by Jack Probyn
‘Louise Etherington. Danny’s girlfriend. Possible sighting of her from the reception desk,’ he said as soon as Bridger connected the call. ‘Heading to seating area one on level two.’
A few seconds later, Jake was there. Although he had no idea where there was in relation to anyone – or anything – else. He just hoped Bridger was nearby. Large sofas and chairs were spread across the seating area, with tables and vending machines dotted around. Stands containing magazines and newspapers were situated at the four corners of the room. It reminded him of the time he’d been in the BA lounge once when he and his family had been upgraded for free. High-end. Lavish. Expensive. An insight into how the other half lived.
As Jake crossed the threshold into the area, he caught sight of Louise. She was wearing a thin blue jumper and a pair of jeans, chewing grotesquely on a piece of gum – Jake could almost hear the sounds of the polyol-coated substance from here. In one hand she twirled her hair around her fingers, and in the other she was holding two large gym bags.
And, best of all, she was alone.
CHAPTER 61
LOUISE ETHERINGTON
‘Bridger…’ Jake said quietly into his handset, holding the bottom of the phone millimetres from his lips.
‘Go on,’ Bridger replied as softly.
‘Confirmed sighting of Louise. Seating area one, floor two. Heading down a corridor towards playroom two now. I’ll approach. Danny must be somewhere nearby. She’s got the bags of money with her.’
‘Understood. I’m on my way now. ETA one minute.’
Jake lowered his arm and kept his phone pressed against his thigh as he continued deeper into the corridor, maintaining twenty feet between him and Louise. At the end of the corridor, she arrived at a junction, stopped, looked overhead and then made her decision: left.
Jake followed, gliding along the carpet as silently as possible. As he arrived at the junction, he crept up to the corner of the wall and peered round. In the short time it had taken him to catch up, she had almost doubled the distance between them.
She was suspicious.
Shit.
He pocketed his mobile – making sure to keep the call connected – and then formed an idea. Immediately opposite him, on the other side of the junction, carrying a handful of suitcases, was a steward and couple. Happy. Bubbly. Possibly on their honeymoon. Possibly on an escape from the mundanity of adult life.
He hurried over to them, flashed his warrant card and grabbed the husband’s backpack. Any protestations were stifled by the ID in his hand and Jake’s finger pressed against his own lips.
‘Stay here,’ he whispered. ‘I only need it for a second.’
He placed the backpack over his front, shielding the police body vest – and the police insignia on the front of it – from view. He didn’t want to give Louise any reason to suspect him. Removing his phone from his pocket, he chased after her. By now she was at the end of the corridor and nearing another expanse of open space. Jake had to move quickly if he was going to catch her.
‘Excuse me,’ he called.
No response.
‘Excuse me!’ His voice carried up and down the brilliantly lit walls. He tried to place as much distress in his voice as possible.
The second cry for help worked. Louise came to an abrupt stop, turned and scowled at him. Jake closed in on her. Ten feet. Five. One. He stopped right in front of her, then paused, feigning exasperation.
‘Do you work here?’ he asked, hugging the backpack against his stomach, spreading the width of it across his body.
‘No.’
‘Oh.’ Jake opened his phone and started to flick through the screens. ‘I was wondering if you could help me? I’m a little bit lost. Would you…’ Jake paused to open his camera roll. ‘Would you be able to help me find someone please?’
‘I told you I don’t work here,’ Louise said, her voice laden with disdain.
Jake continued regardless. ‘I’m looking for someone. I think you know him.’
He found the mugshot of Danny and then flipped the screen over. It didn’t take long for the shock to register on Louise’s face. Her eyes bulged and blood rushed to her cheeks as her mouth fell open and the piece of gum she’d been chewing dropped onto her teeth. It was clear to see from the way her eyes ricocheted between Jake’s and the phone that she was formulating a plan, so when she attempted to execute it and run away, she was too slow for him. He grabbed her arm with the right amount of resistance and pulled her back, fighting against her.
