No Escape Read online

  No Escape

  Can one ever leave their past behind?

  Mark David Abbott

  Mark David Abbott

  Copyright © 2019 by Mark David Abbott

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For the wonderful people of Oman.

  Contents

  Do You Want Advance Notice Of The Next Adventure?

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Also by Mark David Abbott

  Ready For The Next Adventure?

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  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

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  1

  Steve Jones checked the room number against the message on his phone, then knocked twice.

  He heard a muffled “Come in” through the door and pushed down on the latch, stepping inside. A short hallway opened into a large suite with expansive views across the Arabian Gulf from the full-height windows. An older Indian man, sitting in an overstuffed leather armchair, watched him approach, and Steve smiled.

  “Mr. Patil?”

  “Yes,” replied the man as he gestured toward another chair.

  Steve nodded and walked over, taking a quick glance around the room. A polished wooden writing desk stood against one wall, and on the opposite side of the room, a set of double sliding doors opened into the bedroom. The leather armchair and sofa set arranged around a coffee table took up the center of the room. On the coffee table sat a silver tray laden with cups and a large coffee pot. Steve did a quick calculation in his head. A suite like this would cost upwards of three thousand dirhams a night—he made a mental note to revise his charges upwards.

  “Please help yourself to coffee.”

  “Thank you.” Steve sat down and placed his messenger bag on the floor beside the chair before pouring himself a cup. Sitting back, he smiled at the man in front of him. He was older than he sounded on the phone, perhaps in his mid-fifties, his head bald on top, and the hair at the sides grey and slicked back. The gold chain around his neck and the white linen shirt stretched over a ‘prosperous’ belly only reinforced the aura of wealth hinted at by the hotel suite. He frowned impatiently, his fingers tapping on the arm of the chair as Steve sipped on his coffee.

  “Well?”

  “Oh, yes.” Steve placed the coffee cup back on the table and reached for his messenger bag, removing a notepad, flipping it open.

  “He is staying in this hotel, room 1502, has been here for four days.”

  “His name?” Surya Patil interrupted.

  Steve checked his notes. “Ah... John Hayes. Traveling on an English passport.” Steve looked up and noticed his client’s frown was even deeper, a vein visibly pulsing in his temple, his hands now clenched into fists. Steve looked down at his notes again, wondering what his client’s connection was with the hotel guest. He had been working as a private investigator in Dubai for almost three years now, the bulk of his work monitoring the infidelities of men and women on business trips. But this case didn’t seem like that.

  The beautiful woman accompanying Mr. Hayes wasn’t Indian, so she was obviously not a relative of his client. She didn’t look like a woman who would be in a relationship with an unattractive middle-aged and overweight man either. Although he had to admit, he had seen plenty of strange relationships during his three years in the city. It was amazing what the lure of money made people do.

  “And the woman?”

  “A Portuguese national. Adriana D’Silva,” Steve read from his notes, then looked up. “That’s all I’ve been able to find out, so far.”

  Surya Patil nodded slowly, his eyes drilling holes in Steve, forcing him to look away. He placed the notepad on his lap and picked up the coffee cup, taking another sip.

  “I want you to follow them. Find out where they go, what they do, who they meet. I expect a report.”

  “Of course,” Steve smiled. He glanced around the suite again. “Ah... there will be expenses, and of course, you know my daily rate.”

  Surya Patil’s lip curled in distaste as he leaned forward and picked up an envelope from the coffee table.

  “Consider this an advance.” He tossed it over the table into Steve’s lap.

  Steve placed the cup down and picked up the envelope, flicking it open with his thumb, and glanced at the thick wad of dirhams inside. Looking up, he smiled.

  “Perfect.”

  Surya Patil dismissed him with a wave of his hand, and Steve retrieved his bag and stood up. He nodded goodbye but needn’t have bothered. Surya Patil was staring out the window, ignoring him.

