CHERUB: Maximum Security

by Robert Muchamore

  ‘Lauren knows,’ he said. ‘She saw us last night.’

  Becky shrugged. ‘So?’

  James could hardly tell Becky he was a secret agent with a girl back home. He’d spent half the day thinking up a way to explain why Lauren shouldn’t find out.

  ‘Lauren’s been through a lot,’ he said. ‘First our dad dying. Then my uncle giving her a hard time and me and Dave getting sent to prison. It’s not surprising she wants me to herself for a while.’

  ‘So, you’re never gonna have a girlfriend in case your sister gets jealous?’ Becky asked, as she combed ink-stained fingers through her short brown hair. ‘She’ll just have to grow up a bit.’

  ‘I just think we should stop all this,’ James said. ‘I’m moving on to Canada, or wherever, in a few days and—’

  ‘James, you’re a cute guy. I know this isn’t gonna last forever, but it’s more fun than sitting downstairs every night.’

  James didn’t appreciate being regarded as nothing more than an alternative to TV, but Becky healed his wounded look by stepping closer and kissing his cheek.

  ‘You know what your trouble is, James?’ Becky grinned. ‘You think too much.’

  James tried not to imagine the grievous injuries Kerry would inflict on him if she found out about this, as he leaned forward and returned Becky’s kiss.

  *

  Lisa made spaghetti and meatballs for their evening meal. The Littles always ate as a family at the dining table, then moved to the living-room for dessert in front of the TV.

  James stacked the dishwasher, while Vaughn and Becky got the wood-burning fire going. They were set for walnut cake and the second part of a mini-series when the phone rang in the hallway.

  ‘Curtis,’ Vaughn shouted.

  Everyone looked around anxiously, knowing there was only one person who’d be calling for Curtis.

  ‘Mom?’ Curtis grinned, as he snatched the receiver. ‘What’s going on? … Can’t you tell me where I’m flying to? … OK, but we’ll meet up at the other end? … Great, so I’ll see you tomorrow … Yeah, James is right here, I’ll call him over … James, my mom wants to speak to you.’

  James could hear his heart thumping, almost as loud as the faint voice in his ear. ‘Mrs Oxford, hi.’

  ‘Hey there,’ Jane said. ‘My son tells me good things about you, James. I expect this is the only time you and me are ever gonna be safe to talk, but I had to thank you in person for what you did.’

  James couldn’t help smiling. ‘That’s OK. What’s gonna happen to me and Lauren?’

  ‘I got you new identities. There’s a hotel in Boise sorted for tonight and you’re on an early flight to Canada in the morning. I’ve got you and your sister set up with a real good family up there. I’ve sorted it financially, so there’s money behind you. You’ll be safe, as long as you keep yourself on the right side of the law.’

  ‘Sounds brilliant,’ James said. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘That’s my four minutes up. Tell Vaughn it’s the Comfort Lodge.’

  The phone clicked abruptly. James hooked the receiver over the wall-mounted phone and wiped a sweaty palm against his leg.

  ‘She’s not one for goodbyes,’ Vaughn explained. ‘The shorter the call, the less chance the FBI have of tracking her down.’

  ‘How far is Boise?’ James asked, still startled by his brief conversation with one of the world’s most wanted.

  ‘Three hours by road.’

  ‘When are we leaving?’

  ‘’Bout as soon as you’ve got your things packed.’

  Lauren looked solemnly at Lisa. ‘Can I say goodbye to the horses?’

  ‘I can pack her stuff if you want,’ James said. ‘We’ve only got a few clothes and bits.’

  Lisa tapped Lauren on the back. ‘Quickly then,’ she said. ‘Go and put your coat on.’

  James tried to think as he took the stairs two at a time. With him and Lauren flying to Canada, and Curtis off to meet his mother in some unknown destination, it looked like his prospects of a face-to-face meeting with Jane Oxford had shrunk to zero. All he could do was try and find out where Curtis was going, so that the FBI had a team waiting to intercept him when he met his mother.

  James stepped inside his room and began stuffing everything into a backpack. Becky came up behind him.

  ‘I guess this is it then,’ James said, feeling a mixture of sadness and relief that he couldn’t get a handle on.

  A pistol and a couple of large ammunition clips bounced on to the bed in front of him.

