Tim Heath Thriller Boxset

by Tim Heath

  They kissed each other lovingly, and Tommy left.

  The roads had been much busier, and progress was a lot slower as Robert made his way back to the village. There was even a bit of local traffic around for the final stretch as the afternoon pushed on.

  Robert had left his meeting with Brendan feeling very confident, gaining, he felt, genuine support in the process and with it the sense that things had taken a turn in his favour, for once. Robert pulled off the main village road and up his driveway. He straight away heard the barking of a dog in the distance up towards the house and saw Katie Taylor’s dog appear, running towards the car as he neared home. Katie herself had been sitting on the doorstep, apparently waiting for him, and she started to rise as Robert pulled the vehicle in close and came to a stop, the dog now resting his two front legs on the side window, tongue out and tail wagging as he looked inside at Robert.

  Katie had her head bowed, but it was clear she had been crying, a scrunched up tissue held to her face. It was when Robert was out of the car, patting the dog’s head as it raced around him in circles, and walking towards Katie that he noticed all the bruising on her arms. There were cuts as well, and she lowered her hand from her weeping eyes to reveal a severely beaten face, both eyes bruised heavily and her top lip split.

  Robert gasped in horror and put his hand to his mouth as he got close to her. He took her into an embrace and held her close. He started pulling pieces of what looked like hay from her hair before he noticed blood there also. Clearly, she’d been hit with something quite hard.

  After a few minutes, she pulled herself away and looked at him.

  “Who did this to you, Katie?”

  Robert feared he already knew the answer.

  “I’ve never seen him like this, never this bad before. It was that crazy storm,” Katie said, starting to cry again. “He was out of town with the dog, and I was meant to be doing the laundry. That tree came right through the utility room, so when he arrived home and found out, instead of being glad I wasn’t dead, he started shouting, asking where I’d been. I didn’t know what to say.”

  “What did you say?” Robert pressed, starting to feel a little alarmed.

  “That I was helping Norman with some rounds.”

  “And don’t tell me, judging by the way he hit you, he didn’t buy it, is that right?”

  “Right,” she said very quietly, her body shaking as she cried. “And now I don’t have anywhere else to go. What am I to do?” Robert wasn’t sure, and having her there was just too risky, but the last thing he wanted was to be seen talking to her in front of the house. He got the door open, and they went inside, the dog running about smelling the furniture before lying in the middle of the lounge on the big rug.

  Robert grabbed the first aid box that he’d bought but never used, pouring some antiseptic onto a new clump of cotton wool and dabbing her face gently with it.

  After that, he took a look at her head, but it didn’t look like it was too severe, though only after she’d washed the blood out could he be entirely sure.

  Once he’d cleaned her up a bit, she sat down in his chair, and he laid a blanket over her to keep her warm, before making her a hot drink.

  “I might be wanting something stronger than that in a minute,” she said, apparently much more with it again now, smiling at him as he put the drink down next to her on the table.

  “Help yourself,” he said, pointing to a tall cupboard against the wall that obviously housed the alcohol. “I’m just going to pop out and check on Norman. I shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Be careful. If Norman has said anything then…,” she trailed off.

  “I know, but don’t worry. Norman is the pillar of this community. And besides, he wouldn’t say anything even if the Pope walked in off the street!”

  She smiled, but not for long, pain from her face making it hard to smile because of the cuts and bruising.

  He picked up his keys again and raced out to the car. The truth was he didn’t know what to expect, and if that thug had gone to Norman’s in that mood, there was no knowing what he could have done.

  As Robert pulled up outside the shop five minutes later, there was no apparent sign of trouble, the front door closed and the street quiet, with no other cars around.

  It was when Robert went inside the shop that he knew something was wrong, the previously crowded but neatly stacked shelves now wrecked, cans and broken bottles all across the floor, glass everywhere and no sign of Norman. Robert called out but heard no answer. He stepped over the debris carefully, not wanting to break anything else, though that was unlikely, as it all looked ruined. What will Norman say? Robert thought to himself. And then, as he approached the back, Robert saw two legs on the floor, Norman lying down very still in the back corridor, facing the ground, a hand to his chest. Robert reached down to check for a pulse but his body was already cold, and there was not one to be found.

  “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill the beast!” Robert swore under his breath.

  He got up and quickly left the shop. As Robert approached the car and opened the door, he noticed a figure just up the road, some fifty metres or so walking towards him. He paused for just a moment, recognising Sam Taylor’s big angry frame. Sam had spotted Robert and, apparently taking Robert's presence there as some confirmation of guilt, started to trot towards Robert, arms raised with what looked like a metal pole in his hands, racing now towards Robert.

  Robert thought quickly and knew escape was his best plan. Jumping into the driver’s seat and having the engine on in no time, he spun the car around as best he could, but he wasn’t able to do it in one go because of the narrow road.

