by J J Cooper
‘Okay, both of you,’ Jay said. ‘Let’s get back on track.’
‘Right,’ Ed said. ‘Toni and the CIA. I suppose you’d like to know who she really is.’
FORTY-NINE
The siren on the lead police vehicle died and the vehicles slowed as they closed in on the festival. Bill had retrieved a briefcase from the floor at Jay’s feet and had mentioned he was hooking up some surveillance devices – two hidden cameras and a viewing screen to be precise.
The police vehicle led them through a guardhouse on the front gate of the historic Victoria Army Barracks. The festival was being held across the road along Caxton Street, in the inner-city suburb of Paddington. Jay had been to one such event a few years before and remembered that it had seemed thousands had attended to sample seafood and wine from many a local vendor who had set up stalls along the closed-off road. They even had a concert the last time he had been there, headed up by Russell Crowe and his band. That treat certainly reinforced the theory that most actors can’t sing and vice versa.
As they pulled into a car park, Jay’s mind switched to thoughts of Toni. Same question he’d been asking himself over and over ... every time a different answer. ‘Who is she?’ he asked his father.
‘Thought you would have figured it out by now, son. Then again, always had trouble with the women, hey?’
Jay shook his head in frustration. ‘Just who is she?’ He realised instantly that the tone wasn’t right and he caught an immediate scolding look from his father in the rear-view mirror.
Ed let it go, and while he fitted one of the hidden cameras to the lapel of his jacket, he answered, ‘There is a group of extremely wealthy businessmen across the world who like to think they keep tabs on global policing and intelligence operators.’
Jay shook his head – he knew what was coming.
‘The woman who you know as Toni works for such a group.’
‘And the CIA agent was here to keep tabs on her because she used to work for them as a hired assassin.’
Ed stopped adjusting his camera for a moment and turned in his seat towards Jay. ‘You knew?’
‘Let’s just say I heard as such. But if you’ve known all along, why haven’t you made a move for her?’
Ed gave a wry smile. ‘It’s like a game of chess, son. This not-so-secret organisation think they are always a step ahead of us. But they’re not. They have the resources and funding to do what we can’t. They can bypass the bureaucratic processes we can’t. In essence, they can get the job done without having to answer to media show-ponying governments.’
Jay tried to sit up a little. Another shot of pain tore up his leg. He grimaced and said, ‘She’s still working for the CIA, isn’t she?’
Ed gave a slight nod while, at the same time, replying, ‘Sorry, not at liberty to divulge that kind of information, even if I knew.’
‘But you’re confident she has fixed it so nobody will get hurt today, including Simpson.’
‘I’m confident. We have the same goal after all – tracking down the anthrax.’
‘Which means this is a set-up to find who will attempt to blow up Simpson via the mobile phone.’
‘Which will lead us to the person behind all of this and ultimately, the last of the anthrax.’
Jay was absorbing the information and wondering if he had been used to obtain it.
Ed went back to adjusting his camera and said, ‘I know what you’re thinking, Jay. It took a lot of convincing to keep you involved till now.’ He finished with the camera and again looked at Jay. ‘They came looking for you and couldn’t get to you. When they did you may not have realised, but you had Toni on your side. You are the only one on earth who could have got this far. I truly mean that. You know that’s why agencies here and afar want your services. Money can’t buy what you have, son. An absolute resolve to never give in and a true understanding of what’s right from wrong. We’ve almost cracked this because of you.’ He reached over and grabbed the laptop-sized monitor from Bill and passed it to Jay. ‘Sit back and enjoy the show and know that the faces on the screen will be mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and loved ones here to enjoy a festival. They’ll never know that you’ve saved their life today. Not many people will know what you did and recognition will be hard to come by. Enjoy the smiles on the faces you see today and know they’ll be able to smile tomorrow. That’s the kind of fulfilment you’ll get – that’s the life of a spy.’
Ed reached over and offered Jay his hand.
