Death Run

But the table where the woman had been was empty. He would not get the answer to his questions just yet. Chance walked slowly round the square, looking along each of the streets leading off it in turn. There was no sign of the woman with auburn hair. Satisfied that, for now at least, he was not being watched, Chance returned to the table outside the café. He’d had enough coffee for today, so he ordered a carafe of white wine.

He was halfway through it when Rich and Jade returned.

“So?” Jade asked as she sat down. She glanced disapprovingly at the wine. It was barely lunchtime and he’d started already. Still, at least he wasn’t smoking.

“Yeah, what happened to your girlfriend?” Rich asked.

Dad took a packet of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. “She didn’t wait for me to introduce myself. I wondered if she’d followed either of you?”

“Not so we noticed,” Jade said. “You’re not going to smoke that, are you?” She was glaring at the cigarette between Dad’s fingers.

“No, I’m going to juggle with it.”

“Funny man.”

Dad pushed the cigarette back into the packet. He was getting better, Jade had to admit. He did actually seem to listen to what she and Rich said. That was a distinct improvement.

“Talking of jugglers,” Dad was saying. “What’s with the fancy dress party?”

Rich gasped, and Jade turned quickly to see what he and Dad were looking at.

It was like the shop display had come to life and followed them. A small group of half a dozen men was walking slowly into the little square from one of the side streets. They were all wearing dark business suits, and all had their faces covered by masks. The man at the front was wearing a savagely-beaked grey face – just like in the display.

Behind him came two men in golden gargoyle masks, then a man whose face was completely white save for a single black teardrop on one cheek. Another of them was Harlequin – like the joker from a deck of cards, a black and red face with spikes springing from his head.

The last man wore the blank-eyed grinning face of a skull. Jade shuddered. If this was someone’s idea of fun, it was pretty bizarre. And why wear the heavy, dark clothes in this heat?

“Some sort of parade,” Dad said. “Wrong time of year for Carnival.”

Rich looked at Jade and she saw how pale he was. “I don’t like this.”

“Nor me,” she agreed. At first, she’d thought, like Dad, that it was a bit of fun. Some sort of parade. Now Jade was sure it wasn’t. There was something sinister about the figures – about the way they moved, the way they had paused just inside the square. They swung slowly round, as if looking for something. Or someone. They all stopped at the same point – staring directly at Jade, Rich and their father.

Dad’s chair scraped backwards on the flagstones as he stood up. “Wait for me back at the hotel.”

“What are you going to do?” Jade asked.

“I don’t know. Get moving.”

“We can’t leave you,” Rich said. The men were walking slowly across the square towards them. The beak of the grey mask was aimed directly at Dad.

“Move it!” Dad urged. “And don’t worry. I’ll probably overtake you.”

Jade grabbed Rich’s hand and together they ran from the square.

‘We can’t leave him with them,” Rich gasped as they ran.

“What do you suggest?”

“We have to see what’s happening.” Rich slowed to a jog and Jade eased up as well. “We should go back.”

“That’s probably what they want.”

“So what – do nothing?”

“No.” Jade pointed to a small alleyway between two buildings. “If we cut through there, we can get back to the square on a different street. They won’t expect that.”

“You hope.”

“All right, Einstein – let’s hear your idea.”

Rich sighed. “Let’s try the alley,” he conceded.

Dad was talking to the man in the grey, beaked mask. He was shaking his head, turning away. Then the masked man said something which Jade and Rich couldn’t hear, but they heard their father laugh. He waved a hand as if dismissing whatever the masked man had said. Then he held up a finger – a ‘back in a minute’ gesture – and walked into the café.

“He’s all right,” Jade realised. “He’ll leg it out the back, like before.”

“If they fall for it.”

It didn’t look like they had. The grey-masked man was gesturing to the two golden gargoyles, who ran after Dad into the café. Moments later there were shouts from inside and the other masked men followed in a hurry.

“I expect he’ll be all right,” Jade said.

“Course he will.” Rich sounded more confident than Jade felt. “Think we should help him?”

“How? Come on, let’s get back to the hotel like Dad said.”

“And hope he meets us there.”

It wasn’t far and walking briskly they were back in half an hour. It probably wasn’t the quickest route – Rich had led them back the same way as they had come that morning. At least they didn’t stop at every church this time.

“You wait here,” Rich told Jade as they walked through the little foyer into the small lounge bar. “I’ll check he’s not already back in his room. Anyone who knows the way could be here before us.”

Jade slumped down on a little sofa. It wasn’t as comfortable as it looked, but she settled into it and watched the door. A large black car bumped up the narrow cobbled street outside and stopped opposite the hotel. No one got out, and Jade frowned. She was about to run up the stairs after Rich when she heard his scream. Rich took the stairs two at a time. The door to their room was standing open, and he sighed with relief. He went straight in, not thinking it might be a trap.

As soon as he was through the door, everything went black. He had time to cry out in surprise and alarm – just once. Then he was fighting against the blanket that was tight over his face and shoulders. Rich was being dragged out of the room and back down the stairs. His feet caught on the threadbare carpet and knocked painfully against the wall of the stairwell as he was bundled away.

Soon he was on level ground again, the thin lounge carpet under his feet. Then he felt the bare stone floor of the lobby, followed by the warm breeze on his hands and a brightness even through the blanket. He was struggling to speak, but his throat was clogged with dust and whenever he tried, he ended up coughing and choking. There were uneven cobbles under his feet now. His head was pushed roughly down and he was shoved forward – landing on something soft. A chair? Where was he?

An engine revved. A door slammed. Rich was in a car and it was pulling away. Jade emerged from behind the sofa. She’d been ready to fight the men to get Rich free. But a glance from her hiding place at the four men in carnival masks had been enough to tell her it was no use. She’d end up being captured herself. It made her sick to her stomach, but the best option was to leave Rich to fend for himself.

At least he wouldn’t be on his own – Jade would follow. But then she saw Rich bundled into the car opposite the hotel and her heart sank still lower. She couldn’t follow a car.

But she’d try. She wouldn’t give up and abandon her brother. Jade was out of the hotel and running after the car as it started up the street. She kept to the shadowed side of the pavement, hoping they wouldn’t spot her. Mercifully, the dark limousine was going quite slowly up the uneven street. And Jade ran every day. If it kept to this speed she might – just might – keep it in sight.

The car reached the end of the street and turned right. Almost immediately it turned again – towards the main street. Jade hesitated. Should she follow, or should she take a risk? She’d lose the car if she just followed. She’d risk it, she decided – take a shortcut she’d discovered along an alley and over a little canal bridge. That would bring her to the same junction as the car was making for. Probably making for…

At the junction, Jade paused for breath. There was no sign of the car. It couldn’t have got here already. But, after almost a minute, Jade realised it wasn’t coming. It was too distinctive for her to have missed. She’d gambled and lost. The car had not been heading for the main road at all.