  Steve turned and walked toward the door, the cash-stuffed envelope safely stowed in his bag. It had come at an opportune time. The last two months had been lean, and he was behind on the alimony payments to his wife back in Australia. He didn’t understand what this Surya Patil wanted with the Englishman and his partner, but as long as he kept paying, he would do whatever he asked.

  He reached for the door handle, opening the door when Surya Patil’s gruff voice called out from behind him.

  “A daily report. Don’t forget!”

  Steve smiled to himself. “Of course, Sir. I’ll call you first thing tomorrow morning.”

  2

  Detective Inspector Rajiv Sampath closed the file on his desk and added it to the ever-growing pile to his right. Rubbing his face with his hands, he sat back in his chair. It had been a long boring morning. The paperwork in his job never seemed to end; in fact, it seemed to be increasing—countless reports and red tape. Every time a new Home Minister was appointed, he had to start all over again. There seemed to be little time left for actual policing. He sighed. He needed coffee.

  “Paramshiva?” he called out and waited until the constable poked his head around the door frame.

  “Sir?”

  “Get me a coffee, will you?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Oh, and Paramshiva, less sugar, please.”

  “Yes, sir,” the constable smiled and disappeared from the door.

  Rajiv sighed and ran his hand down over his midsection. All this desk work was making him fat. He prided himself on maintaining his fitness as an example to his men, and the overly sweetened coffee served in the station wasn’t helping matters.

  He reached for another file and opened it, scanning the contents, and shook his head. One more file, then he was leaving the office. He needed to get out, patrol the streets, check on his men.

  He was halfway through the file when the constable returned with a stainless-steel tumbler filled with steaming hot coffee. Placing it on the desk in front of Rajiv, he waited until he looked up.

  “What is it, Paramshiva?”

  “Sir, a call came in for you.” He handed over a piece of paper with a number on it. “Patil, Sir, he wants you to call him back.”

  Rajiv frowned. “Me? Are you sure he doesn’t want the boss?”

  “Yes, Sir. He asked for you.”

  “Okay,” Rajiv nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you.”
>
  “Yes, Sir.” The constable turned and left the room.

  Rajiv looked at the number. It wasn’t an Indian number; it started with +971—Dubai. Strange. Rajiv pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on the desktop. I wonder what he wants with me. Usually, these politicians only spoke to his boss, S.P.I Muniappa, and Rajiv preferred it that way. He didn’t like the constant meddling from above, preferring to devote himself to actual police work.

  Rajiv had joined the force to fight crime and keep his country safe, not indulge the whims of whichever government minister was currently in power. However there was a fine line to tread when dealing with politicians. If he didn’t keep them happy—within reason—it could be the death knell for his career.

  He sighed and looked at his watch—mid-morning in Dubai. Picking up the phone, he dialed—only one way to find out what the man wants.

  Five minutes later, he hung up the phone and stood up. John Hayes—a name he hadn’t heard for a while, not since that dreadful incident with his wife. The investigation had been handled very badly by the force, in no small way due to pressure from Surya Patil himself, and Rajiv wasn’t proud of the outcome. A great injustice had been done to Mr. Hayes, and that wasn’t the type of policing Rajiv stood for.

  When Rajiv had waved him off at the airport all those years ago, he thought it was the last he would ever hear of him and was glad. He had never been able to prove John Hayes had taken matters into his own hands and taken revenge, but he had to admit, he secretly admired the man for doing so when the legal system had stood by and done nothing.

  Now, Surya Patil himself was asking for his file. He paced around the room, his mind working out the possible connotations. No good would come of this, he was sure. Rajiv sighed, walking over to the open door.

  “Paramshiva? Get me the Charlotte Hayes file. From three years ago.”

  3

  Surya Patil leaned on the balcony handrail and gazed out over the vast expanse of sea in front of him, but his eyes didn’t see the clear blue waters of the Arabian Gulf. Instead, his mind raced, searching back through his memories of events almost three years ago. A hollowness filled his chest as he remembered his son, Sunil. They hadn’t got along, Sunil frequently disappointing him, but he had been his only son, and it hurt that he was no longer around. Surya ground his teeth and gripped the steel handrail, the knuckles on his hands turning white.

