by Roger Hurn
‘Be quiet, Marcus!’ Crispian spoke with cold authority. Suddenly he didn’t seem the effete ex public school tosser I’d taken him for when we first met. He’d shed that persona like a snake sheds its skin. ‘Talk to me, Carly. I need to know the truth.’
She seemed a little taken aback by him taking charge, but she told him everything she’d told me.
When she’d finished, Azrael shrugged. ‘So I killed Zander and Carmichael killed the girl. But so what?’ He hunched his shoulders up and held out his hands palm up. ‘Look, when Smart Alec said he wanted the nation to help him make the necessary sacrifices he wasn’t joking!’ His face twisted into a grin. ‘And when the opposition accused him of making savage cuts they had no idea of how right they were!’ He giggled, but no one else was laughing. We realised he was one sick puppy.
Crispian sucked on his teeth for a moment or two. He was weighing things in the balance and I just hoped he was going to come down on our side. I had the feeling that things were going to turn very nasty for us if he didn’t. Then he exhaled and stared disdainfully at Azrael, AKA Marcus Sullivan, like he was a maggot on a hook.
‘We agreed that there could be no repeat of what happened last time Carmichael was here. There’re only so many times he can claim that some girl’s death is the result of an unfortunate accident from an out of control sex game. And only so many times we’ll be prepared to cover it up. But now you’re telling me you and he were planning to do the same with this girl?’ He shook his head. ‘What the hell did you think you were playing at?’
Sullivan narrowed his eyes and sneered. ‘Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to, Crispian? You’re just a jumped up civil servant. I’m running this show for Borzov and, if he says anything goes for Alec Carmichael, then anything goes.’
Crispian sighed. ‘Only it doesn’t. We keep Borzov on a lead. A rather long lead I grant you, but one which we can use to pull him to heel at any time. He’s useful. He has contacts and influence in certain places so we indulge him. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. But I always had my doubts about this whole Church of the Dark Light thing and it seems I was right.’
I had a pretty strong idea I knew who Crispian was referring to when he said “we” but I asked anyway.
He smiled self-deprecatingly. ‘Marcus here was quite right when he said I’m a civil servant. I work for Box 500, though you may know it better as MI5, and at a significantly higher pay grade than your chum, Rob Sheerwood.’
I was gobsmacked. ‘But why would MI5 get involved in this tacky bloody set up?’
Crispian shrugged. ‘Oh it’s always a good thing to have knowledge. It’s power. And you wouldn’t believe some of the things the rich and powerful have got up to here. But, because we know about their antics, we have influence over them. It really is that simple.’ Then he paused and sighed. ‘Though I must admit Carmichael has taken it to extremes we hadn’t bargained for.’
I shook my head in disgust. ‘So you went along with Borzov’s whole Church of the Dark Light scheme so you could use it to blackmail people.’
Crispian raised his hands in mock outrage. ‘Oh no, blackmail is such an ugly word, Ryan. What it gave us was leverage. That’s the modern terminology.’
‘No! What you’ve got is a fucking murderous creep for a chancellor. And you’re not fucking covering up for him again, understand?’
Somehow, we’d all forgotten about Carly. Now she stood there with a gun in her hand. It was the one Tyrone had given her. As every copper knows there is nothing more dangerous or unpredictable than a teenager with a pistol and she had it pointed straight at Crispian. He blanched.
‘Hey, it’s all right, Carly,’ I said. ‘Nobody’s going to cover up anything. So put the gun down and let me and Crispian sort all this out.’
Carly kept the gun on Crispian. She was using the Weaver stance and her arms were swaying slightly, but she could hardly miss at that range and he knew it.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ he said. Though someone had pulled the plug on his savoir faire. He just sounded shit scared. ‘There’ll be no cover up of this murder. Marcus will stand trial for it. You have my word on that.’
Sullivan gave a humourless little bark of laughter. ‘Oh I don’t think so, Crispian. Do you seriously think I’m going to be the fall guy for this? Put me in the dock and I’ll tell the world what kind of a monster Alex Carmichael is. And I really don’t think you want that do you?’
It was like watching a man write his own suicide note.
