The Trojan boy

EIGHT

Avedissian looked down at the great flat expanse of the mid-western United States and said to Kathleen, 'America's heartland.’

'Dorothy lived down there,’ said Kathleen.

'Pardon?'

'The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy lived in Kansas.’

'Of course, how stupid of me,’ replied Avedissian with mild sarcasm that made Kathleen smile. 'It was my favourite story when I was a child,’ she said. 'An aunt gave the book to me one Christmas and it made a lasting impression.’

'With me it was "The Billy Goats Gruff",’ said Avedissian.

'What an admission,’ said Kathleen.

The sun was shining brightly when their plane swept into Kansas City International Airport but the weather did not feel as nice as it looked when they got down on the tarmac and felt the high humidity. Kathleen saw Avedissian run his finger round the inside of his collar and agreed. 'It's sticky,’ she said.

Arriving as they had on an internal domestic flight they were through with airport procedure in a matter of moments and on their way into Kansas City by cab.

'You folks here for the convention?' asked the driver.

'Yes,’ replied Avedissian, not sure of what he was agreeing to but feeling that it might be the safest answer.

'You both doctors?'

So it was a medical convention, thought Avedissian, how fortunate.

'Just me,' he replied.

'You guys have cost me a fortune over the years and I've still got my bad back,' complained the driver over his right shoulder.

'Backs can be a problem,' agreed Avedissian unhelpfully.

‘That sign back there said "Missouri",' said Kathleen, changing the subject.

'Yes ma'am, Kansas City is half in Kansas, half in Missouri. Your hotel is in Missouri.'

The wail of a police car siren proclaimed their arrival in the city. An eruption of concrete into the sky confirmed it.

'Not many people about,' said Kathleen for the streets were practically deserted.

'Not many shops either,’ said Avedissian.

'Folks moved out into the suburbs a long time ago,' said the driver. The shops went with them. Theatres, movie houses too. Nobody lives in town any more. Folks drive in the morning and home again in the evening, no call for them to linger.'

Avedissian and Kathleen accepted the explanation in silence and found something depressing about the place. Kansas City looked as if some dreadful plague had destroyed all the inhabitants and left a series of towering concrete tombstones to their memory.

'Crown Center,' announced the driver, slowing and turning off the road along a drive lined with the flags of all nations. They hung limp and lifeless in the still, humid air.

Four miles to the south, in the Plaza Hotel, Innes and Roker waited for the kidnappers to contact them. Relations between them had been at a low ebb since the events at the stadium in Chicago. They were still arguing about it.

'We could have had the boy by now if you hadn't been so damned stupid!' said Innes.

'We had to try,’ insisted Roker. 'It's our money! Don't forget it.'

‘I’m hardly likely to. All you succeeded in doing was to let them know that we can't be trusted.'

'We don't know for sure that they knew we were going to try for the boy in the stadium,’ said Roker.

'Of course they knew!' said Innes. They were watching us all the time. They must have been watching the zone round the empty seats too. They would have seen Shelby and these other two clowns as soon as they moved anywhere near!'

'We had to try,’ repeated Roker.

'I just hope you've learned your lesson,’ said Innes. 'Play it straight from now on or you'll blow the whole deal.’

'Don't lecture me, Innes!' said Roker angrily. 'If there's any more crap out of you I'm going to pull NORAID out of this whole damned thing! I never liked it from the start. In fact, if you ask me, that little bastard Kell is some kind of nut!'

Innes could see that he might have pushed the American too far. Whatever his personal feelings of frustration, he had to recognise that NORAID were the source of the money. Antagonising them was going to be counter-productive. In fact, if he personally wrecked Kell's plan by pushing Roker past the limit it was going to get him less than nowhere; it was going to get him dead.

The thought of Kell's wrath introduced an immediate note of conciliation to Innes's voice. 'I apologise,’ he said quietly. 'We are all a bit edgy over this thing; it's so important to all of us. After all these years we're standing on the very verge of success and a free Ireland.’

