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

by David Costa

  ‘Thank you for your help. I’m sure we will be in touch.’

  ‘In the name of the one true God that is Allah, may you be safe and successful in your mission in his name.’

  ‘Inshallah, God wills it.’

  Hassan pulled the scarf up over his face, pulled his shoes back on and turning left out of the Mosque door, he walked with his head up appearing to pay no attention to anything around him. If anyone had taken his photograph, they would get nothing from it to identify him, and the casual way he walked wouldn’t give anyone, who was not surveillance trained cause for concern. He walked to the main Finsbury Tube station and as far as he was concerned, today was a rest day for the anti-terrorist surveillance teams; he was satisfied he was alone.

  Chapter 14

  It was almost 5 p.m. exactly when the Iranian merchant vessel the Qom, started its docking procedure alongside the pier in Valletta’s Grand Harbour. Reece watched through the high-powered binoculars that were perched on the tripod just back from the window. The ship was in a lot better condition than he had imagined. Showing very little rust, it looked like it had just slipped off the runners. A newly built vessel, it must have had a full paint job recently, he thought. He could see what looked like cars on the deck covered in waterproof tarpaulin to protect them from the salt water. On the same deck men were going through the business of getting the ship alongside the dock and secure. Ropes were thrown to men on the dock where they were pulled over the metal and concrete bollards securing the ship to the dockside. Within minutes the whole process of docking was complete. Palo and Anna who, were standing behind him could see the smoke that had been coming from the black funnel on the ship reduce until there was no more mixing with the still blue sky.

  ‘It looks like there are cabins just under the bridge,’ said Reece.

  ‘I think we have some time yet. They will have to have the gangway pulled in and I’m sure the local customs people will have to check the manifest before our friend can leave the ship,’ Anna replied.

  Palo, who had watched the ship come into dock, now walked to the kitchen, and switched on the kettle.

  ‘We have plenty of time for a coffee then.’ He placed three cups on the table.

  ‘Sounds good, make mine black,’ said Reece.

  ‘Do you think Matthew will be all right?’ asked Anna.

  Reece knew the one-way street he was parked up in. It was a slight hill, and he would be parked facing down towards the harbour and the sea. Reece picked up the radio.

  ‘Alpha four, come in, over.’

  He replied almost immediately.

  ‘Here, over.’

  ‘Good man you’re awake. Just to update you our package carrier has arrived. We would guess nothing more for at least an hour, are you OK?’

  ‘Yes, no problem, I’m in a quiet spot nothing much going on, happy to stay here.’

  ‘Great will keep you updated, over and out.’

  Reece looked once more at the blown-up picture of the Iranian Colonel.

  ‘He should be easy to spot. There won’t be a large crowd of passengers coming off at the same time, and if he has a couple of minders as we expect then we will be able to identify them too,’ said Reece.

  ‘Let us hope so. I always love it when they make things just that little simpler for me,’ said Anna.

  Palo brought the coffee and Reece took it and sat in one of the chairs allowing Palo to take over the binoculars.

  Anna sat down in another chair.

  ‘What about your woman David, is she all right after Manchester?’

  Anna was letting him know they knew all about Manchester and the SG9 operation, but he wasn’t going to be her best friend just yet.

  ‘She’s fine.’

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry; just interested from a woman’s perspective.’

  ‘Then you will know how she feels. Having been involved in this stuff yourself it’s not nice and she is the bravest woman I know.’

  ‘She must be. That is why I asked if she was all right. By the sound of it she is indeed a strong woman. Maybe I can meet her sometime.’

  ‘Once this is over, I don’t see why not. I’m sure she would like to meet you as well.’

  Reece could only try to imagine the conversation there would be between these two beautiful women both now important parts of his life.

  ‘What about you Anna? What is it like for a woman from Israel in this game? Your life must have been like mine and the women I’ve worked with, especially on the streets of Northern Ireland.’

