It's Only the End of the World Read online

  Daffodil held her neck and listened. “Well, I guess I’m the expendable one.” She grabbed the empty tin Charlie was still carrying, took a deep breath and jumped.

  “Mac!” Charlie hissed. “What are you doing?”

  Daffodil landed on one hound and smacked another across its snout with the metal can. The surprised creatures bounded away but stopped after a few yards. Then they turned and advanced, bellies scraping the ground and lips pulled menacingly back over their teeth.

  The girl knelt and began scooping stones into the can, never taking her eyes off the dogs. They began to make tentative runs at her, before retreating again.

  “Chaz? When they attack, head for the fence.”

  Charlie hesitated. But, no matter how scared he was, he couldn’t let Daffodil face the creatures alone.

  “The hell I will.” He jumped down and landed beside her, sending up a puff of dirt. “Ladies first.”

  “How very old-fashioned.” The girl stood up. “But, according to Frankie, sometimes old-fashioned works.” She began to shake the tin. The stones bounced around inside, making a hollow booming noise. The Dobermans began to back away, whining and pawing the dirt. “Sounds like thunder, don’t it?” Daffodil moved forwards, still rattling the tin. “And pooches are terrified of thunder.” She hurled the canister and the beasts took off again, genuinely frightened this time. “Go!”

  She sprinted for the fence, her partner close behind. They reached the top as the creatures came racing back, leaping and snarling but unable to reach their quarry.

  “Nice work, Mac.” Charlie helped her over and down. “I owe you one.”

  “Can you go back for my sandwiches then? I’m starvin.”

  “Very funny. I’ll make you a pizza when we get home.”

  15

  “That was a neat trick back there.” Charlie hunched over the wheel on the drive back to Bellbowrie. “Quick thinking too.”

  “I ain’t just a pretty face, Chaz.” Daffodil batted her eyelids.

  “Don’t believe I mentioned your looks.”

  “You’re a master at shuttin people out, know that?”

  “Why didn’t Frankie warn us about the dogs?” The boy shifted gears as smoothly as the subject.

  “He doesn’t want too many details, remember? So I didn’t tell him exactly what we were gonna do.” She scratched her cheek. “It just proves we can’t always depend on him to fix things. We really are on our own.”

  They drove in silence for a while.

  “You risked your life for me,” Charlie said eventually. “After I’ve been so rotten to you.”

  “That mean you’re gonna be nice from now on?”

  “Nah. You’re still a royal pain.”

  “Don’t matter.” Daffodil grinned. “You risked your life for me too.”

  “Can’t allow you to die just yet. You’re part of my cunning plan.”

  “In other words, we’re a team.”

  “All right,” Charlie sighed. “We’re a team.”

  “Then we should have a name.” Daffodil’s smile widened. “Like the Dynamic Duo.” She tapped her fingers together. “I know. The Army of Two!”

  “That’s an X-Box game.”

  “Still dunno what an X-Box is, but I’ll take your word for it.” The girl thought for a while.

  “How about the Armageddon Twins?”

  “That is catchy,” Charlie conceded. “As long as people don’t think we’re actually related.”

  “The Armageddon Twins.” Daffodil took up a fighting stance. “Saving the world, one mistake at a time.” She punched out at an invisible enemy. “Pow! Pow!”

  “Don’t make me regret agreeing to this.”

  “We should have capes. And masks.” She giggled. “I got a pair of tights you can wear.”

  “Please stop.”

  “We can get business cards printed.”

  “If I can get a word in, I was going apologise.” Charlie drove up the driveway of their house and pulled into the garage. “I never really thought about how it must feel. Not remembering who you are.”

  “Pretty crappy. But I reckon little bits are startin to come back.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  “I think I used to live in a big house,” Daffodil said wistfully. “A mansion, in fact. I reckon I might have been pretty well off.”

  “Anything else?”

