The Midnight Falcon

by Graham Saunders

  Chapter 2

  On a warm September afternoon Valentina Gussev made her entrance to the foyer of the Equis Security offices.

  "May I be of assistance?" the receptionists asked with a deferential smile.

  "I hope so." Valentina returned the smile with a softness that may have betrayed a slight nervousness to a keen observer. "I have an appointment with a Henry Powell for two thirty... If you could let him know that I have arrived." Her English was impeccable, maybe the slightest of accents, possibly Scandinavian Anna thought. With blond hair and blue eyes she certainly had the caricatured look of an attractive Scandinavian woman.

  "One moment..." She tapped briefly at the keyboard of her computer. "You are Miss Gussev?" She asked.

  "Yes I am." Valentina replied. with a genuineness that offered no glimpse of the harshness of life she had endured in recent years.

  "If you could take a seat in the visitor's lounge I will tell him that you are here."

  Henry Powell had been with Equis for five years and was a competent if unexceptional manager. It took him three minutes to appear, slightly out of breath, at the glass doors to the comfortably elegant visitor's lounge. Valentina was perched on a leather chair and Henry thought he could detect a nervous tension emanating from the woman.

  He held out his hand in greeting and escorted his visitor via a brief lift ride into a bright office that caught the afternoon sun. Powell twisted the blinds to allow a softer light to fill the room.

  "Can I offer you tea or coffee?"

  There was a pause before Valentina replied as if she were unaccustomed to such pleasantries.

  "Maybe a little water." She finally said.

  "Of course... Please take a seat." Powell filled an expensive looking crystal glass from the water cooler and handed it to Valentina before taking his seat. "Now how may Equis help you Miss Gussev?"

  Valentina sipped the cold water.

  "Before I say any more I need your absolute assurance that what I am about to tell you will be held in the strictest confidence."

  "That goes without saying Miss Gussev."

  "Well it would be nice to hear you say the words." Valentina offered him her most brittle of smiles. There was possibly shyness in the smile but behind it a glimpse of a steel core that made Powell reconsider his initial opinion of the woman.

  "Well of course you have my word that your business will be held in the strictest confidence, as is the case with of all our clients."

  "I have done my research into your company and would not be here unless I was inclined to believe that Mr Powell. I represent the government of Sachovia and there is a delicate mission we wish to engage your firm's assistance in undertaking."

  "In what way can we help in this mission?"

  "I do not know how familiar you are with the internal politics of Sachovia. I suspect you have scant knowledge of my country, but there is a popular move to re-establish a constitutional monarchy which my government is inclined to support. The heir to such a monarchy, and there is only one clearly identifiable surviving heir, is in exile. A direct descendant on her grandmother's side, she has been kept safe by the government in secret since the death of her elder brother. Many believe that her brother was poisoned by the anti-monarchists but the official story revolves around a fatal illness. We need to bring the child safely back home to Sachovia. In a country such as yours that would represent no problem, but for my homeland... Let's just say that the niceties of democratic ways have yet to be fully rediscovered. There is a powerful faction, supported in part by the opposition party that does not want to see the return of the monarchy. They are rather fanatical in their beliefs and we feel that an open return would be met by a concerted attempt on the girl's life."

  Powell's eyebrows were raised a notch by the revelation.

  "I see, this sounds to be quite a complicated situation."

  "Yes, complicated on many levels. As monarchists there is only one chance – if Natasha Kashinka is assassinated then the links to the old dynasty would be lost forever. Short of inventing a new royal family, which seems preposterous, our hopes for re-establishing a monarchy would be lost for ever."

  "Your story is fascinating Miss Gussev... So I assume you are looking for a group of close protection officers to escort the child to Sachovia."

  "We would prefer to keep the operation very low key; we were thinking more along the lines of a single escort travelling incognito. We cannot risk the opposition becoming aware of what we intend. Once the princess is back home we feel that the people will rise to her support and we believe that the opposition to the monarchy will then evaporate. No party with political ambition would then risk an open attack once she was fully established back in Sachovia."

