Saving Tara Goodwin (Mystery Book 1) (34 page)

Evelyn called out, ‘There’s an ambulance coming.’

‘Come on Monty, give me a break, just for old time’s sake.’

Monty sat thinking, his bony fingers entwining while a frown rippled across his brow.

‘Alright. Well the best I can do, is ask if the following three items mean anything to you.’

‘Good, go for it.’

‘First, The Russian State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo.’

‘Never heard of it. So what’s the second?’

‘The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.’

‘No, it doesn’t mean a thing.’

‘Good, because the only protection I can offer, is that our masters will be concerned that I may have informed you of the contents of the file, but the trick is, no-one is supposed to know the contents, so how could they guess which questions to ask you?’

‘Go on.’

‘Alright, well if you ever find yourself being questioned about those two places, you’ll know the sanction for questioning could only have come from those who created the file, which in turn will mean they will almost certainly ask you about Area 57.’

‘Area 57. So where’s that?’

Monty sighed, ‘That’s what Glenndenning wants to know, and let’s hope he never does. It’s why so many have died, and why so many more will follow, so if you’re ever asked about Area 57 it means your days are numbered, and your death is not far away.’

‘Oh great. Well thanks for telling me.’

‘Well you did ask. So if it happens, run to Moon Shadow and disappear forever.’

‘Right. So if this Area 57 is so important, do you know where it is?’

‘Yes, but I can’t tell you, it would surely take your life.’

Monty half smiled.

‘But having said that, it appears our masters have been quite perverse, because if one looked carefully on the correct sheet of the Ordnance Survey map of the United Kingdom and found the co-ordinates, one would see where it isn’t.’

33

Christiana sat in the warmth of the summer house, and gazing out to the farm, couldn’t help thinking that everything here was a paradox.

Outwardly, the big old house and gardens were a vision of peaceful tranquillity, but beneath the facade of wealth and respectability lay an unfathomable chaos of crazy people.

Sipping the coffee, her nagging doubts became more real by the minute, and with a sigh, laid back on the deep mattress and let the sun close her eyes.

It had all been a waste of time, her stay here at the farm and her affair with Lucinda.

The diary had shown that the death of Robin Sheverill had never been linked to Area 57 and although he’d died on Cardinal secondment, everything in the priest hole had always belonged to Lucinda.

Thinking back to the unknown Brit in the States, she wondered why he’d been asking questions about Area 57, and according to Tomlinson, the number of people who might know of that coded area could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

So if Cardinal weren’t involved, then who could have been the Brit’s controller?

Well whoever it was, he or she, certainly had access to top secret information.

She remembered asking her contacts but no-one had known anything, and learning that Sheverill had been killed on Cardinal secondment, she thought it weird that no retribution had followed, and it made her wonder if it had been an in-house affair with Cardinal tying up the loose ends of a game.

And now she realised just how prophetic that idea had turned out to be, because Robin had been seconded to Cardinal in order for Lucinda to kill him.

So the in-house affair had turned out to be their own damned house, and as that diary belonged to Lucinda, she ought to get out right now, except that Lucinda had a target today, a woman by the name of Tara Goodwin, so if there was just the faintest possibility her target was connected with Area 57, she really ought to stay just one day longer.

Lucinda stared at the numbers on the copier, and thinking of Martha and her idiot brother her expression became ugly.

After all the years of hiding them and protecting them they’d obviously betrayed her, and now, by god, they’ll wish they hadn’t.

Lolling back, she stared at the ceiling as the vision of that hated Swiss clock came back into her mind, and with it came the thought of those ridiculous little figures just going round and round through their little wooden house.

Well alright, you miserable little shits, so let’s see what you want from me this time.

Stamping to her feet, she reached out and angrily ripped the message from the printer, and flopping back down heavily into the chair, began to transcribe the message.

Attn DC,

Immediate Action.

Target. Female (Sorry). Tara Goodwin.

Normal Target Location. Thornley Manor. (Target off location at present time).

Instruction. Find and cleanse on sight, as and when, soonest.

Best wishes.

A.

Her shoulders slumped as she read the message, because the target had been confirmed, and not only was it a woman but Mrs A wanted her cleansed immediately.

So there’d be no time for therapy and she would have to do it cold.

