Numb, despairing, I gazed miserably at the emptying concourse. The only thing I could do was go back to the hotel and see if Jennifer was still there. I had failed at everything – and I was completely on my own.
Suddenly I felt faint and a reddish darkness surged up in front of my eyes while my stomach groaned its hollowness for the second time that morning. I must get something to eat or I’d pass out. Looking up, I saw the welcome sign ‘Buffet’, and dragging myself to my feet I began to walk towards it.
I ordered coffee, eggs, fried bread and sausage and found that I just had enough money. The fry-up was quick in coming and utterly delicious. Eating and drinking without let-up, it was not until my plate was nearly empty that I looked up and uninterestedly surveyed the buffet and its customers.
When I saw that familiar back in the alcove I let out a little bleat of disbelief. Tim was sitting opposite a young girl and they were deep in conversation.
Trance-like, I rose to my feet and walked across to them.
‘Tim – ’
He turned at last and the girl looked up.
‘Colin. What the hell are you doing here?’
‘I could ask you the same question,’ I croaked, grabbing his hand and praying he was real.
I sat down heavily beside him and Tim put his arm round my shoulders. There was a sob in his voice as he said: ‘I thought they’d taken you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, didn’t you know? Jennifer’s missing.’
‘Oh, God!’
‘Where have you been?’
‘Kelly came to the hotel. I thought I could help her.’
‘Kelly?’ He looked at me uncomprehendingly.
‘She said they’d taken you. And they’d swop you for the microfilm and we went to Harlem and got some money and found this vigilante. He said he could help us and we went to the cinema and this fat woman came in and tried to kill me and said Joe – that’s the vigilante – wanted it that way and Kelly tried to stop her and got stabbed and – ’
‘Stop,’ said Tim quietly. ‘Have you lost your marbles?’
‘I’m telling you what happened,’ I said indignantly.
‘Kelly came?’
‘Yes.’
‘She said she was Kelly?’
‘Yes.’
Tim turned to the girl sitting opposite. ‘This is your sister Kelly,’ he said.
Chapter Ten
I stared and went on staring at her, open-mouthed and goldfish-like, until Tim gently prompted me to tell my whole bizarre story again. They both listened without betraying any emotion whatsoever, but when I eventually stumbled to a halt, Tim said, ‘It looks as if her job was to keep you out of the way while they kidnapped Jennifer.’
‘Is that why we went all the way to Harlem, to this man’s home? To borrow money and find the vigilante? It was such a performance. If all she had to do was to keep me out of the way she could have taken me out for a meal or something. Someone tried to kill me in that cinema.’
‘Someone thought you were a danger, certainly.’
‘Do you think Alex would do all this?’ In my heart of hearts I still couldn’t accept that Alex would kill me. Yet how could I really account for what had happened?
Tim shook his head. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t. Yes, he’d kidnap Jennifer to get me, but I don’t see him harming you. His Sandmen are out of control.’
‘Maybe the Sandmen are out to get me, even if Alex isn’t,’ I said gloomily.
‘Well, perhaps because you’re part of me and they think you know what’s going on,’ Tim agreed. ‘Alex pays his Sandmen so well that if he went out of business they would have to turn to less lucrative paymasters.’
‘What does the girl look like?’ asked the girl who I now had to think of as Kelly.
‘Medium height, dark hair, pale, rather tired face.’
‘That could be Margot.’
‘Who is she?’
‘She’s a hustler, that’s all.’
‘But how did she know so much about me? Us?’
‘Because she was my best friend. Was.’
‘She can’t be a Sandman,’ I said disbelievingly. ‘It just doesn’t make sense.’
‘No,’ said Kelly rather scornfully. ‘She hasn’t got what it takes.’
I tried to think of the old Kelly as Margot but failed. I had felt so close to her that now all I could register was a powerful sense of loss.
Tim looked at me anxiously and I tried to respond to him.
‘What have you been doing all night, Tim?’
