Captured (17 page)

“I’m surprised at you, Neil, I really saw you settling down with her,” Mike said, as they walked along the bustling street.

“Yeah well, we’re all full of surprises.”

They veered into a throbbing bar and ordered two beers.

“What now?” Mike whispered.

Neil swigged from his bottle. “Now we wait.”

They sat in silence, watching the stage. The bar was off the main drag, and, while not a technically a strip club, it still featured a line-up of weary looking women, taking it in turns to gyrate around a spinning pole. It was more technical than sexual, and their bored expressions were mirrored in the faces of the growing crowd.

“Couldn’t you have picked somewhere a little better? You used to live here for christ’s sake.”

Neil looked at him and rolled his eyes, as his phone rang.

“Lennox.”

“He just received a call. I’m not sure if it’s the guy you’re after, but they’re meeting in an alley beside the Bulldog Bar, I’m sending you through a map and...”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lennox said. “I know where it is. When are they meeting?”

“Five minutes from now.”

Neil looked at Mike and jerked his head toward the door. “That was quick. How’d Simon sound?”

Neil downed the rest of his beer as he listened. “Thanks. Can you track his location in case we lose him?”

The line crackled. “Sorry mate, he’s either disabled GPS or he’s using a phone that doesn’t have the capability. Far as I can tell, the other fella was calling from a disposable mobile. Nothing on that either.”

Neil frowned and hung up.

“He got in touch already?”

Neil nodded. “Daniel called him. Can you rustle up Paul and Aaron? We’ve got to go now. They’re meeting at the Bulldog.”

“What, right now?” Mike raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, and we’ve got no way to track them so we can’t lose them.”

“Okay, hold on. They’ll recognise us if we get close enough to follow them.”

Neil punched the wall of the booth Mike was still sitting in. It was faux-wood – the only thing about the place that was in keeping with the bar’s supposed British olde worlde pub theme. “It’s our only option. By the time anyone else gets here they’ll have disappeared.”

“Okay, I get it, really I do,” he slapped Neil on the shoulder. “I’m assuming it’s okay to drop the pretence now?”

“It looks like he’s been too busy to have been keeping tabs on us.”

“Come on, let’s go. I’ll call Paul on the way.”

They hurried towards the bar Daniel had mentioned, trying to time their arrival correctly. It was vital that they got there in time, but they didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to themselves by hanging around for too long. It was an unusual choice of meeting place: although the alley itself was dark and sinister, it was located off a bustling main street in a touristy area, where Neil and Mike were able to blend in with the crowd.

“Why do you reckon he chose it?” Mike asked when he had hung up the phone.

“I guess he was worried about an ambush. It’s busy here, but it means anyone looking for him is going to think twice before pulling a gun.”

Mike chewed his lip. “Or he’s overconfident.”

“Maybe,” Neil agreed. “It was certainly a bold move leaving that body in the fridge. And calling Simon like that. We didn’t have anything on him and he hands us an advantage like that?”

“Yeah, but we’d never have known if you hadn’t had your doubts about Simon. What made you distrust him? I just took him for a poor sap–”

Neil’s elbow slammed into his ribs. Across the street, they saw Simon leave the alley with a tall, dreadlocked man. The man threw his arm around his shoulder as they turned onto the busy street.

“Come on, let’s go,” Neil started once the two men had a slight headstart. “There’s your answer too.”

“The dreadlocked kid? Is that the guy from earlier who almost pronged Paul’s truck?”

“Yeah,” Neil answered, eyes glued to the two men further down the street. “I had my doubts about Simon, like I told you. I wasn’t sure this afternoon, but even to me the guy looked similar to Daniel, in spite of the hair. Simon never commented.”

“Maybe he didn’t notice? I didn’t.”

“Mmm,” Neil appeared not to register his response. “I’m going to cross over, you stay on this side. There’s no point in us being more visible than we need to be.”

“Okay, I’ll keep checking in with Paul. He’s taking a bike to try and avoid the traffic.”

Neil crossed briskly, ducking between the crawling traffic. He walked quickly at first, gaining ground on Daniel and Simon, who had started to pull away. He was mindful of the warren of tiny alleys and lanes that crisscrossed the area, but slowed down when he got within fifty feet of the two men.

Mike’s voice cracked in his ear. “Hang back.”

“Yeah, I am,” he whispered. “Just wanted to catch up.”

“Paul’s about five minutes away he says.”

“Okay, call me when he’s here.” Neil clicked the end call button on the headset.  He watched as the two men turned suddenly. Had Daniel spotted them? He started to run and slowed down a few meters from the corner. He looked across the street, scanning for Mike. He had evidently done the same thing and was now standing at the corner on the opposite side of the street.

Neil was momentarily startled by the voice in his ear. “Go.”

He rounded the corner at an easy pace and saw them ahead, crossing the street. He crossed quickly and ducked into a convenience store. When he stepped out again, they were disappearing around a corner up ahead.

He ran forward and peered around the corner, astonished. There was another junction down the street. He recognised it from earlier.

