Codename Files Nos.1, 2 & 3

by Mark Arundel

  We collected our bags and left the police car behind. I helped Xing. She was pale and her eyes were heavy and smudged. She was shaky on her feet and she leant into me. I held her up and then put my arm around her. She looked up and attempted a smile. She asked, ‘Can I have a drink of water?’ I held the bottle while she drank. She still had the cuffs on. I wasn’t so sure now that having her along was such a good idea. I would have to be careful with her, and I still had to come up with a way of getting her to tell me about her London caller. Perhaps my smouldering good looks and natural charm would win her over. Alternatively, perhaps she would get free, get a gun and blow my brains out.

  She smiled again and said, ‘Thank you.’

  I put the bottle away and we all walked off along Calle Las Adelfas with Xing using me for support.

  We reached the end of the road and turned down towards the marina. Just then, a vehicle drove slowly along the road. I looked but it was only an early morning delivery van. I turned away. Following it, though, was a police car. We were walking on the narrow pavement in pairs. The police car slowed and stopped.

  ‘Hola,’ said the police officer’s deep voice. He leant through the open window. I stopped, smiled and held Xing tight against me to hide the cuffs.

  ‘Good morning, officer,’ I said.

  He replied in passable English, ‘You are awake early this morning, señor.’

  I said, ‘We’re looking for a place to have breakfast before a day at sea.’

  He asked, ‘You have a boat, señor?’

  I replied, ‘It belongs to friends; we’re meeting them later.’

  The policeman gave me an unenthusiastic smile and said, ‘Have you seen another police car this morning?’

  I shook my head and replied, ‘No, just yours.’ I noticed from the corner of my eye Geoffrey was also shaking his head far too enthusiastically. Fortunately, the policeman didn’t notice.

  The officer said, ‘There are cafes for breakfast at the marina, señor. Have a good day.’

  ‘Thanks, we will.’

  They drove on.

  Xing looked up at me but she didn’t speak.

  Jennifer said, ‘You’re very cool; they didn’t suspect a thing.’ I wasn’t so sure.

  We continued downhill and along the narrow pavement to the marina. The tinge of creamy pink was strengthening behind us in the eastern sky. I searched the water and found the tall mast. Dancing Brave was there, still moored in the same place as yesterday. We walked along the row of shops, bars and cafes until we found one that was open. We sat at a table outside. The young waitress, wearing a striped apron and a sleepy face served us with few words. I had taken the seat at the table so my side was to the café and I could see back along the walkway to the marina entrance. I sat Xing beside me; close beside me. Now that she was awake, I didn’t want her running off. Although, her face was even sleepier looking than the waitress’s was, so perhaps I needn’t have worried too much. Before the waitress returned, Xing rested her head on my arm and closed her eyes.

  Jennifer tipped her head at me and said, ‘Told you, weak as a kitten.’

  I asked, ‘How long will she be like this?’

  ‘Oh, for the rest of the day; she’ll begin to get her strength back tomorrow.’

  ‘...oh good,’ I said.

  I looked at Geoffrey. Now we had sat down quietly his face, too, was sleepy. I looked at Jennifer. Her face was anything but sleepy. Her eyes widened and she asked, ‘So, what’s really going on?’

  ‘I told you.’

  ‘But why don’t you and Geoffrey just return home, you know, back to England. If Geoffrey’s so important to national security why doesn’t he get an army escort instead of hiding out here and running from the police with just one man for protection?’

  I considered whether to tell her. Could it do her any harm to know? Could it do her any good? I didn’t know the answer.

  I said, ‘It seems not everyone back home is so keen on giving Geoffrey the chance to benefit his country. There are people who put the interest of other countries above their own; and until these people are uncovered and stopped Geoffrey is in real danger, which makes me his best hope.’

  Jennifer leant forward, nearer to me, with her arms on the table and a face that was intensely interested.

  Just then, the waitress returned carrying a tray and began crowding the table. Neither of us spoke while we waited for her to finish. As the girl left, Jennifer whispered conspiratorially, ‘You mean traitors and spies?’

