Bright Angel

by Isabelle Merlin

  The roaring’s in my ears again. I feel numb, so cold I can barely force my lips open to speak. I whisper, ‘How can you say that, Daniel? You know it isn’t true.’ I try to say more but I can’t, I’m so choked. And at that moment Gabriel wakes up. There are tear-streaks on his face, it looks puffy, his eyes swollen. It wrings my heart with a mixture of tenderness for him and rage against Radic. I say, ‘Oh, Gabriel.’

  He looks at me. And something astonishing happens. A smile of extraordinary sweetness and intensity lights up his whole face. He is looking at me and yet beyond me too, if you know what I mean. ‘Oh,’ he whispers, ‘I’m so happy to see you. Have you come to get us out?’

  ‘Yes,’ I say. ‘Oh, yes, Gabriel, darling.’ I’m crying now, I can’t help it.

  Daniel says harshly, ‘Leave him alone. Stop with the tears, too. Do you think I’m fooled? You should be ashamed of yourself, playing on his innocence.’

  The words hit me hard but the rage that had risen in me at the sight of Gabriel’s frightened face gives me a courage I didn’t know I had. ‘You’re determined not to see the truth,’ I snap, ‘but Gabriel, who’s much younger than you, knows it. I am your friend, not your enemy, and if you could only get off your high horse for one instant, if you could forget your selfish stupidity and pride for one second, you’d know that for a fact. For God’s sake, Daniel, we’re in this together. It’s the only way we can all get out. Do you think I came here of my own free will?’ I pull aside the hair on the back of my head. ‘If you want to feel the bruise I got when he knocked me out and brought me here, you’re welcome! And if you’re still sore about seeing me with Mick, that was just a misunderstanding. He’s just a friend. He’s just been helping me try to find you and Gabriel. He put his own life at risk – I think Radic has ... has hurt him. Anyway, why the hell would you think I was in Radic’s plot? What sort of mad reason would I have for that? I had no idea of your existence till I met you – I had no idea about who your uncle really was – I had no idea of anything like that – but I love you, Daniel, you stupid, stubborn, selfish, irritating person! And I love Gabriel dearly, too. I’d do anything – anything – to see you both safe. Don’t you understand that?’

  I stand there, trembling with a wild cocktail of emotions, wanting to throw up, to flee, to collapse in a heap, to slap Daniel till his head rang or to grab Gabriel and hug him tight.

  The little boy’s eyes are wide, he is trembling a little too. When Daniel still doesn’t speak, I say quietly, ‘Well, I suppose it’s all no use. You think the worst of me and that’s it. And I’m only scaring Gabriel now and I can’t bear that so–’ I look at the little boy. Through the lump in my throat, I say, ‘I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I didn’t mean to shout like that. I’m so sorry.’

  Then he’s wriggled out of Daniel’s arms and he’s come straight to me and thrown his arms around me. I hug him tight, feeling the fragility of his child’s body and the tears fall again unchecked. But Gabriel doesn’t cry. Gabriel just hugs me without words, and it comforts me beyond what any words might have done. Then he takes my hand and leads me to Daniel. He takes one of Daniel’s hands. He looks at his brother and says, very seriously, ‘Danny, please listen to Sylvie. Please.’

  Daniel’s eyes meet mine, then he looks away. He speaks. ‘I-I don’t know, I thought...’ His voice is no longer hard, cold, certain of itself. There’s a sad bewilderment, a sorrowful confusion that tugs at my heart. ‘Nothing made any sense – but when I saw you in the clearing it looked like you and Mick ... and then when Gabriel was taken, I thought of your call.’

  ‘My call?’ I say, sharply.

  He turns his head and looks at me. ‘You called me on the mobile the night before, saying we should meet at the clearing because you’d be late. You sounded strange, but I thought–’

  ‘I never rang you,’ I say. ‘It was youwho was going to be late – you called Mick about it.’

  ‘No, I didn’t,’ he says.

  ‘But someone called Daniel rang up and told him. I don’t understand...’ And then, suddenly, I remember. My mobile. I’d missed it that morning. It had not been on the bedside table, where I’d left it the night before. It had Daniel’s number in Contacts. And Mick’s. I remember too what Mick had said, about criminals hacking into mobile phones.

