Avedissian almost choked on the vomit that welled up in his throat for he knew that the child's skull could not possibly have withstood such a blow. Sickness and anguish was replaced by anger. 'You bastard!' he almost screamed at Innes. 'You rotten bastard! May you rot in hell!'
Innes was breathing heavily. All trace of boredom had gone as he pointed the gun at Avedissian and snarled, 'Shut your trap and give me the tapes!'
Avedissian took the two cassettes from his pocket and made a last gambit for his life. He paused for a moment with the tape in his hand.
'Down here!' snapped Innes.
Avedissian threw them so that they landed on the ground but inside the leading blade of the harvester. Then, as Innes reached out to retrieve them, Avedissian slammed his knee against the starter button in the cab and the machine, being in gear, lurched forward.
The great paddle wheel spun round and snatched Innes in by his arm. Such was the power of the harvester that the motor did not even notice the obstruction caused by a mere human body. It simply reduced Innes to a boneless pulp in seconds, spraying blood over the barn like sudden rain. Avedissian killed the engine and climbed down slowly from the cab.
Kathleen had come round but was disorientated. Avedissian caught her in his arms as she descended unsteadily from the harvester. 'Harry! Where's Harry?' she asked anxiously, then she saw the child lying in the doorway and, before Avedissian had had time to say anything, she broke free and went to him. She held him briefly before collapsing in tears. 'How could anyone? How could anyone?' she sobbed.
Avedissian put out the lights in the barn and tried to comfort her before saying softly, 'We have to go.'
'I don't want to leave him,' whispered Kathleen.
'We'll take him,’ said Avedissian gently. He picked up Harry's body and carried him to Innes's car to lay him gently on the back seat. 'We're going to take this car,' he told Kathleen. 'It's not stolen.'
As they were about to leave, Avedissian had a sudden thought and got out of the car to fetch a jerry can of kerosene from the barn. He opened the doors of Feldman's car and doused the interior before laying a trail up to the barn doors and throwing the can inside. He moved Innes's car down the track a little before realising that he did not have any matches. He punched the car cigar-lighter into its socket and waited with mounting impatience until it had warmed up to red heat.
Avedissian threw the lighter at Feldman's car and saw it erupt in a burst of yellow fire, which raced up to the barn and started to engulf the building in a matter of seconds. He climbed in beside Kathleen and drove off.
'Why?' asked Kathleen.
'It's going to take the police a while to sort that mess out. They will identify the car and their immediate assumption will be that we died in the fire. Finding Innes's charred body will help to confirm that impression for they don't even know that he exists. By the time they work out that we're not there at all we should be out of the country.'
They drove through the night in silence, Avedissian concentrating on the road and Kathleen preoccupied with thoughts of Harry and of what might have been. As the first light of dawn streaked the sky in front of them Avedissian asked, 'Are you all right?'
Kathleen came out of her trance-like state and gripped Avedissian lightly on the arm. She said, 'Of course, but you must be exhausted.'
'I want to get as far away as possible,' said Avedissian. 'We'll drive all through the day then stay overnight before making for Chicago Airport tomorrow.'
'And Harry?' asked Kathleen softly.
'We'll find a place… a nice place.'
Avedissian took the car off the readjust after they had passed through a copse of trees by a river and looked back. There?' he asked.
Kathleen saw the morning sun sparkle on the waters of the river as it moved sluggishly round a bend by the trees and said, 'Yes.'
Avedissian opened the boot of the car and found something to serve as a digging tool. He wrapped Harry's body in a rug that had lain on the back seat and carried him through the trees to put him gently down by the water's edge while he dug out a shallow grave.
Avedissian finished filling in the grave and stood up to watch Kathleen pick up a handful of earth and let it fall slowly through her fingers. Tears were running silently down her face.
'We'll have to go,’ said Avedissian as gently as he could.
Kathleen nodded and turned away. Avedissian put his arm round her and they walked slowly back to the car.
They drove across Iowa into Illinois and on towards Chicago as they had planned and then, as night fell, they stopped in the town of Penning and found a place to stay. There was a small-town pleasantness about Penning that appealed to both of them as they strolled in the cool of the evening, ridding their limbs of the stiffness brought on by the marathon drive.
'Do you think there's still time to save Martin?' asked Kathleen.
'Of course,' said Avedissian, squeezing her arm. 'Innes was still trying for the tapes. Kell will be waiting to hear from him. He won't do anything until he's sure he has the money.'
People sat talking on verandas or walked arm in arm down Main Street. Muted laughter drifted on the still air. Teenagers bunched on corners. 'It's another world,' said Kathleen.
'Not ours,’ said Avedissian.
'Couldn't we make believe?' asked Kathleen.
'Why not?' smiled Avedissian. 'Just for tonight.'
They walked hand in hand down the street, pretending that that was what they did most evenings after dinner. 'How long have we been married?' asked Kathleen.
Avedissian thought then said, 'Twelve years. It's our anniversary next Wednesday.’
'Children?'
'Two. A boy and a girl.’
'Job?'
'I sell farm machinery.’
'What do I do?'
'You were a nurse in the local hospital until Janey came along.’
'Who's looking after Janey tonight?'
'Your mother. She comes round every Tuesday and Friday.’
'You're good at this game,’ said Kathleen.
'We have to cut short our walk tonight.’
'Why?' asked Kathleen.
Avedissian stopped and turned towards her. He kissed her softly on the lips and said, 'Because I want to make love to you.’
The TWA Jumbo took its place in the queue to leave O'Hare Airport which, even at eight in the evening, was impressively long. The snake of predominantly Boeing aircraft, carrying the liveries of the world's airlines, crawled up to the head of the runway to take off in turn with what seemed like little more than seconds between them. As Avedissian felt the back of his seat begin to press into him he took Kathleen's hand and squeezed it. 'We made it,' he whispered. Kathleen nodded and closed her eyes. Silently, she said goodbye to Harry.
TWELVE
Avedissian turned his head and saw that Kathleen was sleeping. The cabin lights had been dimmed and the whine of the engines had become for many a reassuring white sound in their subconscious. The slight moan from an auxiliary hydraulic motor made Avedissian look out of the window to see the trailing edge of the wing alter slightly as the captain made a course correction. There was a full moon on the port side. It caught the rivets along the top surface and created geometric shadows on the engine cowling. Avedissian closed his eyes and imagined what the
