Part 35 (1/2)

I steered him left at the junction with Harwood Road. The crowd started to thin and most of the noise was behind us. I scanned for the Volvo down on the left. I knew it was going to be there, but I wanted to see if the driver still was.

As we approached, he opened the pa.s.senger door and pushed the seat forward for me. Still gripping Jules, I jumped into the back. I pushed the pa.s.senger seat upright again and dragged him inside with the pliers. Kleinmann's trouser belt was beside me. The loose end was already threaded into the buckle to make a loop.

No one said a word as I threw the keys to Kleinmann. Jules fought the pain through clenched teeth. Kleinmann did up Jules's seat belt like I'd told him to. I didn't want the police making a routine traffic stop just because the pa.s.senger was unbelted. Jules's face was screwed up with pain. I looped the belt over his head and around his neck and the head restraint, and pulled.

Jules's left hand dangled between the door and the seat. I'd swapped the pliers into my left hand so I could keep control directly behind him. He pushed back against the head restraint and took several deep breaths, fighting the belt that was trying to stop him. It looked like he was going to start talking.

I pulled the belt tight to keep him in place. 'Not now. You'll have plenty of chance to waffle.'

I gave Kleinmann a nod. 'Let's go.'

The Cavendish Square car park was as good a place as any to head for. The car had a reason to be there because it had a designated s.p.a.ce. It was also Sunday, so many of the business s.p.a.ces around his were going to be empty.

It took us half an hour just to get away from the area of the ground, and another thirty minutes to get up behind John Lewis. He nosy-parked in his s.p.a.ce.

Kleinmann unfastened his seat belt and opened his door. He was more than ready to get out. He left the keys in the ignition. He knew he had to return in thirty minutes. If he did, he did. I was beyond worrying about that at the moment.

As soon as the door closed I pulled tighter on the belt. Julian gagged and writhed his hips, as if that was going to help.

'If you think that hurt, you're not going to believe what's coming next.'

I released the pliers and swapped them back into my right hand. Then, with my a.r.s.e in the air, I reached over the back of his seat and clamped them onto the bridge of his nose. I squeezed until I could feel bone against the steel. He jerked his head and I squeezed harder. 'Any more pressure and it's going to burst. You know that.'

I wanted him scared. But I also wanted him to talk.

8

Jules's breathing was fast and laboured. He tried to adjust his head to give his throat some respite. I felt the steel grind against bone. His hands gripped the sides of the seat to take the pain.

'Kleinmann, Anna and me -' I gave the pliers a squeeze '- we're trying to find a way out of this s.h.i.+t, and you're going to help us.'

I pulled some more on the belt. He arched his back and his legs jerked straight, his feet pus.h.i.+ng into the footwell. His mouth opened to spray saliva onto the windscreen. My left forearm rested on the top of his head with the pliers still gripping the bridge of his nose.

'Why did you f.u.c.k me over, Jules?'

He didn't react. He'd probably thought about it and knew the best thing was to stop moving and start thinking.

I released the belt a fraction so he could speak.

'Nick, why didn't you stand down and come back when I told you?'

'What the f.u.c.k are you on about?'

I looked at him in the rear-view. His eyes were fixed on mine. Saliva ran down his chin. His eyes were wide, but fighting to keep control. He knew he was in the s.h.i.+t, and had to talk.

'The police. The Dutch. They were watching the silo. A drugs operation.'

I loosened the belt a bit more.

'We didn't know about it, Nick. They saw you when you did your recce. They pinged the car, got the plate, and started to follow you out - but they lost you when you left the building. We only got on to it when Nicholas Smith was flagged. That's when I told Bradley to stand you down. It was categorical, Nick. Come back, cut away. Why didn't you?'

I jolted the belt to let him know I'd heard enough.

His eyes had already done most of the talking by the time he answered.

I released the pressure on his nose.

He took deep breaths and raised a hand to the wound.

I stuck the pliers against his neck, clamped down, and twisted. He screamed as I pulled tighter on the belt. The windows were completely steamed up.

'Why send me on a job when you knew Bradley was going to drop me afterwards?' I twisted again.

Now he was really worried. He knew how dead he might be soon.

I loosened the belt.

'Please, Nick. You asked for the job. It got compromised on the first night and I told Tresillian to stand you down. Next thing I know, the silo's. .h.i.t, and Bradley and a girl are dead.'

'What about Kleinmann? The drugs? The scan?'

His eyes flickered around, trying to process all this information.

'You kept telling me you were fine. I know nothing about the drugs. I know nothing about any illness.'

He twisted his head left and upwards. As our eyes made contact I told him what had happened.

He didn't move. The pliers had pinched into the skin and drops of blood coated the steel jaws.

'It all started after our meal, Jules. What am I supposed to think?'

He fell silent. Neither of us spoke for a while.

'You can do what you want with me, I know that. But I had nothing to do with what is happening to you or Kleinmann. Maybe I'm next. Have you thought about that? Maybe we need to sort this out together.'

Could he be telling the truth? Only one blue-and-white during the raid, and no back-up ... Maybe I'd been followed, and they'd been sent just to break up the rape so they could keep me moving. They must have lost me. Then picked me up again when I planted the device ...

The door opening on the factory next to the silo ... maybe that was their OP. They didn't know what the f.u.c.k I was doing with those girls. They wanted to follow the trail to get more int. They'd obviously react as soon as the shotgun rounds went off in the building. Maybe I'd been the target of the eye in the sky. I didn't know. Maybe it didn't really matter what they knew.

I wanted to believe Jules. And I knew he was right about one thing: there was a much bigger picture.

And it was hanging on Tresillian's wall.