Bring Him Back by Scott Mariani

to meet this guy who just happened to be interested in Carl?’
    ‘No, I don’t think she “just happened” to meet him,’ Drew replied. ‘I mean, how do people meet? I first met Jessica at a party. Something like that’s easily arranged.’
    ‘You mean he was planted,’ Ben said.
    Carl’s face had turned paler. He bit his lip. ‘Dad—’ he murmured, plucking at his father’s sleeve.
    ‘That’s exactly what I mean,’ Drew said firmly.
    ‘Dad—’
    ‘Please, Carl. Dad’s talking. Yeah, he was put there, all right. The whole thing was planned, right from the start.’
    ‘Taking a bit for granted, weren’t they?’ Ben said. ‘It takes two to tango, and Jessica’s her own person.’
    ‘Oh, you can bet they’ll have had a whole profile on her,’ Drew replied in a tone of barely contained anger. ‘She was lonely. She was on the rebound from a marriage gone to pot. She had a kid to support. And let’s face it, there’s one thing about Jessica. She loves money and nice things. Along comes golden boy, right on cue. Good looks, plenty of cash, solid career. Not a loser like me. If she hadn’t taken the bait, they’d just have kept trying until they managed to get someone else in. Taking over my place. Free to observe Carl every day. Test him. Assess him.’
    ‘But why? ’ Ben insisted.
    ‘Because a gift like that makes him incredibly valuable to certain people who might want to exploit it,’ Drew said. ‘Think about it.’
    Carl was looking increasingly agitated, still plucking at his father’s sleeve and trying to get his attention.
    ‘I am,’ Ben said. ‘I’m thinking this would have to be a very highly organised conspiracy. As for who on earth would take such an interest in something like this—’
    ‘They’re a team of some kind,’ Drew said. ‘That’s who Mike was meeting up with, reporting to them, keeping them updated on his observation of Carl. They’re his colleagues. His fellow agents, or something. I’m well aware of how crazy it sounds, but I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I know it’s the truth, and I’m damn sure that Paul Finley uncovered something about it before they got to him.’
    ‘They?’ Ben said, raising an eyebrow.
    ‘Yes, they ,’ Drew said forcefully. ‘This is their mission. They’ll do whatever it takes. They want Carl.’
    ‘For what?’ Ben asked, still deeply unconvinced. ‘Drew, for what?’
    But Drew didn’t reply. He’d broken off from the conversation and was gaping at his son in sudden alarm.
    The boy had turned white with fear. He was trembling violently and staring fixedly into empty space with a look of dread, as if at some terrifying apparition that only he could see.
    ‘They’re coming,’ he said in a hollow voice. ‘They’re here.’

 
     
     
     
     
    17
    NOBODY SPOKE FOR a moment. Carl’s face was set in a look of terror.
    And in the silence, the door chimes sounded melodiously in the hallway. Carl flinched as if struck.
    ‘Carl, what are you sensing?’ Drew asked him urgently, shaking him. But Carl just shook his head, apparently speechless with fear.
    The chimes sounded a second time, more insistently.
    ‘You two get in there,’ Ben said, motioning at the door to the next room. He stood, taking Barberini’s .25 from his pocket. Drew’s eyes widened at the sight of the gun.
    His jaw tight, Ben walked out into the hallway. He trod stealthily up to the door and put his eye to the security peephole.
    Two men were standing outside the door, dressed in matching light blue overalls and caps. One was clutching a toolbox.
    Ben silently cursed himself for the stupidity of the anticlimactic relief that flooded through him. It was nothing, after all that. Why had he let himself be lulled by the kid? He slipped the pistol back into his pocket. Undid the security chain, slid open the deadlocks and opened the door. ‘What do you want?’ he asked the men in French.
    ‘Maintenance,’ said one. The other,