‘What’s going on here, then?’ he inquired.
Kate turned fully so he could see her bound wrists. ‘This man kidnapped me,’ she said, nodding toward Marcus. ‘We have to call the police.’
‘Jesus! What in hell has he done to you?’
Kate moved behind him. ‘Be careful, he may have a gun.’
The old man brandished the shotgun at Marcus. ‘You move a finger and you’ll be full of bloody holes, mate.’
‘There’s another man here with him,’ said Kate. ‘I think he might have gone looking for my husband.’
He squinted at Kate. ‘We’d better get you out of ’ere.’
‘I have to find my husband.’
‘First things first, young lady. In my right pocket there’s a knife. Press the thumb button to open it, and we’ll get your hands free.’
Kate got the folding knife and after struggling for a few seconds she opened the sharp blade and handed it to the old man. Resting the shotgun on his hip with one hand, still keeping his eyes on Marcus, he took the knife and deftly severed the cord. The skin on her wrists was red and lacerated where the cord had cut in.
‘All right, miss,’ he said, covering Marcus. ‘You follow this path till it meets another. Turn left and stay on the path for about a hundred yards. You’ll see Mr Compton’s house up on the hill. You go on up there and call the police. If he’s there, tell him to come down here right smart. Oh, and tell him Baldie – that’s me – said to bring his Purdey with him.’
‘Purdey?’
‘Shotgun.’
‘What about my husband?’
‘I’ll take care of things here. Don’t you worry.’
‘You don’t understand. It won’t be that easy. They’re professionals. Don’t take even the slightest chance with them. They won’t think twice about shooting you.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ he said.
‘Please, be careful.’
Kate turned and started up the path. All she could think of was Alex and whether he was here or not. He must be. She remembered distinctly when she’d eavesdropped at the farmhouse that Marcus had said Ira was meeting Alex on Sunday. But was it Sunday? Everything indicated that it was – the absence of people in the village and this place, too, whatever it was.
Making the left turn past a large barn, her question was answered. Fields stretched out for several hundred yards, on both sides of the path. Fields filled with evenly planted rows of roses. There must be thousands of them, she thought. She slowed momentarily to look around. Then the pieces started to fall into place. Of course, that was it, she said to herself. Whoever had stolen the rose had brought it here, where it would not only be well hidden but could be cared for professionally.
A jarring explosion coming from behind jolted her to a stop. It had to be Baldie. God! Had he shot Marcus? She pictured it happening, the gory mess. She found herself hoping that Marcus wasn’t dead – only badly injured. She sure as hell wasn’t going to turn back to find out.
Passing the cover of a large copper beech tree she saw the house. A modest whitewashed bungalow with a tiled roof. In less than a minute she was standing on the porch trying to regain her breath, waiting for somebody to answer the doorbell. She rang it again. Still there was no response. She gripped the door handle and turned it. To her surprise, the door opened. She didn’t have to go far into the house to find the phone. It was facing her on a table in the hallway. She dialled 999.
Marcus walked along the dirt path alongside the large barn-like building, his body language betraying no indication of defeat. Baldie followed a few steps behind with his shotgun levelled at Marcus’s back. The voices from the paddock could be heard again.
‘Nice and easy, mister,’ said Baldie. ‘When you get to the end of the barn, turn right.’
They were approaching the entrance to the barn, an opening wide enough to allow farm vehicles to go in and out.
It all happened in less than two seconds. It was like a disappearing act: one moment Marcus was there, the next he had vanished, spinning into the opening of the barn in a low crouch.
Baldie’s finger squeezed the trigger but his reflexes were not quick enough. A jarring explosion reverberated off the side of the barn and echoed around the grounds. A cloud of dirt and dust began to settle where Marcus had stood a few seconds earlier. Baldie lunged forward, reaching the entrance, but there was no sign of Marcus. He took four steps into the barn then stopped, listening for any kind of sound. All he heard was the wind soughing through the cracks in the old timber walls. He was loath to go in farther because he knew how dark it was. The barn was used exclusively for storage; mostly equipment, machinery, bagged soil amendments and fertilizers. ‘Bastard,’ he muttered.
