Either Side of Midnight

by Tori de Clare

  ‘Shh.’ Dan’s voice again. She could picture him standing in the doorway listening with the attention of a predator on the hunt, scanning the length of the murky garden. She wasn’t safe where she was. If Dan took a few paces and turned the corner, she’d be in full view. At the same time, she was too afraid to move or breathe loudly.

  ‘Probably an animal.’ Naomi’s voice, low. Dead Naomi?

  ‘Stay here,’ she heard Dan say in a hushed tone.

  She knew she had to move, no choice. As noiselessly as possible, she made her way to the front of the house and ran for the cover of a horse chestnut tree, which was on the house side of the stone wall. Every panicked step to the tree, she expected Dan to pierce the night air with a yell. She made it a couple of seconds before Dan, brandishing a torch from his mobile phone, came into view. Lorie ducked behind the tree and crouched amongst a mass of spikey conkers, short of breath. Her palms were clammy.

  Suddenly aware that Dan might call again, she scrambled to switch off her phone. Lorie couldn’t move. She daren’t even peep. The rough bark of the tree scratched her back. She closed her eyes. All Dan had to do was discover her here and it would be over. All he had to do was climb the grass verge to see her parked car. Months of planning would be obliterated.

  Maybe it was too late already. The unthinkable had happened. Dan had betrayed Nathan and spared Naomi, making Dan the enemy. Lorie had to reach safety. She had to reach Nathan. Had Dan spilled to the police? Would they be waiting outside her flat when she drove home? Logic told her that the fact that Dan was in hiding with Naomi meant that the secret was still intact. Dan wouldn’t risk going public.

  Lorie covered her head with both hands and ordered herself to stop thinking. One thing at a time – she had to get away without Dan knowing what she’d discovered. She had to wait until the small circle of light that was being flashed around the grass to her left, had disappeared.

  She sat there long after the light had stopped searching the grass. Eventually on liquid limbs, she stood. The wall was a few paces away up a small incline. She ran for it and threw herself over as quickly as she could. There was a small grass mound on the other side, which met with the road. Head low, Lorie ran in the direction of her car. The comfort of reaching it was all she wanted now. Though the lane was badly lit, she could see the dark outline of the rear of the car not far away.

  Lorie pulled her keys from her pocket as she stumbled along. She fired up her phone, waited for a signal and redialled Nathan’s number. It rang once, twice, three times, four.

  ‘Come on, come on, pick up,’ she hissed as she neared the safety of her Mini.

  26

  THE BIG DAY

  It was the first Saturday in September and was pleasantly warm, more so than it had been all August. The beautiful blush in the morning sky that announced the rising sun dimmed Dan’s mood. The atrocities that would be committed today didn’t deserve a glorious prelude of colour or a fanfare of birdsong. Dan hadn’t slept all night and hadn’t wanted to. Afraid to shut his eyes and find in the next instant that hours had evaporated into nothing but nightmares, he’d lay in the dark stillness through the creeping minutes, feeling the pulse of passing time so consciously, he’d slowed it down.

  Dan tried to reckon the number of hours he’d slept that week and could find less than fifteen. It had been seven days since he’d discovered that Lorie and Nathan had been hatching a plan. They weren’t just plotting to devastate the life of Naomi Hamilton, they were planning to end it and rob her parents of a small fortune. Dan had overheard a phone call from his room. Nathan had the gruff-voiced guy on the other end of the receiver, on loudspeaker. The guy was telling Nathan, as casually as if he was explaining how he’d fix the washing machine, how he planned to take Naomi out and how no one would ever either find her or look for her.

  Nathan and Lorie’s job was to fake her death somewhere far away, a week later. Providing Lorie could make it out of the country posing as Naomi, no one foresaw a problem. Handing over Henry Hamilton’s car and playing a part in the murder of his daughter, plus coughing up the thirty thousand pounds he still owed in gambling debts, would ensure Nathan’s freedom from a group of criminals who’d held him hostage for too long. Neither side wanted to see or hear from the other again. If Nathan delivered everything he’d promised, after the wedding, all was square.

  Dan had sat paralysed in his room, listening. Faking an accident? Murder? Nathan was many things, but not a killer. He waited until the call ended then came out from his hiding place. Lorie was on the sofa, Nathan pacing the room. Dan erupted in his quietest voice, even though he knew that the couple who lived next door were away on holiday.

