“Mmm. Mmm,” said Tyson securely tied up in the back of the van with gaffer tape across his mouth and the ski mask covering his head.
Roger said nothing. He drove to the Milton Motel.
“Look, Dad. You’ll be safe here. I’ve booked you a room. Here’s the key. Stay here tonight, and I’ll get back to see you in the morning. It’s eight o’clock now; the restaurant is open until ten. Why don’t you have a quick freshen up in your room and then enjoy a meal. I’ve got things to sort out.”
“Be careful, son. They told me they would kill us both when they had me tied up. These are not nice people.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. See you later.”
Roger drove back to the equestrian centre. He was scared and worried about his dad’s safety. He knew they wouldn’t stop coming after him and his father. There was only one way to stop them. A way he hadn’t really considered before but now he knew it was his only option. The only way out.
It was 10 p.m when the VW stopped, and Roger got out to open the metal gates of the entrance. He drove through, stopped and locked the gates then drove the VW over to the two containers.
He opened the back doors and removed the ski mask over Tyson’s head, then took the small pair of scissors from his pocket and cut the cable ties holding Tyson’s legs. Then he reached over and pulled him upright and pulled the gaffer tape from his mouth.
“Where’s my dad. Why am I back here?”
“Because your father and brother tried to double cross me. They were going to kill my father and me. So I’m going to send them a message. In the only language, they seem to understand. Come with me you piece of shit.”
As he pulled him from the back of the VW and stood him up, Tyson lashed out with a karate kick, sending Roger backwards, hitting his head on the metal container door. He lay dazed on the floor.
Tyson ran off into the darkness, his hands still in the handcuffs behind his back.
With a black overcast sky and no moon visible, he could hardly see where he was going. He just wanted to get away, to find a way of contacting his father. He had no idea what this place was or where he was.
He could make out a building in front of him. Perhaps there was a phone inside. Or some tools so he could get the damn handcuffs off.
He walked into what seemed to be a very wide hallway. He followed it along and felt the floor beneath him change from soft to hard. He walked on trying to make out any shapes, but that section of the building didn’t seem to have any windows. He thought he heard a noise behind him? Maybe his captor wasn’t badly injured and was coming after him.
Tyson moved faster; he glanced over his shoulder once more as he took a step forward and fell into what at first he thought was a hole. It was filled with water, and he had never learned to swim.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
A DEAD MAN
It was thirty minutes before Roger came to. His head hurt, but the bleeding had stopped and there was no time to lose. He looked around, no sign of Tyson.
“Shit.”
Roger staggered to his feet. If he let Tyson get away, it could mean the end of everything. He could never stand up against Kevin and his two sons. They would hunt him and his father down. The words Phil Jones had spoken came to mind, “Where the O’Connor’s are concerned I have to be honest and say you’re probably already a dead man walking.”
Roger needed to find him. If Tyson’s father found out about the equestrian centre, he’d be there quickly, although Roger was pretty certain it wouldn’t be Kevin personally. The crack he’d given him with the baseball bat. He had taken enough first aid courses over the years to know he had probably broken Kevin’s leg.
Roger looked for his phone. He had left it in the VW. Was it still there or had Tyson found it and called his dad? No, it was still there. Tyson would be looking for a phone. So he would probably have gone into the equestrian centre and found the offices. The phones were connected. There was a slim chance Tyson hadn’t managed to get a message out yet.
Roger ran over to the front door of the centre and opened it. He crept along the stable run. He knew Tyson could jump out at any moment and overpower him. He tried to be quiet so he could hear any sound of Tyson, but everything was still. No noise. In the dark, Roger couldn’t see much but luckily he knew the layout.
He walked around to the main office. The door was still locked with no sign of forced entry. Where was Tyson? Was he hiding or had he just kept running until he found the main road and then tried to flag down a passing motorist?
Roger decided to go back to the VW and drive around and see if he could pick him up before an unsuspecting motorist did.
As he walked round the stables for a quick look, he spotted the figure face down in the swimming pool.
He rushed over, jumped in and swam over. He pulled Tyson from the water and using his experience of first aid and resuscitation, Roger tried to revive him.
It took twenty-two minutes before he was too exhausted to keep going. Tyson was dead.
There was only one thing Roger could do. He needed to tell Kevin O’Connor. Of course, he wouldn’t believe it was an accident, but it was the right thing to do.
It was late at night.
