BlindFire (18 page)

  It was simple to work out his location, it actually said on the map ‘you are here' with a big arrow pointing to a public house sign. He counted all the squares due North, then looked for the nearest ‘B’ type road, tracing its path with his finger until it left the map and there it was, in little black writing ‘
Belfast
eight miles'. From calculating the squares on the map and turning them into miles, he figured it was about twelve, maybe thirteen miles to
Belfast
. He didn't care, it could have been more, and at least he knew where he was and which way to go.

  He made straight for the Bar; it had been a long time since his last drink. The whole building seemed to be in a
permanent state of chaos with chefs, waiters and b
armen running around in all directions.

  "What's going on?"  He
asked the Barman.  "Is it always like this?"

  "It's someone's Wedding reception here this afternoon."

  "Oh."  He sighed
“....A pint of Lager and have you got any Cheese and Onion crisps."

  "Certainly Sir."  The Barman poured the pint with one hand and grabbed a packet of crisps with the other.  "That will be Two sixty."

  Danny
winced at the price, but had just enough.

  "You're not from these parts, are you?"

  He
took a long lingering sip of the ice cold Lager to give himself time to think of a good answer, then he remembered the history points on the map. "...I'm a history student studying in
Dublin
. The whole class is here...
They're w
andering about
somewhere down the lane!
"

  "It's a great place. You'll learn plenty."
The Barman said and smiled.

  An idea suddenly popped into his head
.  "I don't suppose you have anymore of those maps, like the ones outside?"

  "Any particular area?"

  He
shrugged in mock ignorance.  "...The Countryside north of
Belfast
."

  "What do you need that for then...?"

  "Our Lecturer, the Dick, only wants us to fetch something back to do with history."

  "Wait a minute, I've just the thing."  He disappeared, and then returned moments later carrying a tube. Taking off one end, he pulled out a map.  "....This is what you’re looking for."

  He
took the map and opened it out on the Bar. It took him a while, but eventually he located Giggs Farm. "Thanks, how much do you want for it?"  He asked, suddenly remembering he had no money left.

  "Take it, my store's full of the bloody things."

  "Thanks."   Danny said
with a great sigh of relief. He drank up quickly and left the building. As he walked past the bright red Motorbike, something caught his eye. He took a couple more steps before it dawned on him. "Surely not.
.!
"  He said aloud. The girl in all her haste had left the keys in the ignition and the helmet on the seat. He was beside the Machine in a second; he didn't have to think twice with at least ten miles to cover.

  Moments later, he was away. The
pink
Helmet was a bit tight, but that didn't matter. One look over his shoulder was enough to confirm his get away.

***

  By the time Beth awoke, daylight was already creeping through the net curtain leaving a flowery pattern on the wall above the television.

  The Hotel room felt cold and empty, so she quickly dressed and was about to call Room Service, when she realised there wa
sn’t any
. She fell back on to her makeshift bed in disgust and switched the TV on, waiting for the others to get up.

  The Major felt no great desire to leave the sanctuary of his soft bed. He was still feeling quite hung-over from the night before, but he had important work to do. He dressed slowly, trying desperately not to disturb the throbbing rhythms of his stinging headache.

  Beth poured him a cup of black Coffee. He quickly finished it, not wanting her to see the violent shaking of his hands He stole a glance at her from behind his mug. She was staring across the room as if in some cold refusal to speak or even look at him.

  "What time is it?"  He asked.

  "Nearly ten." She snapped.

  "So.... How did you get
your dirty little paws on Stone
?"

  Beth looked at Gunter.  "I thought you said I wasn't under arrest."

   "You're not."

  "Tell him to stop asking me questions then."

  "John, stop asking questions."

  "I was only interested."

  "Don't be."  Said Beth.  "There's more at stake here than you can imagine."  She continued to gaze across the room with the more than occasional glances at the clock.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" 
T
he Major
asked
.

  Gunter suddenly stood up.  "Well, what are we doing today?"  He asked almost Teacher like.

