The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.)

by Marnie Perry

  Although she couldn’t help but recall Hennessey’s words, about Lando being impressed with her. That couldn’t be true; Hennessey was just making fun of her again. Lando had shown her nothing but contempt and irritation since she’d arrived here.

  Just then and to her relief Lando came back into the room. He said ‘he seems to be breathing a little better, but he’s still very sick.’

  Adele closed her eyes for a moment then picked up the first aid kit she had left on the kitchen counter. She turned to Lando, ‘I’ll see to those cuts and bruises.’ She walked towards him but he sidestepped her saying, ‘there’s no need.’

  ‘But you should put something on that cut lip, and your hands.’ She shuddered when she recalled how he had come by those particular injuries.

  Without looking at her he snapped, ‘I said there’s no need.’

  Adela turned away before either man could see the look of hurt on her face. Hennessey looked at her then at Lando with interest.

  Adela put down the first aid kit and went to sit on the chair by the table as Lando washed his hands and face under the faucet.

  To break the tension Hennessy said, ‘the sooner those guys get here and we deal with them, the sooner you can get your dog to a vet.’

  Lando ignored him too and went to stand by the window to keep watch. As for Adela she wanted yet dreaded Hennessey’s phone ringing, this waiting was intolerable and she wanted it to be over one way or the other. Yet the thought of what would happen when those men arrived filled her with a frantic dread. She wrapped her arms around her body trying to stem the shiver that passed through her.

  Both men noticed and Hennessey said gently, ‘it’ll be all right, Miss. Faraday; you have a marine and a cop on your side.’

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say don’t forget ruthless killer but thought better of it. Hennessey seemed to know what she was thinking because he gave that familiar smile cum smirk, ‘but I feel I should apologise for my earlier remark about Mr. Lando and I taking care of you, again I didn’t mean to sound sexist. You’ve proved time and again that you’re no helpless female who faints at the first sign of trouble. On the contrary, you’ve proved how innovative and determined you are. That thing with the toothbrush was a coup de force to beat them all. In short, you’re pretty ballsy, Miss. Faraday.’ He turned to Lando, ‘don’t you think so, Mr. Lando?’

  Lando half turned to him but said nothing. As for Adela she was embarrassed at the compliment but said sharply, ‘you say you don't mean to be sexist yet the term “ballsy” makes reference to a man, meaning that you have to be have a man’s reproductive equipment to be brave.’

  Hennessey stared at her for a moment in surprise then burst out laughing. She wasn’t sure whether he was laughing at her words or the fact that she’s used the word “ballsy.” And if she had looked at Lando she would have seen even his lips curve up into a smile.

  But Hennessey’s laughter quickly faded and his tone became serious as he said, 'there is one thing I'd like to say to you, Miss. Faraday.'

  She looked up at him with suspicion and it would have been plain to a blind man that her expression said, “what more lies?”

  He sat down opposite her and took a deep breath before saying, ‘I’m going to say this one more time then I’m done saying it. I’m sorry for what I did to you, for what I put you through. I never meant for you to be hurt. That was not part of the plan.' He glanced over his shoulder at Lando who was watching them and the window alternately.

  Hennessey continued, ‘I know you hate me and with just cause, what I did was unforgivable but it’s done now and I can’t go back and change it no matter how much I want too. You won’t ever forgive me and I accept that, but this is what you should know. I never intended to kill you at the old shack and I’m not going to kill you now, or at any other time. I never was going to kill you.’

  CHAPTER 41.

  Adela looked at him with fathomless scepticism. He waved his hand, ‘okay, I did think about it, for about ten seconds. But I did want the information you had and intended to get it no matter what. I intended to abduct you and well, do what I did. Then came that damn karaoke night. I had meant to take you that night on the way back to your cabin, but then you sang that song and it, well, it changed everything. I’m not going to say that’s when I decided not do the job because that would be a lie. In fact it made me more determined to go ahead with it, but I didn’t like the way it made me feel, I didn’t like that it…that you…affected me that way.’

