Saving Tara Goodwin (Mystery Book 1)

by Richard Harrington

  Christiana looked down, non-committal, as the woman drummed home her advantage.

  ‘And I must say you’ve taken considerable trouble to dress for his persuasion, well, either that or the street corner.’

  Christiana felt her anger rising, ‘I dress as I damn well please.’

  The woman looked at her full red T shirt, her nipples clearly showing through.

  ‘Indeed you do, my dear, and your people are to be congratulated, given that Dmitri is on file for having a certain overwhelming fixation for enormous ugly bosoms, and now it’s quite obvious why they sent the pneumatic, Miss Levett to Istanbul.’

  ‘Listen, I did my fucking job, and if the boobs helped, then why not, and anyway, I don’t remember hearing any complaints from you Brits when I brought him out.’

  ‘Very true, Miss Levett, and I’m quite sure you used your equipment perfectly.’

  Christiana knew she had to cool down. Losing control was just no good.

  ‘But, Mrs Vasilyevich, when it comes to taking undeniable risks, are you as safe as you obviously like to think you are?’

  The woman looked at her through narrow eyes, ‘And what do you mean by that?’

  ‘Well you say you’re married to him, but as the handlers probably just took the next identity box off the shelf, I’m beginning to wonder how legal your marriage really is.’

  The woman smiled, ‘I wouldn’t get any ideas. It’s as legal as it needs to be.’

  ‘No doubt, and what name have you taken for yourself. Medusa, perhaps?’

  The woman smiled again, ‘No, Miss Levett, I have retained my own name, Felicity, so you might as well forget any ideas of becoming my Perseus.’

  Christiana returned a faint smile, ‘Touché.’

  As a strained silence fell over the room, it was the woman, Felicity, who broke the spell.

  ‘Miss Levett, I rather fancy this mutual jousting is getting us nowhere.’

  Christiana nodded, ‘I quite agree.’

  ‘Then shall we proceed with the matter in hand?’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  ‘Alright. So as I understand it, you’re here to obtain information from my husband.’

  ‘Yes, that could well be true.’

  The woman eyed her carefully, ‘So what exactly is your game?’

  Christiana chose her words with care, ‘Well as I said before, it’s personal.’

  ‘So if it’s personal, and from the past, does it involve my Dmitri?’

  ‘No, not at all, except he might be able to help with just one difficult problem.’

  ‘I see, and would this help implicate him or myself in anything undesirable?’

  ‘No, you have my word.’

  The woman momentarily pursed her lips as she looked deeply into Christiana’s eyes.

  ‘Miss Levett, there’s an old Hungarian proverb, that says, to make Goulash, first steal your neighbour’s sheep, but it would be unwise to invite him to the feast.’

  ‘Don’t worry, neither of you will be invited, I promise.’

  The woman stared quite intently, ‘Alright, but if I agree to this, I never wish to see you, or your over inflated bosoms, ever again.’

  Christiana gave her a cold eye, ‘Well that’s just fine with me.’

  ‘Good. So if we are agreed, shall we take tea in the garden?’

  23

  There was an awkward silence as they sat in the sunshine drinking their tea, but then the kitchen door suddenly swung open and out stepped a tall elegant man of middle years, his eyes shining with the flame of darkness, his swarthy face tanned from sun, sea and wind, his hair a tangle of black wire, but it was his stance that always made Christiana think of a Cossack warrior.

  The two women watched as he walked down the path, but he suddenly faltered, his eyes growing wide, and finally coming to a halt, a confused smile came to envelope his face.

  Felicity glared as he stood quietly dumbfounded, blatantly staring hard at Christiana, his eyes coming alive as they filled with the pleasure of every inch of her.

  For Dmitri it was an impossible dream to see her there, because after the murder of his wife and children by the Chechnya Mafia in Stalingrad she had brought him life again.

  This woman who’d taught him how to smile again, to sing and dance and to make love, but she was also the woman who’d broken his heart once more when she’d left his bed in the middle of the night, and without a word, disappeared into the London shadows.

  So why she return now? Why now, because Christiana was CIA, Royal Edict Force, she would check file before coming and see marriage to Licity, his file would say it.

  So why she come after all this time to sit with wife in garden and drink tea?

