Bound By Blood

by Paul J. Teague

  They got back into their previous positions. Charlotte replaced the hood, then placed her hands so they were resting on her legs, the syringe concealed and ready to deploy. She kicked the cut nylon tie out of the way, but was delighted to discover that the cut tie from around her feet would still sit loosely around her ankles, even though it was no longer restraining her. She saw Will had done the same, doing his best to reassemble his restraints in a way that would hopefully fool Vinnie.

  They slumped their heads forward, as if awaiting the next round of intimidation. She hated being unable to watch the doctor to be sure he wasn’t tipping off Vinnie with a nod of the head or a motioning of his eyes.

  ‘Well, that’s a good start, Charlotte. You told the truth. If you carry on like this, we might all be home in time to watch the ten o’clock news.’

  She listened as he tossed the car remote onto the box on which the phones had been placed.

  She sensed Vinnie’s pause even through the hood.

  ‘Where have the phones gone?’

  Silence.

  ‘What happened to the phones, doctor?’

  ‘Oh, I... I moved them over here to keep them safe. They’re with my medical implements if you want them—’

  A distraction was needed and fast. They’d been careless with the phones.

  Charlotte cleared her throat. ‘So, what happens now, Vinnie? I’ve given you something, so what do I get in return?’

  He laughed out loud.

  ‘You don’t seem to have read the rules yet, Charlotte. I have all the power here, and you have none. I hope you’ll be sensible and tell me where everything else is now. That way, this all ends quickly. Your husband gets to keep at least half of his handsome face and you hang on to most, if not all your fingers. That’s what I call a win-win situation, wouldn’t you agree?’

  ‘We’re not getting out of here alive are we, Vinnie?’

  ‘Charlotte, Charlotte, you malign me. I can’t tell you how much it hurts. We’re in the business of scaring people; killing is not really part of our repertoire, unless a big land deal is involved. We wouldn’t normally go through such trouble for someone like you. Bodies are extremely difficult to dispose of, and our friend Kyle, who takes care of these things for us, well... he’s very expensive. I’m not sure you’re important enough to justify the expenditure.’

  Charlotte followed his voice. Now she’d seen the layout of the room, she could work out where he was. When he came close enough, she’d strike.

  ‘No, I’ve already taken care of discrediting you both when this is over. The moment we’re done, the police will get an anonymous tip-off and you’ll be at the centre of a shitstorm. Let’s just say it involves a computer hack and some rather unpleasant and highly illegal pornography placed in some very embarrassing places. Good luck explaining that away.’

  ‘Did you give the pictures of Hollie Wickes to Will?’

  ‘Hollie Wickes? Who the hell is she? No, they must be for real. That’s not my work. When I hack a computer, I do it like the military. No trace and nothing for digital forensics teams to find. It looks like the real thing.’

  Charlotte recalled her conversation with Hollie, more convinced than ever that there were two forces at work here. Vinnie and Fabian made up just one of them, so who gave Will the photo that she’d found in his pocket? And was Hollie even telling the truth?

  Will began to mumble something through the tape across his mouth.

  ‘What’s that?’ Vinnie asked, over-acting like he was in a TV children’s programme. ‘I reckon your husband is protesting that he’d never download illegal pornography onto his PC. Too late Will, it’s there already. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if your university department hasn’t found it already. These damned perverts, they deserve what they get.’

  It was now or never. She could sense that Vinnie had his back turned to her. She tore off the hood, kicked the severed tie away from her ankles and charged at Vinnie from behind. Her initial adrenaline-fuelled launch was stopped short as she discovered she was still unsteady from the anaesthetic she’d been injected with earlier.

  Her legs weakened slightly, and it messed up her rear assault of Vinnie. He sensed her rushing at him from behind and turned to face her. Will got to his feet and jumped onto Vinnie’s back, causing him to drop the paperwork he’d just retrieved from the car. Charlotte raised the syringe, but Vinnie brushed her away with his right arm, sending the syringe flying, and she crashed to the floor some way from where Doctor Henderson was standing. The syringe was close to Henderson’s feet.

