To Kill Or Be Killed (43 page)

“Get in
Stanton.” Brook hissed.

Stanton was
unmoved, he stood still looking. Suddenly bright orange smoke rose
up in the air from that direction. Stanton got into the car and
pulled the door closed.

The Honda
pulled away. The cell phone in his pocket rang. He took out the
lime green phone and answered the call.

“Yes.”

“This is the
man who employed you.”

“Who are
you?”

“We’ll meet
later. Congratulations.”

“There was no
explosion, just a smoke bomb by the looks of it.”

“That was the
job Stanton; that was the job. We’ll meet and I’ll explain. In the
meantime my men will take you to a safe house and give you your
reward.”

The phone call
ended.

“Impressive
work Stanton, very impressive.” Brook grinned.

“I’m still
confused.” Stanton replied.

“All will be
revealed.”

“Any news on a
price for the disk?” Stanton asked, not knowing what else to
say.

“Yes. The boss
is very impressed. Overall I’d say he’s all ecstatic. Job
done.”

Chapter
103

10 Downing Street

6 p.m.

April 19th

Tarquin
Robinson sat in the chair opposite Gary Braine, across the table in
the cabinet room. The building had been swept, the small dining
room sealed off and security was at maximum. Mr Braine had a folder
with a report in front of him.

“So we’re sure
it was lucky the device didn’t properly explode, the orange smoke
was due to the chemical mixture. I’ve not got a full report from
the bomb experts at MI6, they’re handling it for us, they’ll be
able to tell the origin and so forth. Stanton is being searched
for. He must have had help. He disappeared, but we’ve put out
alerts at all exits.” Robinson’s voice was a mixture of concern and
efficiency.

“DIC can deal
with that.” The Prime Minister replied.

“I’m not sure
that’s best Prime Minister. It was DIC and that man McKie that gave
Stanton the best possible method of entry. DIC have been appalling
in this. That’s two of their passes stolen and used. Stanton used
them and in a way McKie led them to you. I have to say that there
must be a review of DIC and their role.”

“McKie risked
his life to try and save me Tarquin.”

“I know Gary,
but they’re not experts, they’re just people trained to watch and
the duty team members haven’t distinguished themselves on this
matter. I’m not saying that we don’t need full CCTV surveillance of
that kind, but maybe it’s time to pass it to the Home Office to
run, fully and properly. It was a good idea for nearly fifty years,
but the world has changed and we need proper security experts,
under the guidance of MI5, MI6 and the Home Office.”

“Jack Fulton’s
a good man, nearly died over that nuclear business in the
eighties.”

“Yes of course
I’m not saying he’s not good, but a separate and independent civil
service branch with armed people, bearing diplomatic immunity on UK
soil isn’t what’s needed. They’re seriously compromised and let’s
be honest, when it came to the ultimate test they failed. They
failed you very badly. It’s just luck that you weren’t killed and
DIC led them here.”

“I do see what
you mean Tarquin. Well we’ll have a review and a full investigation
of the past three days. I suggest you head it and perhaps the head
of MI6.”

“Can I suggest
Nigel Sternway? He’s very well thought of.”

“Okay.”

“Oh and I
suggest even if DIC continue work whilst we hold the investigation
and review that their duty teams be suspended?”

“Yes. That
would be a good idea.”

Robinson got
slowly to his feet.

“Thank you
Prime Minister. I’ll start on that first thing in the morning.”

He left the
room and went to his car, joined by a security operative, who sat
in the front with the driver.

Robinson
checked the glass between himself and the two men in the front,
knowing he was secure he pulled out the cheap orange coloured Bic
cell phone. He rang the one number in the contacts list. The voice
at the other end levelly answered ‘Okay’ in a monotone voice when
it was told.

“Job done,
complete delivery of last requested item.”

Chapter
104

Euston Towers

6-05 p.m.

April 19th

Jack sat back
in his office chair as if stung by a hard slap in the face. The
prime minister’s call had been a shock.