  I nodded and then she laughed. I didn’t realise Geoffrey had been listening. He said quietly, ‘It’s true.’ We both looked at him. ‘I have knowledge that is internationally sensitive. It has activated a high-level spy inside the British establishment and until that situation is resolved I have to run and hide, and this man…’ he indicated me with the movement of his head and eyes, ‘…is the only thing between me and certain death.’ I couldn’t have put it better myself. Geoffrey was smart, eloquent and convincing. Jennifer wasn’t laughing anymore. Her face had dropped and she said, ‘So, who is Xing?’

  ‘She’s a Chinese assassin sent here to kill Geoffrey,’ I said. Jennifer stared at the sleeping Xing with an expression of disbelief.

  ‘That’s hard to believe,’ she said.

  Geoffrey, of course, was also hearing this revelation for the first time. He, too, stared at Xing with a mixture of incredulity and trepidation. He looked up at me and I nodded. With the knowledge that he was sitting beside a young woman whose job it was to kill him, Geoffrey’s colour faded to ivory. He stared again at Xing and seemingly struggled to accept how she could possibly be a professional killer. I could see his fear at having her so close. For a moment, I thought he might touch her to make sure she was real.

  I reminded him, ‘She has important information. We need her to tell us what it is.’ He broke his stare from Xing and looked at me. ‘I know it’s dangerous. Now, she can barely stay awake. I’ll protect you from her, I promise.’ He wanted to believe me but I wasn’t sure he did.

  I checked my wristwatch. What time did Alicia say; eight o’clock? We still had some time to wait. The dawn light was spreading quickly in the eastern sky, although, direct sunlight hadn’t yet broken over the mountain and reached the west coast.

  The marina was filling up. Half the café tables had patrons and the waitress had managed to wake herself up and was throwing some smiles at her customers. I ordered more coffee and got a smile of my own.

  Jennifer asked, ‘What are we doing now?’

  ‘We’re going to sit here and wait.’

  ‘Wait for what?’

  ‘Drink your coffee,’ I said.

  While I sat and watched the people coming and going, keeping an eye out for any potential trouble, I considered the possibility Alicia may have changed her plans and decided to call her. I still had her phone number stored on my K106. Her phone rang but she didn’t answer. It transferred me to her voicemail, but I didn’t leave a message.

  After waiting a little while, I tried again but there was still no answer. By 08:00 hours, I hadn’t seen her arrive at the marina, so I decided to leave the relative safety of our table and head over to Dancing Brave and have a look around.

  I said to Geoffrey and Jennifer, ‘Let’s walk over to the boat and see if anybody’s there.’ I shook Xing and she came half-awake. She moved her face in my direction. I said to her, ‘We have to move. You need to wake up.’ She struggled to sit upright; wearing cuffs didn’t help. I let her push against me and then gave her some water. I noticed something; not once had she even so much as glanced in Geoffrey’s direction; not while we were at Jennifer’s, not in the police car, not on the way to the marina and not now. Geoffrey, on the other hand, was watching Xing with very close attention.

  I helped Xing to her feet and then she leant against me. We all grabbed our bags, I carried Xing’s black rucksack and we left the café. It was a short walk back along the quay and beyond the marina entrance to where Danc
ing Brave swayed gently.

  Between the milling people, we stood on the quayside by the boardwalk and looked across the water at the yacht. I couldn’t see anybody aboard.

  Before I could make a decision about whether to go aboard or not a car pulled up beside us. I turned to look and saw the police car from earlier. This time, both officers got out of the vehicle. One remained by the side of the car while the other walked over to us. I had spoken through the open car window to the one who approached. I hurriedly gave Xing to Jennifer and told all of them to say nothing. The officer came right up to me and said, ‘Hola, señor.’

  I smiled and replied, ‘Hello again, officer.’

  Without smiling back he asked, ‘You have had your breakfast, señor?’

  I nodded and smiled again.

  He said, ‘You have not gone to sea.’

  I said, ‘Not yet; we’re waiting for our friends.’