Now his eyes had adjusted to the dim light. He stood very still, eyes searching the area for any signs of movement. There was none. Then he remembered what the young woman had said: ‘He may have a gun’ and ‘They won’t think twice about shooting you.’ Suddenly he realized what an easy target he made. He had to find some cover. Against the wall on his left was an old workbench. A handful of tools and mechanical parts were spread out on its scarred surface. Next to the bench was a small tractor. He’d seen it in use many times around the growing grounds. ‘That’ll do,’ he said to himself. He sidestepped over to the tractor and was about to crouch down behind it…then, a blinding flash and everything went dark.
Marcus stood over Baldie’s prostrate body, the carpenter’s mallet still in his hand. He rolled Baldie over with his foot and bent down to check the pulse in his neck. Satisfied that he was still alive but unconscious, Marcus got up and saw just what he was looking for. It was on the bench, a roll of silver duct tape. He dragged Baldie’s body up against one of the upright posts supporting the roof and lifted him to a sitting position. He placed two strips of tape over Baldie’s mouth, then proceeded to band his entire upper body, arms and all, to the post.
Marcus dusted himself off and walked out of the barn. He thought of going up to the house to look for the Sheppard woman but decided that by now she had had plenty of time to call the police. She might even have roused other people to come looking for him. He had better go and find Wolff and tell him what had happened. That was going to be an ugly scene.
All eyes were now on the tall American holding the gun.
‘Which one of you is Alex Sheppard?’ he asked, halting a dozen feet away from them.
‘I am – and who are you?’ Alex answered, glancing nervously from the gun to the man’s face.
‘First things first,’ he said, walking over to the rose. For a long moment he stood studying it, then slowly circled the container, never once taking his eyes off the rose. Then he turned and approached Alex, stopping a dozen paces from him, the gun at his side.
‘You’re Ira Wolff, aren’t you?’ said Alex.
The man ignored him. ‘In a couple of days that rose is leaving here,’ he announced in a commanding voice. ‘All the export documentation and shipping arrangements have already been made.’
‘That’s fine by me,’ Alex interrupted. ‘But where’s Kate?’
‘That rose is going nowhere,’ Compton butted in.
‘I want to see her, dammit!’ Alex shouted. ‘That was the deal. That’s what your man and I agreed on – Kate in exchange for the blue rose. Where the hell is she, you bastard!’
‘Shut up,’ Wolff barked. ‘You, too,’ he said, glaring at Compton. He turned back to Alex. ‘You, Sheppard, have caused me a lot of grief. This whole business could have been wrapped up a long while ago, but you had to screw it up by playing hide-and-seek with the rose. You should have stayed at home in your nice house and done what I asked you. I’m sure your wife would have found that a much more pleasant experience than the one you have put her through.’
‘What I have put her through – me?’ Alex yelled. Suddenly, he lunged at Wolff. ‘You son of a bitch–’
Kingston grabbed him just in time. ‘Careful, Alex, for God’s sake.’
<
br /> ‘That was extremely foolish, Sheppard,’ Wolff said, raising the gun. ‘Try that one more time and I won’t be quite so charitable. From now on, keep your mouth shut.’ He looked at Kingston. ‘And just who are you?’
‘I’m Dr Lawrence Kingston.’
‘Ah, yes – the professor. I know all about you.’ He waved the gun at Compton. ‘And what about these two?’
‘I just happen to own the place. The name’s Compton – Charlie Compton. And this is a client of mine, Ken Tanaka – who, I might add, claims to own the rose you are all arguing about.’
‘Is that so,’ said Wolff, his lips tightening. ‘We’ll see–’
An ear-splitting blast shattered the foggy silence, drowning out his words. All heads turned in the direction of the barn waiting for the echo to fade.
‘What the hell’s that about?’ Compton yelled, starting to walk in the direction of the barn. ‘I’m going to see what’s going on. That must have been Baldie.’
Wolff raised the gun and aimed it directly at Compton. ‘You stay right where you are, mister. You’re not going anywhere,’ he snapped.
Compton paused for a moment, as if weighing his chances in challenging Wolff, then turned and walked back.
Compton shifted on his feet, growing impatience showing on his face. ‘Would somebody kindly tell me what the fuck is going on here? This is starting to get very serious, and I don’t like it one bit.’
