The sound of Alix returning from work broke his concentration. He folded up the tablet she didn’t know he owned and slipped it under the sofa cushion.
‘Let’s go away for the weekend,’ she began, taking a seat next to him. ‘Mum won a competition to spend a weekend in a country hotel that she can’t make now. I think we need a change of scenery after everything that’s happened.’
Charlie was immediately reluctant. New locations needed scrupulous research first to ensure their safety. ‘I’m not sure if I’m great company at the moment,’ he replied. ‘Wouldn’t you prefer to go with one of your friends?’
‘No, I want to go with you. And it’ll do you some good to get away for a couple of days. I know Milo’s death hit you hard. I can see it whenever anyone talks about him – you look so guilty.’
‘Guilty?’ he repeated.
‘Yes, but you have nothing to feel bad about. It wasn’t your fault or anyone else’s that he took his own life. So let’s just get away and enjoy some me-and-you time.’
Charlie nodded, vowing to work on his ‘guilty’ appearance. ‘Okay then, if it’s what you want.’
Alix folded her arms. ‘Well, don’t sound so enthusiastic about it,’ she huffed.
‘I am, really.’
‘You know, sometimes I can’t fathom you out. You say and do all the right things but it’s as if inside, you’ve read a guidebook on how to be a boyfriend and are going through the motions.’
It’s exactly what I’m doing, he thought.
‘I get that you’ve had a tough time of it of late,’ she continued. ‘But sometimes I’m not sure if you want us to be together.’
‘I do, honestly. Just because I’m not great at expressing my emotions doesn’t mean I’m not fond of you.’
‘Fond?’ she repeated. ‘Fond?You arefondof a friend, you arefondof a dog, you’re notfondof your girlfriend. You might as well have described me asnice.’
‘You know what I mean. I am more than just fond of you. But it’s going to take a little bit more time for me to get to where you are now.’
Charlie wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her cheek. ‘Be patient with me,’ he added. ‘I promise I’m worth it.’
But quietly, he knew that he wasn’t. And he had no interest either way whether she believed him.
Chapter 62
BRUNO, EXETER
The Echoes were conspicuous by their absence, after being ever-present for months; Bruno had grown accustomed to them. Today, they had all but vanished without warning. Their silence should have helped Bruno to concentrate, but instead, it added to his unease.
He had spent much of the last fortnight inside a budget hotel room in Exeter, located opposite Louie’s care home. He was constantly glued to the facility’s live feed on burner phones to see if the attack he thought he’d witnessed by a member of staff had actually happened. It had yet to be repeated and hand on heart, Bruno couldn’t be sure that he hadn’t imagined it like he imagined the Echoes. For now, he decided to allow his son to remain in the facility but under his watchful eye. There had yet to be any sign of Louie’s attacker on duty again, making Bruno further question his own perception of reality.
He was prepared to remove his son at a moment’s notice. But assuming he was now wanted by the police for assaulting Nora, he couldn’t just march into the reception and demand his son be brought to him. On a previous reconnaissance mission, Bruno identified an emergency exit with a glass window in close proximity to Louie’s bedroom. If he was attacked again, with a few carefully placed whacksBruno should be able to smash the glass with his trusty hammer, open the door and lead Louie back to the car in less than a minute. By the time the police were alerted, father and son would be on the road. Bruno still hadn’t figured out where to, but at least they’d be together.
‘I can’t let you take him with you,’ an Echo began, cutting through the silence inside the car. It startled Bruno because it belonged to someone he knew. Bruno turned to find Karczewski in the rear, dressed in a dark suit, a pair of horn-rimmed glasses in his hand and his legs crossed at the knee.
‘You?’ Bruno asked in genuine surprise. Karczewski nodded. ‘How long have you been here?’
‘On and off since you left Oundle.’
‘But you weren’t implanted in my brain like the others. Am I imagining you?’ Karczewski nodded again. ‘Are you the voice my conscience is using?’
‘Yes. Consider me your moment of clarity,’ Karczewski continued. ‘Unless you leave, you are putting everything at risk. The programme, your knowledge, the country’s security and not just your own life, but your son’s too. You saw what they did to Sinéad. Could you watch Louie being tortured to get what they want from you?’
‘No parent could.’
‘What information would you give up to make that stop? What would you trade for Louie’s life?’ When Bruno couldn’t answer, Karczewski closed his eyes. ‘And that’s what concerns me. I went out on a limb for you, Bruno. I guaranteed your doubters that you were capable of starting afresh and leaving the past, and your son, behind. But it was hardly any time at all before you began your killing spree and now, you’re spying on your son.’
‘I shouldn’t have been on the programme. It was Louie who solved the puzzle, not me.’