Somewhat stunned, Jay automatically held his own out and they shook. He didn’t really know what to say, but came out with, ‘Does that mean I’ll be getting paid for all of this?’
Ed gave a broad grin. ‘For the love of country, son.’
Jay let go of his father’s hand, adjusted the screen and said, ‘MacGyver got a pocket-knife.’
The laughter continued until Ed and Bill alighted from the Monaro. The wireless button-sized cameras attached to both men’s suits had surprisingly good resolution and inbuilt sound. Bill had adjusted the settings so that half of Jay’s screen showed his view and the other half that of his father’s. Bill had quickly explained that the sound activated from a small wireless button that they both had attached to their shirt cuff. This would eliminate background noise and only allow one of them to communicate at a time to Jay. In their ears they wore a tiny skin-coloured receiver that Jay could use to communicate to them. All three were familiar with the equipment, although it had improved in quality since Jay had last used it. More surprising for Jay was how well Bill had adapted to the technology in the short amount of time he’d come out of retirement to start his own contracting firm.
Out the back window of the Monaro Jay could see teams of heavily armed police in riot-squad gear. They were hidden from public view, tucked behind the front buildings of the army barracks. They’d mobilised quick enough, but Jay had the feeling they were on stand-by for this exact event. No doubt plenty of undercover police were mingling among the crowd, sampling the seafood – probably not the wine though.
Bill’s voice came through the monitor. ‘Come in, MacGyver. Can you hear me?’
Jay saw that the views on the screen of Bill and his father were similar – both were waiting at a set of lights to cross the busy main road. ‘Does that make you two old farts directors of the Phoenix Foundation?’
The image on the screen from both men bobbed a little as both gave a chuckle. Ed said, ‘Enough of the old farts, hey. We’re doing the legwork because you went and fell down a hole.’
‘Fair enough. Get to it then. That green man flashing on the lights means you can cross. Talk about trying to blend in.’
Jay could tell by the camera views that Bill had fallen in behind Ed crossing the lights. They then split up and entered through the barricades on opposite sides of the street.
As the cameras started to scan the various faces and stalls, Ed said to Jay, ‘Profile who we’re looking for, son.’
Jay thought about it for a moment. ‘They want Simpson positioned for maximum impact. What’s the wind direction?’
‘Same as usual for these parts. Crosswind coming up from Suncorp Stadium and across to Bill’s side of the street.’
‘Which means Simpson should be nearer to your side and down the other end of the street.’
‘Right. And?’
‘Whoever has the phone will be looking for him as much as we will be. They may be aware of the pre-designated position or not.’
‘Keep going.’
Jay pictured himself in the perpetrator’s position. ‘It’s a last-minute task. He’ll lack preparation and therefore will want to get right on the edge of the blast zone to ensure it goes down as planned. He’ll want to blend in, but will overdo it because of the late notice. Lack of research means he’ll be obvious by being too obvious.’
‘Right. Everybody here is looking at what?’
‘Seafood, bottles of wine, bands or pretty girls.’
‘Not our guy?
’
‘No. He’ll have a plate of prawns that have hardly been touched. He won’t have wine because he doesn’t want to lose the edge. A bottle of water instead ... make that a near-empty bottle of water because there’s some nerves.’
‘Why a plate of prawns?’
‘You’ve just passed a dozen people with a plate of prawns. It’s the most popular dish here. Thing is, unless they’re coming straight from a vendor, those prawns are going fairly quickly. In this heat you don’t want to be holding them too long.’
‘Okay. What else?’
Before Jay could answer something came into view from his father’s camera that seemed odd. ‘Hold up there a moment, Dad.’
He watched his father appear to shuffle slightly to the side and rest against the edge of a building. ‘Don’t keep me here too long, Jay, or I’ll be the one looking too obvious. What is it?’
Jay looked at the screen intently. ‘Move your camera slightly to the right so it’s facing down the street.’ In an instant the camera moved. Jay looked to Bill’s camera angle. Bill had stopped and was facing across to Ed. ‘Slightly right for you too, Bill.’
