Missing: The Body of Evidence Read online

  Drifting along the corridor, she saw the woman with the coffee cart had arrived at David’s door. She was tapping in the code to release the lock mechanism. Impatient, Nancy attempted to penetrate the wall, but couldn’t get through to the other side. Instead, she waited and slipped through the open door with the cart woman.

  Ignoring the woman, who was busy collecting empty dishes, Nancy drifted through a glass partition and drifted to David’s side. He sat on a swivel armchair facing a large monitor screen. Wires from a machine connected to the probes on his head. A technician stood at the machine pressing a series of buttons. On the screen, she could see a space rocket ready for launch, displaying Chinese-style writing and a North Korean flag on the outer body.

  ‘Forget about me, save yourself. You have to get out from here before the door closes. The walls are lead and you’ll be held here forever.’

  His lips had not moved; his frozen expression formed a death mask. But, it was David’s voice. There was a rumble above her and she looked up at the dome overhead. An opening appeared. She floated up to the opening and out of the building. Looking down, the hatch to the second dome opened.

  Moving down to ground level, she worked her way around the perimeter of the building and looked for an escape route. She stopped at the sight of two men dressed in catering uniforms. They were taking a smoke break, with the door wedged open. All she needed now was to find a way through the outer fence, return to her body and to make an opportunity to escape.

  Drifting around the outer perimeter fence, familiar figures appeared on the opposite side. It was Dad and the Boys. Nancy drifted down to their position. They were dressed as if they were SWAT and armed with automatic rifles. They had large-white crosses painted on the back of their bulletproof vests. Nancy called out.

  ‘Dad, it’s me. I think I can get out. Wait here for me.’

  Her words were useless. They couldn’t hear a word she spoke. Dad was on his cell phone.

  ‘For Christ’s sake, where are you? We’re going in now.’ He listened to the reply before answering. ‘Okay, five minutes, no longer. That’s my daughter in there.’ He turned to Uncle Dave. ‘Are the explosive diversions ready?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Okay, listen up you, guys, the ground sensors should be off during the day for the foot patrols. Five minutes and we’re going in. If the diversion doesn’t distract the guards on the doors we’ll flank them and use stun grenades.’

  A sense of panic engulfed her thoughts. As heavily armed as her dad’s team was, the internal security guards were equally heavily armed. The last thing she wanted was a blood fight and for people to die in rescuing her. She knew she had to escape if a body count was to be avoided, and there was only one way she thought she could accomplish that mission.

  With haste, she made her way back to the building and around back to where she had seen the people smoking. The caterers were nowhere in sight, but the door was still wedged open. The image of David appeared before her. His entire form was frosted over, as if his body was fashioned from ice. His voice reverberated in her mind.

  ‘You need to get back to your body and get out of here.’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘There’s no way out for me, only like this. Blake helped me to escape, but they brought me back.’

  ‘Blake? But…’

  ‘You need to hurry, I have to complete my mission, or I may not be able to return to my body, please go.’

  ‘You mean Blake the project manager?’

  ‘Yes, I wanted to be finished with all this and live with my father, now it will never happen.’

  ‘Your father? Yeah, I’m sorry about your father.’

  ‘What about father, is he ill?’

  ‘You mean they haven’t told you? David, I’m so sorry, your father died.’

  ‘How?’

  He already looked hurt, but there was no gentle way to tell him the truth.

  ‘According to Blake, I think security here had your dad murdered.’

  ‘Blake?’

  A figure appeared behind David. He looked identical to David, save flames formed his body. His appearance explained why she thought David had an evil side, when she had seen the figure in her dreams she had mistaken Simon, his brother, for David. He turned to face him.

  ‘Get out of the way, David. This time I’ll finish her.’

  A ball of flame left the palm of Simon’s outstretched palm. The orb hit David in the stomach and extinguished as if his body had absorbed the plasma. He doubled over, but not before he had released a ball of ice from his own hand. The ball of ice struck his brother in the chest, sending him reeling backwards and leaving a dark patch where it had hit him, but flames re-formed to heal the area. David’s voice screeched in her mind.

