To Snatch a Thief (17 page)

Skye sighed. ‘That’s the trouble. My head says one thing but my gut says another.

‘I take it this is a police matter.’

‘Yeah, but it’s turning out kind of personal too.’

‘I’m not really qualified to advise you, but following your heart is generally the way to go, isn’t it?’ He patted her hand. ‘Sorry I can’t be of more help.’ Now, I
really
must get on. I’ve a full patient list and, as I’m taking my wife out to dinner tonight, I don’t want to be late home again or she’ll skin me alive.’

As he turned for the door it burst open, letting in the sound of a baby’s persistent wailing and Narelle Keating, followed by a red-faced nurse. Narelle was dressed in tailored slacks in a soft moss green, topped by a white fur-seal jacket that rode on her slender hips. Her hair was loose and framed the fine bones of her face. Feeling somewhat exposed from the waist up, Skye scrabbled for her shirt.

‘Doctor, I’m
so
sorry.’ The nurse shot Narelle a furious glance. ‘I explained to Ms Keating that you were with a patient…’

‘David, we have to talk.’ Narelle dismissed the nurse with a careless flick of her manicured hand. ‘You
never
answer your klip, and if I try to contact you here, I’m either told you’re out or unavailable.’

‘It’s alright, Lleyvaine, I’ll deal with this. Go back to your station.’ Dr Cahill’s voice remained outwardly calm as he spoke to the nurse, but Skye didn’t mistake the muscle working in his cheek. ‘I’m sorry about this, Skye.’ With a hand supporting her elbow, he helped her off the couch. ‘Narelle, I will
not
tolerate this sort of behaviour. My patient’s deserve, and will receive, privacy.’

‘In the facilities I paid for…’ Narelle closed her eyes, shook her head. ‘No, I apologise, but it’s urgent we… ‘She broke off as, for the first time, she seemed to notice Skye. One perfect eyebrow rose. ‘You’re that girl; the one you told me about, David.’

With a resigned sigh, Dr Cahill nodded. ‘Narelle, this is Skye Forrester. Skye, Narelle Keating.’

Despite being fully clothed, Skye felt herself being mentally undressed under the older woman’s insolent scrutiny. It made her acutely aware of her make-up free face, her tangled hair and the grass-stains on her jeans. Narelle circled her like a shark assessing its prey. ‘Hmm,’ she said at length. ‘Interesting.’

Skye cocked her own eyebrow. ‘Finished?’

As if sensing trouble, Lexie jumped off the couch and a moment later slipped his small hand into his sister’s.

Dr Cahill cleared his throat. ‘Narelle.’ There was warning in his tone, which she ignored. In the waiting room the baby continued to howl; someone coughed incessantly.

‘You go ahead, David, see to your patients. I’ll only be a minute here.’ Opening the door wider, Narelle put a hand on her hip; waited. Skye saw a look pass between them; a silent exchange which was lost on her.

‘We’ll talk about this.’ Dr Cahill strode to the door, pausing halfway through to catch Skye’s eye. ‘Remember what I told you, Skye.’ Narelle closed the door behind him.

‘I asked my brother about this scheme you’re on,’ she stated, her eyes narrowed to feline slits. They found you languishing in prison. You’re nothing but a petty criminal.’

‘I was, yes.’

Narelle showed her teeth. ‘And how do you find working with the Lieutenant?’

‘We get on fine.’

‘I’m surprised. Stephen doesn’t usually suffer fools gladly.’

It was Skye’s turn to smile. ‘Good job I’m nobody’s fool then, isn’t it?’

‘No.’ Narelle cocked her head to one side. ‘I can see you’re not. It wouldn’t do to get ideas above your station though; you’d be totally out of your depth. I’d hate to see you drown.’

The headache was fading but, emotionally exhausted, Skye wondered how much more she could take. She’d been threatened, bashed, and scared out of her wits, all in the space of a morning. However, she wasn’t going to let a spoilt bitch like Narelle get the better of her. By sheer willpower alone she stood her ground. ‘Don’t worry about me Ms Keating. Hunter keeps a close eye on me. Apparently he watches me… a lot, or so I’m told.’

She saw the taunt hit home, smugly pleased when Narelle’s eyes fired up. If looks could kill, Skye reckoned she’d be stone cold on the floor.

‘Does he really? And what would happen if someone with influence should suggest this scheme be scrapped? Where would that leave you, I wonder? Back inside?’

Skye’s stomach clutched. Maybe she’d gone too far goading Narelle, but the woman was so far up herself, she just begged to be baited. She bit her tongue and said nothing.

