Huntress Read online

  Amy swayed from side to side, cursing the bumpy movement of the train. She took some solace in the fact that, like the previous one they had caught, it was an old train with no CCTV on board. The positive that the train was not equipped with cameras was offset by the negative that they were taking ages to get anywhere.

  They had been so far off the beaten track that it was taking a while to get back to civilisation. From Beryl’s house, they had walked for two hours to get to the nearest train station. Planned engineering works on the line had meant they had to take a local train south before finally being able to board a fast train north to Scotland. It wasn’t going all the way to Aberdeen, but it would have to do.

  They’d been on the run for nearly forty-eight hours. Which was about forty-seven hours longer than Amy had thought they’d last. Between their inability to consistently travel north, and Amy’s inability to not tell everyone they met that they were on the run, it was amazing that they hadn’t been caught, tried, and imprisoned by now.

  Ever since she was a child, Amy had been painfully honest. Her inability to tell a white lie had meant lots of school detentions. Kerry had often suffered through the detentions by her side, never mentioning the fact that they were only there because of Amy’s honesty.

  Amy liked to be an open book. She knew it made her approachable and likable, and it had served her well in her life. She recognised that she may be the only person on the run to actively tell people she was evading police capture, but it worked for her. People were helpful, they could see that she was genuine.

  There had been a couple of times during the journey where she had trusted the wrong person. Now and then she’d see the tell-tale glint in someone’s eye, and knew that they were eager to call the police. But she quickly evaded them, relieved that she was able to read people so well.

  The train lurched forward. Amy tutted and shook her head. Beside her, Kerry slept through everything. Her coat, which she was using as a blanket, started to shift. Amy hoisted it up and covered her best friend again. The other problem with the ancient train was the lack of heating.

  She had the unusual problem that, while her body was freezing cold, her head was so hot that she was sure her face must resemble a tomato. She resisted the urge to reach up and fidget with the wig. While it looked great, it was uncomfortable, and she wondered how people could stand to wear something so heavy and hot on their heads.

  “Tickets please,” the inspector called out.

  Amy pulled out the tickets for them both and laid them on the table in front of her. Her pulse started to race. It was like this every time they encountered someone new. Despite Beryl’s reassurances, she was convinced that everyone could see straight through the flimsy disguise. She felt for sure she was going to be tackled to the ground while some well-meaning traveller performed a citizen’s arrest.

  The ticket inspector slowly walked up the carriage, glancing at peoples’ tickets and smiling and thanking them as he went. Amy held her breath as he approached her. He looked at her and gave her a warm smile.

  “Edinburgh?” he questioned as he glanced at their tickets.

  Amy’s throat felt dry, and she didn’t trust herself to speak. She slowly nodded her head.

  “There’s a bit of congestion on the line, so we’ll be a few minutes late,” he told her.

  She blew out a sigh of relief. “Oh, okay, no problem.”

  He continued on his way. Amy took some deep and slow breaths to try to get back under control. At this rate the police wouldn’t have to find her because she’d keel over from a heart attack.

  Amy pressed her back up against the wall and adjusted her sunglasses. She tugged her coat collar up higher, attempting to cover more of her face.

  “You look crazy,” Kerry called out to her.

  Amy rolled her eyes. They’d arrived in Edinburgh to find that the station was swamped with CCTV cameras. Amy had wanted to leave the station as quickly as possible, but Kerry insisted that they plan what to do next rather than racing off into the city.

  Amy peeked around the corner. She watched as Kerry looked up at the map, hidden behind clear Perspex.

  “I’d rather look crazy than be spotted,” Amy whispered.

  “If they’re looking for people acting suspicious, they’ll be here in a flash.”

  “Just concentrate on finding somewhere to stay. I’ll concentrate on my fashion choices,” Amy joked.

  Kerry ran her finger over the plastic as she read the information from the map.

