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Authors: Stephen Leather
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that what this is,
revenge for what happened ten years ago? Who are you?'
'It doesn't matter who we are. All that matters is that we have your daughter. That's all you need to think about. We have Katie. We have the power of life and death over her, Andrea.
But the decision as to what happens next is totally in your hands.
Do as we say and you'll soon have her back home. Refuse, and you'll never see her again. We're not holding a gun to your head, we're not going to torture you or hurt you, all ..."
'You don't think this is hurting?' hissed Andy.
Green-eyes tapped the newspaper page. 'I can promise you something else, Andrea,' she said quietly. 'We won't be hurting children this time. There won't be any mistake, no innocents killed. A lot of thought, a lot of planning, has gone into this. We won't be leaving a holdall in a railway tunnel for children to find.'
Andy shook her head again. 'I can't.'
'Yes, you can,' said Green-eyes firmly. 'You can, and if you want Katie back, you will.' She took a small padded envelope from the briefcase and handed it to Andy.
Andy took it, frowning. It felt empty, but it had been sealed.
'Open it,' said Green-eyes.
Andy slid a nail under the flap and ripped it open. She pushed the sides together to open the mouth of the envelope and peered inside. 'Oh no,' she whispered. She tipped the envelope up and shook out the contents. Blond curls. A handful. Andy could tell from the length that they'd been cut close to the scalp. 'Not her hair,' she said. 'She's so proud of her hair.' She looked at Green eyes, tears trickling down her cheeks. 'How could you do that to a little girl? How could you cut her hair?'
Green-eyes leaned forward slowly until her masked face was only inches away from Andy. 'It could have been an ear, Andrea.
Or a finger. Think about that.' She stared at Andy for several seconds, then visibly relaxed. She motioned at her two compa 54 THE BOMBMAKER nions, and they stepped forward and seized Andy by the arms.
The hair and envelope tumbled from Andy's grasp.
'No!' she shouted. She pointed at the blond curls. 'Please,'
she said.
Green-eyes walked around the table, scooped up the hair clippings and put them back in the envelope, which she then slotted into the back pocket of Andy's jeans before the two men hustled her away from the table. The men took her over to the far corner of the factory where there was a cluster of offices, large white plasterboard cubes with cheap wooden doors that looked as if they'd been brought in as an afterthought. The men spun Andy around so that her back was to one of the plasterboard walls. Green-eyes appeared in front of her with a Polaroid camera in her gloved hands.
'Smile, Andrea,' she said.
Andy stared at her in disbelief. 'Smile?'
'For the camera.'
Andy forced a thin smile and blinked as the camera flashed and whirred. The two men hustled her away down a narrow corridor that ran between the two lines of offices.
Egan used a Stanley knife to slit the black garbage bags along the sides, then he pulled them open into single sheets of plastic. It took five to line the boot of the Scorpio, and he used thick strips of waterproof tape to seal them together. He slit open another three bags and taped them together into a single sheet, then put it and the tape into the boot.
Back in the apartment he checked the action of his Browning,
slotted in a clipful of cartridges and gave the silencer a thorough cleaning.
He had taken a risk planting the listening device in Martin Hayes's office. He'd gone in at night, having disabled the burglar alarm system, and it had taken a full six hours from start to finish.
It had proved to be time well spent, though. If it hadn't been for the office device, he'd never have known about Mrs O'Mara's phone call.
Egan could tell from the recording that the school secretary wasn't the sort to be deterred by Hayes's clumsy explanation of his daughter's absence. He'd have to do something to silence the
revenge for what happened ten years ago? Who are you?'
'It doesn't matter who we are. All that matters is that we have your daughter. That's all you need to think about. We have Katie. We have the power of life and death over her, Andrea.
But the decision as to what happens next is totally in your hands.
Do as we say and you'll soon have her back home. Refuse, and you'll never see her again. We're not holding a gun to your head, we're not going to torture you or hurt you, all ..."
'You don't think this is hurting?' hissed Andy.
Green-eyes tapped the newspaper page. 'I can promise you something else, Andrea,' she said quietly. 'We won't be hurting children this time. There won't be any mistake, no innocents killed. A lot of thought, a lot of planning, has gone into this. We won't be leaving a holdall in a railway tunnel for children to find.'
Andy shook her head again. 'I can't.'
'Yes, you can,' said Green-eyes firmly. 'You can, and if you want Katie back, you will.' She took a small padded envelope from the briefcase and handed it to Andy.
Andy took it, frowning. It felt empty, but it had been sealed.
'Open it,' said Green-eyes.
Andy slid a nail under the flap and ripped it open. She pushed the sides together to open the mouth of the envelope and peered inside. 'Oh no,' she whispered. She tipped the envelope up and shook out the contents. Blond curls. A handful. Andy could tell from the length that they'd been cut close to the scalp. 'Not her hair,' she said. 'She's so proud of her hair.' She looked at Green eyes, tears trickling down her cheeks. 'How could you do that to a little girl? How could you cut her hair?'
Green-eyes leaned forward slowly until her masked face was only inches away from Andy. 'It could have been an ear, Andrea.
Or a finger. Think about that.' She stared at Andy for several seconds, then visibly relaxed. She motioned at her two compa 54 THE BOMBMAKER nions, and they stepped forward and seized Andy by the arms.
The hair and envelope tumbled from Andy's grasp.
'No!' she shouted. She pointed at the blond curls. 'Please,'
she said.
Green-eyes walked around the table, scooped up the hair clippings and put them back in the envelope, which she then slotted into the back pocket of Andy's jeans before the two men hustled her away from the table. The men took her over to the far corner of the factory where there was a cluster of offices, large white plasterboard cubes with cheap wooden doors that looked as if they'd been brought in as an afterthought. The men spun Andy around so that her back was to one of the plasterboard walls. Green-eyes appeared in front of her with a Polaroid camera in her gloved hands.
'Smile, Andrea,' she said.
Andy stared at her in disbelief. 'Smile?'
'For the camera.'
Andy forced a thin smile and blinked as the camera flashed and whirred. The two men hustled her away down a narrow corridor that ran between the two lines of offices.
Egan used a Stanley knife to slit the black garbage bags along the sides, then he pulled them open into single sheets of plastic. It took five to line the boot of the Scorpio, and he used thick strips of waterproof tape to seal them together. He slit open another three bags and taped them together into a single sheet, then put it and the tape into the boot.
Back in the apartment he checked the action of his Browning,
slotted in a clipful of cartridges and gave the silencer a thorough cleaning.
He had taken a risk planting the listening device in Martin Hayes's office. He'd gone in at night, having disabled the burglar alarm system, and it had taken a full six hours from start to finish.
It had proved to be time well spent, though. If it hadn't been for the office device, he'd never have known about Mrs O'Mara's phone call.
Egan could tell from the recording that the school secretary wasn't the sort to be deterred by Hayes's clumsy explanation of his daughter's absence. He'd have to do something to silence the
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