The car picked them up on time, Dave sat in the front, Sally and Jane Goodley in the back, there ID’s were checked off at the visitor entrance. It was a wait until a guard came to accompany them, they had to pass through security, Dave’s briefcase was searched. Sally felt intimidated, she wretched at the smell as they entered one of the blocks. They were shown into a light airy room. The room was busy, she saw the Home Secretary, the Brigadier and the Head of MI6, Graeme Rogers. There were handshakes and introductions, Sally saw a large glass window, on the other side was a table and three chairs, two on one side, a single on the other, she didn’t see they were bolted to the floor. Seats were arranged like a cinema looking towards the window, twelve in total. Dave was drinking coffee and eating biscuits, chatting to people she didn’t recognise. The talking stopped when the door in the interview room opened. A man easily six inches taller than Dave was brought in, Sally recognised him as the one she had followed in Edinburgh, he didn’t look as smart as he did that day, he was wearing a grey prison issue top and bottoms, he sat on the single seat, his hands were handcuffed, there were shackles round his ankles. The two guards stood back at the door, which was now closed. Dave took a file from his case, another man went to leave with him, he looked at him, “who are you?” “I’m the interpreter,” “I won’t need you.” “Do you speak Russian?” “No, he speaks perfectly good English, he’s trying it on.” Sally was sitting next to Jane, she asked if the prisoner could see them, “one way glass, it’s a mirror on the other side, we will hear everything. There are cameras inside as well, it will all be recorded.” Dave left the room with a packet of digestives and his file, Sally watched as the door was opened, Dave walked in, he had a discussion with the guards, reluctantly they left. He sat on one of the chairs, opened the biscuits and offered them across the table, “they’re my favourite, I doubt there will be many left by the time I’ve finished.” Dave opened his file, “Nikolai Romanov, is that your name?” He laughed out loud, I’ll come back to that later. I have to tell you, Svetlana has been visited in Holloway Prison by someone from the Russian Embassy, I understand there will be an exchange fairly soon. Strange isn’t it, no one has been to see you.” Those behind the glass were watching intently, there had been no reaction from the prisoner. “Richard Shanks, the passport was good, a typical Russian forgery, it would fool most people. Shanks, a couple of things come into my mind when I hear that name, there was a British manufacturing company, they made porcelain toilets, Armitage Shanks, you must have seen the name in public toilets. Armitage Shanks, usually full of shit, just like you.” Dave paused while he ate two biscuits. “The other thing that strikes me about the name Shanks, it’s prison slang for a knife, I remember being told about someone in the SAS, his nickname was Mack the Knife, I asked around, apparently he is missing presumed dead. So, he couldn’t be you, but…” He opened the file, all the time there had been no acknowledgement from the person opposite. “The Russians were very good at hacking in and removing all the information on the various systems relating to Mack the Knife, however, they missed something,” Dave took out a copy of the picture from the sergeants mess in Hereford. “I think you are in this picture, they remember you there, you were a tight bastard, had to be chased for your bar bill every month.” He put the photograph so it could be seen.” Dave pointed to his image, he saw the muscles in the handcuffed wrists flex, he was ready when both hands swung up from the table to hit him, he leant back, half stood and punched him hard on the side of the head. Dave caught him before he fell off his chair, pulled him upright and looked him straight in the face. “Try anything like that again and I will kill you, understand? You’re not the only one to spend time in Hereford. You are Sergeant Fraser MacIntire, a deserter from the SAS, reported missing somewhere near the Russian border while on a recce. I saw you in Edinburgh many weeks ago, you were staying in the Balmoral Hotel, a picture of you was taken, you were tailed back to Dundee. I spoke to one of my ex colleagues from Hereford, he confirmed your name.” Fraser MacIntire looked up at him, but said nothing, Dave ate another biscuit before continuing. “In Hereford, the mess orderly showed me your picture, I then spoke to the officer in charge of the four man team, he said you were there as you were fluent in Russian, I don’t know if the next part was planned or done on the spur of the moment, I’m not really bothered, but with £40k of debts you probably saw it as an easy way out. However the Russians wanted you to work for them, you and Svetlana were sent over here, the next part is conjecture and doesn’t involve you. The Captain of the sub was persuaded to sell top secret equipment, your team was chosen as the receivers. The plan was always to kill the Captain, there was just enough money in the bag to let him see the dollars. You would have the kit and the money. The problem you would have had, if you had made it to the trawler, yes, we knew about your way out, was the gear had already been switched. Your bosses wouldn’t have been too happy when they found out.” It was time for more biscuits, in the viewing room nobody had moved, they were transfixed, “Coming back to the name in your passport, you obviously spent too much time reading the Sporting Life and not enough reading history. Nikolai Romanov, I still laugh when I think about it. Nikolai Romanov was the name of the last Emperor of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II, he was shot and bayonetted by the Bolsheviks, his whole family was slaughtered. I think the same fate awaited you. It may be better than what might come next. I know there is no point in trying to interrogate you, your training won’t let you crack and the questioning by