End-Line

Anthony Ford

Description

Eight passengers are on the last train to Margate. It's Christmas Eve and the Southeast of England is caught in a blizzard. The train suddenly stops alongside an abandoned station. One passenger disappears, later found murdered and they discover that every one of them answered an invitation for different reasons. Joanna, a soldier, is an unexpected guest and the one factor the killer hadn't figured on. With her help, can they end this nightmare or will they become victims of their past in this frozen tomb in the dead of night?

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 18 octobre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785385964
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Contents

Tîe Page                         î Pubîser ïnormaîon                  îî Quoe                          îîî

Proogue                          1 Caper One                      28 Caper Two                      46 Caper hree                      60 Caper Four                      68 Caper Fîve                       84 Caper Sîx                       112 Caper Seven                      150

Aso Avaîabe                      179

END-LINE

Antony Ford

Fîrs pubîsed în 2016 by AG Books wwwagbookscouk Dîgîa edîîon convered and dîsrîbued by Andrews UK Limited wwwandrewsukcom © Copyrîg 2016 Anony Ford he rîg o Anony Ford o be îdenîIed as e auor o îs work as been assered în accordance wî e Copyrîg, Desîgns and Paens Ac 1998

A rîgs reserved No par o îs pubîcaîon may be reproduced, sored în a rerîeva sysem, or ransmîed, în any orm or by any means wîou e prîor wrîen permîssîon o e pubîser, nor be oerwîse cîrcuaed în any orm o bîndîng or cover oer an a în wîc î îs pubîsed and wîou a sîmîar condîîon beîng împosed on e subsequen purcaser Any person wo does so may be îabe o crîmîna prosecuîon and cîvî caîms or damages

A caracers appearîng în îs work are Icîîous Any resembance o rea persons, îvîng or dead, îs purey coîncîdena

‘A îngs a men soud do o you, do ye even so o em: or îs îs e aw and e propes’ MATTHEW 7:12

Prologue

Good Friday, 10.06pm

Faer James Dougas now knew a îs paranoîa ad jusîIcaîon Hîs round, cerub-îke ace was draîned o coour, o resembe some paîd, conored mask o panîc Sma and grossy overweîg, e ad aways ooked angeîc, ruswory, wî e paes o bue eyes - no now, ose eyes a îs momen, were auned and e, e uned Trembîng and panîng eavîy, e ganced a around as e sumbed roug e downpour and barged aong e desered pavemen Swea and raîna sung îs ace and îs doube cîn wobbed as ear roze îs ougs and îs ear umped o deaen any coeren undersandîng îs mînd rîed o make He ad never known e orror o beîng errorîsed and epess - now e knew He was e prey, e was quarry, now e was e vîcîm Hîs ear conînued -u-ump, u-ump, u-ump… jus îke e bîg bass drum o a Savaîon Army band - ow symboîc, consîderîng e arge sadow wo pursued îm roug e darkness and raîn wore e unîorm and peaked cap o a umbe, God-earîng group Bu î was e rymîca rae o e donaîon în, ogeer wî e cîîng oarse wîsperîng o,“Faer James, Faer James…”wîc soe roug îs poundîng ear o scream ou a savaîon was no wa îs ormenor promîsed… dea was on îs ees and e knew î He was no onger a Prîes - e ad reîred, orced reîremen was e erm o be precîse - e was aîcîzed and no aowed o serve în e Prîesood Now James Dougas, ex-con and regîsered paedopîe, was abeed ofender no 12685 he sexua predaor o underage boys în WeserIed Caoîc Boys Scoo a ose years ago Sînce en e ad been oused în specîaîs accommodaîon, or îs own proecîon e eard - e never beîeved î, unî onîg

For îs nîg woud be îs as as a îvîng, breaîng member o e uman race - or în our mînues e woud be dead As e urned anoer corner e ooked over and îs pursuer was cosîng He ad gaîned on îm and avîng raced over e road o e opposîe sîde, was now amos eve and e knew a în seconds e woud overake îm - cose în, cu îm of, en… He burs down e aey beînd and îno e sadows were e sreeîgs aîed o penerae and reaîsed e was someow oowîng a raî and wî every sep was sumbîng îno a pre- desîgnaed rap Bu agaîn îs ougs berayed îm - îke a rus o bînd amnesîa - e coudn’ înk ogîcay, jus a panîc o sumbîng and saggerîng as e barged orever on he buîdîng sîe aead was a spankîng new deveopmen o resîdenîa aparmens wîc branced of rom e aey o orm a mumbe, jumbe o scafodîng, saîrwes, brîck was and skîps, crammed wî every kînd o sîe rubbîs He urned and ooked beînd en saggered aong e aeyway hîs was îs ony ope e oug - maybe e coud ose îs pursuer î e dîsappeared roug e maze o unInîsed corrîdors and doorways and saîrwes wîc mus escape ono a sree o înabîans Even a îs ae our, în îs sma seasîde own, ere mus be someone, anyone, surey He sumbed îno e semî darkness were a ew yards aead and îg above, an enormous crucîIx o wooden beams ung rom caîns swîngîng and creakîng în e wînd And undernea, barey vîsîbe în e downpour was a curaîn o Isîng înes Ive rows deep, angîng îke Spanîs moss în some ouîsîana swamp He barged orward and pused asîde e Ine wîre wen e e e Irs jabs o sarp see penerae îs coîng, pîerce îs skîn and dîg îno îs Les Barbed Isîng ooks were aaced o e înes wîc swung back and or în e wînd and raîn - soon e was ensnared As e saggered and grapped, some now pîerced îs ands and ace, uggîng a îs îps and eyeîds As e srugged o pu ree, Les ore wî em He conînued o sagger orward and e sudden

agony o pîerced genîas sen e paîn surgîng o new eîgs and e screamed Beîng overweîg and sîxy seven years o age, e e orward on o îs knees and e see ooks dug în urer and ore roug îs skîn îke a rused knîe rîppîng roug od abrîc He screamed agaîn roug bîndîng paîn, as e sadowy Igure sowy approaced rom beînd For a second e person observed îm, reîsîng e momen, en urned and unraveed a caîn rom e scafodîng aongsîde Sowy e uge wooden cross swung down o ang jus above e concree Suddeny e bade o a buerLy knîe gîned and wî one swîpe e was cu ree rom e enanged wîres he razor sarp edge sîced e wîres above îs ead and e sammed o e cobbes o e aeyway Suddeny a noose was sung around îs neck, en pued îg and e screamed and peaded as e was dragged oward e crucîIx…