‘Nailing Alex. And not on microfilm either. I have enough witnesses who are prepared to testify against him now. And all we have to do is to meet someone who is powerful enough to handle their statements. Someone who has backed Laurence and me all the way.’
‘Who is it?’
‘A Congressman. There will be an enquiry and that will be the end of Alex. Or would have been. But now they have Jennifer – ’ His voice tailed off. ‘The initiative has passed back to them,’ he said bitterly. ‘While they thought I was dead I had the advantage; now they know I’m alive and they’ve got Jennifer they’re on top again. Jennifer’s safety is paramount with me, but if I’m killed every one of us will suffer – and Alex will go on – and on.’
‘What shall I do?’ I asked.
‘Stick with us now. I’m not letting you out of my sight.’
‘And the Sandmen?’
‘We just have to run the gauntlet.’
‘I can tell you the identity of at least one Sandman,’ said Kelly slowly.
‘Who?’
‘Joe Deliso – your vigilante.’
‘So she was right. That awful fat woman was right. But how do you know?’
She looked away. ‘I recognised him in the park when he killed Laurence. He was one of the assassins. I’d recognise him anywhere from your description, particularly that birthmark.’
‘How can we get Jennifer back?’ I asked Tim hopelessly.
‘I think I know where she might be. They could have taken her to Coney Island. Alex has a place there – a so-called charity for down and outs. I now realise it’s probably hatched out a good few Sandmen in its time. No one knows his connection with it and I reckon she could be there.’
‘But how could we get her out?’
‘I don’t know. But I do know one thing. There’s no point in telling the police. There’s corruption everywhere, Colin. There are so many people who have a vested interest in keeping Alex where he is. It’s just not worth the risk.’
‘So what are we going to do?’
Tim turned to Kelly. ‘We need help, but not from vigilantes.’
She turned to me and smiled for the first time. But it was a very bleak smile.
‘Looks like we’re on our own,’ she said.
Tim got me some more coffee and as we sat drinking it I tried to come to terms with what had happened. I couldn’t get rid of Kelly’s – Margot’s – face. This other Kelly – the real Kelly – was my sister, but I did not feel the same bond with her that I had felt with Margot. The real Kelly was also dark like Tim and me but she didn’t look tough and scornful. She looked broken, desperate and trusting.
Jennifer. Now that I had Tim back my main concern was Jennifer. The whole business of Alex was beyond me.
‘What will they do to Jennifer?’ I asked.
‘They’ll hold her, use her as a bait. Alex won’t kill her. She’s more useful to him alive.’
‘What do we do next?’
‘We have to go to the Chess Centre in Central Park – where Laurence was shot.’
‘So that was all true.’
Kelly moved her shoulder stiffly. ‘Laurence and I were going to meet with this Congressman to tell him everything we knew. But they got to us before he was ready.’
‘It could happen all over again,’ I said. ‘Why can’t he meet us somewhere else?’
‘He’ll have his own security. Providing we can get to him, we’ll be safe.�
�
‘Tim – ’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m sorry I believed all that crap. Microfilms and hiding places and assignations. I must have been very naive.’
Tim smiled. ‘Even the craziest stories seem real when you’re desperate.’
‘Nothing matters now that we’re together again,’ I said and I knew it didn’t. But still Margot smiled at me in the back of my mind.
It was very hard to get used to the fact that Kelly was not Kelly but Margot and that this new girl, with her tumbling brown hair and sallow face, was my sister – was the real Kelly. Of course I could see now her resemblance to Tim and to me. Tall, with a thin waist and long legs, she wore a battered-looking jerkin and stone-washed jeans with trainers. She looked tired – as tired as I did. As Tim talked I watched her covertly, wondering what she was really like but thinking at the same time about Margot. Was she still in hospital, or had she somehow managed to get back on the streets? Why had she gone to such an elaborate deception? Had it been just to facilitate Jennifer’s kidnap? Or was she also expected to lure me to my death at the hands of the fat woman? Was Alex really capable of offering me a home in New York whilst his Sandmen tried to kill me, because I knew too much? Was he really out of control of his assassins.
