False move, p.22
False Move, page 22
Pinky chortled from the back seat. His head was bulked out on one side by a gauze pad held in place with porous tape: Tess had knitted his wound with sticky sterile sutures. He’d downed enough painkillers to tranquilize a horse, but was surprisingly perky, galvanized by the promise of payback. ‘I can’t wait to see his face when a dead man gives him pause, me.’
They’d elected to keep Pinky’s survival from Hayden: he was their ace up their sleeve in more ways than Hayden could know. Pinky had borrowed Po’s cell phone, and had put it to good use over the past couple of hours on the road. Tess’s cell phone was restricted to one purpose only: waiting for Hayden’s next instructions.
Aaron Lacey was drowsy, though he constantly fought sleep. Tess had gotten him started on a course of strong antibiotics, but it would be a while until they had any effect on his infected wound. In a bout of fatalism, he’d first refused the medicine. What good was it wasting them on him when he was going to die in exchange for his daughter’s safety? Tess had made two promises: he wasn’t going to die at Hayden James’s hands, but she’d kill him if he didn’t damn well take his meds.
Once Pinky had made his calls, Tess used Po’s phone to contact Emma Clancy in Portland, Maine, but didn’t tell her future sister-in-law any details regarding Stella Dewildt’s abduction, only to expect an important delivery of a malware-infected USB drive that required specialist attention to protect its integrity. On it, she promised, was evidence of a murder and its subsequent cover-up, and that she trusted Emma to ensure justice was served.
‘If I don’t make it home, make sure the bastards responsible are all sent to prison,’ she said morosely.
‘You’ll have to give me more than that, Tess!’
‘I can’t, Emma, otherwise I’d be putting you in an untenable position with the police and FBI. You’d be duty bound to immediately inform them, and I can’t have you do that before I try to save another life.’
‘Tess, what the hell is going on?’
‘Sorry, Emma, I can’t say. I trust you to keep quiet for now too. Please don’t mention this to Alex … or my mom. Just watch out for the package, I’ve sent it priority delivery, but it’ll still be a few hours until it arrives. And remember, don’t open it without having a tech specialist negate the malware first.’
‘Tess, you need to tell me right now—’
Tess ended the call before Emma could press for more detail. She hated leaving her employer, not to mention her brother’s partner, in a state of worry over her, but it was unavoidable. Had she admitted to being on the way to a dangerous encounter with Stella’s kidnappers, nothing would stop Emma raising the alarm: she’d call in the police, FBI and even the National Guard if necessary. Which, of course, was the sensible course to follow, except here it had become too personal for any of them to stand aside and hope the authorities could save Stella.
They caught the I-84 at East Hartford, and the going was faster. Po burned rubber through Connecticut, and crossed the state line in record time. As the Mustang roared through Massachusetts towards Boston on the coast, Emma tried to ring back half a dozen times but Tess declined each attempt. Her personal phone rang, and she had to decline that call too: it was from her mother, and there was still much to be said between them, but she couldn’t risk missing Hayden James’s next set of instructions.
She checked Po out, and he sensed her appraisal. When he glanced from the road, she aimed a flickering smile at him. He must have known the kind of mixed feelings she was enduring, because he offered a smile of his own, reached across and gently squeezed her knee. ‘One way or another,’ he told her, ‘this will end tonight.’
She averted her face, staring out the passenger window at the Massachusetts countryside flashing by and grew lulled by its hypnotic regularity. At some point she must have zoned out, because next when she checked the road signs they were only thirty miles outside of Boston.
Lacey had been silent for some time. A delirious cackle had Tess twisting quickly to check on him. His features had the hue of bones bleached under a desert sun, and instead of being awash with sweat his skin was set to crack. His lips flaked skin. He was seriously dehydrated. In contrast his eyes were alert, shining with his sudden burst of humour. He must have noted the manic edge to his laughter, because he held up a hand, signaling he was OK.
