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Today Jinnie was finally going to go with George to shoot on the Police range at Hendon. It had taken a while to organise. This was mainly because the Police had taken ages to establish Jinnie’s security level. The problem had been they had initially rejected the very high-level clearance the Home Office told them she had as impossible and restarted the whole process. In the meantime, George had moved in with Izzy. A gun safe had been bolted to a solid brick wall in the flat’s bedroom. Jinnie had been intrigued that it had taken four men to manoeuvre it into position and drill the bolt holes to fix it to the brickwork. With the gun safe in place, it was impossible to see the fixings as they were only accessible with its door unlocked.
The house’s security had been upgraded by a company recommended by Belinda. The doors had been replaced by new steel-core ones that looked externally exactly the same as the ones they replaced but had built-in multipoint locking. The triple-glazed window had been deemed quite secure, but the window locks had been upgraded and vibration detectors installed. The zonal digital burglar alarm in place was accepted as adequate, but the new perimeter alarm, electronic gates and garden alarms had been integrated into the whole digital system.
It had all cost Jinnie a small fortune, but she reminded herself she was now a very wealthy woman, and she didn’t want to be burgled, or the twins snatched and held to ransom. The officer who had come to check out the gun safe had been amazed at the level of security installed in the house and grounds and had been happy to sign off on the gun safe, particularly when he realised it was for a member of the Diplomatic Protection Force.
George unlocked the safe, removed his Steyr SSG 69 and Accuracy International AWS rifles, a Glock pistol and two boxes of ammunition. He handed the ammunition to Jinnie, saying “Can you take these down to the car while I lock the safe and bring the guns down, I’m taking extra ammo because depending which range master is on duty, they can be a bit tight.” George had borrowed an Armed Response Group Land Rover Discovery because it had a built-in gun box that made transporting the guns simple. No Traffic Officer was going to stop a registered ARG vehicle.
Jinnie used her remote to open the electric gates and they waved to Izzy as they drove out. As they drove through Barnet and turned off toward Arkley to join the A1000 towards London at Stirling Corner, Jinnie asked George how he thought his Sergeants’ exams had gone. George replied “In all honesty I think I did OK, but I know I won’t pass, virtually no one passes first time. You have to be the Super’s blue-eyed boy to pass first time and that’s not me. I think I do a decent job, but to get on the rapid promotion path you need to have been to Oxbridge, and I went to Bristol. Mind, I got a first, so you’d think it would count for something, but a 2:2 from Oxbridge seems to overrule it.” “So, we are not going to see Sgt Wilson anytime soon,” said Jinnie. “Maybe in six months when I can have another try. But I’ll be astounded if I get it this time round,” answered George.
Jinnie had been told to bring her MI6 photo pass with her to identify herself at the Police College and it worked, as they were expecting her and issued her an accompanied visitor pass. George led her through the building to the basement range and introduced her to the range master. He questioned Jinnie on her shooting experience and was rather shaken when she admitted to being a ‘pretty good shot’ with a Glock and a fully trained military sniper with the L115A4, which was the very latest version of the Accuracy International AWS used by the Police.
The range master decided to try Jinnie with George’s Glock 17 and handed her 17 rounds. Jinnie quickly ejected the magazine and without hesitation loaded the rounds into it. She then asked the range master for permission to load the magazine into the pistol. With permission granted, the range master gave her permission to fire at the three fixed targets at various distances down the range. As she went to don her ear defenders, George checked the range master had his ear defenders on before saying “It pulls six inches to the right and an inch high at ten metres.”
Jinnie nodded imperceptibly and took aim at target one. The first round was a 9 and, while in line with the bull, was just to its right. Jinnie adjusted her aim and put the next five in the bull. Jinnie moved on to the next target, adjusted her aim and put all six rounds in the bull. The final target was a little further away and Jinnie’s brain was now in competition mode, and she quickly computed the new aiming point and put the remaining five rounds in the bull. She removed the magazine, aimed down the range, pulled the trigger and heard a satisfying click of an empty pistol. She called “Clear” and laid the pistol on a shelf pointed down the range.