Roker appeared to calm down too and they sat in silence for a moment before the telephone rang. It was the kidnappers.

'Do you have the first password?'

'One moment.' Innes turned to Roker and said, They want the password.'

Roker took the phone and said, 'We didn't get a good look at the boy.'

Innes bit his tongue. Roker was still playing the fool.

'You saw the child at the stadium,’ said the voice calmly.

'He was too far away,' said Roker.

'You might have got a closer look if you hadn't planned to double-cross us.'

Innes shot Roker a look that said, 'I told you so'.

'We'd still like to see him close up,' continued Roker.

'That will not be possible.'

'Supposing we refuse to pay?'

‘Then we will sell the child back to the British. Make up your mind. You've got ten seconds.'

Roker bit his lip and Innes held his breath. 'All right,’ he said. 'It's Account Number 4494552 in the bank you specified. The inspection password is Parthenon.'

Thank you. We'll be in touch.'

The phone went dead and Innes breathed a sigh of relief. 'You really push your luck don't you,’ he said to Roker.

'It was worth a try,’ said Roker.

Ten minutes later the phone rang again and the same voice as before said, 'Your deposit has been verified. We will hand over the child to you this evening in exchange for the second password.'

'What are the arrangements?'

'We will bring the child to you at the hotel at eleven o'clock. Any attempt to double-cross us this time will result in disaster.'

'How many people are permitted?'

'As many as you like,’ said the voice. The boy will be carrying an explosive device, not large, just enough to blow his head off. When we have completed the transfer you will be told how to disarm it.'

'What's to stop you transferring the money and killing the boy anyway?' asked Roker.

'A dead child is of no use to either of us,’ said the voice.

'Very well, we agree.’

'Until tonight then.’

Once more Innes let out the breath that he had been holding and said, 'You heard what he said about explosives? For God's sake don't try anything.'

'I won't,’ replied Roker with bad grace.

Jarvis arrived at the Crown Center Hotel at five-thirty and found Avedissian and Kathleen drinking coffee in their room.

'It's all set,’ he said. The child is to be handed over tonight in the Plaza Hotel at eleven o'clock.’

Then the team managed to bug Innes's room in time?' said Avedissian.

'It was perfect. Innes and a man called Roker, who seems to be handling NORAID's end of things, were contacted by the kidnappers this afternoon.’

Avedissian felt his stomach go light with excitement. 'So the team is all ready?' he asked.

'I don't know,’ replied Jarvis looking worried.

'What do you mean?' asked Avedissian.

'I haven't been able to contact them.’

'Haven't been able to contact them?' repeated Kathleen in astonishment.

'I don't understand it either. The phone number I've been using has gone dead.’

'But everything depends on this,’ insisted Avedissian. 'If the team aren't on the spot the IRA will get the boy!'

'You don't have to tell me that,’ said Jarvis quietly and Avedissian backed off.

'Don't you have some other number? The London number? Can't you contact Bryant and tell him something's gone wrong?' he asked.

'I've tried. All the lines are dead.'

The team were supposed to supply me with an emergency medical kit,' said Avedissian.

'We can only hope that you won't need it.'

There was absolute silence in the room for a few moments.

Avedissian looked at Jarvis and said quietly, 'You're the expert. What do you think has happened?'

Jarvis shook his head and said, 'Something major must have gone wrong, they must have had to change all the numbers. There's no other explanation.'

'Where does that leave us?' asked Kathleen.

'On our own,' said Jarvis. He looked at his watch and shrugged. 'Seven hours to go and we're on our own.'

'What can we do?' asked Kathleen.

'We can try to get the boy back on our own,' said Jarvis. Avedissian and Kathleen exchanged glances.

'Do you think that's really possible?' asked Avedissian.

'Let's count our blessings, shall we?' said Jarvis adopting a positive air. 'Innes's room is bugged and his phone is tapped. The receiver equipment is in my room at the Plaza and both systems are linked to a cassette recorder via a voice actuator.'

'A what?'

'A voice actuator. It just means that the recorder switches off again after thirty seconds of silence.'

