Into the Night: Inspector Rykel Book 2 (Amsterdam Quartet) (30 page)

Tuesday, 11 May
20.28

Neon streaked in the fog.

Which meant Kees was driving too fast.

But he couldn’t think of anything else to do.

Seeing Paul in the wheelchair had flipped something inside him, unleashed the fear he’d been trying to strangle for months.

Now it was running riot, every cell in his body on fire, something trickling down his cheeks, his hands shaking on the wheel, legs vibrating, dancing to some unknown, erratic rhythm. He was having to tense his muscles hard just to keep his foot down on the accelerator.

The road was only half clear, and he kept having to swerve to avoid other cars, people going about their everyday lives, people who weren’t afraid of the future. He glimpsed their faces as he flew past each car, and he hated each and every one of them.

He didn’t know how long his phone had been ringing, but he gradually became aware of it. He let it go. It rang again. Then he slowed down, pulled off the motorway he had no memory of getting on, and looked at the phone, still ringing on its fourth attempt. A mobile number he didn’t recognize.

He hit answer and heard Jaap’s voice.

Tuesday, 11 May
20.34

‘… and I just spoke to Saskia. Apparently Tanya thinks she’s found where Floortje is.’

Jaap was driving hard, one hand on the wheel, the other clasping his phone.

‘Okay,’ said Kees. ‘I’m on my way. I reckon fifteen minutes.’

As Jaap hung up on Kees – who had sounded weird, but Jaap was so jacked up by adrenaline that the thought hadn’t really registered – he dropped the phone on to the seat next to him and started slowing. His eyes kept glancing at the dashboard clock. Each time it moved he felt a jolt to the stomach.

He’d driven south out of Amstelveen and was now among fields. Not that he could see much, the fog was still thick. Or thicker.

If Tanya’d found Nikolic, Jaap didn’t care about Krilic or Isovic. Roemers was still tracking them via Saskia’s phone. He was sure they’d taken her car, and he could get someone to pick them up later.

He was only a few minutes away now, and despite the faintness which kept hitting him – the last wave had threatened to pass him out at the wheel – he was feeling a kernel of hope.

If Tanya’d found Floortje then he might just be in time.
The announcement would be making the news soon however, so he tuned the radio to a breaking-news channel.

Now he was on the south side of Braassemermeer, heading east towards where Saskia had said Tanya was. The landscape was flat, a ditch to his right. On the far side of the ditch trees hid the body of water which he knew must lie beyond. He was looking for a wooden bridge. Two white pinpricks appeared in the rear-view.

His phone went off, Roemers calling. He had the location of Saskia’s phone.

‘Give it to me,’ said Jaap, watching as the pinpricks grew in size. ‘It’s on Zwetweg,’ came Roemers’ voice. ‘The road that runs south of the Braassemermeer.’

Isovic and Krilic
, he thought as he checked the mirror again.
They’re going after Nikolic now.

Up ahead he spotted a bridge with a car parked by it, an unmarked, he saw as he got closer.

Tanya.

He checked the rear-view again. If that was them he didn’t want to lead them to Nikolic.

Have they followed me?
he thought, trying to work out if that was possible,
or did they already know where Nikolic is.

He should try and stop them.

But Nikolic had Floortje, and he didn’t have time to lose.

He swung the wheel towards the bridge, accelerating hard.

Tuesday, 11 May
20.48

Tanya’d heard the car coming and ducked back into the woods, still keeping an eye on the boathouse.

She was sure she’d heard a child crying, and was wrestling with herself, unable to decide if she should wait any longer or just storm the place now.

Her gun was gripped tight in her hand.

The car stopped before it got round the corner; she could just make out headlights through the trees.

Jaap must have got my message
, she thought.

A few seconds after the engine died the lights flicked off.

She found herself dodging through the trees, body low to avoid the branches, a sense of relief that she wasn’t going to have to go in by herself flowing through her.

But as she got closer she could see the figure getting out of the car was a woman.

Tanya ducked behind a tree, then peered round.

Despite the darkness, she could tell it was Saskia.

I told her to wait.

Tanya crept forward, whispering Saskia’s name as loudly as she dared. Something snapped underfoot; Saskia’s head jerked round. Tanya leaped forward and made a grab for her, clamping her hand over her mouth. She managed to cut off the scream, but not before it had torn open the night.