Oh god, life was so unfair.

Taking a deep breath she looked over to the waiting computer, entered her password and sent an email to the Minotaur on the red line scrambler.

'GOODWIN Tara. Head of security @ Thornley Manor. Request all information.'

Oh well, the operation had started now and nothing could stop it, and swivelling round, lifted the heavy lid of the trunk, but as she felt inside the silk pocket, she froze …

The silk pocket was empty, and her beautiful, wonderful precious diary, her insurance against the hideous, calculating and manipulative Angela, was gone.

Martha finished cleaning and tidying the kitchen, and walking to the window, clenched her fists as she watched Arthur building his compost heap, and with each degradation of her lady’s fun and games, she hated him more and more.

As she stood there, the hall door suddenly burst open, and swinging round, she caught her breath when she saw her lady staring at her, her eyes dark, cold and menacing.

‘Hello ma’am. You didn’t finish your coffee, so shall I make some more?’

Lucinda walked slowly across the room and stopped directly in front of her.

‘Coffee? Do I want coffee? No, you slimy old hag, I don’t want any frigging coffee, what I want is an explanation, because you’ve been in my room, haven’t you?’

Lifting her fist, Lucinda drew her arm back.

Martha trembled, tears brimming over, ‘Please ma’am. Please don’t.’

Staring into her eyes, Lucinda swung on her hips and punched her full weight, her knuckled fist smashing into Martha’s face and splitting her thin lips wide open.

Sprawling back, Martha landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.

‘So why have you been in my room?’

Gasping, Martha shuffled back on her bottom and tried to edge away, her salty tears flowing with the blood, and when Lucinda drew her foot back, desperation came to her.

‘But it wasn’t me, ma’am. I swear it as holy god is my witness, it wasn’t me, honestly, it was Miss Chrissy; she made me open the door and went inside.’

Lucinda faltered, her chest heaving as she stared down blankly through wild eyes.

‘Don’t you dare blame my Chrissy, you useless pile of filth, it was you, you did it.’

‘No ma’am, it was Miss Chrissy, she did it, just like she wanted the diary.’

Lucinda froze as ugly disbelief appeared on her beautiful face, ‘The diary?’

‘Yes ma’am, the one from the trunk with all those funny numbers.’

Staring at her, Lucinda held her head in her hands and began to sway to and fro.

‘No … No … No …’

Scrabbling around on the floor, Martha tried to wipe the blood from her mouth.

‘I’m sorry ma’am, really I am.’

Lucinda fell silent, her body beginning to shake, her dark eyes blazing wide open.

‘Then get up … Get up, you old whore.’

‘Yes ma’am.’

Swivelling on her knees, Martha reached up and took hold of the worktop, but as she began to pull herself up, Lucinda’s gaze suddenly flashed to the ten inch butcher’s knife lying on the chopping board. In a second, she’d snatched it up, and swinging her arm in a high curving arc, stabbed down and sent the blade thudding through Martha’s hand and into the ancient beauty of the old oak worktop.

Martha sucked in her breath as an indescribable agony made her throw her head back, her body jumping and twisting with pain, her thrashing pulling the splintered bones against the blade.

Lucinda watched through cold eyes as blood began to trickle down Martha’s arm, the pain of Christiana’s deception sending shooting stars of light hurtling through her head.

They hadn’t met by chance after all.

There never had been a beautiful love affair.

Chrissy had only been playing games with her.

All she ever wanted was her secrets.

Those precious secrets that kept her safe from Angela and that hideous mental prison.

Oh Christiana, how could you, you horrible, howling, lying, cheating, fucking bitch.

Sergeant Jenkins was a worried man, and now in an impossible situation.

Lewis had told him to release the bodies to the NSA’s Section, but Mrs A had overruled his instruction and sent her own people, and now the Counter Intelligence Corp were here and all he had was a useless signature, and the three bodies had vanished into thin air.

And just to make everything worse, he wasn’t even allowed to call Mrs A and tell her that Montague had breached security in Leonardo.

Eddie Staverton checked his watch, and leaving his men to interrogate the sergeant, wandered out onto the veranda, and looking around the main gate area, caught the eye of the guard, but the man only coughed into his fist and looked away.