‘I used to joke about knowing where I was going to die,’ he explained, ‘and staying the fuck away. Damned if I ever thought I’d rush towards it.’
‘You’re not going to die, Mr Lacey,’ she said.
‘Look, for starters, I don’t want to die, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll gladly trade places with my daughter.’
‘You’re not going to die,’ Tess repeated.
He rolled his neck. ‘I brought this on myself. I should’ve gone directly to the police and it would be all over by now, but I let greed take over, and now look what’s happened. If I die, it’s my own damn fault, and I accept that, but nobody else needs get hurt. When we get there, just do what Hayden says and hand me over, then get the hell outta there with Stella.’
‘Handing you over’s no guarantee he’ll release Stella. In fact, he won’t because he can’t allow her to go to the police. We’ve already gone over this, Mr Lacey.’
‘I know, but I’ve been thinking, and I don’t want any of you risking your lives for mine.’
‘We ain’t doing this for you,’ Po said, forthright.
Lacey was lost for words.
Tess said, ‘What Po means is we’re doing it for Stella, for you, and for the rest of us. We have a personal stake in the outcome too. Also, we’re doing this for Carly Cutter, she deserves justice too.’
He lowered his head. Probed his side.
‘How does your wound feel?’ Tess asked.
‘Better. The bleeding’s stopped.’
‘You don’t look too strong. When was the last time you ate anything?’
‘I don’t recall. Yesterday morning maybe?’
‘Then you need food and something to drink.’ She aimed an unspoken question at Po.
‘I’ll pull in at the next stop,’ he said.
‘You don’t need to on my behalf,’ Lacey argued.
‘We do. The last thing we want is you fainting on us when we’re in the thick of things. You have to keep your strength up to play your part, Mr Lacey.’
‘What does that entail, apart from you marching me out to meet Hayden?’
‘Trust me, there’s more you’re going to help with than being a sacrificial goat. Something you mentioned earlier …’
Lacey met her eye again, his mouth open in miscomprehension.
‘When you first stole the data from Holbrook’s server, you said you had some inside help.’
‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘I don’t know one end of a thumb drive to the other, so I needed someone to do the technical stuff for me. It’s why I also had to trust that fat-ass, Si Turpin back in New York, and we all know where that got me.’
‘Maybe you shouldn’t be so down on Turpin,’ Po put in, ‘without his involvement you wouldn’t have been in the right place at the right time for us to help you. In the long run, maybe he did you a favour.’
‘Don’t expect me to thank him.’
‘I don’t. Can’t say as I’ll thank him for buckling my hood either, but if the dude hadn’t run out in front of me when he did, we might’ve driven straight on past you.’
‘So now he’s my fuckin’ guardian angel?’ Lacey laughed, and Po joined in.
‘Can we get back to your “inside help”?’ Tess asked.
‘Sure. It was him that first came to me, after eavesdropping a conversation between Holbrook and Clarissa Glenn, and being shocked by what he heard. Apparently Holbrook said somethin’ like, “He’d better not quibble about the price, or I’ll have Hayden dig up his sister and dump it back in Cutter’s fucking swimming pool and see how much it costs him then!” At the time, he didn’t know the extent of what was happening, but knew it was bad, and not something he could sit on. He sought me out, ’cause he knew I was an ex-cop, and thought I’d pay more attention than any of the jarheads on Elite’s payroll. At first he only wanted advice, or maybe somebody to share his load, but we both knew that without evidence, we couldn’t prove a damn thing. Between us we came up with a plan to dig through Holbrook’s computer and see what we could find: I’ll be fucked if either of us expected what turned up!’
‘Your insider got you into Holbrook’s office undetected then?’
‘Yeah. We waited until he was on night shift, and the building was quiet, and then he snuck me back in. The kid was almost crapping his pants, but if not for his help, none of this would’ve come to light.’
‘The kid?’ Po mused, and Tess knew why as she’d had a similar flash of inspiration.
