Freddie was alone when the call came through; Adam had gone back home, Nina was at work. She thought she heard Sam moving around, but just as she went to investigate, her mobile rang. It was Tom, so she took it.
‘Tom? Where are you?’
‘I’m here.’
‘Fuck. You OK?’
‘So far.’ He gave an unconvincing laugh. ‘Still alive, anyway. I have a meeting. With the girl. To sort this out. She’s a woman now, of course.’
That was for some other time as far as Freddie was concerned. ‘And you have seen Leka?’
‘He’s here in the room with me.’
Freddie felt a wave of admiration, sympathy and gratitude for him that almost made her cry. It was incredibly stupid and incredibly brave what he was doing. Mostly stupid, though. ‘And you’ve asked him?’
‘He wants to speak to you.’
‘OK.’
Leka started without preamble. ‘I can’t say I am sorry for your friend. She is a fucking nuisance.’
‘I’ve told her that a lot.’
‘And reckless.’
‘I hate to agree with you, but yes, that too.’
‘Still, I have to admire her. And I hear she is in a bad way.’
There was a thump from above and Freddie looked at the ceiling. ‘You could say that.’
‘OK, listen carefully. I do not work with these FOTB. They are sons of bitches. I am not saying I am Medicins Sans Frontières, you understand. But the men they deal with – their clients . . .’ He made a disgusted noise in his throat. ‘So, I cannot tell you too much. They sometimes come to me, asking if I have any candidates for them. They used to patrol the Jungle, you know? Looking for girls, till we drove them out. Then they sent some Kurds, as front men, and we dealt with them, too.’
Freddie wasn’t sure what sort of bullshit this was, but it was pretty ripe. She didn’t think a man like Leka worried about how others made a buck. If he drove them out of ‘his’ camps it was simply getting rid of a business rival. ‘OK. You aren’t bosom buddies with FOTB. Can you give me anything?’
‘I know someone with such tastes. Not a friend, you understand. I told him I needed a young girl, a virgin, FOTB, where could I get one? He said, there is an auction coming up in a week, ten days at the most. In The Void.’
‘The Void?’
‘The exact location is secret until you pay the entry fee. Which, by the way, includes a live stream of the event and . . . the follow-up.’ A red mist began to cloud Freddie’s brain, like hill fog rolling down into a valley. She blanked out the implications of what he just said about live feeds. It wouldn’t help. ‘It is usually a port, many of these people like to arrive by boat to collect their winning bids. It avoids any embarrassment at airports. But, to join is expensive, and you aren’t worth that to me.’
‘How do I enrol?’
He gave a laugh. ‘You can’t. Not you, your friends, not the police. Absolute personal recommendations only. Tighter than a duck’s arse. Ask the FBI.’
‘For God’s sake, man, have a heart here. If I gave you the money—’
‘You deal in bitcoin, do you? Forget it. I have done my part. The Void. Make of it what you will.’
‘Hold on, hold on. Leka? What about Tom?’
There was a lengthy pause and she thought for a minute he had broken the connection. ‘That remains to be seen,’ he said eventually, and the line went dead.
The Void?
Still turning the word over in her head, Freddie went upstairs, cursing the damned boot she still had two weeks left of wearing, to see what all the racket was. She pushed the door to Sam’s room open with her foot. The bed covers had been thrown back. The wardrobe was open, clothes on the floor.
And Sam was gone.
*
‘What do you mean, she’s gone?’ Nina asked, a mix of alarm and disapproval layered through her words.
‘She was fuckin’ comatose last time I looked in. How was I to know she was just playing Snow White?’
‘Have you called the police?’
‘What will they do?’ asked Freddie. ‘She’s a grown woman.’
‘She’s a sick grown woman. Christ. Maybe you should have sectioned her.’
Freddie clenched her jaws tight for a second before she spoke. ‘Not helpful.’
‘Sorry. You’ve looked outside?’
‘Yes, but I can’t exactly run in this fuckin’ boot. I’ve called her flat. No answer.’
‘How long has she been gone?’
Freddie glanced at the wall clock. ‘Probably only twenty or thirty minutes.’ It seemed far longer.
‘I’ll come over,’ said Nina.
‘No point. What can you do?’
‘I can move faster than you with that bloody boot on.’
‘There’s statues in the park that can move faster than me. Listen, just before I realised she had gone, Tom called.’
‘Lord. And?’
‘Well, he’s OK. He put me on to Leka. He said that the auction is due to take place at something called The Void.’
‘Where’s that?’
‘Leka claims he doesn’t know.’
‘I find that hard to believe.’
‘I agree. But if he does, he’s not telling.’
‘The Void. Anything else?’
‘It’ll most likely be at a port. That’s what he said. For fast, untraceable getaways by sea.’
‘Have you asked Adam if it means anything?’
‘No,’ said Freddie. ‘It went out of my head once I realised the patient had gone.’
‘Christ knows what is going through her mind. Can you imagine?’
‘I’m trying not to.’ A deep booming sound bounced down the hallway. Someone was hammering with the brass door-knocker. It was followed by the shriller tones of the bell. ‘Hold on.’
Freddie hobbled down to the front door and opened it. Sam was leaning against the brickwork, her forehead covered in sweat, breath ragged. ‘Why didn’t you tell me my knee was fucked?’ she said as she barged by. ‘It went from under me. It’s taken me half an hour to hobble about a hundred yards back here.’
