Behind the Facade (2 page)

As if
fate had intervened, this crisis point was interrupted by a loud bleep and an
electronically distorted voice. Officer Connor excused himself and turned away,
lifting a walkie-talkie to his ear. After a few moments, he turned back to them
and said, “I’m sorry but I have to go. There’s a more urgent matter I’ve been
called to deal with.”

“Thank
you both for your co-operation. I have your details so I’ll send someone to
make further checks on Monday morning. Is the building now secured?” he
queried.

 Her
attacker nodded and said, “Everything’s back online now.  False alarm I
think. Sorry to ‘
ave
wasted your time.”

The
police officer seemed satisfied with this and after wishing
them
good night walked back to his car. Katherine watched him get in the car whip it
around and drive speedily away. With him left any last vestige of hope she had
harboured.

As
soon as the vehicle was out of sight her captor grabbed her arm. However, Katherine
had anticipated this and spun around, letting all her pent up fear and
frustration out, as she lunged at him with her free arm. He only just dodged
her strike and grabbed her attacking arm, seconds before her nails bit into his
cheek.

 He
held both her arms in check and said, “Just calm down, will you? I’m not
gonna
harm you.”

 She
didn’t believe him. He’d planted a bomb and she could identify him. Taking in
his demeanour and clothing she couldn’t believe she had mistaken him for
Robert. She’d seen what she’d wanted and expected to see. It was a blunder she
would pay
for,
she knew that with utter certainty. He
was Robert’s height maybe and had dark hair, but there any similarity ended. He
was dressed completely in black. Flinty grey eyes glared out at her from under
an untidy mop of coarse black hair. He looked a good ten years older than her
fiancé and had an angular face with high, narrow cheekbones that gave him a
slightly savage, wolfish air.

 He
grasped her arms tightly now and shook her, “Why did you ‘
ave
to show up? You’re coming with me.”
 
Roughly
pulling her along with him, he headed towards the back of the building. Kate
resisted with all her strength, trying to extricate herself from his grasp and
when this failed she raged, “Let me go! Let me go!” He paid no heed, dragging
her after him.

They
stumbled onto a cobbled, unlit side street. A black Mazda MX5 was parked there.
He swiftly released the locking mechanism and forced her down into the
passenger seat, whilst she kicked and screamed. He easily avoided her thrashing
limbs and secured the seat-belt across her, slamming the door on her
histrionics. She began to grapple wildly with the door handle. It was locked of
course.

As he
took his seat the forbidding stranger warned, “I wouldn’t do that.”

But instead of stopping Kate increased her efforts.
She had to find some way out, some way to get back to
Robert! She found herself wrenched back around by a powerful pull on her wrist.
She shrieked and struggled to no avail. His hand found her throat. He leaned
close, putting further pressure on her arm and pinning her to the seat with his
weight. She whimpered in pain and protest, trying vainly to turn her face away
from his.

“Shut
the hell up!” he spat, emphasising each word, his tone vicious. He jerked away
from her.

She
trembled uncontrollably and tears now dripped slowly down her face. Her arm
burned where his hand had been and she could feel the spittle he had left on
her cheek. Sobs rose in her throat and she tried to smother them, afraid of another
backlash.

He
started the car, revved the engine violently, and then sped out of the back
street, swerving on to the main carriageway. Watching him drive Kate considered
her options. She could grab the wheel but he had already demonstrated his
superior strength and this would probably just annoy him further or cause an
accident. Either way, the outcome was unlikely to be her freedom.

 Her
mind clamped down on the panic and terror that threatened to engulf her. She
had to try and stay calm and just keep alert to any opportunity that might help
her to get away. She must escape and get help for Robert. If she concentrated
on this positive goal maybe she wouldn’t feel so powerless and afraid.

Sean’s
thoughts were racing as he tried to figure out what to do now his plans had so
unexpectedly changed. He’d obtained the data that he wanted, despite being
interrupted, but he had anticipated no problems and little risk of discovery.
Who could have known that he’d end up taking someone hostage? He glanced across
at the girl again. He regretted his outburst but he’d been so vexed and her
yelling had needled him beyond bearing. The fates seemed to have it in for him,
or did they? Had they landed in his lap the very means of drawing out the man
linked to his sister’s death?

 “You’re
Katherine Pearson then?” he asked her.

 She
didn’t respond.

 
“Your father, Harry.
He’s very wealthy isn’t he? Do you know
how he makes his money?”

“Is
that why you’ve taken me? Are you expecting him to pay a ransom?”

 
“No. I’m Irish, love. I’m not
afta
money. I’m
afta
justice.”

 Kate
looked at his implacable face and felt her heart sink. If this man couldn’t be
swayed by money, what chance did she have? Was he planning to blow up the
Martin de Pores building as some kind of act of revenge? Why had he taken her?
Was it just to make sure no-one interfered with the bomb before it detonated?

