The Hunt For Rose

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Stanton was a hair breadth away from discovery in the midst of years of probing. He was now convinced he had the perpetrator of his son's demise or at least the major link in the chain. Bella and Rose were of no use in this quest as she was well known to the target. He now questioned if the mission his boy had been delegated was in fact a set up or as evidence recently uncovered questioned this theory, it was also now apparent the mission his son was on would be far more damaging to certain entities than scrutiny of the original mission would reveal. He had only five lotto numbers and needed six. Louise Legrande French secret service agent, with his son Bradley during the mission had vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. She swore they knew they were coming and walked into a trap. Legrande had over the past years had extensive plastic surgery to continue operating without detection and Stanton had not contacted her for some significant time. He sometimes discovered her presence when hacking French secret service sites and was now ready to bring her into the fray holding enough information to strike at the heart of relevance. Stanton via his satellites hacked the FSS code messaging system, he instructed Legrande to attend a race meeting in Australia, a final running of the horse Flaxmead prior to attending a challenge in the US. Her target was listed as Joel Renoir alias Rick O'Brien. Legrande was the only French agent to know that Renoir was in British custody, he was still on the French most wanted list, he anticipated she would understand.

  Stanton stood at the float at Sydney's Randwick race course; he paced up and down waiting as Lindy Cumberland struggled to get Flaxmead into the starting gate. The entire area had vacated to watch Flaxmead run and he raced back to the float in aticipation, he was alone. The crowd went deadly silent, Flaxmead had obviously loaded and he could hear the race caller. 'And they are under starters orders, and away....' a resounding roar from the crowd drowned the race caller out. A petite French voice raised above the roar from behind him. "Monsieur Stanton, you sent for me."

  Stanton turned, he recognised the voice but the face had changed. He smiled and embraced her then asked a question. "Louise, thank you. Have you got anything out of Renoir yet?"

  Louise pushed him away and looked at him puzzled. "I was going to ask you the same question monsieur; you have had him for some time now."

  "You look so much different."

  "I understand."

  "Come, we must be brief, a long way to come for such a short time but full proof." He walked to the Mustang and they climbed in, Stanton dropped the computer from the roof, logged in and brought up a man's picture. "This is your target."

  Louise lent closer and lifted her eyebrows, she scratched her forehead and tossed her now long brunette hair behind her shoulders. "Are you sure monsieur?"

  "Yes I know, wish I wasn't."

  "I have never met this man but have seen him at a distance."

  "This man knows Bella and Rose well, plus I promised you the mission, I know you were engaged Bradley told me. You also know things you are not telling me and they may be imperative. I'm not sure if this man is the king pin, if not he would definitely know who was and would have sanctioned the mission anyway. Now appears you and Bradley were about to discover far more than expected when discovered so he may be innocent of the suspicion, but he is not innocent of other proven atrocities well over the line. Once you are sure you can get no more information terminate him and make it obvious, do not dispose of the body. I am sure that alone will muster panic and someone will do something stupid and I'll be there."

  "I have it monsieur Stanton."

  "When you get to the UK Hurst will pass on a new weapon, undetectable. Contact him at the Coffee shop on the river front next to Vauxhall Cross, you are his niece from the French side of his family, greet him as such when you find him, he is there every morning at ten unless he is away but that is not often these days."

  "I have it monsieur. It sounds like the horse Flaxmead has won."

  "No doubt, may god be with you, times up." Stanton kissed her on the cheek, she climbed out and vanished.

  Stanton jogged back to the winners circle to greet a beaming Lindy Cumberland, she slipped to the ground next to Stanton. "He ran way past the line took me ages to pull him up, how much did he win by I never looked back past the grandstand."

  "Thirty lengths," said Harper. "That should give them something to think about, he just dusted the lot of them." He turned to Stanton handing Flaxmead's reins to Jessica Flametower. "When do we get the travel plan?"

  "You don't."

  "I don't even know what float to put him on the day we leave."

  "Word of mouth at the time."

  "I don't even know that."

  "Everyone will stay overnight at Shangri La, in the stable with Flaxmead, things are still being arranged, the more planned latter the less chance of information spill."

  "How we going to get through this lot you can't move here."

  "Get the official pleasantries out the road and I'll see if I can find Constable Moses aka Cadiche for the parting of the people."

  "Liberian the prime minister wants to meet Lindy and Flaxmead, will be a few minutes longer."

  "Marvellous."