Hunted

  ‘Only for someone who moves like a snail,’ I snapped.

  There was an awkward silence.

  ‘Come on, Dylan. You have to admit Ed has a point,’ Nico said. ‘Geri does, too . . . I mean, Bookman didn’t have much of a motive for killing your dad, did he?’

  I shrugged. ‘I still have to find out why my mom suspected him.’

  ‘I don’t trust Geri with the Medusa code,’ Ed said sullenly. ‘I don’t want you to give it to her.’

  ‘I’m not going to,’ I said. ‘That was just bait. For Pete’s sake, Ed . . . Geri isn’t the problem. She might be ambitious and manipulative, but her number one priority has always been to protect us. Let’s stay focused on finding Bookman.’

  We sat in silence for a while longer.

  At last Geri called back.

  ‘I can’t access the information immediately, Dylan,’ she said. ‘I’ve put in an urgent request at the MoD for them to examine the archives, but they’re saying it’ll take a while to come through. The best thing you can do for now is come home. We can make a plan for dealing with Bookman together.’

  ‘I’ll think about it.’ I hung up, switched off my phone and turned to the others.

  ‘Geri didn’t take the bait,’ I said, feeling annoyed. ‘She says she’s pushing the MoD to give her information on Bookman, but I don’t know . . . it all sounds real slow.’

  ‘Er, Dylan?’ Harry was standing in the doorway leading back to the little office. He looked slightly self-conscious. ‘Can I have a word?’

  I caught Ketty’s eye as I stood up. She winked at me.

  I threw her a disdainful look. After the way Harry had made a fool of us earlier, he stood no chance with me whatsoever. Not that he ever had.

  I stalked over to where he was standing, aware that the others were watching us.

  ‘What?’ I snapped.

  ‘Come in here,’ Harry said in a low voice.

  I followed him into the office. ‘What’s this about?’ I said.

  He stared at me, then shut the door that separated us from the others. For a second I thought he was going to try and kiss me. I steeled myself, force field firmly engaged.

  Harry took a step towards me, then stopped. ‘I think I can trace Bookman,’ he said.

  I wasn’t expecting that.

  ‘How?’ I said.

  ‘He worked for the government . . . for the MoD. There’s a list of employees and former employees . . . names, addresses, dates of birth . . . basic stuff.’

  ‘And you have access to this list?’ I said.

  Harry’s face reddened. ‘Not exactly, but I know how to hack into it.’

  I stared at him. ‘How?’

  ‘My dad showed me,’ he said. ‘It was on one of his random visits. About three years ago. Please don’t tell Mum. She doesn’t know, but he taught me loads of basic hacking stuff. It’s kind of a hobby of mine now. I don’t do anything dangerous or bad with it, and I’m not that good, but government stuff’s relatively easy.’

  I raised my eyebrows. ‘You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?’

  Harry kept his gaze on me. In the dim light of the office his pupils were huge, making his eyes a much darker blue than before.

  ‘Go on, then,’ I said. ‘See what you can find.’

  Without speaking, Harry pulled a laptop from the backpack he’d been carrying earlier, and sat with it open in front of him. I let him work for a few minutes, watching as a stray lock of hair fell over his eyes. He was concentrating intently, his forehead furrowed in a frown.

  ‘There,’ he said at last. ‘Bookman – no longer on active service. Real name: Gordon Jellicoe. Last known address: Benton Manor, Benton. He’s seventy-two.’

  I leaned over his shoulder, looking at the screen. A picture of a man with glasses and greying hair met my eyes. He looked like a typical, middle-aged office worker. I frowned, remembering Geri’s description of Bookman as ‘a man behind a desk shuffling papers’. Was this man really capable of murder?

  Harry turned towards me. Our faces were suddenly very close.

  I pulled away abruptly.

  ‘I’m getting the others,’ I said. ‘We’re going to Bookman’s house now.’

  ‘What about me?’ Harry jumped up.

  ‘You should go home with your mom.’

  ‘I want to come with you,’ Harry insisted. ‘I could be useful.’

  ‘How?’ I sneered. ‘What’s your superpower? A bit of hacking and lying doesn’t cut it with us.’

