Leopard Dreaming (45 page)

‘That’s my girl.’ Symes grinned.

‘So how’s your bead on Garland coming?’

‘Brilliant, thanks to this handy setup. She’s up there, in the penthouse of the tallest apartment block.’ Moser set down his Glock on the narrow counter and returned his attention to the wall of motley surveillance screens, each suspended almost magically in a spaghetti web of wires and cables. ‘You set all this up yourself?’

‘I do what I can on a rice budget. There are too many smugglers of drugs and wildlife, and too many suppliers of alcohol to minors not to have eyes into every hotel and boarding house when I need them. Ironic really. If the mole is the one who made me take the day off while he came to town, and if Garland had included me in surveillance, they’d have been able to see anywhere they wanted and I would have been on that side of the screen beside them, instead of here.’ She wrapped her arms around the two men. ‘… hugged up nice and cosy on this side. So what’s the gossip?’

‘Garland’s off the protein shakes,’ Moser replied. ‘Now she’s sweating coffee.’

‘And she’s got her people widening their net to find Kitching’s submarine, but she’s been back to their cappuccino machine twice since we flicked on, and I think it’s to keep an eye on this pair.’ Symes pointed to a tall dark-haired technician and a shorter, stockier
blond man, both working around the dining table at makeshift workstations, surrounded by more laptops.

‘My money’s on the blond,’ Moser said. ‘It may not look like it right now, but he’s been keeping a wary eye on Garland. Twice I’ve seen him check her back is turned before sending encoded texts on his second laptop. If your camera had a tighter angle in that room, I might be able to see exactly what he’s been sending. Where’s it planted?’

‘In a painting. A bit clichéd, but the old tricks are some of my favourites. It’s a beach scene, in the eye of a seagull. Bird’s eye view. Get it?’

‘Corny.’ Symes zoomed as far as pixels would permit. ‘I’m surprised you ever get authorisation in time to observe anyone.’

‘Observe?’ she laughed. ‘Oh, no, Uncle. We’re not observing. We’re testing equipment.’

‘There,’ Moser said, just as the blond guy glanced over his shoulder at Garland. ‘What do you think?’

‘Top candidate,’ Delaney agreed. ‘And my gut’s telling me it’s time to go in.’

‘With what?’ asked Symes. ‘Two seconds of footage and a hunch? We need Exhibit A.’

‘You’re looking at her. I’ve heard his voice, remember?’

‘Voices can be faked,’ he argued, ‘especially when digitised during transmission. And memory is subjective. You know that, Cassie. Either can be undermined too easily in court. We also need to keep in mind that Garland’s not only hunting for a rogue colonel. She’s also hunting for his Mr Big; the one she calls Mr Mystery. We’ve suspected that from the beginning, or else she could have closed the net on Kitching ages ago. So even if she suspects or knows who the mole may be, she’ll still want to block any moves to take him down until she’s certain she knows where that link may lead.’

‘Okay, fine. I get it. If we blow the show now, we also leave a mess behind.’

‘And piss off the general.’ Moser leaned back in his chair, making it creak as he hefted his boots up onto the counter. ‘You think Bennet Chiron’s a pain, Cassie? You should meet Caroline Garland. She’s like a wasp in comparison.’

‘Queen wasp.’ Symes opened the van’s fridge and cracked the lid on a sparkling mineral water. ‘Lucky for us, she’s the queen of the meanest swarm in the country. All she needs is a target to sting, and whether she likes it or not, we’re going to help aim her in the right direction.’

‘What about Benny, though? Where does that leave him, and that hotshot guy, Adam? They don’t have much support out there, aside from Gabby. I’ve done raids with her before, so I’d trust her with my life, but she’s only one person.’

‘They’re only going ahead to scout the situation.’ Moser did a little more of that himself, refocusing on Garland.

Symes patted Cassie’s hand and offered her first sip from the bottle. ‘Don’t underestimate the musician or that one-armed lady soldier. And don’t look so worried, Cass. Your old crush Benny may be pretty banged up, but he’s safe aboard the
Limo
. And that hotshot bodyguard will be off the moment he’s within leaping distance of Mira.’

‘Safe, yeah, right.’ She sucked down a long gulp, trying to convince herself, and weighing the pros and cons of all the safety systems she’d noticed aboard that luxurious cruiser. ‘No problem. So long as they can sneak up with that bloody big ivory whale.’

A
n alarm beeped softly aboard the
Liquid Limo
, growing louder.

