The Secret Child (DI Amy Winter #2)(83)

‘What would your father think?’ Amy said, watching a man across the road. There was something about the way he was slightly crouched, holding his hand to his forehead. His peaked hat only partially disguised his face. As he turned to face Amy, she caught sight of his features before averting her eyes. It was the man in the artist’s sketch. And she was not the only person who had noticed him. Two men in bomber jackets were drawing near. Tall and muscular, one of them put a hand to his ear. They were listening to instructions. But who was issuing them? Not yet, Amy thought. Wait. Hold back. Her eyes flicked to a woman in Lycra jogging on the spot. Her head was bowed. Was she undercover too? Her footsteps stalled as she approached him.

‘My father’s dead,’ Luka replied, after a long pause.

‘Then how has my colleague spoken to him today? Ivan’s alive, Luka, and he wants to talk to you.’

‘No . . . he can’t be. I . . .’ A sharp intake of breath. Standing across the road, Luka returned his hand to his head.

‘He knows about Ellen and Toby. He wants you to let them go. He spoke in Russian. He said the real Luka would never harm a living soul.’ Silence. Amy had one last shot at making this work. ‘I’m telling you the truth. There was something he said. Something that only you would understand.’ Amy watched as Luka leaned into his phone. Watched as the police gained ground. Not yet. It’s too soon. ‘He said this was not the time to make your silence a source of strength.’

‘Yes,’ Luka sniffled. ‘It was something he said to Mama before she left. And he’s alive? He’s really alive?’

‘Yes. He wants to see you. He doesn’t care about what you’ve done, as long as you let the children go.’ The last sentence came from her, but time was running out. She needed answers fast.

‘I’m sorry. But I set you up to fail. They’re in a breaker’s yard miles away from here.’ Luka checked his watch. ‘You’ll never reach them in time.’

‘Where?’ Amy stiffened as she watched the men surround him. They nodded to the woman closing in. A few feet away, a homeless man was getting to his feet. Amy tried to catch their attention but their focus was all on Luka, who appeared to be in crippling pain.

‘They’re sedated, in the boot of a car about to be crushed.’ He paced the footpath, oblivious to the movement around him. ‘I’m sorry . . . I wanted Dr Curtis and Stuart to suffer – to pay for what they did.’

‘Where? Please, Luka. For me,’ Amy said, still trying to catch the officers’ eyes. She might not be able to reach the children, but they had units on standby. Her heart hammered as she imagined Toby and Ellen, their helpless bodies curled up in an abandoned car. In her mind’s eye she could see the crusher, hear the sound of metal splintering bone. Her muscles tensed as she watched the officers through the passing traffic obstructing her view.

‘All right,’ Luka replied. ‘I’ll tell you. But you’ll never reach them in time . . .’

Amy watched in horror as the undercover officers closed in. Couldn’t they hear? He was about to give her the location. She wanted to scream at them to back off. Briefly, she caught the female undercover officer’s eye and gave a violent shake of the head. But Luka was watching her and followed her gaze.

‘Where? Tell me!’ Amy repeated, their eyes locking. It was too late for him to hide.

‘I told you no police!’ he shouted, his voice panicked as officers closed in. From all around him, they crept from their vantage points. He was surrounded at every turn. Throwing his phone on the ground, he sprinted, stopping dead as a car drew to a halt and more officers flooded out. He had nowhere left to go. Nowhere except across the road towards her. But the traffic was not letting up. It was too big a risk. Looking around him one last time, he gritted his teeth and ran.

‘No!’ Amy shouted. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he spotted a gap in the traffic and sprinted across. But his decision had been ill-timed, the pain creasing his face and stalling his movements. The screech of brakes was deafening, and Amy watched, horror-struck, as Luka was thrown into the air.





CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

With a sickening crunch, Luka’s body hit the windscreen of the car. The treble tragedy made Amy’s stomach lurch as she clasped her hand over her mouth. Luka’s life could be snuffed out in a matter of seconds. He was the only hope they had. Panicked voices ensued as she radioed for an ambulance, updating Control about the scene. Running towards the site of impact, she was forced to listen to one sickening crunch after another as a domino effect took hold and cars piled up behind. The sound of screeching metal felt like nails against chalkboard as Luka’s body flopped forward on to the road. Traffic ground to a halt, plainclothes officers rushing out to stop oncoming cars. Rage flooded Amy’s system as she knelt down to check for signs of life. She had been on the cusp of finding Toby and Ellen, on the brink of Luka giving himself up. She recognised the weariness of being caught up in something so dire, knew how he felt being part of a situation he’d hated for so long. Blood streaked down his temple, his right leg at an angle that suggested broken bones.

‘Luka, can you hear me?’ She cupped his face with her hands. His eyes fluttered open, a moan passing his lips. Already she could hear the wail of sirens as the ambulance came to assist.

‘Is he alive?’ A male officer spoke from above her, while others checked on drivers caught up in the scene.