Crash Course Read online

  Watson nodded his thin pale face in Kane’s direction before disappearing beneath the engine canopy once more.

  “Now we’re all acquainted.” David stroked the sleek hull. “She’ll be ready for the water soon. In two days, we’ll be mounting the drives and the engines and she’ll be getting wet. Then we’ll see what she’s really capable of.”

  “One hundred and forty an hour doesn’t seem like all that,” Kane said. He could see the colour rising in David’s face. I’ll be able to apply to RADA after this gig, he thought.

  “Not all that!” David spluttered. “You are insufferable.”

  “I’ve been over a hundred and fifty an hour plenty of times in a car,” Kane said dismissively. “The principal has got to be the same. You switch on the engine and point the bow in the desired direction.”

  “The principle is the same, is it now, matey?” David laughed. “The sooner we get you into the driver’s seat the sooner we can test this pet theory of yours.”

  David took Bell by the arm and led him towards the door of the shed. “I’ll only say this once because God cursed me with large doses of the sin of pride. I beg you to reconsider using this idiot as our driver. We both have a very considerable stake in the success of this boat on the championship circuit. I won’t hide the fact, Tom, that if the boat isn’t successful, I’ll be wiped out. My company will cease to exist. We’ve got a first-class boat and we need a top-class driver to handle it. A lot of the best drivers are already engaged for the season and if we want to sign the right man, we’ll have to move pretty sprightly.”

  “I know what you’re saying, David.” Bell was beginning to hate himself for what he was doing but he was too far along the road to waiver now. “I don’t want to mess up your chances with the boat any more than you do. But I told you from day one that I had the say on who would drive. That’s the only condition I’ve ever put on you and I’m as good as my word. Give the lad a chance. He’s as hard as bloody nails and twice as prickly. You show him how to go about his business and he might surprise you.”

  Despite his discomfort, David had to smile at the Yorkshireman. “We’ve been involved for more than six months and in that time, you’ve never given one inch on who the driver would be. What in heaven’s name hold does your nephew have over you? It has to be something major if you’re willing to put up one million pounds of your money to give him a speed thrill.”

  “He’s a good boy who needs a push in the right direction,” Bell said.

  “Everything will come out in the wash. I’d give anything to know what goes on in that mind of yours, Tom. As convinced as you are that Kane can learn to handle a boat as complex as ours in six weeks, I’m equally convinced that he can’t.”

  “What’s with the numbers being painted on the bottom of the boat?” Kane said raising his head from underneath the vessel.

  “That’s so that they can tell who you are when you flip over,” David said. “Maybe your uncle neglected to tell you but powerboat racing is the most dangerous sport on earth. You’ll be driving a machine which is more powerful than a Formula One racing car in an environment which can tax even the strongest frame. You’ll be putting your life at risk for hours while you’ll concentrate harder than you’ve ever concentrated in your life. And then when it’s all over you’ll be pissing blood for days from the battering your body will take. Still interested?”

  “Sounds like more fun than a barrel of monkeys,” Kane said staring at Bell. He was getting the feeling that people hadn’t exactly been truthful with him.

  David stood in front of Mark and stared into his eyes. “Tom tells me that you were an officer in the Paratroopers and you served in Afghanistan. It’s a wonder that the experience wasn’t sufficient to have made a man of you. I think it’s time I showed you exactly what we’re talking about.” He turned and walked briskly back towards the main office. “Follow me, please,” he called back to Bell and Kane.

  “That’s the kind of bastard that got right up my nose in the force,” Kane said quietly as he fell into step with Bell. “Thinks he’s God’s bloody gift to the planet. Superior son-of-a-bitch. And as for you. Maybe you should have given me the full picture before I accepted. What happens if he’s right about my ability to take this on?”