  ‘Similar? I would say from what I’ve seen of your war in Ireland terribly similar. Northern Ireland has a terrorist problem just like Israel, where fanatics want to kill you every day and the country is bordered by a country that gives safe ground to those same terrorists to operate.’

  ‘There the similarity ends. Where we both have terrorist groups who want to kill us and wipe us off the face of the earth, the ones in my country don’t want to commit suicide.’

  ‘Ah, but there you’re wrong. What about the ten hunger strikers. They committed suicide.’

  Reece smiled at this attempt to drag him into a discussion that was seeking to learn more about him and his own wars.

  ‘That’s why we are here to try to stop more killings. Realistically that is why I do this. My own problem is that every time we kill one more of theirs, two more jump out of the trenches to take their place. When does the killing stop?’

  Now it was Anna’s turn to smile.

  ‘That has been the question since man first stood on the earth. There is a story that a man was sitting on a bench beside Jesus, and he asked him, if you are truly God then why do you allow war, disasters, famine, and man killing man? Jesus replied, I was about to ask you the same question. You see David there’ll always be these kinds of people and there’ll always be those like us who are willing to put our head above the parapet and try to stop them.’

  ‘For now, I will agree with you. But I know the time will come for myself, when I will want to leave the front line, leave it up to someone else. I just hope that when that time comes, I won’t have enemies who are not willing to let me have a peaceful life.’

  ‘As you say, let us hope that when that time comes, there’ll still be people like us willing to stand between them and you.’

  ‘I think I’ll stretch my legs and see if Matthew is OK, he’s parked two streets away and I’ll still have the ship in view when I’m walking. Anything happens shout out.’

  ‘You can be sure of it. But we should be all right for at least an hour allowing time for the custom check of the ship’s contents and crew manifest.’

  The first thing Reece noticed when he left the front door of the apartment was the temperature drop. The sun had started to go down and the air was fresh with a slight breeze coming in off the sea. He was glad he could stretch his legs and clear his head. Even though none of them smoked, the apartment was stuffy with the windows closed, no air was circulating inside.

  Matthew Simons saw Reece turn the corner into the street. With the sun starting to go down, the streetlights were coming on and his view was just as good as when the sun was high in the sky. Reece climbed into the seat beside Simons.

  ‘All quiet so far. Now with the ship docked we will have to wait and see what happens.’

  ‘I know that. Do you think I’m stupid?’ asked Simons.

  ‘No don’t be daft. I’m only here because I needed a breath of fresh air and I missed you.’ Reece smiled.

  Simons laughed.

  ‘Well, that’s all right then, I missed you too. Have our Israeli brother and sister got anything more for us?’

  ‘No. Everything as it was. If the Iranian comes off the ship and gets into a car, you, pick us up and we follow. If he comes out on foot, we follow, and you catch-up. Let’s hope he won’t keep us waiting too long, I would like to sleep in my own bed tonight.’

  ‘At least you will have the lovely Mary to cuddle up too. I’ve been think
ing; he is here to meet someone and between our friends in the apartment and our own people we don’t know who. If we are lucky and we do spot his contact, what then? Do we close them both down or try to follow both?’

  ‘I don’t think we have the resources to follow them both. We are doing this on a shoestring as it is. It seems when it comes to our Mossad and SG9 masters, it will always be down to money, and we are expendable and someone to blame if things go wrong. In this game if you remember to look after yourself and trust only yourself you will be all right. We know the Iranian is here to pass something on, so when he does that, we follow the receiver and wait for further instructions. Ours is not to reason why.’

  ‘I know ours is but to do and die. It’s the die bit I’m not too fond of.’

  ‘And on that happy thought I’ll get back to our Mossad friends. Is there anything you need?’

  ‘No, I’m OK, thanks. If I do, I’ll give you a shout. Nobody seems to be paying me any attention, so I’ll just read my copy of The Malta Times once more and wait to see what happens, keep safe.’