  Both, the Major and Beth looked at him puzzled at his sudden desire to change the subject.

  "I need to go back to t
he Harlequin and wait for Danny
.... Can we go now?"

  "Gunter, can you wait with her in the room and I'll hang about outside?"

  After dropping the others off at the Hotel, the Major found himself alone. The hours passed by slowly. He moved the car every so often, so as not to draw attention, but still felt like a soar thumb.

  It was just past four in the morning in
Belfast
city. The streets were quiet, except for a lone scooter waiting at nearby traffic lights. The Major nursed his binos, staring blankly at the lone figure. A few seconds later, the lights turned to green and the bike moved off, only to stop again in front of the Hotel. The rider seemed to gaze up at the Building for ages and then struggled to remove his helmet.

  The Major nearly banged his head on the roof of the car, when he saw tha
t it was Stone
. "I knew it....
I bloody knew it."  He waited until Danny
had entered the Building and then sprinted after him, pistol drawn. He was taking no chances after seei
ng what Danny’s
weaponry was capable of.

  As he entered t
he Hotel, he caught sight of his target
by the reception desk repeatedly ringing the bell. Leveling the nine millimeter off, he slowly advanced.

  "Sure I'm looking at a dead man." He quipped.
“Put your hands up!”

  Danny
stiffened, and then slowly turned. All this way he thought, just to be caught here. "I can’t let you take me."  He said slowly and slightly moved the hem on his coat to reveal the Spas.

  "Don't be stupid son. We have Beth, kill me and you will never see her again
… Think about your kid’s man!
"

  "Where is she?"

  The Major shrugged.  "I'm sure I put her around here somewhere."

  Danny
thought of his options for a second and then, very slowly raised his left hand and unclasped the Spas which fell to the floor with a clutter.

  "Put your hands behind your head and step back."

  Danny
obeyed as the Major moved forward to recover the Spas. "Make one move and I'll blow your head off..."

  ".....Do it."

***

91

BlindFire

CHAPTER   8

  RHQ had been buzzing with rumours ever since the murders, but Harry thought the latest one was more promising.

  He’d head that s
omeone had sent a letter to camp asking for help. According to the rumours, a child had sent it. He couldn't concentrate on work, he kept thinking about Sahra her disappearance had never been explained. Infact, it had taken days for the authorities to notice she was gone at all.

  Throwing his pen down on the stationary demands book, he went next door to the clerk’s office.

  "
Good morning Pikey! How’s it going mate?
"
T
he clerk
said
, his gaze not shifting from the computer screen. "What can I do for you?"

  "I need to photocopy something."

  "Crack on, you know how to use it."

  Harry closed the door behind him. "No, I don't think you understand." He said quietly.

  The clerk smiled. "I think I do."  He opened the top draw of his desk and pulled out a
photocopy
tatty looking piece of paper. "You treated his kids like your own.... It’s only right that you get this...."

  "How did you know?"

  "The posty was going to throw it in the bin. I knew as soon as I
saw it.... It must be from her, so I made a copy before handing the original in
"

  Harry frowned; he was finding it difficult to believe a child of Sahra’s age could be clever enough to get this message out. "Could it be a fake?"

  "Could be..... But I don't t
hink its worth ignoring. SIB will get onto it eventually
."

  If this was the only way he could help his friend, he knew he had no choice but to do it. Once he hears Sara’s safe, he might just give up and come home.

  Harry strode off, trying to read the childish handwriting on the crumpled piece of paper. It was a miracle it ever got here he thought. The address was quite clear, Sixteen Willhelm Strasse,
Osnabruck
. He knew the street, he could be there in ten minutes
, he thought.

  He went home and changed in to civvies, then drove straight to the address as fast as his car would allow.

  It didn't take long for him to find the house. He drove by a couple of times and then parked up a little way down the street. He waited, not wanting to rush in and find a bunch of hairy arsed Germans.

