Stanton wiggled free from the back of the chair, braced against the door. With his hands free instinct kicked in and he stepped to one side as three shots perforated the door panels where he had been standing.
Brook kicked the door in and stepped into the room. Stanton was behind the door and kicked it into Brook, stepped around grabbed Brook’s gun hand, extended into the room, slammed his hand into Brook’s elbow crook, grabbing the gun hand and pushing the revolver under Brook’s chin. Stanton got his finger to the trigger. A single shot slammed up through Brook’s chin, passed through his skull and embedded in the ceiling. Stanton wrenched the pistol from Brook’s grip.
Joe had left his gun in the black Jaguar under the seat. He ran down the stairs to the front door, but a single shot from Stanton at the top of the stairs hit him in the small of the back paralysing him and he slumped into the door, no power in his legs.
Stanton did up his trousers. He carried Joe into the room upstairs in a fireman’s lift and dropped him on the floor. Brook was on his knees groaning and twitching, alive but half brain dead. Stanton walked over and shot him point blank in the chest with the last chamber of the revolver. Brook collapsed, twitching; falling in front of Joe’s terrified eyes.
Stanton stripped Joe’s jacket and shirt off and put them on. They were a tight fit, but better than his split T Shirt. Stanton gathered up the electrical equipment and sat down next to Joe.
“You’re going to give me a lot of useful information. I’ve got all night. We won’t bother with anything below the waist, but if you tell me what I want to know I swear I’ll leave you alive.” He tapped Joe’s head with his forefinger. “Let’s see what in that head of your shall we.”
He attached the pads.
Joe fought as hard as he could, but knowing he was paralysed weakened his resolve. He took half an hour to break down with the pain and when he did Stanton had all the information he needed.
As promised he left Joe alive, but he didn’t call an ambulance and he didn’t intend to. It was seven in the evening when Stanton left the house with a loaded revolver, a silenced nine millimetre Browning and the keys to a Nissan Micra, which he quickly found.
London Euston tower
7-10 p.m.
April 19th
Ellie leaned into the proffered kiss from Tony. They were in the shared kitchens of the duty teams in Euston Tower. Ellie decided that on their last day of duty rota she would cook Tony dinner. There was a casserole dish in the oven and the smell of Coq Au Vin permeated the room.
Tony broke away from the tender and soft kiss first.
“That was nice. Do that again.”
Ellie kissed him again, longer this time and more passionately. There was a cough from the doorway. They broke from their embrace suddenly. It was Jack Fulton.
“Sorry to bother you two. I’ve got a bit of a problem.”
“Yes boss.”
“Liam was in the duty office and David was talking angrily about Sternway. Liam thought nothing of it, but David went to get a cup of tea and decryption called to tell David that his five minute access to the MI6 network was ready. Liam said he went to get some dinner and when he came back David was looking at details on Sternway. Then David grabbed his coat and left. Liam said he was still armed”
Tony and Ellie showed their concern.
“Any idea where he is?” Tony asked.
“That’s the thing our DIC listener at Sternway’s house has just phoned to say that David McKie is parked in a car across the road from Sternway’s house.”
Ellie put her hand to her mouth in shock.
“I think he’s very worked up. I want you two to go and talk him round. You and he get on well Ellie and Tony has experience in talking people ‘down’ if you know what I mean.” They both nodded.
“Do we go armed?”
“No. DIC diplomatic and armed status has been suspended indefinitely.”
Tony and Jaz left in a hurry. Jack noted the smell of casserole and promised himself he’d keep an eye on it. He leant against the kitchen side. He was worried. ‘Unstoppable’ that’s what the Lympstone Commando base trainers had said about David McKie.
In the car Ellie frowned at Tony who pulled his pistol and holster from a Tesco bag. He checked it and armed it. They sped away with Ellie half jokingly calling Tony a ‘thrill seeker’ and a ‘renegade’.
Chapter 107
Nigel Sternway’s House
Hampstead
London
7-30 p.m.
April 19th
David finally made up his mind. He checked his pistol and stepped out of the car. The lights were on downstairs and they made red glow around the edges of the deep red velvet curtains in Sternway’s living room. Della was upstairs with the two children, reading them stories.
The DIC operative in the bushes had been told to report if David made a move, but he was slumped unconscious, hidden by the thick foliage of Sternway’s neighbour’s bushy border. At the back of the house a figure scaled the drain pipe heading for the small open window of an upstairs toilet.
At the front David rang the bell.
Sternway rose from his comfortable chair in the lounge, put the paper down and padded to the front door in his slippers.
“Yes?” McKie wasn’t familiar to him.
David pulled out his Sig and pointed it at Sternway.
“In!” McKie barked.
Sternway did as he was told backing down the hall, leaving the front door open. David pushed him into the lounge and into a chair.
“Who are you?” Sternway demanded.
“David McKie DIC.”
Sternway smiled thinly.
David assumed that the listener in the garden was ready and waiting, he wanted a confession and some answers from Sternway. He also wanted to know who had been behind all of the deaths.
“Oh you’re McKie. DIC diplomatic and arms bearing rights are suspended so you’re breaking the law. Or are you going to kill me?”
“You’re responsible, through your twisted plotting, for the deaths of innocent people. I want to know why you brought those killers into the country.”
“Killers come and go. I believe you’re a killer yourself now, or doesn’t killing people like Wheeler count. Just because you have a badge and he doesn’t that makes you the good guy does it? I have a government remit, that’s my badge. Men like Wheeler, Stanton and you are all the same. Hired killers, government trained, whichever side of the trenches you’re on and you kill on orders or as part of the process of doing your job. There are no black and white hats for people to wear McKie. All the hats are shades of grey. You became a government paid killer just like Stanton when you shot Wheeler.”
“You can’t compare us. I don’t kill for no reason and unlike you and the people who work for you I protect the innocent and wouldn’t kill on orders if I thought it was wrong. You’re to blame for all this admit it.”