‘Louise, don’t do anything stupid.’ She tried to shove him off, but his grip was too strong. ‘Where is he? Where’s Danny?’
Louise remained silent. She was stronger than he anticipated. She grabbed his arm and dug her inch-long acrylic nails deep into his skin, but Jake ignored the sharp, focused pain that began to swell around his forearm. There was menace in her face, a blazing fire hiding behind the eyes waiting to break free. Jake needed to put it out before it had the chance.
‘Where is he?’
‘Fuck you.’ She spat in his face. The phlegm landed in his eyes and disorientated him. He wiped away the spittle with his free hand and fought every urge in his body to flip her to the ground and restrain her – with a little more force than was acceptable.
‘I don’t appreciate that,’ he said, trying to keep a cool head. ‘It’ll be easier for everyone involved if you tell me where he is. There’s no way out of this. For either of you. Nowhere left to run.’
Louise’s expression remained placid.
‘Don’t make me ask again. Have you let him escape? Are you the decoy so he can run and hide?’ As he said it, Louise’s face changed. Only the smallest of movements, minute, almost imperceptible, but Jake was sure he’d seen it. A flicker of the eyebrow that confirmed an earlier suspicion.
‘No,’ he continued, ‘of course you aren’t. He doesn’t even know you’re gone, does he? You’ve just left him.’ Jake looked down at the bags in front of him and grabbed one. ‘And you’ve taken the money too. His hard-earned money. But you couldn’t have done this without him knowing, could you? You had to wait until he was out of sight and unaware before you took it, didn’t you? So where is he, Louise?’
As Jake finished talking, Bridger arrived, out of breath and flustered. Behind him was a plainclothes officer wearing a similar vest to them, similarly out of breath.
‘She’s taken the money,’ Jake said to Bridger.
‘Where is he?’
‘Alone. He doesn’t know it’s gone missing. But I’ve got an idea where he might be. Wait here,’ he said to Bridger.
As Jake shoved Louise into his colleague’s hand, Bridger pulled him back.
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘You sure?’
‘I can’t let something happen to you on your first day. And I certainly can’t let you take all the credit.’
With a nod, the two of them set off, leaving Louise in their colleague’s custody. Feeling confident and comfortable in Bridger’s presence, Jake started back the way he’d come. He’d seen a men’s bathroom by the seating area. And there were only a couple of places Danny Cipriano could have disappeared to.
As they rounded the corner, they slowed to a walk and entered the seating area. There, standing in front of the door to the men’s bathroom was Danny Cipriano. He was smaller than Jake remembered, and for a moment, Jake just stood there, watching him. How he surveyed the room, his head moving gradually from left to right like a lighthouse. How he wrapped his body tightly with his arms as if he was cold. How he tapped his feet on the floor, waiting for someone. How he looked lost, almost frightened, like a child searching for a missing parent in the supermarket.
And then their eyes locked on one another. It was only a short moment, but it was enough to transport Jake back to Guildford High Street a few hours ago, where everything had seemed to stand still then – time, movement, his breathing, his reactions.
It was funny how cyclical it all was.
CHAPTER 62
DANNY CIPRIANO
Jake was first to move. He followed Danny through a new set of corridors, barging past holidaymakers and weaving his way in and out of bulging suitcases sprawled across the floor. Danny was a few years older than Jake but more physically able. His muscles appeared tauter, stronger, and his legs were thicker, more powerful. It didn’t take long for him to start pulling away and stretching the gap between them.
As they tore through clusters of people, Danny grabbed one of the passengers and pushed them to the ground. Forced to dodge the unsuspecting man, Jake hopped over him and stumbled as he landed awkwardly on the balls of his feet. His momentum carried him forward and he collapsed to the floor, barrel rolling. Landing on his shoulder, Jake clambered to his feet and continued the pursuit.
All thought of Bridger – who was close behind him – left his mind. One goal, one objective, one chance to make it happen. He chased Danny down another corridor and, as he came to the end, saw him climbing a flight of steps.
‘Danny!’ Jake called. ‘Stop where you are!’
Danny ignored him.
