Page 20 of Mann Hunt
After all that, he remembered his name.
Charlie went to the front door and got a cloth out of the glove compartment. He dampened it with the water. “Just lean your head back a bit if you can. I’m going to put a damp cloth on your forehead. It’ll help to cool you down a bit.”
He’s stayed calm through this whole thing.
Declan crouched down. “Mr Attwal—the ambulance and police will be here soon. They’ll take care of you,” Declan said in a calm voice.
Mr Attwal nodded. “When the police arrive, we must make sure they don’t find out the truth. I must protect my family.”
“Agreed. We’ll make this as simple as possible for the cops and for you. This’ll be your story. You were walking home from work. The only thing you remember was that a light-coloured van pulled up beside you and a couple of men wearing masks jumped out and dragged you into the van. They put a hood over your face, but said nothing.”
“That’s just what happened,” Mr Attwal said.
“Good. Then you won’t have to lie. From that point on we’ll have to be a little more creative. They kept asking you for documents. You had no idea what they meant. They kept calling you… Mr Singh. You told them your name was Palvinder Attwal. They didn’t believe you. Do you understand, Mr Attwal?”
“Yes. They called me Mr Singh.”
“Good. They kidnapped the wrong guy, but wouldn’t believe you. Do you still have your wallet on you?”
“No. They took it.”
“In our story, it must have fallen out of your pocket when they grabbed you. Look…I know this is a lot to remember.”
“No. I’ve got it.”
“Good. After doing all of these horrible things to you, they got a phone call that you overheard. You heard enough to understand that they had grabbed the wrong guy. One of them said they knew a place where they could dump you and let nature take its course. They threw you in the trunk and the next thing you knew, we were pulling you out.”
Throughout this entire exchange, Charlie knelt on the ground, staring at the detective, his mouth slightly open.
“Yes,” Mr Attwal said, nodding. “I see where you’re going with this.”
Declan could make out the sound of a siren in the distance. “It won’t be long now, Mr Attwal. And you,” Declan said to Charlie, “follow my lead. Offer nothing to the police unless you’ve heard me say it first.”
“Okay,” Charlie replied in a quiet voice.
Declan put his hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “You’re doing beautifully. Just keep listening.”
The paramedics arrived as the police stepped out of their cruiser.
“Oh, shit,” Declan muttered.
“What?” Charlie asked.
“It’s McKeckran.” Declan said.
“What the fuck!” the older of the two police officers said. “Why am I not surprised to find you involved in whatever the hell this is?”
Declan smiled. “Just dumb luck, I guess.”
“Well, what’s your story?”
Declan related the facts, as he’d created them.
“So, just to get this straight, Hunt, you came here to find a car for your boyfriend—” He pointed to Charlie.
“Assistant,” Declan corrected.
McKeckran leered. “Sure…your assistant. And in the process you justhappenedto find a body in the trunk. Pretty big coincidence.”
