by Ted Tayler
His thoughts were interrupted by the squawk of the walkie-talkie. It was Dimitar.
“We will head for the M4 using the A34 to Newbury and should be home in ninety minutes. Andrey and Konstantin have reported a successful attack. Well done.”
Georgi glanced in the rear-view mirror to check on Dobrev and Tsankov. They sat quietly staring into space.
“A successful attack, yes?” asked Georgi.
“Carnage,” said Tsankov in a guttural whisper, “the grass was almost red with the blood.”
Nothing more needed to be said.
The name of Amesbury was being added to the catalogue of shooting atrocities on mainland Britain. It would rank alongside that of Hungerford, just twenty-five miles away and Dunblane, in far-off Scotland. In the meantime, Athena and Phoenix still sat in the Olympus meeting rooms in Curzon Street. News of the massacre filtered through to people around them in the outside world, but inside the conference room, they were blissfully unaware of events in Wiltshire.
Zeus had switched the attention of the agenda to Operation Yewtree as soon as they had taken their seats after their refreshments break.
“Yewtree is an investigation into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children. Led by the Metropolitan Police Service since last autumn, more than four hundred lines of inquiry have been assessed. Hundreds of potential victims have been identified. These accusations cover four decades, from the late Fifties until the Eighties, and are on a national scale. Clearly, there are many as yet unidentified predatory sex offenders. We have compiled a list of MP’s and celebrities we think warrants direct action. The Met are dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale. Due to the high profile that this Operation attracted, it encouraged victims to come forward to report the abuse they suffered during their childhood at last. A number of people who have held public office and well-known celebrities have been questioned as part of Yewtree. Criminal proceedings will undoubtedly follow, but sentences may not match the severity of the crime, and in many cases, the abusers will be protected by their friends in high places. This must not be allowed to happen. The guilty must be found and a punitive sentence meted out.”
“May I be permitted to ask a question?” asked Phoenix.
Zeus peered down the long table with disdain.
“I’m surprised that someone with your experience in the field would query this course of action. You have a tremendous track record for Olympus of ridding the country of criminals who have persistently offended and somehow never been brought to face justice.”
“I have no problem with any men who are guilty of this abuse being made to pay the ultimate price, said Phoenix. “I have two queries. Firstly, Yewtree has been accused of being a ‘witch hunt’ in a few quarters. Celebrities have been interviewed time and again. No concrete evidence had emerged so far to suggest they were ever involved in any cases of abuse. Are we one hundred per cent certain these people you mention are indeed guilty? Secondly, you stated ‘we have compiled a list’, that’s an alien concept based on the way proceedings have been handled here today. Athena instructed me that nothing should ever be in written form; yet what you said suggests Olympus has a ‘little black book’ of potential targets.”
Athena saw that Zeus appeared flustered; she reckoned that he had been caught out. Both she and Phoenix were now on full alert. The two of them watched the reaction of the other Olympians to gauge whether their body language might show if they were a party to this breach of protocol.
Hera leapt to Zeus’s defence straight away.
“I’m sure that was a slip of the tongue, Phoenix. Zeus merely meant that a few individuals had at first been implicated in this scandal and for whatever reason overlooked by Yewtree. After our own exhaustive investigations, we have identified those that we are convinced were guilty. These men should be brought to book; one might also argue that those who allowed them to avoid being charged should also be punished.”
Nemesis shifted uneasily in her chair and Athena noted that Poseidon scratching the back of his neck and furtively glancing across at where Dionysus sat.
Hera’s comments had given Zeus time to regain his composure. He continued to press the case for Olympus to act against these men who had not been gathered in by the ‘Met’ under the Yewtree umbrella.
Athena knew that such action would be handed to agents from Larcombe Manor to carry out. She wouldn’t be comfortable with Phoenix and Rusty taking on such tasks.
One mission might not be particularly dangerous in itself and if a single guilty politician from the Seventies was removed in an ‘accident’ it was unlikely to cause much of a problem. A series of deaths of prominent people in a short period might be another matter altogether and Larcombe and Olympus could find themselves under an uncomfortable spotlight.
There was too much risk involved in the proposal and she told Zeus so forcibly.
“Ah, the Goddess of wisdom has sharp teeth,” snapped Demeter, “but perhaps her courage is tested where her partner is concerned?”
“The Olympus Project’s true purpose at Larcombe has to be protected at all costs,” said Phoenix sharply, he wasn’t going to let Demeter talk to Athena that way. “Athena is perfectly correct; everything you have worked for in the past seven years would be jeopardised by this collective action.”
“I believe it’s time for us to bring matters to a close,” said Apollo.
Zeus spread his arms wide and smiled a smile that never quite reached his eyes.
“I’ve no doubt we can talk about this when we meet again. A lot of these men have waited decades for the axe to fall. We can wait a little longer to avenge those victims whose lives have been blighted by these animals. I’ll be in touch in due course with details of our next meeting.”
Athena and Phoenix studied the others as they left the room. They noted who accompanied who; Hera walked close by Zeus of course and Poseidon joined them too. The female Olympians Demeter, Nemesis, and Aphrodite made a curious trio. Phoenix imagined they went their separate ways as soon as they got on the other side of the door.
