Tim Heath Thriller Boxset

by Tim Heath

  Ted drove into the hotel car park and around the back quickly, having already briefed his team of guys with the details of the operation. They were a team of highly skilled men, and it was clear that the fewer shots needed, the better, too much firepower would mean the inside of the lift would take longer to repair. But they could all hit a target as small as a postage stamp from fifty metres which is why they were so highly paid for what they did, always available for such a time as this, kept from knowing much about their target apart from the lie that he was a threat to national security. They all worked under the pretence that they were in some form of Secret Service unit.

  Ted walked them through the back door, having already obtained the key from their contact at the front desk. His team went towards a service lift pushing their laundry trolley loaded with weapons while Ted himself went to check on the front desk, confirming all was okay and again reiterating to the young man sitting there that it was top secret. Ted reminded him that it was crucial that he told them as soon as their target was entering the lift. And when the little alarm sounded on the desk to indicate that the lift had stopped, he was to check the camera and confirm to Ted straightaway that it was indeed the same person inside. Ted told the wide-eyed young man that they would then take things from there. There was no need to say to him what it meant to ‘take things from there’ as that would only complicate matters later.

  Ted then rejoined his team, and they went up in the lift together, laundry trolley in front of them, not the usual looking housekeeping team but to any passing guest they would just about pass off as such. But they got to the top floor without anyone else seeing them, and they quickly pulled off their blue overalls that had acted as their cover and reached into the trolley pulling a bag of weapons out. Once the bag was opened, they each selected their own gun, checking it and looking it over as their training had taught them.

  Downstairs on the front desk, the young guy Ted had just spoken to, called Michael, sat there frozen with an excited fear. He watched each guest as much as possible, desperate not to make a mistake but also wanting to remain calm, looking normal, not giving anything away. His telephone rang which he had to answer, but all the time he was looking at the entrance checking for the special arrival.

  An elderly couple was walking out, moving slowly across the hallway arm in arm. Michael recognised them, as they were very regular customers, and he wondered what they’d make of it all if they knew what was about to happen. He knew very little himself but knew it was important, some MI5 or MI6 thing he could only guess.

  As the elderly couple got to the door, an approaching guest opened it for them and let them out. Michael sat up in his chair, but quickly realised it was a woman, who came in purposefully, smiled at him and walked on towards the lifts on the left-hand side. He followed her a little with his eyes as she was the kind of woman that catches the eye, but turned back to the door as another person approached, and he could feel his heart racing. The guy matched the general description he’d been given, wearing a dark navy blue sweater and black hat, the addition of the hat a little strange though a wind had been building up all day outside. The guy came in, studying the main board to the right which listed the floors and the floor plans, before making his way towards the lifts.

  Michael kept his head low and let him pass. A few moments later he heard the lift doors open and then shut again. He paused for a second, almost frozen with a kind of terror mixed with excitement before coming around and calling Ted as instructed, alerting him to the situation.

  On the top floor, the team had already noticed the lift’s ascent and were standing ready. One man had opened the control box, which was situated on the wall by the stairwell that stood next to the two lifts. The other two men were stationed just in front of the right-hand lift, the one that was now ascending, guns trained in on the doors, ready to open fire as soon as their other team member opened the doors.

  The lift was now on the floor just below them and having been alerted by Michael on the desk that it was their man, they braced themselves. Just before the lift reached their level, Thomas, the guy standing by the control box, hit the switch that stopped the lift so that it stayed suspended just behind the thick metal lift doors.

  Thomas came away from the control box and picked up a metal bar that they’d need to prise open the doors once the confirmation came through. The two other guys raised their weapons, one man holding it down by his waist to be able to spray the compartment if needed, the other using a German-made handgun that he had raised to eye level to make the kill as quickly as possible. Ted stood waiting in the shadows.

  At the reception desk, Michael heard the small alarm signalling that one of the lifts had stopped. Everything was quiet in the lobby, and he calmly went over to the monitor to check the lift’s ceiling camera, which showed that same hat, with the shoulders visible wearing the navy blue sweater that he’d seen the guy walk in wearing. The occupant was apparently starting to feel distressed, now moving around a little. Michael reached for the telephone and called Ted.

  “It’s him,” he confirmed, and the line went dead.

  Ted cut the feed from the camera to the desk so that what happened would remain unknown. Thomas picked up the metal bar in one hand, gun in the other, and pushed it between the two doors. With one final check that everyone was ready, he pulled back hard on the bar so that the doors slid open quite easily, and the only sound that could be heard on the silenced weapons was the sound of the chambers emptying as a quick burst from each of them crashed into their target. The body fell, several rounds hitting into the metalwork at the back of the lift making an eerie thud in the process.

  They stopped shooting and stood up, the body lying on the floor of the lift with a small pool of blood starting to appear from underneath.

  Having had the confirmation back from Brendan about the meeting later that day, Robert, with Katie in tow, had spent a productive morning doing some last research as well as looking into the possibility of a trip to Switzerland. Any such trip, however, still posed a problem as, thanks to Nigel, he was an international terrorist, and this would be one of the things that he would need to discuss with Brendan later when he had the chance. They then had a long lunch together, Robert remaining sketchy about the details of the meeting as in his own mind he hadn’t yet worked out what to do with Katie. Eventually, he decided that they were in this together now, and her company with him might help things move along, but there wasn’t the need to go into significant detail with her yet as that could come later if needed.

