Vanished by James Delargy (free novel 24 TXT) 📕

but the silence gave him no reason to suspect that the three men were lying in wait.

Carefully easing the cupboard away from the hole following the precise lines, he heard Dylan coo as the tunnel was exposed.

He prepared to enter. ‘Now, you keep watch up here. If you hear a truck, shout down the tunnel for Daddy and then run and hide.’ The stupidity of posting his six-year-old son as lookout became overly apparent to him but there was no one else.

‘I don’t want you going down there, Daddy.’

‘It’s okay. I’ll only be fifteen minutes.’

‘No!’

‘Dylan, fifteen—’

‘I want to come too.’

Lorcan looked at his son. Through the fear was a determination not to be left behind.

‘Stay behind Daddy then.’

He switched on the torch and entered the tunnel.

50

Emmaline

After Leona’s admission the charity was interrogated again. It was quickly discovered that Naiyana’s location had been leaked to Chester Grant’s office. They had been in touch under the pretext of contacting Naiyana for a discussion about the revised baby food and someone had thought they were being helpful by letting them know that she had moved to the Wisbech area.

Emmaline contacted Chester’s office to arrange a meeting but he was unavailable all afternoon. Even to the police.

So taking advantage of being in the city, Emmaline decided to visit Nikos Iannis again. Oily joined her.

Nikos lived in a stylish, detached house in Applecross, his view of the Swan River obstructed by the really expensive houses. So near and yet so far. Which must have been galling for him. Still he wasn’t doing so bad, the red slate, two-storey, an impressive property, with a swimming pool tucked under the trees at the back. In the wide driveway was a 4x4. With bull bars.

After giving their names to the intercom, a buzzer opened the gates, Nikos not bothering to leave the house to meet them, indicating his disrespect through nonchalance.

Approaching the 4x4 Emmaline spilled her keys from her pocket. Kneeling on the gravel, she surreptitiously checked the bull bars for any residue. For blood, hair or dirt, as Dr Collins suggested. Fumbling them further under, she glanced at the underside. It was clean. Recently washed. She supposed that people like Nikos didn’t get to run a successful company or afford a house like this without having some smarts. And being utterly ruthless.

As she gathered her keys and looked up Nikos was standing in the doorway in a dressing gown, open down the front to reveal a chest that was flabby but glistening. Freshly shaved.

‘Find anything down there?’ he asked, with a grin.

‘No work today?’ Emmaline responded.

‘When you’re the boss you can choose when to go in. Maybe you’ll get the chance someday.’

‘Once I learn how to tie a dressing gown.’

Nikos rolled his eyes. ‘What is it you want, Detective?’

‘To talk about your past.’

Emmaline already knew about it. Nikos and Georgios Iannis had made their money in the shady world of debt collection, specializing in clients who had defaulted. The provision of financial advice was the reputable face of the business. Their MO, however, was mugging businesses that were in trouble and even some that weren’t. There were rumours that these negotiations were fraught and in some cases, violent, the use of roughhouse tactics suspected but unproven. Beatings, leanings and breakings.

‘We can talk about that out here,’ said Nikos, not moving from the doorway.

‘You and your brother are no strangers to violence, are you?’

‘Have you come to give me a history lesson or ask a question? If it’s A, I’m not interested. If it’s B, I’d like to have my lawyer present.’

Oily stepped in. ‘We have statements from people in your office that there were lots of anxious meetings in the days following Lorcan Maguire’s redundancy.’

‘There were. Looking for the information he stole.’

‘Allegedly stole. Which you since haven’t found.’

‘No.’

‘You don’t seem all that worried. Especially considering we found Lorcan Maguire’s body,’ said Emmaline.

‘What do you expect me to do about it?’

‘He was shot, Mr Iannis.’

‘And what? You think it was me? We were, and are, furious at the theft but more for allowing it to happen. We got negligent and it cost us. Greatly.’

‘But you admit trying to contact Mr Maguire to get the information back?’

‘We tried via the court.’

‘And when that failed you tracked him down and sent out someone to meet him. Is that right?’

Nikos glared at her, trying but failing to disguise the look of guilt.

‘All we want is to save the company,’ said Nikos, less boisterous now, treading carefully. ‘We had lawyers threaten other companies off buying the info. But we still don’t know if he was flogging it. It hasn’t turned up. Yet.’

‘Which means that it was lost or is still out there somewhere. Maybe on a disk,’ said Oily.

‘Which you would kill to get your hands on,’ said Emmaline.

‘Kill is a big accusation, Detective. We’re the ones who lost out in all this shit.’

‘Apart from the dead man, of course.’

‘I had nothing to do with that,’ said Nikos, curtly.

‘The house had been turned over. As if someone was looking for something.’

‘I have nothing to say about that.’

‘There was little in that house of value apart from that information,’ said Emmaline. ‘It sure seemed like professionals were sent in to search and destroy. I’m sure you know a few.’

‘I’m sure I do too,’ admitted Nikos.

Emmaline continued. ‘They found nothing so used Naiyana Maguire as leverage to get Lorcan to tell them where the information was hidden. Her blood was found in the house. Lorcan then escaped with his son before he was caught and killed.’

‘Are you accusing me of something?’ asked Nikos. ‘Is the answer, B? Do I need my lawyer?’

‘I’m sure you will,’ said Emmaline. ‘But we’re just covering all angles at the minute. Yours is one of the sharpest ones. Animosity breeds revenge. Doesn’t it, Mr Iannis?’

Nikos Iannis curled his lips into a snarl, stepped back and shut the door.

51

Lorcan

Dylan kept bumping into his legs, making them both stumble. His son was obeying