Breakfast the next morning was in the hotel dining room. Jane was looking better, she sat at a table with Alison. Dave, Sally and the guard from outside the door sat at the next table. They were packed and waiting in reception just before 11:00, Dave had been to reception to settle the bill, he had no idea how much it would be. The receptionist said it was being forwarded to the Home Office for payment. The two cars were there on time, Dave made sure Jane and Alison along with the guard left first. They were to pick up more clothes before making for Chequers. Dave and Sally sat in the back of the second car, they hardly spoke as they drove out of London. He was no longer on guard duty, Jane Goodley was now someone else’s responsibility. It was raining when they arrived, the car pulled into the walled courtyard and stopped. Inside, keys were given to them for their rooms, the house was very quiet. Sally asked where they would eat, she was directed to where the staff dining room was. They were in a guest bedroom, the view out the window was of gardens, woodland and fields. “Dave, we need more clothes, everything we have, other than the clothes I bought yesterday are for holiday.” “I want the laptops and other stuff, I will see if we can borrow a car after lunch, we will be back this evening. We will leave everything here other than the suitcases we flew back with. The receptionist who had greeted them turned out to be more than that. She was in charge of the front of house, she was a fixer, a car was quickly organised for after lunch. The food was good, it was more like an upmarket café than a staff canteen. Sally had unpacked their toiletries, the two suitcases were put in the back of a Range Rover, the weapons were left together with the guns and other items retrieved from the factory. Jane and Alison were arriving as they were leaving. Dave said they would meet up this evening and talk. As soon as they were on the M1, he switched on the blue lights, the motorway was busy, he kept the speed around ninety, he only slowed down to go through roadworks near Newport Pagnell services, the car stayed within the fifty limit.
His car was on the drive, he pulled up alongside it, the blue lights had been switched off when he came into Loughborough. Sally opened the front door, picked up the pizza leaflets pushed through the letterbox, flicked through the couple of letters, leaving them on the table by the door. Dave carried in the suitcases, he took them upstairs and laid them on the bed. Sally followed him, he was opening one of the cases, Sally opened the other. The dirty washing was put directly into the basket in the bathroom, the unused clothes were left folded on the floor, the wardrobe was opened and more suitable clothes replaced the ones taken out. Dave was in the office, he sorted out the laptops, found his old backpack, he put in four burner phones, chargers, two Glock 17’s, shells and holsters. He left the backpack at the top of the stairs beside the laptops. Closing the door to the office, he saw out the window two police cars, the occupants were walking towards the house, one headed for the front door, the other round the back. “Sally, the police are about to knock on the door.” “Why?” “We’ll soon find out.” He went downstairs and opened the front door. “Good afternoon, can I help you?” “Is this your house?” “No, it belongs to my partner, Sally Fellowes.” “Is she here now.” Dave called Sally, “there is a policeman at the door, he wants you to prove you live here.” Dave took out his wallet and handed over his driving licence, the address was Sally’s, she was now at the door, her bag was open, she took out her purse and found her licence. “Sorry about disturbing you, we had a report of an unknown car parked on the drive.” “That would be Richard, our next door neighbour, I’ll pop round and see him.” The policeman from the rear was now standing next to his partner. Dave thanked them for being so quick responding, Sally had left and gone next door. As they walked back to their cars, they asked if the Range Rover was his. “No, it’s a company car.” Dave wondered why they always had to ask questions, he supposed they were only doing their job, the same way he did his. “What company?” “I’m not sure, I picked it up this afternoon, it could be registered to one of many departments. Check it out on your database.” One stayed by the Range Rover while the other was in his car asking for a ‘vehicle check’. “I’ll save you the trouble, he opened the car door, leaned in and flicked the switch to bring on the blue lights, he put them off as soon as they had flashed a couple of times. “It’s registered to the Home Office,” the officer in the car was calling to his colleague. “What do you do there?” “No