  ‘How long have you been in Tenerife, señor?’

  I politely answered, ‘Just a couple of days.’

  ‘May I see your passport?’ I found it in my pocket and handed it over. I didn’t like where this was going and started to consider my options. The officer studied my passport and then gave it back to me. He asked, ‘Where are you staying, señor?’

  ‘We’re staying in a villa back along the coastline.’

  ‘Then why were you walking along Calle Las Adelfas?’

  ‘We were looking for the marina and took a wrong turn.’

  ‘And you didn’t see another police car?’

  ‘No, as I said, we didn’t see another police car.’

  They had obviously found the abandoned police car where I had left it on Calle Las Adelfas and, now, this police officer had his suspicions. He must have come to the marina looking for me. He wanted to make further enquiries. My worry was he might ask me to go with him to the police station. He could take my fingerprints and match them to prints found in the car, or search our bags and find all the weapons including the one I had taken from the police officer. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I studied his eyes while maintaining a slightly bemused look to try to anticipate his intentions. His eyes were hard to read. If he decided not to let me go then I would have to act. Dealing with him wouldn’t be a problem but getting to his partner standing by the car before he could pull his gun might be. I glanced over at him to assess the difficulty. He might get a shot away before I reached him. If I did manage to reach him without taking a bullet and subdue both police officers then we would have to escape in the police car and all the trouble that came with it. It wasn’t a good situation and I was willing the officer not to act on his suspicions. I held his gaze. He was obviously making his mind up. The seconds seemed to hang and I prepared myself for action. Just when I thought the silence could not go on any longer, the officer opened his mouth to speak but before any words came, someone interrupted us.

  ‘Hola.’ It was Alicia. She was friendly and smiley, almost ebullient, and I was very pleased to see her. She asked, ‘Is everything all right?’ and then she looked at the police officer. I could tell by his face he recognised her, or more, he knew her. He replied to her in Spanish. He explained about the assault on the two police officers the night before and the missing police car, which he told us, had turned up on Calle Las Adelfas. He asked her about me and she confirmed my story about where I was staying, and that she had invited me onto her father’s yacht for a day’s sailing. The officer seemed unhappy but accepted Alicia’s words. He turned to me and nodded curtly before he said, ‘Have a good day, señor.’

  ‘Thanks, I will,’ I said.

  He then said goodbye to Alicia in Spanish before marching back to his partner who also looked unhappy. They both got back in their car and drove off.

  Alicia turned to me and then looked at Geoffrey. Her eyes then went to Jennifer and Xing. She looked back at me and said, ‘You better tell me what’s going on. That policeman was going to arrest you. Let’s go onto the yacht and you can tell me there.’

  Chapter 20

  Card reading or counting the hand is one advanced technique used by the declarer.

  We all walked the plank with Alicia leading the way and went aboard Dancing Brave. She led us below deck into the galley where we had been the day before when I had stitched my knife wound, which had started to throb again by the way.

  I thought it best to make the introductions. ‘Alicia, you know Geoffrey, of course, and this is Doctor Jennifer Smithson from Cambridge and Xing, the deadly assassin from Hong Kong.’ I didn’t actually say the words the deadly assassin I just thought them. There was a volley of holas and hellos and then silence. To break the awkwardness I said, ‘Alicia is your father coming?’

  She replied, ‘Unfortunately not, he has to work; a last minute problem he couldn’t avoid.’ I didn’t ask her what work her father did. I should have.

  As politely as I could I said, ‘Alicia, I hope you don’t mind me bringing two more friends with me today?’ She smiled. I said, ‘They’re both very excited about sailing on your beautiful yacht.’

  She waved away my concerns with her well-mannered elegance and said, ‘No, of course not; you’re all very welcome.’ Then she asked, ‘Do any of you know how to sail?’ Nobody came forward with a positive response, which, I sensed, was not what Alicia was hoping.

  I said, ‘I know a little.’ I had once seen a television programme on sailing. It would have to do. I was keen to get away from the marina and out to sea where I expected us to be safe.