‘Are we talking about the new guy … Harris?’ she asked.
Taken aback, Lacey only stared.
‘We met him,’ Tess said, ‘when we went to Elite’s HQ. He denied ever hearing your name, or about Ethan Prescott’s death, but I can understand why now. What surprises me – after what happened with Mathers and Prescott, and then you going missing – is that he stuck around. I’d’ve thought he’d have run away too.’
‘No. I told him to stay put, and keep up the naïve, new boy act. If he’d gone missing too, they’d’ve figured out who helped me get to the files and he’d have a target on his back. I told him to hang on until I could blow the lid on them, and then it’d be safe for him to come clean with the cops. Of course, we were only expecting that to last a day or two, but then I let my anger get the better of me, and I fucked things up. Sounds as if Harris’s still hanging tough, poor kid. We should warn him to get out—’
‘No,’ Tess jumped in, and she glanced pointedly at Pinky so he got the message too. ‘We need him exactly where he is.’
‘You want him to try to get more evidence? By now Holbrook will’ve made sure that every trace of it has been wiped from his server.’
‘It’s not evidence we want,’ Tess assured him, ‘it’s something far more important to Ben Holbrook we can barter for Stella’s life.’
‘There’s a gas station coming up,’ Po announced as they crossed the Charles River into the village of Auburndale, part of the city of Newton and the larger conurbation of Boston. ‘You still want me to pull over, Tess, time’s growin’ short.’
‘Yeah. We’re close enough now. Hayden didn’t specify where in Boston he wanted us, so this’s as good as anywhere else. If he doesn’t like it, tough!’ She directed her words at all three of her companions, feeling much better about what lay ahead. ‘You guys go and get something to eat and drink, and maybe grab me something too. Po, can I use your phone again, I need to make another call?’
‘F’sure,’ he said as he took the off-ramp to the gas station. ‘Do what you gotta do, Tess.’
FORTY-ONE
Hayden James had taken the time to organize, and get his most dedicated people in place. He stood on a raised dais at the head of an echoing space, from where his voice would carry with the surety of a hellfire preacher at the pulpit. It was an ideal location for issuing instructions to the most distant of his team, but not great for conducting a conversation that required more privacy. He pushed through the gap between two large stud boards and into a short corridor that gave access to a stairwell, and also to a series of smaller antechambers. He chose one of the latter and rang Tess Grey’s phone four hours to the minute as promised. ‘You’re in Boston?’
‘Yes,’ replied Tess. ‘It wasn’t easy getting here in that time.’
‘I don’t care. You’re here and that’s all that matters.’
‘All that matters is that you come to your senses and end this the right way.’
‘When you give me Lacey and the files, I’ll uphold my end of the bargain. Stella will be released.’
‘You know as well as I do that things can’t end that way. People have been killed.’ She rhymed off the list. ‘Two of your people: Mathers and Prescott. Herbert Grover. Carly Cutter and … our friend Pinky.’ She sniffled, speaking the latter name hurt her. ‘Even if you get your hands on Lacey, and destroy the files he took, it can’t end there. The murders can’t stay buried; everyone affected has friends, family, people who will demand answers about their disappearances. Surely you see this, Hayden? Whatever happens today, you’ll be a hunted man for the rest of your life.’
‘I’m not an idiot. I know the consequences, but I’ve a job to do, and I’m going to do it.’
‘However much you’re being paid for this isn’t enough. Are you prepared to live the rest of your life as a fugitive for whatever payment you’ve been promised?’
‘Miss Grey,’ he said as sanctimonious as the preacher he’d felt a moment ago, ‘whatever the outcome I’ll be a fugitive. Whether I spare Lacey or not, you know by now that I became implicated in Carly Cutter’s murder when I disposed of her body. There’s no coming out of this clean for me, so I may as well do my job and take the payment. It will make life on the run more manageable than if I leave now without the cash. So, don’t waste any more time. You must decide whether or not you want Stella back, or if you’re prepared to risk her safety and hope for the best.’