It was less than half a second, but Tanya reckoned it was long enough, and loud enough, to have alerted whoever was in the boathouse.

She pulled Saskia backwards into the trees, whispering in her ear, and got her to nod that she’d understood who she was before uncovering her mouth.

‘Is she here?’ said Saskia the second Tanya took her hand away.

‘I think so, I’m just—’

‘In that place?’

Tanya nodded. It was hard to make out the boathouse through the trees, vertical lines obscuring the view, but she thought she caught a glimpse of movement.

Saskia started forward. Tanya put a hand out, clasping her arm. Saksia shrugged it off and carried on, weaving through the trees. She didn’t seem to care how much noise she was making. Tanya sprang after her, again grabbing her arm just as Saskia lowered a hand to scoop up a fallen branch, the wood twisted, knotted.

‘We need to wait,’ she said as Saskia spun round to face her. Despite the dark Tanya could see something in Saskia’s eyes, something she didn’t like at all.

‘They’ve just announced it,’ she said. ‘We’ve run out of time.’

‘Okay,’ said Tanya, thinking fast. She didn’t want to be the one responsible for starting a firefight which ended with Floortje getting injured or worse. But if the announcement had been made then she had to act now. ‘I can’t let you go in there, but I’ll—’

The movement was quick, too quick. She felt the air
rushing at her, then her ear exploded. As she fell to the ground she could see Saskia was already running, the branch still clutched in one hand.

Tuesday, 11 May
20.53

Jaap had skidded the car to a stop.

He was out and over the bridge, running into the trees.

Up ahead he saw two figures, wrestling.

One knocked the other down.

He sprinted forward, feet crunching twigs, branches clawing at him, scratching his face. One jabbed an eye. He ran with one eye open, the closed eye watering, the stream cold on his cheek.

He reached the spot where the first figure had fallen, slumped against a tree. It was Tanya, the side of her face cut from the rough bark as she’d slid down, her ear bloody and swollen already from where she’d been hit.

She had a pulse. He wanted to tend to her but didn’t have time. The figure who’d knocked her out was just breaking out from the tree line, heading for a wooden boathouse, its windows lit.

He grabbed Tanya’s gun from her holster, his eyes still on the figure heading for the boathouse.

As she reached the light he could see it was Saskia, and she was only feet away from the door.

It swung open and a figure stepped out.

It was Nikolic.

He was pointing a gun.

And he was holding Floortje.

Tuesday, 11 May
21.01

Yuzuki Roshi had talked of a state where thought no longer existed, where life simply opened up, millisecond by millisecond.

Jaap was there now. He saw everything clearly as he rushed out of the woods just as the door closed, Saskia dragged in at gunpoint.

He could smell pine on the cold air, hear his breath ratcheting in and out of his lungs, blood rushing in his ears, small insects marching through the trees behind him, fish swimming in the water ahead, something rustling off to his left, moist earthworms burrowing deep in the soil. He could feel the curve of the earth, the pull of the moon way out in space, every proton and electron in every atom in his body spinning in the timeless frenzied movement which was the basis of life.

And none of it mattered.

He was at the door, listening, Tanya’s gun in his hand. Saskia was screaming, Floortje following her lead.

Inside he could see why.

Saskia was on her knees.

Nikolic had his back to Jaap, but he could see he’d put Floortje down – she was on the floor by his feet – and had grabbed a clump of Saskia’s hair instead, shaking her head like a rag doll, hair flying loose. But he was aiming the gun
down at Floortje. Jaap moved forward slowly, not wanting to startle him.

All it would take would be a tiny electrical impulse firing deep in Nikolic’s brain, sending the command to pull back the trigger.

Nikolic was shouting at Saskia, but Jaap couldn’t make out the words. He took another step forward. Saskia noticed him, her head moved and Nikolic spun round, the gun moving up to Jaap. Their eyes locked. Jaap held his gun steady. He could get a head shot, he was close enough. His finger started applying pressure to the trigger.

But Nikolic had already swung his arm down, the weapon aimed back at Floortje. She writhed on her back, screaming. It looked like she was reaching out to clasp the barrel of the gun only inches away from her.

Nikolic motioned to Jaap with his head.

Jaap put the gun down.

Nikolic stared at him.

Jaap shoved it away with his foot, out of reach.