The range master took off his ear defenders and said “I thought you said you were pretty good with a Glock, that was better than pretty good, that was Olympic gold good. I’ve never seen anyone come here and shoot that well with someone else’s pistol.” “Gosh Jinnie that was good shooting,” said George. Jinnie smiled and said, “I think Penny is better than me with a pistol, but I am definitely better with a sniper rifle.” George said, “Have you ever thought of becoming a special constable, we could put you into the shooting squad and win every match.”
Jinnie fired one shot with the sniper rifle and realised that it was not shooting straight. She got a small screwdriver from the range master and over the next ten minutes zeroed it in until she was satisfied it was shooting where it was aimed. George watched, mesmerised, and asked Jinnie “Where did you learn to do that?” “I just picked it up,” said Jinnie, “I was shown once by a resistance fighter before the ‘War of Liberation’ but I guess I perfected it on the university cadet force shooting team when there was no one else to do it.”
Jinnie emptied a 5-round clip into the bull at 600 metres and the range master said “Wow, you weren’t boasting.” Jinnie cleared the gun and handed it to George and said, “Your turn.” George loaded a fresh clip into the gun and as he took aim Jinnie said “Aim at the bull, the gun’s natural deviation has been eliminated.” George nodded and fired off the clip, hitting two bulls, two inners and an outer. He turned to Jinnie and said, “That’s the best I have shot in ages.” “I can confirm that,” said the range master.
As they drove back to Hadley, Jinnie said “I really enjoyed that, it’s some time since I shot, but I guess you never forget, it’s like riding a bike.” George replied, “I suspect there is a lot more I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to ask, because I’m sure you won’t tell me.” It was nearly lunchtime when they got back to the house. George was taking the rifles up to the flat and Jinnie collecting the ammunition when a helicopter clattered over just above rooftop height and Jinnie heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire coming from the rear of the house. Jinnie rushed up to the flat and George, who was at a window, said, “The gunfire is from the helicopter, and they’re firing at Sir Nigel’s house.” He quickly pulled on his chest protector and ballistic helmet and grabbed his Steyr SSG 69 and said, “I haven’t got a line of sight from here, can you let me through the gate into Nigel’s garden.” “Yes,” said Jinnie, “but there is a clear line of sight into the garden from Millie’s bedroom window, come with me.”
Jinnie snatched the sniper rifle with a box of ammunition and led the way across the bridge into the main house where they met Izzy. George handed his mobile to Izzy and said “Phone the barrier, the number’s in the memory, tell them that the helicopter is leading an armed raid on Sir Nigel’s house. They are armed and can get here before the ARG. Tell them to come here, we can open the gate in the wall.” Reaching into his pocket, George handed Jinnie his police baseball cap saying, “Put that on, I don’t want any of the squad shooting you because you have a gun.”
Jinnie peeped round the curtain in one of Millie’s bedroom windows and quickly took in the scene. The helicopter was in the middle of the lawn with its rotor blades turning. Jinnie said “Russians or Germans, they are the only ones with those double-deck rotor blades.” As Jinnie watched she counted three of Nigel’s police guards on the ground in pools of blood. Two of the attackers, who were in military fatigue, were behind a small wall engaged in a firefight with police in their hut in the garden. Four of the attackers were trying to break down the kitchen door and an arm was poking out of the bathroom window ineffectually firing a pistol at them. Jinnie said “I’ll take out the two behind the wall, you try to stop them getting in.”
Jinnie checked her rifle, quickly filling a magazine and aiming at the head of one of the soldiers behind the wall. It was a simple shot well within her range and she was firing from behind, where the attackers had no idea she was there. Jinnie took up the pressure on the trigger and squeezed it gently and watched the man’s head explode. Working the rifle’s bolt action, in one fluid motion she swung the rifle to the second man and a second head exploded.
Jinnie heard George fire a double tap and grunt with satisfaction. “One down,” he muttered just as there was a flash and a loud bang, followed by another double tap from George’s rifle. “Two down, but they have blown the door and the other two are in,” said George. “My two are down,” said Jinnie. “I’m going to take the pilots out then the numbers are a bit more balanced.” Jinnie didn’t waste any time, and the helicopter pilots were shot through the windscreen and the engine died.