“If
you let me go, I promise I won’t tell anyone about the bomb.”

He
just smiled and said, “Really? What kind of fool do you take me for?”

Sean knew it had been a rash
decision to take her with him. After all, her boyfriend would not remain
undetected for long. However, her connection to Harry Pearson had seemed too
momentous a coincidence to ignore. She was the man’s daughter! If he did not
find anything incriminating on the memory stick, she could turn out to be an
alternative source of information. On the other hand, if he did discover that
her father was implicated in his sister’s murder, she might prove to be a very
useful bargaining chip. An insidious voice whispered to him that she might be
the means of exacting the revenge he so desperately sought. It was this, as yet
unfounded but beguiling thought, that had  compelled him to keep her
within his power, especially when so much else had happened that he’d been
helpless to control. He was a man used to being master of his universe.

It was
now impossible to return to his hotel without too much risk but where could he
take this girl until he’d learnt more about her father’s activities and decided
what to do? Where was a place he could analyse the files he’d downloaded and
lie low without arousing suspicion? Should he take her to Rupert’s? He rejected
this idea the moment it entered his head. Rupert was too closely associated
with him and had been through enough. He racked his brains and a viable
temporary hideaway came to mind. Flicking his keys he was relieved to see he
hadn’t discarded the one he needed. It was some way off but he could not think
of anywhere else that was remotely suitable.

He
programmed the location into his
SatNav
and headed
out of the city. His passenger had not spoken again. She just stared rigidly
through the windscreen, her face white and tense. As he studied her briefly he
realised how young she was and how terrified she must be of him. He wasn’t used
to being an object of terror. He turned the heater up and switched the radio
on. Maybe some music would help to relax them both.

“
Loosen
up a bit,
darlin
’,” he
said.

“I’m
not your darling,” she said quietly but distinctly, the firm tone of her words
betrayed by a slight but unmistakeable tremor.

He
shrugged and turned his attention back to the road. The radio filled the car
with a soft vibrant melody, in direct contrast to the atmosphere within. It was
a song Sean knew and liked and he unconsciously started to hum along to it.
Becoming aware of her stare, he turned to look at her again.

She
didn’t look away but met his gaze, her chin trembling, “You’re disgusting,” she
whispered.

Sean
smiled and responded, “Wow. I didn’t think my singing voice was that
bad!
”

His attempt at humour just caused a
grimace of further repugnance to cross her face. He shrugged and turned the
radio off. They continued the journey in strained silence.

Sean
returned his concentration to the road, focusing on getting them to their
destination. He just hoped he had made the right decision and going there would
not prove to be a mistake. His attention was suddenly captured by a low
grumbling sound coming from the vicinity of his passenger. She noticed him look
across and blushed. It was her stomach. This reminded him that they had been
travelling for some time, without having had anything to eat or drink. She
looked dressed for going out, so dinner had probably been on the agenda before
fate had cruelly intervened.

 He
debated the matter.
Could he afford to stop somewhere for
refreshments?
Probably not.
However, he had not
expected to be going on a journey of this length. He checked the petrol gauge.
He might just have enough fuel but he daren’t chance breaking down. Could he
risk pulling into a petrol station? Going anywhere public meant a greater
chance of someone remembering them or noticing something off. She might try and
bring attention to herself and he couldn’t gag her without hiding her in the
boot. This would certainly cause him less aggro but he balked at the idea of
squeezing her in that tiny space, like a piece of luggage. He’d just have to
think of something else.

“You
hungry?” he asked her but she didn’t respond, ignoring him and staring fixedly
ahead.

He
came off the road they had been travelling on, seeking a more major route and
looking for some sign of a petrol station. He finally glimpsed one ahead and
deliberately turned off down a quiet side road for a little way, until there
was some cover in the form of trees and bushes. He stopped the car. Groping
around in the glove box he uttered a grunt of satisfaction when he discovered a
length of strong cord. Before she could even cry out he’d imprisoned her hands
with it. She began to struggle, but this was too late and too ineffectual, and
he secured them tightly, puckering the skin.

“No!”
Kate cried.
“Stop!
I’ll behave. You don’t have to do
this!”

He looked
at her coldly. “I need to get some petrol. I have no ch
oice.”

The
ordeal did not end there and terror reasserted its grip as he pulled off her
chiffon wrap and tore a long strip off it. He reached for her legs and she
kicked out at him in desperation. He gripped them firmly halting their movement
as quickly as a cat pins a darting mouse and tied them deftly together with the
material he had scrounged.  

He
carefully checked her bonds and instructed, “I won’t be gone long, so don’t try
anything daft.” He then left the car locking it behind him, only stopping to
collect a petrol container from the boot.

The
moment he left Kate twisted her hands and feet trying to weaken the restraints.
She even moved her hands up to her mouth, biting at the knots in the rope but
with no success. Accidentally biting her lip she winced, dropping her hands and
probing the sore spot with her tongue. Her jaw
ached
her skin burned and her bonds did not feel even the tiniest bit looser.