The chase continued to the top deck. Jake breached into natural light, the harsh and abrupt adjustment blinding him momentarily, the heat immediately clinging to his throat. The top deck was covered in wooden panels that stretched the length of the boat. Sun loungers, parasols and suitcases lay against the side of the boat, with some of the passengers already roasting their pale skin as they were eager to get their holiday started as soon as possible. To Jake’s left was a swimming pool with two slides at either end. Children were playing in it, using their underwear as swimming costumes. Ahead of him, Danny charged into an elderly couple, knocking the wife to the floor and the husband into the swimming pool.
Jake tore through the crowd once again, screaming, ‘Police! Get out of the way!’
Bystanders panicked and dived to the side, affording Jake a clear path through. At the end of the swimming pool Danny made a sudden right turn and climbed another flight of stairs. He was on the outer top deck, and as Jake ascended the final step, Danny came to a stop. He’d reached a dead end.
There was a group of people clustered around one another. At the sight of them both, the group huddled closer in an attempt to protect themselves.
‘Danny!’ Jake shouted, almost bent double to catch his breath. ‘It’s over.’
The moment he’d said it, Bridger appeared, just as out of breath, just as fatigued.
Ahead of them Danny lunged at the group of people and grabbed the nearest one. A young woman – mid-twenties, Jake assumed. Fair-haired, with a ponytail. Wearing denim shorts and a Harry Potter T-shirt, looking as though she was indubitably excited about her forthcoming holiday.
She screamed as Danny’s hands clasped around her neck. Her arms flailed at his face, but it was no use; he tightened his grip and began to suffocate her in a military position that looked like it had been passed down from father to son.
‘Let her go, Danny,’ Jake yelled, raising his arms in the air in surrender.
The young woman’s screams faded and the air around them switched off, silent. Jake breathed heavily. Beside him, the family whimpered, still huddling together, still protecting each other.
As Jake composed himself, he gradually became aware that the boat was moving. Swaying from side to side. Forward and back. The wave of nausea and vertigo rolling over him until his head swam. ‘Danny,’ he said, blinking the dizziness away. ‘Let her go.’
Danny said nothing.
‘She hasn’t done anything wrong, Danny,’ Jake said. ‘She’s played no part in any of this.’
He remained silent.
‘It’s over. You got what you wanted. Now let her go.’
Danny tightened his grip on the girl’s throat and pointed at him with the other. ‘How do you know what I want?’
Jake considered a moment before responding, otherwise he ran the risk of playing his cards too early.
‘Candice is dead, Danny. The device detonated. It killed her. That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?’
Danny’s hand flinched towards his right pocket, feeling for something, as if searching for a lost memory. ‘That bitch deserved to die! She deserved everything she got!’ Balls of phlegm expelled from his mouth and landed on the wooden deck and the neck of his shirt.
Jake took a step closer, keeping his hands raised, ignoring Bridger behind him. It was just him and Danny now. Jake and the leader of The Crimsons. History repeating itself.
‘You know, I spoke with Freddy earlier—’
‘What?’
‘Have you forgotten him already?’
Danny shook his head frantically. ‘No. No, no, no. What were you doing talking to Freddy?’
‘I was doing my job. I was hoping he’d be able to tell me where you guys were heading.’
‘That stupid fucking prick,’ Danny whispered. ‘She couldn’t even get that right.’
Jake’s eyebrow rose. ‘What are you talking about, Dan?’
‘That bitch, Candice. She told you to speak with him, didn’t she? Didn’t you think that was a bit odd, a bit out of the blue? Jesus Christ.’ Danny shook his head again. ‘She thought you were someone else. And I can’t believe she fell for it. I can’t believe she actually thought you were going to be able to get him out of prison and get him on the boat. She was even dumber than I thought.’
Jake paused, his mind racing. It would take him a moment to process what Danny had told him, but that was time he didn’t have. He needed to put an end to this now.
Clearing his mind of thought, Jake continued. ‘Freddy misses you. Apparently, you’ve never been in touch. He was like a father to you guys, and you couldn’t just forget about him like that, could you? After everything he’d done for the three of you.’