Jinnie said “Give me a couple of seconds to reload and let’s make for the gate. I don’t know if it’s an assassination or a kidnapping attempt but those last two are not getting away alive. I wonder if they know the helicopter is out and four of them are down.” Jinnie approached the gate in the brick wall and was delighted to hear it click open. She and George edged through the gate into Sir Nigel’s garden where the silence was suddenly broken by the wail of the two-tone sirens of police cars.
Jinnie waved George left while she went right past the helicopter, the engine of which was now shut down. Jinnie looked in the open cabin door and spotted the pilots were slumped lifeless in their seats, held upright only by their harnesses. Jinnie gave a thumbs-up to George and suddenly saw a movement to her right. Swinging the rifle in the direction of the movement she realised it was Larry and said, “Go home Larry, I don’t want you getting hurt.” Jinnie was surprised that an emphatic “NO” popped into her brain.
George and Jinnie edged towards the kitchen door from either side, hard up against the house wall. In a flash the door opened, a soldier came half out and fired at a policeman silhouetted in the gateway in the brick wall. George was first to fire, a fraction of a second before Jinnie, and the man was down. Several more police were now in the garden and Jinnie was thankful for the police cap. More sirens were wailing and Jinnie was only hoping that it was kidnapping.
Next through the door was Sir Nigel with a pistol at his head, held by a gunman who was immediately behind him. The gunman shouted in German that they were heading to the Rolls parked on the drive and if anyone tried to stop them he would fire. As he finished speaking there was a sudden blur, and Larry was across the patio and leaping at the German’s face, claws fully extended. Jinnie heard “I’ve got him” in her head and watched as Sir Nigel dropped to the ground, and the German tried to protect his eyes from Larry’s claws, which were raking down his face. Jinnie stepped forward and hit the German on the back of his head with the butt of her rifle. As he collapsed to the ground, she saw Larry still had his teeth buried in the German’s nose.
Despite the situation, Jinnie couldn’t help but laugh, and with George standing on the soldier’s gun hand, pinning his gun to the ground and Jinnie’s rifle in his ear, Jinnie said “You can let go now, Larry, we have him.” Larry let out an enormous meow and trotted over to Sir Nigel, who scooped him up and said, “Well done, Larry, you are my hero.” The rest of the squad had the man now, with his hands in plastic handcuffs and sitting against the house wall, blood running from his scratches. Sir Nigel said “Thank you, everyone. Could someone look in the kitchen, please, I think Emma is tied to a chair.”
Jinnie asked “Has anyone checked the police hut? I think there might be injured in there. Is the officer in the gate OK? I’m afraid the others all seem to be dead.” A policeman came over to George and Jinnie saying “I am the silver commander. I must ask you to turn your weapons over to the investigating officer while we establish exactly what has happened here.” Jinnie handed the rifle over to the investigating officer and, pulling out her ID card, said “Please note I am an SIS officer and I will only be speaking to you with permission of the SIS.” Sir Nigel had been listening and said, “I can confirm that Jinnie is indeed an active SIS officer, and these two and Larry are the heroes of the hour.” Jinnie smiled at Sir Nigel and said “I suspect this is going to be a crime scene for a while, so I’m going home. I desperately need a cup of strong coffee. How about you two?” she asked George and Sir Nigel. Nigel said, “I think I need a brandy,” and George said to the silver commander “If you need me, sir, I will be in Dame Jinnie’s kitchen having a coffee.”
***
Jinnie led George and Sir Nigel to the gate in the wall, which had been jammed open with an old brick, and several first aiders were working on the officer shot in the doorway. They were joined by Larry, who trotted along behind them. Jinnie said “Come on, Larry, I think I’ve got some of those cat treats you like, and you definitely deserve some.” As they got to the gate, Sir Nigel heard his name being called and turned to see Emma jogging after them. As she caught up with them, she said “They’ve thrown me out. Officially it’s a ‘crime scene’, so they are all donning white paper suits. So can I join you? They told me not to go too far away, so I asked if next door was OK.” “Of course,” replied Jinnie, “we are all going to have coffee. Well, not quite, Nigel has requested a medicinal brandy, and it’s cat treats for Larry.”
