Saving Tara Goodwin (Mystery Book 1) (25 page)

The alphabet. A, 00. B, 01. C, 02. D, 03. E, 04. F, 05. G, 06. H, 07. I, 08. J, 09, K, 10. L, 11. M, 12. N, 13. O, 14. P, 15. Q, 16. R, 17. S, 18. T, 19. U, 20.V, 21. W, 22. X, 23.Y, 24. Z, 25. 0, 26. 1,27. 2, 28. 3, 29. 4, 30. 5, 31. 6, 32. 7, 33. 8, 34. 9, 35.

Dmitri’s message to Christiana. V A L K E R I E

Numbers from alphabet. 21, 00, 11, 10, 04, 17, 08, 04.

Random blocks. 9316 4788 9641 3917

From alphabet. -2100 1110 0417 0804

Msg to Christiana.7216 3678 9234 3113

Christiana’s pad.

Same blocks. 9316 4788 9641 3917

Msg from Dmitri.-7216 3678 9234 3113

Answer. 2100 1110 0417 0804

Figures from Dmitri. 21 00 11 10 04 17 08 04

Letters from alphabet. V A L K E R I E

Stepping forward he took her in his arms, his need of her now so strong.

‘Christiana, before you go, we make love, yes? Like old days.’

‘Oh Dimi. I can’t.’

His smile faded away, ‘You don’t want Dimi?’

‘Oh honey, it isn’t that.’

She looked out of the window and saw Felicity way down by the greenhouse.

‘It’s just that I made a kind of promise.’

‘You make promise? Who? Who you make promise?’

Christiana thought,
to a god-damned cow, that’s who, the bitch of the year.

‘Never mind. Oh... what the hell... Come on then... let’s do it for old time’s sake, but we’ll have to keep an eye on that witch down by the greenhouse.’

‘Da. So bend over table. We watch as I take you backwards.’

Christiana lifted her T shirt, and as Dmitri began to fondle her breasts, she smiled.

‘Darling. Just for the record, the expression is, take you from behind.’

Tottering, she laughed as she stripped off her leggings, and splaying her legs, bent over the table, ‘But who the hell cares.’

Dmitri unbuckled his trousers, and moving against her, mounted her deeply.

‘Oh god, you sure can reach the spot. So go on then, do what you Russians always say.’

‘Fuck America.’

24

The uncaring destruction of Anderton had left Evelyn with a worried mind, and it only confirmed the soft whispers that Cardinal were a law unto themselves, and as the file corruption was an act of Treason, this man Lewis had been sent here to clean up the mess, and as he didn’t seem to care who he dealt with along the way, she wondered where it would all end, and sliding back quickly into the car, looked into the rear view mirror and saw him marching grim faced towards her, and when the passenger door was suddenly wrenched open, she felt him thud into the car.

The guard at the security lodge saw the Pontiac come speeding along the avenue, and raising the barrier, Evelyn drove on through, but Frank told her to stop.

‘Wait here. There’s something I need to organise.’

Frank barged in through the lodge door and the sergeant groaned,
Oh god, not again.

‘It’s alright, sir, everything’s under control and the handler’s on his way right now.’

‘Okay sarge, lighten up, I’ve got another job for you now.’

The sergeant became wary, ‘and what would that be, sir?’

‘Not so fast, we’ll need someone to act as witness.’

The sergeant didn’t like the sound of that, and calling Roberts in from the barrier, the two officers stood and waited as Frank paced up and down the office.

‘Sergeant Jenkins, I am officially ordering you to arrest Chief Inspector Hillsdown.’

The sergeant tensed, ‘The chief? But on what charge, sir?’

Frank scowled, ‘Take your pick, molesting leprechauns or farting in public, I don’t care, just throw him in the cells and hold him under close arrest, and sergeant, there’ll be no conversation with him, is that understood?’

The sergeant coughed into his fist, ‘As you wish, sir, but is he allowed the usual, a phone call and a legal representative?’

‘Well, sarge, as far as I’m concerned, CI Hillsdown is allowed sweet fuck all.’

The lane was quiet and peaceful as they drove along to Ambrose Dudley’s house, and steering through a gateway of stone pillars, the Pontiac’s tyres crunched over gravel, and looking around, Frank saw a grand old house set in acres of gardens.

Evelyn switched off the engine and a tranquil silence fell around them, but she felt unsure as they just sat there, staring out through the windscreen.

‘Mr Lewis, you won’t hurt him, will you?’

Her words brought Frank out of his dark thoughts, and turning, stared blankly to her.

