‘Patient from the trials to survive? He’s hidden here in the Lake District, isn’t he? That’s why the conference was here, to keep an eye on him? He’s worth so much money that even Hank Hampton and Tilda Dent had to make the journey to come all this way to see him in action. But it didn’t quite work out, did it? I’m heading over there now. I know where he is, and I have the thing that you were so desperate to get from Angelina. She outsmarted you.’
‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘Why did you send Joe Folly to meet me at the cave? Was it to see if he could piece together the code? From Angelina’s paintings?’
Johnny pointed up ahead. They were almost there. The tranquillity of Rydal greeted them, and Kelly felt peace spread across her body. They were almost at the house and Kelly would have missed the small turning into the lane had Johnny not tugged her arm. It was almost invisible from the road.
They both saw her at the same time and Kelly stopped the car.
Sandy was sitting on the side of the lane, almost hidden by the bushes, hunched on the floor, talking on her phone. When she saw them, she hung up.
Kelly cut the engine. They got out and slammed the doors.
They approached Sandy carefully.
‘Who’s he?’ Sandy asked suspiciously, nodding sourly at Johnny.
‘This is Johnny Frietze; he’s a specialist mountain rescue volunteer. He’s a colleague.’
Sandy eyed him and Johnny smiled warmly.
‘We’re not up a mountain.’
‘No, but Johnny has training in emergencies of all types. Is Paul in the house?’
‘I guess so. How did you work it out?’
‘Work what out?’
‘This address?’
‘I got your message from Joe Folly. You want this all over the same as we do.’
‘What message? I didn’t give Joe Folly anything.’
Kelly stared at her. ‘We met at the caves, and he gave me this address.’
Sandy shook her head. ‘He thought he was contacting me on Instagram, but he never was.’
‘Who was he talking to?’
‘The people in suits who listen to everything,’ Sandy said.
Kelly thought she’d lost her mind and been sucked into an espionage vortex. It was too outlandish. Too silly.
‘CIA?’ Johnny asked.
‘He gets it,’ Sandy replied.
‘What have you done?’ Kelly asked her.
‘Me?’
‘You allowed all this to happen.’
‘If it hadn’t had been me they would have found someone else.’
Sandy looked away from them towards the lake. They could see the twinkling of the water beyond the treeline.
