He shook his head. ‘If Yasin thought I was still alive, he wouldn’t rest until he’d sought revenge on everyone I’ve ever loved. The fact he survived Adie’s attempt on his life has made him even more intent on carrying out his mission. He thinks Allah protected him, and that gives him purpose. I’ve been hiding ever since.’
‘What about your wife? Does she still think you’re dead?’
‘It’s for her own protection. I can keep her safe if I’m dead.’
‘So why not go back to the army? I’m sure they would protect you.’
‘I can’t take that chance. I’ve already risked so much in approaching you and Julia. If anyone realises I am still alive, he’ll go after my wife and my son.’
‘But if he’s still alive, then that means he’s still planning to bomb Britain.’
‘I know, I know, but there’s nothing I can do to stop that without alerting the authorities to my presence. Plus, I don’t have any evidence of what he is planning. I don’t know where, when or how he plans to do it. All I can do is hope that our security services are as good at their jobs as they think.’
‘And you think Yasin snatched Noah?’
‘I don’t think, I know it was him. It’s so typical of how he would behave.’
‘But to what end? Do you think he has killed Noah?’
I don’t know. I’d have thought the police would have found his body if Yasin had killed him. But this is why I think Julia’s life is in danger. Adie loved her and Noah more than anything in the world.’
‘So why hasn’t he made his move yet?’
‘There’s a spotlight on Julia right now. If she suddenly went missing, people would notice.’
‘So why didn’t he take Noah and Julia together? He’s the one who’s thrown them into the limelight. He could have taken them both out without any of this furore.’
‘You don’t understand how his brain works. Have you seen the British newspapers recently? Are they reporting the increased terror threat across Europe? No. They’re reporting news about the boy who was tragically abducted from a hypermarket in France. Nobody is thinking about terror right now. They’re all looking the other way. He’s setting up the board, ready to make his final move. I think the threat is imminent.’
‘Then you have to do something. You have to turn yourself in. Get your wife to safety, and then come forward. You said you swore to protect your country against all enemies, but you’re not doing that by hiding.’
‘That’s not fair. What would you do in my situation? If someone threatened your child’s life, wouldn’t you do anything to keep her safe, even if you knew it was morally wrong?’
‘I don’t have children, but I understand what you’re saying. But how many more lives could be lost if you don’t come forward?’
‘The only thing I can do is to try and find Yasin and stop him once and for all.’
‘How can you?’
‘Why do you think I’m still in France? I’m certain Yasin is here, waiting to make his move against Julia. I need to stay in the shadows, and when he shows his face, I can make my move.’
‘That’s a risky play.’
‘It’s the only choice I have. A man like Yasin doesn’t move so freely without a network of contacts to keep him safe. There are people high up who know what he is planning. He is very well funded. Where do you think that money comes from? The only chance I have of stopping him, is to strike when he doesn’t expect it. The army cannot help, and neither can the police. I’m the only one who can stop him.’
‘You’re not alone, Owen. Now that I know what’s going on, you have to let me help you. I can’t fire a gun, and I’d be useless in a fist fight, but there must be something I can do to help you.’
‘We should get out of here. I’ve been in the open for too long.’
FORTY-ONE
DAY SIX
Becky rubbed her eyes, and looked towards the light poking through the wooden shutters. The mornings were her favourite and least favourite parts of the day: favourite because for those first tiny moments, she didn’t remember the horror of Noah’s abduction; the least favourite because the memories didn’t stay hidden for long enough. She wrapped the bed sheet around her middle, and made her way to the poky bathroom.
She didn’t flush the toilet, not wishing to disturb the calm. Instead she filled a cup with water from the tap, and returned to the bedroom. The bed creaked beneath her weight as she tried to quietly climb back in.
‘Morning,’ Owen said, turning over in the bed, and looking straight at her. Small dimples formed in his cheeks as he grinned at her.
