Death Run (17 page)

Chance turned slowly to face his passenger. “You
do anything to harm Rich and I'll kill you.”

Ralph smiled sadly. “I know. So for both our sakes, let us hope you can get me what I want.”

“Why can't you get it? You found the Tiger.”

“Hardly. I have no idea who the Tiger is, and until very recently no idea where he was. I assume it is the Tiger you are coming to see, but I confess I might be wrong. I was merely waiting for you.”

“And how did you know where I would be.”

“A lucky guess,” Ralph confessed. He waited while Chance started the car moving again, then continued, “It seemed likely that you would come after Jade when she made a sudden trip up here.”

“You've been watching Jade?”

Ralph laughed. “Not exactly. There is a tracking device inside one of the glass beads on that lovely necklace I gave her.”

The dark shape of the castle was looming large above Halford when he checked over his shoulder. His arms were aching from the effort of rowing, but it looked like it wasn't far now. If he had to, he would row right round the little island until he found somewhere to land the boat.

The good thing was that he had managed to get there without being seen. There didn't appear to be any security to speak of. He had caught the odd glimpse of movement on the battlements, but nothing worrying.

Until he saw the light.

It blinked out from the top of one of the towers. Three rapid bursts of brilliant white, shining across the water. Then a pause before three longer flashes. Then three short ones again. Several thoughts went through Halford's mind very rapidly. First, that the flashes represented SOS in Morse code. Second, that someone was therefore in trouble.

The last thing Halford had time to realise was that the someone in trouble was himself.

Then powerful searchlights cut through the night, picking out the small boat and dazzling Halford. He threw his hands up to shadow his eyes as the machine gun fire started. Water splashed up all around. Splinters of wood whipped at his hands and face as holes drilled across the boat towards him.

On the shore, Jade felt her whole body heave with fear and horror as the tiny, distant boat tipped over.
A moment later, she saw a trail of fire from the battlements of the castle.

A missile of some kind crashed into the middle of the pool of light, disappearing under the broken boat. A moment later the water erupted in a violent explosion as the sea itself seemed to catch fire.

Smoke drifted across the area of light. Behind it, Jade could see only the splintered debris from the rowing boat.

The old poacher was standing in the woods, close to where Jade had last seen him. There was a gap through the trees and he was staring down at the sea – watching the wreckage of the little rowing boat still burning where the rocket-powered grenade had exploded.

“That was my boat,” he said to Jade as she approached. He sounded shocked, his eyes were wide and his face was pale when Jade turned her Maglite full on him.

“That was my friend,” Jade said. “And you told them he was coming.”

The poacher shook his head, his mouth still hanging open. “My boat. I – I didn't know they'd do
that. I thought they'd pay me a few quid and see him off the premises. They have before.”

“Yeah, well now you know the sort of people we're dealing with,” Jade said angrily. She was in shock herself, she realised – shaking uncontrollably. If she stopped talking her teeth would start chattering. “They're crazy murderers, and they've got my brother and another man prisoner over there. You're going to help me get them out.”

“Not me.” He backed away, evidently terrified by what he'd seen. “I ain't doing nothing.”

“You're helping me,” Jade insisted, advancing towards him with the Maglite held like a club. “Whether you like it or not.”

“You're mad.” The poacher stopped as he reached a tree and pressed against it, cowering from Jade. “I haven't got another boat.”

“Reckon I'm mad now? Wait till you see me when I get to the island. Think I'm mad? Wait till you hear how I'm going to get there.”

“There's no way. Not now my boat's gone.”

“You said there was a causeway – that it used to be passable till the sea rose or the road sank or whatever.”

“I said no one's been across in years.”

“At low tide, it's passable,” Jade reminded him.

“
May
be passable. And low tide isn't for…” He risked a quick look at his watch. “Not for another hour.”

“Long enough for me to get started and hope the water doesn't get too deep before I get too far. And if I can't get across, I'll come back – I'll come back and I'll find you.”

“You are mad!” the poacher said. If anything, he'd gone even paler.