  There was so much he was starting to like about her, so many little mannerisms that were so attractive to him. Her company and friendship had been a real breath of fresh air, and he liked not being alone anymore and somehow hoped that this would remain the case, not knowing how she felt about him, beyond their obvious physical attraction. It was a quarter to two, and they’d parked up at the restaurant not too far away from the hotel that they were going to meet Brendan in, so decided to walk. Robert stopped by the car, leaving his jacket in there but reaching for his hat, as he was still a little cautious of the city’s CCTV network, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention his way.

  As they walked, the wind started to pick up a little, and there was a sense of autumn on its way, the last days of summer drifting away. He’d told Katie about the meeting and that he wanted her there too, that Brendan was going to be able to help them and it would be excellent for her to meet him.

  They got to the front of the hotel, which loomed high in the clear blue sky in front of them, a little before two, the walk taking much less time than Robert had thought. She wanted to go to the toilet, so Katie went on in, opening the door for an elderly couple as they made their way out, before she went in.

  A couple of moments later Robert walked in also, wanting to take a look at the hotel’s layout first, on the large wall chart that hung in the lobby area. It seemed quiet, with one guy sitting behind the reception desk, a slightly strange look o
n his face. He wasn't overly bothered by Robert’s presence there, so Robert gently made his way past the counter and towards the lift, out of sight from the receptionist now, just as Katie was emerging from the toilet, arms folded in front of her, trying to get warm.

  “That walk, it’s got me all chilled!” she said.

  “Look, put this on,” Robert said, pulling off his sweater and then picking up his hat from the floor that he’d knocked off. “And you might as well have this on as well,” he laughed. “It’ll look much better on you than it did on me!”

  She grinned as he placed the hat gently on her head and it did indeed look good. He put his other mobile phone in her hand.

  “I’m going to take the stairs up. You take the lift. Call me if you see anything strange.”

  “What do you mean? It’s all okay isn’t it?”

  “Don’t worry, and I’m just being careful. It’s me they were after not you and besides you just look like a normal hotel guest. They wouldn’t suspect anything different. I just need to be extra sure. Get in, and I’ll see you up there in a moment.”

  The lift door stood open having been called by Robert a few moments ago, and she stepped in and stood by the side mirror, straightening the hat, somewhat enjoying the way it felt and looked. The doors closed and she pressed the button for the top floor, the lift now starting to rise.

  As she neared the top, the lift suddenly stopped, a little more roughly than it would if it had got to the floor, and as the doors didn’t open straightaway, Katie got a little worried. She called Robert on the phone. He had been running up the stairs but was still two floors down, and he paused to answer it.

  She was pacing around a little as she spoke. Robert was reassuring her.

  “Hold on,” she said, “I think someone is opening the doors.”

  Robert listened and was horrified to hear the pounding that came from the handset, the clear sound of the phone dropping, a body falling and the noise of metal on metal, his trained ears already aware that silenced weapons had been fired at close range. He knew she was dead; she wouldn’t have had a chance.

  He started bounding down the stairs, three at a time, so fast that he nearly fell on the second floor but just managed to stay standing and continued to run down. It was supposed to be him, he knew that, and yet he’d been saved by Katie's death. Brendan had tricked him or had been found out. Tears were running down Robert's face as he climbed out through a window in the men’s toilet that led to a back alley behind the hotel. Robert carried on running as fast as possible, no longer safe, the woman he had grown to love now gone, shot down having done nothing wrong, a victim of mistaken identity. It could have all been over, so easily, and that would have meant everything had been for nothing, and yet to have lost her now seemed worse than had he died himself.

  He made it back to his car and drove off at speed, going nowhere but knowing anywhere would do, somewhere that wasn’t there.

  Coming away from the control box next to the lift, Thomas reached in through the open doors, alarmed at the apparent long hair now visible and turned over Katie. There was a shocked silence as each man turned to Ted.

  “God, what a mess!”

  He ordered everyone to action, getting them to clean up and make everything as it had been. Katie's body was put into a body bag, and this was lowered into their trolley for disposal later. The broken mobile phone on the floor of the lift told Ted all he needed to know. He ordered his guys to sweep the hotel but deep down knew that their man was long gone, having no doubt heard the whole thing on the telephone.

  The lady had obviously got herself somehow involved in things, and though she wasn’t who they wanted to hit, and therefore an innocent victim, these things happened, they reassured themselves as they made a quick exit. The lift had been left in a better state than before, leaving no clue as to what had taken place.

  Ted made the awkward call to Brendan, who while alarmed and angry at first, then calmed somewhat. Deep inside, something in him was happy that Robert had survived, and while it unsettled his situation, it was now a chase again and not an easy target. It also meant that the truth was still out there, that something could yet change. The fact that if Nigel were destroyed, he would lose his family, no longer seemed the most important thing. Life looked like some toy to him now, entirely outside of his control. Only people such as Nigel and maybe Robert could do what they wanted, both with the knowledge and benefit of hindsight.