‘Morning,’ she said sheepishly. ‘I have no idea what the time is. My phone’s battery is dead.’
He looked towards the shutters. ‘Conservatively, I’d say it’s somewhere between eight and nine in the morning. Hold on.’ He jumped out of the bed, and walked towards the shutters.
Becky couldn’t keep her eyes from his naked and perfectly-formed bottom. There wasn’t a shred of fat, just perfectly toned muscle.
He pushed the shutters open a fraction, and peeked out. ‘I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that it’s eight thirty-seven.’
‘How on earth can you be that precise by looking at the height of the sun in the sky? Is that some trick they teach you in the services in case you get separated from your unit?’
He remained where he was. ‘It’s not something they teach in the army, no. I learned it as a child.’ He stepped aside, so she could see through the gap in the shutters.
She banged her hand against her forehead as she spotted the clock on the tower opposite the hotel room.
‘Sorry,’ he offered. ‘That was mean. To be fair, I have no idea if the time on the tower clock is accurate. Check my phone, it’s on the bedside table. Do you want some breakfast?’
‘I should get moving. Jules will be wondering where the hell I am.’
‘You shouldn’t drive on an empty stomach. Please? There’s no reason to feel awkward. We’re both consenting adults. What happened…happened. I’m going to get some food anyway. Do you prefer tea or coffee?’
‘Tea please.’
He nodded, and pulled on his jeans, before disappearing from the room. Becky grabbed his phone and checked the display. He was right about the time. She couldn’t believe she’d slept in. Her phone had died at the restaurant, so she hadn’t been able to message Julia and tell her she was staying out. Not that Julia would have approved of her sleeping with a man she’d only just met.
It was inevitable that she was going to end up in bed with Owen. The moment she’d agreed to drive him back to his hotel, she’d known she would be putty in his hands if he invited her up. She wasn’t certain he would, given that he was technically still married, and she didn’t have the looks that tended to cause married men to stray.
He’d taken her on a convoluted route back to his hotel, turning a ten minute drive into a half-hour sojourn, so that he could check nobody had followed them from the restaurant. Becky hated awkward silences, so she’d made small talk, asking him about where he’d grown up, why he’d joined the army, and what his son was like. He’d kept his answers short, but had returned her questions with some of his own.
He’d told her he would be moving on in the morning. He’d had a tip-off that one of Yasin’s soldiers had been spotted in Madrid, and so he would be flying to Spain. She hadn’t wanted to ask how a dead man could move so freely from one country to another, because she was certain the answer would make her an accessory to any international laws he was breaking. A world of fraudulent passports and stolen identities was not something she wished to be embroiled in.
He’d told her he’d been moving back and forth across Europe. In the last fortnight, he’d travelled to the UK, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and France. He’d described Yasin’s Black Shadows network as a cancer, slowly spreading across mainland Europe, waiting to attack. She still thought he needed to alert someone about the impending attack on the UK, but he was
right: without any evidence, how could he prove that such a threat existed. It would sound like the ramblings of a mad man.
They’d finally arrived at the entrance to his hotel. It was smaller than the one Antoine had found for them. Becky would have described it as more of a B&B than a hotel, but that was how the large sign described it. Owen had winced as he’d opened the car door, and she’d asked if he was okay. He’d told her that the scarring on his arm and shoulder required cream to help treat it, and he’d asked if she would be willing to help him apply the lotion. She’d known the right thing to do was to politely decline, go back to her own hotel and try to phone Caleb again.
But Caleb still hadn’t tried to call her, so he’d clearly made up his mind about their future, or lack thereof, so it wasn’t like she was cheating on him. Was it?
As she lay back on the pillow in Owen’s bed, she couldn’t ignore the onrushing guilt.
With his top removed, she’d been able to see the full extent of the damage done over there. She’d tenderly rubbed the cool lotion over the scar, and as his scent had enveloped her, she hadn’t resisted when he’d leaned forward and kissed her. She’d kissed him back, and they’d soon been tearing each other’s clothes off, before collapsing into the bed. He hadn’t been shy.
