by Olly Jarvis
They had to wait at the electric shutter until a car came down the ramp and zapped it up, its occupant giving the odd-looking band of four with their holdalls a once over.
Ella realised they were starting to attract attention with their unkempt appearance.
They hurried across the car park, past the Lamborghinis and Bentleys that their owners used to sit in five-mile-an-hour traffic every day. They went through a door that had been left ajar and waited for the lift.
‘You’ll like him,’ Ella said to Broady, as they got in and pressed the button for the 25th floor. ‘I hope he’s back from work.’
They came out onto a plush landing. Ella led them down the corridor and pressed the buzzer outside the apartment.
The door opened. ‘Ella!’ Jim’s face turned from one of surprise to concern on seeing two strange men stood behind her. Then he noticed Ella’s daughter. ‘Lizzie!’
‘She moved to the front and gave him a hug. ‘Hello Jim.’
‘Come in, come in,’ he said, ushering them inside.
The apartment was immaculate, just like Jim’s suit.
Broady and Jay went straight over to the floor-to-ceiling windows to admire the view over the Thames and the lights of London.
‘This is some crib, man,’ Broady exclaimed.
‘Not bad for an old, cockney queen,’ Jim replied, camping up his voice.
‘The clerks earn more than the barristers,’ said Ella with a wry smile before making the introductions.
Jim shook hands with Jay and Broady. ‘So, what’s going on?’
‘It’s a long story,’ said Ella, collapsing onto the huge, L-shaped, grey sofa.
Jim sat down beside her. ‘I knew something was up, there were people hanging about outside chambers today. A couple of people came in asking after you.’
Ella sat up and said, ‘Who?’
‘Said they were government people, that they were having trouble contacting you?’ He pulled Harris’ card out of his pocket and handed it to her. ‘I was worried you’d had a meltdown and walked off the job.’
‘Did you tell them anything?’
Jim harrumphed. ‘I didn’t know anything, still don’t.’
‘Probably best that way,’ she said, patting his knee.
‘I don’t think we should stay,’ said Broady.
Ella exhaled. ‘Yeah, he’s right, sorry Jim, we shouldn’t have come.’
Jim’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You think people will come here?’
Ella put a hand on his shoulder. ‘It’s possible. I’m sorry to have put you in this position. Maybe go out for the evening after we’ve gone, stay with friends?’
Jim agreed. ‘At least tell me if this is about the Cambridge thing?’
Ella took a breath then nodded.
‘Then it’s my problem, too.’ He got up and walked over to a white granite worktop and picked something off the surface. ‘I’m watering the plants for a neighbour, he’s away for a few weeks.’ He came back and handed her a key. ‘You can stay there, it’s only one floor down.’
‘Are you sure?’ she stood up and rolled the key around in her hand. ‘Won’t he mind?’
Jim shrugged. ‘Hopefully, he won’t know. I’ll get the place cleaned up after you’ve gone. Besides, think he fancies me.’ He cast an eye at Broady.
Ella gave him a hug. ‘Thank you.’
Jim’s face became serious. ‘Take my spare too. You know where I am if you need me.’
Ella welled up. She couldn’t figure out why she’d cut so many people off over the last few years. If she got the chance, she was going to change all that.
Chapter Seventy-One
The other apartment was much like Jim’s – the same layout, but even more flash.
Jay and Lizzie used the two bathrooms to take showers while Ella and Broady sat at a black, glass table eating the remnants of a Domino’s they’d had delivered. No one had yet touched on Chan’s revelations. Their brains needed a break and Ella needed time to think things through.
Broady helped himself to another slither of cold pizza out of the box, took a bite then left the rest of the slice on his plate.
Ella tried to read him. ‘Not like the ones back home?’
‘Not even ball-park,’ Broady replied.
‘You miss it?’ Ella asked. ‘Home… the desert?’
‘Kind of.’ He made eye-contact. ‘But there’s been something missing for quite a while.’
She held his gaze. ‘Something or someone?’
His eyes glistened. ‘You know.’
She blinked. ‘Yeah, I know.’