Apollo left alone; Hermes made his way towards the end of the table to join them as arranged.
Heracles and Dionysus left the room deep in discussion; but Hermes had started chatting, so it was difficult for either Phoenix or Athena to tell whether they were in harmony or arguing.
“Right then,” said the jovial Hermes, “where shall we go?”
Apollo re-entered the room. He seemed troubled.
“What’s up?” asked Hermes, “forgotten where you parked the Rolls?”
“There’s been another attack by this Eastern European gang that’s been terrorising the south of the country.”
“Where this time?” asked Athena.
“Amesbury, in Wiltshire; they struck at a pub restaurant beer garden in the middle of town. They got in and out in less than two minutes. Eighteen men women and children killed; there were a further sixteen injured, almost half of them severely. The youngest child who died was only fifteen months old.”
“Evil bastards,” said Hermes.
“These guys need to be stopped,” said Phoenix, “and fast.”
“Sorry, Hermes, we’re going to have to get back to Larcombe Manor,” said Athena. She turned to Phoenix and gripped his arm.
“I’ll arrange transport back to Bath, Phoenix and get up to speed on what the team has achieved so far in tracking these maniacs. Can you find us a taxi to Belgravia and we’ll change our clothes there and then get packed and ready to return home? Everything else we had planned for this weekend will have to wait. This has to be our top priority now.”
Phoenix nodded and set off, Athena watched him leave, his jaw was set and she sensed his mind working overtime. He would be itching to get this gang as soon as possible. As he went outside the building to hail a cab Phoenix was already ticking off a list of the places that this gang wasn't going to be located. He had been right in assuming they came from the London region
; almost certainly west of the city. For this third strike to be within ninety minutes of their likely base was the clincher.
They just needed a break.
CHAPTER 10
When they sat together in the taxi, Athena clutched Phoenix’s hand tightly.
“I’m sorry darling, this weekend away hasn’t turned out how I had planned it.”
“Hardly your fault, though, Athena,” replied Phoenix, “you weren’t to know where and when this gang struck next. The sooner we get back to Larcombe the better.”
“The transport has already left. We’ll have a couple of hours before it arrives. Let’s discuss things while we wait.”
Minutes later they pulled up in Vincent Gardens. Once inside it took them five minutes to change clothes and re-pack their bags. Athena stood quietly in the kitchen brewing the coffee when Phoenix walked into the lounge.
“What did you make of the meeting?” Athena asked as she joined Phoenix on the settee.
“Largely a waste of time,” he sighed, “but there were a few interesting characters there. I watched the dynamics of the group closely as we agreed, and there are distinct factions without question.”
“I sensed a touch of discord between certain members,” said Athena. “Who stands in which camp, do you think?”
“Honestly? I don’t understand as yet. Not everyone around the table is exactly what they seem. At least two Olympians portrayed one face while masking their true intent.”
“What on earth do you mean?” asked Athena, puzzled.
“Let’s put it to one side for now. It’s complicated and I need time to analyse every detail I spotted. I just sensed despite the confident way in which Zeus presented everything, dangerous waters lie ahead for Olympus.”
“Go on, I’m intrigued,” said Athena.
“Zeus is the unchallenged leader of the group. He has total control over the numbers,” Phoenix continued. “When he reported on the Project’s financial well-being, nobody questioned the figures at any stage. It’s clear that whether it’s financial, or operational or proposals for direct action, Zeus has everything recorded somewhere. There’s no way an organisation such as Olympus would be able to operate without bank accounts for a start. There have to be battle plans and lists of materials and budgets needed for missions across the globe; reports on their successes and failures have to exist in order for plans for each subsequent mission are improved. Despite Hera trying to pass off Zeus’s comments regarding the list of suspected historical offenders as a slip of the tongue, there has to be a black book of sorts. However he has it formatted. As such, it has value. In the same way that if the financial or operational data fell into the wrong hands, the consequences would be catastrophic for Olympus.”
Athena sipped her coffee and considered what Phoenix had said for a while. Phoenix stood up and walked to the window. They had ages to wait for the car to arrive. He was like a coiled spring. Phoenix wanted to act, not sit and talk about the people he had just met for the first time.
“I got the impression you warmed to Hermes?” said Athena finally, eager to discover what impression Phoenix had gained about the other attendees.
“Hermes is young and inexperienced. He’s made a vast fortune in a very short space of time. Whether he truly believes in Olympus and its ideals is up for debate. Zeus is happy for his money to be available for use by the Project, but I doubt he would take any notice of any comments or suggestions Hermes might offer. I think Hermes needs the adventure to balance the mind-numbing banality of the mobile phone business. Being an Olympian makes him feel he’s arrived, that he’s a respected member of the upper level of society. Nothing’s further from the truth. Men and women like Zeus and Hera are from the landed gentry; their families have been on the top table of society for generations. They can spot new money a mile away and no matter how big a fortune Hermes has it won’t help him bridge the chasm between them.”
“I learn something new about you every day, Phoenix,” said Athena.
