by Seth Patrick
‘Why are you interested in Tess? Why now, but not before?’
‘We were always interested, Jonah. Tess was the reason you lived a normal life since Reese-Farthing. If she emerged from hiding convinced that Andreas was dead, she would have contacted you. If you had no reason to fear, then she would have felt free to return into the open. That was the hope. Really, you and your friends were harmless, nothing but a useful lure. And you could be harmless again if you cooperate. He won’t hurt her, I promise. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt.’
Jonah looked at the glistening shadow on Heggarty’s shoulder. ‘Tell that to Mary Connart. Tell that to the people Torrance killed.’
Heggarty shook his head. ‘Torrance was a murderer, simple as that. This bond is a blessing. Torrance accepted the gift and he abused it. Don’t be in any doubt: the impulse he acted on came from within the man, nowhere else.’ Heggarty looked at his own shoulder; the darkness there seemed to preen for a moment. ‘Of course, we suspected that someone was . . . misbehaving. There were other cases your friends Crenner and Johnson hadn’t dug up yet. Only a matter of time. Had we known it was Torrance, he would have been dealt with much sooner. We were closing in on him. His days as a killer were already numbered.’
‘I wouldn’t have thought being in a prison cell would be much of a hindrance.’
Heggarty laughed. ‘You hadn’t heard? Torrance died from his wounds. Tragic. Isn’t that right, Jake?’
‘Well,’ said Agent Piras from behind Jonah, ‘that’s the official story.’
‘We may have made certain of it, I admit,’ said Heggarty. ‘Much easier that way. The only other option would have been to break the bond of sacrament, which would have left him a husk of a man. The Lord is merciful.’ He looked at Jonah, darkly. ‘Your presence was noted, by the way. Your detective friends covered for you, but Torrance told us you were there. Before he . . . died. I’ll ask one last time, Jonah. Where is Tess?’
‘I told you I haven’t heard from her.’
Heggarty nodded. ‘I believe you. I do. But we have to be sure. I’d like you to meet someone who can help you convince us.’
Jonah didn’t like the way Heggarty put an emphasis on convince. ‘And if I decline?’
‘Once we’re satisfied you’ve told us the truth about Tess, you’ll be taken to the new Baseline facility. To help with research. If you come quietly, your friends will be left alone.’
Jonah noted that Heggarty had simply ignored his question; declining wasn’t an option, of course. ‘To help with research? What kind of help can I be to a man like Andreas?’
Heggarty shook his head. ‘Not for me to say.’ He smiled, malice in his eyes. ‘Perhaps you can make the coffee. Whatever role you have, I’m assured you’ll be treated well. Eventually you’ll be released. If you cooperate.’
The thing on Heggarty’s shoulder pulsated slowly, shifting position a little. Heggarty reached across and stroked it.
Jonah looked away, suddenly queasy. Play along, he thought. Look like you’re willing to listen, like you believe what he’s telling you. Hope that their guard goes down long enough for you to be able to run, because running is the only option left.
A phone started to ring, a jaunty piece of terrible elevator music. Heggarty raised his eyes to the ceiling.
‘Default fucking ring tones,’ he muttered. ‘Piras, remind me to change the damn thing sometime, OK?’
‘Always do, sir,’ said Piras.
Heggarty raised the phone and frowned. ‘Yes?’ he said. ‘What? Now?’ His frown deepened. ‘We’d agreed that while in the area we could use this room unimpeded. This is a sensitive investigation, requiring total independence.’ He listened, and the frown became a scowl. ‘Very well,’ he said, then hung up. ‘Piras, stay here. I have to see Ferrara. I have some appeasement to make.’ He looked at Jonah. ‘Ferrara is the Special Agent in Charge here. She doesn’t trust us out-of-towners, especially since we won’t tell her exactly what we’re up to. You sit tight, and give your options some consideration.’
Options, Jonah thought, seeing the mockery on Heggarty’s face. Sure.
The creature on Heggarty’s shoulder was pulsating again, more rapidly than before, like it was breathless. He left the room.
Piras stayed by the door.
