Maltese Steel

by Stuart Field

His job was to exchange the drive that held the new software.

  Or was it?

  What if he was supposed to get caught swapping them over?

  Calver turned and walked out of the main door.

  He was in trouble, and there was only one thing to do. Find this friend of Foster’s and tell him everything, or else he was a dead man.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  It was almost eight o’clock when the old Land Rover drove past the town of Borg Gharib. The Triq Borg Gharib took them on the outskirts of the town and but through it – which Steel was thankful for. The last thing he needed was more hold-ups. He looked at the map on his tablet to try and get his bearings. Making sure he was, in fact, heading in the right direction. The map was in the satellite setting, so he could see the buildings and surrounding area. It also informed him of places of interest, restaurants, gas stations, even a quad hire place. The map automatically changed the scale to a zoomed-in view so he could see his driving route better. That when he realised that south of the town was Mgarr harbour where they had arrived the evening before.

  The Land Rover was now heading East on the Triq ll Kuncizzjoni Road. The town and ferry port behind them.

  The sun was still rising, warming the air, and there was a crisp morning breeze blowing in from the ocean. It wouldn’t last. By midday, the sun would be high above the island, and according to the weather, it would be a beautiful day.

  For Steel, that meant damned hot and uncomfortable.

  The Triq ll Kuncizzjoni road took them through open scenery. Steel fought his way through the narrow streets of Qala, the town bursting with bars and restaurants. He tried to avoid tour buses, taxis and the general population. Steel had noticed that all the houses on Gozo and Malta were of similar style. As if some law insisted they had to be built that way to preserve the aesthetic. They left the town still heading east. They past more open ground, fields, and stone walls.

  It had all become quite generic.

  Steel came to a T-junction, a tall pillar with a stone cross on it formed an exciting roundabout.

  ‘You been here before?’ Steel asked. Stan squinted as he peered through the windscreen and shook his head.

  ‘Nope, sorry, not seen this place before, I normally stuck to the normal touristy spots.’ Steel nodded. It was feasible the cabby had never been here before, but his response had been a bit too quick for Steel’s liking. Steel put it down to Stan’s hangover, which he well deserved.

  Steel checked the online map on his tablet and turned right, south. He followed the road with his finger until he reached his location. Luckily this stretch of road was quiet for the moment, giving him time to plot his course.

  Steel drove on while Stan slept off his condition. Steel took note of a cemetery they had just driven passed which back onto open fields and farmland.

  The scenery was breathtaking. The only annoyance, however, was Stan snoring loudly on the back seat.

  The day was getting hot and stifling. The old truck had no airconditioning, only windows. Steel was beginning to wish he had rented the BMW or at least something that wasn’t from the last century – or saw action in the second world war.

  As they passed the cemetery Steel saw the ocean to the right ahead. With sharp turn the road began to snake downwards towards the bay, only stone walls would prevent a crash into a field. In places, the driving was made more difficult by parked, possibly abandoned, cars.

  The view grew more spectacular with the suns warm glow of the ocean, large yachts glinted reflecting the sun’s rays off their polished skins. All Steel wanted to do was park up and take in the view.

  To do nothing just – gaze out and enjoy the moment.

  Stan snorted and coughed on the back seat, then there was silence. Steel was beginning to hope that was the cabbie’s final breath. Then Stan started snoring again like a bull elephant in pain. Sleeping off his over-indulgence the night before.

  Steel was beginning to wonder why he had thought he needed the man in the first place – so far he’d done nothing. He was useless as a guide, he had done none of the driving, all he had done was drink and complain. But there was something about Stan, something that made his gut twinge. What was that saying? ‘Keep your friends close, but dodgy bastards closer.’ Or at least that was Steel’s interpretation.

  Steel glanced over at a set of tall ancient-looking stones on top of a hillside. He figured nobody would find Stan’s body there for a while, the birds, animals and bugs would make short work of him.

