+++
White Hart Pub, Bicester, England
Amanda slumped forward onto the table, resting her chin in her hands.
John, the bartender smiled as he polished the glasses with a white cloth. “You okay there? Looks like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. What’s happened to your friend tonight? She got a date or something?”
Amanda put down her half-empty glass, observing the ring of lipstick around the top. “No, don’t know what’s happened. I’ve been stood up.”
“How long you been waiting?”
“Over an hour now. And your friend, Des, wasn’t making matters any easier.”
“Sorry about that. It’s the governor’s idea. Wants a more varied clientele. Don’t think he’ll last long.”
“Let’s hope not.”
John pulled out a stool and sat down facing her. “It’s really quiet, isn’t it?”
Amanda glanced around the empty pub. “Yeah, it is now.”
“So—Amanda is it? —what’s happening with you and your friend?”
Amanda sniggered. “What’s happening? She’s stood me up, that’s what’s happening.” she took a sip of wine. “Oh, I should have seen it coming, though, really I should’ve.”
“Sounds like she’s been treating you unfairly.”
“Taking advantage more like.”
“Oh, excuse me.” John got up to continue polishing the glasses that stood on a shelf above the bar. “Sorry, the governor won’t like it if he comes in and catches me doing nothing.”
“You weren’t doing nothing. You were talking to me!”
John smiled and took a glass down from the shelf.
“It was all different when we were back at uni. I suppose the world was a very different place then, though. Couldn’t get enough of me, we went everywhere together.”
John nodded politely.
“Things started to change when we moved in together. Suppose it was inevitable really, once we got to know each other a bit more intimately.
“We’ve been drifting apart since then, really. And then the other day, we were in Costa and she comes right out and tells me she’s thinking of upping sticks and going traveling.”
John shook his head. “Terrible.”
“And not only that, she’s been keeping secrets from me, too.”
“Some people, honestly.”
“It hasn’t always been like that, though. No, we used to tell each other everything. Parents, families, boyfriends, everything. Down to the minutest detail.”
“And now you don’t?”
“She’s in and out all the time these days. Treats the flat like a hotel I tell you, a hotel! Comes swanning in all times of the day. Day and night, it’s all the same to her. Doesn’t give a damn about me, her supposed best friend.”
“Terrible.”
“It is, John, it is. And then there’s Ronnie.”
“Your boyfriend? He’s been messing you around too has he? The scoundrel.”
“No, no, nothing like that. Well, he has been stepping out of line, but I’ll tell you about that another time.”
John grinned. “Can’t wait.”
“No, it’s Scarlett.”
“What’s she been doing now?”
“Been going around accusing him, that’s what she’s been doing.”
“What is she accusing him of?”
“She won’t say exactly, just keeps dropping hints, implying things all the time. Well once before she actually had the nerve to accuse him of stealing her wheelbarrow! I mean get a grip, right? A wheelbarrow of all things! Lately she was most interested in finding out about when he goes away. Jumped right on it and went to do some more snooping.”
“Terrible.”
“Yeah, she’s into all that. Amateur detectives, Agatha Christie, that type of thing. Takes it personally if she can’t work things out. Only sometimes she comes to the wrong conclusion, doesn’t she?”
“That must be difficult for you.”
“You can say that again. I think it’s down to Tim.”
“Who’s Tim?”
“Oh, this guy she’s seeing. Works for the military or something. Used to be Cliff she was obsessed with.”
“Obsessed?”
“Yeah, it was all Cliff this and Cliff that, but now he’s disappeared. Just vanished, off the radar completely. But I don’t trust any of them.”
“Don’t blame you.”
“No, because I can see through them all. Just like they’re some kind of—” She glanced at the table. “Empty glass.”
John chuckled. “Well, I hope things get better for you soon, Amanda. Can I get you another drink?”
“No, best not. I’ve had two already. That’s more than enough for me on a weekday. I have to be up early in the morning.”
“I understand. Where do you work?”
“Greggs.”
“Mmm. Lovely.”
Amanda laughed. “You wouldn’t say that if you had to work with a furnace all day.”
“No, suppose not.”
Amanda stood up and straightened her skirt. “Think I’ll be going, she’s obviously not going to show up. But when she comes back later, I’m having none of her excuses.”
“Don’t blame you.”
“No. Goodbye, John, it’s been a pleasure talking with you. Been needing to get it out for a while.”
“Goodbye, Amanda, see you soon.”
+++
Secure Facility, RAF Bicester, Launton
Scarlett glanced up at the church clock as they drove along the deserted roads through town. It was a clear night, with a bright moon and a sprinkling of stars. Scarlett rubbed her arms.
Tabitha glanced at her. “You cold, dear? I told you to wrap up warm, didn’t I?” she said, from the back seat.
It was ten to two. By the time they’d pulled up at a lay-by on the road leading to the base, it had turned five to.
Karl brought an end to the constant rumbling noise and turned to address Scarlett, who was on the passenger seat. “So where is he, then, the man of the moment?”
“Tim? Oh, he’ll be here, don’t worry about that.”