Jonah stood slowly and turned, looking Piras over again. The agent’s shadow was a squat, limp thing in comparison to Heggarty’s. ‘I need the toilet,’ Jonah lied.
‘Sit in your fucking seat or I’ll tie a knot in your fucking prick,’ said Piras.
Jonah sat back down. Well, at least he knew how things were.
*
The clock on the wall had ticked through an hour of slow minutes by the time the door opened again. By then Jonah had gone over every scenario he could think of for getting away. Trying to get help from others in the building was risky, without having a good idea who Heggarty’s confederates were. They would have to transport him, though, taking him out into public areas. Making a break from whatever vehicle they would use seemed like his best chance. Whatever he did, success depended on an element of surprise, on them believing he was going without resistance.
And on them not handcuffing him.
And on them not being armed.
He wished he could go back a few days to when the worst of his problems had been heartbreak. He hoped by now Annabel and Never had at least seen his message and realized that the balloon had gone up. He prayed that they would have the good sense to run.
But as the door opened, he heard a voice that meant his prayer hadn’t been answered.
28
‘That’s the lad,’ said Never Geary.
Jonah turned to see Never enter the room; Bob Crenner came in behind him with a middle-aged woman Jonah hadn’t seen before. Heggarty followed, the scowl on his face a permanent feature now.
Seeing Never, Jonah smiled, but said nothing.
‘Jonah,’ said Bob. ‘I hope you’ve not been mistreated. This is Special Agent in Charge Kim Ferrara. The moment Never called me, I called her.’
Special Agent Ferrara nodded. ‘Detective Crenner explained the situation. Special Agent Heggarty, I have to say I’m disappointed. Such petty reprisal is beneath this organization. You can be damn sure I’ll be reporting this.’
‘Petty reprisal?’ said Jonah, puzzled. He could see the same puzzlement on the face of Agent Piras.
‘Yes,’ said Ferrara. ‘Because you assisted these detectives, Special Agent Heggarty lost out on taking credit for an important case. He was close to tracking down a murderer called Blake Torrance, apparently. That’s what this harassment is about.’
‘I can assure you,’ said Heggarty, teeth gritted, ‘this is not a trivial matter. As I explained to you, we believe that Mr Miller’s life is at risk. He is simply in our protective custody, and—’
‘Enough, Heggarty,’ said Ferrara.
‘I have my orders, ma’am,’ Heggarty growled.
Ferrara glared at him. ‘Orders you won’t clarify. Details you won’t provide. One telephone call from your Section Chief doesn’t give you carte blanche, Agent. I outrank you, and right now my opinion is all that matters. Go sit outside my office. Both of you. We’ll see what your people back west have to say.’
Heggarty stood his ground, his eyes not leaving Ferrara’s. Jonah could see the shadow on his shoulder squirm, the deep-rooted fingers shifting, as if they were yearning to leave Heggarty’s flesh and wrap themselves around Ferrara’s throat.
But Heggarty wasn’t Torrance, of course. He had more control than that. ‘Yes, ma’am. We’ll see what they have to say.’ He walked out of the door, Piras in tow. There were other agents waiting in the corridor, clearly there to escort them to Ferrara’s office.
Jonah breathed out, long and loud, then caught the expressions on the three faces around him. None were smiling.
‘I’ll hold them here for as long as I can,’ said Ferrara. ‘But Bob, if there’s any chance they’ll get whatev
er sanction they need, you should go. Now.’
Bob nodded. ‘Thanks, Kim,’ he said. ‘I owe you.’
She shook her head. ‘My pleasure. I didn’t like Heggarty the moment I met him. It felt good to catch him out. He thinks he can do what he likes, but something about him . . . something doesn’t feel right.’ She looked at Jonah.
Jonah said nothing.
*
Bob, Jonah and Never hurried to Bob’s car and got on the road as fast as they could.
‘Thank you,’ said Jonah. ‘Both of you.’
‘I should’ve seen your message sooner,’ said Never, apology in his voice. ‘I called around to see who had leverage here. Bob was the one who came through. He told me to sit tight.’
