by Sam Nash
“What about Lachie and Oona? Have they been arrested? Can you do anything to help them?”
“Who is Lachie and Oona?”
“Alexi is blackmailing them. They didn’t want to be involved in his plot, he forced them.” Her plea was urgent and desperate.
Luca cocked his head to one side, evaluating her earnestness. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Oh, thank you.” Mary leaned forwards and pecked him on the lips. “Thanks. They are such innocents. All of them really. They are not in Alexi’s league, by any stretch of the imagination.”
“I have said I will do what I can, Mary. That is the end of it. Okay?” He thumped his coffee mug down on the table, stood up and walked out onto the terrace. Mary was dumbfounded. What had provoked his temper? For a few seconds, she debated whether or not to follow. His moods were so difficult to predict. By the time she had made up her mind to join him on the patio, she found him descending the steps, out onto the courtyard.
Mary watched Luca meet up with a black Lexus as it slowed down and drew level with him. Luca bent down to the tinted driver’s window as it lowered. He greeted the man in the grey pinstripe suit, who then handed him a small plastic box and a documents folder. The window rose and the car drove in a circle, before leaving the property entirely. Another party delivery? Too small. Now where’s he going. Mary sneaked down the edge of the terrace steps. Luca clutched the folder and parcel tight to his chest, opened the gate to the narrow pathway, and headed for his sanctuary. Whatever that is, it is not meant for public viewing. She waited for him in the lounge, but Luca did not return from his sanctuary until later in the evening, after Viktor had fetched her from the guest apartment to dine.
The gathering of Christian protesters and reporters had doubled in size, in just a few hours. Mary shied away from the terrace and their intrusive long lenses. Viktor called to some of the vineyard staff to assist with a large delivery of hired furniture and crockery for the party. With everyone busy at their labours, Mary was free to explore. Her nosiness took her up the main staircase and into the master suite. She tapped gingerly on the door and entered. The room was immaculate. Minimalist furnishings, a bathroom the size of a municipal pool and a large area devoted to his clothes and possessions. She wandered past the modern artwork, taking note of the collection of expensive watches suspended on individual stands on a tallboy dressing unit. Here, she found more photographs of his daughter. Ava was cradled in the arms of a slender blond woman, who looked to be in her early thirties. Mary supposed that she was Luca’s ex-wife. It seemed odd that he should display pictures of a woman to which he was no longer married. Another frame showed the three of them together, all wearing fur lined Cossack hats, and playing in the snow. Luca beamed with happiness. Must have been take during that trip to Moscow.
It stirred something inside Mary. Men who adore little children have a strange appeal. It heightens their attractiveness exponentially, even if there is no intention to have children with them. Mary always thought that the allure must be written into the biological blueprint on the X chromosome. Shaking off her suspicions, Mary glared at the rows of business suits and formal shoes, the back lit wall of sneakers perched on shelves and the array of shaving equipment. He is certainly very neat and tidy. A place for everything and everything in its place. A bit of a control freak, like Parth. Thinking of her own ex-husband brought its own level of sadness. One that laments the past as a failing, her failure to see through his charade. Parth was unfinished business. One day, she would have to confront him and lay the matter to rest.
“Hey little sister, can you talk? I have good news.” Dan’s ebullient tone inside her head was unmistakable. His warmth and affection bathed her brain in happy dopamine.
“Dan, it’s lovely to hear from you. We seem to be prisoners of international time zones. How’s your mum?”
“Good thanks. Tonnes better, and so is the PM. Yelena called me today to say that the warrant for your arrest has been dropped. She wants you to come back home.”
“I bet she does.”
“Isn’t that great news? Your name will be dropped from international ports warnings.”
“Yeah, I guess. Did she say anything about the Mental Health Bill being scratched?”
“Nope, I suppose that will take longer to sort out. The Secretary of State for the Environment has been shuffled to the Defence Department. She is now in charge of Yelena and her team at GCHQ Buckinghamshire.”
“Oh great. She’s almost as bad as the last Defence Minister. Almost.”