  If she return for love she would come to him in street, in café or hotel, but no.

  He frowned, his eyes becoming sad. So her return, not for love.

  For Christiana it was wonderful to see him again, but when she saw his face crumple, she knew what he must be thinking, because she hadn’t met him in secret, so her visit was not driven from the heart, and now he would be hurting, just as she was herself.

  Dmitri stood in the vacuum of his thoughts, because he’d loved this woman, Christiana, but then she’d disappeared as if their love had never existed, but she was professional, so having brought him over, maybe she saw her work complete. So why she return?

  Looking at his wife he saw her eyes were accusing, sullen and dangerous, so what had been said between these two women, because Christiana had been his lover, a lover who lived in the murky waters of the CIA’s hunter-killer section.

  Had she brought trouble with her, a trouble for him, or did they know something, because although Licity said marrying her would make him safe in the UK, nothing was certain, so had the Americans found something they didn’t like?

  Clattering her cup down, Felicity aggressively stood up, her eyes cold, staring at him.

  ‘Darling. Look. A little friend has dropped in. Now isn’t that nice, and guess what, she’s travelled all the way from America, just to see you.’

  Dmitri ignored her, and struggling with the language, tried to find the right words.

  ‘Christiana. Is good to see you. So long it has been.’

  She stood up and smiled, ‘Hello Dmitri. You haven’t changed at all.’

  Felicity stepped towards them, her green eyes now fiercely ablaze with jealousy.

  ‘And darling, look what little Miss America has almost worn for you, are red and yellow your favourite colours? I didn’t know, you should have said.’

  Christiana looked away.

  ‘Licity. You know my colour is green, green like your eyes. Witch green.’

  Christiana picked up her purse, ‘I think I’d better go.’

  Felicity swung round, her eyes now shining with a bright light as she glowered to her.

  ‘Oh ... but it isn’t you who should leave, it is I … After all... I do know my place... so why don’t you run along and have fun, and I’ll tidy the fucking greenhouse.’

  Dmitri scowled and turned his back to her, ‘Come, my Christiana, come to house.’

  Walking back in silence they closed the kitchen door behind them, and looking at each other, knew the passing of time hadn’t changed a thing.

  Dmitri took a step towards her, ‘So why you leave? Even no word goodbye.’

  She looked down, ‘Didn’t you guess? We were spoiling their plans for the Mafia.’

  He nodded, ‘Da, is true. But even no kiss goodbye?’

  ‘Dimi, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to cry.’

  He looked away, ‘This I know, but no matter, Dmitri cry for you.’

  ‘Oh Dimi. Don’t say that, isn’t this hard enough?’

  He sighed, ‘Da. Hard for me also, but why you come back now?’

  She looked into his eyes, ‘Because I’m in trouble.’

  He stiffened, ‘Trouble? What trouble?’

  ‘I can’t say. But if you want to, you’re the only one who can he
lp me.’

  He took her hands in his, ‘Then you right to come, my Christiana.’

  ‘Really? Well I’m not so sure, I’ve made things bad with your wife.’

  He smiled bitterly, ‘They always bad. I know well. Marriage, big mistake.’

  She looked up sharply, ‘But you married her, so you must have loved her.’

  His expression became miserable, ‘Marriage, da, but not love, my Valkerie.’

  She stared, but then half-smiled when he still remembered his pet name for her.

  ‘But if you didn’t marry for love, then why?’

  His eyes became troubled, ‘Terms of settlement.’

  Christiana stared at him, confused, ‘What?’

  He walked over to the window and watched as his wife threw garden pots at a wall.

  ‘Licity was investigating Case Officer, then after debriefing by Am-Brit Intelligence she make assessment of Dmitri and recommended terms of settlement.’

  ‘Yeah, but you didn’t have to marry her, terms of settlement or not.’

  He spread his hands, ‘No choice for me, she wanted Dmitri.’

  He tapped his head with his finger, ‘In here. She crazy.’

  ‘But why didn’t you stay in your little bookshop, you were happy there.’

  ‘Da, is true. But soon she came, again and again, following, watching all times.’