  “It had a library. All polished wood and leather couches. I used to spend hours readin anythin I could get my hands on. Old detective novels were my favourite.” She thought hard. “Nope. It’s all pretty hazy and I can’t recall anythin else.” She shrugged. “Frankie promised to tell me everythin when this is over, so I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

  “He seems to have warmed to us, but I still don’t trust him.” Charlie switched off the ignition. “I’m going to do a little digging of my own, when I get the chance.”

  “You ain’t got much to go on. I’m a bit of an enigma.”

  “True. But I can’t see a good reason why he’d keep your past secret. Not now that you’re committed to helping.” He looked at her quizzically. “Unless there’s something terrible lurking there.”

  “Very tactful.” Daffodil sighed. “You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl.”

  “I’ve got oodles of charm, haven’t I?”

  “Actually, you can be quite charismatic when it suits you.”

  “Frankie teaching you big words again?”

  “Chaz.” Daffodil laid a hand on his arm. “I gotta ask. How come I never seen you laugh? Or even smile?”

  The boy glanced at her, and for a second it looked like he might answer. Then the moment passed.

  “C’mon, Mac.” He jumped out and opened the passenger door. “Let’s make dinner.”

  *

  “So you made it back in one piece?” Frankie swirled around the computer screen as a series of triangles.

  “We did good, buddy.” Daffodil mumbled through a mouthful of pizza. “What’s next?”

  “Ask Charlie. He’s the boss in this caper.”

  Charlie was already leafing through the sheets of information on Sunnyside’s staff and inmates that Frankie had printed out. He picked out a picture of a young red-headed woman.

  “Samantha McLaren. A nurse in the prison infirmary.” He helped himself to another slice. “She’s perfect.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  “According to your data, she’s in trouble. We can use her and help her at the same time.”

  “You’re enjoyin this!” Daffodil looked hard at Charlie. “You been sittin in the sun? You’re thawing. Or is the real you go-gettin as well as grouchy?”

  “Just trying to come up with the best scheme I can,” Charlie retorted. “If I do something decent for this woman at the same time, isn’t that a good thing?”

  “It’s a great thing.” Daffodil winked at him. “Bit heroic actually.”

  Charlie blushed. To cover his embarrassment, he rifled through more pages and selected the mug shot of a handsome man holding up a card with his prison number stencilled on it. “And we’ll want this guy. Scotty Primo. Another inmate at Sunnyside.”

  “He’s a grifter,” Daffodil said. “A con man.”

  “How did you know that?” Frankie inquired.

  “No scars on his face or knuckles, so he’s not into violence. His hands ain’t got calluses, so his crimes don’t involve anything physical. Dude’s hair is neatly combed and he’s posing worse than a male model, even in a mug shot. He’s careful about his appearance.” She picked up Primo’s folder. “This is a guy who uses looks and charisma to get what he wants.”

  “That was very perceptive. I’m impressed.”

  “I’ve read a ton of detective novels. Plus, I’m understudyin for Chaz in case he gets eaten by dogs.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Primo’s doing ten years.” Daffodil whistled. “That’s a pretty big sentence for a scam artist.”

  “It’s becaus
e he conned some very rich people out of a lot of money and won’t say where it’s stashed.” Charlie pinned the pictures to the basement wall. “We need the help of both these people if my plan is going to work.”

  “What if they won’t play ball?”

  “They will if we push the right buttons.”

  “I can’t allow you to harm anyone,” Frankie warned. “Told you already.”

  “I’ve no intention of hurting them. Quite the opposite.” Charlie wiped a string of cheese from his chin. “Frankie, I’ll need cash. A lot of cash.”

  “I can hack any bank account undetected. Already donated a few Russian mobsters’ life savings to Amnesty International, as a matter of fact.”

  “I’ve got some new villains lined up to steal money from.” Charlie began to tidy away the plates. “Then I’ll deal with Samantha McLaren. Daffodil?”

  “Yup?”

  “You’re going to have a little chat with Mr Primo. Frankie will tell you what to say.”

  “I ain’t a glove puppet, Chaz.” She pinged an olive at him. “I’m quite capable of doin my own talkin. In fact, I never shut up.”

