Rice’s tone was one of almost praise and Bostock could be seen smiling again knowing he had nurtured Richards to a point where even he lost control of him.
“You see Wyre this is where I’m confused. That guy there would have thought nothing about placing your son in the same danger as we have and at some point in the past his mission would have been exactly the same as what is about to be realised now. Oh wait, he did put children in danger and yet you look down on me with contempt. Alex it’s happening. What you and many others before you tried to manipulate is about to become reality. We have brought turmoil to the Middle East and with a few more strokes of the brush the west will be able to pull out the area leaving the Arab nations to fight their way out of the quagmire they created, hopefully destroying each other. More importantly the trial we have conducted to see if a human can actually carry explosives inside them and be used as an explosive device has worked. Well it would have done if we had been given the chance”
“What the hell are you on about?” asked Wyre trying to grasp the comments of Rice.
Richards now sat casually on the floor with one knee up and his arm draped over it like he was enjoying a beer in the garden.
“He’s on about world war three” whispered Richards.
Silence filled the room as Alex’s comment stoked the mind of Wyre provoking memories and thoughts of what they had been through the last few weeks. Parts of it made sense but it seemed too incomprehensible for Wyre to believe it. Rice picked up on this straight away.
“Oh it’s ok Wyre I can give you more time to figure it out if you wish” said Rice mockingly.
“Yes more time would be great. You see I’m a bit lost on how trying to provoke the Middle East into world war three could save lives and protect this country. Oh and another thing what the hell has me and my family got to do with this and how does blowing up the Prime minister help the cause?” laughed Wyre sarcastically through gritted teeth.
“You son of a bitch” whispered Richards with an air of disbelief that had Wyre searching for the rest of the comment.
“Ah now it makes sense to Mr Richards over there” shouted Rice.
Ron Bostock was now smiling at the realisation that Richards was now aware of how he had become involved in all this.
“You set everything up. You knew I would get involved from the moment you kidnapped the boy” said Alex staring at Rice almost with a look of admiration.
Wyre’s confused look had Rice smiling confirming it was a job well done on his part. Rice placed the palms of his hands together and held them up to his chin as though he was praying. It was as though he was quietly congratulating himself.
“When Ron, myself and the powers that be found out that both of you lived in the same city it was too much of a good opportunity to pass up. You know better than anyone Alex that when these plans are forged we have to be very thorough. No stone was left unturned to make sure things went as well as they could. Don’t get me wrong you were only a small part of the bigger plan but an important part never the less.
“Wait, wait hold on a minute are you saying my family has been used and destroyed so your game has a successful end?” said Wyre releasing Oliver from his arms and slowly standing up.
“Hey Wyre it wasn’t personal. Certain circumstances meant that you and your family provided us with the perfect tool, let’s say the perfect tool for the job in hand. I’m sure Alex would agree with me” said Rice now staring at Richards still sat quietly in the corner. “Of course we have to remember there were two objectives here. Wyre your son has proved invaluable to the cause. Do you realise what we can now do? Your son has proved we can now develop a way of putting people in critical and strategic positions, close to leaders of countries, to terrorists, close to people who make the decisions and eliminate them without even firing a shot. Hi Mr Gaddafi this is my nephew….bang! All over. Imagine the money, time and paperwork it would have saved”
Wyre was now slowly walking across the room to Rice, his whole body tense with rage. Richards sat forward slightly concerned for Wyre’s welfare as it seemed pretty obvious he was about to crack and go for the two men who had intentionally ruined his life and sentenced his family to death. Richards discreetly reached for the weapon that was lay out of sight underneath the sofa Oliver was still sitting on. He wasn’t really ready for an all-out gunfight but he wasn’t going to allow the five year old boy sat next to him watch his father killed in cold blood. Wyre got within four feet of Bostock before Rice lifted his weapon with finger ready on the trigger. Oliver immediately jumped off the sofa and ran towards Richards and threw his arms around him seeking sanctuary from what might happen next. Richards quickly glanced at the two guys stood near the door who were eyeballing his every move almost wanting him to do something but also fearful of what that thing might be.
“Wyre please don’t do anything stupid. You can’t change anything now, it’s all over” smiled Rice.
“Why did you kill his wife?” asked Richards loudly, shocking Wyre out of his hate filled stupor and trying his best to diffuse the situation.
Wyre’s normally handsome and rugged good looks were now blood stained and streaked with tears. Large bags were under his eyes where regular sleep had escaped him for the last few months. He glanced back at Richards then at Rice waiting for an answer. Richards guessed there would be no honest answer but hoped it had distracted Wyre enough to re-think his plan of attack. Strangely John Rice didn’t respond but just studied Wyre intently then glanced at Bostock who was carefully watching his boy Richards.
