In Denial (21 page)

When the man spoke Patrick looked up again. ‘Now, Number Sixty-Six, this is your first task. Your hands will be untied and then you are to kill the rat. When dead you are to bite off its head. Do it.’

Patrick felt his hands being untied.

He rubbed each wrist while looking down at the rat. He knew what he had to do but did not know whether he could do it. It was simple and yet …

He dropped to his knees. The rat reacted to the movement and stopped. Patrick’s right hand swept into the box, scooped it up and squeezed as hard as he could. The rat struggled. Patrick put two fingers at the back its neck and twisted as hard as he could. It squealed but then fell silent. He lifted it to his mouth, feeling the fur against his lips as he put its head into his mouth and bit down.

He spat the severed head onto the floor.

‘
Impressive,’ the central hooded figure said, nodding. ‘Let us see what you do with something a little bigger.’ He nodded again.

The dead rat and the box were taken away.

Patrick could feel the sweat on the palms of his hands and all over his body. It was running into his eyes and down his spine. The figure returned and this time he stood in front of Patrick, stroking a cat. After a few seconds he offered the cat to Patrick who instinctively took it into his arms. The cat looked up at him, blinking its eyes and purring

‘
Kill it,’ the voice said. ‘Now!’

Without looking at any of his human audience, Patrick stroked the cat’s head before gripping its neck with his thumb and forefinger and then jerking as hard as he could. The cat screeched and struggled, its claws raking Patrick’s arm. He tightened his grip and twisted again, using his other hand to pull the cat’s head back as far as it would go. The animal screeched once more before going limp.

Patrick threw the body on the floor.

The man nodded and leant forward. ‘Equally impressive,’ he said. ‘Now let us witness whether you have any compassion in you at all. Do not misunderstand me, Number Sixty-Six. I hope the coolness you have displayed so far stays with you through the next and final test.’

Patrick sensed the atmosphere change.

The men either side of the leader who had done all the talking took deep breaths as their attention focused on what was happening behind Patrick.

This time Patrick did not want to turn round.

She was small and maybe Patrick’s age or a little older.

He could not tell because there was a black hood over her head, a chord pulling it into her neck. Her hands were tied behind her back.

She was also naked. Her skin was a light brown.

She was forced to her knees in front of the hooded men. There was not a sound, not even a whimper. Her head was bowed, her spine prominent. In contrast with the rest of her, the soles of her small feet and the palms of her hands were white.

‘
You know what you must do,’ the man in the centre said, his eyes boring into Patrick’s. ‘There will be no hesitation. Hesitation will show weakness and if you are to join us we must be certain that you are utterly ruthless and dependable under all circumstances, and no matter who your victim might be. Do it.’

Patrick closed his eyes for less than a second before stepping forward so that he was standing just behind the girl. He bent down, untied the chord round her neck and then because he wanted to see the girl he was going to kill he pulled the hood from her head. Her long black hair spilled out over her shoulders.

An image of Lucinda flashed into Patrick’s mind.

The girl kneeling in front of him could so easily be Lucinda. He could not see her face but if he imagined it was Lucinda then maybe it would be easier.

He removed the gag from around her mouth and untied her hands.

The girl lifted her head slowly before standing up.

She scanned the men in front of her before turning round to face Patrick. Her jet black eyes seemed to claw their way into Patrick’s very soul.

In Patrick’s mind her features became Lucinda’s features.

She did not flinch as he lifted his hands and encircled her long slender neck with his fingers, his thumbs pressing against her windpipe. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes looked surprised as he began to squeeze. The pressure forced her head backwards as she gripped his wrists weakly with her hands.

Her eyes did not leave his.

Patrick squeezed harder.

The girl’s eyes were glazed.

‘
Stop!’

The command did not register.

‘
Stop!’

Patrick felt himself being yanked backwards, but still his hands remained around the girl’s throat. Then suddenly the girl brought her knee up between Patrick’s legs and he fell to the floor, the pain hitting him instantly.

He lay on the floor groaning, his hands between his thighs as he tried to ease the pain.

Engulfed with a different sensation when he was doused with a bucket of freezing cold water, he spluttered and swore, not knowing what to do. But at last he managed to open his eyes sufficiently to see the hooded men looking at him.

‘
You have left us in no doubt that you would have killed her,’ the man in the centre said. ‘Good.’

‘
But why -?’

‘
Did I order you to stop?’

Patrick nodded weakly.

‘
Number Sixty-Six, your victim was Number Thirty-Nine.’

The girl moved into Patrick’s line of sight. She lifted her hand to her neck ‘I’m sorry I had to do that but you were … you were reluctant to do as the Master ordered.’

‘
You are …?’

‘
Yes, I am.’ She smiled as she reached down to him. ‘Now, I’m sure The Master will not mind if I take you from here and help you ease the pain I caused you.’ She helped Patrick to his feet before, and still holding his hand she turned and bowed to the Master and his council.

Patrick also bowed.

‘
You have done well, Number Sixty-Six. Only very few get to this stage and those that don’t pay the price ... Go with Number Thirty-Nine and enjoy what she has to offer because when we next meet you will be ready.’

