Xion Island Zero: Chapter 38

The forest vanished into blue shadows as Nash looked at the door. The hut squatted like a waiting animal, and the narrow windows reminded him of watchful eyes, but he knew Bernstein waited behind the glass, not in it.

The nerves of the armed team surrounding the perimeter were rubbing off on him, and he had to be calm to think. The static from the radios hammered through his ears. Every noise was amplified. He waved his hand at his team. ‘Turn your radios off,’ he hissed.

They passed looks between them. ‘We’ve been instructed to keep an open line of communication,’ Norton said. ‘The comms are barely audible, boss.’

‘They are to him,’ Brown said.  She took Keeley’s arm and led her further back. ‘He’s hypersensitive to noise when he’s stressed.’

A glimmer of previous animosity rose between them, and Norton replied, ‘ He’s the most capable copper I know, which makes you sound like a dick. Who are you? His mother?’

‘No, but I understand him better than you.’

‘Not now. You two.’ Nash spun around to face them, glaring.

Mike Bereton, the negotiator, picked up his megaphone. He was in his forties with scars on his face as angry as a knife wound. He’d seen some action, and, although Nash had never worked with him, after a few whispered words, he put his faith in him. He had no choice but to trust him.

Mike kept his voice calm, but never soft. Every word was measured. He didn’t wear a badge of rank, but had an authority about him that said he’d talked down enough people to be competent in his role. He put his hand on Nash’s shoulder, and Nash appreciated the tact he used when he overruled his previous orders. ‘Inspector Nash would now like all comms to be active as we’re ready to start negotiations. Stand by.’

‘No movement inside,’ Brown reported. She glanced at Nash. ‘The thermals are only picking up one body. But Bernstein could be shielding if he’s directly in front of Taylor.’

‘Or Alan’s already dead,’ Renshaw muttered.

Mike turned on him. ‘That kind of thinking won’t help us get him out.’

Norton said. ‘When this is over, I want a raise, a week off, and a meditation manual.’

Nash watched the cabin. Its stillness gnawed on his nerve endings. Bernstein was playing a psychological waiting game. Who would call ‘chicken’ first? There were flickers of firelight and candles, but no sound. The tension rose another few degrees.

Nash paced a few steps and turned back. Renshaw offered him a bottle of water, but he shook his head. The only thing he could stomach was his adrenaline.

‘Ready to open the line?’ Mike asked.

Nash nodded. Showtime.

Mike raised the megaphone. ‘Travis Bernstein. This is Michael Forsyth with Cumbria Police. We’re here to talk. Nobody wants to see anyone else get hurt. You have the power to bring this to a peaceful end.’ Mike’s tone was precise, with just enough warmth to sound human and the professional distance to stay in control. Nash watched him work—he was steady and unfazed. Travis would struggle to crack him.

There was silence for a moment, and Nash felt goosebumps ride over the ridge of his arms when Travis spoke. The detachment in his voice sounded as lonely as the forest at night.

Travis spoke with authority. Surrounded by police and rifles, he was utterly calm. His demeanour unsettled Nash even more. This guy didn’t care whether he lived or died and that put them in a dangerous position. It also made anything Mike said to him obsolete.

‘Peaceful? You make me laugh,’ he said. ‘Peace ended the day they abandoned me like filth beneath their feet. This is on you, now, and I’m not playing clean-up for your mistakes.’

‘We’re not your enemy, Travis,’ Mike said. ‘We understand you’ve been wronged and you’re angry. But hurting Alan Taylor can’t rewrite history.’

‘Who are you? Little man. You’re a tiny person shouting into his big amplifier. Go away, while you still can.’

‘We’re here to help you, Travis.’

‘Lesson one in the negotiator's induction manual; paragraph twenty-seven. State in a patronising voice, “We’re here to help you.” You have no idea how ridiculous you sound. You know nothing about me.’

‘I know you’re hurting, and I can make that stop.’

‘Who are you? God? Jesus, sit down, little man and put Nash on before I hurt you.’

Every word Mike spoke felt like a gamble they couldn’t afford to lose. He’s not going to break this way, Nash thought. He wants me.

‘Inspector Nash is otherwise engaged at the moment.’

Bernstein repeated what Mike had said to him in a whiny voice. ‘I said, put Nash on. He’s the only person I’ll speak to.’

‘That’s not possible. I have the necessary training to bring this situation to a mutually beneficial solution. I’m the one who can make a spot decision about whether your demands are something we can work with. Inspector Nash would have to get clearance before agreeing to anything. So you  see, I’m the right person to speak to.’

There was no answer.

‘Let me speak to him,’ Nash said.

‘It’s okay, inspector. This is perfectly normal and within the boundaries we’d expect at this stage in negotiation. We’re showing him that he can’t make demands and have us roll over onto our backs because he says so. I’ve got this.’

Nash stood by in frustration. ‘He won’t speak to you.’

Mike tried for another ten minutes to get a response from Bernstein. And then he got one. They heard the sound of somebody’s breath leaving their body. Alan had been gut-punched.

Nash had stood by long enough. He’d take the flak later, but for now, he ripped the megaphone out of Mike’s hands. ‘Let Alan go.’

‘He’s my father. That makes him the root of the problem,’ Travis said.

‘Punish me, I’m the one hunting you. Leave him out of it.’

