Ben Hope 05 - The Shadow Project

by Scott Mariani

  ?Are you sure about this?? Adam had asked Michio. Sometimes the most exciting theories were nothing more than a cool idea waiting to be destroyed by an ugly, inconvenient truth. But even as he?d asked the question, the sparkle in Michio?s eyes told him this was no fanciful notion.

  ?I?m more than sure. I know they could make it work.?

  ?But the implications of what you?re saying?? Julia cut in.

  ?Blows your mind, doesn?t it?? Michio had grinned. ?Get used to it. There?s more.?

  And there was. The more Adam and Julia listened to what Michio had to say, the more incredible it seemed. This was pure, beautiful, intoxicating science. Nothing to do with politics or ideology. Science the way it was meant to be. It was easy to forget that the man behind it all was an SS general, one of the minds behind the building of Hitler?s death camps and, in the closing days of World War II, one of the top five figures in the dying Third Reich. Adam had found himself almost obsessively consumed with the Kammler theories, as the months went on. The three of them had started meeting up whenever they could ? London, Tokyo, New York ? and staying in touch via email in between, mulling over ideas, postulating what-if scenarios. It had become a little gang of three, and they?d even made up a fun name for it. The Kammler Krew. Almost as much as his relationship with his boy Rory, it had been what had sustained Adam through the dark times of his break-up with Amy.

  About a year into their friendship, the trio had become a foursome with the arrival of Lenny Salt. Lenny liked to tell people that he was a physicist, but in fact he?d just been Julia?s lab assistant at Manchester, doing basic routine jobs that any decent first-year student could do. Adam hadn?t been too sure about his coming on board, and had thought that Julia was too soft in letting him join. She?d said that Lenny was deeply interested in the subject and that he?d be happy to do some research for them to help out. By the time they?d discovered he was unable to contribute much to their discussions except his own brand of conspiracy paranoia, it had been too late to say anything for fear of offending Julia.

  Lenny Salt?s arrival had cooled Adam?s enthusiasm for the Kammler Krew. After another year and a couple more meetings, he could feel himself drifting away from the group. By that time the whole smart house thing had begun to take over Adam?s life in any case; he?d been winding up his teaching career, heavily involved in buying the plot of land in Ireland and designing, and subsequently building, Teach na Loch. With all that going on, he?d had less and less time to keep in touch with his fellow Krew members.

  What nobody knew was that, though he?d slackened his involvement with the gang, Adam hadn?t lost his interest in the Kammler research. He?d still often sit up late into the night, day after day, working feverishly on his ideas, even after setting up in business and moving to Ireland. He had a bunch of notes on four CD-ROMS that he kept locked away in his safe at the house. Sometimes he?d think about it, when he was supposed to be working on his smart house business, and the possibilities would start to flood his mind all over again, coming so thick and fast he was almost choking.

  The worst thing had been having to keep quiet. This stuff was just too hot, and not just because it derived from the work of a Nazi. It was hot because of its incredible, almost limitless implications. Never mind making millions from smart homes. If anyone could make the Kammler theories work, they?d be talking billions. Money on tap.

  And maybe, Adam thought now as he drove, that was also the problem. With Julia and Michio dead and Lenny?s warnings still echoing in his ears, he could feel his heart beating and an icy chill run down his spine.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror. Had that black Mercedes been following him all the way from Dublin? He started to worry as he watched it, taking his eyes off the road so long that he had to hit the brakes hard to avoid crashing into the back of a slowing truck. He overtook the truck, glanced nervously in the mirror and saw the Mercedes indicate and move out to follow him.

  Shit. They are tailing me.

  Don?t be ridiculous.

  He drove faster nonetheless, and the Mercedes kept pace with him. Then, just as he was getting really edgy, a straight opened up ahead and the black car flashed by him, doing at least ninety. Adam laughed shakily to himself.

  A couple of miles further on, he spotted the Mercedes in a fuel station forecourt and saw that the driver was a young woman with a small child.

  He cursed Lenny Salt for putting daft ideas in his head. What a weirdo the guy was. What an insult to their poor friends to come out with such a cockamamie story and cheapen the tragedy of their deaths like that. It was typical of the conspiracy theory mindset. Pure ego. Like anyone would even think to come after a pathetic old fart who thought he was a real scientist.

  Adam?s thoughts wandered back to Julia and Michio. The coincidence was terrible; but surely a coincidence all the same.

  Just then, his mobile ringtone chimed through the car?s sound system.

  It was the housekeeping agency. Adam frowned as he listened to the woman informing him that the new housekeeper wouldn?t be able to come until tomorrow, due to a minor road accident.

  ?Nothing serious, I hope??

  ?She just had a bit of a shock,? said the woman. ?She?ll be right as rain in no time, and with you tomorrow afternoon.?

