Everything to Lose Page 12

  "I'll need to go," Gavin said as he walked toward the front door.

  She hugged him as if she had her husband back. He hugged her as if he had Emma back. It made them both feel good. It was the first strong hug he'd had for a long time. For a dozen seconds he closed his eyes and he was in Emma's arms. He felt connected again to a living soul.

  "Can you do me a favour?"

  "Anything Dr Shawlens. I will do anything for you. Except please don't ask me to deal with Fran at your tutorials. She stamped on my toes after I spoke up at the first tutorial."

  "Do you know how I can find Oliver Mansole?"

  "Dr Shawlens why do you want Olly?" Laraine asked and a flush of embarrassment spread up from her neck.

  "I need to speak to him. He's supposed to help me with my research."

  "I see, well I haven't seen Olly since the night he disappeared."

  "Disappeared."

  Laraine explained that she'd been seeing Olly for a few months before he disappeared. He'd helped her get though all the trouble that landed on her lap when Bob walked out on her and Jess. She said Bob and Olly were very good friends through their sport activities and had been since before Jess was born so she knew Olly very well. The last time she saw Olly was the night of the judo championships at the Student Union.

  She also said Olly promised to help her with the removal when she and Jess finally got evicted from the house for not paying the mortgage. She emphasised the point hoping Gavin would respond with an offer to help. He didn't. Not because he wouldn't help but because he didn't realise it was a plea for help.

  "What happened to him?"

  "I don't know. We argued and I left early. I know he fought in the final and made a complete balls of it. They lost the final because of him."

  "Do you mind if I ask why you argued?"

  Laraine turned her back on Gavin and leaned against the kitchen sink as she stared out through the kitchen window. He saw she was upset and embarrassed. He assumed that she didn't want to talk about her private life.

  "Sorry I didn't mean to pry. I just want to find Oliver."

  "Olly has been good to me since Bob left. I don't know what I would have done without him. I don't want him to get into trouble."

  "He won't get any trouble from me. I want to help him."

  "What about Professor Buzzwall?"

  "Buzzwall," Gavin repeated.

  "He's desperate to find Olly as well."

  "I don't know what Buzzwall wants but I can get Buzzwall off Oliver's back if that will help him."

  Laraine told Gavin that on the night of the judo championships the team were doing well. They reached the final. Olly took her to a corner of the hall supposedly for a kiss and cuddle but instead he took a loaded syringe from a black spectacle case and injected into both legs. He wanted me to put his spectacle case in my bag. I refused and we argued about him cheating then I left.

  "Do you know what he took?"

  "Steroids. He's a supplier. The students buy steroids from him."

  "He's a drug dealer."

  "Sports drugs. That's all I know."

  "Do you know what Buzzwall wants with Oliver?"

  "All I know is Professor Buzzwall sent two foreign thugs to threaten me in my home then he summoned me to his office. They want his stash of drugs. You're not after his stash are you? Because I don't know where it is."

  "Absolutely not. If Oliver gets back in contact tell him I want to help."

  "Alright I will."

  Laraine led Gavin through her kitchen and along the hall to her front door.

  "Bye Jess," he called into the living room as he passed.

  "Bye bye mister lemon tart, lick your lips and cross your heart, hah hah!"

  "Thanks again Dr Shawlens."

  As he sat in his car Gavin's mind analysed what Laraine had just told him. If Oliver has crossed Buzzwall and stole some of Buzzwall's drugs then that's probably why he disappeared. Oliver might have evidence proving that Buzzwall's research had backfired. Bob McSwann and Oliver Mansole are friends. Bob McSwann is missing. Laraine thinks he left her for a better life but maybe Bob and Oliver are hiding out together. Maybe Bob knows where to find Oliver.

  He called Elaine at her office in HR and remembering Zoe's threat about name mix-ups. He paused and said Ruth rather than Elaine when her secretary answered the phone. He asked Ruth to find out what she could about Robert E McSwann. He didn't realise but his heart was much lighter. He felt more positive in his mind. Helping Laraine to understand her daughter had given him a lift.

