Slingshot s-3

by Matthew Dunn

  Junk.

  His hand became motionless.

  One of the letters wasn’t junk. Handwritten on a cream envelope was his name and address. The postal stamp showed that it had been mailed from London.

  Nobody sent Will handwritten letters.

  Carefully he lifted the letter between forefinger and thumb and held it in midair. It felt light, though Will knew how to make letters of similar weight that could blind or poison when opened. He rotated it, and as he did so he caught the hint of a fragrant scent. Holding the envelope close to his nose, he frowned once he recognized the smell. His frown remained as the saw a water seal on the rear flap bearing the name of the stationer.

  The Letter Press of Cirencester

  A thought suddenly occurred to him, and it was coupled with panic. He dashed to the bathroom, opened the cabinet, and pulled aside deodorants, toothpaste, shaving gear, mouthwash, and a hairbrush. His bottle of Chanel Platinum Egoiste eau de toilette was missing. He ran into the living room, placed the letter on the dining table, and moved to his leather-covered writing desk. Inside its drawer he kept his gold fountain pen, given to him two years ago on the grounds of Versailles Palace by a Czech intelligence officer who’d placed a note inside it telling him how a terrorist unit was planning to kill the Chief of MI6. Alongside the pen would be a bottle of blue ink, a pad of high-quality writing paper, and matching envelopes.

  He used the stationery to write to his sister, though she never replied.

  The paper and envelopes had been purchased from the Letter Press of Cirencester.

  He yanked open the drawers.

  They were empty.

  Turning, he stared at the letter on the table.

  A letter that had been written with his pen on his stationery, and had been squirted with his eau de toilette in order to get him to do what he had just done. The message was clear.

  You can’t trace me via this letter.

  Knowing that someone had been into his home, anger coursed through him. He strode up to the table, grabbed the letter, briefly wondered if he should get it analyzed by a team of forensic experts at Vauxhall Cross, then said, “Fuck it,” and tore open the seal. Inside was a single sheet of paper, nothing else. He eased it out, sat at the table, and held it with two shaking hands.

  Dear Mr. Cochrane

  I have learned from an unexpected quarter that you have made it your business to meddle in my affairs. You seek a man called Lenka Yevtushenko. You have no interest in him per se, but you are most interested in the sheet of paper that he has delivered to me-a paper comparable in size to the one you are now holding. The paper belongs to me, you have no rights over it, and I will severely punish anyone who tries to steal it from me.

  I did consider speaking to you in person about this matter, in a place of my choosing, and under circumstances that perhaps would be rather more conducive to me than you. But I’m told that you are not a man to hunt. Rather than fail in an attempt to capture you and thereby drive you out of contact, I concluded that a letter to you would be a far more efficient and civilized course of action. I’m sure you agree.

  I’m also sure that a man of your intellect will understand that not all of our dealings can be civilized. If I told you to back down or face the consequences, I’m convinced you’d eschew the former in favor of the latter. That inevitable decision has placed me into a rather brutish tactical stance. I don’t like that stance, but you put me there, and here I am.

  You won’t back down because you are not afraid. But you might for something else.

  I’m going to give you a name for you to refer to me by. It is not connected to me and no one else has this name. But it’s a label, eases our introduction to each other, and has been carefully chosen in order to remind you of the consequences of your actions.

  Before I do so, know this:

  If you don’t stop, I will find the name and location of someone you care about.

  And I will savage that person.

  Yours,

  William

  PART II

  Eleven

  Stefan stopped and looked back down the mountain. In German, he said, “Come on, you two. We’re nearly there.”

  His ten-year-old twin sons were several yards below him and were struggling with the walk.

  “We’re tired, Daddy.”

  “Can we stop for a rest?”

  “Not yet.” Stefan waited for them to catch up while looking at the view. No matter how many times he’d made this journey, the splendor of the Black Forest mountain range always captivated him. Today there was a clear blue sky and snow was only present on the very highest peaks. At the base of the mountain, his car was now a red dot, stationary next to a glistening, tranquil lake. “Another two hundred yards, then we can rest, eat, and play.”

  Mathias reached him first and asked, “If we keep doing this, will we be as strong as you, Daddy?”

  Stefan smiled. “Maybe stronger.”

  Panting and red faced, Wendell drew closer and said, “I don’t know anymore if I want to be strong like Daddy.”

  Stefan put his arms around his boys. “You’ve both done well today. Just you wait until I tell Mummy how far you walked. She’ll be so proud of you.”

  “Are you proud of us?”

  Stefan beamed. “I’m the proudest daddy in the world.” He lifted both boys so that they were snug against his waist and said, “I think you’ve walked far enough. Next time we’ll see if you can make it all the way to the top.”

  Carrying them in one arm each, the big schoolteacher strode onward up the mountain. His breathing was relaxed, and the cool air felt good against his smooth face.

  Wendell giggled. “It’s like being on a camel.”

  Mathias laughed and chanted, “Daddy’s a camel. Daddy’s a camel.”

  Stefan grinned. “Camels don’t like mountains and they can’t do this.”