more questions please, I’ve said enough, and I thank you for coming round to check out the house.” Dave watched them drive off, he went back into the house, he found a can of Coke in the fridge, he opened it and drank half, Sally came back in. “Richard was very apologetic, when he saw a car on the drive he didn’t recognise, he phoned the police. I thanked him for being so vigilant and to do it again if he saw anything suspicious. He wanted to know why we were back early from our holiday, I said a close friend of yours was very ill and we flew back to see him. Richard hopes he gets well soon.” He handed her the Coke, she took a couple of drinks before returning to packing. “I think there is enough to keep us going until the weekend, I will have to be back on Sunday ready for work on Monday.” “I hope we are only there for a few days, once I make some headway, we can come back here, there is a lot of unfinished business from holiday.” He ran his hand up her leg as she was bending over to close one of the cases. “I think we should pick up your car from the airport, it will make it easier to get back later in the week.” As they drove to Birmingham, Sally wanted to know why he was so quiet. “Something is bugging me, I need to sort it out before I can proceed. Why and by whom was this done, what was the purpose, yes, the MI5 files were gone through, but why? Don’t say anything until I have finished. Before I start, I want to make sure it isn’t someone close to Jane. I have three names in my mind, Richard Charlton, the Prime Minister, Henry Wiggins, the Home Secretary and Jane Goodley herself. I have to rule each one out before I go any further.” “Why would she let herself go through all that suffering?” “I don’t know, I will ask her this evening. The Prime Minister will be sacking Henry Wiggins at the next Cabinet reshuffle, he isn’t up to the job, but then he might be lying and he has something on the PM. I hate politicians, they are two faced.” Dave, are we getting ourselves into something we might regret?” “I’m not sure, I might talk to the Brigadier, so he is aware of what we are doing. Think about what I said as you drive down.” He drove into the long stay carpark and found where he had left the car. He paid for a day’s stay as he left, the barrier opened automatically for Sally. He phoned her registration number in to Chequers, other than showing their ID’s and the cars being checked, they were in. While unpacking she said as long as these three people were on his mind, he would have to sort it out first. “Confront them face to face with your suspicions, start with Jane, ring the others, I know it’s a lot of travelling, see if you can do it tonight, Parliament is in recess, they might be in their offices, the Prime Minister certainly will be in London. Dave looked at his watch, “I will see Jane now, it won’t take long.”
She was sitting in a lounge reading, Alison was scrolling through her phone, looking at her he asked if she would mind if he could speak to Jane alone. “It will only take around fifteen minutes.” She stood up and left. “How are you?” her voice was stronger, she said she felt better. “Are you OK with being here?” “Yes, I feel safe, the place is full of guards and CCTV.” Dave’s next question was one she didn’t expect, “what did the doctor say?” “How did you know?” “I asked the Prime Minister to organise it, I was concerned, we were working on my first aid knowledge, you needed to be checked properly.” “He said you did a good job with the burns from the petrol, he has prescribed a cream to use with the moisturiser, he has also given me some tablets to help me cope with the anxiety.” “I want to ask you a few questions, do you want to answer them or would you like me to leave it just now.” “No, carry on.” “The most obvious one is ‘who and why’, do you have any ideas?” “No, I have thought about it off and on, but I don’t know.” “I have three names stuck in my head, I can’t move on until I have made sure they are not connected to this. The first one is Henry Wiggins, the PM told me it is not working out with him as Home Secretary and he will be gone soon. There is definitely tension between the two of them, I’m not certain which way it goes, I don’t move in political circles, do you have anything on either of them, I could check myself, but I would only get facts.” “Henry Wiggins is shit at his job, it is one fuck up after another, the sooner he is gone the better.” “Could it be that he is very good at his job and has been on the Prime Minister’s back, or found out something about the PM?” “No, he really is fucking useless.” Dave thought back to Saturday, there was no initiative from him. “Does he have the capacity to organise what happened to you?” “Never, he would have to