Savage Night - Allan Guthrie [82]
Now, even if she was the best actress in the world and she'd fooled him into thinking she was catatonic, she'd still not be able to help Smith escape.
"You'll be safe," he said. "Just hang on."
He left the room and hurried down the stairs.
Even from a distance, the mess that used to be the younger cop's face was tough to look at. How that hadn't set Smith fainting, Tommy didn't know. Maybe Tommy was wrong about the blood thing. Or maybe Smith had avoided looking at the cop somehow.
Anyway, there was no time to figure it out, and it didn't matter. Tommy had to get closer to the cop. He needed his car keys. He could probably use Smith's, but he'd get where he wanted more quickly in a police car. He'd try the older cop first. Maybe he'd been the driver, and he wasn't quite so full of holes.
Yep. Good guess. It was turning into Tommy's lucky day.
Even luckier was the size of the poor guy's feet. Slightly bigger than Tommy's, which was fine. He didn't mind shoes a size too big.
He grabbed some more weaponry while he was at it. CS spray canister, extendable baton, handcuffs. Never knew when they might come in useful. And he took one of the caps. At least that way he'd look the part from a distance.
He was going to get Jordan and no fucker was going to get in his way.
Savage Night
2 AM
Almondell Country Park
"SHIT," MARTIN SAID. "This is just what we need."
Effie followed his gaze. A police car was pulling into the parking area. Since the only other vehicle around was their van, there was no way they were going to avoid a confrontation.
"Start the engine, babe," Martin said.
"Don't you think that'll look suspicious?"
"Not half as suspicious as the two dead bodies and the trussed-up kid in the back."
That was true. They hadn't been here long. Only about five minutes ago, Effie had overshot the entrance. Had to turn back, and spotted it easily enough second time. She'd driven past the gate house, where all the lights were out, and swung into the empty car park.
She'd tucked into the nearest parking spot, killed the engine.
While they waited for Savage to show up, they talked about what they were going to do once he arrived.
"Hard negotiating without weapons," Martin had said.
"We have weapons," she said.
He looked blank.
"Knives, saws, a hammer."
"I suppose. But if Savage has overpowered your dad then he's got a sword."
"And a gun," she reminded him. "But we've got Jordan." She put her hand on Martin's. "Don't worry. We'll keep Jordan between Savage and us. First thing, we get Savage to lose his weapons."
"If he says no?"
"Then no deal. We take Jordan and go."
"What about your dad?"
"He'll be safe enough. Savage won't hurt him. If he does, he knows he won't get Jordan back."
Tough to convince Martin when Effie wasn't entirely convinced herself but the argument seemed to console him. He'd been twitchy, waiting for Savage. But now that the police car had arrived, he was worse.
"Shit," he said again. "We going to make a run for it?"
"Let's sit tight," she said. "See what happens."
"What's he doing?"
The moon was struggling to break through a bank of dense clouds. She turned on the lights. "Better?"
The police car in the headlights was nosing into a spot directly opposite. Effie could make out a head over the top of the seat. There should be a second head sticking up over the passenger seat. But there wasn't. Unless the passenger was very small.
Police officers travelled in pairs. Corroboration was an essential part of the Scottish judicial system. Needed two versions of the same event before testimony stood up in court. Or something like that. Her dad had explained it to her before, but he'd done so in his usual fashion. All she remembered was him saying: "Cops are like balls. Always hanging around in pairs."
The driver's door of the cop car opened. Stayed opened. Nobody stepped out.
"The fuck's going on?" Martin asked.
She shook her head.
Then an arm stretched out and the hand made a turning motion before disappearing back into the car.
"What's that mean?" Martin