‘Morning Anthony, how is the world treating you?’ the Prime Minister enquired lightly.
Sir Anthony brushed back an errant lock of silver hair. ‘Problems, Prime Minister.’ When Sir Anthony was troubled he always came straight to the point. ‘Do you recall a short while ago one of our sleepers in the States asked to return — said he wanted to share some info about a new project?’
The PM shook his head. ‘No, not really. Why?’
Sir Anthony looked down at his notes. ‘We sent a small team to help get him out. He was seriously injured before they arrived and now he’s dead — even though he was being protected at the time. The police are involved.’
‘Do you know if the police are aware of our interests in the matter?’ Howard Stern had a good knowledge of how America’s authorities worked.
‘We’re not sure.’ Sir Anthony was keenly aware of Howard’s dread of mission exposure.
The Prime Minister looked at Howard. Before either could say anything, a red-faced Martin Dinsdale interjected loudly.
‘Get the bloody team out as fast as you can then!’
The computer booted up past the first stage and Sean saw the CD Rom start whirring busily. He had successfully installed the hard drive from Ben’s flat into the laptop he bought from the store. After a minute the screen settled down and a prompt appeared: ‘Insert key.’ Sean had no idea what key was required but he knew that he would get no further with the software he had. He was just about to shut down the computer when he heard the sound of Lomax’s car pull into the drive.
‘Busy day?’ Lomax enquired as he came in.
Sean briefed him on recent events including the murder of Ben at the hospital.
‘You lost an opportunity there’ was Lomax’s glum reply.
Sean gave him a considered look. ‘I was busy trying to resuscitate him!’
‘From what you told me Ben was probably gone anyway.’
‘You would have left him to die, just to get information from his attacker?’
Lomax shrugged. ‘He wasn’t my friend.’
‘But his return to the UK was the whole point of the mission!’ said Sean, annoyed.
Lomax gave Sean an appraising look but remained silent.
Sean shook his head disbelievingly but there was no point in pursing this now. He saw Lomax glance at the laptop. ‘I’ve tried to hack Ben’s machine with the standard tools, but it’s secured to the eyeballs. You were right — we need a geek.’
Lomax grinned. ‘Just as well I insisted — I’ve got a student at MIT on standby. He’s had some basic training.’
‘What’s the quickest we can get him over then?’
‘I suggest we pick him up at Boston airport. It’s only a ten minute drive for him and it’ll give us a chance to check him for tails.’
‘Right let’s do that. Do you have anything else on Ben’s work colleagues?’
‘Yep, I was working on that.’ Lomax handed over a type written sheet. There appeared to be about twenty five or thirty names on the list. Sean saw Natasha’s name halfway down the page.
‘Who did he report to?’ asked Sean.
Lomax’s mobile sounded and he answered.
Sean didn’t have long to wait. Less than a minute later Lomax ended the call and looked squarely at Sean.
‘What’s up?’
‘Signal from London’ Lomax said slowly. ‘They’re calling it off.’
Chapter 6
Looking through his binoculars across the water Louis could make out the riding lights from the Arabesque, a converted trawler equipped with long range radio and radar. Further away the navigation lights from the Tribune — the group’s refuelling and provisions ship — twinkled in the wintry gloom.
‘Feeling better?’ Long John came to stand next to Louis by the rail.
Louis inhaled the cold salty air deeply. The results of the sea trials in the next few days could be a defining moment in the history of US naval power. Thinking about it this way made his sea sickness seem like a small price to pay.
Louis grimaced. ‘I’ll be really happy when I’m home on dry land.’
Long John gestured towards the spot where the object they had launched rested below the surface. ‘Funny name for the project. Who decided on calling it Cetus?’
‘The guy who should be here — Anthony Tate, my co-director.’
Long John waited for Louis to continue but he wasn’t forthcoming. Long John persisted. ‘How did he come by such an unusual name?’
Reluctantly Louis turned his attention away from the sea. ‘Anthony has a passion for Greek mythology. He named it after a mythical ‘Sea Monster’ called Cetus.’ He wiped some salty spray from his forehead. ‘The monster would carry off those who made their living by the seashore. Some other stories told about a pestilence falling on the people and total destruction of their crops after a visit from Cetus.’
‘Seems an appropriate name then’ remarked Long John with a grin.
Louis agreed sombrely.
‘How did it end?’
Louis searched his memory. ‘The people thought the only way they could save themselves was to offer the King’s daughter as a sacrifice. The stories tell how the daughter was chained to some rocks on the shore to be offered up to the beast.’
‘And did it work?’
Louis wasn’t sure. ‘According to Greek mythology Perseus turned it to stone by showing it the head of Medusa. But biblical references have Cetus as the whale that swallowed Jonah. Take your pick.’
Sean looked at Lomax as he concentrated dodging in and out of the lanes but his face remained inscrutable.
‘Don’t ask’. Lomax’s remark seemed to anticipate Sean’s question.
Sean thought through recent events. The fact that the mission had been pulled without consulting Lomax could only mean one thing in Sean’s mind. Something had happened that exposed the mission profile though not necessarily the mission itself.
‘Do they know we’re on our way to collect the IT guy?’
Lomax glanced at his watch. ‘Nope. And we’re not about to tell them.’
‘Do they know about the lead with the laptop?’
Lomax shook his head. ‘They don’t want to jeopardise things with the Americans. They just feel it’s simpler this way.’
Sean thought for a minute. ‘You know that letter I photographed?’ Sean waited to see if Lomax registered interest. ‘I think Ben was working on something to do with it. I think the opposition found out and murdered him. The motorcycle thing was no accident and they had to follow up in the hospital to be sure.’
‘I’d worked that bit out already’ remarked Lomax.
Sean understood the implied criticism but felt no need to defend himself. He had debated with his own conscience at length since it happened. Could he have got to Ben sooner? But Ben was very ill and something told Sean that he would not have made it anyway — even if they hadn’t tried to suffocate him. Whatever the outcome Sean kept his anger to himself. There would be time to grieve later.
Sean mulled over the conversation. ‘There’s something else you’re not telling me.’
Lomax shrugged.
‘What?’ It was like trying to get blood out of a stone. Sean couldn’t understand why Lomax was being so reticent.
At last Lomax spoke.
‘It’s the girl. I think she’s a plant.’
‘A plant for whom?’ Sean had no idea of Lomax’s sources but if he suspected the girl then there probably was a very good reason. Even so he couldn’t bring himself to believe she was working undercover.