American Crow (25 page)

I waited impatiently as she emptied her
glass of champagne then guided her across the room towards a swing door, which
I’d noticed some waiters had been using earlier.

I’d just placed the flat of my hand
against it and was about to enter, when the detective from the door appeared at
my side suddenly, his deputy standing menacingly behind him.

‘Think the toilets are over there, sir,’
a waiter advised, coming to our aid.

I smiled innocently as the detective eyed
me up and down, then watched bemused as he headed towards Corrigan while we
worked our way towards the door.

At the far end of the room, I turned
briefly and watched the detective whisper something in Corrigan’s ear,
believing it to be about his brother. I waited for the reaction. The tycoon nodded
stoically as the news was relayed, remaining unmoved.

A few seconds later the cop had ploughed
his through the guests back to the lobby, then jumped in a waiting car and sped
off. I eyed the tycoon as he walked over to Tolley and made his excuses then
hurriedly left himself, several burly minders joining him at the door where
they must have been waiting patiently for him do his stint.

‘Come on let’s get the hell out of here,’
I said.

‘What now?’ Nancy said, her voice
slurring slightly from the alcohol.

‘Find out what Corrigan’s going to do
next...’

Chapter Twenty-Six

    ‘unexpected’

I
t seemed like an eternity rolling around awkwardly in the
back of the truck, before we finally halted and Nancy switched off the engine,
signalling we’d arrived on the outskirts of Corrigan’s ranch.

I lifted the tarpaulin and slipped into
the darkness, then back under the railings into the fields, my adrenalin
pumping, feeling just that little bit ridiculous in an ill-fitting suit and
pointed grey brogues.

On the other side I crouched down on my
haunches and surveyed the scene in the half-light. I was in a sizeable field
used for grazing. In the far corner to my right, were a cluster of horses
sheltering under some trees for the night.

So as not to spook them, I worked my way
directly across the undulating ground towards a thick hedgerow opposite, where
I turned briefly to see the pick-up pull out and fade into the distance.

An hour later I would return to exactly
the same spot, as we’d agreed when we were tailing Corrigan from the gallery.
If there were any problems or I’d lost my phone, Nancy would come back every
half hour for the next three hours. After that, and if I still wasn’t there,
she would head back home and wait for me to get there by other means. If I did
that was...

I took cover behind some trees and eyed a
fancy stable-block close-by, then a signpost opposite. One arrow was pointing
towards a cluster of agricultural buildings to my left, another to a tree-lined
ridge in the distance where it declared the main house was situated.

I darted across the road servicing the
stables and rolled under the next set of rails, then weaved my way across the
lush pasture for a good few minutes until I arrived at the corner of the field.

I went down on one knee, breathing hard,
then stared at the ridge rising up before me, just making out the roof of the
eerie astrobellum mansion beyond it. For a moment I wondered if Corrigan was
down there, then wondered why there was so little security for such an
important guy.

As if reading my mind, a set of
headlights loomed out of the darkness suddenly, forcing me to take cover behind
a water trough. I listened to the vehicle draw close then come to a halt at the
crossroads nearby. Now its powerful lights were illuminating my position
directly. I cursed and pressed my body harder into the ground, my adrenalin
pumping. A few seconds later, I heard the jeep pull away then saw the
headlights fade.

Relieved, I edged out then looked on anxiously
as the jeep pull up again. I eyed the two burly security guys inside. One was
stooped over the wheel as if unsure of their direction; the other was speaking
into a walkie-talkie, a rifle laid across his lap. I watched the guy with the
radio intently. He turned in his seat as if sensing something was wrong. Then
he shone his torch in my direction suddenly. I tucked in harder and waited for
them to reverse.

Eventually I heard the jeep speed off,
gave it a few minutes, then hauled myself up, crossed the road and ducked under
the rails into the next field where I increased my pace again until I finally
broke over the ridge.

I stopped for a moment taking a breather,
eyeing the imposing mansion below, its white-fluted columns and balconies lit
up a ghostly ivory in the brilliant moonlight. I wondered if Olivia Deacon was
being held captive inside, if she had been injured in the crash, and whether
they’d left her untouched. Jesus, I hope they’d left her untouched.