  To the children’s delight, Stefan broke into a run, leaping over uneven ground, sprinting fast despite the incline of the mountain and the weight of his burden. Reaching the summit, he placed them down, breathed in deeply, and said, “I think I was more like a horse. What do you think?”

  Mathias frowned. “Maybe a donkey.”

  Wendell shook his head. “Donkeys don’t run.”

  “Yes they do, stupid.”

  “No they don’t. Not uphill anyway.”

  Stefan looked around. The peak wasn’t high enough for snow, and the area was covered with grass and a few boulders. Removing his knapsack, he pointed at a spot of open ground and said, “This will do us nicely.” They sat together and Stefan stretched out his legs as he began rummaging in the sack. He withdrew a Tupperware box, a bottle of water, and a metal flask. “Let’s see what Mummy has made us for lunch.” From the box, he took out cold meat sandwiches that had been wrapped in waxed paper, a salt-cured sausage, a small jar of homemade pickle relish, a hunk of Bierkaese cheese, and three slices of the stollen cake that his wife had baked for Christmas. Laying the spread on top of the sack, he stated, “Food fit for mountain kings!”

  The boys grabbed the sandwiches and began devouring them. Stefan withdrew a penknife from his fleece jacket, opened the blade, and sliced into the sausage. After unscrewing the jar of relish, he dipped his knife into it, coated a piece of the meat, and tossed the food into his mouth. It tasted very good. “Okay, so what do we know about the Black Forest?”

  Both boys instantly raised their hands.

  Stefan nodded at Wendell.

  In between chewing his food, the child said, “The Romans called it ‘Black Forest’ because the trees are so close together that there’s no light inside the forest.”

  “That’s good, Wendell. Mathias?”

  “The highest mountain is the Feldberg.”

  “How tall is it?”

  Mathias hesitated. “Four thousand six hundred. . no. .”

  Wendell interrupted. “I know! I know!”

  Mathias darted an angry look at his brother. “It
’s my turn to answer.” He held his fingers in front of his face. “Four thousand eight hundred. . and ninety-eight feet.”

  Stefan rubbed the boy’s shoulder. “Excellent. Now, Wendell. What’s the name of the state that administers the forest?”

  Wendell narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me the answer. .” He lowered his head, then looked up quickly. “Baden-Wurttemberg.”

  “Correct.” Stefan cut himself another slice of sausage. “The state has a big responsibility.”

  “But why, Daddy? Nobody comes here. We never see anyone when we do our walks.”

  “That’s because we’re not in a tourist area. And a place can be important even if people don’t visit it.” He smiled. “Anyway, we like being on our own, don’t we?”

  The boys grinned as they took more mouthfuls of their sandwiches.

  Stefan placed his knife down and began unscrewing the flask’s cap. “Last question. Who can tell me if there are any dangerous animals in the forest?”

  The boys nudged each other, clearly excited by the question. “Are there wolves here?”

  Stefan poured tea into a cup. “There used to be lots of them. Not so many these days.”

  “Are they very dangerous?”

  Stefan smiled. “Only if you get close to them. They don’t like that.”

  The boys turned to each other and broke into a private conversation.

  “Even if they are really dangerous, they’re not as strong as Daddy.”

  “Yes, Daddy would be able to defeat a whole pack of them.”

  “He’d probably kill the wolf leader first.”

  “Then the others would run away.”

  “Or maybe they’d make Daddy the new wolf leader.”

  Stefan took a sip of his tea and marveled at the way his sons worshipped him. He knew it wouldn’t last. In three or four years they’d be disagreeing with everything he said and stood for. That wouldn’t matter because he loved his boys unconditionally, though he had to admit that it did make him feel good when they talked about him in such admiring terms. Part of him wished they could stay as children forever. “You’ve both forgotten about a creature in the forest that is far more dangerous than a wolf.”

  The boys’ eyes widened, their expressions expectant. “Tell us!”

  “Lumbricus badensis. The giant earthworm.”

  “It lives here?”

  Stefan nodded. “Only in the Black Forest.”

  “How big is it?”

  In truth, the worms could grow to two feet, but Stefan liked to enrich his sons’ imaginations. “Fifteen feet long, and three feet wide.”

  “Wow! Does it have teeth?”

  “It has fangs. Five rows of them, all razor sharp and as long as your arms.”

  “Where’s its home?”

  “It hides under the ground, making huge tunnels in the mountains and in the valleys. It only breaks through the surface to feed.”

  “What does it eat?”

  Stefan shrugged. “Deer, cattle, sheep. It drags them underground while they’re still alive and takes them to a cavern that is littered with the bones of other creatures. That’s where it kills them, devours them, and drinks their blood.” He stared at them and pretended to look serious. “But, do you know what it really likes to eat?”

  The boys shook their heads fast. They were hanging on his every word.

  “Its favorite meal is little boys.”

  The twins’ mouths opened wide.

  Stefan laughed, and ruffled their hair. “Don’t worry. He sleeps during the day. And anyway, you’re right-nothing in the forest is as strong as Daddy, and that makes me the most dangerous creature here.”

  The boys broke into smiles and started talking to each other with hushed, rapid words, embellishing the size and prowess of the giant earthworm, creating stories about it, their imaginations fully fired up.

