She had to admit it had been a nice day. He’d been in a good mood, talking about how much he’d enjoyed living there as a child. It was set on a large, wooded plot, near Leatherhead.
“I remember you saying great location, shame about the house.”
“I had it rebuilt, and it was finished a few months ago. The big secret is that you’re actually in my safe room… or, I should say, safe rooms. They’re the same size and built side by side. This is the scruffy one, I’m afraid. They’re concealed behind a wall in the living room. The house is so big that it was easy enough to conceal two rooms within it. That feeling you have of being underground is the result of all the sound proofing built into these walls.”
She thought he seemed in the mood to talk so maybe she could try another question.
“What is it you want with me and all these videos? You seem to be keeping me alive for some reason.”
He gave her that peculiar look again. “I’ll tell you what. You behave while we shoot this video and I’ll explain all.” He clapped his hands together. “Why don’t you do a read through first… and then it’s for real. Get this right and maybe it will help you to walk out of here.”
For some reason the impending activity triggered an idea. It was a long shot, but it might just work. It was going to take a lot of luck – and the first thing she needed was to find a distraction that wasn’t too obvious. She made her mind up. She would give it a go.
She picked up her “script” and started reading through. As she thought about reading it out loud, she looked apologetic and asked if she could have a drink.
Street handed her a water bottle and she drank thirstily. She had an idea – maybe she was holding the answer in her hand. She coughed a couple of times. “I’ve got a bit of tickle in my throat, nothing too serious. I’ll be fine to read out your message. But… maybe I can keep the water to hand?”
To emphasise the point, she coughed, raising her hand to pat the top of her chest. She was just going to have to try and get away with it when they switched the camera on.
Street told her to practice the run through. She read the message slowly and clearly.
“I suppose I should be flattered that the great Jonathan Roper is on the case. It strikes me that you may not be as good as they say. Are you running out of time?”
She thought it was a strange message but kept that to herself. Street, who had been watching closely, patted her arm. “Well done. We’re going to do this like we mean it…” He’d always been pompous and having a literally captive audience only made him worse. She really couldn’t imagine what she’d ever seen in him.
Street checked with his underling, who was acting as the cameraman, and received a thumbs up. Then, he turned back to Healy, pointed at her, and slowly started the countdown.
“Three, two, one… ACTION!”
Healy took a breath, and coughed gently, quickly patting herself as she did. Not looking to check their reactions, she launched straight into it. It didn’t take long to read out.
The two men bent over the camera as they watched the playback, their expressions intent as they replayed it twice more.
Finally, Street spoke, “What about the cough and those hands?” Before the big guy could reply, he answered his own question. “Nah, don’t worry. I reckon it makes the whole thing a bit more real.”
Healy hadn’t dared look at them. She realised, now, that she’d been holding her breath throughout the process – but the relief flooded through her body, making her cough for real.
Street loomed over her. “Don’t let it be said that I don’t keep my promises. You want to know what your role is? Well you’ll be pleased to know; you have become quite important. My original plan was to kill Ryder and then pick off his key employees by giving them jobs with me. It would make sure he was dead and buried, while giving me the talent to move my company to the top spot. But it turns out that the people at your company seem to suffer from a misplaced loyalty. Acting through third parties, I approached the best of your people and offered them colossal sums, but they all said they would wait to see whether John Ryder recovered and what happened next. I was amazed.” He reached forward and softly stoked her cheek, but his eyes were cold and devoid of affection. “Then you came along, all prying eyes, and I realised you were a loose end that needed to be tied up.”
Despite her best efforts, she shivered as the implications.
“Sorry about this, but yes, the original plan was to terminate you and chuck your body in the Thames. But I realised that would be a wasted opportunity. If I used you to torment Ryder Corp, I could cause real problems. Instead of killing you straight away, I have been suggesting that they might save you. Imagine the impact when they discover that they… can't. It will cause a lot of distress. Then wait until they get the warning from the Cohort! ‘You will be one of many. It will only stop when Ryder Corp shuts down’.”
She thought he looked quite mad. His eyes were glowing, he was shaking and sweating, and he was scratching at his body. The trouble was that there was an insane logic to his plan.
“What about the attack on Diamonds and Pearls and that Italian politician? Surely they don’t have any links to you?”
“You’d be surprised.” For some reason he was back in control of his emotions, at least for now. “That Ferrari woman was making a real nuisance of herself. She was giving herself new powers to break up big tech companies. Well, I couldn’t stand idly by. Not with all the effort I put into getting rid of John Ryder and taking over his position as the biggest of them all. When I discovered she was coming over to London it was the perfect opportunity.”
To her horror, she could see how his mind had worked. “But what about Diamonds and Pearls? Why did you need to blow them up?”
The crazy look was back.
“Like you – they were another loose end. And they were hardly innocents.” The last delivered with an enigmatic shrug.