‘Just let them go,’ said Jaap, his voice unrecognizable in his own ears.

‘You both fucked up,’ said Nikolic. ‘I told you to get Matkovic released and I’ve just heard on the news that he’s been convicted.’

Saskia started to say something, Nikolic jerked the hand holding her hair, snapping her neck back. She cried out in pain, in despair. Jaap saw the arch of her neck, skin held taut.

‘Loyalty’s fine,’ said Jaap, ‘but you don’t have to kill anyone else. It’s over.’

‘You think I’d do this out of loyalty?’ Nikolic laughed. ‘This isn’t about loyalty, it’s about something I like far more.’

Tuesday, 11 May
21.09

Tanya’s eyes flicked open.

It took her a few seconds to work out what was going on. She was slumped down, her face pushed against something rough, the other side of her head on fire. As she struggled to her feet everything came back in a rush. She felt for her gun. It was gone.

Saskia took it
, she thought as she darted forward through the trees, hoping she wasn’t too late.

If she was it would be her fault. She’d been the one to tell Saskia.

The boathouse was up ahead, the door open, a wedge of light forging out into the darkness. As she pushed her legs to go faster she heard a noise, somewhere behind her. A car.

Maybe it’s Jaap
, she thought as she swung her head round.

Headlights shone into her eyes.

She couldn’t wait. She turned back and ran for the boathouse.

The car slipped to a stop metres behind her.

Just as she reached the doorway shots exploded.

From behind her.

She dived through the door as wood splintered into the air.

Tuesday, 11 May
21.13

Jaap heard the footsteps, the car.

Then he heard the shots.

He hurled himself towards his gun as Tanya flew in through the doorway. As he hit the floor he twisted and rolled, swinging the gun round, shooting blindly back out the door. Tanya, lying a few feet away from him, glanced across the room. Jaap followed her gaze, saw Nikolic making a move.

Golden sparks rained down from overhead as the light went out.

The gunfire outside ceased. Jaap’s ears were ringing. He scrabbled to his feet just in time to see the door at the far end of the boathouse swinging closed.

He dashed towards it, shouting to Tanya to stay down though he wasn’t sure she could hear any better than he could, and slammed through the door.

On the jetty, planks loose underfoot, he could see Nikolic had already got Saskia and Floortje into the furthest boat. As Jaap sprinted towards them Nikolic was yanking a starter cord with one hand, foot braced on the side of the boat, the gun still aimed in their direction.

Jaap heard a dim roar and saw Nikolic shift position. The boat moved out on to the water.

Seconds later Jaap jumped off the jetty into another boat, fumbling for the outboard’s starter cord while trying
to untie the mooring rope. The fog was clearing now, and he could see Nikolic’s boat out on the black water trailing a white wake.

He felt the motor come to life more than heard it, deep vibrations rattling his chest, and turned his full attention to the mooring, thick marine rope spotted with tar. He could feel the distance between them widening, but his fingers were struggling to release the rope. Petrol fumes teased him.

He knew the shots had been fired by Isovic and Krilic; he just hoped Tanya could cope.

He’d put her in danger too.

The mooring finally slipped away, and he grabbed the rudder, twisting the throttle round to full.

The increased air pressure on his face told him he was moving.

His boat was going to be lighter, but he didn’t know if that was enough to close the gap.

Water sluiced off the bow.

The boat started to bounce as it hit the wake from Nikolic’s craft.

He tightened his grip on the throttle.

Tuesday, 11 May
21.24

After Jaap ran out Tanya crawled to the left of the door, glad of the darkness inside the boathouse.

She let her eyes adjust before very slowly poking her head out, trying to establish who had been shooting at them. At first all she could see was a car, one door opened, puncture wounds in the metal. Then she saw something else; a foot poking out from behind the vehicle.

The toe of the shoe pointed skyward.

There has to be at least one more
, she thought, her eyes scanning back and forth.

Then she saw it – movement a few feet away from the car.

Movement on the ground. A body was moving, slowly.

With her fingers she explored around her, eventually finding something. It felt like a short plank. She grasped it, checked the weight, then threw it out the door.

Nothing happened.

No shots.

She slowly got to her feet and stepped through the doorway.

She wasn’t sure if she saw the muzzle flash first, or heard the crack, or if both of those only came after she felt the numbness in her right hand.