The Hunted Child Page 16

  ‘Everybody okay in the back?’

  ‘What’s going on?’ said Ollie.

  ‘We got compromised.’

  ‘Does that mean we’re not going?’ said Innocence.

  ‘That’s correct,’ said Kirsten. ‘We have to hide out and start again.’

  She could hear Innocence begin to cry, and her brother consoling her, but inside Kirsten wondered what was really going on. How did something set up by Anna get compromised, and so easily? She needed to find out if Richard had been involved. She needed to call Anna.

  Chapter 22

  Kirsten arrived at the aerial site just along from Leverburgh they had occupied earlier on in the day. Having placed the two young people inside, she stepped outside and, using another of her SIM cards, she called Anna Hunt. She felt the rain drizzling on top of her. Looking out to sea, she could see little because it was dark and also because of the mist that was hanging around the island. Thankfully, it seemed the midge season was gone, because otherwise tonight would be a perfect night for them.

  ‘It’s Anna.’

  ‘That was a bust. Someone there, eight of them. Lucky to get away without any casualties.’

  ‘I hear there’s a few casualties floating in the sea,’ said Anna.

  ‘Did your man get out?’ asked Kirsten.

  ‘Yeah, he’s okay.’

  ‘So how did we get caught?’

  ‘I did this one by the book,’ said Anna. ‘But I never told Richard directly. I think he’s clearly observing. But I’m not sure who’s working with him. It seems an awful lot of organisation if somebody up above isn’t involved too. Otherwise, I’d bring him in right now.’

  ‘What about me?’ said Kirsten. ‘What am I going to do with Innocence?’

  ‘We’re going to have to look elsewhere, outside of our own service, see who else I can contact and work with. Give me an hour, then call me back. If I haven’t spoken to you within the hour, get on the move,’ said Anna. ‘Last thing you need to do is stay still anywhere. If you’re in Leverburgh, they’ll know you’ve been about, so they’ll start hunting places.’

  Kirsten thought she was fairly safe up at the aerial site, believing that nobody came here except for engineers wanting to check the aerial. But maybe Anna was right. She had more experience at this than Kirsten did.

  Kirsten waited outside in the rain, making sure no one came up the path towards the little hut that held all the electrical equipment for the aerial. On a nice day, it was a rather spectacular sight to see this aerial reaching up to the skies. Maybe not as impressive as the first one she’d had cause to go to at Forsnaval, but all the same, amongst this rocky outcrop towards the east side of Harris, it had something of a lunar quality about it. Kirsten waited until an hour had gone before calling Anna Hunt again.

  ‘What’s the deal, Anna?’ asked Kirsten.

  ‘I’ve been in contact with another government organisation,’ she said. ‘I’m not saying who in case anyone picks up this call. But look for the three lights at Luskentyre, that’s your shelter. They’ll also tell you further. And good luck, Kirsten. It seems to be a lot bigger than what I thought.’

  Kirsten closed the call, but she could feel her hands begin to shake. She’d never heard Anna talk like this, something being bigger than her. Clearly, something was gravely amiss further up the service. But there was no time to think about that now. Instead, she headed back inside the little hut and stood looking at Ollie, holding his sister. The girl was asleep at the moment and Ollie’s face was looking deeply pained.

  ‘Are we on the move again?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. Hopefully somewhere safe, and then on a bit further.’

  ‘What if Innocence just told him she wouldn’t testify?’

  ‘Wouldn’t work, Ollie. I’m sorry, but your sister’s caught up in this now. He would never take her word for it. Collins, the man she saw murder someone, he couldn’t take the risk she’d ever renege on that. He’s coming for her. Until she actually testifies, there is not a lot for her. We need to get you into witness relocation. We need to get you away, all of you.’

  ‘I don’t want to go away. I’m happy where I am,’ said Ollie.

  ‘It’s a rubbish deal,’ said Kirsten, ‘and I can’t change that. All I can do is keep you safe.’

  ‘What happened down at the harbour? I wasn’t able to hear much in the boot of the car.’

