BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) Read online

  The sound was otherworldly in that it probably was imaginary or inaudible to another person. However, it did not seem to be inaudible to the man dressed in the porters outfit; he was clutching his head in pain. River did not waste the advantage and launched an immediate attack on the man. Two successive punches to his throat and to his nose were followed by a scissors kick which sent the man flying backwards through the room. River did not expect him to recover from that and he turned to switch on the room lights. When the lights came on the door was closed and there was no one there in the room with him. River stared incredulously at the empty spot where the porter should have fallen. He wondered whether the whole escapade had been a figment of his imagination. It may have been a dream but he was certainly awake now. However there was grazed skin on his knuckles which meant that they had definitely hit something. He looked around again incredulous that the man had disappeared. Doubt gave rise to paranoia and River tentatively approached the long curtains by the window. He pulled them back only to reveal that no one was there and the window was closed. He checked beside the bed and then walked across the room to the bathroom and pushed back the door. The room was empty; there was no sign of the intruder. It was the middle of the night and he had obviously had a nightmare. River climbed back into bed and fell asleep.

  It was less than 3 hours later when he was awoken again. This time it was by the incessant knocking on the door of his room. River climbed out of bed and guardedly opened the door. It was a member of hotel security who was knocking but Cortez stood with him and did the talking.

  “Come on, get dressed we have to go.”

  “Go where?” asked River.

  “We have to leave the hotel,” replied Cortez.

  The hotel security officer added, “There has been an incident Sir. A man died last night. Seemingly a member of staff had an accident and fell to his death, but the initial investigator found that he didn’t work here, and that he was dead before he hit the ground. It seems that he was murdered and a full scene of crime investigation unit is on its way here. We think it best discretion that your employer is not here when they arrive. It will save him from having to answer some awkward questions.”

  “I am going to wake him and tell him,” said Cortez. “You had better get dressed and get the sedan around to the side entrance and wait for us.”

  “I don’t understand,” said River. “Who killed him?”

  “They don’t know, but we have to get the boss clean away before he gets involved in a murder investigation.” Cortez and the security officer headed off in the direction of the executive suites.

  River quickly got dressed and was packed and ready to leave. He bypassed reception on his way to the hotel parking lots so he didn’t get to see or experience any of the commotion caused by the fatality.

  He brought the sedan around to the side entrance and waited as instructed. It wasn’t long before he saw Cortez and Shondran accompanied by the same security officer making a hasty pace to the sedan. Cortez and security carried his bags, as it seemed he was still in pamper mode. However Shondran looked like he was in a foul mood.

  The getaway was quick and they passed the backup CPS units on their way to the scene. River turned to the rear cabin and enquired again, “Do we know yet who the dead guy was, or how he died?” The question was really aimed at Cortez but instead Shondran answered it in a menacing tone. -“He worked for Diplomat McCreadie; he was killed by a single upward punch to the nose which splintered the bone and drove it into his brain. Death would have been instant.”

  River was unnerved by this answer and not least because came from Shondran who usually didn’t care to explain things. Also River could see in his rear view mirror that Shondran was still staring at him as if accessing his reaction. Outwardly River showed only surprise. Internally, he was racked with guilt, remorse and alarm. He realised now that it was he who had delivered the death blow, and that the fight with the diplomat’s bodyguard dressed as a hotel porter was not a dream but had actually taken place. How on earth his body had come to be thrown off the building, if he had died instantly as Shondran said was a total mystery. There was something strange about that man anyway. He didn’t seem totally human, and now River was worried about the electronic swabs, samples and readings which he had taken. He considered that they were most likely DNA readings and scans for someone who wanted to identify him. Had they managed to retrieve them? River kicked himself for failing to investigate the dead man's body; he might have been able to have retrieved them.

  All in all, Shondran was not having a good day. His convention had been cut short, and his round of golf today was obviously cancelled. That meant his opportunity to walk and talk privately with a government minister responsible for all appointments, and all trade through the transit port was also lost. And this was all because a man had been murdered last night; incidentally a man whom according to Cortez had taken some exception to River. There may have been nothing in that, except that the hotel's head of security had explained that this military trained bodyguard had been killed by someone adept in unarmed combat. This fact was not lost on Shondran who greatly admired River's fighting prowess. But now as he looked and studied River, he still came to the same conclusion that he didn’t see him as a killer.

  He recalled what River had said to him -'I don’t want to be a gangster or a killer. If I became a gangster, I would probably kill you.' So if this was River’s first venture into killing someone, he had picked the wrong victim. Citizen McCreadie was the perpetual Secretary of the Lodge. No one stood against him because he held the most political influence in it. He was a designated diplomat which meant that he travelled extensively to the other metropolis to represent New Denver and sit on international quorums. Being able to call someone like him your lodge brother opened a lot of doors. He was an influential friend, and someone whom you did not make an enemy of.

