you and I’m in the clear.”
“Or I could take Neil’s place as your partner. Think about it, I could tell the police I followed him here and found Ethan.” Harlan knew there was no logic in what he was saying, but every word kept him and, more importantly, Ethan alive another breath. “That way, I’d be able to claim the reward, then we could split it.”
“And what’s to stop you telling the coppers the truth once I don’t have my gun pointed at your head?”
“You have my word of honour.”
“Your word of honour.” Martin snorted with laughter. “Your word of fuckin’ honour! That’s classic, that is. Nice try, mate, but I’m afraid I’ll have to turn down your-” He was interrupted by a shrill female voice calling to him from the landing.
“Martin! Martin!”
Scowling, he bellowed back, “What the fuck do you want?”
“I saw some people creeping about outside. I think it’s the coppers.”
The scowl turned into taut-lipped grimace. Martin pressed the gun barrel even harder into Harlan’s head. “You fuckin’ lying bastard,” he hissed. “I ought to blow your fuckin’ brains out just for the hell of it.”
Harlan closed his eyes and pictured Tom — the dark eyes peering out from beneath a tousle of equally dark hair, the cute snub-nose and full, smiling lips. He saw him more clearly than he had done in years. So clearly he could almost reach out and touch him. A sense of calm stole over him. If this really was it, he was ready.
“Ach! You’re not fuckin’ worth it,” spat Martin.
Harlan felt him take the gun away. He heard him sprint out the room, slam the door and shoot the bolts. Before he had time to feel relief or anything else, he heard a low whimper from beside him. Twisting his head, he saw that Ethan was awake — awake and staring at Neil, eyes like huge marbles as they took in the destroyed face, the widening slick of blood. He could almost hear the hiss of the image branding itself on the boy’s brain. From somewhere he found the strength to rise, enfold Ethan in his arms and turn him away from the corpse. The boy whimpered again and struggled weakly, but he subsided into trembling stillness as Harlan stroked his hair, shushing him and soothing, “It’s okay, Ethan. It’s okay. It’s okay.” Like a mantra, he repeated the words, until he heard booted feet in the hallway. “In here,” he shouted.
The bolts clicked. The door jerked inwards. Two officers wearing bullet-proof vests and armed with pistols entered the room. “Show us your hands!” bellowed one of them.
Overcome by a sudden reluctance to let Ethan go, Harlan hesitated to do so. He knew it was illogical, but he had the feeling that he was the only one who could protect Ethan, the only one who could truly keep him safe.
“Do it now!”
Harlan held onto the boy.
A female detective appeared. “It’s okay, he’s with us,” she told the armed officers, ushering them out of the room. She turned to Harlan and said softly, “I need you to let go of Ethan. We have to get him…we have to get both of you to hospital.”
“Have you got Yates?” asked Harlan.
The detective nodded. “And his girlfriend. They gave themselves up without a fight.”
Harlan turned his head and murmured in Ethan’s ear, “Close your eyes.” He waited for Ethan to do so, before adding, “Promise me you’ll keep them closed until you’re a long way away from here.”
In a heartbreakingly small voice, Ethan said, “I promise.”
“Good boy.”
Harlan nodded at the detective. At a gesture from her, a uniform came to scoop up Ethan and carry him away. Harlan struggled to stand, but the detective held up a hand to stay him. “There are paramedics on their way up.”
Harlan slumped back onto the mattress. The detective looked dispassionately at Neil’s nearly faceless corpse. “Who’s he?”
“He’s nobody,” said Harlan. “Nobody at all.”
Chapter 23
Harlan waved away the nurse when she offered him a newspaper. He wasn’t interested in what the media had to say about the personal histories of him, Neil Price or anyone else. And there was nothing they could tell him about the hard facts of the case that he didn’t already know. Jim had filled him in on the few details he’d been uncertain about. At first, after abducting Ethan, Yates had kept him gagged, bound, blindfolded and ear-muffled. In such a state of sensory deprivation, it was impossible for the boy to say where he’d been taken or how long he’d been held there for. All he knew was that every once in a while someone came to feed him food, liquids and tablets. At some point it seemed that, as Harlan suspected, he was moved to another place. Ethan had a vague, dreamlike memory of being lifted and carried. It was after that that he woke to find himself free of his bonds in the room where Harlan had found him. From then on, the man in the balaclava looked in on him once every day or two.
There were other details. Things Yates told the police that contradicted what Neil told Harlan — things like how the whole sorry caper was Neil’s idea from start to finish. But Harlan wasn’t concerned with the truth or falsity of such claims. That was for the police and courts. All he was concerned with now was tying up the loose ends of his present life — his non-life — and moving forward. He’d given Susan the closure she needed, now it was her turn to do the same for him
Susan entered the hospital room and saw Harlan lying on his bed, and her tears started to flow. Kane lingered by the door as she approached him and took his hand between hers. “Thank you, thank you. I…” She trailed off momentarily, her voice clogged with emotion. “I don’t know what else to say.”
Harlan smiled. It was different from any other smile that’d appeared on his face in a long time. There was nothing forced or strained about it. “You don’t have to say anything else.” Thank you weren’t the words he was so desperate to hear. But looking at Susan, he realised he didn’t need to hear them, they were in her eyes, plain as ink on paper. “Have they let you see Ethan?”
Susan nodded. “Soon as he saw me, he ran to me and gave me a great big hug. Same as always.” She drew in an elated breath, her eyes shining at the memory of that moment. A slight frown nibbled at the lines of happiness on her features. “I’d have brought him to see you, only the doctors want to keep him in a few more days to run some tests. Physically he’s fine. Nothing a few good meals won’t fix. But-” She broke off, glancing at Kane.
“You don’t need to worry about me hearing what you’re saying, Mum,” said Kane. “I already know why they won’t let Ethan come home. They want to make sure he’s alright up there.” He pointed at his temple.
“Nothing much gets past you, does it?” said Harlan. “Ever thought about being a copper when you grow up?”
“Fuck that.”
Susan flashed her son a sharp look. “Watch your language or you’ll get it!” As Kane lowered his gaze and muttered under his breath, she continued, “Isn’t there something you wanted to say to Harlan?”
Kane stood silent a moment, chewing his lips as if working his courage up. Then, with only a faint trace of his usual sullen indignation, he said, “Thanks for finding my brother, and…and I’m sorry for what I did to you.”
Susan frowned. “What do you mean? What did you do to him?”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Harlan. “Kane’s apologised and it’s over.”
The lines faded from Susan’s forehead. She sucked in a big breath and let it out in a shudder. “You’re right. It’s over and my beautiful baby boy will soon be back where he belongs. That’s all that matters.” Some anxiety crept back into her expression. “The only thing that worries me is taking Ethan back to that house. I mean, how’s he ever supposed to feel safe enough to sleep there again?”
“So don’t take him there. Put it up for sale and rent somewhere until you find a new place to buy.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I’ve barely got bus fare to get home, never mind money enough to shell out on the mortgage and rent at the same time.”
“I want you to have the reward for finding Ethan.” The shadow that fell over Susan’s face, prompted Harlan to add quickly, “It’s not a gift. The money’s yours by right. Well, to be precise, it’s Kane’s. Without him, Ethan would still be locked up in that flat.”
Looking at his mother with excited, pleading eyes, Kane opened his mouth to speak. But seeing the frowning
