After the Fire (23 page)

Her voice faded and he looked around, shining the light. There was no sign of her.

“Freddie? Hey, where have you gone?”

He headed down the tunnel. She’d be the death of him with her constant running off. Had she always been this exasperating? Or was it purely the way she worked? Rounding a slight bend he could hear the sea and it was colder. He started running, his feet sliding on the damp rocks.

“Freddie!”

“Here.” The answering call was no more than a few feet ahead.

He found her standing at the mouth of a cave. He stood for a minute, catching his breath. “Why did you wander off?”

“Sorry. I thought you were right behind me.”

“Well I wasn’t. Please, slow down. This isn’t a walk in the park.” Jason looked out over the sea and beach. In the short time they’d been underground the moon had disappeared and the stars were gone. Dark storm clouds piled up in the sky and lightning flickered on the horizon. Angry waves threw themselves up the beach, and the wind tossed the trees back and forth.

Freddie nodded across the cove. “There’s the boat. I didn’t notice these caves before.”

“Nor did I. It would have saved time if we had. Come on, we should go.”

Freddie set off again. This time Jason made sure she stayed where he could see her.

“Did you hear what I said, Jace?”

“No, you wandered off as you were speaking.”

“These tunnels were made by the sea.”

“Yeah, I heard that bit. There are no support beams.”

“Which means the sea must come up a long way. Remember Mr. Hooker said the mine flooded a few months ago, and the crypt was damp, which the vicar claimed was due to flooding?”

“Yeah.”

“I reckon the water comes in via this tunnel. This is a new door, maybe a flood defense of some kind. I think that at high tide, the water always reaches as far as the undercrypt. Add a spring or storm tide to that, or a full moon, and the whole lot could go.”

“It’s thundering now.” Jason’s gut twinged in concern.

“A thunder storm doesn’t mean a storm surge every time. At worst we might get wet feet. Even so, we have a few hours until high tide.”

They headed down what he hoped was the main tunnel.

“Can I ask you something, Freddie?”

“Go for it.”

“Are you happy doing this line of work?”

“Most of the time. Though some days, like today, I wish I did something a lot safer that paid a lot more. What about you?”

“Sometimes I think about flying again, but right now I’m happy here.”

“Well, if we’re right about the boss, we’re both going to need a new career in the morning.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “But right now, we have a tunnel to follow, a mystery to solve, and bad guys to chase.”

“That we do.” Jason took her hand again.

Voices came from ahead of them, around a slight bend.

Jason flattened himself against the wall and put a finger over his lips.

Freddie nodded, copying his movements exactly as a phone rang up ahead.

An all-too-familiar voice answered it. “Hello...Great. That’s the last thing we need. How long have we got?”

“Steele.” Jason mouthed silently at Freddie.

“No. Get it to high ground, now. We can’t afford to lose another shipment.” He paused. “Fine. I’ll tell Jones.” He raised his voice. “Flynn and Bryant didn’t leave. Hooker just found their boat. It’s empty.”

Another voice spoke. “I told you it was a mistake to let her anywhere near the Rafferty case.”

Freddie’s face mirrored Jason’s feeling of shock as she grabbed his arm and mouthed, “Archie.”

Moving to Leeds with his wife must have been a cover story. What a perfect cover it had turned out to be. How many more were there? Were he and Freddie the only honest ones there? What about Freddie’s PA? Could she be trusted?

Edwin’s irate voice echoed. “I didn’t assign it to her. I buried it.”

“Then you should have let me deal with the widow when she first turned up at the agency and not given her the chance to speak to Freddie. And if you’d burned that file and destroyed the box like I’d suggested, none of this would have happened.”

“I hoped she’d obey orders and leave the case alone, once I realized she was working it. Or fail for the first time in her career.”

“Come on, boss. This is Freddie we’re talking about. Since when does she fail, or do as she’s told? Pairing her with Bryant would have been a good move, had it worked.”

“I told Bryant to shadow her, that her loyalty had been called into question. It would appear that Ms. Flynn is obviously a lot more persuasive and forgiving than I gave her credit for.”

“It might be a good thing.” Archie sounded hopeful. “She could be bought.”

