The lights of the car park created an almost surreal scene. I could see Charlie at the far end; he opened the door of the four wheel drive vehicle got in and started the powerful 4.6 litre petrol engine, switched on the head lights and drove around the one way system to the exit. As he emerged the rain tore little gashes through the long beams.
At the top of the ramp he stopped to let the exit barrier rise. From inside the car came an intense light; each window was a white rectangle, and the driver’s door opened very quickly. It was then that the blast sent me across the wet pavement like a paper cup. The explosion lifted the heavy vehicle off the ground and flipped it over like a tiddly wink.
“Get back in the car,” I thought. Getting to my feet, I unconsciously rubbed my cut and bleeding hands down the front of my shirt. A current of cold air told me of a two-inch gash in my right leg. People ran past towards the burning car. The explosion had sent flames everywhere and a siren had began to sound close by. I heard one of the security guards shouting.
“Quickly, get the fire crew and medics here!” I got back into the Audi, eased it into first gear and inched out slowly from behind the row of taxis. From the car park I heard another “boom” and saw a flash as the petrol tank exploded.
I drove around the roundabout. “Other way, mate,” said one of the cabbies.
The grazed palms of my hands were throbbing and the steering wheel was wet with blood and sweat. I took out my mobile phone and pressed the speed dial for the firm’s unofficial number.
An armed policeman, machine gun in hand waved me on to the main road away from the airport. I made sure that I was well on my way before I made the call to the office. They answered almost immediately, asking for my personal code name.
“Go ahead Jake.”
“I regret to inform you that; the dark green Range Rover we were collecting for our colleague had developed a serious wiring fault while in the car park. Neither the car or the driver survived the shock.”
“That is very sad news, Jake. How are you proceeding, please?”
“M25, I should be back indoors within an hour.”
“Thank you, Jake, we will monitor the situation.”
When LJ phoned me he was touchingly concerned for my safety, but remembered that he had to contact his insurance company. He said, “We can’t afford to have them getting curious about how it happened before the firm has had a chance to call in a favour or two with the police.”
As I drove, I remembered Charlie’s effervescent smile.
Chapter 11
I’d slept for barely four hours. The pounding inside my head reminded me that I had downed the best part of a bottle of single malt whisky with exceptional ease. It was a birthday gift from Charlie, given with ceremony, kilt and all. The memory of him standing there at the restaurant, telling me that only the Scots knew how to brew fine malt.
Tats had let herself into the apartment with her own keys, and was busy in the kitchen. I came through in my bathrobe, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and thinking that LJ had probably asked her to drop by and pamper me.
“How long have you been here?” The drum in my head beat louder with the effort of speech.
“About half an hour. You look absolutely awful. Why don’t you go and freshen up, you smell like a distillery. Breakfast will be another ten minutes.”
She was wearing a dark blue suit of impeccable quality, the skirt cut just the right length, to show off her firm slender legs to best effect.
I showered, dressed for the office and went back through to the kitchen.
Warm croissants straight from the oven and freshly squeezed orange juice awaited me and so did the latest news about the explosion that killed Charlie.
We sat a while, drinking coffee in silence. Tatiana broke the spell. “LJ spoke to one of his old pals at the Yard early this morning. They’ve established that the device used to blow the Range Rover is one favoured by professional contract killers. The detonator is of a sophisticated type, triggered by digital mobile phone or directly wired into the vehicle’s electrical system. On this occasion they think it was detonated remotely by phone, indicating that the person was still within viewing distance of the vehicle. The bomb squad boys can’t be sure of course, due to the extent of the damage caused, but they reckon about a kilo of explosive was used. They will be able to be more specific when they determine what type was used. One thing that’s for sure though, Jake, that bomb was supposed to kill, not just maim whoever was in that car. That someone was without doubt supposed to be LJ, not Charlie.”
“Why LJ, who would want him that dead do you suppose?” I said, absentmindedly breaking off a piece of croissant and dunking it into my coffee.
“Oh — I should think we could come up with at least a hundred or so names, of people that he’s used and abused in his time. But seriously, Jake, certain parties think it’s probably to do with either someone or possibly some assignment that he’s been involved with in the past.”
“By certain parties, you mean the Partners?”
“Yes, I mean the Partners.”
“There is something else you need to know, nothing to do with the explosion,” she said, “the blueprint for the new Network.”
“What about it?” I said, tilting my head forward and frowning at her from across the dining table.
“The Partners have copies. I’m sorry to say that crusty old fart Morris Drysdale at the Foreign Office is to set up one of his famous little feasibility teams.”
“Oh hells bells,” I groaned. “I know what that means.”
“You’re well out of it,” said Tats. “LJ is sitting in for you at present. They will discuss which department will co-ordinate operations.”
“Power,” I said. “I left the army because of all the crap. LJ wasn’t kidding when I joined the firm.”
“Even our friends at Thames House are trying to get in on the act.”
“I thought that might happen, the spooks see this as an excellent opportunity to acquire a brand new Network, gathering all sorts of intelligence, without having to do a damn thing.” I got up from the table and started to pace the kitchen.
“You should know how it is by now,” said Tats. “If the Partners don’t make a token gesture to them, when it comes to calling in favours they would have no bargaining gambits to play with.”
“As a diplomat, Tatiana, you are like a fox, cunning and resourceful. You constantly impress with your ability to placate me like a small child. Of course you are right, I should know better by now.” I said, with a wry grin.
Tats gave me one of her quirky smiles, got up and said, “Hell, look at the time, I’ve got to go. I’ll speak to you later.” We kissed; and she left as quietly as she had arrived.
By the time I reached the firm, organised pandemonium had developed in the department. People everywhere, phones glued to ears, words being spoken rapidly. Computer screens were alive with text and images, eyes fixed on them. Everyone had one thing and only one thing on their minds, to find out who had killed Charlie McIntyre. The word from above was simple; one of our own had been killed. The objective was to pull in all our sources of information and see what came out at the other end.
I joined LJ and Tats in the conference room. The image that filled the end wall on the screen made my stomach turn and the colour shot of what remained of the Range Rover made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The doors were completely gone and everything inside had been erased by the blast and the ensuing fire. Only the rims remained of the wheels in each corner, all of the rubber was burnt away.