“Gerrard, they’re coming with us. They have to come with us.
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
Jess didn’t know who Eva’s companion was, but she wasn’t averse to looking at him. A handsome rogue in a big jacket, a square jaw full of stubble and a baseball hat. Maybe Eva wasn’t in such a bad way after all. The woman had seemingly fallen on her feet.
“We’ve got no choice, Gerrard. He’s going to interfere in this thing whether we like it or not. It’s best we contain this by taking him with us.”
Gerrard slapped a hand over his face and dragged it down. When the hand was finished he shook his head some more.
“We don’t have time to muck around, Gerrard. You know that. Let’s take them and get to Maggie. We can sort this out once Maggie’s safe.”
“Or if I shoot him dead right now, and he won’t cause me any problems. I won’t lose any sleep, either.”
“You don’t want to make threats like that,” said the stranger.
“Really now? What you gonna do?”
“You don’t want to find out.”
Time stopped while the four of them stared into the abyss. A stand-off situation was about to engulf them. Violence and murder was everywhere tonight. Now it was in Eva’s office too.
They heard police sirens scream past the office window, heading towards the seafront. “I don’t think it’s a good time to shoot anyone. Let’s go. We can argue this out later.” Jess received another glare from Eva, and she wilted again, and looked up at the man whose name she did not yet know. He did not smile. He looked at her without a glimmer of sympathy and then followed Eva and Gerrard out of the door. For two seconds Jess was by herself, regretting absolutely every decision she’d ever made in connection with the man. Jess ran out and shut the office as the Alfa roared into life. Being inside the Alfa was like being in a pressure-cooker on speed. Eva drove the distance between Wakering and Soutchurch way past the speed limit, her foot tapping the footbrake only when she approached a speed camera.
“Faster for God’s sake!” said Gerrard as they left the bustle of Southend and broke past the expanse of fields which divided the town from Wakering. Eva slammed her foot onto the accelerator. Jess tried to catch her eye, but Eva’s eyes stayed firmly on the road. Jess knew Eva was avoiding eye contact with her, which could only mean that Eva was insane with anger. She held onto the seat beneath her as the car bumped and flew over the country road surface, the darkness of the fields whizzing past outside. For a crumb of comfort she looked at the man beside her, but he was distant. He was no more than a stranger. She saw him dip his hands into each of his pockets and check the position of the rolled up hat on his head. Preparation. Everyone in the car was getting ready for something, everyone except Jess. Jess was along for the ride, present only to have her head torn off as soon as Eva was good and ready. Surely Eva could see she’d done her best to help. And who knew, her decision to track down the vigilante might yet come good. Maybe he would yet save the day. The Alfa started to slow as houses suddenly popped up alongside the car on either side of the street.
They parked up short of the house, hidden from its view by the wall of the tall privet hedge. Only a few cars were passing now. It was around seven. A few villagers who were out walking to the shops eyed them suspiciously. The tension Jess felt in the car must have been pouring off them.
“How the fuck do you intend to help me?” said Gerrard, speaking to the vigilante. They were totally different types. Gerrard was big and muscular and emotional, getting in the other man’s face, but the stranger stood his ground. He was muscular but much thinner than Gerrard, and impressively calm. Jess could see Eva was evaluating the both of them, working out who might win, who was reliable, who was sane, yet still she refused to look Jess in the eye.
“I’ll tell you how you can help me, stick man. Stay out of my way. For your sake.”
“No can do. I’m coming with you, but I’ll stay back until you need me.”
“I don’t need you.”
The vigilante shrugged, nonchalant, calm. Eva moved up beside Gerrard. “The motorcyclist? I can’t see them anywhere… You got a plan, Gerrard?”
“Yep. I move up to the gate and anticipate trouble. I take a quick look. If the coast is clear and I see no trouble, we go with that. But be ready to scatter to the side of the house if shooting starts. I vote we go to the right side of the building. That way we can run around the back, and end up on the left side near the big kitchen window, and take pot-shots at them on the way. Here.”
