Gray Vengeance (17 page)

He grabbed the woman by the hair and dragged her to her feet, pulling her towards the stairs. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Gill.’

‘Tell me where the girl is, Gill.’

‘What girl?’

Roberts gave her a knock on the head with the butt of the pistol. ‘I heard the baby.
Where is she?’

The woman sobbed as Roberts dragged her up the stairs and into the bedroom where he’d first heard the sound. He put a finger to his lips, ordering her to shut up, then strained to listen for sounds of the girl.

He didn’t have to wait long. A scratching sound came from a chest of drawers, followed by the sound of a young girl’s cry as Melissa woke to find herself trapped in unfamiliar surroundings.

Roberts pushed Gill onto the bed and knelt down by the drawers. He pulled the bottom one open and looked down at the tiny, tear-stained face.

‘Hello, darling.’

In all her years, Gill Finch hadn’t had so much as a school playground fight. She abhorred violence, and had brought up her now-grown children to avoid confrontation whenever they could. The events of the last twelve hours had been like something from another world, one she’d insulated herself from her whole life, but the thought of Melissa coming to harm awoke a primal maternal instinct that had lain dormant for many years.

Two years previously, she had thought she’d been followed home after leaving work, but while no-one had actually approached her, the incident had shaken her. When she’d told Tom Gray about
it, he’d
assured her that it was probably nothing, but offered her some self-defence tips just in case.

His instructions came flooding back as she watched the intruder kneeling over Melissa, and before she knew it, she was standing over him. She opened her arms as wide as they would go and cupped her hands slightly, just as Gray had shown her. When she brought them together, clapping them hard over the intruder’s ears, he screamed in pain as his eardrums burst.

His hands flew to his head and the pistol clattered to the floor. Gill pushed him away from the drawer, grabbing Melissa as he hunched in agony with his hands over his damaged ears. She ran down the stairs and tried to open the front door, but it wouldn’t move. She remembered locking it and taking the key out, and realised it was on the living room table.

Footsteps pounded on the stairs above, and with no time to retrieve the key, Gill ran to the kitchen. The back door stood open, but before she could reach it, a bullet whizzed past her head and gouged a hole in the wall.

‘I won’t miss with the next one.’

Tom Gray was wet and miserable, as were his two companions. He hadn’t slept in over a day, and his stomach was demanding food. He promised himself both when he got home.

It had been a long walk from the station, with the duty sergeant refusing to offer them a lift home owing to lack of available officers. He had been told he could call a taxi, but after trying three numbers without answer, he’d given up.

The interrogation hadn’t been too strenuous. The investigating officer had watched the CCTV recovered from the office, and when Gray had answered his questions honestly, there was little doubt that his friends and he had been defending themselves. They’d gone through the formalities of fingerprinting and photo-taking, then s
at i
n a cell, waiting for a decision to be made. It had taken some time, but eventually they’d been granted police bail and told to report back to the station in two weeks. If no charges were brought at that time, then they could collect the items held as evidence, their weapons included.

Smart and Sonny had said their farewells as the trio parted company, having decided to make their own way home. Gray had offered them a coffee and breakfast, but both wanted to get home and check on their places.

‘If my power’s out, the freezer will be defrosted and the whole flat will be stinking,’ Sonny said as he peeled away. Smart had similar concerns, leaving Gray to face the last twenty m
inutes alone.

Traffic had started moving as he neared his house, but not the usual rush hour mayhem he’d expect of a typical Tuesday morning. Instead, half a dozen cars passed him, most heading away from the city. Gray guessed they were leaving town until the madness wa
s over.

Not a bad idea
.

He arrived at the house looking forward to a hot bath, and decided that took priority over returning Andrew Harvey’s call. As he used the fob to activate the gates, he wondered what to prepare for breakfast. Perhaps he could persuade Gill to cook something and then stay and look after Melissa while he had a little kip. It wasn’t as if she had an office to go to . . . .

Gray was about to ring the doorbell when a male scream from inside the house made him instantly alert. He lived in a detached property, so it couldn’t have been a neighbour that he’d heard. That meant someone was in his house.

Melissa.

Gray ran round the side of the house, where a seldom-used door led into the utility room, and beyond that the kitchen. Sitting next to the door was a planter, which sat within another, larger stone ornament. Gray lifted the planter out and retrieved the utility room key, which he’d placed there in case he ever lost his front door keys. The lock hadn’t been used in some time, but he managed to unlock it without making too much noise.

Inside, Gray scanned the room quickly for a weapon but found nothing more lethal than some fabric softener. The kitchen would be more fruitful, so he eased open the door and went over to the cutlery drawer. Just as he reached it, he heard footsteps running towards him, and he grabbed the only thing available—a wooden steak tenderiser—before squeezing himself up against the wall.

Gill ran into the kitchen towards the back door, carrying Melissa. Gray’s pulse raced, and it took all his willpower not to rush to her side.

Gray heard the distinct
pop
of a silenced weapon and saw a small hole appear in the far wall. It was enough to make Gill freeze, and he just prayed she didn’t turn round for a few seconds.

‘I won’t miss with the next one.’

Gill was sobbing hysterically, with Melissa following her lead, and Gray strained to hear above the noise. He registered footsteps approaching from the hallway. Only one set.

That would make things easier.

