Chapter Nineteen
Archie was sitting in the gutter with his head in his hands, sick to his stomach with guilt and worry.
Charlie was talking to the old woman and the man who had been knocked down by the kidnappers. He came back smiling and sat down next to Archie.
“Cheer up mate,” he said. “It’s not quite as bad as you think.”
“What have you possibly got to be happy about?” Archie asked irritably. “Andy’s gone and it’s my fault.”
“That may be true but, one of my boys reckons he knows the car that those men were in.”
Archie looked up.
“How’s that?” he said.
“Would it surprise you to know that me and my friends here deal in, how shall we say, goods of questionable ownership?”
“It wouldn’t shock me in the least.”
“Well when we have some jewellery there’s a man we go and see. He takes it off our hands for a fair price, no questions asked.”
“What’s that got to do with Andy being kidnapped?”
“One of the boys reckons that the Citroen they drove off in belongs to our friendly jeweller.”
“Are you sure?” asked Archie.
Charlie smiled.
“As sure as we can be after spending most of the day in the pub.”
It wasn’t the answer Archie wanted. Charlie and his men were clearly showing the effects of their drinking. He stood up and held a hand out to Charlie who struggled back to his feet.
“Right, let’s get some coffee into you and your friends to sober you up. Then we’ll go to this jeweller’s shop for a talk.”
“Too right,” said Charlie. “We’d better get tooled up in case we meet them foreign blokes.”
“What! Do you mean guns?” Archie asked a little shocked.
“No, course not!” Charlie replied. “Do we look like the sort of blokes that have the money to buy guns? No, its special tools for us.”
They walked off to find some of Charlie’s more reliable mates.
Two hours and several arguments over directions later they arrived at the jeweller’s shop. It looked closed and the car wasn’t out the front. One of Charlie’s men went for a walk down the alleyway beside the shop and returned a few minutes later.
“The car’s out the back. It’s all quiet inside, but the back door is slightly open.”
“Alright,” said Charlie. “Here’s what we do. You go round the back and wait; I’ll knock at the front door. He knows me; we’ve done business before. When you hear me inside, come in.”
Charlie’s men slipped down the alley to the back of the shop. Charlie turned to Archie.
“You stay here, they might recognise you. Give me your watch as well.”
“Why?”
“’Cos I’m going to make out I’ve got some stolen gear to get rid of, so he’ll open the door.”
Archie handed over his watch and Charlie went up to the jeweller’s door. It was locked and had a closed sign hanging in the window. Charlie knocked hard. There was no response so he knocked again, this time a lot harder.
The jeweller came to the door, saw Charlie and opened it slightly.
“I’m not open today. I’m not feeling well.”
Charlie pulled out Archie’s watch and showed it to the jeweller.
“You’ll be open for me though, I’ve got this lovely bit of gear for you,” he said as he stepped towards the door.
“Not today, sorry. I’m not interested,” said the jeweller as he tried to close the door.
Charlie grabbed the door frame and thrust it forward, just far enough to crack the jeweller on the forehead. The smaller man fell back into the shop followed by Charlie. Archie entered a few seconds later. From the back room they could hear shouts and curses. Charlie had his weapon out ready for a fight when one of his men came running in from the back room. He was looking pale.
“You should see the mess out there!” he said. “There’s two dead; one with knife wounds and the other has been shot.”
Archie raced into the back room.
“Andy!”
There were four rooms out the back and it took him less than a minute to establish that Andy wasn’t there. He stormed back into the shop and hauled the weedy little jeweller up until he was face to face.
“Where is he? Where’s the boy?!” he snarled.
“I can’t tell you. They’ll kill me,” the frightened jeweller replied.
Charlie grabbed the man and spun him round.
“Don’t worry about them. They’re not here; we are. Worry about us!”
The jeweller just whimpered and stammered.
“I… I c-can’t.”
Charlie threw the man down.
“Right boys, let’s take what we can carry then smash the joint up.”
“No. Wait!” said Archie, with a sinister look on his face. “Goods can be replaced and shops can be repaired.”
He looked down at the jeweller.
“How many items do you have in this shop?”
“About two hundred,” the jeweller replied.
“Good, that’s about one for every bone in your body,” Archie said. “We’ll save your stock and break your bones instead. Start with his fingers, boys then work up from there.”
Charlie’s men stepped towards the jeweller who was backing up against a wall.
“No, wait! I’ll tell you what you want!”
The men stopped, looking a little disappointed.
“Speak while you still can little man,” Charlie said.
“I’ve been a member of their group for about two years now. I’ve been on my own since my mother died you see and I don’t know many….”
Archie snapped at the jeweller.
“Save the history lesson. We’re not interested.”
