Balancing Act

by Rachel Churcher

  “OK, but what’s that got to do with—?” I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. She really can’t see what’s going on.

  “Franks gives Lee free reign to do what he needs to do. Lee keeps the committee stuff off Franks’ desk, and Franks can deny all knowledge of whatever Lee does.”

  She frowns. “So Lee’s working for himself?”

  “Mostly. She pulls stunts like this to remind Lee that he doesn’t know everything. And it really gets under Lee’s skin.” I take another step towards her, pushing myself into her space. I need to grab her attention. “Be careful, Ketty. Franks might seem friendly, but she’s playing her own games.”

  I’m too close. I’m distracted by scents of apple and mint. Her hands are gripping the table, and I’m close enough to reach out …

  I have to close my eyes against images of Emma. The two of us on my last night in Canterbury, our bodies pressed together against the cold shop front. I make myself step away, picking up my coffee and pointing a finger to emphasise my words.

  “She’s using you.”

  I put some space between us, then stand and drink my coffee, trying not to think about Emma. Ketty leans against the table, sipping her drink and making no effort to talk to me.

  I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have told her about Franks, and the committee, but this is scaring me. If Franks is giving Ketty power, what does that mean – for me, for Lee, and for the committee?

  “David,” she says, breaking the silence. “Is this what you meant when you said Bracken couldn’t handle it? Being on the committee?”

  There are so many things I can’t say. So many things she doesn’t know.

  I’m about to tell her something vague and reassuring when I’m saved by Lee. He marches into the room with two prison guards, headed for the cells.

  I put my coffee down and follow him, grateful for the distraction.

  *****

  My hands are shaking. I’m glad I’m alone in the observation room.

  I’ve set up the recording, and I’m watching Lee and William Richards facing each other across the interrogation table, but I’m not paying attention. I’m replaying the conversation with Ketty.

  Katrina Smith has an access card for Belmarsh. She’s just admitted it. Bragged about it.

  She’s here, without Bracken. She has clearance to waltz through the door, interrogate the prisoners, use the recording equipment – and she doesn’t have to ask permission.

  I feel as if I’ve crawled out of an explosion. Franks has given her power that I don’t have, and she’s out there in the waiting room, calmly drinking coffee and waiting for us to finish.

  She has no idea how important this is.

  Major General Franks is playing games. Lee will be beyond angry, and I’m trying to figure out what Franks is trying to achieve. I need to be ready for Lee’s tantrum. I’m putting the pieces together, but nothing adds up.

  Corporal Smith – new girl, RTS nobody, Bracken’s babysitter – has her own access card. I think this through. Bracken is unreliable. Is Ketty supposed to pick up the slack? Do his work for him?

  Why? What would be the point?

  Lee is trying to discredit Bracken, but by supporting Ketty, Franks is supporting the drunk guy. She wants him on the committee.

  What’s her motive?

  I feel as if I’m back on the trawler, the deck titling and rolling under my feet. Lee should be in control of Bracken and Smith. Is Franks deliberately messing with us? Using this to show Lee she’s still in command?

  This is dangerous. She’s given Ketty access to secrets she’s not ready to handle. Deals and arrangements she’s not cleared to witness.

  We need to be careful. We need to watch everything Smith does. This doesn’t make any sense.

  I take a breath and close my eyes, trying to calm myself. Maybe this isn’t as bad as it seems. Maybe I’m looking at it from the wrong direction.

  What if this has nothing to do with Bracken, or Lee?

  What if this is about Franks, and Ketty?

  What if this is a test?

  Give Corporal Smith enough power, and she might screw up. Give her a weapon, and she might turn it on herself.

  What if this is Franks giving Ketty a chance? An opportunity to shine, or fall?

  What if the stakes are higher than Ketty understands?

  If she falls, she goes back to the RTS, and Bracken’s days in London are numbered. But if she shines? If she impresses Franks?

  She’s untouchable.

