STRANGE BODIES (a gripping crime thriller) (29 page)

She pressed the stud on the earpiece to acknowledge but she was too close to them to risk the slightest sound.

He said, ‘I got Merlin to release all the outside locks. The front door is closed but unlocked. I’ve told the men to wait till I give the signal. Now I’m going to open the study door and try to take them by surprise first. Ready? On my count … 3, 2, 1. Go!’

Verity leapt around the corner, pain in her ankle forgotten, screaming loudly as a distraction. And it worked as they both turned shocked faces to her as she seemed to appear from nowhere. The wall panel Gray had been trying to open slid aside and Nicholas stepped quickly out of the study to take the gun from Gray’s waistband but the man seemed to sense something and whirled. He was quick, much quicker than Nick had anticipated.

Verity had her weapon trained on Lara whose reflexes were almost as fast. She aimed a kick at Verity who grabbed for the foot and just got fingertips to it before Nash recovered and sent a lightening fast chop to her neck. Verity avoided it but was off balance for the next blow, a savage punch in the ribs. This time it was Nash who was off balance and Verity grabbed her shirt and spun her around. Bad move. Lara bumped into Marcus, holding him front of her as a shield and had her knife out and at his neck as she backed against the wall.

‘Keep away,’ she screamed frantically, eyes darting from side to side, seeking an escape route. ‘I’ll kill him!’

‘Lara, shut up, we need him alive for now. We have to leave … now.’

Calling her seemed to jolt her back to a realization of their position. She turned to speak to him. ‘Shoot her, shoot her, full stun. She’s too close!’

Gray calmly took a step towards her and reached out a hand, grasping Marcus by the arm, saying, ‘I told you to shut up,’ as he deliberately shot her in the neck.

As she fell he turned back with Marcus tightly grasped, a dart gun now pressed to the side of the dazed man’s neck. ‘Your precious uncle is alive … for now. If you want him to stay that way you’ll do as you are told. You,’ he gestured to Verity, ‘get over there with your boyfriend where I can keep an eye on you both. I’ll be needing a car. Dr Burne, yours will do.’

Verity answered calmly, ‘My car is programmed for me only, my voice and prints. You’ll have to use one of the others.’

‘In that case I’ll have to take you too. Any nonsense and Uncle Marcus will suffer a serious injury. Or I might just give him some Zombie III. You’ve seen what a large dose can do.’

Nicholas spoke. ‘You, it
was
you. You sent that man to kill Verity in the car park, didn’t you? So you must have been there and injected him with a fatal dose.’

‘Very clever, Sherlock. But if you think you can delay me by getting me to talk, forget it. That only works in books. Come on, move it.’

Nicholas said, ‘No, don’t take her, take me. She’s programmed her car for me too. You don’t have to take her. She’s still recovering from your attacker.’

‘How very gallant,’ Gray sneered. ‘And nice try but no thanks.’ He raised his free hand and to their shock they saw that he had the stun gun in it, the dart gun still pressed to Marcus’ neck. ‘You can stay here and let your useless troops in when we’re gone.’ He fired quickly, one shot from the stunner on full charge.

Nick fell back against the wall, clutching his arm, his gun falling uselessly to the floor. Verity cried out in shock and tried to go to him.

‘Don’t bloody move,’ said Gray, gesturing at her with the gun.

‘No, just go with him, do what he says and try to keep yourself and Marcus safe, Verity. It will wear off.’ Nicholas was desperate for them to turn and walk away. As soon as they were out of the back door and in the courtyard he was going to give the signal to his men. He just prayed that Fraser had had time to organise a sharpshooter for the roof.

He had seen the look on Verity’s face and knew she was going to try something the first opportunity she had. He had also seen the ruthlessness in Gray, the pure malevolence that seemed to shine from his eyes. No way he was going to let them live … as soon as he thought he was safe he would kill them both, Verity and Marcus. Look at what he had done to his supposed lover without a second’s hesitation.

Gray herded the pair through the hallway, across the living area and to the back door.

Next second they were gone. Nicholas allowed himself to sink down then, the pain from the shot much more severe than he had let on. His right arm was quite useless; he knew he was going to pass out any second but managed to press the button on his watch, his signal to take action.

The front door opened and Fraser, Jacobsen and two officers burst in, guns at the ready. Nick smiled at them weakly. ‘Ah, the cavalry. Bob, sniper, gym?’ he managed between clenched teeth, clinging to consciousness.

As Fraser opened his mouth to speak a shot rang out. The other men rushed to the back, then one turned back, thumbs up and a big smile. ‘Got him,’ he said, triumphantly.

