Light of the Sun: They always make a mistake and when they do, we kill them...

by David Costa

  ‘Mary. Are you ready for our walk I need to do some serious thinking and the fresh air will help?’

  You know me, I’m always ready.’ She smiled.

  Chapter 11

  After a run, a swim, and a light breakfast the Arab spoke to Shama first, now his student with the new name of Yasmin, at the table on the veranda. The male student Mohammad now Hassan having gone for a shower after his run.

  ‘You are now Yasmin. Your previous life is gone. It was but a preparation for the life you’re now going to live, the life of a soldier of the Jihad. You have already been told it will be a hard life, one of danger and test. Your new passport and documents will arrive today. Tomorrow you will fly from here to Rome, then from Rome to Malta, where you will meet with an Iranian Colonel who will pass to you a small package. You will then return to the airport and take a flight to London. There you will receive details of a safe house where you will stay until I come for you. Do you understand all this, what I say?’

  ‘Yes, will I be supplied with a weapon?’

  ‘Only when you get to London, you’re training on how to use many different weapons will always be useful to you.

  ‘I know it might not be what you expected to do on your first mission but the meeting in Malta and your transporting to London of the package you will be given, is vital to the success of our plan. That is why I asked you both yesterday if you could kill a Muslim. You must always remember you will be alone, and the Colonel will have Hezbollah bodyguards who are not your mission. The Arab spent the next hour describing in detail the part Yasmin had to play if the mission was to be a success. Your job is to collect the item and get to London safely. Have you any questions?’

  ‘I’m to be alone until I get to London?’

  ‘Yes, as I’ve said, this part of the operation is for you alone; an important part of the final jigsaw when we all meet again in London. You will be supplied with your documents, money, and a phone with only two numbers, mine and your fellow student Hassan. You can call me at any time but do not call Hassan until you are in London. The less we say over a phone the more secure we will be. Hassan will be waiting for you when you get to London. Let him know when you’ve landed.’

  ‘Will I be able to recognise this Iranian, will I have the information I need?’

  He could see she was worried and needed some reassurance.

  ‘Do not worry Yasmin you will be given all the information you will need plus a photo before you leave. I have every confidence in you and the Iranian will be expecting you but will not know what you will be doing.’

  ‘This package I have to pick up from him and transport to London, will it be easy to get through airport security?’

  ‘Yes, it will look like a normal small walking stick and will be made of lead which does not give off any sign of what it really is; a small amount of weapons grade plutonium which on its own won’t constitute a device. You will need to walk slowly with it as if you have a leg injury and you will be able to carry it on-board the aircraft and place it in the overhead locker during the flight. I don’t anticipate any problems.’

  ‘Thank you for placing your trust in me, I will not let you down.’

  ‘Allah will be with you; you have nothing to fear so rest now and prepare yourself for tomorrow and the mission ahead. When you return to your room, please ask Hassan to come here.’

  The Arab poured himself another cup of coffee before sitting back at the table. He felt the cooling breeze as it travelled through the branches of the trees and could smell the orange blossoms that surrounded the villa. Hassan refused the coffee when he sat opposite the Arab.

  ‘How are you today Hassan,’ the Arab asked in English.

  ‘I’m fine thank you. I’ve had my run, my swim and a good breakfast so I’m ready for the day.’

  ‘Good, we need to get to work, now the operation has started. I’ve briefed Yasmin on her part which eventually will take her to London. You will fly to Paris in two days from now. Then I want you to take the Eurostar to London and contact our friend in London. You will then meet with Yasmin who, if things go to plan will already be in London. She will text you to let you know she has arrived. Tomorrow you will be given your papers and passport with any information you will need.

  ‘Your part of the plan when you get to London will be to find rented accommodation with the help of a trusted friend who already lives there. His details will be in the papers I will give you. I’ll give you a phone with only mine and Yasmin’s number. I am number one and Yasmin two in the phone’s address book, they will be the only numbers you will need, and the phone won’t be used for anything else not even to call for an Uber or a pizza, do you understand?’

