The Defector Read online

  It wasn't long before the sun was warming a glow in the eastern sky and I could feel and hear the city start to stir. Hazy light brought exposure and our visibility chilled me. We had to find cover, hide from the new day. Kate had brought us to the huge network of elevated carriageways that lead to the bridge. We had crossed below these roads earlier, further south, just after escaping the fair. It was here that we needed to go to ground. There were patches of open space, broken up by the pillars and earthworks that supported the highway. I stopped by a wildly overgrown bush of thick foliage that was packed in against a concrete support wall. Already there was a steady roar of traffic above us. This was waste ground, carelessly landscaped, surrounded by roads. There would be no pedestrians. ‘This looks good. How far to the shops?’

  ‘Not far.’

  ‘In here.’ I took a final, long look around. But could see no one. We weren't even visible from any of the slip roads, or nearby buildings. It would be alright. I pushed into the undergrowth, trying to disturb it as little as possible. Kate slid in behind me, dusting our track with her hand. The bush was dense, resistant. Unseen leaves and branches jabbed my face, hands and bare torso in the darkness. But it opened up to a clear patch against the concrete wall which I slid down onto gratefully. The earth was damp and hard packed. I could feel the traffic on the road through the vibrations in the concrete at my back. Kate slumped beside me, and I realised we were both totally exhausted.

  I put an arm round her. I could feel her breathing, still much too fast. ‘I think we'll be safe here for a while.’ I said, ‘We should try and sleep, get some rest. It'll make more sense after we get some rest.’ I felt her hair against my chest as she nodded.

  ‘Martin,’ she hesitated, and pulled in against me a little tighter, ‘Thank you. For what you did back there. I'm sorry I was suspicious before. I was wrong about you.’

  I squeezed her gently in reply. And wondered if she was right. It had been possible to do it for Kate. What if it had been someone else in that room with me, Scott for instance? What would I have done then?

  Chapter 16

  The heat was building quickly, even here in our damp, dark little hideaway. Cold wasn't a problem anymore, but water was. My head throbbed with dehydration; lips were dry and cracked, my mouth a desert. Every muscle was stiff and cramped, screaming out for replenishment. The wounds and bruises of the struggle to escape throbbed with a particular frenzy. I shifted my arm under Kate slightly, to try and revive the blood flow. She murmured something and settled into me more comfortably. I thought that she had slept. But I was wide awake and had been for the couple of hours that had passed since we got here. Thinking about what she had said, thinking about how the hell we were going to deal with this. I felt drained of energy and emotion. The driving fear and tension had gone, only a dull anxiety remained.

  ‘What do we do now?’ said Kate quietly.

  I felt her weight lift off my chest as she sat up, let go a sigh. ‘The first thing is, I go and get us some clothes and some food. We'll think a lot clearer after that, and once you're dressed we can move around without so much risk.’ I glanced at my watch, it was eight o'clock. ‘Shops will have started to open by now...’

  ‘What about going to the police?’ she interrupted.

  I saw the dark lines of fatigue and worry under the red-rimmed eyes. Could she ever forgive me for getting her into this? Could I forgive myself? ‘I don't think so. Certainly not if Alex really is a dirty cop. If he's just one of Janac's goons acting the part it might be worth the risk. But if he is a cop, we'd stand no chance. Janac would get straight to us...’ I saw the expression on her face, rubbed a worried hand at my temple. ‘It's 'us', you're involved now. He'll want you as much as me. I'm sorry.’ I said. I turned away, stared up at the rumbling concrete that bore down on us.

  ‘It's not your fault.’ she said, ‘You were trying to do the right thing, that's important. You made the right choice and I had to help you. This is how it's turned out. Janac's crazy, don't blame yourself.’ I looked back at her and she almost managed a smile.

  I leant forward and kissed her gently, on the lips, just once. ‘Thank you.’ I murmured, she didn't shy away. Things had changed. Were changing, slowly. But the danger seemed very distant with the two of us together, safely hidden away. I wondered if she would remain so generous with time, and a continuous background of fear. If I kept her safe, I thought. I have to keep her safe.