Eddie smiled,
'yes, my son, you stay nervous, that’s a good boy.’

Leaning against a pillar, he checked his watch one more time, and looking along the avenue, saw flashing blue lights coming up fast through the trees as the sleek shape of the private ambulance hurtled towards them along the avenue, its headlights flashing.

Wandering over to the guard, Eddie leant down casually on the red and white barrier.

‘Looks like an emergency, you’d better let it go straight through.’

‘I can’t do that, sir, we’re looking for someone, so I’ll need the passenger details.’

‘Well you could get that from house security, and anyway, I don’t think your sergeant would want another death here, he’s in enough trouble already, but it’s up to you.’

As the siren began to scream, sweat appeared on the guard’s face as he glanced round in a silent nervous question, but Eddie only shrugged his shoulders.

‘Well you can stop it if you want to, but if the poor sod dies, that’s more paperwork, and you can kiss goodbye to your pension, along with Sergeant Jenkins.’

The guard twitched, and stabbing the button, the ambulance hurtled under the barrier.

‘It should be alright, shouldn’t it, sir? What do you think?’

‘Well, son, if you really want my honest opinion, I think the security at this Station is fucking appalling, anyone could have been in that ambulance.’

Tara sat in the bay window of the sergeant’s tavern, her fingers tying knots as she looked out over the sunlit parking area, her cases standing neatly beside her.

Duncan watched from reception. He’d tried making conversation but her thoughts seemed miles away and wished there was something he could do, but through the open front door he heard the growl of a powerful engine and tyres crunching over the gravel, and looking back, saw she’d risen from her seat and was fumbling with her cases.

Looking around from the high seat of the Range Rover, Ted glanced back to the road and watched as Sammy checked out the area.

Stepping out onto the gravel, he locked the car and slipped the keys up the exhaust, and watching, saw Sammy drive the big old saloon up to the front door of the pub.

Watching from the window, Duncan knew instinctively that these men were not from normal life, and everything about them was telling him they were professional hard men who knew exactly what they were doing.

Casting a watchful gaze over them, he saw the big, older man had broad shoulders, a bull neck and fists the size of hams, while the younger man had a swarthy appearance, and although not as big as the older man, was muscular and athletic, but what seemed most striking about him was his mass of dark black windblown hair, and though his face was handsome, his mouth was cruel, even when he smiled.

Duncan nodded to his thoughts.

It would take a brave man or a fool to willingly go up against these two men.

As Tara walked out with her cases, Sammy loaded them into the boot while Ted settled her in the back of the car. Jumping in, Sammy drove off across the gravel, and in less than two minutes, they’d arrived and driven away from the tavern.

Lucinda watched as Martha hung by her hand, and as she slipped away unconscious, turned to gaze through the window and saw Arthur working on the compost heap, and as her dark thoughts began to form a plan, walked out into the fresh air.

‘Arthur, it seems quite a while since we’ve had any fun, so it might be nice if we introduced a new playmate to the hole.’

Staring, he began to chuckle, his breath disgusting, ‘Another one?’

‘Yes. And can you guess who the little playmate will be?’

He shook his head, ‘No ma’am, I can’t think of no-one.’

‘You can’t? Well let me help you. She’s slim, quite tall and very pretty, she has wonderful long blonde hair and just the kind of boobs you like, she’s enormous, and that’s not all because she has the most gorgeous American accent. So can you guess who?’

Arthur looked unsure, ‘Are you sayin’ it’s Miss Chrissy? Is she goin’ in there?’

Lucinda smiled, ‘Yes Arthur, well done, Christiana is going into the hole, and just think of all the fun we’ll have with her first, you’d like that, wouldn’t you, she has the most adorable body and you can do anything you like with her, anything at all, and you can have her right now if you want to, have her in my bed, you’d like that, wouldn’t you.’

Arthur grunted, his sweaty face breaking out in a leery smile, ‘…Yeah, I sure would.’

‘Good, now give me at least five minutes, then fetch her from the summerhouse and bring her up to my bedroom, and Arthur, when we start, I want you to enjoy yourself, so do everything with her. Understood?’

He nodded, his smile becoming vicious, and as he walked away, Lucinda began to run, because this was going to be the best party ever, and she just couldn’t wait to film it.