  ‘Murder?’ he hissed at Nathan. ‘Are you out of your mind?’

  ‘Mate,’ Nathan said, striding towards him, clasping Dan’s shoulder close to his neck, ‘it’s going to work.’

  ‘Take her money if you must, but don’t take her life,’ Dan tried to reason.

  ‘Hey, I’m no murderer, you know that. No one will ever pin it on us. That’s why we’re hiring someone else.’

  Dan was speechless for a few moments. ‘Are you missing the point here?’ Dan’s voice was rising. ‘Planning to divorce her was bad enough.’

  Nathan smiled apologetically. ‘Yeah, two problems. Lorie didn’t want me sleeping with her first, plus I thought it’d be better if Solomon had some insurance that I can be airtight once we part company. I’m making a fresh start, Danny. I thought you’d be pleased. No more gambling, no more debt. It’s a new life, with a sacrifice, granted, but –’

  ‘A human sacrifice, Nathan. Just because you’re not killing her yourself doesn’t mean you’re not responsible. You intend to fake her death and go public? You’re perverting the course of justice. You’re stealing a ton of money. You’re committing murder by proxy. You’re insane, both of you.’

  ‘I’m telling you, we can pull it off,’ Lorie chipped in, casually. ‘No problem.’

  Nathan nodded in agreement.

  Dan turned from Lorie in disgust. He refused to even look at her. ‘I don’t care if you can or can’t, this is wrong,’ Dan said.

  ‘Right and wrong isn’t black and white.’ Nathan’s tone had a threatening edge. ‘Solomon’s taken over my life with a game of poker. Is that right?’

  ‘You knew the risk. You took it. You lost.’

  ‘And now I’m taking my life back.’ He paused. ‘And there’s a job vacancy for you.’

  Dan stared at him incredulously. ‘What the hell are you talking about now?’

  ‘We need a digger to assist Carter.’

  ‘Digger? Who’s Carter?’

  ‘Damien Carter. Solomon’s right hand man. He’ll arrive at the cemetery with Naomi the night of the wedding and the grave will have to be open and ready. For practical reasons, she’ll need to walk to the grave herself and be killed there. Someone will need to seal it once she’s in, and ensure they’re not seen.’

  ‘What grave?’

  ‘Irrelevant. There are always funerals on Fridays. We need a full grave, one that won’t need to be reopened. Carter will have his ear to the ground, if you’ll pardon the pun. A cemetery is the perfect place for a dead body, so I’m told.’

  Lorie laughed. ‘Genius.’

  Dan glared at her, then Nathan. ‘You really think I’m going to get involved?’

  ‘You know what’s going down so you’re already involved.’

  ‘And you expect me to turn a blind eye?’

  ‘I know you won’t, which is why I’m bringing you in. Nothing major. You’ll just be a small player on the peripheries.’

  Dan shook his head in disbelief. He was feeling queasy. ‘Leave me out of this.’

  ‘You’re overreacting,’ Nathan said, ‘which makes you a liability. If you don’t agree to come on board, Dan, I might have to force the issue.’

  Dan’s mouth had dried and was gluing together. ‘Meaning?’

  ‘If I tell Solomon you’re in the kno
w, he’ll want to cover his tracks, which isn’t a happy position.’

  ‘Don’t tell him.’

  ‘Don’t make me tell him.’

  Dan couldn’t speak at first. Nathan allowed the silence. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

  ‘I’m saying come in from the cold and join the circle. It’s warmer. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of Vincent Solomon.’

  ‘I don’t want to get on any side of him, Nathan.’

  Nathan ignored him and carried on. ‘And don’t imagine you can tip the police or the Hamiltons off either. I’m telling you now, the safest thing you can do is play a small part. Then we’re all happy. We divide the money. Life moves on.’

  Dan’s tongue had lost its purpose. His mouth was open. All he could do was pant at intervals. Eventually, he said, ‘You set me up. You wanted me to hear that call. You’re trying to dirty my hands in a mess that’s all yours. I’ve got a career. I save lives. I’ve only ever tried to help you, Nathan, and this is what you do?’