She
now frantically scanned the car’s dark interior searching for something,
anything, that
might assist her to escape or even give her
some hope. She wasn’t about to heed his warning. All she could think of was
Robert. He could still be inside the building, alive and unable to get help.
This monster probably intended to demolish the building when as many people as
possible were inside. It was likely Robert only had until Monday morning at
best, and this was assuming he was not already fatally injured. His life could
depend on her notifying the authorities as soon as possible.

Kate
was about to give up her search when she caught sight of the internal key
control on the dash. If only she was able to press it, she thought, wouldn’t
that open the car? Even if it did, how could she possibly get away trussed up
like she was? Her eye then fell to the car cigarette lighter and an idea came
to her. She turned the idea over in her head, then realised she had no time to
question it. It might be painful but could just work and this might be the only
chance she got. With some difficulty, as her movement was severely limited by
her tied hands and feet, she shifted in her seat until with the high heel of
her right shoe she managed to catch the cigarette lighter and activate it. She
sighed in relief and remembered her earlier lecture to herself for wearing
heels. Well it now looked like it had been an astute choice after all!

Kate
took in a deep breath as she prepared herself for the next step. Once the light
went off and the lighter pinged out again, she pulled her legs up beneath her,
groaning as the cord tying her hands scrapped abrasively against her skin.
Finally she managed to get herself
into a
position where she was just about able to grasp the lighter between her teeth.
She pulled but first time her grip was too light and her teeth just slid away
from it. She moaned in exasperation. She knew her captor would spend as little
time away from her as possible and could be making his way back at any minute.
On her second go she managed to grip it and quickly shoved herself backwards
and her legs back out from under her, wrenching it from its slot. She was
aching from the unaccustomed awkward movements but could not afford a moment’s
rest.

 
Kate lifted her tied hands towards her mouth and prayed that the
lighter would work. When the cord, which was made of blue hemp, began to kindle
and burn
she
almost dropped the lighter with relief.
The smoke was acrid and her eyes began to water from it, but for her it was the
sweet smell of success and she welcomed it. However, her skin was getting hot,
something she could not avoid. The cord was thick and doubled around her wrists
so she had to keep going until it was weakened sufficiently for her to pull her
wrists apart. It was agony, as her skin was already chaffed and raw from
testing her bonds. As it began to swell and blister she almost couldn’t bear
it. All her instincts screamed for her to pull away but she was now so near to
succeeding she willed herself to continue, forcing the pain to the back of her
mind.

When her
wrists finally came apart she bent hurriedly to her feet and began working on
untying herself but the material was too tight and her fingers were awkward,
numb from lack of blood and hindered by the throbbing in her wrists. Stopping,
she suddenly realised she might free her feet much more easily. She untied the
strap and removed one of her shoes. With shaking fingers she hastily rolled
down her stocking and with less trouble than she would have anticipated was
able to slide one of her naked feet through the gap. Quickly shaking off her
other shoe and pressing the internal locking button she prayed, after all her
struggles, it would unlock the car. It did, but when she grasped the door
handle and pushed the door open she immediately triggered the car alarm.

Kate almost
screamed in surprise at the sudden blaring sound and flashing lights. She
briefly hesitated. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy! Her captor
would certainly have been alerted. Was it even worth running? She hadn’t got
this far only to give up now. Almost falling onto the tarmac in her haste to
get out, she quickly righted herself and, lifting her skirt, she began to run.

 
She concentrated on simply putting as much distance between
herself and the car as possible. Her breath came in short, harsh gasps and her
bare feet protested as they found the hard tarmac and intermittently hit stones
and other bits of debris on the road, but she forced herself on. It was still
raining a little, but at least the storm hadn’t followed them and a sickly moon
provided some light to see by. She thought about getting off the road but she
could make out ditches on each side and she could not afford to let anything
slow her down.

She knew
he’d be pursuing her but when she heard his shout she nearly tripped as a new
surge of adrenalin and fear pumped through her. His pounding footsteps moved
inexorably closer but she refused to contemplate failure. She pushed herself to
go faster but was only able to increase her speed marginally and was already
tiring. As she approached a bend in the road she risked a glance behind her and
this was to be her undoing.

 
The car appeared from nowhere and there was no time for her to
do a thing to avoid it. The shocked face of the driver registered briefly and
it flashed through her mind that it was ironic that in attempting to escape she
had engineered her own doom. The heavy shove from her right, flinging her into
the roadside ditch with a dead weight arriving on top of her in the form of her
abductor, saved her from a fatal collision with the car but shattered any hope
she’d had of escaping. Despite this, she refused to accept her bid for freedom
had been thwarted and feebly struggled against him. He lifted his upper torso
away from her, capturing her flailing arms and regarding her with unmitigated
fury.