Read Online Saving Tara Goodwin (Mystery Book 1) by Richard Harrington - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Richard Harrington
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Paying off the driver at GCHQ, Frank shouldered the Bergen, and walking down the curving road towards the twin red and white security barriers, showed his ID to the guard. As he was about to walk on, he saw her frown, and quickly checking over her clipboard, called him back to the office window, and double-checking his ID, picked up the phone.
Dropping the Bergen, he lit a cigarette and watched as she ran her finger along a line on a memo, but as she tapped numbers into the phone, turned away to block his view.
Leaning against the wall, he drew on the cigarette and listened at the window.
‘Hello? Is that Mr Tonabie?’
‘Good morning sir, this is gate security, and we have the gentleman you spoke of.’
‘Yes sir, he’s just arrived. Very good, will do.’
Putting the phone down, she ticked the memo, smiled, and handed back his ID.
‘Would you wait here, sir, it seems you’re to be collected.’
Five minutes later a black Jaguar emerged from within the complex, and as it cruised up to the barrier he saw Mike Frederick driving and Archie O'Neal riding shotgun, and sat in the back was the shadow of his old friend, Monty.
Archie rolled the window down and jerked his head to get in, and walking round, Frank stowed the Bergen in the boot and opened the rear door, but as he got in, Mike Frederick turned, and winking coldly, pulled a sour face and shook his head - the car was bugged.
Frank had made a deal with himself, that regardless of Monty’s condition, he wouldn’t show any expression, but turning and seeing him, his breath almost caught in his throat.
‘Hello Monty. So ... Batman and Robin strike again.’
Monty tried to laugh, but it was more like a rasping wheeze, and when he coughed, his thin body was suddenly contorted with pain, and Frank Lewis wanted to kill someone.
Sally made a fresh pot of coffee as she chattered with Ted about the old days, and carrying the tray through to the lounge, set it down on the table in the bay window. Although it was quite warm in the flat, Ted seemed reluctant to take off his blue overcoat, and when she playfully pulled it open, saw the leather strap, and lying across his chest, the dark, menacing shape of the Luger machine-pistol.
She looked up thoughtfully, ‘Ted, aren’t you supposed to be retired?’
He half-smiled as he spread his hands, but she was looking at him intuitively.
‘Oh, I see. Once in, never out?’
‘More or less. And you, my beautiful young lady, are far too clever.’
She pursed her lips, ‘It’s Frank, isn’t it? He seems to have a lot of problems just now.’
‘Yeah, well it goes with the job, but he hasn’t said anything, has he?’
She glanced up, the guarded tone of his voice suddenly arousing her curiosity.
‘No. But as he’s a member of the Mount Olympus Group, I just wondered …’
She faltered as a look of disbelief widened Ted’s eyes, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Sally, for Christ’s sake. Now look, I know you pick up bits of gossip from the guys, but you can’t go around using names like that, it’s just too bloody dangerous.’
‘Oh, I see. But it’s alright with you, isn’t it?’
‘Well yeah, I guess so, but it’s a hell of a lot safer to use the official name.’
‘Okay, don’t get upset. So he’s a member of the Executive Section, happy now?’
‘Sally, it’s not a question of me getting upset, it’s a question of what Tonabie would do if he heard you talking like that, you’d be history in two minutes.’
Sally realised she’d just made a big mistake, because as far as the men were concerned, she was just their counsellor, their considerate and understanding, obliging whore.
It was the old problem of leading two lives, one for the men, and one for the government, and if these men ever discovered the truth, they’d realise that for all the years they’d been inside her, she’d been inside their minds, stealing their thoughts for Tonabie’s paranoid case
Paying off the driver at GCHQ, Frank shouldered the Bergen, and walking down the curving road towards the twin red and white security barriers, showed his ID to the guard. As he was about to walk on, he saw her frown, and quickly checking over her clipboard, called him back to the office window, and double-checking his ID, picked up the phone.
Dropping the Bergen, he lit a cigarette and watched as she ran her finger along a line on a memo, but as she tapped numbers into the phone, turned away to block his view.
Leaning against the wall, he drew on the cigarette and listened at the window.
‘Hello? Is that Mr Tonabie?’
‘Good morning sir, this is gate security, and we have the gentleman you spoke of.’
‘Yes sir, he’s just arrived. Very good, will do.’
Putting the phone down, she ticked the memo, smiled, and handed back his ID.
‘Would you wait here, sir, it seems you’re to be collected.’
Five minutes later a black Jaguar emerged from within the complex, and as it cruised up to the barrier he saw Mike Frederick driving and Archie O'Neal riding shotgun, and sat in the back was the shadow of his old friend, Monty.
Archie rolled the window down and jerked his head to get in, and walking round, Frank stowed the Bergen in the boot and opened the rear door, but as he got in, Mike Frederick turned, and winking coldly, pulled a sour face and shook his head - the car was bugged.
Frank had made a deal with himself, that regardless of Monty’s condition, he wouldn’t show any expression, but turning and seeing him, his breath almost caught in his throat.
‘Hello Monty. So ... Batman and Robin strike again.’
Monty tried to laugh, but it was more like a rasping wheeze, and when he coughed, his thin body was suddenly contorted with pain, and Frank Lewis wanted to kill someone.
Sally made a fresh pot of coffee as she chattered with Ted about the old days, and carrying the tray through to the lounge, set it down on the table in the bay window. Although it was quite warm in the flat, Ted seemed reluctant to take off his blue overcoat, and when she playfully pulled it open, saw the leather strap, and lying across his chest, the dark, menacing shape of the Luger machine-pistol.
She looked up thoughtfully, ‘Ted, aren’t you supposed to be retired?’
He half-smiled as he spread his hands, but she was looking at him intuitively.
‘Oh, I see. Once in, never out?’
‘More or less. And you, my beautiful young lady, are far too clever.’
She pursed her lips, ‘It’s Frank, isn’t it? He seems to have a lot of problems just now.’
‘Yeah, well it goes with the job, but he hasn’t said anything, has he?’
She glanced up, the guarded tone of his voice suddenly arousing her curiosity.
‘No. But as he’s a member of the Mount Olympus Group, I just wondered …’
She faltered as a look of disbelief widened Ted’s eyes, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Sally, for Christ’s sake. Now look, I know you pick up bits of gossip from the guys, but you can’t go around using names like that, it’s just too bloody dangerous.’
‘Oh, I see. But it’s alright with you, isn’t it?’
‘Well yeah, I guess so, but it’s a hell of a lot safer to use the official name.’
‘Okay, don’t get upset. So he’s a member of the Executive Section, happy now?’
‘Sally, it’s not a question of me getting upset, it’s a question of what Tonabie would do if he heard you talking like that, you’d be history in two minutes.’
Sally realised she’d just made a big mistake, because as far as the men were concerned, she was just their counsellor, their considerate and understanding, obliging whore.
It was the old problem of leading two lives, one for the men, and one for the government, and if these men ever discovered the truth, they’d realise that for all the years they’d been inside her, she’d been inside their minds, stealing their thoughts for Tonabie’s paranoid case
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