  ‘Eight men came, I managed to throw four of them off our tail. A few others are out in the sea. The guy who came to give you a hand, take you away in his boat, he got a knife in the shoulder for his troubles. I hope you’re seeing it, Ollie. There is no safe place back in Inverness. To be safe, you have to be away. You have to become unknown to people.’

  Kirsten asked Ollie to carry Innocence into the rear of the car and he laid her in the back seat while he laid down in the well between the front and rear seats. Kirsten drove the car past the long expanses of water outside of Leverburgh before making her way down towards Luskentyre. As the car came over a hill, she spotted three torchlights all close together being shone towards her briefly for a moment, and then they disappeared.

  She continued down along the road before taking a left past one of the glorious beaches. As she drove along, suddenly, a man stepped out in front of her, holding two hands up to the air. Kirsten stopped the car, kept her lights on him so he was blinded, while she opened the door. Taking out her gun, she pointed it at him.

  ‘Speak quick,’ she said.

  ‘Five houses down, on the left, key under the porch mat. Anna sends her compliments.’ Unflustered, the man walked away back into the darkness.

  Kirsten jumped back in the car and continued to drive before turning in at a small white cottage at the side of the loch. With the car parked up, she stepped out, took the key, and searched the house from top to bottom. Once she was satisfied that there was no one about, Kirsten brought her charges inside the house, allowing Ollie to take his sister upstairs, where they both fell asleep on the bed. Kirsten made herself a coffee and sat downstairs looking at the large windows. She thought she could make out in the distance a couple of figures, but this would be Anna and her crew protecting the house quietly.

  There came a knock at the backdoor, and with her gun, Kirsten slowly made her way round before she saw Anna Hunt’s face at the door. Opening it cautiously, she let her boss into the kitchen.

  ‘You can ease down,’ said Anna. ‘I’ve got people all round here, not from our department. You’re going to need to sleep.’

  ‘Why? What are we doing?’ asked Kirsten.

  ‘We need to get her off this island, for a start. If we can get her to the mainland I can get her in a convoy, get her away somewhere safe. Very safe. Far end of the country, safe. Military base if we have to.’

  ‘Okay, but how are we going to do that?’ asked Kirsten.

  ‘I’m trusting no one. These guys have been good, but when I want her gone, I don’t want any leads back to her. I have my contact to hand over to and then we’re done. It’s with other departments.’

  ‘And you know they’re good?’

  ‘I know they’re good. Look, Kirsten, we’ve got something wrong in our department and I’m going to rain fire on it, but for the moment, our top priority is to get this girl out of here. I’ve been able to get her father, her mother and her brother and sister on their way already. There’s only these two to get safe. I’ve gone incommunicado as well, and that goes for me and you. I’ll be here tomorrow round about ten o’clock. We’re going to get the small ferry over to Uist and from there, we’ll get to Lochmaddy and then on to Skye. Someone will meet us there. If anything happens to me, you’re looking for the man with the black hat.’

  Kirsten laughed. ‘The man in the black hat. It’s all very spy-thriller, isn’t it?’

  ‘Sorry,’ said Anna. ‘But yes, it is. We’re also being very careful because while our department’s compromised, who knows who Collins has elsewhere.’

  ‘Why are you d
oing this on your own? It’s not like you to step back into the field,’ said Kirsten. Anna gave her a look.

  ‘I’ve always told you I was a field operative. I know how to get things done. Frankly, if I don’t clean house, my career’s over. There’s a trail of bodies going back, with a lot of answers being looked for. If we don’t get it sorted, they’ll scape goat whoever was in charge. Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. After all, you were the one facing the bullets, but I’m running the op. Frankly, they don’t take kindly when they go this awry.’

  ‘It’s not awry yet,’ said Kirsten. ‘If we get them there, she testifies, it’ll still be a big coup. All the more so for having made it work.’