Gerrard popped a button on his bomber jacket, and drew out a hand gun. He held the barrel and handed the weapon to Eva, handle first. She felt panic and excitement all at the same time. The thrill of the battle, the thrill of justice mingled with the heady and intense fear of death. The vigilante’s face showed disapproval at the sight of guns. He was listening to everything they said, his face impassive but his dark eyes glittering and active.
Eva finally looked back to Jess. “Wait out here. This could be an all-out gunfight.”
“You don’t need to do this, Eva. Let these guys handle it.”
“They tried to kill me, Jess.”
Her voice was strained but firm. There was no point arguing. Eva had made up her mind.
“Now, detective, let’s do this before the show’s over.”
Gerrard stomped towards the front gate of the old house.
Eva turned round. “Catch!” she said and threw her car keys in a high arc through the night air. By the time Jess caught them, Eva and Gerrard were at the front gate, with the vigilante taking slow measured steps a few feet behind them. Gerrard looked at Eva. He nodded, and then moved in. One by one the three of them disappeared off the street and towards the battle. Jess stood alone on the street. She closed her eyes and pointed her face to the sky. In a just a short while she would know whether her idea would work. But she also knew someone was probably going to die. She hoped it wasn’t Eva Roberts.
Gerrard and Eva walked slowly towards the house, speaking quietly to each other, keeping their faces, neutral, trying to act as though nothing was wrong in case Maggie or Kendra saw them outside. Eva could feel the stranger wandering further behind them. The man was making her unease worse. He reminded her of a fox or a jackal, a lower form of predator biding his time, looking for an opportunity to strike. So far she neither liked him nor hated him, but his presence was not a good thing. He was a burden, a problem waiting to happen. Eva scanned the windows and saw movement within. The kitchen was a vivid lime green colour, and the light within it was stark and harsh. The light fell on Kendra as she walked into the kitchen and made some drinks at the tap. She didn’t look up or she would have seen them easily. She looked harsh and tense. Through the dirty net curtains Eva saw the woman reappear in the brown sitting room. Kendra laid two drinks on the table, and leaned down towards Maggie, and kissed her on the lips, a move between affection and reassurance. The kiss lasted just a few seconds, and then they were talking to one another like friends comfortable in each other’s company. Maggie had the bottle of wine beside her, and she gestured with her hands as she talked. Kendra laughed loud enough for them to hear. So far, so ordinary for the lesbian gangster and the double agent assassin. Gerrard had stopped walking forward to watch the show. As had Eva. The stranger came up by their shoulder and watched the scene with them. Eva was aware of his presence, but ignored him.
“This isn’t right. Surely, she would have done the hit while we were out. But here we are it’s all hearts and flowers in there.”
“Any second now they will see us. We should make a decision, are we going in or do we hold on and wait it out?”
The stranger’s gruff voice broke in. “You won’t have to wait long.”
Gerrard peered over Eva’s shoulder, his face already switched to anger mode. “What are you speaking for?”
“The blonde is psyching herself up. Look at her. Look at her right now.”
They looked. Kendra
was talking to Maggie, but yes, she was edgy, moving in and out of the room. It was the kind of detail she should have noticed, and in the old days, Dan would have picked it up straight away. Gerrard moved over towards the kitchen to find a better vantage point. A moment later, Eva followed. The stranger stayed exactly where he was. In the darkness, with his black clothes, he would have been nigh-on invisible to anyone in the house. Gerrard and Eva pressed close to the privet hedge near the kitchen, hoping its darkness would absorb them. The original plan was abandoned because this wasn’t playing out as expected. They expected an emergency, but the hit was unfolding gradually. They were out on a limb, but at least now they had a wide view all the way from the kitchen and through to the doorway which led into the brown sitting room.