  Brendan would have to report things to Nigel if he didn’t already know, but that could wait. His life seemed to be on a different level now. Nothing felt new anymore because clearly, it had already happened once before.

  Brendan drove back to the office an unhappy man, not just because things had gone wrong, far more than that, but life as he knew it just had no worth anymore. Brendan thought about what he had done. He had turned so quickly on Robert. However, Brendan would not waste time and dwell on the betrayal because it would make him feel worse than he already did.

  26

  Nigel’s team of trackers had recorded the call from Ted to Brendan, which confirmed the afternoon’s mess up. The recording had been passed on as always to Nigel, who sat there and listened to it twice through.

  He’d picked up something in Brendan’s response, apparently angry at the time, but seemingly putting on a performance for Nigel as if knowing he would be listening, but then he’d changed. It was as if Brendan didn’t care that the operation had failed and yet that seemed strange for a guy that would lose everything he loved because of it.

  Nigel called Brendan at the office thirty minutes later, sounding off and only reiterating the same threats and realities he’d done before, and while Brendan made the same noises as before, Nigel feared that Brendan’s heart was no longer in it, as if he’d given up, lost all hope. That thought, from someone so well connected and so vital to his empire, greatly concerned Nigel.

  Nigel spent the rest of the evening thinking things through, pacing up and down his long, well-appointed living-room, seeking inspiration, any solution that didn’t mean leaving all his estate behind but he’d known the reality straight away. His life there had been compromised, and there was no way that he could stay while Robert was still at large. Nigel never wanted to believe that such an eventuality would ever take place, but he had made arrangements should the worst arise. His plan had always been there, the means available, to make a swift exit, probably to somewhere in Europe. He had homes in France, Italy and Spain but it was the one in Germany that he was thinking about now, remote and isolated, because if he were to leave England in such a way, he’d have to take the Door with him, and that would be no easy task.

  But the time had come, he was now sure. Nigel made the calls needed to implement the plan of action and arrangements were well under way, his employees only wanting to impress him and show him their efficiency which, after all, was why they were paid so extravagantly.

  Getting the Door out would take some thinking, and he spent the rest of the night working that one out, sleeping eventually fully dressed just after four.

  Robert had slept very little in the car, tucked away in a small lay-by just off the North Circular in a run-down part of London. He was awoken by a large truck pulling in, and he sat up quickly and checked his watch. It was just before seven and the sun was yet to rise, though there were dark rain clouds visible towards the horizon which no doubt hinted they were on their way.

  Robert had awoken several times in the night, nightmares swamping him. Images of Katie had been flashing around, and then Brendan would quickly fill his thinking.

  He was determined that he wasn’t going to dwell on the loss of Katie, wasn’t going to admit the feelings he had for her. She was now merely just another victim of Nigel’s war, just another innocent person whose life ended early because of one man’s greed. He wouldn’t allow himself to think how much better off Katie was because of his involvement, rescuing her from a brutal and no doubt abusive marriage. It was foolish th
inking, and besides, he told himself that nothing good could come from Nigel’s crimes. The fact that she had ended up dead only proved the point that whatever benefit to life she may have received, it was short lived.

  Robert stretched in his seat before turning the ignition and pulling away, not wanting to spend any more time in the city than he needed, though there were still a few things he wanted to check out before he left. He didn’t even know where he would go afterwards.

  An hour later he sat outside the building of the Department of Information, almost at the spot where it had all started for him. The doors were still closed as it was before opening time, but that was perfect as it would allow him to see who would open up. It would be better if it weren’t Jessica, he’d realised, as she would no doubt report his presence straight away to Brendan.

  Ten minutes later Robert was pleased to see a man opening up and then going inside, doing the usual. About five minutes later he came back to the door and unlocked it, indicating that it was now open to the public.

  Robert wasted no time and was across the road in a moment and up the steps, entering the door as the guy was sitting at his desk, nodding to him warmly as Robert passed him and carried straight on to one of the many terminals that were there.

  What the Department of Information offered, that a general internet search didn’t, was a whole host of general information gained from public records that were openly available if you knew where to look. It also helped Robert understand what was new, what was changing and who was behind such a change. He also wanted to cross-reference his theories on Austin Wentworth, and it was quickly confirmed that Switzerland was his likely destination, and he even had a village listed, not far from the western side of Lake Geneva, in the mountains overlooking the lake.

  Having lost the help of Brendan, Robert knew he still needed someone on the inside. He looked up all he could about Jessica and Tommy, especially researching everything surrounding her father’s death and was alarmed to read about the account of his suicide as covered by local and a few national papers at the time. What he needed was some clues as to what had changed. Robert had previously only been too aware that her father had been very prominent in her previous life and therefore his death now could only have been the result of Nigel’s actions, and while there were no clues yet to say there was any foul play, Robert could smell a rat. Everything in him hoped that he could find something that would turn Jessica, and therefore, he hoped, get Tommy on side and willing to help.