"Carl Stewart!'
The name broke out of him in a strange, half-strangled squawk, as if the man had been holding his breath in disbelief while he watched the last of Arrow's preparation for his execution.
'That's good. Seen the light, have we?' Arrow's right thumb and index finger were clamped tight on the clear plastic tube, holding up the flow of the nutrient – and of the deadly bubble.
'Let's have the rest, then. Nationality: Canadian, I'd guess by the accent. Right?'
The man nodded.
'And you are a fookin' mercenary, aren't you? Where've you been?'
It came more slowly this time, weakly, as Stewart measured each painful breath.
'I wasn't always a mercenary. I was a regular in the Gulf. I came out after that. Since then I've been in Bosnia, in Africa, in Guatemala – and a few other places.'
'What d'you know of this Mr Black, the fella who paid for the plane you lot were going to catch?'
'He does things for people. Difficult things they need done – or want done.'
'You worked for him before?'
'Twice. Once in the States. Once in South Africa. First time, we busted into a gallery in New York – and stole a painting for a collector.'
'Who?'
'Don't know. We never know who the customer is – or the client, as Mr Black calls them. And we know better than to ask.
Mr Black wouldn't like that. And you don't cross him.'
'So what did you do in South Africa?'
'We started a bit of a Civil War. We killed a black guy, a leader.
Made it look like one tribal group did it. Then we killed some other guys, leaders on the other side – and made it look like the first lot was taking revenge. Once they were all killing each other, we killed some white guys – and all the black guys were blamed at once. Christ, man, we had them all chasing their tails down there.
Just like we've had you chasing yours up here. Once the cops were all used up, keeping the sides apart, we hit a diamond mine. We cleared one hundred million dollars in uncut stones. The nearest cops were sixty miles away, caught in the middle of a gun battle.
Mr Black's a great planner. What makes him so great is he thinks big.'
'So what's he like?'
'I've never met him.'
Arrow's hand moved on the tube. The man flinched in quick terror.; 'Come on, Stewart. You expect me to believe that? You tell me that this Cooker walks on water, then you say you've never mt him.'.1 •It's true. None of us have ever seen him. He sends hi messages, his orders, through someone else, A woman. I' name's Ariel. She's European of some sort. We all figure she m be his lady.'
'If you've never seen this Mr Black, how d'you know this M isn't the boss herself.'
'Ariel could never do what someone did to Klaus. That had be Mr Black himself.'
'Who's Klaus?'
'He was our explosives guy on the New York contract. We wen holed up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, up in the Catskills ready to go – when Klaus decided that the money wasn't gooc enough. He told Ariel that he was out unless the dough was doubled. He said he wanted to see Mr Black himself, not deal wit his whore. Ariel got very steamed up – as she can – but she saii OK, she would arrange for Klaus to meet him.'
'So what 'appened?'
'Next morning we all came down to breakfast. Ariel cooked for us all in that place, and she dished it up in this big mess hall. Klaus was there, waiting for us. He was nailed to the timber wall. I mean he was crucified, hands and feet, man. There was a big knife through the middle of his chest, pinning a notice. It said, "A deal is a deal. Anyone else want to meet me?" Wasn't no Ariel did that to Klaus. The guy was a house. Six feet six. Looked like Hulk Hogan.
'Mary Little Horse, she was brought in to replace him. A genius with explosives, and pretty good with a knife too. I read in the papers you've tied her into this thing. But I never saw Mary here.
She did the jobs she was paid to do, but she didn't know the whole story, or get to see any of my team.
'Mr Black let only me and my guys in on the whole plan. Ariel said he had a very big commission, money no object, from some collector. Each of us was on 200,000 dollars, and if anybody had to do time, there would be an annuity waiting when we were released, so we'd never have to work again. No, Mary just did her thing with the bombs. Then she came up to town and did the singer. Ray helped her get in, but it was mostly her. She went underground after that. Ray, the guy you killed, he stole the special explosive in France.'
Arrow nodded. 'So who was in on last night? Who planted the other bombs?'
'Ariel and Ingo did that.'
'Ingo!' Arrow's grip on the tube almost slipped.
'Yeah. Ingemar Svart. He's our pilot, engineer. An all-round mechanical genius. You need it built, lngo'11 build it. You need it fixed, lngo'11 fix it. You need it to run, lngo'11 run it. You need it screwed, lngo'11…' For a second, the man laughed, weakly, then coughed with the effort. 'Ingo flies us out of the action, so he tends to be kept out of the shooting. But he has pitched in sometimes. I saw him in Cape Town. He is very good with a gun.'
Stewart looked pleadingly at Arrow. 'So how'm I doing, man?'
Adam shook his bullet head. Somewhere along the corridor a baby was crying, but he put the sound to the back of his mind.
'Not well enough, mate. You still haven't given me any clue where Mr Black might be keeping our lass. Wi'out that… well it's "Turn out the lights, the party's over." So tell me the rest of it.
Then we'll see.'
'A farmhouse. That was where the four of us were holed up, and Dave our driver. He didn't know the plan – only where and when to be waiting, and where we were going. Dave used to drive Indy cars. We rehearsed there, in the barn. Practised handling the Sidewinders. Looked at videos of the Castle that Ariel had shot.
She just walked in there like any tourist with a camera, and cased the place. The videos showed us the tunnel entrance and the vay up to the Jewel building.'
'So where's this farmhouse?'
'The nearest name on the map is some place called Longfonhacus – if that's how you say it. East of the City, and south. Way up on the moors, in the middle of nowhere. A shittrack road, way too far for traffic or tourists. Only snakes and sheep up there.'
'Does it have a name?'
'Stocksmoor, it was called. Ariel said Mr Black had rented it for the whole of August and September. So no one else would go up there until weeks after we were clear. If you want to find your i friend's girl, that's where to head first.'
He stared at Arrow again, a plea in his eye.
Adam smiled at him. Along the corridor, the baby's crying hadstopped. He sat on the bed, still holding the tube pinched tightlGently, almost, he took Stewart's right hand in his left.! 'A-l, Carl. A-fookin'-one. That's just what I wanted to hear.'
And then the smile left his face, turning.t as hard as stone.
'But you know summat. I still hate fookin' mercenaries."
Especially them as kills soldiers, like you lot did in the Castle last night!' I He let go of the tube. Now grasping both of Stewart's hands and holding them vicelike, he stared into his eyes, without mercl or pity, as the man struggled in vain to find the strength and the breath to scream, as the air bubble made its way downwards, and finally out of sight.