Authors: Lyndon Stacey
Gideon wouldn't have believed he could ever be so glad to see
Joey. He closed his eyes and let out a groan that was a mixture of pain and relief.
`I don't really know why you did that,' he said. `But thank you.' Joey bent and pulled his half-brother off Gideon's legs, pausing briefly to check that he still breathed. `It beggars belief that this man-rhino is any relation of mine, but Ma says he is so I have to accept it. I don't, however, have to like him.'
He switched on the torch he held - presumably what he'd used to club Curly - and shone it at Gideon. Jeez, you look a mess!' `I feel a mess,' Gideon assured him, gritting his teeth as he began the daunting climb to his feet. `What happened with the helicopter?'
`Oh, Renson was getting awkward,' Joey said, casually. `So I took the keys off him and locked him in.'
`Just like that?'
`Well, something like that,' he amended, his teeth flashing white in the torchlight. `I 'cuffed him to the seat support, too.' Gideon paused, crouched on one knee, while a dizzy spell came and went. More handcuffs? Joey was unbelievable!
`What are you going to do with sleeping beauty, there? He'll be fighting mad when he comes round.'
`Won't he just?' Joey agreed. `Perhaps I'd better put him in one of those stables.' He bent and grasped a handful of clothing and then dragged Curly's unconscious figure unceremoniously across the open ground and disappeared into the shadow of the old stable-block.
'Naomi and Tim are somewhere down there,' Gideon said, when Joey came back. He'd made it to his feet and was cautiously straightening up. He gasped as a rib moved where it shouldn't. `I don't know where the hell Logan's got to, but I don't think I can wait for him much longer.'
`That might be my fault, pal,' Joey admitted with a hint of an apology. `I made a little hole and drained off most of his petrol while you were looking round. I reckon he might've got a mile or so up the road but no further.'
Gideon groaned. `You bloody idiot! Why?'
`Yeah, well, he may be your buddy but he's no friend of mine!' Joey stated defensively. `I knew when he didn't find Slade he'd come straight back and I wanted to slow him down a bit. I figured it'd give me time to fill you in on what I knew. Look, if we're going down there, we'd better do it before someone starts wondering why Curly hasn't reported in. Slade's very hot on regular personnel checks and I think we could do with surprise on our side.'
`We could do with a squad of commandos on our side!' Gideon observed. `Okay. Let's see if we can get that hatch open.' Opening it was fairly straightforward. To one side of the wheelshaped device, a large, well-oiled padlock lay, disengaged and with the key still in it. If it hadn't been for the hostages below, it would have been the work of moments to re-apply it and seal in Slade and whoever else was down there until Logan came back. As it was, and with that thought in mind, Joey removed the key and hid the padlock under a tarpaulin near the stables before operating the mechanism that opened the hatch.
With a slight grating noise, the heavy, reinforced concrete cover slid down and sideways to reveal a steep flight of steps, dimly lit by a recessed bulb behind thick, yellowed glass. Gideon peered unenthusiastically into the opening.
`I hope there's more than one room down there,' he said softly, revoicing his earlier comment. `Otherwise we're going to get a warm welcome when we start down those steps.'
`Only one way to find out.'
`That's what's worrying me!' Gideon said with feeling.
`I'll go first, if you like,' Joey offered. 'Slade won't react so badly to me as he would to you.'
Gideon had an uneasy feeling that, as it was his sister, it ought to be his risk, but he decided it would be silly let his principles get in the way of common sense.
`Okay,' he agreed. `You've talked me into it.'
`And by the way, if you've got a phone on you, switch it off I
doubt you'd get a signal down there but you don't want to find out the hard way!' Joey warned.
His broad shoulders almost filled the opening as he stepped carefully downwards and Gideon was extremely grateful that the Liverpudlian's conscience had caused him to change sides, at least for the time being. He followed, trying not to let the recurrent suspicion that this might be an elaborate trap get in the way of forward thinking. Surely, he told himself, if Joey were still working for Slade, then he wouldn't have rescued Gideon from Curly. It wouldn't make sense.
At the bottom of the steps they found themselves in a corridor some thirty feet long, with three pairs of heavy metal doors leading off it at regular intervals. All the doors were closed and fitted the frames so tightly that no light could have escaped to hint at occupancy. Feeling like someone out of a TV detective series, Gideon joined Joey in flattening himself against the cold corridor wall as they cautiously opened each door in turn.