He called Magda
from her office and dictated an all personnel e-mail. He registered
her shock as she left to send it. He rang the duty team offices and
then made his way to the board room on his floor.

Ten minutes
later Jack Fulton was sat at the head of an oval polished table in
a neat plain room. At one end on the wall above Jack’s head was a
black and white photo of Churchill and at the other, on the wall
next to the door, was a black and white photo of Daniel Trevelyan,
the first head of DIC. Jack was lost in thought when the door
opened and the duty team members came in.

David McKie sat
on an upholstered wood frame chair at the door end of the table.
Liam, Tony, Ellie, Terry and Jaz followed and sat in places around
the table and finally Diane walked in and stood behind Jack, after
placing a laptop on the table.

“I have bad
news I’m afraid. I’ve heard about a meeting at number ten between
the P.M and the Home office minister Tarquin Robinson. The P.M has
decided that DIC active duty rota teams are to be stood down and
arms bearing and diplomatic rights are to be suspended pending an
investigation…”

There was a
series of exasperated and angry comments from the team and Jack
held his hand up. Silence followed.

“The home
office minister is concerned about mistakes made and use of DIC
information and identity passes to access Downing Street. There’s
to be an investigation”

There were no
remarks after this. Each of the team knew that the assassin had got
in on their watch. They had all seen the news footage and thanked
God that the bomb hadn’t gone off properly.

“The thing is
that it may be a plot to discredit us. We’ve got this tape and it
does show a link between Robinson and Sternway.” Jack fiddled with
the mouse pad and the file played clearly in the room.

“You’re a
lovely lady Mrs Robinson and people like you do scare me a little,
but you tell Tarquin that it will happen in the next hour, as
arranged, and if he doesn’t show some backbone he’ll regret
it.“

“That’s it
then. This links Robinson to Sternway. They planned to have the
P.M. killed and they can cover it up. They’re just trying to blame
us and take the heat off themselves. You need to take this to the
P.M!” David was very excited, animated and not a little angry.

“David this
only tenuously links the men, it doesn’t constitute cast iron
proof. I wish it did, but it doesn’t. I will play it to the P.M. at
my meeting with him and Robinson at eight tonight, but you must
expect our service to be rendered inactive until this has been
fully investigated.”

McKie rose from
his chair.

“For the love
of God Jack can’t you see Robinson and Sternway are linked and that
means they might have engineered Cole’s death to put Robinson in
place.”

“David you need
to be careful what you say. It’s an obvious notion, but there’s no
proof.” Diane’s voice was soothing she knew how he felt.

“There’s a
trail of dead bodies, innocent dead I might add, and you say
there’s no proof. We need to confront them. They must pay for
this!” David’s voice wasn’t a shout, but a loud firm imperative
tone made his anger clear.

“It will be
done by investigation David.” Diane said quietly

“They’ll fudge
that and it’ll take years and in the meantime DIC won’t be watching
them.” David slapped his forehead. “Of course! That’s what they
want! Can’t you see?”

Jack ignored
the remark. He had had the thought himself, but had no way to prove
it. He needed to end the meeting and plan for eight O clock meeting
at Downing Street.

“I’ll need you
to take your weapons to the armoury before you leave the building.
It’s late tonight so I suggest you stop over and end your duty rota
time tomorrow.”

“That’s it?
That’s all?” David looked around exasperated.” Dear God are we not
going to make a fight of this? We’re just going to quietly
fold?”

He pushed back
his chair and headed for the door.

“David…” Jack
spoke as David reached the door and opened it, McKie paused. “Calm
down. We’ll sort this out. I know you’re angry, but don’t do
anything rash.”

“No I won’t
Jack. I think about everything very carefully before I act. That’s
why you hired me. Brains not brawn remember.” David left the
room.

All the other
team members looked at each other in concern for David.

“I can’t blame
him for being angry, but we have to do this carefully and within
the rule of law.” Diane spoke to the remaining team members.
“Clear?”

They all nodded
and the meeting broke up. Diane stayed behind to talk tactics for
the eight O clock meeting with the P.M. and Robinson.