  His pursuer was now a lot closer, shouting, with the metal pole held in both arms above his head as he raced in to strike. Robert got the car into gear again and moved forward, throwing dirt up into the air, as a powerful smash came, and the back window caved in, the metal pole visible through the empty hole for a moment. Sam shouted that he would kill Robert and this was all Robert heard before he raced down the road and around the corner, out of sight. However, it was apparent where Robert would be going, and at best with Sam following on foot, Robert had only about a ten-minute head-start as Robert was confident Sam would be coming straight for him now.

  Still sitting in the chair at the house, Katie heard the car come racing up the driveway much faster than he’d come up before and something sank within her. She got up and ran to the front door, seeing the car come to a halt, the afternoon sun shining brightly off the metal, and the light catching on the broken glass scattered across the rear shelf.

  Katie could tell from his face that there was a problem, and he came rushing around the side, nearly tripping over as he approached her.

  “Get your things and the dog. We’ve got to go straight away! He’s coming here!”

  Terror filled her once again, and she just froze as Robert tore past her and he had to come back and take her by the hand, pulling her through the front door, closing it behind her.

  “Let’s just go now, Robert. What are you waiting for?”

  “I just need some things!” He raced around grabbing what he could, stuffing books into a bag, his laptop in its case, his phone and notepad. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a key, running to the cellar door and locked it quickly.

  “What are you doing, let’s go!” Panic was in her voice now.

  “I can’t leave this open. Hold on, I just thought of something,” and he raced back into the kitchen and out of sight, going to the back door and undoing the two bolts that couldn’t be opened from the outside, just leaving it locked.

  He came back, picked up his bags and they rushed out the front door and into the car. Robert dropped everything into the back seat and jumping in behind the wheel in a matter of seconds, the engine now on.

  “The dog!” she said.

  Just then, they heard her husband’s cry as he started working his way up the path, not more than one hundred metres away.

&nbs
p; “We have no time, Katie. We’ll have to leave him.”

  He pulled the car out and spun it around. The dog came running from around the side of the house and was there for just a moment before they went at speed back down the driveway, the path ahead explicitly blocked by the red-faced beast of a man running straight towards them no more than twenty metres away.

  Katie put a hand to her mouth and screamed as Robert drove straight on, increasing speed, and the car jumped all over the place as the ground was deeply rutted.

  Only at the last moment did her husband jump to one side, out of the way, as the car carried straight on, but not before he’d got a crack at the driver’s side of the windscreen, a large hole appearing as the metal bar struck it and then they were clear. The windscreen seemed to remain intact, at least for the moment, as they got to the main road, the surface a lot more accommodating now for faster driving. Katie looked back, seeing him standing there staring at her, that evil, horrendous gaze that was to haunt her for the rest of her life. She burst into tears and buried her head as they sped down the road. Robert didn’t know where he’d go but knew the house was not safe any longer. Once he was a little nearer the city, he would call his new friend Brendan and maybe he’d be able to help them out somehow. Before they went much further, having left the village now, they pulled over and cleaned the glass up a bit. Not long after that, they were in the neighbouring town at a garage where they were able to repair both pieces of glass while they waited. Robert used the time to go and get some food for them both from a nearby fish and chip shop, bringing back two bags which they sat down together and ate in silence.

  When the car was ready, Robert paid them the cash he’d promised for a quick job, way over the odds but he didn’t care. They were back out on the road in time for the evening rush hour traffic, blending into the many cars that were heading into the city, Robert now more aware than ever that a new stage was about to start, for better or worse he could not as yet tell.

  24

  Brendan felt surprisingly positive as he left the office, walking down the road to a local flower shop where he purchased a large bunch of his wife’s favourite flowers, irises.

  His working day had seen him carrying on much as before, dealing with several other companies within the group that needed his help as well as continuing to run his own business. There had also been some ongoing discussions with Tommy and the club which had seen Brendan very busy, but somehow with the way things had gone in the last day or so, he had more purpose now than ever before, far more ownership than even he thought possible. He reasoned that evidently shortly it would all be his––somehow, though he was yet to work out how it would all fall back into place and he would be in charge at last.

  His thinking, of course, was quite strange because indeed within his own company, to everyone around him he was the man in charge anyway, and his growing importance within the group meant many others also looked only to him, some not even aware that there was anyone above Brendan. But it was always in Brendan’s mind, where he knew the truth, that his most significant battles were fought, struggles to find purpose and satisfaction in what he was doing. He always tried to tell himself that his boss was some genius, but deep down he never believed it. Now, at last, Brendan had all that he needed to know for sure since Robert had been so open with him.

  Now that he was back outside the office, he placed the flowers on the passenger seat of his company car, took off his jacket and got into the driver’s seat, pulling away a minute later into the evening traffic, the roads still busy, though the worst of it had already cleared.

  Brendan had been driving for about thirty minutes, making reasonable progress, but now sitting in some traffic, when his car phone ringing broke his peace. It was something that strangely didn’t happen too often for someone in his position, mainly because for a long time he’d decided to only give that specific number to a select group of people. He glanced over to the phone to see Nigel’s name flashing up on the caller display, and pressing the receive button on his steering wheel, his boss’s voice came out clearly and crisply through the car’s sound system.