Fraser activated his phone. ‘Officer down. Ambulance and doctor needed here.’ As he knelt down beside the now unconscious Adams, Verity came running and flung herself down beside him, cradling his head against her breast.

‘Oh, Nick, Nick. Please don’t die. I love you.’

Fraser said dryly. ‘More likely to be smothered the way you’re holding him.’

She looked at him, tears pouring down her face. ‘Oh, Bob, I was so scared. Scared for Marcus, scared for Nick. Did you see what he did to Lara?’

She laid Nick’s head on her lap and smoothed his hair. ‘When he turned and shot Lara, the one who had been with him through everything, all the murders, I knew he’d have no compunction about killing the rest of us.’

Fraser glanced over at the still form crumpled against the wall a few metres away. ‘She’s not dead, you know. I just saw her breathing.’

‘What! But he shot her in the head! I saw him.’

Nicholas was in a warm comfortable place but something was dragging him out of it. He groaned and tried to move, then opened his eyes to see Verity anxiously looking down at him. ‘Thank God, you’re alright. What happened?’ he said weakly.

Jacobsen said, ‘Explanations can wait. Here’s the ambulance. Let’s get you and Nash off to hospital, Commander. And Sir Marcus, too.’

Fraser said, ‘Verity, can you organise the security here? We have to leave our crime scene chaps to go over everything, but someone should stay here in the house.’

‘I have to go with Nick,’ said Verity. ‘I can’t stay. Wait, where’s Amy? She can stay here for me.’ She raised her voice slightly, ‘Merlin, can you reactivate Jeannie, please. I have to go but Amy will be here. You know what to do.’ A soft tone from her watch was all the acknowledgement she needed.

‘I’ve contacted Amy. She’s on her way and knows what she has to do. So let’s go.’

The paramedics worked on Lara until she was stabilised, though still unconscious. The gunshot wound to her head seemed severe and they didn’t expect her to live. They loaded the barely breathing woman into an ambulance which pulled away, siren screaming, heading for the emergency lane and the nearest hospital. The other one, with its walking wounded took a more leisurely pace, Verity clinging to the hands of the two men she loved best.

Epilogue

Lara Nash survived to confirm everything that Nick, Verity and the police had uncovered. Between bouts of unconsciousness and rambling incoherence, she gave them enough information to find Gray’s various bank accounts, his lists of informants and helpers, even the passwords for his computers. She had known deep down he was just using her as a convenience, but was helpless against her feelings for him. She had thought she loved him but therapy and a counter device quickly developed by Verity had brought her out of that delusion.

Now the bitterness of his treatment of her allowed them to get every scrap of knowledge about the murders, how and where they were done.

She had met him in Chicago where she was a professional shoplifter who had never been caught until the day he followed her from the shop and smilingly threatened to turn her in if she didn’t have lunch with him.

Verity told Nick, ‘She said she was so shocked she agreed, then next thing she knew she was in his bed. The sex was incredible and she was hooked. They stayed there in bed, she said, for two days and it just got better. I think he may have been using an illegal sex drug at this time, probably Bacchus. That psych device of his wasn’t fully developed then. He sent her to a security guard training course and the rest, as they say, is history.’

‘Of course, Marcus would accept whatever Gray told him about her. He had no reason to doubt him. And she made a pretty formidable bodyguard too.’

‘I’m sort of sorry she chose to die. She was a murderer but …’

‘Verity, just stop there. She was a murderer, period. She chose to end it rather than live the rest of her life in the prison system. Let’s lay it to rest.’

He wrapped his arms around her. ‘Come on, we’d better get to the wedding. I have to go and pick up Richard before he decides to make a quick getaway … ouch. That was a joke.’

Verity said, ‘And I’d better see if Adelaide’s ready, though she doesn’t really need me with Amy and Lucy fussing around. I’ve never been a bridesmaid before—hope I don’t mess it up.’

Nick blew her a kiss as he left. ‘Good practice for our wedding.’ He grinned as he left her standing there open mouthed.

THE END

If you enjoyed STRANGE BODIES by ANTONIA MARLOWE you may also enjoy her romantic thriller BLUE DIAMONDS

She picked the wrong man to reject. Now he wants her dead.

After a failed attempt on her life by vengeful ex-SAS captain John Stratton, a young British woman takes on a new identity and life for herself in Australia as Chloe Clarke. When a chance encounter leads to a whirlwind romance with the charming and wealthy businessman Tom Wentworth, it seems her fortunes have taken a turn for the better. But as her past life quickly catches up with her and her secrets are revealed, will Tom be able to save her from the danger of Stratton’s murderous intentions?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFQ9QNU

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QFQ9QNU/

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