‘I’ll make a deal,’ Travis said. ‘Alan walks out—well, if he can. And you walk in. Come alone with no weapons.’

‘It’s a trap,’ Norton said.

‘Of course it is,’ Nash agreed.

Mike shook his head, ’Absolutely not.’  

‘That would be suicidal,’ Nash said to Bernstein. ‘I think you’d kill me before I crossed the threshold. You wouldn’t respect me, and you certainly wouldn’t trust me for doing something so stupid.’

‘I don’t respect you, inspector.’ Travis laughed, and the sound chilled Nash. ‘I’ve watched you for weeks. I know the way you move, and when you’re lying.’

Mike tried to take the megaphone, but Nash angled his body away from him.

‘Let’s slow things down, shall we?’ Mike called. ‘We can talk about how we can end this.’

Nash ignored him. ‘Travis. I need to see Alan. Let him come to the door so we know he’s okay.’

‘Of course, he’s not okay. But he is indisposed,’ Travis snapped. There was a thud. Then the door creaked open. A bloodied jumper landed in the snow.

Nash stepped forward, and Renshaw pulled him back.

Renshaw said, ‘With so much blood loss, he’s in a bad way.’

‘Get an ambulance on standby. As close as they can get,’ Nash said.

One of the armed officers swore under his breath. The team tensed. Their shoulders were hunched, and their fingers twitched, ready on triggers. They never took their eyes off the hut, but even in the weak torchlight, Nash could see the tension in the first man’s knuckles.

Behind Nash, one of the shooters looked as if he was going to be sick. Another made the sign of the cross.

Mike tried again. ‘You’ve made your point. You want to be heard. Killing a defenceless man in the dark is a cowardly way to get what you want. Let Alan go.’

Nash still had the megaphone but threw it down. Sound carried well enough here. He suppressed a smile as Mike bent to pick it up.

‘Travis, let’s talk. You and me. Nobody else. Come out and talk to me. I give you my word, you won’t be hurt.’

‘I told you,’ Travis said. ‘If you want something, you’ll have to come and collect it.’

‘So, we have a stalemate. How do we resolve this without more bloodshed?’

‘Three seconds. Nash. One. Two.’

‘Wait,’ Mike shouted.

‘Three.’

A terrible sound came from the hut as Alan screamed. It started high and broke halfway through. He sounded like an animal caught in a snare. It echoed through the trees and made ravens take flight. The team wanted to move in, and Nash’s fists clenched. The Colonel’s order was calm. ‘Teams, stay back and hold your fire.’

Mike shouted into the darkness. ‘Travis, you’re better than this. You’re intelligent, but the moment you kill a hostage, the world stops listening.’

‘I don’t care about the world. I want justice.’

There was another scream, longer and more desperate than the last one. Then there was silence.

The door opened, and Travis threw something smaller.

It hit the snow with a dull slap and turned the area around it pink.

On the ground, one of Alan Taylor’s fingers pointed at them.

Bowes gagged and turned away.

Travis shouted through the crack in the door, and the snipers sighted their rifles on the gap, looking for a clear shot.

‘That was your warning. You get one more digit, but after that, Alan joins the others. I promise you, Nash, you’d better get here now, because his death won’t be pleasant,’ Travis said.

Mike raised the megaphone. ‘That’s escalation. It’s unacceptable. We’re out of time, Travis.’

Nash’s thoughts moved too fast. Cold had crept into his body, making his lower back ache. The weight of responsibility settled over him. He was the only person who could save Alan Taylor’s life. ‘I’m going in,’ he said.

‘Like hell you are,’ Brown’s voice came through his earpiece. ‘Sorry, boss, but you can’t go in there. We’re sending in gas and breachers.’

‘That’s not your call, DI Brown.’

‘It is now, sir. Colonel Braithwaite is on the line. He’s pulling rank.’

‘Pull what you like. I’m going in.’

Nash ripped out his earpiece.

Renshaw tried to stop him. ‘Sir, don’t. He’ll kill you.’

‘He’s going to kill Alan if I don’t go in there. I can buy us time.’

Mike caught him by the arm. ‘Nash, think about it. When you go in there, we lose any leverage.’

‘We lost it the moment he threw that finger.’

‘We can get a drone up and use a back wall breach. We can still stop him.’

‘And if you’re wrong, Alan dies.’

Mike looked away.

Brown shouted through the comms. ‘Wait!’

He pulled free of Renshaw’s grip, adjusted his vest, and left his team, with the colonel shouting behind him. When he passed the treeline, he was in the open, and there was nothing they could do to stop him. Their only option was to give him rifle cover. But Nash didn’t hesitate. The snow muffled everything, even his footsteps. He thought about Kelvin and their wedding, and Max’s warning pounded in his brain. He wasn’t coming out of this, and he hoped Kel would forgive him.

As he got to the door, a crow took flight from the roof, its wings slicing the sky. He rested his hand on the rough wood. Then he stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind him, sealing out the world. Ahead, a shape stirred in the dark.

‘Hello, Mr Bernstein,’ Nash said into the silence. ‘I’m ready to talk.’

 

Xion Island Zero is book 6 in the DCI Nash series. They're all on KU. Hush Hush Honeysuckle is Book One, and this is the Amazon link.

 

https://books2read.com/u/4EB0zg