  Vinnie bent forward and flipped Will off his back.

  ‘Charlotte, the syringe, get the syringe—’

  ‘He has a gun, Will. Be careful—’

  Will had recovered and was making for the circular saw. He picked it up and pressed the trigger, the blade turning instantly. He held it up towards Vinnie. Vinnie circled around so his back was to the doctor, and stood facing Will and Charlotte, although the two of them were some distance apart. He put his hand into his jacket and drew out his gun; the same one he’d used to shoot at her on the jet-ski.

  ‘So, who fancies playing a game of rock, paper, scissors?’ he smirked. ‘Only this is gun, saw and... oh, bare hands. Charlotte?’

  He paused to let her defenceless state sink in.

  ‘Okay, change of plan. The world’s worst impersonator of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre gets a bullet and Charlotte, you’re going to spend the evening enjoying some of my greatest torture hits from Afghanistan. That’s enough now. It’s time to stop all this messing around.’

  He raised his gun and Will dropped the saw, his face white. As Vinnie moved his finger to the trigger, Doctor Henderson – who’d looked petrified throughout the entire exchange – bent down, grabbed the syringe from the floor and planted it in Vinnie’s neck. Vinnie plunged to the ground before he could pull the trigger.

  ‘Get out of here,’ the doctor shouted. ‘It’s too late for me, but you can escape. You’ve got about ten minutes head start on him.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  ‘He’ll kill you,’ Charlotte said.

  ‘No he won’t. I’ll tell him it was you who injected him in the confusion,’ the doctor replied. He looked scared out of his wits, like the puny kid who’d just punched the school bully and was waiting to see what he’d do next.

  ‘Just go. I injected him in a main vein, but it won’t keep him down for long. He won’t remember much about it when he comes round.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Charlotte said. She turned and followed Will, who was already picking up the car keys and heading for the exit.

  ‘Shall I call the police?’ he asked as they moved back into the cool night air, emerging into the parking area behind the industrial unit.

  ‘No, not yet,’ Charlotte replied. ‘Let’s find out where Brett’s storage unit is and retrieve whatever is in there. Then we can recover the document I left hidden in Jed’s boat. I’ll telephone Kate Summers when we’ve gathered it all together and see what she advises. But not yet. Let’s press this advantage home.’

  They pushed open the gate Charlotte had left unlocked and didn’t bother closing it again. That horse had already bolted.

  ‘Damn! The document Vinnie took... I left in there—’

  Charlotte had been so concerned about the doctor’s fate that she’d forgotten to clear the area before fleeing.

  ‘I got it while you were chatting to Henderson,’ Will reassured her, indicating the paperwork he had stuffed into his back pocket. ‘He had another document there too, so we have them both back now—’

  ‘Fantastic; it’s the one I had to give to Vinnie at Sunderland Point. He’s going to be so pissed off with us. We’d best not mess this up now. He won’t let us get away again.’

  Will passed the car keys to Charlotte, and they hurried over to the cash and carry. It was almost closing time and the security guard was hovering by the barrier, ready to lower it the moment the final customer had left.
They made their way over to the vehicle and got inside.

  ‘What did the doctor do to you?’ Charlotte asked.

  ‘Best get driving. I’m still alive. It was Vinnie who hurt me; the doctor didn’t make any attempt to help, the snivelling rat. In his favour, he did whisper an apology after Vinnie hit me. It still hurts like hell. To be fair, he didn’t have much choice. He seems to be in over his head.’

  Charlotte waved at the security guard as they left the car park. They were last out; they’d cut it fine. At least she wouldn’t be forced to crash the company car through the barrier to make good her escape. It was a minor but welcome blessing, bearing in mind their current predicament.

  ‘I agree. You’ve seen how all this happens. You get caught up in it bit by bit. I started investigating an interesting news story, and look where we’ve ended up. It’s almost unbelievable.’

  She took her hand off the gear stick and squeezed Will’s arm.

