camaraderie he shared with his father, a man to rely on in a crisis. David’s father readied himself and prepared to ‘move out’ with the military discipline he kept as a ramrod for such occasions. His son’s family needed him.
The second call was less easy.
“No David.” Fulton’s voice was firm and clear, if not a little icy.
“I’m not waiting here to be a target, my family to be a target. I’m still supposed to be on duty rota and I want in on the chase.”
“You can’t make this personal.”
“I didn’t. He did and I’m going after him, now you can either back me or be prepared to sack me, but either way I’m going to help bring him in.”
There was a pause on the end of the line as Jack considered the situation. His knowledge of the rules told him to keep McKie away, but his forward thinking mind veered towards the fact that David McKie was a formidable team member and fully capable of dealing with the tough situations that were at the time being demanded of his duty teams.
“Okay David. Get here to Euston Tower. If anyone can get Stanton and has the edge to find him before he gets to the target I know you can.”
“Thanks Jack. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.
At his end of the phone Jack had a rueful look on his face. McKie did have a point, but all the same Fulton felt he was giving the man too much power. McKie still hadn’t seen Else Patrick. Jack booked an appointment with Else for McKie that afternoon.
Back in Dover Mary got home to find the black holdall in the hall. Conor jumped all over David, who hugged his son tightly until the boy struggled free and ran up to his room to get a toy he’d been thinking about. Mary pointed to the bag.
“You off again?”
“Yes.”
“I heard on the news there’s just one left you don’t have to go.”
“I do. The one left is Stanton and he was here, in our house and he tried to kill me.”
Mary’s hand went to her mouth.
“Dear God Davey, what the hell is going on.”
David took her into the lounge and told her what had happened. He was worried she’d say no and they’d row. Her face was pale and she hugged herself, chilled by the thoughts.
“I’ve got to go and make sure of him. The man’s evil.”
Mary nodded.
“That you have, but what about us here?”
“My father’s on the way. Call Mina and ask her to come over for company before I go. You’ll be alright.”
He hugged her and she held him tight then held him at arms length. He wasn’t wearing his suit. He had black jeans, a dark blue hooded fleece and his comfortable black leather trainer style shoes on. She knew he was dressed for comfort and that meant he had more in mind than making an impression.
“You find this man David and if you have to kill him, do it and don’t think for one minute I’m not behind you, because I am. No-one is safe with a man like that at large and free. If anyone can stop him it’s you, but you had better be careful.” Mary wasn’t going to stop him, she knew him too well and though she worried he might be in danger, she had learned not to stifle the adventurer in him.
Whilst waiting for Mina David checked his computer and messages. He read about Mason’s death and he watched the footage of the aftermath on the BBC website. He too wondered about the taxi driver. Would he reveal a street name or place that could be tied to a target?
So it was just one left, Trevor Stanton. David checked his pistol and packed the rucksack with his equipment.
Before he logged off and packed the laptop he acted on his curiosity about what Stanton had been doing in the loft. DIC technical control ran a remote check on his computer. They didn’t find the search for National Express, but to everyone’s concern the fact that the DIC staff name and location list had been downloaded came to light.
It was an emotional goodbye on both sides for man and wife. David nearly didn’t go, but the drive in him to find the man who had invaded his home and his peace of mind was stronger. Mary’s ‘come home safe’ was greeted with a firm nod and a hug. He was on his way and he didn’t look back to the door in case his determination failed him at that point.
By the time David got on the train at Dover Priory, bound for London, there was an emergency high level meeting of DIC ‘top brass’ going on at Euston Tower. DIC had been compromised. The information on the disk made it possible for anyone with it to expose DIC and its work. For the first time the department’s history a ‘stop at all costs’ and ‘shoot to kill’ order was given. Jack didn’t like it, but if DIC was exposed they’d be less effective. There were a lot of dodgy businessmen, corrupt politicians and immoral civil servants that would be delighted to know who had thwarted their schemes and underhanded dealings in the past and it would be the end of DIC.
By the end of the meeting Jack Fulton was extremely glad David McKie was back on the duty list. If there was one man determined to get Stanton it was him and at that moment Fulton felt no tinge of guilt at wanting that particular assassin dead. As he closed the door on his office Fulton’s thoughts turned to Sternway. Had the dirty tricks man planned this? Was the ultimate goal of the whole affair to expose and destroy DIC? Who was the assassin’s target?
On that thought Fulton called the hospital. The taxi driver wasn’t conscious yet. Where had he been taking Mason? Where was Stanton now?
Chapter 91
Canterbury
12 noon
April 19th
The coach was moist and humid on the inside. The stop in Canterbury had been a short blast of fresh air on Stanton who was sat near the front. All the way to Canterbury Stanton had mused on Mason’s death. They’d penned him in alright. It was the thought of the bridge at Vauxhall that made Stanton realise that the police must have known where he was coming from. He knew for certain that the Priory Arms was being watched. Someone had talked he was sure. He knew that he had a problem. He couldn’t go to the meeting point because it was too ‘hot’. He couldn’t contact the ‘employer’ because he didn’t know who it was. He assumed that they knew he was alive as no news of his death had put out and he knew for certain that news of his boat being found in Dover would tell them that he was close.
His question to himself was ‘if he were them what would they think he would do?’
It wasn’t easy. He thought of places in London that would link to his background or past, but there was no glaringly obvious place they could link to him or assume he’d think of. They must know that he wouldn’t go to the Priory Arms.
It then struck him that the most natural thing for him to do was to find a hotel and wait for contact a message of some kind. His best bet was to find a hotel closest to the Priory Arms in distance and wait there. Assuming that they’d think he would do that they would most probably be there waiting for him. The question was would the security services work that out too? It was a chance he’d have to take if he was to get under the protective wing of his employer, not to mention get the one million pound hit.
The Kent countryside flashed by blurred into an impressionist canvas by rain drops being dragged across the glass work. The coach sped into London and Stanton knew that he was going to have to use the rail network. He needed no disguises, his hooded coat and woolly hat would serve, even if it matched McKie’s description, which was no doubt circulating. A million people in London would be wearing wet weather clothes with hoods up. It would be a bad day for CCTV watchers. Stanton willed the rain to get heavier.
He decided to get an hour’s sleep before he got into London. He was hungry and thirsty, but his Legion training helped him ignore the needs. He folded his arms and twisted in the seat to be able to sleep. He thought