“And while I'm trying not to drown and to rescue Rich, you're going for help. You're going to the police…”

“Police?” It was almost a yelp.

“The police, and you're going to tell them that someone blew up your boat and the man you lent it to. Tell them to get in touch with a man called Ardman – they can find him through MI5, I should think.”

“MI5?” The poacher almost collapsed as his legs gave way.

Jade grabbed him and hauled him up against the tree. She had the flashlight pressed across his throat. “Ardman, MI5 – remember that. You tell them what happened and make sure they send help or – I mean it – I'll be back for you.”

“But – the police, my traps…”

“I don't care about your traps. You've got a mobile – call for help. Then clear them away before the cops get here. But first, before anything else, show me where this causeway is.”

Jade had stopped shaking and worked off a lot of her anger and emotion. With some satisfaction – and the distant hope that maybe Halford had survived somehow – she followed the poacher through the woods to where he said the causeway used to be.

Shining her torch at the ground, she could make out what might once have been a cobbled roadway, covered at the edge with grass and earth. It led into the woods in the direction of the pathway that she and Halford had followed – perhaps that had originally been the road over to the castle.

A few minutes later, with the poacher long gone, Jade was having second thoughts. Would he really call the police? Should she have done it herself, and risked having to wait in the woods where she could get a signal while being transferred from department to department for ages? She'd gambled it was better to get across to the island as quickly as possible.

Now the water was up to her waist, her legs were almost completely numb. The castle was a black cut-out
against the sky that seemed as far away as ever. And the water was getting deeper and colder with every step.

As Rich had expected, the Tiger came to gloat. But Rich and the Banker were ready.

Rich stood near the door where the stairs emerged, hands behind his back. The Banker was a short way away, directly in front of the door. His hands were also behind his back. They had heard the sound of feet on the stairs, and Rich just hoped the Banker could hold on to the hot lamp for long enough. He had his hands wrapped in handkerchiefs, but even so it must be burning his fingers.

Rich's school blazer was in tatters. He had ripped the sleeves off, and managed to tear the rest of it down the middle. That gave him four pieces of dark material which he had used to cover four of the lamps set in the floor – the four closest to the stairs. They were so bright that light still filtered through the material, and there were several lights they hadn't managed to cover. But overall, the light in the room was reduced to a dim twilight.

The door was unlocked and opened at last. The Tiger stepped into the glassed-in room, Bannock
close behind him. Rich was relieved to see there was no one else with them, and Bannock was not holding a gun. He evidently didn't think a boy and a nervous little man posed any threat.

He was about to find out he was wrong.

“I trust you enjoyed the show,” the Tiger said. He didn't seem to have noticed how dark it was, his mind obviously on other things. “Sadly, there will be no encore.” He walked towards the Banker. “And now that you have seen what I am willing to do, I think it's time to give me what I want.”

“I think he's right,” Rich said loudly. He saw both Bannock and the Tiger relax slightly at his words – they thought they had won. “Let him have it.”

The Banker brought his hands from behind his back – holding the light Rich had freed from the floor. He shone it directly at the Tiger and Bannock. With the other light reduced, it was even brighter – even more dazzling. The Tiger threw his arms up in front of his face with a cry. Bannock staggered back, blinking. His hand reaching into his jacket.

Bringing the heavy metal telescope from behind his back, and careful not to look at the light the Banker was holding, Rich stepped quickly up to
Bannock and swung the telescope like a club. It whumped into the man's stomach and he doubled over. The next blow came down on the man's exposed neck and he slumped to the floor.

The Tiger had turned. He too was blinking, unable to make out what was going on. “Bannock?!” he yelled.

“Come any closer and I'll brain you!” Rich warned.

The Tiger realised what had happened to his henchman and he didn't move. The Banker dropped the light and ran quickly to join Rich. Together they backed away, out of the door and on to the small landing outside.

“You won't get away with this,” the Tiger told them angrily.