The cameras now focused on the one spot, a policeman leaning against a small palm. A half-empty bottle of water at his feet and an untouched plate of prawns in his hand.
Shit! Jay thought. He’s back!
FIFTY
Senior Constable Underwood appeared to be staring into the crowd, scanning their faces, searching for Simpson.
‘Dad, that’s Underwood.’
‘Good work, MacGyver,’ Bill quipped.
‘And there’s Simpson,’ Ed said.
On the screen, Jay could see Simpson walking slowly up the road. He seemed to hesitate as a small boy crossed his path. He had a calm look on his face. Jay knew that Simpson wasn’t carrying any anthrax and that the bomb was disarmed. There was no way on earth he would put his life above that of innocent others. A thing that the bad guys should have realised. Obviously Underwood hadn’t. Bill’s camera still had Underwood in focus; he had promptly put the untouched plate of prawns on the ground and was reaching in his coat.
‘The policeman, Dad,’ Jay called. ‘It’s Underwood. He’s your man. If he hits the buttons on the phone he’ll know he’s been had. You have to move on him now.’
‘Way ahead of you, son.’ Ed had given a pre-designated signal for the riot squad to be mobilised.
Jay watched the teams rush in formation by the guardhouse gates and straight through the traffic.
Then chaos.
Simpson was standing in the middle of the street screaming something Jay couldn’t hear.
‘What’s he saying?’
Ed keyed his microphone and Simpson’s voice came through loud. ‘I’m not going to do it. You’re gonna have to take me out!’
And that’s exactly what Underwood was trying to do. He was frantically pushing buttons on a phone while watching a barrage of undercover cops race for him. The crowd panicked at Simpson’s yelling and the racing forward of the cops. Glasses of wine were dropped, kids scooped up, prawns pushed aside while everyone headed for cover.
Bill had switched his view towards Simpson as he rushed to him.
Ed stalked Underwood, who had promptly dropped the phone and retreated to an alleyway. Jay watched as his father neared the edge of the alley.
‘Don’t do it, Dad. Wait for the local guys.’
Jay could see his father hesitate, then turn to see the mass of police with all the good gear hurtle towards him. An undercover officer, pistol in hand, pulled up beside Ed first. Jay could see his father hold up his hand in an attempt to stop the officer heading into the alley – to no avail.
Two steps in and the undercover officer took a bullet to the head.
The gunshot echoed throughout the panicked masses, who soon turned into a frenzied mob. Jay clambered out the back of the vehicle. He grabbed a crutch to lean on, propped against the boot and held the screen forward. Beyond him, on the main road, tyres screeched, and cars rammed into the back of one another as the festive crowd poured out of Caxton Street. Barricades were hurdled or pushed aside. Terrified kids were being dragged or carried by desperate parents. Stall workers had abandoned their delicacies and raced after the parents out onto the streets.
Perhaps because of the guards, or that the army barracks created a sense of security, the masses headed towards Jay. The guards could do nothing but let them in. Men, women and children made sanctuary within the heritage buildings. The screaming seemed to stop at the front gate and it was obvious they were relieved to make it to safety.
‘Jay,’ Bill said.
Jay looked at the screen. ‘I’m here.’
‘I’ve got Simpson. We’re headed your way.’
‘Okay. It looks clear up this end. Just a panicked mob to get through.’
‘Roger. We’ll be there soon.’
Jay shifted his attention to the other side of the screen. It was focused on the lifeless undercover cop until Ed turned towards the leading police officer of the response force. A lot of nodding and indicating by hand. The leader of the police looked like he was barking some orders and the police began to move into strategic positions.
‘Don’t hang around there, Dad. Underwood is a nutter.’
‘I’ll keep my distance. Did Bill get Simpson?’
‘Both on their way back here.’
‘Good. We’re locking down the area. He won’t get out of here.’
‘He’ll try to shoot his way out.’
‘Marksmen are moving into position. He’s at a dead end. Negotiator is on his way.’
