by Alan Wade
“And I bet he farts in bed,” added John.
“Yes he does, the dirty sod,” she responded.
“Thanks you lot, it’s nice to know I have real friends and a woman who tells all at the bar about my little outbursts in bed,” interrupted Alan.
She patted his hand to appease him and quipped, “Don’t get all sulky love, you know they love you and I quite like you too.” She grabbed a cloth and began to clean the red formica surface, then continued, “And I don’t accept rings with less than three carats of diamonds set in platinum. I think platinum sets off well with the colour of my hands, it’s much better than gold.”
With that she splayed out both hands and waved her fingers in the air, then looked at Alan, smiled and winked.
He smiled back, but kept his counsel as he felt the dull ache of sadness in his chest.
As Jacky’s attention was taken by the arrival of three couples Alan turned to his two friends, looked at them both and said, “Can I be serious for a few minutes, fellas?”
“You are going to wed the lass aren’t you,” gasped John.
“No I’m not,” he hissed, “now please, bloody well listen for a minute,” his face sent the clear message to shut up which they did before he continued, “I want you both to remember this; this is me, this is Alan Johnson in this pub, drinking this beer with you my friends. I want you also to read the postcards I will send you and I want you to do exactly what it says on them.”
John looked at Dave and then back at Alan then replied, “Are you pissed?”
“No, I’m not pissed, now, if I buy the next two rounds will you agree to at least read the bloody post cards?”
“Yes Alan,” both John and Dave dipped their heads, raised their eyes and grinned sheepishly, “we promise.”
“Oh fuck off you two,” he growled.
“Yes, we promise,” to which they both laughed as Alan smiled and slowly shook his head.
He looked around the bar, was surprised to see no Plod, watched the three couples take their drinks and disappear into the pit and then called to Jacky, “Is Donald upstairs?”
“Yes,” came the reply from around the bar, “but I don’t think he’s speaking to you; as yet again you’re taking away his best barmaid.”
“Call him will you love and ask if I can have a word with him.”
“Minutes later she came around the bar and quipped, “He said you were to make love and travel but when I said you would be doing that tomorrow, he said you could go up.”
“Wow, allowed upstairs, that’s an honour,” teased Dave.
“Watch him,” smiled Jacky “when he asks me he’s usually in bed in the nude.”
“How the hell do you know that,” he hissed.
She raised her eyebrows and smiled but said nothing.
He climbed the stairs, walked along a corridor and entered the first small room he came to. The walls were cracked and in need of painting, the window needed replacing and the carpet looked Dickensian.
“Good God Donald, this place is a dump.”
“Save the surveyors report, this is where I live, and this is why I have to get all my girlfriends thoroughly pissed before I dare bring them here. Now tell me, apart from taking my best bar staff away again, what the hell do you want?”
“Quite simple,” he replied as he took from his pocket four small parcels and placed them on a table. “You know my cronies downstairs, John and Dave, well I would like you to give them each one of these when I send you all a postcard. A third one is stamped and addressed and I’d like you to post it when you give out the others; the fourth one I’ll tell you about on a postcard I’ll be sending you.”
“Why can’t you give them the fucking things now,” snarled Donald.
Because it’s a surprise, a joke about where I will have been when I send the postcards.”
“What is it, a pair of Jacky’s pants, because that’s where you’ll have been for most of the cruise,” he laughed at his own tasteless joke.
Alan smiled insincerely, “Thanks, but no, it’s just an in joke so can I please rely on you.” He pulled out a fiver and placed it on the table saying, “I’ll even buy you a couple of pints for your trouble.”
Donald grabbed the fiver and the four small parcels then said, “Give us the fucking things here, I’ll give them out as you asked, now bugger off and let me rest, I’m on from 5.30 to closing.”
July 24th, Alma Lodge Hotel, Stockport.
Major Steve Rock had listened to the introductions from his new colleagues. He now had eight team members who would track Johnson on the cruise; five men and three women. He had intelligence, diplomacy, tracking, electronics, communications and muscle at his disposal.
He had built a file for each team member and presented this in order that the whole team knew their target. He had informed them they would get total cooperation from the Costa ships crew and the authorities at all ports except Alexandria. He new the Egyptians would not allow the forceful arrest and removal of aliens on their territory without their involvement; therefore Alexandria would be the port where the team would be at its most disadvantaged. They had concluded the meeting with a question and answer session and he felt good as he shook their hands on departure.
His team comprised, Sergeant David Impey, SAS; Captain Robert Smart, SAS ; Staff Sergeant Alison Stevens and Mrs Sarah Jones, electronics and communication; Mr David Blond and Doctor Patel, intelligence and diplomacy; and Miss Sarah Bell, tracking. They would all be seconded into the security wing of Costa, giving them minimum exposure to passengers in general but maximum exposure to specific passengers.
He felt more confident than ever before, regarding this case and smiled to himself as he walked to his bedroom. This time he’d get the bastard.
Chapter 18
August 8th, The Costa Atlantica, at Sea.