  Adam said he was pleased to hear that. Tomorrow afternoon was no problem. He ended the call and huffed with irritation. Wonderful. Now he?d have to start clearing up the house himself for Sabrina?s visit.

  Don?t be such a jerk, Adam. You?ll survive. He stabbed at the CD player and switched from the Tallis to a lively Vivaldi violin concerto. Michio and Julia floated up in his thoughts again, and he tried to focus on driving.

  A couple of minutes later, the phone rang again.

  ?Dad??

  ?Hey, Rory.?

  ?Where are you??

  ?Sorry I was held up. Be with you in about five minutes, all right??

  ?Don?t worry. Everything?s under control. She just got here.?

  ?Sabrina?s there already??

  ?No, not Sabrina.?

  ?Then who?? Adam asked. Rory was like that. A separate question and answer for everything. You had to tease stuff out of him. He was at that age.

  ?The housekeeper, stoopid,? Rory said in an affected moronic voice. ?Remember??

  ?I hate when you talk in that damn voice. And what are you going on about? The agency just called me to say she won?t be arriving until tomorrow.?

  ?I don?t know,? Rory said in a deadpan tone. ?Maybe they changed their mind.?

  ?How do you know it?s the housekeeper??

  ?Because I spoke to her just now on the security monitor. She said her name was Sue. I just buzzed her in the gate and she?s parking her van up outside. I?m watching her right now, from the window.? A pause. ?Where?s she from? Kinda weird accent.?

  ?I?ll be there in exactly two minutes, all right??

  ?Hey, there?s a couple of guys with her,? Rory said.

  ?A couple of guys??

  ?Yeah, they?re walking towards the house.?

  ?Rory, hold on till I get there. Don?t open the door.?

  But the kid had already hung up.

  The Saab was coming into the bends a mile and a half from the house as Adam dialled the number for the agency. ?This is Adam O?Connor. We spoke a couple of minutes ago.?

  ?Yes, Mr O?Connor?? the same woman replied pleasantly.

  ?Did I misunderstand you before? I thought you said nobody was coming out until tomorrow.?

  ?That?s right.?

  ?Then where did this Sue come from?? he asked, letting his irritation flood out. ?And who are these two guys with her? You know, this kind of disorganisation doesn?t make you people look very good.?

  ?We don?t have anyone called Sue working for us,? the woman said archly. ?There must be some confusion. And I must say I don?t like your tone, sir.?

  ?Fine. Shove it up your ass. I?ll find someone else.?

  Two seconds after the call was over, Adam started
to feel the first trembles in his hands. He put his foot down and the needle soared as he rounded the side of the big hill and the solitary lake house came into view. Everything looked peaceful enough. Acres of glass and the surface of the lake glittered the sunlight back at him from between the rolling green hills. A perfect picture.

  But he just knew something was terribly wrong.

  The gates sensed his car approaching and opened automatically to let him through. He roared into the gateway and up the long drive.

  There was no van parked anywhere. The shakes got worse, and his step was wobbly as he got out of the cool Saab and into the hot sun. He strode to the front door and said ?Constantinople? to the sensor. The lock clicked open and he ran through into the wide, airy entrance hall.

  ?Rory?? It was a big house, and you sometimes had to yell to communicate from one part to another. But from the instant he stepped inside, something told him the place was empty. ?Rory??

  No reply. No Rory, no housekeeper. He checked the living room. Empty. Strode across the hall and thundered up the stairs and threw open his son?s bedroom door.

  ?Dad, I wish you wouldn?t burst in like that.? That was what Rory would have said to him, turning towards the door with a scowl. But Rory wasn?t there. His chess computer and TV and Blu-ray player and drawing pad and the model spyplane he was building were all exactly where they should be. But no Rory.

  Adam was sweating cold now. Back downstairs, he called and called. Nothing. Checked the garden, the pool. Still nothing.

  Then the phone rang. He rushed over to it. ?Professor O?Connor?? said a voice. A man?s voice, calm and soft. The accent was English, educated.

  ?Yes.?

  ?Professor Adam O?Connor??

  ?Who is this??

  ?We have your son.?

  Adam almost collapsed at the words. His hands were shaking so violently that he needed both of them to keep the phone clasped tightly to his ear.

  ?You will follow my instructions to the letter,? the voice continued. ?Any attempt to contact the police, any calls or communication with anyone from this moment on, we will know and Rory will die. Any failure or hesitation to do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you to do it, he will die. There will be no second warning. Do you understand??

  Adam managed a tiny ?Yes?.

  ?Good. Now listen to me very carefully.?

  Chapter Six

  In the casualty department waiting room in Valognes, Jeff Dekker got two foam cups of coffee from a machine down the corridor and carried them over to the row of plastic chairs where Brooke was sitting staring into space. He handed her a cup, then slumped down next to her.