Owen was wearing a fresh t-shirt when he reappeared at the door, carrying a tray with two mugs and some toast. ‘Sorry, it’s all I could find downstairs in the kitchen. I brought you some strawberry jam, in case you want it.’
‘Thanks. Don’t they mind you bringing food back up here?’
‘They didn’t say anything. Please, help yourself.’
‘What time does your flight leave for Spain?’
‘I’ve got to get myself to Paris first, and then my flight leaves at three twenty-five.’
‘Do you think Yasin is there?’
‘I doubt it. He’s not someone who likes to get his hands dirty. He’s the embodiment of his organisation: he likes to stay in the shadows.’
‘So, where is he? Afghanistan still?’
‘I doubt it. He’ll be in Europe somewhere.’
‘And Noah?’
‘He will keep Noah close by. I can’t provide any guarantees, but I will do whatever I can to find your Godson. I owe Adie that much.’
‘Is there anything Jules or I can do to help? It’s killing me sitting around and hoping for news.’
‘The best thing you can do is watch over her. As I said last night, I’m sure Yasin will come for her at some point, so you should be ready. Keep on the right side of the local police, so you can call on them if you need to. You have my number too, so if you sense something off, it could be anything, call me, and I’ll come straight back. Okay?’
She nodded, and he leaned across and lifted her chin with his hand, before tenderly kissing her. ‘I really enjoyed last night. It’s been a long time since…well, it’s been a while. I’m sorry if it was awkward or -’
She put her hand over his mouth to silence him. ‘It wasn’t awkward. I enjoyed it too, but we probably shouldn’t mention it to Jules. Let’s just say it was two people who needed to feel love for the night, and that’s it. Is that okay?’
He nodded, and she could feel his lips curling up beneath her hand. She lowered it and gently kissed him back. She grabbed her clothes and headed back to the poky bathroom, where she quickly dressed and brushed her hair with the fold-up brush she always kept in her handbag. Julia would know she’d been out all night, so there was no point in trying to pretend otherwise.
She was about to open the bathroom door when she heard Owen talking to someone. She put her ear to the door, and tried to listen.
The conversation was one-sided, suggesting he was talking on the phone. ‘Yes, she’s still here…no, she’ll be gone in a minute…yes, I did what you suggested…I don’t think she suspects…I’ll be in the air by four, and will be at the site by six…I know, I know, I’ll be careful…how is the boy doing? You’re treating him as…good…that’s good…no, I don’t think she’ll be any trouble…if she is, I’ll take care of it…I’d better go, I think she’s coming back…yeah, I’ll speak to you soon.’
Becky steadied herself against the wall. Her mind raced with questions, but only one answer: she needed to get out of there. She made a point of flushing the toilet so he wouldn’t suspect she’d been listening in, and then she quickly grabbed her jacket and handbag, before peeling out of the room and to her car.
FORTY-TWO
Becky’s eyes flicked up to the rear-view mirror again.
She chided herself for being paranoid. There was nobody following her.
Owen could have been speaking to anybody, and there was no reason to suspect his intentions toward her were anything other than harmless. He could have been speaking about another woman. When he said “she’ll be gone in a minute,” he may not have meant her. When he said “how is the boy doing?” there was no reason to assume he was referring to Noah. Maybe he had made contact with his wife, and had told Becky otherwise, so she wouldn’t feel guilty about sleeping with him. It was paranoid to think that “I’ll take care of it,” meant anything other than he would make sure she got back to the hotel safely.
Despite her efforts to reassure herself, the little voice in her head persisted: he knows where Noah is, and he’ll kill you if he thinks you overheard him.
