by David Archer
Catherine smiled at him. “Albert, you know I’d never abandon you. This problem, however, is bigger than any of us, so I need all of the support I can get from each of you. Here’s the situation: some of you know that I am a liaison officer for an American special operations branch. As a result, I’ve been occasionally consulted when some of their people need to conduct operations in the U.K. I got a phone call a couple of days ago telling me that such an operation was coming, and it apparently arrived yesterday. I met this morning with one of the American agents, and learned that the organization we know as the PRA has let out a contract on Randall Whitcomb, Chief Constable of the MDP. They want him eliminated, and quickly, so that his successor can be sworn in to office right away. This, they claim, is because James Bradley, who will succeed Whitcomb, has already agreed to offer them certain levels of cooperation.”
“Bloody hell,” Albert said. “Never did like that Bradley, he’s too bloody oily!”
“The PRA has been seeking the services of a contract killer,” Catherine said, “but it seems they wanted someone in particular. You’ve all heard of Victoria? They went after her, but the Americans say they have reason to believe that she is dead. They substituted one of their own female assassins to pretend to be Victoria, because they’re trying to identify the top people in the PRA. If they are successful, the PRA will come to a bitter and bloody end.”
“Cheers for them, then,” Merkel said. “Catherine, we’ve been chasing those bloody bastards for three years, now, and not got anywhere near them. You think the Americans can pull this off?”
“Have any of you ever heard the codename Camelot?” Catherine asked sweetly.
“Good God,” Albert said. “Are you talking about him? I thought you said it was a female assassin.”
“Camelot, who I’ve known for quite some time now, and who happens to enjoy some favor from Her Majesty, is in charge of the operation. I don’t know who the girl is who’s impersonating Victoria, but Camelot seems to have every confidence in her ability to do what needs to be done.”
“Nevertheless,” Albert said, “we’re surely not going to allow Whitcomb to be assassinated. There’s got to be a plan, I presume, and so I’m sure that’s what this briefing is about. Am I correct?”
“You’re always a few steps ahead of me, aren’t you, Albert?” Catherine asked. “All right, as I mentioned earlier, I met with Camelot this morning. Naturally, he doesn’t want to kill Mr. Whitcomb, but it’s necessary for his operation for it to appear that the assassination was successful. We’re going to assist him in making it look that way. We’ll call this our initial planning session, so start giving me your ideas.”
Albert shook his head. “Not a lot, there, I’m afraid,” he said. “We can probably set something up, perhaps a car bomb. The car blows up, everybody thinks he was inside.”
Catherine shook her head. “Victoria wasn’t a bomber,” she said. “All of her kills were done at close range, usually with a single shot with a twenty-two caliber pistol. Because of the necessity for this assassination to be widely publicized, it’s going to have to happen in front of many witnesses.”
Albert leaned back and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Strikes me,” he said, “that we are going to run into some serious problems on this. First off, somebody has to convince Whitcomb to go along with it, right? Second, if we do it in front of witnesses, we’re going to be traumatizing a lot of people. That’s certainly not going to do the administration a lot of good in the press, even when it comes out that Whitcomb is still alive. And third, what the bloody hell are we going to do with Bradley? If the man’s been corrupted, we certainly can’t let him take over running the ministry.”
“I can assure you, Albert,” Catherine said, “there’s absolutely no possibility that Bradley will have any genuine authority. Abner, I think that you should head up that phase of the operation. You’ll be investigating Bradley for corruption, but your cover will be helping with the transition of authority. Put yourself a team together and get me a list of names by this afternoon.”
She turned to Merkel. “Merk, I want you to take charge of Whitcomb’s current security detail. You cannot let them in on what’s really happening, so the best we could do is replace some of theirs with some of ours. Find four people you can trust and submit the list to me today.”
Abner and Merkel both nodded, and the two of them got up to leave the room. Catherine turned to Albert, but didn’t speak until the door was closed and they were alone.
“All right, that leaves you,” she said. “Albert, I need you to get to Whitcomb and convince him that he has to go along with this plan. And don’t give me that look, I know just how bloody stubborn he can be, which is why I’m giving you the job. Everyone calls you the salesman, because you’re always able to convince people to do what you want them to do. This is one of those times when I need that talent.”
Albert looked at her, and his eyes were cold. “I bloody well know what they call me, and it’s a bit more like confidence man than salesman. I detest being deceitful, which makes it absolutely miserable for me to be so bloody good at it, don’t you agree?”
Catherine met his gaze evenly. “I do,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t use it to my advantage, anyway. Albert, you’re the only one I can trust with this assignment.”
TEN
Shopping took up the morning, and Noah made it clear that he approved of the purchases Sarah made. She even talked him into picking out some new clothes, things that were suitable for a young, dot-com millionaire.
“Just to keep up appearances,” Sarah said, “since probably everyone around Feeney Manor has heard about us by now. We have to look the part.”
Noah nodded. “I agree,” he said. “Anybody around there who hasn’t heard of us by now is probably either dead or senile. Thomas the butler, along with his family, will have seen to that by now.”