  "Until then you feel she would be a vulnerable target."

  "Very much so... The child is barely thirteen and would not have the resources to take care of herself. Sachovia, as you will know, is only recently independent and still recovering from a debilitating war, we do not have the capacity to undertake this mission without expert professional help."

  "I fully understand your position." Powell nervously adjusted his tie. "The fact is... I find myself a little out of my depth with an enterprise such as the one you have outlined. If you will permit me... I would like to take advice from a senior director."

  "As you wish Mr Powell."

  "If you could excuse me for just one moment."

  Powell left the client in his office, paced across the hallway and tapped on Derek Penfold's door.

  "What is it Henry? You look rather flustered."

  Henry quickly told him the gist of what his visitor had said.

  "OK Henry you did the right thing... This is a job for Jane I think."

  He picked up his phone and spoke to the company chairwoman in rather hushed tones.

  "Yes... in Henry's office... OK."

  Derek put down his phone and turned back to Henry.

  "She's coming down, you'd best go back and wait with the client.

  Jane Freeman rode the lift down and emerged in the lobby of the sixth floor opposite Henry Powell’s office. Best described as petite, Jane Freeman stood five feet four in her tallest heels and weighed as much as a bag of sparrows. It would be a mistake however to consider this to suggest that she was in any way frail. She wore a dark grey trouser suit and her hair was tied back in a simple short pony-tail. She tapped on the door as a courtesy and entered.

  "Hello Miss Gussev..." Jane clasped the hands of the woman who sat cross-legged with an air of being removed from her comfort zone. "I'm Jane Freeman, the chairwoman of Equis; the undertaking you have outlined is well within our capability but Henry was right in seeking advice for something with such a political frisson." Jane turned a smile on Henry. "You can leave us to continue Henry; just close the door on the way out."

  Henry was rather relieved but also slightly miffed at being ousted from his own office; he decided to take solace in a cup of coffee and something sweet from the vending machine.

  "I seem to remember Equis having dealings in Sachovia some years ago when my Father was still chairman..." Jane said.

  "Yes, in fact that is why your company was first on our list. During the turbulent years as the communist leadership melted away and our country was left rudderless... There was need of... Some rather specialist undercover work. I was a rather naive twenty five year old back then and was fortunate to have briefly worked with your Mr Linden on a particular clandestine project... I understand that he may still work for your organisation Miss Freeman?"

  "Colby?... Well yes but these days he has withdrawn from the limelight rather. There was an unfortunate incident."

  "Let me be blunt Miss Freeman. I am familiar with Colby's apparent fall from grace. I did tell Mr Powell that I had done my research on Equis. The fact is that the Sachovian government has continued trust in Colby Linden. He served our country well and we like to keep our friends close. We are aware that he has fallen from grace... Might I specu
late that he has fallen on his sword to protect the reputation of Equis?"

  Jane winced inwardly at the suggestion but said nothing maintaining an easy composure.

  "Well... You will no doubt have your reasons" Valentina continued "but the fact that he might now be considered less operationally trustworthy might suit us well. This mission will of necessity be clandestine and the lower the profile of those involved the less static they will generate and the less likelihood there is of alerting our adversaries – The mission needs to go undiscovered." Valentina paused and shifted her position in her chair. "Miss Freeman, it is no secret that we need to bring the girl home; our enemies are resourceful and vigilant. They are waiting for an opportunity to strike. Should we for example engage an armoured car and a company of heavily armed men to escort her, the anti-monarchists would have little difficulty in mounting a military style attack, the same would be the case if we tried to air-lift her into the capital. We need to be discrete with Natasha's escort; the most unlikely man will attract the least attention and if he can bring our princess home unnoticed then my mission will be complete."

  "Your reasoning makes a good deal of sense to me Miss Gussev, but only if the man you chose as escort is a competent as you assume Mr Linden to still be."

  "Well yes... I hope you are not suggesting that Mr Linden is no longer a capable operative."

