Blood Tracks (24 page)

Tom opened the green door to the spindly man.

“Mr. Egon, please come in,” he said, showing him into the living room. “I really appreciate you rushing over here like this. As I said on the phone, I need you to verify some stones, but there have been exciting developments; it appears we
are
dealing with the real thing and exquisite specimens too. I think once you see them for yourself you’ll realize that your journey has been worthwhile.”

The frail man eased himself down onto the sofa, surveying the smashed fish tank and the glass-strewn floor without comment.

He looked over his half-moon glasses at Tom. “You were rather vague about where you procured these stones and why Mr. Sissouma isn’t involved.”

“They’re nothing to do with Sissouma. He doesn’t need to know. This is just between you and me.”

Egon gave a wheezy intake of breath. “It would be very foolish to try to bypass him. He’s not a very understanding man and this
is
his business, after all.”

“Listen, Mr. Egon. If you keep it between ourselves then I guarantee you’ll get a great deal. I’m keen to offload as soon as possible.”

“Sissouma has contacts everywhere. He’ll trace them back to me, then to you. We’ve been doing business with him for years. I don’t want to jeopardize our working relationship, to say nothing of my life.”

“I’ll make it worth your while. Wait till you see them. Not only are they blue diamonds, they also glow blood-red after exposure to UV light. You know how rare that makes them.”

Mr. Egon’s eyes widened. “Well, if that’s true then they are indeed extremely precious. Maybe they’ll match the quality of the Hope Diamond in Washington.” He licked his dry lips hungrily.

“Exactly! So how valuable could they be?” Tom asked, salivating.

“The quicker you show them to me, the sooner we’ll both know.”

There was a split-second hesitation before Tom replied confidently, “I’m just waiting for their delivery. They’ll be here very soon. In the meantime you may wish to sift through this.” He presented Egon with his bound jacket and untied the knot to reveal the blue stones that had lined the fish tank. “It may be that one or two of the diamonds are still amongst these.”

“I hope you’re not wasting my time,” Egon said sharply.

“No, Mr. Egon. Please check them. We need to be sure.”

The phone in the hallway rang out. Tom went and hovered over it, waiting for the answering machine to kick in. He noticed Clare’s switched-off mobile also sitting on the hallway table. She must have walked out without it this morning.

Gina’s voice came over the speaker. “Hello, Danny? Are you home? Pick up if you’re there, it’s me. I’m on my way. Tom’s got a key to the house so, if you get back before me, put the bolt on the door; don’t let him in, okay? That’s important –
don’t
let him in! I’ll see you soon.”

Tom smiled at the phone, relieved. “Yes, I look forward to seeing you soon, Gina.”

Declan paced his bedroom, retrying her number.

Gina answered, slightly breathless as she marched towards her house. “Declan. Have you made your call? Who did you ring? What did they say?”

He avoided her questions and asked one instead. “Where are you?”

“I’m nearly home. There’s no one in the house – I’ve just phoned. I’ll get back before Danny.”

“Listen, Gina. Keep away from Tom. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”

“Don’t you understand? I
want
to meet him. He’s going to tell me the truth.”

“Let the police deal with him.”

“No, not yet. You know what a great liar he is. He’ll just deny everything, they’ll never get the truth out of him, but I can. If he wants these diamonds he’ll have to play ball.”

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Gina. It’s dangerous.”

“I can handle him,” she said defiantly.

“But it’s not just him you’ve got to worry about. It’s Sissouma, he works for a warlord in the Ivory Coast. Tom’s involved with them too – it’s not just the diamonds in the fish tank. That’s what they’ve been smuggling in the sacks of cocoa beans. That’s what he must have got out of the sack that night we saw him in the warehouse. They’re blood diamonds.”

“Blood diamonds? What are blood diamonds?”

“It’s complicated; it’ll take too long to explain.”

“Then talk fast!” she ordered.

Mr. Egon gave a sigh of annoyance. He pushed his glasses up onto his comb-over and rubbed his eyes. “There’s nothing here of any value.” He started to pack away his equipment.

“Please, Mr. Egon, forgive me. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. But I can guarantee you that the delivery is the real thing. Be patient, she’s on her way.”

Tom started at the sound of the doorbell.

“Is this her?” Egon asked.

“No, she’s got a key,” Tom said, heading to the front window, recoiling on seeing the caller. The colour drained from Tom’s face. “Why the hell is
he
here?”

“I invited him. I phoned him as soon as I heard from you. I value my life, Mr. Cotter, even if you don’t,” Egon said, his bones cracking as he got up to open the front door.

Henri Sissouma swaggered into the room, flashing a crocodile smile at Tom.

“Mr. Sissouma, I don’t know what Egon has told you but I can explain,” Tom garbled.