  I walked out, not looking back at him. I told the others what Harry had found and that I was going after Bookman whether they liked it or not.

  ‘Fine,’ Nico said. ‘But we take things one step at a time.’

  ‘Whatever.’

  ‘What are you four discussing?’ Laura said, walking out of the kitchen.

  ‘Geri called back with Bookman’s address,’ I lied, not wanting to get Harry into trouble. ‘We’re going to go there now. You and Harry should leave here, too. I don’t trust Geri not to try and track us down.’

  ‘But you can’t go after Bookman on your own,’ Laura protested. ‘It’s dangerous.’

  ‘We’re going anyway,’ I said.

  ‘At least let me drive you,’ Laura said. ‘You’ll get there faster.’

  I glanced at Nico. He nodded.

  ‘Okay, thanks,’ I said. ‘But you and Harry have to wait outside.’

  ‘Of course,’ Laura said.

  I wasn’t entirely sure she was as willing as she sounded to let us confront Bookman alone, but we could deal with that later.

  We arranged to leave in five minutes. I spent the time taking a plastic bag and a trowel from the kitchen, then retrieving the microchip from The Tao of Physics. Making sure no one could see me, I snuck into the back garden. There was a patch of loosely dug earth near a bed of white flowers. It was hidden from view of the house by a large oak tree. I put the microchip inside Mom’s mother-of-pearl box, then wrapped it in the plastic bag. I dug a shallow hole just behind the flowers, buried the box, then rushed back inside.

  Everyone was ready. We clambered into Laura’s car, going over the plan again. Harry said nothing. I hadn’t looked at him since he’d done that hacking for me. I hoped at least he appreciated I hadn’t ratted him out to his mom about it.

  We stopped just long enough to ditch our mobiles and buy pay-as-you-go phones. As we drove on, the conversation died for a bit. I pulled on my headphones and listened to some music. I was trying to keep my mind off the mission, but in the end it was Harry that kept intruding into my thoughts – and how he hadn’t tried to kiss me in the office after all.

  19: Bookman

  It was totally dark by the time we arrived on the outskirts of Benton. The journey there had been a nightmare – Laura’s satnav wasn’t working properly and we’d missed the turning to the village three times. Ironically, once we’d reached Benton itself, the manor wasn’t hard to find . . . three imposing storeys of brick set around two courtyards. There was a wide, tree-lined drive in front of the house and what appeared to be a landscaped garden behind it.

  ‘Bookman seems to have done real well for himself,’ I commented drily.

  The house was mostly in darkness, but one room on the ground floor was lit. As we drove past, however, it was impossible to see in. Drapes had been drawn at the window.

  Laura parked her car a short way down the road.

  ‘I’m coming with you,’ she said, opening her car door.

  ‘No.’ Nico slammed it shut using telekinesis. ‘We already agreed. We’re on our own here.’

  Laura jerked round, clearly shocked.

  ‘We appreciate your help,’ Ketty said quickly. ‘But we’ll be better and faster on our own.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘We’re not walking in the front door and asking politely for an interview,’ I said. ‘We have to take him by surprise . . . force him to talk to us.’

  ‘How are. . . ?’

  ‘Come on
, we need to go.’ Nico was already out of the car.

  Jeez, and he says I’m rude.

  I reached forward and patted Laura on the shoulder. ‘Harry will stay with you,’ I said. ‘And we’ve got our new phones on silent. Call if you see anything suspicious. That’ll be the best help you can give us.’

  ‘And don’t worry,’ Ed added, reaching for the door handle. ‘We’ll be fine. We’ve done this before.’

  Laura nodded reluctantly. Harry opened his mouth, presumably to protest about being left behind. I leaned forward before he had a chance and whispered in his ear.

  ‘I’d feel so much better if you were looking after your mom,’ I said. ‘Please?’

  He sighed. ‘Okay.’ He sat back.

  As we walked silently to the house, the usual confusion of thoughts rushed through my head. It’s always the same just before any mission – anxiety and excitement and going over the plan. But this mission mattered more. I could barely contain the volts of adrenaline shooting through me.

