Finn shook the extended hand. “Finn. You, too.”
“Dad! Dad! Did you get the boat back?”
James laughed as a boy barreled up to them from a cabin set back in the trees. “Well, I didn’t but this man did. Max, say hello and thank you to Finn.”
Finn smiled as the boy stuck out his hand formally. “Thank you, sir.”
Taking the boys hand, Finn shook it. “That’s quite alright, young man.”
“Okay. Bye.” The boy turned on his heels and ran back in the direction he’d come from.
“Great kid,” Finn said as he watched him go.
“My son. He’s eight this year.”
Finn was surprised; he looked much younger. As if reading his mind, James told him, “He’s very small for his age.”
“I haven’t seen you up here before. Mind you, it’s been a while since I’ve been up here myself.”
“He usually comes up with his grandpa but he’s not very well at the moment so I said I’d bring him. I don’t suppose it’s the best place to come if you can’t swim, but he loves it up here.”
Finn laughed. “No, I don’t suppose it is.”
“Listen, as a way of saying thank you would you like to come over tonight? I’ve got some cold beers in the fridge and some great steaks that we’re going to throw on the barbeque.”
Finn didn’t need to think about it for long; it sounded great. “Yeah, that would be nice. Look, my cabin is only a few hundred yards up the shore and I’ve got quite a lot to take care of this afternoon, so how about I come back about seven?”
“Perfect. See you then.”
Twenty-Eight
“You look exhausted.” She’d come downstairs this morning and found the French doors in the living room open. At first, she’d thought they’d been robbed, but stepping outside she’d found Kyle standing on the patio, nursing a cup of coffee and staring into space.
She heard the scrape as he ran his hand across his jaw. “Yeah, it was a long night.”
“You didn’t have a choice, Kyle. You know that.”
He sighed. “You heard it, then?”
Kat put her hand on his arm. “If you hadn’t done it, that would have been the end. They would never trust you.” She hated to see him so tormented, especially when it was her doing. “I’m so sorry, Kyle.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself, Kat. If it wasn’t for all this, we’d never have known something awful is going on in that place. By getting to the bottom of it, we’ll be stopping it happening to God knows how many other people.”
“So you think there’s more to it?”
Kyle nodded. “I’m sure of it. It doesn’t make any sense, otherwise.” He frowned as he took a mouthful of coffee. “As awful as this is, it doesn’t explain what Jake saw.”
“But we’ve got enough to get the police involved now, surely?” Kat had assumed they would be calling them today.
“Yes,” Kyle agreed, “but I don’t think we should. Not yet. At the moment, all we have is a few prisoners getting a beating. That’s not enough to justify Jake’s escape and he’ll be looking at a long stretch added to his sentence. I just want to give it a bit longer, see if I can find out what else they’re hiding.”
Kat didn’t like the sound of it at all but she had to admit, she felt sure there was more going on in that place, too. If the police got called in too early, they ran the danger of never getting to the bottom of it.
“Okay, I agree.”
“You do?”
Kat could see that he’d been expecting her to argue. “Yes, we’ve come this far and they’ll trust you more now. Let’s give it another couple of days and see what develops.”
With that decided, Kat left him to his thoughts and headed inside. The others would be up soon and she wanted to make them breakfast.
Twenty-Nine
He was just reaching into his locker to get his uniform when it slammed shut, nearly taking his fingers off. “What the…”
“Don’t bother getting changed.” Red smirked at him, enjoying his confusion. “The warden wants to see you.”
Kyle didn’t have time to dwell on whether this was a good thing or a bad thing as Red immediately turned and left the locker room,, obviously expecting Kyle to follow him, and he had to jog to catch him up.
“What does he want to see me about?” he asked once he’d caught up.
“You’ll see.”
Frustrated, Kyle didn’t speak again, his mind busy racing with the possibilities. His immediate thought was that he’d found out about last night and was in all sorts of trouble, but he quickly dismissed that thought. If that were the case, presumably Red would be in the same trouble as he was the one who took him there and he was far too cheerful for that. Besides, he’d said the warden wanted to see him, not them. The other possibility was even worse, that he’d somehow found out what he was up to but Kyle couldn’t see how. The only people who knew were people he trusted implicitly. No, it had to be something else. He’d find out soon enough; they’d just arrived outside his office door.
He kept his face impassive as Red knocked and, after being told to enter, opened the door.
“Kyle, good to meet you,” The warden waved at one of the two chairs in front of his desk. “Take a seat.”
Kyle didn’t speak, but did as he was told and sat in one of the chairs while Red sat in the other.
“Red here tells me that you helped him out last night?”
Kyle glanced across at Red, but he was studiously avoiding meeting his eyes. “I guess I did.”
“Well, I’m sorry you had to be involved.” The warden sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers, looking at Kyle thoughtfully. “Every prison has its own disciplinary process, as I’m sure you know, and this is ours. The problem is, I’m not sure that everyone would agree that it’s a good one. You understand that, don’t you?”
Kyle nodded, knowing where this was going.
“What I need from you Kyle, is an assurance that what you saw last night won’t go any further. Can you give me that assurance Kyle?”
