Miss No One Mark Ayre (children's books read aloud TXT) 📖

"You're going to get my daughter killed."

Since standing from her chair, Abbie hadn't approached Ndidi. The gun remained by her side, and she still didn't intend to use it. She took a step to the left. The coffee table had been between her and Ndidi, and now there was nothing but carpet. When she moved, Ndidi flinched.

"That's the last thing I want," she said. "We're on the same side, working against Orion to save Isabella."

For the first time in a while, Ndidi forced himself to look up. Still trembling, he met her eye.

“You keep mentioning Orion. Who is that?"

Of course, Ndidi wouldn't know. The kidnappers would have offered no real names when they called. They wouldn't have given any unnecessary information. They didn't want to give Ndidi anything he might use to locate them. The Beckers had committed crimes all over the country. Still, there were hundreds of police stations and thousands of police detectives. There was no reason Ndidi would have heard of Margaret Becker or her children.

"I heard the shooter talking about his boss," said Abbie. "A man named Orion. I believe this to be Orion Becker, a high-profile criminal who features on many most-wanted lists. If he has your daughter, she's in far greater danger than you imagine. I don't say that to scare you, but because I need you to understand the gravity of the situation. You don't know or trust me, and why should you? But I protect people. I save people, and I can save Isabella. If you work with me."

Ndidi bit his lip, mulled this over, shook his head. Abbie fought the urge to sigh.

"I don't need you," he said. "By the end of tomorrow, my daughter and I will be reunited. This'll be over."

"You don't truly believe that, do you?" said Abbie. "You're Alice through the looking glass, now. Even if Orion hands over Isabella and buggers off once he has what he wants, what about the people in your station? You've seen the corruption, haven't you?"

Shaking his head in apparent denial, Ndidi said, "I have no reason to believe anyone in my station is on the take."

Now Abbie did sigh. "I don't know what to think about you, Ndidi. Maybe you are corrupt, working for Lucky Draw. It's also possible you're naive and genuinely believe your station is currently corruption-free. Instinct tells me neither is correct. I'd go out on a limb and say you aren't the bad guy; the actions you've taken are because of your daughter, but you know the rot has set in in your workplace. Do you truly know who you can trust?"

Ndidi's jaw was tight.

"There's more to this than I can see right now," Abbie pressed. "Lots of strands, begging to be pulled together, only I can't figure out how to make them fit into a coherent pattern. I don't know why you attacked Gary, but I know there's at least one corrupt uniform working at your station. That makes me think of Franks and Evans. Was it coincidence they were passing last night and happened to see our scuffle? I think about where we were, how far from the street, and the trees that shield the park from the road. One or the other of those police constables must have damn sharp eyes. Or maybe they were only feigning a random patrol. Maybe, in actual fact, they were watching someone. Someone they knew they would soon have to bring into the fold." Abbie let this sink in. "Were they watching you, Ndidi? was it really your idea to ask them and Gary to give false witness statements, or was it theirs?"

Ndidi kept his jaw tight and didn't try to open it. Still, his eyes gave away plenty, and Abbie was sure she was on the right lines. Becker and the police officers on his payroll had planned to use Ndidi; they needed to keep him out of trouble until they were ready to act.

"Maybe, when this is over, and you have Isabella back, you'll want to draw a line under everything," said Abbie. "But won't those bent officers, whoever they might be, start to worry? I'm sure they were corrupt before Orion came along, and they'll be bent once he's moved on to pastures new. More than anything, they'll want to keep out of jail, and the thing about corrupt officers is, they tend to go to greater lengths to get their way than does your average police officer."

It was clear Abbie had unnerved Ndidi, but he was still fighting against everything she had to say. Still shaking his head, and now he stepped forward.

"That's enough. I'm not talking to you anymore. Whatever will be after this is done, I don't care. For now, my daughter is everything."

"Then let me help," said Abbie.

"No."

And in that word, Abbie saw he wouldn't be moved. Not now, not tonight. He was fixed on his course of action, and nothing Abbie could say or do would change it.

Fine. Abbie had known getting something positive from this meeting would be a long shot. She still believed it had been a risk worth taking.

Ndidi had his phone again. He unlocked the screen.

From Abbie's back pocket, she withdrew a paperclip. Holding it in one hand, she raised the gun and aimed at Ndidi's chest with the other.

For the first time, he noted the weapon. His eyes widened.

"You're mad," he said.

"You look surprised," said Abbie. "Which is weird considering it was only minutes ago you accused me of being a cop killer. Is it possible you never believed that? Was it a porky?"

"Don't make this any worse for yourself," said Ndidi. "Put the gun down. You'll never escape."

But Abbie shook her head. "Sorry, you're in too deep. All you can think about is your daughter, and that's understandable, but she's my priority as well. You'll need my help to save her, and I can't do anything if I'm behind bars."

"So what," said Ndidi, "you'll kill me so you're free to try and