  Hassan nodded.

  ‘When you get to London text me one word, arrived. Once you text me, I will move from here to London. You will wait with Yasmin until I arrive. Have you any questions.’

  ‘No, I’m sure the papers I have to read will explain more of my mission.’

  ‘Inshallah, read them well, you will destroy them after you have done so. Memorise what you need, and I will see you in London.’

  When Hassan had returned to his room the Arab found a quiet place in his garden and kneeling on the soft grass, he knew he had chosen his students well, he bowed and prayed to Allah for success.

  Chapter 12

  Mary recognised the signs; Joseph had been quiet after his phone call with London. He had still been silent as they walked to their café on the Qawra seafront for the usual coffee. It was a bit colder this morning, even though the sun was up, so they dressed for the day, each with hooded fleece and long cotton trousers. Reece wore his favorite black baseball cap with the flag of Malta badge.

  ‘You’re quiet, Joseph. Are you OK?’

  He stopped walking and turned towards the sea and stopped to lean on the rail that ran alongside the path.

  ‘You know, I love this place. Our morning walk, the sea, the air, and I never want that to change. It is our bolt hole from all the horrors of the world, some of that world we’ve lived in. But I always hoped that it would leave us alone here. Now the bastards have come here, and I must do something about it. I’m worried that if something goes down here, then our little peaceful, happy world will be finished forever.’

  She wanted to hug him tight. To hold him and protect him from his world, but she knew she could only do so much, and she felt the hurt he was feeling.

  ‘Don’t worry Joseph they can try to get us, but we are stronger together than they will ever be. Remember what I told you many years ago when you worried about things, they can’t make you pregnant.’

  He laughed at her remembering something she’d taught him that he had passed on to others. There are always worse things in the world, if you only deal with the ones you must face, it’s enough to be going on with. He put his arms around her and pulling her close he whispered in her ear, ‘Thank you for being here with me, I love you.’

  ‘I love you too Joseph and I’ll love you even more if you buy me a warm cup of coffee I’m freezing.’

  ‘You’re right let’s get on with the day.’

  After the coffee and the walk, they returned to the villa to find Matthew Simons working on his laptop.

  ‘Did you enjoy your walk?’

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ said Mary, ‘have you had any breakfast?’

  ‘I stole some of your lovely Maltese bread, it’s delicious.’

  ‘You’re welcome to whatever you need. I’m off for a shower to let you two talk and plan your day,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘You have a keeper there David.’

  ‘You don’t need to tell me. That’s one thing in my life I can be sure of. Now are you up to date with the latest from London?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve downloaded everything for you to go through at your leisure, but I think you probably know everything anyway. What do you think will happen today?’

  ‘We work to the schedule and plan already agreed with our two Mossad friends,
but we take everything they say and do with a pinch of salt, we can’t fully trust them. Like us they have a hidden agenda of protecting their own country. I don’t fault them for that but let’s keep our guard up when we meet them later.’

  ‘The new photo of the Arab gives us a head start if he appears. Do you think he will?’

  ‘I’m not sure. His kind keep their heads down until the last minute. But, if he does show himself, he had better be prepared to die, because if the Kidon don’t get him we will.’

  ‘Don’t you think we could capture him; he would be a great catch for our people to work on?’

  ‘I don’t think he would be willing to come along peacefully. I’m just saying that if we do see him, we need to be prepared for someone to die, and after Manchester I don’t want it to be one of ours.’

  Simons knew about the shoot-out with Sean Costello and Sharon Lyndsey, The White Widow, in Manchester; when one of the SG9 agents, April Grey had been shot dead by Lyndsey who had then escaped. In the subsequent confrontation Reece had shot and killed Costello before he could kill any more people. He also had heard the story in the secret world, how Reece and another SG9 agent had tracked down Lyndsey and her two bodyguards to Egypt and shot all three dead.

  ‘What about weapons? Do we have them?’

  Reece went to the set of drawers in the dining room and took out a handgun.

  ‘Are you familiar with firearms?’