  ‘You might need those,’ Becky said.

  James was shocked. ‘Is that your dad’s gun? You’ll get in trouble.’

  ‘Don’t trust Jane Oxford. I’ve heard talk about things she’s done over the years and believe me, you might want that by your side.’

  ‘She said she’s found me and Lauren a family,’ James said, staring indecisively at the gun on the bed.

  Becky picked up the lightweight gun and shoved an ammunition clip into the base. ‘What was your bargain with Curtis? You break him out, Jane sets you up with a new life.’

  James nodded.

  ‘Well, you already broke Curtis out. So what are you to Jane Oxford now, except trouble and expense?’

  This thought had occurred to James on a number of occasions, though the mission briefing described Jane as loyal to anyone who helped her out.

  Becky held the gun in front of James’ face. ‘Pull back the stock to load the first bullet, like this … The safety is this little lever here. It’s a Glock machine pistol. Each magazine holds twenty-five shots and it’s fully automatic, like a machine gun. Just flip the switch to auto.’

  ‘You really don’t think we can trust her?’

  Becky shrugged as she pulled the elastic of James’ tracksuit pants and tucked in the gun. ‘I don’t know. Better safe than sorry’s all I’m saying.’

  The last time James had got into a bad situation with a gun, he’d ended up killing someone. He didn’t want to get into that situation again and it was the only thing on his mind as Becky’s parting kiss brushed his cheek.

  ‘I’ll leave you to it, James Rose,’ Becky said sadly. ‘Pull your hoodie on, so no one can see the gun, and look after yourself.’

  James smiled a little. ‘I’ll do my best.’

  Lauren looked torn up as she passed Becky in the doorway.

  ‘That didn’t take long,’ James said.

  ‘I couldn’t face them,’ Lauren sniffed. ‘I ran back to the house.’

  James was surprised at how attached Lauren had become to the horses. He gave her a quick squeeze.

  ‘Here, put this on,’ James said, handing his sister one of the tracking patches. ‘We might get separated.’

  Lauren unbuttoned her jeans and stuck the transmitter, which looked exactly like a sticking plaster, to the top of her thigh where nobody would see it. At the same moment, a crashing sound erupted from Curtis’ bedroom.

  James shot down the hallway and into a sea of torn paper. Curtis had shredded his dozens of sketches and drawings, then ripped his wardrobe door off its hinges, before burrowing into a narrow space between his bed and the wall.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ James gasped.

  ‘I like it here,’ Curtis sobbed. ‘My mom’s gonna go mad at me for killing them people. Then we’ll be on the run again. She likes the danger, but I get scared and it does my head in. I just want to stay in one place and draw my pictures and go to school …’

  James couldn’t think what to say as Vaughn stepped into the room behind him.

  ‘Are you two fighting?’ Vaughn asked angrily. ‘Look at the state of this room.’

  ‘He’s messed up,’ James said, uncertainly. ‘He needs help.’

  James looked at Curtis, sobbing pitifully into the wall and wished there was something he could do.

  ‘I don’t want to go back to prison,’ Curtis howled. ‘I don’t want to go back on the run. I wish I was dead, but I’m too useless even to kill myself �
�’

  James sat on the end of the bed and touched Curtis’ hand.

  ‘You know these moods always pass,’ James said. ‘Once you’re back with your mum, you can have a proper talk with her and sort yourself out. I bet it’ll be OK.’

  ‘She never listens,’ Curtis sobbed.

  ‘I need the pair of you downstairs and ready to roll in five minutes,’ Vaughn said firmly. ‘James, get Curtis a cloth to wipe his face. We’ve got a long drive ahead. He’ll have to get a grip on himself.’

  30. CALLS

  John Jones and the three-man FBI team had been unable to contact James and Lauren during the two weeks they’d spent on the isolated ranch. To compensate for the lack of access, they’d watched any comings and goings from a safe distance and set up laser microphones in the trees. The invisible beams of light detected vibrations in the windows and converted them into muffled speech using a laptop computer.

  Theo was starting a six-hour shift, sitting in the trees fifty metres from the front gate of the ranch, when he heard the kids were on the move. He pulled off a skiing glove and grabbed a radio to call Marvin.