An outstretched hand appeared through the doorway holding a silenced 9mm, followed by a forearm. Gray waited until he saw the upper arm, then moved in.

He grabbed the arm and spun the man round ninety degrees, slamming the pistol into the wall. The gun popped again, but the round went harmlessly into a kitchen cabinet. Gray used the steak mallet on the man’s knuckles, delivering two rapid blows, and the gun fell harmlessly to the floor. Gray twisted the arm and delivered an open palm to the intruder’s face, crushing his nose and taking all of the fight out of him.

The attack lasted less than five seconds.

Gray retrieved the pistol, pointing it at the prone stranger’s head.

‘Tom!’

Gill ran over to Gray and threw her arm around him, but for the time being, Gray was all business. He eased her backwards, never taking his eye off the figure bleeding all over his floor.

‘How many?’ Gray asked Gill, and she told him that this was the only one she’d seen. Gray kicked his prisoner in the thigh and repeated the question.

‘I’m alone,’ the man moaned, blood from his broken nose
splattering
the floor tiles as he rose slightly, then fell onto his back.

Tom nodded and motioned for Gill to take Melissa into the
living
room. ‘Ring Len and Sonny. Let them know what happened,’ he called after her.

Gray ordered the man to his feet, then told him to ease his jacket open so that he could check for extra weapons. With none apparent, he told the man to strip to his underpants and throw his clothes in the corner.

Gray pulled a wooden chair over from the dining table at the far end of the kitchen, never taking his eye off the prisoner.

‘Okay, get dressed again, then sit.’

The man did as instructed, and Gray took a roll of cling film from one of the drawers. He wrapped half the roll around the prisoner’s chest a few times, then did the same with his legs, securing him to the chair.

Gray stood in the middle of the kitchen, the pistol hanging loosely by his side. ‘I’m not a patient man, so your answers better come quick. What’s your name?’

‘I want a doctor. That bitch—’

Gray cut him off by raising the pistol and shooting him in the bridge of the right foot.

‘Now,’ Gray said, clamping a hand over the man’s mouth to suppress the screams, ‘I don’t expect you want me to lose my patience again. What’s your name?’

‘Paul,’ the man gritted out between moans of agony. ‘Paul
Roberts
.’

‘Why are you here?’

‘I . . . I was trying to rob the place.’

Gray ejected the clip and studied the magazine before
inserting
it back in the butt of the pistol. ‘I have seven more accidents waiting to happen, Paul. Don’t make me empty this.’

From the fading light in Roberts’s eyes, Gray knew that the message had been received. The man was fresh out of fight.

‘Again, who sent you?’

‘His name’s Efram,’ Roberts spat. ‘He told me to take care of you and the girl.’

‘Efram who?’

‘I don’t know. He never said.’

Gray raised the gun and aimed at Roberts’s right kneecap.

‘I swear, I don’t know!’

‘You’re not convincing me,’ Gray said, his voice devoid of
emotion
.

‘Tom! What are you doing?’

Gill was standing by the kitchen door, a look of horror on h
er face.

‘I told you to stay in the living room with Melissa,’ Gray said. ‘This doesn’t concern you.’

‘I . . . I just wanted to let you know that Len’s here.’

‘Let him in,’ Gray said, moving towards the kitchen door, the gun never wavering from Roberts.

Gill went to the front door and hit the buzzer to open the gates, then waited for Smart to reach the door before she opened it for him. Gray watched her whispering something, and Smart marched down the hallway. He took in the situation, then dragged Gray over to the oven.

‘Do you really think this is wise, after what we’ve just been through?’

‘He came here to kill me and Melissa,’ Gray said. ‘He took a shot at Gill. What am I supposed to do? Give him a packed lunch and send him on his way?’

‘You’re supposed to call the police and let them deal with it,’ Smart said quietly.

‘I may be wrong,’ Gray told Smart, ‘but I don’t think this is a random looter who chose my house.’

‘Tom’s right,’ said Gill from the doorway to the dining room, Melissa still cradled in her arms. ‘He asked where Tom was, and he was looking for the baby. He knew . . . everything.’

Gray nodded. ‘See? Someone sent him here to kill us. If I don’t find out who, they’ll just send someone else. The police can’t make him talk, but I can.’

Smart sighed, and Gray knew he’d made his point. ‘Give me five minutes,’ Gray murmured, ‘then we’ll call the police.’

‘I’ve got a better idea,’ Smart said. He gave a whispered set of instructions that brought a small smile to Gray’s face, then went over to speak to the bound man.

‘Listen, buddy, I don’t know if you’re aware who this man is, but he has a history of not taking kindly to people going after his family.’ Smart looked over at Gray, who’d gone into the utility room and could be seen emptying the large chest freezer. ‘As far as Tom’s concerned, you were never here. The police don’t know a thing about it. Only the person who sent you knows. And as far as they’re concerned, you failed and disappeared.’

Gray returned to the kitchen with a handful of strong plastic bags and a hand saw and placed them on the table. He then went to the drawer and pulled out a long knife, which he began honing with a whetstone.

‘I reckon you’ve got about two minutes to tell him everything. If you do, I’ll try to convince him to call the police so that your injuries can be treated. If not . . . .’

Smart let the words trail off and walked over to Gray to give the man time to think about the proposal.