I broke into a stooping run, cursing my
lack of fitness then worked my way along the edge of a final field, before
rolling under the rails into well-manicured gardens dotted with Romanesque
sculptures and ornate fountains.

Keeping to the shadows, I followed a
thick hedgerow to its end, then crouched down and studied the massive property
from the safety of the darkness. The place exuded power and money, looked just
like the sort of place a megalomaniac like Corrigan would live in...

My eyes settled on a security camera
fixed above the porch, housing a set of imposing black doors, then another
three or four fixed along the lip of the roof covering a variety of different
angles. The place had good security, but then again, every nut had its seam
that could be prized open, it was just a matter of finding it, then waiting
patiently for your chance. I checked my watch again. I had been twenty minutes
already. It was time to get moving...

I broke free from cover and ran across
the terrace. Behind a pyramid of bourbon barrels, I eyed the ground-floor
windows closer up then spotted one half-open, fifteen or twenty metres to my
left.

A set of headlights returning from the
ridge, persuaded me not to make for it...I cursed and pressed my back against
the barrel stack, then watched the same jeep I’d seen earlier, work its way
back to the house, steer around the central fountain a couple of times, then
disappear down a side road.

Just as I was about to move again, a
light went on above illuminating the terrace...I looked up and eyed the lone
figure at the window, then jogged back into the cover of the gardens worried
that I might be seen…

Gradually I edged my way around the back
of the house, keeping to the shadows as best I could, before finally stepping
out from behind a summer house onto an immaculate lawn. I eyed the
single-storey house in the distance, located on the fringes of some dense
woodland opposite. The place looked like servants’ quarters or a guesthouse,
like a good place to check out first...

Working my way from tree to tree, I
painstakingly followed the service road that ran up to it, until I found myself
crouched behind an SU-V parked a few metres away from the patrol vehicle that
had passed me earlier. I scanned the building for signs of life then saw a
light flicker on suddenly. A minute later I heard a toilet flush inside. Not
long after that, the same two guards from the jeep came back out.

‘Shit...’

I pulled in tighter to the SU-V and took
them both in. They were smoking cigarettes, exchanging jovial banter and seemed
relaxed. That was a good sign...I watched them head back to their jeep then
stop for a while, seemingly enjoying the bright stars above them, before
getting in and driving back up the road to carry out another tour of the
estate.

Seizing my chance, I sprinted over to the
porch, pulled back the screen door then tried the main one slowly. It was
open...I edged my way in quietly, walked down an empty hall, then found myself
in a sparse-looking living room that looked desperate for a woman’s touch.

I stared at the scattering of pornos on
the table, one of which was open, revealing a woman who had more hair between
her legs than on her head. I grimaced then clocked the half-empty bottle of
bourbon lying close-by. Those guys sure knew how to have fun...

I returned to the hallway then tried
another door that was cracked open. Behind it was just a bland office kitted
out with rows of monitors at head height. Inside smelt of stale body odour and
strong coffee.

I tried a few drawers on the central desk
looking for something that resembled a house key without success. I looked up
and tried a wall-mounted cupboard with the same result. I felt frustrated
suddenly. If I couldn’t find one, I was going to have to break a window and
take the risk of setting off the damned alarm.

I eyed the monitors and their alternating
shots. All seemed quiet inside the mansion and around the ranch save the odd
guard walking along a corridor and the patrols doing their rounds on the
estate...I left the office and headed for another door further down the
hallway.

As I gripped its handle, I felt my
stomach tighten suddenly. Someone was waiting on the other side, I was sure of
it...I fanned the door gently open and heard the snoring before I saw the
scrunched-up figure on the bed. For a moment I hoped it might be Olivia, before
the shape and smell of the person told me it was distinctly masculine...

I crept in and stared at the guy lying
fast asleep in bed, then at the white tape stuck across his nose. It was Tony
Lutz. I glanced at my watch. Forty minutes had gone since Nancy had dropped me
off…

I walked slowly over to the edge of the
bed and eased his gun out of the holster hanging from the bedpost. Then I slid
the barrel inch by inch into his tight Kentucky mouth.

