Private Sydney (Private 12)

The man quickly set to work.

Chapter 83

ELIZA GAVE HER statement to the police. Meanwhile, Darlene fingerprinted all drawers and doorhandles in the apartment. Eliza watched her use a swab to sample the bloodstain from the floor and store it in a clear plastic tube.

A female constable was asking Eliza if the assailant had made any physical threats. Eliza shook her head.

‘No. It all happened so fast.’

‘We can take you to hospital,’ the female constable spoke softly, ‘and have any injuries looked at privately?’

Eliza shook her head once more.

Minor bruises on her elbows, wrists and knees would heal. Thankfully, nothing was broken so she still had her mobility.

‘Is there anywhere you can stay for the night? With friends, in case …?’ a senior officer enquired hesitantly.

Eliza’s heart raced again. ‘You really think he’s coming back?’

‘Only if he fancies another dose of flyspray and caustic burns,’ Darlene said from the far side of the room. ‘It’s OK – she’s coming with me.’

Eliza smiled weakly and wheeled herself to the bedroom to pack some things while the police took photographs of the mess in the hallway.

Felix rubbed against his owner’s feet.

‘It’s just for one night,’ she said. Before more loudly adding, ‘I’ll leave you plenty of food, don’t worry.’

While Darlene saw the police out, Eliza wheeled herself towards the back door, stopping short in the laundry. She reached down into a sack of kitty litter and extracted a small sandwich bag containing a mini USB device. She quickly shoved it into her jacket pocket then levelled the pellets with a wooden spoon she kept next to the litter box.

‘No one needs to know it was ever here,’ she said to herself, and wheeled back out to the corridor.

Chapter 84

THE MAN REMOVED a panel from beneath the sink and pulled out a computer and cord. He tore the lining of his jacket and removed a USB from inside the hem.

So far he was still on schedule to meet his contact. He plugged in a series of passwords and broke through a firewall.

He tapped his fingers on the laminate, urging the program to open. The spinning wheel on-screen set his pulse rocketing. The computer can’t freeze now. It should have been near-impossible to hack.

He forced quit and held his breath as the program restarted. His wrist had begun to throb again. All these years of planning his escape had almost been derailed by a spider. The icon finally appeared.

Two more clicks.

The waiting was more distressing than any pain. All these years distilled into this moment.

Attaching the USB, his finger hovered slightly over the enter button to transfer the program to the USB, then delete itself.

His other mobile phone jolted him out of the moment. He retrieved it from his trouser pocket and took a deep breath before answering.

This was the most important meeting he would ever have. At stake was his life.

Chapter 85

THE CALL DIDN’T go exactly as hoped. The contact wanted to meet in a cove only accessible by boat. The offer expired in twenty minutes. That left barely enough time to make it, and no chance of assessing the meeting place for signs of an ambush.

But if things went well, he’d be on a plane out of the country tonight.

He started the engine from the internal helm. As soon as the key turned, he could smell something burning. Plastic.