by Ted Tayler
The windshield on his side had taken two shots to the bullet-resistant glass fitted to vehicles from the Olympus transport section. The glass had broken but hadn’t flown apart, the energy absorbed by the layers. Phoenix watched the road ahead and waited.
The van headed back their way.
He stood with his gun in the fighting stance adopted by the special forces. He was square to the target, his feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and his right foot a little behind his support left foot. His knees were bent to absorb the recoil. The shooter needed to realise he wasn’t up against an amateur.
The van stopped. All Phoenix could hear was the rhythmic throb of the van’s engine above his own breathing. The driver must be alone. There were no gunmen piling out of the van to finish them off by the sheer weight of numbers.
The lone would-be assassin was weighing up his chances. If he identified the nine-millimetre Smith & Wesson at that distance, he knew it only held a maximum of eight rounds. He would understand too that his opponent was prepared to use every shot sparingly. It was a stand-off.
One minute passed; then two. They each felt like an hour. Phoenix controlled his breathing, ready to react to any movement. In the passenger seat, Athena stirred. Her phone was ringing. She managed to answer it. The Southampton cell members were thirty seconds away. She whispered the information to Phoenix.
The van suddenly reversed onto the grass verge and drove off towards Cadnam at speed. Whether the driver heard the ringtone and realised someone was on their way or heard a van approaching was unclear. Either way, Phoenix was able to breathe normally again and checked Athena. She was in discomfort, but thankfully uninjured.
The Olympus van pulled up beside them. Four armed men in dark clothing jumped out. Their leader approached Phoenix.
“Are you alright, sir?”
“We’re fine, don’t worry, get after that bastard.”
“He’ll be long gone, sir. It will be safer if we escorted you to Salisbury. Giles Burke has dispatched a unit from Bath to pick you up from there. When you’re ready we’ll get started on dealing with your car.”
Athena and Phoenix were taken to the van. The car windscreen was punched in so that any signs of an armed attack were removed. The damage to the front and rear of the car might be explained by its presence halfway into the leafy undergrowth. It could be picked up by the transport section tomorrow.
“A single assassin suggests it was our friend Hermes,” muttered Phoenix, when he was sat in the back of the van.
“We’ll handle Hermes in good time,” said Athena. “What concerns me is how did Hermes know exactly where we were going to be today and when? We spoke to no one before we left.”
Phoenix rang Larcombe Manor.
“Henry? Institute a total lockdown. Nobody in or out. I don’t care what time you finish. Sweep the entire site for hidden cameras and listening devices.”
CHAPTER 14
The armoured vehicle from Larcombe Manor picked them up near the cathedral. Phoenix and Athena were escorted from the Southampton van by two heavily armed agents. There was no sign of the dark van.
Their driver slowed to wait for the barrier to be lifted at the gates and rattled over the cattle grid into the estate just after midnight. Henry Case met them at the front door.
“Thank God you’re both okay. Lockdown has been in effect since you rang at twenty-one fifty hours, Phoenix. Guards have been posted. We’ve cleared over eighty per cent of the buildings for bugs, the sweeps will continue through the night. We started in your apartments. I’m afraid we found several listening devices. Nowhere was safe.”
Thank you, Henry,” said Athena, keen to lie down. She was exhausted and concerned for the baby.
“Where’s Thanatos?” asked Phoenix.
Henry paused briefly as he absorbed the weight of the first words Phoenix had spoken since his arrival. He passed no comment and continued with his report. If he was to receive orders regarding Thanatos, or any other person living at Larcombe, he would carry them out with the professionalism that was his trademark.
“Because of the lateness of the hour when you instituted a lockdown,” he continued, “many people were already in their rooms. We didn’t advise them of what had happened. We didn’t intend making enough noise to disturb their beauty sleep. Everyone on the estate will still be here in the morning.”
“As soon as you’re satisfied the entire site is clean you can get to sleep, Henry,” said Athena. “We’ll start on our action plan for a response to this direct attack at six. Take Thanatos to the ice-house for interrogation.”
Henry left them to supervise the rest of the sweep. He determined to lead the arrest party later this morning himself.
Athena and Phoenix reached the doors to their apartment.
“I can’t bear to think how long Thanatos was able to listen to everything that went on behind these doors,” said Athena.
“Henry will get the truth from him in time,” said Phoenix. “I wonder how long his treachery has been going on? What turned him? These listening devices may have been put in place when Erebus was alive.”
“I can’t believe that,” said Athena as she opened the door and steeled herself to walk in. “There’s no evidence to suggest operations were impacted upon by Demeter and her companions before we assumed control here. I thought back over the past months while we drove home. The only logical explanation is that he was more displeased with your promotion than we imagined.”
“I consistently said the three Amigos had an axe to grind,” said Phoenix.
“I know you did, darling,” said Athena, “well, it is what it is. If Thanatos was so bitter that he contacted our enemies and offered his services, then he will pay for that lapse in judgement.”
“Let’s sleep on it,” said Phoenix, “you look shattered.”