  ‘You say that, but I’m going to have to bring Samantha in. She let the father and the elder son go. Of course, she did. That was how they were hoping to flush out Innocence, find her, but you did well, Kirsten. You got there, and you kept getting there. Just one more stint for the pair of us. I’ll be here tomorrow with a camper van. We go over to Uist on the small ferry; we then get the larger ferry. Lochmaddy over to Uig, drop them off with the man in the black hat.’

  ‘All sounds very simple,’ said Kirsten.

  ‘It does, doesn’t it? Like something you can make up on a sheet of paper. How simple has it been for you so far?’ Anna give a wry smile. ‘Look, we haven’t always seen eye to eye, and I probably didn’t treat you that well last time, when you stopped the gunman with the first minister, but tomorrow it’s you and me. Until we get to the man with a black hat, it’s just you and me. Just make sure you’re ready. That’s why I want you to get a good night’s sleep.’

  ‘What about you?’ asked Kirsten. ‘Are you going to sleep as well?’

  ‘I need to clear house,’ said Anna. ‘Got things to organise, but I’ll be here and I’ll be ready. Don’t worry about that. Good night, Stewart. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ With that, Anna slid out the back door, and after a few moments, Kirsten found it difficult to keep track of her movements as she disappeared off in the dark.

  Kirsten didn’t sleep particularly well. Instead, she sat in an armchair downstairs with a gun in her hand. For all Anna’s assurances of how the other government agency was protecting them, she wasn’t going to go this far and then give up her charges. Besides, there was still that nagging doubt that Anna had something to do with this. Kirsten had to play the facts, not the feelings, and at the moment, she didn’t know a lot about anyone, but this would prove it with Anna. Kirsten wasn’t looking forward to the idea that Anna may not be all she said she was.

  If she was actually one of the perpetrators of this action against Innocence, then maybe she would be taking a payday and running after doing the deed. If she wasn’t, then they were in trouble from other sources, especially if Anna felt the need to go incommunicado.

  The sun rose, having driven away a misty night, and Kirsten looked out along the glorious water of Luskentyre. She could see the beaches stretching out, and kicked herself for never having come here during her time when she was working at the police station in Stornoway. She had been here, but only on duty.

  Oliver and Innocence awoke just after seven a.m., and Kirsten took them breakfast up, cereal that was in the cupboard. She’d found long-life milk as well, and made sure that everyone was well fed before Anna’s arrival. The camper van pulled up on the road outside and Kirsten quickly ran the brother and sister towards it, stowing them into the rear of it before Anna drove off.

  As they arrived at Leverbrugh, Kirsten opened up compartments within the camper van, and managed to hide Innocence and Oliver over inside them. Anna got into the rear, and then satisfied that the pair were well hidden, she asked Kirsten to come and sit in the front with her.

  ‘Eyes and ears, Kirsten. Eyes and ears. They may come for us at any time.’

  The small ferry over to Uist was an open affair, roll on and roll off. From her position in the cabin at the top of the ferry, Kirsten could see down onto the deck, and positioned herself to be able to see anyone moving towards the camper van. If need be, she could make a shot from there, but her gun was well hidden. Anna was regularly standing up, walking around, and checking everyone who was on board. Yet Kirsten knew that she was doing it in the most amicable way, saying hello to everyone as she passed them by.

  On exiting the ferry, they drove the short distance down to Lochmaddy to await the next ferry out towards the Isle of Skye and Uig. The ferry trip would be only an hour and a half, and then they’d be there, ready to hand over their prize. But something was bothering Kirsten as she sat awaiting the ferry, looking at the cars around her. Maybe it was the different accents she was hearing. In summer you would’ve heard a number of localities expressed in the language around, but coming into winter, more and more of the passengers onboard were simply from the island. But Kirsten heard more voices than she expected to, with either a mainland brogue or even those with an English accent.

  All of them seemed fine. There was an older couple making their way home, or so it seemed. Tradesmen, coming back and forward. Maybe it was just a sign of the changing times of the island, that nowadays there was fewer and fewer of local voices, but it made Kirsten jumpy. When Anna got in and started up the vehicle to board the ferry, Kirsten remembered being attacked on the ferry over to Stornoway.