  John, Warren and Marvin were fifteen miles away, having a meal in a pizza place near their motel. As Marvin was talking to Theo on his walkie-talkie, he extracted a ringing cellphone from his jacket and handed it to Warren. The call was confirmation from the FBI phone-monitoring unit, who had overheard both ends of Jane Oxford’s telephone conversation.

  ‘OK,’ Marvin said, taking a final bite of pizza as he stood up. ‘I’ll make some calls to see what kind of manpower we can rustle up around Boise. I’ll try and get someone to stake out the Comfort Lodge, then I’ll drive on ahead. There’s so little traffic around here, they’ll spot us in three seconds flat if we tail them. John, I want you and Warren to take the second car and try to follow the tracking signal from the kids, but keep your distance. Theo will have to sit tight until they leave the ranch and catch us up.’

  *

  Vaughn’s big Toyota had three rows of seats. Lauren sprawled out with a row to herself as they drove towards Boise in the darkness. She closed her eyes and tried not to get upset again.

  Making and breaking close relationships was the part of CHERUB missions that newly qualified agents often found toughest to deal with. Lauren knew James would tease her about blubbing over a bunch of horses, but she couldn’t help feeling sad every time she thought about them. She remembered the first morning at the ranch, when Lisa had lifted her into the saddle and led her around the small paddock on a rein. Lauren had been terrified of falling off, but time had turned it into a fond memory.

  Curtis was a wreck, slumped down without his seatbelt on. The wet streaks on his face caught in the headlight beams of the cars going in the other direction. Before the mission, all James knew about Curtis came from reports about the killings and Warren’s observations from inside Arizona Max. Now James had got to know him, he couldn’t help wondering if such a sensitive soul would have turned into a killer if he’d grown up in a normal home, instead of on the run with his thrill-addicted mother.

  James sat up front, alongside Vaughn. The drive was boring, but he felt too edgy to do anything other than stare at the road ahead, with the handle of the Glock digging into his belly. Shortly after a sign reading Boise 15 miles, Vaughn handed James a cellphone.

  ‘Dial information and get the number of the Comfort Lodge.’

  James held the phone to his ear with his shoulder, as he scrawled the number on the corner of a road map. He dialled and waited to hear ringing before handing the phone back to Vaughn.

  ‘That the Comfort Lodge?’ Vaughn said into the handset. ‘My name is Hermann. I got a reservation with you for tonight, but I’m supposed to be meeting a pal of mine first. I believe he’s left me a message in the lobby to say where I’m supposed to meet him for dinner. Would you be kind enough to read it to me?’

  Vaughn held the phone silently, while the woman on the other end retrieved a folded slip of paper from a cubby behind her head and read it out.

  ‘So that’s the Star Plaza,’ Vaughn nodded. ‘You wouldn’t happen to know where that is, would you? … Don’t worry yourself, sweetheart. I’ll get my buddy here to look it up on the map.’

  Vaughn ended the call and chucked the phone on the dashboard.

  ‘Who are we meeting?’ James asked, as he unravelled a map of Boise city centre.

  ‘Nobody. It’s a precaution, in case Jane’s phone was being bugged. She tells you to go to one hotel, then leaves a message there under a false name. The message gives you the name of some hotel on the other side of town, which is where you’ll really be staying.’

  James had hoped that the FBI would have the room at the Comfort Lodge staked out by the time they arrived. Now he was relying on the patches stuck to his and Lauren’s skin, and these tiny devices were notoriously unreliable.

  ‘You don’t really think the FBI could have tracked us all the way up here, do you?’ James asked.

  Vaughn shrugged. ‘I doubt it, but Curtis’ ma has to be real careful. The feds pull out the stops once they put you on that most wanted list. See that cellphone?’

  James nodded.

  ‘Came to me in a Fed-Ex package two days ago, with instructions not to even switch it on until we were on the move. Maybe Jane is over-cautious, but there are prisons full of people who weren’t cautious enough.’

  *

  The Star Plaza was a bog-standard business hotel a few minutes’ drive from Boise airport, with the usual marble and faux-antique furnishings in the lobby. Vaughn looked nervous as he strolled past reception with the three kids in tow. He approached two old-timers, sitting in armchairs around an occasional table. They wore cheap looking suits and their long white beards suggested the men had been bikers in their younger days.