  ‘So,’ she said, after a moment of silence, ‘Do we know if Alex is a real cop or not?’

  ‘You only ever talked to him?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So he answered the phone? Did it sound like a police station? Any background noise - that kind of thing?’

  Kate looked thoughtful. ‘When I phoned him he answered straight away, I don't remember any background noise. The second time he called me, and it sounded like a mobile.’

  ‘So, maybe he isn't, but...’ I shook my head, it throbbed in my skull. ‘It's too risky to go to the cops at the moment.’

  ‘So? So what?’ said Kate with a tiny hint of desperation.

  ‘First thing is I'm going to get us some clothes and some food and water. Maybe I can get a paper, see if there is a report about last night. Two explosions, at least one murder - there ought to be.’ I paused for a second, 'murder', I'd said it thoughtlessly. But it was me, the murderer. I felt little remorse. It had been him or us, simple as that. I continued, ‘It might give us a clue about Alex. You rest up here. We'll talk about it when I get back.’

  She nodded, settled against the concrete wall, ‘Ok.’

  I sat up on my haunches, ‘I'll need the shirt.’

  She smiled, ‘Oh yeah, sorry.’ and she took my shirt off and slid the wetsuit back on.

  I pulled it on with difficulty in the cramped space. I tried to smarten up a little as Kate gave me directions. When I was ready I looked at her - there was a risk involved in this trip. But I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge it, ‘I'll whistle when I get back, so you know it's me.’

  ‘Anything in particular?’

  ‘Yeah, “Careless Whisper”.’

  She smiled, acknowledging a shared past. I remembered trying to persuade Kate to dance to it at the party we'd met at, while she dismissed it as sentimental junk. I turned quickly and slid out under the bush, a catch in my throat.

  I watched from cover for a full minute before going out into the open - despite having heard no pedestrian movement in the hours of wakeful, worried vigil. There was still no one around, only empty scrubland and the ever-present roar of traffic. I found my way through the road system and picked up Kate's route. The streets grew busier quickly and before I'd gone half a mile there were shops, and people trying to hurry to work. But with the traffic jammed at endless queues for lights, everyone had the distant gaze of the trapped and pre-occupied. I kept my head down, eye contact would only make recognition easier. I struggled not to limp, my right foot in particular hurt like hell. At least the chafing on my wrists had subsided; it was barely visible through my tan. But I would buy a long sleeved shirt anyway. I glanced up occasionally to check the shops, looking for any sudden motion. Janac wouldn't have the personnel to sweep the whole city. I could get unlucky of course, but my biggest concern was the possibility that Alex could have the cops looking for us as well.

  I found a department store, a grinning Garfield in the window. It was so early I had the place to myself. Bored assistants, nursing late nights and grudges against life, weren't interested in me. I gathered two full changes of clothes, jeans and shirts for both of us, plus training shoes for Kate. I added sunglasses and baseball caps, picked up some white zinc sunblock and plasters. On the second floor I found a small backpack to put it all in, then made my way to the check-out. I paid cash.

  I put the cap and sunglasses on and moved to the next project. Food. I found a deli and ordered up six rounds of sandwiches. I glanced at the papers, no mention of the action in the headlines - but it was just as likely t
hat any report had missed the paper's deadline. I picked one up, along with cans of soda and crisps, fruit and chocolate. A local FM station was blaring in the background, playing 'Careless Whisper'. I smiled at the coincidence. The music stopped for a news bulletin. I was only half listening, thinking about Kate, about the past, watching the girl expertly bag the sandwiches - then the words shot into the foreground.

  'Suspects are being hunted in connection with a brutal, double cop-killing last night at Luna Park. The officers, who were working on a drug-related investigation, were found dead in the early hours of this morning, minutes after reports of twin explosions in the area. The police wish to talk to anyone who was in the Luna Park vicinity last night or early this morning, who thinks they may have seen or heard something that can help them. They are particularly interested in anyone who saw a light blue van in the area. We have no more details at this stage, but hope to bring you them soon.'