  “Edinburgh’s full of places to stay, I can tell you exactly where they all are,” Kerry said. “I just have no idea how much they’ll cost. Money’s starting to run out. As long as we have sleeping bags, we have to prioritise spending money on food.”

  “Oh, food… I’m hungry,” Amy whined. “Aren’t you hungry? You must be hungry. It’s been hours since we ate anything.”

  Kerry pinched the bridge of her nose. “Amy, babe, you’re a great travel companion right up until you get hungry.”

  “It’s not that bad,” Amy defended.

  “It is. When you’re fed and happy, then you’re an angel. But the second your blood sugar dips…”

  “You better feed me then.”

  “I’m looking for a place nearby,” Kerry told her. “Keep your wig on.” She laughed at her own joke.

  Amy rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall. She looked at the CCTV cameras in the ceiling. She felt so exposed, even in a station filled with people. It was as if all the cameras were pointing directly at her.

  The paranoia was increasing with every hour they were on the run. Amy hated how it had changed her. Suddenly, noises were more pronounced, more likely to mean trouble. If someone looked at her for more than a couple of seconds, she was sure her cover was blown.

  “Okay, I found somewhere, let’s go,” Kerry said. She picked up her rucksack and slung it over her shoulder.

  “Great, where are we going?” Amy asked as she walked behind Kerry.

  “It’s a pub called The Swan,” Kerry told her. “We’ll sit in there and think about what we want to do next. The Swan does have rooms, so maybe you can charm the manager into giving us a room for free. We could do some chores or something?”

  They exited the station, and Amy started to slow down. There was a homeless woman, around their age, sitting on the hard stone steps leading into the station. Amy stopped and looked at her. She appeared to be freezing cold.

  Amy glanced down at her own coat. It was better insulated and longer than the woman’s.

  Amy walked over to her. “Hey, wanna switch coats?”

  The girl looked up in confusion. She clearly thought it was some kind of scam.

  Amy started to remove her coat. “It’s freezing, you need this more than I do. We can switch… if you like?”

  Amy held her coat out, hoping that the girl would be able to trust her.

  The girl looked at her for a few seconds before leaping up and taking her coat off. She grabbed Amy’s coat, and Amy quickly let it go. Amy smiled, wanting to reassure her.

  Amy had never spent time on the streets, she’d always lived a fortunate life. Even now, on the run, she was more fortunate than the freezing girl in front of her.

  “Thanks,” the girl said.

  “You’re welcome. I’d give you money, but I don’t have any I can spare,” Amy apologised. She took the girl’s coat and put it on. It was cold inside and out from where the air had seeped through the thin material.

  Suddenly Amy remembered that she had been walking with Kerry. “I hope things work out for you,” Amy said. She turned and raced down the steps to where Kerry was stood, looking around in confusion.

  “Sorry,” Amy said as she approached Kerry. “Sorry, I just saw this homeless woman, and she was freezing. And I thought I have this big coat and she is sleeping on the stone steps.” Amy looked down at her new coat and ran her fingers over it to brush out the wrinkles. “So, I swapped coats with her. I have other layer
s I can put on.”

  Kerry smiled and pulled Amy into a hug and kissed her forehead. “You’re a big softie, you are.”

  The Swan was busier than Amy would have liked. But it was also set over two floors with plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. They had settled into a corner and thankfully removed their rucksacks and some of their layers of outerwear.

  She looked at her new coat and was pleasantly surprised by the good condition it was in. Her heart sunk at the thought of the woman sleeping rough on the street. She hoped her coat would offer the woman a little more warmth.

  “Breaker, breaker, do you want honey roasted peanuts or chilli-flavoured peanuts? Over.”

  Amy jumped at the sudden sound and put her hand to her chest. Kerry was loving the walkie-talkies that Beryl had given them. She looked over to the bar where Kerry stood watching her and laughing loudly.

  Amy gave her a filthy look and picked up her own walkie-talkie.

  “You don’t say breaker, breaker to start a conversation, you muppet.”