  ‘Get out of here, I’ll try and fight him off.’

  Nancy didn’t need David to tell her twice and she hurtled through the outer wall and back to the interview room.

  Nancy opened her eyes to a jolt surging through her body and shrugged her shoulders. Taking hold of her ankle, she unwound from the Lotus position, and grabbing hold of the desk, she hauled herself to her feet. She turned and froze at the sight of a fiery orb, as it entered the room through the outer wall and skirted the room. A sudden adrenalin rush sent her heart into overdrive as the orb bounced around the room like ball lightening in search of a target. Nancy dropped to the floor and screamed.

  ‘Mom.’

  Chapter 79

  Beads of sweat covered her entire body as the temperature rose in the interview room. Nancy dove under the desk, dragging a chair with her for cover. She banged her head on a steel-desk leg and winced. A peek at the room from behind the chair showed that as suddenly as the ball of plasma had appeared, it disappeared before her eyes, leaving only a wisp of smoke. She scrambled from under the desk, over to the door, and grabbed the handle. Frantically, she twisted the door handle and pulled it, but the door remained locked. Nancy released her grip and turned to face the mirror. She picked up the plastic chair, flung it at the mirror and watched it bounce off without leaving a scratch.

  Tension pulsated in an ache behind her eyes. Nancy touched her scalp at the source of her pain and felt moistness. She withdrew her hand and stared at her blood-covered fingers. Ignoring her injury, she dragged the desk from in front of the mirror. Nancy hoped it was a two-way mirror. She trembled from head to toe at the notion that she may have got it wrong. A loud explosion from outside rang out and she ducked, then another explosion caused her to flinch. Dad’s words about a diversion ran through her mind.

  With clenched fists, she pounded the mirror. The glass made a hollow sound under the pounding of her fist, but didn’t give way. She took a step back and glared at the mirror in frustration. The mirror vibrated and crumbled into shards before her eyes, revealing a room beyond. Taking hold of the chair, she used it to remove enough glass to make an exit. Pushing the desk to the wall, she scrambled over the desk, through the space, and onto a desk in the next room. She hesitated, to gather her bearings, before she hopped off the desk and grasped hold of the door handle.

  ‘Dear God, please.’

  No sooner had she uttered the words, than the door opened. She peeked either way down the corridor. Gunshots rang out to her left in the direction of reception. She caught a glimpse of the guards through the glass doors at the entrance. They were crouched in a firing position and they moved out of view. Her legs buckled as she darted in the direction of the wedged door, her lungs bursting with the exertion. The doorway appeared. It was so near she could almost smell the freedom. The unmistakable sound of the rotor blades of a helicopter flying low drowned out all other noise. Reaching out for the door handle like a relay racer grasping for the baton, she stopped in mid-flight with hands grasping her shoulders.

  Out of breath, there was no energy left to fight and strong hands spun her around. Blondie glared at her, grabbed an arm and a leg, as if she was a rag doll, he hauled her over his shoulder. Nancy
heard Blake’s voice behind them.

  ‘Get her to my office. We’ll lay low in the safe room.’

  Nancy punched at Blondie’s chest and wriggled her legs but, try as she may, his firm grip kept her captive. Blake opened a door in front of them. She grabbed at the doorframe to slow them down. With her legs flailing, she lost a shoe.

  A bright flash in her periphery vision and a loud bang weakened her tenuous grasp of the doorframe. Stun grenade. Blondie whipped her through the doorway and into the office. She hoped the flash of light was her dad and the boys outflanking the guards at the entrance.

  Blake pulled at a bookcase revealing a steel door. He tapped a code onto a pad and the door opened inwards. Nancy’s eyes darted around the office. Blondie charged through the door, but not before she had kicked off her other shoe. Blake closed the bookcase and snapped the steel door shut. Her body slammed hard on the safe-room floor. A boot connected with a crunch in her ribs, sucking the air from her lungs, and she fought for breath. Nancy writhed on the floor and groaned.

