Thunder Point Part 14

Dillon moved forward into the hall, admiring the grand staircase, the oil paintings that covered the walls. After a while Ferguson appeared up there, looked over the rail at him and came down the stairs.

"What on earth do you want, Dillon? I'm halfway through my dinner."

"Oh, Jesus, Your Honor." Dillon stepped effortlessly into the Stage Irishman. "It's so good of you to see me, the grand man like yourself and this place so elegant."

The porter looked alarmed and Ferguson took Dillon by the arm and propelled him outside to the top of the steps. "Stop playing the fool, my steak will be quite ruined by now."

"Bad for you at your age, red meat." Dillon lit a cigarette, the Zippo flaring. "I've found out who the opposition is."

"Good G.o.d, who?"

"A name, that's all I have. Santiago - Max Santiago. He lives in Puerto Rico, but recently he's been in Paris. By the way, they also did the burglary."

"How did you find this out?"

"I had a run-in with our two friends from the coroner's court."

Ferguson nodded. "I see. I hope you didn't have to kill anyone?"

"Now would I do a thing like that? I'll leave it with you, Brigadier, I feel like an early night."

He went down the steps to the cab and got in. "I told you, guv," the cabby said.

"Oh, well," Dillon said. "You can't win them all. Take me to Lord North Street," and he leaned back and looked out at the London night scene.

Jack Lane, only recently divorced, lived alone in a flat in West End Lane on the edge of Hampstead. He was cooking a frozen pizza in his microwave oven when the phone rang and his heart sank.

"Jack? Ferguson here. Dillon had a run-in with those two suspicious characters who were at the coroner's court and the crematorium. They've been working for a Max Santiago, resident of Puerto Rico, recently in Paris."

"Is that all, sir?"

"It's enough. Get yourself down to the office. See if French Intelligence has anything on him, then try the CIA, the FBI, anybody you can think of. He must be on somebody's computer. Did you get anything on this Bob Carney fellow, the diver?"

"Yes, sir, an interesting man in more ways than one."

"Right, you can brief me in the morning, but get cracking on this Santiago thing now. Five hours earlier than us in the States, remember."

"I'll try to, sir."

Lane put the phone down with a groan, opened the microwave oven and looked with distaste at the pizza. What the h.e.l.l, he'd nothing better to do and he could always pick up some fish and chips on the way to the Ministry.

At his flat, Smith was on his second large Scotch, his right forearm in plaster and held by a sling. He felt terrible and it was beginning to hurt a great deal. He was pouring another Scotch when the phone rang.

Santiago said, "Have you anything for me?"

"Not yet, Mr. Santiago." Smith searched wildly for something to say. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Shah has been on the phone. Johnson shot and you with a broken arm. 'f.u.c.king little Irish b.a.s.t.a.r.d,' I believe that was the phrase you used. Presumably Dillon?"

"Well, yes, Mr. Santiago, we did have a run-in with him. We'd got the girl, see, and he managed to jump us. He had a gun."

"Did he really?" Santiago commented dryly. "And what did you say when he asked you who your employer was?"

Smith answered instinctively, "Not a b.l.o.o.d.y thing, it was Johnson who..."

He stopped dead and Santiago said, "Carry on, tell me the worst."

"All right, Mr. Santiago, the stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d did give Dillon your name."

There was silence for a moment and then Santiago said, "I'm disappointed in you, my friend, most disappointed." The phone clicked and the line went dead.

Smith knew what that meant. More frightened than he had ever been in his life, he packed a suitcase one-handed, retrieved a thousand pounds mad money he kept in a sugar tin in the kitchen and left. Two minutes later he was behind the wheel of the van and driving away one-handed. He had an old girlfriend in Aberdeen who'd always had a weakness for him. Scotland, that was the place to go. As far away from Johnson as possible.

At the nursing home Shah sat behind his desk, the phone to his ear. After a while he put it down, sighed heavily and went out. He went into the small pharmacy at the side of the operating theater, fitted a syringe together and filled it from a phial he took from the medicine cupboard.

