Chapter 48: Chapter 48

The security manager cringes under the blast he’s getting from Richard.

I don’t bother with venting my anger. “Get me the security discs from the last couple of hours.” I snap.

And we see it all. The van coming through the gates, logo’d “Berringer’s Fresh Fish Supplies” waved through by the security guard….

Richard turns a thunderous look on the hotel manager. “It’s our usual supplier,” he protests.

“Well find out if it was their usual driver,” snarls Richard, then taps a message into his phone. “I’m sending the reg to Will,” he explains.

The van swings past the usual parking lot, stationing itself out by one of the rear service doors. Five men in white workwear, exit the car….

“There, that’s Corby.” Michael jabs a finger at the screen.

“Why was that fucking door not locked?” I ask the manager.

“It’s supposed to be, but sometimes the staff leave it open….” He raises his hands. “More convenient.”

“Convenience isn’t something you can rely on. Check your staff. You’ve got someone on the inside.”

His face drains white.

Four of the men enter the building, moving casually, chatting and laughing as they go in. The fifth stands outside, surveying the parking lot, one hand in his pocket….

“He’s carrying….” comments Michael.

“They probably all are. They were all armed when they came after you and Charlotte the first time.”

After only a couple of minutes, the lookout suddenly turns, as though he’s listening, takes another survey of the surroundings then nods, saying something then opens the back of the van. The group of four emerge, this time carrying Beth and Charlotte, both unconscious, both bound and gagged with tape.

At the sight of my Jade-Eyes like this, eyes closed, her long hair trailing on the ground as they carry her, the tape ugly over her face, my temples throb and it’s hard to breathe. Richard, watching with me, is pallid. Michael moves restlessly, fists clutching.

Both women are placed in the back of the van, the door locked and the van, at leisurely pace, drives out and away.

*****

“Very smoothly done,” comments Will. “I’ll keep it brief, but, the plates on the car were false. The fish supplier knows nothing about any delivery to have been made today and reports that all their vehicles are accounted for. The hotel reports one staff member is missing; a young woman they took on in the kitchens last week. She reported for work this morning but hasn’t been seen since around mid-

morning.”

“If they took the trouble to put all that in place,” I comment, “then they’ve been watching the hotel for some days. Learning the routines and habits.”

“So, how come there were even the security discs to look at?” asks Michael. “If they could do all that, you would think they’d take the trouble to wipe the security too.”

“They did,” I say, “but they didn’t know that I’d installed a backup program. All the data has been automatically duplicated into my cloud drive since the day we arrived here.”

“You didn’t mention that?”

“The less who knew….”

Michael doesn’t look happy at that.

He thinks I don’t trust him?

Right now, I don’t trust anyone….

“And the van?” asks Richard.

“A patrol car found it abandoned down a side lane only a couple of miles away,” says Will. “There are tyre tracks for a replacement vehicle. We have no idea what kind of vehicle. The tyres are generic, moderately well used - nothing we can trace.”

“So, we have nothing? Again?” Rage boils inside me.

“Best hope we’ve got,” says the Police Commissioner, “is the one they pulled out of the building unconscious.”

*****

And once more, helpless, we must wait for outside events to catch up.

Richard, when we see him, is white-faced. Most of the time he keeps to himself.

Not wanting company…?

Michael chews at a thumbnail. “Wonder why Corby’s first act was to try to attack you? Trying to get you prosecuted over the business with the auction?”

“Perhaps to take Charlotte’s defender out of the picture?” I suggest.

His chin juts. “She has two defenders, and they knew that….”

Ah, c’mon….

“They came after you with guns.” His face falls and he nods me an apology. “Discredit one?” I suggest.

“Murder the other. Isolate her?”

He nods “Why is she so important to them?”

Good question….

A very good question….

“Her testimony at court is likely to put a lot of people in prison, quite likely for good.”

“Okay, so she’s an important witness. But, that being the case, why haven’t they simply murdered her?

They’ve had plenty of opportunity.”

Richard sweeps in. “Will’s on his way. He says he has information for us.”

*****

Richard Will Stanton is apologetic. “Corby has been in our system for over twenty years….”

“And no-one ever made the connection?” asks Michael, voice flat.

Will holds up a hand. “Let’s say he’s made a good job of muddying the waters. Missing files, misreported conversations… not enough to ever ring the alarm bells but misinterpreted enough to misdirect efforts. And of course, work that he himself was assigned was either washed over or simply misreported.”

Michael’s’ face is a mask, but I know him well enough now to recognise the fury under there. Perhaps Will had made up some diplomatic ground with him by his co-operation in tracking down Charlotte’s family documents, but the involvement of a police officer - this police officer - in this next abduction, has soured the milk….

Elizabeth….

James simply watches the exchange, arms folded, silent, slit-eyed.

They’re not going to forget this quickly….

Corby has done too much direct damage….

Will looks uncomfortable under the clear antagonism of the pair. He turns to James. “I wanted to thank you for supplying the plans and drawings of the City underground….”

“It was Charlotte’s work, not mine,” he says curtly. “You can thank her when we get her back….

again….”

Will shifts. “Yes, of course, but the reason I bring it up is that the use of those plans has led directly to a discovery which is going to hurt Klempner and his organisation, badly we hope.”

Michael’s head tilts one way. James the other. Neither looks ready to concede anything yet.

Will coughs and continues. “We sent out parties to sweep the under-city, using Charlotte’s plans. We gave weight to areas which seemed likely to intersect with the old and disused parts of the subway system, and we hit pay dirt.”

James and Michael don’t try to hide their interest. Will holds up a finger. “This is not yet public knowledge, so please don’t repeat it. We discovered a group of thirty-eight being held. All trafficked in one way or another. A mix of ages and genders from small children to adults and from countries as wide-ranging as you could ask. They were being held in an old subway station. We believe it may be the same place Beth was imprisoned when they had her.”

“Well, you can ask her when we get her back too, can’t you?” comments Michael.

“Of course. In the meantime, we are continuing and expanding the search area. Many of those found made reference to others, children, spouses, from whom they were separated. We believe strongly that they may also be found in other underground holding areas. We have all available officers sweeping the tunnels and we have brought in the military also.”

“Doesn’t sound very secret,” says Michael.

Will rocks his hand back and forth. “You can be sure it won’t stay covert for long, but one advantage of the search being underground is that the general public doesn’t see it.”

“On the other hand,” says James, “if you have the area flooded with investigators, you can be fairly sure that they won’t have taken Charlotte and Beth there.”

Will, sighs. “As you know, since it is clear that something in Charlotte’s family history, relates to Lawrence Klempner and this current situation. I’ve had good reason to be able to investigate old records which might otherwise not be deemed relevant, that I could not otherwise justify assigning resources to. You know about the first part, when, at Michael’s request, I had her birth certificate located, along with her parents’ marriage certificate….”

Michael nods, looking slightly pacified, though not much.

“…. And now, with Corby identified, I have more of a free hand. It was difficult before, simply not knowing who could be trusted….”

“What makes you think he was their only informer?” I ask.

Will leans back in his seat. “Because, having identified him, with the benefit of hindsight, all the information we know to have leaked out, including how they knew you were here, can be traced back to some connection with him….”

“How did he know we here?” I demand.

Will rolls his eyes at me. “He was there in the aftermath of the attack on the building….”

Ah, shit….