‘Yes, I will, don’t worry. I can see who’s outside through a spyhole. I won’t open the door if I have any doubts. Bye, Lilli.’
She hung up and went to the door, peered through the spyhole first. Her whole body jerked in shock as she recognized Don Gowrie standing outside.
5
He was alone; that astonished her just as much as the fact that he had come. Don Gowrie rarely made a move without being surrounded by people, but there was no sign of anyone else in the corridor. Sophie hesitated about letting him in – what if he tried to kill her again? But he wouldn’t dare. It would be too much of a risk.
She took off the chain, her hands trembling a little, and opened the door. For a few seconds he didn’t move or look at her; he looked past her into the room, his eyes flicking round it, checking that she was alone.
That made her smile. So he was nervous too! ‘Don’t worry, Mr Gowrie. There’s nobody else here!’
He walked inside, their bodies almost brushing, her nostrils picking up his scent; a mix of whisky and some sort of aftershave. Had he taken a couple of drinks before he came, to get up his courage? That made him seem more vulnerable and more human, and reassured her a little. Sophie closed the door and plunged straight in to the words she had been rehearsing to say to him ever since she left Prague all those weeks ago.
‘I want to see my sister, Mr Gowrie.’
‘Sssh!’ he muttered, and walked quickly across the room to the bathroom, glanced in there, then turned and pulled something out of his pocket, holding it up in one hand at waist level.
Sophie’s heart stopped. A gun!
‘No! Please . . . don’t . . .’ she cried in a voice that didn’t seem to come from her, shrinking back against the door.
A long thin aerial, like a witch’s finger, slid out of the black metal object, and Don Gowrie slowly swung round, pointing into each corner of both bedroom and bathroom. A low humming sound began and Sophie’s heart beat slowed.
It wasn’t a gun; it was some sort of electronic gadget. ‘What . . . what are you doing?’
‘Checking the place isn’t bugged.’
‘Bugged?’ That idea had never occurred to her until that second. Her stomach clenched in sickness. What sort of world had she got herself into? Back home, as she was growing up, everyone knew they were living in an atmosphere of secrecy, spying, betrayal, but she hadn’t expected to find the same fog poisoning American air.
‘Colbourne is up to every trick in the book. I wouldn’t put it past him to have this room bugged. This may look like a little toy but it’s guaranteed to pick up the most sophisticated bug.’ Sliding the gadget back into his jacket pocket, he coolly ordered, ‘Close the curtains, will you?’
She stiffened. ‘What?’ Her skin went cold.
‘Don’t get ideas. I’ve no intention of harming you. It’s another security measure. There could be someone in the building opposite with a camera with a telephoto lens trained on that window. They have equipment now which can pick up everything from half a mile away.’ His mouth twisted. ‘Wonderful world we live in, isn’t it?’ he added, oddly echoing her own thought a moment earlier.
‘I’m beginning to think I hate it,’ Sophie said soberly as she walked over to the window to pull the cord that drew the curtains together. The room behind her fell into shadow. She went back to the door and switched on the central light, feeling weird to be doing that in the middle of the day.
Don Gowrie sat down in the one armchair, beside the little table on which you could eat a meal sent up by Room Service. ‘I’ve only got five minutes free. We must talk quickly.’
‘I want to see my sister.’ She hoped she sounded calm; in fact she was still very nervous because of what she knew about this man. He had a lot to lose and was totally without scruple. Sophie knew she would have to watch him like a hawk.
Crossing one leg over the other, he contemplated the polished black cap of a swinging shoe. ‘Your mother is still in the Czech Republic. I checked.’
That was when Sophie felt a flicker of alarm for her mother. Why had he checked on her? Her mouth went dry.
‘If you hurt my mother, I’ll kill you myself!’
‘Don’t threaten me. Your mother and I had a deal. Part of the deal was that she swore never to tell a living soul. She had no right to tell you, especially now, after all these years.’
‘You have a nerve! How dare you talk about her that way? You took advantage of her! You knew she was almost out of her mind over my father’s death that day, that she was ill and worried, and didn’t know what she was doing. She would never have let you steal her baby if she hadn’t been so upset.’
His face turned dark red. ‘I didn’t steal Cathy!’
Sophie bristled, hating to hear him use that name. ?
?Don’t call her that. Her name’s Anya.’
‘She’s Cathy to me! And I did not steal her. Your mother has obviously forgotten how she felt back then. It’s a long time ago. But she was desperate – the Russians had just invaded, your father had been killed, your mother was expecting any minute, she had no money, she was terrified, didn’t know what to do. She begged me for help.’