‘I got in my car and drove,’ said Bob. ‘As soon as Never called me to say you’d been taken to the FBI field office, I knew it had to be linked to Torrance. I’ve known Kim Ferrara for thirty years. She’s one of my wife’s best friends, field agent in Washington until she got promoted.’
‘Did you tell her about Torrance?’ said Jonah. ‘About the shadow I’d seen on his shoulder? About it attacking us?’
‘I rang Kim to see if she knew anything about you being detained,’ said Bob. ‘I told her a little about Torrance, yes, but all I said was it was creepy, and had FBI involvement. Heggarty was her first thought. Said he’d shown up two weeks ago wanting to use their facilities for a time, not giving much detail. But, as she just told you, there’d been something about him she’d not liked right away.’ Bob pulled over suddenly and looked at Jonah. ‘Was he like Torrance? Was he one of the others Torrance mentioned?’
Jonah nodded.
‘Jesus,’ said Bob. ‘I told Kim something dubious was happening and she said she’d do whatever she could. Thank God someone had noticed you being brought in. Kim’s impression was that Heggarty had taken a dislike to you after the Torrance case, blaming you for treading on their toes, stealing their thunder, so they wanted to harass you.’ He started to drive again. ‘She knew damn well something else was going on, though, but hell, even I don’t know what that really is, and he –’ Bob nodded to Never – ‘he wouldn’t tell me anything else, just that you need to get away.’
‘Damn right,’ said Never. ‘The less you know, the better. Really. You need deniability. You’re just a friend, helping out some pals. Who’ve, uh, gone mad.’
‘I wish you’d let me do more,’ said Bob. ‘You need money?’
‘No,’ said Never. ‘We just need to get off the map. A friend’s lending me his car, he left it for me over in Wyndham. If you could drop us off there, Bob, that’d be great. If anyone asks you where we went, don’t worry about telling them where you left us. We’ll be long gone. Then . . . forget about all this.’
‘Easier said than done,’ said Bob. ‘I saw what was with Torrance, remember? I heard him say there were others, and now one of them shows up in the FBI. They could be everywhere, planning Christ knows what. Exactly what the hell do I do with that knowledge?’
‘Nothing,’ said Jonah. ‘Absolutely nothing. Don’t call attention to yourself any more than you already have, Bob. What’s the status of Mary Connart’s case? Torrance’s alibi means her murder can’t be officially pinned to him.’
‘The FBI furnished us with details of an accomplice,’ said Bob. ‘Conveniently enough, the accomplice committed suicide soon after Torrance’s death. Case closed, as long as you’re willing to overlook all the inconsistencies.’
‘So overlook them,’ said Jonah.
‘How can I?’ said Bob. ‘If those things are commonplace . . .’
‘They’re not,’ lied Jonah. ‘Trust me.’
Bob’s phone rang. He pulled over to the side just before the I-295 junction to take the call. Everything he said was brief: How. Where. When. Even so, Jonah could hear the tone in his voice change as he spoke, see his face go grey. From the front seat, Never turned his head to Jonah, wary. Bob ended the call.
‘What?’ asked Never.
‘Ray,’ said Bob, keying a number on the phone. ‘It was about Ray. That was a local cop, they said. Seems . . . some kind of incident out near Lake Anna. I don’t know what the hell he was doing out there. He was supposed to be home letting his wounds heal, decorating his fucking house.’ He put the phone to his ear and listened for a moment. ‘His phone’s going to voicemail,’ he said.
Jonah and Never shared a look. Bob Crenner’s voice was shaky.
‘What’s happened, Bob?’ asked Never.
‘They said he’d been shot.’ Bob started to drive again, and fast. ‘They said he’d been killed.’
29
Bob drove, his face dark and focused. ‘When we get there,’ he said, ‘take my car and go on. Understand? If you need to run, then run.’
There was no need for discussion, Jonah knew; Ray was the priority. They would do as Bob said, take his car and go on alone. But only when they knew what had happened to Ray.
By now they were driving along a country road, forest either side. Jonah thought they must be five or ten minutes from the location Bob had been given.
At the sound of a ringtone, Never pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. ‘Shit,’ he said, passing his phone to Jonah. ‘I was supposed to call Annabel the moment we got you out of there. I’d already told her what was happening.’
