Cherry Picking

by Tim Heath

  “It’s him,” he confirmed and the line went dead.

  Ted cut the feed from the camera to the desk so that what happened would remain unknown. Thomas picked up the metal bar in one hand, gun in the other, and pushed it between the two doors. With one final check that everyone was ready, he pulled back hard on the bar so that the doors slid open quite easily, and the only sound that could be heard on the silenced weapons was the sound of the chambers emptying as a quick burst from each of them crashed into their target, the body falling, several rounds hitting into the metalwork at the back of the lift making an eerie thud in the process.

  They stopped shooting and stood up, the body lying on the floor of the lift with a small pool of blood starting to appear from underneath.

  **********

  Having had confirmation back from Brendan Charles about the meeting later that day, Robert, with Katie in tow, had spent a productive morning doing some final research as well as looking into the possibility of a trip to Switzerland. Any such trip, however, still posed a problem as, thanks to Nigel, he was an international terrorist and this would be one of the things that he’d need to discuss with Brendan later when he had the chance. They then had a long lunch together, Robert remaining sketchy about the details of the meeting as in his own mind he hadn’t yet worked out what to do with Katie. Eventually he came to the decision that they were in this together now and her company with him might help things move along, but there wasn’t the need to go into major details with her yet as that could come later, if needed.

  There was so much he was starting to like about her, so many little mannerisms that were so attractive to him. Her company and friendship had been a real breath of fresh air and he liked not being alone any more and somehow hoped that this would remain the case, not really knowing how she felt about him, beyond their obvious physical attraction. It was a quarter to two and they’d parked up at the restaurant not too far away from the hotel that they were going to meet Brendan in, so decided to walk. Robert stopped by the car, leaving his jacket in there but reaching for his hat, as he was still a little cautious of the city’s CCTV network, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention his way.

  As they walked, a wind started to pick up a little and there was a sense of autumn on its way, the last days of summer drifting away. He’d told her about the meeting and that he wanted her there too, that Brendan was going to be able to help them and it would be really good for her to meet him.

  They got to the front of the hotel, which loomed high in the clear blue sky in front of them, a little before two, the walk having taken much less time than he thought. She wanted to go to the toilet so she went on in, opening the door for an elderly couple as they made their way out, before she went in.

  A couple of moments later Robert walked in also, wanting to take a look at the hotel’s layout first, on the large wall chart that hung in the lobby area. It seemed a quiet place, one guy sitting behind the reception desk, a slightly strange look on his face, but seemingly not bothered by Robert’s presence there, so he gently made his way past the desk and towards the lift, out of sight from him now, just as Katie was coming from the toilet, arms folded in front of her, trying to get warm.

  “That walk, it’s got me all chilled!” she said.

  “Look, put this on,” Robert said, pulling off his sweater and then picking up his hat from the floor that he’d knocked off. “And you might as well have this on as well,” he laughed. “It’ll look much better on you than it did on me!”

  She grinned as he placed the hat gently on her head and it did indeed look good. He placed his other mobile phone in her hand.

  “I’m going to take the stairs up. You take the lift. Call me if you see anything strange.”

  “What do you mean? It’s all okay isn’t it?”

  “Don’t worry, I’m just being careful. It’s me they were after not you and besides you just look like a normal hotel guest. They wouldn’t suspect anything different. I just need to be extra sure. Get in and I’ll see you up there in a moment.”

  The lift door stood open having been called by Robert a few moments ago and she stepped in and stood by the side mirror, straightening the hat, rather liking the way it felt and looked. The doors closed and she pressed the button for the top floor, the lift now starting to rise.

  Nearing the top, the lift suddenly stopped, a little more roughly than it would if it had got to the floor, and as the doors didn’t open straight away, she got a little worried. She called Robert on the phone. He had been running up the stairs but was still two floors down, and he paused to answer it.

  She was pacing around a little as she spoke. Robert was reassuring her.

  “Hold on,” she said, “I think someone is opening the doors.”

  Robert listened and was horrified to hear the pounding that came from the handset, the clear sound of the phone dropping, a body falling and the noise of metal on metal, his trained ears already aware that silenced weapons had been fired at close range. He knew she was dead, she wouldn’t have had a chance.

  He started bounding down the stairs, three at a time, so fast that he nearly fell on the second floor but just managed to stay standing and continued to run down. It was supposed to be him, he knew that, and yet he’d been saved by her death. Brendan had tricked him or had been found out. Tears were running down his face as he climbed out through a window in the men’s toilet that led to a back alley behind the hotel and he carried on as fast as he could, no longer safe, the woman he had grown to love now gone, shot down having done nothing wrong, a victim of mistaken identity. It could have all been over, so easily, and that would have meant everything had been for nothing, and yet to have lost her now seemed worse than had he died himself.

  He made it back to his car and drove off at speed, going nowhere but knowing anywhere would do, anywhere that wasn’t there.