“Today has taken a lot out of me emotionally, as well as physically. I’ll see my doctor as soon as possible to check that everything’s fine. As I waited, crouched in the car, wondering if the gunman was going to start firing again, I could think of nothing but you and this baby. I couldn’t bear to lose either of you.”
“Athena,” said Phoenix grimly, “it had to be Hermes in that van. If for one second he thought he could have attacked and killed both of us, he would have. The fact he saw I was armed, and prepared to fight, held him back. Discretion was the better part of valour back there in the New Forest on his part. You went over things in your mind as we travelled home. So did I. Why did he strike this evening? Where were we headed? Unless there are bugs onboard ‘Elizabeth’ or in the car we drove, he couldn’t have known our plans. It was a last-minute decision to visit the scene of Anton Sokolov’s mysterious death. It was on a whim we wanted to check how close the Charmbury family home was to the place where his body was discovered.”
“So you’re saying Hermes may have been involved in Sokolov’s death? I assumed he merely planned to follow us from Lymington back to Bath. Perhaps he might have rammed us somewhere in the Forest to send a message. To try to stop us attending the meeting on Wednesday. How can you be so sure he wanted to kill us?”
Phoenix listened to Athena’s reasoning. It was evident that she still struggled to come to terms with the extent of the treachery that confronted Olympus.
“The stakes are too high for them to be playing games. The attack was meant to take both of us out of the picture. Their cause would be greatly enhanced by our removal. Wednesday’s meeting would rubber-stamp the proposed assassinations in the black book. When we suddenly turned off towards Bartley, Hermes realised where we were going and struck as soon as possible. It was no accident he ran us off the road before we reached Bartley. He was hell-bent on us never getting there. Ask yourself why?”
Athena considered what Phoenix said.
“It implies that he and Nemesis have more things connecting them than a penthouse full of disturbing paintings.”
Phoenix smiled.
“By Jove, I think she’s go
t it,” he said. “He couldn’t risk us finding out how close the abandoned car had been to Lady Primrose’s home. That was his first mistake. We managed to avoid being killed, by the skin of our teeth. That was his second mistake. It revealed his role in the Russian’s death and we can now add that link to the chain connecting Nemesis to the three family members.”
“Let’s call it a night,” said Athena.
“It’s too late for that,” said Phoenix. “It’s morning and we need to be awake in only a few hours.”
Monday, October 7th, 2013
At six o’clock in the morning, Henry Case and two armed stewards entered Thanatos’s rooms in the main building.
There was no sign of Christopher John Rathbone, MM. His bed had not been slept in. It appeared he only took a change of clothes and his wash kit. He was travelling light.
“Our mole has gone to ground, Phoenix,” said Henry, when he contacted his superior.
“He must have received a warning,” said Phoenix. “Can we check if he left before nine-fifty last night?”
“Giles is checking,” said Henry. “We’ll put out an alert for our Olympus cells to warn them of the situation. We want him taken alive and returned to Larcombe for interrogation.”
“Okay, Athena and I are in the meeting room. Keep us updated and join us as soon as you can.”
*****
I thought I had them. I anticipated the car would be protected to a degree. I didn’t anticipate the gun. It’s not the first thing one would pack for an afternoon on the coast. I won’t make that mistake again. Without it, I would have killed both of them.
Mother sent me another message. She scolded me for my failure; like a ten-year-old child who has scuffed the toes on a new pair of shoes. We wanted those two dead before Wednesday. It will be impossible now to get to them while they’re on full alert at Larcombe.
Our man on the inside is on the run. I called him as I sat watching Phoenix aiming that MP Shield towards me. I couldn’t risk him being captured. He may prove useful in the future; if he can hold himself together. His past is always only a short distance behind him in his head.
I’m positive my original plan to strike near Lyndhurst would have been successful. It threw me for a while when they changed direction. Why do people never do what you expect them to do? It makes life so much simpler.
I knew where they were heading, of course. It was imperative I stop them talking to Prim’s father. The old codger hasn’t many brain cells left, but he could have told them how much time she and I spent together that summer.
There has never been anything physical between us, of course, neither of us is capable of giving or receiving affection. Her desires ripped away by her seducer, to be replaced by a zeal for revenge. Mine never developed. Not surprising when you look at my parents. I admired Prim’s tenacity and her enthusiasm in pursuit of her goal.
A chance meeting near my underground car park one early spring evening showed us we were near neighbours. She appeared from nowhere, and quite startled me. We chatted over trivialities for a few minutes as one does. I fully expected her to disappear as soon as she came, never to be seen again.
On reflection, I believe she was searching for someone. She had been living alone in the heart of the city for twenty years. Two decades of festering and plotting. We ‘bumped’ into one another often after that and she became less withdrawn. She sensed we were kindred spirits.
Later that spring she invited me to her house, just a few minutes’ walk away. We talked through the night. We shared our secrets. Our relationship evolved; we were never destined to be friends or lovers. We had become one.
Mother disapproved when she found out we were seeing one another. She thought I should be mixing with girls of my own age. A titled lady twenty years my senior didn’t suit her image of a dashing entrepreneurial son. Mother never did understand me.
Prim and I found we had so much in common. She asked me how far I was prepared to go to be a success in business. There were no limits, I told her. She almost clapped her hands in glee. My muse and I talked about books, music, art and how best to use the wealth at our fingertips.