‘Hurt him? What the hell are you talking about? For Christ’s sake, woman, I’m here to tell him his partner’s dead, not to smash his bloody kneecaps.’

Looking down, nervous and embarrassed, she whispered softly to her hands.

‘Sorry. I didn’t mean that.’

Frank lolled his head back, ‘No, neither did I. Oh well, let’s get it over with.’

She glanced round, ‘Would you like me to come with you, you see, he knows me.’

‘Yeah, thanks. Good idea.’

Standing in the wide open porch, Frank rapped the heavy brass knocker, but the sounds disappeared and became lost in the confines of the rambling old house, and as they stood there, they heard a swirling movement behind them.

‘Hello. I’m Julian. Can I help you?’

Swinging round they saw a tall young man in his early twenties.

He was slightly built and almost pretty in a feminine sort of way, with a fresh complexion and long tresses of light brown hair held in place by a girlish ponytail.

He was standing quietly in the full heat of the sun, wearing only sandals, a floral pinny and gardening gloves, and over his arm was an old wicker basket full to the brim with freshly cut flowers.

As he stood there, a questioning smile began to tease his sculptured lips, and looking more closely, suddenly beamed with pleasure when he recognised Evelyn.

‘Oh, I know you. You’re Evelyn, Amby’s secretary. Oh how nice to see you again.’

She faltered, ‘Thanks, and it’s nice to see you, but, well, I’d like you to meet Mr Lewis, he’s from head office, and we’re really sorry to just drop in like this, but …’

He smiled openly, ‘Oh, that’s okay, I love having visitors, but Amby doesn’t, well, not so much, he likes to work, work, work, but I … Well to be honest, I get a little bored living out here, it’s very peaceful of course, and altogether beautiful, but it’s so remote.’

He stopped, ‘Oh, don’t tell Amby, will you, I couldn’t hurt his feelings for anything.’

Turning, and as if he hadn’t noticed him before, he looked up and smiled to Frank.

‘Well I certainly don’t know you, and I’m quite sure I would have remembered.’

Smiling, he looked from one to the other, but the smile slowly faded as they just stood there, so awkwardly, their eyes full with sorrow.

‘Oh no … It’s Ambrose, isn’t it?’

Evelyn looked down, and in the silence, the basket began to slip from his arm.

‘Is he alright? Oh please, don’t say he’s had an accident.’

Frank stepped forward, ‘Mr Feather, I’m really sorry, but Mr Dudley had a heart attack and died in hospital, but I promise there was no pain and it was all very peaceful.’

Evelyn swung round, hardly able to believe that Lewis could offer such gentle lies to this man, when not so long ago he’d practically destroyed another.

Frank wandered around the patio and smoked a cigarette as he listened to the sobs drifting through the French doors, and when the pain eased, he tossed the cigarette away.

It was time to play Angela’s game.

Walking back into the lounge, he saw Evelyn sitting quietly as she gently held Julian’s hands, and when she looked up, he jerked his thumb towards the kitchen door.

She nodded, ‘Julian, I’m going to make some tea, but I’ll be back later. Okay?’

The young man listened, but his thoughts were held within a void of shattered dreams, and when Frank sat down beside him, he wasn’t sure if conversation was possible.

‘Julian, is there anything I can do, shall I call someone to stay with you?’

He shook his head, trembling, ‘Were you with him, when he …’

‘Yes.’

‘And you’re quite sure, there was no pain?’

Frank sighed, ‘No, none at all, he just whispered your name and went to sleep.’

Julian stared out across the room, ‘Well at least I can thank God for that.’

‘Yes, and I only wish I understood what he tried to say in the ambulance.’

Julian looked round, his eyes misty, ‘Oh? What was that?’

‘Well I can’t remember exactly, but it was something to do with work, a special word, but as I said, I didn’t really understand.’

Rising slowly to his feet, Julian wandered in a dream across to the bay window.

‘And that’s probably what killed him. He hadn’t been himself since the phone call.’

Frank walked over, ‘Phone call?’

‘Yes. I was washing up the dinner things and heard him talking, or rather, shouting at the phone, and Amby never raised his voice, so I went through to the hallway and listened, and he was really cross with that horrible man.’

He thought back, ‘Glenring. Glending. Oh, it was a Scottish sounding name.’

Remembering Stacey’s list, Frank chose his words carefully.

‘Julian. Do you think the name could have been, Glenndenning?’

He swung round, ‘Yes, yes … That’s it exactly, Glenndenning, and I’ll always hate that name because I know what that horrible man did to my Amby.’

Frank looked away, ‘Yeah. Well some people have no sense of values.’

