For the Sake of the Children: The first Chloe Webster thriller (Chloe Webster Thrillers Book 1) (26 page)

The Timer settled himself down on the hillside surrounded by early spring flowers. The morning breeze ruffled his hair as he looked down on the scenic Peak District village of Castlefield. He raised his binoculars and traced a river as it made its way down from the hills opposite, coursed through the centre of the village, looped around the old castle ruins before heading on down the valley towards Sheffield.

He focused the glasses on one particular house set a little way out of the village itself. A sprawling residence built from local stone and surrounded by well-maintained gardens, it was unusual not only because of its sheer scale, but also because of the exceptionally high level of security. Huge metal railings formed an unbroken perimeter around the grounds, and a guard box stood by the main gates. A couple of men dressed in dark suits could be seen roaming the gardens, with dogs pulling on leads in a way which told him they weren’t family pets.

He smiled to himself. It was high security indeed, but not enough to stop him. The night before he’d been over the fence, completed his task and out again before anyone knew he was there. And now he could relax and watch things pan out in just the way he’d planned.

The front door of the house opened and a large man stepped out, holding his coat close to his chest in the breeze and pulling the door shut behind him. Drabble spoke briefly to one of the security men before climbing into the driving seat of a black BMW standing on the expansive gravel driveway.

The Timer was disappointed. He’d hoped that Drabble’s wife would be in the car too. Mickey had told him they had no children, and he’d hoped to remove the whole family in one go. He wasn’t overly concerned about the wife, but he did like to keep things tidy.

He pulled out his mobile phone and dialled a number he knew by heart. Placing the phone to his ear he could hear the cheerful tones as the numbers were relayed down the line.

At that moment the door of the house opened and Mrs Drabble stumbled across to the car in a pair of heels that were simply too high for the surface of the driveway. It didn’t look like she was going with him, rather that she wanted to say something to him or give him something he’d forgotten. She staggered up to the car and leaned into the driver’s window which Drabble had wound down for her. In his ear the Timer heard the phone connect.

A huge explosion ripped through the peaceful landscape. The car disintegrated in the blast as flames soared into the air. Pieces of hot metal were littered across the driveway in front of the house and although one or two of his men started to move towards the wreckage, they soon stopped as the realisation hit them.

Mr and Mrs Drabble were dead.

What perfect timing - two for the price of one. That just leaves Miss Webster.

‘So we don’t have to move away after all?’

The Timer looked at his wife. His love for her was absolute and the thought of uprooting her from the life they had made together here had made him hate himself. Or at least, hate his work. His two girls sat either side of her on the sofa and grinned up at him in delight.

‘That’s right. The risk has gone. We’re safe.’

It had been a couple of weeks since he’d disposed of Drabble. He’d heard on the grapevine that what was left of the gang had disbanded, not that it was a huge organisation in the first place. Some of his men had been glad of the opportunity to change direction and start again without repercussions. Others had found similar employment elsewhere. He doubted that anyone would be looking for him, so there was little point in forcing his family to move to a strange town with all that that entailed.

His mobile hummed.

‘I’m sorry I have to take this,’ he said, looking at the screen. ‘I won’t be a minute.’

In the kitchen he placed the phone to his ear and listened.

‘Mr T? Stevie Kirkland. I’m impressed. That was some show you put on at Drabble’s house. I hope you found the cash?’

The Timer said nothing.

‘Good. Now, if you ever need any work you just give me a call and I’m sure I can find something for a man of your talents.’

Silence.

‘Stay in touch.’

The phone went dead. He’d done this one thing for Kirkland because it suited him to get rid of Drabble. Kirkland had told him where Drabble was and provided the explosives. But he wouldn’t be doing anything else for him. The Timer knew that Kirkland was the brains behind the child adoption scam, and that made him feel sick to the stomach. If he saw Kirkland again, it would only be to kill him.

Back in the lounge, his wife and daughters were still sat on the sofa waiting for him. He picked up his youngest daughter and sat down where she had been sitting, placing her on his lap. He put his arm around his wife and eldest daughter and pulled them all close.

‘We’re safe,’ he repeated. No one can harm us now. There are still a few rats running around this city, but there’s plenty of time to catch up with them. For now, we’re safe.’

‘Rats, daddy? I don’t like rats.’

‘Don’t worry angel, daddy will get rid of them. It might take me a while, but I’ll do it. Trust me sweetheart, I’ll make this city safe for you two if it takes me all my life.’

‘Okay daddy.’

His wife looked across at him and the look on his face told her that he meant every word.

And that frightened her to the core.

‘Dad, I’m going now. I’ll see you later,’ called Chloe as she put on her coat and opened the front door.

‘Okay love. Hope it all goes well. And Chloe?’

‘Yes dad?’

‘Stay out of trouble.’

She laughed. ‘I will.’

She’d handed in her notice at work shortly after she left hospital. The firm didn’t require her to work it and so she never returned to Anderson, Gormley and Drake. She’d since heard that the firm was under investigation by the Law Society and several staff had been suspended pending the outcome. The police had been asking questions too.