  Alicia then noticed Xing, and with a look of concern asked if she was okay. I explained that she wasn’t feeling very well and suggested we let her lie down for a while. Alicia agreed and showed us to a double berth cabin. In the doorway, Alicia said, ‘I’ll go and make the preparations for getting underway. Join me on deck when you’re ready.’ I smiled and thanked her. Xing hadn’t spoken a word. Alicia must have seen the handcuffs but she hadn’t said a word either. I would have to come up with an explanation that would satisfy Alicia and soon, but now I was going to take the opportunity of speaking to Xing alone.

  She sat on the bed raised her feet and then lowered her head onto the pillow. She was still fatigued and her body was craving sleep. I sat down on the bed next to her. We looked at each other. I wasn’t sure how to start. Xing spoke first. ‘When I was told the target was protected by just one man I thought it would be easy,’ she said and smiled weakly. ‘I should have been dead twice already.’ There was a suggestion of philosophical consideration in her voice.

  I let her observation hang. ‘The calls from London on your phone; who are they from?’

  Her heavy eyelids were proving difficult to keep up. She said, ‘The voice is disguised. It’s an electronic voice. It gives me intelligence about the target. I don’t know anything else.’

  ‘Will this voice call again?’ I said. She was almost asleep.

  ‘The voice will keep calling until the target is terminated. The voice is ruthless and determined that the target is killed.’ Not Geoffrey killed but the target. Her eyes closed and stayed closed. She was asleep. I considered her words: The voice is ruthless and determined that the target is killed and I realised we were still a long way from getting out of this. I thought of Charlotte and Meriwether and their plan and I hoped it was a good one.

  There was a key in the cabin door, I turned it on my way out and then I put it in my pocket.

  Back on deck, Jennifer enquired after Xing.

  ‘She’s sleeping,’ I said.

  ‘I’ll check on her in an hour or so and make sure she’s okay. She’ll probably sleep for most of the day.’

  Alicia was working on getting us underway. She had weighed anchor and started the motor, which she used to power the yacht out of the harbour and onto the open water where the sails could then pick up the wind. See, I had paid some attention to the television programme.

  Holding the tiller Alicia steered us slowly and carefully away from the dock, between the other boats, toward
s the marina’s entrance in the corner of the wall and the open sea. I walked over and stepped up onto the poop deck. Was that what the television presenter had called it? We smiled a hello at each other.

  Alicia asked, ‘How is Xing?’

  ‘She’ll be okay; she just needs to rest. Thanks for helping us and allowing us on your boat.’ I paused expecting a question. There wasn’t one. I said, ‘You probably want an explanation.’

  Alicia said, ‘Let’s get sailing first. You can tell me later if you still want to.’

  The motor hummed and the sun glinted on the polished brass bell. Dancing Brave cleared the harbour wall and swept gently into the open water. The air freshened and a breeze swept over the deck. Alicia’s hair lifted like the two flags on the mast and together they waved farewell. I turned and watched the land drop away behind us as we motored deeper.

  I noticed Alicia check the wind direction indicator and then she turned the wheel. The boat swung gently so it was pointing into the wind. Alicia killed the motor. With a smile, she said, ‘Time to sail. I’ll hoist the mainsail. Will you raise the jib for me, please?’

  I thought of the television programme and remembered the jib was the name for the front sail. I left the top deck and followed Alicia. She stopped at the mainsail and I carried on to the bow. I studied the mechanism: the winch and the ropes. The yacht was listless, impatiently waiting for someone to raise its sails. I glanced back at Alicia. She was pulling hard on a rope. The sail rose and flapped wildly. Then she tied the rope off. I looked back at my sail. I found the rope and saw a similar looking tie. I glanced again at Alicia. She had returned to the wheel and was holding the boat into the wind. She called out to me to raise the jib.

  I pulled on the rope and the sail moved. I kept pulling all the way and the sail went right up. It looked okay, so I tied it off and turned to see Alicia’s reaction. She was moving the wheel and judging the mainsail. I figured I’d done it right. The yacht was moving and tilting away from the breeze.