  "I would not go that far..." Jane was suddenly alarmed to realise that she had no idea how Colby Linden was these days. He used to be THE man to look to for any difficult mission but as far as she was concerned he had slipped completely off her radar screen since the Saudi incident. In her defence the incident was somewhat before her time.

  "Miss Freeman, I have put my cards on the table, can we approach the minor matter of your fee should you wish to assist us?"

  "The fee for our services depends on how much resources we need to apply to the operation. There will need to be a calculation before I can suggest any figure. What I can say is that we would expect a fifty percent advance – non-refundable in other than exceptional circumstances, with the balance payable on successful completion."

  "That would not be a problem. Sachovia's economy is starting to flourish... we will be willing to offer your company a substantial financial incentive if you are prepared to undertake this simple mission on our terms. We have assumed a figure of up to five million sterling."

  Jane freeman leaned back in her chair. Five million was an astronomical figure; much larger than any single contract had ever attracted before.

  "I'm sure we can accommodate you for a little less than that Miss Gussev." Jane said as she successfully kept her burgeoning smile in check. "I can fully understand your reasoning Miss Gussev and I can assure you that we are well equipped to satisfy your needs. The problem I have is with Mr Linden... I am not sure he would even be willing to undertake the job... A matter of confidence you understand. His self assurance took a battering after the incident to which you have alluded and the similarities between that commission and the one you have proposed may be too much for him to accept."

  "I think maybe you underestimate Colby... Or am I wrong, do you maybe overestimate him?"

  Jane tapped her nails on the desk top.

  "I'm not quite sure what you mean by that... In any case I want to select the best man for the job. We have several low profile close protection officers who would be more than competent enough to escort a child across Europe."

  "We believe that Colby Linden is the best man for the job. I know for a fact that he would put his life on the line to protect Natasha... Would your alternatives make the same commitment?"

  Jane smiled, she was unused to negotiating with such a determined client but was unwilling to show how unsettled she had become.

  "Look miss Gussev, let me talk to Mr Linden... If he is willing to undertake the commission then I will, with some reluctance, agree to your request. But you must understand that in this business reputation is everything. Should Colby Linden be seen to have failed to protect another client, then my company would likely be ruined... I cannot let that happen... If you insist on using this man, then we may have to keep the involvement of Equis in the operation out of the public gaze.

  "That would not be a problem Miss Freeman. So would Colby be available to speak with me now?... My instructions are to get this undertaking resolved as quickly as possible."

  "I would like to talk to Mr Linden in private first Miss Gussev... Could we perhaps meet again tomorrow?"

  "My schedule is quite tight Miss Freeman... I suppose I could delay until tomorrow morning."

  "Can you be here at ten Miss Gussev? Or I could come to your Hotel... I will have discussed the matter with Mr Linden by them."

  Valentina nodded with apparent satisfaction and indicated that she would return on the following morning. Jane elicited Henry Powell’s assistance in escorting her visitor back to the lobby and then quickly returned to her own office. She found her secretary under a mound of paperwork and asked her if she could call Colby Linden and ask him to come up to her office... "Straight away please Penny."

  Jane sat at her computer and brought up Colby's file. She had always had a soft spot for him. In her father's time he had been something of the local hero. To say she had a crush on him back then would have been overstating the case but she was surprised at how the discussion of him had caused an unexpected frisson. The Gussev woman, whatever her true motivation, had certainly got close to the truth in suggesting that Colby had made himself the scapegoat. As far as Jane was concerned, the man had done all he could to complete the mission and save the boy. There was nothing in his file to point to any operational failure on Colby's part and if he had truly been culpable, why she wondered, had her father not simply sacked him from the company? Her musings were interrupted by the man himself.

  "Colby, come in sit down. It's a while since we've spoken." He seemed to have aged since they had last met. Maybe the fact that he bore a day's growth of stubble on his cheeks and was wearing what appeared to be a suit that he might have inherited from his grandfather added to the rather down at heel appearance. She wondered if they were paying him enough. Her eyes scanned his file and alighted on the salary figure. She was appalled.

  "When did you last get a pay rise Colby?"