They walked into Jinnie’s kitchen and were greeted by the smell of fresh coffee and Izzy, who looked them over and said “Thank God you are all OK. I only got the last bit of the action from Millie’s window. I had to wait by the front door to guide the police to the gate. Oh, Larry, you were magnificent. I have never seen you move so fast.” They sat around the kitchen table chatting until there was a tap on the kitchen door and an officer from George’s squad said, “Silver sent me to ask if the air ambulance can use your garden to land.” “Of course,” said Jinnie, “but wouldn’t the green out the front make a better landing zone?” “Ah,” exclaimed the constable, “the SAS quick reaction team is due to land there in three Chinooks any time now.”
Izzy looked at her watch and said, “I have to go and fetch the twins. They will be shocked to see all the policemen, cars and helicopters.” Jinnie said “Take your passport. I suspect that security is going to be very tight, and if it’s the SAS, they don’t know us.” Izzy had only been gone a few minutes when Jinnie’s mobile rang. She glanced at the screen and saw it was displaying ‘C’ before saying “Good afternoon, Alan. I guess you are over events.” “Hello, Jinnie. Not really,” Alan replied, “I have got the basics off police net, but as it was next door I guessed you’d be involved.”
Jinnie quickly ran through what had happened and Alan asked, “Are you, Nigel and your policeman all OK?” “Yes,” answered Jinnie, “but I have told the police I won’t talk to them without your permission.” “Good,” said ‘C’, “I’m on my way over, I’m in the car right now and I’ve got legal with me. It is essential that we keep you out of the press, except for maybe as a neighbour supporting Nigel. We’ll cook up a cover story with the police for the media. By the way, they are on to the story. Of course, it is all speculation on their part at the moment, but loads of people have already been on the radio phone-ins with tales of helicopters, police and gunshots. Which makes me think, how many dead are we talking about?” “Seven Germans, I think,” replied Jinnie, “plus one in custody. Then at least three police dead and three injured. I think one is pretty serious, as the air ambulance has just landed and there are several ambulances and paramedic cars on site. Oh, I nearly forgot, the SAS are on the way.” “Bit late,” said Alan.
The next to phone was Paolo, who said, “What the hell have you been doing now?” Jinnie chuckled and went through the story again. “How are we going to keep this one quiet,” muttered Paolo. “The Evening Standard I picked up getting on the Tube had a headline about an assassination attempt by the Russians on Nigel, but lacked any details except shots were fired.” “Well, that proves they know nothing,” replied Jinnie, “it was the Germans and a kidnapping.” Jinnie then warned Paolo that the security would likely be enhanced when he drove home from the station.
Jinnie suddenly wondered aloud if Nigel would be allowed to sleep in his own bed and George said, “I doubt it, I reckon they’ll be all over the house and garden for the next few days, and Millie’s room when we tell them what we did.” “Well, it’s a good job we have plenty of spare bedrooms so Nigel can stay here, Larry will be happy, and Millie can take her pick of rooms if she has to vacate her room for a bit.”
The twins stomped into the kitchen and Willie said, “There were soldiers on the barrier and they were rude and asked me and Millie lots of questions.” Millie added, “Then there are loads of police cars and ambulance in the street and big helicopters on the green. What’s going on?” Izzy said, “Sit down and I will get you your milk and caramel wafer and I’m sure Mummy will tell you what is happening.”
Jinnie thought ‘I wonder how much I can tell them if I don’t want it all over school tomorrow.’ Then she said, “Some nasty people flew a helicopter into Uncle Nigel’s garden and tried to take him away. But George and the police rescued him and killed most of the bad men. I nearly forgot, Larry was a hero, he attacked a man with a gun, scratched his face and bit his nose.” Willie looked at Larry and said, “He must have been mad, he only scratches his special post, and he never bites anyone.” George said, “But he was defending his special friend, Uncle Nigel. I bet he would do the same for you and your Mummy.” Millie giggled and said, “He likes us, but not so much Daddy and Izzy. He doesn’t talk to them.”