  **********

  Coming away from the control box next to the lift, Thomas reached in through the open doors, alarmed at the obvious long hair now visible and turned over Katie. There was a shocked silence as each man turned to Ted.

  “God, what a mess!”

  He ordered everyone to action, getting them to clean up and make everything as it had been. Her body was put into a body bag and this was lowered into their trolley to be disposed of later. The broken mobile phone on the floor of the lift told Ted all he needed to know. He ordered his guys to sweep the hotel but deep down knew that their man was long gone, having no doubt heard the whole thing on the telephone.

  The lady had obviously got herself somehow involved in things, and though she wasn’t who they wanted to hit, and therefore an innocent victim, these things happened, they reassured themselves as they made a quick exit. The lift had been left in a better state than before, leaving no clue as to what had taken place.

  Ted made the awkward call to Brendan, who while alarmed and angry at first, then calmed somewhat. Deep inside, something in him was happy that Robert had survived, and while it unsettled his situation, it was now a chase again and not an easy target. It also meant that the truth was still out there, that something could still change. The fact that if Nigel was destroyed, he would lose his family, no longer seemed the most important thing. Life seemed like some toy to him now, completely outside of his control. Only people such as Nigel and maybe Robert could do what they wanted, both with the knowledge and benefit of hindsight.

  Brendan would have to report things to Nigel, if he didn’t already know, but that could wait. His life seemed to be on a different level now. Nothing felt new any more because clearly it had already happened once before.

  Brendan drove back to the office an unhappy man, not just because things had gone wrong, far more than that, but life as he knew it just had no worth any more. He thought about what he had done, turning so quickly on Robert, but he didn’t allow himself the time to dwell on it, knowing it would only make him feel worse.

  Chapter 26

  Nigel Gamble’s team of
trackers had recorded the call from Ted Hague to Brendan Charles, which confirmed the afternoon’s mess up. The recording had been passed on as always to Nigel, who sat there and listened to it twice through.

  He’d picked up something in Brendan’s response, clearly angry at the time, but seemingly putting on a performance for Nigel as if knowing he’d be listening, but then he’d changed. It was as if Brendan didn’t care that the operation had failed and yet that seemed strange for a guy that would lose everything he loved because of it.

  Nigel called Brendan at his office thirty minutes later, sounding off and only reiterating the same threats and realities he’d done before, and while Brendan made the same noises as before, Nigel feared that Brendan’s heart was no longer in it, as if he’d given up, lost all hope. That thought, from someone so well connected and so vital to his empire, greatly concerned Nigel.

  Nigel spent the rest of the evening thinking things through, pacing up and down his long, well appointed living-room, seeking inspiration, any solution that didn’t mean leaving all his estate behind but really he’d known the reality straight away. His life there had been compromised and there was no way that he could stay while Robert was still at large. Nigel never wanted to believe that such an eventuality would ever take place, but he had made arrangements should the worst arise. His plan had always been there, the means available, to make a swift exit, probably to somewhere in Europe. He had homes in France, Italy and Spain but it was the one in Germany that he was thinking about now, remote and isolated, because if he was to leave England in such a way, he’d have to take the Door with him, and that would be no easy task.

  But the time had come, he was now certain. Nigel made the calls needed to implement the plan of action and arrangements were well under way, his employees only wanting to impress him and show him their efficiency which, after all, was what they were paid so extravagantly for.

  Getting the Door out would take some thinking and he spent the rest of the night working that one out, sleeping eventually fully dressed just after four.

  **********

  Robert Sandle had slept very little in the car, tucked away in a small lay-by just off the North Circular in a run-down part of London. He was awoken by a large truck pulling in and he sat up quickly and checked his watch. It was just before seven and the sun was yet to rise, though there were dark rain clouds visible towards the horizon which no doubt were on their way.

  Robert had awoken several times in the night, nightmares swamping him. Images of Katie had been flashing around and then Brendan would quickly fill his thinking.

  He was determined that he wasn’t going to dwell on the loss of Katie, wasn’t going to admit the feelings he had for her. She was now simply just another victim of Nigel’s war, just another innocent person whose life ended early because of one man’s greed. He wouldn’t allow himself to think how much better off Katie was because of his involvement, rescuing her from a brutal and no doubt violent marriage. It was foolish thinking, and besides, he told himself that nothing good could come from Nigel’s crimes. The fact that she had ended up dead only proved the point that whatever benefit to life she may have received, it was very short lived.

  Robert stretched in his seat before turning the ignition and pulling away, not wanting to spend any more time in the city than he needed, though there were still a few things he wanted to check out before he left. He didn’t even know where he would go afterwards.

  An hour later he sat outside the building of the Department of Information, almost at the spot where it had all started for him. The doors were still closed as it was before opening time, but that was perfect as it would allow him to see who would open up. It would be better if it wasn’t Jessica, he’d thought, as she’d no doubt report his presence straight away to Brendan.

  Ten minutes later Robert was pleased to see a man opening up and then going inside, doing the usual. About five minutes later he came back to the door and unlocked it, indicating that it was now open to the public.

