imposing hearth.
He spoke in a manner which didn’t
invite interruption. “It has been verified that an accelerant
in a glass bottle, probably petrol, was hurled into your premises
from the door at the top of the stairs, Miss Radcliffe. That door, as
you know, was then locked from the outside, trapping you inside.”
He paced slowly back and forth again as if he was experiencing some
reluctance to continue. He took a deep breath. “From here on,
I’ll record all that is said: you have no objections I take
it?” He indicated a recorder on the nearby side table then
awaited their consent before pushing the button and continuing.
“There is no doubt it was arson. There is no doubt it was their
intention to kill you. The only question is who, and how many are
determined that you shall not identify them.”
Paul Tanner summed up the reasons he
thought Xandra’s life was being threatened. The man inside the
jewellers opposite Laura’s agency in Middleston had disabled
the security cameras, even the one on the roof, and only Xandra had
seen two of them without their balaclavas and she might also be able
to identify the man inside from his exceptional ability.
Xandra’s face was all
concentration.
“I want you to focus on the man
who had gained entry to the building, but not through the front door,
Miss Radcliffe. I know you’ve said you were almost totally
overwhelmed by his superior skills, but I want you to relive that
with me now. You squeezed your way through the shop door behind one
of the men you seized by the scruff of the neck. Carry on from there
please.”
Xandra carefully went through her moves
up to the point where one man had been flung against the door. She
then closed her eyes and, encouraged by Matt, she recalled all that
she could about the ‘master’ as she called him.
“Definitely vastly experienced; a professional I would say –
beyond being an ordinary instructor. He was too fast, too…
well, perhaps he was in the SAS or something. Oh! There is something
I haven’t told you.” She squeezed her eyes tightly. “He
had a cross tattooed on the outside of his left wrist.” She
rubbed her wrist.
Nobody spoke until Xandra opened her
eyes.
“A cross?” urged Matt.
“Like this?” said CS
Tanner. He had drawn a cross on his left wrist.
“Not quite.” Xandra paused
before adding, “It was more like an X.”
D.S. Miller approached his senior
officer, murmured something, then returned to taking his notes.
Matt’s friend wiped the cross
from his wrist and drew an ‘X’. He then waved his arm
around in front of Xandra.
“That’s it!” said
Xandra, “But I only saw it when he had me in a stranglehold and
his sleeve was scrunched up.”
D.S. Miller spoke confidently. “Xtra.
The man is known as ‘Xtra’. He’s a stunt man. Does
some phenomenal stuff. Doubles for heroes and villains and so on.”
“Well done, Xandra,” Matt
said encouragingly.
“Thank goodness you know about
such things,” Xandra said looking over her shoulder at D.S.
Miller.
“Film fanatic, that’s all,
Miss Radcliffe,” responded Miller.
“Motive? Where’s the
motive? He must earn millions – why would he be doing
provincial robberies?” demanded his superior.
“He likes excitement and they say
he’s too old for all the new stunts required. There was an
article in the paper about his retirement plans. He sounded bitter
about being forced out of the film industry and said he might set up
his own company. It seems he has, and now gets his kicks climbing up
drainpipes.”
“Ok, Miller, you’ve
redeemed yourself. So,” he paused, “let us suppose this
Xtra was concerned you’d recognize him by this identifying
mark.” He paused a little longer and glanced back and forth
from Xandra to Matt before saying, “You’d have to be
dealt with.”
Matt surreptitiously looked at Xandra.
“In the light of what you know
now, can you add anything to your statement about your kidnap?”
Xandra
He spoke in a manner which didn’t
invite interruption. “It has been verified that an accelerant
in a glass bottle, probably petrol, was hurled into your premises
from the door at the top of the stairs, Miss Radcliffe. That door, as
you know, was then locked from the outside, trapping you inside.”
He paced slowly back and forth again as if he was experiencing some
reluctance to continue. He took a deep breath. “From here on,
I’ll record all that is said: you have no objections I take
it?” He indicated a recorder on the nearby side table then
awaited their consent before pushing the button and continuing.
“There is no doubt it was arson. There is no doubt it was their
intention to kill you. The only question is who, and how many are
determined that you shall not identify them.”
Paul Tanner summed up the reasons he
thought Xandra’s life was being threatened. The man inside the
jewellers opposite Laura’s agency in Middleston had disabled
the security cameras, even the one on the roof, and only Xandra had
seen two of them without their balaclavas and she might also be able
to identify the man inside from his exceptional ability.
Xandra’s face was all
concentration.
“I want you to focus on the man
who had gained entry to the building, but not through the front door,
Miss Radcliffe. I know you’ve said you were almost totally
overwhelmed by his superior skills, but I want you to relive that
with me now. You squeezed your way through the shop door behind one
of the men you seized by the scruff of the neck. Carry on from there
please.”
Xandra carefully went through her moves
up to the point where one man had been flung against the door. She
then closed her eyes and, encouraged by Matt, she recalled all that
she could about the ‘master’ as she called him.
“Definitely vastly experienced; a professional I would say –
beyond being an ordinary instructor. He was too fast, too…
well, perhaps he was in the SAS or something. Oh! There is something
I haven’t told you.” She squeezed her eyes tightly. “He
had a cross tattooed on the outside of his left wrist.” She
rubbed her wrist.
Nobody spoke until Xandra opened her
eyes.
“A cross?” urged Matt.
“Like this?” said CS
Tanner. He had drawn a cross on his left wrist.
“Not quite.” Xandra paused
before adding, “It was more like an X.”
D.S. Miller approached his senior
officer, murmured something, then returned to taking his notes.
Matt’s friend wiped the cross
from his wrist and drew an ‘X’. He then waved his arm
around in front of Xandra.
“That’s it!” said
Xandra, “But I only saw it when he had me in a stranglehold and
his sleeve was scrunched up.”
D.S. Miller spoke confidently. “Xtra.
The man is known as ‘Xtra’. He’s a stunt man. Does
some phenomenal stuff. Doubles for heroes and villains and so on.”
“Well done, Xandra,” Matt
said encouragingly.
“Thank goodness you know about
such things,” Xandra said looking over her shoulder at D.S.
Miller.
“Film fanatic, that’s all,
Miss Radcliffe,” responded Miller.
“Motive? Where’s the
motive? He must earn millions – why would he be doing
provincial robberies?” demanded his superior.
“He likes excitement and they say
he’s too old for all the new stunts required. There was an
article in the paper about his retirement plans. He sounded bitter
about being forced out of the film industry and said he might set up
his own company. It seems he has, and now gets his kicks climbing up
drainpipes.”
“Ok, Miller, you’ve
redeemed yourself. So,” he paused, “let us suppose this
Xtra was concerned you’d recognize him by this identifying
mark.” He paused a little longer and glanced back and forth
from Xandra to Matt before saying, “You’d have to be
dealt with.”
Matt surreptitiously looked at Xandra.
“In the light of what you know
now, can you add anything to your statement about your kidnap?”
Xandra
Similar Books
