by Jack Probyn
She had her hand back.
She was free.
Using the forefinger and middle finger on her free hand, she slotted one of the pins into the cuffs and twisted, rotated, fumbling with them both. After a few more seconds, the pin slid inside the lock and the cuff on her right hand snapped open. She brought her hands to her front and rubbed where the cuff had been, the sensation and blood rapidly returned to her wrist. She repeated the same for the other hand as much as she could and, once again, tried to shake the collar bomb free, yanking it from her neck, pulling it from side to side, then apart like it was a stretchy toy. But it wouldn’t budge. Her efforts were futile.
She screamed again. But this time she stopped almost as soon as she’d begun. She was acting erratically. Illogically. If she could get out of the handcuffs, then she could get out of the collar bomb. There was no point detonating the device and decapitating herself and removing whatever opportunity she had at saving herself, no matter how small it was.
She was going to save herself.
She was going to save herself, even if nobody else would.
And she had just had the perfect idea of how to go about it.
| EPISODE 5 |
CHAPTER FIVE
PENDULUM
The old man was called Dennis. He was in his seventies and had been widowed for nearly three decades. After his wife died, Dennis had decided he would never date again. He thought it was a betrayal to his wife, whom he had spent more than half his life with. They were soulmates, and anyone new who entered his life would constantly remind him of the past. It wasn’t fair on him, his wife, or the new person.
Luke and Dennis had been talking non-stop since they’d started the journey towards Southampton, and the further they travelled, the more Luke was warming to the old man. He reminded him of the grandfather he’d only met once or twice after the man had realised that the three of them existed. And Luke hoped that, when he got out of the car in Southampton, Dennis would just drive away and not ask any questions. That he would get himself out of the area before Luke bumped into Danny. There was the prevalent risk that their paths would cross, and there was no knowing how Danny would react.
Danny was a different man today. And Luke distrusted his volatility.
They entered Southampton city centre from the east, crossing the Itchen toll bridge, and continuing past Queen’s Park at the south of the city. A few seconds later, they approached the Mayflower Roundabout. In the distance, Luke spotted the yellow and blue of an IKEA logo. He instructed Dennis to continue straight on at the roundabout and slip into the IKEA car park. It was multi-storey, and Luke and Danny had agreed via text message to meet on the fourth floor. As Dennis pulled the car to a stop, Luke exhaled, reached for his wallet and handed Dennis a twenty.
‘For the car park,’ he said, before he opened the bag by his feet and produced a wad of notes. The smell of old money wafted to his nostrils. ‘And this is for your troubles.’
Dennis shook his head, swatting Luke’s hand away with his. ‘I don’t want it. Keep it. I have no need for it… you might.’
A smile crept over Luke’s face. ‘It’s OK, I’ve got enough. I want you to have it. Maybe you can treat yourself to something nice. That holiday you were talking about.’
‘You’re going to need it, wherever you’re going. Please…’
Luke smiled and was about to say something when he noticed Danny standing with his back pressed against a wall. His head was low, and a hat was pulled over his eyes.
Luke opened the door, grabbed his things and stepped out.
‘You’ll be OK, won’t you?’ Dennis asked as Luke prepared to close the door.
‘I’ll be the best I’ve ever been,’ Luke replied. ‘Trust me.’
Dennis extended his hand. Luke reached and shook it. The old man’s grip was fierce, a lifetime of manual labour and hard practical work hidden behind the muscles.
‘I’ll never forget you,’ Luke said.
Dennis grinned. ‘Likewise.’
With that, Luke shut the door gently, waved goodbye to Dennis and hurried over to Danny. His body surged with excitement. Luke didn’t know what it was, but as soon as he locked eyes with Danny, he felt safe, he felt at home. As though the events of the past few hours hadn’t happened. As though his older brother wasn’t responsible for their mother’s inevitable death. As though Danny hadn’t shot and killed an innocent shop worker. Danny was the one in charge of the entire operation, and he had made it to Southampton without any issues. So maybe there was a method to his madness? There was only one way to find out.