‘It’s Sam,’ Freddie said down the phone. ‘Or someone who looks like Sam.’
‘Where’s she been?’
‘I think she’s been out for a run.’
When she followed Sam to the kitchen, Freddie found her sitting on a stool with one foot propped up on the seat opposite her. She was massaging her knee.
‘You knew it was hurt. Your knee. The explosion.’
‘Oh, yes,’ said Sam distractedly, as if almost being blown to bits was the sort of thing that could easily slip your mind. ‘How is Matt? Do you know?’
‘No.’ Matt wasn’t her concern. He had probably crawled under another rock.
‘I should get in touch,’ said Sam.
Freddie took another perch. ‘What’s going on, Sam?’
A shrug. ‘You tell me.’
‘I think we should go to see a doctor.’
‘I’m fine. I was . . . somewhere else for a bit. Now I’m back.’ She felt like her body had put itself into an induced coma to give it time to rest, recuperate and recover. And when it was sure it was the right time, it – some part of her subconscious, anyway – sent Jess to tell her to get off her lazy arse and come looking. She didn’t need to be asked twice. ‘Anyway, you’ve had doctors round. I remember.’
‘Yes. But you were like a fish on a slab. They wanted to take you to hospital for observation. I still think we should.’
Sam stared at her, as if she were seeing a human for the first time. ‘You have to be kidding me.’
‘No. I’m not. You have suffered some sort of collapse. I dunno, Buster, back when we were in the medical business it’s what we would have called completely losing your shit.’
‘And now I’ve found it again.’
Freddie looked into Sam’s eyes. She didn’t like what she could see in there. ‘I’ll just get you checked over.’
Freddie reached for the phone, but Sam snatched it off the marble top. ‘First things first. What have you discovered?’
‘About what?’
‘About Jess. Don’t tell me you haven’t tried to find out where she is?’
Freddie felt anger rush through her like a flash-fire. ‘Of course we have. Me, Nina, Tom, Adam—’
‘Adam?’
‘From Albania.’
‘Oh . . . The writer. Why him?’
‘He did some work on trafficking. Remember?’
‘Of course,’ she said, in a tone that suggested she didn’t. ‘And? Tell me everything, Freddie. And I mean everything. I can take it. I won’t go into . . . into that place again. Promise.’
So Freddie did, watching Sam carefully as she digested the information about Tom going to confront Leka and the phone call that gave them The Void. As the tale unfolded, Sam’s expression became more and more grim.
‘And you don’t know what happened to Tom?’
‘No, I’ve tried calling . . . straight to voicemail.’
‘I wish we could go over and help him . . .’
‘It might be too late, Buster. We were in good shape when we took on Leka last time. Look at us now: barely one pair of good legs between us.’
‘I can strap this knee. But you’re right. And Tom knew what he was doing. He might be OK.’ She didn’t sound too sure about that statement. ‘Did you believe him? About the rape?’
‘I think if he was lying, he’s just committed suicide by going over there.’
Sam nodded. She closed her eyes and squeezed the lids. ‘Can I have a drink of water?’
Freddie fetched one. After she had sat back down she released the straps on the boot and scratched under the hard shell. She couldn’t wait to get it off. Meanwhile, Sam gulped down the water.
Nina’s words came back to Freddie. About sectioning. ‘I’d still like you to see a doctor, Sam.’
‘Doctor or shrink?’
‘Both?’
Sam made a dismissive noise. ‘I’ll tell you what I need. Really need.’
‘Go on.’
‘A good curry. I’m starved. What the fuck have you been feeding me?’
‘Whatever you wouldn’t dribble down your front or spit all over me.’ Freddie didn’t try to hide her irritation at the ingratitude.
‘Sorry. But a curry would hit the spot. There’s Monsoon.’
‘Give me the phone and I’ll call the order.’
‘And some cigarettes.’
Freddie sighed. ‘Really?’
‘I could really do with one. And there’s fifteen per cent off if you collect your order at Monsoon.’
Freddie put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. A quizzical eyebrow went up. ‘Do I look like a dick? Or just act like one?’
‘What?’ Sam asked. ‘Neither. Of course.’
‘Then why are you treating me like one?’
‘Fred . . .’
‘You are up to something, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, trying to get a plate of curry and rice.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Trust me.’
‘I don’t do that, either. You’re trying to get rid of me. I know you, Sam Wylde.’
Sam put her hands up in surrender. ‘I just want to make some calls. I’ll phone Adam while you get the grub.’ That much was true. ‘Hyderabad chicken for me and the usual gubbins.’
‘Jesus Christ.’ Freddie re-strapped the boot. ‘It’s a good job I love you.’
‘Thank you.’
She flashed a smile. ‘And you’ll be here when I get back?’
‘Of course.’
She looked doubtful. ‘I must need my head testing as well as the rest of me.’
Once Freddie had dragged her bad leg out to visit the local Indian takeaway and the convenience store, Sam dialled Adam. Freddie would be gone at least thirty minutes at the speed she moved. Sam calculated that she had plenty of time to do what she needed to and get out of there. She shivered when she heard the words in her skull: clear as if Jess was standing at her shoulder.
‘Why didn’t you come and get me, Mummy?’
Shame she would miss the curry.