delegate the job to one of his secretaries.” “What about Richard Carlton, do you have dirt on him he knows about?” “Yes, I showed him the file we hold, it was over a year ago, there isn’t very much, in his youth, he was bisexual, but has been with his wife for over thirty years, he’s a tit and bum man now, the occasional hand up a skirt at a function, but there isn’t anything serious.” “Could he have organised this?” “Yes, but with a lot of difficulty, everything he does is monitored, it would take some organising, he has very little free time, I’m not saying he couldn’t do it, but he would have to delegate, he would find it difficult to be in control.” “The third name I have, and it should come as no surprise, is yours.” Dave looked at her as he spoke, he wanted to see her reaction. “Jane, did you have this done to yourself, is there something at work that has affected you?” She took out a tissue from her bag and wiped her eyes. “I knew you would ask me, I would have done the same, I have been trying to prepare myself for when you would. No, I didn’t do it or organise it. My breasts ache from being squeezed, I’m burnt all over, it hurts like Hell, I have never had pain like it. At one point I wanted to die.” “I’m sorry, I had to ask, it’s part of the job.” “David, please tell no one how you found me, I haven’t told Alison everything, I’m embarrassed about how I was found.” “Jane, you should be proud of how you managed to survive, neither Sally nor I will say anything.” “Was there someone else present?” “Yes, but he had no idea who you were, none of the people who saw you will ever be talking about it.” Jane thanked Dave again, “I owe my life to you and Sally.” Dave made a gesture to say it was nothing, he was now standing, he bent down and kissed her on the top of the head, “get well soon.” With that he left, Alison was sitting in reception, “thank you, I’ve finished now,” she smiled at Dave and went to rejoin Jane. “Sally, I have a job for you this evening after dinner,” He tipped a carrier bag on to the floor, out fell five phones, wallets and everything else from the pockets of the five dead. “Can you start putting all this into a spreadsheet, if you have time begin to build a profile of each of them, I will be going into London as soon as we have eaten.” He phoned the Prime Minister, he spoke to one of his secretaries, he explained who he was and what he wanted, he was on hold for almost five minutes before he heard a voice. “The Prime Minister will see you at 21:30.” Eating dinner, there was only one other table occupied, four guards were eating, laughing and joking, there was no sign of Jane and Alison. “The doctor saw her today, she has burns from the petrol being on her skin, she says she is in constant pain. He has given her a cream to use with the moisturiser and tablets for her nerves. Please don’t say anything to Alison about how you found her, she doesn’t want her to know.” As they were drinking coffee, Jane and Alison came in, Dave said the fish was worth having. He drained his coffee and they left, kissing in reception before Sally went upstairs, and Dave, out the front door. He loved the blue lights, he wished he could put them on his Uber. The Prime Minister was waiting for him in his office. “I would like to speak to you alone please.” “The secretaries are aware of everything going on.” “Alone please.” Dave was more insistent this time. He was led into another room, they sat each side of a desk. “Are you making progress?” “Yes, I am eliminating possible suspects at the moment, earlier I questioned Jane Goodley, I wanted to know who she thought might have been behind her kidnap, I gave her a couple of names, one was discounted immediately. She was upset when I asked her if she had done it to herself for whatever reason, I don’t think she did.” “That is why I am here this evening, Richard Carlton, did you set up the kidnap and attack on Jane Goodley?” The Prime Minister looked at him, “of course I didn’t, why would I do something like that?” “I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.” “You’re barking up the wrong tree, I respect her and the job she does.” “She’s the one who knows about your past, she’s shown you the file.” Dave was deliberately provoking the Prime Minister. “You like slipping your hand up the skirts of waitresses when you are out, don’t you.” “That has nothing to do with this investigation.” Dave asked if his wife knew. “Don’t you bring her into this.” His head was now in his hands, “Why are you doing this to me?” “I understand you like tits as well.” There was no reply. “I’ll ask you one more time, were you involved in the kidnap of Jane Goodley?” “You’re a bastard, no I didn’t have anything to do with it.” Dave waited for the Prime