‘About fucking time,’ Danny said.
Luke ignored him and embraced Danny’s muscular body. When Danny reciprocated the hug, Luke eased into his brother’s arms and felt the tension in his shoulders dissipate.
‘Stop it,’ Danny said, throwing Luke off. ‘Making us look like a bunch of poofs. What took you so long?’
‘I’m here, aren’t I?’
Together they started off, heading down four flights of steps. The air inside the stairwell was cold and it was a welcome change from the stifling heat of the car park.
‘Were you followed?’ Danny asked as they descended the steps.
‘No,’ Luke said with assurance.
‘Sure?’
‘Do you trust me?’
They reached the bottom of the stairs and breached into the car park’s entrance, at the base of the IKEA centre. A queue of traffic had formed by the ticket barriers, and car engines purred as they waited idly for the car in front to move. A wall of heat clapped him round the face, and he inhaled a large quantity of warm air that made him cough gently. And as they stepped out of the car park, Luke shielded his eyes from the blinding sunlight.
‘Here,’ Danny said, placing a pair of sunglasses on Luke’s head. ‘While I was waiting, I bought these for you. Help keep your ugly mug away from the CCTV.’
‘Our mugshots need updating. Yours is from that time with Richard.’
‘Richard who?’
‘Richard Maddison.’
‘I don’t even want to think about that guy.’ Danny slapped Luke on the back jovially. ‘Come on, we’ve got a boat to catch.’
They came to a stop at a set of traffic lights. Danny pressed the button and they waited as cars tore past them, their brake lights nothing but a flashing blur. After a few seconds, the lights changed and they crossed the road. In the distance, dominating the skyline along the riverbed, was the cruise liner. Luke afforded himself the opportunity to appreciate its magnificence. It was one of the largest man-made structures he had ever seen, if not the largest.
He tried to open his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.
‘Brilliant, eh?’ Danny said. ‘In a few hours we’ll be out of this clusterfuck, ready to start new lives for ourselves, you get me?’
Luke could hear the excitement in Danny’s voice. But something troubled him. Danny was too jovial. Too happy. As though he’d forgotten that their other brother had been arrested.
‘What about Michael?’ Luke asked.
‘What about him? He’s gone. There’s nothing we can do for him. With any luck they’ll lock him up with Freddy and the two of them can work on getting out at some point in the next twenty years.’
‘Never. They’ll never be locked up together.’
‘Micky’s a big boy. He can look after himself.’
‘Just like that?’
‘What?’
‘Just like that, you’re going to forget about him? As though he never existed.’
‘Forget about him?’ Danny said, coming to an abrupt halt. ‘You’re the one who left him behind. You’re the one who let the cops arrest him.’
‘He surrendered himself for me.’
‘What a hero,’ Danny said, rolling his eyes. He stormed off, leaving Luke to catch up.
As Luke followed, he noticed something irregular about Danny’s ensemble.
‘Dan,’ he called after his brother.
‘Dan!’
‘What?’ Danny snapped on the half-turn.
‘Where’s your bag?’
Danny’s expression dropped. His eyes widened. ‘I… er…’
‘I don’t believe it,’ Luke said, stepping away from his brother. ‘She’s here, isn’t she?’
‘Who?’
‘Louise. She’s here.’
‘No. What— Why—’
‘She’s got all the stuff from the storage units, hasn’t she? I can see it on your face. That smile. I knew I recognised it. You only smile like that when she’s around. I thought you said you two had broken up.’
Danny bit his nail.
‘You lied. Again. You’re pathetic.’
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about, Luke. Don’t say something you’ll later regret.’
Luke shook his head. ‘No. That’s it, Dan. I’ve had enough. It’s over. I thought coming here would be the best thing, but I was wrong. I thought you’d be able to help. I thought the two of us were going to get out of here. Not three. Not her. She’s a plague to our family, Dan. Don’t you see what she’s done? You’ve done all of this for her. I hope she was worth it, because you’ve just lost two brothers in the process. And a mum.’