Lockman glanced up from his calming ritual of cleaning his Glock prior to commencing a mission and saw Darkin alone at the helm, playing the controls like a panicking pianist. Behind him, the sunset bled red and orange over the bay and mainland.

‘Is there a problem?’ Lockman asked. Seemed like an odd question, considering that he’d already laid open his survival kit, revealing his hunting vest with three smoke grenades, four frag grenades, five flash bangs, two spare Glocks and enough ammunition to start a small war.

‘Sixteen, apparently.’ Darkin threw up his arms in frustration. ‘The whole panel’s going disco.’

Behind them a cabin door burst open, just as the beeping accelerated into wailing.

Lockman spun about with his Glock in hand, safety off and …

‘Full stop and back on the engines!’ Gabby bolted out of the smallest room, still fastening the white leather button on her borrowed trousers. She ran past Sei and Ben, but too late — the deck lurched as they
ran aground. ‘
Merdouille
, Declan! I take two seconds for a comfort break and you find the only mud bank in the whole channel?’

‘Hey, I stick to deep water for a reason, sweet cheeks. The less distractions while I’m composing, the better, okay?’

‘Compose this!’ Gabby slapped her hand over Declan’s on the joystick and forced him to work the engines harder in reverse. ‘If you can dock at a pier, you can navigate a simple maze of mangroves.’ She bumped her hip against him, suggesting he should shift further out of her way.

‘Who can see shit in this light? I’m used to steering by sight out on deck with my remote.’

‘Yeah, well, congratulations. Here’s a chorus for you: this bank isn’t letting go. We’ve got suction.’

‘So rock the boat, baby.’ Darkin leaned against the helm, studying her intently. ‘You know how to do that,
oui
?’

‘Do you?’ She scowled at him only long enough to shove him to arm’s length.

‘Alas, no. I only suggested it because I saw a picture in the owner’s manual once, and I only remember that much because it reminded me of the song.’

‘A picture. Seriously?’ Gabby rolled her eyes. ‘Go and sit in the corner.’

Instead, Darkin shifted close up behind her, watching over her shoulder. ‘School’s in, Miss Teach. I’ll be good.’

Lockman shrugged on his hunting vest. ‘Here’s near enough for me.’ He kitted up with the rest of his gear, but as he reached down to his ankle to slide his knife home in its holster, he noticed the tremor in his hands starting. Adrenaline levels rising. Tick, tick, tick, in spurts through his veins.

He shook out the excess adrenaline from his hands, determined not to lose control like his father before him.

‘Are you set to handle everything this end?’ he asked, turning to Sei.

‘Of course, but are you?’ She lowered her voice so the others couldn’t hear. ‘Adam, are you sure you should be going ashore alone? Gabby’s right about the leaks in that dinghy. Floating debris is a more accurate way to describe it. And you’re exhibiting one too many symptoms of stress. Hyper-vigilance, mistrust of others, and don’t try telling me this isn’t slightly suicidal.’

‘Says the woman who’s suffered more trauma than any of us.’

‘Hey, I’ve scheduled my time to fall apart when this is over. Until then, empowerment is the surest form of therapy. So let me come with you, Adam. Gabby can —’

He cut her off with a glare, wrenched the zipper closed on his backpack and hoisted it over his shoulders.

The engines shuddered and cut out.

‘Oh, brilliant.’ Gabby cut power and switched off everything, including the running lights. ‘Hope you’re insured, Mr Music. Your tailpipes are fouled.’

‘I’ll add it to the bill for the sherlocks.’

‘Can you handle this?’ Lockman repeated more urgently. He glanced at Ben, who maintained a suspicious watch on every move he made.

Sei nodded reluctantly.

‘Tide’s turning,’ Gabby said, still working furiously at the helm. She powered up and down in spurts a few more times, explaining that it should help to clear the jets and rock the hull, although the deck remained as steady as solid ground. ‘We’ll be free in an hour or two. If Declan really wants to get down and dirty, now’s his chance. I’ll put him over the side for some real hands-on work.’

Silently, Sei offered Lockman the golden Desert Eagle and his choice from the assortment of pistols
and rifles she’d confiscated from Darkin when she’d first come aboard, but Lockman rested his hand on her shoulder, declining them all.

‘Nothing that shines or rattles,’ he said. ‘Grab some shoe polish or make-up and take the shine off them for yourself. It’ll be dusk soon, and Darkin’s not a bad shot for a civilian. Probably better if the deck’s not moving. So when Gabby’s done with him, you might consider sending him topside on patrol. Keep him out of her hair.’