Neither pushed the conversation on. It felt good just to sit. Ella leaned forward and said, just above a whisper, ‘Do you think it’s really true?’ Her eyes scanned his face for an answer. ‘About the comets, everything?’
‘You’re the historian.’ He took a swig of Coke from a can. ‘But my gut says yeah.’
‘Me too.’
Broady clasped his hands and put them on his head, yawning, seemingly unfazed. ‘But evidence of Noah’s existence, from eleven thousand five hundred years ago?’ He scoffed. ‘That’s a big ask.’
Ella nodded. ‘I’ve always understood that the first organised civilisation was the Sumerians dating back to 3500 BC. They could write and do complex maths.’
‘From Iraq, right?’ asked Broady.
‘Yes, the fertile crescent, between the Tigris and the Euphrates. This was the perfect place for civilisation to evolve and flourish, of all the routes the first humans took when they came out of Africa. I’m not aware of any physical evidence of a highly organised civilisation before that date.’
Broady puffed out his cheeks. ‘And we’re being asked to believe that Noah came from a civilisation that existed six thousand years earlier?’
‘But—’ Before Ella could finish, Lizzie came in wearing a pair of joggers and a vest. ‘Great shower,’ she said, rubbing her head with a towel.
Ella got up and wrapped her arms around her.
‘Mum,’ said Lizzie, her chin buried in Ella’s shoulder. ‘That’s not like you.’
She kissed her daughter’s forehead. ‘From now on it is.’
‘Did I miss something?’ said Jay, similarly dressed.
‘No,’ said Lizzie with a grin. ‘Just Mum being sentimental.’
‘So, have we decided what we’re doing yet?’ he asked.
All eyes were on Ella.
Lizzie threw the towel on the back of the sofa as if getting ready for a fight. ‘I heard what you were saying about Noah.’ She took a breath. ‘What’s the but, Mum?’
Ella shrugged, still trying to convince herself. ‘I was just going to say that time and again people have proved myths and legends have a basis in truth.’
‘Such as?’ asked Jay.
‘The Ebu Gogo, for one,’ she replied as if the answer was obvious.
‘The what?’ asked Broady.
‘The people on an Indonesian island called Flores talk of a tribe of tiny people that would raid the village and steal their babies. Parents still tell bedtime stories about them, to make their kids behave. Horrible little creatures that ate raw flesh.’
‘So, what’s your point?’ asked Jay.
Ella watched Lizzie flick her wet hair over her head. ‘In 2004 archaeologists found what they thought were human remains in a cave there, one full skeleton and nine partials. The fully grown adult was only one metre tall.’
‘I’ve read about this,’ said Lizzie. ‘The Flores Hobbit. A separate species of homo that became extinct.’
‘Yes,’ said Ella, using her hands for emphasis. ‘According to the experts, they died out at least twelve thousand years ago.’ Her arms became more animated. ‘But the stories lived on just through word of mouth, folklore.’
‘That’s incredible,’ said Jay. ‘All those generations.’
‘Many scientists believe the same thing about the Yeti,’ she continued, picking up the towel and folding it. ‘All the Sherpas in Tibet
have the same Neanderthal piece of DNA, it’s why they can survive at altitude.’
‘Neanderthal?’ Jay repeated.
‘Yeah, the last of the species died out around thirty-seven thousand years ago, pushed out by humans.’
Jay clicked his finger. ‘So, their last refuse was in the Himalayas, where their DNA gave them an advantage?’
‘It makes sense,’ Ella replied, putting the towel on the back of a chair. ‘Maybe the Tibetan tales of Yetis is their historical memory of Neanderthals from generations past.’
‘So,’ Jay began tentatively, ‘we’re going to Cizre?’
Ella stared him down then started pacing the apartment. ‘We probably haven’t even all got our passports?’
Lizzie screwed her face up. ‘Mine’s at Bourne Street.’
Ella remembered pouring the contents of the drawer into her holdall after the burglary. ‘It’s in my bag.’
‘Really?’ said Lizzie.
‘I got mine,’ added Broady.
