Chapter 14

"Bloody hell, Jack, I can't believe you've never watched The Godfather." Owen shook his head in disbelief as he walked through the front door of the innocuous looking terraced house in the Cathays area of Cardiff.

"That's pretty much what Ianto and Tosh said. Back to the point – I think that what we're most likely to find are more chess pieces if they have called."

"How's Ianto taking all this?"

"Not as well as he makes out." Jack sighed. He was glad that he'd had the chance to talk to Owen, he'd be relying on him to keep an eye on Ianto. There were some things that Ianto had said the previous day that had bothered him, he'd sounded defeated, almost on the verge of suggesting that he left Torchwood it would resolve the entire problem. Jack could have challenged him at the time, but had opted for reaffirming his need for Ianto, instead of embarking on a row concerning the absurdity of that notion. He'd rather give Ianto a reason to live than try to argue with him why he shouldn't give up his life in some misguided sense of loyalty.

Owen waited patiently and observed the fleeting emotions that Jack tried to suppress, but were all too visible in his demeanour and in his eyes.

"Let me guess - what you're trying to put into words is that these bastards are getting to him badly. That's why you didn't want him coming back here."

"Whatever they've done, he doesn't need to see it. I'll check upstairs, you check out the living room and kitchen."

Owen was less familiar with Ianto's home than Jack was, but even he could tell that there was something not right as he entered the kitchen. He couldn't imagine for one minute that the obsessive compulsive streak in Ianto would allow him to leave anything out, let alone two half drunk cups of coffee on the table. He frowned as he thought he saw something floating in the murky brown liquid.

"Jack, get you arse down here, now!" he bellowed.

The sound of Jack's boots thundering down the narrow wooden stairs echoed through the house as he hurtled down to join Owen.

"What is it?"

"Did you and Ianto stop for a cuppa before you discovered the head in the bed?" Owen pointed at the kitchen table.

"No – there was nothing out of place in here." Jack remembered kissing Ianto in the kitchen before they made their way upstairs, but they had definitely not had anything to drink. "Those weren't there when we left."

"So, I take it those aren't marshmallows floating in there. Do you think that they're what I think they are?"

"Yeah – they look like they're plastic and they're floating. Tip them out in the sink."

Owen picked up the two cups, noting the wet ring marks left on the pine table and winced, even he would be annoyed by that, Ianto would hate it. He passed one of the cups to Jack and they carefully poured the liquid away, leaving behind a chess piece in each – a bishop in one and a knight in the other.

"OK, does this have any allusions that I'm missing?" demanded Jack, not to be left out of the loop this time.

"I'd have to ask Ianto if there's any film noir where the heroes are drowned in cold coffee. But, it doesn't ring any bells to me."

"Not a pawn this time." Jack frowned. "It was Ianto's idea that the knight represents me – so who's the bishop? Can't be you – you're not exactly a model of good Christian living."

"Hey – have you forgot who defeated death in the hospital? And what's more, weevils worship me… makes me more of a religious character than you'll ever be!"

"Fine by me, I'd rather be a knight than a bishop anyway. Here take it-"

"Is this something written on the bottom of it?" Owen peered at the felt cloth on the base of the chess piece and could vaguely make out something written in pencil.

"Let me look – just numbers – eight and zero in what looks like a heart and then a dash and zero eight. What the hell does that mean?"

"Shit – it's me. Fucking bastards. I was born in 1980 – Valentine's Day would you believe? And the other date refers to 2008 … you know what that means?"

"It means they know more about you than we thought and that this was prepared for us to find. Damn – they've been watching us, that's the only way they'd have known that it would be you and me here this morning."

"So, they must have set this up in the time it took you to drive here. That gives us a narrow time slot. We need Gwen to get her mates to start asking questions sooner rather than later."

"Agreed – I'll get onto her. Bag those pieces and finish checking upstairs."

Oblivious to the latest discovery, Tosh and Ianto were sharing some re-heated leftovers when the phone rang. Tosh flipped the speaker on to hear the voice of the harbour master. They listened intently as the man went on to say he had received a request for information regarding the Brenhinnes Du. Apparently it had been moored up at the Cardiff Bay Marina overnight, near Ferry Road. He'd checked it out, but it appeared to be unoccupied and the crew of the boat moored alongside had reported seeing three men come ashore that morning.

After thanking the man for the information and advising him to keep away from the yacht, Ianto turned to look at Tosh, his eyes pleading with her to agree with him.

"We should go and check it out."

"No, Ianto. Jack would want us to wait- "

"What if it leaves before he gets there? We're much closer – it's just down Ferry Road – would only take us minutes to get there."

"How about a compromise? Why don't we let Jack know what we're doing, then go and keep watch on it until they can meet us?"

"OK – I'll call and let him know where we're going. You alright driving? I'm still without a bloody car."

"No problem, I'll go grab my keys and meet you in the car park."

Owen found Jack in the kitchen staring at the empty cups on the draining board, rubbing his face.

"You just been talking to Gwen?"

"Why? Do I look that bad?" Jack had just explained, at length, to Gwen about all of the chess pieces and had his ear bitten off for not having given her all the facts beforehand.

"Yeah, that and Teaboy couldn't get through to you, so he called me instead."

"What? Ianto tried to call? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong – they've had a call about that boat. It's docked, or whatever you call it, on the marina. He's going out there with Tosh to keep an eye on it until we can meet them there."