‘Good luck, Lieutenant.’ She saluted him, even though she knew he’d been discharged. ‘Here’s to your surprise party. May all the startles be theirs.’

‘I’m only going ashore to scout.’

‘Yeah, right.’

Lockman nodded, even though he knew Freddie must have heard him coming all this time; their futures already laid out together, inevitable and waiting to play through, like a song already written and recorded. Not much Lockman could do, aside from throwing out their timing by upping the tempo. And maybe a few silent bombshells. In the meantime, everyone aboard the
Limo
should be safe, so long as they could get it moving again. Stationary, it seemed vulnerable no matter how many anti-hijacking features it had.

He headed for the stern, until Chiron rolled forward in his wheelchair to block him. ‘Congratulations,’ he goaded. ‘You must have one hell of a hard-on to get this close to your colonel. Tell me, is it vengeance, spite or arrogance that made you stoop so low as to use Mira as bait?’

Lockman slammed both hands down on the arms of the wheelchair, taking himself down to the same height, face to face. ‘She. Is. Not. My. Bait,’ he seethed through clenched teeth.

‘Adam!’ Tarin grabbed him by the arm. ‘He doesn’t understand.’

‘Neither do you. Either of you.’

‘Just back off, okay?’ She patted him lightly.

Lockman threw up his hands, disgusted at himself anyway. He should have confessed how much Mira meant to him, but Chiron was right. What good was he to her if he couldn’t keep her safe?

He moved to sidestep them both, but as he did, Chiron caught Lockman’s left wrist with broken fingers that also snagged under his wrist watch. Ben was too weak to really stop him, and yet it worked as well as slamming on brakes.

‘Wait!’ Chiron pleaded, staring up at him. His grip tightened, as did the pained expression, making it clear he’d hang on for as long as he could to get a straight answer. ‘What is it that we don’t understand?’

‘Let him go, Adam.’

‘Let
him
go?’ Lockman blinked at Tarin. ‘He’s the one who’s hooked onto me. The poor bastard is so busted up already, I could snap off his arms right now, just by flinching.’

‘Try it, and you’ll need to deal with me,’ she said, returning the pressure on his sleeve. ‘He’s my man now.’

‘
Your
man?’ Gabby interrupted. ‘When did that happen?’

Tarin glared across Lockman’s shoulder at her. ‘You want to argue?’

‘Hell, no.’ Gabby backed up a step. ‘I don’t need to know all the details, just the three big ones. It was bad, what you both went through. You brought him back to us in one piece, more or less. And you sacrificed a lot doing it. There’s only one argument I want to see, and that’s the one between you and Mel.’

‘Sorry to disappoint, but we already had that meet ’n’ greet at the hospital.’ Tarin’s lip curled with the hint of a smile. ‘It lasted all of two seconds when her nurse wheeled her past me in the hall outside his room, and
she looked me up and down, and nodded. Next day, she sent me flowers.’

‘Were they poisonous?’

‘Gabby!’ Ben chided. ‘We’ve got bigger business.’

‘Hey, I was only asking.’

He turned his attention back to Lockman, his expression hardening again to deadly serious. ‘You’re going to kill Kitching, right? To end all this.’ Chiron’s eyes begged for nothing less. ‘If you won’t let me go to her, at least swear an oath that you’ll remember you’re the guy she trusted to keep her safe. So when things go wrong, as they always do around Mira, please try to be a real man, and bring her out again. Whatever it takes.’

‘That’s the plan.’ But nailed through the heart, Lockman could barely breathe. Here was the fork in the road that his father had faced. To go out, all guns blazing, no matter the cost or risks to himself; or to hold the cautious stance and virtually guarantee that his enemies could slip away to do harm another day. But now that Chiron had shoved the signpost right up in his face, and he could see the fork clearly, he could finally recognise that he’d already missed the turn that would save him from oblivion. No matter how much he’d tried to avoid killing, he’d passed the point that would make it inevitable. He … loved … Mira … Chambers. He had to go after her, no matter what. Like his father before him, he’d sacrifice himself, if that’s what it took. He could only hope that, unlike his father, there’d be no innocents to get in the way.

‘Promise me!’ Chiron demanded.

Lockman offered his right hand, palm up as a peace offering. ‘And Maddy Sanchez,’ he vowed. ‘I’ll get them both out.’