  ‘So why didn’t you tell her to fuck off, and tell your Case Officer. Oh shit …’

  Dmitri smiled, ‘You see problem now? Licity say she find lie I tell Am-Brit, I could do nothing. She say, marry her and stay in UK or go back to Russia. What choice for me? You gone. So what choice I have?’

  Christiana’s eyes began to smoulder, ‘The scheming bitch.’

  ‘Is true, very clever.’

  ‘Yeah. But how come you’re living way out here?’

  He shrugged, ‘In London I make friends, have smile, laugh, make joke, she hate that, she hate friends, hate pub, hate bookshop, hate London. She sell little bookshop and come this Glastonbury, is good for her, but quiet for me.’

  ‘Yes, I can imagine. But why on earth did you give her a baby?’

  He laughed, but it was a hollow laugh, a dark laugh, empty of life, a laugh without a soul.

  ‘Valkerie, you not understood. Dmitri not give baby, she take baby herself.’

  ‘What?’

  He looked away, ‘One day Dmitri very sad, go to pub, have much Vodka, get drunk, fall asleep on bed, Licity sit on Dmitri, take baby herself.’

  ‘Oh god.’

  ‘Da, not good, my Valkerie, babies come from love, not terms of settlement.’

  Christiana walked over and took him in her arms, ‘Oh Dimi, you don’t deserve this, and I’ll find a way to get you out, I promise.’

  He gazed into her eyes, ‘Is, get out, possible?’

  ‘Yeah, I reckon so. But it sure won’t be easy and I’ll have to call in a few favours, but if we’re going to make this work, I really do need your help.’

  ‘Da, you say it.’

  Christiana glanced quickly out through the window, and snatching up her purse, took out the diary and flicked through the pages, ‘Quick then, there isn’t much time.’

  Dmitri looked puzzled as she turned the pages of Sheverill’s small diary.

  ‘See? There’s blocks and blocks of four figures, but what the hell do they mean? I’ve looked at the damned things from every angle, and I’ve tried every trick in the book but nothing makes any sense. I don’t understand, but I’ve just got to know the answer.’

  Dmitri looked closely at the pages, and taking the diary, sat down thoughtfully.

  ‘Da, I know this well. I remember from many years. Is British code. Very, very, good. In KGB, is known as Contradiction Code.’

  ‘Contradiction Code? And what the hell is that?’

  He smiled, ‘Simple enigma. British sense of humour, a contradiction, is old now, but good. With one-time pad, very good, unbreakable.’

  ‘Oh great. But can’t you break it?’

  He frowned, ‘With just this? No, my Valkerie. No-one can.’

  ‘What? Oh Dimi, please try.’

  ‘Sorry, Christiana. This is message, true, but without pad and alphabet, is useless.’

  Seeing her slump down, he went on and tried to explain.

  ‘This message could give day, time and method for killing President of United States, it could be printed front page of every newspaper in whole wide world and still be secret. You see, simple enigma.’

  Christiana took his arm, ‘Pad. You said without the pad, so what’s that?’

  Dmitri tapped his forehead as he tried to concentrate on a distant memory.

  ‘Is long time, my Christiana, but I try to show how pad works.’

  Going through to the lounge, he brought back pens and paper to the table.

  ‘First write alphabet in a line, downwards and follow with zero to nine, a comma and a full stop. Now start again, downwards, and write against each, two figures, starting with zero, zero, zero one and so on.’

  Christiana scribbled it all out, ‘Okay, I’ve done that, so what happens now?’

  ‘That is your alphabet, normal letters with figures at side. Now write out twenty blocks of four figures, anything, any order, and I copy your alphabet.’

  When it was done, Dmitri carefully and exactly copied out Christiana’s blocks.

  ‘Now we have same alphabet and same pad of blocks, that must be correct, now I write message to you in English.’

  He scribbled it out, but made sure to keep it away from Christiana’s gaze.

  ‘That was simple, now comes enigma. I look from message I have in English, find letters in alphabet, take figures from their side and write down.’

  Christiana watched, her brow furrowing in concentration.

  ‘Now I have same message in figures, so take block-pad and write figure message under the line of blocks, starting from left.'

  Dmitri smiled as the memories returned of trying to break the British code.

  ‘Now I subtract message figures from blocks on pad.’ He tapped the side of his nose, ‘But only use non-carrying arithmetic. Now I have code message.’