At that moment she knew there was nothing more she could do. A curious sense of calm washed over her. In impossible circumstances, she’d fought back in the only way she could. Now she just had to hope that the video was watched by someone with the skills to understand the message she had just delivered.
Chapter 52
Roper had their full attention and for once he didn’t waste time on building the tension.
“I’ve been thinking about why they snatched Mary Lou, rather than someone else. It’s her relationship with Josephine Taggert that is important. On the face of it she’s a PA, a very senior PA, but that ignores her true role. From what we picked up from the company, she is like the second in command of the UK office. It’s just that no-one has got around to doing anything about her title, so they don’t actually list her as that.”
Hooley was frowning. “Hang on. I don’t get that at all. If she’s the deputy then that should mean more money, pension and all the little extras that come with promotions. Take me. As a Chief Inspector, I earn more than an Inspector, so the rank does matter.”
“Not necessarily, or not anymore,” said Roper. “I spoke to one of the Human Resources people and she said it was quite common for top staff to get more money without having to change their status.”
Hooley held his hands up. “To old ears like mine that sounds like a recipe for problems – but maybe you should just ignore me. I’m interrupting you telling us why our killer has made a mistake.”
Roper was practically bobbing up and down. “I am going to do that – but, first of all, I was wondering if Mary Lou was a sort of a double bluff. They were hoping that the fact they kidnapped her was making us think that it couldn’t be that obvious. But really… it was.”
Hooley held his head in his hands and groaned theatrically.
“What are you talking about? You’re making my head hurt.”
“The person who grabbed Mary Lou has made the mistake of thinking we won’t realise how vital she is to the running of the company. They’ll be assuming we keep looking at her as
a PA, a very senior PA, but not the effective number two.”
Hooley was peering between his fingers. “This helps us how? And try to remember – I’m not supposed to be putting a strain on my heart, or what’s left of it...”
“That’s because they’ve made a mistake in misleading us.”
“You just told us that. How about sharing what the mistake is? I hope it’s not listening to you…”
If Roper heard the last comment, he didn’t show it. “It’s obvious when you think about it. I am quite sure it means the person behind all this is also in the business because they know how important she is. It means that it must be someone who has dealings with the company. I am very confident, ninety-nine per cent, that it is someone from a rival company. We have to accept a one per cent chance that it is someone in the Ryder UK team – but I’ve checked and, apart from Taggert and Healy, everyone is accounted for.” Roper paused. “It’s like you’re always telling me. If you want to mangle a big company, just interfere with the chain of command.”
Hooley sat up. “As ever, you present a compelling case. So, what does that mean in terms of next steps?”
Roper closed his eyes and sat very still; his face screwed up in concentration. Finally, he spoke…
“We need the Major. If it’s possible to pull him out of whatever he’s doing, then we need to do it.”
Hooley leaned right back in his chair. “That’s brilliant! Obvious, but brilliant!”
Brooker was looking between the two men, a quizzical expression on her face.
The DCI explained. “The Major in question is Major Tom Phillips. Currently with the SAS. He knows everything there is to know about elite soldiers and mercenaries.”
Her face lit up. “So, if our Mr. Big is an ex-soldier, then this Major Phillips might know who he is…”
Roper finished the thought. “And since we can be sure that the man he is working for is currently UK based, we should get both the names we need.”
Hooley put the call in immediately and was told to wait for a response. It wasn’t long in coming. Thirty minutes later his phone beeped with a message “On my way. Thanks for getting me out of the world’s most boring mission debrief.”
He was showing the message to other two when his phone started ringing. He almost dropped it in surprise.
It was Taggert. Something bad had happened.
“I’ve got another email. It’s for Mr. Roper this time.”
Minutes later, they were watching Mary Lou delivering the message.
Despite the desperate circumstances she looked calm.
Looking directly at the camera she spoke slowly and clearly, like it was something she did every day.
“I suppose I should be flattered that the great Jonathan Roper is on the case. It strikes me that you may not be as good as they say. Are you running out of time?”
All three leaned closer to the screen as they heard Roper’s name, Roper looking as though he might lean over and touch the image. They replayed the image twice more.
Hooley was the first to speak. “That young woman is as tough as they come. You can see what stress she’s under – but she's working hard to get that right. Hardly surprising, but victims are usually in tears…”
“I agree,” said Brooker. “But I'm wondering two things. Why she’s trying so hard? Maybe she wants the bad guys to think she is no problem for them. And why is it directed at Jonathan?”
They both looked at him, but he just sat their impassively. If he had an idea he wasn't sharing.
“That ‘running out of time’ is a bit of a worry,” interjected a worried Hooley.
Roper responded. “I’ve just been thinking about that. It could be a threat to kill Mary Lou, it could be another attack – or maybe he reckons he is about to escape somewhere we can’t find him. I’m going to watch it again to see if there are any clues.”
He watched it four more times before sighing with exasperation. “There’s nothing there. All I can get is that they’re in a room somewhere.”
