‘So your brother had always planned to hide at one of these two places?’ Alyssia asked, still sounding dubious.
‘Always? I don’t know. But at some point, yes, I think this is what he planned, as a failsafe.’
‘Even back when he was in London, when he wrote those notes?’
‘Yes. Because… Like Travers said, my brother… screws people over. Perhaps he always has an escape route.’
‘So you think your brother is the bad guy here?’
Curtis frowned and rubbed his temple. He didn’t want that to be the case. ‘That bank deal sounds dodgy as hell, and Finn helped put it together, whether for his own benefit or because he was forced to. In either case, he knew then that whatever happened next… He had enough dirt to expose whoever he wanted. Travers, Charlton, Henning. Whoever. But that also meant he was picking up potential enemies all over.’
‘But Finn sent that message to Charlton.’
‘Because the two of them were working together, apparently.’
‘To expose Victor?’
‘It makes sense, together with the attack in D.C. Finn was there to meet with Charlton. The two of them were working together to bring down Victor. They were both targets that day.’
‘Of who, though? People working for Victor?’
‘I think so.’
‘So Victor lied to us?’
‘I think everyone we’ve spoken to so far has lied to us, one way or another.’
‘Do you think Finn always expected you to come looking? That’s why he left the notes in London?’
‘I really don’t know.’
Although a big part of him wanted that to be the case.
‘How did you even realize?’ she asked.
‘About the addresses? I think… it was the fact that the sentences didn’t make sense.’
‘I’ve never even heard of what3words.’
‘Every surface of the earth is covered,’ Curtis said. ‘Land, sea, whatever, all broken down into three-meter squares.’
‘And this is just an app? On your phone?’
‘Freely available to everyone.’
‘And the two addresses?’
‘Parts of the addresses,’ Curtis said. ‘Just a small area at each address. I think Finn still found some meaning in the squares he chose. Some correlation to what he was doing.’
‘An in-joke,’ Alyssia said, though the sour look on her face suggested she didn’t get it.
‘Final funds first is at our parents’ old house, near Chicago. Where they moved for his last job, after me and Finn had left home. Before Dad died.’
‘And expose sash trails?’
‘Near this tiny town in South Carolina. Timmonsville. It’s where my dad’s grandma lived, a long, long time ago. She was American. Except the exact location isn’t the house, but some outbuildings in woodland. I don’t know why.’
‘But you think that’s where we should go first.’
‘It’s by far the closest. And we’ve a fifty-fifty chance, so yeah.’
* * *
Darkness had fallen by the time they arrived. Alyssia pulled over a couple of hundred yards away at the edge of a row of modest houses, dark woodland beyond. The air was damp and cold and the street was quiet, making Curtis feel exposed as they walked.
‘Why would he be hiding out here?’ Alyssia asked.
‘Maybe he isn’t. Maybe it’s actually one of the houses here. Somewhere that gives a vantage point. I just don’t know.’
Curtis used his phone’s torch to light the way through the trees, although it barely did the job – he couldn’t even see any buildings in front of them. Had he got something wrong?
‘Maybe he is at the other place, after all.’
‘Maybe.’
But they carried on anyway and Curtis sighed in relief – and fearful anticipation – when the cluster of outbuildings came into view. Simple, wooden barns. No signs of life at all.
‘You’re sure about this?’ she asked.
‘Not at all.’
He checked the what3words app. They were only yards away from the spot.
He set off toward the barns, Alyssia a step behind, his phone still out to help him hone in on the exact spot.
‘It’s behind this one,’ Curtis whispered, stopping to look at the dilapidated structure.
‘Curtis, I really don’t think he’s—’
Here? She was cut off when a figure burst out of the blackness and shoved her to the ground. Curtis went to try to help her but before he could do anything the man had spun him around and pushed him forward and—
Smack.
The figure clattered him against the side of the barn, and he felt pressure on his side.
A knife.
‘Finn, damn it, it’s me!’
Which only resulted in a punch to his kidney.
‘Finn, it’s me!’
‘Curtis?’
Knife taken away, Curtis twisted around, fighting off the roaring pain in his side.
‘What are you doing here?’ Finn said, the anger on his face clear even in the dim moonlight. He spun to face Alyssia, knife held out, as she pulled herself to her feet.
‘It’s OK,’ Curtis said. ‘She’s with me.’
‘You know me, right?’ she said, angry.
Finn said nothing now. He took a step back as though giving himself some space.
‘Why are you here?’ he asked.
‘Where’s Mariana?’ Alyssia said, beating Curtis to it.
Finn said nothing.
‘We’re here to help you,’ Curtis said. ‘But to do that, we need to know what’s happening.’
Silence.
‘Finn, please!’ Curtis said.
‘Just tell me what the hell happened to my sister!’ Alyssia yelled.
A further silence for a few moments, then, ‘OK,’ Finn said. ‘If you really want to know, I’ll tell you.’