Death Count: A Kat Munro Thriller (The Kat Munro Thrillers Book 1)

by SL Beaumont

  “Arrgh,” he grunted and pulled away from her.

  Over his shoulder, Kat saw Sara step into the room with a large vase raised above her head. Seconds later, she brought it down across the back of the man’s head. The porcelain cracked and broke as the man slumped to the floor.

  “Mummy.” George rushed into the room, crying. He wrapped his arms around Sara’s legs and looked wide-eyed from Kat to the man lying prone at her feet and back to his mother, as tears poured down his cheeks.

  “Quick, let’s tie him up,” Kat said. “Where are the police?”

  “On their way.” Sara scooped George up into her arms and rushed to the kitchen.

  Kat studied the prone figure. She crept forward and pulled the balaclava off his head. Kat could only see the side of his face, but she didn’t recognise the man she estimated must have been in his late thirties. Sara hurried back into the room, carrying a bundle of twine.

  “It’s all I could find,” she began as Kat screamed.

  The man’s eyes flew open, and he clamped a hand around her ankle. She fell, landing hard on her backside, kicking out as she went down, trying to release her ankle from his grip. Her left foot connected with his jaw and his hold relaxed. She pulled herself free and scrambled to her feet, grabbing the poker from beside the empty fireplace.

  “Stay down,” she warned him.

  “Police,” a woman’s voice called from outside.

  “Thank goodness,” Sara said, rushing to the front door to let them in.

  Chapter 26

  Adam drove Kat back to her flat, as day broke. Kat rubbed at her arm, wincing as she touched a tender spot.

  “Are you sure you don’t need medical attention?” Adam asked, glancing sideways at her.

  “Nah, I’m just a bit bruised.”

  They drove in silence for a moment, each deep in thought.

  “How did you lose your hand?” Adam asked, breaking the silence.

  “I told you it was a car accident.”

  “A car accident, after a party outside Cobham, that left your best friend dead.”

  “You’ve been looking into me.” Kat snapped her head around to glare at him. “I asked you not to.”

  “A friend of mine went missing near Cobham around the night of your accident. Your car crash only came up recently in my investigation.”

  Kat’s expression changed. “What?”

  “I wasn’t looking into your background, honestly. I respect your privacy, but I also don’t believe in coincidences.”

  “I don’t know anything about your friend. I was a little busy that weekend, firstly trying not to bleed to death and secondly trying to stop them taking my hand.”

  “Kat, I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t want your pity,” she spat.

  “Believe me, pity is the last thing on my mind. I’m in awe of you. You are so capable and inspiring. I saw the way people responded to you at the Valkyries picnic and how you must have fought off that intruder tonight.” Adam’s voice was soft as he spoke.

  Kat shrugged. “These have been the hardest two years of my life. I went through some very dark days initially, and I’m still just taking one day at a time. I don’t want to be anyone’s inspiration because I certainly don’t have it all sorted.”

  “Well, you put on a good act.”

  “Yet somehow you, who I’ve only known for a short time, see through that act and know more about me than most. You know that I still have nightmares and that certain things trigger me. I haven’t shared that with anyone.”

  “You realise they are perfectly logical reactions to a traumatic event.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Jackson. I'll keep that in mind next time I lose it in public.”

  “Kat…” Adam began as they pulled up outside her flat.

  Kat had the door open before he had even stopped the car. “Now, I need to try to get some more sleep, and you should go home. You look like shit.” She swung her legs out onto the footpath.

  “Gee, thanks,” Adam said, pulling a face at her. He reached over and put his hand on her arm. “But first, one last question.”

  Kat sighed, spinning back around to look at him, blinking slowly. “What?”

  “Why was no one charged over your injury or your friend’s death?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “I’ll try to keep up,” Adam replied. “Your boyfriend was driving, right?”

  Kat stared at him for a long moment before nodding.

  “And not even a careless driving charge?” Adam asked.

  “Or an accidental death charge, a reckless driving charge, a leaving the scene of an accident charge, a drunk-driving charge or a generally being an arsehole charge,” Kat added, bitterness lacing her words.

  Adam didn’t react but waited for her to continue.

  “Look, I don’t know what you want me to say. If you have a wealthy enough father who happens to be a lawyer, and complainants who will settle for cash, you can get off anything. I guess Gabe lucked out.”

  Adam nodded. “So Gabe Huntly-Tait was the driver of the car on the night of your accident,” he said.

  “Yeah.” Kat took a deep breath. “I thought that he was the one. Gabe was charming, witty, and intelligent. But I discovered there was something that he loved more than me; himself. He left us there, me bleeding out, and Felicity dying.”

  Adam inhaled and closed his eyes, the rawness of her pain hitting him hard. How she kept that hidden each day, he didn’t know.

  Kat gave a slightly hysterical laugh. “And what do you think was the cost of buying my silence, so that Gabe wouldn’t get prosecuted for drunk driving and ruin his promising career? You’re looking at it.” She gazed up at her flat. “But, I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t that simple.”

  “Why did you get into the car with him? You’re a smart woman; you must have known he’d been drinking?”

  Kat looked across at him for a long moment, and Adam could sense that she was waging an internal battle. He kept quiet and let her come to a decision.

  “I was running away from something I’d seen at the house that night,” she said eventually. Adam felt his pulse quicken. “Until very recently, I didn’t know what; it was just a feeling. My therapist had convinced me that the sense of fleeing was my brain’s way of coping with the trauma of losing my hand and Felicity’s death. It’s all tied up with survivor’s guilt or something. Felicity lost her life, whereas I’m still here, and I only lost my hand.”

  “Losing your hand is a big deal, Kat, you’re allowed to grieve for that.”

  She swallowed and took another deep breath. “But I’ve remembered more about that night over the last few weeks. I now think that I was running away from something horrible, and I believe that we were deliberately driven off the road. I remember Gabe being dragged away from the car yelling, and Felicity and I were just left there as the car caught fire.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The car that ran us off the road stopped and pulled Gabe from the driver’s seat and drove away.”

  “Bloody hell, Kat, you need to report this.”

  “Who would believe me after all this time, especially with various therapists agreeing that my mind was playing tricks?” Kat said with a heavy sigh.

  “Can you tell me what you saw at the house that night?” Adam said.

  Kat closed her eyes. “I can only recall bits and pieces, but I think Gabe’s father was interrogating, for want of a better word, someone in his office at the house. He was shouting at a man tied to a chair. There were other men in the room, and one had a gun. The chair was on a plastic sheet,” Kat’s voice caught, and her eyes flew open. She looked up at Adam with tears in her eyes. “I think they were going to kill him,” she said in a whisper.

  Adam cursed and fought to control his emotions.

  “Is that why you were in Cobham the other day?” she asked after taking a moment to compose herself.

  Adam nodded. “My mate Jake was working
undercover, and he went missing the same weekend as your accident.”

  Kat gasped and shook her head. “Do you think it was Jake that I saw? I’m sorry I can’t even picture the guy.”

  Adam rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “All this time, I figured he was dead, but I had hoped otherwise.”

  “I’m sorry, he still could be alive. I’m not a terribly reliable witness. I can only remember some of that night.”

  “Is that what your recent nightmares have been about?”

  Kat nodded but didn’t move to leave the car.

  They were silent for a few moments.

  “Kat, I need to make a phone call. Are you okay if I relay this?”

  She nodded.

  Adam dug his phone from his pocket.

  “Sir, I have some new information. Kat Munro has recalled more details of her car accident in Cobham the same weekend Jake went missing. She is hazy on the details, but she believes that she was fleeing the Huntly-Tait residence after witnessing a man being interrogated and possibly shot.”

  Adam listened for several moments.

  “Yes, sir. I’m with her now. However, we have a slight complication in that two of the CIP partners have engaged Huntly-Tait’s firm to represent them. We believe that the firm has hired someone to follow Kat and possibly me. She was attacked at her sister-in-law’s home last night.”

  Adam listened again.

  “Okay, sir, will do.”

  He ended the call. “I need to bring Greenwood up to speed.”

  Kat looked puzzled. “Wasn’t that him?”

  Adam shook his head.

  “Okaaay,” Kat said, not comprehending. “I don’t understand, but try to keep Gabe’s name out of it.”

  “I don’t think you owe Gabe anything, do you?”

  “True. But before you call Greenwood, there’s something that you should see.” Kat climbed out of the car.

  Adam leaned over and rummaged in the glove box for his police identification and threw it on the dashboard. He got out, followed Kat across the footpath, and into her building.

  Adam caught up as they climbed the stairs to her flat. She unlocked the door and led him through the lounge and into her small office. She reached into the desk drawer and pulled out the key to the cupboard. She unlocked it and folded both doors back before removing a false plywood cover from the inside of the left-hand door and setting it on the floor. Beneath the cover was a pinboard covered in newspaper clippings and yellow post-it notes. At its centre was a photo of William Huntly-Tait.

  “What’s this?” Adam asked, stepping forward and studying the board. He turned to look at her. “Is this what they were looking for the other night?”

  “I think so,” Kat replied in a quiet voice.

  “So, you have been investigating him?” Adam poked his finger at the photo of Huntly-Tait.

  “Yeah, deep down I knew that something wasn’t right about that night, and I thought this might help me remember.”

  “Who else have you told about this?”

  Kat shook her head. “No one. My brother Carl saw it once and told me that I was obsessing and needed to move on, and he’s probably right, so I haven’t shown anyone else.”

  Adam frowned. “Then how did they know to come looking for it?”

  “I don’t know. I have several Google Alerts running on him and his firm. Maybe I flagged something by checking his website too often.”

  “Okay if I take a photo of this?” Adam asked.

  “Knock yourself out.”

  Kat covered the pinboard again and locked the cupboard, but not before Adam had snapped several photos of it.

  Kat dropped down onto the sofa in the living room while Adam called DI Greenwood. The cat flap in the balcony door squeaked, and Zelda padded into the room. Kat jumped up and scooped her up, cuddling her. She walked to the kitchen and put her down before filling her bowl with dried cat food.

  She looked up as Adam stood in the doorway.

  “This just got more complicated,” he said.

  “What’s happened?”

  “The intruder from Sara’s house is denying being hired by Huntly-Tait and Partners or CIP or even knowing who they are,” Adam said.

  “But he knew my name,” Kat said.

  “According to his statement, he’s just your garden variety burglar, who happened to get caught.”

  “Rubbish,” said Kat. “Ask Gabe.”

  Adam paused. “Well, that’s the other thing. We can’t locate him.”

  “What? Shall I call him?”

  Adam shook his head. “Not at this stage.”

  “What’s the latest with McFarlane and Diaz?” Kat asked.

  Adam gave a contemptuous shrug. “They’re still claiming to be shocked by the discovery of Fund 4 and are busy laying the blame at the feet of Henry Smyth and Roger Chen.”

  Kat shook her head in disbelief.

  “Do you fancy a drive? I have a couple of airfields in Surrey that I need to check out,” Adam said.

  “Airfields?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kat thought for a moment. She had no other plans for the day, and after the events of the previous night, she found that she didn’t want to be on her own, not that she’d admit that to anyone, especially Adam.

  “Sure,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Can I shower and get changed first?”

  “Of course.”

  Kat started down the hallway towards her bedroom and paused. “Actually, you’d probably like a shower too?”

  “Are you asking me to join you, Kat?”

  “No, Adam, I’m not. I was merely thinking that you’d been running around after me half the night and that perhaps you’d like one. You can go after me.”

  “Pity.” Adam pulled a face.

  “We’re not doing this, remember?”

  “So you keep telling me.”

  “Well, listen to me then,” she replied.

  “Although,” Adam continued, ignoring her comment, “remind me, wasn’t it you who launched herself into my arms when I arrived at your sister-in-law’s?”

  “I was just relieved to see a friendly face.”

  “Right,” Adam smirked.

  “And while we’re talking about last night, I can’t believe that you called my mother,” she said. “You know I’ll never hear the end of that.”

  “I figured that was the quickest way to get Sara’s address after your phone cut out. But, now that you mention it, she sounded delighted to hear from me,” he added in a teasing tone.

  “Huh,” Kat huffed before closing her bedroom door with a bang.

  Adam chuckled as he undid his boots and slipped them off. He settled himself lengthwise on Kat’s sofa to catch a few minutes’ sleep. If the army had taught him one thing, it was to grab precious moments of rest whenever the opportunity arose.

  When Kat came back into the lounge twenty minutes later after her shower, Adam was snoring softly. She smiled despite her earlier annoyance with him as she tiptoed into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and retrieving eggs, cheese, and tomatoes. Kat didn’t know about Adam, but she was ravenous after the events of the night. Letting him sleep a little longer, and waking him with breakfast would be a peace offering of sorts. She knew she was being tetchy with him, but he was ingratiating himself into her life and, despite her reservations, she seemed to be letting him. She looked across at the figure slumbering on her sofa. Monday couldn’t come soon enough. She needed to get back to work and focus her attention on something else.

  She whisked the eggs and started preparing their omelettes. She reached into the cupboard for two plates and lifted them out. They fell from her grasp and landed on the floor with a crash, breaking into pieces.

  Kat sighed and looked down at her left hand. The fight with the intruder had left a chip across the back of her fingers which was playing havoc with the electronics.

  “Are you okay?”

  Adam had jumped from the sofa at the noise and was
at her side in seconds.

  “Yeah, sorry to wake you,” she said. She flexed her fingers. “This hand is damaged now too. It’s not responding to my brain signals properly.”

  Adam crouched down and picked up the large pieces of broken china, while Kat took the eggs off the heat.

  “Plates are in there,” she indicated with a nod of her head. “Might be safer if you get them.”

  Adam retrieved two more plates and passed them across to her. “Broom?” he asked.

  “In that cupboard.”

  ***

  “So, let me guess, the airfields that we’re going to visit are near Cobham. And you’re bringing me on the off chance that going there triggers another memory for me,” Kat said as they joined the A3 leaving London.

  “Can’t I just enjoy your company while I’m following up on a routine lead?”

  Kat laughed and shook her head. “No, there’s nothing that you do that’s routine.”

  Adam glanced across and gave her a gentle smile. “We won’t even go into Cobham. I’m a little hurt that you’d think I would do something so callous to jog your memory.”

  A frown creased the skin between Kat’s eyes. “Why, then?”

  “You forget that you still have a price on your head. Just because you stopped one guy, doesn’t mean there won’t be more. I’d rather have you where I can see you and know that you’re safe until we get to the bottom of this.”

  “Okay.” Kat sat back and considered this while trying to ignore the odd feeling of warmth that flowed through her. It was a long time since she’d allowed anyone outside of her immediate circle to get this close, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  They drove on a little further before Kat spoke again. “I have to admit that I’m a little scared now.” She snuck a glance at Adam. His attention was focused on the road, but she saw his jaw clench at her comment.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m probably just being overcautious.”

  “Can you tell me why we’re visiting airfields?”

  Adam thought for a moment before replying. “I found out very recently that the day before Jake disappeared, he visited airfields around Cobham. There are two within easy driving distance, but only one is operational. I want to check them out to see if I can work out whether he discovered anything.”