A second Echo took both of them by surprise; this time from the passenger seat. They turned sharply to see a woman dressed in a 1940s-style smart grey suit and heels. Bruno recognised her as Ingrid Barford, an Oscar-winning British actress who passed secret intelligence to the government about Russian operatives she had relationships with. ‘We are here for as long as you want us to be, darling. Who knows? That’s up to you to decide.’ She shrugged her shoulders and smiled sweetly, then began applying a red lipstick.
‘But I don’t want any of you here.’
‘You can keep telling yourself that, but you’re fooling yourself, kiddo. You’d miss us if we left.’ She winked and turned to stare at the house.
Bruno couldn’t allow his unwanted guests to distract him any further. The only person who mattered was Watson.
‘You should do it now,’ Hobbs continued, his tone excitable. ‘Get it over with and make her suffer.’
Bruno didn’t respond. It would make perfect sense for him to exact his revenge upon her now, because until it happened, he’d remain a man caught between two lives. However, that two-minute conversation they shared had humanised her, something he hadn’t expected. And it was in danger of holding him back.
As darkness enveloped the town, Bruno was struck by the urge to check in on Louie again. Days had passed since he’d last accessed the cameras that kept his son safe. And whilst it was strictly against Karczewski’s rules, it paled compared to his other crimes since his release. He removed one of several unregistered, unused mobile phones from a bag by Barford’s feet and followed the same routine as before.
The sight of Louie asleep in his bed was both comforting and agonising. In night-vision mode, he could just about make out the Tyrannosaurus rex toy that Zoe had bought him on a trip to London’s Natural History Museum. He had started taking it to bed with him soon after her death.
Leaving Louie without saying goodbye was the hardest thing Bruno had ever done. And it was all because of vultures like Watson; people who were too preoccupied with greed and how much they could steal from others.
How can she live this life of luxury while Louie and I are kept apart?he thought.To hell with the plan. She’s going to pay for what she’s done now. His rage travelled from nought to sixty in a heartbeat.
Bruno pulled at the lid of the armrest and removed the hammer inside it. But as he took hold of the door handle, an outdoor light illuminated Watson’s porch, swiftly followed by half a dozen others stretching the length of the driveway. The front door opened and she appeared, along with an inkling of attraction.No, he told himself.No.
‘Hurry up and get this done,’ Hobbs encouraged, the remaining top half of his jaw smiling. ‘It’ll only take one well-placed whack and the whore will hit the ground likea bag of spanners. By the time anyone finds her, she’ll have bled out.’
But as the car door opened, a minivan appeared in the road, driving towards them. It parked outside her house and Bruno slackened his grip on the weapon and lowered himself in his seat, despite the darkened windows. Watson made her way to the road outside, just metres away from him.
The driver exited and greeted her. A moment later, a motorised wheelchair moved down a ramp and Watson threw her arms around its occupant, a young girl, and kissed her cheek. The girl followed Watson into the house before the doors shut and the outside lights turned off. As the van pulled away, a logo stencilled along the side revealed that it belonged to the All Bodies activity holidays company.
‘Who is she? Barford asked, a dozen Echoes repeating the question. Of all Bruno had learned about Watson, there were no indications she was a parent.
‘I don’t know,’ he replied.
‘She probably hasn’t locked the front door yet,’ Barford continued. ‘It wouldn’t take much for a big strong boy like you to break it open and do what needs to be done. How about it, kiddo? How about we get this over with now so that we can all move on?’
Bruno didn’t reply. He would need to learn more about Watson’s relationship with the girl before her fate was sealed.
Chapter 42
SINÉAD, EDZELL, SCOTLAND
Sinéad braked sharply when she recognised Gail’s car. There weren’t many flame-red Land Rovers in Edzell.
Sinéad was returning from neighbouring Forfar with copies of licences for food, beverages and entertainment for the forthcoming village fete when she spotted the vehicle. There had been no communication between them since she had overheard Anthony slap Gail. And Sinéad’s inaction had played on her conscience every day since.
The bells of Edzell church tolled as Sinéad pulled into the car park. She thought back to those friends who had tried to intervene in her relationship with Daniel. She had responded to them with indignation so why should Gail be any different? Regardless, she couldn’t sit back and allow another Daniel to break someone else’s spirit.
She made her way across the grass and towards the children’s play area, where she found Gail sitting on a bench, her baby in the pushchair facing away from her. Once again, there was no interaction between mother and daughter. Gail hadn’t heard her approach and appeared lost in thought, staring at a climbing frame ahead. Nervous, Sinéad fought the urge to find comfort by tugging at her eyelashes. ‘Hello, stranger,’ she began. ‘How are you?’ She’dhalf-expected Gail to be surprised by her appearance, but if she was, she gave nothing away.
‘I’m good, thank you,’ Gail replied coolly.
‘Are you really?’
‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Only it seems like you’ve been avoiding me.’ When Gail didn’t reply, Sinéad knew she would need to tread extra carefully. ‘You have nothing to be embarrassed about.’
‘It wasn’t how it sounded.’
‘I know that it was.’