  She said, ‘I’ll bet you don’t even like the Carpenters either, that was just more charm, more lies.’

  He smiled, ‘as a matter of fact that wasn’t a lie. Neither was it when I said you had a lovely voice.’

  Even though he sounded very genuine she continued to looked sceptical and angry.

  ‘Anyway, the next day I planned to abduct you in the woods and take you where I did take you. But then it happened again, that damn panther appeared and you were reprieved yet again.’

  Adela looked at Lando who was looking at them both a strange look on his face. What was this about singing, what had that to do with anything?

  Adela, her tone dripping with sarcasm said, ‘that’s a very heart warming story, Mr. Hennessey.’

  Lando couldn’t help but smile and Hennessey after looking surprised smiled too. ‘Okay, sarcasm deserved. But the way you dealt with that frightening incident stunned me. You had a wild and dangerous animal sniffing at your hand and you called it wonderful and exhilarating. I began to see you in a different light. And the more time I spent with you the more impressed I became and the more I liked you.

  That’s when I knew I had to decide one way or the other. Either I took you and extracted the information the hard way, which was…although Glissando’s second suggestion…I believe it was his preferred choice. Or I would wine and dine you, get to know you, get you to trust me then make my move. I believed I could do it, that you’d learn to trust me. I thought it would be so easy.’

  He didn’t say, and it was, he didn’t have to, the obvious doesn’t need to be spoken.

  Adela’s cheeks flamed and she dared not look at Lando.

  Hennessey noticed her discomfort and hurried on, ‘but I knew deep down that it was because I liked being with you, liked your company, liked you. I’m a professional; I shouldn’t get emotionally involved with my targets. It took me less than two days to finally admit the truth to myself, to realise that I couldn’t do it, that I’d been fooling myself, that I knew I couldn’t harm you, not physically anyway.' She looked again at Lando who looked back the suspicion and doubt in his face mirrored in her own.

  There followed a short silence until she said, ‘you know, Mr. Hennessey if I tried really, really hard I might even believe you. Maybe because I’m such a susceptible, naïve, soft hearted idiot who wants and needs to see the very best in people. Or maybe because I’m just plain crazy. Yes, if I tried hard enough I might succeed in believing you, except for one small thing.’

  Hennessey arched his brows as if to say, okay, and what’s that?

  Her tone oozed sarcasm as she said, ‘except for the fact that you kidnapped me. I can’t seem to overlook that one tiny little detail.’

  Hennessey smiled but without mirth. ‘I see that might cause a small problem in your efforts to trust me and you probably wouldn’t believe the reason I did that either.’

  ‘Probably not, but I would be most interested to hear it.

  He laughed inwardly at her lofty tone; she was like a duchess asking one of her servants for an explanation as to why something had not been done to her satisfaction.

  ‘Well, two reasons really. I intended to bring you to here one way or the other, either by telling you the truth or…well, what I did do. I didn’t lie about one thing; I did want the information about Desi. Then I found out that Glissando had sent his guys to intercept you on your way to Georgia, and I knew I had to get to you first. But I saw the way you looked at me after the Maxwe
ll incident, with disappointment and loathing and I knew you would never believe me and come with me of your own free will. I took you to keep you safe.’

  She stood up suddenly and abruptly, ‘and say I believed all that, ‘her tone suggested that that happening was extremely unlikely, ‘say I accept you were acting for my own good, why would you demand my bank account numbers?’

  A silence followed this question and Hennessey looked at Lando whose eyebrows were raised, whether questioningly or in surprise wasn’t clear. Hennessey sighed heavily and stood up too, ‘I thought that if my plans went wrong and you needed to get out of the country quickly for safety reasons, at least you would have your money. I know how to transfer large amounts of cash quickly and clandestinely. I wasn’t worried about your never going home again, what is there for you to go home too? Two selfish, self indulgent, greedy brothers and a village full of gossiping, vicious neighbours. I wanted your account numbers to help you, that’s all. I didn't tell you any of this back at the shack because I worried that if my plans went awry and Glissando got hold of you you would tell him, oh not willingly of course, but he has very persuasive methods of getting people to talk.'

