A Young Man's Game

by Paul Blake

  Alec and Claudia crossed the pebbled square, passing the memorial to the book burning, a glass plate set into the floor, giving an underground view of many empty bookshelves. There were a few tourists taking advantage of the early morning to capture some clear photos. Alec and Claudia were walking slightly faster than normal walking pace and when they reached Behrenstraße Alec asked for a moment to catch his breath.

  ‘I’m not as young as you, you know.’ He said breathing heavily, ‘I’ve also got those blisters from the other day.’

  ‘Excuses, excuses. Come on darling, we have to move.’ Claudia cajoled.

  ‘It’s only another ten minutes of pain, I suppose.’

  ‘That’s the spirit, then, of course, we have to hope security lets us through.’

  ‘We have our passes, they should do.’

  Alec took her hand and started moving. Behrenstraße was reasonably quiet, they were held up a few times by students pushing bicycles and talking in twos and threes. They didn’t see any sign of the police. Hopefully, they are searching north of Unter den Linden. They passed restaurants getting set up for the day’s trading. Just before they reached the junction with Friedrichstraße, they stopped and approached the intersection with caution. They looked to their right up Friedrichstraße, they could see the Unter den Linden and far beyond that the arches of Friedrichstraße station, the occasional flash of blue police lights in the distance.

  ‘I think it’s clear.’ Claudia said.

  ‘I agree, let’s try to be casual.’

  They crossed the junction. When they reached the kerb on the other side of the road Alec’s heart jumped in his chest as a police car turned its siren and lights on behind them as it sped up Friedrichstraße towards the station.

  ‘We should have checked the other way too.’ Claudia laughed with relief.

  ‘I think I’m going to need a change of pants.’ He said waiting for the drumming in his ribs to subside. ‘Come on let’s get over there and have a breather.’

  The ‘there’ that Alec was referring to was the covered walkway leading to the Westin Grand hotel. Wide pillars held up the hotel floors above the walkway. The pillars also provided cover for pedestrians from the gaze of anyone driving along Behrenstraße.

  ‘I can’t believe we didn’t notice the police car.’ Alec said, I need this rest.

  ‘I know, talk about a rookie mistake.’

  ‘We can’t do that again, Claude. Oh my god. I almost had a heart attack.’

  ‘I can’t be having that. Not now.’ Her face was serious. ‘We’re getting very close now, how about we take it a little slower and a lot more carefully?’

  ‘That’s a good idea.’ Alec’s heart had slowed to normal levels, his breathing calmer.

  Claudia reached up and held his face between her hands and said, ‘I told you earlier. I don’t want to lose you. If you feel like you’re going to drop dead, you tell me, and we’ll stop, police arrest or Russian Special Forces be damned. We have the printouts showing Harper’s involvement, and you’re innocent. It may mean Harper gets away or the Prime Minister’s schedule gets changed, but so be it. That’s a much better option for me than not having you in my life again.’ She patted his cheeks and smiled. ‘We can do this, only a few more minutes and we’ll be at the embassy, or…’ Her smile turned devious, ‘the Galeries Lafayette is thirty seconds away from here, if you look past this pillar you’ll be able to see it, there’s also a jewellers shop just across the way there too.’

  ‘That’s ok, I believe you,’ he said. He put on an exuberant voice and exclaimed, ‘To the embassy!’ When this is over, I may surprise her though.

  ‘You can have a minute or two to get sorted though. We’re quite sheltered here.’

  Once Alec had recovered they set off again. Just past the Westin Grand was the Komische Opera house, a modern boxy-looking building out of place with the other older buildings around on Behrenstraße. They soon passed it and crossed over Glinkastraße.

  ‘Next turning,’ Alec said.

  Claudia squeezed his hand in acknowledgement. Alec noticed that she was breathing heavier now. He decided not to mention it.

  They walked steadily towards Wilhelmstraße, unconsciously hugging the building side of the wide pavement as though using as a shield to hide them from their unseen pursuers. Alec could see the sign for Wilhelmstraße ahead and the line of car bomb barrier bollards indicating the start of the embassy. He knew from working there that there were two German guards armed with submachine guns and semi-automatic pistols permanently stationed on guard within the closed-off area. The entrance to the embassy further guarded by embassy security. He saw a black SUV turn off from Wilhelmstraße onto Behrenstraße and head towards them, tinted windows, where have I seen that before? The SUV passed them then Alec heard the screech of brakes, he looked around and saw the SUV doors opening. It was forty metres away from him. The Russians! They must have heard of the police sighting and have been looking for me.

  ‘Run!’ He shouted, dragging Claudia after him. They turned on to Wilhelmstraße at speed, Alec could see the embassy gate thirty metres ahead of them. He groped in his jacket pocket for his security pass as he ran. They splashed through the puddles left from overnight rain. He held the security pass in front of him as he ran. Claudia had recovered from his sudden acceleration and had kept pace with him. From the corner of his eye, he saw she had her pass out as well. He heard heavy splashes coming from behind them, gaining. He also heard shouts from the German guards, ‘Halt!’ He could picture them raising their guns and aiming at the pair of them. He hoped the passes and the chasing Russians would make them hold off firing. We’re going to make it. He felt a strong hand on his trailing forearm, the strength in the grip made his body turn toward his assailant, his legs still carried him forward. The movement made him lose his balance, and he stumbled. He heard Claudia cry out ‘Alec!’ as he fell.

