The Rainbow Conspiracy

by Stuart Hopps

  Just as they were about to part company, they were stopped in their tracks by Michael, who made a sudden appearance on deck and started walking towards them. He declared that he was amazed to have found out that a man had gone overboard but claimed to have gone back to his cabin, had passed out and slept through the entire incident. He appeared to be astonished when Steve told him that the man in the lake was Clive, and Michael was manifestly dumbfounded to learn that the two people seen pushing him in were none other than Dr Allen Levitt and Nurse Edith Grant.

  ‘Michael, we’re not making any of this up, you know,’ said Steve, going on to tell Michael all the details.

  ‘Those two so-called friends of ours are just not to be trusted,’ he continued. ‘They must certainly have been tailing us all along and I’d like to know how.’

  ‘Never mind them – what about Clive?

  ‘But Michael, this is serious: Allen and Edith are dangerous, and now I think they’re out to get us too!’

  ‘So you damn well keep telling me. But I’m much more worried about Clive. Tell me, Shirley, how is he doing?’

  ‘Well the medics keep using the same jargon, “as well as well as can be expected”, which you know really doesn’t tell us very much,’ she responded.

  Then, in an attempt to hide his true feelings, Steve added: ‘We appreciate how worried you are about Clive, don’t we Shirley?’

  Shirley played along with Steve, thanked Michael for his concern, adding that Clive seemed to be making better progress than they’d expected, and suggested that they all went to the firstaid room together.

  An awkward silence followed as all three stood at Clive’s bedside and waited for him to stir, and as soon as Clive finally came to, there was a joyous reunion between all four of them. Shirley and Steve were clearly thrilled to bits by Clive’s amazing recovery, while Michael also appeared to be visibly relieved. They again expressed their heartfelt thanks to the entire medical team and, slowly but surely, poor Clive began to revive, was able to sit up in bed, and finally began to utter his first words. He put on a brave face, and insisted that he was feeling a lot better, which caused the medical team to spring into action. Clive’s visitors were requested to step outside, as it was explained that the first-aid team needed to make further examinations before their patient could possibly be released.

  After a thorough going-over and once Clive was able to assure the medics that he could stand up unassisted, he was finally allowed to change into a fresh set of clothes and made to drink some water. It was decided that he was definitely well on the road to recovery and his attendant friends were summoned back in and Clive was finally liberated. Nevertheless, Shirley, still showing a great deal of concern, repeated the medics’ strict instructions, much to their approval: that although Clive stated he was feeling better, he was to take things very gently for the next few days.

  Steve then told Clive that they had all been invited to join the chief officer in his quarters, since there were a few questions that Clive needed to answer now that he was up to it. A young officer arrived to escort them, and they were warmly welcomed into the officer’s quarters. Clive was told he could sit on the bunk bed or lie down if he wanted. Clive assured Officer Thomas that he was feeling much better and was pleased to answer any questions he might need to ask him.

  Judging from his answers, it was quite apparent to them all that Clive had only a hazy recollection of how he came to end up in the lake, although he did remember going out on deck to have a smoke and being astonished to see Dr Allen Levitt walking towards him. However, he didn’t see who pushed him. The Chief Officer made a note of his statement and also pointed out that Clive was more than likely suffering from a mild case of amnesia, which he was advised to have checked out as soon as they arrived on dry land. Steve was then asked to step outside for a moment because Officer Thomas, now clearly also armed, needed to know exactly where they’d parked the car they had been travelling in.

  As they descended into the hold, accompanied by another armed officer, Steve was informed that ‘the Columbus Couple’, as Allen and Edith had now been named, were so far nowhere to be found on board, and that before disembarking it would be necessary to check every single car in order to be sure they weren’t hiding in someone’s boot. As he approached Michael’s mother’s car, Steve produced the appropriate key, but before opening up, he involuntarily felt for the inside of his jacket pocket. The young officer with them was quick to jump in, look under the seats and give the car a thorough search. When the boot was opened, Steve was relieved to find that there was no sign of either Allen nor Nurse Edith, but he couldn’t help but notice Michael’s small suitcase right on top of his own. It did cross his mind that there might be some sort of tracking device locked away inside it, and for a moment, he was tempted to surrender it over to Officer Thomas.

