Hand In Glove Part 66

explanation. She must know nothing of the reason for her release and those who do know must say nothing, now or in the future."

The arrangements for exchange were crucial. They might conceal a carefully planned deception. Charlotte knew this only too well. She had to weight her eagerness to agree against the possibility of further trickery. But she had no sooner began considering the problem than a ring at the doorbell interrupted her. Rising from the chair with the telephone pressed to her ear, she peered out through the net-curtained window.

But no car was visible on the drive or in the road. If, as she greatly feared, it was Golding, he had arrived on foot, which scarcely seemed likely. But somebody had, as a second ring of the bell confirmed.

"Well, Miss Ladram? Do you accept our conditions?"

"I must know more about them. Where . . . Where would the exchange take place?"

"We have chosen somewhere offering privacy and security to both parties."

There was a tapping on the window. When Charlotte looked round, she saw a bulky figure crouching close to the gla.s.s, cupping his hands around his eyes in an attempt to penetrate the screen of net.

"Miss Ladram?"

"I . . . I'm sorry. When . . . When do you envisage . . ."

"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"So . . . So soon?" It was a stupid remark and she instantly regretted it. Looking round again, she was relieved to see that the figure had vanished from the window. She could only hope he had given up and gone away. "I'm sorry. Tomorrow morning is fine."

"Good. You accept, then?"

"Perhaps. Tell me the details first."

"No. I must have your acceptance first. There can be no quibbling about any of our conditions. They are strictly non-negotiable."

Another tapping, more like a drumming now. And from a different direction. Charlotte looked up. Standing at the uncurtained patio doors on the other side of the house, staring in at her through the dining room and the arch that separated it from the lounge, was Colin Fairfax. She recognized him at once from his court appearance more than three months ago. He was wearing exactly the same clothes-dark blue blazer, fawn trousers, open-necked striped s.h.i.+rt-and much the same expression of baffled disgruntlement. He tapped again as she watched.

404.

R O B E R T G O D D A R D.

"Miss Ladram, do I have your undivided attention? You seem not to be concentrating on the matter in hand."

"I'm concentrating. Your conditions . . . I accept them." Speed was vital now. Colin Fairfax was not going to give up. That was obvious.

She had to conclude her negotiations with Galazarga before he decided to take drastic action. "I accept all of them."

"Good. These, then, are the arrangements. Make a careful note of them, since I shall not repeat myself."

Charlotte grabbed a pencil and leant forward to reach the pad of paper she had placed by the telephone earlier. "I'm listening."

"Mr Fairfax and his companion will drive to Orense, one hundred and eleven kilometres south-east of Santiago de Compostela. From there they will take the N120 road for Ponferrada. After forty-nine kilometres, they will reach the village of Castro Caldelas. There they will turn off to the north on the minor road to Monforte de Lemos, descending by a series of zig-zags into the valley of the river Sil. They will stop on the southern side of the bridge by which the road crosses the river, arriving no later than eight fifty-five tomorrow morning, Sat.u.r.day October ten. Our representatives will bring your niece to the northern side of the bridge by the same time. At nine o'clock exactly, Mr Fairfax will walk unaccompanied to the centre of the bridge, taking the doc.u.ment with him, but no weapon of any kind, nor anything that could be mistaken for a weapon. One of our representatives will join him on the bridge and will inspect the doc.u.ment. If it is found to be satisfactory, your niece will be allowed to cross the bridge. Mr Fairfax and his companion will then start back with her towards Castro Caldelas, while our representatives depart in the opposite direction. Mr Fairfax and his companion will deliver your niece to a police station of their choice during the morning, but will not accompany her inside. They will tell her to say she was released by her kidnappers without explanation and does not know where or by whom she was held. They will tell her nothing else. Is that clear?"

"Yes. It's clear." Colin was banging his fist against the patio door now and shouting. Soon, the neighbours would be bound to hear.

And she had still to pa.s.s Galazarga's conditions on to Derek. She held up her hand to pacify Colin, but it appeared to have no effect. "Mr Fairfax will abide by these arrangements to the letter. You have . . .

You have my guarantee."

"And you have mine that we will do the same. I trust there will be no . . . mishaps."

H A N D I N G L O V E.

405.

"So do-"

"Goodbye, Miss Ladram."

Charlotte slammed the telephone down, hurried across the dining room, released the lock on the patio doors and slid one panel open.

Her action seemed to confuse Colin, who stepped back uncertainly.

"Mr Fairfax," Charlotte said as calmly as she could, "I am here with your brother's knowledge and consent, so there is no need to create a disturbance."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"My name is Charlotte Ladram."

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l! You're Maurice Abberley's sister."

"Yes. And I greatly regret the injustice you've suffered on his ac - count, but-"

"Was it you Dredge spoke to on the blower? I thought it must be some . . . Where is Derek? And why wasn't he in court this morning?

