Before Nightfall by Rachel Amphlett

Author:Rachel Amphlett [Amphlett, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-05-29T00:00:00+00:00

Hart put down the phone.

‘There’s a package at reception I have to collect,’ he said.

Finn caught Steve’s expression and shook his head. ‘You don’t collect anything,’ he said. ‘I’ll go.’

He hurried from the room and ran to the internal stairs rather than wait for the elevator. He swung round the last newel post and burst through the door into the lobby, where the receptionist jumped in her seat at his entrance.

‘Package for Ian Hart?’

She pointed to the reception desk. ‘There.’

Finn walked over to her. The package was rectangular in shape, covered in brown paper, with Hart’s name scrawled across the front in black permanent marker.

To the alarm of the receptionist, Finn pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket.

‘Have you touched this?’

She nodded.

‘Show me where – just point. Don’t touch it again.’

She did as he instructed.

‘Okay, good. That’s not too bad.’ Finn leaned over the counter and took a pair of scissors from the desk tidy. He carefully snipped open the packaging and peered inside.

His heart stopped.

‘When was this dropped off?’ he said. ‘The exact time.’

‘I don’t know – sorry. I’d gone to the bathroom. When I came back, it was on the desk there.’

Finn looked around the room until he saw the security camera which faced the desk and the front door. With any luck, they’d have the courier on record, and would be able to give the image to Emrah.

He picked up the package and raced back up the stairs. As he entered Hart’s office, he held up the USB stick in his gloved hand.

‘I’m presuming your laptop has a multi-media player?’

‘Yes.’

Finn passed the packaging to Steve, who had already donned gloves. ‘Best get this across to Emrah as soon as possible.’

‘Let’s see what’s on the stick first, and then we can let him have a copy of it as well.’

‘Check the security camera too,’ said Finn.

‘Will do.’

Finn moved round to where Hart sat. ‘Move.’

Hart shot out of his chair and stood to one side, hovering.

Finn sat down, pulled the chair closer to the desk. He closed his eyes. ‘Password?’

No answer.

‘Password?’ Finn repeated and looked over his shoulder.

Hart had gone bright red. ‘Francine,’ he mumbled.

‘Jesus.’ Finn shook his head and typed in the letters.

Once he’d accessed the desktop, he located the media player software and inserted the USB stick into the side of the laptop.

Finn adjusted the volume, and then clicked the ‘play’ button.

The recording began, and he clenched his fist at the sight of Kate brushing her cheeks. She’d obviously been crying, and he exhaled sharply at the sight of the red welt across one side of her face.

She began speaking, shakily at first, then her voice growing steady. Her eyes were focused to one side of the lens, and Finn realised that she was reading from a prepared script.

‘You will phone this number when the parts are ready to be dropped off.’

Finn reached over the desk and scribbled down the number she recited and passed it to Steve, before turning back to the recording. He ignored the sound of Steve leaving the room, his entire focus on Kate.

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