  “Davenport says you’re the man for this job and I believe him,” Bell said. “If anyone can do this it’s you. As far as David is concerned, I’ve learned many lessons in life and one of them is never to judge a book by its cover. I know I told you to be a bit of a bastard but better not to take it too far. If you get my drift.” He slapped Kane on the shoulder with the palm of his hand. “Any road, I have a sneaking feeling that you and David will end up getting on like a house on fire. If any man can turn you into a championship racer, it’s David. I can’t deny that I’m not one hundred per cent happy with what I’m doing here but you action man types understand better than me that sometimes people must be sacrificed if you’re to get where you want. David may be bluff and carry himself with an air but I like him. And I’d love to help him save his business. But the reason that we’re here is to find my daughter’s murderers. I won’t be deflected from that objective.”

  “That’s abundantly clear,” Kane answered. He wondered how it felt to be so driven. If Tom Bell wasn’t careful, the avenging angel would eat his soul away. Watson and him, David and Amanda, the Europol people, they were all simply tools in Bell’s plan to avenge his daughter’s murder. They were expendable. Penhalion Marine which had existed and given employment for over two hundred years could be ground into the dust. The only thing that mattered was that the murderer should be brought to justice. He wondered whether he should be part of this amateur plan. Their chances of success were minimal. Bell would throw money at finding his daughter’s killer and would end up with nothing but a peptic ulcer to add to his broken heart. But in the meantime, he would get to drive the boat. For him, there was an upside. And he was being paid to do something he would gladly have done for nothing. Maybe this gig wouldn’t be about villains after all. Maybe this would be about fun.

  “Let’s be having you inside then.” David held open the door of one of the office buildings. “Down the passage on the left until you reach my office.”

  Kane slipped in behind Bell as they moved along the passageway.

  “We call this the Captain’s Cabin,” David said as the three men entered the large office at the end of the passage.

  The office reeked of tradition. The walls were covered with painted portraits of individuals who Kane took to be the previous occupants. Interspersed with the family portraits were paintings of yachts which he assumed the yard had constructed. The floorspace was dominated by a large antique oak desk behind which sat a battered red leather-covered captain’s chair.

  “We’ll give your driver the opportunity to show us exactly what he means by his remark ‘a boat is a boat’.” David reached into a steel locker and pulled out two boiler suits. He tossed one to Tom. “If you’d be so kind as to slip into that.”

  Kane waited but no boiler suit was forthcoming for him.

  David removed his sweater and threw it on the chair behind the desk. He squeezed into the boiler suit. Bell followed his example.

  “You were in the army,’ David said. ‘Not man enough for the Royal Marine Commandos? Eh!” A smile broke out on his face.

  “When I was in Afghanistan…” Kane watched the older men struggle into their boiler suits. “…this Royal Marine Commando was tricking around with a pistol. He fired off a few shots and then stuck the gun in his belt. He was stupid enough to leave the safety off and the gun went off. The bullet took the end off his penis.”

  Bell winced.

  “When his comrades got him back to base,” Mark continued. “His CO had him immediately shipped back to England and out of the Corps.”

  “That was a bit harsh,” Bell said.

  “Not really, Tom,” Kane said with a smile on his face. “You see, you have to be a complete prick
to be a Royal Marine Commando.”

  Bell burst into ribald laughter. He had been totally taken in by Kane’s story. Streaks of red climbed from David’s neck along the sides of his face. He looked like he was about to burst. His fists were clenched together and he appeared ready to launch himself in Kane’s direction.

  “Steady on, David,” Bell said and moved between the two men. He shot a glance at Kane and shook his head. “You opened yourself up for that one. It was only a bloody joke.”

  David’s face slowly relaxed. “I did rather, didn’t I?” He unclenched his fists then bent and pulled a pair of gumboots from the locker. “Try these for size,” he said handing them to Bell.

  “What about me?” Kane asked. “Don’t I get kitted out?”

  “Sorry.” David smiled. “Nothing your size, I’m afraid. A strapping young lad should be prepared to face the elements.”