  22

  Cosham, Hampshire

  The CIA property team chose a vacant shop on Havant Road, Cosham for Dovecoat's base. It had been selected from a CIA database of UK residential and non-residential buildings that met the criteria for a short-term base of operations.

  Joe Hopkine, Hopper to his small circle of friends and his black-bag technician JB had organised collapsible tables and seats and basic facilities in an upstairs office in the former bedroom furniture shop.

  They set-up a secure computer server, video recorders and two flat screen monitors. As Hopper configured the equipment the back of his mind was working on his plan. Director Maverack had ordered him to force agent Dovecoat to reveal all details of the POINT-K project.

  Hopper took a mobile phone call from JB and he snapped his fingers at Dovecoat to indicate that eyes and ears had been installed in the target flat. JB sent the IP addresses to Hopper in a text message. Hopper entered them into the control server, adjusted some settings and two computer screens flickered into life. Hopper talked to JB as he worked on the keyboard.

  From the conversations Dovecoat understood they had worked together many times before but were not best buddies. A distinct reticence in JB's voice at key points in their conversations suggested more fear of Hopper than mutual respect.

  Hopper split the first screen into five windows. The top left window showed the living room and the top right showed the kitchen. The bottom right showed Gavin Shawlens' bedroom and bottom left showed Zoe Tampin's bedroom.

  The fifth window was overlaid in the centre of the screen and showed the hall entrance to the flat. Using a keyboard Hopper selected each window in turn to make sure each could be viewed full screen on the second screen.

  When he was content with the setup Hopper told JB the visuals were good. JB went into each room and spoke softly then loudly for Hopper to calibrate the sound. When it was done Hopper told JB that E&E (eyes and ears) were good and he could pack-up his gear.

  When JB said he would return to base in a few minutes, Hopper spoke sharply and told JB not to come back to the base. Effectively it sounded like 'get lost' and JB was unhappy with that. It seemed like a change of plan and hairs on the back of Dovecoat's neck started to feel uncomfortable.

  Dovecoat and Hopper sat down with coffee and chocolate doughnuts. Hopper started a conversation about working in the UK. He talked about things he hated about the country and the unpredictable wet weather. He tried to draw out some information about Dovecoat's mission. Dovecoat didn't respond to any of it and started to check the equipment. Dovecoat thanked Hopper for the set-up and dropped a strong hint that Hopper should be on his way.

  Hopper's friendly approach hadn't washed with Dovecoat so he decided to get straight to the point. He demanded to know how Gavin Shawlens was connected to POINT-K. Dovecoat smiled, ignored him and said nothing.

  Hopper was famous in the CIA for his short fuse and it had run out. His face sharpened, his hands agitated and he demanded more vigorously. He insisted that he had to be told. Again Dovecoat said nothing.

  Hopper's anger quickly boiled over. He slapped and knocked Dovecoat off a flimsy chair onto the floor. Hopper picked up and pinned Dovecoat's shoulders against a wall. He said he had authority from Langley to take control of the surveillance.

  He pushed Dovecoat toward a suitcase that Dovecoat had brought. He demanded all files and orders relating to POINT-K. Dovecoat offered no resistance and
lifted the suitcase onto the table. Hopper was bigger and more muscular that Dovecoat. If Hopper chose to beat the information out of Dovecoat he could do it. Still shaking Dovecoat extracted a handful of files from the case then dabbed a stream of blood with a handkerchief.

  Dovecoat started to explain about POINT-K surveillance issues and communication protocols. Hopper realised he was hearing meaningless bullshit. Hopper snapped and he landed a strong punch on the side of Dovecoat's face. Dovecoat fell to the floor and this time adopted a foetal position. At the same time the case fell to the floor and emptied its contents.

  Hopper shouted that Director Maverack in Langley was furious for being kept out of the loop. He drew his Glock 22 semi-automatic and agitated it at the floor. Hopper paced back and forth. Shouting that he'd had enough messing about. He wanted the details and he wanted them right away.

  "You will cooperate with me or I will send you home in a body bag."