Sissouma held his hands up to silence him. “No, there’s really no need. It’s perfectly obvious what is going on. You were going to cheat me out of my diamonds. Mr. Egon, very wisely, phoned me and told me all about it. We have years of dealings with each other. Mr. Egon understands the consequences of not being honest with me. You, on the other hand, seem not to have learned your lesson.” He stared at the finger stumps on Tom’s left hand.

“No! You know that I’d never cheat you!” Tom protested.

“Are you calling Mr. Egon a liar?”

Egon pursed his thin lips.

“Of course not.” Tom’s body tensed, poised to take flight, but he knew he had to hold his nerve. “There’s just been a misunderstanding. I wanted him to come and check out the stones and then, if they turned out to be the real deal, I was going to inform you straight away. I know what a busy man you are. I didn’t want to waste your time, dragging you here for nothing.”

Sissouma laughed mockingly. “Oh, I see. How very considerate of you.” He held out his hand. “Let me see the stones.”

“I’ll have them in a minute.”

“I thought you had them now! Where are they?”

“Gina Wilson, Mrs. Wilson’s daughter, has got them. She’s on her way here. As soon as she comes through that door, they’ll be yours.”

“Why has the girl got them?” Sissouma asked.

“I believe that they’re the missing diamonds: the package that was swapped last year.”

“The package of useless stones you passed on to poor Mr. Egon?”

“Yes. We thought they had been swapped in transit but it now appears that Martin Wilson, Gina’s father, must have stolen the diamonds from the sack. He was my foreman at the warehouse – he had access to all the stock. He hid the diamonds before he killed himself. He jumped in front of a train.”

“Why would he kill himself?”

Tom shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he developed a guilty conscience.”

“Well, it’s fortunate for him that he took his own life because, if I had caught him, his death would have been long and painful. That is what happens to people who try and steal from me. As you know, Mr. Cotter, my employer was extremely upset about the loss of that particular consignment. He was anticipating a large return from them.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but it really wasn’t my fault.”

Mr. Sissouma tutted. “
Au contraire
, Mr. Cotter, this
was
your fault. I hold you personally responsible for employing thieves, and now you add insult to injury by trying to cheat us out of our property once again. But here’s what I’ll do. If you return my diamonds to me you will be punished but you will survive. However, if I don’t get them back, or if you try to disappear with them, then I will find you and I
will
kill you. You do believe me, don’t you?”

Tom strained to answer. Sissouma’s words were like a hand squeezing his neck.

“Answer me!” Sissouma bawled, speckles of spit showering Tom’s face.

“Yes, I believe you,” Tom croaked.

Sissouma stepped back from him, his lips curled in a smile. “Now, let’s all calm down and wait for the girl. Perhaps we should all have a cup of tea, Mr. Cotter. Anger always makes me thirsty.”

Declan walked out of his bedroom. He was going to Gina’s house. He figured that at least if he was with her, he could stop her doing anything stupid.

The doorbell rang. He heard Mrs. Mac answer it. Her voice suddenly went twittery.

“Declan,” she shouted nervously up the stairs. “You’d better come down here. There’s two policemen wanting to talk to you.”

He stopped dead on the landing.

“Are you not going to invite them in, Deirdre?” he heard Bridie say. “I hope young Declan isn’t in trouble, officers. He’s such a lovely boy. Whatever it is, it’s bound to be a mistake; a miscarriage of justice. You hear about that kind of thing all the time.”

“I’m afraid this is a serious matter and we must insist Mr. Doyle comes down.” The officer sounded irritated.

Shit! Stevie wasn’t bluffing, he’s having me arrested
. Declan turned on his tiptoes and started creeping towards the bathroom, the landing floorboards creaking with every step.

The officers rushed up the stairs, shouting, “Stay where you are!”

Declan ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

The men thumped on the door. “Open the door, son. We don’t want to have to knock it down.”

“I haven’t done anything,” Declan said, clearing all Mrs. Mac’s lavender soaps and bubble baths from the window ledge and hoicking up the sash window.

“Declan Doyle, we’re arresting you for obstructing a police officer,” a voice boomed through the door.

Declan stuck his head out of the window and looked down onto the roof of the outhouse.

“This is your last warning,” the officer said, as Declan swung his legs out of the window.

“We’re coming in!”

The flimsy lock was no match for their hard shoulders and within seconds the door flew open to reveal the empty room.

The policeman hurried to the window just in time to see Declan jumping from the outhouse roof into the yard and running out of the back gate.

Gina glanced through the window into the empty living room before turning the key in the lock. She pushed the door open, pausing on the doorstep, watching and listening. The house was silent. She stepped inside and immediately noticed her mum’s mobile on the hall table.

No wonder she hasn’t been answering!

The red light from the landline answer machine blinked at her from the table. One message – her message. No one was home.