  The call which came through from Commander Alex Salford was almost serendipitous. Shondran raised the privacy barrier as he took the call. This return call was about River, and the Commander's revelations only confirmed his own suspicions. There had been no security incident on the district 17 turnpike on the day that they had set off from the Mira Belle, and no communication jammers had been in use. So River had lied to him, and was purposely not answering his communicator. Shondran had been waiting for that confirmation, and now he wanted to get to the bottom of this. He could not abide liars, let alone someone lying to his face. The next step would be for him to get Ramesh to come down to the Mira Belle, so that he could question him first hand about what River had been up to down at the port that morning. He made the call to his office and arranged for Ramesh to be collected. Once Ramesh had told him what he needed to know, he would then confront River.

  Just before the sedan had reached the Mira Belle, Shondran decided to share this knowledge with Cortez, and told him to stay with River and make sure that he returned with him to the upstairs office once River had dropped the sedan off at the local depot. Then as the sedan pulled up on the kerb outside, he lowered the privacy barrier and casually told River that he would see him later before stepping out alone.

  The sedan waited until he had entered the building before driving off. As Shondran watched it depart, his communicator received another incoming call. He was shocked when he realised that it was Diplomat McCreadie, the lodge secretary calling him. The man was polite and cordial, but direct as ever, “Barry, I have some disturbing news for you. I am afraid that a man in your employ, by the name of Angus Cactus has been positively identified as an imposter. His real name is Eli River and he is a wanted felon. I would like you to detain him temporarily and hand him over to an official from the Interior Office by the name of Naighal. He will contact you this evening to arrange his collection. Are you okay with this?”

  “Yes brother McCreadie, I am. By the way, I am sorry for the loss of your man today,” Shondran replied only to be cut short by the diplomat, “Good, we will be in touch,” and the
n the call was disconnected. Shondran peered outside the building nervously hoping to catch sight of the departing sedan, but it was gone.

  “Doesn’t the boss want his luggage?” River asked Cortez.

  “No, we can bring that with us when we drop off the vehicle.”

  River looked out the window to see Shondran enter the Mira Belle, and he had a distinct impression that everything was not alright.

  The local vehicle depot was a standard multi storey car park that was only a block down the road from the club. The barriers recognised the sedan and automatically rose as if to welcome the car to its new home. River made a point of driving past a number of tight parking spaces in favour of the expanse of the top level parking bay. He noticed that Cortez was quieter than usual if that was possible, and that he was staying in close proximity with him the whole time. They each took their own luggage and shared Shondran’s bags between them as they headed across the bay to the stairwell and exit. River had an advantage that he did not need to carry his own case. Instead it discreetly tracked his movements and followed closely behind him on automated coasters. Shondran's bag sat on top of it. River did not walk in a direct path towards the stairwell. Instead he skirted close to the three foot high wall which bordered the bay. There was a small electricians pit in the floor directly ahead and River knew that the safety metal plate cover was not positioned properly on top. As he deftly stepped over it, his own luggage plus Shondran's bag took the plunge. He cursed, and Cortez stared at him in surprise as both men peered down the pit. River bent down and reached out to grab hold of the bags which were caught on some electrical cabling below. Realising that they were just out of reach, he quickly lowered himself into the pit. Cortez immediately grew concerned and his hand moved to his stun weapon but reassuringly he saw Shondran’s case being pushed upwards through the hole in the floor. Cortez reached down to grab hold of it and yanked it to safety. Next River's own bag was being raised. Cortez now on his knees reached out and grabbed a hold. With his arm fully extended he didn’t have the strength to raise it but waited instead for River to push it up further. He waited quite a while before he realised that he was already gone.

  By then, River was employing some of the free running 'parkour' techniques which Nathan had taught him. In a few successive jumps he had scaled down the side of the building and reached the street. After that he disappeared.

  Chapter Forty

  Dakota was scared as Shondran shouted in her face. He had already hit her once and she could feel her cut lip and tongue beginning to swell.

  “Do not tell me that you don't know again. I made it your job to know. It is your job to keep a close eye on him. I am not paying you to be his friend. I want to know where your precious Angus Cactus is, and I think you know the answer. The least I expect you to tell me, is where he is frigging living, and where his brother is.” Shondran took a break from questioning, to punch Dakota in the face again. It was not his hardest punch but the rings on his hand were doing more damage that his fist. Dakota's left eye started to close up. There was a cut under her brow which was beginning to bleed. It would bruise badly.

