“Twenty four hours? Okay, but no longer!” I agreed with poor grace.
“Doctor, may I have a word about my niece?” Howard said, taking the doctor out of the room. Jon looked at me with something akin to awe in his eyes.
“I can’t believe you did all that!” he said.
I shrugged.
“Howard has told me the whole story. It’s like something you see in the movies.”
“This isn’t a movie, Jon.”
He smiled, looking around the hospital room. “No, I can see that. Does it hurt?”
“No, they’ve pumped me full of painkillers, so in a few hours it might.”
“When you get out, Howard wants me to take you home, as my girlfriend.”
“Oh yes?”
“He thinks my mother may know more about what’s going on.”
“Do you agree?”
He shrugged, looking a little lost. “I really don’t know.”
“So when’s this happening?”
“When you’re better. The others on the trip have been told I was involved in a coach crash, and so my case has been collected and taken to the Embassy in Paris. It seems that the sudden snow falls caused several crashes in France, so it was an easy story to fit into.”
“And your mother?”
“The same. I called her a few minutes ago to say I was back in the country. I said my friend was hurt and would come home when she’s out of hospital.”
“Did you mention your friend was a girl?”
“I might have,” he said, blushing.
“And what was her reaction?”
“I’m not sure, but I think she was a little surprised. I also got the impression that having us there was an inconvenience at the moment.”
“Good. Okay, let’s wait for me to get better.”
Grinning, he held out a wrapped box.
“I brought you these.”
I took the box and ripped off the wrapping paper. There were six pairs of very expensive silk stockings. I grinned, pulling him down and kissing his cheek.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll never forget you swearing like a trooper because you’d laddered your stockings when you came through the ceiling. James Bond has nothing on you.”
Placing the stockings on my table, I smiled and shuffled up the bed a little. Howard returned from speaking to the doctor.
“Right, has Jonathon told you of what I propose?”
“A bit. We’re to check out his mother, right?”
“Right. You’re being released in forty-eight hours, all being well, that is. We’ll have a debrief and update at the office and then I’ll let you know what’s happening. Still want a crack at Harrison?”
“Have we still got him?”
“Yes, I offered to release him, and he seemed strangely reluctant to leave. He refused to say why. I have a suspicion that the double-double cross may have something to do with him, and he’s more afraid of them than us.”
“Who’s them?” I asked.
“Exactly!”
I laughed, more at Jon’s expression than the silliness of the situation.
I was actually kept in hospital for a day longer than I’d hoped, something to do with a urinary infection caused by the catheter. It was like peeing broken glass, so I was really pissed off, and made sure everyone knew it. I think I was discharged in the end because I was a right pain in the arse to everyone. I was given a bottle of antibiotics and told to see my own GP if the infection didn’t clear up.
The car and driver that collected me from St Mary’s, took me to the Berkshire manor house by lunch time on that day. Carlene grinned at me as the car pulled to a halt and embraced me as soon as I got out.
“It’s great to see you up and about!” she said.
“Thanks. It’s good to see you’ve got your sparkle back.”
She smiled. “Well, you have to admit, it was quite an experience.”
“Nah, just a normal day’s work,” I teased.
“Howard is waiting for you inside. I’ll catch you later.”
“Are you not coming?”
“No, I’ve had my debrief. It’s your turn now.”
I left her and walked up to Howard’s office on the first floor.
“Ah, back from the dead again? You look remarkably well, welcome back, Rebecca.”
“Good to see you too, boss,” I said, collapsing into a chair.
“So, are you up to a debrief?”
“Lead on, MacDuff!”
We took most of the morning to conduct a full debrief on tape, which, no matter how objective I tried to be, still made me out to be something greater than I felt. At the conclusion, he took the tape through to be transcribed into a written report, while I met Carlene for lunch.
After lunch, I returned to Howard’s office.
“Well, that makes some positive reading. The minister will at least be pleased that we managed to secure the lad in such style.”
“Where is Jon?”
“Safe. He’s here, going through the photographs, just in case he saw anyone we have on file. He called his mother and told her he’s waiting for you to be discharged from hospital.”
“So, what happens now?”
“What do you want to happen?”
“I’d quite like to see Harrison again. I’ve a score to settle there.”
“I’m sure you would. There may be time for that later, but first, we need to introduce all the new team members to each other.”
“New team?”
“Oh yes, it seems that your exploits in France have embarrassed the Americans into asking us to join them in locating our errant professor. Once I informed them that we knew he’d approached them and turned them down, they actually agreed that they desperately wanted to stop the device falling into the wrong hands.”
“You mean you want me to work with those buggers from Paris?”
“Hardly. It seems that that was a separate operation, which was so nearly compromised by your involvement with young Jon. They were embarrassed by that one too.”
Still chuckling, he picked up his telephone receiver, spoke briefly into it and then replaced it. I got the impression he loved it when the Americans came cap in hand wanting help. It didn’t happen that often. A few moments later, two men entered and sat down in the other vacant chairs. I glanced at them, hoping to see some familiar faces, but they were complete strangers. Both looked to be in their thirties, fit and uneasy at being in civilian attire. One, however, wasn’t British. His suit was sharp, but the tie had diagonal stripes that ran the opposite way to the standard British style. That made him probably American, plus he was wearing what the British would consider a rather garish ring. It was a graduation ring, and I could identify the West Point insignia. I just managed to pick up the date. These new eyes of mine were fantastic. I guessed he was the Agency.
I smiled, because Howard probably had approached the CIA, told them everything he had implicating them in various nefarious activities and given them an ultimatum to come in as equal partners. I looked at the other man. His suit was as nice, but older. The tie was a British army regimental variety for the Royal Signals. He had a small winged dagger as a tiepin, which made me smile. That meant he was an officer who specialised in communications, and had probably been attached to the SAS for a short time.
“Gentlemen, may I present Rebecca, my agent in this particular matter.”
“Colonel, with respect, but this girl is hardly equipped to….”
Howard simply looked at him, and he shut up. It was the British one, with a faint hint of a Scots accent. Cultured, so he was ex-public school. Intelligent, arrogant but quietly disciplined, he displayed the typical qualities of so many professional soldiers
“Rebecca, please let these men know what you know about them in the short space of time you’ve had to observe them.”
I smiled sweetly, crossing my legs slowly, watching their eyes take in the free show.
“Certainly, Howard. The one on the right has served in the British Army - Royal Signals to be specific. He was born and educated in Scotland. Probably went to Glenalmond or Fettes, but then left the army with the rank of Captain to join the security services. He has, more than likely, served with the Regiment, which meant he was less than enamoured with the possibility of seeing another few years with his sending regiment after all that excitement.