Dead Man's Gift 03 - Today Read Online Free PDF Page B

the lack of recognition hurt, but Scope knew it was a lot easier this way. ‘I’m just a man who likes to help people. I’m going to take you back to your mum now, but could you do me a little favour?’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Don’t tell the police about me.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘They might not understand that I had to shoot those people.’
    ‘Why not? They were very bad. They deserved it.’
    ‘That they did, but sometimes the police don’t see it like that.’
    ‘Okay,’ said Max. ‘I won’t say anything.’ He looked up at Scope with wide, innocent eyes that had seen far too much this past twenty-four hours. ‘Can I go home now?’
    Scope smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze. ‘Sure you can.’

28
    The man shook his head silently, the anger building inside him as he stared at the TV screen. All that planning and they’d failed. It would all have been so perfect as well. Everyone would have blamed the Asian gambling syndicates for the explosion at such a high-profile hearing into football match fixing, when the real target had been sitting only five feet away from Tim Horton the whole time.
    Garth Crossman, the charismatic government minister with the common touch, tipped for the top in the Conservative Party, should have been dead by now. Instead, his handsome features were filling the TV screen as he gave an account of the dramatic events inside the hearing that morning. He was still dressed in the suit he’d been wearing earlier and his well-coiffed head of silver hair looked perfect. His voice was deep and steady as he spoke, proving once again to his growing army of supporters that he was exactly the kind of man you looked up to in a crisis. The irony was that this attack was going to leave him far stronger.
    Frank Bale’s boss knew a lot about Garth Crossman, and much of it was unpleasant. If his supporters had any idea what Garth Crossman was really like, they’d desert him in droves. But they didn’t, and they were unlikely to either. He was far too clever for that. The problem was it also meant he’d realize very quickly that he’d been the target this morning, not the sports agent, and it wouldn’t take long to work out who’d been behind it.
    Frank’s boss took a sip of the whisky in his hand and sighed. There was going to be trouble ahead. Too much was riding on this whole thing.
    It was best he prepared for it.

29
    They met inside the tiny car park of a deserted nature reserve a couple of miles north of Henley-on-Thames.
    As soon as Diane saw Scope pull up next to her, she was out of her car in an instant. With a cry of relief, Max ran into her arms. Scope watched them hold each other, feeling a strange mixture of joy and melancholy. He remembered holding his daughter like that a long time ago. Not wanting to encroach, he stayed in the car and turned away from the scene. His engine was still running and he was just about to pull away, when there was a tap on the window.
    Diane stared down at him, her eyes alight with relief and gratitude. She was clutching Max to her side and his face was buried in her coat.
    He let down the window and smiled up at her.
    ‘Thank you, Scope,’ she said, her voice still a little unsteady. ‘I don’t know what else to say.’
    ‘You don’t have to say anything. That goes for when you talk to the police too. I’d appreciate it if my name didn’t get mentioned.’
    ‘It won’t. I promise.’ She leaned down so her face was close to his. Her skin was puffy and red, and the stress of the last twenty-four hours was etched deeply into it. ‘And are we safe now?’ she whispered.
    He nodded. ‘You won’t be bothered by those people again. It’s over. You go back and look after your son. He needs you now.’
    She stared at him for a couple of seconds, and it was difficult to read what she was thinking, but he had a feeling that, amidst the genuine gratitude, a part of her was scared of him and what he was capable of. He was sure that she’d