One evening she showed me a photograph of a handsome professor. Prim then uncovered a painting she had just completed. It was the same man being stabbed to death. It was awe-inspiring. This man was to be her first victim. Prim explained her reasons.
She outlined her plans and I knew instantly that this was what I had been searching. An outlet for my frustrations. Not only was there going to be the pleasure of the act itself, but the memory of it would always be there for me to look at whenever I wished.
We resolved to work together. She visited her father near Bartley. I drove to Winchester and called on Anton Sokolov. I succeeded in convincing him I was interested in learning Russian. He didn’t sound that keen on tutoring me. I mentioned my younger sister wanted to learn too and his interest rose. I suggested we drop in on our parents to arrange details and we took his car over to Bartley.
Thirty minutes later, Prim met us in the lane near her home. She wore a hooded jacket. Sokolov wasn’t able to see her face. She slipped into the seat behind him and I told him to drive on, deeper into the Forest. He had no idea where our so-called house was, or what we intended to do to him. Prim injected him in the neck with something she had concocted. His death had been a long time in the planning. She had waited for this moment for over twenty years.
We watched him die. She was disappointed she hadn’t been able to make Sokolov suffer more. We buried his body in a quiet spot away from any tracks or pathways. We left his car a distance further on and she drove me back to Winchester.
We met at her house the following night. She took a knife to the painting of the professor. It wasn’t long before she found our next victim. By the time Mother joined the Olympus Project to amuse her in her leisure time, Prim and I had killed half a dozen rapists who escaped prosecution.
Our method had now been modified to match Prim’s vision.
I helped in her basement with the layout and the furnishings.
The paintings were a bonus.
My parents were both now involved with Olympus. Mother persuaded me to contribute to the cause and after a heated argument, I was able to add Prim’s name to the major financial backers of the organisation.
Since 2008 we have sat together on the Olympus top table. My parents are still unaware of our secret. Mother imagines I’m sleeping with Prim, my father barely acknowledges our existence and couldn’t care less what we’re doing.
I carry out Mother’s orders when she needs dirty work done. She knows I enjoy killing people. Her requirements are so banal. A shooting, a car crash or yet another murder staged to resemble a suicide. They are so boring, so clichéd. She has no idea how satisfying Prim and I find it when we chat into the early hours in her house. Below us, our latest victim is bleeding to death.
I’m always aroused during those conversations. Odd, the things that turn people on, isn’t it?
*****
Chris Rathbone was alone and nervous. His hide had been hastily constructed in the dark. Even though it was years since his SAS days he still retained enough knowledge to survive in the wild. He was confident nobody could see him from the nearby road. He knew too that he had rested for too long already; his pursuers would be on his trail. It wasn’t so easy to cover the ground rapidly and unnoticed at fifty-five years of age. He had needed time to recover.
The call came at around nine-forty-five last night. He was in his room watching TV. It had been his handler. He told him to get out while he still could. The assassination attempt failed. Chris had snatched up the bare essentials and left his rooms. He took one final look. He knew he was never returning.
He descended the back stairs leading to the kitchen and the stewards’ quarters. From there he skirted the side of the lawns, keeping an eye on the main building and the stable-block. Everything was quiet. He reached the far end of the grassy areas and darted among the trees
. He shuddered as he passed the pet cemetery on his left. That was where he would end up if they caught him now. He carried on through the woods until he reached the edge of the estate.
What followed was a steady mix of jog and walk across open farmland and country lanes until his legs couldn’t take him any further. He arrived at his current location at four o’clock. He lay in a wooded area on the Longleat estate. It was approaching nine o’clock.
He snacked on an energy bar and took a sip from his water bottle. It was time to pack up and move. Daylight brought risks, but he couldn’t stay here. He felt in his backpack for the reassurance of his weapons. The Sig Sauer and survival knife had been stored away in his bag for weeks in anticipation of such an emergency.
At Larcombe, his name had been Thanatos – the demon personification of death, rarely seen in person. That was how he lived for years after he had been unceremoniously dropped by the regiment. Hiding away; afraid to be seen outside his house. Every knock on the door brought visions of an IRA assassin sent to kill him for his covert work with FRU during the Troubles. Olympus offered protection, a purpose in life; and he had grabbed it with both hands.
He and his colleagues, Alastor and Minos, worked tirelessly for Erebus. Almost from the outset, it was understood that Athena would assume control at HQ when the old man retired. He swallowed that bitter pill, hoping she might foul up, so Erebus had to look to him to take on the mantle. He was ready. Alastor was weak and Minos too old. A younger man was needed to guide Olympus.
Then Phoenix arrived. A man with a dark past that was never revealed to them. Erebus had watched his career closely and spotted something in him that Olympus might use. Within months he proved to be an efficient killer. His promotion to the elite group at Larcombe was swift.
Chris Rathbone warmed to him for a while. He injected a lighter note to meetings. Even the occasional digs at him and his colleagues were harmless enough; even if Alastor took umbrage. As the months and years passed, though, it became clear that Erebus had grown to admire the newcomer.