  I had to find out what Bookman knew.

  Suddenly Ed was in my head.

  What do you want to do with Bookman if, er . . . if you find out, er . . . he did murder your parents?

  Kill him. The thought leaped into my head before I could stop it. I could feel Ed’s shocked reaction.

  Dylan, you can’t . . .

  Chill, I thought-spoke. I won’t actually do it.

  Okay. Ed sounded uncertain. He broke our connection immediately. I was sure he was communicating what I’d told him to the others.

  Great. Now they’d all think I was some kind of psycho.

  As we crossed the drive, keeping close to the trees at the side, I tried to shake off all the other thoughts and focus purely on my force field.

  Ed was in my head again.

  Ketty says Bookman’s in there alone, but her vision’s a bit hazy . . . she’s just getting a glimpse of his face.

  Great.

  It’s not her fault. She can’t be sure of what she’s seeing . . .

  Sounds a bit weird. Could be a trick or a trap.

  That’s what Nico said. He says we should lay a false trail . . . send someone in separately so we come at the house from two directions.

  Sure . . . I should go in alone. I can protect myself better than anyone else.

  That’s what Nico said.

  Well, isn’t Nico full of great ideas?

  Ed broke the connection.

  We reached the end of the line of trees. From here to the house was a five-metre dash where we would be totally exposed. I strained my eyes, trying to make out any sights or sounds.

  Not even a security camera. The only sign of life inside the house was that lit-up room.

  I touched Nico lightly on the shoulder. ‘You take the front door,’ I whispered. ‘I’ll go in through the window.’

  He nodded, then set off with Ketty and Ed. I followed close behind. The others reached the front door. They stopped, crouching in the shadows.

  I raced on, my rubber soles making no sound on the tarmac drive.

  I reached the room with the light on. The drapes were tightly drawn.

  I glanced round at Nico. He held up three fingers.

  Three. He lowered one finger. I braced myself.

  Two. This was it. No second chances.

  One.

  I raised my fist and punched through the window. Smash. In an instant I was hauling myself up, hands clutching the sides of the glass. My energy field protected me from the jagged shards as I raised myself up on the sill, threw back the drape and jumped into the living room.

  It was long and narrow . . . old-style, with two smart, stiff couches and an armchair at the far end of the room, turned to face a real fire burning low at the grate. I looked around. Scratched floorboards covered with rugs. A sideboard . . . china ornaments . . . a couple of photographs.

  Empty.

  In the near distance I could hear the groan of the front door opening. A second later Nico, Ed and Ketty were inside the room.

  For a second we all stood, silent, straining again to listen for sound.

  Nothing.

  ‘There’s no one here.’ I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. I’d been all primed to attack . . . at the very least to defend myself from danger . . .

  I glanced at the photos on the sideboard again. One was a family group, the other a line of businessmen sitting in chairs. A more formal picture. I went over.

  One man appeared in both photos. Middle-aged, greying – the same guy from the MoD file that Harry had hacked into.

  ‘Are we in the right place?’ Nico whispered.

  ‘We must be.’ I handed him the photo. ‘This is Bookman.’

  ‘I don’t get it.’ Ketty said quietly. ‘I got a definite look at his face and I’m sure it was in this room. I saw the curtains.’ She pointed to the dark red drapes, which hung along most of one wall.

  I followed her gaze, then looked carefully around. The only part of the room not totally visible from here was the seat of the armchair facing the fireplace at the far end. I glanced at the floor beside the chair. The rug was bunched up, as if it had been pushed back in a hurry . . . the floor underneath was covered in scuff marks.

  ‘Looks like somebody turned the chair round,’ Ed whispered, his voice full of confusion. ‘Can you see anything, Ketty?’

  ‘No, I’m too stressed now,’ Ketty grumbled.

  I rolled my eyes.

  ‘We should search the rest of the house.’ Nico took a step towards the door.

  ‘Wait.’ I walked over to the armchair. ‘We should check this out first.’

  ‘I think if anyone was sitting in that chair, they’d have heard us by now,’ Nico said impatiently.