She’d spoken to Ray and arranged to meet him for a coffee. He turned out to be a very pleasant person away from the office. He’d really opened up to her when they met and explained that at that time he was under tremendous stress and that he knew things weren’t right but didn’t know what to do about it. He told her that Drake had taken early retirement although the police continued with their enquiries and he hadn’t been completely exonerated yet. Ray himself had moved on to another law firm in Sheffield and was now much more relaxed. He remained fiercely protective of his clients though. Chloe thought about warning him not to take it too far this time, but she knew he wouldn’t listen.

The conversation had eventually come around to Ben. It was obvious that Ray had no idea about his involvement with Drabble’s gang, and Chloe changed the subject quickly after that.

‘What do you think will happen to the firm?’ she’d asked him.

‘I suspect it will close down. Loads of people are leaving; they don’t want to be associated with the rumours that are doing the rounds, and I can’t blame them really. I guess that’s why I left.’

They’d finished their coffee and agreed to stay in touch, both knowing that they probably wouldn’t. But it was likely they’d come across each other again in their line of work - the Sheffield legal community was a close one – and the thought of that didn’t bother Chloe at all. She’d changed her mind about Ray. Ray Fuller, family lawyer and guardian of his clients. She knew they’d meet again.

She gave her father a hug and reassured him again that she’d be all right. Her new position was as a family lawyer at a small law firm in the North West of Sheffield. She could drive there in a few minutes, and her shiny new Mini sat proudly on the compact driveway next to her father’s car.

It was a beautiful morning and she looked out over the hills surrounding the countryside. How lucky she was to be alive to see this view every day.

Dark thoughts forced their way into her mind and caused a shiver to run the length of her spine.

The Timer sat in his car, parked on the hill next to Bradmill railway station. This was certainly a chocolate-box little place and he could see why the girl and her father were attracted to it. He placed his binoculars to his eyes and peered down the hill to the cute little cottage at the bottom.

‘Very nice place you’ve got there Miss Webster,’ he said to himself as he swept his gaze along the line of houses. ‘No wonder you don’t want to leave daddy.’

The front door swung inwards and Chloe appeared in the frame, apparently still holding a conversation with her father.

‘He’s worried about you my dear. And so he should be, he’s your father; that’s what fathers are for. They worry about their little girls, and they look after them.’

He smiled to himself at the sight of Chloe hurrying out to the car. He
did
like her. She was such an
ordinary
girl. At least, she was to the outside world. But he knew there was more to her than met the eye. She had an edge to her, a dark side even. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was or why it was there. Something must have happened in her life to make her like that. Maybe it was something to do with her mother not being around. Was she dead? Or had she left them? Either way, it probably cemented her sense of loyalty. She probably reminded him of himself; an ordinary guy with so much more to know.

As she climbed into the car, the Timer pulled out his phone. He smiled to himself as he dialled the number. The tones played merrily in his ear.

And then the phone connected.

Chloe jumped at the sound of her own ringtone. She wasn’t sure whether it was a hangover from the experiences of the last few weeks, or because she’d left the volume higher than usual to make sure it woke her in time to leave for her new job that morning. Either way, her heart was racing as she placed the phone to her ear.

‘Hello?’

‘Ah Miss Webster, I’ve been meaning to get in touch. How are you?’

She recognised the voice immediately. She had dreamt about it enough times recently. Sometimes it belonged to the rider of a white winged horse that flew in to sweep her away from her troubles. At other times it belonged to a demon with a hideous grin that caused her to awaken to the sound of her own screams. Hearing it in the early morning sunshine only made her feel calm and she relaxed back into the comfortable driver’s seat.

‘I’m very well. And I’m also glad you called. I never had the chance to thank you.’ She surveyed the hills in the distance not really aware of what she was looking for.

‘Oh there’s no need. I couldn’t just leave you hanging there could I? How’s the boy?’

Chloe didn’t really know the answer to that, but she had heard that he was back with his mother, so she knew he was happy and well looked after.

‘Yeah, he’s doing fine. Why’d you ask?’

‘Oh you know - kids, they get to me. They shouldn’t be involved in things like that.’

‘I know what you mean.’ Chloe nodded as she spoke.

‘I need to thank you too don’t I, Miss Webster?’

‘Why’s that?’ She checked her make-up in the mirror.

‘I gather you didn’t say anything to the police about me.’

‘Ah, but how do you know that for sure?’ She was surprised that she felt relaxed enough with this gangster to tease him.

‘Well did you?’

‘No,’ admitted Chloe. ‘I guess I never got round to it.’

‘Why not?’

‘You saved my life. You saved several lives that day. I couldn’t just hand you over to the police on a plate. I reckon you’re okay really.’ She paused. ‘I read about Drabble in the local paper. Did you have anything to do with that?’

‘Me? No. I heard it was the Kirklands. They were furious with him for messing up their new business arrangement.’

Chloe smiled to herself. ‘Well, I suppose we all have our little secrets don’t we?’

‘We do Miss Webster. We have more in common than you’re prepared to admit. If you ever need any help, just give me a call. Use this number – keep it safe - and if I can help you, I will.’

‘I might just do that.’

‘Good. You take care now.’

The line went dead and Chloe placed the phone in her bag. She sat for a moment and thought about the man she’d just spoken to, and wondered who he really was.

Come on girl, time for a new start.

Bouncing her hands on the top of the steering wheel, she once again admired her new car.

Yes, we all have our little secrets, and you are one of mine you gorgeous little car. Not bad for ten thousand pounds.

She roared off the drive and sped up the hill to her new job.

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