Vanished by James Delargy (free novel 24 TXT) 📕

and they provide cover should anyone come sniffing around.’

‘I think we should call it quits and go,’ said Stevie.

Ian raised his voice. ‘No one goes. I don’t need anyone out there running their mouths about what’s going on here.’

‘I wouldn’t. I’m quiet.’

‘Compared to me,’ added Mike with a clack.

‘We’ve made enough for six or nine months, right?’ said Stevie. ‘If we analyse the data for Murchison I’m sure there will be another sweet spot. Miles away from here.’

‘But if we stay we can make more,’ said Ian. ‘We have the find right here. I have them under control. We stick together. We get all we can and then dump the hangers-on.’

‘And if they have enough and decide to leave?’

‘Then I’ll deal with it.’

Ian stuck his hand into the middle like he wanted to initiate some schoolyard oath, hands on top of each other. Mike could see that Stevie was itching to leave. But Ian was right about one thing. Money was money. And Mike needed money. To start a company. To support himself. And his elderly parents. Plus he could rag Lorcan Maguire about the charity. He put his hand in the centre. He would play along for now. Stevie looked at them both, shaking his head even as he added his hand to the pile.

97

Naiyana

‘What was that about?’

‘What?’

‘Why were those two at the house? What did you do?’

‘What makes you think that I did anything?’ said Lorcan, exiting their bedroom. Dylan was standing in the hallway between them.

‘You didn’t go see them again, did you?’

‘I didn’t leave the house. Did we Dyl?’

Dylan shook his head. A long, frantic shake that told Naiyana that he was telling the truth, no glance towards his dad to confirm the appropriate answer, no chance to distort the truth.

‘What did Ian have to say?’

‘Nothing much. Just to keep our heads low. For you to keep your head low.’

‘I have to eat. We all have to eat.’

‘This will help.’ She under-armed the small bundle of notes towards him. ‘Three hundred. To help with the house.’

She watched as Lorcan let it drop, bouncing across the floor and nestling in the corner.

‘Why did he give you this?’

‘I told you. To tide us over.’

‘Charity?’ spat Lorcan as Dylan fetched the money, waving the bundled notes around like a colourful fan.

‘You were asking for it anyway,’ said Naiyana, frustrated by his obtuseness. ‘Isn’t it better that I get it?’

‘I offered to work with them, not get a handout.’

‘Well, I’m sorry to tell you this,’ she said, though not in the least bit sorry, ‘but they don’t want you working with them. I’m amazed they even care after what you did to their machine.’

Naiyana watched Lorcan’s focus turn to Dylan as he rifled the edges of the bills. Even in the middle of the desert he was led by cash, greedy for profit. They had grown so far apart. She wanted to save her family. He wanted to save himself.

98

Emmaline

There was silence and shocked expressions around the table. Except for Barker who just nodded as if his suspicions had been verified. He always thought that there was something off about Chester Grant. That he looked and acted a little too poster-boy for a politician. Barker had never understood why anyone would fight for the rights of the constituents above their own. When Rispoli pointed out that he should be doing the same as a policeman, Barker shook his head disdainfully, as if his younger colleague was an idiot.

Emmaline got word from Zhao that their request to put Chester Grant and Nikos Iannis under watch had been cleared. Zhao would lead on this. Any suspicious movements or actions would be noted, even though they couldn’t detain them. Not without solid evidence linking them to the deaths.

She returned to what they had.

‘So we know that two trucks met on Keenan’s Run. And from the number of tracks not just once.’

Then it clicked. She recalled the information she had got from Bobby Marley.

‘A kid in town claimed he had spotted Naiyana west of Hurton meeting someone with a beard. We can assume that it wasn’t anyone from town.’

‘And why is that?’ asked Oily.

‘Because otherwise we would have a name, or the boy wouldn’t have mentioned it at all.’

‘Keenan’s Run is west of the town too.’

‘Yes, he claims to have seen them just off the road. But what if they had been heading to Keenan’s Run and the quiet spot they had discovered? Around the back of that hill.’

‘They didn’t want anyone to see,’ shrugged Barker. ‘We know that because no one in Hurton seems to have known that the miners were even out there.’

‘Yes,’ said Emmaline. ‘So why go all the way out there and risk being seen en route?’

‘Because they were trying to hide something from those in Kallayee, not the people in Hurton,’ said Rispoli, slapping his hand off the van, causing it to rattle.

‘Exactly,’ said Emmaline. ‘Naiyana Maguire was meeting Ian Kinch out there. More than once.’

‘As in having an affair?’ said Oily.

Emmaline nodded. ‘It looks it.’

‘But how do we prove it?’

‘We get a confession,’ said Emmaline. ‘If they’re still alive.’

99

Lorcan

He had eventually wrenched the money from his son’s hand. Neither of them were elated with this development but he couldn’t afford for it to be lost down one of the holes in the yard.

The next day he woke up early and left for Hurton. He bought some bricks and cement dust, more to rub the money in Mallon’s face than for any building plans. Show both him and his snide son that he didn’t need credit. Despite his attempts to goad them, Mallon and his son remained in annoyingly good spirits. Cash was king after all.

When he had left Kallayee earlier he hadn’t quite decided his next move. But handing over the money to the old vulture behind the register swung it for him. He wanted to be the one getting cash forced into his hand. And