‘We have no idea what this ship is?’ Stewart asked. ‘Assuming it is a ship,’ Sumners reminded him. ‘We are concentrating every available resource on that one task.’
‘Ideally we would like to take the ship at sea for a number of obvious reasons,’ Major Tanner said. ‘But we’re preparing for just about every scenario.’
‘Sir,’ Stratton said. ‘As a back-up, can I request a team from the Northern Ireland detachment? Since we could be dealing with Real IRA players known to them, and surveillance may be required, they could be a useful support.’
Hilliard looked at Sumners, unsure. Sumners thought on it a few seconds, then nodded. ‘I think that’s a good idea.’
‘Okay,’ Hilliard said. ‘Can you take care of that, Stratton?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Hilliard checked his watch. ‘Right. I have to get going . . . I don’t need to tell you that the priority now is the biological weapon. It’s beyond the lives of anyone aboard that vessel.’
Hilliard looked at Stewart to see if his words had sunk in. Stewart nodded. It was clear to him. ‘We’ll still be going along with you, sir,’ he said.
Hilliard nodded to him, then left the room with Jardene.
Stewart and his two chiefs joined Captain Singen and Major Tanner at a table. Stratton went into a glass office cubicle in a corner of the room, which contained a bank of various phones and communications devices. He reached for a red receiver, picked it up and dialled a number.
The phone rang in the detachment operations room and Graham the bleep, sitting back in a chair reading a book, picked it up. ‘Ops room,’ he said lethargically, still reading.
‘That you, Graham?’ Stratton asked.
Graham sat up immediately on hearing the familiar voice. ‘Stratton?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How’s it going? Didn’t think I’d hear your voice again.’
‘Can’t tear myself away from you,’ Stratton said. ‘Is Mike there?’
‘Yeah. One sec.’
Stratton looked through the glass at the Yanks discussing weapons and equipment. Sumners was making notes in a file and looked up at Stratton. They stared at each other a moment; it was as if they knew something about each other that no one else in the room was privy to.
‘Mike here,’ came the voice over Stratton’s receiver.
‘Mike?’ Stratton said, turning his back on Sumners.
‘Stratton. How’s life treating you?’
‘Not so bad.’
‘This isn’t a social call, I take it?’
‘Go secure,’ Stratton said.
‘There was a strange sound over the line, then when Mike’s voice returned there was a very slight metallic ping in the background. ‘I’m secure. Go ahead.’
‘You guys busy?’
‘No.’
‘I need a team,’ Stratton said. ‘Four will do.’
‘When for?’
‘By the time you get them to the standby chopper it will be waiting to fly them to the mainland.’
‘Where they going?’
‘Poole first, but that could change at any time. It might involve water.Tell them to bring their own comms. Channel 4 will work in UK.’
‘Understood,’ Mike said.
‘I might need a female op,’ Stratton continued. ‘Is Aggy around?’
‘She should be in London. She volunteered to take a car over for exchange. Be back tomorrow.’
‘I’ll give her a call. Soon as you can, Mike.’
‘Will do. Can you tell me what it’s about?’
‘The Yank that was kidnapped. We may have an in. Your ears only.’
‘Understood. Good luck.’
‘You too,’ Stratton said and put down the phone. He couldn’t tell anyone about the bio threat. That was going to be top secret as long as they could keep it that way. As for his request for a female operative, he didn’t really think he’d need one. It was a spontaneous request.As soon as he thought of the det he had thought about her.
Kathryn climbed from a taxi outside the three-star Cumberland Hotel in Kensington and paid the driver. She read the instruction sheet Father Kinsella had given her, checked the address, pulled her bag on to her shoulder, and walked up the steps and into the hotel.
A receptionist greeted her at the main desk with a broad smile. ‘How can I help you?’ she said.
‘I believe I have a room booked.’
‘What’s the name please?’
‘Mrs Munro.’
‘One moment.’ The receptionist checked her computer screen. ‘What’s your first name?’
‘Kathryn.’
The receptionist’s smile disappeared as she tried several options to find the name without any luck. ‘I’m sorry, but you don’t seem to be booked. Oh. Mrs Kathryn Munro. There’s someone here to see you.’ The receptionist pointed to a quiet reading area the far side of the lobby.
Kathryn looked towards it; plants and a partition obscured much of the area.
‘There are rooms available. Would you like one?’ the receptionist said, the professional smile back on her face.
‘One moment,’ Kathryn said.
She picked up her bag and walked over to the reading area. Only one person occupied it, a man seated in an armchair reading a newspaper. She walked up and stood in front of him. He ignored her and turned a page.
‘You want to see me?’ she asked him.
The man looked over his paper and studied her, confirming who she was. He was a hard-looking individual with a face that appeared unused to smiling. He folded the newspaper methodically and indicated the seat beside him. ‘Sit down,’ he said in a soft Irish accent.
She obeyed. Kathryn had thought of little else on the journey than about whom she was going to meet. She wondered if this was the all-important terrorist leader. Father Kinsella had told her she was not to speak to her contact unless asked.
She had felt quite calm about the whole thing during the flight, although she hadn’t slept, but since climbing into the taxi at Heathrow she had started to feel nervous. During the drive into London it crossed her mind that what she was doing, meeting with terrorists, was illegal. She toyed with the pros and cons, and finally reasoned that she could not know if the person she was to meet was actually a terrorist. They could be a representative, which was like meeting a criminal’s lawyer. Not that it mattered. She would meet the devil himself on this matter, even if just to prove to herself that she was a good wife and mother.
Whenever she thought of Hank she pictured him stuck in a dark and dirty cell, but in truth she remained as confused as ever about her feelings for him. They were tested a few days before when her mother asked her what insurance Hank had and if it covered abduction by terrorists. Kathryn found herself thinking about it on and off the rest of that day. She was pleased to be able to at least say she never actually tried to find out if she was covered and for how much; to do that before Hank’s fate was known would have been very low in her estimation. Her mother had also said a good lawyer could sue the US Navy for millions. Kathryn had done her best to rid her mind of such thoughts, but despite her best efforts they had helped dull her misery. In fact for one moment she saw herself moving into a big beautiful house on the water. She tore the thoughts from her mind, but could not help acknowledging that they did bring into question her true feelings for her husband. She was determined to do everything physically possible to save Hank if for no other reason than were something bad to happen to him she