“No way. I’m not going to risk it. She knows too much. We kill two birds with one stone. She obviously has Bryant wrapped around her little finger and convinced him to see things her way.”

Edwin’s mocking reply froze the blood in Jason’s veins as much as the chilling sound of the safety mechanism sliding to one side and the bullet being loaded into the gun chamber.

“I thought Bryant was like a son to you. You were going to train him to take over after you retired.”

“He knows too much. He won’t keep quiet, his morals won’t let him. We’ll mourn them, of course, but the company will survive their loss. Hooker has holed their boat. She’ll sink in an hour or so. They’re trapped here.”

Steele cut in. “They’ll keep. Right now we have a bigger problem. Hooker says there’s a storm surge building. We need to get everything to high ground.”

“Then let’s do it.”

Jason turned to Freddie. They needed to get out fast. He pointed back the way they came, indicating that he’d follow her. She nodded and set off. He followed, but hadn’t taken more than five steps before something hard and sharp pressed into his back.

“Don’t move. Put your hands up or I shoot.”

24

Jason froze, raising his hands.
Oh, God, help us please
.

Archie brushed past him and shoved the gun into Freddie’s back, repeating Nick’s command.

“Well that makes sense. I have to move to put my hands up.” Freddie gasped as Archie spun her around.

“Put your hands up.” His voice was low and threatening. Hatred glinted in his gaze, each word separated as he spoke.

Freddie slowly raised her hands. If she was scared, she was not showing it.

Jason watched Archie carefully. They could do what they liked to him, but Freddie? If any of them so much as harmed a hair on her head, they’d regret it.

Freddie glanced at him then looked back at Archie. “Nice to see you, too. How’s being a kept man working out for you? Obviously it’s not going too well if you’re doing this on the side. You had me fooled.”

Archie smirked. “Well I didn’t believe what Steele told us about you and Bryant getting it on until I saw your public display of affection on the beach earlier. That’s way too convincing to be acting on either of your parts.”

“At least I know where I stand with him.”

Archie poked Jason with the gun. “Move and keep your hands up where we can see them.” He glanced at Nick. “Can you manage these two? I’m going to go and make sure the mine’s been evacuated.”

“It’ll be a pleasure.” Nick’s grin was pure evil as he fixed his gaze on Jason. “You so much as put a foot wrong, and I’ll shoot her.”

“Where are we going?”

“You can help us move the crates. I want you to go in front, Bryant. Stay where I can see you or she’ll never walk again. Let’s go.”

****

Freddie followed Jason back up the tunnels towards the crypt, aware of the gun in her back.
He seems so calm and I’m terrified. I didn’t think I would be now. Thought being a Christian meant you weren’t scared of anything, anymore. Guess I got that wrong
. She glanced over her shoulder at Nick. “Why did you do it?”

“Shut up and walk.” He prodded her with his gun.

“I am walking, and it’s a civil question. Was it the money?”

“What concern is it of yours?”

“I’m just making conversation.” She glanced back at him. Hopefully she was annoying him with the constant backchat. But more than that, talking had always been her defense mechanism.

“I told you to be quiet.”

“Actually, you said shut up, which is extremely rude.”

“I’m warning you…”

Jason glanced back, shaking his head. “Freddie, don’t.”

“You heard the man, Flynn. Don’t.”

“I’ll be blowed if I let some idiot tell me what to do.”

“You’ll be dead if you don’t.” Nick jabbed her sharply in the ribs with the gun and she hissed in pain. “Now be quiet or I tape your mouth shut, then I’ll kill you. Slowly.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

“Freddie!” Jason’s sharp tone startled her. “Remember the ‘time to be silent’ conversation we had?”

“Yeah.”

“This is one of those times.” His gaze held hers, pleading.

“All right…for you, not for him.”

She let Nick lead her through the tunnels. Despite not wanting to die, doing what Archie and Nick wanted was tantamount to giving in. But she trusted Jason, so for his sake, would play along.

They arrived back in the under crypt. Nick nodded to the crates. “Get those up into the church.”