The cruise to date had been uneventful for all concerned. At every port Alan and Jacky had disembarked on a scheduled excursion and along with a few thousand other travellers seen the local sights, ruins and shops. On every occasion he had spent a great deal of time with her but had then found a bar and drunk alone, while she hit the local shops.
She had improved her wardrobe on nearly every shore visit and had written and mailed local postcards to friends at home. He had been observed adding a few sentences, which had been read and accepted as the normal thing to do.
He had seemed the ideal companion, spending virtually all his time with her but with the occasional private visit to bars both on shore and on the ship. To date he had met with no others.
Rock’s team were professional and committed and in his view had never compromised the surveillance operation, however the information gathered so far was that two people had gone on holiday to eat, drink, sightsee, dance and have sex on a regular basis. His reports back to Bagshaw were of a seemingly normal couple on holiday.
Alan Johnson’s thoughts were slightly different, he had believed he would be followed but had no confirmation at Manchester airport, on the transfer to Savona or when boarding the Costa Atlantica. He suspected they would not just allow him to go and therefore he must be electronically stamped and humanly shadowed. He had checked every single item of his luggage and his clothing, he had checked the cabin and asked for and been moved to another dining table. As yet he had found nothing to indicate surveillance which in itself worried him. “Surveillance people must be somewhere, as must electronics,” he questioned to himself.
On day three of the cruise, Jacky had booked a “wellbeing” experience in the Costa Atlantica’s Samsara Spa, to include Thalassotherapy, Rock Sauna, Thermal Bath and Tepidarium plus an Aromaspa Ocean Wrap. The whole experience concluded Alan, would take two or three hours giving him time to double check the cabin.
After seeing her into the “wellbeing” experience, he returned to the cabin and systemat
ically set about sweeping the place for electronic devices. One hour later having checked the TV, the fridge, remote controls, all lights, the bed, the walls, tables, chairs, carpets, ceiling vents, the mirrors and even the safe he had not found a single thing.
He sat on the bed and dialled the reception. Two minutes later he replaced the receiver and gently stroked his chin. He had asked for an upgrade of cabin. His request had been denied on the grounds they were all taken but when he had asked for a similar cabin on a lower deck three cabins had been offered. He had then been asked if he would like to see and choose one immediately. He had declined the offer and now lay on the bed deep in thought. Minutes later he sat bolt upright and shook his head, his thoughts racing.
“You bloody fool, you’re the one who advocates keep it simple and you never thought about Jacky; they’ve bugged her stuff, not mine or the cabin. Shit,” he thought, “Jacky’s stuff.”
He lay back on the bed, began to breathe more slowly and then smiled. He started to search the things which rarely left her side and found one listening device in the handle of her favourite large handbag and one in a stud on the bottom of the bag. He made good his find, replaced the bag and lay back on the bed.
“We’ll leave everything the same until just before Alexandria and then change her wardrobe if we have to,” he mused.
He then concentrated on the people. “If we have listening devices in her possessions we must have local people.”
He leaned over, picked up the telephone and ordered a club sandwich with a beer. Just ten minutes later he answered the knock at the door and took possession of his sandwich and beer. He thanked the female waitress and closed the door as she left. Immediately he picked up a bundle of Euro bills, opened the door, took his key and raced after her.
“Excuse me,” he shouted to gain her attention, which had the correct effect, “I am so sorry, I forgot to tip you,” he smiled as he peeled off four €5 notes, which he offered to the girl. She took the notes without hesitation and smiled back at him. He looked up and down the corridor, checked they were alone and again smiled back.
“May I ask you a few questions?”
She looked at him with a surprised expression and replied, “How can I help?”
“A friend of mine wants to get a job on a ship but she’s worried there’s no community spirit and people just drift from ship to ship,” he paused and looked at her then asked, “I wondered if you could tell me about this ship and the staff on it.”
“Well, I’ve been on this ship for two years and many of the catering staff have been here too. I’ve also become friends with quite a lot of staff, so I think your friend will be OK. I think the majority of us stay on the same ship if we can because we get to know how everything works on that ship.”
He stroked his head and commented, “So, the majority of staff on board have been with this ship for a couple of years?”
“Yes.”
“Which jobs seem to have the highest turnover of staff then if it’s not catering?”
“It’s definitely security.”
“Not cabin stewards?”
“Oh no, they stay on as long as we do.”
“So you wouldn’t recommend her to join security?”
“No, they don’t seem to have a social life with the other staff and they don’t blend in.”
“So, how many security staff have changed on this ship?”
She shook her head and replied, “I don’t know how many but I know there are new faces,” she smiled and turned saying, “I must go now my supervisor will be asking where I am.”
He pulled out a €50, gave it to her and asked if she might be able to find out the new additions to security. She took the money and agreed to the trade, oblivious it seemed to the totally different request and how she might get the details to him.
