‘Alas, not quite that simple,’ she said.
He paused in putting on his shirt. ‘Look, you’re good, damned good. You helped save Tremain’s bacon by revealing Muller’s double-cross, getting Davies to us. That has to be worth something. I’m in the market for a new Head of Security. You know what, you’d be perfect.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s very flattering of you, David. You could turn a girl’s head. Not. Now hurry up; we haven’t got a lot of time.’ She waited till he was fully dressed and then held out a mobile phone. He recognised it as belonging to him. ‘Right, tell Tremain to call off the security on Davies and the woman.’
‘I won’t do that,’ he said pointedly.
‘Yes you will,’ she said, the knife aimed at his throat. ‘I will use this. You know I will. Now once they’re called off ask him to meet you outside their cell in twenty minutes.’
He reluctantly lifted the phone, did as he was bid. She heard the buzz of Tremain’s voice querying the order, but Lambert-Chide told him sharply to do as he was told and finished the call. ‘Anything else you’d like? Room service, perhaps?’
‘One more thing: have a car ready and waiting for us outside the rear entrance, the old tradesman’s entrance. A fast car, fully tanked-up. No driver.’ She waited till he finished the call and snatched the phone from him, whipped the gun from her jeans. ‘Now we’re going to take a little walk downstairs, breeze past the gorilla in the corridor as if there’s nothing unusual in him seeing you leave your bedroom with a pretty young woman. Oh, I forgot, there isn’t anything unusual in that is there?’ She smirked and he glowered icily in return. ‘After you,’ she said, holding her hand out towards the door. ‘I’ll be at your back like I was your shadow, David, so close you’ll be dead in an instant if you try anything funny. You don’t want to die, do you? No, I thought not. Lead on McDuff!’
The dark-suited man rose quickly from his chair, ejected as if by a spring on seeing the pair coming out of the bedroom. Lambert-Chide said nothing as they approached him. The man nodded almost imperceptibly at his boss, glanced briefly at the woman accompanying him, then averted his eyes deferentially. They tramped slowly on the soft carpet till they rounded a corner, out of sight of the guard.
‘You can’t get away with this,’ he said quietly.
‘Get away with what?’ she asked. ‘You’ve no idea what I’m going to do. Just take me to Davies and the woman.’
‘So who are you working for? How much are they paying you?’
‘Money doesn’t come into it. Mine is of a much higher calling.’
They took an elevator down to the basement floor and Lambert-Chide led her down a number of bland-looking corridors, utilitarian, probably once used by staff a long time ago to get around Gattenby House unseen by their betters. Eventually they reached the door to the room where Davies and Erica were being held.
‘If you’re after Evelyn Carter then you’re wasting your time,’ said Lambert-Chide. ‘The woman in there is probably nothing more than a con artist and the man a dupe.’
‘Whatever,’ she said absently. She looked at her watch. ‘Tremain should be here soon.’
‘So what do you want with them?’ he asked.
‘That’s my business.’
‘Did Doradus send you?’
She stared at him, unblinking. ‘Which part of my business don’t you understand?’
‘Look,’ he said. ‘We can come to some arrangement. There is nothing here that can’t be resolved in an amicable and mutually beneficial way.’ Her expression remained implacable. ‘Don’t harm them. Don’t kill them. Not yet. Let me do what I must with them, and if they’re impostors I’ll kill them; if they are genuine, let me finish my work and then I’ll hand them over to you. You can do with them what you will then. Look, I’ll pay well to keep them. What’s your price? Name it you can have it.’
‘A higher calling,’ she reiterated vaguely.
They both raised their heads to the sound of footsteps down the corridor, and observed Tremain’s unmistakable form striding towards them. As he drew closer it was easy to read the mild annoyance he was feeling at being disturbed at such an hour. He frowned on seeing Caroline at Lambert-Chide’s side.
‘What’s going on?’ he demanded. Something made him suspicious. A hunch. Years of training. He didn’t know what it was, but something didn’t feel right. Before he could make a move towards the weapon he carried Caroline had raised her gun.
‘Slow down, Tremain. Don’t do anything too hasty.’ She held out her hand. First hand me the gun — gently — then your swipe card to get through this door.
Tremain passed his gun over, speechless.
‘My offer still stands,’ said Lambert-Chide.
‘The money or Tremain’s job?’ she asked, next taking the card from Tremain.
Tremain’s brows lowered. His cheeks flushed as fury built up.
‘Both,’ said Lambert-Chide. ‘If you want them.’
Caroline paused, cocked her head in thought. ‘You know what, your working conditions suck.’
She swiped the card in the lock and green lights flicked on with a buzz.
42
He rose quickly to his feet on hearing the door lock’s distinctive click, and saw the door begin to open. This was his chance, he thought, his heart beginning to crash wildly in anticipation.
‘Maybe we could rush them,’ he said, but she reached up and grabbed his wrist, anchoring him firmly.
‘Don’t risk it,’ Erica said. ‘I know these people.’
It was Tremain who entered the room first, but Gareth noted how his face was different; the mocking self-assuredness had been wiped away, replaced, he thought, by tight-lipped edginess. The reason became immediately apparent; there was a gun being held to the back of his head.
‘Inside,’ said a voice very familiar to him.
Tremain was followed closely by Lambert-Chide, both men avoiding eye contact with the prisoners. Erica got up, but her grip didn’t loosen on Gareth’s wrist. He peeled her fingers away. ‘The bitch is back!’ he said, when the red hair and leather jacket of Caroline Cody appeared in the doorway. The comment didn’t appear to register with her.
‘Right, Tremain, I want you over there, by the far wall.’ Caroline gave him a hefty prod with the gun as additional encouragement. As Tremain did as he was told, the gun swung in a fast arc to settle on Gareth and Erica. They stared anxiously at the weapon.
‘Don’t harm them!’ pleaded Lambert-Chide one last time.
‘Give it a rest,’ she fired back in return. ‘Well you two, are you going to stop gawping and get your arses over here?’ she said, frustrated.
‘Don’t trust her,’ warned Gareth, feeling his stomach tightening like a twisted rope on seeing her again.
She rolled her eyes impatiently. ‘I’m busting you out,’ she said. ‘Get over here. You too, lady.’
‘You expect me to fall for that again?’ he said.
‘You have no other choice.’
‘I trusted you once before and look where it landed me.’
‘Then you’ll just have to fire up your trust again, won’t you?’
Erica came forward. ‘I know you,’ she said quietly.
‘Not me, lady,’ said Caroline.
Tremain’s face had been changing shades, from an angry red to a volcanic puce. ‘I’m going to kill you, you bitch!’ he snarled. ‘Wherever you go I’m going to find you, and then I’m going to watch you die for this.’
Caroline handed over Tremain’s gun to Erica. ‘I know you’re familiar with using these,’ she said. She nodded at Lambert-Chide. ‘Cover him. He may be over ninety but he’s as sharp as a needle and as slippery as a grease-covered banker. I have to take care of some unfinished business with Tremain here.’ The tone of her voice had changed dramatically, dropping instantly from cold to Siberian winter. She went over to him and put the gun to his forehead. Tremain didn’t flinch, his eyes twin balls of loathing. ‘You think I won’t use this, don’t you, Tremain?’