You were supposed to tell him about it." Each remark was accompanied by a stab of the forefinger and an ominous lowering of the brow.

"Derek's in Spain."

"Spain? But . . . According to his office, he's supposed to be down with flu, being nursed by a cousin in Leicester neither of us has. Do you mean to say I might have had to stay in chokey just because he's decided to have an illicit week in the sun?"

"Of course not. He's not on holiday. And you've been released anyway, haven't you?"

"Small thanks to Derek. If he's not on holiday, what is he on?"

"He's doing something for me."

"For you?"

"Yes. But I don't have time to explain. When he gets back-"

A ring at the front door-bell stopped her in mid-sentence. She whirled round, hoping against hope . . . But there was a car in the drive now and another in the road, its blue light and Thames Valley Constabulary markings clearly visible. They had come, as she had known they would. But they had come too soon.

"Oh, G.o.d, it's the police."

"The police?" There was a second and longer ring at the door.

"What do they want?"

"Me."

"You? Come off it."

Time was running out. If she was lucky, she had a few minutes left, a few minutes which she had to put to good use. To call Derek 406 R O B E R T G O D D A R D.

now was impossible, especially with Colin firing questions and accusations at her. But maybe, just maybe, Colin might be her saviour.

"Come inside," she said, grasping at his forearm. "Quickly!"

"What the h.e.l.l's going on?"

"Listen to me. Please." Charlotte slid the door shut behind him and locked it. "I did my best to make up for what my brother did to you, didn't I? I handed over the evidence of his guilt to the police. It's because of that evidence you've been released."

"I suppose so, but-"

"Now I need to ask you a favour in return."

"A favour?"

There were three sharp rings at the door, followed by several raps of the knocker. Charlotte ran back to the telephone and grabbed the sheet of paper on which she had recorded Galazarga's instructions.

Colin walked slowly after her, his face creased by a puzzled frown.

"Aren't you going to let them in?"

"Not yet. There's something I have to tell you first. I need your help, Colin. Desperately."

"My help?"

"Yes. And when you understand, I can only pray you'll agree to give it."

One o'clock was a deadline Derek had imposed on himself an hour earlier to calm his nerves. As it pa.s.sed, his patience snapped. He picked up the telephone and began dialling, deliberately avoiding Frank's gaze as he did so. There was a delay of several seconds, then the ringing tone, followed almost immediately by an answer.

"Tunbridge Wells 315509."

It was not Charlotte. It was not even the form of words she had said she would use. It sounded disturbingly like a policewoman.

"h.e.l.lo?"

He slammed the telephone down and looked across at Frank. "It wasn't her," he said numbly. "Somebody else answered. Somebody who . . . I think it's gone wrong, Frank. I think it's gone disastrously wrong."

Two o'clock found Charlotte sitting at a metal table in a bare strip-lit interview room at Newbury Police Station. On the other side of the H A N D I N G L O V E.

407.

table, Golding leant forward in his chair, scanning her face for some kind of reaction while Superintendent Miller prowled the lin-oleumed s.p.a.ce between them and the door, venting his anger at Charlotte's conduct. Behind him stood a woman police constable, staring expressionlessly at the opposite wall.

"You've thrown away our best chance of saving your niece. You've ensured we can't contact her kidnappers as we'd planned, can't reason with them, can't negotiate at all. Why, Miss Ladram? Why do such a stupid thing?"

"They may still call on Mr Fairfax's number," Charlotte replied.

"You can negotiate with them then, can't you?"

"But you won't be there to answer."

"Well, that's because I'm here, isn't it? That's your decision."

"We can't trust you any more, Charlotte," said Golding. "Surely you understand that. How can we when you've gone behind our backs like this?"

"I simply didn't see the need to wait until tomorrow."

"You didn't see the need to let us know what you said to the kidnappers," shouted Miller. "That's the truth, isn't it? You wanted to strike a private deal with them."

"Why, Charlotte?" Golding gently enquired. "What were you trying to hide?"

"Nothing."

"What made you think you could do better on your own?"

"I just . . . wanted to try."

"If you were on your own, of course. Where's Derek Fairfax?"

"I don't know."

"His brother said you refused to offer any explanation for his absence-or for your presence in his house."

"He told you the truth."

"But you didn't, did you?" bellowed Miller, bringing the flat of his hand down on to the table so suddenly that Charlotte jumped.

"You were there yesterday morning as well. Why?"

"Derek asked me to look in from time to time while he was away."

"Away where?"

"He didn't say."

Miller snorted and turned away. But Golding's gaze did not s.h.i.+ft from her face. "Did the kidnappers ring this morning, Charlotte?"

"No."

408.

R O B E R T G O D D A R D.