to the rail and, grasping the ice-cold metal, she pushed herself up, almost succumbing to vertigo when she looked down, convinced for a moment that she was going to fall. Large lumps of snow slithered off the balcony, vanishing into the darkness below. Conquering her dizziness and ignoring the pain from her hands as the cold bit into them, she jumped over to the next balcony, dropping to the cement floor with a thud and a gasp. Steve followed just as the door to his apartment burst open.
He snatched up a heavy plant pot from the floor of his neighbour’s balcony and used it to smash the glass of the veranda door, before opening it from the inside. They hurried in, straight through the apartment, kicking children’s toys out of the way and almost falling over a vacuum cleaner, and out on to the landing, then raced down the stairs.
Ripley and Bateman ran through Steve’s apartment and, hearing the sound of smashing glass, out on to the balcony where they saw that the veranda door of the neighbouring apartment was open. Spinning round, they rushed back through the apartment, only to spot Steve and Kristín vanishing into the stairwell. A fat man wearing nothing but his underpants emerged from the neighbouring flat and walked straight into Ripley and Bateman’s path. They collided with him, knocking him to the ground where Ripley tripped over him.
Steve and Kristín made the most of their head-start, hurtling out of the front door of the building as the two men regained their feet. Steve ran to his car, Kristín following close behind. It was unlocked and Steve got behind the wheel, Kristín jumping in beside him.
‘Keys . . . keys!’ Steve shouted, slapping his jeans frantically, then digging his hand into a pocket.
‘Where are the keys?’ Kristín shouted back.
‘Got them!’ Steve replied, extracting a bunch from his pocket and shoving the correct key in the ignition. He pressed the accelerator to the floor as he turned the key. Nothing happened. The ignition hissed but the engine failed to catch.
‘Jesus!’ Steve swore between clenched teeth.
He tried again, thumping the steering wheel, stamping his foot down and switching on the ignition. The engine coughed for a few long seconds, then roared into life. He rammed it into drive and the car took a bound, hurling Kristín back in her seat. The stench of petrol filled her nose as the wheels spun in the snow, the engine screeching as the tyres tried to get a purchase, the back of the car skidding sideways, but just as the two men raced out of the building the wheels caught, the car jumped forwards and they were away.
Looking back, Kristín saw them chase the car briefly before giving up and standing at a loss, watching the vehicle disappear from view.
Steve turned his eyes from the road to look at Kristín. ‘I thought you were crazy when you arrived at my place. Out of your mind.’
‘Thanks, I noticed.’
‘I don’t think so any more. Sorry.’
He drove on, checking the mirrors every few seconds. Kristín noticed that he was gripping the steering wheel hard to stop his hands from shaking.
‘There’s only one way they could know about you,’ Kristín said after a minute’s silence.
‘What’s that?’
‘Elías. They’re connected to what’s happening on the glacier. They’ve got your name from Elías. That has to be it. They must think he’s told me something; that he’s told me about them. And about the plane, whatever it’s doing up there. The men are in contact with the soldiers and they got my phone number from Elías’s mobile. That’s how they knew. They know I’m his sister. And they think I know something; that Elías told me something. That’s why they’re after me.’
‘But who are they? Who are they working for?’
‘I almost forgot. One of them mentioned a name when they attacked me. I wasn’t supposed to have heard. Something about “Ratoff”. Do you recognise the name?’
‘Ratoff? Never heard of
He snatched up a heavy plant pot from the floor of his neighbour’s balcony and used it to smash the glass of the veranda door, before opening it from the inside. They hurried in, straight through the apartment, kicking children’s toys out of the way and almost falling over a vacuum cleaner, and out on to the landing, then raced down the stairs.
Ripley and Bateman ran through Steve’s apartment and, hearing the sound of smashing glass, out on to the balcony where they saw that the veranda door of the neighbouring apartment was open. Spinning round, they rushed back through the apartment, only to spot Steve and Kristín vanishing into the stairwell. A fat man wearing nothing but his underpants emerged from the neighbouring flat and walked straight into Ripley and Bateman’s path. They collided with him, knocking him to the ground where Ripley tripped over him.
Steve and Kristín made the most of their head-start, hurtling out of the front door of the building as the two men regained their feet. Steve ran to his car, Kristín following close behind. It was unlocked and Steve got behind the wheel, Kristín jumping in beside him.
‘Keys . . . keys!’ Steve shouted, slapping his jeans frantically, then digging his hand into a pocket.
‘Where are the keys?’ Kristín shouted back.
‘Got them!’ Steve replied, extracting a bunch from his pocket and shoving the correct key in the ignition. He pressed the accelerator to the floor as he turned the key. Nothing happened. The ignition hissed but the engine failed to catch.
‘Jesus!’ Steve swore between clenched teeth.
He tried again, thumping the steering wheel, stamping his foot down and switching on the ignition. The engine coughed for a few long seconds, then roared into life. He rammed it into drive and the car took a bound, hurling Kristín back in her seat. The stench of petrol filled her nose as the wheels spun in the snow, the engine screeching as the tyres tried to get a purchase, the back of the car skidding sideways, but just as the two men raced out of the building the wheels caught, the car jumped forwards and they were away.
Looking back, Kristín saw them chase the car briefly before giving up and standing at a loss, watching the vehicle disappear from view.
Steve turned his eyes from the road to look at Kristín. ‘I thought you were crazy when you arrived at my place. Out of your mind.’
‘Thanks, I noticed.’
‘I don’t think so any more. Sorry.’
He drove on, checking the mirrors every few seconds. Kristín noticed that he was gripping the steering wheel hard to stop his hands from shaking.
‘There’s only one way they could know about you,’ Kristín said after a minute’s silence.
‘What’s that?’
‘Elías. They’re connected to what’s happening on the glacier. They’ve got your name from Elías. That has to be it. They must think he’s told me something; that he’s told me about them. And about the plane, whatever it’s doing up there. The men are in contact with the soldiers and they got my phone number from Elías’s mobile. That’s how they knew. They know I’m his sister. And they think I know something; that Elías told me something. That’s why they’re after me.’
‘But who are they? Who are they working for?’
‘I almost forgot. One of them mentioned a name when they attacked me. I wasn’t supposed to have heard. Something about “Ratoff”. Do you recognise the name?’
‘Ratoff? Never heard of
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