Danny Maik wasn’t angry with himself that he’d missed such an obvious location. He’d long since given up being upset about his inability to protect Lindy. Now all that was left was to try to undo the damage that had been done. Perhaps then, if he got her safely away from Ray Hayes, he’d find the time to treat himself to the contempt he deserved.
He had advanced as far as he could along the beach, but now it had become necessary to scrabble up the sandy cliff onto the coastal path for his final approach. It was here the first risk would come. As he emerged into the open at the top of the cliff, there would be a moment when he was in direct view before he could reach the shelter of the brush along the far edge of the path. He’d get there as quickly as he could, but if Ray Hayes happened to be looking in this direction as he broke cover, Danny would be visible.
He paused for a few moments just below the top of the rise, his body pressed flat against the rock face, his feet firmly entrenched in the runnels that ran like claw marks down towards the sea. He could hear the waves breaking gently on the rocky shore below him. The faintest of breezes stirred the sprigs of early sea bindweed poking out of the rock all around him. It was a cool day, with a weak sun that suggested more warmth than it delivered. It suited Danny. He was already perspiring, and he knew by the time he’d made it all the way to the place Lindy was being held, he’d be sweating a lot more. It wouldn’t be because of the weather, though.
He had no doubt this was the right place. He’d known it as soon as he’d seen it on Quentin Senior’s battered map. Off to the east, if he’d have cared to raise his head from the cliff face and look, was the proof. The cranes were a fair way inland. Maik must have driven past the site countless times on the coastal road, but he’d had no idea it was there. It was surprising Jejeune had never pointed it out to him. Perhaps some vestiges of that early secrecy Senior had spoken about still existed among the birding community. Lindy was aware of this population, though. She knew where it was, even if she couldn’t have made out what the birds were from this distance. Maik doubted even Domenic Jejeune could have identified the birds as Common Cranes from this far away. But Lindy hadn’t said he would be able to identify them. She’d told Maik her boyfriend would have been able to recognize them. It was a word you used for something familiar. And that was how Maik knew she was here.
He drew in a breath and risked a peek over the edge. Everything was as he remembered it — the path, the approach, and the sightlines from those windows. It was a risk he had to take. If he made it across the open space, he had cover all the way up to the building.
He hauled himself up over the cliff edge and ducked into a low roll, shuddering a stand of gorse as he crashed through to the far side. He waited, recovering his breath, his ears attuned to any noise from the house. There was no reason to suppose Hayes would have come tearing along the path even if he had spotted Maik. The sergeant had already learned enough to know Ray Hayes was clever, and clever criminals didn’t give up their advantages with panicky, ill-advised moves. So, the silence behind the gentle rustling of the vegetation all around him didn’t really prove anything. Whether Hayes had seen him or not, Danny knew he had no choice but to continue his approach.
He moved forward in a low crouch, using the gorse as a screen. He elected to go in from the back. He could come up virtually underneath the rear patio without being detected. On it, there was a key to the back door under one of the planters. Hayes would have looked for spare keys, but Lindy wouldn’t have told him where this one was. With luck, he would have missed it.
Maik leaned against a bulky steel strut that angled out to allow the patio to project over the cliff edge. He didn’t need to peek up to check the layout. He’d been on this patio many times before, taking in those wonderful sea views, raising a glass to this success of his DCI’s, or that one of Lindy’s. There would be no champagne toast to mark this visit to the cottage, though, only the bitter taste in Danny’s mouth at his failure to perform the one duty entrusted to him by Domenic Jejeune.
The kitchen was empty. Maik closed the door gently behind him and listened. He heard a faint hiss he couldn’t identify, but there were no sounds of movement. He’d expected some sort of early warning system — pots or pans leaned against the door, even, to clatter a warning of an undetected entry. But there was nothing. A house with four exposed sides should have had some sort of arrangement like that. But Hayes not only was intelligent, he thought he was intelligent. He’d be confident that his choice of this location to hold Lindy was clever enough that it wouldn’t be considered.
Maik eased slowly along the long hallway, his footsteps on the hardwood floor as light as falling feathers. He pressed himself back against one wall as he approached the living room, trying to stay out of the sightlines. He tried to imagine where Hayes would be. The chair near the window would be his guess, watching for an approach along the driveway. If so, he’d have his back to Maik as the sergeant emerged from the hallway. There would be a split second of advantage for Danny. With luck, it would be all he would need.
Running water. Maik recognized the hissing noise now. It was coming from behind the closed door he had just passed. The bathroom door. But why was the water running? To wash away blood? Had Hayes already killed Lindy? Was he now trying to clean up the evidence? Maik spun around and began moving back down the hallway towards the bathroom door, abandoning his stealth in his panic. As he reached for the doorknob, he felt the cold steel point press into his neck from behind. He froze.
