Colin was about to reply when Erebus put down his cup and continued.
“Your plan was carried out to perfection. DCI Richard Armitage was discovered by his playing partner on the Lewes golf course late this afternoon; he had been shot at close range. The Sussex police have no eye witnesses. They have very few leads to go on. A senior officer trotted out the usual stuff about ‘our thoughts are with the family’ and ‘a valued friend and colleague who will be sorely missed’ but the truth is they were glad to see the back of him; there is one bad apple less in that particular barrel.
Their investigation is centring on his earlier court case; the criminals he came into contact with while working with SOCA were somewhat upset when he managed to wriggle his way out of the charges brought against him. The drugs gangs have long arms. Any one of those whose members had narcotics planted on them or were involved in some of Armitage’s other money making activities could have ordered a ‘hit’. Our people in the ice house are contributing to the misinformation so that the local ‘plods’ won’t be tempted to think outside of the box.”
“Why am I not surprised that you’re so well informed.” said Colin.
“Needs must dear boy!” said Erebus.
“Should I return the gun and spare ammo to the armoury tonight?” asked Colin.
“Yes” said Thanatos “we have someone on duty twenty four seven. We have strict rules about items of that sort being above ground for any longer than absolutely necessary. They might be difficult to explain away if the charity commissioners dropped in for an unannounced spot check tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll finish my sandwich and get back to my quarters then” said Colin “I’ve secured them in my locker for the time being. I didn’t know how long I’d be tied up here.”
Athena allowed herself a brief smile.
“Did you imagine you might be tied up then?” she said quietly.
“A man can dream” replied Colin and made to leave.
“Hang on Phoenix!” called Erebus “we have another direct action for you to start planning for.”
“When do I leave this time” Colin asked “in the morning? No rest for the wicked I suppose.”
“I hadn’t realised we had agreed to Phoenix being the right man for the Dunfermline problem.” whispered Athena. Erebus laid a hand on her arm.
“I believe that he is the right person, without question. However, we still have intelligence to be gathered in that regard. Direct action won’t be decided upon until we have everything we need to hand. In the meantime I think Phoenix needs a change from a policeman don’t you?”
Erebus invited Colin to sit back down.
“Sir Godfrey Penrose is a former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans. He stood down at the last election after a long career in politics. His father was a Brigadier and after Oxford University he went into the City and dabbled in corporate finance, management consultancy or some such. He never joined the regular army like his father, but he spent several years in the Territorial Army.
The Tories saw him as a ‘safe pair of hands’ and after contesting a safe seat in the Home Counties he got a reputation as a solid backbencher for the first few years. He had a couple of minor posts with Education and Transport before ending up with Defence. We believe it was on his watch that many of our former colleagues got a raw deal. Have you heard of the Armed Forces Covenant Phoenix?”
“Can’t say that I have” Colin answered.
“Put simply HMG has agreed to enshrine in law its duty of care to its serving service personnel; it has agreed to sustain and reward them for the rest of their lives. The House of Lord’s are playing silly beggars with it at the moment but everything should be signed off well before Christmas. Our veterans should be better protected than they have been hitherto. We have investigated Penrose thoroughly and found a few black marks against his name; apart from the veterans who suffered deprivation and a distinct lack of ‘sustenance and reward’ before their deaths.
There were rumours about incidents that took place while he was involved with the TA during their so-called Annual Camps. These are an intense period of learning for any reservist, whatever their rank or level of experience. The more junior members focus on basic skills such as first aid, map reading and weapon handling. Several eighteen year old males and females found themselves in close proximity to the future MP in tents scattered across the Brecon Beacons and Dartmoor.
The rumours, since confirmed, described how these youngsters would wake up in the night to find Penrose lying next to them; he would touch them intimately, on some occasions the assaults included penetration of both sexes. The victims were frightened and confused; for many it was their first sexual experience. Penrose told them it was all part of their training; he convinced them they needed to cope with adversities. If they cried out or struggled when they found themselves in action, they could give away their position to the enemy, endangering the lives of their comrades.
The victims are still living with what happened; they continue to blame themselves despite the passage of time. We sent agents posing as documentary film makers to interview these men and women, now in their thirties and forties; evidence was recorded with their faces never appearing ‘in shot’ and their voices heavily disguised. This persuaded them to tell us everything; we paid them for their co-operation but warned them that as an independent company we couldn’t guarantee that the programme would ever be shown ‘on air’.
They had found the courage to tell someone about the abuse they suffered by a man who was supposed to be their protector and carer; it was a gross breach of trust. Some may have come forward in the future to try to get the justice they deserve; we will not wait for that to happen; we will personally ensure that Sir Godfrey Penrose receives the correct punishment for his heinous acts.”
“Can I have a dossier on this Penrose character?” asked Colin.
“It will be with you first thing tomorrow morning Phoenix; pay a quick visit to the armoury tonight and then get some well earned rest. Good night.”
“Goodnight Sir.” Colin replied and then said his good nights to the others, reserving an extra little nod towards Athena and left the drawing room.
Colin was up bright and early; when the dossier arrived he was ready and waiting to start on his new assignment. He reviewed the information that Erebus had given him last evening and paid closer attention to the more recent material that the surveillance section had gathered. Since he had retired from politics, Sir Godfrey had taken a couple of non-executive posts on the boards of fairly prestigious companies in the City.
“He’s not short of a few bob is he!” exclaimed Colin.
He looked down the list; there was a one-bedroom flat in Egerton Gardens, Knightsbridge valued at just short of two million that Sir Godfrey used when he was in town on business. The family home was a converted barn near Stowmarket, Suffolk which weighed in at a cool one million and finally he owned a modest two bedroom cottage in Princeton. This was very much a rural property and buying on this part of Dartmoor requires a particular love of moorland and foul weather. The raw beauty of perhaps the last wilderness in England took some beating. Colin noted that the property could be reached in less than half an hour by car from Plymouth across the moor via Yelverton. A little light went on in Colin’s head and he started to formulate his plan.
It appeared Sir Godfrey also owned several luxury cars to take his pick from when running around London plus a couple of top marque Range Rovers to use in the country. Sir Godfrey had married Penelope Bradley in 1977; they had no children. She had been the only daughter of a wealthy wine merchant and these days appeared to spend all her time in Suffolk drinking her way through her late father’s cellar, plus the additional bottle or two from Waitrose. Colin tried to work out how often the couple actually spent any time together; it was eighty days per year at most. Less, if they didn’t get on perhaps?