Milkshake Read Free Page B

By now the police would have viewed
the security camera footage and identified David Turner leaving the
car park shortly before the body was discovered. They had tracked
him onto the plane where he had remained secure and contained. The
authorities in Singapore had been contacted and alerted to his
imminent arrival, and armed police would be waiting to arrest him
as he approached the immigration desk.
    Mingling with a nonchalant lack of interest amongst the slow
moving mass of new arrivals might just fool any welcoming party.
Katherine had joined the shortest queue. At least this would reduce
an unbearable sense of expectation that was now sending his stomach
into sickening spasms.
    The queue edged slowly forward. David watched the face of the
officer scrutinising first passports, then documents, then back to
the passport. Had he been told to look out for him? Did he already
have a photograph of David? Had he already seen him waiting in line
and was coolly working his way through the line until David reached
his desk?
    David noticed a door opening. Two uniformed men emerged and
walked towards them, not the crowd in general but the Turners in
particular. Halfway across the floor, the pair divided. David’s
heart pounded in his chest. He kept his head fixed straight but his
eyes hurt in their sockets as they strained to the right. David
moved closer to Katherine in a vain attempt to gain protection.
“Excuse me,” a polite but firm voice said, “Please follow
me.”
    The instruction was directed at both of them. David realised
that as far as the Singaporeans were concerned, they had travelled
as a pair. It would be prudent to arrest them both.
    Katherine still had no idea what had happened to him in
London. He had wrestled with telling her during the flight but she
had fallen asleep for several hours, then woke and got into deep
conversation with a woman sitting next to her who would have been
able to hear every word. It now seemed a feeble excuse but the
opportunity to explain his incredible story had not presented
itself during the entire flight.
    Now he was glad she would be able to tell the absolute truth
when the time came to be questioned about their short time apart
prior to their departure from Heathrow.
    David expected to be guided towards the door the two men had
emerged from. His mouth was dry. He prepared for an angry exchange.
Instead they were led parallel to the queue of waiting passengers
to a previously vacant immigration desk at which the second man now
sat looking intently at the screen in front of him.
    The first man smiled. “No point in waiting long time when we
have an officer free to assist, please?” He gestured towards the
free desk. Katherine thanked him with the smile David knew she
reserved for any man in a uniform. The immigration official ignored
their approach and continued to stare intently at the computer
screen. He took their passports one at a time, scrutinising first
the person, then the photo, before waving them through, to David’s
disbelief.
    Their luggage had been checked all the way through to
Auckland, meaning they could bypass the baggage carousel; pass
through customs unchallenged and out of the terminal to the rank of
waiting taxis, a row of twenty identical Datsuns.
    David slowly stretched his limbs and breathed in the warm damp
tropical air, contemplating how easily he had succeeded in avoiding
arrest. He couldn’t ignore the unwashed hair and body odour of the
man who now approached with a half toothless grin offering them his
taxi. Having spent half a day sitting in the same seat, he probably
smelt equally unpleasant. “Can you take us to our hotel
please?”
    “Sure. You get in, I take you.”
    David took the front seat, noticing the badly frayed and
tattered owner's licence untidily taped to his side of the dash.
The photograph on the licence bore no resemblance to the current
driver.
    Loose change and empty cigarette packets were scattered
beneath his feet. The