  ‘Radic – he must have hacked into my phone,’ I say. I explain quickly. ‘What’s more, Mick wouldn’t know your voice,’ I go on. ‘He’d just take it on trust that if the guy called himself Daniel, he was you. After all, if they’d called you and pretended to be me...’

  ‘I thought your voice sounded odd. Nasal, like you had a cold or something,’ Daniel says. ‘But I didn’t get a chance to say much. You rang off pretty quickly.’

  ‘It wasn’t me.’

  ‘No. Well I was upset after that scene in the clearing, and I just went off – didn’t go home at once but just rode around in the forest – and when I got back at last – and I learned that Gabriel – well, then after I started thinking maybe it was all a pretext – a set-up. I began to think about all sorts of mad things, to make crazy connections – I said nothing to the police because I still didn’t want to believe it of you, but the more I thought of it, the worse it became, and then–’ There is a bleakness in his eyes now. ‘Then you turn up here and you say you’re here to persuade us to betray our uncle. And you are calling that man by a name – you seem to be almost friendly with him – to know him, at least – so how can I–?’

  ‘He’s not my friend. No way. I never met him before. But we are still connected, in a strange and horrible way,’ I say wearily. ‘Because of something that happened back home. I never told you the real reason why we were in France, Claire and I, did I, Daniel? I didn’t want to think about it, you see. Didn’t want to bring it all back, to spoil things.’ And quietly, quickly, I tell him about Thomas Radic in Wedding Heaven, and about the cruel scam that had eventually led to his suicide, taking care to say it in such a way that it wouldn’t frighten Gabriel. As I speak, I can see Daniel’s face crumple. When I finish, he puts his head in his hands. ‘Oh God, Sylvie. What have I done?’

  ‘You haven’t done anything,’ I say gently. ‘You’re not guilty of anything, Daniel. It’s not your fault, and I can understand why you might think that I–’ I break off, unable to continue. He raises his head and looks wildly at me and says, ‘No, it was wrong. It was so wrong. You were right. I’m hopeless. Selfish. Useless. Bad for you.’

  ‘Sshh,’ I say. ‘Sshh.’ And then I’m sitting beside him, and Gabriel’s on his other side, and we’re holding each other tight, and for the first time I see Daniel crying. He’s crying in that hard, painful way that men do, the sobs tearing out of him.

  After a little while, he says, ‘I don’t deserve you,’ and I say, with a tremble that’s between laughter and tears, ‘That’s silly, Daniel Aubrac, and you know it.’ I snuggle in closer to him. ‘I love you and you’re not going to get rid of me that easily.’

  He hugs me. ‘I love you too and I should have known to trust you. But I’ve lost the habit of trust. Please forgive me.’

  ‘Oh, I do,’ I say, and the pain and the fear and the grief rush out of me, leaving a breathless joy. ‘Oh I do, Daniel.’

  He gives a funny little laugh, and tilts my face up and kisses me, briefly, lightly, gently, and my heart races with excitement and love. Gabriel laughs too and says, ‘You’re friends now again. I’m so glad, I knew you would be!’

  Daniel squeezes his brother and says, cheerfully, ‘You were right, Sylvie, he’s so much younger than me but he knows so much more.’ We are quiet for an instant, just enjoying the moment. I think how strange and wonderful that there should be so much happiness in this room, that for a while everything that has happened – and our present predicament as prisoners of a fanatical avenger – should fade into the background and we have a respite and all that matters is this beautiful moment of love and understanding.

  But then Daniel sighs
and says, ‘What are we going to do now, Sylvie? I can’t do what he wants – because whatever he’s done – whatever he is – I can’t lead my uncle into a trap even though I–’ He swallows. ‘Gabriel, will you go and get me a glass of water?’ He looks at me over the child’s head, with meaning. I know he wants to tell me something he doesn’t want Gabriel to hear. I nod. ‘Will you get me one too, please, Gabriel?’

  Gabriel smiles. ‘Yes,’ he says, and trots off unsuspectingly to the table, where he picks up the jug and starts to pour out the water.

  Daniel whispers, quickly, ‘You remember St-Just, when you came round the corner and you saw me?’

  I nod. ‘You looked worried.’

