figures. Heâs not a man you want to mess with. So hereâs the deal. Either you talk to me now and let me try to help you, or you wait until he arrives and get yourself in a whole lot more trouble. Now, which is it to be?â
Kier thought about this and decided he had met enough policemen for one day.
âIâll talk to you,â he said. âBut can I tell you a secret first?â
Doyle frowned.
âWhat do you mean?â
Kier leaned forward, beckoning to him across the table.
âI need to whisper it.â
Still frowning, Doyle sat down and leaned across the table.
âSorry,â Kier whispered, âitâs nothing personal.â
Then, tucking his thumb carefully beneath Doyleâs neck, he tapped him on the temple just the way Chiang had shown him. As the manâs eyes flickered shut, Kier lowered Doyleâs head gently down on to the desk.
âSweet dreams,â he said.
But he knew Doyle wouldnât be out for long.
Two minutes was all he had.
FIFTEEN
Closing the door behind him, Kier walked quickly past a room where shirt-sleeved officers were busy tapping away at their keyboards or talking on the phone. When he reached the security door, he punched in the number he had memorised and heard the click of the catch opening.
As he walked into the reception area, the desk sergeant looked up. For a brief moment, they stared at each other. Then the sergeant dropped his pen, leapt to his feet and Kier ran for the door. Outside there were four steps down to the car park, but Kier didnât touch any of them. He hit the ground at the bottom and kept on running. He saw two uniformed officers walking towards him and for a moment he was tempted to head for the street. But he knew he wouldnât get far without a fight and he figured thereâd been enough of that for one day. Besides, Frankie had taught him that the more distance you can get at the start, the better yourchance of escape. Feeling for the keys in his pocket, he guessed the driver hadnât realised they were gone yet.
Oh well , he thought. He soon will .
Sprinting across the car park, he pushed the button on the key fob and heard the locks thump open.
âHey!â yelled the sergeant from the top of the steps. âStop him!â
The two other officers looked up from their conversation and then broke into a run. Diving across the bonnet of the car, Kier rolled over and pulled open the door on the driverâs side. Throwing himself in, he flicked the door catch and the locks thumped shut just as the sergeant reached the car. Ignoring the shouts and bangs on the door, Kier fired up the motor and slammed the gearstick into reverse. Pulling the steering wheel hard around to the right, he glanced in his rear-view mirror and saw the two other officers dive clear as he screeched out of the parking space. Stamping on the brake, he shifted into first and was about to release the clutch when the sergeant stepped up to the car and swung his baton.
The windshield shattered, crystallising into a curtain of broken glass. Punching a hole through it with his fist, Kier saw he had a clear run to the gate.As the sergeant swung his baton again, spraying the side window all over the passenger seat, Kier let the clutch out and the car leapt forward in a squeal of smoking rubber. Swinging out into the road, he dabbed briefly at the brakes and then floored the accelerator. As he approached the end of the road, the cars in front of him slowed to a stop as the traffic lights turned red.
Damn it .
Blocked by the cars in front, Kier applied the brakes and glanced in the rear-view mirror to see several police officers running down the road towards him. A patrol car nosed its way out into the road with blue lights flashing and, for the first time since his arrest, Kier was worried. Until now heâd always had the advantage of surprise. But now they knew what they were dealing with, they werenât going to mess