Tedd and Todd's secret (31 page)

Then something changed. A wave of heat flooded his body, immersing him in a strangely pleasant and comforting glow. He'd been in the depths of despair but something had brought him back. Little by little, he became conscious of his own body again, the sounds around him storming back, his blood circulating normally again. He half-opened his eyes and found his arms wrapped around Carol and her mouth on his.

They stopped kissing, and she stepped back and stared into his eyes. He kissed her again. He needed the reassurance of her body wrapped in his, the liquid warmth of her mouth. It was all he had to stave madness off.

Fletcher had already left them alone.

"It can't be true," Dylan Blair exclaimed, his face losing all its colour as he stared at a short, blond-haired, blue-eyed man in a white suit that seemed to all intents and purposes to be James White. "Ashley's called James. The damn woman. I wish Earl had flattened her with his hammer."

"Calm down," Ethan said. "It's not him. It's the other one. Colin White."

Ethan's explanation confused Dylan.

"Are you sure? I don't know how you can tell the difference. It looks like James down to the mole on his neck."

"They were under my orders, don't forget. The one who's in the chair can tell the difference. I guess I've still got it. You'll find out soon enough."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Trevor Deemer demanded to know.

The dumped bridegroom had finally come to accept that Helen was involved in something that was beyond his comprehension. He'd watched her fire arrows at a man throwing spears at her. And these two men beside him had restrained him, and were now talking in riddles. But what bothered him more than anything else was how cold and calculating Helen had been. This woman with the bow and arrow was like no woman he had ever met.

"You can't understand it. And that's better for you. Forget all this, my friend."

The three men fell silent along with the rest of the throng in the mall. The shopping centre was a battle zone. People had either run off or were watching the action from a good distance away.

Ashley was still seated in the strange wheelchair a few yards behind Allan. She appeared to have no intention of getting involved.

The only thing Trevor could make out was that it came down to a battle between Whites and Blacks, which made Helen's insistence on keeping her name more interesting. And now another man in white had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A new enemy hell-bent on killing Helen.

"That's Colin," Ethan said.

Colin White was shorter than Allan and not as thin. The colour of his skin, eyes and hair was identical. Trevor thought he would throw himself at Helen straight away, seeing she was about to finish Allan off. But after pulling his sword out he did no more than stare at Helen coldly, studying the bow aimed at Allan. But she didn't shoot. She stood perfectly still, looking at her new adversary.

Seconds passed, which turned into minutes without anything happening. It was as if time itself had stopped and turned the foes into black and white statues.

Then suddenly they all moved at the same time. Helen dropped her arm and spun around while Colin sheathed his sword and disappeared from where he had come. Ashley withdrew and Allan pulled the two arrows embedded in his body out without showing any sign of pain or even groaning, before he ran off in another direction.

"Good, it seems like the show's over," Dylan said. "It wasn't too bad. Cheer up, young fella. Your girl's still in one piece."

"And this seems a joke to you, doesn't it?" Trevor observed, still coming to terms with what had just happened. The suits, the weapons, the sudden ceasefire, nothing made any sense.

"Don't worry about it," Ethan advised Trevor. "Let's go, Dylan. Nothing more's going to happen here. Tomorrow it'll all come to an end."

"I'll catch up with James," Dylan said. "I've got a bet outstanding with that dwarf."

CHAPTER 23

Nine out of ten people would be shocked if they saw a priest's sermon interrupted by a rock group. And all the more so if that happened at a funeral.

Nevertheless, Aidan Zack only felt a wave of fury when the priest lifted his head from the bible and the whole congregation turned to stare angrily at the offender and the wild tone on the mobile phone he was taking out of his coat pocket. Ramsey mumbled a weak apology as he hurried off through the cemetery gardens.

Aidan had seen him only a couple of times before, always wearing that strange wide-brimmed hat and carrying the black walking stick. He didn't know what his connection to Lance had been, but he was thinking about going after him now and making him swallow his mobile phone. A soft tug on his left hand turned him back to the sad ceremony that had brought him to the cemetery: Lance Norwood's funeral.

It was a cold morning with clouds as grey as lead that threatened rain any minute. A bad day to be buried.

Aidan Zack's eyes had almost disappeared behind the large black rings that bore testimony to the little sleep he'd had the night before. He and Carol had been with Lance's family at the mortuary until late in the night and had stayed the night with them at Lance's house. Aidan had tossed and turned his way through the longest night he could remember, and if it hadn't been for Carol he would have drunk a bottle of whisky to try and forget what had happened.

Standing here now, in front of the coffin, Aidan was conscious for the first time of the great wound that had opened in his soul. The stories and experiences he'd shared with his dead partner were numerous. But that was the past now. He'd never hear Lance's jokes again or see him laugh or even have one of their many arguments. He held Carol tighter with the thought.