“I had hoped you wouldn’t be bright enough to think about looking here, Sergeant. See what a price you pay for underestimating somebody’s intelligence. What you’re going to do now is leave that hand on the doorknob and reach forward and put the other one on top of it. That’s right. And now back your feet away. Keep going.”
Maik kept backing away until he was at full stretch, his entire weight supported only by his two hands on the doorknob, at arms-length in front of him. In this position, Danny Maik was helpless to launch any kind of assault, but he knew any attempt to reposition himself would result in a knife blade across his carotid artery. Maik had been utterly outmanoeuvred by Hayes, and both men knew it.
“Where’s Lindy?” Maik’s arms were beginning to tremble with the strain. “What have you done with her?”
Hayes ignored the question. “I really do wish you hadn’t come, Sergeant. Things are going to get bad in a hurry now. And it’s all going to be your fault.”
The pressure of the knife point on Maik’s neck had remained constant. There was no shaking in Hayes’s hand to suggest any nervousness or uncertainty. He wouldn’t be squeamish about spilling Maik’s blood. So why hadn’t he?
“Where’s Lindy?” asked Maik again. His tone was demanding, insistent, despite his position.
“She’s just on the other side of that door, as a matter of fact. But I wouldn’t advise going in.”
“Why not?”
“She’s naked.”
Maik raised his head despite the knife point, feeling the wave of nausea swell within him. “If you’ve done anything to her, Hayes, I’ll …”
“On your hands and knees. Crawl towards the living room. I know you know the way. Slowly, and don’t try to get up. Let’s see if we can keep this nice wood floor from getting all covered in blood, shall we?”
Danny was lying face down on the living room floor in a spread-eagle position when Lindy entered the room. She was wearing a white blouse and faded blue jeans. She was barefoot, and her short hair was still wet from the shower.
“Danny,” she screamed, dropping down beside him. “Are you okay?”
“He’s fine,” Hayes told her, hovering over Maik with the knife still firmly in his grip. “He’s come to save you.” He laughed cruelly. “You really can pick ’em, Lindy. One stretched out here like a bearskin rug and the other one half a world away pretending he doesn’t care. And they say heroes are hard to find these days.”
“You came alone?” Despite her efforts, Lindy hadn’t managed to hide the disappointment in her voice. But it was Hayes who answered for Maik. “And without the bookmark. I doubt this one even contacted your boyfriend. I’m betting he’ll have wanted to put this right himself. Silent alarm on the back door, by the way, in case you’re wondering,” said Hayes, addressing Maik’s prone form. “I take it Jejeune didn’t bother mentioning to you that he’d had one installed.” He shook his head. “There does seem to have been a lot of secrecy going on with the DCI before he left. I imagine the two of you must feel quite betrayed by it all.”
Maik could smell the sweet, fruity perfume of Lindy’s shampoo as she leaned forward to stroke his face. “Thank you, Danny. You did all you could.”
Maik knew Lindy’s words had been meant to comfort him, but they twisted into him deeper than any knife blade could have done.
Hayes reached down and hooked a hand roughly under Lindy’s arm, dragging her away. “Why don’t you go and make us all a nice cup of tea, Lindy, and we’ll see if we can’t sort out this latest mess that Sergeant Maik has caused.” He watched her disappear into the kitchen before turning back to Maik. “You can sit up if you behave yourself. Back flat against the wall, legs stretched out in front of you.”
Maik scrambled into the instructed position and locked a flinty, unwavering stare on the other man.
“You don’t want to be moving without permission.” Hayes let his eyes drift towards Lindy in the kitchen and then back to the knife blade. “Not unless you’re sure everything would go exactly as planned. And how’s that been working out for you so far, Sergeant Maik? Well enough to take the risk?” He looked back into Maik’s stare. “No, I didn’t think so.”
Lindy returned with three mugs of tea, placing one at Maik’s side and another on a coffee table before retreating to a chair on the far side of the room like an obedient pet. No commands, no restraints. What was going on here? It seemed impossible that Hayes had been able to subdue Lindy’s spirit so quickly. But there was a compliance in her that went beyond the obedience of fear. The blood ran a little colder in Danny Maik’s veins.
“Okay,” said Hayes. “Now that we’re all settled, we can get on with it. You’re going to have to try to keep up here, Sergeant, because I don’t have a lot of time to walk you through things. I suggest you do your best, though, because Lindy’s life depends on it.”
“It’s okay, Ray. You can trust Danny. He’ll listen to you.”
Ray? Maik snapped a look at Lindy. What was he up against here? Whatever Hayes had done to control Lindy, whatever hold he now had over her, his dominance seemed complete.
Hayes walked over to the sofa and sat down. He lifted his tea and took a casual sip, as if weighing the truth of Lindy’s words. He set the mug down again and looked at Maik. “I have not been trying to kill Lindy, Sergeant Maik. I’ve brought her here to protect her from the man who has.”