No, he couldn’t. “Of course, Warden.”
“Good, good.”
Kyle watched as the warden and Red exchanged a glance.
“In that case, I have a special job for you. Red will explain.” The warden looked him in the eye. “It’s very important that you don’t let me down, Kyle.”
“You can trust me, Warden, I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Kyle assured him.
***
“So what was all that about?” Kyle asked as soon as the office door closed behind them. “What job?”
“Not here!” Red hissed, looking around to see if they’d been overheard. “Look, this is strictly between you, me and the warden. No one, and I mean no one, can find out about this.”
Kyle was more than a little intrigued. What the hell was going on? “Okay, okay!” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I won’t tell a soul, which won’t be hard because I don’t know anything.”
“Ha, ha. Funny.” Red put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a bunch of keys. Isolating one, he held it out to him. “This is the key to a truck parked in the employee lot.” He placed the bunch in Kyle’s outstretched hand. “It’s a black pick-up. You can’t miss it, it’s the only one there. Go and get in and wait for me there.”
“Where are we going?”
Red’s lips tightened. “Just do as you’re damn well told, will you? I’ll meet you out there in a little while.”
Shrugging, Kyle took the keys and walked away, making his way to the nearest staircase which would take him down to the ground level and, from there, the parking lot.
***
The truck was one of those with the big cabs with five seats up front and a flatbed to the back. Unlocking it, he slid into the passenger seat to wait for Red. He was glad of the time alone to try and get his thoughts in order. He’d been right that what he’d seen last night had merely been the tip of the iceberg; he was sure o
f it. Jake had never seen the prisoner he knew as Alex with any injuries. He clearly hadn’t been taken to be ‘disciplined’, so he’d known it had to be something else. He’d assumed it was something within the prison, though. This was completely unexpected and he wasn’t sure what to think.
Should he be worried about his safety? He didn’t think so, but he couldn’t be sure. He would find out soon enough. He could see Red walking across the parking lot and he wasn’t alone.
He didn’t speak as the driver’s door opened and Red climbed into the cab. “This is Alex.” He introduced the man who he’d seen walking next to him who had got into the rear of the cab, directly behind him. Looking into the rear view mirror, he made eye contact with him and nodded.
This was the guy that Jake had been talking about. “I haven’t seen you around. Are you on the night shift, too?” He knew he wasn’t but he had to play dumb.
Red chuckled. “No, Alex here is one of our esteemed residents.” He was still chuckling as he started the engine and pulled the truck out of the lot and onto the highway.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” He turned and looked over his shoulder at the back seat. “And what’s in the bag?” Alex had been carrying a big, long black bag that now sat next to him.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Thirty
He was pleased as he stood back and admired his handiwork. He’d tidied up the yard, repaired a few areas of storm damage on the roof and serviced the generator. He was dirty, sweaty and tired, but he felt good. Checking his watch, he realized it was nearly time to head on over to James’ place and the idea of steak and beer made his mouth water.
He’d lit the water heater an hour ago so it was hot as he soaped himself clean, washing the grime away. The heat soothed his muscles as the steam enveloped him, and he would have stood there for much longer had he been able. Getting dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and t-shirt, he grabbed the six pack of beer that he’d bought for himself at the store out of the fridge and headed out.
As he walked through the woods between the two cabins he could smell the barbeque and his stomach growled out loud. The sound of music reached his ears just before he walked into the clearing and he was humming along by the time he stepped out of the trees where they’d brought the boat ashore earlier in the day.
“Hi!” James called out to him from where he stood, tending to the barbeque.
“Hey.” Finn walked over to him holding up the six pack. “Shall I put these in the fridge?”
“That’s okay, Max’ll do it. Won’t you, Max?”
Finn hadn’t noticed him sitting on the porch reading a book. “Hey Max, nice to see you again.” He walked up the three steps to where he sat. “What you reading there?”
“Tom Sawyer.”
Finn was surprised; he didn’t think kids read that kind of book these days. Wasn’t it all aliens and secret agents? “That’s a great book. I read it when I was about your age, too.” And he had. It had been one of his all-time favorite books.
“Max, put the beer in the fridge, would you?” James called up.
“Yes, Dad.” Finn watched as he carefully put the book aside and took the beers from his hand and went inside.
“I hope you’re hungry,” James said as Finn went back down the steps to stand next to him. “I’ve got enough food here to feed an army.”
“Starving. I have to say, it looks great.”
“So is your wife not joining you?” Kyle asked as they all sat down around the picnic table in the yard to eat.
James shook his head. “No, we lost Max’s mom when he was born. It’s always just been the two of us.”
“God, I’m sorry.” Finn was mortified and felt like digging a hole and climbing into it.
“Don’t worry about it.” James smiled. “It was a long time ago.”
The conversation was light for the rest of the meal and after they’d finished eating, Max disappeared briefly, reappearing with a bat, ball and mitt. The next couple of hours was spent losing several balls in the woods. It was a great way to spend the evening, and by the time it was time to go back to his own cabin, Finn found himself envying them their relationship.