Crispian didn’t say a word so he carried on. ‘Look, there’s no real problem here. Zander’s body can go into Hell’s Mouth and we can give the girl and Kyd to Borzov and his boys to deal with. Then you can tell Carmichael the facts of life and everyone’s a winner.’
‘Hey, moron, you’re forgetting one thing. I’ve still got a fucking gun and I’m gonna use it to blow your fucking head off if you don’t shut the fuck up.’
Carly was now pointing the gun at Sullivan.
‘Oh shut up, you cheap little slut. You’ll never pull the trigger and you know it.’
There was a terrific explosion as the gun fired. I knew Sullivan was making a big mistake in goading Carly, but even I hadn’t reckoned on her actually doing it. As it happened she’d missed, though whether by accident or design I couldn’t say. My ears were ringing and I was half blinded by the muzzle flash, but Sullivan shoved past me and made a break for it.
William grabbed the gun from Carly and Crispian wrestled with her as she fought to get it back from Billy boy.
I figured the two of them could handle Carly without my help, so I turned and ran after Sullivan. I was determined he wasn’t going to escape despite my gammy knee. As it was, the adrenaline was surging through my body and I didn’t feel any pain as I hit the after burners. I was hard on his heels as he legged it down a tunnel.
Chapter Seventeen
It was surreal hurtling along hunched up in the semi darkness so as not to bash our heads on the rocky ceiling. Then suddenly Sullivan swerved into a side tunnel which was completely dark. I lost valuable seconds fumbling for my torch before I could set off after him. I guessed we were now in the maze.
My torch gave out a thin shaft of light that split the blackness, but it wasn’t going to give me any clues about how to navigate the labyrinth. I was torn about what to do. I didn’t want Sullivan getting away, but neither did I want to get lost in the maze. I had absolutely no guarantee that Crispian would do anything to find me, nor any idea what he’d do to Carly if I wasn’t there to complicate matters for him. I mentally flipped a coin and it came down on my stupid side so I plunged in.
I’d read somewhere that if you always keep contact with the right hand side of a maze’s wall you’ll eventually make it to the centre. I didn’t have a better plan so that’s what I did. It led me into a couple of dead ends but the truth was it wasn’t much of a maze. The only problem was I was going at a snail’s pace and I figured Sullivan was long gone. But then I heard a sharp scream echo from somewhere up ahead. I hurried on as quickly as I could and soon the tunnel opened out into another large cavern. There were more fake torches on the walls and I could see Sullivan hobbling along. He’d obviously gone over on his ankle in the dark and twisted it. I grinned. Catching him was going to be a piece of piss now. Well, so I thought. But then I’m a bloke who always has way more eggs than chickens.
‘Give it up, Sullivan,’ I said. ‘It’s over.’
He didn’t answer but limped on faster towards a bloody great pit that I guessed was Hell’s Mouth. I couldn’t work out what he was playing at. I could only think he was going to chuck himself down it. But no way was I going to let him take the easy way out. He was going to answer for Angie’s death. I raced after him. Then he gave a groan, his leg collapsed under him and he lay sprawled on the rocky floor.
I stood over him and held out my hand. ‘Come on pal, let’s get you back up on your feet and then you’re coming with me to face the music.’ I cri
nge when I hear myself talk like a copper, but I still do it. And while I was cringing, I dropped my guard. It was then I found out what he was playing at. He wasn’t aiming to jump into oblivion; he was lining up that particular fate for me!
Sullivan grabbed my hand, yanked on it and lashed out at my legs with his supposedly broken foot. I hit the deck and he rolled on top of me punching at my face. He caught me a glancing blow on the side of my head. It wasn’t half as painful as the whack the floor had given my head as it smacked down onto it. I felt vomit surge up my throat and I gulped it back down. I was pretty groggy and Sullivan should have gone for the kill there and then, but he was an actor not a fighter and he couldn’t resist the chance to play to the role of the gloating villain. I guess he thought I was out for the count. He thrust his face down close to mine.
‘Poor Mr Kyd, you didn’t take the Church of the Dark Light seriously, but the darkness reaches out its hand and takes us all in the end. We can’t escape it and now it’s your turn. I’m going to tip you into Hell’s Mouth. You asked me once where Angie was. Well you’re just about to find out. Do give her my regards.’