  ‘I’ve done all the usual courses and drills, but I’m a desk jockey. I fire words from a computer not a gun.’

  Reece placed the gun on the table and started to break it down into its component parts; then taking a small piece of cloth and a jar of gun oil from the same drawer, started to clean each part of the weapon, the stock, the barrel, and the spring. This took a few minutes then he expertly assembled the gun and placed it on the table in front of Simons the fully loaded magazine beside it. He then unloaded the magazine one bullet at a time and left it on the table beside the fifteen bullets and did the same with the spare magazine.

  ‘I’ve had this gun since my Special Branch days it has never let me down. A clean weapon will never let you down. Removing the bullets now and again will let the spring in the magazine rest so when you need it to do its job, it’s unlikely to jam. As a government agent I have an International Firearms Licence which allows me to transport the gun over most borders if it’s not assembled in its killing capacity. But as you can see, I’ve assembled this baby so many times I can do it easily and quickly even in the dark. I know the Department like more modern Glock pistols without the safety catch, but Smith and Wesson will do for me with one round in the breech and fourteen rounds nine mill parabellum in the mag. Fifteen in the spare for good measure. Today as it’s basically a sit and watch and report back gig, I suggest you do without a weapon. We have the name of the High Commissioner on Malta, and we can get one if we need to. I think our Mossad friends would be able to get us one if we need one, trust me on that. Embassies and Consulates always have weapons available in case of an attack on their buildings, but we do not want civil servants getting their nose in the game, that’s when things can really go wrong. Take it from me I know what I’m talking about, there’s been times when I would seriously consider shooting one of them instead of a terrorist. From their little worlds they can do more damage than an idealist with a gun.’

  ‘I’m happy with that. As I say, I’m just a desk jockey but I’m also OK to sit, watch, and report. If we must follow on foot or in vehicles then I can do that. I’m only too glad that they drive on the same side of the road as we do at home.’

  ‘I don’t think the Iranian crew will be looking for a shoot-out but if anything does go down, you take cover, and leave it to me and our Mossad buddies. A fight is the last thing I want here. I live here and hope to do so for a long time.’

  Mary came back into the room, her hair still wet. Even though it was long she preferred to let it dry naturally, the heat in Malta usually taking care of the drying process quickly. Even though this time of year it was cooler it was still warm enough to get the job done.

  ‘You two still chattering?’

  ‘We have finished for now, so a fresh pot of coffee would be good if you’re going to the kitchen,’ said Reece.

  ‘Watch it you, what did your last slave die off?’ She smiled.

  ‘Answering back,’ laughed Reece.

  ‘When will you be going into the city?’ she asked.

  ‘After lunch about two.’

  ‘Any chance of a lift? You can drop me off near the bus station. I fancy a walk round the town and a look in the market.’

  ‘Yes, no problem, but it depends on how good your coffee is slave.’

  After dropping Mary off in the city, Reece parked up close to the hotel and with Simons, waited once more in the reception area for the two Mossad agents.

  The reception area was busy with what appeared to be a bunch of new arrivals booking in. This was one of Reece’s favourite pastimes to watch people and try to guess who they were, and where were they from. Then break down in his head what kind of business they worked in, it was his way of keeping his surveillance skills in tune.

  When the lift door opened for what seemed the tenth time and the two Israelis walked out, he spotted them easily through the crowd of residents setting out for the afternoon in the city, or just going through for a late lunch in the hotel restaurant.

  Standing to greet them Reece couldn’t help but notice once again how beautiful Anna looked; now dressed in a blue polo shirt and tight-fitting jeans that seemed to enhance her full figure. She wore her dark hair in a long ponytail, and he was sure the leather bag that hung heavily from her shoulder carried more than just make-up. Following behind her, Palo wore his brown open necked shirt loosely around the waist of his linen trousers covering no doubt, as Reece did, the holster and pistol that agents always carried in the draw position. The Beretta .22 pistol was the favourite of Mossad, used many times in their operations and political assassinations around the world. Easily concealed, the .22 ammo gave off a reduced sound yet was deadly at close quarters. No James Bond shoulder holster for anyone who was trained properly in the game they played on the streets of the world.

