‘I know a place,’ Henrik said.
He and Ryker had already sat shivering in the boat, bobbing up and down on the water, for several minutes. Ryker had initially pulled the boat right up to the shore, but was now torn between their two stark choices: move across the water – to wherever – and risk being spotted if the men were still out there, or sit and wait for the men to disappear, but in the process risk the men simply walking right up to where Ryker and Henrik were hidden.
In both scenarios, perhaps the biggest problem was the cold.
‘Where?’ Ryker asked, willing for an answer that swayed him.
‘In the town. By the water. An old factory building.’
‘They’ll be watching closely in the town.’
For all Ryker knew, Erling and his gang – Wold too? – would be moving door to door to find them. Was anywhere in Blodstein safe?
‘Not this place,’ Henrik said. ‘This place is safe.’
Ryker’s eyes narrowed as he looked over the youngster. He seemed confident enough about his suggestion, even if Ryker was left pondering. He also noted that Henrik’s communication, his English, was far more accomplished now than before. Just growing confidence?
‘A safe place,’ Ryker said. ‘Does that safe place include a safe person?’
Ryker wasn’t sure he’d trust anyone in Blodstein.
‘No,’ Henrik said. ‘It’s empty.’
Good enough for Ryker. He picked up the single rotten oar from the deck of the leaky boat.
‘Show me where.’
* * *
The journey on the water took over an hour. Both of them were suffering badly from the cold, but they had little choice but to carry on, snaking as close to the water’s edge as they could to remain unseen from the roadside. They ditched the boat a couple of hundred yards out from the first of the town’s industrial buildings, entering a forested area once more at a point where the road had already veered off inland and was out of sight.
‘We could find somewhere in the woods,’ Ryker suggested, still unsure about moving into the town.
Henrik, walking a half step in front, carried on looking ahead. ‘No. This place is better.’
Ryker remained as alert as he could as they carried on through the trees, but the only signs of life he saw were the little critters living in the wilds. Soon though, the sounds from the small town drifted over. Vehicles, and the whir and hum of machinery from the businesses lining the water.
They pulled up against a chain-link fence, six feet high, the metal mesh almost entirely disguised by thick, bushy creepers.
‘This is it?’ Ryker asked, indicating beyond the fence to the unseen.
‘Not this one. The next one.’
Ryker looked over Henrik’s shoulder. The fence in that direction went right up to the water, which meant they’d have to get wet again if they wanted to move around that way. Ryker didn’t.
‘We need to go onto the road,’ Henrik said, answering Ryker’s next question. ‘But it’s not far.’
Ryker nodded.
He moved off first, trailing alongside the fence. In spots, the creepers were less dense and he was able to get glimpses of the space beyond. A simple building. Corrugated steel warehouse, with a small brick office block attached. A few cars in the parking lot. No sign of any people, despite the sound of machinery and banging inside.
No particular threat, though Ryker would be as cautious as possible. If they saw anyone at all, they’d hide.
They reached the corner of the fence. A road swept off in front of them, with a large metal barrier at the end of the tarmac before the forest, as though without it the traffic would accidentally plunge into the trees. Ryker spotted several vehicles parked in view. Vans, cars. No people.
‘It’s the next building,’ Henrik said. ‘We should move quick.’
Before Ryker could say anything, Henrik bounded forward and hunkered down behind the rear end of the first vehicle – a blue van. Ryker followed. Then they hopped from one vehicle to the next until they were past the first premises. The next one had a similar chain fence, though the perimeter was noticeably bigger, with not one building beyond but several. A huge warehouse, two smaller ones. A glass and aluminum office block. Clear signs of life, too, with multiple cars in the parking lot, a forklift truck whirring around.
‘You can’t be serious?’ Ryker said, looking at Henrik.
He seemed confused. ‘What?’ He followed Ryker’s line of sight before returning with an amused look. ‘No. Not there. There.’
He pointed. Ryker hadn’t spotted it at first glance but now realized a narrow lane sat between the two plots of land, enclosed by the non-stop security fence that ran along the front of both of the larger adjacent premises. He saw no gate; whatever lay beyond was blocked off from the road, with just a narrow run of space heading into the distance, metal fence on either side. Odd.
‘It’s still the same,’ Henrik said.
Ryker wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but Henrik peeled away from the car they were by and raced over to the fence. He reached forward and pushed and a section of the fence flapped up. He squeezed his slight body through the gap, straightened up the other side, and looked at Ryker.
‘Come on!’
Ryker repeated Henrik’s move. Except the gap was far smaller for him and he had to squeeze his way through, the metal scraping the skin on his sides and back in the process. Much to Henrik’s amusement once more.
They moved off at pace down the narrow lane. Ryker flicked his gaze left and right to spot anyone from the neighboring buildings looking on. He saw no one, and they soon came out to a small clearing by the water’s edge, where a simple wooden shack stood in the center. A boathouse? Shed? Warehouse? Who knew, but it was old and not far from falling down, its shingle roof intact but sunken into the structure, suggesting the rafters had given way some time ago.
One thing was for sure: it was empty.
‘Let’s get inside,’ Ryker said.