“You have no idea what she was doing have you Wyre? You’re totally ignorant to what Susan was up to”
Chapter 24
It was now Alex’s turn to watch Wyre carefully as Rice began his accusations against Susan. Richards had had his suspicions but skirted the subject and for Wyre’s sake had kept his thoughts to himself. He felt it served no purpose to tell him as long as Oliver was still being held captive and even when that was over Richards felt Wyre would have struggled to comprehend any suggestion that Susan had been involved in possible crimes against the government. Wyre was no fool though and after discovering the box in the wardrobe with the paperwork inside, had also considered that Susan had perhaps done something wrong or had been forced to. Oliver continued to grip Alex tight as Rice, still pointing his weapon at Wyre ordered the doctor to sit down at the table.
“You see Wyre I’m on your side when it comes to matters such as these. A man like yourself only wants to do good and trusts those around him because that’s who you are. That’s not who Richards is, that’s not who Ron is but I know that’s who you are. The trouble is trust gets abused too easily. As hard as it is to understand, Susan your wife was forced into abusing your trust”
Wyre remained tense as he stood next to the table, his breathing becoming heavier as the rage grew to boiling point.
“Don’t you dare drag my wife into this you sick bastards” said Wyre through a clenched jaw.
“Oh I don’t have to Wyre. You see a while ago in a small Tunisian town one man unwittingly changed the political landscape in the world in which we live in today and gave the western world a unique opportunity to point the Arab world into a direction. I won’t call it the right direction at least not until developments have taken hold and the pieces of the jigsaw fit into place. That one man paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave us the perfect opportunity to sort the hotbed that is the Middle East once and for all. I don’t think there is any need for me re-tell what we have all seen on the news and let us not forget our friend Wyre here has experienced first- hand the drama and excitement”
Rice was now becoming more animated and was determined to make sure everyone in the room appreciated what the western leaders or at least their puppeteers had done in the name of so called freedom. His childlike enthusiasm had Wyre raging even more than before and it was almost like his mind had left his body as he leapt up from his chair and went straight for Rice.
“This is not a fucking game you arsehole! Children are dying in the streets over there”
As Wyre said this he lunged at Rice but was too slow and inexperienced for him. Without much effort Rice had grabbed Wyre’s arm, twisted it then grabbed the doctor around the throat.
“Now you listen to me! You have no idea the lengths we have gone too to make this work. The Middle East is the biggest drain on the western world and its leaders. Always has been and always will be, that will all change soon when the region needs us so bad it will beg the likes of Britain and America to drag it out of the shithole we are about to create”
Rice felt Wyre’s left hand grabbing at his wrist in an attempt to try and stop Rice from strangling him but to no avail. Rice’s grip became stronger and to make sure, Rice threw a punch directly into Wyre’s exposed ribcage at full force forcing Wyre to cough dog-like due to the wind not able to leave his mouth properly.
“Daddy!” Cried Oliver as he tried to escape the clutches of a now weakening Richards, so as to reach his father. Richards managed to hold him near because he knew Rice wouldn’t think twice about killing the boy. If Richards let the boy interfere, Rice would deal with him as he thought appropriate. Bostock watched with a stupid grin on his face as Wyre released his grip on Rice and gasped for air. Rice let him go leaving him to fall to the floor but not before he tried to lash out at Rice with what remaining energy he had left. Richards watched as Rice indicated to the men stood at the door that it was ok to leave them. This was a slight relief for Richards but also a worry. It meant for the time being he had less people to try and deal with in his injured state but knew Rice was planning something that required least witness’s as possible.
“You see Alex you could have been part of all this. How many times did you commit crimes in the name of the government for a cause, only to see it never to come to fruition? This is the big one Alex. As we speak president Assad is finding out his best friend and confidant has defected to Britain. The only rational man in Assad’s regime who could persuade him that the right thing to do would be to talk to the west has left him high and dry. As long as they think he is alive and offering advice to Britain, the more they will doubt themselves and the longer it will take for Assad to decide to move aside. Time is running out for the people of Syria because soon the rumours will be that Assad himself will use chemical weapons on his own people. The west will not tolerate mass murder, politicians will decide whether to go in and help the opposition to overthrow him and then our friend called Iran will want a piece of the action. Then the anxious lady called Israel will start to get twitchy feet and will be nervously looking over their shoulder as Turkey defends herself from Syrian sniping”
“World war three!” whispered Richards checking his wounds.
“Ah yes Alex world war three but first……first we watch and support every Arab uprising that will overthrow every Arab government and believe me it will happen. If it doesn’t happen we make it happen” replied Rice almost in a hushed tone.
“Why and what the hell has this got to do with me and my family?” asked Wyre.
