Knife Edge

6.48 P.M.

'He won't hurt her, Julie, calm down,' Kenneth Baxter said, rising from his seat and attempting to slide one arm around Julie Neville's waist.

She shook loose angrily.

'How do you know that?'

'I know Bob.'

She laughed humourlessly.

'Do you, Ken? Do you know him? Does Doyle? I'm not even sure I do. I don't think anyone knows what's going on inside his mind. He's unpredictable. He's dangerous. I think he's insane.'

'He's not going to hurt his own daughter, is he?' Baxter argued.

Julie looked at him.

But she's not his daughter. She's your daughter.

She let out a weary breath.

Should she tell him the truth, let him know that his own flesh and blood was in danger?

She reached for the packet of Superkings on the table and lit one, blowing out a long stream of smoke.

'When the hell are they going to release us?' Baxter looked around at the bare walls of the room inside New Scotland Yard.

'They said we can leave when we want to, we're not under arrest,' she reminded him. 'Why? Are you getting nervous, Ken?'

'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

'The weapons that Bob's using, he got them from you, didn't he? And the explosives?'

'You're starting to sound like one of those coppers,' he snapped. 'Don't you trust me either?'

'I don't know who to trust any more.' She looked at him pleadingly. 'Just tell me the truth. Did Bob get those weapons from you?'

'Yes,' said Baxter, unfalteringly. 'He came to me nearly two years ago, he knew I was selling to both sides. He knew I had access to the Quartermaster's stores, he knew I could get what he wanted.'

'But why did he want it?'

Baxter could only shrug.

'At the time I didn't know. I didn't care either,' he said, flatly. 'He was a friend. He asked me to do something for him, I did it. That's how friendship works, isn't it?'

'If he'd known about you and me he'd have killed us both.'

'But he didn't know, did he? Why, what's wrong? Is your conscience pricking you after eight years?'

She fixed him with an angry stare.

'Did he get the explosive from you too?'

Baxter nodded.

'He contacted me about that a lot later,' he told her. 'After I'd left the army. I still had the contacts though, on both sides.'

'And you didn't ask him why he wanted that either?'

'It wasn't my business.'

'He's killing people with those explosives, Ken. Isn't that your business either?'

'Don't preach to me, Julie. It's a bit late for lectures. Anyway, what do you care? Once Doyle finds him he'll kill him and it'll all be over. We won't have to hide any more.' He slipped his arm around her shoulders, feeling her pull away but less vehemently this time. When he looked into her eyes he saw tears there.

'Isn't that what you want?' he asked softly. 'For us to be together?'

'I want Lisa back safely. That's all I want.'

Baxter took his arm away and stepped back from her.

'I don't want to lose her, Ken,' Julie said softly. 'I can't.'

As she stood before him, Baxter watched as a single tear trickled down her cheek.

She didn't bother to wipe it away.