They holstered their weapons. Adler asked, “Well, what do you think? Do we need to check the garage?”
“Do it. I’m gonna take one quick look around to see if we missed anything.”
Grant heard the sound of the garage door being raised then closed. Again, nothing.
Adler came back through the front door, seeing Grant walking out of the hallway. “I take it you didn’t find anything either.”
On one hand Grant was relieved they didn’t, but on the other, it meant more questions, like where the hell was Victoria Henley?
“Let’s go meet Jack,” Grant said as he opened the front door and looked up and down the street. “Clear.”
Adler stepped outside then locked the door. They left quickly, making sure their weapons were hidden under their jackets.
They still couldn’t see the van from where they were. Adler took the time to comment, “I’ve been trying to come up with a reason why the commander acted the way he did, skipper.”
Grant just shook his head. “I don’t know what the hell the problem is, Joe. I mean, I know his concern for his wife, but it’s like he’s fighting me on everything.”
“You don’t seriously think he’s involved in any way, do you?”
“I sure as hell hope not. It’s just that I don’t know what to expect from him.”
“You mean like possibly doing something stupid?”
“Right. I tell you what I’d like to do and that’s throw his ass in the slammer to keep him out of trouble.”
“Christ, skipper! The man’s a commander in charge of an EOD team. What’s makin’ him so… so irrational?”
“Good question.” Grant slowed his pace, then threw out another idea. “Maybe it’s his wife we’ve gotta worry about.”
That caught Adler off guard. “But we had her security checked!”
“I know, but it doesn’t mean… ” Spotting the van, Grant went silent. Henley started opening the door, until Grant waved him back, as he said to Adler, “You and I will have to talk that one out, Joe.”
Adler said, “Agreed, but I guess in the meantime, we do the ‘babysitting’ routine, huh?”
“For now, yeah.”
Adler jumped into the back seat as Grant got in the front passenger side.
“Did you find her?” Henley asked nervously.
Grant leaned against the door, turning slightly to look at him. “No sign of her, Jack.”
Henley just stared at Grant, unbelieving. Grant added, “Nothing was disturbed. Everything was in order. If she was expecting you home for dinner, it sure as hell didn’t look it. Stove, counters were as clean as a whistle.”
All three men sat quietly until Grant asked, “Is it possible she went out with friends?”
“I don’t think so. She would’ve told me.”
“Gimme some help here, Jack, because I think we’re running out of time.”
Not only were they running out of time, but Grant was running out of patience. “Look… just get us the hell outta here. Head to her brother’s place!”
Grant thought of dropping Henley off at EOD. He and Adler could find their way to St. Columb Major. But he wasn’t prepared to leave Henley on his own. This Navy commander seemed to be going off the deep end and Grant couldn’t risk it. If matters got worse, he would have no choice but to relieve him of command. And that didn’t set well either.
Adler rested an arm against the back of the front seat, getting a better view out the windshield. He was trying to remember streets and landmarks in case they had to make a return visit without Henley.
Grant knew Adler was mentally tracing the route, giving him a chance to concentrate on their next move. But he kept thinking about Henley’s house. If Adler had noticed the locks had been jimmied, he would’ve said something. But everything was in perfect order. Maybe it was too damn spotless.
There appeared to be more than one scenario when it came to Victoria Webb-Henley. None of them were to Grant’s liking.
He had to decide — either go to St. Columb Major or call the admiral. “Change of plans. Gotta call the admiral. Take us to the base.”
“But what about…?” Henley asked, giving Grant a quick, confused look.
Grant was already preparing for his conversation with Torrinson and completely ignored Henley. His decision could possibly mean life or death for thousands of residents and tourists in Cornwall.
Keeping the Rover in second gear as it barreled up the driveway, Webb spun the steering wheel as he made the curve around the back of the house. Tires skidded across gravel when he hit both brake and clutch. He popped both peddles. The Rover lurched violently and came to a stop. He flung open the door, then jumped out. Running hard, he burst into the kitchen.
The men seated at the dining room table swung around. Razzag Aknin jumped up, dagger in hand. His chair hit the floor. He stood protectively in front of Massi.
Labeaux motioned with his hand. “Relax. He’s one of my men. He drove you here, remember?” He moved away from the table, waited until Aknin settled down, then walked to the kitchen.
Grabbing Webb by the arm, he roughly pulled him away from the door. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t… ”
“They found a body!”
“What are you talking about?”
“After I left Victoria, I circled back through town. Copper’s were everywhere. Some bloke ran by the car and I asked him what the fuck was happening. He said a body’d been found tangled in a fisherman’s net. They brought it into Newquay Harbor.”
Labeaux wondered if it could be Farrell’s body. “And why do you think I’d be interested?”
“I just thought that… that something could’ve happened to Quinn, or one of the others.”
“I see.” Labeaux debated with himself. Should he go to the harbor to see if it was Farrell’s body? That would confirm Quinn had followed his orders. Or should he ignore it completely?
He glanced at his watch. “I should be done soon, then you’re to take those two back to the airfield. Return here immediately after.”
Webb slowly backed away, seeing the two Arabs watching him closely. Once outside, he went to the Rover and slammed the car door. Questions started filling his mind. What the fuck were two Arabs doing here? And why with less than two days before the operation against St. Mawgan?
It was a well known fact that Labeaux sold himself to anyone with money. Were they here to make plans of their own for his next adventure somewhere in the Middle East? But why meet here in England?
He reached through the open window, snatching a pack of cigarettes from the dash. After drawing one out with his lips, he tossed the pack back on the dash. He flipped open the lighter. His hands were shaking. He couldn’t light the damn cigarette. Giving up, he angrily threw the cigarette across the yard.
He thought about Callum and his men on the boat hiding out somewhere. Could that body possibly be one of them? What was it Labeaux said earlier when he asked why Farrell wasn’t with him? Was it possible Farrell was killed? Is that why Labeaux wanted to go to Newquay Harbor? To see if was Farrell’s body?
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. “Bloody fuck!” He started walking back and forth furiously. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was just getting a case of the jitters with the operation coming up. Labeaux was their only hope for doing damage to the Brits.
Opening the car door, he slid his hand under the seat, verifying the binoculars were there. Once they got to the harbor, he’d try to find out for himself.
As the three men approached EOD, Grant reached for Henley’s arm. “Hold up, Jack. I’d like you to wait in the outer office while I phone the admiral.”