‘Me too,’ said Jay, taking a seat at the table and pulling the pizza box towards him. ‘Goes everywhere with me.’
‘But you never go anywhere,’ said Lizzie with a giggle.
Ella could see how important Jay’s friendship had become to Lizzie.
‘There’s always a first time,’ Jay said, clearly excited at the prospect of going abroad. Then, in a more sombre tone, he added, ‘But as soon as we book the flights, Harris or Kline’s people will go to the airport.’
‘Yeah,’ said Ella. ‘It’s not doable.’ She looked at Broady for confirmation.
Broady glanced out of the huge window at the lights of the capital, then turned to Jay. ‘What if we could bury that information?’
Jay’s head tilted to the side. ‘What do you mean?’
‘What if we booked a whole lot of flights to different places, from different airports?’
Jay rubbed his chin. ‘But they’d know from the manifest which one we boarded; they’d be waiting for us at the other end.’
Ella began pacing again. ‘Could you hack in, change the manifest, make it look like we got on another flight?’ She stopped. ‘Even take us off the one we do board?’
Jay stared at her, his mouth falling open. ‘Do you know how illegal that is?’
She stopped. ‘Could you do it?’
He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath before replying. ‘I can’t see why not.’ He paused. ‘The misdirect would have to be a long haul, so we’ve already arrived before they realise we’re not on the other flight.’
‘Los Angeles?’ suggested Lizzie.
‘Not a good idea, too much co-operation with UK while we’re in the air.’
Ella’s eyes fixed on him. ‘China?’
Broady dipped his head. ‘Yeah, China, that could work.’
Ella pointed a finger at him. ‘It’s probably what they’d expect.’
Jay had already opened up the laptop.
‘You going online?’ asked Ella.
Jay looked up at her. ‘Yeah, but I’ll use the free Wi-Fi from Costa.’
She wasn’t convinced.
‘It’s a couple of blocks away, the reception’s so good up here.’
Realising time was of the essence, she agreed. ‘How do we get there?’
Lizzie’s eyes met Broady’s, her eyes suddenly wide with excitement.
Broady winked at her.
‘The airport is called Sirnak,’ said Jay, tapping away on the keys. ‘We’d have to change at Istanbul and get an internal flight.’
‘Too risky, said Broady, leaning over the table. ‘Leaves a trail and they’d catch us on the internal.’
Ella agreed.
‘We could take a bus from Istanbul?’ Jay suggested, putting a finger on the screen. ‘But look, it takes twenty-three hours.’
‘Better bring a book,’ said Broady, deadpan.
Ella let out a giggle, releasing some of the nervous tension.
‘There’s a flight from Gatwick at 8.40 a.m.,’ said Jay. His fingers danced over the keys. ‘There’s an earlier flight to Beijing from Heathrow.’
‘OK, book those after you’ve put us on a load of others, from different airports.’
‘I don’t want to sound negative,’ said Jay. ‘But won’t Harris just put a block out on us travelling?’
‘Yeah,’ said Broady with a long face. ‘It’s called red-flagging.’
Ella’s shoulders slumped a little. ‘We just have to hope she’d rather follow us.’
‘Right then,’ Jay replied. ‘Give me your passports. He scratched his head. ‘I’ve also got to get visas for Turkey online, which might not come through in time.’ His eyes narrowed into a squint. ‘And you know you’re going to have to pay for all the flights?’
‘Just do it,’ she replied, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. She rummaged around in her bag, took out a card and dropped it on the table. ‘There’s a twenty-grand limit on that.’
‘Think of the air miles,’ said Broady.
This time she didn’t laugh.
Chapter Seventy-Two
In Jim’s flat, the door buzzer sounded, then twice more.
Jim already had his coat on and was brushing some fluff off his threads in the hall mirror. ‘Hang on, hang on.’ He turned the handle. ‘Forgotten something?’
The door came flying open, knocking him back.
Two men in black marched in. One began searching the apartment, the second, larger man kicked the door shut behind him and pulled Jim into the lounge, throwing him onto the floor. ‘Where are they?’ he said in a Continental accent.