'So you're not missing anything by being here?' said Avedissian.

'Precisely. If there are any more messages from the kidnappers or changes of plan they will be recorded for us, so our intelligence is good. It has been all along.'

‘So what do you want us to do?'

I suggest we all go back to the room at the Plaza and wait for the exchange; We will hear everything that goes on in Innes's room so if we see an opportunity to rescue the boy after the exchange we can act on it. If not then we might be able to gather some information about what the IRA intend to do with the boy in the immediate future. It might be useful when we re-establish contact with Bryant.'

'Supposing we do see an opportunity to rescue the boy and we do it successfully. What then? How do we get away?' asked Avedissian.

'We are not completely without help in that direction,’ replied Jarvis. 'Before I lost contact with the team I was told that two cars would be made available to us to get the boy away. I was just to call a local number and say where and when I wanted them.'

'And have you?'

'I've asked for one to be in the car park at the Plaza Hotel and the other to be left in the car park of the Rainbow Inn up on Rainbow Boulevard.'

'Why?'

'Just in case something stops us getting to the one in the Plaza. We shouldn't have all our eggs in one basket.’

'What's special about the Rainbow Inn?' asked Kathleen.

'It's next to the Medical Center, in case we have to go there in a real emergency.'

'You seem to think of everything,’ said Avedissian.

'I had some prompting,’ said Jarvis. He told them about the explosive device that the child would be carrying.

Avedissian screwed up his face and said, 'Do you think they're serious?'

'It's my guess they are. They couldn't afford to take a chance on being double-crossed.’

'Bastards,’ said Avedissian.

'Clever bastards,’ said Jarvis. 'But the boy should be in no danger just so long as the Irish play it straight.’

'This child may never be the same again when this is all over,’ said Avedissian.

'What do you mean?'

'He's been through so much the scars may never leave him.’

'I never thought of that,’ confessed Jarvis. 'I suppose all I've been thinking about is getting him back alive.’

'It's all we can do at the moment,’ said Kathleen.

'So now we play it by ear,’ said Avedissian.

Jarvis nodded and said, 'I think we should be getting back to the Plaza. Time's passing.’

There was very little to listen to on the recorder in Jarvis's room. The kidnappers had not been back in touch with Innes, and Roker had left shortly after hearing the details of the exchange. There had been a brief conversation between Innes and Roker about who would be present at the exchange. Roker had said that Shelby would definitely want to be present. Innes had asked why. ‘To see what we have paid twenty-five million for,’ Roker had replied. Innes had agreed but asked that Roker keep the numbers to a minimum. As the tape went silent Jarvis switched off the machine and re-set it. 'Now we just wait,’ he said.

Kathleen had been quiet for some time. She sat on one of the chairs, rubbing her forehead gently with the back of her right hand. 'Are you all right?' Avedissian asked her gently.

'Just a headache,’ she replied.

‘I’ll nip down and get you some aspirins from reception,’ said Avedissian.

'No, I'll go,’ said Kathleen getting up. 'I could do with the walk. It's stuffy in here.’ She got up and collected her handbag. 'Won't be long,’ she said as she closed the door.

Avedissian watched Jarvis clean and check a gun and then fit a silencer to it. 'Please God you don't need that,’ he said.

'Amen to that,’ replied Jarvis.

They were both startled when the tape recorder suddenly switched itself on. 'Someone is phoning Innes,’ said Jarvis, putting down the gun and picking up a headset. He placed it over his ears and sat concentrating on the floor while he listened. Kathleen returned while he was still monitoring the conversation and Avedissian put his finger to his lips when he saw her come into the room. A few moments later Jarvis took off the earphones and said, 'That was Roker. He and Shelby will be here in an hour. They've made arrangements to fly the boy out of the Downtown Airport in a private plane after the exchange.’

'The Downtown Airport?'

'Kansas City has two airports, the one you arrived at and a smaller one nearer the city. They plan to fly the boy out in a small aircraft and pick up a scheduled flight out of Los Angeles.’