‘She was not our mum! She never was,’ Danny screamed. They were still standing by the side of the road, oblivious to the sea of traffic charging towards them from either side.
‘She was more of a mum to us than all the other women attempted to be.’
Danny pointed his finger in Luke’s face. ‘Do you know what’ – he reached inside his pocket and produced the final key and threw it at Luke – ‘you can keep this, if she means that much to you. But I want you to know one thing: she wasn’t the one who helped put food on the table. I was! Paying for your school lunches and everything else so you wouldn’t go hungry. Not her, me.’
Luke froze. His mouth dangled like a pendulum. He left the key on the ground and fought every will in his body to pick it up. ‘You’re lying.’
‘I always gave the money to Michael. I saw the relationship you two had. He taught you things I never could. You were always with him. I didn’t want it to seem like I was buying your love.’
‘Danny, I… I had no idea.’
‘Why would you? Michael was happy to take the credit for it. He was happy…’ Danny choked, regained himself, rubbed just beneath his ribcage and then continued. ‘He knew how close we were. He knew you always looked up to me despite everything he did for you. But he wanted a piece of that. He wanted to share the same bond. We never told you because you were too young.’
‘I was twelve. I was old enough to make my own decisions.’
‘You were naïve. You still are.’
Luke stopped. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. What he’d just been told. Everything in his life was a lie. And he had been deceived consistently. It needed to change. He needed to change; get his own life back. Make decisions on his own.
‘For too long I’ve depended on you and Micky. I need to get out of here. I need to clear my head.’ Luke bent down, picked up the key, adjusted the strap on his shoulder so it felt more comfortable, and then turned his back on Danny and started to walk away.
‘Luke!’ Danny called back, but Luke ignored him. ‘Luke!’
He stopped, turned on a half-twist, and said, ‘I hope you and Louise are happy together, Danny. Enjoy your new life.’
| EPISODE 5 |
CHAPTER SIX
GREEN LIGHT
Jake and Bridger were headed west, towards Southampton. It hadn’t taken him long to work out where Luke Cipriano was headed. The young man was alone and in need of his brothers. He’d relied upon them his whole life — they’d protected him, raised him, shielded him from the outside world — and he needed to return to that security. And with Michael out of the picture, there was no doubt in Jake’s mind that Luke was currently on his way to Danny where they’d be able to live their new lives together.
He just hoped they’d be able to make it there in time.
‘You sure about this?’ Bridger asked as he turned the car off the M271 and onto Redbridge Road a few miles from the centre of Southampton.
‘Have I been wrong about anything else up to this point?’ Jake responded, feeling confident.
He turned to face Bridger momentarily. There was something about him that troubled Jake. The interview with Michael. It had been unprofessional, and he was almost certain that it had been unlawful, even if Bridger did get the approval required for conducting the interview without Michael’s solicitor present. But Jake had been a part of the problem also. He’d lost sight of what they were there for and what they should have been doing, and joined in on the tirade against Michael and his family instead. There would be repercussions, he was sure. But it wouldn’t do to dwell on them now. He just needed to make sure he was able to cover himself when the time came.
‘What’s our ETA?’ he asked, distracting himself. His eyes fell on the dash.
‘Hampshire are in the middle of setting up the rendezvous point at the Mayflower Roundabout.’ Bridger hesitated for a brief moment as he glanced at the clock in front of him. ‘So I’d say we’re two minutes out.’
Perfect. That gave Jake enough time to make a call. He removed his phone from his pocket and dialled Danika’s number.
‘Jake?’ she began.
‘Have you checked the bookings for Harrington at Southampton?’ he asked, wanting to keep it nice and concise.
‘Yes. Just pulled the reports now. I found four of them. Sean, Alex, Billy and Kate Harrington.’
‘Their aliases…’ Jake said, thinking aloud. ‘Where’s the cruise going?’