  Blondie withdrew his gun from his holster and pressed it to her head.

  ‘What are we up against, who else have you got covering your tail besides Logan and his lackeys?’

  ‘No one. I thought Logan was on your side covering up for you and helping you set me up.’

  He dug his knee in her ribs. Nancy screamed.

  ‘You’re having a laugh, lady, they’re here looking for you. Now tell us, or I’ll put a slug in your brain.’

  She closed her eyes, tensed and heard a click as Blondie racked the slide of his firearm. He pressed the cold steel firmly on her temple. A wave of ice-cold pins and needles washed through her body.

  Blake shouted, ‘Put it down, we may need her as a way out.’

  The tension released from her muscles. Blondie took his knee from her ribs and stood over her. Emotions overcame her pain-racked body at the revelation that Logan, Bill and Kyle were on her side. Nevertheless, at the same time, she was left puzzled as to how they knew where she was. Nancy groaned at the thought her dad and Logan may end up in a shoot-out. Tears streamed down her cheeks, not knowing how she could have read Kyle and others so wrong.

  Blake stood looking at a bank of CCTV monitors covering an entire wall and Blondie joined him. She crawled over to a wall facing the screens and rested her back against it. Blondie stood sideways and kept throwing her glances, but she was in no shape to put up a fight.

  ‘Damn, we’ve got serious company,’ Blondie said.

  On one of the monitors, Nancy could see four figures dressed in black working their way down the corridors, stopping at doors, shooting out the locks and entering the rooms. A figure stopped and stooped to pick something up from the floor at the entrance of Blake’s office. He called out to the others in the corridor and they joined him.

  The camera inside the office picked three of them up on the monitor as they entered the office. They were about to leave, when one of them picked up her shoe and signalled to the others. She looked on as they ransacked the office, turning over filing cabinets. Finally, one of them pulled the bookcase away from the wall.

  ‘They’ll never get through the steel door,’ Blake said.

  ‘Don’t be so sure, It looks as though they’re setting an explosive charge,’ Blondie replied.

  A look of alarm spread across Nancy’s face and she sprang to her feet. She saw Kyle’s face peer around the doorframe of room fifteen and one of Dad’s team crouched at the door of the office fired off a round in his direction. A lump stuck in her throat.

  ‘Damn and blast, Logan’s team looks to have taken out Greg,’ Blondie said. ‘One of the guys outside the office took a shot at one of the detectives, so they can’t be working together.’

  ‘Forget Greg, grab Roberts and follow me before the door blows. We’ll work our way through the emergency passage from here to Simon’s room. They’ll never get to us in there and we can negotiate our way out.’

  Blondie grabbed her arm and dug the barrel of his gun into the small of her back.

  ‘Move.’

  Blake had moved two filing cabinets to reveal another steel door and he pushed it open. All her thoughts fused to finding a way to escape from them. A glance at the CCTV monitor and she saw her dad’s team scramble behind the filing cabinets. On another screen, figures abseiled to the ground from a hovering helicopter and an armoured car smashed through the entrance barrier.

  Nancy didn’t know what to make of the situation. What the…Oh no, don’t say Blake’s got backup.

  A searing pain surged through her head as Blondie swiped his gun across the side of her head.

  ‘I said move, lady.’

  Her body lunged through the doorway with a push to her back, and the steel door clanked shut behind her. Flashes of light in her vision from the blow to her head caused her to stumble. The door vibrated to the muffled sound of an explosion. Nancy stumbled along the dimly lit corridor. Air conditioning conduit and cables hung from the ceiling causing her to stoop. Maintaining forward momentum, Blondie used his gun to prod her along behind Blake.

