Читать книгу The Ben Hope Collection - Scott Mariani, Scott Mariani - Страница 112

The English Channel

Towards dawn

The coast of France was a light-speckled haze against the dark blue horizon. The storm had finally blown itself out and the sea was smooth and grey. Gulls screeched around the Isolde’s tall mast as Ben peeled off his waterproofs and made his way below. Mick clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. The skipper looked drawn. It had been a long night.

Leigh met Ben at the hatchway, looking concerned. The smell of frying bacon coming from inside made his mouth water. ‘I’m making breakfast,’ she said.

‘Where’s Chris?’ he asked, trudging wearily down the steps.

‘I think he’s still in bed.’

‘Some captain,’ he muttered. Leigh ignored the comment and handed him a steaming plate of bacon and eggs. He sat down to eat it while she pulled on her jacket and went to take another plateful up to Mick on deck.

As Ben lifted the first forkful to his mouth, the door of the master cabin burst open. Chris had a twisted look on his face as he stepped out.

Leigh was coming back down below. She saw Chris and stopped halfway down the steps.

‘Don’t move,’ Chris said. In his hand was one of the Para-Ordnance pistols, and he was pointing it straight at Ben.

Ben stared at the gun.

‘Pretty surprised, aren’t you, Major?’ Chris gave a tense little laugh. ‘Leigh, this is what your boyfriend’s really about. Look what I found in his bag. Three of them, and ammunition.’ Keeping the gun trained on Ben, he reached behind the door of his cabin. He brought out the haversack and chucked it on the floor between them. ‘Not to mention something like fifteen thousand euros in cash in there,’ he said. ‘All tied up in neat little stacks. What’s the game, Major? Gun-running? Dope-dealing? Bit of both?’ Chris grinned triumphantly at Leigh. ‘Either way, he’s in the shit now. This is a citizen’s arrest. I’m calling the police and the coastguard.’

‘Chris!’ Leigh moaned.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t mention your name. It’s nothing to do with you-is it?’

‘You’re being so stupid,’ she said. ‘Don’t do this. I’ll explain everything to you another time. Trust me, all right?’

Chris ignored her and waggled the gun at Ben. ‘Not so tough now, are you, Major?’

Ben went on eating. ‘You don’t know about the three conditions, do you, Chris?’

Chris flushed, and his triumphant grin faded a little. ‘What are you on about?’

‘I didn’t think so. I’m talking about the three conditions of readiness for a single-action semi-automatic pistol.’

Chris’s smile was wavering, uncertain what to make of this.

Ben went on calmly. ‘Condition one, cocked and locked. You only have to flick off the safety, pull the trigger and I’m dead.’ He pushed his plate away from him, stood up and took a step towards Chris.

‘Careful, I’ll shoot,’ Chris stammered.

‘Condition two, there’s a round in the chamber, but you still need to cock the hammer with your thumb.’ Ben took another step forward.

‘I’m warning you…’

‘Condition three, there’s no round in the chamber at all, and all the weapon’s good for is hammering nails.’ Ben had reached Chris now, and the gun’s muzzle was a few inches from his face. It was beginning to tremble.

‘You’re in condition three, you arsehole. Now give me that before you poke your eye out with it.’ Ben reached out and snatched the .45 from Chris. He checked the magazine. Eleven cartridges. He picked up the fallen haversack. It was light. The money was still there but the guns and spare magazines were gone. ‘What have you done with the other pistols?’ he demanded.

Chris rubbed his hand, turning pale. ‘Tossed them,’ he said in a low voice.

‘Overboard?’

Chris nodded.

‘Idiot.’ Ben tucked the Para-Ordnance into his belt. ‘Leigh, get me whatever maps there are of the French coast. As for you,’ he said to Chris, ‘get back in your cabin and don’t let me see your face again, or I swear I’ll strap you to the anchor and leave you at the bottom of the sea.’

Chris retreated quickly towards the master cabin.

‘Oh, and Chris?’ Ben added.

‘What?’ Chris said sullenly.

‘I did see Outcast. And I thought the score was shit.’

It was a lie, but it hit Chris right where he’d wanted it to.

Chris shut his cabin door. He didn’t come out again.

‘You didn’t have to be so hard on him,’ Leigh said, laying a pile of maps on the table. ‘He was just trying to protect me.’

Ben said nothing. He munched a piece of bacon as he spread a map out and studied the coastline.