Stephen Leather - The Bombmaker

'I don't understand,' said Andy. 'You're confusing me.'

'Try and focus, Andrea. They were conned. The Chinese were taken for a quarter of a billion pounds. What they thought was a solid-gold investment turned into a millstone around their necks, if you'll excuse the mixed metaphors.'

'Didn't they get it surveyed?'

'Oh, yes. By a partner in a big City firm. He's disappeared, too.'

'So what's that got to do with all this?'

The man shook his head impatiently. 'The building has to come down, Andrea. It has to be rebuilt, which will cost almost as much as they've already spent. And since the meltdown in Asia, they don't have the money. But if it should be destroyed in a terrorist bombing, then the government becomes the insurer of last resort. They get paid in full.'

Andy stood transfixed, the remote control in her outstretched hand. 'That's what this is all about? You took my daughter. You kidnapped me. You're going to kill God knows how many people… just for money?'

The man laughed harshly. 'For a lot of money, Andrea. A hell of a lot of money.' He nodded at Green-eyes. 'That's not why she's doing it, of course. She wants revenge. But she's getting paid, too. So, if you do push that button, if you do set the bomb off, you'll be doing us all a favour. The Chinese'll get their money back, she'll get her revenge on the country that killed her brother, and I'll be paid in full.'

'Except you'll be dead, of course.'

'What if I were to offer you money, Andrea? What if I were to give you half a million dollars? What's that in your money? More than three hundred thousand pounds? I'll give you three hundred thousand pounds to put down that remote control and walk out of here.'

Green-eyes turned angrily to the man in the ski mask. 'What? You can't be serious.'

'It's none of your business.'

'It's totally my business.' said Green-eyes.

'You work for me. If I want to hire Andrea, that's up to me.'

Green-eyes walked over to the window and stood staring out over the City, her arms folded across her chest.

'Half a million dollars, Andrea.'

'No.'

'How much, then? How much to buy your co-operation?'

'I want my daughter back. And I want to go home.'

The man stared at her in silence. He clicked his fingers at Green-eyes and she looked over her shoulder at him. He clicked his fingers again. 'Give me the phone,' he said. Green-eyes handed over the mobile and he used his thumb to tap out a number. 'I'm calling your daughter,' he said.

Andy narrowed her eyes, suspecting that he was trying to trick her. She held the remote control above her head again.

The phone started to ring and the man put it to his face, keeping the gun pointed at Andy's chest.

– «»-«»-«»Patsy and Hetherington looked at each other in astonishment. 'Do you believe that?' asked Hetherington. 'That's what this is all about? An insurance job?'

'There's no reason for him to lie,' said Patsy. 'He doesn't know we're listening in.'

'It's hard to credit. That they'd be prepared to kill so many people for money.'

Patsy shrugged. 'I've heard of shipowners scuttling ships with their crews on board to get insurance. This is just on a bigger scale, I suppose.'

'I didn't follow what he said,' said Martin. 'They're blowing the building up for money?'

'They want to make it look like a terrorist incident,' said Patsy. 'If the building was uninhabitable because of structural faults, the owners would have to bear the cost. As they've recently acquired it, they probably haven't got insurance. But if it's damaged in a terrorist bomb, then ultimately the government will pay. If what he says is true, the Chinese investors would get their money back in full.'

'So now it's over. We know what he's up to. He can't get away with it. All you have to do is to tell them that and they'll give up. They have to.'

'It's not as simple as that,' said Patsy. 'They've got a four-thousand-pound-bomb over there.'

'But don't you see,' pleaded Martin. 'If you tell them we know what they're up to, they have to give up.'

Over the loudspeaker, they heard the man call out to Andy. 'They're on the line,' he said.

'I want to talk to her,' said Andy. Her voice sounded strained, as if she was close to tears.

'We should go in now,' said Captain Payne.

'No!' said Martin. 'Wait until she speaks to Katie.' He looked at Patsy. 'They'll be monitoring the call, right?'

Patsy nodded. Martin kept the gun aimed at the captain, but turned to look at the thermal image monitors. As he did, something hit him in the small of the back, pushing him forward. As he fell, Patsy grabbed the gun and twisted it out of his hand. She shuffled sideways, keeping the weapon away from Martin as he struggled to regain his balance. Payne swiftly moved over to her and took the gun from her.

It was Tim Fanning who'd hit Martin, creeping up behind him while his attention was focused on the monitors. Fanning grabbed him around the neck and wrestled him to the ground. The two men rolled over on the floor. Fanning was younger and stronger and within seconds he was on top, his knees pinning down Martin's arms.

Captain Payne grabbed his phone. 'Stand by, stand by,' he shouted. 'Move in on my word.'

'No!' Martin bellowed.

Patsy looked at Hetherington, and he pursed his lips and nodded. Patsy opened her mouth to give the SAS captain the go-ahead, but before she could speak Denham stepped forward.

'Patsy, they're using the mobile. We can trace the call within a minute. We can find out where Katie is.'

Patsy glared at him, then turned to Payne again.

'One minute, Patsy,' said Denham. 'You can give her one minute, can't you?'

'Please,' begged Martin from the ground.

Patsy looked down at Martin. He was straining to get up but Fanning was too strong. Blood vessels were standing out on Martin's temples and there were flecks of saliva on his lips. He looked like a wild animal in fear of its life.

'Please,' he said again.

Patsy gritted her teeth. 'Damn you,' she said. 'Damn you both.' She held up her hand to Payne, gesturing for him to wait. 'Tim, call the telecom people, right away. Trace that call.'

Fanning climbed off Martin and rushed over to a phone. Martin got slowly to his feet and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

The captain pressed his lips together tightly, impatient to get the operation under way. He put the phone to his face again. 'Stand by, stand by,' he said.

Everyone in the room stared at the bank of monitors.

– «»-«»-«»The man in the ski mask kept the gun aimed at Andy's chest as he listened to the phone. 'Yeah, it's me,' he said. 'Hold the line, yeah?'

'Let me speak to Katie,' said Andy.

'Then what?' asked the man, holding the phone by his side.

'Then you let her go. Then we walk out of here.'

The man shook his head. 'I don't think so.'

Andy waved the remote control. 'You don't have a choice,' she said. 'If I press this, we all die.'

'You don't want to die, Andrea.'

'Neither do you.'

'Who'll look after little Katie? Who'll watch her grow?'

'My husband. At least she'll know that I did what I could to save her. I won't have died for nothing.'

The man smiled thinly, then slowly raised the phone. Andy stepped forward, thinking that he was about to hand it to her. He didn't. He put the phone to his mouth. 'Listen to me,' he said into it, speaking loudly so that his voice echoed around the office. 'Listen to me carefully. If the line goes dead, if I get cut off for any reason, kill the girl and get the hell out of there. Do you understand? If the line goes dead, you kill the girl.' He listened, nodded, then held the phone down by his side again. He sneered at Andy. 'Right,' he said flatly. 'Go ahead and press it. If we die, she dies.'