‘Who?’ Jim replied, lifting his torso up onto his elbows.
The searcher came back in and said something in a foreign language.
Acknowledging the signal, the big man kneeled down beside Jim and punched him hard in the face. ‘Where are they?’
‘Who?’ Jim spluttered, his voice shaking with terror.
Another punch.
‘We know they were here.’
Jim tried to get up.
The man punched him again, the force putting him on his back. Blood oozed from his mouth.
Where did they go?’
Jim moved his head from side to side in a panicked flurry. ‘I don’t know anything.’
The attacker took something from his pocket. It clicked – a flick knife coming out of its sheath. He held it under Jim’s chin, piercing the skin.
The man sneered. ‘One last chance.’
‘OK, OK,’ Jim replied. ‘They said they were going north, Edinburgh.’
The man seemed unsure of the admission. ‘Why?’
Jim could hardly get his words out, a mixture of fear and the blood filling his mouth. ‘That’s all they said, I swear blind.’
Jim’s captor turned to his associate, who gave an order.
Slowly, the stranger pushed the point of the knife up through Jim’s jaw.
His mouth opened wide, in a silent scream. The man pulled the knife back out and plunged it into Jim’s neck. Blood spurted in an arc across the room, almost spraying the man in charge who said something indicating his displeasure at the carelessness.
There was one last gasp from the dying man.
His killer pulled out the blooded blade and wiped both sides clean on Jim’s coat.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Dawn was breaking.
‘Time to go.’ Ella gave Jay’s shoulder a gentle shake. He’d fallen asleep at the table, his head nestled in folded arms. He raised his head then slowly sat up, sitting back in the chair and rubbing his eyes.
‘All done?’ asked Ella.
‘Yeah,’ came the groggy reply. ‘Had to switch airlines for the China flight.’ He yawned. ‘Couldn’t hack into the manifest with the bigger ones.’
Ella acknowledged the change of plan. ‘The others are nearly ready; you’d better get your stuff together.’
Within minutes they were all packed and, after one final sweep, they left the a
partment. ‘Hang on,’ said Ella, walking towards the stairwell. ‘Just going to leave Jim’s keys.’
‘Wait,’ said Broady, firmly. ‘We stay together.’
They all followed her up the stairs.
Ella put her bag down and inserted the key in the lock while the others waited outside on the landing, taking in the view. It was a clear day and the remnants of a light mist was lifting off the Thames unveiling the bridges.
Ella walked through the hall towards the kitchen. She stopped when she saw the splashes of red in her path. Her heart beat faster. She looked right.
She screamed.
Broady came rushing in.
Ella’s whole body shook as she stood rooted to the spot.
Broady held out his hand to stop the others coming in. He moved across to where Jim’s body was lying, dried blood everywhere, and crouched down to take a pulse. It was pointless, he was long dead. He made the sign of the cross then turned towards Ella. She didn’t need confirmation – Broady’s face said it all.
Vivid flashbacks of finding her husband’s body hanging from the chandelier… Ella let out a deep moan. ‘No.’
Despite Broady’s order, the others came in.
On seeing the corpse, Lizzie’s mouth opened in horror, but no sound came out.
Jay grabbed hold of Ella, whose legs were giving way.
Broady stood up. ‘We need to go. There’s nothing we can do for him.’
No one responded.
Broady went back to Ella and held her face gently in both hands. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Ella’s eyes could hardly focus.
‘We have to leave – now,’ said Broady.
Ella stared off into the middle distance. ‘My fault,’ she gasped. ‘Always my fault.’
‘No,’ said Broady, gripping her face even tighter.
She didn’t register.
‘Kline’s people did this, not you.’ For once Broady’s anxiety was obvious.
Glimpsing the horror on Lizzie’s face caused Ella to gather herself.
‘Bring the bags in and shut the door,’ he shouted at Jay who immediately obeyed.
Ella and Broady lowered Lizzie onto the sofa. He bent down in front of her, blocking the view of Jim’s lifeless body. He called out to Jay, ‘Get something to cover him up, will you.’