"What? That's –" Jack blustered.

"Standard operating procedure I think you'll find. They're not going alone and they're not going to approach the boat or any blokes getting on or off it until we join them."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it. Come on, let's hurry."

"Did you manage to speak to Jack?"

"Couldn't get through to him – Owen said he was trying to get in touch with Gwen. I told him what we're doing." Ianto adjusted the passenger seat to allow room for his legs and then fastened his seat belt.

"What was his reaction?"

"He swore a lot – said that at least Jack couldn't kill him, and that any injuries that he inflicted on me would be my own fault and not to expect the good drugs."

"Oh, good. So they'll meet us at the Marina?"

"Yep – that's what Owen said. He also said he wasn't getting on any more 'fucking boats'."

"Such a charmer." Tosh chuckled quietly to herself, imagining just how Owen would have sounded, death hadn't made him any less foul-mouthed and grumpy.

As she drove over the inlet of the Bay, they both looked out to the left, wondering which of the many yachts bobbing up and down on the water was the one they were looking for. Tosh then the took the slip road off the main A4232 and took a number of right turns until she was driving down the service road towards the small promontory of land, about which were clustered a number of jetties to which gleaming white yachts and spruce looking motor boats were moored.

Instead of parking in the main car park, Tosh drove through the boat yard and tucked her car in between a couple of upturned boats covered with blue tarpaulins. She turned the engine off and took a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment. It was very quiet, there was little or no obvious activity and all they could hear was the rattling sounds from the tops of the masts as the wind caught them and the rhythmic caws of gulls on the look out for food. Ianto pointed in the direction of a wooden boardwalk, at the end of which was a yacht with the dark hull that Gwen had described. Focusing carefully she could make out the letters 'es' followed by 'Du', the rest was obscured by other boats, but she was certain that it was the one. All they had to do now was to wait for Jack and Owen.

"Do you think anyone's aboard?"

"I can't see anyone from here and no, we're not going to go and find out – not until the others turn up."

"Let's hope Jack is driving – they'll be here sooner if he is." Ianto looked at his watch yet again.

"I don't know about that, Owen's a demon driver-"

"Less so since being dead I think. They should be here by now – as long as there wasn't anything in my house-" Ianto looked at Tosh wide-eyed, it hadn't occurred to him that there may have been something to keep the two men from heading for the marina straight away.

"Call them and find out."

"That's odd," Ianto scowled. "My comm. unit seems dead – how's yours?"

"Nothing at all –" Tosh immediately thought of electronic blocking devices and why they would be used. "This isn't good. We need to get out of here."

She turned her key in the ignition and nothing happened. There was absolutely no response.

"Shit – that's being electronically jammed as well. Get out!"

But as they both grabbed hold of the door handles, seeking an exit from the car, they heard the ominous sound of the locks being activated remotely. They were unable to override the release mechanism.

"We're trapped!" Ianto stated the obvious as he turned in his seat to kick against the door.

"Yes, but why?" Tosh hammered on the door handle to no effect whatsoever.

Just then the electric rear window rolled down a few centimetres – just enough for a small canister to be catapulted into the back of the car. A smoking projectile which gave off dense white fumes that quickly filled the interior of the car as the window silently rolled up to seal them in.

"Oh fuck!"

Ianto tore his jacket off and clambered between the front seats to get into the back of the car. He wrapped the jacket about the gas canister, trying desperately to contain the gas and reduce the effects it was having on them. They were both coughing harshly now, the gas rasping their throats and stinging their eyes. Tosh held a sleeve over her nose and mouth trying to filter the air, as she wrenched open the panel on the steering column trying to access the right wires to start the engine without using the key. In the back the fumes were making Ianto's eyes stream as he tried futilely to protect Tosh from the effects of the gas by using his own body a shield, draping himself over his jacket on the back seat. However, his grip on this was loosening as was his hold on consciousness.

The screech of tyres startled the gulls as the SUV pulled in behind Tosh's car. Jack had been growing ever more anxious on the way, as neither Tosh nor Ianto were answering his calls. The car looked empty – he couldn't believe they wouldn't have waited for him to arrive. He was beyond furious. Looking anxiously from side to side, desperately trying to work out where they'd gone, Jack didn't see Owen approach the car to look inside, and he was ready to storm off ready to tear a strip off both of them when he was stopped in his tracks by Owen whistling at him.

"Oi – get back here. I don't think they went willingly!"

"What?" Jack spun around, not wanting to hear what Owen was telling him.

"Ianto's jacket's on the back seat – so unless they were making out together, something's wrong!"

Automatically they took one side of the car each, it was then that Jack smelt the last traces of a gas, one that made his nose itch and his stomach turn. It smelt like nerve gas.

"Gas!" exclaimed Jack.

"If there's a chance it could be toxic let me go in first," Owen stated simply.

As he pulled open the passenger door, Jack stood back impatiently. That's when he saw the two pawns tied together with a piece of string and left dangling under the rear view mirror.

"Oh no - please, no ..."

"Oh shit…" Owen echoed Jack's sentiments he saw what he was looking at. He handed him a scrap of paper that had been left for them to find on the passenger seat and watched on as Jack's face crumpled. The note left for them left no room for misinterpretation.

ESSENTIAL RULES OF THE GAME OF CHESS: 1) NEVER DISPATCH YOUR PAWNS UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO SACRIFICE THEM.