  And if this is about Franks and Lee? If there’s a bigger game being played?

  Ketty Smith might turn out to be a good friend to have.

  I take another breath, willing my hands to stop shaking. I’ve spent too long away from all this – too long focusing on the Canterbury cell – and I’ve lost touch with Home Forces politics.

  I need to wake up. I need to pay attention.

  I need to start watching my back.

  *****

  “Bring her down.”

  Lee’s eyes are hard and cold, and his knuckles are white where he’s gripping the back of the waiting room chair. The prisoner and the guards have left and there’s no sign of Ketty and Bracken – they must have given up on talking to Elizabeth – but he hasn’t sat down. He hasn’t poured himself a drink. He’s been pacing and shouting, and I’m running out of platitudes.

  It’s a relief to hear that he didn’t know about her access card until this morning. He found out just before I did, and he’s furious.

  “I don’t care what it takes, Corporal. Frame her. Blackmail her. Make a sordid video – I don’t care. I want you to ruin her.”

  I nod, giving him the chance to speak. There’s nothing I can say. His attention is on Ketty. He’s not thinking about the Major General’s agenda. He’s not thinking about the bigger picture.

  “Ruin her, you ruin Bracken.” His fingers tighten on the chair. “Ruin Bracken, and he’s off the committee.” He shakes his head, releasing his grip, and his voice is quiet when he speaks again.

  “We’re up against Franks with this, Conrad,” he says. “You’re the best weapon we have against Corporal Smith. Don’t let me down.”

  “No, Sir.”

  I want to argue. I want to figure this out – reason with him – but I need to protect myself. Give myself a chance if this gets messy. I don’t want Ketty Smith as an enemy, but I can’t afford to lose Lee’s protection.

  This is a balancing act, and if I want to keep Lee on my side there’s nothing else I can say.

  Instructions

  “Jen?”

  “David. It’s good to hear from you.”

  The top-floor conference room is quiet, and I’m looking out of the window at the view of the Thames. It seems strange to be talking to Jen by phone again, in London. We exchange passwords, and pleasantries. I try not to think about her searching the cottage with Emma. About lying in the dark, listening to them talk about me.

  “What have you got for us?” She sounds hopeful. She still has no idea that she’s talking to the Home Forces.

  The feeling of power is back, and I’m enjoying myself.

  “I’ve got your explosives. All the final pieces you need.”

  “Thank you, David,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

  “You’ll be taking the trawler, and running the pickup by boat.” I give her a time and a location, and the radio call sign of the boat she’ll be meeting. “They’ll be expecting you. Transfer the crates to the Lindisfarne Lady, handle them carefully, and make sure they’re stowed securely. Make it as quick as you can, and head back to Whitstable. We don’t want the Navy taking an interest.”

  “I think we can manage that. I’ll let Niall know.”

  “Thank you, Jen. I’ll be in touch again when I know more about the target.”

  There’s a pause, and I wonder whether Emma has told the others what I told her. I tell myself it doesn’t matter. It won’t change the o
utcome.

  “Should we assemble the equipment?”

  “You can start, but don’t make anything live until we’re ready to go.”

  She laughs. “We’ll be careful, David. Don’t worry.”

  I know they can handle this. I know I’ve trained them, but I’m still nervous.

  I make myself take a breath. I’ve spent too long with the cell, and too long out of the office. This is their mission now – all they need from me is a time and a place.

  I need to let go.

  “Good luck, Jen,” I say, and hang up the phone.

  *****

  Lee’s office is empty when I make it back downstairs, and there’s a report waiting on my desk. Jake Taylor is in trouble, north of the border. If we’re careful, we might be able to bring one of Corporal Smith’s recruits home. If we’re clever, we’ll give him a show trial and threaten him with a firing squad, and we’ll see how the OIE responds.