  ‘Just let me look.’ Force field primed, so I couldn’t feel the sweat that I knew was dripping down the back of my neck, I took another step closer.

  Ash from the fireplace was scattered across the floor . . . a poker lay on the floor.

  I stopped. A shoe was peeking out past the leg of the chair.

  My heart beat fast. Someone was sitting in the chair.

  I edged closer, holding my hand up to quiet – and warn – the others.

  Bookman was in the chair, staring into the fireplace.

  Is it him? Ed thought-spoke.

  Yes.

  It was definitely Bookman, albeit with whiter hair and more lines on his face.

  I wasn’t making much noise, but surely he should have sensed me moving into his sight line by now.

  What the hell was going on?

  Behind me I sensed Ketty stiffen. Was she seeing something in the future?

  I took another tiny step closer. Bookman didn’t even flicker, just kept staring into the fire.

  ‘Hello?’ My voice was low and hoarse.

  No response.

  Heart totally in my mouth, I reached forward and touched Bookman’s shoulder. He fell forwards, slumping over the arm of the chair.

  I jumped, barely stifling a scream. Behind me the others gasped.

  I stared at the red stain on the back of the chair, then at the blood on the back of Bookman’s head.

  I reached forwards and touched his wrist. The skin was still warm, but the heat was fading. And there was no pulse.

  ‘Oh my God,’ Ketty whispered.

  I turned to the others. Their faces were pale with shock in the dim lamplight.

  ‘Well, we’ve found him,’ I said, trying not to sound as shaken as I felt. ‘But someone else appears to have found him first.’

  ‘Is he . . .?’ Nico started.

  ‘Dead,’ I said. ‘Totally dead.’

  20: The clue

  We stared at Bookman’s body, still slumped in the armchair.

  I’d only seen a dead person once before . . . that was on our last mission, when Carson, the guy who’d imprisoned us, shot Ed’s Spanish girl, Luz. Ed, who had been right next to her, had naturally totally freaked. But Ketty and I had been in the room, too
, witnessing everything. It was one of the most horrible moments of my life.

  I looked at Ed now, wondering if he was thinking of Luz, but he was frowning, staring at the floor at Bookman’s feet. I followed his gaze. A number had been roughly outlined in the ash from the fireplace.

  343

  ‘What’s that?’ I pointed.

  Ed glanced up. ‘Bookman must have written it with his shoe.’

  And then a door slammed somewhere else in the house.

  I jumped. So did the others.

  ‘What was that?’ Ketty hissed.

  Nico raced to the door.

  ‘I bet that’s the person who killed Bookman,’ I whispered.

  I glanced back at the dead body and forced myself to touch Bookman’s arm again. As I’d thought before, the skin was warm. He hadn’t been dead long.

  ‘Come on.’ Nico beckoned me towards him. ‘Just you and me.’

  ‘But if I’m not with you both, I won’t be able to see what’s going to happen to you,’ Ketty protested.

  ‘I don’t care,’ Nico said. ‘Stay with Ed. If anything happens, he can reach us telepathically.’

  Ketty was clearly going to argue, but Nico had already set off along the corridor. I followed him, careful to make no sound as I ran. We reached the hallway. The front door was to our left. Stairs leading up to a carpeted first-floor landing were on our right.

  The sound of footsteps echoed over our heads.

  Nico put his finger to his lips, then pointed up the stairs.

  I nodded to show I understood, then followed him up, my force field fully primed.

  We reached the first floor without hearing or seeing anyone. We stood silently for a moment. Then a loud crash sounded from the left.

  We crept towards the place the sound had come from. My heart pounded as we passed door after door. Each one was open wide as if it had just been flung back on its hinges by someone in a desperate hurry.

  My mind ran over the possibilities. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Bookman had been murdered just before I reached him. Someone clearly wanted to get to him before I did.

  But why? There could only be one reason. They must be after the Medusa code and think, for some reason, that I believed it was here.

  I went through my list of suspects. Who knew about the existence of the code? Milton and McKenna – but it couldn’t be them because they were in custody. Geri – but Geri already knew the code was with me. She’d have no reason to kill Bookman anyway. Same with Jack.