  "Er... Not since your father's time, rather before the Khan debacle Miss Freeman."

  "Call me Jane for God's sake... So who's your line manager? Your file is vague on the matter."

  "I don't actually have a line manger; I was sort of left to my own resources."

  "For fuck's sake why don't I know about this?... You were one of... No bugger that... not one of, you were our BEST man." Colby shrugged.

  "What happened Colby?"

  "I know it was before your father died but you must be familiar with the story, don't make me go over that old ground again.."

  "I know about the tragedy of the Saudi boy... What I don't know about is the tragedy of Colby Linden."

  "I stuffed up... I guess I've been living in a state of... Atonement."

  "Don't you think it's time to move on?" Jane asked with a deep sigh. Her words were met with another shrug.

  "OK Colby, I'm going to sort this out... Starting with your appalling salary. By my calculation you are also due some serious back pay. Then I'm going to shift you back into operational service." She paused looking for a response. There was nothing she could read in the stillness of his steel grey eyes. "Is that something you could embrace, or have the fires gone out?"

  "Oh the fires still burn Jane."

  "Good, that's bloody good Colby. I would have liked to let you dabble in the shallows for a while until you find your feet but... The fact is your services have been requested on a contract that you may find emotionally difficult..."

  Jane stood and walked to the cocktail cabinet. She poured them both a modest measure of scotch and was surprised to feel her fingers trembling as she raised the glass to her lips. "I think you may know a woman by t
he name of Valentina Gussev."

  Colby felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle at the mention of her name. His mind danced back a decade; to a scene now only half remembered. Snow and ice and fire and passion. There was danger which only added to the intensity. The clandestine mission involved recovering some important papers rescued from the chaos of a country on the verge of a tragic civil war; it was a successful undertaking and along the way he and the young, beautiful, passionate Valentina Gussev had briefly collided. He had left a part of his heart with her when he had been required to return to Britain. He could feel the pain of her loss again and it was almost welcome after the years of numbness that he had endured.

  Slowly Jane explained what Valentina Gussev had proposed. A close protection escort job... another vulnerable child that needed to be kept safe. She stressed that he was not obliged to accept the job and could work his way up from the shallows if that was what he wanted. Colby ran his hands across his face and realised that he had not shaved that morning; an omission that the old Colby, the one that Valentina knew, would never have made. He felt a sudden urge to find that old Colby Linden again but that man was buried deep now under years of self pity.

  "As you know Jane," He said in a soft, dry throated voice that Jane had to strain to hear. "I was in Sachovia a decade ago. I have a fondness for the place. I'd like to to do this... The fact is I'm not sure I'm up to it any more."

  "There's no pressure Colby; I'd like us to win this contract but I can walk away from it if necessary." As Jane spoke however, she inwardly winced at the thought of losing the lucrative contract.

  "Can I have a little time?"

  "No, that's not an option Colby. They want to get things moving straight away."

  He sighed, his reflection bounced back at him from the polished glass walls. He saw an old man. Maybe only forty two but too old for this. Inaction had left him weary. A pity – he really would have liked to have seen Valentina again...

  "Find someone else Jane... If it were anything other than escorting a kid..."

  "OK I understand... Maybe Standish would be suitable." She added.

  "Standish is an over confident arse Jane... He'd go at it like a bull in a china shop." Jane already knew that, she had no intention of letting Standish any where near this case. Just a prod to see if there was a glimmer of life left in the old dog. Colby was surprised to discover that maybe there was.

  "You Jane" he said with the beginnings of a long forgotten grin "are as wily as your old man."

  "I know... So?"

  "I'll talk to Valentina... If she can convince me that I'm up to it then I'm in."

  "Thank you Colby, I'll give her a call and arrange a meeting... Oh and Colby... Get yourself a new suit for Christ's sake."

  Colby leaned across the desk and gave his boss a kiss on the cheek. She accepted it with barely a flush. No one else in the company had ever dared to do that before. She thought that maybe she had unwittingly woken a sleeping tiger. The thought rather amused her.