‘Why don’t you tell him, Wolff?’ said Alex.
‘I warned you, Sheppard. Keep your mouth shut,’ Wolff snarled.
‘Where’s Kate, you stinking bastard? What have you done with her?’ Alex demanded.
Wolff ignored the outburst, returning his attention to Compton instead. ‘I don’t know what kind of game you two are up to and frankly, I don’t give a shit. That rose now belongs to me.’ He nodded briefly to Alex. ‘Ask Sheppard. He and his wife have signed it over. So if you two have any other ideas you’d better forget ’em right now.’
For the first time since Wolff ’s appearance, Tanaka spoke. ‘All of you are trespassing. This is private property,’ he said, walking closer to the rose. ‘And I’m sorry to tell you, Mr Wolff, whatever your name is, that this rose has been already purchased – by a client of mine. I’ve just explained it all to these two,’ he said, pointing to Alex and Kingston. ‘Your piece of paper is worthless. So I suggest that you leave right now and take Mr Sheppard and his friend with you. Then you can argue this among yourselves.’
‘You’re lying, Tanaka, you bastard! None of it’s true,’ Alex shouted.
Wolff threw his head back and laughed. He walked over and prodded Tanaka’s ribs with the pistol. ‘Get away from that rose before I do something I’ll regret,’ he snarled.
Tanaka stared at him, fuming.
Compton’s patience was clearly running out. ‘Look, I’ve asked once already. Would somebody tell me exactly what the hell is happening here? Who does this goddamned rose really belong to?’ He wiped the perspiration that had beaded on his forehead. ‘And I wish you’d put that bloody gun away,’ he muttered angrily, nodding at Wolff.
Kingston stepped forward, motioning for Compton to be quiet. ‘Pay attention, all of you. And don’t interrupt – please.’
Wolff was having none of it. ‘You listen to me, you interfering fool. There’s nothing more to talk about. Just shut your damned mouth and–’
‘Wolff.’ Kingston spat out the name, contemptuously. ‘You’re the one who’s the fool. Listen to me, dammit!’
‘You’d better make it quick,’ Wolff growled.
‘Don’t worry, I will,’ said Kingston.
All eyes were fixed on him, as they waited for the roar of a low-flying military jet to subside. Then he spoke. ‘We all know that this rose is truly a miracle. As a scientist for well over forty years, I know just about everything there is to know about plant molecular biology and genetic engineering – and this rose is a one-in-a-billion fluke. And you’re all convinced that by owning it, you’ll become exceedingly wealthy.’ To everybody’s surprise, he started to chuckle.
‘What do you find so goddamned funny?’ Wolff asked.
‘The irony of it.’
‘Of what, for Christ’s sake?’ Wolff demanded.
‘There’s a minor problem,’ said Kingston.
‘What’s that?’ asked Compton.
‘The problem is that there’s something diabolical about this rose. Something very dangerous.’ He eyed them each in turn. ‘Wolff – Compton – and you, Tanaka,’ he said. ‘You have to believe what I’m about to tell you. It doesn’t matter now who owns it. It’s irrelevant – because the rose carries a deadly poison in its thorns. Even the slightest scratch can result in death. A quick and nasty death, I might add. Alex saw it happen, at first hand. He lost a dear friend because of this monstrous plant. She was not yet thirty years old. That’s not all. Three other people have lost their lives because of this bloody rose. Believe me, you don’t want anything to do with it.’
‘Bollocks!’ Compton snorted. ‘A load of codswallop if I ever heard it. Thirty years I’ve been growing roses. In all that time, I’ve never heard of such a thing as a poisonous rose.’
‘Me neither,’ said Wolff. ‘You expect us to believe all this bullshit?’
‘Look, Wolff,’ Kingston said, exasperation now showing in his voice, ‘I’ll say it one more time. This rose can never be sold. It’s extremely dangerous. It must be confiscated and quarantined immediately.’
Tanaka interrupted. ‘It’s all lies,’ he snarled. ‘Just like the lie you used to get in here.’