He made as if to stand up but I clapped the palms of my hands hard across his ears. This stunned him and I jabbed at his eyes with my fingers. He squealed and pulled his head back but I managed to clip his nose with my fist. It was enough. Blood poured out of his nostrils and he yelped and jumped up. The sight of his own blood shocked him and he stared at his blood covered hands. I powered up off the floor and tried to give him a kick in the balls but my foot bounced off his thigh. He dived forward and grabbed hold of my shirt and attempted to swing me round into the pit. I dropped my forehead onto his nose in a Deptford Kiss. I heard it crunch and he let go of me and stumbled backwards clutching his face. Only there was nowhere for him to go. Without realising it, he was stepping back into the void that was Hell’s Mouth. But, unlike a cartoon character running off a cliff, he didn’t hang in the air; he plummeted down into the abyss. He howled for a horribly long time, but then there was a sudden silence. Marcus Sullivan had finally embraced the darkness.
Chapter Eighteen
When I made it back to the main cavern I found Crispian and William sitting on the floor with their hands on their heads. Carly was perched on the altar swinging her legs and pointing her gun at them.
Crispian had a nasty looking bruise around his eye socket which I suspected was made by one of Carly’s elbows. William was nursing his hand which had been badly bitten by the look of it. Carly has beautifully even white teeth, with not a fang in sight, but I wouldn’t have wanted them tearing my flesh to shreds.
Carly glanced at me. If she was pleased to see me she was doing a great job of hiding it. I was surprised at how much that hurt, but I figured she was still in shock.
‘Where’s the creep?’
‘He fell into Hell’s Mouth. He’s dead.’
Carly nodded. ‘Good.’
‘Did he fall or was he pushed, Mr Kyd?’ asked Crispian.
I shrugged. ‘Does it matter? But, since you’re curious, he fell in while we were having a bit of a tussle. He should have stuck to acting because he was no street fighter.’
Crispian laughed a bitter sort of laugh. ‘So, not like your associate here, then? I don’t believe she’s even heard of the Queensbury rules.’
I shook my head in feigned disbelief. ‘What’s the matter, Crispian? Didn’t the little oik say pretty please?’
But I took the hint. Carly had already fired the bloody gun once and I did not want to run the risk of her losing her rag and blazing away again. I hadn’t just escaped death by falling down a hole only to have a hole blown in my head by my mega pissed off female associate.
‘Carly, could you put the cannon away now please? Sullivan’s dead and we are going to need these two jokers alive to help us straighten everything out.’
She muttered something about posh wankers, but she lowered the gun. Crispian and William visibly relaxed and then stood up.
‘So you knew all about Angela being murdered by Alec Carmichael and you helped to cover it up,’ I said accusingly.
William scowled but Crispian looked rueful. ‘Guilty as charged,’ he said. ‘Though, in our defence we had no idea that Carmichael was going to turn his pagan priest human sacrifice fantasy into reality. Normally there’s a lot of amateur dramatics and prancing about in togas and whatever else is in the dressing up box, followed by assorted sucking, screwing and buggery according to taste and everyone’s a winner. The VIPs have had their jollies and the “Chosen Ones” have polished their pathetic little egos by having hobnobbed, so to speak, with the great and the not so good.’
I shook my head. ‘But you must’ve known that Carmichael was a loose cannon.’
Crispian exhaled slowly. ‘Well, he was always a bit of a sadist at school but then so were half the cabinet. The other half were masochists.’ He smiled. It was his idea of a joke. Neither Carly nor I were laughing.
‘And his rise has been somewhat meteoric so he’s rather caught us all on the hop.’ He pursed his lips. ‘Not to mention the fact that he’s the only politician who has a half way decent plan to save the economy from going down the pan and so, like it or not, that makes him bullet proof.’
‘But now you know he’s out of control you’re gonna take him down, right?’ Carly’s voice was edged with fury.