  The paracelsus  klinik  was  on  the  same  road  and  it  wasn’t  far  from  where  the  incident  had  taken  place, so there were lots of other cars parked up, and a few nurses and Doctors milling about. On his second walk by, he almost bumped into a woman on her way out of the house. She had no children with her, but seemed in a rush, repeatedly checking her handbag for something as she walked up the street. After she was out of sight, he rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang again and still no answer. After a good look, to make sure he wasn't being watched; he worked his way around to the back, down a path and soon came to an old wall, which led in to the back garden. He could see the back door from where he was stood and hoped no one else would bother to take any notice of him breaking through it.  The door opened easily under his weight, splintering the rotten wood in the process. He found himself in the kitchen. Dozens of festering pots and pans lay about the sink, rotting half eaten food festered on a dirty old oak table and a bin overflowed with stinking rubbish. Harry pinched his nose to shield himself from the smell, but it was too overpowering.

  The front living room was just as untidy as the kitchen, a large rubber plant lay smashed by the stairs and it looked like some madman had been throwing paint over the walls. He found pills scattered across the damp carpet and the settee had been upturned. Fearing the worst he ventured upstairs, a musty dying smell almost made him vomit. There was no furniture in any of the bedrooms, just impressions on the carpets where beds and cupboards had once been.

  She can’t be here he thought, no sane person would ever keep a child in this shit
hole. Retracing his steps, he went back down the stairs out of the kitchen and quickly in to the garden, gulping in fresh mouthfuls of air.

  There was a strange noise coming from an old shed near the wall, a sort of scratching sound. It seemed to be growing with intensity like a rat panicking to escape a trap. Then it suddenly stopped.

  Getting caught now would be embarrassing; he crouched low against the wall waiting for the distant sound of a car to fade. There it was again, that same scratching sound coming from the shed. There was definitely something in there, more struggling sounds emerged, and then a crash as something was knocked over. He thought he could hear sobbing.

  "If there's anyone in there, stand back
away from the door
."  He ordered, and then kicked the door in.

  The windows had been painted black, so there was no light.
Stepping through the door
he squinted to see better. There was something moving in the corner.

  "What's there?"  He asked nervously, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck.

  Then the faintest voice, barely audible even in the small confines of the shed drifted across the dark void.

   ".....Help me."

   "Oh my god.
.!
"  Harry
c
ried and scooped the child up in to his arms.

  Bruised and battered from head to toe his very touch sent spasms of pain all over her body, she screamed hysterically
.

  In broad daylight Harry couldn't believe the damage caused to Sahra. Her left arm seemed to be broken and there were scars on her wrists from a rope. Her face was swollen and bruised. Her  bare  chest  and  back  were  both  covered  in  bruising  and  welt  marks  consistent  with  a  belting.

  "How long have you been in there?"

  Sahra said nothing she just sobbed, burying her head in his shoulder. She felt safe now; Uncle Harry wouldn't let that horrible woman do anything else to her.

  "Come on, let me take you in and clean you up."

  Sahra screamed. "No.... No,
Please don't take me back in that house
."  She shook with fear.

  Suddenly there was an almighty crash from inside the house. Harry looked up at the bedroom window and saw the dark shape of the woman staring at him.

  "Mother’s home.
.!
"   Sahra
whispered
.  "Mother's home.
.!
" She said again, almost Zombie like.

  "How could she do this to you?"   Harry
growled through his teeth as anger boiled
up inside him. "Sahra, I want you to be
very brave now. You know my car
?"

  The little girl nodded.

  “These are my keys! It’s parked around that corner on the main road. I want you to go and get in and lock the doors, I’ll be there soon.”

  She simply nodded and released her grip. For a second Harry thought he saw something in her eyes, like she knew what he was about to do, like she  understood totally. She glanced up at the woman in the window one last time and
then disappeared through the gate
.

  Soon he was back inside the stinking kitchen. He didn't remember picking up the knife; it was simply there when he reached the top of the stairs.