‘Are you with me, Colin?’
‘Sorry. I was drifting. So much has happened – ’
‘It’ll be over soon.’ Kelly looked straight into my eyes for the first time. Her gaze swept over me, giving warmth and some comfort. Her own eyes were dark, wary. But at least we were sharing something with Tim, even if it did turn out to be terminal.
‘We’re going to move fast now,’ said Tim. ‘I don’t think we’ve been followed but I’m not sure about you, Colin. So we’re going out the back way. I’m going to check out the street – and then we’re going to run for a bus. We’ll get to Central Park that way. OK?’
I managed to get to my feet. I had never found my body so unwilling, but, conscious of Kelly’s appraising gaze, I found the strength somehow. Maybe she was wondering if I was up to it all. Tim looked grim; the final twist of Jennifer’s disappearance had been a shattering blow, but I could also see how much it had increased his resolution. Suddenly I felt stronger. We had taken on Alex and his empire and we would have to go through with it whatever happened.
The back of the bus was deserted and Kelly sat beside me. Tim opened a newspaper. I wondered if he was hoping we would talk and self-consciously tried to think of something to say. But Kelly beat me to it.
‘It’s very good to be with you at last,’ she whispered. ‘You’ve been the pawn on the chessboard – what with Tim and Margot.’
I found I was trembling and she put a warm, steady-hand on mine.
‘Take it easy.’
‘I’m really trying.’
‘We have to get to know each other. It’ll take time. I’ve been through so much. I know the same goes for you. I started writing it all down when I first got mixed up in all this. I’ll show you some time. But when Laurence got killed, I didn’t write much more.’ She paused and looked out of the window as the bus crawled along. ‘God, how I miss that guy.’ Then she turned back to me. ‘I’ve got a family too, you know. My mother – she used to live with Tim. With your father. Can you believe it?’
I shook my head. I couldn’t, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to either.
‘She sings the blues. Professionally. My grandmother used to look after me until I couldn’t take her bridge parties any longer.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I managed all right,’ she said evasively, ‘until I got this drug problem. That’s when Tim came back into my life. He worked like hell to get me to kick the habit. And I managed. Just. But when he went back to the UK I was sure I’d slip back again – until I met Laurence and it all changed. But we’d only been together for a short time when he realised who my uncle was and started to find things out. It became a way of life to us.’
‘Why don’t you come back with us?’ I could hear Tim fidgeting with his newspaper and knew he was listening to us. And I had surprised myself; in the thick of all this horror I had asked her. I realised then that I must want to know her better – and through her know another side of my father. But she didn’t reply.
It was a radiant October morning and the sun was warm and mellow. What chance did three rank amateurs like us have of trying to topple the most important man in New York? I was amazed by our audacity. What was more I could no longer see Alex as the person I had known; I could only see him as a vague, shadowy figure, pressing buttons and releasing bloody-handed Sandmen.
Tim and Kelly were looking tense now as we walked towards the Chess Centre that was raised up on a pagoda-like structure. As we came nearer I could make out a group of men sitting at one of the stone tables with its built-in chessboard. Another sat at a separate table wearing an astrakhan coat. He had style while the others seemed nondescript.
‘What now?’ I asked.
‘We’ll all go up and see him together,’ said Tim. ‘Try and relax – walk slowly.’
My legs felt so weak as we began to ascend the hill that I had difficulty in putting one in front of the other. I looked at Tim. There was a kind of grim resolution to his stride. I could see the sweat standing out on Kelly’s forehead.
The chess tables stood on a rise and commanded a full view of the small valley that we were in. Opposite was a lodge that was used for lectures and meetings. It was built like a Swiss chalet and had a balcony running round it.
I had never felt more exposed as we finally arrived at the table. The Congressman was short, rather dumpy-looking, with glasses. As we approached him one of the men at the other table looked up – and then away.