Before either Kathleen or Avedissian had time to say anything a knock came at the door and all three froze. Jarvis got up quietly and hid the recording equipment out of sight then, picking up his gun, he walked over to the door and asked, 'Who is it?'

'Bellboy, sir,’ came the reply.

'What do you want? I'm busy.’

'I have some keys, sir.’

Jarvis put the gun away and opened the door. He accepted a brown, Manila envelope and signed the paper that was held out to him. 'Just a moment,’ he said and brought out some change from his pocket.

Thank you, sir.’

Jarvis closed the door and said, The car keys. The cars are in place.’ He examined the paper that had been in the envelope and checked the numbers on the keys, then he put one set in his pocket and gave the other to Avedissian saying, 'You hang on to these. It's a white series 3 BMW with a blue triangle stuck in the windscreen.'

Avedissian put them in his pocket and said, 'Now you know where they're going after the exchange, are you going to make a rescue attempt?'

'We'll still have to play it by ear. We know what they plan to do but we don't know how many men are involved. That's the next big question.'

Innes checked his watch. Roker and Shelby would be arriving in thirty minutes. Providing these clowns didn't do anything stupid he was now only hours away from pulling off Kell's greatest coup. He checked his wallet to see that the contents were in order. Money, credit cards, plane ticket. He felt in the inside pocket of his jacket for his passport and found it. His travel bag sat on the floor beside the bed, already packed and waiting to be zipped.

He went to the bathroom and collected his toilet things, packing them into a brown leather case before adding it to his travel bag.

All that was left beside the basin was a slim plastic wallet which Innes now unrolled. From its pockets he removed a scalpel, tweezers, artery forceps, a syringe and a small glass bottle with an applicator. He left a series of needles, including two long hat pins, in their holder and gave a grunt of satisfaction. He had everything he needed. That just left the gun. He returned to the room and opened his brief-case to take out an automatic pistol. He removed the clip, checked it and reinserted it with a satisfying click, then screwed a silencer into the muzzle before looking along the barrel. 'Clumsy things,' he muttered under his breath.

Roker and Shelby arrived on time. Shelby, in particular, seemed excited for he was sweating profusely. Innes could see the wetness seeping through his jacket near the armpits. Innes invited them to sit but Shelby could not settle. He fidgeted constantly and finally got up to pace about the room. 'I can hardly believe it,' he murmured.

'Believe what?'

'That a child, a British royal child, is going to walk through that door in less than half an hour.'

'You'll believe it when it happens,' said Innes.

‘This is a moment in history,' said Shelby. 'We are going to go down in history as the patriots who brought freedom to Ireland.'

'Providing nothing goes wrong,' said Roker.

'What's to go wrong?' asked Shelby. 'We're playing it straight from here on in.'

'Glad to hear it,’ said Innes dryly.

'Don't you have anything to drink?' Shelby asked.

'Afterwards,' said Innes.

Fragmentary conversation died away completely as the time grew near. There was silence in the room when a knock came to the door at three minutes past eleven. Innes, Roker and Shelby got to their feet before Innes said, 'Come in.'

The door opened and a little boy stood there accompanied by a man wearing a light raincoat. The man prompted the boy with a hand at his back and the child stepped unsurely into the room. The man followed and closed the door behind him. He waited with his back against it while Shelby moved towards the boy and stooped down to touch him almost reverently on the shoulder. 'Hello,' he said gently. The boy remained silent.

Shelby turned to the others and said, 'Hell, I don't know what to say to a royal boy. What do you say?'

'The boy has had a shock,' said the man at the door. He has temporarily lost his voice.' 'What the hell do you mean?' demanded Shelby.

'It's not uncommon and it won't last long,’ said the man evenly.

Shelby ran his hands over the boy and was impressed that he did not shy away. He turned again and said with a half laugh, ‘I’ll say this for him. He's got dignity, yes sir real class. Haven't you, little feller?'

The child did not flinch but continued to stare at Shelby.

