by Deb McEwan
‘And?’
‘Walking back to the hotel and it was really weird, Marion. I nearly got knocked over.’
‘Oh, Jesus. Are you okay?’ Marion looked Val over and couldn’t see any obvious marks.
‘I’m fine but it felt as if someone pushed me off the kerb but there was no-one behind me.’
‘That’s weird. I wonder...’
Val cut her off. ‘That’s not the only thing. The driver who swerved to avoid me said that someone else took control of the steering wheel and he would have hit me if they hadn’t’
‘Have you been drinking?’
‘No, seriously, Marion, it was strange. I’m lucky...What the...’
They both moved back involuntary as one of the heavy wooden roof supports dropped from the bar and hit the ground where they’d been standing. Looking at each other in confusion, Marion had felt a push and knew without it she would be under the timber. She shuddered.
‘I think a guardian angel’s looking out for me today,’ said Val and this time Marion didn’t contradict her.
‘I don’t know how much more of this I can take,’ said Claire. ‘He seems to be a lot stronger and I’m absolutely exhausted. She looked at the other two. Sandy had a hand on Ron’s arm in support and was chewing her bottom lip. Ron looked as distressed as Claire had ever seen him.
‘I’d help if I could, Claire. You have to be strong, you’re the only who can save her.’
The teenager appeared in front of them, a look of triumph already on his face. He hadn’t expected to see her and her groupies here and it was a bonus. From previous experience he knew she was strong and talented. But he also knew that his powers had increased ten-fold and there was no way she could beat him this time. He’d had much more time on this side than she and she didn’t have the support of her mentors. Taking her to hell would be a masterstroke and he was sure his rewards would be plenty. He wanted a bit of fun first and Claire didn’t realise what was happening until she heard both Sandy and Ron scream. They were trying their best but it was like a goldfish trying to overcome a polar bear, neither had the strength or power to fight the teenager. Claire summoned her inner resources; the evil had made a major error. Had he fought one-to-one with Claire he might have won, but she hated bullies and had stood up for kids who were being bullied once or twice while she was in school, regardless of the size of their aggressor or their gang. Claire had the same feeling now.
‘I don’t think so,’ she said, and he was surprised at how calm she sounded as he turned to face her. Claire addressed Ron and Sandy. ‘Give me your hands and form a circle around him,’ still writhing in pain neither moved. ‘Now! Concentrate!’ the latter was a command and both moved without thinking. The teenager was encircled but not worried. Looking for the weakest link he lunged at Sandy with his full body weight and although she screamed in pain, she held on to Ron and Claire’s hand, the circle unbroken. ‘Remember what to think,’ said Claire and though hard, they all thought of love and pleasant memories. Claire moved the circle toward the teenager wishing that Raphael and Gabriella were available to help but determined to do the job without them if necessary. She seemed to instinctively know what to do and the teenager had the first doubts about his power. He decided to call for assistance but his request bounced off the good spirits and their circle of love, and got no further. Gaining in confidence Claire told the others to close their eyes and to move nearer to the teenager. No longer frightened, they followed her order.
Raphael was watching from a discreet distance ready to assist if required. His heart swelled with love and pride for Claire. He’d expected her to form the circle, but then expected indecision as she contemplated what to do next. He knew she was a natural when he saw her instincts take over.
Knowing he’d lost he was waiting to be blown away and turned into some hideous animal, but it didn’t happen that way. As the circle moved toward him he couldn’t even look into their eyes and try to send evil vibes directly into their souls. A bright light seemed to envelop him and he felt an indescribable, crushing pain. He could still see and he looked in horror as his body shrunk until it was no more than a ball of bright light. The dazzling ball of light turned to one of complete and total darkness and the teenager felt himself being hurled through the atmosphere. Not sure how much later he landed with a thud and that was the last thing he remembered. It was the smell that eventually brought him back to consciousness, the totally overpowering rancid smell of ammonia. Opening his eyes it took the teenager a few seconds to adjust to the lack of light. When he eventually could see, his vision of the world was in mosaics. Something bumped into him and he started as the headless cockroach climbed over him. He realised he had antenna and checked himself over. It slowly dawned on him that he was in the cave that he hadn’t believed existed and would spend his eternity as a cockroach. His scream echoed around the cave chambers accompanied by thousands of others, but nobody heard and nobody who counted, even cared.
All pain had disappeared and all Ron now felt, along with Claire and Sandy, was total elation. Although he knew it was mainly down to Claire, he was delighted that they’d managed to banish the teenager for all eternity. Ron felt light-headed and as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
‘We’ve saved Val again, Claire and I just know she’s going to be all right.’
Claire didn’t answer. Raphael appeared and they hugged as if they hadn’t seen each other for an eternity.
‘Come on,’ Ron said to Sandy and they disappeared back to the hotel to give the lovebirds a bit of privacy.
*****
When Val and Marion had explained what happened to the newlyweds, the youngsters were concerned for the safety of their mothers. Thankfully no further episodes had taken place but the twins still wondered what was going on. As far as Libby was concerned the accidents were a game changer and she wanted to accompany the twins to follow her mother. She was already feeling apprehensive but now felt even more nervous.
