Cold Breath by Quentin Bates

Author:Quentin Bates [Bates, Quentin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472127754
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2018-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Michel sniffed the air and gauged the wind as they got out of the car. It was the deadest time of the night, with many hours before dawn would break over the mountains to the east. This was his favourite time, when no people were to be seen and he could walk almost unseen among the homes of those who had no idea they could be being watched.

He led the way, footsteps crunching on the gravel underfoot, and only switched on the lamp on his head as he turned the corner, taking them out of sight.

‘Ready? You’ve done this before?’

‘Why do you think I’m here?’ Ana replied, dropping her rucksack on the ground and snapping open the catches. ‘How far is it?’

‘The other side of the headland there.’

She shook off her shoes and jacket and unrolled the drysuit, pulling it on and scowling.

‘Sorry. It’s Pino’s and he was taller than you,’ Michel apologized.

‘That’s all right,’ she said, squatting low to force air out of the suit. ‘Come on.’

The two kayaks, once orange and now roughly painted matt black, rocked in the waves lapping at the shingle.

‘Here,’ Michel said. ‘In case there’s a problem or we get separated, this place is waypoint one. Hit the home button and it’ll take you right back here.’

She nodded, stowed the GPS set in the drysuit’s waterproof knee pocket and pulled on a balaclava and a pair of neoprene gloves.

‘Ready?’ she prompted.

‘Yeah. Stay close. We don’t want to lose each other and that’s easy to do in the dark.’

‘Black boats and black clothes. You don’t need to tell me,’ she replied. ‘You know where we’re going, so you go ahead and I’ll be on your tail.’

The night wind was a lazy one, a breeze that gnawed at exposed faces. Half a moon appeared at intervals from behind the clouds and Ana followed behind Michel as his firm strokes set a steady pace towards the black shadow across the water.

It was as the two kayaks rounded the headland and left its shelter that the wind hit them harder and the chop of the water buffeted the boats. Keeping close together, and with frequent sideways glances, they paddled closer to the beach that could hardly be seen. Michel back-paddled and Ana caught his arm, keeping the two kayaks bobbing in the choppy water.

‘There,’ Michel said. ‘That’s the place.’

He slipped off a glove, opened a pocket and handed her a night vision scope. Ana peered through it, watching the shoreline jump into clarity as if it were only a few steps away.

‘That’s the house?’ she asked, peering at the long, low building where lights gleamed from two large windows.

‘That’s it.’

‘What happened?’

‘We went up the beach about four hundred metres to the south. Pino went to take a look. I stayed on the shore and we agreed that if anything went badly wrong, then I was to back out quick.’

Ana could hear the anger in his voice overcoming his cool manner, while the wind whipped at his words.

‘And?’

‘I watched through the scope, so I could see it happen.

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