  Dmitri wrote out the subtracted figure message and handed it to her.

  ‘And now you have code message.’

  Christiana looked at it, ‘But it’s useless, it’s just like the diary, meaningless …’

  Dmitri smiled, ‘Ah, but this time you have your pad. So write my code message under first line of blocks, and subtract, but only using non-carrying arithmetic, then take answer in figures and look for same double figures on alphabet, look for letters at their side and write down.’

  Christiana did it.

  ‘And what you have, my Christiana?’

  She held up, VALKERIE, and saw that Dmitri was also holding up, VALKERIE.

  She burst out laughing, ‘But that’s absolutely amazing, a child could do this.’

  ‘Da, is true, and jumble alphabet and numbers for greater puzzle, and if page is used only one time and destroyed, Contradiction Code is unbreakable.’

  ‘So the pads come as books, do they? Use a page once and destroy it?’

  He nodded, ‘Da. Is simple.’

  ‘Damn. If I could find the pad for this diary, I’d almost be there.’

  Dmitri watched with concern, ‘This diary, important for you?’

  ‘Yeah, it sure could be. Now look, I have to go, but thanks for the help and don’t worry, I’ll get you out as soon as I can. And, well, maybe we could start over.’

  ‘Da, my Valkerie. So when you do it? Soon?’

  Her thoughts went back to Sheverill’s Farm, and wondered where the pad might be.

  ‘Sorry Dimi, I was thinking. What did you say?’

  ‘When you do it? Get out. Soon?’

  ‘Yeah. Soon. Now listen, I’m staying at Sheverill’s Farm near Sherston in Wiltshire. No, forget that, I’m leaving there soon because it’s crazy, just like that cow, Feli
city.’

  She tried to think, ‘I know. Go to Malmesbury, it’s just down the road from Sherston, and find the old fashioned garage, it’s just off the market square, and speak to Ted Willis, he’s a good friend and he’ll know where I am. Okay?’

  ‘Da. But how I know when?’

  ‘No phones. Tracking is too dangerous, I’ll send a letter and it’ll have just one word, Valkerie.’

  Dmitri smiled, ‘Is good. I understood.’

  Christiana looked down to the sheets of paper lying there in front of her.

  The alphabet. A, 00. B, 01. C, 02. D, 03. E, 04. F, 05. G, 06. H, 07. I, 08. J, 09, K, 10. L, 11. M, 12. N, 13. O, 14. P, 15. Q, 16. R, 17. S, 18. T, 19. U, 20.V, 21. W, 22. X, 23.Y, 24. Z, 25. 0, 26. 1,27. 2, 28. 3, 29. 4, 30. 5, 31. 6, 32. 7, 33. 8, 34. 9, 35.

  Dmitri’s message to Christiana. V A L K E R I E

  Numbers from alphabet. 21, 00, 11, 10, 04, 17, 08, 04.

  Random blocks. 9316 4788 9641 3917

  From alphabet. -2100 1110 0417 0804

  Msg to Christiana.7216 3678 9234 3113

  Christiana’s pad.

  Same blocks. 9316 4788 9641 3917

  Msg from Dmitri.-7216 3678 9234 3113

  Answer. 2100 1110 0417 0804

  Figures from Dmitri. 21 00 11 10 04 17 08 04

  Letters from alphabet. V A L K E R I E

  Stepping forward he took her in his arms, his need of her now so strong.

  ‘Christiana, before you go, we make love, yes? Like old days.’

  ‘Oh Dimi. I can’t.’

  His smile faded away, ‘You don’t want Dimi?’

  ‘Oh honey, it isn’t that.’

  She looked out of the window and saw Felicity way down by the greenhouse.

  ‘It’s just that I made a kind of promise.’

  ‘You make promise? Who? Who you make promise?’

  Christiana thought, to a god-damned cow, that’s who, the bitch of the year.

  ‘Never mind. Oh... what the hell... Come on then... let’s do it for old time’s sake, but we’ll have to keep an eye on that witch down by the greenhouse.’

  ‘Da. So bend over table. We watch as I take you backwards.’

  Christiana lifted her T shirt, and as Dmitri began to fondle her breasts, she smiled.