  He tried to sound upbeat. ?Don?t look so miserable. I?m sure he?s going to be OK. We?ll know soon. They should have finished the X-ray by now.? He took a loud slurp of coffee. ?Jesus, this is revolting.?

  Brooke sipped hers expressionlessly, as though the finest Blue Mountain roast or liquid shit would have been all the same to her.

  ?He?ll be fine,? Jeff said again cheerfully. His plastic chair creaked as he leaned back in it, stretching his legs out in front of him.

  ?I hope so,? Brooke murmured, taking another sip of the coffee.

  ?Though I have to say, he had it coming.?

  She said nothing.

  ?And Ben hardly touched him, really.? Brooke snorted. ?That?s reassuring.?

  ?Don?t be too pissed off with Ben. He was provoked.? She paused, biting her lip. ?You know I?m not pissed off with him. I just wish this whole thing hadn?t happened.?

  ?You can be sure that Ben feels that way too,? Jeff said. He shook his head in disbelief. ?What the hell was eating Shannon anyway? Acting like that??

  ?I think this was all my fault,? she said miserably.

  ?Your fault??

  She nodded. ?Something I said.?

  ?I didn?t hear you say a thing.?

  ?Not then. Yesterday, in the car, on the way down.?

  ?What did you say??

  She sucked air through her teeth. ?It was about Ben.?

  ?So??

  ?I think I just mentioned his name once too often, that?s all.?

  ?You?re saying that Shannon?s jealous. He can tell how you feel about Ben.?

  She turned to look at him. There was a flush of red in her cheeks. ?It?s that obvious??

  ?To me, and everyone else,? Jeff said. ?Except Ben, that is.?

  ?Everyone except Ben,? she echoed sadly.

  ?And when he got you to act out the role of the principal, that was too much for matey boy. He saw it as some kind of competition.?

  She nodded. ?Fighting over the female. Locking antlers like a couple of rutting stags.?

  ?Except one of the stags didn?t even know what was going on.?

  ?And it?s all because of me. Damn. I shouldn?t have agreed to it. I?m supposed to be a psychologist, for God?s sake! I?m supposed to know people?s minds.?

  ?Why don?t you just tell Ben the way you feel about him??

  She shook her head.

  ?We?re all grown ups. What?s the worst that can happen??

  ?That I?d lose his friendship, scare him away,? she said. ?I?d rather have him as a friend than not have him at all. You can?t force someone to love you.?

  Jeff raised his eyebrows. ?Whoa. Did you just use the L-word??

  Brooke closed her eyes and sank her head into her hands.

  ?You?re actually in love with him??

  ?For a long time,? she muttered, not looking up.

  ?Shit.?

  ?Don?t I know it.?

  ?I didn?t think it was that serious. I thought it was just ? you know.?

  ?It wasn?t always. But after a while I realised I wasn?t just flirting with him.?

  Jeff looked confused. ?So wait a minute. You?re in love with Ben ? but you?re going out with Shannon??

  ?Don?t go there, Jeff, all right??

  He shrugged. ?I think it?s great, though. You and Ben. I can see it. Really.?

  ?Apart from the fact that he doesn?t seem to know I even exist.?

  ?You?ve got that all wrong. He loves spending time with you. I can always see he?s looking forward to your visits. He really likes you.?

  ?But not in that way.?

  Jeff didn?t reply.

  She ran her fingers through her hair. ?What a situation. Here we are in the hospital because my boyfriend?s been injured and I?m more concerned about the guy who put him there. I shouldn?t even have come with Rupert. I just wanted to see Ben.? She sighed.

  Jeff paused a moment. ?I think Ben cares for you a lot more than you think. He just doesn?t know it yet, because that?s the kind of guy he is. But one day he?s going to wake up and see it.?

  ?You?re not going to say anything, are you??

  ?Would I??

  ?You?d better swear to that, Jeff Dekker. One word and??

  Brooke was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the vinyl floor of the corridor. She and Jeff turned to see the doctor walking towards them. Brooke stood up, looking at him with a mixture of expectation and worry.

  The doctor smiled. ?No need for alarm,? he said. ?There?s no serious damage.?

  ?But he must be in a lot of pain, yeah?? Jeff asked hopefully, smiling back.

  The doctor rubbed his chin pensively, glanced down at his clipboard and spent the next minute or so gravely reeling off a long list of medical terminology.

  ?Ben did all that to him?? Jeff said, eyes wide.

  ?Monsieur Shannon is also complaining about severe back pain, and although there?s nothing showing up in the X-ray, it would be prudent to keep him under observation for a few days.?

  ?Are you saying he can start work again soon?? Brooke asked.

  The doctor shook his head. ?Certainly not. Complete rest will be essential for at least three weeks.?

  ?Shit,? Jeff said to Brooke as the doctor walked away. ?There goes Switzerland,? she muttered. ?I was afraid of that.?

  ?Guess we?d better go and break the news to Ben.?
r />