Minister to regain his composure. He thought he might be portrayed as a strong leader, but a quick mention of his past shows him up as being a weak person. “Sir, I had to ask you, in the same way I asked Jane, it was nothing personal,” “It was very personal, you asked about things you have no right to know about.” “You have given me a job to do, I have completed the first part, I am now onto the second phase. I have to ask questions, I have to push people, I am looking for reactions. I’m not always proud of what I do, If I hadn’t done this, there would always be a niggle at the back of my mind, it would stop me from proceeding.” A button on the wall adjacent to the desk was pressed, the door opened, “Bring us two coffees please.” “Sir, there will be no further mention of this meeting, it won’t appear in any report I write. As far as I am concerned the meeting never took place. I will tell no one about the file.” “You certainly know how to upset people. Other than upsetting me, what have you achieved?” “Not much, Sally is going through the wallets and phones of the five from Dagenham. I should be able to start tomorrow.” “There is a report from the Chief Constable regarding Saturday night, He said two looked like they had been executed, clean shots to the chest, the others had been shot multiple times.” “Yes, it was a bit messy with the last three.” The Prime Minister wanted his own report from Dave, “make sure I have it by the end of the week.”
Chequers was deserted when he returned, apart from the guards on duty, no one else was about, it was 23:40, he was tired as he climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Sally was sitting up in bed reading a magazine she had picked up in the lounge. “How did it go?” “We can eliminate these three from the list, not Jane, the Home Secretary doesn’t have the brains, the Prime Minister is too weak, he doesn’t have the balls to do it. We will have to start in the morning.” “Dave, can we go home tomorrow?” “Has something happened?” “No, I don’t like it here, I have a bad feeling, this place gives me the shivers.” “So, you noticed it as well, I thought it might only be me. We’ll go home in the morning, as soon as we have had breakfast.”
Sally didn’t sleep well, she woke several times, Dave slept until he felt his hand being squeezed, “drink your coffee before it gets cold.” Picking up his phone he looked at the time, it was 07:00, “why so early?” “I want out of here, other than the stuff in the bathroom and your clothes, the bags are packed. I didn’t sleep well, I’m glad I wasn’t here on my own.” Dave showered and dressed, he took down one of the cases as they went for breakfast, Sally went into the dining room, she ordered for them both. Dave spoke to the receptionist when he came in from the car, “we will be leaving this morning, can you ask the head of security to come and see me, I will be having breakfast, if you see Miss Goodley, would you say I would like a word with her.” His breakfast was on the table, Sally was looking forward to being home. One of the guards came into the room and walked over to Dave, “I’m Greg Harrison, Head of Security,” “sit down and join us please, I have to talk to you.” He said they had some weapons, which needed to be returned, “the Prime Minister organised them for us, I have no idea where they came from, I would like them checked, photographs taken and a receipt given to me. They are in our room, could we do it after we have eaten?” Jane and Alison came in, Alison sat down while Jane came across to the table, Greg Harrison left, Jane took his place. “Sally and I are leaving this morning, there is nothing left for us to do here, will you be OK?” “Yes, I think we will stay here for the rest of the week, probably leave on Friday.” “If you feel like it, will you write a report of all you remember and send it over to me, I will need it eventually to put in my final report. Take care, do not return to work until you feel like it, if you need us, we are on the end of a phone, it would only take a few hours to get down to you. Keep me updated on your health.” The Head of Security was waiting for them, in the bedroom, he opened up the black holdall containing the weapons, they spent a few minutes checking none of them had any rounds left in the magazines. Dave laid them out on the bed, both took pictures, a receipt was given to Dave, Sally put it in one of the laptop bags. Greg Harrison went off with the holdall. Going down with the second case, carrier bags and laptops, he stopped to hand over the room key. Jane was waiting for them, she kissed and thanked both of them. With everything in the car, they set off, it would only be two hours before they were home.
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