  Lorie was looking at her nails. Nathan was looking into Dan’s eyes without flinching. ‘Sign up.’

  ‘Screw you,’ Dan said, hurling a final look at his brother. He stormed into his room and heavily slammed the door.

  ‘That went better than expected,’ Dan heard Nathan say to Lorie.

  Seconds later, Nathan opened the door, propped up the doorframe and spoke softly and infuriatingly reasonably. ‘I’m going to give you twenty-four hours to get your head together, bro. Don’t think about doing anything stupid. You’re way out of your depth. Any wrong move puts lives in danger. Remember what you’re about.’

  Nathan closed the door. Dan stared at it blankly. And sitting idle is handing a death sentence to Naomi Hamilton.

  <><><>

  Dan spent the first twelve hours lying on top of his bed in a misty rage. Sleep never approached. His hands shook with fury. Betrayal – a black and filthy word. His head couldn’t absorb the fact that Nathan was prepared to drag him through the mire by blackmail. Like oil on water, it clogged and swamped his mind making rational thought impossible.

  By the end of twenty-four hours, loyalty for Nathan having died, he’d reviewed every legal and moral avenue and had come up with only one solution: he could not allow Naomi Hamilton to be murdered. Beyond that, he had a sketchy plan which didn’t involve the police or properly consider the future. He knew from what Nathan had told him over months, that one wrong move could have devastating results. Crossing members of this group caused ‘accidents’. They were men of action without conscience. Nathan deserved to go to prison for his stupidity, but he didn’t deserve to die. Dan had reached a point of resignation. He would put himself on the line to try and stop them from mindlessly killing.

  Six days before the wedding, Nathan came back to him for a decision, as if there was a choice. Dan had done a shift at the hospital and was exhausted with the lack of sleep. He lay flat on his bed, one arm draped across his forehead, not wanting Nathan anywhere near him.

  ‘I’m sorry it’s turned out this way, bro,’ Nathan said, almost sounding sincere, perching on the end of Dan’s bed with a can of lager in his hand. They were alone in the flat. Dan felt something close to hatred, but suppressed it. ‘I didn’t want to drag you in, but it had to be done. I promise after the wedding, it will be over.’

  Dan shot him a look. ‘What do you want me to do? Thank you? Tell you everything’s going to work out fine?’

  ‘No,’ Nathan said slowly, ‘but I have to deliver. Don’t let me down.’ Dan kept quiet. ‘It will be worth your while financially. Plus I’ll pay you the five grand I owe.’

  ‘I’m not in it for money.’

  Nathan shifted on the bed. ‘So you’re in?’

  Dan was looking down, drawing lines on his bed cover. ‘On my terms, not yours. I’m not doing any digging or stealing or sealing of graves. I’ll collect Naomi and deliver her to the cemetery. Then I’m leaving. I’m not hanging around to witness a killing.’

  Nathan stood up, too excited to sit. ‘Someone will need to bring the rings back to the hotel for Lorie. Then that’s it, I swear.’

  ‘Fine. But that’s all I’m doing. Take it or leave it.’

  ‘I knew you’d see sense.’

  Unbelievable! ‘If anything goes wrong, you won’t see me for dust, Nathe. It’s going to be your problem if it hits the fan.’

  Nathan grinned. ‘Nothing will go wrong. Naomi will want her necklace. I’m going to make sure it stays in the car. You’ll be standing by in a balaclava waiting for her to come back for it. I’ll text you when she’s on her way down. The car won’t be in view of any security cameras. You’ll tell me if the car park isn’t clear and I’ll delay her somehow. You’ll take her to the cemetery. Agreed? Lorie will be with you until Naomi has gone, then she’ll come back inside the hotel with me. No one will know she’s not my wife. Simple.’

  ‘Simple,’ Dan echoed, sarcastically. ‘Now get out and leave me alone. I’ve been working all day. I need to sleep.’

  ‘Do me a favour, Dan,’ Nathan said, enjoying himself now. Dan glared at him as if to say what now? ‘Before you leave her at the cemetery, show her your face. Introduce yourself and tell me about her reaction.’

  ‘What? What the hell for?’

  ‘Humour me. I think about stuff like that.’

  Dan glared at Nathan a moment while his stomach churned relentlessly. ‘You can go now.’

