in the woods where she could get a signal while being transferred from department to department for ages? She’d gambled it was better to get across to the island as quickly as possible.
Now the water was up to her waist, her legs were almost completely numb. The castle was a black cut-out against the sky that seemed as far away as ever. And the water was getting deeper and colder with every step.
As Rich had expected, the Tiger came to gloat. But Rich and the Banker were ready.
Rich stood near the door where the stairs emerged, hands behind his back. The Banker was a short way away, directly in front of the door. His hands were also behind his back. They had heard the sound of feet on the stairs, and Rich just hoped the Banker could hold on to the hot lamp for long enough. He had his hands wrapped in handkerchiefs, but even so it must be burning his fingers.
Rich’s school blazer was in tatters. He had ripped the sleeves off, and managed to tear the rest of it down the middle. That gave him four pieces of dark material which he had used to cover four of the lamps set in the floor – the four closest to the stairs. They were so bright that light still filtered through the material, and there were several lights they hadn’t managed to cover. But overall, the light in the room was reduced to a dim twilight.