The Shadow's Code

by Miles Goodson

  “Looks like we may have company tomorrow. Don’t let it change anything!” he shouted. The men responded with collective nods.

  Chapter 41

  Lindon was going about his routine oblivious to the manhunt that was now closing in on him.

  Over the last couple of weeks he had become more confident that no one knew where he was. He waited until after sunset to leave his lodge and walk to his garage. He unlocked his car and checked the fuel level and switched on all the lights. As the indicators pulsed he slowly walked around the Land Rover. Everything was working and the fuel tank was full. Lindon went through this same routine each day and was becoming bored. Especially as he and Stephanie had become closer since their first date. Both of them had thought that date may be the last time they would lay eyes on each other but instead it had relighted a fire. Stephanie had visited four times over the past two weeks and Lindon had travelled south twice to meet her just outside Stockholm. The pair were falling in love all over again, but Lindon’s circumstances made things much tougher than they needed to be. He stood for a moment thinking of Stephanie then snapped back to reality.

  Lindon stepped out of the storage container and breathed in the cold air. Mid January was especially cold and the snowfall meant that Lindon was spending more than an hour a day trying to clear an area outside his lodge. The ground was frosty and solid to walk on. In such cold conditions Lindon liked to check out the most secret part of his lodge. It remained a secret from everyone, including Stephanie. There was a short tunnel between his home and the garage. It was only a couple of feet under the ground and was only just wide enough for Lindon to crawl through. Lindon had dug it himself years ago as a last resort for escape. He decided that instead of walking out into the snow he would inspect his tunnel. The walls and ceiling looked in good shape and the lights worked; there were only two LED lights along the whole path. It took a full minute for Lindon to crawl to the other end and open up the hatch underneath his bed.

  He crawled out and swung his legs around to stand up; as he did he noticed headlights through the trees shining towards the house. He immediately ducked down. Lindon wasn’t expecting a visitor. He kept low and moved towards his gun cupboard. As Lindon turned towards the window his phone vibrated on the shelf. The phone number was withheld.

  “Hello,” Lindon whispered.

  “Hey Lindon, you home? It’s Chris, I’m outside.” Lindon’s shoulders dropped and he breathed easy.

  “Yeah, I’m home Chris.” The headlights disappeared. Lindon was still holding his rifle. Chris walked up to the lodge and arrived with a thin layer of snow on his shoulders. He was his usual loud and blunt self.

  “Terrible weather… I’ve heard it’s going to clear up tomorrow, though. No snow forecast for the next four days,” he said. Chris sat in Lindon’s armchair.

  “Yeah, so what do I owe the pleasure, Chris?” Lindon put his rifle behind the door and walked into the living area. Chris hadn’t even noticed Lindon was holding a gun.

  “Well, as always I come bearing gifts. Not of the physical kind, mind you.” Lindon smiled.

  “No you never do… coffee?” he asked.

  “Have you gone soft or something? I’ll have a cold beer or be on my way if you haven’t got one,” Chris said gruffly.

  “Hold onto the hair you’ve got left!” Lindon laughed. “Bud or Coors light?”

  Chris threw his hands in the air. “Coors bloody light! Do I look like a man that enjoys a light beer… oh yes, maybe I could have a salad with it.” Chris’s sarcasm wasn’t about to end any time soon. Lindon went to the fridge and clipped the tops off two bottles.

  “Cheers,” Lindon said as he sat down. Chris took a long swig and belched.

  “So I was speaking to a friend of mine over at MI5 earlier… about nothing in particular. I like to keep my ear in the game… y’know.” Chris looked around as he spoke. Lindon nodded. “So anyway, he tells me about a recent shoot-up in London. Apparently the Americans had started a manhunt for a guy who was of high interest.” Lindon was as cool as ever after hearing Chris’s revelation of a manhunt that he knew he was the center of. “Turns out this guy is of huge significance and he’s gone to ground… my friend asked me if I knew anything.” Lindon straightened up his back.

  “You didn’t…”

  “Well of course not, what do you take me for… but you’re going soft, my friend. Got you to play your hand within three minutes of walking through the door. I had a bet with myself that it would take at least five.” Chris said then took another gulp of beer.