Narelle made a sound in her throat like a contented cat. ‘Exactly. I’m glad we’ve had an opportunity to chat. I’m sure we understand each other perfectly now.’ Running her eye around the room, she shuddered. ‘I don’t know how David stands working in this place. I always feel the need to be fumigated when I leave.’

Two days later, Skye rolled over in bed, ready to punch ‘
I do’
on her oath of allegiance wake-up screen, then blinked at the date displayed. She felt her lips curl in a smile. She’d almost forgotten. Not only was it a full day off, but it was also her eighteenth birthday.

She visualised a long hot shower with the jets on full, then watching a raunchy adult holo instead of re-runs of Chunky Bunkins and the Exploding Onion - Lexie’s latest fad – while vegging out on soy chips with faux sour cream and salsa. She stretched luxuriously, feeling only the slightest twinge in her side. One whole day entirely to herself.

Her klip bleeped just after she’d got home from dropping Lexie at school. ‘What?’

In the monitor Ashleigh’s gem-studied nose wrinkled, her eyes narrowed. ‘Is that any way to speak to your oldest and closest friend? If you’re going to be crabby I won’t wish you a happy birthday.’

Skye’s mood changed for the better. Ashleigh was the one person in the world who’d know the significance of the date. ‘Sorry, thanks, hi.’

‘Hmm. Okay, here’s the deal. Alberto’s got a private family thingy happening in the cafe tonight. At first I thought he’d want me to wait on tables and like that, but he reckons his gazillion sisters and cousins will have it covered, so I’m clear after five thirty. S-o-o.’ Skye sank into a chair as Ashleigh paused for breath. ‘I thought, you, me, party-time!’

‘I dunno, Ash,’ Skye sighed. ‘I’ve got Lexie and work in the morning.’ She winced at her friend’s pained expression. Okay, she was
acting
middle- aged. She didn’t want to take too much advantage of Maxine, but… ‘There
is
someone I could ask for Lex,’ she began.

‘Oh come on, Skye,’ she pleaded. ‘You’ve been home
ages
and we still haven’t caught up. Look, I know things have been mega-foul for you, what with… you know, thingy and everything, but you need to get out, juice up, just hang. She gestured through the screen with a multi-ringed finger. ‘Lucifer’s, eight o’clock, be there.’

As the killer drove into the grimy outskirts of White City he slowed. The air was thick and filmy; a yellow smog hanging low over crumbling roofs. His lip curled. How could it have come to this? Picking a street at random, he sat back to consider. Sadly, this must be his last outing. The mission was too close to completion to jeopardise it now; the culmination of nine years of planning just a few days away. He felt a tingle of excitement.

The cold weather had driven most people indoors, but a solitary small girl played with a stick in the gutter, poking at a sloppy substance floating there. Her eyes were pussy and half-gummed together by infection. Green snot hung from her nostrils. Disease here was rife. He leant forward, interested, resting his hands on the controls. ‘Will it be you?’ he considered. But the child, bored with her game, wandered off.

A door opened. The young man was tall and black and called to someone inside over his shoulder, before running away up the street. ‘Don’t wait up, Dad. I’ll be late back.’

The killer pulled on his gloves, his prey decided. There’d be no problem gaining access. Nobody ever questioned him. He was an expert at walking the tightrope between two lives; playing this double game was second nature to him now. And later he’d have a private celebration - give himself a reward for all his hard work. It was risky, but all the more exciting. It was time Skye Forrester and he became intimately acquainted.

Bursting to its dubious rafters, Lucifer’s night club hit all five of your senses the minute you stepped inside. Dark, hot, reeking of cheap perfume, sweat, alcohol and drugs - some legal, some Skye doubted Hunter would approve - music screamed from loudspeakers spearing straight through your ears. Strobe lights, pulsing with every beat, bathed the gyrating bodies on the dance floor in a hellish red glow whilst, on a raised platform at one end, a gigantic hologram devil ruled over his realm.

Skye stood for a moment soaking it in. It was a while since she’d been here, but nothing had changed.

‘Can I get you a drink, or something more X-t-r-e-e-m?’ One glance at the guy who’d swaggered over told her he’d been sampling already. God, what a loser. She aimed a well placed elbow as his hand crept up her thigh.

‘No, thanks.’ She skirted past. ‘I’m meeting a friend.’

Most of the tables grouped around the walls were busy with couples in varying stages of collapse. Ashleigh, thankfully, was an exception. She grinned when Skye pushed through the dancers, and joined her.

