He was running along the road before he’d had a chance to think. The rest of them were just getting out of their seats as he passed a row of small white houses. He sprinted past two hikers in yellow, round the corner and onto the main Drumnadrochit road, past bigger houses and gardens then he was at the garage. It had been so fucking stupid leaving Sandy in the campervan.
Paul’s mechanic mate Ian stood outside the building, hands out in apology.
‘What the fuck?’ Lennox said. He leaned forward, hands on knees, gasping in air.
Ian shook his head like he couldn’t believe it himself. ‘There was nothing I could do. They just came and towed it away. Held me through the back while they rigged it up so I couldn’t even call you.’
‘Who?’ This was Ewan arriving.
Lennox saw the rest of them behind, Ava at the back.
‘The police,’ Ian said.
Ewan held out his phone. ‘These guys?’
Ian looked at the screen. Lennox saw a picture of a guy in a suit, several bouncer types with him. It was a little blurry but Lennox didn’t recognise them.
Ian shook his head. ‘No, uniform cops, local guys. They were asking questions.’
Everyone was here now, Ava leaning against a beaten-up Škoda.
‘What sort of questions?’ Paul said.
‘Who brought it in, how long I’d had it. Said they’d had an alert about it on the system from the force in Edinburgh, had orders to impound it and find the owners. I said we’d had it since yesterday, gave them a fake name and address over in Applecross. It’ll take them hours to chase that. I said the owners were picking it up tomorrow.’
Paul turned to Heather, relief on his face. ‘It could’ve been worse, right? I mean, you’ve got your stuff, it’s just the van that’s gone.’
Heather’s face whitened.
Ewan looked at Heather then turned to Lennox. ‘Wait, was…?’
Lennox stuck his lip out and nodded.
Paul looked around, trying to get a handle on this. Drilling noises came from the back of the garage, an engine spluttering.
‘What did I miss?’ he said.
‘Nothing,’ Heather said.
Lennox glanced at Ava, she looked like she might throw up.
He stepped into the road, looked up and down. No traffic, just straight tarmac in both directions, trees everywhere, wind rustling the leaves. He moved further away and placed his fingers to his ears, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.
<Sandy?>
Birds chirped in the trees above, calling to each other.
<Sandy, can you hear me?>
He knew nothing about this shit, what was the range? Why weren’t they answering? He thought about being inside their body, slipping through the water of Loch Ness as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
<Sandy, please talk to me.>
A delivery truck went past on the road and he stuck his fingers deeper into his ears and screwed up his eyes.
<New partial Sandy-Lennox?> Sandy’s voice.
He felt his heart in his chest like a cannon.
<New partial Sandy-Lennox?>
<Sandy, fuck, are you OK?>
Their voice was faint, a long way down a line. <New partial Sandy-Lennox is stretched thin.>
He guessed they meant they were being separated and his heart fluttered. <Are you OK?>
<We are in travel device. But without partial Sandy-Lennox, partial Sandy-Heather, partial Sandy-Ava.>
He’d never heard them mention the women before, what did that mean? <The cops took the van, yes.>
Silence for a few moments. <Colloquial term for law enforcers. Not clear.>
<What do you mean?>
<We don’t understand enforcement.>
This wasn’t the time to get into this shit but Lennox couldn’t help himself. <What if someone breaks the law?>
<We don’t understand law.>
He chewed his lip and tried to think. <Just stay safe in the van, we’ll come and get you.>
<Do you want us to contact law enforcers?>
<Fuck no. Just stay hidden, OK? I’ll be in touch soon.>
He walked back across the road and took Heather’s arm, led her away. ‘Sandy’s safe for now, but we need to get them back.’
Heather had a worried look on her face. ‘There’s something else I never told you. There are others trying to find us.’
‘More cops?’
‘I don’t know,’ Heather said. ‘Ewan met them in Edinburgh. He thinks they’re security forces or some weird government department.’
‘The guys in the picture on his phone?’
‘Yeah.’
‘But they’ll be in contact with police forces across the country, right?’
‘I’m not sure. It sounds like the Highland police will be looking in Applecross for the next few hours.’
Heather turned to Ian. ‘Where would they take the van?’
‘The only vehicle impound in the Highlands is in Inverness.’
Heather looked at Paul and he said it before anyone else had the chance to.
‘We need to go to Inverness.’