  “Yeah. I had noticed.” Charlie shuffled the papers into a neat pile. “Next stop? Sunnyside.”

  16

  Daffodil presented her fake ID to the reception desk of Sunnyside Prison.

  “This is very unusual.” The receptionist looked disconcerted. “Unaccompanied children aren’t normally permitted to make visits.”

  “My mother and I are only in the country a short while and she isn’t feelin too great.” Daffodil handed over a permission slip. “So the Home Office made an exception.”

  “Oh. Well, these look to be in order.” The woman studied the perfectly forged papers that Frankie had printed. “You’ll have to be searched for contraband, even if you are a minor.”

  “That’s all right.” Daffodil allowed herself to be frisked then walked through the scanner. She half expected the chip in her neck to set off the alarm, but Frankie was encased in plastic and invisible to the detection devices. Her picture was taken and she was given a visitor pass to clip on.

  “All done.” The warder on duty ushered her through.

  “This security system sucks,” Frankie muttered in her head. “They deserve to lose a prisoner or two. Maybe it’ll persuade them to try a bit harder in the future.”

  *

  Scotty Primo was led to a small plastic table in the visitor room.

  “You don’t get company very often.” The guard sat him down. “And you never mentioned having a daughter before.”

  “First time she’s ever set foot in the place, boss.” Scotty said dolefully. “I haven’t seen her in years.”

  “Tough break.” The man shrugged and walked off. Everyone in here had a hard-luck story and he’d heard them all before.

  The door opened with a buzz and a girl dressed in black edged in. Spotting Scotty, she rushed across the room and squeezed him tightly. “Hello, Dad!”

  “Hi, darling. Take a seat.” Scotty glanced round to make sure the guard wasn’t listening, but he was already engrossed in conversation with one of his workmates. “I’m an inquisitive type,” Scotty was well spoken and his piercing green eyes rarely blinked. “Which is why I agreed to this request for a visit. Problem is, you’re not my daughter. Her mum won’t let her see me until she turns sixteen and can decide for herself.”

  “Can’t imagine why.” The girl snapped her fingers. “Oh. Maybe ’cause you’re a convicted criminal and probably not the best role model a young girl could have.”

  “OK. You’ve done your homework.” Scotty nodded. “And you must have some pretty convincing documents or you wouldn’t have made it through that door.” He gave a smile and his eyes twinkled. It made him look both likeable and trustworthy. “I certainly appreciate the company, but I still want to know why you’re pretending to be my kid.”

  “Dial down the charisma, bub. I ain’t the swoonin type.” The girl kept her voice low. “My name’s Daffodil McNugget and—”

  “That’s a pretty stupid alias, if you don’t mind me saying…” Scotty studied her face, then looked mortified. “Oh. You’re telling the truth. Sorry.”

  “And my accomplices and I are gonna break you out,” Daffodil continued, undeterred. “In return for a favour, of course.”

  “I’ve only got five years of my sentence left to serve,” the man replied calmly. “I don’t want to be broken out, even if it were possible.”

  “It’s possible.”

  “No thanks.” Primo turned to beckon the guard.

  “I understand your reluctance. You had £5,000,000 you conned outta fat cats stashed in a bank account in the Cayman Islands. Only it’s gone.”

  The smile vanished. “Say that again.”

  “Sort code 45 85 96. Account number 188722563148.” Daffodil reeled off the numbers. “We emptied it.”

  Scotty’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.

  “That enough of an incentive for ya, buddy?”

  “The money I hid was to set my daughter up in life,” Primo replied acidly. “My real daughter.”

  “Then she’s gonna be a damned sight poorer.”

  Scotty Primo was a practical man. This girl had his bank details and how she got them wasn’t important right now. She was obviously a force to be reckoned with.

  “You have my attention.”