‘C’ had arrived with the man from legal, and they, together with Jinnie, George and Sir Nigel, had all withdrawn to the ‘new lounge’ to plan. It was decided that they would tell the investigating officer exactly what had happened and impress on him that no mention of Jinnie’s involvement in the actual shooting was to be included in any reports. To be safe, the legal man would obtain a ‘DMSA’ notice as soon as possible, just in case the press picked up a leak or rumour. Alan suggested that the investigator and assistant be invited to a meeting in Vauxhall the following afternoon, where it would be easier to intimidate the police.
Jinnie ordered dinner from Trattoria Trevi and included Emma and Freddie, whose day off it had been, and he had been fishing. He had phoned Emma when he heard the news on the radio, and she had told him she was quite safe and at Jinnie’s with Sir Nigel. The twins had eaten sausages, mash and beans for lunch and didn’t want ‘a big dinner’, so they settled for a cheeseburger and chips. Nigel said it was Thursday and he always ate a steak for dinner on Thursday, and he was buggered if the Germans were going to do him out of his regular dinner. So, it was fillet steaks with chips, peas and onion rings all round. Nigel cut a choice piece off his rare steak and gave it to Larry, saying, “Here you are, my cat friend, you earned this today.”
Jinnie took the children up to bed and sat with them while they read aloud from a French translation of Malcolm Saville’s ‘Lone Pine Five’. Their French was nearly perfect, but she was sure that it would be improved by the upcoming visit of the Bakers. Jinnie’s mind drifted to her good French friend Simone and wondered if she should invite her, Jan, and young Juliette over now they had the space. She was busy working out when was the best time for them to visit when Willie said, “Mummy, you’re not listening, I just said ‘this is a really good story.’” “Is it, darling?” replied Jinnie. “I seem to remember there are lots more in the series, but I don’t know how many are in French.” “Oh,” said Millie, “I don’t mind if they are in English.”
“Kids,” said Jinnie, “I was thinking, would you like me to invite Juliette and her Mummy and Daddy to come and stay at Whitsun?” “Yes please,” they chorused, with Willie adding, “We can practise our French some more.” Millie asked, “What’s that funny language that her Daddy can speak?” “Well,” said Jinnie, “her Mummy and Daddy both speak German as well as French, but her Daddy comes from Poland so he speaks Polish.” “Perhaps we could learn Polish when we have learnt German,” said Willie. “We want to learn lots and lots of languages.”
***
The following morning, Jinnie accepted a lift from Sir Nigel to the meeting at Vauxhall Cross. Freddie dropped them off at the main entrance and drove off to park the Rolls close by at the St George Wharf Car Park. Jinnie showed her SIS pass to the receptionist and said she and Sir Nigel were there for a meeting with ‘C’. While Sir Nigel signed in, the second receptionist phoned ‘C’s’ PA. Waiting in reception for the PA, Sir Nigel whispered to Jinnie, “I’ve been here many times, but that’s the first time I have ever been asked to sign in.”
Alan’s PA led them into a large meeting room where he was sat at the middle of one side of a large table, flanked by the legal man on one side and someone Jinnie didn’t know on the other. Alan rose and shook their hand, saying, “I don’t think you have met our Head of Public Relations.” Jinnie laughed and said, “No, we haven’t met, it must be a new post since I worked here. Although it was rumoured that we had a Head of Propaganda.” Alan chuckled and said, “A rose by any other name. Now please take a seat on this side of the table, I think this may become a bit of an us versus them battle. There is no way I am going to let you be exposed as an SIS agent, you are too valuable an asset to lose.” “Can you hang about for a short while after the meeting,” he continued, “I would like a quick word. I’m sorry, Sir Nigel, but this will be agency business, and I must ask you to wait here for Jinnie. My PA will bring you coffee and biscuits while you wait, and I promise we will be as quick as possible.”
