Deadline by Simon Kernick Read Free Book Online Page A

from outside.
There's a turning circle another twenty metres
down the track. Drive down to that, turn round
and leave.'
    'What about Emma?'
    'When you get back on to the road, turn right
and keep going about half a mile and you'll come
to a phone box on the left. Go inside and wait for
our call. As soon as we've confirmed that all the
money's there, and you haven't tried anything
stupid, we'll make contact and give you instructions
on where to collect your daughter.'
    'I need to speak to her.'
    'Not now. Do as you're instructed and you'll be
seeing her soon enough. One other thing: turn off
your mobile and don't bring it with you.'
    'OK,' she said reluctantly. She didn't like the
idea of being without it.
    'Now get moving. You've got exactly forty-five
minutes to get to the drop-off point. And
remember, we're watching.'
    The line went dead and Andrea put the receiver
down.
    'What's the plan?' asked Jimmy, looking at her
closely.
    Briefly, she went through the instructions she'd
been given. 'I don't think you should come,' she
added when she'd finished. 'They said they were
going to be watching me. If they see you, it could
jeopardize things. I can't afford that.'
    'She's my daughter too,' he answered. 'I'm
coming with you.'
    'What's the point, Jimmy? I'm delivering the
money, that's all.'
    'Because I don't trust them. That's the point.
What if they're bullshitting about letting her go?'
    'But you were the one who told me they just
wanted cash. That they didn't want to hurt her.'
    'Well, maybe that is all they want, but there's
still no guarantee they'll release her. They might
hold out for more cash. But if you drop me off a
couple of hundred yards from where you're
making the drop, I'll make my own way down
there and keep an eye on the place. I'll see who
goes in, see if I recognize them. I might be able to
get their registration number.'
    'What good'll that do?'
    'There's still a couple of coppers I know. They'll
be able to trace who the car belongs to.'
    Andrea didn't like the sound of this at all.
    'But it's risky, isn't it? What happens if they see
you? Then they're not going to let Emma go, are
they? They might kill her.'
    Jimmy shook his head. 'They ain't going to kill
her. She's worth more to them alive. And they
ain't going to see me, either. I'll be quiet. And I'll
be careful. I don't want anything to happen to
Emma either, you know.'
    Andrea sighed, trying to think. Not following
the kidnappers' instructions to the letter was a
huge risk, but what if Jimmy was right? What if
they weren't going to let Emma go? Surely it was
better to have an insurance policy in the form of
Jimmy watching the place – someone cunning
enough to spot a double-cross, and hard enough,
if necessary, to do something about it. But, did she
even trust him? She wiped sweat from her brow,
wrestling with the alternatives, knowing she had
only seconds to make up her mind. Knowing that
even one wrong move could end the life of her
only child.
    She took several deep breaths, telling herself to
keep calm, for Emma's sake.
    'What if they're out there now watching the
house?' she asked. 'If they see us leaving
together . . .'
    He shook his head. 'They're not watching the
house. If they were, they'd already know I was here.
Anyway, there won't be enough of them to do that.'
    'How do you know?' she demanded.
    'This ain't a big firm, babe. No way. There'll
only be a couple of them. Any more and there'd be
too much chance of a leak. Also, they'd stand out
sitting in a car in a nice, quiet street like this for
hours on end. They won't want to risk that. But
we'll play it safe. You go out the front, and I'll
come out nice and quiet behind you, and I'll stay
down in the seat. It'll be dark, no one'll see.'
    His words were filled with a quiet confidence
that was proving seductive.
    'What happens afterwards? Where will I pick
you up from? They told me not to bring my
mobile phone.'
    He reached into his pocket and retrieved a
cheap Nokia handset. 'Take this,'