‘I only wish that were so,’ said Kingston in a calm voice. ‘You’re in a no-win situation, I’m afraid, and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
Tanaka was about to explode again when Kingston cut him off. ‘When we leave here, it’s our intention to go straight to the local county health authority and inform them that you are harbouring a highly toxic and dangerous plant. You know that’s automatically going to involve the police.’
‘What proof do you have of all this?’ asked Compton.
‘Lots,’ Alex replied. ‘And we can get it easily enough.’ He looked at Wolff. ‘Give it up, Wolff. It’s worthless.’
‘Shut up!’ Wolff snapped.
‘Where’s Kate? Did you bring her with you? That was the deal.’
Wolff didn’t answer.
Alex kept his eyes locked on Wolff ’s. ‘Where is she?’
Wolff ’s eyes narrowed, his answer was slow in coming. In the pause that followed, Alex caught sight of the figure of a man over Wolff ’s shoulder. He was hurrying across the paddock towards them. He was stocky, dressed in black, and wore dark glasses. The others had noticed him too.
For a moment, Wolff and the man spoke in hushed voices, the man doing most of the talking and shrugging frequently. It became clear that Wolff was furious at what he was hearing. At one point he clenched a fist and stamped his foot hard enough on the ground to raise a veil of dust.
‘I’m leaving,’ said Compton, interrupting them. ‘You want to talk to me I’ll be in my office. You lot can stay here and argue all day long as far as I’m concerned.’ He motioned to Tanaka. ‘Come on, Ken, let’s go,’ he said.
Wolff spun around. ‘You two just stay right where you are. You’re not going anywhere until I say so.’
‘You didn’t answer my question, Wolff,’ Alex said as calmly as he could. ‘Tell me where she is, and we’ll leave, if that’s what you want.’
For a moment, Wolff said nothing. He stood with his feet apart, caressing the left sleeve of his jacket with the barrel of the gun. Ignoring Alex’s pleading, he turned to face Kingston. ‘Poisonous or not, I’m shipping that rose out of here.’
‘The hell you are,’ Tanaka said. ‘This is my rose.’
Wolff ’s face darkened. He muttered something to Marcus, who stepped forward with alarming speed and grabbed Tanaka around the waist, hoisted him off his feet and with a fearsome display
of strength, threw him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. With a grunt, Marcus strode over and placed a boot on the neck of the groaning and prostrate Tanaka.
Wolff walked over and stood with his back to the rose. ‘No more talk. Compton, you go over there by the rose and stay put. You make any attempt to leave and Marcus will take care of you. Understand?’
Compton glared at Wolff, said nothing and walked over to the planter box.
Wolff looked at his watch. ‘I have to leave, but you make damned sure that rose stays right where it is, Compton.’ He gestured with his gun to Tanaka. ‘Let him go, Marcus.’
Marcus took his boot off Tanaka’s neck and they all watched silently as he slowly got to his feet, clutching his throat and spattered in mud.
‘Get over there with Compton until I decide what to do with you.’
With a scowl, Tanaka turned and walked over to join Compton.
‘Now for you two,’ said Wolff, turning back to Alex and Kingston.
‘You’re making a huge mistake, Wolff,’ said Kingston. ‘You haven’t believed a bloody word I’ve said, have you? You want proof? Okay, let’s all go to Compton’s office and I’ll call the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where a young woman who handled the rose died. Then we’ll call a Mrs Cooke, whose husband dropped dead in his greenhouse after hybridizing it. She’ll tell you about two other deaths she knows were caused by the rose, one of them a little boy, dammit!’ He turned and started across the paddock toward the gate. ‘Come on, if you don’t believe me,’ he barked, over his shoulder. ‘It’s your choice. Either that or I’m calling the police.’
Alex picked up the camera case at his feet and started to follow Kingston.
Wolff ’s voice rang out. ‘Sheppard, stay right where you are. You, Kingston, stop! Turn around.’
Kingston was now half-way across the paddock. He looked over his shoulder. ‘You’re going to shoot me in front of a witness? I doubt it. You’re not that stupid, Wolff.’ He turned and continued toward the paddock gate.
Alex’s eyes were riveted on Kingston’s back. ‘Lawrence,’ he shouted. ‘Don’t–’
The Blue Rose Page 28