  The report went on, pounding through me. Double cop killing. Alex was a cop, the others were cops. Janac would have the entire police force after our blood. Pictures. A manhunt. I felt a chill; shooting first, asking questions later. The whole damn country would be looking for us. The world tumbled in on me. I felt hollow, distant, I was drifting away.

  ‘Sir!’ the voice was sharp, insistent.

  Something snapped and I turned. The sandwiches were ready. I could feel my cheeks burn.

  ‘Fifteen dollars twenty.’ the voice was impatient, there was movement behind me, a queue. I fumbled for the money, dumped twenty bucks on the counter, managed to get some control. Desperate to run, I waited for the change, managed a 'thank you'. Piled everything into the backpack. I felt every eye was on me as I left the shop.

  I walked fast, straight back towards Kate, fearful of any glance in my direction. I scanned the street from under the baseball cap, behind the shades - looking for the cops, for any sign of recognition. Suspects they had said, no names - yet. But they had found the van, it wouldn't be long. I was into the no-man's land underneath the highways, and almost on the hiding place before I realised the stupidity of what I was doing. I swung away, paralleled the road above for a hundred meters. Slowed down, tried to make it look casual, ducked behind a tree and waited. I listened for a count of sixty before I stuck my head out. There was nobody, nothing. I moved off, looping round to backtrack and rejoin my earlier route. I found a slip road underpass, recognised some graffiti I had passed earlier. I slid into the dark shadow thrown by the bridge and waited again. Endless streams of cars, but no people, no watchers, no tail. Eventually, I made my way cautiously back to the hiding place. I sat outside the bush for a couple of minutes, softly whistling, before I was satisfied and pushed my way into the undergrowth.

  I dumped the bag on the ground, suddenly aware of my painful hunger. I sat down beside Kate and handed out a sandwich and soda wordlessly. She tore into it every bit as feverishly as I did, and I waited until both of us had slowed before telling her what I had heard. She listened in silence, chewing until she finished the sandwich. She looked at me with what I found to be a surprising steadiness.

  ‘So we're on our own, no police.’

  ‘No way we can trust them. We've no idea how many men Janac has on the inside. I don't know if one of the dead men was Alex or not.’ I picked up the paper, ‘I fucking hope so,’ I added bitterly, flicking through it. ‘Maybe there's something in here, but they probably won't release any details until they've told the families. There was at least three or four of them last night, plus Janac. Maybe they were all cops. All working for him. They must have just left the whole bloody mess there, including the van, and called in the explosion as a disturbance. Who's the van rented to?’

  ‘The boat.’

  ‘So they'll go to Scott. He'll tell them you had the van and when he hears about the drug connection he'll guess that I was with you. And Janac said someone saw us leave the club together. The cops'll have our names as soon as they find Scott. Janac's boys will make sure we're the prime suspects.’ I shook my head and swore loudly.

  ‘Shhh.’ whispered Kate.

  ‘Sorry.’ We were both still for a minute. But there was only the traffic. I saw it as I sat and listened. ‘Here.’ I flipped the page over to show her. In the late news, a couple of lines, the same story, less detail. I watched her read it. ‘If he owns half the police force what the hell did he need me to smuggle this shit in for anyway. The whole fucking thing is just a game!’ I hissed suddenly.

  Kate looked at me. Neither of us needed to say it. Of course it is Martin, I could hear the words in Janac's voice. Feel the fear pounding in my gut. I leaned back against the concrete wall. ‘We have to disappear, evaporate. No other choices. We have to run and hide somewhere he can't find us. Which isn't going to be easy with every Tom, Dick and Harry in the country looking for a couple of cop killers. Maybe if we could get out of Australia, we could go to the police in England and get help, but how?’

  ‘The boat.’ she said, a note of finality in her voice.

  ‘The boat?’ I sat up and looked at her.

