by James Arklie
‘He came to you?’
‘Straight away.’ He sipped again. ‘Saran was naïve. There was no way he could produce something like that in the facilities he had.’
‘But you told him to lead her along.’
‘We had a woman, a terrorist, who wanted to launch a biological attack. We needed to find out more about her, more about her support group, co-conspirators, methodology…. Mike was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.’ George looked her in eye. ‘He wasn’t meant to die. That was my fault.’
‘And you turned up at the Café to watch them and to support him?’
George shrugged. ‘You’ve seen the spy films. Called a ‘handler.’ He swirled the carton before drinking again again. ‘This coffee is definitely good for the soul.’
‘What was the plan? To pretend to produce a virus and then arrest them at some point?’ George nodded, knowing where Ollie was going.
‘And then I turned up. I was the key to their plan, the trigger. Right woman, right place, right time. Why not get me to seduce and expose George Sapphire as well. But I messed up everything for you.’
He said nothing and Ollie watched him, impatient for confirmation, but not wanting to destroy anything between them.
George pushed at the soft sand with his feet. ‘I had no idea where you’d come from, then it became apparent you were there to find out about me.’
‘You let me seduce you.’
He laughed. ‘Trust me, it wasn’t that hard, but suddenly everything became a lot more complicated.’
‘Who killed Marston?’
‘Saran. He handed over a doctored USB you took from my mobile and what he said was the virus. She took him out. Loose end sorted.’
‘And Mark?’
‘Saran threw him back at you to find out what you were doing, to be sure that when the time came to force you into action you had no choice.’
‘She did that all right.’
‘I told you, she is a clever manipulator of people.’ George let out an apologetic sigh. ‘And I was also using you and relying on you. You just didn’t know it.’
‘Did the Chinese know all along?’
‘Not until the last minute.’
‘How did you convince Joanna that the virus had been administered to Cheong?’
‘I took the radioactive sample from you. We had an official debriefing meeting with the delegation at the airport. They wanted reassurance that everything was sorted. Then I walked them onto the plane and slipped the unprotected vial into his jacket pocket. Joanna was in her aisle seat in Business Class. He walked past, she got her reading. Cabin crew took his jacket away to hang up. I retrieved the vial. Job done.’
‘What did Saran inject into Lily and my mother.’
‘A routine Tetanus jab.’
Ollie left a silence between them for a couple of minutes, letting the sun warm her face and relax her mind. ‘You put me and my family in harm’s way.’
‘We had no idea that Saran had constructed a bomb vest and that she was also planning to attack the UK. That was all held in the madness of her sick mind.’
‘Small knew all this when we were confronting Saran? That’s why she made the call to release the lock?’
‘Small knew that by then we would have arrested Joanna and have her mobile. That call was a message to us. We could move in.’
‘The bells were a countdown.’
‘It was meant to be a straightforward arrest. The bomb vest changed all that.’
Ollie turned her attention to Lily. Rolling waves crashed onto the sand and swooshed up the beach, sunshine making the white foam gleam. Lily’s lithe black body jumped and shrieked with happiness.
‘You know their mistake? Saran and Jo targeting the way I’d wasted my life. I’d already resolved with myself to turn it round. Then they put me in that apartment and l was thinking, ‘this is it, this is what I want’. It made me fight harder.’
Yin and Yang, thought Ollie. In light there is darkness and in darkness there is light. Ollie had shed her old life and left the dead skin behind her. Now she had a home, her own café, a small house above the beach. Regular friends and respect. People only know me for what I am now.
She checked her watch. The beach was busy so she would be needed in the Café. George seemed to read her mind.
‘They play Motown in the SoulFood Café?’
‘We have a Motown karaoke night, I’ll have you know. Usually ends up with me singing and Lily leading the dancing, but it’s fun.’
She stood up and held out her hand and helped him to his feet.
‘What’s your real name?’
He could see her searching for the truth in his eyes. ‘Edwin.’
‘Really?’ She laughed out loud. ‘As in Starr?’ He nodded.
Ollie was still disbelieving. ‘Seriously?’
He was laughing. ‘Yes. Seriously.’
Ollie was shaking her head. ‘Oh, and by the way, sending those records was a bit cheesy. Beautiful, but cheesy.’
George was watching a jogger cross the beach in front of them. ‘Did I ever tell you what the name ‘Oleander’ symbolises?’
Ollie heard the voice of Donna Small come back over the years, taunting her. ‘Something poisonous, I think.’
George glanced at her, surprised. ‘It’s a poisonous bush, sure. But forget that.’ He looked down into her eyes. ‘But it’s the flower that’s important.’
‘And?’ Ollie was intrigued.
‘It’s the symbol of an outer beauty and an inner strength. It’s a great name.’
Ollie let that sink in for a few seconds, then smiled and nodded. ‘Thank you for that, Edwin.’
From down the beach Lily had spotted him, shrieked his name and was running towards them.
‘George!’
Ollie tucked her arm in his and laughed. ‘I’m leaving you to explain this one away.’
The End
From the author – James Arklie
Thank you for buying my second novel. I really hope you enjoyed reading it.
All of the feedback received so far has been very positive and I would like to keep adding to that feedback and building the momentum. If you have two minutes to go online to Amazon kindle and leave even a one-line review it will be greatly appreciated.
You can also follow me on my Facebook page to receive notice of my next publication at - James Arklie – Author.
Lastly, if you enjoyed reading Oleander Soul please try - ‘I Didn’t Do It’, another fast-paced, mystery thriller with a twist at the very end. I will leave the five-star reviews on Amazon kindle to do the talking for me.
‘I Didn’t Do It’ by James Arklie - available on Amazon Kindle (0.99p) and Paperback (£8.99).
Happy reading!
James Arklie