“Well, I’m sure a lot of people ask about us,” Sarah said. “I don’t think it’s Thomas’s fault.”
“I wasn’t complaining,” Noah said. “Naturally, the people in the area are going to be curious about us. It’s only normal that they would ask the butler and his family.”
They decided to stop for lunch at a little after one, and Sarah spotted a chip shop in the mall food court area.
“Fish and chips,” she said. “Do you remember the last time we ate at one of these places?”
“Actually, I do. It was during the Adrian mission, and there was an old couple there that seemed to think we were quite an item. Willie and Alice, that was their names.”
“Yes, and they were a delightful old couple,” Sarah said. “Married for years and years, and still completely in love. Think we have that to look forward to?”
“That would mean assuming we’ll get old, and I can’t even guess whether that’s likely. I guess all we can do is try. I certainly prefer it to the alternative.”
Sarah looked at him for a moment, a wistful smile on her face. “I know you still struggle with the concept of love, sometimes,” she said, “but I just want you to know that I love you, Noah.”
“I know that,” Noah said. “And I’ve come to the conclusion that I love you, as well. I may not be able to display it as well as old Willie could, but that has to be what it is. Nothing else could explain the sensations I get when you’re in danger, or when I’m away from you.”
She cocked her head to one side and looked at him. “When you’re away from me? What kind of sensations?”
“Well, it sort of feels like there’s something missing from the world around me, something that should be there. I can’t tie a kind of emotional feeling to it, but it’s a sort of discomfort, and it goes away as soon as I’m back with you again.”
“That’s actually kind of sweet,” Sarah said. “So, what about when I’m in danger? What do you feel then?”
Noah looked into her eyes. “Determination,” he said. “I sense a determination inside myself to remo
ve that danger, and to punish anyone involved in putting you in danger. It’s probably as close to fear and anger as I ever get, but it’s not like anything I’ve seen other people go through. I don’t lose focus, I don’t stop thinking logically, I simply incorporate the desire to protect you and to punish whoever endangered you into my thinking.”
“You are without doubt,” Sarah said as she began eating, “the most incredible and unusual man in the world. How on Earth did I get so lucky as to be the woman you love?”
“I’m not sure what led me to this—I guess I’ll call it a feeling, even though it’s not what most people would think of that way. I look back at other relationships I’ve had in the past, and what I remember most is the looks of disappointment. Any woman I was with was always disappointed at times, because I couldn’t actually feel what they wanted me to feel. The problem was that, other than Molly—and that was just a mutually agreed arrangement so that people would leave us alone about not dating other people—I never actually told any of them about my lack of emotions. They figured that out for themselves after a while, of course, and that’s when I would see the disappointment.” He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “Because of the work we do and the way we were thrust together, you already knew about my condition. What I’ve always wondered is why you developed feelings for me.”
Sarah shrugged. “I think it started out as just needing a strong man in my life,” she said. “Before you, the only man I’d ever even been really close to was my dad. I’d had a couple of boyfriends, but they didn’t last very long because we were always moving around to keep from getting caught, so I hadn’t ever really had a relationship that could be considered normal. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that our relationship is anywhere close to normal. I’m just saying that, once I realized that you would protect me and watch out for me, I suddenly wanted to be closer to you. It wasn’t very long before I realized I was falling in love, but I was afraid to tell you for quite a while.”
They both grew quiet then, and sat there while they ate. When they were finished, Sarah declared that she had done all the shopping she could stand for the day, so they headed for the car park and loaded all their bags into the back of the Land Rover.
Noah got in and when Sarah started the engine, Noah’s phone rang. He glanced at it to see that it was Catherine Potts calling, and answered it immediately.
“Hello, Catherine?”
“Yes, Camelot,” Catherine said. “I wanted to give you an update on the meeting I had this morning. I’ve assigned my best man to explain to Mr. Whitcomb what’s going on, and I’ve already started an investigation into James Bradley’s corruption. Arrangements are being made to replace some of Whitcomb’s security with people of our own, who can be in on what’s going to happen. I’ll have his itinerary within the hour, and will send it to you immediately.”
“That sounds good,” Noah said. “It’s going to be necessary for me to speak with Whitcomb, because I’m going to have to figure out how to make this look real. Incidentally, we’re going to need a death certificate. Can you make arrangements for that?”
“I actually anticipated that problem,” Catherine said. “I’ll have a coroner ready to certify his death within an hour after you make your move. It’s going to be interesting, seeing how we get out of this mess when it’s over. Oh, and incidentally, Her Majesty told me to express her appreciation for coming directly to me with this problem. Bradley, it seems, is a friend of hers, so she’s particularly furious with him at the moment.”
“When you see her again,” Noah said, “please give her our warmest regards. That is one grand lady.”
“She is that, isn’t she?” The phone went dead, and Noah blinked once as he put it back into his pocket.
He turned to Sarah. “It’s coming together,” he said. “We’ll have Whitcomb’s itinerary shortly, and we can begin working out a plan.”
“Okay,” she said. “The sooner this is over with, the better I’m going to feel.” She turned and looked at him for a moment before turning her eyes back to the road ahead. “I’m a little worried about Jenny. Sometimes, I don’t think she takes this stuff as seriously as you do.”