  Kane was about to reply but caught the look of censure in Bell’s eyes.

  “Are you ready, Tom?” David said.

  The Yorkshireman nodded.

  “Now let’s go for a little sightseeing trip around Falmouth Bay.” David led the other two men out of the office block and back through the boatyard in the direction of the slipway.

  As they arrived at the slipway, David marched into the water and clambered aboard a thirty-foot motorboat which was bobbing gently several feet offshore. Bell picked his way gingerly behind him. Kane looked down at his training shoes and marched after the two older men. The cold water rushed into Kane’s shoes soaking his socks. He jumped gratefully aboard the motorboat.

  “Think you can handle this?” The big Cornishman was looking at Kane’s waterlogged shoes.

  “No worries.” Kane moved forward and examined the boat’s controls. The key was in the ignition. “Why don’t you cast off and let me take you for a little spin.”

  David released the mooring ropes and without speaking he tossed life jackets to both Kane and Bell.

  Kane put on his life jacket and turned the ignition key. The engine immediately burst into life. He slowly engaged the throttle and manoeuvred the boat out of the shallow water and pointed it at the broad mouth of the bay.

  “We’re ready whenever you are, Mr Kane. Put her through her paces.” There was more than a hint of sarcasm in David’s tone. He motioned Bell to sit down and brace himself.

  Kane eased the throttle forward gently, trying to get a feel for the boat’s response and its power. The boat sped forward under the urgings of its throbbing engine. Although the throttle was only about half out, the speedboat was already making twenty knots and the bow was beginning to bounce on the choppy sea, sending waves of spray flying over the fibreglass windscreen and into the cockpit.

  “I asked you to put the damn boat through its paces, Mr Kane.” David stood at his shoulder and shouted into his ear, “Not to dawdle around the bay all day. Let’s see what you’re worth, man.”

  The hell with this, Kane thought and pushed the throttle towards the fully open position. The boat responded immediately and David was thrown back into his seat. Kane hung on to the steering wheel as the boat sped across the choppy water. The bow of the boat bucked on the white-capped waves sending spray pouring in a continuous stream over the windscreen soaking the three occupants of the cockpit. He could scarcely control the bucking boat and his arms and knees were already beginning to feel the strain.

  “Give it full throttle, man,” David roared above the noise of the engine.

  Kane eased the throttle to the full position and the boat raced out into the centre of the bay. As far as he could estimate, they were travelling at about forty knots or thereabouts. He was concentrating so hard on steering the boat that he wasn’t worried about an exact estimation of the speed. The choppy waters made the boat bounce from wave to wave and he could feel the shudder when the propeller came clear of the blue-green waters. He steered the boat for the western edge of the bay feeling the pull on his arms as he manoeuvred the steering wheel. David was right. This wasn’t as easy as it appeared. Adrenaline pumped around his body as he fought to control the bucking boat. He took a deep breath and began to move inside himself. Controlling his breathing, he forced his arms to relax and his concentration on controlling the boat became total. Now there was only him and the boat. His mind became one with this new environment. The boat reached the western edge of the bay and he pulled hard left on the wheel to bring it back around. The boat began to lurch over and he realised just in time that his turn was too sharp. Reacting to the danger, he pulled the wheel back quickly and sighed with relief as the boat began to right itself. Instinctively he let his right hand go out and pull the throttle back.

  “Not quite as simple as you thought, eh, bucko!” David said moving to Kane’s shoulder. “Gave yourself a bit of a shock.”

  Kane pulled the throttle back further and turned to face the boatyard owner. “I thought I did bloody well, considering it’s my first time out.” The effects of the adrenaline were fading and Kane realised that he was drenched to the skin.

  “Don’t ever invite me for a boat ride again.” Bell’s ruddy complexion had disappeared and he was ghostly white. “If you two want to have a pissing contest, leave me out.”

  “Sorry,” David said. “I didn’t imagine that your nephew had that much of the devil in him.”