The first two rooms they revealed were obviously derelict. Each about fifteen feet square, a quick flash of the torch showed a dusty old desk and filing cabinet in one, and a number of metal-framed chairs with khaki canvas seats in the second. The rooms smelled musty and were cold and deeply depressing. Gideon found himself hoping, as they approached the next, that there wasn't a mouldering skeleton seated at a desk, pen still in hand.
The third was a kind of radio room, presumably once wired to an outside mast, and the fourth a bunkroom with eight bunkbeds, still draped with blankets. These rooms also appeared dry and dusty, and had at some time supported a colony of busy spiders, which had almost certainly met a hungry end.
They walked ever more softly towards the last pair of doors and paused.
Joey looked sideways at Gideon.
`Fifty-fifty,' he whispered. `Which one d'you fancy?' `Neither,' Gideon replied frankly. `You choose, pal.'
Another gleam of teeth rewarded this mimicry, and Joey leaned towards the door on their right and stood listening.
After a moment he pursed his lips and shook his head. He swung the door open and flashed the torch inside before moving across to the other. Gideon held his breath. They had to be there. Curly had said as much, and this was the last door.
Joey looked back over his shoulder and gave the thumbs up, with a nod. He returned on silent feet to where Gideon waited. `They're in there all right,' he whispered. `What now?' Gideon wished he knew. `Do you know how many there's likely to be?'
`Couldn't say, pal. Slade can lay his hands on just about whoever he wants. If I knew what he was up to, I might have more idea.' He looked at Gideon with an air of expectancy.
`What?' Gideon demanded in quiet exasperation. `You think I know, is that it? Well, I don't. I'm only interested in getting my sister back.'
`So, that stuff you told Curly - about the money - that was a load of crap, was it? I thought so.'
`I was trying to stall him, that was all,' Gideon said. Just how long were you there before you stepped in?'
`I only caught that last bit,' Joey told him. `So what now?' `Well, we can't just go charging in, so we'll have to get them - or some of them - to come out. Divide and conquer.'
`Okay,' Joey said briskly. `I'll give it a try. Here, you might need this.' He held the torch out.
Gideon took it, startled. `What are you ... ?'
The question died on his lips as Joey stepped up to the door, rapped jauntily on the metal skin and opened it, as bold as brass. Gideon hurriedly flattened himself against the wall, biting off a gasp as his ribs protested again. From this position he heard Slade's sharp exclamation, `What the bloody hell are you doing here?' `If that ape up there was supposed to be guarding this place, you're out of luck, pal.' Joey sounded completely relaxed. 'Someone's laid him out cold. I thought you'd like to know.'
`Shit! You, Smithy! Go and see what's going on. And find out where the chopper's got to while you're at it.'
Gideon heard footsteps as Smithy presumably made to do as he was told, and saw Joey angle his body to let him pass. He was barely through the doorway, however, when he appeared to trip and measured his length on the concrete floor at Gideon's feet with a muffled curse.
`Whoops!' Joey said. `Sorry, pal. Are you okay?'
He was, that is until Gideon made use of Logan's invaluable torch. A brief check assured him that the man still breathed - he had no desire to have a death on his conscience, however deserved - and then, gritting his teeth against the effort, he swiftly bent and rolled the inert body against the wall out of sight. Straightening up with the aid of the wall, he completed the charade by padding up and down on the spot for a moment with decreasingly audible footfalls. Joey gave the slightest of winks before turning back towards the light of the room.
`What the hell's going on?' Slade was clearly unhappy.
`He's okay,' Joey said blithely. Just tripped over his own feet, clumsy bastard! He's gone now.'
`How did you find this place?'
Jeez, that's easy.' Joey advanced into the room, out of Gideon's view. `You didn't think Curly would keep his mouth shut, did you? And besides, I followed your friend Blake.'
Slade swore sharply. `Blake's here? Where?'
Gideon held his breath, his heart pounding, and with a sickening jolt of shock, heard Joey say lightly, `Sure he is. He's just outside the door.'
There was a pause during which Gideon's mind was racing. Damn Joey Dylan for a twisty, treacherous bastard! He waited, almost frozen with fear, for Slade to order him taken.