‘Which is another reason why you should stay at the hotel, babe.’
‘Don’t babe me!’ said Libby, hands on hips and spoiling for a fight. Tony could see that a change of tack was needed.
‘I want to ensure your mother’s safety, Libby and the capture of the bastard who kidnapped Mel. If you came along I’d be worried about you...’ he put up his hand when she went to interrupt. ‘I know you can look after yourself, but it’s my job to look after you too, I’m a man and it’s the way my genes are programmed. I can’t help myself,’ he shrugged. ‘If anything was to happen to you, Libby, I’d never forgive myself.’
She conceded he had a point and he saw her visibly relax. ‘Great. So the little woman stays at home and worries,’ she said it with a hint of a smile and he was relieved that she’d seen sense.
Tony went to the bathroom to get ready. The twins had tried to contact Claire to no avail the previous day, so he jumped when she contacted him as he was about to shave.
‘Do you have to do that?’ he put a piece of toilet paper on the small cut to his chin.
‘Sorry, but I thought you’d want to talk.’
‘You don’t half pick your moments, Claire. What was all that about yesterday?’
She gave him the gist of what had happened but left out the details of the cave. She was also tempted to tell her brother about their ancestry, but knowing he’d ask questions that she couldn’t yet answer, decided to wait.
Claire left telling Tony that she’d be back when the twins needed her. He contemplated her news and was stunned by the information but glad to know that one less baddie would be involved with them today. She’d told him that they should watch their own backs as well as Val’s and he was once again glad that Libby and Fiona would remain at the hotel, along with the rest of the family. Knowing how Libby picked up on his feelings Tony tried his best to remain confident and calm. When she asked him what was wrong he managed to convince her that he was nervous and would be fine when him and Jim got going.
*****
They made sure that Val didn’t see them while boarding the ferry and watched as she made her way to the café on-board. Another passenger hadn’t been so careful and as Jim and Tony headed toward their cabin, Jim suddenly pulled his brother along a corridor in a different direction and put a finger to his lips. Tony remained quiet as told and soon discovered the reason for his brother’s diversion. Graham realised too late that he’d been discovered and didn’t even attempt a lie.
‘Fair cop, but how did you know.’
‘Just put it this way, Dad, you’d never make a good Private Detective.’ They laughed good-naturedly knowing that they couldn’t exactly tell their father to go back now.
Must be their special training Graham thought as he wished he’d been more careful before concluding that they would have discovered any non-professional. That acknowledgment made him feel better about being caught. The twins reluctantly told their father who Val was due to meet and he spent the rest of the crossing trying to come to terms with the fact that he might meet the man who could have ended his daughter’s life.
The journey proceeded without further drama and just after 4 pm a voice announced that they would arrive at their destination in ten minutes. The ferry docked and cars and passengers disembarked. They kept a discreet distance as Val stood at the dockside looking about her and at the map in her hand. She turned the map around and headed off and Jim chuckled. ‘Typical woman, has to have it in the direction she’s facing.’ Graham didn’t mention that he always did the same and they followed slowly, taking care not to get too close.
They hadn’t been walking for long when the twins heard their sister’s voice. ‘She’s heading for the Oasis hotel. Pretend to phone your spy HQ and act as if they’ve found out about the booking. That way you can hang around the area and surprise Big Ed if the cops don’t beat you to it.’
‘You all right, boys? You look as if you’re concentrating on something?’
‘Fine, Dad. I just need to make a quick phone call. I’ll catch you both up.’
Graham nodded knowingly at Jim as they walked ahead. Claire’s plan worked and her father was now even more convinced that his sons were some sort of special agents. When Tony caught up with them, the easiest way forward was to let his father think what he wanted.
‘They’re booked into the Oasis hotel and I’ve got directions. The, err, perp has had cosmetic surgery and we’ll receive a... a signal if he appears in our line of sight.’
Jim thought Tony was overdoing it but their father was completely absorbed in the subterfuge and loving every minute of it by the look on his face.
‘Let’s get going then,’ Tony played the part well and took the lead following Claire’s directions. Graham assumed he had a miniature microphone in his ear and was taking orders from his chain of command. They’d explained the plan on the ferry and he knew his daughter’s kidnapper would be caught. As well as being as excited as a five year old on Christmas Eve, Graham couldn’t wait to see the man brought to justice and hoped he’d lie rotting in a foreign jail until dying of old age.
*****
Gary’s week had got better and better. His test results had come back negative and the doctor confirmed that he’d been suffering from a virus. Combined with seasickness this was bound to have made him weak. Having taken the course of antibiotics he was starting to feel like his old self and had regained a little weight, though was still a lot lighter than he wanted to be. He knew it would take time to rebuild his strength and hoped that Val still found him attractive. Gary smiled to himself. He’d just concluded his business and when they’d seen the girls paraded in front of them, gave him his outrageous asking price with no questions asked. He felt no guilt or remorse for what the sick bastards would do to those girls, just relief that he’d got away with it. Daniel had been paid off and dismissed and he’d be happy to never see that scumbag again. There was only one blot on Gary’s landscape and that was Captain Saul. He knew deep down that the girls hadn’t just disappeared despite what the captain had told him. As soon as he felt stronger, Gary vowed to himself that he’d find Saul and teach him a lesson that he would never forget. He didn’t want to think about that today though, his priority was Val and he couldn’t remember when he’d last been so looking forward to seeing a woman.