  Steel smiled, shaking off the idea as he drove on, taking in what little view the drive would allow him. Soon they were on the open road and heading East. There were plenty of smaller roads, but he did not have time to turn back if they failed him. Steel stuck with the main roads and the map from his tablet.

  Each bend tested Steel’s metal, as well as the vehicle’s brakes. In the distance, Steel could see the deep blue of the ocean was getting closer.

  They were nearly there.

  Hondoq Bay was made up of a concrete jetty, a lengthy parking area, and a café with wooden booths.

  There were adverts for ice creams and beer and food items, all readily available over the counter. Giant umbrellas displayed beer company logos and offered shade to the people in the booths. There was a beach area nearby and a couple of old disused buildings, possibly from the British involvement on the island.

  Steel into a parking area near a café with a view. The car park was full of cars and boats. Across from the cafe was an old building that looked as if it had been a school long ago, a large steel mashed fence surrounded it – to keep out curious eyes.

  Steel parked up next to a red VW camper and turned off the engine. He sat for a moment, took off the lid of his water bottle and took a mouthful. Steel swilled the liquid around inside his mouth like mouthwash – trying to rehydrate his dry mouth then swallowed the water.

  He finished the rest of the bottle, tossed the empty bottle behind him, striking Stan gently on the forehead. Stan just snorted and brushed his nose with his hand as if a fly had landed on it. Steel smiled and shook his head in disbelief.

  Picking up his cell phone, Steel began to search for the video Lucy had made. He was hoping this would lead to something, and he wasn’t wrong about this place – about the island, and it turned out to be just a big waste of time.

  As the video started, Steel stepped out of the car, his gaze switched between the home movie and the view before him; hoping to match the two images. Steel swung around and looked back at the road they had driven down.

  Steel looked at the image on the screen once more and closed one eye. Hoping the restricted view would help. He looked back at the landscape before him, it was the right landscape, but the angle was wrong – and so was the surrounding area. The screen's image hadn’t been taken in the parking area. There were too much foliage and rocks. The parking area was as virtually flat.

  Steel moved back up the road and tried again. He raised the cell phone and viewed the image both on the screen and the landscape. He looked around at the nearby untouched patches of land. The ground was full of loose stones and jagged rocks, knee-high bushes and cactus, there were old stone walls, there were buildings in the background – and the parking lot was in the distance, not directly in front of them.

  Lucy had stood in a field next to a cliff face and not in a concrete parking lot.

  He was in the wrong place.

  Steel froze the image on the phone that held the small island in the backdrop, and noted vital points; the contours rose and fell at specific locations, the ancient watchtower in the distance. Steel moved away from the car, passed the old building and on to a narrow road. Excited, Steel rushed forwards, the feeling he was close to something spurring him on.

  The two images began to come together.

  He stopped and compared the two views, but something was wrong. Steel had the correct area, but it had been shot from some sort of field. Steel ran the video for more clues to the locati
on.

  Suddenly he hit pause.

  He noted the unique features of the senary on the screen. There was a road below and an old limestone wall to the left. Steel turned to look up the hill and smiled.

  ‘Oh, there you are,’ he said, spotting the limestone boundary wall. Quickly, Steel made his way up the rough terrain, orienteering the image of the phone to where he was. Stopping only to move the phone around until the two views matched.

  ‘OK,’ Steel said. ‘This is the spot.’ He started to look around, searching the area for the reason why this video had been so dangerous that Brad had to hide it.

  Steel had to admit that it was a fantastic view. But, found nothing worth killing the kid or anyone else over. He replayed the video and watched intently for anything that stood out. He was about to give in when something caught his eye. It was a Zodiac – an inflatable craft used by the special forces.

  Steel cursed himself for not noticing it before.

  Steel had been too busy concentrating on the location at not what was on the ocean. He’d probably seen the boat but hadn’t registered what it was. Because all he could see was Brad posing and the surrounding area – the sea had only come into view a couple of times. So, Steel had discounted it.