Pressing a button on his earpiece, he walked back around the corner. “Mike,” he whispered. “We’re only a block from the street we were on earlier. Stay on the same street you were on and take the next right. It should bring you down there. I’ll meet you there.”

He walked unhurriedly, watching as Daniel and Simon crossed the street and kept going straight, towards Daniel’s apartment.  When he reached the junction, he looked to his left and saw that Mike was making his way towards him. He nodded his head, straight, and kept going. He crossed the street in time to see them turn into a doorway and disappear inside one of the identikit apartment buildings. When he got closer, he saw that it was next door to the one they’d broken into that afternoon.

Shit
, he thought.
We’ll never find them in there.

Mike walked up behind him, with a questioning look on his face.

“We didn’t think of this. We can’t follow them inside!” Neil exclaimed.

Mike looked similarly concerned for a moment, before catching the attention of a Thai woman who was working at a small food stall outside the building. He smiled and approached her. Neil was amazed when she turned and dashed into the building.

“Your Thai’s improved that much since I left?” he asked, surprised.

Mike smiled. “It’s pretty basic still, but I have enough to make myself understood.”

They waited, and a few minutes later the woman came back and spoke to Mike. It was obvious that she was speaking slowly so that he would understand. When she finished, he took out his wallet and removed two thousand baht notes, handing them to her.

“She said they’re on the fourth floor. They turned right when they got out of the lift. I think that’s what she said. Let’s wait for Paul: this building’s narrower than the one next door, so we’re looking at what, six apartments on each floor?”

Moments later, Paul pulled up alongside them on the bike. Mike brought him up to date.

He nodded, assimilating the new information. “It looks like a pretty old building. Doubt it’s soundproofed. You guys go on; I’ll stay here until you work out which one they’re in. I haven’t had a chance to get any information on the layout, but with any luck, he’s got a window facing the street.”

Neil looked at him quizzically but didn’t say anything. Neither did Paul. Mike and Neil turned and hurried through the door. Inside, they looked around cautiously before entering the only lift. At the fourth floor, the lift marked their arrival by chiming loudly.

They stepped out and looked from side to side. The apartments were indeed clustered around one main corridor, in the centre of which was the lift. There were four doors to the left and three to the right. They turned and started down the corridor, silently bypassing the first door, which was within view of the lift.

Heart racing in his throat, Neil pointed to the door on the right, moving to the left-hand door himself. Mike nodded wordlessly and pressed a button on his headset. He put his other ear to the door and listened.

Neil stood half bent over against the door to 402. He wanted to crouch down fully and listen at the crack of the door, but knew that he needed to stay on guard in case the door opened suddenly. He thought he heard someone talking, but it was so low that he couldn’t even identify the language.  He looked to Mike, whose head was practically touching the door of 401. Mike shook his head briskly. Nothing. Had they gotten it wrong?

He was about to stand up when he heard the scream. He recognised her voice immediately. Frantically, he turned to Mike and jabbed at the air in front of the door.

“Here,” he mouthed wordlessly.

Mike nodded curtly. “401 Paul. In front. Last one on your left.” he moved across to Neil. “Give it a second,” he whispered.

Moments later, they heard the sound of crashing glass. Neil was still drawing his gun as Mike gestured for him to move to one side. Mike stood back and brought one of his brown leather brogues up, smashing it into the door near the handle. The wood splintered but didn’t give way.

“Fuck!”

They heard more screams and shouts from inside. Neil shifted his gun to his left hand and knelt down, barging into the stricken door. Mike jumped aside for the impact and quickly leapt inside once the door gave way in order to cover Neil, who had faltered and was balancing on one shoulder, looking into the room.

Time slowed to a crawl as they absorbed the scene. Daniel was standing directly opposite the door, with a gun trained at Neil, who had his aimed at Daniel’s head despite his earlier loss of balance.

Neil moved to stand, not taking his eyes off Daniel. He had glanced around quickly when the door opened – enough time to see that there were three others in the room: Simon, Grace and Kirsty.

“Stay down,” Daniel warned, pointing his weapon at Grace and moving across the room towards them. “Guns down or I’ll kill her. You wouldn’t like that, would you
Neil
?” he smiled. “Drop them on the ground and slide them over to me.”

Neil looked at him, defiant, but caught Mike’s expression as he did so. He let go of his gun and pushed it to Simon. Mike pointed his away, and slowly knelt to the ground and did the same.

Daniel picked up the weapons and backed towards the kitchen, opening the oven and throwing them inside. “Good.” He stood behind Grace, jamming the barrel of his gun into the back of her head. “Come and joined the party.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Neil muttered to Mike as they walked over.

“Where are the others?” Daniel asked them, as he beckoned Simon closer with his hand.

Neil ignored him. “What’s going on Simon? You were pretty quick to leave.”

“Neil, I didn’t... I had no choice.”

Daniel sniggered. “Poor Simon. Always the victim. Back to where we left off I think Simon?” he skipped back over to Kirsty.

“Neil, what’s going on?” Grace spoke for the first time.

Neil felt a stab of pity and regret. “I don’t know. I’ve heard conflicting reports,” he looked at Daniel. “Perhaps you’d care to fill us in?”

