Tracers

lay below. Before descending the steps he scanned the immediate area, noting people, vehicles and movement. It was just after two o’clock and the lunchtime rush had slowed to a trickle. Elsewhere was the usual bustle of activity. A bundle of passengers scurried off a coach at a nearby stop; a taxi screeched to a halt just behind the railings separating pedestrians from the rush of traffic; a man in a brilliant white djellaba weaved his way between the cars, casually avoiding death by inches and seemingly oblivious to his chances of meeting his Maker sooner than he’d expected.

Over against the central reservation barrier on the northbound side stood a car with its bonnet up. A young woman was staring in dismay at a cloud of steam swirling from the engine, ignored by every other driver. London, thought Marshall, in all its glory. He took a final breath and walked down the steps. He moved lightly for a big man, skilfully avoiding contact with others and glaring as a thin youth halfway down looked up at him, about to tap him for change. Seeing the expression on the major’s face, the youth snapped his mouth shut and shrank back against the wall as the large man with the military bearing strode by.

At the bottom of the steps, Marshall checked his surroundings, scanning faces. He didn’t expect to recognize anyone, but he had a keen eye for detail — especially nervous detail. Satisfied he wasn’t about to be mugged, he stood with his back to the wall by a rack of brochures and watched the human tide flow by.

After a moment, a man in a shabby coat and an old trilby hat appeared from one of the tunnels and shuffled up beside him. He was of medium height but broad in the shoulder. Solid. Marshall couldn’t see the man’s face but he could smell the feral aroma coming off him at six paces. He was contemplating telling him to shove off when the newcomer turned and moved past him, the smell suddenly stronger.

‘This way, Major. Don’t dawdle, now.’ Then the man was off, walking quickly into the network of tunnels leading to the far side of Park Lane.

Marshall followed, carefully not looking for his own men, who had orders to wait nearby. He recognized the man’s voice from the phone call and was impressed by the ease with which the stranger had made contact. But the casual display of professionalism gave him a sinking feeling in his gut, and he realized he’d already been outmanoeuvred.

He increased his pace, intending to be right behind the man when they stopped. There was a limited number of exits from the tunnels, giving the man few options to play with. And unless he was going to morph into a tunnel rat and slip down a drainage gully, he wouldn’t be going very far.

They entered a straight stretch of tunnel, empty save for a tall, gangly youth with a guitar and a voice like a badly tuned violin. A rumble of traffic came from overhead. They were directly beneath the rush of vehicles circling Marble Arch. Metal signs on the walls pointed to numbered exits, and the air here was even heavier and more fetid than it had been earlier, with an extra earthy layer to the range of smells.

Marshall felt oddly disorientated. It was an unpleasant feeling.

They reached a gap in the wall on Marshall’s left. This had no exit number and was blocked by a sliding metal grill pitted with rust. Behind it a flight of steps rose into daylight, the treads covered with leaf mould and litter, long unused. As Marshall drew level with the grill and set his gaze on the tunnel ahead, the man suddenly turned back and kicked the grill aside. Grabbing Marshall by the arm, he bundled him through and pushed him up the steps before he could resist, surprising him with the strength of his grip.

‘Where are we going?’ Marshall spoke as calmly as he could manage, but he’d lost his bearings and felt an instinctive desire to push back. He wasn’t accustomed to relinquishing control in this way.

‘You’ll see, Major. Keep moving.’

They continued upwards, the traffic buzz growing to a roar, and emerged into the open. Marshall was surprised to see they were on the central reservation area of grass and bushes between the traffic flow of Park Lane. Not fifteen feet away was the car — a dark Renault — that he’d spotted earlier with its bonnet raised. The young woman who had been standing by the front was now by the driver’s door looking perfectly calm.

When she saw them appear, she turned and slammed the bonnet.

‘You’ll have to hop over the barrier, Major,’ the man instructed him. ‘And get in the back, would you? We’re going for a short ride.’ As he spoke, he shrugged off the coat and trilby and tossed them on the ground, revealing him to be stocky and in his forties, with a genial face and brown hair. He had an easy smile and seemed relaxed, as if this kind of activity happened every day. Marshall wasn’t fooled; he didn’t doubt for a second that he was ready to move fast if the need arose. ‘Sorry about the God-awful whiff from that coat — but you have to use whatever’s to hand, right?’

Marshall stepped over the barrier as instructed and got into the car alongside a young man with spiky hair and cool blue eyes. He also looked relaxed but alert, hands resting on his knees. Marshall recognized the type; he employed one or two himself.

The young woman slid behind the wheel and started the engine. She was dressed in jeans and a windcheater and looked strong and capable. She was attractive in spite of wearing little or no make-up, and Marshall slotted her into the same category as the two men: not to be underestimated.

The older man dropped into the front passenger seat and signalled the woman to move off before turning to look at Marshall. ‘Apologies for the subterfuge,’ he said, ‘but we wanted some of what my dear old mum called quality time, and I figured you might have brought the odd little helper in tow.’

‘One or two,’ Marshall agreed. He forced himself to relax, knowing that these three people had total control and there was nothing he could do about it. Worse, he didn’t need to look around to know that none of his men was anywhere near. The pick-up had been neat, unfussy and unexpected, and he made a mental note to have a word with the Directorate of Training about reviewing the use of street tactics in London.

FORTY-FIVE

‘We have a problem,’ Harry explained to Marshall, as the car surged into the traffic flow. He wanted to get straight down to business in case Marshall had a tracking device on him. If he did, they’d soon have someone on their tail. . and there was no time to do a body search or go through his clothing to find it. ‘Oh, by the way, my name’s Harry, the one next to you is Rik and this lady is. . well, I think you probably know who she is.’

Marshall studied Joanne’s profile but shook his head. ‘Actually, I don’t. Perhaps you could introduce me.’

‘Really?’ Harry was surprised. He checked the major’s face for signs that he was lying. But unless he was a world-class actor, he appeared to be telling the truth. It wasn’t the response he’d been expecting. ‘OK, fair enough. But before we do that, we want to know about a man called Jennings.’

Marshall shifted in his seat. ‘What about him?’

‘You know him, then?’

‘It would seem I must. I take it you’re already aware of that fact. My question is, how?’

‘We saw you outside his office.’

‘Ah. Careless of me.’ Marshall’s voice was heavy with irony. ‘I really should stay off the streets. So?’

‘Is he official?’

‘No. Why do you ask?’

‘Has he ever been?’

Marshall waggled his head from side to side before replying. ‘I suppose, technically, once. But he and the establishment parted company some time ago. He preferred the opportunities presented by the private sector. I believe the terms and conditions for his special kind of expertise are a great deal more rewarding, financially speaking. The public purse is not unlimited, unfortunately.’

‘How sad. What expertise?’

‘He arranges things. A kind of events organizer, I think someone once called him. How do you know him?’

‘We’ve worked for him a couple of times. Strictly freelance.’

‘Really? I hope you counted your fingers afterwards. What sort of work?’

‘Finding people. It’s what we do.’

Marshall looked puzzled. ‘Just that — you find people? Is there a living to be made from it?’ He raised his eyebrows in innocence as Rik snapped his head round. ‘Seriously — I’m interested.’ He smiled, seemingly as calm as if he were at his favourite club, enjoying a chat with fellow members over a glass of best malt.