  19

  Alec felt the hand that had grabbed his arm loosen as he went down. He rolled into the fall like a paratrooper landing from a jump and inelegantly tumbled through the embassy gate. He still had hold of his pass, and he started saying in a loud, firm voice to the guards he knew would have their guns out and pointed at him, ‘My name is Alec Foster. I work here. I’m British. I need to see Arthur Newbury.’ He stayed on the floor and glanced behind him at the Russian who had almost got him. It was the big soldier from outside the Golden Dolls strip club, he was standing outside the gate. He had a look of hate on his face, he held up his hand and lifted his chin, he slowly dragged his thumb across his neck and turned away in disgust. Alec resisted the urge to give him the middle finger. He repeated his litany hoping it would get through to the guards.

  He heard Claudia’s voice, clear and commanding, ‘Don’t shoot. We work here. Call Newbury he’ll vouch for us.’

  One of the guards told him to stand up and not make any sudden moves. Alec slowly got to his feet. He found he couldn’t quite stand up straight, he was slightly slumped over. I must click my back into place. That fall was not what I needed after the other night. He looked up and saw Claudia in front of him, she was facing him. She was still holding her pass up with her left hand. The other hand was in the air above her head. He looked around him and saw three security guards holding semi-automatic pistols in the weaver stance: both hands on the gun, and the feet in a boxing stance, one foot further forward than the other. Behind the guards Alec could see men and women looking at them with fear on their faces, frozen in place. He repeated his name and asked again for Newbury.

  From a side room door, came more guards, these ones more heavily armed with submachine guns like the German guards outside on the street. They took station between the other guards, their guns up and aimed at Claudia and Alec. There was silence in the entrance hall. Alec could hear his breathing. He thought about saying his name again but decided against it. Wait it out, let the tension dissipate. Reduce the chance of any accidents. He saw Claudia come to the same decision as she h
alf-smiled at him. He fought the urge to wink at her. After what felt like a couple of minutes there was a commotion from behind Claudia, Alec could see Newbury striding towards them coming from the lift area, his head a foot taller than most, pushing gawkers out of his way. He had a look of thunder on his face; he was staring at Alec as he came closer, his eyes boiling in anger.

  Alec looked back at Claudia and jerked his head towards Newbury, she half-turned her head and looked behind her, Alec could see her body relax, her arms dropped an inch, and she looked up at the ceiling in relief.

  ‘I see you finally decided to show up Mr Foster,’ Newbury said, his gravelly voice carrying around the entrance hall. He looked at Claudia, ‘Mrs Hampton? Why are you with the most wanted man in Berlin?’

  Alec saw people behind Newbury whispering to each other, recognising his name from the television and newspapers.

  ‘Arthur, maybe we should take this upstairs?’ Alec suggested.

  Newbury looked around, seeing the people in the entrance for the first time. ‘You may be right.’ He turned to the guards, who were still pointing their weapons at Claudia and Alec, although not as intensely. ‘It’s ok; I’ll deal with these two.’

  Alec breathed out. He stretched out his back hearing the click as it straightened.

  ◆◆◆

  They came out of the lift into the busy office. All chatter ceased at the sight of them. Alec smiled at the few faces that looked at him with welcoming expressions. He made his smile even wider to the ones that didn’t. Newbury took them straight into his office; he slammed the heavy door behind them and went behind his desk. Alec removed his jacket and hung it on the back of the functional wooden chair in front of the desk. Claudia sat closely next to him. There was silence as each person waited for the other to start speaking. Newbury’s eyes bored into Alec’s. Claudia’s hand found Alec’s. Her touch gave him the strength to start.

  ‘Arthur, I know you’re angry at me. There’s a good reason—’

  ‘—There better bloody-well better be. You’ve been missing for two days,’ Newbury said cutting Alec off. ‘Berlin police and the Russians have been looking for you, thinking you murdered Polyakov. The ambassador is going out of his mind trying to deal with the fallout. I’ve had our people out looking for you too. And you just stroll in here like it’s a beautiful summer’s day after a bit of sunbathing in the Tiergarten. Tell me why I shouldn’t sack you here and now and send you back to the UK?’

  Alec paused and gathered his thoughts.

  ‘Arthur,’ he began. ‘I didn’t shoot Jaromir; my gun is still in my drawer in my office. He was shot by someone pretending to be a waiter at the bar. A short man with a long nose, brown hair and wearing a hair band. He had an Eastern European accent. I was sitting there talking with Jaromir. The waiter brought over my drink and shot Jaromir in the forehead with a silenced gun.’ Alec brought his free hand up and indicated where Jaromir was shot.

  ‘And he let you go?’