*****
The bus conveying the girls had been driven out of town. The man sitting in the front row of the bus answered his phone and acknowledged the voice on the other end. He hung up after a short conversation and spoke to the driver. The bus took a few turns and stopped in a car park. The girls looked out of the window at the ambulances and cars and lots of women who were smiling at them. They were told to leave the bus and the women took their hands and gave them sandwiches and soft drinks. Tamara was suspicious and thought it was some sort of trap but accepted the refreshments. It wasn’t long before she realised that they’d been rescued and she cried with relief, knowing that her nightmare had at last ended. Warm friendly arms engulfed her in a comforting hug and she took a breath, happy to be rescued from a life of sexual slavery and hoping that those who kidnapped her all those months ago would get their just desserts.
*****
Walking across a low bridge on his way to the hotel where they’d arranged to meet, Gary stopped to look at the view. Sea underneath and as far as the eye could see in one direction and to the other, mountains and the landscape of the town buildings. Val would love it here he was sure. A sudden movement caught his eye and he stopped daydreaming. His sixth sense had kept him alive and free for this long and he’d always trusted his gut instinct. Something wasn’t right. He looked around and saw a big man quickly turn his back and walk around a corner. Easy, he thought to himself as he carried on walking, but slowing his pace down, his eyes scanned as much of the area as they could. On the other side of the road a man leaned against a shop window, talking into a phone. Another up ahead of him looked out of place as he walked in Gary’s direction. Gary kept walking but looked behind. Identical twins, he knew them! His mind quickly returned to the kidnapped girl and he remembered where he’d seen them before. Beginning to feel like a cornered rat, Gary started looking for possible escape routes. They seemed to be coming at him from all directions and he only had one choice. He ran and leaped over the metal railings, his body making a splash as it crashed into the water.
From a distance Graham looked on in disbelief as at least six men ran to the railings and looked down into the water. He couldn’t believe that none of them had jumped in after him. He started running, taking off his valuables and anything he thought might weigh him down. The twins watched in amazement as their father took a jump then disappeared.
Graham was swimming as fast as he could and was making headway on his prey. Gary was a poor swimmer and he caught up with him sooner than he’d expected. The man was struggling to breathe. Graham had fantasised about catching this man, letting his mind run riot with the list of punishments he’d bestow on him. There was still a look of arrogance in his eyes and it was this that spurred Graham on. He threw a misjudged punch that missed but was able to grab him by the hair. He pushed his head under the water and felt a sadistic pleasure as the evil bastard struggled underneath him. No longer able to see into the arrogant eyes, Graham’s even temper began to return and he knew he didn’t have it in him to kill a man in cold blood, even one who’d kidnapped his own daughter. He loosened his hold and Gary’s head popped above the surface. Gasping for breath he had no interest in fighting. When he eventually stabilised he looked at his attacker trying to work out how he knew him. The man looked oddly familiar but Gary couldn’t place him.
‘Mel’s doing well, no thanks to you,’ treading water they both turned around at the sound of an engine and when Gary saw the marine police logo, knew that all further thoughts of escape were pointless.
‘I hope you rot in hell, you bastard!’
Two of the crew leaned over and dragged both men onto the boat. They cuffed G
ary and gave Graham a towel and a blanket.
*****
Val looked up from the magazine she was scanning. The sirens had been loud enough to wake the dead and she wondered briefly what had happened. A few of the other patrons had been outside for a look and when she asked the waiter who brought her coffee, he told her that an international criminal had been caught and would be put to justice. Val smiled to herself, wondering if Gary had been involved in the capture. She was so looking forward to seeing him and hoped he wouldn’t be delayed much longer; he was already nearly twenty minutes late.
Chapter 16
The British Government were in negotiations with the Algerians to try and extradite the man who currently went by the name of Gary Jamieson, but who the police knew as Big Ed Walton. The progress was slow but in the meantime Gary was spending his days in El Harrach, the main prison in Algiers. He was crowded into a room with lots of other men, sanitary conditions were poor and the place stank. The locals received visits from some of their families once a week but not so for Gary. He felt himself weakening and the virus that hadn’t completely left his body returned with gusto. But that was the least of Gary’s problems. He’d heard that the Daddy was on the prowl and the rumour mill that a prisoner had died under suspicious circumstances the previous week did nothing to allay his concerns. Gary looked up as the blackest man he’d ever seen entered the room. He guessed he was about 6’ 6” and his chest looked as if it would rival an average silverback. The fact that he was dressed in civilian clothes that were in pristine condition wasn’t lost on Gary. There weren’t many men who were bigger than Gary when he was in his prime, but this was one of them. Two smaller men followed him, his bitches Gary assumed. They spoke to the other prisoners in their own language and the prisoners got up and left the crowded room as quickly as their legs could carry them. The bitches laughed and said something to the big man and he spoke while looking all the time at Gary.