“Very well. They came this morning and said they knew where the Talisman was and that the time had arrived to regain it and take it back to its rightful owner. They demanded my car and were gone for about two hours. When they returned they had a boy with them. I said I didn’t want anything to do with kidnapping a child, but I was threatened with my life if I didn’t help them. They threw the boy into my coal shed while they prepared for the trip, but they had a terrible argument over who was going to have the honour of returning the Talisman. When the other two weren’t looking, the leader stabbed one and shot the other. Then he took the boy and left. You only missed them by a few minutes.”
Charlie grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
“Who is he and where has he taken the boy?”
“I don’t know his name. I just had instructions the other day that he would arrive with two others and that I was to help them with whatever they requested.”
“I don’t believe you!” Charlie said, as he gave the jeweller a vicious shake.
“Please, it’s the truth. I’ve told you all I know!”
Archie stepped forward and placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder stopping him from shaking the little jeweller like a rag doll.
“I think he’s told us most of what he knows, but I’d like a word with him in private if I may.”
Charlie let the jeweller’s go. The little man slumped to the floor and rubbed his neck.
“C’mon boys, we’ll wait outside and let the gents chat.”
After Charlie and his mates had gone Archie squatted down next to the jeweller.
“I have a couple of questions.”
“I’ve told you all I can,” protested the jeweller.
“Would you like my colleagues to continue the interview?”
The jeweller went pale again and waved his hands.
“No. I tell you what I can, but I think I’ve nothing more of value.”
“I’ll decide that,” said Archie. “Your associate has used the Talisman hasn’t he?”
At the mention of the Talisman the jeweller went rigid and stared at Archie.
“Yes,” he said hesitantly.
“And he’s taken Andy wit
h him, hasn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Where and when has he been taken to?”
“To the land of the Maya, three hundred and fifty years before now.”
“How did he get Andy there?”
“If the user is holding onto another person they are taken as well.”
“Doesn’t he need something to stay there, like my flying helmet he was using to stay here?”
“Yes. He has a golden collar. One of a number that was made by the goldsmiths of the Great Master when he first formed the sect.”
And Andy has this ‘collar’ around his neck?”
“Yes, I fitted it myself, but I didn’t completely close the clasp. I whispered that to him. If he manages to get his hands free he can pull it open and he’ll return here.”
“What do you mean? Right back to this shop?”
“That’s correct. Right back to the exact spot he left from.”
“And when could that happen?”
“I don’t know. However long he stays in the 1500s he’ll stay away from here for the same amount of time.”
“Is there any way I can rescue him?”
“No, unfortunately. I’d help you if I could.”
“Yes. I believe you would. Wait here.”
Archie leant out the front door and called to Charlie and his two men who came back into the shop. He spoke to one of Charlie’s men.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Would I ever? I’ve got the dry horrors something awful.”
“Good, then could the two of you take our jeweller friend out back while Charlie and I have a talk.”
The two men took the jeweller out the back. Archie turned to Charlie.
“Charlie, I have a story which is straight out of the realms of science fiction, but I swear on my life it is true. In fact it is the reason why I have placed a large sum of money on two outsiders to win gold in the forthcoming Olympics.”
Archie told Charlie about Andy and the Talisman from start to finish. Charlie was unable to believe what he was hearing, but he was surrounded by evidence of it at the same time. When Archie finished there was silence for a minute, then Charlie spoke.
“So, we can’t get one of these Talis-whatsit-things and get the boy?”
“No,” said Archie gloomily.
“That means the only thing we can do is hope he gets free and wait for him here to return.”
“Yes,” said Archie.
“We’ll do that. You go and get your brother.”
Archie called out to the men in the rear of the shop. When they came in, he addressed the jeweller.
“Do you want to make good what you have done and redeem yourself?”
“Yes, of course,” the jeweller replied.
“How much money do you have in your safe?”
“About sixty pounds. Why?”
“Here’s what you’re going to do. You are going to give these men the money and in return they will help you clean up the mess out the back. One of them will be here at all times for the next few days in the event that Andy comes back. You will feed them and give them every assistance. You will also contact Charlie immediately upon Andy’s return. Do you agree?”
“Yes,” said the jeweller.
“Do I have to remind you what these men will do to you if you break this agreement?”
The jeweller went pale.
“No. I give you my word. I’ll do as you ask, but there’s just one thing I think I should tell you.”
“What’s that?” Archie said.
“I think you need to know what you are dealing with,” the jeweller said. “The Sect is very secretive; it is well funded and has people all over the world who are in constant communication with each other. They’re everywhere, many of them well-placed in the highest levels of society. If you get the boy back, they will come after you. You’ll be doing very well to stay out of their clutches for long.”
“We’ll see about that!” Archie snapped, as he turned to leave.
He gave the air of a confident man, but inside he felt real fear creeping into his stomach for the first time since the Great War.