  Lindon clenched his back teeth and managed a smile. “OK, so you know it was me, and that’s why I’m here. You said you came bearing gifts….” Lindon said, setting his beer down on the table.

  Chris coughed and took another swig of beer. “Oh yeah, so anyway. We talk for a while and he explains a few other terrorist activities. To be honest you’re small fish for the British. If the Americans want to stage a manhunt because they can’t keep control of their own then that’s their business. MI5 have got bigger issues right now than worrying about some American who’s decided to go run-about over the Great British Isles.” Chris coughed again.

  “Fair enough, is that what you’ve come to tell me?” Lindon asked.

  “Err no, so anyway. First off, my friend doesn’t know you’re here but he did say that the Americans had shifted focus and were now looking at Sweden. There was mention of a Japanese fella as well, an American by birth. But he’s a rogue character and from what my friend said to me the Americans are very worried that this fella might get to you before they do. I don’t know why though?”

  Lindon shrugged. “Me neither. I can’t remember the last man I dealt with who was Japanese American. I don’t think I’ve ever had a training mission over in Japan either.”

  “Well you might want to keep an eye out.” Chris finished his beer with a couple of gulps and another belch. “Tell you one other thing. Your mystery man who tipped you off… the one you mentioned you couldn’t stop thinking about because without the tip-off you wouldn’t be here… best guess… he was from that Dino Logging group, the company that hired you for the job. I managed to get a buddy to run a tracer. The message he sent to you was from a payphone in Toronto that can send text messages. Not many of those around. This one was about a block away from Dino’s offices.” Chris always saved a golden nugget of information until he was leaving.

  “Are you sure?” Lindon said, standing from a chair.

  “Pretty sure, unless you know anyone else living in Toronto and it’s just a coincidence that the message was sent so close to their head office. I hope that helps solve your mystery… Let me know if you need any other help… But don’t expect any if you turn up with a flask full of coffee unless you’ve got half a bottle of whiskey with you as well.”

  Lindon smiled. “Thanks Chris, I owe you one.”

  “Anytime,” he replied, walking out of the door and into thick clumps of snow.

  An hour later Lindon got his second surprise of the evening. It was a text message from Stephanie; she had finished work early and so was on her way to see him. Stephanie was already on the road when Lindon read the message and would be arriving in an hour. She sent a second message saying she had brought wine so he would have to provide the food. Lindon stared at the ground, ruffling the back of his hair with his hand wondering what he could make. Stephanie was a good cook. Lindon was not. He lived off staple meals and he couldn’t remember the last time he cooked a meal that had any taste. Hopefully the green beans, beef and rice that he had pre-prepared would be good enough for Stephanie’s taste buds, but he had his doubts.

  Chapter 42

  Stephanie rolled up the path towards Lindon’s home in her father’s Volvo at eight o’clock.

  She looked as radiant as ever as she stepped out into the freezing conditions. Lindon always felt happier when Stephanie was around him. She brought an air of normality to his life. His serenity in a chaotic world. Lindon
had thought about Stephanie more than ever over the last few weeks. There was a real feeling that she could be the one who changed his life for the better, but Lindon remained guarded. He was hiding in Sweden and there was a very real chance that he would have to disappear again, losing what he knew was his final chance with her. Stephanie had been thinking about Lindon as well. He didn’t bring her serenity or peace but she felt grounded around him. Neither of them had discussed their feelings for each other in any great depth. Both wondered whether it was too early to drop their guards around each other. Stephanie didn’t want Lindon to hurt her again. Lindon didn’t want to hurt the one person in the world that he imagined a future with.

  Lindon rushed out to the car. The path stopped about a hundred feet before the lodge. In the dark it was easy to trip unless you were familiar with the terrain. The two embraced each other for a moment as the snow fell around them in clumps. Stephanie was wearing her fur hat and long suede coat. Lindon was in a lumberjack flannel shirt and worn jeans. The pair looked like the cover of a winter fashion poster as they kissed.

  Dinner was served on slabs of wood that Lindon used as plates. This was the only part of the meal that was interesting. The bland food wasn’t the slightest bit romantic but Stephanie expected it. The wine flowed and Lindon played American country music on the stereo, reminding them both of home. The pair laughed for hours over bad jokes and stories from their childhood. Stephanie pressed Lindon for a good story. Lindon thought for a moment, he didn’t have many good stories outside military life. The country music reminded Lindon of walking into a bar when he was a teenager so he recounted an experience from his adolescence.