In the brown room Kendra smiled like a carefree person with their lover. By the time she reached the kitchen, her face had changed altogether. She tilted her head one side to the other, like a gymnast limbering up for a big showpiece move. Her face was serious but relaxed. Kendra wore a black vest and leggings. Eva noticed there was a big back pack and a coat piled on the kitchen table. She recognised them as Kendra’s. The woman was getting ready to go somewhere. There was no way of seeing what Kendra was up to as she chatted and worked in the kitchen. Then after a minute or so of pottering by the work surface, she lifted her hands from the work top and Gerrard and Eva saw what she had in her hands. A long knife. Not a standard chopping knife, but a true weapon. It glinted in the harsh green light. Kendra’s eyes sparkled at the knife them she turned away from the window towards the sitting room door.
As Kendra moved through the hallway, Eva understood they had no time to do anything at all. Just as she made for the side door into the bright kitchen, Eva saw the stranger in black roll down his hat to cover his face. It was balaclava… He walked quickly towards the front door and disappeared out of sight. The side door was locked fast, and Eva shook it as hard as she could hoping to throw Kendra off her stride with the noise. Gerrard growled and pulled Eva aside with irritation. He swung his shoulder at the door, and then threw his whole bodyweight against it. The whole door and window shook, and the kitchen window split into three with a crack. Then Gerrard’s shoulder landed on the door a second time and the lock broke. The door swung inwards and the door clattered against the wall. Gerrard fell into a sprawl on the kitchen floor. Eva ran past his bulk but he was up quickly. There was a shriek from the sitting room. Eva made it to the hallway as the masked man closed the front door behind him. There was no sign of a forced entry. He removed something small and bright from the door, and slid it into his pocket. Why didn’t the bastard tell them he could do that? Eva’s face said it all without uttering a word.
Gerrard forced his way into the brown sitting room ahead of them. Eva bustled in behind. They were almost too late. Maggie stood stock still in the corner of the room behind the dining table, looking angry and frightened. She was tense, her shoulders high about her neck. Kendra stood before her. The long blade glinted ruefully beneath the old fashioned lampshade. Kendra looked at them all, her eyes wild, before they quickly settled. She turned and looked at Maggie. “Look. I told you they were not to be trusted. None of them. You should have listened to me, Maggie. Look. They’ve come to kill you.”
Eva and Maggie’s eyes met across Kendra’s shoulder. Eva didn’t know what those wild dark eyes meant, but she hoped. Eva hoped the woman would see reason. But she stayed where she was, her back pressed firmly against the flock wallpaper.
“Don’t believe a word of it, Maggie. She’s part of the plot, Maggie.”
“Like I told you, Maggie. She works for Brian.”
Maggie shook her head. “Bullshit. It’s not true.”
Kendra took a step back toward Maggie, playing the defensive lover, the last line of defence. But Eva saw the ploy. She was about to strike.
The vigilante appeared beside Gerrard. Kendra looked at him with confusion all over her face. “I told you. Look. They’ve brought the hit man.” The masked man shook his head, and Kendra took another step back. “I’ll look after you, Maggie.”
Eva and Gerrard took one more step forward.
Maggie’s eyes glistened. “Yes, sweetheart. I know you will.”
Maggie was quickest of all. She stepped close up behind Kendra and threw her arms around her neck and clamped them around her body, hard and violent. Kendra writhed, scything the knife through the air behind her, as Eva and Gerrard sprang towards her. The vigilante looked for an opening, but every opportunity was blocked. He watched the knife. He watched as Eva seized Kendra’s strong left arm and dragged it down hard, as Gerrard risked getting stabbed by the right. The woman howled, and shook and kicked back against Maggie. Maggie tightened her grip. Across Kendra’s shoulder, Maggie’s face was red and contorted with effort, her eyes wild and dark and shining. Eva felt a flashback to the fear she had known once before, flooding her body as Maggie’s eyes momentarily found hers. Kendra stopped howling with a sudden gasp. Gerrard was thumping her in the stomach, with hard surging body blows. Kendra’s head lolled, and Maggie let go. Kendra slumped against Gerrard. “That’s it. You’re gone.” Gerrard pushed her down his body and she landed on the floor, exposing Gerrard’s bloodied fist, and a short blade protruding from between the fingers of his fist. His whole upper arm was painted a shining dark red. He looked at Eva, breathing heavily. Maggie laughed out loud. Eva turned away, feeling like she was going to heave. Her mind swirled with feelings rather than thoughts. They’d killed her. Kendra was dead. Shock took charge of Eva’s body. She stood facing the man in the mask. His face was hidden by the mask, but Eva felt accused. She felt judged. The stranger stood back and watched them all. He shook his head and stepped away. “You didn’t have to do that.” He spoke to Eva directly. “You shouldn’t have done that…”
“But I…” she began to speak, but the words fell away. How was this supposed to end? How could there have been any ending other than a killing? Worse, Eva realised it still wasn’t over, not by a long chalk. She could make no excuses. From the moment she agreed to work with Maggie for the sake of keeping the business going, she’d done a deal with the devil. It was always going to end like this, wasn’t it? No buts. She felt queasy and there was no way out.