Shelby stood up and turned to Roker and Innes. 'I suppose this is the right boy?' he asked with an embarrassed grin. 'It's crazy but it keeps occurring to me that none of us has ever seen him before… in the flesh, I mean… it's crazy when you think about it… pictures are OK but…' Shelby reached inside his jacket and pulled out a revolver. He levelled it at the man standing by the door and said triumphantly, 1 see you changed your mind about the explosive device. The boy is clean. I just frisked him.'

The stony expression on the face of the man at the door did not change. He shook his head slowly and said, There was no change of mind. The boy is wired.'

Shelby was embarrassed. 'What the hell do you mean?' he demanded weakly.

'May I?' asked the man, gesturing to the child.

'Go ahead.'

The man bared the left side of the boy's neck and pointed to a very recent scar. 'He has an implant.' He checked his watch. 'If I do not return within twenty-five minutes, you can scrape him off the wall.'

The sweat was pouring down Shelby's face. He dabbed at it angrily with a handkerchief. 'Well," he mumbled. 'You can't blame a guy for trying.'

The man said nothing.

'And if you are back within twenty-five minutes?' asked Roker.

'You will be called and asked for the password. The device will not be triggered. When the money has been transferred you will be directed to a nearby clinic where the device will be removed.'

'What's to stop you just running off with the money?' demanded Shelby to the embarrassment of the others.

'As you've been told before. A dead child is no good to anyone. We like to keep our customers happy.'

'Just who is "we"?' asked Roker.

‘That need not concern you,' replied the man. He looked at his watch. ‘Time is running short.'

A knock came at the door. Innes acted immediately to calm the others. 'It's all right, take it easy,’ he soothed. 'Who is it?' he called out.

'Your whiskey, Mr Innes,' said the voice.

'A little celebration,’ smiled Innes. 'He's a bit early that's all. Come in!'

A waiter entered and put down a tray bearing a bottle of Irish whiskey and a number of glasses on the table while life stopped around him. 'Will that be all, sir?'

'Not quite, Reagan,’ said Innes. The fat one is yours!'

The waiter took the silenced pistol that he had been holding under the tray and fired three times into Shelby. At the same time Innes fired twice at the man by the door and watched him slump to the ground.

'What the hell…?' exclaimed Roker, unable to believe his eyes. 'What in Christ's name did you do that for? Just what the hell do you think you are doing?'

Reagan took off his waiter's waistcoat and flung it in a corner before securing Roker to a chair while Innes held his gun on him.

'Fasten the boy too,’ said Innes.

When both were tied firmly Innes put the barrel of his gun under Roker's nose. 'Now,’ he said softly, 'I want that password.'

'You are mad,’ stammered Roker, but he was afraid.

The password!' Innes pushed the tip of the silencer so that Roker's face was forced up and to the left.

'Get lost,’ said Roker.

'There's no time for heroics,’ said Innes to Reagan. The brat is going to explode in fifteen minutes. Get the stuff from the bathroom.'

Reagan returned with the implements that Innes had prepared and Innes saw the fear in Roker's eyes. 'Now then,’ said Innes, 'I've got acid for your eyes and needles for your nails. What's it to be?'

'You're crazy!' spluttered Roker, shrinking as far back as he could which was hardly any distance at all.

'Nails, I think,’ said Innes, removing one of the needles from the wallet. 'Stick something in his mouth and hold him steady!' he said to Reagan.

Reagan looked about him and saw Shelby's handkerchief lying beside his body. He picked it up and forced it roughly into Roker's mouth then he held Roker's hand firmly on the arm of the chair while Innes inserted a needle under the nail of the index finger and pushed.

Roker's eyes rolled in agony. His skin paled and sweat ran down his forehead in a river.

'For Christ's sake, keep him conscious!' said Reagan.

'Don't tell me my job,’ replied Innes, pushing the needle further under the nail.

Roker's head began to roll on his chest and Innes stopped. The gag!' he said to Reagan. Take it out.'

Reagan removed the handkerchief.

‘The password!' demanded Innes in a whisper.

