The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (136 page)

She said none of this to Leyton of course but said, ‘okay, let’s find somewhere to sit, preferably as far away from these…
things,
as possible.’

They chose a corner and sat down, there were still chains hanging from the walls but they chose to ignore them and what there purpose was.

Leyton turned his back to her and leaned back so that his hands were on the floor.

She said, ‘this may hurt a little.’ She knew it would hurt a lot and so did he.

He said, ‘it’s okay.’

She said, ‘ready?’

He nodded and Adela hit the chain between the cuffs with the metal bar, nothing happened except that Leyton winced.

She apologised he said it was okay. She hit the chain six more times and six more times she said “sorry,” and six more times he said “it’s okay.”

Eventually she stopped and said, ‘this is not working and I’m only hurting you.’

He shook his head and she said, ‘you’re bleeding.’

‘Look, don’t worry about that, it’s important that we get these cuffs off. I need to be able to defend you when they come back for us.’

There was no comment from behind him. He said, ‘Miss. Faraday?’

‘Yes?’

‘What is it?’

‘Nothing, really. It’s just that you want to defend me even though I got you into this dreadful predicament in the first place.

He looked at her over his shoulder. ‘I’ve told you, it’s not your fault, you can’t take responsibility for the actions of others.’

‘The last man who helped me ended up losing his home and almost his life.’

He gave wry smile, ‘well I have an excellent sprinkler system installed in my home, and I have no intention of losing my life.’

She raised her eyebrows in surprise then he smiled and she pursed her lips then smiled too. He said, ‘so keep at it, Miss. Faraday.’

‘Yes, Detective Leyton.’

He kept her gaze for a moment then turned to the front again.

She said, ‘and it’s Adela.’

‘I know. I thought what a nice name that is when I first heard it.’

‘Thank you.’

‘And I’m Ellis.’

‘That’s a nice name also.’

‘Thank
you
.’

They both laughed but it was strained and shaky.

She had given him permission to call her by her given name because they were now much more than detective and witness, or suspect. They were two people who found themselves in great danger and that brought people closer than just about anything else. They were now friends. But she’d also done it because being called Miss. Faraday reminded her too much of Hennessey, and she didn’t want to be reminded of that man. Not now, not ever.

But despite her resolve she
did
think about him. She wondered what he was doing now. Had he made good his escape after he had called the sheriff, because she knew he had. She wondered whether he had had something to do with what had happened to Sullivan, was he responsible for what was now happening to herself and Leyton. Or maybe he had even been killed at Lando’s cabin.

The only light she could see at the end of this long, dark terrifying tunnel was that at least Mr. Lando was safe with Sheriff Lomax. At least psychically, but she had a feeling that Lomax was a force to be reckoned with, that he liked Lando and would not let them falsely accuse him of anything.

She thought about what Lando had said to her just before she left. She had been very hurt even though she knew he had been quite within his rights to say what he had; she
had
been responsible for the loss of his home and what had happened to Dante.

But it hadn’t taken her too long to realise why he had said what he had, to make her leave with Leyton and Sullivan and to tell the truth even about his role in what had occurred. He hadn’t wanted her to lie for him. Although she had, and would.

She just hoped and prayed that he would be all right, that they didn’t charge him with anything now that she was unable to tell the police the truth. But if she got out of this, which was doubtful, she would get him a good lawyer. She would get herself a good lawyer.

The blood from Leyton’s wrists was trickling down his fingers making the handcuffs slippery. She stopped and heaved a huge sigh, ‘it’s no good, Detective…I mean Ellis. 

The cuffs aren’t budging and you’re bleeding quite badly.’

He looked around, ‘is there anything else we can use?’

She followed his gaze, ‘not that I can see. I can try twisting the chain with the bar; it might have been weakened with all the banging. But that might really hurt.’

‘Don’t worry about that, Adela, just give it a try.’

She took the cuffs and wrapped the chain around the bar then twisted. He winced and bowed his head. She stopped instantly, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, go on, it’ll work this time.’

She was doubtful but at least they were doing something. She twisted the bar very mindful of the blood now running freely down his hands and the pain he must be in.

Eventually after one last huge twist the chain snapped.

Leyton bowed his head even further forwards and gritted his teeth against the pain but also with relief. He very slowly brought his hands in front of him.

Adela knew how he felt; she had suffered the same pain and discomfort at the shack.

She massaged his shoulders for him and he gave her a grateful smile over his shoulder. After a few minutes the feeling began to come back into his wrists. Adela then ripped off the bottom of the blouse she was wearing. She tore the material into two strips and moving the cuffs still attached to his wrists as far up his arm as she could she bound the cloth around his wrists. Again he smiled gratefully, ‘you’d make a good nurse, Miss. Faraday.’

‘That’s
Nurse
Faraday to you. Or Nurse Adela if you prefer.’

He laughed softly, ‘sorry,
Nurse
Adela.’ She smiled at him.

She finished her task then looked up to find him staring at her a strange look on his face.

She was embarrassed by his scrutiny and said shyly, ‘does that feel better?’

‘Very much. Thank you,
Adela.’

‘You’re welcome.’ They both smiled but their smiles vanished simultaneously as they reflected on their dilemma.

Still he held her gaze until she looked away and around the room. She said, ‘there doesn’t seem to be any way out, Ellis.’

Leyton stood up and helped Adela to her feet. They both walked around the room trying not to visualise what horrors had gone on here. Adela thinking about Olivia, who seemed very close right now.