Phoenix laughed.
“It’s purely an observation, based on the facts as I saw them during the meeting. I’m not a political animal, nor am I interested in waging a class war. I have no time for religion or sport either. My focus is on one thing and one thing only. If people break the law, they must be caught and punished. The punishment has to fit the crime. The authorities should assume that responsibility. Where they fail, then people such as me are duty-bound to redress the balance. That’s why I can’t wait to get home to Larcombe. I want to start the ball rolling. I want this gang found and dealt with before they have another chance to attack an innocent target. The police aren’t making any progress as always. If they did arrest them, then the sentences the courts handed out would be derisory. What’s the total number of dead in these attacks so far? How many do they have to reach before the death penalty is reintroduced? Hundreds, thousands? The number they killed is irrelevant because they’re too weak to make the decision.”
Athena joined Phoenix by the window.
“I couldn’t agree with you more, Phoenix. Olympus is a necessary evil.”
“Olympus is necessary, but I cannot accept what it stands for is evil. The people we kill are the evil ones. Most of them have been responsible for crimes that are so heinous they defy description. We have to continue our work. That’s why it’s imperative aberrations such as the black book have to be managed so carefully. If the factions within the Twelve Olympians eventually result in an unresolvable rift, then each of us might be exposed. Together we are protected by the security blanket of the charity. The true purpose of Larcombe Manor and other similar establishments around the world is hidden from sight. You were absolutely right to challenge Zeus and warn against direct action against a raft of men guilty of sexual abuse going back decades. One at a time, softly ticking the names off as we go, that’s the only logical way to tackle the matter. A few might die before we can act. Our intelligence section should be able to help us in prioritising the missions so that those who are still active are dealt with first.”
“Why do you suspect a rift?” asked Athena.
“I can’t go into the details until I consider everything fully as I said before, but if I’m right that two distinct camps exist then Zeus has a challenger for the leadership. Unless Zeus removes his opponents and replaces them with new blood, people he can rely on to support him without reservation, let alone downright opposition, then, in the end, the two factions will go their separate ways. At first, the Project will suffer a huge loss in financial support. Operations at Larcombe and elsewhere would necessarily be curtailed. The whole future of Larcombe Manor could be threatened. The bigger threat of danger comes from the splinter organisation. That faction would have significant funds, but leadership with a different agenda. If that agenda involved widespread assassinations of public figures then they would become Public Enemy Number One as far as the police and the security services were concerned. If they’re apprehended they might uncover the Olympus Project’s existence in return for a softer ride through the justice system. I’m not convinced yet that there’s not a more sinister threat; namely, those that are unhappy with Zeus and his style of leadership may remove him and his supporters, imposing their own aims and ambitions for Olympus. I don’t think that either of us would be comfortable working for such an organisation. We’ve seen first-hand today that everything isn’t perfect in the organisational structure. Yet the principles Erebus established and which persuaded me to come on board are still at the core of things so far.”
“It’s just over three years since I first met you at lunch that day at Larcombe,” said Athena. “I hated you instantly. You appeared so arrogant.”
“Ah, but my boyish charm won through,” Phoenix replied, “do you know when I suddenly realised that we had to be together?”
“That first lunch?”
“Heaven’s no, You frightened me to death the first few weeks. It was when we swam in the swimming pool together and I saw you in t
hat grey costume. It took me a while to realise that I had fallen for you, but I was lost from that moment.”
Athena and Phoenix stood by the window kissing. If anyone had passed by on the pavement outside and noticed it didn’t concern them. They were together that was all that mattered. Together they could ride out the dangerous water within Olympus; as joint leaders at Larcombe Manor, they would pursue the Eastern European gang. There was nothing they couldn’t achieve as long as they were united.
Athena broke off the kiss but continued to embrace Phoenix. She needed to tell him her news. Together they would face that eventuality too,
In due course, their transport arrived, and they began the journey home.
Phoenix was asleep before they reached Reading. Athena knew this was typical of him. He seemed able to snatch an hour here and there. Later he could work through the night planning the operation to take out the foreign gang.
As they travelled west, she knew that once back at Larcombe they would go straight into a meeting with Henry Case, Giles Burke, and Rusty if he had returned from his week-long survey. Athena imagined he might wish to get back to his room before Zara arrived. Not to make sure everything was shipshape. Rusty was a diligent ex-SAS soldier, it went without saying that the place would be spotless. He would want to be there to greet her at the start of a new phase in his life. Athena appreciated only too well how much of a challenge that might appear.
She mulled over the things that Phoenix had noted during the meeting. Athena had found Zeus and Hera to be an odd couple, but couldn’t imagine they sat in different camps. Poseidon, on the other hand, felt like a truly cold fish; the archetypal banker. She wouldn’t trust him very far.
What of Demeter, the still successful singer; a man-eater with a vicious tongue. Did Poseidon and Demeter belong in the other camp? They seemed unlikely bedfellows.
Apollo, the boxer who avoided getting punch-drunk and profited from the properties he’d bought with his world championship purses had kept his good looks. Athena struggled to imagine the friendly image he displayed as belonging to an opponent to Zeus.