  ‘God, I’m pleased you’re safe. I didn’t know what had happened to you. By the way, Hollie Wickes was set up. She’s one of the Irwin children.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s true. Only a DNA test will prove it, but she’s Jane Irwin. I left her speaking to her estranged sister.’

  Will placed his head in his hands and sighed.

  ‘What about the photograph?’

  ‘A set-up, or so it seems.’

  ‘Is there nothing these people can’t do to bypass the rules?’

  Will looked exhausted. She hadn’t noticed it so much when they were in the industrial unit, but even in the semi-lit street, she could see it in his face. She squeezed his arm again.

  ‘Not long now; it’ll soon be over. Why don’t you call the kids and tell them we’re fine? Ask them to stay in the Travelodge tonight, just to be sure. Tell them we’ll pay. Better to be safe than sorry.’

  Charlotte started travelling towards Heysham. Heysham Business Park, Kate had said. That was easy enough to find, but the first storage units she came across weren’t open 24/7. For a moment she panicked, fearing they might have to wait until morning to make any progress. Then she found a much larger premises, lit up outside, with signage boasting 24/7 access.

  ‘This must be it,’ she said as she pulled up in the car park. At the far side was a sturdy, industrial-looking gate. They got out of the car, the code details from Kate’s envelope in Charlotte’s hand. As they neared the gate, she saw it had been secured with a heavy padlock operated by a security code. Consulting the information on the piece of paper, she read the numbers to Will as he twisted the numbered dials.

  ‘Bingo!’ he said as the padlock snapped open. He pushed open the gate.

  ‘Best take the car inside the compound,’ Charlotte suggested. ‘I don’t trust Vinnie; he seems to have a sixth sense for where we are.’

  ‘How will he find us?’ Will asked.

  ‘I don’t know, but they tracked you down at the university easily enough. Let’s not take any chances.’

  They left the gate open and drove into the compound, which was full of containers of various sizes. These were not the battered, gnarled and rusted variety she had seen at Heysham Docks. They were much newer, mounted on blocks to keep them off the ground. They looked like they were mainly used by domestic customers, as the banners had suggested on the approach road.

  ‘That’s the one,’ Will said, suddenly alert in the car seat beside her as they slowly drove through the compound, trying to figure out how they were numbered.

  ‘How do you know?’ Charlotte asked.

  ‘Because it’s more weather-beaten than the rest. If it’s been sitting there for twenty years, I’m guessing they decided not to replace it. There’s a number 24 painted on the side.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right, that’s the number written on the flap of the envelope from among Kate’s papers. There’s one more three-digit code on here. I hope it opens another padlock. If it does, we’re in.’

  Charlotte pulled up the car, and they walked to the front of the storage unit. Will examined the padlock.

  ‘Yes, it’s a three-digit number. Read it out to me, please. It’s a good job this is a quality lock, or it would have rusted a long time ago.’

  As he held the lock, Charlotte noticed for the first time some markings under his fingernails, like small bruises in the soft skin below them. She touched his hand.

  ‘Is that what Vinnie did?’

  ‘Yes. It hurt - a lot. I’m pleased you came along when you did. They were just about to get started on the doctor’s surgical toolkit. I’m not sure I could have stood up to that.’

  Charlotte wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in close from behind.

  ‘I’m sorry, Will. I’m so sorry they did that to you—’

  He touched her hands and pulled them a little tighter around his waist.

  ‘It’s not your fault. We can’t do anything to stop the monsters around us. They would carry on regardless. We’re just collateral damage; they don’t care about us.’

  They stood together for several moments, enjoying the closeness and calm. At last Will pulled away.

  ‘Much as I’d love to stand like this all night, we’d best get moving.’

  He fumbled with the padlock.

  ‘Just read me those numbers again,’ he said.

  Charlotte repeated them, making sure she hadn’t misread a digit.

  ‘It’s rusted,’ Will cursed. ‘That’s the right code; I felt it click. But it’s rusted into the socket... where are you going?’

