Bring Him Back

16

‘Tell me about Mike, Carl,’ Ben said.

The boy shrugged. ‘He bought me stuff and he was always acting nice. Wanting to be my friend. But I never liked him much. He was always hanging around me when Mum wasn’t there. Setting me these sort of tests.’

‘Tests?’

‘Yeah. Like, he’d show me a photo of someone I’d never seen before and ask me to guess what their name was, where they lived, stuff like that. Or he’d bring out a pack of cards, pick one and ask me to tell him what it was without looking. Sometimes he’d hide something in the house somewhere, a key or a spoon, all kinds of stuff. Then he’d get me tell him where they were.’

‘And could you?’

‘Most of the time,’ Carl said nonchalantly. ‘It was sort of a fun thing at first. After a while I started pretending not to be able to know the answers. I didn’t like the game any more.’

‘Did your mum know that Mike was playing these games with you?’ Ben asked.

Carl shook his head. ‘It was always just the two of us alone.’

Ben lowered his voice and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘Carl, I need to ask you an important question. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth, okay? Nobody will blame you. I need to know if there was any other part of these games that you haven’t told anyone about. Did Mike ever do anything, or touch you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?’

Carl flushed. ‘There wasn’t anything like …like that.’

‘All right. I believe you,’ Ben said, withdrawing his hand. ‘I just needed to be sure, Carl.’

‘Okay,’ Carl said.

‘How did Mike act when you pretended not to know the answers to his questions? Did he get angry?’

‘No. He was always quiet. He never yelled at me or anything. He just seemed like he didn’t believe me. He’d leave it alone, then after a while if Mum wasn’t around he’d start trying again.’

‘Tell him about the newspaper cutting, Carl,’ Drew said.

Carl nodded. ‘It was in the summer house.’

‘It used to be my studio,’ Drew explained. ‘Now it’s Mike’s office.’

‘What newspaper?’ Ben asked.

‘The chess game episode in Spain didn’t exactly make national headlines,’ Drew told Ben. ‘But Isabella Saura’s interview with Carl did make it to the local media. Carl found a clipping of the article in Mike’s briefcase. So what the hell was that doing there, eh? And since when did he understand Spanish?’

‘How did you know Mike had it?’ Ben asked the boy.

‘Just had a feeling,’ Carl said. ‘Like there was something about me in the briefcase.’

‘Is that how it works, you just get feelings?’ Ben asked, and the boy nodded. Ben pondered this for a moment, then turned to Drew. ‘So what are we saying here?’

‘We’re saying that this Mike Greerson, though I seriously doubt that’s his real name, doesn’t work for some optics company, or whatever he claims. He works for someone with some kind of special interest in my boy,’ Drew said fiercely. ‘I’m not talking about a benevolent interest. And they’re not getting anywhere near him. Not while I’m alive.’ Drew wrapped a protective arm around his son. The boy didn’t respond. He was gazing into space, as if lost in his own thoughts.

Ben thought for a moment, but he still wasn’t buying Drew’s argument. ‘And your ex-wife just happened to meet this guy who just happened to be interested in Carl?’

‘No, I don’t think she “just happened” to meet him,’ Drew replied. ‘I mean, how do people meet? I first met Jessica at a party. Something like that’s easily arranged.’

‘You mean he was planted,’ Ben said.

Carl’s face had turned paler. He bit his lip. ‘Dad—’ he murmured, plucking at his father’s sleeve.

‘That’s exactly what I mean,’ Drew said firmly.

‘Dad—’

‘Please, Carl. Dad’s talking. Yeah, he was put there, all right. The whole thing was planned, right from the start.’

‘Taking a bit for granted, weren’t they?’ Ben said. ‘It takes two to tango, and Jessica’s her own person.’

‘Oh, you can bet they’ll have had a whole profile on her,’ Drew replied in a tone of barely contained anger. ‘She was lonely. She was on the rebound from a marriage gone to pot. She had a kid to support. And let’s face it, there’s one thing about Jessica. She loves money and nice things. Along comes golden boy, right on cue. Good looks, plenty of cash, solid career. Not a loser like me. If she hadn’t taken the bait, they’d just have kept trying until they managed to get someone else in. Taking over my place. Free to observe Carl every day. Test him. Assess him.’

‘But why?’ Ben insisted.

‘Because a gift like that makes him incredibly valuable to certain people who might want to exploit it,’ Drew said. ‘Think about it.’

Carl was looking increasingly agitated, still plucking at his father’s sleeve and trying to get his attention.

‘I am,’ Ben said. ‘I’m thinking this would have to be a very highly organised conspiracy. As for who on earth would take such an interest in something like this—’

‘They’re a team of some kind,’ Drew said. ‘That’s who Mike was meeting up with, reporting to them, keeping them updated on his observation of Carl. They’re his colleagues. His fellow agents, or something. I’m well aware of how crazy it sounds, but I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I know it’s the truth, and I’m damn sure that Paul Finley uncovered something about it before they got to him.’

‘They?’ Ben said, raising an eyebrow.

‘Yes, they,’ Drew said forcefully. ‘This is their mission. They’ll do whatever it takes. They want Carl.’

‘For what?’ Ben asked, still deeply unconvinced. ‘Drew, for what?’

But Drew didn’t reply. He’d broken off from the conversation and was gaping at his son in sudden alarm.

The boy had turned white with fear. He was trembling violently and staring fixedly into empty space with a look of dread, as if at some terrifying apparition that only he could see.

‘They’re coming,’ he said in a hollow voice. ‘They’re here.’