  The Opposition In Exile is surprisingly effective at causing trouble in London. Scotland might recognise them as our official opposition, but we’re under Martial Law, so there’s no government to oppose. Edinburgh has been protecting them, and the recruits, but if Jake has been breaking laws? This could test the relationship between the OIE and their hosts. This could challenge the protection they’ve enjoyed.

  This could put the OIE out of business.

  So it’s not a surprise when Ketty knocks on my door. I haven’t forgiven her for yesterday – Lee is still angry, and I’m treading on eggshells every time he calls me into his office.

  “Corporal Smith! What can I do for you?” I sit back in my chair, waiting for her to ask for help. I’m going to make her work for everything she wants from me – she’s wasted enough of my time.

  “Scottish news channels,” she says, impatient. “I’m told you can get me access?”

  So Franks hasn’t given her clearance to watch controlled media. Interesting.

  What she’s asking for is illegal.

  I shake my head. “Now, that’s above your pay grade, Corporal. Officially, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I fold my arms and do my best to hide my smile.

  She rolls her eyes. “The brigadier sent me. Can you help me, or do I have to take this to Franks?”

  She’s pulling rank. She’s threatening me – and it’s a threat I have to take seriously, now I know about the Belmarsh pass.

  “Fine. Fine,” I say, sitting up. “I’ll get you access.” I take the media file and the TV remote from my desk drawer, cursing Franks under my breath.

  “Here?” She looks around the tiny room. “Or in Bracken’s office?”

  I give her a smile. This is something I can control.

  “Here, Ketty,” I say, and her face darkens. “I watch what you watch, and I have my finger on the button. Anything comes on that you’re not cleared to see, I switch off the feed.” She starts to argue, so I hold up my hands. “I don’t make the rules. That’s the deal.” I know she can’t refuse. I’m enjoying the disappointment on her face. “Do you want my help, or not?”

  She shrugs, and I wave her to the chair in the corner of the room. I switch on the screen, and make a show of looking up the channel and typing in the code to unscramble the image. It feels good to have this power, and I make her wait for the access she needs.

  “Scottish news,” I say, pointing at the screen as the static gives way to a brightly coloured TV studio. “What are you looking for?”

  She’s staring at the screen, her eyes wide. This must be the first time she’s seen news that doesn’t come from PIN. She must know this is illegal. That she’s only here because of Lee and Franks.

  “Jake Taylor,” she says, her eyes on the TV. “He’s left the OIE.”

  I can’t help reacting – letting her think she’s telling me something I don’t know. She smiles when I give her a sarcastic whistle, and she assumes I’m serious. “Now, that was a silly thing to do, wasn’t it?”

  Her eyes meet mine, and she’s grinning. “Yes, it was.”

  It’s electrifying, the way she looks at me. The power she claims over her missing recruit. She can see a way to bring him to London, and she’s excited. Determined.

  It’s intoxicating.

  I sit on the edge of my desk, watching her as she watches the headlines, a smile spreading over her face as she learns exactly how many laws Jake has broken.

  *****

  “So you’re back.” Lydia flashes me a smile as she fills her mug with strong black coffee. “I hope you enjoyed your mysterious holiday.”

  I shrug, reaching for a mug. “You know I can’t talk about that.”

  She winks at me as she steps away from the coffee machine. “Classified trips, Corporal? Time away from the office? Who did you bribe to get an assignment like that?”

  I can’t help smiling. “I couldn’t possibly say, Sergeant.”

  “Were there women? Was there wine?” I wish she hadn’t figured out how to make me blush. She’s mocking me, and it’s working.

  She notices the colour on my cheeks. “Ah-ha!” She laughs. “Come on, David! Give me something. Was she blonde? Brunette? Gorgeous?”

  I wait for my coffee, then cradle the mug, making her wait.

  “Don’t be so cruel!” She’s pouting, demanding my report. I’m enjoying her frustration.

  “I need some gossip, David,” she says, one hand on my arm. “You dumped Penny and disappeared, and now I’ve got nothing to talk about.”