Freddie turned to Jason, about to object, when he just nodded and agreed. She picked up the other end of the crate he held, forcing him to walk backwards. “What is wrong with you? Why are you giving in like this?” She kept her voice low, not wanting to get shot for daring to speak.

“Getting shot isn’t the way to go. We bide our time, pick our moment.” He backed up the stairs. “I know you hate this, and so do I, but I don’t want Nick hurting you. He’s more than capable of it.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Yes I am. But telegram prayers are a great help.”

“What are telegram prayers?”

Jason put the crate down and straightened up, wiping his hands on his jeans. “It’s the spiritual equivalent of an SOS. Short and to the point. It doesn’t mean I’m not scared, but knowing God is in control makes a huge difference.”

“I said shut up.” Nick waved the gun in their faces. “Next one.”

Freddie headed back down the stairs, praying with each step. By the time she reached the bottom, her fear was still there, but a sense of peace joined it. This whole situation was now in God’s hands.

By the time they lifted the last crate the water was running in. Freddie gasped, trying to catch her breath. “I...can’t...”

Nick glared at her. “Hurry up.”

“Give her a break,” Jason snapped. He moved over to her. “Can’t you see she’s sick? Where’s your inhaler, Freddie?”

“Bag...” She waved at the pack on her back.

Jason looked at Nick. “Just the inhaler. Nothing else. I don’t carry a gun, although, right now, I wish I did.” As Nick nodded, Jason rummaged in it and pulled out the inhaler. He pressed it into Freddie’s hand. “Here you go.”

Freddie took three puffs, leaning against the wall.

Jason looked at Nick. “You’ll have to help me with the last crate. Freddie’s not going anywhere.”

“You try anything…”

“I know what the consequences are. You’ve made that abundantly clear. Now are you helping or is this one staying here?”

Nick agreed reluctantly.

Freddie closed her eyes as they went up the stairs, letting the medication start to work. Footsteps and Jason’s voice made her open them again.

“Now where?”

“Back into the tunnels.”

“You are kidding. The water’s coming in. The damp is making Freddie’s condition worse.”

“Well neither of you have to worry about that for much longer.” Nick raised the gun. “If I have to shoot to wound, I will. Now move.”

Jason moved over to Freddie. “Let me take the bag.”

“I got it.” She pushed herself away from wall, rubbed the back of her neck and headed back down into the tunnels. The water was ankle deep and rising as they reached the side tunnel that led to the beach. She paused, for a moment contemplating making a run for it.

“Don’t even think it.” The gun prodded her hard. “Keep moving.”

They walked for another ten minutes. The further they went, the hotter it got. From the pounding overhead, Freddie knew they were now under the sea. The tunnel angled upwards and got drier. She stopped, panting. The gun prodded and she tried not to wince.

“Which part of ‘keep going’ don’t you understand?”

“I’m hot. Unless you want me to pass out from the heat, I suggest you stop moaning and give me a break.” Dropping the bag, Freddie undid her shirt, revealing the vest top underneath. She slid out of the shirt and shoved it into the bag. She untucked her vest and pulled it down. Then she pulled out the water and took a long drink. She offered it to Jason.

“Thanks.” He took a long drink and then handed it back. He took off his shirt, tying it around his waist. His T-shirt was soaked.

Freddie offered the water to Nick. “How long have we got before the water rises this far?”

“That depends on the tide and the strength of the storm surge and whether there is one. Now, move.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be down here, if we were in imminent danger.” As he ignored the water, Freddie put away the bottle and shouldered the bag, starting to walk again. She winced as the gun slammed into her back again.

It was another ten minutes before the tunnel widened.

Freddie stood next to Jason. The constant pounding gave her a headache. It took a moment for her to take in the figure standing there.

“Edwin.” Jason rushed forwards, heading straight for him.

Nick moved swiftly, raising the gun and bringing it down sharply against Jason’s head. He dropped like a stone, lying motionless on the rock floor.

“Jason!”

25

Jason came to, with a pounding headache, gasping against the water dripping from his face. Another bucketful hit him full on and he spluttered, trying not to swallow any of it. He lifted his head, seeing two Edwins slowly merging into one.
Where’s Freddie? What have they done with her?