  ‘I wasworried,’ he says. ‘Worried to death. But not about what I implied back then. My uncle – I overheard something that made me think he was implicated in really bad things – he caught me listening but he wasn’t angry, he just laughed and said I’d have to know soon enough – that it was time anyway that I learned all about the business. He said we’d talk it over properly when we came back from holiday. He said that as my mother’s brother and my only adult kin he was concerned for both Gabriel’s and my future. Oh, God, Sylvie, I wanted nothing to do with it or him, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him. I thought of running away with Gabriel, but I knew he’d just go looking for us. I thought of going to the police, but I didn’t have enough on him, and anyway, he’s poor Maman’s only brother, I couldn’t denounce him. So I just took the easy course and said weakly that I’d think about it and that we’d talk about it later. Now you see what I’ve done. If I’d told someone, if I’d spoken up then–’

  ‘No, no. You can’t blame yourself. You’ve not done anything. It’s him. Him that’s to blame. Him that got you in this mess with Radic.’

  ‘But Radic has a point,’ he says, hopelessly. ‘I mean, his nephew killed himself because of one of my uncle’s criminal scams.’

  ‘We’ve only got Radic’s word it really is your uncle in charge of that scam ring,’ I say, as Gabriel comes back towards me, beaming with one of the full glasses in his hand. ‘Thank you, darling.’ I take the glass and drain the water, suddenly realising how thirsty I was. Gabriel beams again and goes back for the second glass. ‘And anyway, even if it’s true, Radic has no right to do what he’s done. If he has a beef against your uncle, why hasn’t he taken it up with him? You and Gabriel – you’re soft targets. It’s cowardly. He’s a lunatic. Violent too. Remember how Pilar was put in a coma? And Mick. I’m sure he’s done something to Mick, too–’ I explained quickly what had happened that night.

  ‘Poor Mick,’ he says, soberly. ‘I’m sorry about him, too. Poor fellow, he was dragged into something he shouldn’t have been.’

  I bite my lip. ‘But Radic won’t give up, Daniel. I’m sure he won’t. You’ve got to get your uncle to talk to him.’

  ‘I can’t. Not if he intends to kill him.’

  ‘I’m not sure he does,’ I say, hurriedly, mentally crossing my fingers. ‘I think he wants – he wants to confront your uncle with stuff. Make him admit his guilt in Thomas’ death. Put it on record.’

  Daniel shakes his head. ‘Uncle Ben won’t do that. He’s much too cunning. He’d never stand and admit it if he knew it was going to be used against him in court.’

  An idea jumps into my head. ‘But what if we could get Radic to promise it wouldn’t? I think most of all he wants an admission from your uncle.’ More mental crossing of fingers. ‘We could work out a place where they could meet – like a safe place where Radic can’t touch him – and we could be there as witnesses – and maybe then your uncle could offer compensation or something – maybe – maybe it might work?’

  Gabriel comes back with Daniel’s glass. Daniel drains it in one gulp. He says, quietly, ‘Sylvie, you’re amazing. But do you really – are you sure it would work?’

  I shake my head. ‘No. I’m not sure. But it’s worth a try. Will you let me put it to Radic?’

  He looks at me for a long moment, then he nods, slowly.

  Betrayal of a king

  He was sitting smoking at the table in the other room, Freddy’s laptop open in front of him. He looked up when I nervously came in. ‘So?’

  Over his shoulder, I could see he had one of Freddy’s files open. A word document. A chapter in her book, probably. I could see the title, in bold: Betrayal of a king.

  He saw the direction of my glance, and smiled. ‘Just passing the time while you sweet-talked him. It’s not bad. He’s a writer, the owner of this thing?’

  ‘She,’ I said, automatically. ‘My aunt Freddy.’

  ‘Strange name for a woman,’ he observed. I just stared at him. He had a nerve, going on as if we were just having a pleasant chitchat. Poking into Freddy’s private files. Turning all our lives upside down for his one-eyed vengeance. I felt a moment of intense, flaming hatred for him.

  ‘So. Old King Herod was betrayed and exiled to St-Bertrand, eh? Never knew that. Ancient history, though, eh?’ he went on. ‘Never much been one for that stuff. Give me the present any day.’ He put the computer lid down. ‘So what do you have to tell me?’

  I took a deep breath. ‘He’s agreed to call his uncle.’

  He laughed. ‘Well done, mate! A woman’s touch, eh? Should have tried it from the beginning.’