At that point, the Major walked in, coughing slightly to announce his arrival. He rubbed his hands together and was about to speak when Roper pointed at him. “That’s it!” he gasped. “Cough again.”
The Major knew Roper well enough to carry out the instruction. “Susan, you do it,” Roper went on. “And then you Brian.”
After a round of coughs, Roper looked pleased. “Clever woman! She’s managed to tell us something!”
All three spoke at the same time. “What?”
He turned the video clip back on. “Watch what happens when she coughs.” He played it twice and then waited for someone to spot it.
It was Brooker. “She doesn’t cover her mouth properly,” she said. “It’s like she just rests her index finger over her top lip, then sort of holds her hands out before patting her chest.” She paused, seemingly bewildered. “But why is that important?”
Roper smiled. “I didn’t spot it straight away but then I remembered what I’d found in her flat. She must have known we would go there and find something she could tap into to send a message. It was a desperate thing though… there’s not many people who could work it out.”
The other three were staring at him. It was the Major who broke the silence.
“Not sure I quite follow you?”
Hooley shook his head. “Not sure? He might as well be talking in Chinese for all the sense he’s making. Come on Jonathan, this is no time for messing around.”
Roper looked offended. “I’m not. I am trying to explain.”
“Well get on with it and do it so that a five-year-old can understand. Try to pretend that we’re not all genius level detectives.”
Roper muttered “I do not need to pretend,” under his breath. Hooley let it go and waited for him to tell them what he had spotted.
“OK,” Roper sighed. “As you know I went to Mary Lou’s apartment and there were a couple of things I saw there that didn’t seem that important, but they are now.”
He looked at Brooker. “Brian is always telling us to get out and look for ourselves and I’m glad I did.”
“Jonathan…” The message from Hooley was almost a growl.
“Yes, yes. I’m getting to it. The first thing you need to know is that I found a Makaton manual there. It’s a form of sign language often used with autistic people.
“When I looked at the video, I immediately felt there was something odd about it, but I couldn’t work it out. It was only when I got each of you to cough that I worked it out.
“Each of you used a hand to cover your mouth. It’s instinctive, a way of trying not to spread germs. But she quite deliberately leaves her hands open.” He paused. “It took me a while, but I suddenly got it. She’s making the sign for ‘Home’.”
He played the tape and held the image. “You can see she’s made a shape that could be the roof of a house. Well, we already know that she’s not being held at her home… so it must be the home of the person who has her.”
“The second part of the message is much harder to read. Even though I was looking for something it was hard to be sure. But then I thought of something else in her apartment. She had a biography about Peter Street in her bedroom, well him and a few other tech people, actually. Let me show you.”
He carefully rewound the tape to the point where she coughed.
“Now, watch this. After saying home, she does an odd thing with her hands. I think she’s trying to do the sign for “Street”, but to do it properly she would need to push both hands away from her. Obviously, she can’t do something so obvious so she gets as close as she can.
“If I hadn’t seen those books at her house I wouldn’t have realised what she’s doing.”
“That’s a pretty amazing theory Jonathan,” said Hooley. “But are you sure? What does your Rainbow Spectrum tell you?”
“That’s the good news, it totally agrees.”
Chapter 53
The door to Healy’s prison shot open,
making her cringe away from the sharp electric light which flooded the room. As her vision cleared, she saw Street. He looked angry.
Her heart filled with dread. Had he realised that she had sent a message out to the world? Was he now here to punish her? She felt an almost overwhelming urge to confess but managed to get control before she could say anything.
If he had discovered her secret, she would know soon enough. There was nothing she could do about it. Right now, she was going to die whatever happened. Her only other idea was shooting him in the face, but she needed a gun for that.
She made herself breathe slowly, concentrating to keep the fear from creeping up on her. She might be afraid, and she might be helpless – there was nothing she could do about that – but she would hold on to her dignity.
To her surprise, Street held up a bag and shook it at her direction. “I thought you might appreciate a change of clothes and the chance to freshen up a little bit. I’ll be back in twenty minutes. Oh, and do put on what I’ve provided.”
His voice sounded almost conversational, but she took no comfort from the apparent friendliness. The emotions in his eyes continued to tell a more chilling story.
He backed out, pulling the door closed but leaving the light on so that she was able to see what he had left. At the top of the bag was a packet of wet wipes. After a couple of days without washing, she was pathetically delighted. He had also provided a roll-on deodorant. It was meant for a man, but she wasn’t bothered; anything that would help her disguise her own body odour was welcome. There was also a toothbrush and a tube of half-used toothpaste.
At the bottom of the bag was something wrapped in black plastic. She hesitated. This had to be the clothing he had told her she was going to have to wear. Hoping it was nothing weird, she ripped the parcel open.
The first thing she saw was bright orange. Pulling it out, she revealed a jump suit, like the type of thing prisoners wore in her favourite TV show, ‘Orange is the New Black’. Holding it up, she saw that it was about her size – maybe a bit larger, but close enough.
Just Kill Them Page 22