When he opened the door at the end of the corridor, Johnson was sleeping, linked to a drip. Shah stood looking down at him for a moment, then bared the left forearm and inserted the needle. Johnson sucked in air very deeply for about five times, then stopped altogether. Shah checked for vital signs, found none and went out. He paused at the reception desk, picked up the phone and dialed.

A voice said, "Deepdene Funeral Service. How may we serve you?"

"Shah here. I have a disposal for you."

"Ready now?"

"Yes."

"We'll be there in half an hour."

"Thank you."

Shah replaced the receiver and went back to his office, humming to himself.

It was almost eleven when Travers returned to Lord North Street and found Dillon sitting in the study reading a book. "Jennifer gone to bed?" Travers asked.

"More than an hour ago. She was very tired."

"Not surprising, been through a h.e.l.l of a lot that girl. Fancy a nightcap, Dillon? Can't offer you Irish, but a good single malt perhaps?"

"Fine by me."

Travers poured it into two gla.s.ses, gave him one and sat opposite. "Cheers. What are you reading?"

"Epictetus." Dillon held the book up. "He was a Greek philosopher of the Stoic School."

"I know who he was, Dillon," Travers said patiently. "I'm just surprised that you do."

"He says here that a life not put to the test is not worth living. Would you agree to that, Admiral?"

"As long as it doesn't mean bombing the innocent in the name of some sacred cause or shooting people in the back, then I suppose I do."

"G.o.d forgive you, Admiral, but I never planted a bomb in the way you mean or shot anyone in the back in me life."

"G.o.d forgive me, indeed, Dillon, because for some obscure reason I'm inclined to believe you." Travers swallowed his whisky and got up. "Good night to you," he said and went out.

Things had gone better than Smith had expected and he soon had the hang of handling the wheel one-handed, just the fingers of his right hand touching the bottom of the wheel. The rain wasn't helping, of course, and beyond Watford he missed a turning for the motorway and found himself on a long dark road, no other vehicles in sight, and then headlights were switched on behind and a vehicle came up far too fast.

It started to overtake him, a large black truck, and Smith cursed, frightened to death, knowing what this was, and he frantically worked at the wheel. The truck swerved in, knocking him sideways, and with nowhere to go, the van spun off the road, smashed through a fence and turned over twice on its way down a seventy-foot bank. It came to a crumpled halt and Smith, still conscious as he lay on his side in the cab, could smell petrol as the fractured tank spilled its contents.

There was the noise of someone scrambling down the bank and footsteps approached. "Help me," Smith moaned, "I'm in here."

Someone struck a match. It was the last thing he remembered. One final moment of horror as it was flicked toward him through the darkness and the petrol fireballed.

7.

In Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport it was almost midnight by the time Jenny Grant had retrieved her suitcase and she walked out into the concourse quickly and found an Avis car rental desk.

"You're still open, thank goodness," she said as she got her pa.s.sport and driving license out.

"But of course," the young woman on duty replied in English. "We always wait until the final arrival of the day, even when there is a delay. How long will you require the car for, mademoiselle?"

"Perhaps a week. I'm not certain, but I'll be returning here."

"That's fine." The girl busied herself with the paperwork and took a print from her charge card. "Follow me and I'll take you to the car."

Ten minutes later Jenny was driving out of the airport sitting behind the wheel of a Citroen saloon and headed west, Normandy the destination. The traveling urn was on the pa.s.senger seat beside her. She touched it briefly, then settled back to concentrate on her driving. She had a long way to go, would probably have to drive through the night, but that didn't matter because London and the terrible events of the last few days were behind her and she was free.

Dillon rose early, was in the kitchen cooking bacon and eggs at seven-thirty when Travers entered in his dressing gown.

"Smells good," the Admiral said. "Jenny about yet?"

"Well, to be honest with you, Admiral, she's not been about for some time." Dillon poured boiling water into a china teapot. "There you go, a nice cup of tea."

"Never mind that. What are you talking about?"

"Well, drink your tea like a good lad and I'll tell you. It began with her getting upset and going for a walk."