  However, he decided to put negative thoughts regarding Michael to one side for the moment. What was much more pressing was the fact that somehow Dr Allen Levitt and Edith Grant had turned up on board ship out of the blue and then disappeared into thin air. Or had they? That was the burning question.

  Steve watched the officers as they flashed torches into some of the nearby cars, still searching for the missing couple, and was troubled by how Allen and Nurse Edith had been able to follow them all the way to Toledo and then, without any of them noticing, board the ferry they were on. He was now more convinced than ever that those two must have had an accomplice. His vivid imagination also led him on to think that in all the carry-on, they might even have actually been airlifted by helicopter to the safety of dry land, aided by the FBI, of course. However, what still remained a fact was that he felt that all of them were probably still under constant surveillance and in danger, and that led him on to wonder whether there might indeed be something sinister hidden away in Michael’s bag.

  Steve mentioned the great concern he felt for Clive’s safety and asked one of the officers whether it might be possible to let their car off the ferry first once they had docked. The officer said that the location of their car on the bottom deck meant they would have to wait their turn. He went on to explain that there would be a cordon placed on the top deck and manned at the end of the ramp so that all vehicles could be given another search before being allowed to leave the ship. The helpful officer also said he would do his very best to give them priority, since their vehicle had already been thoroughly investigated and told Steve that there would be a public announcement to all passengers over the loudspeaker saying disembarkation would be delayed by one hour.

  Steve and his escorts soon returned aloft and it was not long before they could see the Canadian shoreline coming into sharp focus. In no time at all, the ferry was soon docking in Port Stanley and their ship had reached its final destination. Our four brave travellers were now ready to set off and attempt the next and hopefully final stage of their journey and get to Toronto airport. With their farewells to Chief Officer Thomas and his crew completed, they were warmly wished bon voyage and in return, they once again graciously expressed their sincere thanks to the crew for taking such good care of them.

  As they approached the car, Steve unbuttoned his jacket and felt for his gun as he double-checked the boot once more. It was decided that Clive should take the back seat so that he could spread out more comfortably, which would help him recuperate, and Michael was to squeeze to the other side of him. This time Shirley was to be in charge of the map.

  After several three-point turns and a certain amount of manoeuvring, they drove up the ferry ramp and were allowed to pass through the temporary barrier, ahead of some of the other cars. The Canadian officials inspected their passports and waved them through without hesitation. However, before leaving the harbour, Steve briefly pulled to one side and stopped the car’s engine.

  ‘Well, guys,’ he said, ‘I know we need to have another summit meeting, but we simply don’t have the time. We must get on our way as soon as possible and take advantage of the little headway we�
�ve been given. I dread to think what Allen and Nurse Edith might be planning to do next, but I don’t want to hang around to find out.’

  ‘That’s fine with us, isn’t it Clive?’ said Shirley.

  Clive agreed and as they drove off he added: ‘I have been considering a few ideas about those two, but we can discuss them on our journey to Toronto, can’t we?’

  ‘As a matter of fact, I’ve got another idea,’ Steve announced. ‘I don’t think it’s wise to stick to our original plan any more, for obvious reasons. So I’ve decided we should head for a different Canadian airport.’

  ‘Anything you say is fine with us, isn’t it, Clive?’ averred Shirley.

  ‘You bet, Shirley!’