  “OK …” I’m grinning now. “As it’s you.” She tightens her grip on my sleeve, holding her breath. “There was wine. And there was a blonde.”

  She sighs. “I knew it. I knew you’d come back with gossip. Tell me more.”

  I shrug. “Nothing more to tell. Blonde, blue eyes …”

  She shakes my arm, nearly spilling my coffee. “If you say ‘freckles’, I’ll know you’re in trouble.”

  I tug my arm out of her grip and shake my head. “I won’t say it, then.”

  She steps away, rolling her eyes and laughing. “You are in so much trouble, Corporal.” She waves a hand at me. “You, and Bracken’s girl, and you can’t even see it.”

  I give her a smile, and head for the door. She has no idea, the trouble I’m in. The trouble Lee wants me to cause.

  “Good to see you again, David,” she calls after me. “We missed that pretty face.”

  I give her a wave as I walk away, and as I walk along the corridor I can still hear her laughing.

  Observation

  “Are you free this afternoon?”

  Corporal Smith is in my office again, arms folded. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and attitude.

  Lee needs results, and here she is. I can’t resist mocking her.

  “Are you asking me out?”

  I’m expecting her to be offended – to tell me I’m being inappropriate, but instead she smiles.

  “Better,” she says, her smile widening. “Do you want to help with an interrogation?”

  I think about her first time in the interrogation room. Watching her force a confession from the guard from Makepeace Farm. I sit back in my chair, enjoying the excitement on her face. This could be fun.

  “You know all the right things to say, Ketty.”

  Again, I’m expecting her to be offended, and again she surprises me with a shrug.

  “Bracken’s busy with the Scotland negotiations. I’m guessing Lee’s busy too. And you did steal my session with Elizabeth the other day.”

  It’s true. Lee’s conversation with William Richards took hours. She never had the chance to question Mrs Ellman, and by the time we finished with the room, Ketty and Bracken were gone. She’s using Lee’s indifference as a bargaining chip for my time.

  “So you want me to …?”

  “Run the recordings. Get me some footage for PIN. We need to keep the pressure on Bex and her gang, especially if we’re going to get our hands on Jake.”

  I’m going with her. Of course I’m going with her,
but I have bargaining chips of my own.

  I shake my head. “I get you access to illegal foreign news broadcasts. I get the blame for putting an important prisoner in your interrogation room. And let’s not forget your special access card.” She’s smiling as she listens to my list of complaints. She knows she’s won. She knows she’s persuaded me, and I can’t stop myself from grinning back. “And you want me to push some buttons while you question someone’s mother?”

  She nods. “That’s what I had in mind.”

  She relaxes as I pick up the phone and order a car to take us to Belmarsh, shifting her stance away from her injured leg and unfolding her arms. She’s tempted me onto her team, and she’s aiming to keep me on her side.

  I notice the faint blush on her cheeks as I pick up my jacket and head past her to the door. I can be on her team, if it means she’s ready to join mine. As we walk out together I’m fighting a vision of my hands on her skin. Her clothes on my floor. The scar on her knee, setting her apart from the other girls.

  I need to work with her. I need her to trust me.

  One step at a time.

  *****

  I had forgotten how good she is at this. How she takes over an interrogation room, and makes her prisoners say exactly what she needs to hear. She makes them focus on her, and forget about the cameras. She knows how to guide them to incriminate themselves.

  I sit in the observation room, watching her manipulate Elizabeth Ellman, and it’s like a dance. They know each other. Ketty has been extracting confessions from Elizabeth since she arrived in Belmarsh, and she knows how to use Bex to provoke her mother. They’re talking about Bex again – Ketty listing her crimes, and the prisoner shrugging away the accusation. If this session follows the usual pattern, Elizabeth will keep denying everything until her frustration grows and she says something she’ll regret. She knows she’s headed for a firing squad, and she knows we need her to keep Bex under control. She’s worked out that we’re not going to hurt her until we have Bex in the cells, and she’s getting braver when she answers Ketty’s questions.