Wilks staggered up and virtually fell into the bus. Chaz helped him inside and the driver closed the door.
‘Is it that important?’ the driver asked Chaz, shaking his head as he pulled away and on to the bridge.
Stratton went to the bottom of the stairs and looked up and then around the lower deck to get an idea of numbers. Chaz and Wilks joined him. The bus looked about a third full, with seven people in the lower deck.
‘You clear upstairs,’ Stratton said to Chaz. ‘They’re near the front.The girl’s pretty, short hair. If the older guy eyeballs you, you quit and get off. You take no chances.’
Chaz nodded and made his way upstairs.
‘Let’s get everyone off,’ he said to Wilks. ‘Not all at once. And don’t let anyone on.’
‘Not a problem,’ Wilks said.
Stratton went back to the front of the bus and reached into his breast pocket. The driver glanced at him and indicated a sign that instructed passengers not to hang around the driver and not to talk to him. ‘Go and find a seat, please, sir.’
Stratton held open a small leather wallet in front of the driver’s face. It was a very official-looking photo identification of Stratton with the words ‘Ministry of Defence’ embossed boldly across it.
‘Can you read that?’ Stratton asked.
The driver frowned, glanced at it long enough to read it, then nodded. Stratton flipped down the picture to reveal a sparkling metal badge with an ornate white enamel face that had the Royal Crest finely crafted on it along with the inscription, ‘MI5’.
‘And that?’ Stratton said.
The driver nodded again, a little slower, his frown disappearing.
‘And this?’ Stratton said as he pulled his jacket aside to reveal his pistol in its shoulder holster. The driver’s final nod was enhanced by a facial expression that was most convincing.
‘What’s your name?’ Stratton said, hiding his weapon.
‘Burrows. Robert Burrows.’
‘They call you Bob?’
‘I prefer Robert.’
‘Listen carefully, Robert. On board your bus, upstairs, are some very dangerous criminals. What we need to do is get everyone off without them knowing. Do you understand?’
‘Yes,’ the driver said, nodding, a little nervous, but in control.
‘I need your help, Robert,’ Stratton continued. ‘I want you to stop at the next bus stop and get out of your seat. I will drive. You will then help my colleague behind me. Don’t tell anyone the real reason they have to get off or they’ll panic. Understood?’
The driver nodded and swallowed heavily. ‘I understand,’ he said.
Stratton looked into the distance as they came over the hump of the bridge. ‘You’re going to stop at that bus stop, right?’
The driver nodded.
‘Act natural. Take it easy . . . The people on this bus are in your care, Robert. This is your ship.’
That was exactly what the driver needed to hear. This was his ship and he was the captain, and the passengers were his responsibility.They made movies of this kind of stuff and it was happening to him for real.
‘Nice and easy,’ Stratton said as they pulled to a stop.‘Don’t open the front doors.’ Two people were waiting to get on. The driver left the doors closed and climbed out of his seat. Stratton noticed the driver’s jacket on a hook behind the seat. He removed his leather jacket, dumped it behind the seat, and pulled on the jacket that had ample room around the front if a little short in the sleeves. He sat in the driver’s seat and looked at the mirror that reflected the images caught by the convex mirror upstairs. Brennan, Aggy and Lawton were all there at the front. He studied the controls. ‘Middle doors?’ he asked and the driver indicated the lever. Stratton activated it and the doors opened. ‘Remember, no one on, Robert.’
‘I understand,’ the driver said. He waved at the two people waiting to get on and indicated they could not. Meanwhile, Wilks went to the three young women nearest the middle door, showed them his badge, and asked them to get off. Surprisingly, they did so without making a fuss. Movies and current events had made the average person far more cooperative in such situations these days. The driver went over to an elderly couple and decided the best way to deal with them was to explain that the bus was stopping where it was because of engine problems and another one was right behind. The old couple got off quite quickly. He repeated the same story to a couple behind who had overheard and they obediently followed.
Stratton checked the rear-view mirror, saw Wilks give a thumbs-up, shut the door then slipped it into drive and slowly accelerated away, leaving the people who had been ushered off as well as those who had been waiting in the street somewhat bemused.
Chaz sat down on the top deck and took a moment to get a look at the targets. He picked out the only short-haired, pretty girl at the very front of the bus and it was easy to see who the two men were. The younger one was beside her and the older one behind them both. No one was seated the other side of the aisle to them.
Chaz turned around and faced two middle-aged couples in the two seats behind him. He showed them his badge, told them in a low voice he was with the London special security services, and asked them to quietly and calmly get up and go downstairs. They looked at each other, wondering if this was some kind of a joke. He repeated his command, making sure they could see his picture clearly on the MoD identity badge, and further explained he was a form of police officer and that they were quietly to go downstairs where a colleague would explain the situation to them. They were eventually convinced enough to get up and go to the stairs. Chaz kept an eye on Brennan, who remained looking forward.
As the four passengers reached the lower deck they started talking and asking what was going on. Wilks gave them a quick shhh, put his finger to his lips, and reinforced the command with a flash of his badge. They obeyed this new stranger.
Stratton was anxious for the next bus stop. He wanted everyone off as soon as possible. He took the right turn off the bridge and drove along the riverbank. The road curved slowly to the left and then a stop came into view. As he started to slow, the driver came alongside him.
‘This is the wrong stop,’ the driver said clandestinely.
‘You mean none of those people waiting at the stop will want this bus?’ Stratton asked.
‘That’s right.We don’t stop ’ere. Ours is around the corner a bit further.’
‘Perfect.’ Stratton brought the bus to a stop alongside the bus stop and hit the lever that opened the middle doors with a gush. Wilks ushered the people off. Stratton closed the doors and moved the bus on its way.
Chaz got up and walked to a seat opposite the last couple upstairs, who were one seat back from Brennan. Brennan was aware someone had arrived close by and glanced back. Chaz avoided Brennan’s eyes and looked out the window until Brennan faced the front again. Chaz reached a leg across the aisle and tapped the young man on the foot. The man looked at him strangely and then saw the badge in Chaz’s hand by his knee. Chaz made a motion for him to move back. The man frowned, wondering what Chaz wanted. Brennan started to look around but was seemingly interested in something across the river and went back to facing ahead.
Chaz suddenly started to feel the pressure. It dawned on him that he had never been in such a dangerous position in his life. He was used to following foreign diplomats mostly, Russians, East Europeans, Middle Easterners. He’d worked against the IRA loads of times but never like this, never close to a killer who was prepared to waste him if he made a mistake. Chaz looked at the young man with eyes so intense it was if he was trying to burn the message into him. He made another, more severe jerk with his head towards the stairs.The young man’s girlfriend was suddenly aware of her boyfriend’s distraction and looked past him to see Chaz holding his badge. Chaz thought about showing them his gun, but changed his mind for fear it might scare them into a negative reaction.
The girl was more switched on than her boyfriend and took a look at the people in front of her, evaluating why the black guy was being so secretive and cautious. As if Brennan had sensed something he turned and looked at her, into her eyes. It was as if she saw something in him that scared her. Brennan looked ahead again. She nudged her boyfriend to get up. He was resistant. She nudged him again, harder. Chaz put his fingers to his lips, the young man gave in, and they got up.
Brennan looked back just as Chaz was getting up to leave. Chaz caught his eyes, just long enough to see the beast in them, then followed the couple down the stairs. Brennan looked ahead again, but this time niggled by