Dillon worked his way through his bacon and eggs while he related the events of the previous night. When he was finished the Admiral just sat there frowning. "You took too much on yourself, Dillon."

"She'd had enough, Admiral," Dillon told him. "It's as simple as that and I didn't see any reason to stop her."

"And she wouldn't tell you where she was going?"

"First stop Paris, that's all I know. After that, to some unknown destination to see Baker's sister. She's taking the ashes to her, that's obvious."

"Yes, I suppose so." Travers sighed wearily. "I'll have to tell Ferguson. He won't like it, won't like it one little bit."

"Well it's time he discovered what an unfair world it is," Dillon told him and opened the morning paper.

Travers sighed heavily again, gave up, went to his study and sat at the desk. Only then did he reluctantly reach for the phone.

It was just after nine when Jenny Grant braked to a halt outside the Convent of the Little Sisters of Pity in the village of Briac five miles outside Bayeux. She had driven through the night, was totally drained. Iron gates stood open, she drove inside and stopped in a graveled circular drive in front of the steps leading up to the door of the beautiful old building. A young novice, a white working smock over her robes, was raking the gravel.

Jenny got out holding the traveling urn. "I'd like to see the Mother Superior. It's most urgent. I've come a long way."

The young woman said in good English, "I believe she's in chapel, we'll see, shall we?"

She led the way through pleasant gardens to a small chapel, which stood separate from the main building. The door creaked when she opened it. It was a place of shadows, an image of the Virgin Mary floating in candlelight, and the smell of incense was overpowering. The young novice went and whispered to the nun who knelt in prayer at the altar rail, then returned.

"She'll be with you in a moment."

She went out and Jenny waited. After a while the Mother Superior crossed herself and stood up. She turned and came toward her, a tall woman in her fifties with a sweet, serene face. "I am the Mother Superior. How may I help you?"

"Sister Maria Baker?"

"That's right." She looked puzzled. "Do I know you, my dear?"

"I'm Jenny - Jenny Grant. Henry told me he'd spoken to you about me."

Sister Maria Baker smiled. "But of course, so you're Jenny." And then she looked concerned. "There's something wrong, I can tell. What is it?"

"Henry was killed in an accident in London the other day." Jenny held out the traveling urn. "I've brought you his ashes."

"Oh, my dear." There was pain on Sister Maria Baker's face and she crossed herself, then took the urn. "May he rest in peace. It was so kind of you to do this thing."

"Yes, but it wasn't just that. I don't know which way to turn. So many awful things have happened."

Jenny burst into tears and sat down in the nearest pew. Sister Maria Baker put a hand on her head. "What is it, my dear, tell me."

When Jenny was finished it seemed very quiet in the chapel. Sister Maria Baker said, "Mystery upon mystery here. Only one thing is certain. Henry's unfortunate discovery of that submarine is of critical importance to many people, but enough of that now."

"I know," Jenny said, "and I'll have to go back to St. John if only to help Sean Dillon. He's a bad man, sister, I know that, and yet so kind to me. Isn't that strange?"

"Not really, my dear." Sister Maria Baker drew her to her feet. "I suspect that Mr. Dillon is no longer so certain that what he longed for was right. But all that can wait. You need a few days of total rest, a time to reflect, and that's doctor's orders. I am am a doctor, you know, we're a nursing order. Now let's find you a room," and they went out together, leaving the chapel to the quiet. a doctor, you know, we're a nursing order. Now let's find you a room," and they went out together, leaving the chapel to the quiet.

When Dillon and Travers were shown into the flat at Cavendish Square just before noon, Ferguson was sitting by the fire going over a file. Jack Lane was standing by the window looking out.

Dillon said, "G.o.d save all here."

Ferguson glanced up coldly. "Very amusing, Dillon."

"Well the correct reply is 'G.o.d save you kindly,'" Dillon said, "but we'll let it pa.s.s."

"What in the h.e.l.l were you playing at?"

"She wanted to go, Brigadier, she'd had enough for the moment, it was as simple as that. The attack by those two apes in Victoria Tower Gardens finished her off."