  As they drove along, Steve told them that when he went down to the car with the chief officer, he’d brought the road map back with him and checked how far they were from Ottawa airport. Michael, who had remained silent thus far, questioned Steve’s sudden change of plan and seemed to be more than a little bit put out by the different choice of destination. This clearly made his travel companions feel even more uncomfortable, and Clive tried to resolve what had turned into a rather awkward moment. He gently suggested that Steve had probably done the right thing, since he felt that there was a strong possibility that they were still being tailed by Allen. Clive revealed that he’d searched the boot just in case the Columbus Couple had tampered with their car and planted explosives in the boot, the kind that could be detonated from a distance, which last remark made Shirley utter an expletive and go quite cold.

  Steve said he was convinced that there was no harm in changing their plans and heading a little further north to be on the safe side, and the two Brits were in complete accord. He maintained that his different choice of airport was worth the extra hundred or so miles of driving but explained that they might have to stay one more night in a hotel. Shirley and Clive said they had no problem with another day’s travel and Shirley even volunteered to become the chauffeur, which Steve insisted would not be at all necessary.

  Then, after a while, Shirley remarked: ‘There is just one thing that still worries me.’

  ‘What about, exactly?’ Michael asked.

  ‘Actually Michael, about your mum’s car … I don’t think for one moment that we’re carrying explosives but Steve, you don’t suppose it has some sort of tracking device fitted to it?’

  ‘I’ve already thought about that. Even if it doesn’t, I think we should try and dump it as soon as possible. Let’s all be on the lookout for a car-hire centre, so that we can change vehicles. The more we can camouflage our movements, the better.’

  ‘And maybe we should go for something very ordinary and unobtrusive, like a Ford,’ suggested Shirley.

  Clive was slowly beginning to feel like his old self again and, although still in a mild state of shock, started to make a mental list of the concerns he harboured about their safety. Shirley, always so in tune with her boss, must have been reading Clive’s thoughts, but before she had the chance to start the long-overdue discussion about the possible whereabouts of Allen and Edith, Michael announced that he had something important he wanted to say, which made his travelling companions wonder whether they were about to hear a confessional.

  ‘I’m not sure I can stand much more of this’, he said, seeming to get quite emotional. ‘I really think I should drop you all off at the airport and then head back home to Columbus. If the FBI have fitted a tracking device to mom’s car, then let them all follow me. The most important thing now is to get you two Brits back to England safe and sound and as quickly as possible. What do you think, Steve?’

  Before having the chance to answer Michael’s question, Steve spotted a garage that he thought looked promising. Steve was quick to hop out, and without much delay he had completed all the necessary paperwork and hired a very discreet little grey saloon. Then they drove into the adjacent car park, and in no time at all, changed vehicles. Steve said they would make for Ottawa airport, leaving Michael free to go ahead and drive his mother’s car back home, if that was really what he wanted to do.

  Steve removed all the luggage from Gloria’s car and it was Michael who appeared to be the most upset by the leave-taking. As he stood holding his hand luggage, he advised Clive to take great good care of himself and try not to overdo things until he had fully recovered. He hugged Shirley and promised to visit London in the not too distant future, and he and Steve even kissed each other, expressing the fondest of farewells. The two Americans agreed to keep in touch via telephone but would allow a few days for them both to reach their destinations before doing so. Michael’s solitary figure stood with what appeared were genuine tears rolling down his cheeks as he waved a lonely goodbye at the grey hired Ford until it had left the car park.

  It was Steve who broke the silence that had descended in the newly hired car: ‘I’ve changed my thoughts about our route. Let them all believe we’re driving towards Ottawa Airport, but I hope you don’t mind, I think we should head for Toronto after all. It is much nearer and now we’re in this hired car, let’s hope there’s no tracking device on board.’

  ‘I think that’s very smart on your part, Steve,’ said Clive. ‘The sooner we can get on a plane, the better.’ Then after a short pause: ‘I know what I have to say may appear somewhat unkind, but I for one am relieved by Michael’s decision to quit and return home. But let’s not forget that if he has been grassing on us, he could still pass on the details of our new hired car to the authorities.’