the police is rubbish. Your problem arises when the police have finished, there are people behind the glass waiting to take you to Colchester, while you await a courts martial. I have been informed as you are a deserter from the SAS, you will be transferred there, I’m sure you can remember what the interrogations are like. They will push you until you break, we all went through it in training, it will be much worse with a deserter, can you remember the pain?” Dave stopped, this time he stared at Fraser MacIntire, “I remember being kept awake for days, the beatings, being starved, either freezing cold or boiling hot, days spent in the dark followed by days with bright lights on all the time. Another one was cramped cells, not enough room to stand up or stretch out, I particularly didn’t like that one, which one did you hate the most.” “Fuck off you bastard.” “That’s more like it, no more trying to fool people you are Russian. There is a deal to be done, I can keep you out the clutches of the Army, but it requires you to cooperate with some of the people out there, we both know you could hold out and tell them nothing, but that wouldn’t be wise would it? I’ve just remembered another one of the things they used to do. See if you remember this one, you would be put in a cage in a cell, left without food or water, probably for a couple of days, you were parched, desperate for a drink, three or four of the guards would come in, they would piss on you, would you drink it and lie stinking of other people’s piss or would you give up.” Dave said nothing for a few minutes, he quietly ate biscuits. “It’s decision time, the packet is nearly empty. You are going down for a long time, the firearms, the dead Captain, attempted murder on the river, that’s without the top secret stuff that was stolen. I can sort it out so you remain within the civilian prison service, do your time and get out, or if you don’t play ball, you may have a longer sentence with the Army charges added on, and you will spend the rest of your life a broken man. These people,” Dave pointed to the glass, “want answers, are you prepared to give them what they want? Don’t say yes to me today, and change your mind after I have gone, you will be in Colchester the next day if you do.” “Were you in one of the boats?” “Yes, I could have killed you and the woman quite easily but I chose not to.” The last biscuit was broken, “that’s it, times up, your answer now, yes or no.” There was a nod. “Thank you, I’m sure it will be the right decision.” Dave looked at the glass and nodded, the door opened, the two guards returned, Dave left, Fraser MacIntire was taken back to his cell. Sally handed him a bottle of water as soon as he returned, he drunk it down before slumping into a chair. There was talking in the room, Dave was oblivious to it, he drunk half a bottle more before he stood up and stretched. Jane was the first one to thank him for what he did, others followed. Plans were being made for what was to come next, it wouldn’t involve Dave, the interpreter said he was sure he was Russian. Dave said to Jane he wanted to go, Sally had packed the file back into his briefcase. “My head is thumping, I need fresh air,” People were leaving, Dave and Sally joined a group being escorted, outside he sat on the bonnet of Jane’s official car, “You have no idea how draining that was, I think we should go home, drop off Jane first, pick up the cases, the driver can take us to the station, we could be home in a couple of hours.” It was another fifteen minutes before she came out the prison, “I had wanted to see you this afternoon, but I can see how tired you are, I will speak to you later.”
They were home just after 16:00, Dave went directly to bed, he slept through until the following morning, Sally dressing for work woke him, “how do you feel?” “Better than yesterday afternoon, would you do me a favour, phone Jane, say I need a few days to sort myself out, tell her unless it’s an emergency not to call, I will go down early on Monday morning. My plan for today is to get up, put the signs on the car and do a bit of Ubering, I’ll probably spend most of the day in the café.” Sally said it was a good idea. He picked up a couple of jobs before making his way to the café, some of the drivers wanted to know where he had been, “had a break, went up to Scotland, we spent the time travelling round.” Dave sat and listened, he occasionally chipped in with a comment, he stayed until the café closed at 15:00. Sally would be home soon, a job came in going to Derby, he picked it up and was home just before 17:00. “How was your day?” “Good, lots of normal conversation, no pressure, I enjoyed it.” They sat together after they had eaten, music played quietly in the background, neither of them spoke. Sally moved to be lying with her head in Dave’s lap, he automatically stroked her face, his hands running through her hair. Later, as Sally made a drink before going to bed she said for Dave to not make any plans for Friday, “I might have a surprise for you, I’ll message you tomorrow, are you Ubering?” “Yes, I might spend less time in the café,” laughing, he said he needed the money. He was in Coalville when he got Sally’s message, ‘Day out tomorrow, all booked. xxx S’. There were plenty of jobs, he stayed out until 19:00 before switching off the app. Sally was in the dining room, her laptop open, after a kiss, she asked him if there were any more expenses to put on the invoice she was preparing. “Let me get my dinner, I will look through it as I eat, do you want a drink?” Five minutes later, he came in carrying a tray, he passed a coffee over to Sally, his lager was already open. “Don’t forget the extra £500 paid to Trevor, plus the fuel bought on the way back, I’m not sure the extra two nights in Washington can be included, leave them in, see if it gets picked up.” He checked the bills for his stays at Flemings Hotel and train fares were all listed. “It all looks OK, send it off. In a couple of months, we will see what we have and maybe look at property.”