  “Nuts, Amy. What nuts do you want?”

  “Honey roasted, please.”

  “Honey roasted, over and out!”

  Amy shook her head and put the walkie-talkie on the table. She looked around at the pub, it was buzzing with people. Which wasn’t surprising, as it was a Saturday night in Edinburgh.

  Being on the run was messing with her mind. When she was in the middle of a country lane in a village she’d never even heard of, she longed for the bustle of a large city. Somewhere to get lost in amongst the people. But now she was in a city, she remembered just how easy it was to be traced through CCTV. They may be in disguises, but their faces had been on the news. She didn’t know if they had made the national news, if they were being sought in Scotland.

  Kerry returned with two drinks. “They are sending the food over in a minute.” Kerry sat down opposite her and rubbed her hands together.

  “Do you want to sit nearer the fire?” Amy asked. She indicated the open log fire with a tilt of her head.

  Kerry looked over her shoulder towards it. “No, I’m okay here. Just still getting over that bloody freezing train journey.”

  Amy took a sip of her drink, relishing the sugary rush. “It wasn’t that bad.” She looked over to the bar. “Did you figure out who was in charge?”

  Kerry nodded. “The tall, young bloke with ginger hair.”

  Amy zeroed in on him and nodded her head. “Cool, I’ll see if I can sweet talk him into giving us a room later. If I can’t, what kind of money do we have to pay him?”

  Kerry shook her head. “None. If he won’t let us stay, then we need to try other places.”

  “We must have some money,” Amy argued.

  “We do,” Kerry tapped her pocket. “But you have to decide if you want to eat for a week or sleep in a hotel room for a night. We can technically put our sleeping bags in a shop doorway if we have to.” Kerry plucked a menu from the table and started to read through the details while she waited for the food to arrive.

  Amy looked at her best friend and felt a pang of guilt. Kerry should never have been involved in any of this. It was only because she had come to the services at the wrong time that she was now on the run. Away from home, unable to speak to her family, and probably in danger of losing her job. She had effectively ruined Kerry’s life. But Amy couldn’t help but be grateful that Kerry was with her. There was no way she could have gotten so far on her own.

  “Kerry—” Amy started but paused when she realised two men had approached their table. Her heart started to beat in double time.

  They’ve found us.

  “Hey, ladies, we’re sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to make you aware of a new gay club that’s opening up. It’s called Ice, and it’s opening tomorrow night down on Frederick Street.”

  Amy let out a sigh of relief and laughed as she took the proffered flyer. “We’re not a couple, but thanks, we might check it out,” Amy told him.

  His partner elbowed him in the side. “I told you, David, you can’t just assume that two girls sat together in wigs are lesbians.”

  “So much for a great disguise,” Kerry said. She pulled off the wig with a sigh of relief.

  “Michael’s a hairdresser, he can spot a wig at a hundred paces,” David told her. “Sorry about the confusion. I don’t mean you look like lesbians, you look very nice. Not that lesbians don’t look very nice. Just that—”

  Amy exchanged a look with Kerry, and they both giggled.

  “I’m gay,” Amy told him. “She’s straight. But single and desperate, so who knows?”

  “Oi.” Kerry kicked her under the table.

  Amy ignored her and held out her hand. “I’m Amy, and this is Kerry.”

  Michael stepped around his embarrassed partner and shook her hand. “Michael, and this blushing fool is my husband, David.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ve been mistaken for a couple a lot,” Kerry reassured him.

  “So, a new gay club, eh?” Amy asked as she looked at the flyer. “Ice?”

  Michael chuckled. “You have to give it a ridiculous name these days. It’s got to be all cool and edgy or no one wants to be seen there. Are you visiting for long?”

  “Passing through,” Amy said.

  “Do you know any cheap places to stay?” Kerry asked. “Like, very cheap.”

  “We’re on the run,” Amy told him.

  Michael laughed. “On the run?”

  David blinked and shook his head. “Like, evading the law?”