  ‘Good afternoon,’ said Anna.

  ‘Good afternoon. Are we ready for the day?’ replied Reece.

  ‘Always David. We have the details of where the ship carrying our friend will dock and we’ve arranged for an empty apartment overlooking the pier to observe from,’ said Anna.

  ‘You have been busy. Have you any other update for us?’ asked Reece.

  ‘Let us order a pot of coffee and sit and discuss our plan for today,’ said Palo.

  When the coffee had been poured Anna spread out a small tourist map of Valletta and the Grand Harbour. For anyone observing them they were just four tourists planning their day.

  Pointing to the map Anna proceeded to show Reece and Simons where they needed to be for the ship’s arrival.

  ‘As you might know, David, I’ve visited the island on many occasions, but always as a tourist. This is my first time to look at everything through the eyes of an agent. I have good memories of the people and this city, so like yourself I’m familiar with the streets and the surrounding buildings and harbour.’

  Reece only nodded and looked back to the map.

  Anna pointed out the route from the hotel to the apartment overlooking the Harbour and the pier where the expected ship would be docking.

  ‘That’s about a mile from here,’ said Reece.

  ‘You do have a car, don’t you?’ said Anna.

  ‘Yes, and I suggest we move it close to the harbour in case they use one. The traffic system around the city is mostly one way, so even if they do use a car, they won’t be difficult to follow.’

  ‘We can’t afford to lose them, Mr Reece,’ said Palo.

  Reece looked at Simons and smiled before replying.

  ‘No, Palo that would never do. Don’t worry it’s an
island, they’ll have difficulty getting off it without us knowing.’

  Anna spoke again as she produced a file from her bag and handed round a photo.

  ‘This is the latest photo we have of our Iranian.’

  Reece and Simons both noticed that it was not the latest one of the Arab.

  ‘This is our target Colonel Ali Shafi of the Iranian Republican Guards Quads Unit. As you are aware, our intelligence indicates he’ll be carrying an item to hand over to a yet unknown person and our job is to identify that person then await further instructions from our masters.’

  Reece could see that Anna oversaw the Mossad side of this operation; Palo sat observing both the SG9 agents as Anna spoke. The photo was in colour which Reece appreciated, black and white was OK, but it never really showed the person as they were; the suntanned skin, the eyes, the colour of the beard. Anna had not shown them the up-to-date photo of the Arab, they were holding back on full disclosure and that suited Reece. Why bring something into the game unless you’re sure it’s going to play a part, what part the Arab might play, if any, was still not known.

  ‘Have you everything you need if we leave for your apartment now?’ asked Reece.

  ‘Yes. I have the address and the keys. I’m assured it is stocked with all our needs and I have two handsets for communications in my bag here. Shall we go?’

  Reece finished his coffee and led the way to the car. The address wasn’t hard to find. Reece had to park two streets away as there was no parking permitted on the main road. Across from the apartment was the Grand Harbour with the pier close against the road allowing only for loading and unloading.

  The apartment was typical of the old harbour. The three floors had once been a dockside warehouse with a large, blue, wooden door with two windows showing to the front and with a small balcony on the two first floor rooms. Reece and Simons remained on the first floor while the two Mossad agents checked out the rest of the building. All the windows had wood shutters, that when opened could be fixed back against the outside walls with a metal hook. The shutters on the windows that Reece now looked through had already been hooked back and despite not having been cleaned in some time there was a clear view of the harbour pier across the main road. The pier for the moment was empty, while in the harbour beyond, shipping moved in and out from the Mediterranean Sea. The room consisted of a few large chairs, a table with four wooden chairs and in the back corner a small kitchen with a fridge and cooker, a kettle, a microwave, and all the paraphernalia a small family would need. Anna and Palo returned from their inspection. Both looked out the front window observing the same scene Reece and Simons had just observed.