  ‘Bill, Eugene,’ Vaughn said, nodding guardedly. ‘Didn’t expect to find you two in this neck of the woods.’

  ‘Well you did,’ Bill said grumpily, furrowing his brow as though he resented the fact Vaughn existed.

  Vaughn gestured with his hand. ‘This is James, Curtis and Lauren.’

  ‘You don’t say?’ the old geezer croaked. ‘The lady says you’ll get your money transfer in a few days. We’ll take ’em up to the rooms. No need for you to stick around.’

  James got a whiff of pomade, as Bill hauled himself out of his chair. He noticed that Eugene, the other old man, wore a hearing aid.

  ‘So, I’d best be going,’ Vaughn said, as he looked fondly at James. ‘I can see you out there in Canada, cruising on your Harley in a few years’ time.’

  ‘Yeah,’ James smiled, ‘I hope so.’

  ‘But at least my daughter’s safe from you now.’

  James missed a beat, as Vaughn burst out laughing. ‘You think Lisa and me didn’t realise you were carrying on?’

  ‘Yeah um … Well …’ James babbled nervously, as he caught an extremely frosty look off Lauren.

  ‘When my eldest got her first boyfriend, I wanted to kill him. By the time you get to the fourth one, you know better than to put up a fight.’

  James grinned, as Vaughn gave him a hug and slapped him on the back. Lauren and Curtis got the same treatment.

  ‘For Christ’s sake,’ Bill grouched, as he took a step towards the elevator. ‘We got everyone in the world eyeballing us here.’

  James felt a touch of sadness as he snatched a final glance at Vaughn, heading into the darkness through a revolving door. He might have been a gun smuggler, but Vaughn Little was one of the nicest guys James had ever met.

  They had two connecting rooms on the fifth floor of the hotel, each with a pair of double beds. Eugene and Bill already had their old-man stuff spread out in one room: bottles of pills, hip flasks, y-fronts and the most unfashionable trainers known to man with grey socks balled up inside them. The connecting door was wedged open and Eugene turned the TV up loud enough that you could have heard it on Mars.

  The kids had checked out the room and were c
hilling on their beds for a while when Bill wandered through.

  ‘Can we go and use the pool?’ James asked, desperate to get out of the room and contact the FBI, in case they hadn’t picked up on the change of lodgings.

  ‘Nah,’ Bill said, scratching his armpit and revealing a glimpse of the holster under his jacket. ‘It’s gone ten o’clock. You boys have been all over the news, so you’re better off staying out of sight. Order food from room service if you’re hungry, then shift yourselves to bed. Eugene’s taking a nap. If he wakes up, tell him I’m down at the bar having a nightcap.’

  Within thirty seconds of Bill heading out the door, Curtis dived off the bed and grabbed a can of beer and a bunch of miniature spirit bottles from the fridge.

  ‘Mini-bar time,’ Curtis grinned, hurling James a little Jack Daniels bottle as he drained his own into his mouth.

  James was wary: the last time Curtis got drunk he ended up getting a life sentence. On the other hand, with Eugene asleep, Bill at the bar and Curtis hitting the bottle, he had a golden opportunity to contact Marvin. It was too risky using the phone in the room, because the call would get itemised on the bill, but he’d seen payphones in the lobby downstairs.

  ‘I know,’ Lauren said excitedly. ‘Why don’t we try and find out where we’re all going tomorrow?’

  ‘Good idea,’ James said, impressed by how smart his sister could be at times. He’d been so focused on making sure the FBI team knew where they were, he’d forgotten that their main objective was to find out where Curtis was going to meet his mother.

  ‘Where are you gonna look?’ Curtis asked.

  James shrugged, but Lauren dived purposefully into the next room, where Eugene was sleeping soundly, and grabbed a snazzy leather document wallet she’d eyed up earlier.

  ‘Bet it’s in here,’ Lauren said.

  James understood her logic: the smart item was out of style with the elderly men’s other possessions. Someone else had clearly handed it to them.

  Lauren unzipped the case on the bed. It contained a brown envelope stashed with a mix of US and Canadian dollars and three fake passports. The first was Brazilian, containing a picture of Curtis under the name Eduardo Santos. There was a computer print-out inside, detailing flights from Boise to Dallas and a connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro.