Cold Kill

by Leather, Stephen

  Water crashed over them and Corke pushed the child up, trying to keep her in the air.

  It was hopeless. With every kick he felt weaker and he knew he was dying of hypothermia. The freezing water was sucking the life out of him, second by second. He held the child with his left arm and thrashed around with the right. His head went under and he coughed, spluttering. He didn’t want to die, but he was so tired that he couldn’t fight the water any longer. He held the child tighter. She was crying now, great sobs that racked her body. ‘I’m sorry,’ said Corke. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  He couldn’t feel his legs now, couldn’t tell if they were moving or not. He was impossibly cold, and more tired than he’d ever been before. He was breathing fast and shallow, and he knew that was bad because the stale air would stay deep in his lungs. His head went under and he closed his eyes. He knew that all he had to do was take in a lungful of water and it would be over. Drowning wasn’t so bad. There was no panic, just tiredness and a gradual acceptance that he would die. It was the little girl he felt sorry for, with her whole life ahead of her. He’d been married, had a child, travelled the world. He’d lived a full life, and death was a natural part of it. But she hadn’t even begun to live. It was so damned unfair. Corke roared and kicked with all the strength he had left. He didn’t want the child to die but there was nothing he could do to save her. In his heart of hearts he’d known that from the moment he’d followed her into the water, but he’d had to try. And now he would die with her.

  He leaned back in the water, holding her to his chest. Water washed over his face, stinging his eyes and filling his ears.

  Suddenly a light shone on his face, so bright that it was blinding. He closed his eyes. His whole body was numb and he had no energy to swim. His body went limp in the water. At least he had tried. He felt totally relaxed, at peace with what was happening to him.

  The blood was draining from his extremities, retreating to the body’s core – the final stage of hypothermia. He would feel nothing in the final seconds. There were worse ways to die, he decided.

  The light was still there, so intense that it burned through his eyelids. And now there was a roaring, thudding noise. He opened his eyes and gasped as a wave washed over him. He coughed, retched, then blinked up at the light. It was as bright as day. Brighter. An intense white light filled the night sky. Then he saw the figure dropping down towards him. A figure in orange with a white head like a giant insect. Corke smiled. It was an angel from heaven. He wanted to tell the angel that he didn’t believe in heaven. Hell, maybe, but there was no such place as heaven. And if there was no heaven, there were no angels. The figure kept descending. An orange jumpsuit. Black boots. Corke’s face went under the water, his eyes still open. It didn’t sting any more. Nothing hurt. There was no pain, and no fear. Just acceptance.

  The figure hit the water, and Corke felt arms surround him in an enveloping bear hug. He closed his eyes and slid into unconsciousness.

  Sam Hargrove walked quickly along the hospital corridor, heels squeaking on the linoleum. His shoes were handmade and they shone under the overhead fluorescent lights. He was wearing a black wool overcoat over a dark blue pinstripe suit and a pale yellow shirt; his red tie was decorated with miniature cricket bats. He was carrying a bulging leather briefcase, scuffed at the corners, and he swung it in time with his walk. A middle-aged nurse stepped out of a side room and blocked his way. ‘Can I help you?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m here to see Anthony Corke,’ said Hargrove. He brushed his greying hair across his forehead. ‘He was brought in about six hours ago.’ He spelt out Corke’s surname slowly, as if she had learning difficulties.

  She frowned. ‘And you are?’

  ‘His solicitor,’ said Hargrove, the lie coming as naturally as his smile.

  ‘Visiting hours are between five and seven,’ she said curtly.

  Hargrove continued to smile, but his eyes hardened. ‘My client has been arrested on a serious charge, and he has a right to legal representation. Any interference with it would result in a claim for damages laid against this hospital. I’m sure your NHS trust’s administrator wouldn’t want that, now, would he?’

  ‘There’s a policeman with him,’ said the nurse.

  ‘Which is why he needs my counsel,’ said Hargrove. He made a show of looking at his watch. ‘I don’t have all day, Miss . . .’ He peered at the nurse’s name-tag. ‘Miss Longworth. I know it’s a frightful cliché, but my time really is money.’

  The nurse pointed down the corridor. ‘It’s the third room on the left.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Hargrove, and headed along the corridor. He opened the door without knocking. A young uniformed policeman was leaning against a large cast-iron radiator. As the door opened he jolted upright and straightened, hands behind his back. ‘You’re not supposed to be in here,’ he said.

  Hargrove looked round the room. There was only one bed. The occupant’s eyes were closed, his hands at his sides. He was wearing a pale blue surgical gown. There was monitoring equipment on the table next to the bed but it wasn’t switched on. A thin chain ran from the man’s ankle to the metal rail at the foot. ‘I’m Mr Corke’s solicitor,’ said Hargrove. ‘Can you explain to me why he’s chained to the bed?’

  ‘My chief inspector’s orders, sir,’ said the constable.

  ‘My client has just been dragged out of the North Sea,’ said Hargrove. ‘He almost drowned.’

  ‘I’m told he has to be restrained,’ said the constable.

  ‘It’s an infringement of his human rights,’ said Hargrove. ‘My understanding is that Mr Corke hasn’t been charged.’

  ‘I’m just doing as I was told, sir,’ said the constable.

  ‘I need a word with my client,’ said Hargrove. ‘In private.’

  ‘I’m supposed to stay with him,’ said the constable.

  ‘How long have you been in the job, son?’

  ‘A year,’ said the constable, defensively.

  ‘That’s long enough to know that lawyer–client conversations are confidential,’ said Hargrove. ‘He’s not going anywhere with that chain on his leg. You can wait on the other side of the door. Or you can do the smart thing and take the opportunity to have a quick smoke or a coffee outside. Up to you.’

  The constable held Hargrove’s eye for several seconds, then left the room.

  Hargrove put down his briefcase and stared at the man on the bed. ‘Shepherd, do you always have to be so bloody heroic?’ he asked. ‘You almost gave me a heart-attack, throwing yourself into the sea. You’re an undercover cop, not a bloody lifeguard.’

  Shepherd opened his eyes. ‘She was a kid,’ he said.

  Hargrove shook his head. ‘I suppose I’m going to have to put you in for another commendation,’ he said.

  ‘Is she okay?’

  ‘She’s in ICU but she’ll be fine.’ Hargrove sat down on the metal chair and straightened the creases in his trousers. ‘If the helicopter hadn’t spotted you . . .’

  ‘I couldn’t let her die.’

  ‘Pepper was going to throw them all into the sea. What was your plan? Save everybody?’

  ‘She was a kid,’ said Shepherd again.

  ‘And what if the helicopter hadn’t been there, Spider? What if I’d had to go and tell Liam his father wasn’t coming home?’

  ‘It was instinctive.’

  ‘It was foolhardy,’ said Hargrove. ‘Brave, but foolhardy.’

  ‘All’s well that ends well,’ said Shepherd. He sat up and pointed at the chain. ‘Can you take that off me so I can get out of here?’

  ‘We need to talk first,’ said Hargrove.

  ‘That sounds ominous.’

  Hargrove examined the room. ‘Not bad, considering it’s NHS,’ he said. ‘Floor even looks as if it’s been cleaned some time this century.’

  ‘Do we know what went wrong?’ asked Shepherd. ‘I’m assuming you didn’t send the navy to intercept us.’

  ‘We were waiting to pick you up on
Holy Island as planned. The local drugs squad had an informant in the French port. He thought the trawler was leaving with drugs and called his handler in Europol. By then it was in international waters but Europol were on the ball for once. They called Custom House and the night man took a decision. There was a Royal Navy frigate in the area, and Bob’s your uncle.’

  ‘What a cock-up.’

  ‘Just one of those things,’ said Hargrove. ‘There was no way we could have tipped off everyone in advance.’

  ‘What about Pepper?’

  ‘He’s under arrest for trafficking and attempted murder. The illegals are lining up to give evidence. If nothing else, it means they’re guaranteed to stay in the country until the trial.’

  ‘Mosley was going to help toss them overboard, but Pepper didn’t give him much choice.’

  ‘He’s co-operating. Pepper pulling a gun on him changed his viewpoint and he’s giving us all the info we need on the French end. Job well done, Spider. Not the way we planned it, but we’ve smashed their operation.’

  Shepherd jiggled his leg, rattling the chain. ‘So, I’m out of here, right?’

  ‘Let me run something by you first,’ said Hargrove. ‘The parents of the girl you rescued were from Kosovo. They had a couple of suitcases with them. One contained three large cooking-oil cans filled with a hell of a lot of cash. Just under a million euros in five-hundred euro notes.’

  ‘They could have gone first class for that,’ said Shepherd, bought passports, new identities, the works.’

  ‘The money’s counterfeit, which is why we think they’re couriers. They don’t know that we’ve found it.’

  ‘But why run counterfeit euros from Europe into the UK? The UK’s about the only country left that doesn’t use the euro.’

  ‘Good question,’ said the superintendent.

  ‘You want me to talk to them – me being the hero and all?’

  Hargrove flashed him a tight smile. ‘They’ve been asking for you. They want to thank you. It’d be an opening.’

  ‘Makes sense,’ said Shepherd.

  ‘We need to know where the notes were made, and where they were going.’

  ‘And I stay in character?’

  ‘Let’s see how it works,’ said Hargrove. ‘We’ll put you in the police station with them and give you a chance for a chat. If it doesn’t work, we’ll get Immigration to sweat them.’

  ‘How good are the notes?’ asked Shepherd.

  ‘They’re not good,’ said Hargrove. ‘They’re perfect, the real McCoy. Watermark, ink, paper, all genuine. The only way to tell they’re not real currency is by the numbers, which are sequential but haven’t been issued by the European Bank.’

  ‘Which means what?’

  Hargrove shrugged. ‘The only people with access to that sort of printing equipment are governments. North Korea, maybe. They did the US superbills a few years back. But that’s hypothetical. Which is why I need you to talk to the girl’s parents.’

  ‘Okay. Where and when?’

  Hargrove took a set of handcuffs from his pocket. ‘We’ll get them in here, just to start the ball rolling. Then we’ll run them down to Newcastle nick and process them. We’ll put you in a cell with the father and you can take it from there.’

  Shepherd shook his left leg and the chain rattled. ‘This is a pain,’ he said.

  ‘It’s got to look like you’re one of the bad guys,’ said the superintendent.

  ‘Some way to treat a hero,’ Shepherd said ruefully. ‘I told the woodentop outside that I needed to use the loo and they offered to give me a bottle to piss in. They haven’t given me any food either.’

  ‘I’ll get it sorted,’ promised Hargrove.

  ‘I wouldn’t mind a phone, too, so that I can call Liam.’

  ‘Tomorrow. Soon as you’re in the van to the station.’ The superintendent stood up. ‘I’m serious about the commendation.’

  ‘I’m serious about the loo,’ said Shepherd.

  It was late evening when a female uniformed police officer brought the little girl’s parents to Shepherd’s room. A male nurse had brought him a cheese sandwich and a lukewarm cup of tea. Shepherd hadn’t eaten anything since he’d left France and he’d wolfed it down.

  The police officer opened the door and ushered the couple in. ‘Five minutes,’ she said brusquely. ‘I’ll wait outside.’

  The young uniformed officer who had been guarding Shepherd all afternoon was sitting on a metal chair in the corner of the room, reading a copy of the Sun.

  ‘Any chance of a bit of privacy?’ said Shepherd.

  ‘I’m not your bloody butler,’ said the policeman.

  ‘And I’m not going anywhere, chained to the bed, am I?’ He jerked his head at the door. ‘Besides, it’d give you a chance to chat her up, wouldn’t it?’

  The officer sighed, stood up and dropped his paper on to the chair. He glared at Shepherd as he left the room.

  ‘Alone at last,’ said Shepherd.

  The man and woman frowned, not understanding. Shepherd hadn’t paid them much attention on the boat. They’d been wrapped in warm clothes, their heads swathed in thick scarves, the man carrying two bulky suitcases, the woman fussing over their daughter. Without their heavy clothing and under the hospital’s fluorescent lights he could see that they were in their early thirties. The man was square-jawed with a two-day growth of stubble, and the woman’s face was pinched with deep worry lines etched into the forehead.

  ‘How is your daughter?’ Shepherd asked.

  The woman stepped forward, took his left hand in hers and pressed it to her cheek. She spoke to him in a language he didn’t understand. They were from Kosovo, Hargrove had said, which would make them economic migrants, rather than genuine refugees, Shepherd knew. The ethnic-cleansing horrors of the former Yugoslavia were a thing of the past, but few economic migrants travelled with a million euros.

  ‘My wife says we owe you everything,’ said her husband, in halting English.

  ‘Is she okay, your little girl?’

  The man’s eyes glistened, as if he were close to tears. ‘Her name is Jessica. The doctors say she will be good soon,’ he said. ‘Because of you she is alive.’

  The woman spoke to Shepherd again, tears running down her cheeks. She looked into his eyes as she spoke, and even though Shepherd couldn’t understand what she was saying he could feel gratitude pouring out of her.

  ‘My wife says we can never thank you enough,’ said her husband. ‘She is Edita. I am Rudi.’

  He stuck out a hand and Shepherd shook it. ‘Tell her I’m a father,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’m just glad I was able to help.’

  ‘You could have died,’ said Rudi. ‘You do not know us but you risked your life to save our daughter.’ He translated for his wife. She nodded and kissed the back of Shepherd’s hand.

  ‘Where are you from?’ asked Shepherd.

  ‘Kosovo,’ said Rudi. ‘We want a new life in England. For us and for our daughter.’

  The wife spoke to her husband and pointed at the chain attached to Shepherd’s leg.

  ‘Why are you chained?’ he asked.

  ‘The police did it,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’m under arrest.’

  ‘But you saved our daughter.’

  Shepherd forced a smile. ‘They don’t care,’ he said. ‘All they care about is that I was helping to bring you to England. I’ll probably go to prison.’

  Rudi spoke to his wife, then nodded sympathetically at him. ‘I am sorry for what is happening to you,’ he said.

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ said Shepherd.

  ‘The captain, he was trying to make us jump into the sea.’

  ‘He’ll be going to prison too.’

  ‘He is an evil man.’

  ‘No question about that,’ said Shepherd. ‘Have they said what will happen to you?’

  ‘The police say they want us to go to court, to tell what happened. I am not sure that is a good idea.’ Rudi glanced around nervously as if he feare
d being overheard. ‘The men we paid to go on the boat, they are dangerous. If we help the police . . .’ He left the sentence unfinished.

  ‘The police can help you,’ said Shepherd. ‘They might let you stay in England.’

  ‘That is what they said,’ said Rudi. ‘But I cannot risk my wife and daughter. We will say nothing and they will send us back to Kosovo. We will try again, maybe next year.’ He put his arm round his wife’s shoulders. ‘We are very grateful,’ he said. ‘We will never forget you. What is your name?’

  ‘Tony,’ said Shepherd. ‘Tony Corke.’

  ‘We will never forget you, Tony Corke,’ he said. ‘And we will make sure that our daughter never forgets the name of the man who saved her life.’

  ‘I’m just glad she’s okay,’ said Shepherd.

  The female officer returned and took them away. Her colleague closed the door and stood at the end of the bed. ‘You jumped into the sea to save a little girl?’ he asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Shepherd.

  ‘They said you nearly died.’

  ‘It was pretty close.’

  ‘Bloody brave.’

  ‘Spur of the moment.’

  ‘No life-jacket or anything?’

  ‘There wasn’t time,’ said Shepherd. ‘Like I said, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. She went over the side and I went in after her.’

  ‘There’s not many would have done the same.’

  ‘The kid was going to die. I couldn’t stand by and watch.’ Shepherd lay back and closed his eyes. He heard the officer walk to the chair and the legs scrape as he sat down.

  ‘If you want anything, a coffee or whatever, let me know,’ said the policeman. ‘Or if there’s anyone you want me to call, I’ll pass on a message.’

  ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ said Shepherd. ‘Just fuck off and leave me be.’ He could have done with some coffee but it was important to stay in character. He couldn’t afford to give the impression that he was more than a criminal facing a jail term.

  The Saudi toyed with his salad of seared tuna niΜoise and looked over Circular Quay towards the Sydney Opera House, which squatted by the water like a huge beetle unfolding its wings. It would have been a superb target, but the area around it was too open, the tourists too spread out, and casualties, even from a large bomb, would be limited. He was sitting in a much better target, logistically and politically. The Hyatt Hotel was at the base of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which spanned the entrance to Circular Quay and was one of the most recognisable structures in the world. A bomb in the hotel’s restaurant on a Sunday lunchtime would kill up to a hundred people, and images of the devastation would be shown round the world, the aftermath of the explosion and, behind it, the bridge. It would be as powerful an image as that of the airliners flying into the Twin Towers in New York.