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Authors: Ian Andrew
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like a whip crack. At the same time she raised her left hand to within inches of Amberley’s face. The effect of the movement and noise caused the man to flinch so dramatically he almost tipped his own chair over. Jacob reached out and steadied it. Despite no physical blow hitting him, Amberley’s nostrils flared and his eyes glistened with tears.
“Pay attention Francis. You look at me when I am talking. You don’t look anywhere else. Are we clear on that?” Kara paused and counted inside her head. She hadn’t reached three before Francis Amberley nodded his agreement.
“That’s good Francis. Well done. Now, as I was saying, there are some things my friends and I do care about. We care about the money that went missing and we care about what happened to Derek Swift. That’s all. That is all we care about. We do not care about you or what part you played in it. We have no desire to see you go to prison or even for you to talk to the police. Not at all. We only care about Derek. That’s it.” She paused again, waiting. She heard Tien turn on her heel and saw Amberley’s eyes momentarily flick towards the movement, but almost instantly return to her. Kara leant forward with her hand raised and watched him flinch his head away. She reached forward and patted his cheek, “There, there Francis, I wasn’t going to hit you, sit up straight, look at me.”
Amberley brought his head up to face her. His eyes locked on hers as Tien returned to the room and placed something down on the dining room table before she walked back to the arch. Amberley never dropped his gaze from Kara.
“It’s okay Francis. You can look at what my friend has brought,” Kara said indicating the table with a wave of her hand. Although muffled by the duct tape there was no mistaking the terror of Amberley’s choked scream.
Chapter 7
Jacob had t o hold the chair still as Amberley thrashed against his restraints. Tears spilled from the man’s eyes while wailful moaning battered and broke against his sealed mouth in waves of despair.
“Sssh Francis, sssh,” Kara soothed him and stroked his cheek. “These are only here if you don’t listen to me and don’t do as I ask.” She waved her hand once more to indicate the table, and this time she let her fingers rest on the handle of the bread knife that Tien had set down next to an old-fashioned, wooden-handled corkscrew, a straight-blade screwdriver and a couple of forks. “Come along, be quiet now, or I’ll have to make you be quiet Francis,” she said, the soothing lull of her voice replaced with a sternness that had immediate effects. Amberley looked at her, wide-eyed but silent. The panic in his stare was enough for Kara to know she had arrived at the point where she needed to be. It hadn’t surprised her how quickly the man had capitulated.
“Is Derek dead?” she asked, holding the man’s stare.
Amberley shook his head.
“Did he abscond with the money?”
He nodded.
“Do you know where he is?”
He shook his head. Kara knew there had been no deception, no hesitation. Amberley didn’t know where Swift was. It made sense when considered along with the text messages. If he had known where Swift was, he wouldn’t have asked a third party to get a message to him.
“I’m going to take your gag off now Francis. If you scream I shall put it back on and never take it off again. I shall spend the rest of my night seeing how many ways I can hurt you with the tools my friend brought me from your kitchen. Are we clear?”
The nodding was instant and protracted. Jacob reached around and ripped the duct tape off.
“Who did you text, Francis?” As soon as she asked the question she saw his eyes dart away and back again. He hesitated just fractionally and breathed in to speak. She cut him off, “Careful Francis. Be very careful,” she paused and placed her hand on the man’s knee. Despite his restraints he recoiled from her touch. “If you say
“Pay attention Francis. You look at me when I am talking. You don’t look anywhere else. Are we clear on that?” Kara paused and counted inside her head. She hadn’t reached three before Francis Amberley nodded his agreement.
“That’s good Francis. Well done. Now, as I was saying, there are some things my friends and I do care about. We care about the money that went missing and we care about what happened to Derek Swift. That’s all. That is all we care about. We do not care about you or what part you played in it. We have no desire to see you go to prison or even for you to talk to the police. Not at all. We only care about Derek. That’s it.” She paused again, waiting. She heard Tien turn on her heel and saw Amberley’s eyes momentarily flick towards the movement, but almost instantly return to her. Kara leant forward with her hand raised and watched him flinch his head away. She reached forward and patted his cheek, “There, there Francis, I wasn’t going to hit you, sit up straight, look at me.”
Amberley brought his head up to face her. His eyes locked on hers as Tien returned to the room and placed something down on the dining room table before she walked back to the arch. Amberley never dropped his gaze from Kara.
“It’s okay Francis. You can look at what my friend has brought,” Kara said indicating the table with a wave of her hand. Although muffled by the duct tape there was no mistaking the terror of Amberley’s choked scream.
Chapter 7
Jacob had t o hold the chair still as Amberley thrashed against his restraints. Tears spilled from the man’s eyes while wailful moaning battered and broke against his sealed mouth in waves of despair.
“Sssh Francis, sssh,” Kara soothed him and stroked his cheek. “These are only here if you don’t listen to me and don’t do as I ask.” She waved her hand once more to indicate the table, and this time she let her fingers rest on the handle of the bread knife that Tien had set down next to an old-fashioned, wooden-handled corkscrew, a straight-blade screwdriver and a couple of forks. “Come along, be quiet now, or I’ll have to make you be quiet Francis,” she said, the soothing lull of her voice replaced with a sternness that had immediate effects. Amberley looked at her, wide-eyed but silent. The panic in his stare was enough for Kara to know she had arrived at the point where she needed to be. It hadn’t surprised her how quickly the man had capitulated.
“Is Derek dead?” she asked, holding the man’s stare.
Amberley shook his head.
“Did he abscond with the money?”
He nodded.
“Do you know where he is?”
He shook his head. Kara knew there had been no deception, no hesitation. Amberley didn’t know where Swift was. It made sense when considered along with the text messages. If he had known where Swift was, he wouldn’t have asked a third party to get a message to him.
“I’m going to take your gag off now Francis. If you scream I shall put it back on and never take it off again. I shall spend the rest of my night seeing how many ways I can hurt you with the tools my friend brought me from your kitchen. Are we clear?”
The nodding was instant and protracted. Jacob reached around and ripped the duct tape off.
“Who did you text, Francis?” As soon as she asked the question she saw his eyes dart away and back again. He hesitated just fractionally and breathed in to speak. She cut him off, “Careful Francis. Be very careful,” she paused and placed her hand on the man’s knee. Despite his restraints he recoiled from her touch. “If you say
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