‘No, but Amby did. Amby had values, and I’m sure the argument was about his work, because he kept saying it wasn’t correct, not ethical, and Amby would never do anything wrong, he just couldn’t, and peeping round the door, I saw him sag, and knew he’d been wounded, and putting the phone down, he scribbled something on his notepad, and cried.’

Julian looked away across the gardens, ‘But it was all so ridiculous …’

He held back the tears, ‘When he went to the bathroom, I looked.’

Frank stayed perfectly still, ‘So what was it?’

‘Oh. Just two silly words.’

Frank knew the endgame was close. He could already smell the stench of it.

‘So is that what all the fuss was about? Just two words?’

‘Yes. Gym Slip. So how could they be so important?’

Sergeant Jenkins had been pacing up and down the veranda for quite some while, the bellowing of C.I Hillsdown in the cells driving him almost crazy, but he had no choice.

He’d been ordered not to have any conversation, and although it obviously suited Lewis’ purpose, letting the chief wind himself up, it was driving him round the bend.

Looking up, he saw the sleek shape of the black sports car turn in from the main road, and hurrying down the lodge steps, was already walking round to Lewis’ window before Evelyn had even brought the car to a halt.

‘What’s the problem, sarge?’

‘It’s the chief, sir, he’s been in the cells for over two hours and he’s going ballistic.’

Slowly lighting a cigarette, Frank looked up to the large old clock on the veranda.

‘Well you can stop worrying. He’ll be off your hands soon enough.’

‘Thank you sir, I would be grateful, it’s a bit awkward in there.’

‘Yeah, right. So this is what you do, first send two officers to the maintenance hut and have Anderton brought up to me in Miss Goodwin’s apartment, and when I phone, be ready to escort Hillsdown up to house reception, and sarge, be sure to tell your men not to take any crap from either of them. Understood?’

The sergeant agreed, straight faced, knowing the rulebook had now been thrown away.

‘Very good sir. Oh, and by the way, Mr Montague has gone out with Miss Goodwin, to do some shopping, I believe.’

Evelyn parked the car, and walking round to house reception, they swiped through, and when the lift carried them up she followed him along the corridor to Tara’s rooms, but he told her to lock herself in her own apartment, and wait, and having collected his thoughts, let himself into Tara’s lounge.

Walking through to the balcony, he roughly calculated the dimensions and looked over the balustrade to the concrete yard below.

It was a long way down and the area was now deserted, but suddenly two police officers came into view as they walked Anderton round to the front of the house, and although he was sure it was Anderton and Hillsdown who made the corruption of the file possible, he still didn’t know how they did it, or why?

So although this game with Anderton had to go right, he could only give it his best shot.

Returning to the lounge, he found the closet and selected the tallest broom, and reaching into his pocket, withdrew the coil of nylon twine, and tying one end securely through the hole in the end of the shaft, carried the broom out onto the balcony.

Judging distances, he stood the broom against the balustrade and strung the twine across the balcony, and threading it carefully through the curtains of the French widows, tied the end of the twine firmly to the radiator pipe. And then came a knock on the door.

It was two officers from house security standing on either side of Anderton, his repulsive appearance made even more grotesque by his freshly broken nose, black eyes and the encrusted blood and vomit on his clothes.

‘Hello Anderton. Looks like you’ve had an accident, you’ll have to be more careful.’

The two officers flashed a quick glance to each other as Frank looked back to them.

‘Okay, you lads can go back to reception now, but as you might have heard, I’ve got Hillsdown in the cells and I’ll phone when I’m ready for him.’

Reaching out, Frank dragged Anderton into the room, and as he closed the door, Anderton realised that if Hillsdown was in the cells, he no longer had his protection.

He flustered, ‘So what’s happening? Why have you got me here?’

Knowing he had to tread carefully, Frank tried not to spook him too early.

‘Oh, c’mon, don’t play games, you know what this is all about. You thought you could play around with that file and get away with it, well you won’t, and I’ll tell you why.’

Anderton stared, not knowing what to say.

‘You see, politicians don’t like people messing around with their naughty little secrets, that’s why they spend lots of money keeping the fucking things safe in a 5 Star mansion.’

Anderton began to sweat.
How much did he know? Has he found out?

‘So thanks to you idiots, instead of getting rat arsed in the Irish bar, I’m stuck here, and if I could, I’d break your useless neck right now, but I can’t, and do you know why?’

Anderton, unsure, looked down to the carpet, ‘No.’

‘Well I’ll tell you. You see, those two bastards, Sheverill and Hillsdown both named you in their statements. So guess what, my masters now want a bloody statement from you, and I hate paperwork.’