Jake paused, gauging Danny’s expression; the man’s eyes closed briefly, and he avoided Jake’s gaze. Jake wasn’t sure of it, but he was nearly certain he’d seen Danny’s grip loosen on the woman’s throat.
He continued. ‘Do you know what else he told me? He said you were different. All of you. This whole operation. It was unlike anything you’d ever done. He said there was something else going on. A driving force telling you to do it like this. Forcing you into it. “He’s behaving differently. This isn’t the Danny I know” – that’s what he said to me…’ Jake curled his fingers in quotation marks. Every now and then a white lie could be used for good. ‘And do you know what? I think he was right. You were forced into doing something you didn’t want to do, and then you panicked. You were led to believe that causing as much death and destruction was the way forward, that it was the way to cement yourself in the history books. And do you know who’ll get the credit for it? Louise. Not you—’
At the mention of Louise’s name, Danny’s face morphed into a scowl. He pointed at Jake again. As he did so, his sleeve pulled back and revealed a series of cuts and burn marks on his forearm and the back of his hand. Jake marked each piece of evidence of the abuse. ‘It’s OK, mate. She’s gone. She’s not going to hurt you anymore. You won’t ever have to see her again.’
‘Where is she?’ Danny asked, his voice hoarse and weak. It sounded as though he had a catch in it, as though there were floods of tears hiding behind a dam, waiting for a crack to form.
‘She’s been arrested, Dan. She’s with my colleagues now.’
‘I want to see her.’
‘No.’
Danny repositioned the girl closer against his body.
‘I want to see her!’
‘OK, OK,’ Jake said, lifting his hands higher in the air. ‘I can arrange that. I can arrange something. Don’t worry. I’ll let you see her. But only if you let the girl go. Let her get back to her family… and then we can discuss.’
‘What about Luke? Micky?’
This was the part Jake was dreading the most. He didn’t know how volatile Danny’s re
sponse would be. Only one way to find out. Time to play your hand, Jake.
‘Micky’s fine, Dan. He’s with us. He’s safe.’ Jake hesitated, feeling a lump grow in his own throat.
‘And Luke? Please. Luke. Please tell me Luke is OK.’ Danny took a step backward. Jake matched the step, maintaining the distance between them.
Then Jake fell silent, pursed his lips and shook his head slowly. ‘I’m sorry, Dan. They died together. The device killed Candice. And… Luke was shot by armed officers. He tried to protect her.’
Danny choked as he absorbed what Jake had told him. Then he moaned, his voice filled with pain and hurt and raw emotion. Jake felt an odd sense of sympathy towards the older brother encompass him, despite everything the man had done.
‘No,’ Danny babbled, his mouth filling with saliva. He sniffed hard, fighting to keep the tears at bay. ‘No… No. No, it can’t— I don’t believe— You’re lying!’ Danny spat as he enunciated the words.
‘I wish I was,’ Jake replied, reaching for his pocket slowly. ‘But I’m not. I really wish I was.’
‘How do I know I can believe you?’
‘Because you can.’
‘Prove it to me!’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I said prove it! Prove it to me now!’
Jake’s hand lowered into his pocket and grabbed his phone.
‘What are you doing?’ Danny shouted as Jake began to remove the device.
‘Just doing as you asked,’ Jake replied. He loaded the graphic photo he’d taken of Luke and Candice’s mangled remains and waved the phone in the air. ‘This is your proof, Danny.’
‘Give it to me,’ Danny called out.
Reluctantly, Jake prepared himself to launch the phone across the deck. He swung his arm and released, the device soaring through the air. Danny tried to catch it with his free hand, but it bounced off it and fell to the floor.
Danny bent down to pick it up, pulling the girl down with him. As he stared into the image, his eyes widened, his grip loosened on the girl and his hand moved to his mouth; the young woman wasted no time in executing her escape, and rushed towards her family. Once she was with them, the group sprinted away from the deck to safety, where they were greeted by a group of plainclothes officers.