  They exchanged greetings and went through the meaningless small talk which Brendan always found annoying. He tolerated it nonetheless, though now if anything he could allow himself to enjoy it, not knowing if it would be the last time.

  After a few minutes, Brendan could sense Nigel moving the conversation on, still onto insignificant things, and he smiled to himself as he made the occasional comment, wondering this time what the real reason for the call would be. And there always was a reason. Never had there been a time that Nigel would just call for a chat, and so it proved again this time, but even after all his experiences, it still surprised Brendan in the way it was said. Nigel was getting frustrated and picking up on the fact that Brendan was playing with him.

  “So you’ve been talking personally with Robert then? Did you suppose that I wouldn’t know?”

  The suddenness of the way Nigel said it took Brendan by surprise for a moment and Brendan nearly ran into the car just in front of him, his vehicle skidding and stopping only an inch behind, in the now static traffic. Brendan was working hard at regaining his thoughts, thinking what he should say in reply. The silence was noticeable enough, and it was Nigel who instead carried on.

  “You must take me for a fool if you think such things could go unnoticed. Anyway, I’m guessing you weren’t meeting up to exchange email addresses!”

  Brendan could tell it was a statement more than a question and he could sense anger growing in Nigel as well as in himself. He battled hard to remain silent, to let Nigel have his say, realising it no longer mattered what he said anyway.

  “I’m guessing because you haven’t thought to mention it nor have you confirmed his capture that you talked about a lot of things, things that you didn’t need to know? Things that you shouldn’t know but now do!”

  Brendan was beginning to get angry inside but part of him was enjoying this, seeing this man exposed and how Nigel would try to deal with the fact that now the truth was out. Nigel continued, his words picking up in speed:

  “What you haven’t realised in your actions of betrayal is that I would have planned for such a time as this. You must think little of me to even imagine I hadn’t thought it possible that you would betray me!”

  Brendan didn’t like the words he was using.

  “Look here!” Brendan said.

  Nigel was having none of it: “No, you listen to me! I’m going to imagine that Robert told you everything because he has no other options. On his own, Robert is a dead man; always has been. There is no way he could have got to me without some inside help. That is where you have been foolish, Brendan. You see, in my preparation in this whole thing, I knew it was ever so probable that such a man’s only option would be to get to me through a close employee, someone such as yourself. And, therefore, I needed to select such a person so that I could be sure that when it came to it, they could be turned back onside.”

  Brendan was taken in by the sheer arrogance of the man, but maybe they were just the last words of a fool?

  “And what makes you think I’m such a man?” Brendan said.

  “Oh, you are such a man, trust me.”

  Brendan was now starting to despise his boss more than ever, and there was this almost evil connotation to every word Nigel spoke now as if the words of a madman who had lost all sense of truth and reality.

  “You see, Brendan, if Robert has told you what I assume he has, then you must realise that I know everything there is to know about you from the vantage point of history. I’ve even read your autobiography, which of course you’ll now never actually write, but that doesn’t matter. I know what’s important to you, I know what you value more than anything, and I know what would hurt you the most––because I’ve read your own words, from your own heart.”

  “If you lay one finger on my family then God help you!” Brendan was angrier than he had ever been, his blood bo
iling and racing through his body. He suddenly felt entirely powerless to help them, fearing even at that exact moment that something terrible was happening to them, dreading what Nigel was about to say.

  “Oh, Brendan, what do you take me for? You’re the ruthless killer, remember, or have you forgotten that? No, you get to choose regarding your family, not me. It’s straightforward.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Nigel was now enjoying having the upper hand again.

  “Okay, I’ll be straight with you, Brendan. As things stand, you’ll be on your own within ten years from now. The illness that is killing your wife’s parents is also in your wife and therefore in your children, all of them. It’s a currently unknown killer that’ll take the lives of millions over the next few decades. You are living in the time of the ‘Digital Disease’ as it was crudely called, the effects of all those millions of signals passing through you in everyday life until it got too much and people started dying from it. It took scientists nearly twenty years to understand its cause, you know. Until then they took it as a new strain of cancer. Such waste. Anyway, once they realised, they were able to make it safer, even perfecting a cure, so that from where I came from it was a thing we only studied in History or Biology, it had long since been killed off.

  But as things stand, today, in your reality, no such cure exists. Before such breakthroughs are made, you’ll be a lonely old man, burying your wife and family before dying alone an old, sad, man. Why am I telling you all this Brendan? Well, it’s very simple. I have the cure with me this very moment, ready to be used ahead of time. You therefore now have a choice. Either stay as you now are, teaming up with Robert. Even if you find a way of getting to me you end up alone in a decade. They all die, for I can promise you that, without my say-so, that cure will never be found. Or you can come to your senses, know when you are beaten and bring him down. I then promise it’ll be the next breakthrough drug to be released and your family will be the first people to use it. It’d even save your wife’s parents. You could then leave the firm and move on. I’d give you enough money to retire early and you could live out the rest of your years together, as a family, wherever you choose.