  John Hayes—he knew he looked familiar when he watched him walk through the lobby, but it was only when the private investigator’s research confirmed it, that the memories flooded back. It was a dark time. His son had denied any involvement in the death of John Hayes’ wife, but Surya knew he had been behind it. He also believed John Hayes killed Sunil and his friends in retribution. The police had proved nothing despite an immense amount of pressure from him, and after John Hayes disappeared from the country, Surya resigned himself to never receiving justice—until now. It had to be fate. Why else would they be staying at the same hotel? What his son, Sunil, had done was inexcusable, but no-one, no-one had the right to harm Surya’s family, and he would stop at nothing to get his revenge.

  He heard a ping from the laptop in his suite and walked back inside to the writing desk and stared at the screen. An email had come in, a brief message with an attachment. Pulling out the chair, he sat down and stabbed at the keyboard with his fingers. He still couldn’t get used to the computer. Usually one of his staff did everything for him, but on this trip, he had come alone, preferring to keep the reasons for his trip unknown—the fewer people who knew about his accounts in Dubai, the better. The last thing he wanted was for his political rivals to learn about the hidden accounts he kept offshore—accounts filled with the black money he was paid for sanctioning infrastructure projects in Bangalore and the state. They all did it, they all maintained offshore accounts, it was an open secret, but proving it was another thing.

  Two days had been enough to complete his meetings with the banks, and he had been booked on the evening’s flight back to Bangalore, but having spotted John Hayes, he postponed his return.

  Finally, figuring out how to open the attached file, he scanned through the contents until he found the photos. He grimaced at the sight of the mutilated and battered body of Charlotte Hayes and clicked through quickly until he found a photo of John. Enlarging it until it filled the screen, he sat back in his chair and studied the photo. It was definitely the same man he had seen in the lobby, although now he looked happier, his hair a little shorter than in the photo, and his skin deeply tanned... there was no mistaking him.

  Surya rubbed his face with his hands and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He could feel pressure in his temples, and his heart was racing. He slammed the heel of his hand down on the desk. John Hayes. The murderer of his son. In his hotel. The bastard! He must take action, he couldn’t let the opportunity slide. He pushed back the chair and stood up, turning to pace the room. If he was back in India, it would be easy, but here in Dubai? He didn’t have the connections here, the contacts, the ready access to thugs and goons who would make someone’s life a misery for a paltry number of rupees. He walked back to the desk and closed the laptop, then moved to the bar and poured himself three fingers of whiskey.

  He had to do something... but what?

  4

  “Do you feel like a coffee?”

  Adriana pulled him closer and kissed him on the side of his neck.

  “Yes, let’s go over there.”

  John smiled and led Adriana over to the café and looked for an empty table. Choosing one by the window, he pulled out a chair for Adriana and waited for her to sit down before sitting in the chair opposite.

  “Ahh, it’s good to sit down.”

  Adriana grinned back. “This mall is ridiculous. It’s so big.”

  A young, Filipina waitress came over to the table and greeted them. “Hello, Ma’am, Sir.”

  “Hi, how are you?”

  “Good, Sir,” she replied, rolling the ‘r’s in Sir. “Are you having a good day?”

  “Yes, we are, thank you, but I would love a coffee. One Americano and...” John looked across at Adriana. “A mocha?”

  “Yes please, extra hot.”

  “Thank you, Ma’am, Sir, anything to eat?”

  “Not right now, thank you.”

  The waitress smiled and walked back to the counter.

  John watched her go, then turned his attention to the view outside the window. Crowds of people wandered past, western tourists in beach and leisurewear, hands filled with shopping bags or staring at their phones. Interspersed between them were the occasional Emiratis, the men in crisp white dishdashas and immaculately trimmed beards, the women with perfect makeup and black abayas covering all but the fleeting glimpse of an expensive shoe as they walked.

  John looked back at Adriana, who was watching him, a bemused look on her face.

  “Not a big fan of shopping, are you, Mr. Hayes?”