The following morning, Sally was up early, she was in and out of the bedroom, “what are you doing?” “Getting the clothes we need for today,” Dave sat up in bed a curious look on his face. “Time you were up, we have to be gone by 09:30, no lying in bed this morning.” Sally had her sports bag packed, Dave’s old backpack was beside it near the front door. “Where are we going and what are we doing?” “You’ll find out when we get there.” Sally was wearing jeans and a tight white tee shirt, Dave looked at her, “couldn’t we stay here, I can think of lots of things to do?” There was no answer, he finished his breakfast and was ready. Sally drove towards Ashby de la Zouch, Dave saw the sign for the entrance to the health spa, Sally checked in at reception, they were given dressing gowns, flip-flops and a list of their treatments and times, looking at his list and them at Sally’s he wanted to know why he wasn’t down for a full body massage. “There is no way I would let anyone do that to you, it’s my job, now get changed and meet me in the pool. He was swimming lengths when Sally joined him, “both our first treatments are at 11:00, I’m having a facial,” Dave laughed, “don’t be so rude.” He went off to the sauna when it was time, several times, he left it to jump into the ice cold plunge pool, he enjoyed the shock his body took. Sally found him relaxing in the conservatory, her face looked slightly flushed. “Did you enjoy your facial,” he was trying to be serious, but failing, “you’re just a schoolboy at heart.” Sally sat beside him, “we will have lunch soon, don’t expect too much, the food is good, but there isn’t enough.” She was right, as they were eating, she said she had bigger knickers on for her massage, Dave offered to do it instead of the masseuse, “you can give me another one tonight.” His face went into a broad smile, “I can’t say anything without you taking it the wrong way.” She feigned annoyance, but she was pleased to see a relaxed Dave sitting opposite her.
Sally ached following her massage, Dave said his was OK, but nothing special. They had afternoon tea before their final treatments, for Sally it was a pedicure and manicure, Dave was having reflexology, he had to look it up to see what it was, he wondered how someone fiddling about with his feet could affect the rest of his body. He lay on the table, was told to close his eyes and relax, his feet jumped a couple of times as he felt a tickling sensation. He felt himself relax, by the time it was over, he struggled to get up from the table, swinging his legs off, he waited for a minute before he stood up. Thanking the woman, he left, Sally was waiting for him, “how was the treatment?” “Very different, it certainly relaxes you. It calms you down, I would do it again.” Dave was silent on the way home, he was trying to analyse what had happened, he couldn’t work it out so just decided to go with it. “Thank you for the day, I feel different to how I was earlier.”
The following morning, Sally played tennis, Dave went round Tesco, Olivia came in with Sally, they were both still wearing their tennis gear. “Can you do lunch for Olivia as well, Michael is at the rugby this afternoon.” Dave could hear the shower in the en-suite and the bathroom running, ten minutes later they were both back down wearing jeans. “There was a dirty bastard watching us today, it wasn’t like he was looking at us playing, it was when we were bending over. Olivia told him to fuck off, loud enough for everyone to hear, called him a dirty old perv.” The three sat in the kitchen eating, “Sally said you were disappointed not to have a full body massage, would you have had one if it was a bloke?” “Yes, if he was good, the lady yesterday, didn’t have the power to make a difference. In Turkey, the traditional way is to do it naked, there is a lot of oil used, I don’t think I would be too happy having one of those.” Olivia stayed until 17:00, she kissed them both as she left. Dave cooked steaks for their meal, followed by a fresh fruit salad. In bed Sally climbed on top of Dave, “not tonight, I want to lie on top of you, hold me tight,” she buried her head in his chest, he felt tears. “Do you want to tell me about it?” “It’s stupid, no, I’m being silly.” “You don’t cry for nothing, if something is bothering you, it’s better out.” “You won’t think I’m being daft?” “If you don’t say, then I can’t decide if you are daft or not.” She hadn’t moved, her head was still on his chest. “When we were sitting with Olivia, I had an image of you having sex with her, I couldn’t get it out my head.” Dave moved so Sally could see his face, “I don’t know where you got that idea from, it’s not going to happen, I love you, there is no way I would jeopardise our relationship for a shag with your best friend.” “I know, but it upset me thinking about it.” He kissed her softly on the lips. “I love you.”
Sally was her normal self in the morning, she apologised for last night, Dave said there was no need. “Are you staying over tomorrow night?” “I’m not sure, I don’t think so, there is nothing to stay over for, I will book in for Thursday night, we can think about the Friday night.” “I want to stay on Friday night, book Saturday night as well, we can go to a show one of the evenings.”
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