  He did not look round as Lando gave a derisive snort but kept his eyes on Adela.

  She turned her back on him and said with contempt, ‘I don’t have to listen to this.’

  'No you don’t, nevertheless it’s true.

  She turned on him her voice shaking with anger, ‘you’re so full of garbage. Well I’ll tell you something, Mr. Hennessey even if your affection for me is real, it gives me not one ounce of comfort, on the contrary, the thought of being an object of the affections of a ruthless, cold hearted mass murderer makes me sick to my stomach.’

  Her hands clenched tightly into fists as she faced him, ‘you told me time and time again how innocent I was, I suspected then that you were mocking me, making fun of me, using that innocence to deceive me. Others have used that naivety against me in the past so I should have known better; I should have gone with my instincts about you. But there’s one good thing that’s come out of this, I’ll never be innocent again, you’ve seen to that. You used my affection for you to your advantage,’ he looked shamefaced at this but she wasn’t finished, ‘everything you ever said and everything you ever did was a lie, designed to manipulate and humiliate and hurt.’

  He said calmly and gently, ‘not everything. Walking away and leaving you that night at your cabin was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.’ His words suddenly caused her to remember where she was and that there was someone else present and despite her anger she felt the heat crawling up her neck and face.

  He said, ‘it’s true you want to see only the good in people, that was confirmed when you stood up for me to the Carters the night I beat up Maxwell. Even after all I’d done, you defended me to them,’ he smiled ruefully, ‘it was quite something to see, you and that bitch going head to head and you the victor.’ His smile faded, ‘but, Miss. Faraday you’ll never lose that desire to see the good in people, that innocence, it’s an integral part of you, as much a part of you as your eye colour, you can’t change it, and why would you want too?’

  Her embarrassment was like a physical thing. She couldn’t believe he had been spying on her that night, listening to her defending him.

  ‘Don’t you dare,’ she snapped, ‘don’t you dare talk to me as though you know me.’

  His voice was very gentle, ‘I think I discovered a lot about you in the time we spent together. I saw things in you you don’t see in yourself.’

  She was so angry that she forgot herself; forget Lando was there, all she saw was Hennessey in her cabin pretending to be concerned for her safety. Hennessey in the restaurant asking about her life and offering sympathy and solace. Hennessey with his arm around her on the dance floor at the C.C club. Hennessey lying beside her on her bed kissing her and making love to her and she let her fury get the better of her.

  She was so mortified that she had to hit out and she did, she drew back her hand and slapped his face so hard that he reeled back. The sound was like a gun shot in the stillness.

  Lando moved forward in case Hennessey retaliated. He didn’t, just stood there his face still turned to the right then very slowly turned to face her. Her chest was heaving as if she had just run a ten mile race.

  Hennessey smiled wryly, ‘if I were a real gentleman I should turn the other cheek and let you slap me again, it would be no more than I deserve,’ he touched his now red cheek and winced, ‘but I’m not that gentlemanly.’

  She stared at him in horror at what she had done an apology on her lips, but she drew it back at his words. He seemed so sincere, but she was sure he was making fun of her again, and he was right, he had deserved it.

  As for Lando he stood in amazement and not a little amusement at the scene, he had almost felt that blow himself and had flinched. He wondered what Hennessey had meant by leaving her that night at her cabin. Had they been intimate and he had walked away. If so had it been before or after, had he taken her innocence in more ways than one? That would certainly account for her flush and her anger. She had admitted herself that she had felt affection for him. The thought of that felt like a kick in the guts from a small horse.

  But something about Hennessey’s confession, something about the way he had said he did not intend to kill her sounded very sincere. But then as Adela had said, he was an accomplished liar, it could be a ruse to lure them both into false sense of security until this was over, then he would kill him and take the woman. Although he could have done that thirty minutes ago couldn’t he?