  Dovecoat sat up, mouth bloodied, tooth loose, hands raised up in submission. Hopper said CIA London Station was now in charge. Dovecoat admitted feeling uncomfortable about the situation but had followed orders to the letter.

  Dovecoat agreed to hand over all the POINT-K files and kneeled on the floor to re-pack the black case before extracting a USB drive from a zipped pocket on the lid.

  Hopper looked smug and superior as he loaded the encrypted USB drive onto his laptop. Dovecoat dictated the encryption password and Hopper accessed the files. He saw a large number of reports in a POINT-K folder. He started scanning the documents looking for details. He looked at the dates associated with the files.

  "Jeesus, look at the length of time this thing has been running. Maverack will jump out of his skin when he sees all of this," Hopper said excitedly.

  "What's this?" Hopper pointed to the word Tucuxi.

  "It's pronounced too-koo-shi. Code name for the target Dr Gavin Shawlens."

  "I guessed that. What is a Tucuxi?"

  "It's above my pay grade."

  "If it was made up by an idiot it will be meaningless. If it was made up by a smart guy it will mean something," Hopper said.

  "I don't know what it means."

  Hopper told Dovecoat to get cleaned up and pour more coffee. The coffee machine had just enough left for two cups. He declined milk and sugar and took a large swallow of his coffee as he relished thoughts of walking into Bill Maverack's office with the full story on POINT-K.

  Hopper was determined not to let Bill Maverack down. They were old friends and Bill had saved Hopper's ass several times when he overstepped the mark and got into trouble. Hopper was prepared to do whatever was necessary and Dovecoat had sensed as much from his aggression. In the end Dovecoat yielded without much pain. Much as Hopper expected. Dovecoat was a shadowy spook, a watcher and not a real field agent with nerves of steel.

  As he drank his coffee Hopper told Dovecoat that Bill Maverack at NCS would take control of the POINT-K surveillance. Dovecoat accepted the decision and stood at his side as he scrolled through the POINT-K files.

  Hopper stopped scrolling, turned and looked up in shock. His hand jerked against the empty cup which flew off the table before he passed out and fell off the chair onto the floor. Dovecoat thought about catching his head before it crashed onto the floor but instead mopped more blood onto a fresh handkerchief before moving him into the recovery position.

  There wasn't enough time to measure a safe amount of propofol but a definite need to ensure there was enough to do the job fast. His breathing was steady and his pulse regular as Dovecoat leaned over him to take charge of his Glock.

  Agent Dovecoat didn't understand the office politics that Hopper was talking about but did have a protocol to follow if any intelligence service home or foreign attempted to obtain the POINT-K files.

  Dovecoat placed a satellite phone upright on the table, pressed a pre-set speed-dial emergency number then set the phone in loudspeaker mode.

  When it connected there was no voice on the other end. Forty seconds passed before three loud clicks signalled to confirm exact location captured. Dovecoat sniffed deeply then spoke strongly with some nasal resonance.

  "BROKEN ... LENS. Repeat. BROKEN ... LENS."

  23

  Cosham, Hampshire

  A bright sunny morning opened over Reagal Close in Cosham with a cool breeze blowing in from the English Channel. At 07:10 a.m. Zoe Tampin welcomed the new day. She lay awake for twenty minutes and listened to the typical early morning bustle outside. Annoyed that the Lambeth Group had provided rented accommodation in a block of six flats rather than putting them up in a house.

  She had learned that some residents in these flats stay up late and they were loud and inconsiderate door slammers. She felt frustrated she couldn't go to their doors and give them hell. In the barracks anyone slamming doors would be dealt with immediately. Soldiers need their sleep. She decided that if this backfire lasted more than two months she would go mad.

  "Are you awake yet?" Zoe called out.

  Gavin stirred in his bed, turned over and buried his head under his duvet.

  "Gavin are you awake?"

  "Ugh. What is it?" Gavin asked as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

  "Just so you know. Orange juice, coffee black, no sugar, two slices of toast with a thin layer of butter," she said before she smiled and sat up in bed.

  She picked up yesterday's newspaper from her bedside cabinet. Gavin Shawlens was not house-trained for two. He fetched a glass of orange juice, then returned with a mug of coffee, then returned with two slices of buttered toast.