“Get out of here before I do the same to you, you streak of piss.”
The masked man looked at Gerrard. “You live by the sword, big man. She can tell you the rest.” The masked man nodded at Eva. Gerrard lunged towards the man, but the thin man stepped aside and dealt a chopping hand to Gerrard’s jaw. It was a classic martial arts move - karate maybe? And Gerrard went down like a fallen tree, still very much awake, but unable to do a thing about it. The masked man turned away and walked out of the sitting room door. “See you around.” His words sounded very much like a threat. Eva considered the masked man, his judgement, his threat. Eva felt like she’d crossed the Rubicon and would maybe now never get back. The earth had shifted on its axis.
Maggie smiled gleefully. She stepped passed Kendra and Gerrard, and took Eva’s hand. “I was right about you, Eva. You knew, didn’t you, and I couldn’t even see it! The bitch was a cold hearted killer.” Words which could have described Maggie equally well.
Eva backed away from her, but Maggie came with her dark eyes and smile filling her vision with its intensity. “You saved me.”
“It was Gerrard, Maggie….” Eva wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. She wanted out.
“No. It was you. You worked it out. You know what that means, don’t you?”
Eva didn’t want to hear it.
“You’re one of us now, Eva. One of us. And I want to hire you permanently. I want you to be my eyes and ears… my bodyguard.”
Eva looked down at Kendra’s body on the floor, and the dark blood soaking into the patterned carpet. The previous bodyguard hadn’t fared well. Eva blinked the sight away, the urge to vomit rising again.
“I’m not a bodyguard, Maggie. I’m a private detective.”
“Let this one go, Maggie. She’s smart, but she’s not cut out for this,” said Gerrard, as he stood up and rubbed his jaw. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. The dislike was gone, but there was still a distance in him. “She can’t do you any harm. We all saw it was self-defence.” She nodded, letting him know she agreed and that she was thankful for his input. But Maggie loomed toward her and seized Eva in a joyful embrace of relief. “No, Gerrard. She stays. She’s one of us now…”
But as Eva turned away thinking of her escape, she knew she was in a diabolical mess as bad as any in her life. The motorcyclist assassin was still at large and he had already tried to kill her. If the assassin wanted to hit Eva specifically, it was going to be far easier if she left the safety of the group. And now there was the masked man, another sickening variable. The man styled himself as some kind of bloody hero. A rogue with delusions of owning the moral high ground. Who knew what someone like him would do about all this. By sending him into this, Jess had made the whole mess out of control. Right now, as much as she hated it, it made sense that she stayed. Just until this was over. And after that, she would never ever cross the line ever again.
Eva turned and looked at them both. “I’m staying with you for now.”
Maggie gleamed. Gerrard‘s face turned sour. She turned his sourness away and took charge with a new forthright tone.
“And the very first thing we’re going to do is get out of this place. The opposition know everything about this hideout.”
“So does the guy in the mask,” said Gerrard. “If I see that idiot again, I’m going to pulverise him. Warn your little girl, will you.”
Eva gave Gerrard hard eyes. He returned her look with an even, unreadable gaze.
“If we leave here, we break that chain. None of them will know where we are.”
“So, what are we going to do?” asked Gerrard.
“You better deal with cleaning up the mess you made. I’ll deal with breaking the chain.”
Better the Devil Page 11