Jonah took the phone, feeling an unwelcome sense of nerves that, given everything else that was going on, had no damn right being there.
‘Never?’ she said as he answered.
‘It’s me,’ said Jonah.
There was a pause. He heard Annabel breath out. There was such intense relief in the sound that Jonah felt suddenly dizzy. It was the thought of how scared she’d been, making him realize again how deep a hole he’d just been dug out of. And how much she still cared for him.
‘Jonah,’ she said. It was all she seemed able to manage for a moment.
‘Bob and Never got me out. I’m OK.’
‘Did the people who took you say anything?’ Her voice was uneven, shaky. He supposed his own must sound the same.
He kept his voice low, not wanting Bob to overhear. ‘They claimed Andreas is looking to carve out some kind of Utopia rather than blow it all to hell. That he wants to get his disciples positioned and take over. It was plainly bullshit, but I think his followers believe it. And I know why they left us alone all this time.’
‘Why?’
‘They want Tess. We were a trap. If anything had happened to us, she would’ve been scared off, losing them their only lead.’
‘Why do they want her?’
‘He didn’t give anything away.’
‘Jonah,’ she said, ‘you need to get as far as possible from there as fast as you can. You understand me? You and Never need to split up. I’m leaving too, right now.’ She paused. ‘We’ll be safer on our own.’
He heard the phrase and closed his eyes. He knew it summed up the way she’d already been thinking about their relationship, and it hurt. It hurt, because that was exactly how he’d felt since the age of fourteen, since his mother had died. The pain of loss, making you curl up, hide from people. Hide from letting yourself be dependent on them.
It had taken him over a decade to finally let himself fall in love, and the woman he’d fallen for had the same damn problem.
We’ll be safer on our own.
But now, the truth of it was undeniable.
‘I know,’ he said. The admission hurt. ‘Look, something else has happened here, Annabel. Something serious, but as soon as we can run we’ll be gone. We have to – hang on a second.’
Ahead, a police cruiser was slung across the lane, a solitary cop standing in front of it. On the left side of the forest road, Jonah saw a smaller road at right angles to it, a black van moving slowly down it towards them. The cop raised his hand and Bob stopped the car, lowering his window, but the cop went around to Never’s side and waited for Never to lower his. It struck Jonah as odd, but he didn’t give i
t any more thought.
‘Crenner?’ asked the cop.
‘Yes,’ said Bob, killing the engine.
‘OK. Wait there a moment.’ Another car pulled up behind Bob’s, a family, rowdy kids laughing in the back. The officer waved it past then looked along the road in both directions. ‘Give me a minute, fellas. I just need to check something.’
The cop stood a little back from the car, Bob and Never watching him.
‘What’s the deal?’ asked Never.
Bob shook his head. In the distance, Jonah could see the car that had passed them vanish over the crest of a low hill.
‘You still there?’ Jonah asked Annabel.
‘Of course.’
‘I couldn’t talk for a moment. I have to – look, we might not see each other for a long time.’ If at all, he thought.
‘I know.’
‘I still love you, Annabel Harker.’
She didn’t reply for a few seconds. To Jonah it seemed like forever.
‘I love you too, Jonah,’ she said.
And then he heard the sound of an engine revved high, screaming with power, closing in. No time to think, for any of them: all they could do was turn to their left and see the black van accelerate over the five-car distance it still had to travel. Then the vehicle smashed into them.
30
Jonah came to. He could hear Annabel’s voice from somewhere distant: Never’s phone, lost in the car. She called his name, halting and scared. Then she hung up. Jonah understood she must have been calling out since the moment she heard the impact. Run, he thought. Run, Annabel, and don’t look back.
He knew he’d blacked out but had no idea how long for. It couldn’t have been more than moments: airbag powder filled the air around him. He tried to move, his back and side shrieking at the attempt. Something deep was torn, but he checked himself over quickly. Battered but intact.
He looked around and despaired. Bob was slumped forwards and to his right. He wasn’t moving at all. Jonah couldn’t see much of him, but anything he could see was wet with blood.