“At least you can come home if you want to. Yelena has asked for our help. She said that Alexi was back on the radar. There has been chatter via Stoneghost metadata and the dark net; something to do with the transportation of radioactive materials?”
“Oh no that’s all sorted now apparently. I told Senator Luca Bonovich about my findings in New Jersey, and he alerted the Feds. He told me earlier today that they raided the retreat and detained everyone.”
“Not according to Yelena. She said satellite imagery show the retreat is very much still a going concern.”
Mary was taken aback. She halted her rummaging in Luca’s dressing room and stood fully upright. “Why would he lie to me?”
“What does your gut tell you? Can you trust this man?”
“He’s a politician, of course he can’t be trusted. I just don’t know why he would lie about something so serious as this.” Before she closed the cupboard, door something caught her eye. A large flat item, wrapped in folded fabric, leaned against the back wall of the cupboard.
“Perhaps you should get out of there. Has he threatened you in any way?”
“No, he hasn’t. In fact, he saved my life. He is like us, Dan. He used his abilities to remove the bullet from near my spine. It’s thanks to him that I can walk at all after the heist. And besides, he has Grandma Phebe’s brooch in his safe. I couldn’t leave until I get that back.”
“The second you feel under threat, get out of there, do you hear me?”
“I hear you, Dan.”
“Promise?”
“Uh uh. I promise.”
“Catch you later little sister.” The connection broke between the siblings, leaving Mary feeling as though she had let Dan down. He wanted her to run back to England and settle down with her PhD studies. She wanted that too, but not if it meant being under the MoD yolk.
The flat object was heavy. She knelt down on the polish oak floor boards and reached in with both hands. Tipping it towards her, she unwound the fabric from the corner. A steel frame surrounded a canvas. She peeled the covering back a little further to reveal the multicoloured overlapping circles of a familiar work of Kandinsky. The very same artwork stolen during the heist.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mary could not believe what she was seeing. There was only one possible explanation for the Kandinsky being in his closet. Luca arranged the heist. He was responsible for the death of his own security guard. It was his fault that Karan nearly got killed. Luca was to blame for the bullet lodged next to her spine.
Why would Luca do such a thing? What could he possibly gain from such actions? He’d garnered enough publicity through the lightning strike. Was he trying to play the hero? Mary wrapped the Kandinsky in its fabric covering and slid it back in the cupboard. She had to keep her cool. Was Luca involved in the Summerfield retreat? She knew it was risky, but she had to play along with him to get Phebe’s brooch back. More importantly, she had to find out what else he had planned. Perhaps Yelena could be of help after all. If she knew about Alexis plans, then surely MI6 were aware. No longer being a fugitive was an immense relief. She was free to do as she pleased. At least, she would be, if her sense of duty was not so pronounced. It was hard to believe that Alexi’s activities had flown under the radar for so long. Luca had to be helping him. Was she really the last line of defence from the general’s latest plot?
There was one thing about Mary’s decision that bothered her. What if
, in her quest to find answers, Luca reads her mind? If he found out that she suspected him of collaborating with a known terrorist, she would be placing herself at his mercy. What if he too could discharge electromagnetic pulses too? She had to take that chance. Mary closed the cupboard, left the room and ran downstairs. Victor gave her a scowl as she walked into the lounge. Just act normal, Mary. Don’t give Luca an excuse to read me.
They dined on the terrace as the sun sank beneath the horizon, painting the sky in tones of pink and orange. The food was delicious. Wild mushrooms and pine nuts in a parcel with fresh salads, and new potatoes in a lemon and dill sauce. It gave Mary the opportunity to focus on her plate. She did all she could to avoid looking into Luca’s eyes.
“Have you seen the protesters at the gate.” Mary looked up briefly and then straight back down to her meal.
“Yeah, but what can we do about it? If I get Viktor to drive them away, reporters will tell the world that I’m a tyrannical hater of religion. I’m dammed if I do and I’m dammed if I don’t.”