  “Well, I’ve got one story but I think you will tell me it’s a sad one,” Lindon said as he looked at Stephanie’s wine glass.

  “Go on. I’d like to hear a story that isn’t about you tracking down terrorists or chasing bad guys for once,” Stephanie said with an innocent smile.

  “OK… well, when I was in my mid teens I tried to buy beer from a bar.”

  Stephanie interjected “Didn’t every teenage boy?”

  “Yeah maybe… but anyway I was young and I had put on my dad’s shoes and one of his button down shirts that he would wear to church on Sunday. The bartender didn’t think much of my dress up. It was an Irish place on the corner of Main Street. I went in at two o’clock in the afternoon when it wouldn’t be too busy in case they chucked me out. I didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of a bar full of grownups. So anyway, I walk in and this guy says to me, hey son what can I help you with. I want a beer, I said with the gruffest voice I could. A beer he said, I replied, yeah, with the same deep voice. He looked at me and said, oh yeah what kind of beer. Right there I realized that I had screwed up. I couldn’t think of a single beer brand. I said, Oh just whatever you’ve got close, thinking on my feet.”

  Lindon sipped some of the wine and Stephanie stayed silent, waiting to hear more.

  “So he says to me, Well I got lots of beer here so it’s all close by. I didn’t fully freeze but I was real nervous by this point. I wanted to run outta there but the boys from school said this was the only bar that was close by that wasn’t too strict on seeing IDs. As I stood there, silent, the barman looked at me. He dropped his voice and said quietly, How old are you son? I lied and said twenty-one. He smiled and then asked again. I was 14 and I told him so. He said to me with this flat Irish accent, Listen here boyo’ maybe if you come in her with your Papa I might serve you a half beer. I just stood there silent for a moment. He carried on drying a glass with a dirty rag and looking at me. What’s wrong boyo’ something I said upset ya? he asked. In that minute I managed to ground myself to the floor and tell myself, I can’t cry. I held on and when I stopped trembling, I took a really deep breath and said, I lost my dad a year ago. I’ve come here for a beer. To prove I’m a man now just like my dad said I was. The bar keeper stopped cleaning his glass and looked at me. I was looking right at him, my eyes were watering up but I didn’t cry. Y’know it’s funny now I think of it. The shirt I was wearing was a size too big. My dad’s shoes were two sizes too big and the trousers were a few inches too long, I must have looked a funny picture.”

  Stephanie was fighting back the tears as she listened. Lindon smiled to mask his emotion. He looked at Stephanie’s hair for moment, and then decided he had better finish his story before she started crying and telling him how sad it was.

  “So anyway, this bartender looks at me and asks, What’s your name lad? There were only a few other people in the bar but for some reason he kept his voice low so no one could hear us. Ben, I said. OK Ben, he answered. Sit here at this stool, he said, pointing at the stool in front of me. He poured a beer into a glass for me and then he poured one for himself. He gave me the beer and said, Ben, cheers, your old man is up there looking down at a proud man, son, I’m telling you. You’ve got something about you lad. I can see you going far in life, he said. I raised my glass and we clinked them together. The taste of beer was a little strange. Not something I really appreciated at the time. I asked him how much I owed him and he said, this one’s on the house lad. It was a little unreal to be honest, within five minutes I left.”

  Stephanie had two single tears running down her cheeks. Lindon hadn’t noticed as he was staring at a candle the whole time he spoke.

  “That’s a beautiful story,” Stephanie said.

  “Ahh, I made you cry, I’m sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have told you it,” Lindon said, feeling guilty for bringing their night of laughs and giggles to a downer.

