opened the passenger door and climbed in. Her stockings were torn, knee bloody, dirt and bruises on her face.
‘Christ, what–?’
‘Drive,’ she said quickly. ‘Make sure no one’s behind us.’ She leaned back, moving down the seat to be out of sight.
He kept checking his rear-view mirror. Nothing to be seen. But he still took a long, winding route. When he pulled another cigarette from the packet, he passed one to her, watching from the corner of his eye as she sucked down the smoke eagerly.
‘Where?’ he asked as he drove across Leeds Bridge and started up Briggate.
‘Can we go to yours?’ She was nervous, hands constantly in motion, pushing the hair back from her face.
‘Fine,’ he agreed after a moment.
***
Amanda Fox looked around the flat but she wasn’t really paying attention. He took her coat and had a closer look at her. No handbag. Someone had hit her, marks on her cheeks and chin. Her hair was tangled, dirt on her hands and fear in her eyes. Her confident shell had been shattered. She looked terrified.
‘There’s a bathroom through there if you want to clean up a little.’ He pointed.
‘Thank you,’ she answered as if his words had dragged her back from somewhere inside herself.
While she was gone he rummaged in the larder and found a bottle of brandy. She looked as if she needed it.
By the time she reappeared he had a drink waiting for her. Amanda Fox looked a little fresher, but still stunned.
‘Sit down,’ Markham told her. ‘Sip that and tell me all about it. The last I know is when you rang me this morning asking me to come to your office.’
She drank the brandy gratefully, breathing slowly. She’d brushed her hair and scrubbed off much of the dirt. The stockings had gone and the graze on her knee was clean.
‘After I talked to you the doorbell rang,’ she began hesitantly. ‘There were two men.’ She stared at him. ‘Police. They showed me their warrant cards. They said I needed to go with them.’
‘Did you recognise them at all?’
She shook her head.
‘I think they must have been Special Branch. They had that … look. You know, very menacing. They had a car outside and they took me over to a house in Beeston.’
Markham stayed quiet for a moment, then asked, ‘Why did you ring me? What did you need to talk to me about so urgently?’
‘I received a letter from Mark in the second post.’ Amanda stared at him. ‘He flew over to Germany yesterday. That was what he told me. But in the letter he said he’d been working for the other side and he needed to get out. I didn’t know what to do. And you …’
Those two bloody years in military intelligence. Would he ever be able to put them behind him? Still, there was no need to explain who the other side was. The Russians. But he hadn’t seen the letter when they searched the office.
‘Did the men take the letter?’
‘Yes,’ she replied quietly.
‘Were they the ones who roughed you up?’
‘They seemed to think I had to know about Mark. That I was involved. They believed I had to be part of it.’
‘And did you know?’ he asked baldly.
Amanda stared at him and shook her head.
‘No,’ she replied firmly. ‘I didn’t even have an inkling until I received the letter. When you gave me your report I wondered what the hell was going on, but I never imagined Mark had anything to do with it. He’d always seemed so … upright. Loyal.’
‘How did you escape?’ Had they let her vanish, he wondered, simply to be able to trail her?’
‘I was on the ground floor. There was a bed and a bucket for, you know.’ She reddened slightly. ‘I heard them moving around upstairs. I managed to force the window and climbed out into the garden. After that I just ran. I didn’t know where I was.’
‘You didn’t have any money?’
‘They took my handbag.’
‘How did you ring me?’
‘I spent a lot of time hiding. After I found a place I was too scared to move. I saw one of them go by a few
‘Christ, what–?’
‘Drive,’ she said quickly. ‘Make sure no one’s behind us.’ She leaned back, moving down the seat to be out of sight.
He kept checking his rear-view mirror. Nothing to be seen. But he still took a long, winding route. When he pulled another cigarette from the packet, he passed one to her, watching from the corner of his eye as she sucked down the smoke eagerly.
‘Where?’ he asked as he drove across Leeds Bridge and started up Briggate.
‘Can we go to yours?’ She was nervous, hands constantly in motion, pushing the hair back from her face.
‘Fine,’ he agreed after a moment.
***
Amanda Fox looked around the flat but she wasn’t really paying attention. He took her coat and had a closer look at her. No handbag. Someone had hit her, marks on her cheeks and chin. Her hair was tangled, dirt on her hands and fear in her eyes. Her confident shell had been shattered. She looked terrified.
‘There’s a bathroom through there if you want to clean up a little.’ He pointed.
‘Thank you,’ she answered as if his words had dragged her back from somewhere inside herself.
While she was gone he rummaged in the larder and found a bottle of brandy. She looked as if she needed it.
By the time she reappeared he had a drink waiting for her. Amanda Fox looked a little fresher, but still stunned.
‘Sit down,’ Markham told her. ‘Sip that and tell me all about it. The last I know is when you rang me this morning asking me to come to your office.’
She drank the brandy gratefully, breathing slowly. She’d brushed her hair and scrubbed off much of the dirt. The stockings had gone and the graze on her knee was clean.
‘After I talked to you the doorbell rang,’ she began hesitantly. ‘There were two men.’ She stared at him. ‘Police. They showed me their warrant cards. They said I needed to go with them.’
‘Did you recognise them at all?’
She shook her head.
‘I think they must have been Special Branch. They had that … look. You know, very menacing. They had a car outside and they took me over to a house in Beeston.’
Markham stayed quiet for a moment, then asked, ‘Why did you ring me? What did you need to talk to me about so urgently?’
‘I received a letter from Mark in the second post.’ Amanda stared at him. ‘He flew over to Germany yesterday. That was what he told me. But in the letter he said he’d been working for the other side and he needed to get out. I didn’t know what to do. And you …’
Those two bloody years in military intelligence. Would he ever be able to put them behind him? Still, there was no need to explain who the other side was. The Russians. But he hadn’t seen the letter when they searched the office.
‘Did the men take the letter?’
‘Yes,’ she replied quietly.
‘Were they the ones who roughed you up?’
‘They seemed to think I had to know about Mark. That I was involved. They believed I had to be part of it.’
‘And did you know?’ he asked baldly.
Amanda stared at him and shook her head.
‘No,’ she replied firmly. ‘I didn’t even have an inkling until I received the letter. When you gave me your report I wondered what the hell was going on, but I never imagined Mark had anything to do with it. He’d always seemed so … upright. Loyal.’
‘How did you escape?’ Had they let her vanish, he wondered, simply to be able to trail her?’
‘I was on the ground floor. There was a bed and a bucket for, you know.’ She reddened slightly. ‘I heard them moving around upstairs. I managed to force the window and climbed out into the garden. After that I just ran. I didn’t know where I was.’
‘You didn’t have any money?’
‘They took my handbag.’
‘How did you ring me?’
‘I spent a lot of time hiding. After I found a place I was too scared to move. I saw one of them go by a few
Similar Books