There came instead a short bark of laughter.
`You're full of shit, Joey!' Slade grunted. `And you're wasting my time. Come and make yourself useful. If there is someone up there, Smithy will deal with them but we need to get out now!'
The relief was almost as shattering as the shock had been. Gideon leaned against the wall, bathed in sweat and trying to steady his breathing and his nerves. What game was Joey playing now?
`What's with the pictures?'Joey asked.
'Milne's had them stashed here for donkeys' years, apparently,' Slade told him. `They're by some artist called Darius Sinclair. I only found out about them the other day. I happened to be having a little look through Milne's filing cabinet-'
`Like you do,' Joey put in.
`Like you do,' he agreed. `And I came across a load of press clippings about these paintings going walkies from one of the London galleries way back in the sixties. It seems my good friend Meredith has a shady past. I faced him with it and he gave me some shit about keeping them for the nation. In other words, he nicked them. So if they're not his, they might just as well be mine.'
`Well, well. All this time and I didn't know you were an art lover,' Joey said in wondering tones. `I suppose they might be worth a bob or two?'
`They're priceless,' Slade said shortly. `And because they're priceless, they need to be wrapped carefully. The thing is, I had no idea how big the sodding things were and these bags aren't big enough. If they get wet, they'll be ruined, so they'll have to be covered. I suppose it's still raining?' he queried with little optimism.
`Pissing down, pal,' Joey lied. `Cats and friggin' dogs!' There came the crackle of plastic and the sound of tape being pulled from a roll.
Gideon grinned to himself. They were still a team.
`So what's in it for me?'Joey wanted to know. `I don't work for nothing.'
`I'll see you right. Just get on with it, okay?'
`So Milne was all right with you going through his filing cabinet, was he? Should have thought he'd hit the roof?'
'Ah, but he's sweet on me, you see,' Slade explained. `And he's a very lonely old man. He'd forgive me almost anything.'
`But, you're not . . .'
`No, but it would have been cruel not to give him some hope.' `You're unbelievable, you know that, pal?' Joey remarked. `Still, it was trusting of the old boy to tell you where he'd stashed `em. Not to say stupid.'
`He didn't. But it didn't take much working out. Daft bastard took me on as extra security, then offered me a bonus if I could shift the vet and his fancy woman. Said if the Sanctuary grew into a tourist attraction he'd get no peace and quiet. Yeah, whatever. A bonus is a bonus. But then the other night, some morons down at the Bell and Broom were arguing about old George Callow's bunker, and knowing what I knew, I started to wonder. When I called on the silly old codger he couldn't wait to tell me all about this place. Even had a map, would you believe? Did have, that is.'
Slade chuckled, and Gideon clenched his jaw bitterly. He looked down at Smithy who showed no sign of stirring, and wondered if he should strip his belt off and secure the man's wrists. Joey's next words put the thought out of his mind.
`Thought you'd be gone by now,' he remarked casually. `Yeah, well, Reynolds had some bloke round here half the afternoon taking measurements. When he'd gone we nabbed the vet, got rid of his car and came down here. But then the girl came back and started prowling around looking for lover boy. My lucky day! A chance to get my own back on Gideon "pain in the arse" Blake.'
Gideon went cold. There was no sound from Naomi and Tim. Were they gagged? Or unconscious? He felt sure his sister would have said something by now had she been able to.
`What are you going to do with them?' `Nothing.'
`Nothing? Then why ... ?'
'I'm going to do nothing,' Slade repeated. `I'm just going to turn off the light, wave goodbye, lock the outer door and throw
away the key. I expect somebody'll figure out where they are sooner or later. Maybe even while they're still alive. Anyway, I'll be long gone.'
`You're a cold bastard, Slade,' Joey said, almost conversationally. `And what if I don't go along with that?'
`Oh, I think you will,' he said, unperturbed. `I think there are a number of things you've done for me that you'd rather the police didn't know about.'
`Not murder,' Joey pointed out.
`Oh, I wouldn't call it murder. More - neglect.' Slade chuckled at his own wit.
With an effort, Gideon forced himself to remain still. Joey would presumably let him know when it was time to move. It was as hard a thing as he had ever had to do, though. Slade couldn't have provoked him more thoroughly had he known he was listening outside the door.