  Gavin wore an over-sized white tee-shirt and long blue-check pyjama bottoms. She ran her hand through her tousled pageboy cut black hair. Her fringe stayed up on her head revealing more of her face than he's seen when her hair was neatly set around her face.

  "Not having any breakfast?"

  "I had mine while I was making yours," he said and turned to leave her bedroom.

  "It took me ages to get back to sleep last night. What was that all about?"

  "Nothing," he turned back to face her.

  "Nothing is never nothing Gavin. You're in my team, I need to know everything."

  At three a.m. that morning Gavin woke screaming and heaving. His head dripping in sweat and his hands gripped the sheets for dear life. He was terrified. Zoe's first thought, when he woke her and she hurried to his bedroom, was it was quite an original ruse to get her into his bed. When she saw him she realised it was no ploy. It took half an hour of sooth talking and a small glass of warm milk before he could settle and go back to sleep.

  As she lay in her own bed she started to wonder if his nerve was beginning to crack. She knew that if she reported this back to the Lambeth Group then he would be pulled and the investigation postponed. That would not look good. It would be better for everyone if she managed him carefully and got the job done.

  She recalled her initial briefing with Alan Cairn. As he handed over Gavin's file he gave her a quick head's-up on Shawlens and his relationship with Emma Patersun. With eagle eyes Zoe had noted that Alan Cairn held back a thin blue and black file. She asked Cairn what was in that file. Cairn told her it wasn't relevant for the current operation.

  She smiled as she noted that there was another side to Shawlens still to be revealed. It added a tinge more mystery to Gavin Shawlens. Made him a little more interesting. What Cairn didn't know was Zoe had seen one of these blue and black files before and knew what it represented.

  Gavin's recent troubles had put him through the mill and he was not yet over the deep shock of what happened to Emma Patersun. These traumas were still troubling his mind and she decided Alan Cairn was right. Dealing with this backfire was what Shawlens needed to get back on the horse.

  "I can't remember much. I don't know where I am, I'm freezing cold. It's very dark and I can't see anything. I have a terrible feeling of being lost. I think I'm inside the cabin of a boat, there's not much room to move about. I'm stuck and sinking fast, water is pouri
ng in. There's no air and I'm drowning then the boat hits the bottom with an almighty bang of metal. I bang my head on the roof and I feel I'm going to pass out and swallow the water. I panic then I wake up."

  "That's horrible Gavin. But you went back to sleep so it is not playing on your mind."

  "No I don't think about it," he turned and left her bedroom.

  "Can you relate it to anything recent?" she called as she threw back her covers and swung her legs out of the bed onto the floor.

  She wore fine turquoise shorts with white stripes, low-rise waist and neatly tied flat-fronted drawstring; plus matching, close fitting, vest top with thin straps. Her slender waist, athletic abs, triceps and biceps defined a powerful body. She still needed a large Band-Aid on her arm for the wound she received at Ardwell Bay.

  She followed him into the living room still sipping her coffee. He sat on the settee with his tea and she sat opposite him folding her legs under her body as she leaned to the side on the arm of the chair. He looked at some of the prominent scars on her arms and legs.

  "You've been through the wars."

  "Yes I have literally."

  "Emma and I were captives on a Russian ship. We were held in a small cabin and I had terrible seasickness. I thought I was going to die. I hate throwing up I have a rigid fear of the vomit going down into my lungs."

  "I'm sorry about Emma Patersun. I know you loved her very much."

  "From the first day I met her."

  "Your subconscious is probably playing out a scenario where the Russian boat sank and you were trapped in the cabin. Once your subconscious realises it's a futile scenario. It'll stop working on it and you'll be fine."

  "I hope so."

  "Did you have these nightmares before you tackled Barscadden?"

  "No. I think the anti-rejection drugs I take for my stomach transplant might be causing a disturbance."

  "I'm relieved that it's not this backfire that's troubling you. I'd have to report that."

  "I'm fine. I'm confident about this one, especially with you looking after me like ..."