18.06pm Four Hours Earlier… “hese roae every Ive seconds or so Wa you see ere îs Irsy… yea, ere’s e maîn gae,” he sîe oreman, Joe McCabe, ean orward and îndîcaed o e CCTV screen wîc sa aongsîde wo oers on e cuered abe Wedged amîds used cofee cups, Ies, oders and newspapers în e cramped poracabîn, e screens swîced every ew seconds o anoer camera so McCabe was a sma, wîry Wesman and ad saved o e sku, wa was et o îs aîr and worked ou every day, even îno îs Itîes A one-îme reeree, e ad ‘ran e îne’ a Wembey once and carrîed îmse, as î e was runnîng ono e payîng Ied “And a’s us ere,” e added and sood up sraîg, as e poracabîn Lased up on e second ermîna screen Aongsîde sa Carîe Young, wo pued on îs back rîmmed specaces, ean orward and sudîed e screen He was an

oder gen, mîd-sîxîes and emporary careaker moonîgîng or some exra pîn money He wore a suî wî sîr and îe and ong weed overcoa, rayîng a e seeves and coar he gasses were perced on îs crooked nose, broken a ong îme ago în îs careree youu days He ad aso receny saved - wîc wî a e sma cus, was obvîousy carrîed ou wî a razor no în requen use - bu e needed e money, so ere e was he screen en Lîpped o an înerîor so o e consrucîon compex “Okay, ï can’ see any probems,” saed Carîe and pued of îs gasses “Rîg en, ï’ ake you around e sîe,” saîd McCabe and bo sood and exîed e poracabîn hîs was e buîdîng sîe oice or e new Appeby cour – a nes o pus, up-marke aparmens, sacked of Sou Sree wîc ook up a a bock, srecîng back o were Wes Sree ran owards e marke own square WeserIed was a sma seasîde own wîc sa on e Ken coas aongsîde e hames esuary he penînsua ay beween e Nor Sea and e sraîs o Dover o e sou ï was a cod, ou o season resor wîc ad seen beer days - beîng a Vîcorîan ourîs aracîon a ong îme ago, î now was ome o reîred senîor cîîzens, aluen commuers and sudens wo aended e oca Furer Educaîon coege and go drunk a e weekends, week days and aternoons hey swamped e peaceu own square wî oud and rîoous groups and îndîvîduas - ey parîed ard, aked oo oud and congregaed în eîr avourîe oca, were musîc bared and ceap ood was sod aongsîde even ceaper beer As ey waked roug e consrucîon sîe and îno e maîn core o e aparmen bock, drîzze was jus begînnîng and e skîes coudîng over hey sepped roug e arge aperure îno e oyer “hîs ere, wen Inîsed wî be, e maîn enrance Tweny our our concîerge, e conro pane - ob acîvaed, car park enrance ere,” and e poîned roug an open wîndow o e sîde o e buîdîng “And rom ere, î you ook around,” bo urned, “gîves a

good vanage poîn or wa wî be e orecour and e comîngs and goîngs o resîdens, courîers, vîsîors and e îke” Carîe nodded as ey urned and waked around e arge recepîon desk barren o Ixures and Iîngs hey proceeded up e saîrcase beînd ono e Irs Loor and approaced one o e gapîng wîndowess aperures ookîng owards e rear o e sîe “You may wonder wy, we requîre a nîg duy wacman or e weekend? We, ony yeserday we noîced a some equîpmen - wo spades, a weebarrow and a woe pae o brîcks wen wakabou No muc, bu we can’ aford o ave a oss, ese îngs moun up and ï’m answerabe o e sor a” “ï know, î appens ï’ve worked în some paces were you woudn’ beîeve e îngs a ave been soen,” added Carîe “Exacy and ese caracers arrîved, eary evenîng, în a van wîc was parked over ere,” He îndîcaed o e mou o e back aey, “Wearîng îg-vîs vess and ard-as, parîay coverîng eîr aces, ree o em waked sraîg în and proceeded o carry away e work oos en srîpped e pae bare o e brîcks We’ve go em on CCTV, bu can’ îdenîy any o em ï was eîer a bue or red van - dîicu o e as e cameras are back and wîe, bu we spoke o e poîce and appareny we can’ sea of e aey as î’s în consan use by oca busîness or oadîng and unoadîng” here was a deep rumbe o under and McCabe pued up e coar o îs anorak as e wînd wîpped a around and e raîn crep coser ï now bew în roug e gapîng aperure and e îndîcaed and ey urned and waked owards e înner saîrwe “So, e suggesîon was a nîg wacman,” e conînued “Aways a good deerren and beîng Easer weekend, we can’ aford o come back nex Tuesday o Ind more equîpmen mîssîng We need a presence on sîe, paroîng every oer our Anyîng unoward, conac e poîce and myse ï don’ îve oo ar away anyway” Carîe nodded în agreemen “No probem”