  ‘Think about it.’ Nathan happily left the room and Dan lay back and – with sleep not remotely on the horizon – reviewed his skeletal plan for the hundredth time. Naomi would never reach the cemetery. He’d snatch her from the hotel and take her somewhere secluded until he could work out what to do next. Once Nathan realised she hadn’t been delivered, he’d abandon his plan to travel with Lorie and call Dan. Nathan would be livid, but Dan would negotiate her return her on conditions of a divorce and not a death. The Rolls-Royce would be stolen as planned. The crew would get their prize. They’d be satisfied. Dan would have to turn a blind eye to that. Nathan would already have the Hamiltons’ money in the bank. Naomi would think that Nathan was the hero and that she’d been kidnapped and returned for a ransom. She’d never know Nathan was responsible. Loosely, that was Dan’s counter plan. He went online and started looking at lonely cottages and ways of detaining her so she couldn’t possibly escape.

  <><><>

  Two days before the wedding, Dan had booked emergency time off work built on a sob story, and had helped himself to a few packaged needles and enough anaesthetic to knock Naomi out for days. He’d found a cottage in the Lake District that ticked the boxes. From the pictures, it even looked like it had old-fashioned internal doors with keyholes. He’d booked it for two weeks. He’d had to buy some wrist restraints from a revolting joint with obscure windows, and be served by a woman who had more body piercings than teeth. He modified his purchase with extra long chains so Naomi could reach the bathroom. He bought a few essentials for her, hardly daring to believe she’d ever reach the stage of actually needing and using them. He’d bought a bolt for the bedroom door, just in case. He’d hidden everything inside the spare wheel of his car having filled up with petrol and checked the tyres; he withdrew as much money as he had.

  Dan was beginning to hope that things were going to work when one comment from Nathan sent his plan into orbit. It was Thursday evening. Dan was making a show of reading a medical magazine while Nathan watched Top Gear and ate Ben and Jerry’s ice cream with a small spoon straight from the tub, and swigged a bottle of beer. He was in a fantastic mood. The Hamiltons had finally handed over the long-awaited cheque.

  ‘Carter is going to follow you to the cemetery just to watch your back,’ he said without averting his gaze from the TV. ‘Another guy will be at the grave.’

  Dan was crumbling inside and trying hard to muster the ability to speak. He looked up casually from behind his magazine. Nathan didn’t meet his eyes. ‘I don’t need an escort, thank y
ou,’ he managed.

  ‘Whether you need one or not, Carter insists on shadowing you.’

  Every part of Dan’s airtight plan was deflating. ‘He can get stuffed.’

  ‘Even stuffed, he’d find a way to make sure you deliver. They’re professionals, Dan. Standard procedure. Deal with it, don’t fight it.’

  Dan found he couldn’t reply, not now his tongue felt thick and useless. Deal with it? He was a junior doctor. His only experience with ‘professionals’ were with medical people who extended and enhanced lives. He stared through his magazine, focus beyond it, words a meaningless black blur. Nathan, taking his silence as agreement, stood up and changed the subject.

  ‘Good news. I’ve got a best man, my mate Dave from Bury. Let’s hope Camilla doesn’t recognise him. And I’ve finally told Mum and Dad I’m getting married,’ Nathan said. ‘I didn’t want it to be a shock to them when it all kicks off. It’s bound to make the headlines unless the Queen hands the throne to Charlie.’

  ‘What did they say?’ Dan managed. He could feel the blood draining from his head and wondered if he’d pass out. The room was losing colour and clarity. There was a shortage of oxygen too.

  ‘What can they do from the States? It’s worked out perfectly. They think the wedding has been thrown together in a rush. I told them we’d have a reception when they get back so they can meet Naomi. Mum’s too distracted with Gran to fight a battle.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Dan said, attempting to sound vague, struggling to remain conscious. ‘When this is over, return her ring.’

  ‘What do you take me for?’ Nathan said, with mock sincerity. He did Dan the favour of standing, hurling his spoon into the sink from several metres away, and announcing he was packing some clothes. He turned on his way to the bedroom. ‘Oh, and by the way, slight change of plan. I’ve told the pro we’ve hired that you’ll pull the trigger.’