He was thankful he had taken the weapon from his driver when he sent him back above ground. The last thing he wanted was a Wild West style shootout but he doubted Simpson would just give up whatever the odds. He had been keeping his eye on Simpson throughout the call with Taylor. He saw him move to the specific ticket kiosk at platform thirteen, where the only ticket you can buy is for the Gatwick Express. So he is hoping to skip the country Miller thought.
He watched Simpson use his new ticket to pass through the barriers and walk about halfway down the platform before joining the train. Miller glanced up at the departure board and saw there was ten minutes until the train was due to depart. He needed more time. The train needed to be delayed. He called Taylor again and told him what he wanted him to do.
Tom and Melanie had joined the tube train at Green Park a few carriages further back from Miller. They assumed Simpson was also on the train, probably nearer the front but they hadn’t seen him board. At Victoria they were carried from the train by the rush of people flocking towards the escalators. They had to wait their turn to join the bottom of the escalator and could see no sign of either Miller or Simpson.
Tom was secretly quite pleased that the danger seemed now to be well ahead of them. In the last few days he felt both he and Melanie had seen enough trouble to last a lifetime. So far luck had been with them but he didn’t feel like tempting fate again.
He knew every corner of Victoria station as it was the main London terminus from Brighton. As he emerged from the tube onto the busy hub of the station he took out his mobile, thinking to give Miller a call. He looked around the open expanse of the station but couldn’t spot either Miller or Simpson.
“Do you want a coffee?” Melanie asked, pointing to the nearby stand.
“Why not. I’ll have a Latte please,” Tom answered smiling. “I could do with warming up.”
Melanie searched in her pockets then smiled apologetically. “Sorry but could you lend me some money to buy them only I don’t have any on me? I think I left my bag at the hospital.”
Tom had to laugh. Melanie Adams was asking if she could borrow money from him. He found ten pounds in his wallet and handed it over.
While Melanie joined the short queue, Tom looked around the station. It was reasonably busy with people returning home after a night out. He was about to call Miller when he realized it might not be the best idea. At the worst it could even alert Simpson to Miller’s presence. He returned the phone to his pocket. He would call him a bit later if he hadn’t heard anything. After their coffees, he would suggest they head back to the Imperial again where they were planning to spend the night.
Tom spotted Taylor first as he strode across the concourse towards the ticket barriers, accompanied by three other men. Then he saw Miller emerge from some shadows to greet them. They conversed in a huddle and Miller pointed towards the Gatwick Express platform. It was a train Tom knew very well, as for large parts of the day, the Gatwick Express ran fast to Gatwick airport and then carried onto Brighton. It was normally the fastest train link between Brighton and London. He glanced up at the departure board and saw the next train was showing as delayed. He wondered if Simpson was on the train and Miller and the others were going to close in on him.
Tom turned in the direction of the Coffee stand as he heard a small commotion. He could see a handful of people gathering around Melanie and it was obvious she had been recognized. He watched how she smiled and chatted with both men and women, completely at ease. Not a trace of her superstar status. After a minute she picked up the two cups of coffee and rejoined Tom.
Simpson joined the train and took an aisle seat. It was surprisingly busy and a number of people were eating burgers and other takeaway food that filled the carriage with inviting aromas. He was starving and remembered he hadn’t eaten all day. Now he was safe, he knew the rumbling in his stomach was indicating hunger not nerves. He glanced at his watch. Only five minutes to departure time. Then he heard the announcement over the train’s speaker system apologizing for the fact the train would be delayed ten minutes waiting for a driver to join the train. He wasn’t too bothered as he wasn’t in any rush.
He had decided earlier in the day that he had had enough of being at the bidding of the damned Irish and it was time to retire. He had gone to Jones and announced his desire for early retirement, which was well received, as Jones had a need to reduce headcount and considered Simpson a bit of a dinosaur. He had outstanding holiday and it was agreed he could go away immediately and Human Resources would work out the details while he was abroad.
Simpson had then booked two flights. First he bought a ticket to Geneva early in the morning under a false name. He also booked a flight to Lanzarote under his own name early in the afternoon. If everything went according to plan he would take the Lanzarote flight. If anything went wrong as it had, he would take the early flight to Geneva, pay a visit to his safe deposit box and be ready to start a new life. There were sufficient funds in his Swiss account and the deposit box to pay for a comfortable retirement somewhere far away. Miller would be checking airports and would soon find his reservation for Lanzarote. He would probably lay in