Next through the door were the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, who, having shaken hands with everyone, took the seats at top and tail of the table. Jinnie realised that what Alan had said was already coming true — SIS fell under the Foreign Office and the police under the Home Office. The police contingent was last to arrive and filed into the seats opposite ‘C’, with the Commissioner of the Met Police taking the middle seat directly opposite Alan, and as the other officers sat down, Jinnie recognised the Silver Commander and the Investigating Officer, and right at the end, next to the Foreign Secretary, much to Jinnie’s surprise, sat George.
Alan called the meeting together and talked about the attack, saying how the security services had worked together, and they had discovered that the helicopter had taken off from what purported to be a Swedish ship in the Thames Estuary, and it was now in the possession of the Special Boat Service. Alan explained that it was clear that only the swift actions of Dame Jinnie and PC George Williamson had saved the day. But he was not going to allow any mention of his officer’s part in the incident to appear in the media or court.
The Commissioner then asked, “What is to become of the crew of the ship that the helicopter sailed from?” Alan replied, “I really don’t know, I suspect the SBS could make them disappear, but they are effectively members of the army of a nation we are technically still at war with. The media have been issued with a DMSA notice overnight, so we have total control of what they say. So I suggest we issue a press release that completely ignores the part my officer took in this incident — she is too valuable an asset to be exposed and subsequently lost to the Service.”
Sir Nigel said, “Here is what I propose. We tweak the story a little but make George the hero who was coming home from shooting practice on his leave day, when an unmarked military helicopter went over his head and landed in my garden. Now, I think we need to emphasise he is a member of the Forces gun team and a good shot. He took his rifle and ammunition, which he was about to put in his gun safe, got his fiancée to call in the Protection Post and tell them what was happening, and then to dial 999. In the meantime, he made his way to the garden gate and entered the garden accompanied by Larry the cat. He observed a gunfight between the Police Post in my garden and two gunmen and saw the two gunmen taken out from the hut.”
Alan nodded, saying, “I like it so far, please go on.” “OK,” said Sir Nigel, “George had to walk past the helicopter, and he saw three dead protection officers on the patio. He then took out the two pilots, then moved across the lawn to the house where there were four terrorists preparing to blow open the steel-reinforced kitchen door. Before he could fire, the door was blown, but he took out two of them before the remaining two disappeared in the kitchen. He got to the house as officers from the Protection Squad came through the gate, and Sgt Wilkes was shot and badly injured by a gunman from the kitchen door before being shot by George. Finally, the last gunman came out holding me at gunpoint, only to be attacked by Larry, who clawed his face and bit his nose, allowing George to capture him.”
“Not bad,” said Alan, “but it tells people we have one alive. I think I can improve on that a little, Sir Nigel. How about you shot one of those trying to blow in the door by leaning out of the window with a pistol. Then the one who was clawed by Larry was shot by George. That way we don’t have anyone in custody, and we don’t have to have a trial.” “I like that,” said the Foreign Secretary, “it keeps us out of it.” The Home Secretary added, “I think we can work with that, it shows the DPS in a good light and George, Larry and the two officers in the post as heroes.”
The Commissioner nodded slowly and said, “I think we can live with a tale like that. How about you, PC Wilson, do you mind us bigging up your part in the action?” “I’ll go along with it, Sir,” replied George, “I realise we can’t expose Jinnie. Just one small thing, it was a woman who was shooting out of the window.” Jinnie said, “Now you mention it, you’re right, it was a woman’s arm, so it must have been Emma.” “It was,” said Sir Nigel, “I can’t shoot for toffee, but Emma can. She must have learnt here, so we can’t mention it.” “Yes, we can,” said Alan. “She learnt to shoot before she came to work for me. It was one of the reasons I hired her. She learnt to shoot in the Resistance and is quite good with a pistol, but not with a rifle.” “I’ve lived a few houses from her for years,” said Jinnie, “but I never knew that.” “There are a lot of things you don’t know,” said Alan.
In Chapter 13 – Plans for Retribution
© WorthingGooner 2025