  “That was a rush.” Kane eased the boat back towards the slipway.

  “Well, gentlemen.” David braced himself against the corner of the cockpit. “I would guess that we were probably travelling at somewhere between thirty-five and forty knots when the throttle was fully open. You may have found it exhilarating but it was positively dawdling against what Kernow will be capable of. Think about it, Kane. When the throttle on the Kernow is fully open you’ll be moving at an average of more than four times the speed you were doing just now. Also, you’ll be travelling at that speed for the duration of an offshore race. In other words, for two hours or more. During that period, you will be spending more time in the air than travelling through the water. And every time you do return to earth there’s an impact which will shake your body to its core. Can you imagine the buffeting your body will take? Your arms will ache and your knees will be locked. And those are only the physical considerations. Offshore racing also requires tremendous powers of concentration. In my opinion, there is no way you can be prepared in time for the first race of the season.” He turned to face Bell. “Perhaps we could use him as our reserve driver?”

  “Damn it all, David, don’t you ever give up?” Bell said. He slapped Kane on the shoulder. “I know nothing about powerboat racing. But I’ve spent all my life examining what makes folk tick. I might be wrong but I think you’re seriously underestimating who you’re dealing with. The way my nephew performed out there makes me think that maybe you can turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. For the very last time, while this team is being sponsored by me, Mark will be number one driver and that’s final.”

  David scowled.

  Kane’s adrenaline high was subsiding and he was beginning to feel uncomfortable in his sodden clothes. However, he took enormous pleasure from David’s failure to unsettle either him or his mentor. If Bell was paying the bills, then he was also calling the shots. He could take anything they could throw at him. This was simply a gig like every other gig he’d been on since he’d joined Scotland Yard and SO10. When this was over, Davenport would have another job for him – until he either got too old or he cracked. There were plenty of undercover cops who spent their last days basket-weaving. It went with the territory. He eased the speedboat back into its slot close to the edge of the slipway and cut the engine.

  David clambered agilely over the side and tied up the boat while Kane helped Bell to climb over the side and then slipped into the cold water himself. When he had finished tying up the boat, the two older men were already making their way back towards the offices. He fell into step behind them like some poor relation at a family wedding.

  “Mark, my boy. Bee
n in for a swim?”

  The voice awakened Kane from his reverie.

  ‘Doc’ Watson, a large smile on his lined face, stood inside the main door of the boatyard, a dirty grey kitbag at his feet.

  Kane returned his smile and looked down at his sodden clothes. “I think your boss was trying to baptise me. Either that or it’s an initiation rite.”

  Watson slapped him on the shoulder. “The boss makes no secret of the fact that he doesn’t want you driving his boat. The next few weeks won’t be a rose garden.”

  “Tell me about it. How’s it going with you?”

  Watson picked up his kitbag and walked towards the shed at the end of the yard. “Reg and Bill are bloody good mechanics. Probably better than me but I’m holding my own. You’ll be the one with the problem from what I’ve seen. That boat is a monster to drive.”

  “So it seems.” They stopped opposite the main office building.

  “David’s all right when you get used to him,” Watson said.

  Kane moved close to Watson and lowered his voice. “I still think that this gig is a heap of shit but it’s what we get paid for. Look, I got to get out of these wet clothes before I get pneumonia. We’ll compare notes later.”

  “Okay.” Watson walked towards the sheds again. “Reg and Bill are expecting me to give them a hand with the engines and this is one job I don’t need to get fired from.”

  David and Bell stood in the office removing their boiler suits and gumboots in sullen silence.

  “Oh God,” Amanda said entering the room. “Don’t tell me that we’re sulking.”

  “Nothing of the sort,” David said, quickly depositing his overall and gumboots in the locker. “Tom has made his point regarding Kane as driver and there’s to be no discussion on that. The subject is closed. We’ll have to soldier on as best we can.”