'All right… all right… it's… ARCHIMEDES.. but…'

Innes smiled and said, ‘That's all I wanted to know.' He pulled out one of the long hatpins from the wallet and searched for the right space between Roker's ribs. As Roker's eyes filled with horror at the realisation of what Innes was about to do Innes pushed the pin through his heart.

Innes checked his watch and looked at the child. ‘Ten minutes to go. We've got time to phone from here.' He picked up the room phone and dialled a

series of numbers. This is Mr Innes, account number 6671081. I want to have some money transferred from account number 4494552.'

That is a password transfer,’ said the voice. 'At the tone, give the password,’… BLEEP

'ARCHIMEDES.’

There was a long pause. 'I'm sorry,’ said the 'have a nice day' voice. The voice- print is unacceptable to our computer.’

Innes felt the bottom drop out of his world. Paralysis threatened his throat. 'What do you mean?' he croaked.

'I'm sure there's some simple mistake, sir, but the computer is saying that the voice authorised to give that password… is not yours.’

'Sweet Jesus Christ,’ said Reagan, who'd been listening at Innes's elbow. 'Now you've done it.’

Innes put down the phone as if in a dream and looked at the corpse of the man who had been authorised to give the password. 'A mistake, that's all,’ he murmured, thinking of Kell. 'Just a simple mistake.’

'We'd better get out of here!' said Reagan, suddenly realising that time had been passing. As they left the room Reagan paused by the child and ruffled his hair. 'No hard feelings, son, eh? No hard feelings.’

Innes followed Reagan out the door but seemed totally preoccupied. ‘Time to think,’ he muttered… 'I need time to think.'

Avedissian, Kathleen and Jarvis, who had had to listen to everything that had gone on in agonising impotence, sprang into life as they heard the IRA men leave. They raced along the hotel corridor and down the stairs to the room vacated by Innes and burst through the door.

The child was sitting, in the centre of the room, his arms secured to the back of a chair. He stared silently at Avedissian who entered first.

'Three minutes!' said Jarvis who had been keeping track of elapsed lime since the kidnapper had spelled out the consequence of his failure to return. 'What can you do?' The tone of his voice reflected the despair that he felt.

Avedissian did not untie the boy for there was no lime. He examined his neck on both sides and found the scar where the device had been implanted. 'Get out of here!' he snapped to Kathleen and Jarvis.

'But…' Jarvis started.

'Get out of here!' insisted Avedissian.

Both refused silently.

Avedissian saw the implements left lying by Innes and picked up a scalpel. He looked at the boy with pain in his eyes and said, 'I'm sorry. I'm going to have to do this. There's no other way. I hope one day you will understand.'

Kathleen came forward and cradled the boy's head in her arm so that his neck was exposed to Avedissian. The look on Avedissian's face told her of the agony he felt at not having any form of anaesthetic to offer the child. 'Do it,' she whispered. 'It's his only chance.'

'Two minutes!' said Jarvis.

Avedissian cut into the child's neck and blood welled up from the incision to flow down his chest and back. The child went rigid and started to shake in pain and terror but made no sound. Avedissian continued to cut through a haze of his own guilt and saw the implant come briefly into view before being obscured by blood again.

'Give me these forceps will you?' he asked Jarvis who had gone pale. Avedissian had to point to what he wanted from the floor.

'He's passed out,' said Kathleen.

'Thank God,' said Jarvis.

'I've got it’ said Avedissian.

'With one minute to go,' said Jarvis. 'Give it to me!'

Avedissian handed him the device, still in the jaws of the forceps, and Jarvis hurried over to the window. He stopped. 'Jesus!' he said, 'You can't open these windows. The air-conditioning! '

‘The bathroom!' said Avedissian. 'Put it in the bath and shut the bathroom door!'

Jarvis took up the suggestion and slammed the bathroom door before throwing himself down on the floor to join the others. There was silence.

'Maybe they decided not to do it?' said Kathleen as the seconds ticked by.

Avedissian was busily trying to stem the flow of blood from the child's neck at floor level. Kathleen was still holding on to him, murmuring reassurance despite the fact that the child was unconscious.