  Robert wasted no time and was across the road in a moment and up the steps, entering the door as the guy sat at his desk, nodding to him warmly as Robert passed him and carried straight on to one of the many terminals that were there.

  What the Department of Information offered, that a general internet search didn’t, was a whole host of general information gained from public records that were openly available if you knew where to look. It also helped Robert understand what was new, what was changing and who was behind such a change. He also wanted to cross reference his theories on Austin Wentworth and it was quickly confirmed that Switzerland was his likely destination, and he even had a village listed, not far from the western side of Lake Geneva, in the mountains overlooking the lake.

  Having lost the help of Brendan, Robert knew he still needed someone on the inside. He looked up all he could about Jessica and Tommy, especially researching everything surrounding her father’s death and was alarmed to read about the account of his suicide as covered by local and a few national papers at the time. What he needed was some clues as to what had changed. Robert had previously only been too aware that her father had been very prominent in her previous life and therefore his death now could only have been the result of Nigel’s actions, and while there were no clues yet to say there was any foul play, Robert could smell a rat. Everything in him hoped that he could find something that would turn Jessica, and therefore, he hoped, get Tommy on side and willing to help.

  An hour later he felt satisfied that he’d found all he was going to find and things were beginning to come together in his mind. Brendan had been in contact with Jessica and the family business long before things had turned bad, which gave far too much opportunity, as Robert saw it. Clearly her father’s business had suffered far more than it would have done before, due to Nigel flooding the market with technologies way too advanced for their time and therefore it put all the existing companies, including her father’s, in an impossible situation. But that, Robert was sure, still wasn’t enough to push her father over the edge. Robert remembered those old news images of the sorrowful parents at the funeral of the great but fallen Jessica Lawrence, as she was then, and how well that old couple had dealt with things and the media attention once again thrown their way.

  Brendan was too conveniently placed in her life at that time to just be an innocent bystander. It was starting to add up all too clearly.

  Robert got up from the desk, satisfied at last, and left, taking the chance at the main desk to ask of the whereabouts of Jessica, only to have it confirmed that she no longer worked there.

  Robert smiled as he left the building, crossing the road when it was clear and returned to his car. If she was no longer working there then she could only be with Tommy Lawrence, and with nowhere else to go and the city a dangerous place, a trip up to Nottingham to drop in on the happy couple seemed the order of the day. Robert waited for a bus to pass him on the now busy street and pulled away, heading north.

  **********

  Nigel Gamble had slept very little but was surprisingly alert and awake before seven as he jumped out of bed, aware that it might be his last day in the house, eager to make every moment count. Skipping breakfast, he dressed in some comfortable clothes and took to the garden, his private walled oasis in a world that demanded so much from him only because he demanded so much from it. He walked down to the edge of the little brook that he’d had created, the water running quickly, fresh and clean to the touch, its actual source being a natural spring that had been discovered on the land when construction was well under way.

  Walking along the stream he took in the plants and trees gathered from all corners of the world over the last decade and wondered if in fact this would be the last time he’d see them all. It was of course possible that he could have them transported and replanted but that was doubtful, unsure if even his estate would survive for long, especially if hostilities arose.

  One of the options to hunt down Robert he’d code
-named ‘Wipe Out’ and he’d finalised it only in the last month or so, since the emergence and confirmation of Robert and who he was. Knowing that there was another Door in operation but having no way of finding its location, outside of the fact that it was obviously fairly close to the city, ‘Wipe Out’ could be implemented so that areas were totally destroyed and with it, he hoped, the Door and maybe Robert. It was of course probable that in such an attack Robert would take safety on the other side of the Door, figuring he would be safer taking his chances on the run in his own time than being blown up back here. That scenario was also good as once the Door was destroyed, Robert would be trapped on the other side and have no way of getting back to him.

  Quite how he’d actually carry out the attacks he was yet to decide, but it would probably be along the lines of some other nation attacking, or being perceived to attack, the UK, especially the areas surrounding London. The weapons of course would be state of the art missiles that Nigel had on hold at various bases around Europe, too advanced for tracking and the first the UK Defence Services would know of them would be when they’d hit the ground, the damage already done. Such an attack would be crippling and would leave the nation vulnerable, though he’d keep clear of London initially until he knew how successful he’d been. Such an attack would also be the work of a desperate and evil man, but he was long past those thoughts now, so fixed was he upon the delusion that he could keep his life forever and therefore could justify in his own mind what he was doing as it was simply defending his position.

  If needed though he would push things further. The initial attacks he imagined would close all borders and put the UK on the highest level of alert it had ever known. Had Robert somehow survived then he’d be trapped. A strike then on London, cutting off the head of the nation, so to speak, would leave them open to a land invasion, the sole purpose being to destroy any Wentworth Door and in the process any threat to himself. There were several nations and governments that he knew would be only too happy to assist him on that front once he’d promised to hand the nation into their lap. Britain had many enemies, it was true, due to their foreign policy over the last decades.