  Nancy fixed her gaze on a bank of fire extinguishers next to the security door and the end of the walkway. Blake tapped in the security code and spun the wheel on the door. Nancy leaned against the fire extinguishers. With the door open, Blake entered. She glanced at Blondie and saw him holster his gun and take hold of the door wheel with both hands. Blondie glared at her and growled.

  ‘Get inside, lady.’

  She stood her ground and he made to retrieve his gun. Nancy felt behind her back and grasped hold of a small extinguisher. With serious intent and all the strength she could muster, she wrenched the extinguisher from its mount and swung it at Blondie’s head. A thud as it connected with the side of his head and his expression changed as if his eyes were calling out for his mom. He crumpled to the floor and his gun fell inside the doorway.

  Nancy stooped and scrambled to retrieve the gun, but Blake got there before her.

  Their eyes locked, his narrowed with determination.

  ‘Inside now, or I will shoot you.’

  Chapter 80

  Slumped in a chair and facing Blake, Nancy wanted to scream. If her arms had been two inches longer, she knew that she wouldn’t be facing the barrel end of Blondie’s gun. The only relief she had from her dire situation, was that with Blondie locked outside, she only needed to worry about Blake.

  Nancy looked at a television mounted to the wall, with the picture of a rocket ready for launch. At first, she had thought it was David’s room, but for the motionless body of his brother, Simon, sitting facing the television screen and wired up in the same way as David. Nancy patted her jeans pocket and then her breast pockets on her jacket.

  ‘Do you have a handkerchief? Blood is running down my neck.’

  He averted his gaze to search his pocket and Nancy took the opportunity to click Dad’s spy pen for it to activate. He tossed her his handkerchief.

  ‘Why the picture of the rocket?’

  ‘It’s today’s mission for the boys over in North Korea.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Around now the fuel tanks should be frozen and their command centre should be in flames.’

  ‘So is that what this project is about, brainwashing children to enhance their powers to be able to destroy things and to assassinate people?’

  ‘Part of it, but I wouldn’t call it assassination. As for brainwashing, we have to take some credit for some timely surgical intervention and the discovery of an array of drugs. Mind control is an interesting weapon for the government. But it’s too complicated for you to understand.’

  ‘Was Kelly an alternative?’

  ‘Yes, but with his drinking and his age, he couldn’t be controlled. Luckily, he passed on his genes to his sons.’

  Nancy thought back to the incident in the viewing room, with Logan and Kelly’s half-brother’s revelations.

  ‘Pity we didn’t have you as a child. It’s a shame really that the government doe
sn’t appreciate what we do here.’

  She leaned forward in her chair and smiled.

  ‘Is that why you killed Blake… Professor? Was it because he, along with the government, didn’t appreciate what you did here with David and the others?’

  He reared back on his chair.

  ‘Your more intelligent than I gave you credit for. How have you worked that out?’

  ‘Well, it isn’t Neuron science, just plain old detective work. I knew from the moment you walked into the interview room and caught the fragrance of your deodorant. But let’s start with your shoe size. Twelve and a half I take it, from when you tried to gain the psychological advantage over me in the interview room, dangling your legs off the desk and looking down at me. Your shoe size is stamped on the sole.’

  ‘Interesting, do carry on.’

  ‘Well, I’m guessing here, but after you murdered him, I’m thinking you removed his sneakers, hid them in the closet and replaced them with your Doc Marten boots. I also think that you had Kelly remove the battery in the smoke detector, and then replace it, after the body had incinerated by whatever means you used to get rid of the body.’

  ‘So now you’re guessing.’

  ‘My hunches have served me well so far. I take it Mary’s version of events was concocted to put an end to the investigation, although I now get where the ball lightning comes from.’

  He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

  ‘You shouldn’t disrespect Mary; she’s in love with me and will say anything I ask. But really, you’re just guessing.’

  ‘We’ll soon know when CSI have rechecked the foot size from the remains. Incidentally, they’ll be doing that as we speak. The results should come back with a shoe size of eleven and a half.’