  Steel re-played the clip but enhanced the picture. The boat was moving fast and had several passengers aboard – all of whom were wearing black. Steel tired to enhance the image to get a better look at the men but the picture just got more pixellated as he zoomed in. Definitely not good enough to make faces.

  Steel followed their route until they went off-screen. He pressed the screen which created a viewing bar, a quick way of rewinding or fast-forwarding to the clip's point. He moved the highlighted dot to the left. The images moved quickly, making it almost comical to watch.

  Then he let the button go and rewatched the scene again.

  He did this several times.

  Rewinding and watching.

  Rewinding and watching.

  He wasn’t interested in the craft, or the people in it. But he was interested in which direction they had come from, and more importantly, where they were going.

  Steel checked the footage once more and followed the course of the boat. Plotting the movement of the vessel in relation to where he was standing. Steel moved down, along a dirt track and towards where the craft had disappeared in the footage. He followed the small path down until he came to a hidden jetty.

  Steel placed the cell back into his pocket before making his way down to the wharf. He wanted to check for any indication that a craft had been there recently.

  As he walked down, Steel figured that this was mostly used by people with large yachts, sending their small boats to shore to get supplies.

  Steel saw families sunbathing nearby. It was a great spot if you wanted to get away from the bustle of a regular beach, quiet and secluded.

  The jetty was a simple construction, a length of concrete with rusty-steel tie-off points. In fact, there wasn’t anything that struck Steel as being out of the ordinary. Steel looked back at the people basking in the hot sun. If these men had landed here, someone would have noticed. A Zodiac isn’t exactly a tiny craft at fifteen feet long. Seven men would stand out considering what they were all wearing black jeans and jackets. The seventh man would naturally have taken the boat back after dropping the others off.

  Steel watched the footage again, this time taking in every detail. The sky in the film was overcast, with dark, angry clouds and violent crashing waves. Birds fought to glide against the coming wind. Steel noticed that the wind was picking up judging by Brad’s hair and jacket being blown to the side.

  The storm was coming.

  Steel watched the film twice over, just to be sure he hadn’t missed anything this time. He was still mad at himself for being so unprofessional. Usually, he would have seen every detail. He would have been able to tell someone how many birds were flying and the registration numbers of all the vehicles. No detail had ever escaped him before – but there was just something nagging at him.

  Was it because of Foster or Lucy?

  He did not know. But something was making him slip up – and it ended now.

  Steel switched off the video, tucked the phone away, and headed back to the parking lot. Steel made his way to the bar. If someone had arrived, that night Steel was hoping the people there might have seen something. Steel walked in and was greeted by a man behind the counter.

  ‘Hi there,’ said the man. He was a small round man in his late fifties.

  ‘Hi, nice place you got here,’ Steel said, looking around.

  ‘It pays the rent.’

  ‘I’m looking for some people that may have arrived on a boat. Sunday afternoon, there was about six of them, all wearing black,’ Steel said.

  The man thought for a moment with he polished a glass. ‘Yeah, I remember, odd-looking bunch. All dressed the same carrying grip bags, thought they were army at first,’ the man said. Steel nodded towards the coffee machine and pulled out thirty euros from his pocket. ‘and two bottles of water, please.’

  ‘Did they meet up with anyone?’ Steel asked as the man poured the coffee into a carryout cup.

  ‘Yeah, they were picked up by an SUV, big black Mitsubishi, didn’t see the driver though,’ the man said. He passed steel his coffee and the bottles of cold water. Steel waved off the offer of change, so the guy slipped the cash into the till.

  ‘Have you seen any other men like that arriving?’ Steel asked, before taking a sip of the coffee.

  ‘Yeah, a couple of weeks before that. Six more arrived, we all thought it was a training exercise or something, we get soldiers and navy around here from time to time,’ the man explained.