  Daffodil slipped a hand inside her shirt, clicked open a hidden catch on her pendant, and removed three tiny pills. “These oughta be small enough to hide on your person.” She took Scotty’s hand and slid the capsules into his palm. “You swallow one and convince a convict called the White Spider to take the other. They’ll give you a temperature and bring you out in a rash, but there won’t be no long-term effects. However, they’ll land you both in the prison infirmary and we’ll be able to break you out from there.”

  “Then the answer’s definitely no.”

  “No?” Daffodil was taken aback.

  “I conned rich people. Nasty rich people.” The man glared at her. “But I’ve never killed anyone. I’m certainly not helping put a sadistic animal like the White Spider back on the streets.”

  “I take it you don’t like the guy.”

  “This place contains some of the most hardened criminals in the country,” Scotty replied. “Men who have slaughtered women and children without blinking an eye. Guys who aren’t afraid of anything.” He shuddered. “Except the White Spider. He’s sinister beyond words. He scares the guards, for God’s sakes.”

  “He’ll only be free for a short time. Then we’ll turn him over to the police.” Daffodil gave a sly wink. “Though you don’t have to share that particular bit of info with him.”

  “You expect me to believe this nonsense?” Scotty laughed out loud and the prison officer looked round. “Just sharing a father–daughter joke, boss!”

  “Nice to see you’re getting along.” The warder checked his watch. “You’ve got ten minutes left.”

  “Fine.” Daffodil said nonchalantly. “There are a dozen inmates in here we can use instead.”

  “Then do so. This visit is over.”

  “All right. We’ll put the money back into your account.”

  “You’ll do what?” It was Scotty’s turn to look flabbergasted.

  “If you’d intended to keep your ill-gotten gains, we’d take the lot. But your daughter ain’t a criminal, so it’s not fair to deprive her of a decent life.” She got up to leave. “Good to know you got some morals.”

  “Sit down.” Scotty stared into her eyes. “I’m the best con man in the business and I always know when someone’s playing me.” He sat back and rubbed his head. “You’re telling the truth.”

  “Here’s somethin else to think about.” The girl held his stare. “Your daughter don’t need money. She needs a dad in her life.”

  “Yeah? What good is a father who’s always looking over his shoulder in case the law closes in?”

  “We�
��ll provide you with a new identity and tell you where your daughter is, if you wanna risk seein her.” Daffodil shrugged. “I sure hope you try.”

  “You don’t know where your parents are, kid,” Scotty said sympathetically. “Do you?”

  “You’re certainly good at reading people.” The girl smiled sadly. “I don’t even know who they are, but I’d give anything to find out.”

  “A great liar can always spot when someone is being insincere.” The man ran a hand down his face. “And you’re not.”

  “We’re the good guys, Mr Primo. Honest.”

  “Who is the third pill for?”

  “The prison doctor. Slip it into his drink when you get to the infirmary.” She reddened slightly. “I hate to have an innocent man suffer but, like I say, it won’t have no-long term effects. He’ll be right as rain in a couple of days.”

  “I need to think about it.”

  “It’s a one-time offer.” She snapped her locket shut. “Turn me down and you’ll have five long years to ponder your missed opportunity.”

  “You can really pull this off?”

  “It should have been impossible for me to get this far. But here I am.”

  “I want to see my daughter more than you could imagine. So count me in.” Scotty pocketed the pills. “But if this prison break goes wrong, I’ll find a way to convince the authorities I was a victim and not an accomplice.”

  “I’m sure you will. You’re slippier than a weasel coated in axle grease.”

  “Also, are you positive the White Spider wants out of jail?”

  “Why wouldn’t he? He’s got a life sentence.”

  “Because he’s completely off his rocker, by all accounts. He actually seems to like it here.”

  The girl took on a faraway look, as if she were listening to some voice Scotty couldn’t hear.

  “Time’s up, people,” the guard shouted.

  “If he won’t co-operate, tell him this.” She leaned forward, kissed the man on the cheek and whispered a sentence in his ear.

  “I don’t even know what that means,” Scotty said dubiously.

  “It’ll work. My source is never wrong.”