  As they drove onboard, the camper van bouncing about until it settled down into its parking area, Kirsten caught the eye of Anna, who was looking from wing mirror to wing mirror.

  ‘Eyes and ears, Stewart. Let’s keep the lookout.’

  Chapter 23

  Kirsten stepped out of the camper van and wanted to give a tap on the side to indicate to Innocence and Ollie that everything was okay, but she refrained, knowing that eyes could be on her at the moment. Eyes could be anywhere looking for them.

  Anna Hunt had done a good job of disguising herself, and one would’ve barely recognised her looking more like a Romany traveller than a hard-nosed smart manager of spies. Around her head, she wore a headscarf and had an earring hanging from her left ear the size of a small ball. Her clothing was far less official. She seemed to be wrapped up in folds of cloth that never seemed to end. She struck a funny figure beside Kirsten’s black outfit, but Kirsten didn’t care. The woman obviously had some knowledge about what to do in these situations and she was carrying out things to the best of her ability.

  One thing that was bothering Kirsten was that as passengers, they’d have to make their way onto the upper decks, and unlike the Loch Seaforth Stornoway ferry, she wouldn’t find a seat with a view of the car deck.

  ‘We’re just going to have to take it in turns. Watch the doors as well.’

  ‘Or, one of us could just stay here with the camper van,’ said Kirsten.

  ‘No way. Dead giveaway,’ said Anna. ‘If somebody clocks us on board, they’re not necessarily going to know what vehicle we’re in, or indeed, if we’ve left anybody there unless they’ve watched us the whole time through. Frankly, if they’ve got eyes on already, we could be in trouble.’

  Kirsten gave a brief nod and then looked over laughing and mentioned that they really needed to get up onto the upper deck. Together they made their way to the stairwell, but at the top, Anna Hunt waited while Kirsten went off to find a seat. She made her way through to the cafeteria area and took up a seat beside the window. It would not be long before they were underway. She wondered if maybe that was when the deed would be done. Although if they did try to kill them, how would they get off? Surely the most dangerous times would be before the ferry got underway and as it was just arriving in Uig. That was when escape for the attackers would be most accessible.

  Kirsten watched the water churn down below as the ferry moved off its berth and started to make way to the open sea. Within five minutes of the doors being closed up and being underway, Anna Hunt appeared and sat down opposite Kirsten and told her to go for a walk, making sure she went past all the entrances to the car deck. Kirsten acknowledged the sense of this and began to purposef
ully wander around. When she returned twenty minutes later, sitting opposite Anna Hunt, the woman was holding her hands out four fingers on each hand, the thumbs tucked underneath her palms. Something was up. Kirsten leaned forward.

  ‘Richard’s here. He’s in the bar.’

  Kirsten’s face sunk; so, he was onto them.

  ‘I’m going to get on the move around the vessel, pick out who his people are. I don’t think he’ll see me coming, but either way, I don’t want you too far away, so follow me, but at a distance. I’ll shout if anything’s happening.’

  Kirsten nodded and waited for her boss to stand up from the table and begin her walk around the ferry. It wasn’t the largest ferry in the world by any stretch of the imagination and Kirsten wondered what justification she could have for wandering while she made her way about. As she strolled along, she felt the gun sitting just behind her hip, and she wondered if she’d have to use it again.

  Something flashed in her mind. The first time she had shot someone was protecting two tourists in a camper van. Kirsten had brought the fight to them and had reluctantly pulled her gun to shoot down two men who were hunting Kirsten down. It had affected her, and she’d been through counselling since, but it wasn’t something she took to with any sense of pleasure. She would rather avoid killing people if she could get away with it, but it seemed protecting Innocence meant she had to give up her own.

  Kirsten was now on a passageway down to the bar area but turned and began to read some information about the ferry that was framed on the wall. Numbers swam before her eyes, but she was screening with her ears, listening as intently as she could to anything from inside the bar. It was five minutes later when Anna Hunt walked past carrying a coffee. As she brushed past Kirsten, there came a faint whisper, ‘At least five, maybe six.’