  Steel nodded. He went to leave but stopped suddenly and turned. ‘Are there any farms or buildings nearby that have been up for sale or rent recently?’ Steel asked.

  ‘Couldn’t say, but there are plenty of old disused farms near Qala, could try there,’ the man said. Steel raised the cup in thanks. The man nodded.

  Steel walked out to the parking lot and took out his phone and used the internet to look t properties close by. He was looking for a farm or an area with plenty of buildings to use for storage. Preferably something that had been disused for a while and now had occupants. Steel’s search came up with a few options, but only one was close by. Steel pulled out his tablet and used the navigation system to plot a route to the property, then used the software to zoom in. It looked like the place he was looking for. A place he might use if he was using it as a base of operations.

  Steel looked up at the sound of an approaching vehicle. He recognised it as Kane’s Outlander. As the car came to a stop, Samara got out. She looked stunning with the sun reflecting off her skin and hair, but she looked sad and a touch angry.

  ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ Steel asked.

  ‘It’s… It’s your friend. Foster. There was an explosion at the embassy…’ Samara’s tone was sombre.

  ‘Any casualties?’ Steel asked.

  ‘We don’t know how many so far, reports are still coming in.’

  ‘And Foster?’ Steel asked. Samara looked at the ground as if she wasn’t able to look Stell in the eye.

  ‘I… I don’t know, I am still waiting for confirmation. But reports say it was Foster’s vehicle that had exploded…. I’m so sorry, Steel,’ she said. As she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in his sunglasses.

  ‘Why are you, sorry?’ Steel said. His tone full of anger, but his expression was neutral and cold.

  ‘Because we were meant to be watching him, you told me to look after him. Instead, we came here to warn you about Calver,’ she said.

  Steel shook his head. His expression was like stone.

  ‘It’s not your fault Samara, there was no way you could have prevented it. It happened at the embassy, you can’t get in there. So there was no way you could have done anything.’ Steel said reassuringly. Samara nodded, she knew Steel was right, but it did not
stop her feeling like she had failed somehow. ‘But we know one thing,’ Steel said.

  ‘What’s that?’ Samara asked.

  ‘It was someone at the embassy itself, maybe even this Calver bloke.’

  ‘It does make some sense. But Calver was never the type to do such things. He was a fixer – or rather – tech support, but never a killer.’ Sammara said.

  They walked towards the driver’s side of Steel’s hire car. ‘What now?’ Samara asked.

  ‘Well, I need to find out what happened to six men who arrived here on the day Lucy was killed. Meanwhile, you try and find out what happened to Foster and also, find what your friend Calver is doing here,’ Steel said, opening his door and leaning on the frame. ‘Oh, and see what you can find out about this new software that goes live tomorrow, Foster did mention something about it last time we spoke,’ Steel said.

  Samara nodded, she was going to enjoy in digging up Calver’s dirty little secrets.

  ‘You think it could be linked with what happened to Foster?’ Samara asked, watching Steel climb into his vehicle. She could see he was the sort of man that when they showed no emotion, they were at a dangerous level. Samara knew people like that. But none scared her as much as what Steel had at that moment. Samara almost pitied the people responsible for this mess – nearly, but not enough.

  ‘At this point Samara, anything is possible, I don’t really know. Look, see what this Calver bloke has to do with any of this. Tear his life apart, dig up every little secret. If he does know something I want you to squeeze it out of him,’ Steel said. Samara nodded.

  As Steel started the engine, they stared at each other for a moment in silence.

  Steel smiled at Samara, and she returned it. He slapped the gear shift into first and sped off up the road towards Qala.

  Samara watched Steel drive away. He was the sort of man that when showing no emotion, was at his most dangerous. Samara knew several people like that. But none scared her as much as Steel did at that moment. Samara almost pitied the people responsible for this mess – nearly, but not enough to stop Steel. She climbed into the driver’s side of her car, and Kane turned to her and smiled.