Crispian took a very deep breath. ‘We will, yes, but not just at the moment.’ He looked at her with a sombre expression on his face. He wanted her to know he was taking her seriously. After all, she still had the gun in her hand. ‘You see, it’s just not in the national interest at this present time because the economy is balanced on a knife edge and if any scandal broke concerning the chancellor then the markets would panic, the pound would drop like a stone and we would all be royally buggered. But as soon as he’s steered the ship of state safely through the economic storm, then I can assure you that Alec Carmichael will be stepping down to spend more time with his family.’
Carly stared at him in disbelief. ‘And that’s it, is it? He gets away with murdering Angie just ‘cos he’s a fucking clever politician?’
Crispian gave her a sad smile. ‘Angie was expendable, but Alec Carmichael isn’t. It’s the way of the world.’
I thought Carly might cut up rough at this point but she didn’t. She sagged and the fight seemed to drain out of her. She eased herself off the altar.
‘What about Angie’s body?’ she asked. ‘Her sister needs closure. So you need to produce it.’
‘They can’t, Carly,’ I said. ‘Sullivan told me it was at the bottom of Hell’s Mouth.’
‘They can fucking try!’
She raised the gun again but somehow her heart wasn’t in it. Crispian assured her he’d see what could be done but he didn’t sound hopeful. In the end she accepted that this was the best offer she was going to get and announced that she was going home.
‘C’mon, Ryan. These creeps can wind up everything up. We’re outta here.’
I told her that I was going to have to leave by the way I’d come in as I had the meter running on my guide. I wasn’t surprised when she insisted on coming with me. I don’t think she wanted to spend any more time with Crispian and William.
Chapter Nineteen
Telling Susan that Angie was dead was bloody hard. Telling her that she’d been murdered as the climax of a sex game by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was almost impossible. And I don’t think I would have been able to do it without Carly.
After I’d broken the news to her, Susan sat staring straight ahead at nothing, her plain face made ugly by grief. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she made no sound. Carly sat next to her, her big eyes full of concern. Then suddenly Susan reached out and took Carly’s hand and held onto it as if it were a life belt and she was a woman drowning in a stormy sea – which I suppose she was. Carly leaned over and put her arms around Susan. Susan clung to her and burst into a violent sobbing fit that racked her whole body. C
arly just carried on holding her and stroking her hair until the sobbing finally died down.
I knew Carly’s own mum was a waste of space so I couldn’t help thinking that maybe Susan was the mum she wished she had. Sometimes life really sucks.
Carly looked over at me. ‘Make some tea, Ryan,’ she said.
I was glad to have permission to do something other than watch a grown woman fall apart in front of me.
By the time I’d finished boiling the kettle and faffing around in the kitchen area, Susan had recovered herself enough to talk. She smiled wanly as I put our best mug in front of her. ‘I don’t suppose there are any chocolate biscuits are there?’ she said.
I nearly tripped myself up in my haste to bring a packet over.
‘He’s such a wally,’ said Carly in a playful voice. ‘Honestly Sue, I have no idea how he’d cope if he didn’t have me.’
Susan nodded and smiled with at Carly with genuine affection. ‘Yes, you’re a lucky man, Ryan. Make sure you look after her.’
I grinned and went along with the gag. ‘I’m not sure she needs me to look after her, Susan. She’s a tough cookie. She can pretty much take care of herself.’
Suddenly Susan looked as grim as February in Deptford. ‘That’s what I thought about Angie,’ she said. ‘But how wrong I was.’
The silence that followed that remark seemed to last forever, but then Susan sighed and said, ‘will this man, Carmichael ever be arrested for what he’s done to my precious girl?’
I contemplated lying, but Carly’s eyes were burning with anger and I knew she’d tear my throat out if I did. And anyway Susan deserved the truth. It was all we had to give her.
‘No, I seriously doubt it. Too many important people have too much to lose so they’ll sweep it all under the carpet and Carmichael and Borzov will carry on with their privileged lives. They won’t feel remorse or any fear of retribution. That’s just how it is, Susan. The super rich and powerful don’t live by the same rules as the rest of us. They think they’re the masters of the universe. I mean you’ve only got to look at how bankers and the big corporations behave to see that. We’re just little people and we don’t count.’
