Jack Ford: The Killing Grounds: an explosive and gripping thriller for fans of James Patterson

The pain of the migraine behind Cooper’s eyes began to blur his vision. The pain of it shooting down his nose. But he didn’t care. He didn’t give a damn. All he wanted was answers. ‘Then tell it to me again, Daniels. Tell me again … Where is Ellie?’

‘She’s gone. I’m sorry.’

Hysteria channelled Cooper’s words. He shook his head in disbelief. His voice a cocktail of laughter and pain and dread rose louder and louder. ‘Gone? Gone where, Officer? Where is it you think she’s gone? To the mall? To a baby shower? To a goddamn Yankees game?’

‘Sir, no sir. When I say gone, I mean missing, lost at sea… presumed… presumed dead… sir.’

Letting go, he pushed Daniels hard away. Knocked him to the floor. But Cooper’s rage engulfed him. Driving him on to crouch down to where the officer had fallen. Leaning over him and squeezing and pressing the officer’s throat. Feeling the man’s trachea moving about on his palm.

Daniels rasped.

‘I know what you mean officer, but you see, that’s not possible. Shall I tell you why it isn’t? Because she was there , you son of a bitch. I heard her… Do you understand what I’m saying? She was still there!’

‘That’s enough, Cooper.’

Captain Beau Neill stood slightly to the side of Cooper, kneading the base of his back with his knuckles as shock-waves of pain darted through his body. Sciatica. It was the damnedest of things. He’d experienced the battle of Huê, Vietnam, in the late February of ’68. Been on more tours of duty than he could easily recall without referring to naval records. Yet it was the sciatica which was beating him. Slowly. Painfully. Relentlessly. Forcing him to give up his career, which was tantamount to giving up life.

Through gritted teeth, Neill directed his conversation to Officer Daniels. ‘Go ahead, explain to Lieutenant Cooper what happened, he needs to hear it.’

Daniels stood up. Held his throat. Looked hesitant. Wasn’t able to hold eye contact, though he articulated the course of events confidently. ‘I was in the second helicopter sir, and once the lieutenant and the male civilian had been rescued safely, and due to civilian one being…’

Cooper snapped. ‘His name’s Jackson. Jackson Woods.’

‘Sir. Due to… due to Mr. Woods’s severe injury, Seahawk one headed back to the ship. Seahawk two’s main objective was then to pick up the second civilian… I’m sorry, Lieutenant, I don’t know her name.’

Staring at Daniels, Cooper’s eyes were void of emotion. Listlessly he uttered,

‘Just carry on.’

‘From the air we couldn’t see the second civilian, and as we were able to establish the present threat had left the area, as well as alerting the Kenyan coast guards, two divers began a search and rescue.’

Knowing the answer already but for due diligence, Captain Neill probed. ‘Were you one of the divers, Officer?’

‘No sir, I continued in the helicopter which located the skiffs, eight miles north. By then we also had assistance from the counter piracy control unit. After warning shots, the two skiffs conceded and the PC unit searched the vessels. It was clear, sir, they’d discarded their weapons overboard because the only items found were fuel barrels, long ladders and grappling hooks. The PC unit then commenced to confiscate the property to ensure the suspects had no means to conduct any attacks. We then transferred them all into the one skiff, destroying and sinking the other one, prior to escorting the suspects back to the Somali shoreline. On our way back to assist the divers, we were informed by the appropriate authorities they were changing the MO from search and rescue to search and recover… I’m really sorry, Lieutenant Cooper.’

Captain Neill, visibly tormented by the pain hitting the top of his legs with unyielding brutality, and opposed to any sort of sentiment in the line of duty, snarled at Daniels.

‘Now get the hell out of here.’

‘Wait…! I said wait.’

Cooper strode up to Daniels. He was finding it hard to focus. Thoughts chaotically crossing from Ellie to Jackson, who’d earlier been flown on to Nairobi.

‘Yes, sir?’

‘You said two.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘You said there were two skiffs.’

‘Yes sir.’

‘There were three… Three skiffs.’

Daniels shook his head. ‘With respect, sir, there were just the two.’

Cooper pressed his palm into his eye, feeling the pulsating throb. ‘Are you trying to tell me I don’t know the difference between two and goddamn three?’

‘No sir, of course not. But in this case there were only two skiffs.’

The bellow from Cooper made the crew on the far side of the landing pad turn round curiously. ‘Three! One , two , three . Which means, she’s on the third.’

A puzzled crease formed on Daniels’s forehead. ‘Who… who sir?’

‘Ellie. Who the hell do you think I mean? I…’ Cooper stopped to ride on a wave of nausea as sweet saliva rushed into his mouth like a fountain. He swallowed hard. ‘She can’t have drowned, so there’s no point in search and recover. There isn’t a body to find.’

Turing to Captain Neill. The strain. The urgency in Cooper’s voice was palpable.

‘We have to deploy two, perhaps three units to the shore and contact the naval land base in Lamu, then…’

Neill cut through Cooper’s animation with tangible disdain. ‘Get yourself under control, Lieutenant, you’ve got a position to keep. Your subordinates are watching.’

‘My only concern here is with Ellie and sending an operations team to get her.’

‘Maybe you should’ve thought about that before.’

Captain Beau Neill pivoted on his heel and walked away. He nodded to Daniels to do the same which he gratefully did.

‘Don’t walk away from me, Beau . You hear me? Don’t you walk away.’

The captain jerked to a standstill. The words acting like the slamming of brakes. He spoke to Cooper with his back turned. His tenor a quiet menace. ‘Who the hell do you think you’re speaking to, Lieutenant?’

‘I don’t know, Captain , I’ve often wondered that myself.’

‘Be very careful, Cooper.’

‘Careful, careful of what? How the hell do you expect me to behave, when every minute we stand here Ellie gets further away from my reach? From our help. They’ll take her God knows where and do God knows what. And maybe they’ll ask for a ransom or maybe like others before her she’ll just disappear without a trace.’

Neill swiveled round. Flexing and relaxing his mouth. ‘Now you’ve finished lecturing me, I’ll tell you what I expect. I expect you to conduct yourself with the appropriate decorum, Lieutenant, as is your duty.’

Cooper tasted the bitterness coating his reply. ‘Decorum. Conduct. Goddamn duty. Those words read like a handbook from my childhood, Captain. ’

Neill stepped in closer. Inches away. ‘I also expect you to see the truth when it’s in front of you… There was no third skiff. Ellie’s dead. Drowned, Lieutenant.’

‘No… no, you’ve all got it wrong. She was there . Moments before, she was there .’

‘You’re embarrassing yourself, Lieutenant… Answer me this. Was Ellie wearing a harness? A lifejacket?’

Blinking, Cooper stared for a minute. Introvertedly he said, ‘No,’

‘And so correct me if I’m wrong, Cooper; you knew Ellie had no idea how to swim, yet you didn’t insist on her wearing a jacket on the yacht? Do the math.’

Cooper grabbed him. And grabbed him hard. ‘You son of a bitch, you’re enjoying this aren’t you, Beau?’

Neill stared coldly. ‘Get your hands off me, Lieutenant.’