  “Yup.” Amy ignored the glare from Kerry. “We didn’t do anything wrong, so we’re kinda proving our innocence. But we have to keep moving so they don’t catch us.”

  “Exciting stuff,” Michael said. He pulled out a chair beside Kerry and sat down. “What happened?”

  Amy leaned forward. “Well, we can’t tell you everything, obviously. The first rule of being on the run is to trust no one. But, we’ve been set up by this bad guy, seriously terrible hair, you’d hate him. And now the police are looking for us. But we have a plan to get it all sorted out.”

  David sat down next to Amy. “How long have you been on the run?” he whispered, looking around to check that no one had overheard him.

  “Two days,” Amy said. “It’s a lot harder than you’d think. No access to money, begging people to help you. We’ve been hitchhiking everywhere.”

  “Hitchhiking? Isn’t that dangerous?” David asked.

  “Yes, extremely dangerous, but someone’s an idiot,” Kerry said, pointing toward Amy.

  Amy opened her mouth to defend herself but saw the waiter standing by the table with two plates of food. She paused and let him put the plates down and leave again.

  “I’m not an idiot, I’m just doing what’s necessary,” Amy argued.

  “You should stay with us,” Michael said. He looked at David for agreement, and David quickly nodded his head.

  “Absolutely! Edinburgh is massively expensive; you’ll not find anywhere to stay. And it’s getting late as well. We only have one sofa, though...” David drifted off.

  “We have sleeping bags,” Amy said. “We just need a roof. That would be so lovely of you both. Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely,” Michael said. “We can live vicariously through you. Harbouring fugitives sounds like fun.”

  Amy looked at Kerry smugly. “See? Honesty really is the best policy.” She turned back to Michael and pushed her plate towards him. “Would you like a chip?”

  18

  Cover Up

  Claudia pulled up to the farmhouse and looked out of the windscreen at the property. To say it needed a lick of paint was an understatement. She got out of the car and walked to the door. If she was lucky, the pair were still in the building and the whole thing would be over in a few minutes.

  She examined each side of the property, mapping out potential escape routes in case they ran.

  God, I hope they don’t run.

  Once she was satisfied, she s
tepped forward and knocked on the door before taking a step back again. She slowed her breathing to listen for any sounds.

  The door opened, and an elderly lady looked her up and down with confusion and maybe even distaste.

  “Yes?”

  “Beryl Taylor?”

  “Who’s asking?”

  Claudia could tell she was in the right place. “My name is Claudia McAllister, I’m a special investigator and I’m looking for two women. I believe you may have been in contact with them.”

  “Nope, you have the wrong person.” Beryl started to close the door.

  “They are known to be working with terrorists,” Claudia said quickly.

  Beryl hesitated, just as Claudia had hoped she would.

  “They are not at all what they seem, and it’s very important for the security of this country that I find them and speak with them. I’m sure they told you that they are innocent, but I can assure you that we have hard facts to the contrary.”

  Claudia kept listening for any sounds inside the house. Beryl’s body language and the lack of noise told her that she was too late. It was now down to finding out as much information as possible.

  “They stayed here, but they’re gone now. And you’re wrong, they are sweet girls. Nothing to do with terrorists. I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous.”

  “I know it may seem that way, trust me, I’ve met a lot of people who you would never think could commit a crime. But terrorist organisations are very good at converting people. Especially if those people are sweet-natured. They play on those emotions.” Claudia looked pleadingly at Beryl. The woman held answers. If only she was willing to give them.

  Beryl shook her head. “No, no, I’m sorry I can’t believe that. I won’t believe that. Not those two.”

  Claudia tilted her head. “You got to know them?”

  “Yes, we ate dinner together. They stayed over. They helped me with chores and things around the house.” Beryl pointed to the front door. “This bugger has been jammed for over a year, I’ve had to use the back door. But Amy fixed it for me. Doesn’t sound like a terrorist, does it?”