  On the other hand Hennessey had done things that were the least expected since all of this had begun hadn’t he? He had proved time and again that he liked to play games. He must never forget that Hennessey was as cunning as he was ruthless. Maybe he had some strange plan for her, for them both. In an attempt to defuse the situation he said, ‘so you abducted her to save her from Glissando’s men, is that what you’re saying?’

  Hennessey turned to him, ‘amongst other things, yes.’

  Lando looked as sceptical and suspicious as Adela did. Hennessey looked at Adela and said, ‘there would have been no need to kidnap you if not for that bastard Maxwell.’

  Adela was astounded, ‘if not for…you’re unbelievable, and a coward to boot, you can’t even accept responsibility for your own actions, your own violent actions.’

  Lando broke in, ‘you said amongst other things, what were they?’

  Hennessey looked at him then back at Adela still standing seething yet ashamed by her own outburst. She turned from him and sat down, not sure whether she wanted to hear the other reasons or not.

  Hennessey himself remained standing, ‘as I said, I didn’t lie about one thing, I did want the information about Desdemona, or should I say Olivia, since I now know that’s her real name.’

  Adela looked up at him with loathing and fear. Her voice was low and trembling as she said, ‘I knew it, you can’t help yourself, once a liar always a liar, once a murderer always a murderer.’

  ‘That’s true I suppose,’ said Hennessey, ‘and to tell you again that I don’t intend to kill you or to hand you over to Glissando would be pointless, and I’d only be repeating myself to no avail. But I do intend to find Olivia.’

  ‘Not with my help you won’t,’ Adela retorted, ‘I didn’t lie when I said I didn’t know where she went. And even if I did, even if I knew her exact address I wouldn’t tell you.’

  Hennessey smiled, ‘I know you wouldn’t, I know you’d die first. As I said you’re strong and determined. But I don’t need your help; I can find her without it.’

  Adela paled at his self assured tone. She stammered, ‘you…you’re bluffing, you can’t possibly find her.’

  ‘Oh I can, and I will. You gave me a place to start with the private plane and her destination but the most important thing was the watch.’

  ‘The watch?’ Her voice was barely audible.

&n
bsp; ‘Yes, she’ll have to sell it and that will give me a lead. I told you I’ve tracked people, people who were experts at keeping a low profile, at blending in. I’ll find her.’

  She kept his gaze for a few more moments then had to turn away from the determination and confidence in his eyes, cursing herself for telling him about the watch.

  Lando said, ‘why would you want to do anything for a man you obviously despise?’

  Hennessey looked at him thoughtfully obviously contemplating how much to tell them then said, ‘this is not about Glissando. Well, maybe indirectly. I told Miss Faraday once that I always keep my promises, it’s a matter of principle, of honour.’

  Adela made a sound in her throat that was more eloquent than any amount words. ‘Honour, principle, you don’t know the meaning of the words.’

  ‘Maybe not as they appear in your dictionary or in your world, but in my world it means something.’

  Into the silence Lando asked, ‘was Maxwell the spy in Eden?’

  Hennessey turned to him looking surprised at the unexpected question then smiled, ‘meaning that would be the reason I beat him up?’

  Lando shrugged and Hennessey looked at Adela who was watching him closely. ‘No, Maxwell was not Glissando’s spy. That’s not why I did what I did to him.

  She didn’t ask why then he had hurt Dean, not that she didn’t want to know the reason, she did, she just didn’t want to give Hennessey the satisfaction of asking.

  He said, ‘but you’d be amazed at who the spy was, Miss Faraday.’

  She narrowed her eyes as she said quietly, ‘Mr. Hennessey, there is very little that would amaze me anymore.’

  ‘Oh, I think this would.’

  When Adela remained silent Lando said, ‘well come on, Hennessey, reveal to us how smart you’ve been in tracking down the elusive spy.’

  Hennessey glanced over his shoulder then looked back at Adela before saying, ‘it was your hat seller.’

  Adela’s head shot up, ‘oh, you’re such a liar. Annie Bloom would never…no…she wouldn't, she…she liked me.’ This last part was said as more of a question that a statement of fact.