  ‘I've been thinking about it while you were gone. No other way.’ she shrugged and pointed at the paper, ‘This just makes it clearer. We have to get out and quickly. If we stay here they'll catch us eventually. Neither of us knows how to survive on the run, in a totally hostile environment with no one we can trust. We have to get out. Planes are a non-starter, the airports will be watched. Same problem with cruise ships. That leaves a boat, a small one that can cross oceans. It has to be a sailboat. One with people on it who believe in us, who'll take us without argument. There's no choice, it's obvious.’

  ‘That's just the problem - it's obvious. They all know about you and Scott, they'll be watching the boat. And probably Scott as well, in case you go to him for help. So how do we talk to him and get on board unobserved? And even if we make it on without being seen, if the boat leaves shortly after we disappear it's still suspicious. And we sure as hell aren't going to be outrunning anyone with a sailboat.’ my voice was heavy, I couldn't see it working, but I didn't have any other ideas.

  ‘The boat's been scheduled to leave tomorrow for a week. Ask anyone on the dock, everybody knows.’ Kate pointed out.

  That was true. I nodded, ‘Ok, but Scott might change that plan when he hears about this. And we still have to assume they'll be watching him and the boat. The biggest problem is how do we talk to him and then get on-board unseen?’

  She stared at me in silence for a couple of seconds, ‘There is a chance. I think I know where we can find him tonight. He'll be up at the Cross with Ben, in the usual bar. Once they're inside, anybody watching him will be taking it easy, they won't be expecting us to know where to find him. So you go in there late on, some time after Scott and Ben arrive. And you could get to Ben, who doesn't know you, maybe give him a message telling Scott to call a number. I'll wait on the other end of the phone.’

  I nodded slowly, ‘Risky, but it might work. If he's there...’

  ‘He'll be there. I know him. He'll go drinking tonight, after all this; me disappearing with you, the cops all over the place, murder suspects...’ she managed an ironic smile, mixed with grim resignation, ‘He'll go drinking tonight, like he always does when there's something he can't face head on.’

  I nodded, another thought had occurred to me, ‘Ok, let's assume he is there, no downside if he isn't, we stand as much chance of getting caught in King's Cross as anywhere else. But there are still problems, the cops might have him down as a suspect, it is his van after all, and stop him leaving with the boat. Or he might have told everyone he's going to stay until it's sorted out, then when he changes his mind...’

  ‘We have to take a chance on that, hope someone looked after him last night and can give him an alibi. Either way we have to talk to him to find out. And the boat has to leave sometime. Gold will put pressure on to make it happen on schedule.’

  I looked at her dubiously, ‘Ok. If he's in the bar. If he hasn't been arrested.
If he hasn't said the wrong thing...’

  Kate cut in with a fierce, frightened voice, betraying the tension. ‘It's the best chance we've got. I'm not going to be hunted like an animal, until they run us down and put us back in that room.’

  I pulled up sharply, looked at her face, lined with a characteristic determination. She had set her mind on this. I put the next question as gently as possible, ‘Ok. Let's assume it all goes our way, he's in the bar and the boat is still leaving. How do we get onboard unsuspected?’

  ‘A couple of surfboards, we find a quiet beach up north somewhere, paddle a half-mile offshore, Scott leaves the harbour, headed for Hong Kong and picks us up on the way past.’

  ‘How would he find us?’

  ‘Torches, radios.’

  I sat back thoughtfully, ‘That could work. There'd be no trace. No stolen dinghies, no contact with the boat till it's well offshore.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  She had it all figured out. Driven by the desire to get on the boat, back into a safe environment. Back into Scott's safe environment. ‘Do you think Scott will help us?’

  She nodded, ‘Yes. He'll help us.’

  ‘Both of us?’

  She nodded again. ‘Both of us.’

  ‘He's not going to be happy that I got you involved in all this.’ I said sombrely.

  ‘I'll explain you had no choice and neither did I. He'll help us. If he hadn't been such a drunken arsehole I never would have been with you anyway.’ she was firm, very sure of herself. But she could see that I wasn't convinced. ‘He'll do whatever it takes, once he knows I haven't left him.’ she added.