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I nod to Daisy that I’m going. I run as fast as I can to the fountain. Paddling through water isnota quiet activity, so I just have to go for it. The fountain is made up of three separate jets. They are in the shape of flowers. I threw the box in the closest flower. I hope to God it’s still there.
My feet are freezing by the time I make my way to the correct flower. I thrust my hand into it and search. My anxiety rises. I can’t feel the box. Fuck! I take a beat to calm myself. So far there are no alarms wailing or men with bats running at me, so I don’t think I’ve been spotted. After I feel my heart rate chill, I start my search again. Finally, my fingers brush against the familiar plastic box. Yanking it out, I send a thank you to the universe.
All we have to do now is exit the garden without being spotted and we’re home free. There is a staff entrance at the other end of the park. My feet are numb as I try to walk. This sucks major fucking balls. I’m fond of my toes. Daisy has taken the lead. She’s so quiet as she moves, it’s a little freaky.
Daisy points to the staff entrance. We are so close. I can almost feel the warmth of the bath I’m going to take when we get back to our room. Obviously, I’ve just jinxed us because there’s now a security guard chilling by the gate we need to go through. He’s having a smoke scrolling on his phone.
I’m going to lose an appendage if I don’t get warm soon, but this fella isn’t moving. I need to do something. I turn to ask Daisy if she has any idea what we should do, only to find she’s not there. Jesus, she’s like a ninja. I scan the area to see where she is, but nothing. Great, now what do I do?
There’s a loud crash to my left. The security guard immediately shifts from his position to check it out. I watch him approach the building where the noise came from. Daisy is suddenly behind me, pushing me forward to the gate. We are ten feet away when I hear the guy shouting at us. I grab Daisy’s hand and pull her through the gate. I really can’t feel my feet, so running is proving hazardous. I trip several times as we run.
We are both breathing heavily by the time we make it back to the hotel. The security guard didn’t chase us for long. I doubt he’s paid enough to make it his mission to track us down. We do need to leave Copenhagen, though. It’s very possible our faces were caught on camera and the last thing we need is to be hauled out of bed by the Danish authorities. I think the worst we would get is a charge of trespassing, but neither of us want that.
Daisy takes the box and puts it in her pack. I jump in the shower and try to get the feeling back in my feet. All in all, we are ready to go within the hour. Now, we didn’t get round to discussing the next leg of our journey, which will take us to Scotland. Driving there will be hideously long, and I’m just ready to get this shit done with.
“Where to?” Daisy asks as we exit the hotel and head for the rental car. I want to give her a solid plan, but I can’t. In fact, recently I’ve started to lose my ability to plan ahead. Back in Tivoli Gardens, when we came across the security guard at the gate, it should have been me suggesting a distraction, thus luring him away from our exit. My mind was blank. Something in me has changed, but I’m not sure what it is.
“Let’s just start driving. We need some distance before we plan anything.” You know, I never enjoyed being called The Chameleon. I hated that I was able to pull the wool over people’s eyes. It always felt wrong. I used some of the skills I’d learned whilst on the run. It was a necessity. Since Daisy turned up though, I can’t think like The Chameleon at all. Every day, it’s gotten harder and harder, which is really fucking inconvenient because now more than ever I could do with being that person.
I think Daisy brings me a sense of calm. She is my home and when I’m at home, I don’t want to be a charlatan or a crook. Whether I like it or not, The Chameleon is both of those. I’ve had to be those things to survive, but I can’t do it anymore. We still have obstacles to overcome before we succeed and I’m worried that the person Daisy needs me to be to get the job done is gone. I can’t bring her back.
“What are our options?” she asks me after an hour of us driving.
“We could drive all the way. It would mean heading to Calais and going through the tunnel or we can grab a flight. Either way, you will have to use your passport and that means you will be flagged. I presume your company has it on some sort of watch list.”
“Oh, they definitely will. What do you think is our best option?”
“If we fly, we can land in Aberdeen. From there, we can drive or charter a smaller plane to get us to the islands. To be honest, Daisy, I’m done driving.”
“Then that’s what we do.”
My gut twists. I haven’t been to any part of the UK since leaving Scotland all those years ago. I wonder if Betty can sense me getting closer.
Chapter 24
Daisy
It feels like we have a ticking clock hanging over us. Ever since I stepped through airport security, I feel as if time is counting down. There is no doubt that my company will have flagged my passport. After all, I did just disappear.
The big question is if my company has alerted Betty? Someone within the organisation must be on her payroll. I can’t think of any other reason they would’ve tracked me and sent someone after us. I find myself questioning everything. All the people I’ve ever worked with could be potential Queen B employees and I never knew. Shit, Penny could be one! No, surely not. She’s my best friend.
This still isn’t the time to be contemplating all that, not when we are so close to the finishing line. One more piece of the book and then we hand it all over. After that, well, I don’t know what happens.
We arrived in Aberdeen two hours ago. I’m exhausted, but Callie doesn’t want to stop. I guess she’s right. If anyone is looking for us, it would be stupid to hang around. I guess I will just sleep in the car. Callie agreed to do one last bit of driving. I offered, but I think she needs to remain in control for now. Her behaviour has been worrisome since Copenhagen.
It’s a couple hundred miles to Skye. We have a boat chartered to take us to the Outer Hebrides. I’m not looking forward to it at all. I never grew sea legs, I’m going to hurl, and that’s not attractive. My mind wanders to Edinburgh. I feel like I’m so close to home yet so far away at the same time. I haven’t been away for that long in reality, but after everything we have been through, it might as well be years.
Edinburgh will have to wait just a little longer. I look out of the window and sigh with happiness. I do love Scotland. Callie decided to drive through the National Park, which was a great idea. It’s so beautiful and peaceful. Just for a little while, we can pretend we’re still on holiday. Honestly, that’s what I’ve been doing this whole time.
Callie is so intense right now I don’t know what to do. She obviously needs time to herself, so I need to occupy my mind. I think about the pieces of the book. I have studied the two we picked up in Spain and Italy. Unsurprisingly, it’s full of shady ass people. Some I’ve heard of, some I haven’t, but regardless, they’re all scumbags in my mind. Whether they push drugs, steal or simply do accounting for one of her dodgy businesses, they all deserve to go to prison.
For the most part, it has been Callie who has got us to where we are, using her skill set. My skill set is about to come into play as I open the watertight box to survey the third section of the book. Callie told me it is, in fact, the end of the book. What I see excites me. These pages aren’t full of names, they’re full of letters. No spaces, just lines, and lines of letters. It’s a puzzle, and I’m going to solve it. Something in my gut is telling me that this piece of the book is our smoking gun.
With Callie still concentrating on the road, I pull out a pad and pencil. The code doesn’t seem too complex. At first glance I would say it’s a letter for numbers code. I need a key. I’m betting that the key to the code is in the book somewhere. If Betty was daft enough to write down all her contacts, it’s safe to say she noted down the key to the code. Probably to make sure she didn’t forget, she’s not getting any younger.
So far, nothing. The first two pieces hold no clues. It’s possible that I’m wrong and Betty hasn’t noted the key down, which will make it harder for me to crack the letter code. I can feel myself get frustrated. I’m pulled out of my bad mood by Callie’s hand on mine. I look over and she has a small smile on her face. “Let’s stretch our legs.” She’s pulled the car over without me even noticing. That’s how wrapped up I was in the code.
“Where are we?”