They parted and he walked to the central stairs and descended to Deck 5, the Samsara deck. He entered reception and was greeted with soft music, light perfume, very deep carpets and beautiful women dressed in white. He was quickly greeted after which he asked about his girlfriend and how long she may be before surfacing from the spa. He also asked about the availability and costs of a beautician and booked Jacky an appointment for the next day as a surprise gift. As he left and walked down the corridor he passed by two security officers who nodded, smiled and entered the spa. He instinctively turned, followed them and held his body close to the open reception entrance. Two minutes later he sprinted down the corridor and out of sight.
He sat in the Sportsman’s bar, ordered a Budweiser and assessed his findings. At least two security officers, one male, one female were very interested in what Alan Johnson was doing in the Spa. But, how had they known where he was, he had been silent in the cabin and only spoken to the waitress in the corridor. Therefore they either had visual contact of the cabin or they had picked up the lack of movement and breathing in the cabin and set about searching for him. Either way there had to be more than two on the surveillance team.
He downed his beer and checked the people around him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He walked back to his cabin, closed and locked the door then opened his wardrobe to reveal the cabin safe. He swiped his credit card across the slide and after a few seconds the bolts disengaged allowing him entry into the safe. He checked the contents which were passports, cash, a cheque book, a wallet, a purse and some jewellery. He rearranged the items placing the passports on top of his cash and cheque book and sandwiched one hair between the two passports. He then slowly closed the safe and swiped his credit card to engage the bolts.
He then answered a knock at the door to find Jacky looking radiant and very relaxed. He closed the door behind her and took her hand as she walked towards the bed.
“You look as though you thoroughly enjoyed the experience, love.”
She lay on the bed and opened her dressing gown revealing matching light pink satin bra and pants.
“Wow love,” he sighed, as his left hand began to stroke her thigh, “you look as if you might need some more gentle massage.”
She took his hand and placed it back on the bed then turned and whispered to him, “No thanks love, not just now, what I want to do now is just sleep for a couple of hours.”
With this she pulled her dressing gown tightly across her body, looked again at his face and said, “I’d like to sleep in peace if that’s OK darling.”
He grunted, sat up and swung his feet off the bed, “I get the message; see you in a couple of hours. I’ll be in the casino at seven, if you’re not there by seven thirty I’ll come back here.”
“Thanks Love,” she responded sleepily, “see you then.”
He closed the door and decided to walk the whole ship to see if he was being shadowed.
At six fifty he entered the casino, walked to the cashier and exchanged €200 for chips. He often played poker and occasionally blackjack, but on this occasion he sat alone at the slots and played Deuces wild poker on a machine. He dropped in a €10 chip, selected the one euro game and hit the play button. The wheels spun a losing game and he continued to slowly lose his money as he thought about his tour of the ship. He had walked every accessible area from deck ten down to deck three and had purposefully walked along the cabin deck corridors because they were hundreds of feet in length. The only people he had observed more than twice on his tour had been security staff and cabin stewards, all of whom seemed to be going about their business. He hit the play button and looked quickly sideways to the cashiers desk, then just as quickly returned his gaze to the machine. He smiled outwardly at the reels which had spun four kings, paying €20 and inwardly at his observation of the same male security officer he had seen, on two previous occasions on his tour. He hit the cash button on the machine, picked out his euros, walked to the cashier’s desk and turned to the security officer saying, “Excuse me, what is the lowest bet you can p
lace on a Blackjack table?” Alan observed him closely as he asked the question, but saw little anxiety in the man.
“I’m sorry sir, I don’t actually work in the casino, I was just passing through, but I will ask for you.”
He didn’t need to ask, as the cashier called out that the minimum bet on Blackjack was €5 on table three.
He thanked her, smiled at the security officer and asked, “You’re from England aren’t you?”
He nodded his head and replied, “Yes sir, Leeds.”
“Wow, a Yorkshireman on a Costa cruise, good for you,” Alan smiled and turned to walk away.
“Thank you sir, good evening,” came the response.
He returned to his machine and inserted another €10 chip. He spun the wheels and reflected on his conversation, “If that isn’t military then I’m not ex-military. So he may be shadowing me, but a lot of ex-military join security companies when they leave service so it may just be a coincidence. However, an English serviceman on an Italian ship,” he pursed his lips thinking, “this could be mere coincidence or a potential problem.”
By August the 9th he had discovered a further two listening devices in Jacky’s possessions and now knew that anything he did with her would be monitored.
August 10th, Malta.
Alan rose early, donned his dressing gown and walked onto the balcony. His watch read 07.30 and he waited for the tap on the cabin door which came minutes later to bring fresh orange juice, tea and coffee for two. He poured himself a cup of tea, picked up his binoculars and sat on the balcony surveying the ship’s entry into the port of Valletta. To him this was one of the most spectacular ports in the world, the strait into the port being flanked by immense cliffs rising hundreds of feet sheer from the sea. He smiled as the Atlantica nosed into the harbour because Malta held a special place in his memories.
He was so engrossed in the docking of the one hundred and five thousand tonne ship that he did not hear Jacky wake, then shower and dress and was surprised by her as she squeezed her body close to his back.