Singapore/Hong Kong 2004

Jeremy Jacobs was right; Adam was somewhere over the Indian Ocean but he shouldn’t have been. Cathay Pacific Flight CX252 was on finals for an unscheduled approach to Singapore’s Changi International Airport having earlier developed a technical problem with its starboard outer engine. The Captain had assured his passengers it was a minor setback but it did mean a stop-over for probably a couple of hours to get the fault corrected. He apologised for any inconvenience this may have caused but further assured his passengers he would do all he could to make up for lost time once they were airborne again. However, they should expect their arrival in Hong Kong to be delayed.

There was an audible sigh from the passengers.

The probable delayed arrival time for Flight CX252 had already been registered at Hong Kong International Airport. As Patrick Yong looked up at the arrivals board he saw the delay would mean the flight would arrive at 0850hrs rather than 0450hrs. He was pleased because it would mean he could get a couple of hours more sleep.

He exited the airport, tapped out a number on his mobile phone and said, ‘Sixty-Six. Flight delayed. Be here at 8am.’

‘
Thirty-Nine, I will be there,’ the female voice said on the other end of the phone.

‘
And you are happy with what you have to do?’

‘
Happy is perhaps the wrong word but I am aware of my duty.’

‘
I will give you the sign as he passes through passport control.’

‘
I’ll be watching. Where is he staying?’

‘
I don’t know, that is for you ...’

‘
I understand.’

Ashbourne 2004

‘
Hong Kong?’ Gabrielle repeated.

‘ ’
Fraid so. He flew out at lunchtime today.’

‘
But why?’

‘
Even he could not answer that one. But having heard what you’ve said then perhaps a few questions do now have answers.’

Jeremy had almost finished his rack of lamb but Gabrielle was still picking at her salad. The news of Adam flying to Hong Kong that very day was quite devastating, not to say ironic.

‘
What do you mean?’

‘
Well I had no idea he’d been to Scotland let alone his reason for going was to top himself. I -’

‘
You make it sound so matter-of-fact. We’re talking about a man’s life here.’ Gabrielle put her knife and fork down on a half-eaten salad.

‘
I know and I’m sorry if I sound blasé and just a little insensitive but I suppose after years in the legal profession it makes you that way. What happened to Lucinda and the children was horrific and my heart went out to Adam and his parents, but life goes on. We must move forward. If we spent all the time looking backwards we wouldn’t progress at all.’

‘
That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.’

‘
What you’ve told me makes me ask whether he has gone back to Hong Kong to bury a few ghosts, or whether …’ Jeremy hesitated.

‘
What? Go on.’

‘
I really don’t know. The children had never been to Hong Kong so their ghosts are here not there. I just think … as I said, I really don’t know.’

‘
There’s obviously something you want to tell me,’ Gabrielle suggested. ‘If you believe you know why Adam has gone to Hong Kong then say so.’ She could hear the frustration in her own voice.

‘
You’re making me nervous. Your beautiful eyes are quite penetrating.’

‘
And why are you nervous?’

‘
As I said, because of you.’

‘
Me?’

‘
Yes, you.’ The waiter approached the table. ‘A generous brandy for me and for madam …’ Jeremy looked at Gabrielle.

‘
Just a coffee for me, please.’

‘
What about that pudding?’

‘
No, no thank you. A coffee will do.’

‘
A generous brandy and two coffees, please.’

‘
You’re very good at not answering questions,’ Gabrielle said. ‘You should have been a politician.’

‘
I would never stoop so low. And what questions haven’t I answered?’

She smiled and shook her head. ‘You know exactly what questions I’m referring to.’

‘
I think I told you earlier you should smile more often. It makes a perfect face even more perfect.’

She took a deep breath. ‘Jeremy, can I make one thing perfectly clear?’

‘
What’s that?’

‘
I agreed to meet you for a drink and then have dinner with you because I wanted information. There are no hidden messages, there’s nothing you should read into my motives, so you can stop the compliments.’ Once again Gabrielle touched his fingers with hers. ‘I don’t mean that nastily but I just wanted to make things perfectly clear.’

‘
Are you suggesting, delectable lady,’ Jeremy said, looking down at Gabrielle’s hand which she quickly withdrew, ‘that I have designs on you? Are you inferring I was perhaps expecting more from you than your exquisite company, and wanted to give you more than the information you so obviously desire? ’

‘
Jeremy! You’ve had three pints of lager and the best part of a bottle of wine. I -’

‘
Delectable lady, you are more intoxicating than the strongest of lagers and the most palatable of wines. You have come to me from my dreams, you …’

‘
Jeremy, will you please stop it!’

‘
Only if you let me have the coffees and my brandy redirected to your room and then, and only then, will I tell you why I think Adam Harrison might have gone to Hong Kong.’

‘
No, that’s blackmail,’ she told him without hesitation.

‘
Then must it really end like this? When we are in the dawn of a relationship are you going to -’

‘
We are not in the dawn of any relationship and if you don’t stop it I will walk out.’

‘
To where, delectable lady? Where will you go? You are staying here.’

‘
I’ll go and find a good solicitor.’

‘
Delectable lady, you have found one. I am that good solicitor. What may I ask is the problem?’