Karl looked over his shoulder to face Tarquin, who was on the back seat beside Tabitha. “You sure we can trust him?”
Tarquin nodded. “I think we can, yes.”
The sound of a distant car engine drifted along the road. Scarlett smiled. “See, this is most likely him now.”
The engine grew louder and louder until a car drove by. They watched the red lights fade into the night until the car turned and disappeared from view altogether.
“That was him,” Scarlett confirmed for the others. “Looks like Operation Rescue is a go.”
+++
Through the windscreen, Tim watched the base, fully lit, growing closer by the second as he drove on. He showed his ID to the night guard and continued on in the direction of the research buildings. Even at this time of night, there were several cars in the car park. As he pulled around to park in his usual spot he noticed Moseley’s car.
Good, he thought. That’s going to make this easier.
Although they couldn’t have banked on him being here, it was certainly a likelihood. And much easier than the alternative plan he would have to implement if he wasn’t around.
He pulled up, turned off the engine and got out of the car. The cold hit him, sending a shiver down his spine. He chose to believe that it was the cold and not the job in hand that was making him uncomfortable. Taking care to close the car door firmly yet quietly, he headed towards his building.
He swiped his card that granted him access to the main doors. After taking the two steps from the reception desk to the second elevator Tim swiped his card again to access the only way in and out of the basement research facility.
The elevator felt sterile. The harsh lights hurt his eyes after the dark of the road outside. In stark contrast, once he’d reached the lower level he was out in the darkened corridor that was
more like a tunnel than anything civilized.
This was a journey he made every day, but it never failed to give him the creeps. And at night, when he might as well be walking with his eyes closed, it felt worse than ever. He let his mind wander as he tried in vain to walk quietly. He couldn’t help but think about the fate of the hostiles that were kept down here. Tonight, he was going to save one of them, but there were others. Who was going to save them?
Approaching the corridor’s end, he entered into the open plan research area.
Tim squinted in the bright light as he stepped into the vast arena.
The air was full of strange noises. Along the far left wall were the current experiments: hostiles that Moseley kept up here so that he could keep an eye on them. That was where he was going to find Ronnie.
Taking a look round, he noticed all the hostiles were either asleep or behaving themselves, which was the first stroke of luck he’d need if he was going to pull this off. He could also see Moseley in his larger cornered-off cubicle, hard at work in front of his computer.
He wandered over, trying to figure out how he was going to make this approach without raising suspicion. He didn’t like Moseley, and normally was polite, but bordering on dismissive about him and his demands. If this was going to work, he was going to have to believably make up for all of that.
“Good evening, sir,” he chimed as he approached. “You still at it?”
Moseley looked up, startled. “Yes—err, what are you doing here?” He glanced up at the clock.
“Oh, you know. Couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d drop by. See if I can’t put a few things in order, give me less to do in the morning. Yourself?” He quickly noticed that Moseley wasn’t wearing his security pass, which meant that it was either in his pocket, desk, or somewhere nearby.
Moseley eyed him suspiciously. It wasn’t unusual for Tim to be working, but to be talking to him voluntarily was odd. The man clearly wanted something. A favor in a report. Probably something to do with not having been able to track down the were in the first instance, he surmised skeptically.
“Same,” he responded, “right off to a tee.” He started back to his computer screen. “Well, Clarke, it’s nice to see someone else around here showing the right attitude.”
Tim’s gaze discreetly scanned Moseley’s desk. “Yes, sir,” he responded. He hovered, searching for a segue, or a way to just complete his mission. Coming up blank he nodded, and strode purposefully in the direction of the reinforced glass cages. He stood peering into the confined spaces, pretending to study the creatures.
A moment later, he heard a sound behind him, back over in the direction of Moseley’s cubicle. He saw Moseley over the cubicle top stand up, coffee mug in hand, shuffling off in the direction of the rec room.
Seeing his chance he moved fast back to Moseley’s desk. He searched for the pass on the top, then quickly opened the top drawer of the desk. It was there – attached to a dark blue lanyard.
BINGO!
He grabbed it, dropped his card in its place, and closed the drawer quietly. Without a second to lose he headed back in the direction of the darkened tunnel, and was getting into the elevator as fast as he could. His heart beat hard in his chest. He felt a moment of gratitude that he kept himself healthy otherwise he’d be concerned about the prospect of a heart attack.
After what seemed like an eternity he reached the top level, and the foyer. As fast as he could without risking drawing attention to himself he made his way out of the building and back to his car.
It was only a matter of seconds before he was leaving the facility and heading back along the outside road. Hopefully, Scarlett and company would still be in the lay-by where he’d seen them earlier. Some headlights appeared in front of him and he decelerated. He drove just past them, and then turned in the road and pulled in, coming to a halt behind them.
His heart beat had almost returned to normal, although the brief minute in the open air had given him another chill which seemed to resonate with the anxiety he felt in his body.
He stepped from his car, grabbing a small backpack he’d packed earlier, and shut the door before looking over his shoulder as he wandered along the deserted road towards the car in front of him. He relaxed when Tabitha and Tarquin, still thick as thieves, turned around to acknowledge him through the back window.