Mouthing their hellos against the din, Skye eased onto the bench space Ashleigh had saved for her.

‘I started without you,’ Ashleigh yelled. She poured sulphurous liquid into a glass and slid it across the table. ‘Brimstone. Many happys and all that.’

‘Thanks. God, this place,’ Skye shouted. ‘Is
the
place to get picked up; I’ve been hit on three times since I got here.’

‘In that short skirt and with your legs I’m not surprised. So why aren’t you dancing?’ Ashleigh’s grey eyes shone with fun. She’d had a face painting since last Skye had seen her. Some sort of green winged creature decorated her right cheek, the long, crested tail trailing down the side of her neck. It went well with her straight auburn hair and long, lanky frame. She was currently dressed as an elf. ‘I’m on a promise for later, so you go ahead.’ As she spoke, she raised her glass to the barman, who winked back.

‘Him? You’re not serious?’ Skye gaped at her in amazement. ‘Ash, he’s had every girl in the place. He’s a dick on legs.’

‘’Ain’t that the truth. Hallelujah.’

Skye laughed, feeling the weight of the last few days lift from her shoulders. She and Ashleigh went back a long way. She was young and, if not entirely free, could relax for one night in her company knowing Lexie was safe and being cared for. ‘Cheers,’ she said, taking a sip of the drink. ‘Bloody hell!’ It seared her tongue, scorching right down to her toes.

Spluttering, she held her hand over her blazing mouth. ‘What is this stuff, paint stripper? It’s burnt half my throat off’.

Ashleigh put a finger on the bottom of her glass, tilted it to her lips. ‘Get it down, girl. Loosen up. We’ll find you a bloke in no time.’

Eyes watering, Skye swallowed some more; it was marginally less caustic. ‘You know my rep; my prince can stay out there kicking his heels.’ She shook her head at a hovering hopeful who looked like the before part on a before-and-after makeover show. ‘And I don’t intend kissing a lot of frogs on the off chance they’ll morph into someone tall and dark with icy eyes and a simmering dangerous edge.’

‘You sound like you’re describing someone you know. Skye?’ Ashleigh suddenly plonked her glass down, splashing yellow liquid over the table, and peered into Skye’s face. ‘I don’t think it’s the lights… yeah, you’re blushing. You’ve got someone, haven’t you? Come on, dish the dirt. Who is it? Someone at work? Is he in uniform? God, I love a uniform.’

‘I am so
not
blushing. There’s nobody,’ she said firmly, shaking her head as Ashleigh continued to grin. ‘I’m projecting a type that’s all. I’d rather you dish the dirt on everything that’s happened to you since I’ve been away.
Solar
tattoo by the way.’

As always, when the conversation turned to her, Ashleigh was easily diverted. ‘You like? I’m in a Middle Earth faze at the moment. I saw the re-make of that old DVD and got kind of caught up. Got the one ring pierced through my navel.’

They were well into the second bottle of Brimstone and singing raucously along with the band, when a familiar figure caught Skye’s eye at the bar.

‘Hey, Ash.’ She cupped a hand to her ear. ‘Back in a minute.’ None too steady, she weaved her way to the counter and tapped King on the shoulder.

He turned, his smile expectant, and then all the colour drained out of his face.

‘Skye! You’re the last person I expected to see.’ His eyes flicked to the door as if he intended to bolt. ‘Are you alone?’

‘I’m with a girlfriend. Don’t worry, I won’t dob you in.’

He relaxed although she noticed he’d rolled onto the balls of his feet in case he needed to run.

Skye suddenly remembered the tracker. Damn. Hunter had said only in emergencies, but she could never be sure if he was listening. ‘Let’s dance,’ she suggested.

Taking his arm, she led him towards the nearest loudspeaker where Insanity was screeching out their latest hit. They had to dance cheek to cheek to hear each other speak which felt a bit odd, she reckoned, like necking with your brother. ‘What made you split?’ she queried. ‘Hunter went into meltdown. You’re in big trouble if they find you.’

They circled on the spot, swaying to the music, being bumped by the crowd. ‘I told you I was never going to hang around, then they dumped all that homework crap on us. Nah! Decided then, the first chance I got I was gone. I was in the refectory getting a coke when the lights went out. Man, it was like a gift from God. No cameras, interceptors knocked out, guards running around like chooks with their heads chopped off. I just walked out the main entrance, was over the wall and gone.’

‘I saw you, from my window, I saw you running along the wall. I didn’t say anything. Wanted to give you a head start.’

‘No kidding. Thanks, I owe you. So you’re a snatcher now, eh?’