Leyton cursed under his breath,’ you’re right, there doesn’t seem to be any way out of here.’

‘What if we wait and hide somewhere then when they come in we leap on them and run?’

Leyton looked at her oddly and she said, ‘yes, sorry, I know, silly idea.’

‘No, it’s good idea, it just made me realise that there might be cameras in here.’

She looked quickly around and whispered, ‘cameras?’

Leyton nodded and still whispering she said, ‘but if there were they would have come in and stopped us from removing your handcuffs.’

‘Maybe, maybe not, that guy seems like the type to take pleasure in witnessing the pain and frustration of others.’

She was amazed at his perception and nodded ‘you’d be right.’

She thought about what Glissando had said about telling Leyton why they were here. But she had to be careful not to give too much away.

She said, ‘I should tell you what happened and how all this came about.’ She raised her voice slightly and spoke to the ceiling. ‘And if that man is listening then it will save me from telling it twice.’ She looked back at Leyton, ‘but the first thing you should know is that Mr. Lando has nothing to do with this, only in that he helped me when I needed it. I didn’t tell him anything except that I’d been kidnapped, but not by whom. They set his house on fire and tried to kill him and he didn’t even know why.’

This was of course all lies but she didn’t want to speak Hennessey’s name, she didn’t want Glissando to know he had been at the cabin, and she couldn’t implicate Lando any further than she already had. She hoped that Glissando might believe her and not go after him, maybe thinking it wasn’t worth the risk, she hoped this with all her heart because the thought of something happening to Jonas Lando because of her made her feel ill.

She said, ‘please Det…Ellis, if you get out of this please tell them that he is not involved.’

Leyton’s eyebrows had been almost in his hairline as she'd been speaking but at her entreaty he put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, ‘yes, I’ll tell them. But just so you know, we’re both getting out of this then you can tell them yourself. All right?’

The eyes that looked back into his were filled with gratitude but not enough to hide the fear there. He had the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her tight but if they were being watched he didn’t want that repulsive guy Glissando getting a kick out of it so he removed his hands from her shoulders and turned away.

She said, ‘now I’ll tell you what happened and why we’re here.’ So she did.

                                                       **********

It was by now completely dark as Lando followed Hennessey through the trees and he was beginning to think that this was some kind of trick or that Hennessey was mistaken about there being a house here.

He saw nothing, nothing but trees and water. But suddenly there it was and Lando only just suppressed a gasp. This was no house; this was a mansion, a castle, a frigging palace.

It was surrounded by huge gardens and leading up to the door of the house were two pillars either side of six stone steps.

He looked at Hennessey who gave the inevitable grin, ‘impressive, huh?’

Lando shrugged, ‘I seen bigger.’

Hennessey laughed, ‘yeah, sure.’

Lando said, ‘what about the dogs?’

‘Let me worry about them.’

Lando didn’t like that idea, he didn’t like being kept in the dark and especially by this man but he said nothing and followed Hennessey towards the fence.

Hennessey said, ‘there are no cameras here but when we get inside the fence the lights will come on then the dogs will be alerted as well, so stay close to me.’

They had reached the fence by now and Lando said, ‘how do you know the fence is electrified? There’s no warning.’

The fence was divided into four foot sections with wooden posts on either side, Hennessey picked up a stick and threw it at the fence which sparked and the wood hit the ground smoking.

Hennessey looked at Lando, '200,000 volts.’

‘That’s some juice.’

‘Yeah. And no warning notice, that’s something else he can be charged with later.’

Lando looked impatient and said brusquely, ‘so how do you aim to get us in?’

Hennessey reached into his pocket and pulled out a device that looked to Lando like a cell phon
e. Hennessey held it up, ‘with this.’

He turned to the fence and pressed a button on the keypad fitted on the device. That part of the fence sparked as it had when he had thrown the stick at it but this time for longer. It sizzled and spat sparks onto the ground and into the air then eventually fizzled out.

Hennessey waited a moment then once more reached into his pocket and drew out a small black bag; he opened it and took out a pair of wire cutters. He bent to cut the fence but Lando caught his arm saying, ‘what the hell ya doing, Hennessey?’

Hennessey looked up at him, ‘I’m gonna cut the wire,’ he looked down at Lando’s hand on his arm then up at his face, ‘if you let go my arm.’

Lando did and Hennessey grinned, ‘I knew you cared really, Lando.’

Lando rolled his eyes
, ‘well if this don’t work, Hennessey and you wind up dead, I can get in by just stepping on your body.’

Hennessey chuckled and began snipping the wire. Lando studied Hennessey’s face closely. He was enjoying this, but why not, this is what he did for a living, breaking into people’s homes and killing them, it excited and stimulated him. But then maybe it wasn’t the killing that excited him but the thrill of the chase, the hunt, the tracking down, the crawling threw fences and facing down dogs and sneaking past guards. He considered himself the hunter and his mark the prey, yes, that’s what he looked like, a hunter on the prowl and he was in his element.

But then was he so different, hadn’t he enjoyed the chase, the thrill of chasing down suspects, the excitement of an arrest and interrogation?  Yes, he had loved all of those things. But obviously the outcome was not the same. If the perp they were chasing died it was because he had been cut down by an officer of the law in the commission of his duty, not for money or satisfaction. He was not killed in his home without warning but by state sanctioned execution. Needless to say Lando was not comfortable in the man’s company but realised that this unholy alliance was necessary.