  Reece let himself back into the apartment and found Palo still sat at the window checking things through the binoculars. Anna was sitting at the kitchen table with another cup of coffee in front of her.

  ‘Is Matthew OK?’

  ‘Yes, no problem, probably a little bored like us, but OK. Nothing new then?’

  ‘No but the coffee’s fresh.’

  Reece poured himself a cup keeping it black. He sat at the table facing Anna. He looked at his watch.

  ‘I don’t think it will be long now before we see some movement. The customs check will be short provided all the paperwork is in order, and I’m sure it will be, they won’t want to bring any unnecessary notice to themselves.’

  ‘I agree. We are ready. We can’t do anything until they move, but we’re ready.’

  At almost the same time the Air Malta flight from Rome was landing at Malta’s main airport. A young attractive woman passed through customs without any problem and taking a taxi from outside the arrivals building, she asked the driver to take her to the Casa Ellul hotel in Valletta, but first to stop off at a good souvenir shop on the way.

  Chapter 15

  Reece decided it was time to check in with Mary, God knows when he would get a chance again. She answered his call on the second ring.

  ‘Hello sexy.’

  ‘What if I had you on speaker,’ laughed Reece.

  ‘Then you would still be sexy, but I know there’s other things I would rather have you on.’

  ‘Enough of that I’m trying to do a job here.’

  ‘So why are you calling me then and getting me to think I should put something nice on if you’re coming home?’

  ‘Not yet but hold that thought. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way and you get into that something nice for me to help you out of. That is why I’m calling to update you. There’s nothing happening here yet so, yes, I might be a little late.’

  ‘Spoil-sport I’ll just have to start without you then.’

  ‘Don’t you dare, I’ll need all of you when I get back. Don’t worry about food we can pick up something here.’

  ‘OK but take care. I love you.’

  ‘I love you too.’

  When Reece cancelled the call, he looked across the room to see Anna smiling back at him. Realising he was blushing; he could only smile back.

  ‘Don’t worry David, we all need someone some time.’

  At the same time Yasmin was arriving at the Casa Ellul Boutique hotel in the centre of the city of Valletta. The receptionist noted the details of the British passport that contained her picture and gave her name as Carletta Maguire from Catford just outside London. The Arab had booked all her travel arrangements and accommodation in this suite only hotel. Suite number five overlooked the narrow street outside. The rooms that faced this way all had the small iron balconies with a window door that opened inwards. When she opened the doors, the iron protecting rails left the balcony just wide enough for the width of her feet to stand on. The open doors let a cool breeze into the room. There was the usual air conditioning unit on the wall, but it needed to build up the cooling fan after she’d switched it on. Lying on her back on the large four poster bed she realised she was tired. Yasmin took out the burner phone she’d been given and switched it on for the first time since leaving the Arab and Tehran. When the signal showed she could send her message she found the number that had been coded in and sent the words, I am here room 5 Maguire. Then lying back on the bed, she fell into a quick all enclosing sleep.

  At the docks, Anna had taken over the binoculars and raising her hand she spoke to Reece and Palo without taking her eyes away from them.

  ‘Guys. I think we are on.’

  Both men went to the window standing behind her to look out. They hadn’t switched on the lights as the sun had gone down, three people being illuminated looking out of a window was just not normal.

  Reece could see three men coming down the ship’s walkway but, without the benefit of the binoculars, he couldn’t see their faces, but Anna could.

  ‘It’s definitely him, Shafi with two minders either side of him; both look the part, staying close, heads moving from side to side to see what they can. Shafi is using a walking stick which is strange, there is no mention of him needing one in the files. Here, have a look.’