She checked the rear-view mirror again and noticed a white hatchback. She couldn’t remember it being there before the last set of traffic lights. Why was it staying so far behind? She pulled off the main road at the next roundabout; her eyes rarely leaving the mirror. The car disappeared, but was back behind her a moment later.
She pressed harder on the accelerator, and scanned the next road sign. If she took the third exit on the next roundabout, it should take her back to the main road. If the white car performed the same manoeuver that had to mean he was following her. She pulled up at the roundabout, and waited. When the white car approached, she moved forward and indicated for the final exit off to the left. The white car continued straight ahead. Either she’d spooked the driver, or he hadn’t been following her at all. She needed to get a grip.
She’d been driving for fifteen minutes, but was no closer to the hotel, and as she looked out of the window, she couldn’t identify where she was. Too many sudden turns had left her disoriented and lost. She finally admitted defeat and pulled into a petrol station, grateful that the man inside the small shop spoke enough English to direct her back to Calais. From there she was confident she’d see something familiar and figure out the way back to the hotel. Jules would be worried sick about her.
Becky bought cigarettes and two large bars of chocolate in the shop, no longer worried about her diet or the impact on her health. She waited until she’d pulled off the forecourt before lighting up. She’d devoured half a bar of the chocolate as she saw the familiar sight of the hotel sign up ahead. The road into the car park was once again blocked by abandoned news vans. She meandered through, and parked before racing for the hotel, ignoring the shouts of her name.
The hotel owner looked relieved to see her. ‘Mademoiselle, please go and see your friend tout de suite. She is in your room.’
‘What’s going on? Is everything okay? Is there news about Noah?’
‘S’il vous plaît, mademoiselle. Madame Saidi is waiting in your room.’
Becky took the stairs two at a time, before bursting through the door.
Julia jumped at the noise. ‘Where in the hell have you been?’
Becky was out of breath. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘Well, I don’t care about that now. Have you seen it?’
‘Seen what, sorry.’
‘It’s been on the news all morning. And it’s online.’ Julia threw her phone over. ‘Here, read for yourself.’
Becky dropped her own phone on the bed, before sitting, and unlocking Julia’s screen. ‘Wait a second…this picture…it’s from -’
‘Within the hotel. Exactly! They must
have had one of their photographers in here yesterday.’
Becky stared at the images of Julia, stills taken from a video of her argument with Hussein Shadid outside their room yesterday morning. ‘They say they have the video of you attacking Hussein on their website. Have you watched it?’
‘That’s what they keep showing on the news. They’ve taken it totally out of context. Did you read the rest of the article?’
Becky read on. ‘They’re accusing you of being an unfit mother.’
‘It gets worse. This particular newspaper claims I am a violent individual and that somehow I had something to do with Noah’s disappearance.’
‘That’s ridiculous!’
‘Of course it is. The newspaper claims my violent outburst yesterday is just the tip of the iceberg. I mean: verbal outburst? Are they fucking joking? I barely touched him. I pushed him, sure, but he made much more of it. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if he hadn’t invited the cameraman up here to provoke me into hitting him. That sneaky fucking snake!’
Becky was still reading. ‘They claim to have spoken to a source back home who describes you as…oh, that’s a joke in itself. Seriously? They can print shit like this? You’ve never been arrested for assault. Have you?’
‘No, of course I haven’t. It doesn’t say I was arrested, it says I was questioned at the time of an assault on a girl at a nightclub. This was years ago. Jesus! I haven’t been clubbing since before Noah was born for Christ’s sake!’
‘But there’s no truth in it, is there?’
‘No there flaming isn’t! Some skank got bottled outside a nightclub. She’d been giving me shit inside, because her fella had been eyeing me up, but I had nothing to do with what happened once she’d left.’
‘But were you questioned?’
‘Everyone inside the club was asked what they’d seen. I was in the ladies when it happened. I was never really in the frame. There were at least three other women who confirmed I was nowhere near the girl when it happened.’
Then He Was Gone Page 17