Daniel smiled. “I think you’re all forgetting. I’m the one with the gun!”

“He’s right, Neil,” Simon offered.

Daniel looked at him evenly. “A bit hypocritical Simon, no? I bet he was very reluctant to go the police, am I right? Did you ask him why?”

Neil sighed, pleased to have gotten some response. “No, I didn’t bother. He led us to you, didn’t he?”

“Good at getting away with things, our Simon. Now, back to the business at hand. Simon?”

“Wait,” Grace shouted, desperately. “What do you mean, Simon’s always getting away with things?”

Daniel sneered at her. “Are you trying to hold things up? I’d want to get it over with if I were you.”

“If you don’t tell anyone what he’s done, then of course he’ll get away with it.”

Neil inched towards Grace, mindful that the only gun in the room was now in Daniel’s possession. “She’s right Daniel. I knew something was off with him. He was bursting to tell me all about you.”

“Oh he was, was he? Or are you trying to trick me into talking?” he moved the gun, so his arm was now curved up under Kirsty’s throat.

“Fucking hell,” Grace muttered. “No surprise that people don’t believe you. Simon’s more believable than you. It wouldn’t be hard: you’re clearly psychotic. I knew Kirsty had bad taste, but you’re on another level. She must’ve been blind.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed in shock. He stood up and pushed away from Kirsty’s chair, the force causing the base to tether sideways and almost tip over. He marched to Grace’s side and pushed the gun into the centre of her forehead, pushing her head back until there was no more give in her neck.

“I’m a psycho? Me? You’re in cahoots with this guy,” he turned slightly and gestured at Simon, “and you’re calling me a psycho? He’s–”

He froze as he turned back to face Grace. As he heard the
pffft
, Neil leapt the remaining distance between him and Grace and threw her out of the way as Daniel toppled backwards, and hit the ground. His head cracked against the floor, his wig already a tangled mess of black blood.

Paul stood beside the door, staring at Daniel. “He dead? Can someone check his pulse?”

Mike bent down and was silent for a moment. “Faint, but he’s still got a pulse.”

Neil and the others hurried to untie Grace and Kirsty. “What took you so long?” Mike asked.

Paul shrugged. “The doors to the stairs are all locked,” he replied. “I had to go all the way back to the foyer and take the elevator. You should have checked before telling me to take the stairs.”

“Come on fellas, it doesn’t matter now, we’re just lucky he didn’t hear the lift,” Neil said, clamping a soaked kitchen towel tightly to Grace’s hand. She was sitting on the floor beside him looking faint. “Great distraction, by the way.”

She smiled weakly.

Simon
tsked
. “He’s going to ruin me now.”

They all looked at him; he hadn’t spoken since Paul’s arrival.

“How’s that Simon?” Neil asked impatiently.

“He just... God I shouldn’t have come here.”

No one responded.

“Oh do something useful and find Grace’s finger. It’s probably still wherever you threw it,” Kirsty hissed, disdainfully.

“Kirsty I–”

There was a faint beep, like the alarm of an old digital watch.

“Shhh,” Neil held a hand up. “Was that the lift?”

“No, it was too quiet. And it was closer,” Mike shrugged.

Paul rushed forward and patted Daniel down, before turning him around and doing the same on his other side. His hands stopped, and he pulled Daniel’s t-shirt up sharply. He was wearing a rubber heart rate monitor, from which a solitary white wire trailed down his back to a medium brown lump with a strange oily sheen.

“What is it?” Kirsty asked, peering over his shoulder.

Paul was lifting her up, and running towards the door, with Neil and Grace close behind them. Mike tried to drag Simon to his feet, but he refused to move.

“The stairs are locked,” Paul yelled back.

“Shoot the lock,” Neil shouted.

“It’s a fucking pistol,” Paul replied, dropping Kirsty and stepping back to kick the door.

It was stronger than the door to Daniel’s apartment, and didn’t budge. Undeterred, Paul darted back and launched himself at it from a greater distance. This time, the door splintered.

Neil stood anxiously by his side. “How long do we have?”

“Not long,” Paul muttered. “Where’s Mike?”

Neil looked around and realised that his friend wasn’t there. He raced back to the apartment. Inside, Mike was trying to drag Simon out. Simon was deadweight: refusing to move.

“Mike come on, he doesn’t want to get out. Don’t waste your time, get out here.”

“It’s open,” Paul called from outside.

“Come on,” Neil ran to Mike’s side and pulled him by the arm, out of the apartment, through the shattered door to the stairs and down. He could hear the others’ voices echoing up from below.

“Move it,” Paul yelled, hearing them. “We need to get as far away as possible.”

They raced down the stairs, and were halfway down the last flight when they heard a muffled crack.

Kirsty looked back, relieved. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Go,” Paul urged, pushing her out the door at the bottom of the stairs. Neil and Mike had caught up: Paul was delayed carrying Grace, who was growing whiter and whiter by the minute. 

They reached the lobby, which was empty, and burst through the door, running back down the street they had entered from earlier. The second blast was deafening – the dark street lit up in an unnatural amber hue. They lay huddled in a pile on the ground as shards of glass and chunks of masonry showered them.