“You know they’re here for me, don’t you? If you ask Victor to take me to the nearest station, they’ll leave you alone. I just need my brooch back. I mean, I’m very grateful to you, but I really think it’s best that I leave.”
“What and miss the party? Victor tells me that you’re no longer a wanted woman. You have every right to be here.” There was that charming smile again, the one she had trouble resisting.
How did Viktor find out before me, I wonder? Mary kept her musings to herself. This was not the time to rile him. “How on earth are you going to explain my presence at your party to all of your visiting dignitaries? What if they have seen the footage on You Tube and have heard of Miracle Mary?”
“I don’t care if they have. It’s all good publicity for my campaign.”
“You’ll drive away all the religious votes if they think we are together.” She risked looking up into those expressive eyes. He was gazing into the distance. He swallowed his food and washed it down with vintage wine of his own label.
“Doesn’t matter anymore. Looks like I have lost most of the house anyway. My proposed Five-G bill will get heard as a matter of procedure. It hasn’t a hope in hell of being passed.” Still he looked towards the gates and the silhouetted placards waving in the twilight.
“I am sorry, Luca. I know how much it meant to you. Are there any other avenues you could pursue? Could you, perhaps, fund more research into the dangers it poses?”
“I could fund a hundred studies into the dangers of fifth generation cellular technology, it won’t make a shred of difference.” He analysed her perplexed air, and offered an explanation. “This president is a low bureaucracy capitalist. He has already scrapped all legislation and proposals that benefit public health and the environment, all to favour commerce. I have had to fight tooth and nail to get this far, and he’ll use my failure to boot me out of the EPA Chief position. He has one of his pets lined up for my job already.”
Mary didn’t know how to console him. She could understand his frustration, almost sympathise with his plight, but anyone assisting in Alexi’s plots had to be stopped, whatever part he had to play. After an almost silent, barely eaten dessert, it was obvious that Luca was not in a talkative mood. The noise from the floodlit chanters at the front gate, soured their meal. They rose from their seats and walked into the lounge. Luca offered Mary a cognac as he poured one for himself. She declined.
“Luca, please could you fetch my brooch? I’d like to wear it tomorrow.”
“Yeah, sure. In the morning. It’s in the sanctuary.”
“I thought you said it was in your safe?”
“It is. There is a safe in the cave too.” He swilled the rich liquid around the glass and sipped. “It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”
Mary opened her mouth to protest, but he was already walking towards her guest rooms. She huffed a sigh. “Why don’t we sleep in your bed for a change?” She wanted to see his reaction to her suggestion, but he had anticipated her question.
“You get more of a breeze through the ground floor rooms. Are you coming, Lady Sedgewell? Come and ravage me.”
She froze. Lady Sedgewell? What did he know that she did not? Can’t let him know that I am rattled. Keep it together, Mary. I can do this. She trotted along after him and kicked the door shut behind her.
***
Luca already seemed settled into a routine. Again, he rose before Mary and sat searching through news reports online, while he ate his muesli on the terrace. She slouched in the chair next to him, pulling her robe around her against the intrusion of long lens cameras.
“Do you have time to show me around the winery today?” She felt sure that he would jump at the chance to show off his accomplishments, but he did not even look up from his tablet PC.
“I’ll ask Viktor to take you on a tour.”
“Oh. Don’t bother.”
That made him look up at her. “You don’t like him?”
“He doesn’t like me. Always snarling and grimacing. He’s like a bad-tempered goat.”
“A goat?”
“It’s that nasty little straggly beard thing on his chin.”
Luca erupted in laughter. He put the tablet down and focused on her. It made her feel uncomfortable. Was he trying to read her again, or was this more of a lover’s analysis? She couldn’t tell.
“How about this...? I have the State Governor coming over for a meeting. He’ll stay for the party later this afternoon. I’d appreciate your help entertaining his wife while we talk. We can meet up at lunchtime and I’ll take you all around the winery then. What do you say?” He grabbed hold of her hand across the table. Mary envisioned the headlines in the evening news; Senator bewitched by Miracle Mary. She shuddered at the thought.