  Stefan reached into the sack and withdrew two folded kites, which he assembled and handed to his sons. “Okay, time to have some fun. But remember, no running and try not to get them tangled this time.”

  The boys moved to the place they always stood to fly their kites and spent several minutes attempting to get them airborne. Eventually they succeeded, unspooling their lines all the way until the bright red kites were flying high over the valley.

  Stefan watched his boys and felt utter contentment and peace. Nothing gave him greater joy than seeing his sons happy and carefree. He took another sip of his tea, withdrew an old briar pipe, filled it with his favorite Ottoman blend, and lit the tobacco. The boys were totally absorbed in their activity, staring at their kites, trying to ascertain whose kite was flying the highest.

  They were not looking at him.

  He grabbed the penknife, looked to his left, and jabbed the blade into the ground. For one minute, he cut through the surface until he found what he was looking for. Placing the knife down, he reached into the ground and pulled out a small metal box. He opened it, saw that it was empty, shut it, replaced it in the ground, covered it with the loose soil, and punched the soil until it was compacted.

  He placed one hiking boot over the other, lay back, and relaxed while continuing to puff on his pipe and watch his darling sons. He’d let them play for another thirty minutes or so before they needed to make the descent to the car. After a sixty-minute drive, they’d be home, the children could rest, and he could prepare history lessons for the classes he had to teach the next day.

  He stared across the Black Forest. This had been his home for nearly two decades, first as a single man and now as a husband and father. Every week during that time, he’d come here. But if one day he opened the box and found that it wasn’t empty, then everything would change.

  As he glanced back at his children, Kronos hoped that day would never come.

  Twelve

  Will called Roger from his cell phone. “He’s not going after me. Unless I back down, he’s going to identify someone I care about and kill that person.” He told him about what had happened two hours earlier. “What’s your status?”

  “The team remains static, though yesterday one of them left in a vehicle for three hours.”

  “Did you follow him?”

  “I made the decision that we stay focused on the bulk of the team.”

  “Was he carrying anything when he returned?”

  “No. But if his trip was to meet an asset and get weapons from him, the stuff could have been left in the car. You want us to take a peek?”

  “Not yet. We can’t risk them finding out we’ve tampered with their vehicles. How many cars do they have?”

  “Two. Both SUVs, parked in the hotel garage. Accessible within two minutes of them leaving their rooms.”

  “Any sightings of someone who fits Mikhail’s description?”

  “Don’t think so, but we can’t be certain. Hotel’s got too many damn entrances for us to cover all bases.”

  “Assessment?”

  “I reckon they’re still waiting.”

  Will said, more to himself, “What for?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question.”

  “I might be able to get back tonight. I’ve got a couple of things to sort out first.”

  The line was silent for five seconds.

  “Your world ain’t exactly brimming over with people who care about you. There’s only one person who fits that description.”

  “I agree.”

  Sarah Goldsmith, nee Cochrane, Will’s sister.

  “You think that person’s been identified?”

  “I don’t know! Probably not, but it’s only a matter of time.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Get the person to a safe place.”

  “Police?”

  “Not a chance.” Will had to entrust his sister’s safety to individuals he knew and who had proven themselves to him. “I’ve got people.”

  “Okay.” Roger sighed. “I think you’re right about the witch hunt. But this is getting out of control
. The risks are-”

  “Bloody obvious!” Will regretted snapping. In a calmer voice he said, “Not a word to anyone about all of this.”

  “Sure. When are you seeing her?”

  “Today.”

  “Good luck, because it’s going to be a fucking difficult conversation.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  Will sat on a bench in London’s St. James’s Park and waited. In front of him was a waterway containing ducks, pelicans, and other wildlife. Visible to his left was Whitehall’s Horse Guards Parade. Red-coated mounted Life Guards soldiers were moving in formation across the square, passing in front of the Old Admiralty’s regal buildings and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Will wondered if Major Dickie Mountjoy came here during his daily trips down memory lane. He decided he would because Dickie’s raison d’etre was pomp, ceremony, and the celebration of bygone ages, and Whitehall had that in abundance.

  A woman navigated her way across the parade ground, grimacing as one of the army horses defecated close to her. In her early sixties, she was slightly dumpy, wearing a winter anorak, tweed skirt, purple hat, and flat shoes, and holding a carrier bag. Will kept his eyes on her as she moved into the park, walked along the footpath adjacent to the waterway, and sat down next to him.

  Placing a hand over Will’s hand, she patted it, smiled, and said in a well-spoken voice, “It’s been a while, my dear.”

  Will gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s great to see you again. Thanks for coming at such short notice, Betty.”

  Betty Mayne shrugged. “That’s what I’m here for.” She reached into the bag and withdrew a loaf of sliced bread. “Make yourself useful.” She handed Will several slices of the bread. “But don’t let the greedy ducks take it all.” She began tearing a slice into pieces and tossing bits of bread into the water.

  Will looked at the bread he was holding, felt unsure what to do, then began feeding the birds.

  “Not done this before, have you?”

  “I can’t remember.”

  “That’s no surprise.”