  ‘One moment,’ Charlotte said, heading to the car and opening the boot. Vinnie hadn’t returned the spare tyre to the recess after his search for the document, so she quickly found the wheel wrench, marched over to the container and struck it twice with the tool. The padlock fell to the ground.

  ‘There,’ she said, smiling at Will. ‘I’m pretty certain Kate Summers won’t mind.’

  It took both of them to pull open the mechanism which secured the container. It was heavily weathered, but not rusted. The hinges protested at being woken up after over twenty years, but these units were built to last at sea, and they eventually succeeded in prising open the door.

  The lighting surrounding the compound wasn’t perfect, but it provided enough brightness to see inside. The unit was piled high with boxes, furniture, electrical appliances and even a bicycle. This was what remained of a man’s life. Not just any man; Kate Summer’s brother. Inside this unit was hidden the reason for Kate’s disappearance, and perhaps an explanation of the mystery surrounding the Irwin family.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  December 1999

  The Arndale Centre was Tiffany’s favourite place to meet at this time of year. It was warm, dry and flat, perfect for life with three children and a double buggy. As she walked through the automatic doors, a blast of warm air engulfed her, thawing the ice from her face. She was meeting Brett later, in a snatched liaison which had come as an unexpected bonus. He was starting his shift later so he could stay late at work for a special event.

  David had business meetings all day, so it was as safe as it could be. Besides, although she’d told David she was in town to change the children’s library books, her meeting with Georgina was the main driving force of the day.

  Christmas music was playing throughout the covered shopping area. For the first time in ages, Tiffany felt a sense of joy and positivity; it finally felt as if her plan with Brett might happen. At last, she could put her bad relationship choices behind her and start a new life with a good and decent man.

  Callie tugged on her reins and Tiffany followed her gaze to see what was proving so exciting. She had spotted the Christmas tree in the centre, surrounded by elves and Santa models. Tiffany followed Callie’s tugging and allowed the children to get close to the display. The shops had made a great effort between them, with sparkling baubles, flashing lights, silver and gold stars and an array of miniature wrapped presents adorning the massive tree at the centre of it all.
>
  Behind the tree a small, pop-up play area had been created; this would be perfect for when Georgina arrived. She often wondered if mothers had a sixth sense, as moments later her friend arrived with her own children and buggy. They hugged and greeted each other. The kids didn’t care; they were more excited about the Christmas decorations. Callie had already figured out there was a play area at the rear and was busy communicating her excitement to any other child in the group who could understand her.

  ‘Blimey, it’s freezing out there,’ Georgina said, ‘my nose feels like it’s about to drop off.’

  ‘Me too, that wind off the sea really catches you when you get out of the car,’ Tiffany replied.

  ‘How about we let the kids loose in the play area so we can chat?’ Georgina continued.

  Rowan was asleep in his pram, so it sounded like the best plan. The toddlers were unleashed in the small play area, which was still quiet, and the two friends took a seat at one of the small tables which had been set up nearby.

  ‘Give me five minutes,’ Georgina said, leaping up from her chair. She came back soon afterwards with a cup of tea and a mince pie for them both.

  ‘This is as close as it gets to paradise when you’ve got young kids,’ Georgina said with a smile. ‘Make the most of it. Small pleasures like this keep us sane.’

  They exchanged pleasantries, asking after each other’s children, but both knew why they were there; it wasn’t for a morning of idle chit-chat.

  ‘Did you get the test results?’ Tiffany asked at last, unable to sustain the superficial topics of conversation any longer. ‘I’m bursting to see what they are.’

  ‘You know I haven’t read them, right?’ Georgina asked.

  ‘I didn’t even think about it, Georgie. I realise it’s unofficial, so I assumed you might just tell me verbally. Is there a letter or something?’

  ‘Before I give it to you, my friend made me swear you to secrecy. The university lab is not there to run private test results. It’s also expensive to do, so you must never tell anybody where you got the results. Do you promise? My friend could lose his job for this, it’s important.’