“Well Wyre up until the point this idiot fucked up the events that we should be watching on TV right now regarding the assassination of the prime minister and his guests in Downing street you, Oliver and your dear wife were just tools. A necessity to be used until the job is completed. Like I said before the boy was a trial to see if we could actually get a person that close to a government leader. It was no accident though Wyre, you need to understand that. As much as you do not want to hear Wyre, your wife Susan presented us with the perfect excuse to use her, to use your son and to use you. She was corrupt Wyre, she was cleaning the money of the desert, even Assad’s himself and by looking at your expression now, you knew from the moment you found her belongings in her secret box”
There was silence as even Wyre pondered on Rice’s words. Nobody moved a muscle as Wyre’s mind tried desperately to deny what Rice was saying but in his heart he knew by the way the anger remained supressed in him that there was truth in this comment. He should be stood over Rice frothing at the mouth threatening to kill him but he had seen some of the things in the box. Why was Wyre not questioning how Rice knew about the box? Richards studied Wyre carefully whilst still holding Oliver and felt for him. Only now was Wyre realising the possibility that Susan was potentially committing treason, whether it be forced or voluntary. Richards was now concerned for Wyre as the realisation dawned on him that maybe everything he hated about the organisation that Bostock, Rice and even Alex himself was involved in had killed Susan for a valid reason. Richards just hoped Wyre could hold himself together because he could tell Rice was just looking for the right moment to kill all of them. The bastard didn’t need a reason just someone to put his finger on the trigger. At the moment from where Alex was sitting Wyre was the perfect candidate. Wyre climbed to his feet subdued and glanced around the room almost dream like. His mind was slowly running through the events of the past few weeks trying to pick out clues and subconscious messages as he made his way towards the large glass doors that looked out over the Thames. He seemed to just be staring out at nothing, his eyes glazed over as his mind now emptied meaning any noise in the room disappeared due to his thoughts and vision focusing on an invisible point in the apartment. This enabled Wyre to relax and to think more logically. Rice watched him carefully, his finger caressing the trigger almost wanting Wyre to react and give him a reason. There was no fear of Wyre encouraging a bullet his way as Richards could tell by his expression that his mind had detached itself from the room. This was worrying for Alex as he would need Wyre to help him if all hell broke loose. He needed Wyre to remain switched on as to where they were and the situation they were in.
“Wyre!.......Wyre!”
The sound of Alex’s voice worked as it startled Wyre out his inner thoughts.
“Wyre Oliver needs you” Alex whispered as he stood up and with his wounded arms passed Oliver to his father. At first Wyre seemed to stare at the boy who seemed unrecognisable but as soon as Oliver threw his arms around him Wyre’s emotions surfaced.
“Oh Oliver my boy I’m so sorry” gasped Wyre as he held Oliver tightly.
Rice watched carefully as Richards leant in close to check they were both ok but was unable to hear the advice the detective gave to Wyre.
“Stay near the balcony”
Bostock also noticed the communication between the two and being Bostock grew agitated that Rice didn’t seem to be doing enough. He picked up his weapon and checked it was loaded. When Alex seemed confidant Wyre was back in the room and Oliver had gained his full attention he calmly wondered over to where Rice and Bostock were stood.
“You see John I’m a little curious having been a part of the team in the past. I’m guessing we are only a small part of your twisted masterplan but even now I’m struggling to believe that it’s on the brink of coming to fruition. You’re right, attempting to bring the middle east to its knees was tried many times before but failed. I was part of many failed attempts including trying to get Afghanistan and Pakistan to go to war and I have even fired rockets into Israel from Gaza to try and entice an all-out war”
At this point Wyre glanced up not quite believing what he was hearing.
“Whilst in the team it was apparent that it was all futile. Governments changed, people with their fingers on the button no longer had their fingers on the button. To me it just seems…..”
Before Alex could finish Rice interrupted him with what looked like a naughty childish grin.
“You see Alex the reason why it didn’t work and couldn’t work before is because of that wonderful invention called the internet and social media. Don’t get me wrong we had it before but in this era the accessibility to what is going on in the world right now is immense. Do you know four out of every five people carry an iphone or similar. Fuck me Alex you can run an uprising from your sofa. You can poison people’s minds without even leaving the house. Admittedly we can thank Al
-Qaeda for that one yes they showed us the way with their use of the World Wide Web. Take Egypt for example, I will put money on the fact that the passionate people of Egypt will be on the streets of Cairo protesting for months, probably even years Alex. The other Middle Eastern countries like Yemen are a bit more isolated but I’ve always loved a challenge. Sure the news reports will get more scarce because people lose interest in things that have no clear conclusion but we’ll keep plugging away with propaganda and uncertainty. We will even support extremist organisations and maybe even Al-Qaeda under a ghost identity. Did you know as we speak Alex, President Assad is planning to flee to Iran……just before his fellow countrymen use chemical weapons on the rebel up-rising? Well he might as well use them I mean we sold them to him. Our aim is to keep him from fleeing to Iran because the longer he is sat in office the longer the country will fall apart. As we speak mass graves are being found with victims with hands tied behind their backs….all of them executed. But you see the point off all this and the clever part of this plan is the Arab world is doing all the work for us Alex. Whilst there is civil war and a battle for power the country is destroyed. When the appointed power takes control and does not come up with the goods and change the country quickly the people will take to the streets again. Whilst the shop owners and full time workers stay on the streets the country is not moving on, the system is being ground to a halt until eventually the void will pull them further into a hole of shit and into economic oblivion. Then there’s our mutual friend Wyre and his son Oliver here. Now you must be asking yourself why that family, why pick that boy for the bomb trial?”
Rice turned to Wyre, who was no longer looking at him, still tickling his weapon.
BEYOND THE SPRING Page 27