  She saw him immediately and scr
eamed when she noticed the blade
.

  "Stop it."  He snapped. "....How could you, she was only a baby."

  The woman backed off, she seamed to understand English. "How could you?" He snarled.

  The woman's eyes darted about the room looking for a way out.
Her lips trembled with fear, she was shaking and sweat poured down her cheeks. Suddenly she understood
she knew her fate. Without warning she turned on her heals and smashed both her fists through the window and then forced her wrists down onto the razor like broken glass. Blood spurted across the room, spraying on to the walls. She gritted her teeth and pushed harder, then drew her arms away, turned, and showed her injuries to Harry.

  He watched impassively then glanced at his watch. "Take you about seven minutes to die.... I h
ope you suffer for every
second of it."

  Five minutes later the woman fell to her knees, her eyes rolling wildly in their sockets. Harry took two sharp steps and viciously booted her in the face, snapping her head back against a radiator. "That was for Sahra.... you evil fuck....

***

  Danny
just couldn't believe it. He felt numb with pleasure.  "She's been found."

  "
Yes, your friend Harry rescued her from some mad woman’s house
."  Beth
said
.

"But I thought..."  He cried. 
"I thought Mckay had her
."

  Beth tried to hold him, but he pulled away. "This changes everything..... My
baby is alive. I have to go home
. She must be wondering where I am."

"What about
us?
Before John brought you in here I thought you were dead..... I didn't know what I was going to do."

  "
I... I don't know. She needs me, they need me..!
"

  Beth tried to lighten her voice. "I thought you had a job to do."

  "I just don't know anymore."

  "What about McKay?"  Gunter
interrupted
.
“He’ll
nev
er leave you in peace.”

  "I'm not sure about lots of things anymore."

  Beth stormed out of the room. "Fine.
.!
" She said as she went.

  "
..... McKay is a serial killer. He's been running around
Europe
killing young women. Infact he probably enjoyed killing your  wife  so  much  that  it  gave  him  an  hard  on.”

 
The Major had been silent the whole time, deep in his own thoughts, his ow
n dark and painful past. "Stone
."  He barked.  "For once do as you're told." And then more softly. "Let’s go down to the Bar."

  "Why?"

  "
Maybe
I've decided not
to let
you
go
back."

  Danny
was surprise
d but followed him down to the b
ar. He felt like a pint anyway.

  The Major ordered the drinks and waited for the barman to take the hint, he moved to the other end of the bar.

  "Let’s finish McKay once and for all. One hit one bullet...
Dead!
"

  "My god." Gunter almost sang
the words
. "Hooray,
for
a bloody war."

  "Who is he anyway?"  Asked Danny
.

  The Major gave a wry smile. "That's Gunter Nolte, he's German."
He grinned at the stocky German. “Just do what I do and ignore him.”

  Four pin
ts later and Danny
agreed to stay and help, but only on the condition that there was no court martial and immediate discharge from the Army when it was finished.

  "I love you English."  Gunter
slurred his words
. "I love you John, and I
love you Danny
."  He prodded both of them sharply.  "But most of all, I love Beth."

  "Beth..."   Danny asked
suspiciously.  "Have you two...?"

  "No... No of course not."  He took another sip of his bitter and had a look around the room to make sure he wasn't being overheard. "...I was supposed to kill her."

  "Why?"
The
Major
asked. He was
suddenly feeling very sober.

  Gunter put his finger to his lips for them to be quiet, then winked. "National secrets... She's got some and I want them."  He knocked his glass spilling some of its contents across the table. He laughed loudly. "...I don't want to kill anybody, I like her."  He closed his eyes to try and stop the room from spinning, but it didn't work.

  "What about McKay?"

  "No... I don't like him."

  "This is ridiculous." 
Danny said and laughed. "He's only had two
pints."

  "So all along this was to kill Beth."

  Gunter raised
a hand in defeat.  "They gave me a license to kill!
"