  “I know he is living somewhere with his brother,” Shondran asked her a rhetorical question and supplied his own answer. “How do I know this? Because Ramesh told me. You see, Dakota, he is cleverer than you are. When I found out from one of his crew, that he had smuggled a native outlander up to the surface in a container full of my hijacked cargo, I felt the need to talk to him. You know, he is lucky to be keeping his job, but I need him down there at the port, and he did 'fess' up the truth as soon as I confronted him.” Shondran had picked up a pair of scissors off his desk as he was talking and began to cut off clumps off Dakota's prized long straight hair.

  “Please don't,” Dakota pleaded for leniency, but Shondran gave her none. He roughly continued to hack away destroying her once beautiful mane of hair. Some of Shondran's entourage shuffled uncomfortably in the background. But no one dared step forward to help Dakota; in fact no one dared even stare, lest Shondran felt them judging him. Shondran now roughly and asymmetrically cut off her last remaining lengths, and purposely cut her earlobe in the process. As Dakota felt blood trickle down her neck, she finally gave in to fear and told Shondran what he needed to know.

  She didn’t lie to Shondran, because everyone knew that he had no tolerance for people that dared lie to his face. She didn’t want to be killed, but neither did she want River or his brother to be killed. As soon as she had given him River's address, he signalled Cortez and Baker to go check it out, and hopefully bring back River and his brother. This left Dakota alone with Shondran and she was now petrified of him. He held her for a good thirty minutes but didn’t hurt her anymore although he did squeeze her throat tightly and make her fear for her life before finally allowing her to go.

  Dakota wasted no time at all but ran out of the Mira Belle and took the first available taxi. She called through to River's communicator three times before he finally took the call. Everything came out jumbled and chaotically, as she was in a state of shock and her adrenalin was still pumping. She had not even bothered to clean herself up, and her ear and eyebrow were dripping more blood on to her clothes.

  River gleaned what had happened, but he also had an understanding of what Shondran was thinking.

  “Shondran only let you go as he suspected you would run straight to me. You are most likely being followed Dakota as insurance in case I wasn’t in my apartment; which I am not.”

  “I am so glad you are safe. Where are you?” asked Dakota.

  River didn’t answer that question on purpose. “Isa is at the apartment though, and he won’t answer any calls. They have possibly already got him. I need you to go straight to my place and check for him. It is probably being watched in case I turn up, so phone me when you leave, and I will meet you nearby.”

  River watched from a good concealed vantage point across the road as Dakota's taxi pulled up outside the building. It was in a fairly busy street and there were many people milling about, and coming and going. He watched her get out the taxi and walk in to the entrance of the apartment building. He could see no noticeable tail following her. Nor could he ascertain who if anyone was watching the building. When he received her call telling him that the door to his apartment was hanging off its hinge, and that there was no sign of Isa or anyone inside, he told Dakota to leave and to meet him at a location which was nearby and at the end of a long alley. River was very concerned for his brother but not at all surprised that he wasn’t there. He assumed that he would have to visit Shondran to ever see him again, but first he had to get Dakota to safety. But first, he wanted to be able to observe if Dakota was being followed. With little time to waste, River set off to find a decent spot down the alley where he could watch and stake her out as she approached.

  River missed Anton by a literal minute. Anton had just stepped out of another taxi and jogged up the steps to press River's intercom. When he received no reply, he swiped his own credentials to enter the building and headed up the stairs to locate River's apartment. He passed a girl coming down the stairs who looked as if she had been beaten up. He assumed that this was a rough neighbourhood and that it was best not to get involved. As he looked at her, she seemed to be studying his face too. Just one flight further up, Anton found the door to River's apartment was literally hanging on one hinge. It looked as if a battering ram had been used to force it open. Anton stood by the door frame and listened carefully. When he heard nothing, he decided to enter with a certain apprehension and found the apartment completely empty. This was his only current lead to finding River and he was disappointed because he realised that his friend was probably in trouble and had now moved on. Anton began to methodically search through the rooms seeking any clues as to where else he might be able to locate him.

  Meanwhile Dakota had left the building and walked along the sidewalk until she reached the junction of the narrow alley where River had instructed her to walk to the end.
The alleyway was barely wide enough for one vehicle. It was a service alley for fire exits and refuse bins. There were a number of fire doors opening on to it but no obvious exit from the alley into any building. She had nearly reached the end when she turned around to check whether anybody had followed her into the alley. When she turned back around, River was standing in front of her. He grabbed hold of her and quickly pulled her inside a building and then closed the fire exit door. Once inside he took a close look at her and was shocked at the extent of her injuries.

  “Oh I am going back there to kill him,” he exclaimed.

  “That is what he wants you to do River. Why do you think he messed up my face? I can’t work or earn any money for him like this. I've seen him beat dancers before; he doesn’t mess up their looks. No he definitely wanted to upset you, and make you head straight to him seeking revenge. He is waiting for you.” What Dakota said made perfect sense to River and he was frustrated by having no recourse to action.