Code of Silence

Code of Silence - Chapter 21

I'd arranged to meet Alex at the university the next day, and so caught the campus bus which pulled into the stop near our student house. The university was quiet, although busier than I imagined it would be, as some of the foreign students had decided to hang around, the ones who couldn't travel home easily.

I was on edge as I approached the café and spotted Alex in our usual corner, so I headed to the serving counter. The server told me that Alex had already ordered and said someone would bring the coffees over, so I made my way through the tables and chairs to the sofa.

"Hi, so it went well with your dad, then? His smiling face on the video made my day," said Alex quietly, shifting over and moving a bag and jacket to the floor.

"Brilliant. He loved it." I removed my hoody and slumped wearily into the plump leather cushions. "Couldn't have done it without you though," I said, raising my hand to offer a high five, but Alex wasn't in the mood.

"How about you, had a good time back home?" I said, faking an exaggerated grimace. I wasn't surprised at Alex's short and sarcastic reply, which was followed by a firm punch to my arm.

Alex was worried, desperate to discuss the content of the email, and some of the potential links to the news report from the previous night. I'd also re-run the newsfeeds, which had been playing on my mind too. Alex showed me the email again on a tablet. Scrolling through it, I tried to take in the detail once more, and revisited the JPEG files.

Of all the attachments, it was the image of Anatoly Dragovich that stood out. I didn't even have to check on my phone again, but Alex asked me to, just to be sure it was the same guy. It was as if we were gradually being drawn into something that was gathering momentum, although we weren't quite sure what it was or how to step away from it. We knew about the disappearance of Theo's father, and now there had been a murder. We were getting in too deep, our minds leaping to conclusions that could just as easily be unfounded or scarily real. We had to talk to Theo to try to make sense of it all.

I cleared a space on the table as the coffees arrived. "I've also sent the email to Khan, but what's your take on it all?" said Alex, cradling the warm mug of coffee with both hands.

I was still scrolling back through the email on the tablet. "Not sure, really," I said, checking around to see if anyone was listening in on us. "Don't get all the legal stuff, or the company takeover bit. But maybe there is a connection between Theo's dad and that Russian guy we bumped into. The organised crime bit scares me. Do you reckon Theo knows about any of it?"

Alex confirmed that Theo had been in touch, having seen the news piece, and had suggested that we go over to his house again.

"I haven't spoken to him, but it's not like him to suggest a get-together; maybe he's a bit freaked out too," said Alex, scrolling for Theo's number.

Alex messaged Theo, who was pleased to learn we were both back in town and that we planned to come over. We left the café and headed to the car park, which was pretty empty. As we clambered into Alex's car and reversed out of the space, I noticed a large black saloon car in the same row as us, but right in the far corner. The engine was running and a plume of exhaust fumes floated around the rear of the vehicle. There was no one in the driver's seat as far as I could tell. I pulled myself together, dropping my rucksack onto the back seat. It would be easy to let my imagination run riot, but probably wiser to keep calm, speak to Theo and try to piece things together from there. I didn't mention the other car to Alex.

As we arrived at Theo's the gates clanked and juddered then swung open. From his den he could see the narrow road leading to his house and must have spotted the car. We heard footsteps inside and the front door being unlocked. Theo opened it and invited us in, locking it again behind him. I thought this was a bit strange, it was mid-afternoon and still light outside. Theo's mother was at home this time and wandered through to introduce herself before we headed upstairs. It felt a little awkward. I just stood there trying to not to make eye contact for too long, then offered a handshake and said something sympathetic. She smiled but looked tired, her heavy eyes probably the result of countless sleepless nights. We headed upstairs with Theo and through to his room. He seemed a little edgy and fidgeted constantly with his phone.