‘Have to admire that,’ Templeton said.
Twizell looked ready to hit him. ‘Admire it? They’ve got the fucking money.’
Templeton examined Hector’s body. ‘It’s your fault, getting stoned and blabbing.’
‘I don’t remember it.’
‘Very stoned.’ Templeton walked to the SUV.
‘What’s he doing?’Twizell said. ‘That thing’s out of action.’
Templeton rummaged in the glove box of the car and came up with a pair of handcuffs. He strode back, jerked Hector’s splayed arms behind his back and cuffed him.
‘What’re you doing?’ Twizell yelped.
Templeton looked at me. ‘I was just doing my job, drawing Hector out of hiding. I was all set to hand him and the money over when these three appeared. Right, Hardy?’
I shrugged. ‘Difficult to say.’
‘You lying bastard,’ Twizell said. ‘You were in it for the money. I’ve got it—you did a deal with those cunts. This was all staged.’
‘Why would I do that, Jack?’
Twizell was practically hopping from foot to foot in his agitation. ‘You probably knew that they’d heard a whisper and that they’d come after the money one way or another. This way you get a cut and don’t have to worry about them.’
‘What d’you think, Hardy?’
I shrugged. ‘It’s a theory.’
‘That’s all it is.’
Templeton smiled but I couldn’t tell whether it was the smile of someone who’d got away with something or whether he was just amused. He was a hard man to read at the best of times and this wasn’t one of those. He took his mobile from his pocket. ‘Prove it,’ he said.
~ * ~
27
Templeton seemed to have his mojo back as an undercover operator, if he’d ever lost it. He worked his mobile, using the codes, delivering punchy messages. Twizell and I sat on the edge of the trailer and watched him.
‘I wouldn’t mind a slug of Hector’s vodka,’ Twizell said. ‘Reckon he’d let me?’
‘He wouldn’t. He has to control the crime scene.’ ‘He’ll have to control more than that. He’s lying.’ ‘Look, I found out a bit about him. He’s seen as a bit of a loose cannon by the police but apparently he’s done some pretty good work. They’ll go along with him on this. They’re no worse off in terms of the money and they won’t be grieving over Hector.’
‘No one will. So what’re you saying?’
‘Just that I’m not going to say any more than I have to. If Templeton’s version’s accepted by the cops I’m not going to contradict it. I’m finished with all this.’
He scratched his beard and checked that he wasn’t bleeding from the neck wound. He was quiet for a while, as if reviewing everything that had happened.
‘Hey, what about the old papers and the professor and that?’
‘They were in the car with him and Kristie. Gone. Wakefield said it was the stuff he was after but that’s all he said. We’ll never know.’
‘Great. I hate to see this bastard get away with everything.’
‘He hasn’t. If he was really after the money then he’s lost out. And I think he had genuine feelings for Kristie, so he’s lost out there, too.’
‘Yeah, poor thing; she had no luck. I’ve still got some problems. I’ve broken parole by not reporting and—’ he waved his hand at the cave opening, ‘doing all this.’
‘Templeton has to say you were under duress. You’ll be all right as long as you stay on the right side of him.’
He nodded. ‘Hate to do it, but.’
Sirens wailed, coming closer. I stood up. ‘He’s a risk-taker. He’ll get out of this probably, but he’ll come to grief sooner or later.’
‘You believe that?’
‘I don’t believe anything much, but I’ve seen it happen before.’
Within minutes, the clearing was full of vehicles—police cars marked and unmarked and an ambulance, and people— uniforms, detectives, SOC types. Templeton talked, pointed, demonstrated. Twizell and I were like minor actors in a movie—waiting to play our bit parts.
~ * ~
28
It seemed to work out pretty much as Templeton had orchestrated it. I cooperated to the extent of helping him to recover his gun. Undercover police were given very wide terms of reference and Templeton hadn’t done anything too far outside the boundaries. Whether they believed he’d handcuffed Hector before he’d been executed I didn’t know, but they had two leading crime figures dead and one up on serious charges and were satisfied.