“You want me to play hostess? That’s a bit dangerous isn’t it?”
“Why? You aren’t planning on electrocuting them, are you?” His humour bubbled over into an irritating smirk. Was she just a source of amusement to him?
“Fine.” She grabbed a pancake from the stack on the table and stood up. “What about my brooch?”
“I’ll get it, don’t nag me. It’s not going anywhere is it? Besides, from what I have seen, it’s safer locked away.”
Mary wandered off, muttering under her breath. Hmm, and while you have that jewel captive, I can’t go anywhere. May as well put me in shackles.
After her shower, Mary stood in front of her new clothes hanging in the guest wardrobe, and sighed. I’m pretty sure that nothing I bought will be suitable for what’s in store today. I am not cut out for entertaining Californian politicians and local celebrities. Ah well, who cares what they think. Jeans it is. No matter how she blow-dried and combed her hair, she could not make it behave in the same way as the hairdresser had at the salon. An awkward section stood up in a cow’s lick on the left side of her forehead. Defeated, she made her way out to the courtyard, to meet the Governor and his wife with Luca.
They arrived in a black limousine with two large bulletproof security cars either side. The team of agents spread out along the perimeter of the courtyard, and dispatched others to patrol the grounds and ranch gates. It was beginning to resemble Fort Knox.
“Welcome to my humble grove, Millicent, Zak. Good of you to join us.” Luca offered his hand to the tall woman in the linen suit as she spilled out of the rear of the limousine. Her husband rolled out from the opposite side.
“Say, what’s all the rumpus down at your gates? We barely made it through.” The governor levelled his waistband over his paunch with a tug, and buttoned up his light cotton jacket.
“Ah, it’s not so bad. They have a right to voice their opinions, providing they do not trespass or cause damage.” Luca waited until the fat man had rounded the back of the limousine before making the introductions. “Mary, this is Governor Zak Cooper and his long-suffering wife, Millicent.”
Mary stepped forwards at shook their hands in turn. “Hello there, I’m M
ary, Luca’s…um…guest.”
The governor grabbed her with both hands, jogging her entire body with his exaggerated greeting. His wife’s hand was limp and clammy. Neither she nor Mary relished the physical contact, retreating at the earliest opportunity. As one decisive group, they mounted the steps and hovered next to the freshly cleared breakfast table.
“May I get either of you some refreshments? Tea, coffee, a soft drink perhaps?” Mary clasped her hands together and searched their faces for any clues as to their intentions.
The governor looked at Luca and then at his wife. “Soft drinks? Do you mean soda? Hell, if I wanted to raid the kids stash, I’d have stayed at home.”
Millicent peered down at Mary. “He’ll take a bourbon on the rocks.”
Mary’s eyes reduced to slits. “I’m sorry, I just thought that Luca and Zak would need to keep a clear head for their meeting.”
“Zak?” Millicent boomed, from a husky, smoke damaged larynx. “You are addressing the governor of the great state of California in the greatest country in the world. Show a little respect and use his title.”
“Greatest…? I meant no disrespect, but on what evidence are you basing this assumption? If we are talking about the sheer volume of gun and drug related crime as a parameter, then yes, the US wins hands down.”
The governor bit down on his bottom lip, sucking in enough breath for his retort. “Now look here, young lady…”
“Why is it that men immediately resort to condescension whenever their arguments can’t be justified?” Mary feigned bewilderment, and wandered off into the lounge room to pour his midmorning bourbon. She returned to the terrace with the tumbler, half-full and without the ice. “There you go, Gov. Bottoms up.”
Luca curled up from laughter, holding his sides and wiping tears from the pronounced wrinkles at his temples.
Mary was on a roll. What did she care if this power hungry and pretentious couple hated her. That she could live with. Now that the warrant for her arrest was nullified, she was free to do exactly as she liked. “I’m going to make myself a pot of tea. Millicent, would you care for a cup?” Mary didn’t wait for an answer, but turned on her heels and sauntered towards the kitchen. As she did so, she heard the governor bluster;