Gilchrist grunted as Purvis poked him with a hand as hard as wood. ‘Recognise her?’
Gilchrist shook his head. ‘I don’t know who she is.’
Purvis punched Gilchrist’s side with a force that could crack ribs – and probably did – which caused Gilchrist to sink to his knees as pain as sharp as a knife-strike overwhelmed him.
‘We need him,’ Magner growled.
Purvis nodded to Jessie, who was still sitting on the floor, her back to the wall. ‘We can use her.’
‘We’ve got him,’ Magner replied. ‘Now get him up.’
Gilchrist gasped as Purvis grabbed a clump of hair and tugged him to his feet. He managed to remain upright, a bit shaky, but he was getting the hang of it. ‘I told you,’ he said. ‘I’ve no idea who she is.’
‘Why is she here, then?’
‘How would I know?’
‘Have a guess,’ Purvis suggested.
‘Well, it’s Sunday. Maybe she’s selling Bibles.’
A punch to the side of the head bowled Gilchrist over. He hit the floor with a thud that almost knocked him unconscious again. He lay there for a few beats, struggling to fight off the almost overpowering urge to let his eyes roll back and settle under his eyelids. Then the moment passed. He spat out a mouthful of blood and pushed himself to his knees.
Purvis’s grip had him standing to attention in zero seconds flat, as well as wondering if he had any hair left. His scalp was stinging, but at least he was still alive – well, for the time being.
‘Let’s try this one more time,’ Magner said.
Gilchrist stared at the monitor. Mhairi had walked from the rear door to the kitchen window, and was tilting her face to peer through a gap in the curtains. Then the monitor flickered to display another quartered screen – views of the outside of the barn. Another flicker, and this time the quarters turned a hazy green – images from infrared webcams located within the basement warren itself. Each showed what looked like a door – four exit points. He realised that the monitor’s electrical supply was being provided by the generator, via some sort of transformer, and probably powering a wi-fi transmitter too, so images could be beamed from the cottage.
Another set of four images showed two screens in which the three of them stood facing the monitor from different angles. He turned his head to search for the webcam in the ceiling, and received a slap to the side of the head for his effort.
‘Eyes to the front,’ Purvis said.
Gilchrist obliged, and said nothing while the screen shifted again to show four images of the inside of Purvis’s cottage, which Magner studied as if to ensure no one had broken in. The next screen brought them back to Mhairi at the rear of the cottage.
‘Okay,’ Magner said. ‘One last time. Who is she?’
‘I’m telling you, I don’t know.’
Magner stared hard into Gilchrist’s eyes. ‘I don’t believe you.’
Gilchrist shook his head.
‘You three turn up,’ Magner said. ‘Then someone else shows up. I don’t believe in coincidences.’
Neither did Gilchrist, but he was not for agreeing.
Magner looked at Purvis then nodded at the screen. ‘Get her.’
Without a word, Purvis retrieved the shotgun from the workbench, inserted two cartridges, and snapped the barrels back with a click that sent a shock through Gilchrist’s system. Then he picked up the night-vision goggles and marched towards the entrance shaft – an eager hunter hungry to shoot his quarry.
Gilchrist risked another glance at the monitor. Mhairi had moved to the corner of the cottage and appeared to be making her way round to the front, but she was taking her time. Gilchrist knew with absolute certainty that if he did not do something within the next few minutes, Mhairi would end up as dead as Stan.
As if reading Gilchrist’s mind, Magner pointed the SIG Sauer at him. ‘Over there.’
Gilchrist thought of risking all in one crazed attempt to overpower Magner.
But sense prevailed and, defeated, he walked towards Jessie.
CHAPTER 36
Gilchrist had enough sense left in his battered brain to know that to have any chance of overpowering Magner, he had to wait until Purvis cleared the entrance shaft. On the other hand, the dilemma he now faced was that if he was forced to sit down, he could not attack Magner without making it obvious, and Purvis would be free to murder Mhairi.
If he could find some way to…
‘I need a pee,’ he tried.
‘Sit down next to Miss Piggy, and do it in your pants,’ Magner said.
The ringing sound of metal on metal as Purvis clambered up the exit ladder echoed through the chamber, and Gilchrist veered to the left. ‘Shoot me in the back, if you want to,’ he said, ‘but I’m having a pee in private.’
‘How about I shoot her instead?’ Magner replied.
Gilchrist stopped. Magner had levelled the gun at Jessie’s face, leaving Gilchrist in no doubt that he would pull the trigger in a heartbeat. ‘I’ll hold it in,’ he said, and shuffled back to stand beside Jessie.
‘Sit.’
‘I’d rather stand.’
Magner lined up the barrel on Jessie again. ‘Your choice.’
Defeated, Gilchrist slid down the wall, then looked over in surprise as Jessie pushed herself to her feet.
‘Trying to make it easy for me?’ Magner said.
Jessie nodded at the monitor. ‘You never asked if I could identify that woman. It might be Aggie.’
‘Who’s Aggie?’
‘Head of Special Ops.’
Magner’s mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. ‘You’re at it,’ he said.
‘You’d better hope I’m at it,’ Jessie said, ‘because if I’m not, you and your dickhead for a partner won’t be going anywhere soon, dog or no dog.’
Magner glared at her as she stepped towards him.
‘Let me have a look,’ she said. ‘What’ve you got to lose?’
‘Stay put.’ Magner’s knuckles whitened on the grip of the pistol.
Gilchrist felt a thud of fear in his gut. Whatever Jessie was up to, she was pushing Magner to the limit. It would not take much more pressure on his trigger finger to stop her in her tracks. ‘Jessie,’ he said. ‘Sit down.’
Jessie snapped a look at Gilchrist, then back to Magner. ‘A big strong lad like you? Afraid of little old me? I don’t even have a gun,’ she said, and held out her hands to prove her point. ‘What’re you afraid of? That I might scratch your eyes out?’ She chuckled. ‘You should see your face,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you show me? I’ll keep my distance, I promise. I can’t be fairer than that.’
As Jessie edged closer, Magner backed off, a puzzled look on his face, as if undecided whether to shoot her or hear what she might say if he let her look at the monitor.
Then he stepped aside, still pointing the gun at her forehead. ‘Go ahead then.’
Jessie reached the monitor, pressed a key, and the screen shifted to a new quartet of webcam images. ‘I don’t see her,’ she said.
‘Step back,’ Magner ordered, and waited until Jessie backed up a couple of paces.
If Jessie was going to do anything, Gilchrist thought, she would do it now.
But Magner tapped the keyboard, said, ‘There she is,’ and stepped aside to let Jessie have another look. He glanced at Gilchrist, and received a blank stare in return.
‘Where’s that dickhead partner of yours?’ Jessie said.
‘Get on with it,’ Magner snapped.
Jessie peered at the screen. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘How do I zoom in?’
‘You don’t.’
Jessie shrugged. ‘Can’t help you then.’ She turned to walk away, but then stopped and returned to the screen. ‘Oh, now I think I know who it is,’ she said.