first I wanted to find out from you what sort of man he was, but as I got to know you I found that I wanted to know you better… Which made things kind of complicated.’ He stopped, frowning down at the white tablecloth in front of him, and Kathy saw with some alarm that there was what looked like a tear forming in his eye.
‘I’m sorry.’ He sucked in a deep breath and pulled his hand away to rub across his face. ‘I’m sorry. This isn’t like me, I promise.’
‘It must have been very emotional for you.’
‘Yes. I was sort of prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared for was falling for his partner.’
Kathy felt her face flush.
‘You’re an intimate part of his life, his professional life, and from what Mum said, that’s the most important part. I thought… I was damn sure that would kill any chance I might have had with you.’
‘Oh, John.’ Kathy gave him an encouraging smile, but at the same time she knew that he was right. He was certainly a different person from the one that she had felt drawn towards just a moment before. Now he was Brock’s son. How did she feel about that?
He roused himself and reached for the bottle. ‘I should have told you before, but I got cold feet. It was what we discovered this afternoon that made me face it, I think. Like me, Nancy went to London to confront something from her past. If only she’d ignored it, stayed at home in Back Bay, she might still be alive and she and Emerson could have been the ones sharing this meal here tonight. And you and I would never have met.’ He topped up their glasses and sighed. ‘So what should I have done, Kathy? Should I have ignored it too, that presence from the past?’
‘I think,’ she said slowly, ‘that you probably felt you had no choice.’
He gave a rueful nod.
A thought struck Kathy. ‘I wonder if Nancy felt the same way. Do you remember the dates of the Russians’ visit to San Francisco?’
‘July 1939, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes, the sixteenth to the thirtieth of July. And Nancy was born on the twenty-sixth of April in the following year.’ She was thinking of the photograph of Maisy and Gennady in front of the reflecting pool, a strikingly handsome couple, arm in arm, eyes bright.
‘Nine months,’ John said. ‘Wow, you could be right. An American romance.’
THIRTY-ONE
S he blinked her eyes, hearing the dawn chorus clamouring through the curtained window. Then the previous evening came back to her, and John’s revelation. His confusion had touched her, and she’d wanted to comfort him, but had held back, afraid that he would misinterpret her sympathy. She took a deep breath and sat up, wanting to be outside, running through the cool streets with the birds singing their little lungs out.
She slid out of bed and pulled on her running gear. Not too far, she thought, just down Beacon to the Common.
As she ran she replayed their conversation of the previous night, and then her thoughts turned to that other possible revelation, about Maisy and Gennady. It was such a tantalising thought, which would explain so well why Nancy would have wanted to make contact with Mikhail, her half-brother. Perhaps too tantalising, but easy enough to check, she thought. The path lab would have both their DNA. And if it were true, what did that mean? Why did they have to die?
She swerved around a couple of joggers coming in the other direction, and circled the Brewer Fountain to begin the run back.
Peter caught her in the entrance hall. ‘You are a popular girl, aren’t you?’ He nodded his head towards the dining room. ‘Another early morning visitor demanding breakfast. I’ll have to reserve a special table for your men friends.’
Her heart skipped. Was Brock clairvoyant? She could believe it. ‘What sort of man?’
‘Oh, a rather sinister type if you ask me. Irish-from the north, I’d say. Ulster, Belfast, that sort of thing.’
She swore under her breath. No, it couldn’t be.
‘Tell me it isn’t your angry husband, Kathy. I can’t face bloodshed at breakfast time.’
‘I don’t have one, Peter.’
‘Thank goodness for that. He saw you coming up the front steps, so you’d better go and say hello.’
She opened the door and saw the lone diner by the window. He looked up and waved his fork at her. ‘Have you tried these chocolate waffles? Bloody brilliant.’
‘Hello, Sean.’ Kathy went over and sat down facing the MI5 man. ‘What brings you here?’
‘You do, Kathy. You’ve been naughty.’
‘How do you work that out?’
‘An American citizen has complained to the authorities about being interrogated on American soil by a British police officer.’
Janice, Kathy thought. ‘Bit of an exaggeration. Hardly an interrogation. Just a chat.’
‘That’s not how she saw it. She reported it to the Massachusetts State Police, who notified the FBI, who contacted us. And you should thank your lucky stars that they did, and that it’s me sitting here rather than a couple of heavy guys from the Met.’
‘How did you find me?’
‘I called Emerson Merckle from London. He was very helpful.’ He wiped his mouth. ‘Mm, I believe I’ll have to have another serving of these. Sadly you won’t have time. You have ten minutes to pack your bags.’ He gave a sniff. ‘And take a shower before we head off to the airport. So run upstairs and get on with it. And don’t try to climb out of the bathroom window-the house is surrounded.’ He glared at her, then broke into a laugh. ‘You should see your face.’
She hurried upstairs to John’s room. He opened his door with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. ‘You’ve been out already? Boy, you’re keen.’
‘Listen, John,’ she said urgently. ‘There’s an MI5 officer downstairs, come to take me back to London.’
‘What?’ He froze, startled. ‘Why?’
‘I’ll explain later, but I have to go straight away. I don’t think he knows about you, so let’s keep it that way. It would just complicate things. Will you be going back to London?’
He blinked, clearly still trying to get his head around what was happening. ‘I… yes, yes sure.’
‘Good. We’ll talk when you get there. Sorry about this.’
‘Me too. Kathy, you won’t tell Brock, will you? About what I told you last night? I have to do that myself.’
‘Of course.’ She leaned over and kissed his cheek. ‘It’ll be just fine, you’ll see. And thanks for coming over here.’
The taxi was waiting at the door when she got downstairs. She found Peter and paid and thanked him, then hurried out. As she got into the cab she looked up and saw John’s face at his window, then she slammed the door and they moved off.
‘Pretty town, Boston, don’t you think?’ Sean said as they sped into a tunnel. ‘Wonderful what they did, burying that expressway by the harbour. You had a chance to get a good look around, did you?’
‘Yes,’ Kathy said sourly.
‘Mm. I’m never a great talker first thing in the morning either. But then, this is lunchtime for me, and I’ve been up half the night coming over here to get you, so you’d better get used to it and find your tongue.’
Kathy saw the taxi driver glance at them in his mirror and she turned away and stared out of the window.
When they checked in at the airport Kathy was glad to discover that they wouldn’t be travelling together; Sean was booked into business class, while she was in economy. He led the way to a cafe and bought them coffees and a hamburger for her. She thought she couldn’t touch it, but after the first bite she wolfed it down.
‘Better now?’ he said. ‘So tell me all about it.’
She’d had time in the cab to decide that she wouldn’t tell him about Gennady unless it was absolutely