  ‘No, he shot at me, a bullet grazed my cheek.’ Alec’s hand dropped from his forehead to the mark on his cheek. ‘I threw my drink at him, blinding him, kicked him in the leg and then the head and got the hell out of there. I decided to take the long way to a U-bahn station, rather than getting caught up by the Police. The waiter and his companion, a brute of a man, found me, but I got away from them and onto the train.’

  ‘That’s when I spoke to you, and you said you were heading in, “be there soon.” were your words.’

  ‘Well, I missed the stop,’ Alec omitted falling asleep on the train. ‘Then when I headed back I saw the two goons waiting for me at the station. They were tracking me by my phone signal. I gave them the slip, dumped my phone and got the hell out of there. I wandered around the city for a while.’

  ‘You went to a strip club. What were you thinking? We saw the transaction on your company card account. A strip club? Come on Alec that is taking the piss, even for you.’

  ‘I thought it was too dangerous by then to return to the embassy, the police and the Russians would be staking the place out.’

  ‘You were right there, there were meat wagons either end and a number of Russia’s finest outside.’

  ‘I needed a phone, so I tracked down where my old friend Makary was. He works at the club. The Russians turned up just after I left the club. I saw that Captain you told me about, nasty looking guy with a scar on his face. Olego-something.’

  ‘Olegovich,’ Newbury supplied.

  ‘Anyway, I hid from them, and they went away looking for me. It was about five, six o’clock and I was dead on my feet, so I thought about where I could hole up and get some rest. I thought about going to yours, but it was quite a trek at that time of the night, and I would have had to go in the same direction as Olegovich. I thought that was too risky so I went to Claudia’s.’

  ‘I wondered where you came into it,’ Newbury said to Claudia.

  ‘He turned up looking like he’d been dragged through a hedge,’ she said. ‘He told me what had happened and I let him get sorted and sleep at mine.’

  ‘But you came into work yesterday and didn’t say anything. I even asked you if you had seen him.’

  ‘There was a good reason—’

  ‘—Another one? You two are as thick as thieves. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you holding hands there either. Are you together again?’

  Alec looked at Claudia and then at Newbury. ‘Yes Arthur, we’re together.’ He stared at Newbury as if daring him to say something. When he didn’t Alec continued. ‘Claudia didn’t tell you where I was because I told her not too, because of what Jaromir told me in the bar before he was killed.’

  ‘So, what did Jaromir say to you that was so important?’ His eyes narrowed, and he leant forward, his arms resting on the desk.

  ‘You may find this hard to believe, I didn’t at first. He told me that a government minister was going to be killed, here in Berlin, before the end of the week.’ Alec stopped to let Newbury take that in.

  Newbury was silent for a few moments. Alec could see him processing the information. Alec then decided to up the ante. ‘Arthur, I believe it was the PM he was talking about.’

  ‘What? That’s impossible! Their security is water-tight. I’ve dealt with it myself.’

  ‘It’s an inside job. That’s why I didn’t come in yesterday; Claudia and I were figuring it out. If we had come to you with that yesterday we would have had nothing to prove this, and you would have had to cancel the visit or even worse, tightened the security bringing the person closer into the fold.’

  ‘It’s being organised by someone in this building? Everyone has been thoroughly vetted. There is no way.’

  ‘I’m telling you, Arthur, it is. We can even tell you who it is: Richard Harper.’

  Newbury started laughing, ‘Harper? I hope you are joking. I know you, and he don’t get on. Accusing him is ridiculous. He’s a Head of Section for Christ’s sake!’

  ‘We couldn’t believe it ourselves. We have some proof, but it’ll need further work to make it ironclad.’

  Claudia took the printouts from her bag, unfolded the pages and laid them on Newbury’s desk. ‘This is Harper’s leave schedule for the past three months and an email trail between him and you, Arthur. I have also printed off his contact logs since September also.’ She said.

  Newbury took the pages and spread them out over his desk. ‘What am I looking at here?’

  Claudia and Alec walked him through the pages, they explained their suspicions, mentioning the contact log – both Harper checking on Alec’s and also the lack of entries on Harpers. They told Newbury about Harper and his wife’s social media profiles and their inability to access them.

  ‘Ok, I think you’re right it is not enough, but it is promising. Is there anything else? Have you thought of a motive? What’s he getting out of this?’

  Alec said, ‘I think it’s about power, a terrorist attack on the PM, especially if successful will propel Counter-Terror to the top
of the food chain, ahead of Russia and China, and when you retire next year he’ll be going for your job, once there he can go anywhere. Ambassadorships, government positions, UN envoy, you name it.’

  ‘It seems a high price for not much gain. If he wants my job that badly he only has to ask, it hasn’t brought me much power, and a lot of heartache. He’s welcome to it,’ Newbury said with a resigned tone to his voice.

  ‘You’re still the “Guvnor” here, Guv,’ said Claudia.

  ‘Thanks, Claudia, did you know I’m leaving at the end of next year?’

  ‘I had heard rumours, to be honest, I think it’s a mistake, the service needs people like you… and Alec. But, it’s your decision, where do you think you’ll go?’

  ‘Somewhere peaceful and warm in winter, these old bones cannot take the Berlin winter’s anymore.’