Dead Man's Gift 01 - Yesterday by Simon Kernick Page A

chemical.
    Before she could answer, she heard movement behind her. In the next second, she felt a gloved hand grab her round the mouth and nose, cutting off her breath, and she was dragged back hard in the seat. She started to struggle, lashing out in panic, caught out by the brute force of her assailant, but almost immediately she felt a sharp, stinging pain in her neck, like an injection. But this was no injection. She could see the collar of her jacket turning a vivid red colour, and all the strength seemed to flow out of her like air from a deflating balloon. Still unable to comprehend fully what was happening as the blood continued to pour over her clothes, she managed to look over at Max – dear, sweet Max – only seven years old. He too was struggling in his seat as someone sitting behind him held a cloth over his face. And then, as his body went limp, Gina realized that she too was blacking out, and that this was the end. There would be no waking up from this.
    * * *
    Behind her, the killer moved fast. His name was Phil Vermont and he was a big man. Taking a deep breath, he carefully removed the knife from the au pair’s neck, wiping it on a tissue, and got out of the car, stretching. They’d been waiting in the back of the Freelander for the last half-hour and the cold and discomfort had played havoc with his back. Opening the driver’s door, he hauled the au pair out of the car, careful to avoid getting blood on either the seat or his clothes, and dragged her round the side of the double garage. He wasn’t worried about being seen from the road. The Hortons’ house was hidden behind security gates and a high hedge. It was supposed to make the place secure, but all it did was make it easier for people like Vermont and his accomplice to operate.
    He dumped the au pair out of sight behind the recycling bins. After fishing out her mobile phone, he covered her body with tarpaulin and hurried back to the car. He was feeling pumped up. This was only the second time he’d killed someone, and he’d been nervous right up to the moment he pushed the knife into her neck. The price of failure would have been far more than he could ever have paid, but in the end he’d come through, and now he was going to be a hell of a lot richer as a result.
    His accomplice was a cold-eyed skinny chick called Celia, who’d once been a real looker but had spent the best part of her twenties on the pipe, and now looked like she’d missed her thirties altogether and gone straight to the wrong end of forty-five. Together, they tied the kid’s hands behind his back with duct tape and used another strip to gag him, then manhandled him into the boot.
    How long will he be out for?’ demanded Celia, getting into the driver’s seat after checking there was no blood on it.
    ‘At least an hour,’ said Vermont. ‘That’ll give us plenty of time. You wait here fifteen minutes until the school run’s all done and the street’s empty, then head straight to the rendezvous.’
    ‘What if he wakes up?’
    Vermont shrugged. ‘He’s seven, and he’s tied up, so there’s nothing he can do. Just don’t hurt him, all right? I know what you’re like, but right now he’s precious cargo. We need him alive and compos mentis.’
    Celia grunted. ‘He’d better not piss me off then. I don’t like screaming brats at the best of times.’
    ‘You’re just going to have to be a bit patient for once.’ Knowing he had to keep her on side, he bent down to the car window and kissed her hard on the lips, trying with only limited success to put some enthusiasm into it. She kissed him back just as hard, letting out a small moan to let him know she was horny. But then violence always seemed to do that to her.
    Not wanting to give her any encouragement, he pulled away and forced a smile. ‘We’re going to be rich after this, baby. Rich beyond our wildest dreams. Fifteen minutes, okay?’
    He blew her a kiss and turned away, moving swiftly across the