In the duty
team kitchen David McKie made a coffee and looked out over London.
His eyes were hard and showed a process of mental calculation in
their occasional flickers from the sky line to the kettle. By the
time his coffee was made up so was his mind. He took the lift down
to his duty team office. He was damned if they’d get away with all
this on his watch. He picked up the phone.

“Hello
decryption? It’s David McKie. I’ve got a job for you.”

CHAPTER
105

MI6 SAFE HOUSE
LONDON

6-10 p.m.

April 19th

Stanton started
to come round. He’d walked into the house, one man in front and one
behind. He’d been hit on the back of the head and had fallen
forwards into a hard blackness.

It was a bare
room. Stanton went to rise and found that he couldn’t move. He was
tied by his arms and legs to a wooden dining chair. His arms were
behind his back, each arm tied at the wrist to each upright support
of the chair. The back of his head ached.

Looking around
the room, which was in half light with curtains closed, he could
see a musty green carpet, dust all around him and in the corner a
table. He could hear voices in the distance. On the table was the
laptop case with the Browning pistol and scooped out laptop inside.
Next to that was the Sig220 in its holster and Bill’s beige
coat.

Stanton
listened carefully. There was no sound of traffic, but he could
hear distant voices. The voices began to approach, coming it seemed
up towards him; he was upstairs somewhere.

He’d been
betrayed and he knew it. Used and betrayed. He gathered himself for
a session of torture, but he wasn’t sure what he knew that they
wanted to know. He ran his mind over the last few days. It hadn’t
been a real bomb of that he was sure. They seemed interested in the
information about the DIC and very happy about the disk. He
realised that he and the others had been used. They probably wanted
any last scraps of information he had.

These people
had wanted to get DIC in the open. Stanton knew that he’d exceeded
their expectations. Spencer had known DIC existed and he’d worked
for MI6, so UK security services knew DIC existed, but Spencer had
said they weren’t able to identify who and where. These people
weren’t out to get the Prime Minister, it had been a lure and he
and the other, now dead assassins had been bait.

Two men entered
the room, Brook and Telford. Brook had his jacket off and Stanton
saw a waist band holster with a snub nose Smith and Wesson 38
‘Night Guard revolver. He’d knocked off at least two MI6 agents in
his work for various groups around the world, groups trying to
avoid the scrutiny of British Secret Service.

Telford was
unarmed.

Brook saw the
look on Stanton’s face a, look of understanding.

“That’s right
Stanton. MI6. I can see you understand now.”

“I take it I
don’t get my million pounds and safe exit then.”

Brook laughed
and then a third man entered the room. He was a tall thin snake
like man and he carried a chair and a big black square bag made of
faded and worn leather.

Stanton eyed
him warily and Joe looked at Stanton with eyes that Stanton felt
looked right into him. Joe put the chair and the bag down and sat
in front of Stanton.

“We want to
know everything you learnt about DIC, everything you saw on the
computer.”

“It’s all on
the disk.”

“There might be
more in that head of yours.” Joe leant forward and tapped Stanton’s
head with his for finger.

“I didn’t see
much at all.”

“No? Well I
need to be sure.”

Joe looked at
Telford who opened the bag and took out a piece of equipment. There
were pads and wires and brown wooden box with a dial. Telford
walked over to the wall and plugged in the long lead.

Stanton braced
himself. Electric shock torture! He’d take a few ‘shots’ and make
up some stuff. He ran images and information from the DIC network
through his mind, trying to pick out useful stuff.

Brook took a
pair of scissors and cut Stanton’s black T-shirt open then he undid
Stanton’s trousers pulling them down to his thighs, as far as he
could go with Stanton’s legs tied to the chair.

Stanton said
nothing, protest was useless and fear was for children. Stay
mentally sharp, eat the pain and plan a way out.

Pads with wires
attached were put on him. One was put over the solar plexus and the
other was put on the skin of his abdomen, just above the pubic hair
line of his groin.