  Shirley totally agreed with Clive, and volunteered that since the incident on the ferry, she had felt most uncomfortable about the thought of having Michael around anyway. She reminded the boys that Michael had been the one who had wanted to go to the local Columbus police in the first place, and she now declared that there was little wonder about that! She just could not forget that remark of his about how their so-called friend believed that ‘there was a good deal of communication between the police and the FBI’.

  ‘You’re so right, Shirley,’ admitted Clive. ‘At the time it didn’t mean that much to me, but thinking about it now, it sounds as though he really was much more in the know we previously suspected.’

  Steve repeated that he now strongly believed that there was a lot more to Michael’s friendship with Allen than was ever owned up to. ‘And I don’t just mean all that “caring young doctor’ stuff” … Well, am I right? And you see, after Den died, Michael and Allen sure used to hang around together.’

  Steve continued that, on reflection, he had to admit that Michael had been the first to mention the notion of tracking devices and that Steve had personally become more than a little too suspicious of him when he heard him suggest that he take their share of the stolen evidence over to his Dad’s house. He now believed that it would have provided Michael with the perfect opportunity to deliver the goods straight back into the hands of the FBI, should he have been in cahoots with Allen.

  ‘Steve, you know I would really like to give him the benefit of the doubt,’ Clive confessed. ‘But on the other hand, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Allen was more than capable of putting Michael under some kind of hypnosis while they were hanging out together, and that’s how he managed to recruit him.’

  ‘There’s a thought … and then, once hypnotised,’ Steve suggested, ‘Michael really couldn’t be held responsible for his actions when he was conscious. Allen may even have conditioned him to bump all three of us off!’

  ‘Now, Steve darling’, interjected Shirley, ‘don’t you think you’re getting a little too carried away? Really! This is all beginning to sound a little too far-fetched.’

  Fortunately Steve had overestimated the time their journey would take and they reached Toronto Airport sooner than expected. He said he had also changed his own travel plans and, rather than fly out west to Vancouver, he’d decided to visit some other friends he had up in Montreal. He would have loved Clive, whom he knew to be a French speaker, to have joined him in Quebec, but was well aw
are that his English pals needed to get back to London as soon as possible.

  There was a British Overseas Airways Corporation flight departing for Heathrow at seven o’clock that evening and Shirley immediately booked two first-class tickets on it while Clive and Steve kept a lookout in the airport for Allen and Edith. Their reservations now made, it still left them more than enough time to have a final farewell drink in the bar before Steve made tracks for Montreal.

  ‘You know, Steve,’ said Clive, ‘we both just want you to know how terrific we think you are and can’t thank you enough for getting us safely to this airport. You’ve got the telephone number for Spoke Associates, so be sure to call us in a few days and tell us how you’re doing.’

  Then, echoing the words of Bobby Kennedy, Steve responded with: ‘Let’s drink a toast to love and wisdom and compassion towards one another.’

  ‘And one final toast to Dennis,’ added Clive.

  ‘To Dennis!’

  All three found saying their goodbyes very emotional and it was with a feeling of the greatest sadness that Clive and Shirley waved a final farewell to their last remaining ‘Columbus boy’, to whom they would always be indebted and eternally grateful.

  They had their passports checked and were surprised and relieved to be able to check their luggage through Toronto Customs without any difficulty at all which left them enough time to enjoy a light snack in the departure lounge before their BOAC flight was called.

  Shirley excused herself on the pretext of powdering her nose, but in fact there was an urgent matter she had to deal with. She was desperate to put a call through to London and contact her brother-in-law, which she managed to do before the flight was called. Then, once she had rejoined Clive, and just before boarding their plane, they both had to admit to each other that they had been jolly lucky to get out of Columbus in one piece. The ‘Rainbow Conspiracy’ had certainly brought the two friends closer together than ever before, and although fearful of what the Columbus Couple might attempt next, they both agreed that it was time to get back to work at Spoke Associates.