Gina felt her shoulders relax as she started to lift her bag off her shoulder and over her head. She froze, the bag suspended in mid-air: she could hear a faint wheezing sound coming from behind the kitchen door. It came again and again at regular intervals.

An image flashed into her head – someone collapsed on the kitchen floor, struggling for breath.
Danny? Mum?

“Danny!” Gina ran down the hallway, flinging open the kitchen door. She jolted to a halt at the sight of the wheezing figure sitting in her kitchen, flanked by Tom Cotter and a burly man in a shiny suit. She recognized him. He was the man who’d been standing in the street the day their house had been broken into.

“Gina, don’t panic. We’re here to talk to you,” Tom said, approaching her.

She bolted back down the hallway, grappling with the doorknob, which suddenly felt like it had been smothered in butter. Tom was behind her like a shadow, his outstretched hand holding the door shut. She was trapped! He’d just take the diamonds from her; this wasn’t how it was meant to be.

Her survival instinct kicked in – she snapped at him, sinking her teeth into the sinews of his hand, biting down until she drew blood. Tom yelped, tearing his hand from her mouth, looking at her in disbelief. She didn’t hesitate. As soon as he removed his hand from the door Gina took her chance. She opened it and rushed out onto the pavement, nearly knocking over a woman walking her dog. The woman seemed about to shout at her, but saw the wild look on Gina’s face and the two men who charged out of the house after her. Her dog barked, warningly.

Tom grabbed hold of Gina’s arm.

“Let’s go back inside,” he growled, blood springing from the teeth marks on his hand.

The woman put her hand on Gina’s shoulder. “Are you all right, love?” she asked, eyeing up the two intimidating men.

“She’s fine,” Tom answered. “I’m a family friend. It’s family business. Come back in the house, Gina, and we’ll sort this out.”

“Is that right? Are you okay?” the woman asked again.

“Yes,” Gina said, taking Tom by surprise. “But I’m not going back in the house. They can go back in, I’m staying here.”

The woman waited until the men retreated. Tom had to stand behind Sissouma, as the man’s frame filled the whole doorway.

Gina turned to the concerned woman. “Thank you, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, if you say so.” The woman nodded, coaxing her barking dog away.

Sissouma tried to take control of the situation. “Come in, please, young lady. It’s no good doing business on the doorstep. These are private matters.”

“I’d rather stay here.”

“Very well. I’m sure by the end of our conversation you’ll be persuaded to enter. Now, where to begin. Firstly, Gina…that is your name, isn’t it? I believe that you have something in your possession that belongs to me.”

“How do you know that they’re yours? Tom Cotter says that they’re his and
I
think that they belong to my dad.”

“‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive’,” Sissouma quoted with a flourish. “It appears that Mr. Cotter was hoping to cheat me out of my diamonds today, although he’s trying to persuade me that it was all a silly misunderstanding. What do you think, Gina, should I give him the benefit of the doubt?”

She looked beyond Sissouma to Tom; the muscles in his face were twitching.

“I wouldn’t trust him,” she said coldly.

“Then you’re a wise young woman. But let’s speak frankly. Those stones didn’t belong to your father either. He was a thief. He stole them from me. He caused a great deal of trouble, but you now have a chance to make amends.”

“My dad wasn’t a thief!”

“I’m afraid the facts prove that he was. Now please, return my property.”

“What if I don’t give them to you?”

Sissouma shook his head, his eyes downcast. “Then there will be terrible consequences for you and your family. And it will be when you least expect it. Maybe you will be lying in your beds one night and you’ll awake to find the house engulfed in flames… It will be such a terrible accident.”

Tears of fear welled up in Gina’s eyes.

“Don’t look so worried, Gina. Once you’ve given me my stones the matter will be closed – order will be restored. You’ll never see me again, I promise. Now, in you come.” He beckoned her inside.

But Gina didn’t move. Her eyes flittered from one end of the street to the other, her heart pounding; her decision made.

“Tell Tom Cotter,” she shouted into the hallway, “if he wants the diamonds, he’ll have to come and get them.” She turned on her heels and fled up the street.

An incensed Sissouma stood aside and addressed Tom.

“Bring back my property,” he hissed “or
you
are a dead man.”

Tom bolted out of the doorway like a greyhound out of its trap, his sights set on Gina, who was blazing up the road in her school uniform, her shoulder bag banging against her side.

Tom saw her turn left at the top of the road but, by the time he reached the intersection, she was nowhere to be seen. He knew that she could have disappeared down any of the alleyways which led off from the main road and behind the houses on the side streets. He started to run along the road, looking down each alley, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Gina made her way down, across and up the labyrinth of cobbled alleyways, traversing street after street until she reached the backyard that she was looking for. She smiled with relief on seeing the gate was open. She scanned the lane, checked that no one was looking and entered the yard, rapping on the back door, praying he was in.