“Watch us,” Rich said. He pulled the door shut, and locked it. Almost immediately, there was a hammering from the other side. But it was muted and muffled by the thick wood. Rich took the heavy, old-fashioned key out of the lock and stuffed it in his pocket.

“What now?” the Banker asked as they hurried down the stairs.

“Find somewhere to hide. Won't be long before they're missed and someone goes looking.”

“But they can't get out for a while,” the Banker said.

Rich wasn't sure if it was a question, whether he wanted reassurance that they were safe for the moment. But before he could answer they heard the sound of a gunshot and the splinter of wood.

“Should have taken Bannock's gun,” he realised. “They're shooting out the lock or the hinges.”

“We can't get out of the castle – where can we go? Where can we hide?”

“In the last place they'll look for us.”

There was another shot from above them. It seemed louder, echoing down the stone staircase.

Floodlights came on, illuminating the castle on its island. Until then, Chance had been unable to see it. He had stared out over the dark expanse of water, but could make out nothing in the moonless night.

“Thoughtful of them,” Ralph remarked. “I wonder why they have done that.”

“Maybe someone's causing them some trouble and they want to see what's going on,” Chance suggested. “I can think of a couple of candidates. Actually, three,” he added as he remembered that Dex Halford was with Jade.

“Might make your job a little easier. Remember, you have until dawn. After that…” Ralph clapped his hands together, miming an explosion.

“Thank you,” Chance muttered.

“No problem. And you can drop me just along here, if you wouldn't mind.”

There was a large black limousine parked in a small lay-by at the side of the narrow lane. Chance brought the Focus to a halt beside it. He could see the skull-like silhouette of a man sitting in the back seat. Scevola.

“Don't get any ideas,” Ralph said quietly. “Scevola is a dedicated and ruthless man. He cares for nothing but money, I'm afraid. He doesn't like me very much, when all is said and done. So, if it were up to me…” He shrugged. “Do what you can, my friend. And I will do what I can. That's all I can offer.”

Chance turned to look the man in the eyes. “It had better be enough. Because if not, if anything happens to Rich, then I'll be after you. After you both.”

Ralph smiled back grimly. “Then I wish you good luck. If the Tiger gets the money, I can do nothing to help. If you get the money and the Tiger is denied it, then there is a possibility I can persuade Scevola that things are not so bad.” He offered his hand.

Chance did not take it. “Tell me something before you go.”

“Anything.”

“You gave Jade a necklace with a tracker in it.”

“Indeed, I did.”

“You gave Rich a watch with a bomb in it.”

“Sorry.”

“And you gave me a hip flask.”

“You have it with you?”

“No. But tell me – what's its secret? Is it booby trapped like the watch? Or trackable? Or filled with a slow-acting poison? Or what?”

Ralph opened the car door. “It's a flask,” he said. He sounded hurt. “Just a flask, nothing more. It's a present, from one friend to another. I thought you would like it and you don't even carry it with you.” He climbed out of the car. “Some people are just so ungrateful.” He slammed the door behind him.

Chance didn't wait to see Ralph get into the limo. He put the Focus into gear and stamped down on the accelerator. Ahead of him the road was a dark ribbon snaking towards the floodlit castle in the sea.

The sea was so cold now that Jade couldn't feel it. She
couldn't feel anything. She was treading water. When the causeway had dipped away too far for her to stand up any longer, she'd swum on – just for a few metres. Just to see if the causeway started to rise again as it approached the island.

It didn't. At least, not yet. And in the utter darkness, Jade had no idea where she was. She'd strayed from the path and when she tried to put her feet down, there was no sign of causeway. No way of knowing where it was or which way she should go.

Light washed suddenly across the water as the castle lit up. Jade gasped with relief – she could see it, could see where she was going.

But it didn't help her find the causeway. The island was too far away for her to swim, even if she could feel her arms and legs and persuade them to do anything more than thrash weakly in the water.

Broken, splintered wood bobbed across between Jade and the island – all that was left of Halford's boat. Halford himself must be at the bottom of the sea. And seeing the wreckage, Jade knew that it had all been for nothing. And that soon she would be joining him.