Chiron nodded and accepted the handshake; the only other person in the world who understood why Mira would refuse to leave without Maddy — except
perhaps Freddie Leopard, but at least half the current situation was his fault anyway.

Darkin fetched the pair of two-way radios from the
Ski Ya Later
and handed one to Lockman, while Gabby finished up a brief time-out from the helm to bail out the
Seaview Play
for him.

‘Marine frequencies are already sync’d on channel sixty,’ Darkin explained. ‘So up three if you need a Plan B. And the emergency channel is —’

‘Sixteen,’ Lockman said. ‘Or sixty-nine if we need to guarantee General Garland hears through the navy. ‘Thanks, mate. This is all way above and beyond the call of anything the feds asked of you.’

Darkin grinned and clapped Lockman on the back. ‘I’m still adding it to their bill.’

‘Yeah, you do that. With a copy to General Caroline Garland, care of the National Security Task Force, so she can make sure you get paid.’

‘Oars are here,’ Gabby said, flicking them out to full extension. She traded places with Lockman, and tossed him a pair of pails. ‘Safe night, soldier. Bring them back safe and we’ll celebrate with a dawn party.’

Lockman sighed. ‘I’m only going ashore to scout.’

Gabby laughed. ‘Yeah, right.’

Darkin leaned to peer into the
Seaview Play.
‘Hey, are those pails my wine coolers?’

‘Bill them to Garland.’ Gabby elbowed him aside to help Lockman shunt away from the hull, and as he rowed away to make himself one with the deepening shadows between mangroves, he heard her voice echo softly across the water.

‘Drop your pants, Mr Music. Time to get dirty.’

Mira, Mira in the lair. Who’s the darkest heart? Beware.

It was her. Freddie was sure of it now, far more than he ever had been.

Handcuffed to his sedated angel, he watched Mira, the seed of evil, cowering against a gurney on the far side of the old infirmary — trembling as if
she
was the innocent victim.

He knew her too well. Better than she knew herself. He could see her listening to the footsteps approaching outside in the hall with her eyes closed, as if that somehow made it easier for her to envision who was out there.

He’d heard it all before; time whispering her secrets to him, confiding in him and him alone. Trusting him with the future, while confining Mira Chambers to the past.

From the softest whispers, he could guess much of her past too. He knew the park ranger had brought the joey aboard that great sleek yacht. Some of its concealed secrets were yet to work to his advantage. He knew the young cop Delaney would be the key to solving the detectives’ dilemma; that her dog made the difference in thwarting the hijack — and that Lina Creed had done her deed with the first stage of paperwork and was being taken now to another room much further down the hall from him.

He also knew Lockman was on his way like an Exocet missile; a human smart bomb, attacking low and fast with his own strategic countermeasures. There seemed no chance of avoiding him now without upsetting the balance of all the other repercussions.

Time to bunker down to weather the worst of the fallout.

But it’s done!
the lynx would howl.
The ball is rolling. We’re partners now, above board and in public. You have to let me go so I can finish the process from my own office!

And I shall,
his brother would decree.
Just as soon as I can get you away from here safely. There’s another guest coming soon, who’ll be somewhat cranky.

Mira strained to hear the conversation out in the hall, aware that Fredarick had fallen silent too long.

‘Somewhat cranky?’ Freddie screamed as the Larrikin inside him burst awake. ‘Did you idiots pay no heed to the Sage’s manuscript? He’ll come in here and go nuclear!’

Freddie did a fair job of that himself, leaping from creaky bed to creaky bed as sprightly as a monkey, startling Mira and making her squeal as he bounded around the infirmary past her. He knew all the tricks for dodging sedatives as well as she did, and he could slip in and out of straitjackets faster and easier than she could slide her small wrists out of standard handcuffs. Or pick them, if she had a common hairpin. Yet she stayed in place for as long as she dared, pretending to be no threat.

The longer Freddie kept the guards’ attention, the longer she could keep her eyes closed and the better she could establish a picture of her surroundings from the sounds and movements of all those around her. Three wounded soldiers queued up to her left, all winged by Lockman that morning during their raid with the water cannon. A surgeon’s sink to her right, where a male nurse had taken the first injured man to clean and re-dress his injury; chinking scissors onto a metal bench and switching on a tap to wash away the scent of bloody bandages. Otherwise, with her eyes open, the infirmary seemed nothing more than a natural cavern in the centuries-old bedrock. Ancient cave art plastered the walls around a scattering of small bones and pipi shells in one corner.