“And you may be right,” Noah said, “but she’s become a professional. She has to do some of these things her own way.”
Sarah nodded and switched lanes, following the traffic back toward the hotel. When she got to the entrance of the parking lot, she whipped quickly into it and found a space, then passed it by briefly and backed into it.
The doorman opened the hotel door for them and they carried their purchases inside. Several other tourists in the lobby smiled knowingly, nodding at the young couple with all the packages.
* * * * *
Neil, Jenny and Marco had decided to go sightseeing. They wandered along the Thames, took a ride on the Eye of London, the gigantic Ferris wheel that overlooked the river and the city, and ended up having lunch at a Burger King.
“I’m just curious,” Marco said, “but what kind of American idiots come all the way to London to eat a Whopper? There are thirty other restaurants around here where we could have gotten some kind of typical British faire, but we end up settling for a burger.”
“Shut up,” Jenny said. “I happen to like Burger King, and we don’t have one back in Neverland.”
“Oh, I like Burger King, all right, but we could have had that anywhere. Tonight for dinner, I want a genuine London broil, and I want it here in London.”
Neil shook his head. “That’s easy enough,” he said. “It’s on the menu in the restaurant in our hotel.” He shoved the last of his fries into his mouth and looked at Jenny. “How you feeling? Everything okay?”
She looked at him. “Yeah,” she said. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Hey, I know you, remember? You’re getting ready for your part in this mission, so I figured the bloodlust is probably starting to build up. You handling it okay?”
“I’m fine, baby,” she said. “As long as I know it’s coming, I can handle holding off. As soon as we get done with this Whitcomb situation, I’ll probably get to take out Newsom and his pals. I can hold off until then.” She grinned at him, and there was a gleam in her eye that he recognized. “Of course, there are other ways to help me keep things under control.”
They headed back to the hotel, and Marco told them to call him when they wanted to think about dinner. Neil and Jenny waved as he walked off toward his own room, then Neil opened their door and they stepped inside.
The door slammed behind them, and they both spun to find Peter Newsom standing behind it. The gun in his hand was enough to make them think twice before taking any action, so Neil looked him in the eye.
“What the hell do you want?”
“To find out what’s really going on, here,” Newsom said. He waggled the gun in Jenny’s direction. “There’s something about you that isn’t ringing true, Victoria. Some of my associates have had dealings with you before, and they seem to think you’re acting out of character. I had you followed, because I wanted to be certain that we are getting what we’re paying for. I thought we might sit down and discuss the matter.”
Jenny moved suddenly, her hand lashing out, and suddenly she was holding the gun that Newsom was pointing at them a second before. Neil lunged forward, took Newsom by his arms and shoved him roughly into the chair that was just to his left. The man yelped but didn’t try to fight, and then Neil and Jenny sat on the edge of the bed, keeping him covered with the big pistol. Jenny had passed it to Neil, and the skinny kid looked like he was daring Newsom to move.
“Okay, we’re sitting,” Neil said. “What’s this all about?”
Newsom swallowed again and then smiled. “Are you familiar with the name Efraim Nelson?”
Neil glanced at Jenny, who shook her head. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “Who is that?”
“Efraim Nelson claims to be a former client of yours, Victoria. He claims, in fact, to be the on
ly client that you ever agreed to meet face-to-face. According to him, there is no possible way you would’ve showed up at the club the other night. Too public, he says, and then there’s the matter of his description of you. To be frank, he thinks you’re just a little too pretty to be Victoria.”
Jenny rolled her eyes. “First,” she began, “I’ve never heard of Efraim Nelson, so we can start with the assumption that he’s a braggart who’s trying to build himself up with his claims. Second, as you’ve already seen, I’m extremely cautious. It’s necessary to do face-to-face meetings sometimes, but I never go into one without putting some effort into changing the way I look, and I never go in without my backup team.” She nodded toward Neil. “Especially not without Neil. He gets pretty upset, by the way, when people point guns at me.”
“Yes, well, I’m sorry about that. The problem is, some of us have known Efraim for quite a while, and he isn’t one to ever stretch the truth. He first mentioned you to us almost two years ago, when he hired you to kill a South African reporter who was closing in on some of his own, shall we say, illicit business dealings.”
Jenny narrowed her eyes. “That would be Thomas Longo,” she said. “I remember that particular job, because it involved having to kill him on his honeymoon. The client, however, was not named Nelson.”
Newsom looked her in the eye, and his confidence began to waver. “Are you certain? Forgive me for asking, but he seems quite believable.”
“If she said it wasn’t Nelson,” Neil said with a growl in his voice, “then it wasn’t.”
Newsom looked down at the floor, and seemed nervous. “And will you kill me now?” he asked.
“Why should I kill you?” Jenny asked. “I don’t have a problem with you wanting to verify my credentials. My only concern is that this Nelson character is going to end up causing me some kind of problems. Where can I find him?”
Newsom rubbed a hand over his face. “Victoria, please,” he said. “Efraim is quite useful to my organization. I would hate to lose his contacts and experience.”