'I don't think this thing is going to blow,' said Jarvis as the seconds became minutes. 'I'm going to take a look.'

'Be careful!' urged Kathleen.

'We can't just leave it there,' said Jarvis by way of explanation.

'How is he?' asked Kathleen, turning her attention back to the boy.

'All right at the moment,' replied Avedissian. The blood loss wasn't too bad but he may go into shock.'

Jarvis returned from the bathroom holding something in his hand. He tossed it a few inches into the air and caught it again. 'It's a button,' he said quietly. 'It's a silver button. Nothing more.' He sank down into a chair as his legs threatened to become too weak to support him.

Avedissian finished dressing the wound in the boy's neck as best he could then noticed that his own hands were shaking. He got up unsteadily and went to the bathroom to lean over the sink. His stomach turned over but he could not vomit. Instead his breathing became spasmodic and irregular as he re-lived the past thirty minutes. Kathleen came in and touched him gently on the shoulder. 'It's all over,' she murmured. 'You did the right thing.'

Jarvis opened the bottle of whiskey that Reagan had used to effect entry to the room and poured out three large measures. Avedissian gulped his own down and took comfort from the fire in his throat. 'Did you know?' he croaked accusingly at Jarvis.

'Know what?' asked Jarvis.

‘That the child was not who Bryant said he was?'

'What?' exclaimed Jarvis with genuine surprise. 'What the hell do you mean?'

Avedissian looked at the boy and said, 'This boy is no royal child, he's a deaf mute.'

Jarvis and Kathleen stared wide-eyed at Avedissian. 'I don't understand,’ said Kathleen. 'Of course he's the royal child. He's just lost his voice through shock. That's what the kidnapper said.'

Jarvis nodded his agreement. 'Take a look,’ he said. 'See for yourself.'

'I've never met the boy or his family,’ said Avedissian. 'Have you?'

'No,’ admitted Jarvis. 'But I've seen photographs, TV reports, newsreels.'

'It's not enough,’ said Avedissian. 'Many young children look the same when you know them superficially. You have to know them personally before particular characteristics become memorable. I'm a paediatrician, I know children. I know how they behave and I am telling you that this child has not suffered a temporary loss of speech. He has all the signs of being a deaf mute.'

'Are you saying that the kidnappers switched the child?' asked Kathleen.

Avedissian shook his head slowly and said, There are no kidnappers. There never were. It was a con. Bryant set it up.'

'But why?'

Twenty-five million dollars?' suggested Avedissian.

'And the IRA?'

'Judging by what we heard, they must have known all along that it was a con. They played along for the money too. You must be able to do a lot of damage when you're given twenty-five million at the one time.’

'Especially if your name is Kell,’ said Kathleen bitterly.

'So we are the only clowns in the circus,' said Jarvis.

'And him,’ said Avedissian, looking at the child whom Kathleen was cuddling and keeping warm. 'Just look what the bastards have done to him.'

'Well, neither of them got the money in the end,’ said Jarvis looking down at Roker's body.’ They killed him too soon.'

'What are we going to do?' asked Kathleen. 'We four seem to be the expendable ones in this game.'

'We'll have to get out of here!' said Jarvis. 'NORAID are going to start wondering why Roker, Shelby and the boy haven't turned up at the airport. In fact they're probably on their way here right now and, remember, they don't know that the boy was a trick! They don't know that it was the IRA who killed their men! They're going to think that the kidnappers tried some sort of double-cross and start hunting for them and the boy!'

'Maybe we should leave him,’ said Kathleen quietly. 'He might be properly taken care of.'

'He might not be,’ said Avedissian bitterly. 'It won't take long for them to discover that he's not who he's supposed to be and then what? How do they explain that away? Or maybe they don't. Maybe they just "rid" themselves of the problem.'

'What do you suggest?' asked Jarvis.

'We take him with us. We take him home and start finding out where the hell he came from in the first place.'

'How?'

'By asking Bryant,’ said Avedissian through his teeth.