  Reece and Palo took turns to watching the men walk through the docks to the security hut at the entrance gate; then through and onto the main road, turning left and away from where they watched. Shafi looked just like his photo in the file. The two men walking each side of him but a step behind both had the look of young fit Arabs, each with a close shaved dark beard. If he were to describe them Reece would have said they were identical twins and only their jackets were different. One wore a denim coat while the other was wearing what appeared from the distance to be cheap imitation leather. Shafi from his bearing, sharp dark suit and open necked white shirt, emanated power.

  ‘It looks like they’re staying on foot and going in the opposite direction to Alpha Four,’ said Reece, ‘Let’s move.’

  ‘Palo, I’ll stay with David on this side of the street to follow them into the city if they cross the road. You follow on their side and if they stop, we all pass by them to get ahead and turn back if needed I presume, you’re armed David?’

  ‘Aren’t we all!’ he replied.

  As they left the apartment Reece called Simons to let him know they were on the move.

  ‘Stay where you are for now, they might jump into a vehicle yet.’

  ‘Understood,’ replied Simons.

  When they left the front door of the apartment the three targets were about 200 yards ahead of them still walking away from the docks.

  Reece could see Shafi looking down at the screen of the mobile phone he was holding, then stop and speak to the two men following. All three then crossed the road to be on the same side as Reece and Anna. Even though they looked in the direction of Reece, they were paying attention to the oncoming traffic in the road while crossing. They then turned away from the watching pair and walked on with their backs to them. Reece noticed that each time Shafi looked at the screen he placed the walking stick he was carrying under his arm so he could work the screen with both hands.

  ‘He’s using the Sat Nav on his mobile. He is following it to a destination,’ said Reece into his mic so the whole team heard at once.

  ‘Roger that,’ came the reply from Palo and Matthew. Anna just nodded her agreement having spotted the same thing herself.

  ‘Why do you think they’re walking?’ asked Anna.

  ‘For a number of reasons, I think,’ replied Reece, ‘They would know any taxi driver would be sure to remember picking up three Arabs from the docks and where he dropped them off. Then they have been cooped up on a ship for a while so they would like to stretch their legs and get some air. But I think the main reason is they will be taking their time and checking for surveillanc
e following them. If they spot us, three things could happen, they could confront us, but they wouldn’t be sure how many we are, so that is unlikely. If they do spot us, they might continue with their operation and try to lose us. Or three, they call the whole thing off, return to base and declare they have a spy in their ranks, all three of which will be bad for us so let’s be careful.’

  As Reece followed, he knew he would have to use all the trade skills he had been taught by MI5 on the streets of London many years ago and had used successfully to stay alive in Northern Ireland and most lately on the streets of Manchester; where in the end, he had to eliminate another terrorist. He was also thinking of Mary McAuley by his side on those streets, the woman he loved, when he thought of her he was glad she wasn’t here now. He had put her in enough danger in her life, even though he knew she would give anything to be by his side instead of Anna the Mossad agent.

  ‘They are turning into a side street,’ said Anna breaking into his thoughts.

  ‘I know the street, they’ll be walking up a steep hill towards the city centre there’s not much cover for us, no hotels just a few shops and the street will be quiet at this time,’ said Reece.

  ‘Alpha Four from Alpha Three come in, over.’

  Simons replied to Reece immediately. ’Roger Alpha Three?’

  ‘Our friends are walking towards the centre of the city, although they’re taking the long way about it. Look up San Paul and Sant Orsla streets. Go there and find yourself a parking space. Don’t know where they’ll be going to ground yet, but that will get you closer to us, over.’

  ‘Roger Alpha Three I’m on my way.’

  ‘You do know your way round here David,’ said Anna.

  ‘Old habit. I’m sure like me when you did your surveillance training, they gave you a patch of a city to learn every nook and cranny, every street, every bus stop, taxi rank and subway station. They drilled it into you, so you didn’t get lost up a dead-end alleyway. When I first moved here, I made a point of walking every inch of these streets and sat in a lot of cafes to watch the world go by. I still don’t know every nook and cranny, but I think I know enough, at least I think I know more than the people we are following.’