Thirty-One
“What are we doing here?” Kyle looked out of the window of the truck at the empty lot. They’d driven for over an hour in almost complete silence. At first, there had been nothing to see except fields and the odd farmhouse but gradually the surroundings had become more densely populated until they’d arrived on the outskirts of a town. It wasn’t big, not much bigger than Brecon Point from what he could see. The streets had been clear as they’d made their way to this empty lot at the back of a row of shops, and now they were just parked.
Red turned in his seat to face him. “Alex here has a job to do. Usually he works alone, but today you’re going with him.”
The bad feeling that he’d had in his stomach since they left the prison suddenly got a lot worse.
“You don’t have to do anything. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he does what he’s supposed to do.” He turned and faced the wheel again. “Now get going. We only have a narrow window and the warden won’t be happy if we miss it because of all your questions. Alex will fill you in on the details.”
It was clear that he wasn’t going to say any more, so Kyle opened the door and climbed out of the truck. He watched as Alex picked up the bag from the back seat and followed in silence as he walked on ahead of him. They crossed the deserted lot and approached the rear of one of the shops that lined it on the west side. A metal fire escape rose the full length of the building to the roof and it was there that Alex headed. Slinging the bag on his back, Kyle watched as he started to climb. He waited until he was a few steps ahead of him before he, too, stepped onto the bottom rung and gingerly followed him all the way up until they reached the flat roof of the building. Looking around, Kyle saw that they were now out of sight of the truck and from the street and could only be seen by anyone standing on one of the nearby rooftops, which were empty.
Alex had already walked on ahead and had crossed the roof to the other side, to where it overlooked the street. As he approached, Kyle saw that what he suspected was true. The bag contained a rifle and Alex was now crouched down on one knee, expertly putting it together.
“What’s the job?” Kyle asked, keeping his voice low.
Alex just looked at him blankly, as if he’d just realized he was there. “What?”
“I said, what’s the job? What are you here to do?”
“Whatever the warden tells me.” He turned his attention back to the rifle, continuing to assemble it.
This was bad, really bad. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was here to shoot someone on orders from the warden but there was no way Kyle could just sit there and watch him do it. He’d broken more laws than he could count already during this investigation, but sitting back and watching a murder was something else entirely. He had to stop him.
“Why are you doing this, Alex?” For all he knew, he might enjoy doing it but he didn’t think so. He looked like a man who’d accepted his fate and knew there was nothing he could do about it, not one who was enjoying his work.
“Alex, Alex, look at me.” He put his hand on Alex’s arm, which suddenly swung around, knocking Kyle off balance. He stumbled and fell backwards, landing hard on his back.
“Back off!” Alex pleaded standing over him. “You don’t understand. I have to do this.”
I was right, he doesn’t want to do this. That knowledge gave him something to work with, a crack that he could try and widen. “Why? Has he threatened you with more jail time? The basement? What?” He needed to get him to open up, and fast. “What hold has he got on you?”
“What do you care? You’re here, you’re part of it!” Kyle saw him check his watch. “Dammit!” He quickly turned and, picking up the assembled rifle, laid flat on his stomach with the barrel poking over the e
dge of the roof.
“No!” Kyle grabbed him by the back of his jacket and pulled him away. “I won’t let you do this.”
Alex rolled onto his back and kicked out, his foot landing squarely in Kyle stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. Winded, he dropped to his knees trying to catch his breath. He watched as Alex once again crawled to the edge of the rooftop, lifting his rifle to take aim, unable to move to stop him. Hardly daring to breathe, he waited for the sound of a silenced round but it didn’t come. Instead he watched as Alex’s shoulders slump and he put the rifle aside.
“I’m too late, I missed.” He turned to face Kyle, desperation etched on his face. “You don’t know what you’ve just done.”
“Saved a life.” He didn’t know what this was going to mean for him when the warden found out, but he didn’t care.
“No, you’ve just signed my daughter’s death warrant.”
Thirty-Two
Whatever he’d expected, it hadn’t been that. “What?” He struggled to his feet, his breathing returning to normal though he knew that he’d be black and blue from the kick tomorrow. “What do you mean?”
Alex looked like a broken man as he spoke. “You wanted to know why I do this. I do it because the warden has made it perfectly clear that if I don’t, my daughter will have an ‘accident’. And now, because of you, she’s in danger.”
Kyle was shocked, but he needed to think quickly. Running through the options in his head, he quickly came up with a plan. “Look, we don’t have much time before Red starts wondering where we are, so you need to listen and do exactly what I say, okay?”
Alex just nodded. “Okay. I’m not really a prison guard. I’m a friend of Jake McKay, the guy who escaped. I’m undercover, trying to find out who is trying to silence him and why.” Kyle saw Alex’s eyes widen and continued. “Right now, they’re listening to every word I’m saying so what I need you to do is tell me your daughter’s name and where she is and my team will make sure she’s safe.” Kyle waited but Alex didn’t respond, seeming totally confused. “Alex, listen to me, just do as I ask. What’s your daughter’s name and where is she?” He asked again. The urgency in his voice must have reached him, because shaking his head as if to clear it, Alex recited the information.
The McKays Box Set - To Kill For, Blood Sport, Hard Time & Gang Land Page 32