Tim’s hands were trembling as he shoved them into his pockets and out again as if he didn’t know what to do with them. Then Kelly took his arm. She was protective, almost managing. The man with glasses looked up. He didn’t smile or show any sign of recognition.
‘Congressman Marques?’
‘Yes?’ he said quietly.
‘I’m Tim Wallace. This is my daughter Kelly, and my son Colin.’
‘You guys look as if you could use some sleep.’ His voice was slightly accented.
Tim pulled out an envelope and put it on the centre of the table. ‘There’s a list in there of people who are prepared to make depositions against my brother.’
For a while Marques said nothing. Then he picked up the envelope, opened it and pulled out the typed list. His eyes flicked down it, big and watery behind his glasses. ‘Can you guarantee they’ll all deliver the goods?’
‘Yes,’ said Tim. He sounded totally confident.
‘We have to thank Laurence Bradley for much of this,’ said Marques, looking at Kelly for the first time.
‘All of it,’ said Tim. ‘I just did the leg-work.’
‘But the leg-work was very dangerous, Mr Wallace.’
‘Something rather more dangerous has happened,’ said Tim, his voice breaking.
Marques put the envelope in his pocket. ‘I know. We’re almost certain that they have your wife. My agent tells me that a woman is being held in a house on Coney Island. She answers the description. I’ve asked him to be here so that you can speak to him,’ Marques turned round to one of the men at the table behind him. ‘Will you bring him over now?’
He nodded, pulled out a walkie-talkie and began to speak into it with a kind of urgent intimacy. Marques turned back to us.
‘We already have the place at Coney Island staked out. But if we could somehow lure your brother there …’ His voice trailed away. ‘It could simplify things.’
‘How?’ asked Kelly, speaking for the first time. Tim was silent; I thought he looked absolutely stunned.
‘If it’s made clear that you would trade this – ’ he tapped his pocket – ‘for her life, then I think Wallace could be persuaded to make a personal appearance.’
‘We have him already,’ said Kelly. ‘
Those testimonies – ’
‘He could still slide out. I want to really put him on the spot.’
Suddenly I realised how much Marques must hate Alex. There was a vicious glitter in his eyes and he exuded an air of excitement. The excitement of the chase. Then I realised something else: maybe Marques was as unscrupulous and uncaring as Alex. I knew what a filthy game politics could be.
‘I don’t want to expose my children to any more danger,’ said Tim at last. ‘I’ll go – and open negotiations.’
‘No,’ said Kelly, and I liked her even more. She was strong and sure.
‘I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, Mr Wallace. I’m sure your brother won’t show up unless the whole family’s there.’
‘Just like the old days,’ I said, hardly realising what I was saying.
‘After all,’ said Marques, ‘he’s always been a family man.’
‘Why should he come?’ asked Tim.
‘Because he doesn’t trust anyone to finish the job. Not even his closest associate.’
‘Who’s that?’ asked Tim but Marques did not reply. Instead he was looking at someone who was walking up the hill. I couldn’t make out who it was at first until I saw the strawberry birthmark.
‘Joe Deliso.’
He stood beside us, his face expressionless.
‘Who the hell is this?’ asked Tim. But Kelly was already on her feet.
‘He’s a Sandman,’ she whispered. ‘He killed Laurence.’
‘Stay where you are,’ said Marques and one of the men at the other table also got to his feet.
But Kelly was walking slowly towards Deliso, her lips moving. ‘You bastard,’ I heard her say.
‘Stay where you are,’ said Marques again.
‘Not now – for God’s sake,’ said Tim. He plunged forward and grabbed Kelly’s arm. For a moment she resisted, then went limp. He led her away from Deliso but she stood, staring at him, the hatred in her eyes so intense that he stepped back as if she had hit him.
‘He’s working for me now,’ said Marques.
‘Since when?’ Kelly’s voice was a tiny, tight band of despair. I noticed she must have bitten her lip for there was a tiny drop of blood running down her chin. Her former self-assurance had drained away, and I knew that I would do anything to help and protect her. Not that she needed anyone as inexperienced as me.
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