‘Canary Islands. Scheduled to leave at three p.m.’
Jake checked his watch. ‘That gives us just over half an hour.’
Before Jake continued, they arrived at Mayflower Roundabout. Bridger banked the kerb and parked on a small patch of grass nearby an office block. It was devoid of any police presence, and cars continued to stream past them from four directions. To their right, towering above the office buildings was the cruise liner they were looking for, and to their left was a row of trees sitting in front of Mayflower Park.
Jake thanked Danika, hung up on her and then stepped out of the car.
‘Where is everyone?’
The salt in the air licked his skin and stayed there, cemented in position by the chilled wind that buffeted his shoulders and legs.
‘Seems they’re late to the party,’ Bridger replied, rounding the front of his vehicle.
Just as Jake was about to respond, the sound of sirens pierced the street, followed closely by the shrill pitches of horns and tyres squealing. Around them, an entourage of police vehicles pulled up to the roundabout from every direction, blocking off every stream of traffic. And then an unmarked police car skidded to a halt beside Jake. At once, the door opened and out stepped a uniformed officer. By the time Jake had registered who they were, Bridger was by his side.
‘PS Hammond,’ the middle-aged and balding man said. Hammond outstretched his hand and took Bridger’s first. As they shook, Hammond glanced down and nodded at Bridger’s watch. It was then that Jake realised he and Elliot were wearing the same timepiece. ‘You gentlemen from Surrey?’ Hammond asked.
Bridger nodded.
‘Glad to have you with us. We’ve got this under control for now, but if we need you for anything, I want you on hand to assist.’
Jake stepped in. ‘Where is everyone? They should be here by now. There’s a murderer on board that boat.’
Something switched inside Hammond. The uniformed officer advanced towards Jake, but before the situation was able to escalate any further, Bridger stepped in, jumping between the two of them.
‘Sorry,’ Bridger pleaded, the back of his arm pressing against Jake’s chest. ‘This is Temporary DC Tanner. He’s new.’
Hammond peered round the side of Bridger�
��s shoulder and pointed at Jake.
‘You’d better know your place, son. You’ll learn a few things quicker if you do it that way. Trust me.’
Jake retreated. ‘We don’t have time to be arguing.’ He quickly checked his watch. ‘We’ve got thirty minutes.’
‘It’s all under control,’ Hammond said. He seemed to have calmed down almost as quickly as his temper had flared in the first place. ‘Firearms teams are setting themselves up now. We’re cordoning off the road. And everyone back at HQ is trying to alert the captain of what’s happening. But until the firearms team arrive, I can’t tell you much more.’
‘Has Candice Strachan been cleared to enter?’ Bridger asked.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Our governor, DCI Pemberton, is on her way down here now with Candice Strachan. She’s got a collar strapped to her neck.’
‘What’s she doing that for?’
‘Because the only people who can defuse it are inside that boat,’ Jake interrupted. ‘She’s going to die if she doesn’t get that key.’
Hammond sighed and placed his hands on his hips. ‘I’ll have to check whether it’s been cleared. Might take some persuasion. Why can’t bomb squad defuse it?’
Jake stared at Hammond, incredulous. Why was Hammond asking these questions? It have been the other way round. He should have been brought up to speed with intelligence. It was clear to see there was a disconnect between Hampshire Control and Hammond.
‘It requires a key,’ Jake said after a while of looking deeply into the man’s face. ‘Danny Cipriano, one of the offenders inside that boat, has it.’
‘Has it been confirmed that Cipriano is on board?’
Shit. In the rush and excitement of it all, Jake had forgotten to ask Danika whether all the tickets she’d found had been collected and whether the brothers had set foot on deck. For all Jake knew, they could be anywhere, and Jake was putting all his eggs in one basket in the hope that they were all on that boat.
‘We’re not sure,’ Bridger replied eventually. ‘We have intelligence that suggests both Luke and Danny Cipriano are on board, but no confirmation.’