‘He’ll make a move sooner than later. He’s a cop. He knows his best chance is now.’
As if on cue, another shot was fired.
‘What happened?’ Jay asked.
‘Not sure,’ Ed replied. ‘The shot stayed in the alley. Wasn’t aimed this way. We should have overhead eyes on shortly.’
‘Stay low, Dad.’
‘Will do. Let me know when Bill gets to you.’
‘Roger.’
Jay placed the screen on top of the Monaro’s boot and leaned in the car to retrieve his other crutch. He balanced on both, but decided against trying to navigate through the crowd towards the crime scene.
The hordes kept pouring through the gate. They’d slowed somewhat until the second shot rang out, and now the push was on again. Jay could pick out the weak among them, not physically weak or emotionally weak, rather psychologically weak. Those men who pushed by women and children to protect themselves. He was tempted to stand by the guard shack and use his metal crutch to knock out all of those type of men.
Bill and Simpson broke through the crowd and made their way towards Jay. Both men had ear-to-ear grins.
Simpson reached Jay first, held out a hand and said, ‘Jay Ryan, been hearing a lot of good things about you.’
Jay shook Simpson’s outstretched hand and replied. ‘I know. It’s hard to keep him quiet.’ Jay nodded towards Bill, who had joined them. ‘But he generally talks about himself rather than anyone else.’
Bill clipped Jay over the back of the head, before heading to the other side of the car to unclip his camera.
‘Hearing good things elsewhere, mate.’
‘Who’s telling secrets?’
‘That girl you fancy.’
Jay knew who Simpson was talking about, but played dumb. ‘You lost me.’
Simpson started taking off his jacket and anthrax vest. ‘You’re not that good, Ryan.’ He placed the vest on the back of the Monaro, next to the computer screen. ‘Certainly not as good as her.’
‘Toni.’
‘That’s what she called herself. Doubt if it’s her real name though. Anyway, she told me all of your exploits as she was disarming the bomb and removing the anthrax.’
‘It’s been an eventful couple of days.’
‘Can see that. No mention of a busted leg though.’
‘Happened last night. So where is she then
?’
‘Who?’
‘Cut it out.’
Simpson grinned. ‘Your girlfriend? No idea, mate. Dropped me off and disappeared. Told me what I needed to do and that you and your dad would have the rest sorted out. Did they take down Carter?’
‘Wasn’t Carter in there, mate. He’s long gone. This is a copper with a personal beef. Killed Carter and took the phone. I’m guessing he’s got the rest of the anthrax. Reminds me, where’s the stuff from your vest?’
‘Don’t know. I assume your partner has it.’
‘Partner?’
‘Lover, partner, whatever you call it. Says you two are working for some secretive agency.’
Jay raised his eyebrows.
‘Don’t worry, she didn’t get into specifics. Guess you’re leading some eventful life though. Heard about the Mossad thing. Got shot a couple of times, right?’
Jay nodded.
‘Now this. Man, you lot got any vacancies. Figured I passed some kind of test getting this far, right.’
Jay gave a chuckle. ‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, but if your idea of a job involves getting tortured and shot at on a regular basis, you’re welcome to it.’
Simpson shrugged. He nodded to the screen and asked, ‘What’s that? Some of your secret agency gadgets?’
Bill had come back around to join them and answered. ‘That’s mine actually. State-of-the-art wireless surveillance technology. Too expensive for government agencies – private industry only.’
Jay grabbed the screen, pressed a button and asked, ‘What are you up to, Dad?’
Ed Ryan responded almost immediately. ‘Our spotters have identified one body in police uniform lying in the alley. Looks like Underwood took the easy way out. We’re moving in now to confirm.’
The screen started to show Ed moving behind half-a-dozen heavily armed police officers. They moved stealthily through the alley. The clichéd sight of overflowing rubbish bins and old crates littered their path. Nothing was left to chance. Bill and Simpson crowded in to watch the show. Eventually the police path to the front opened up and Ed moved towards the body.