  ‘There’s a condition,’ I said, between gritted teeth, trying to stop my fists from clenching.

  He raised an eyebrow. ‘Condition? He’s in no position to set conditions.’

  The fury welled in me like a red wave. I battled to keep control. ‘It’s a simple one, Mr Radic. Daniel just asks if you will agree to not using what Mr Udo tells you to bring legal action against him.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘And that you agree to meet his uncle in a safe place – unarmed – with – with us as witnesses–’ My courage is rapidly failing me now, under the cool pale glance–’ and that if you do this, he will speak to his uncle and–’

  ‘Not as witnesses,’ he said. ‘As living surety against Udo’s weaselling out of what I want. Agreed?’

  I swallowed. ‘Agreed.’

  ‘I’ll have my own witness with me. Steve.’

  ‘Then you agree?’ I could hardly believe it had been so easy.

  He shrugged. ‘Sure.’

  ‘You won’t bring what Udo says to court?’

  ‘You already know what I think of the justice system,’ he said, with a small smile. ‘How should I care if it goes before the courts or not, as long as I get my own justice?’

  ‘Mr Radic – you won’t – you agreed to come unarmed.’

  ‘Yep. No worries,’ he said, lightly. ‘Long as he does, too.’

  ‘I’ll make sure Daniel tells him.’

  ‘Good girl.’

  I felt uneasy. There was something in his tone – a flippancy, a cheerfulness – which felt quite out of place. What was he playing at? I said, ‘You agree to meet him in a safe place?’

  He laughed. ‘Sure. Where do you suggest?’

  I stared at him. ‘Me?’

  ‘Why not? You’re the one with the bright ideas, aren’t you?’

  I felt more and more uneasy. ‘I – I don’t know. I can’t–’ And then, into my mind came a sudden picture. I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like it came to me from somewhere outside myself – and yet inside, too, in a flash of light. I said, ‘The cathedral. In St-Bertrand.’

  He was silent for an instant. Then in a changed tone, he said, ‘You’re a girl of surprises, aren’t you? So. The cathedral. A sacred place. A refuge and a haven from earthly justice. Where blood must not be spilt, eh?’

  I nodded. He searched my face. What he found seemed to satisfy him, for he shrugged and said, ‘Very well. The cathedral it will be. But I will choose the time.’ He smiled. ‘You have a sense of drama, Sylvie Mandon, and so I will gratify it. Tell your boyfriend he’s to tell Udo to meet me at midnight tomorrow night in the cathedral, under the stuffed crocodile on the w
all. Kind of neat, don’t you think – a live African predator under the eyes of a dead one?’

  I stared at him, the unease roaring into full-blown fear at the predatory glitter in his eyes. I faltered, ‘Please, Mr Radic, you promised.’

  ‘That I’d meet Benedict Udo, unarmed, at midnight tomorrow night in the cathedral of St-Bertrand. That I would ask him to explain himself, to admit his guilt in Tom’s death.’

  ‘Daniel said he might make reparations,’ I stammered.

  Something flickered in his eyes. ‘We’ll see. What else? Oh yes. That I promise not to bring legal action against him.’

  ‘And that you’ll release Daniel and Gabriel without harm,’ I said, nervously aware there was something very odd about the way he was acting, but unable to get my head around it in these circumstances.

  ‘That too. But you’ve forgotten about yourself, mate. Do you want to stay with me, then?’

  I looked at him with horror. He laughed. ‘Don’t worry. I have no intention of keeping you, though I suppose Steve might think differently. He has an eye for a pretty girl.’ He ignored my recoil and went on. ‘Now we’re agreed, I think there’s no time to waste.’ He took a mobile from his pocket. ‘The boy can call him right away. I’ll put it on speaker-phone. Then I’ll hear everything Udo says and there can be no tricks.’ I made as if to follow him, but he stopped me. ‘No. You can stay here. I don’t want any tricks from you either.’

  ‘But I won’t–’

  ‘You’ll do as you’re told. I’ll send the child in to you. Best if the boy doesn’t have any distractions of any kind.’ He went out to the other room. An instant later Gabriel came in, looking frightened. I sat on the bed with him and put my arm around him. He hid his head in my shoulder. Radic closed the door behind him and locked it.

  ‘What’s the man going to do to Daniel, Sylvie?’ Gabriel whispered, his voice trembling.