His hand went to his face as if to swat
some bothersome fly away. Then he coughed, opened one eye hazily, then the
other, then stared in abject horror at the semi-automatic he was now suckling
on.

‘Scream and I’m going to plaster your
brains all over the headboard, okay?’ I whispered.

He nodded dutifully.

‘How do you get into the main house?
Key?’

He shook his head.

‘Swipe card?’

He nodded and pointed to the card hanging
from a cord on the back of the chair behind us.

‘Do I need a code?’

He nodded again. And in four separate
gestures gave me the number using his fingers.

‘Good boy.’

I pulled the gun slowly away, allowing
him to speak.

‘Are you going to kill me now?’

‘No.’

‘You don’t give up do you, Limey?’ he
said defiantly.

‘Where is she?’ I pushed.

‘She’s not here.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘She’s not here. Mr Corrigan had her
moved...’

‘Where?’ I asked, sounding more menacing.

‘I don’t know. He took her out in his
chopper. He takes people out in it all the time and they don’t come back, you
get me? She’s probably dead already. Something of an irony that she came to us
in the end, huh?’

I ignored his taunts and moved onto my
next question, feeling more and more anxious.

‘What floor is his bedroom on?’

‘Whose?’

‘Corrigan’s’

‘I can’t tell you that.’

‘You will, or I’m going to shoot your
balls off and shove them into your mouth.’

His eyes searched for mine for signs of
weakness, hoping I was bluffing, but was met with an impenetrable wall this
time. The job had moved on to a whole new level now. I was going to have to get
nasty to get results. End of.

‘Where?’ I said lowering the gun to his
genitals. ‘Last time,’ I pushed again, unsure if the gun was actually loaded.

‘Okay, okay…second floor, halfway along
the front-side; fifth room from the stairs on the right. Jee-sus…’

‘Thanks,’ I replied, bringing the gun
down hard across his face.

I gagged him with a tie from the chair,
then bound his arms and legs to the bedposts with some cord I’d yanked from the
blinds. Next, I took the entry card for his suit jacket and jogged back out,
anxious to get the hell out of there before stopping suddenly halfway down the
hall. The guy looked roughly my size. That could be useful. It could help me
get in unnoticed…

I went back in and quickly undressed,
taking out the most obvious of my piercings, then put his black trousers on,
his stinking shirt, his tie and gun holster, then slid the gun into it, clipped
his radio to my belt, picked up his jacket and locked the door behind me.
Outside, I walked confidently up the drive then took a footpath immediately to
my right, which cut its way across the lawn to some grandiose steps at the rear
of the mansion.

I reached the set of double doors
unchallenged knowing I was about to reveal my presence directly to the camera
above, then swiped the card carefully in the lock and waited for a light to
start flashing green.

A few seconds later it responded. I keyed
the number in that Lutz had given, hoping it was correct. To my relief, a
second light flashed three times then went a solid red. The lock clicked open.
I was in...

I stepped into the darkness, my head
lowered, so as not to reveal anymore of myself as I had to, then walked
purposefully down the tiled hallway, my hard-soled shoes echoing out noisily as
I went.

Feeling conspicuous, I took the first
door to my left and found myself in a massive kitchen still warm from the day’s
cooking. I scanned the space quickly, then walked over to the far end and
opened a side-door. It opened out on a rectangular eating area, modest in
decoration, with a long dining table running its length. I supposed it was
where the staff ate...

I tried another door in the far corner.
Behind it was a spiral staircase disappearing into darkness. I pulled out Tony
Lutz’s gun and worked my way up the metal treads as quietly as I could, until
arriving at a tiny landing and a narrow door.

I looked up at the continuing staircase
twisting into coal-black darkness and decided to try the one I’d arrived at. I
gripped the handle and turned slowly. Through the crack in the door I could see
that it opened out on the main corridor. Everything seemed quiet, just a few
ceiling lights emitting a soft light to make it negotiable during the
night... 

I stepped out and took in the collection
of photographs hung from the walls along it. Some were in black and white
depicting prize horses from the past, others more recent, involving Corrigan
receiving an award at some glitzy dinner.