‘I’ve no control over her father. Ultimately it’s his final decision. I won’t force him to do the trade.’
‘You should help convince him. I know Lace cares for Stella. Remind him of his parental responsibility … because Stella will be killed if he refuses to come.’
‘You seem confident he’s going to come. But what guarantees have we that you’ll free Stella once he’s in your hands?’
‘It’s like you said yourself, Miss Grey, whatever the outcome, questions will be asked, and I don’t care if Stella’s alive to answer them or not … by then the cash will be in my account and I’ll be gone.’
‘Perhaps we can come to another deal …’
‘You want to pay me off? Tell me, Miss Grey, can you get your hands on a cool half-million in the next two hours?’
She didn’t bother answering because it was obvious to both she couldn’t. Instead she posed a question: ‘Are you genuinely prepared to execute an innocent woman?’
‘If I have to.’
‘What of Aaron Lacey? You said you had previous conversations with him. You worked together. You were colleagues … friends …’
‘That’s right, but he became my enemy when he turned on his own team,’ Hayden said. ‘He killed two of his former colleagues, two of his former friends.’
‘They were trying to kill him at the time,’ she countered. ‘You didn’t expect him to just stand there and let them kill him? You once called yourself a soldier, would you expect any soldier not to defend themselves?’
‘Lacey wasn’t a soldier. When he betrayed my team he became an enemy combatant, and that’s a different thing entirely. I’ve no qualms about killing an enemy … any enemy.’
Again she fell silent, deep in thought. Hayden prepared for her to issue another pointless plea for mercy, but instead she showed more mettle. ‘I’m wasting my time trying to get you to see reason. Tell me where and when, and let’s not bother with the unpleasantries.’
‘Before I do that, did you obey my previous instructions?’
‘You know that I did.’
‘Good, so there won’t be any funny business with the cops showing up. The first sniff of a cop’d force my hand; I’d have to kill you all.’
‘Where and when, Hayden?’
‘The Anderson Memorial Bridge. You have thirty minutes.’
‘You’re assuming I know where that is.’
‘You’re supposed to be a detective. Find it.’
‘We are going to do the exchange in a public place?’
‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ He hung up. Striding back to the dais in the main room, he called out. ‘Listen up, people! They’re inbound. Eyes, ears and brains switched on. Seung: prepare Stella.’ He indicated the dais. ‘Bring her here, I want her front and centre so there’s no confusion about my intentions. Aiken, Nicholls, you’re on the door. Johnson and Seung, you stay on Stella. Megan, you’re with me.’
His team moved into their pre-arranged formation smoothly, Vera Seung and Brian Johnson frog-marching their hostage up a creaking flight of steps onto the dais, where a chair had already been placed to receive her. Megan waited at the bottom, checking over her suppressed sidearm. At the far end Grant Aiken and Sean Nicholls flanked the entrance door, each also armed with a suppressed weapon. Seung and Johnson had their handguns holstered, but would draw them soon enough. For now, Hayden left his Beretta out of sight under his jacket, holding the phone instead so he could periodically check the countdown. ‘C’mon,’ he said to Megan and she marched a few feet behind him towards the exit.
FORTY-TWO
The Anderson Memorial Bridge straddled the Charles River, marking the boundary with Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the Cambridge side, there was parkland dedicated to John F. Kennedy, and beyond that more of the sprawling campus of Harvard University. Po had drawn the Mustang to a halt before the approach to the southern side of the bridge, parking at roadside opposite the entrance to Harvard sports stadium. The intersection at the bridge was busy with traffic.
‘This isn’t the place,’ Po said.
Tess had come to the same conclusion. She checked the time and saw there was only a minute left on the clock: getting across town hadn’t been easy because it was rush hour, workers and students heading home in their thousands. Hayden had purposefully made the timeline difficult, to keep them anxious and frustrated, meaning they’d no time to counterplan.