He opened the passenger door for Scarlett to step out. It was hard to see in the dim light, and his night vision hadn’t properly adjusted yet. Her breath on his face and the smell of her perfume were good clues that she was standing in front of him, though.
“Well, did you get it?” she whispered.
Tim nodded, slid his hand into his trouser pocket and produced the pass. “We’re on.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Outside RAF Bicester, Launton
“I still don’t trust him,” Karl said as he watched Tim and Scarlett walk towards the base.
“Why not?” Tabitha said, leaning forward. “He’s done everything he said he would.”
“I know, but—I still don’t trust him.”
Tarquin looked up from what he was doing. “Oh, have it your way, Karl. We’ve no choice but to trust him,” he sighed. “You’re not helping matters, you’re just making us all anxious.”
“Fair enough.”
A candle lit up in the back. “What the—” Karl swung around to see what was going on.
“We’re starting the spell, Karl. You’ll just have to bear with us for a while.”
Another candle lit, soon followed by a smell. Then another candle, and another until the car was full of flickering flames and strange smells.
Karl, staring through the window, strained to get a look at the base in the darkness. He could just about make out the lights and the odd car dotted around in the car park. No sign of any people though. They were most likely tucked away somewhere out of view, he surmised.
Trying to visualize what was happening to Scarlett and Tim, he closed his ears to what was happening on the back seat.
Tabitha started chanting. Karl stared straight at the road ahead, oblivious to what was going on around him. Tarquin joined in and before he knew it, the car resembled some kind of late 1980s rave scene, with bright lights and sweet smells enveloping him.
The chanting got louder by the second, forcing Karl to cover his ears and protest. “For heaven’s sake, is all this really necessary? You’re giving me earache, here.”
Tabitha smiled and ignored him. Tarquin waved a hand and told him to shush.
“Oh, I get it, it all makes perfect sense now. It’s your time of the month, isn’t it? That’s it, every month there’s some kind of witchy-date isn’t there, when the whole lot of you, sorcerers and all, go raving mad, start lighting candles in people’s cars, doing strange chants and whatnot. Honestly, by the time you’ve finished, this car will smell like a brothel.”
“Karl,” Tabitha said, breathing heavily, taking a break from the chanting. “If you don’t stop moaning, I’ll put a spell on you.”
“Great. A short-tempered witch. That’s all I need, isn’t it?”
The chanting cranked up a notch. Tarquin spoke in some strange and ancient sounding tongue, the car rocked from side to side, the candles flashed brightly, then suddenly flickered and died.
Tarquin turned to Tabitha, grinning. “Well, that ought to do it for a few minutes.”
Tabitha smiled. “You okay? You look a bit pale.”
“Yeah, just tired. We put a lot of work into that, didn’t we?”
“We certainly did, Tarquin.” Tabitha wound down the window, letting in a trickle of fresh air. “Let’s give it two minutes and go again.”
+++
Secure Facility, RAF Bicester, Launton
“Come on, this way,” Tim whispered to Scarlett as they walked along the road towards the base. Scarlett pulled her arms around herself as she listened to their footsteps reverberate into the night as they hurried along. It wasn’t long before Tim and Scarlett
spotted a group of soldiers. They were about to find out whether the spell had worked or not.
Sure enough the guards stood still and motionless like zombies, neither noticing the duo, nor caring if they had.
Tim and Scarlett noticed, relieved, and continued on. The light emanating from the front door lit up the car park as they approached the base in silence. It wasn’t until they were inside that either of them spoke.
“Come on,” Tim whispered, more brightly than Scarlett had expected, “this way. This will be over before we know it.” He shifted the small bag on his shoulder and led the way.
Scarlett smiled weakly, trying to make out that she wasn’t nervous in the slightest.
Tim stepped through reception and led her to the elevator, again using the stolen security pass to access it.
“You okay?” Tim whispered.
Scarlett nodded. “Yeah.” No sooner had she finished speaking than a piercing scream shot along the dark corridor. “What was that?” she asked, her eyes wide with panic.
“Oh, don’t worry. You’re completely safe.” He motioned with a hand indicating to the corridor around them. “This joins to a bunch of holding cells. We need the ones in the lab though,” he explained.
Scarlett nodded, feeling decidedly unassured. Just then a triangle of light appeared towards the far end, Scarlett was about to ask Tim what was through the door, when a boot appeared in the light. Scarlett jumped out of her skin.
Tim held out his hand, palm down, to calm her. He put a finger to his lips, then pulled her to stand against the wall next to him.
A man in a military uniform stepped out of the light and headed towards them.
Scarlett held her breath as the man walked towards them. As he got closer, she noticed he was looking right past them as if they didn’t exist. Tim thrust an arm in front of her and pressed his back to the wall to let him past. Relieved, they both turned to watch him continue along the corridor.
Tim patted Scarlett’s shoulder, as if to tell her that all was well. Then he beckoned her to follow him as they moved on down the corridor.
Mauve (A Very British Witch Book 3) Page 13