  “NO, NO. I enjoyed it. These aren’t tears of sadness. It was a lovely story. Did you see the bartender again?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I went in there a few other times, only when it was quiet. I would talk to the barman and he would tell me stuff about life, man stuff, it was nice. I think he thought I needed a bit of guidance, maybe I did. I still go in there when I’m in the States. He was ill last time I was there, being a heavy drinker is finally catching up to him. He used to lecture me on drinking. Ironically he was usually hammered as he did so. He would always tell me, have a limit; this stuff isn’t a journey to anywhere good. I sorted out a few problems for the bar a while ago. Law enforcement found out about them being a little free and easy with IDs. They dropped the charges when I told them my story. That’s the problem today, everyone wants to do the right thing, but they forget that sometimes it’s better to turn a blind eye to the little things. The little things make life a little more bearable. We’re all human. We all break the rules. As long as you don’t really hurt anyone, then who cares. I can’t remember ever seeing a drunk in that place that caused a problem. They knew their people. They knew that old Lenny could have twelve beers and walk home in a straight line but young Brandon needed to be cut off after three. Anyway it was a sad story, how about a joke?” Lindon said with a smile.

  “A joke?” Stephanie asked with a little surprise. “Yeah, go on then tell me a joke,” she said.

  “What do you call a big Irish spider?”

  Stephanie was bemused. “I have no idea, what do you call a big Irish Spider?”

  “Paddy-long-legs.” Stephanie smiled and Lindon laughed. “I know, it’s bad but the boys at the bar used to say that if that one doesn’t get her into bed then nothing will.”

  Stephanie blushed but said nothing. Just after midnight the heavy petting moved into the bedroom. The candles burned dripped wax until they extinguished themselves.

  At 5.20am Lindon heard a loud noise.

  He sat bolt upright in bed. His mind quickly calibrated to where he was and what was happening. Stephanie’s phone was ringing and she already had a missed call. Lindon nudged her until she opened her eyes.

  “Your phone…” was all he managed to say with his cracked voice. The phone stopped ringing and then immediately started again.

  “Hey Hey,” Stephanie answered. It was her colleague from work.

  Lindon got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. He stared
out of the window at the darkness. The stars were still shining bright. Lindon heard the shower. It ran for just over a minute and then Stephanie appeared.

  “I’ve got to go,” she said, buttoning her blouse.

  “Everything OK?” Lindon asked as he sipped coffee. He had poured a cup for Stephanie and left it on the table but she ignored it.

  “A big contributor to the charity just landed in Gothenburg and he’s flying to Stockholm at midday. He was meant to visit tomorrow. I always speak to him on the phone since he’s American, a New Englander, so I need to be there when he arrives.” Stephanie was nearly out of the door.

  “Ah well… I guess you’ll arrange another visit here soon,” Lindon said.

  “You know, you should come down to Stockholm sometime, not just the outskirts, it would be nice to walk around the city together... and the city doesn’t have two foot of snow everywhere.” Stephanie looked into Lindon’s eyes. They held their gaze for a few seconds.

  “Yeah, I might head down there soon.”

  Lindon didn’t want to say no to Stephanie. The pair kissed and Lindon walked with Stephanie through the trees to the Volvo that was covered in several inches of snow. Stephanie jumped in and Lindon cleared the snow off the windows, bonnet and lights. Stephanie waved as she disappeared into the dark. Lindon waved back, and then turned to his cabin. The lonely life was becoming less and less attractive for Lindon.

  Stephanie didn’t know it but as she traveled a few miles down the road she crossed paths with Roger, James and Bill, who were heading towards Lindon’s location.

  Chapter 43

  Bill and James arrived and set up camp on the edge of their target site. Everything within a ten-mile radius on their east was now a possible threat. They had to tread carefully. The Swedish police had provided two officers and a patrol vehicle in case they needed to search private property. The team fanned out. It was still dark and would remain so for another four hours until the sun finally peeped over the horizon. Roger shivered in the morning cold with a hot cup of coffee. Within thirty minutes they had set up a gazebo and some heaters, much to Roger’s delight. Bill coordinated his men to follow James’s instructions. James’s teams were to do the light reconnaissance work. They would continue to assess intelligence and the latest feeds from satellite imagining whilst Bill’s men would do the bulk of the legwork. A military drone was cruising over the area at 24,000 feet and had its airspace clear for the next twenty hours. The pilot and co-pilot were based back at an American air base but had direct communication with Bill. The CIA was looking over the imaging. They were also able to contact the pilot directly should they need to. The drone was a reconnaissance only aircraft. It was recorded as not armed in accordance with the clearances that Sweden had given the American military. However, on board it carried two reaper missiles and a fully loaded canon; it was easier to apologize later than to let Kioshi slip away.