He breathed in, as deeply as he could with the suicide belt strapped to his chest, and expelled a long, drawn out sigh. It would be hell. But there was a chance he might survive, maybe even stay out of prison. Unlike Gina. And then the thought hit him. Her father.
Gina’s dad was going to kill him.
Chapter 31
Low Profile
By way of saying thanks for saving his life, reputation, career and beloved Belstaff jacket, Tom Capgras finally took Ruby out for a drink. Just the two of them. On their own. Though it was strictly Platonic, because they were friends and nothing more. He was sure of that.
She turned up looking cleaner and smarter than he had ever seen her. Gone were the combat pants, the torn t-shirts with hand-painted slogans concerning environmental protest and animal rights, to be replaced by tight black jeans and a casual jacket which, while not flashy, looked costly. He assumed she had borrowed it, because Ruby, notoriously, had no money.
He considered commenting on her change of appearance but thought better of it. She might be meeting someone afterwards and it wouldn’t do to pry.
“How’s Emma?” he asked as they sauntered towards their favourite east London boozer.
“She’s your sister, haven’t you called her?”
“I’m trying to avoid baby-sitting duties.”
“She’s fine, so is Ben. He’s a good kid. He asks after you all the time. You’re his hero, because you went to prison.”
“That’s worrying,” Tom said. “Not the example I want my nephew aspiring to follow.”
“He’s one of a kind,” Ruby said. “You should get to know him better. He’s old enough now. He can talk to you straight. You’ll be surprised.”
He opened the door to the pub and led the way, leaning on the bar and examining the beer pumps thoughtfully. He ordered a guest ale for himself.
“Same for me,” Ruby said.
Once they had settled into a corner seat, with a view of distant skyscrapers, she asked how things were going with the police.
“I’m free, aren’t I?” he said. “They seem to believe me, at last, and the newspaper’s been great, backing up my story. I was on assignment to investigate after all. But it’s taking time. The problem is, this cult has disappeared. It must have been planned. They were shipping out, before Gina and I even started that walk towards Westminster Abbey, gone to France or Spain.”
Ruby sipped her pint thoughtfully. “And your friend?”
“Charlie has vaporised, as if he was never there. Which is what the police believe. They’re sure he’s long dead. There’s a death certificate, issued in Burma of all places. It was Marlo though.”
“Do you think you’ll see him again?”
“That’s a scary thought. No, we’re done. He won’t be back.”
“And the cult?”
“Will change its name and reappear in another guise,” Tom said. “That’s usually the way. Though their guru won’t be visiting the UK again any time soon. He’s on an international terrorist wanted list. So that will slow him down.”
“Seems odd, though,” Ruby said. “The attack would have achieved little, apart from notoriety. Now they’re banned, on the run. What did they hope to gain? The leaders will be wanted men all their lives.”
Tom scratched his chin, staring into his beer. “There’s talk of mass suicides, though that’s fanciful. But there’s always that fear with cults. Perhaps they had decided to end it all, and this was simply a parting shot. Though I can’t see Charlie Marlo topping himself on the say-so of a bunch of religious nutters. He was always playing a game of some sorts but what he’s up to with that lot is anybody’s guess.”
“And Gina?” Ruby asked. “Is she really ill?”
“I’ve not heard. If she survives, there’ll be a trial. That’ll be fun for both of us, you’ll come out the hero, turning up with the EMP device, foiling their plan.”
“You’ll get the credit,” Ruby said. “No one reveres Q or Moneypenny, only ever James Bond.”
“It wasn’t like that…”
“You got the gun off her. You were the martyr, wearing the explosives. Everyone will want your story.”
“That’s going in my paper, after the trial. Though I’ll save plenty back. It’ll make a great last chapter.”
“You’re writing a book?”
“Non-fiction, cases I’ve worked on, the investigations, that sort of thing. Lift the lid on the justice system, corruption in high places. Wrote most of it inside, but didn’t have an ending until now.”
“You’re not allowed to write books in prison.”
“It’s all up here.” He tapped his temple with the palm of his forefinger. “Needs typing up is all. Then find a publisher. Or an agent. Something like that.”
“You’re a reporter, not an author.”
“I can be both.”
“Stick it in the newspaper, where it belongs.”
“It’s too close. Too personal. Especially this stuff with Charlie and Gina. Besides, her dad will kill me if it gets in the paper.”
“He won’t mind it going in a book?”
“Won’t notice. Trust me.”
“That’s one good thing about publishing.” She grinned, cheekily. “The low profile.”
Capgras slugged the last of his beer. “Another?”
“Sure,” she said. “Let’s get rat-arsed.”
“All right,” he said, “you’re on.” And he sauntered towards the bar.
*** The End ***
Tom Capgras returns in ‘Blood Read: Publish And Be Dead,’ the first full-length novel in the series ‘The Capgras Conspiracy.’
Ruby will be back too, and Emma and Ben.
And Charlie Marlo? He’s out there somewhere, up to no good.
From the author
If you’ve read and enjoyed this book, could you do me a huge favour? Please, please, PLEASE tell your friends and contacts – and write a review on your site or Amazon, or anywhere you hang out. Even if it’s only a few words. Just tell people what you thought. The ideal review would be on Amazon because that makes a huge difference to the book’s discoverability and overall ranking. Anything you can do to help this book find its audience is really appreciated and I love the feedback. Now, once again over to third person narrative:
About the Author
Simon Townley is a British writer and the author of a range of cross-genre novels and short stories. He lives in Devon, England. You can see his Amazon profile here - where you will also find links to all his other books. .
You can find out more here: http://www.simontownley.com
Follow Simon on Twitter: @simonjtownley
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Cult Following (No Faith To Lose)
The Capgras Conspiracy – prequel novella
By Simon J. Townley
Published by Beardale Books
http://www.beardale.com
[email protected]
Version 1: 2017.07.14
Publisher’s note
This text uses British English spelling.
Cover design by Beardale Books
Amazon Kindle Edition
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
Copyright © 2017 Simon J Townley. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced int
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