When the priest finished, the wailing of Lance's wife scratched the air, and made Aidan look away along the line of policemen who had come. There were many. And that was just because it was Lance Norwood. He'd touched everyone who had ever met him.

The coffin was lowered into the grave and earth was shovelled slowly onto the polished oakwood. Some threw flowers in and murmured prayers and Aidan and Carol expressed their grief once more to the widow, and then walked slowly away.

And as they did, further ahead, they met Ramsay again. He was paralysed at the side of the street, staring at the sky with an expression of panic painted across his face as if an aeroplane was about to come crashing down upon him. Aidan presumed he was just a poor fool and gave him a wide berth. He heard the chiming of bells somewhere in the distance.

"What are you thinking of doing?" Carol asked, breaking the silence. "And don't lie. I need to know."

"Legally, I can't do much. I'm suspended until the charges against me are resolved. But that's not going to stop me finding this Kodey Black and thanking him in my own special way for what's happened."

"You can't get any deeper into this, Aidan. If you're caught harassing someone again they won't be able to get you out of jail the next time. Promise me you won't do anything stupid," she said, standing in front of him.

"I'll control myself as well as I can," he answered, looking away.

"Let's hope you keep your word. What did your lawyer tell you about losing your job?"

"Nothing I can remember. He's a strange old man. He was accompanied by a kid who carried on like an adult. They didn't seem to be related. But who knows? Somehow, they got me out. I'll have to thank them for that the next time I see them. I'll buy a new walking stick for Tedd, the old bloke."

Carol looked confused. She'd stopped in the middle of the road. Aidan was about to ask her what was wrong when his phone rang. It was Fletcher.

The pathologist sounded excited. "You've got to come back to the mortuary. There's something you've got to see."

"Is it urgent? I've got to take Carol back to the newspaper."

"More Blacks and Whites have come in. Some haven't been identified but the similarity is unmistakable. It could be that the bodies have been mixed up and nobody will ever find out."

"OK. I'll be there as soon as I can. I've got a few things to do first."

"I'm sure those things can wait. I've got Earl Black in front of my nose and Kodey Black's body just came in."

"OK, I'm coming," Aidan said, hanging up. "They've just received Kodey Black's body down at the morgue. I‘ve got to go there now."

"Don't worry, I'll get a taxi. But tell me something first. This lawyer of yours, you said his name was Tedd. Is the other one Todd?"

"How'd you know that?" Aidan asked surprised.

"Where did you get these two from?"

"Wilfred. He got them for me, along with the Ferrari," Aidan paused. "How did you know the kid's name?"

"Kodey Black," Carol was almost breathless. "Yesterday, when we detained him, Lance threatened to lock him up. And Kodey just laughed, saying that he'd been in situations like that before and that his lawyers had always got him out. He mentioned their names then. Tedd and Todd."

"But… then," Aidan stammered. "This means…"

"Check it all out first before you do anything stupid. Remember what you promised me. Find out what Fletcher's got while I keep at it. As soon as I find anything out I'll call you."

"They've played with me for the last time. Wilfred's behind all of this and he's lied to me. When I catch up with him he'll wish the cancer had got him first."

The practice of being a lawyer was exhausting, especially if you put your heart and soul into it like Aston Lowel. And the way he was going he would be remembered as one of the best lawyers that London had ever had.

He burnt the midnight oil most days in the belief that his work was of supreme importance. Locking up criminals was fulfilling a social duty and he was proud of carrying it out. Of course he was also driven by personal ambition and was often pleased to see his photo in the paper. There was nothing wrong with that. In fact, in his opinion, it was the only way to go about his work. Talent can only carry you so far. Ambition is what takes you all the way.

Aston was intelligent and it didn't bother him to be putting everything into his work. But what did bother him was finding someone in his office first thing in the morning. He liked to start the day with a cup of coffee alone at his desk.

"Can't it wait?" Aston asked his assistant, hanging up his coat in an effort to disguise his irritation.

He didn't like to start the day like this. He went back to his desk and for the first time studied the bundle of nerves before him.

"I thought you'd want to know as soon as possible," his assistant said.

"I presume it's not good news then," Aston said more to himself than the other man.

"They let Aidan Zack out on bail yesterday."

"That's impossible. I was talking with him yesterday afternoon," Aston said, thinking it through.

If it was true it was bad news indeed. The legal situation was still the same, but it still bothered him that it had happened so quickly. After being insulted by him in the police station it annoyed him to think that Aidan was free again.

"I still don't understand it properly, but Judge Emmel authorized the bail."