Gray Salvation

by Alan McDermott

  Zhabin popped the clutch.

  Time to go.

  Gray saw the sniper take down the biker and climb onto his machine. If he didn’t stop the man now, the authorities might arrive too late. The police were no doubt on their way, but because of Harvey’s request for a silent approach, there was no telling if they were ten seconds out or ten minutes.

  Gray sprinted for all he was worth and was gaining ground fast, but not quick enough. All he could do was throw his makeshift weapon and hope to hit the rider, but before he could bring his arm back he found himself staring down the barrel of the sniper’s pistol. He was caught out in the open, with nothing to hide behind and nowhere to run. The shooter was within spitting distance and unlikely to miss.

  Gray braced for the impact and saw the man’s arm pull left as the gun fired, the bullet somehow flying wide. The sniper looked at his empty weapon for a split second and let it drop.

  Now.

  He threw the tube as hard as he could, but it slipped out of his wet hand at the last second, and instead of flying towards the sniper’s head he saw it bounce near the front of the machine as the bike sped forward.

  It turned out to be a better throw than he ever could have hoped for.

  The tube skidded into the front wheel and became lodged between the spokes, and when it came up against the front forks, the wheel stopped dead. The rest of the bike, however, carried on, and the sniper was thrown over the handlebars, doing a somersault before smashing face first into the back of a stationary bus.

  Gray was on him in seconds and found the man unconscious but breathing, blood flowing freely from his nose. Gray put him in the recovery position before calling Ellis with his location.

  She arrived less than a minute later, with the first of the armed police cars close behind.

  ‘Is he dead?’ Ellis asked.

  ‘He’ll live. I called an ambulance just after I got off the phone with you.’

  The incident had brought traffic to a stop, and the police officers administered first aid while they waited for the paramedics to turn up.

  One of the officers asked Gray for a statement, and he accepted a seat in the back of a police car while recounting the events from his sighting of the sniper at the taxi rank.

  ‘Veronica Ellis will be able to fill you in on the rest of it,’ Gray said when he’d finished with his account. He got out of the car and walked over to Ellis, who was standing a few feet from the still unconscious sniper, rain soaking her through.

  ‘You need to get yourself home and dry off,’ he said.

  Ellis shook her head. ‘I’m not letting this one out of my sight.’

  Gray looked around and saw at least twenty officers on the scene.

  ‘I think the police have got this covered.’ he said, stealing a glance at his watch and seeing that he had about three hours before he had to check in for his flight to Florida. He took Ellis’s arm and led her back to the car, then got in behind the wheel. ‘I’ll drop Andrew off at the hospital.’ To Harvey he said, ‘I’m sure you’ll want some time alone with Sarah. Sorry I won’t be able to pop in and see her, but please give her my regards.’

  Harvey nodded, his smile thanking Gray for his understanding.

  ‘After that –’ he turned to Ellis – ‘I’ll drop you home and get a taxi.’

  ‘Where are you staying tonight? With Sonny and Len?’

  Gray managed a smile of his own. ‘I’m going home to see my girl.’

  Chapter 30

  3 February 2016

  Veronica Ellis turned into Marsham Street and was fortunate enough to find a parking space right outside the Home Office building. Her sadness at attending her official termination meeting was tempered by the thought that she would never have to visit this ugly building ever again.

  The late winter morning had blessed her with an almost clear sky, though the temperature was still closer to zero than she would have liked.

  After passing through layers of security, she was escorted to John Maynard’s office and told to take a seat in the waiting room. Ellis knew it would be at least five minutes before she was seen, a favourite trick of the home secretary. Why he insisted on keeping people waiting was beyond her, but she suspected it had something to do with the size of his penis.

  She was still smiling inwardly at the thought when the door to the office opened and John Maynard gestured for her to enter.

  Ellis couldn’t help sneaking a glance at his crotch as she walked past him.

  She wasn’t surprised to see that the home secretary wasn’t alone, but she’d expected the head of HR and perhaps a lawyer or two, not Alexander Parrish.

  ‘Take a seat, Veronica.’ Parrish smiled at her from behind the home secretary’s desk.

  ‘Thank you, Prime Minister.’

  Maynard stood off to Ellis’s right, hands in his pockets and hatred plastered all over his face.

  ‘Quite a couple of weeks we’ve had,’ Parrish said, leaning back in the chair. ‘From the reports I’ve read, it seems a lot of the credit has to go to you and your department.’

  ‘My team did an outstanding job under very challenging circumstances,’ Ellis agreed. ‘I’m just glad the trade deal was able to go ahead as planned.’

  ‘Indeed. President Milenko and I had a very long chat afterwards, and he wanted me to convey his gratitude.’

  ‘It’s what my team do,’ Ellis said, before correcting herself: ‘I mean, it’s what they do.’

  Parrish sat upright and, after glancing at Maynard, he clasped his hands in front of him on the secretary’s desk. ‘That’s what I brought you here to discuss,’ he said. ‘Thanks to your tenacity, we were able to establish the link between Zhabin, Bessonov and Moscow. I’ve spoken to Demidov and spelled out what we know about his involvement. While he flat-out denies it, he’s agreed to pull his troops back from Tagrilistan to enable peace talks to continue.’

  Ellis tilted her head in acknowledgement, betraying no hint of a smile.

  ‘When I spoke with President Milenko,’ the PM continued, ‘in addition to conveying his gratitude, he also told me that, although he may disagree with your methods, your actions saved his life and have brought about the hope of a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Tagrilistan.’

  Ellis remained impassive, figuring there was more to come.

  ‘In addition,’ Parrish continued, ‘he thinks it would be counterproductive of me to relieve you of your post. He thinks your people skills could do with a little polishing, but believes you are the right person for the job. Given the fact that the incidents last week have generated a lot of headlines worldwide, I also think we need you to continue the good work.’

  You mean, tossing me aside would be bad PR, Ellis thought, but held her tongue. If she really were to be reinstated on the spot, then it wouldn’t do to antagonise her paymasters any more than she had already done.

  ‘This doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook,’ Maynard said, joining the conversation. ‘You blatantly disregarded orders, and that will stay on your record. I’m just waiting for you to screw up one more time and I’ll be all over you like stink on shit.’

  ‘Eloquently put,’ Parrish said, turning serious. ‘But I have to echo John’s sentiments. We can’t have you playing the Girl Scout any more. You’ll be under enormous scrutiny, and if you stray from protocols one more time, I’ll be forced to take action.’

  ‘Understood, Prime Minister,’ Ellis said. ‘You mentioned the link to Moscow. I’ve been out of the loop for a few days . . .’

  ‘Zhabin broke,’ Maynard said. ‘We told him we were in the process of extraditing him to Venezuela for one of the assassinations, and he’d obviously heard about prison conditions there. In exchange for a British prison cell, he gave us his bank accounts and we tracked the money back to Demidov.’

  That was indeed good news, but Demidov wasn’t the Russian who concerned her. ‘What about Bessonov? Please tell me you managed to pin something on him.’


  ‘Forensics found enough blood matches in the basement to link him to at least a dozen murders over the last couple of years,’ Maynard said. ‘We also matched Thompson’s blood and his DNA on the bloodstained suit, so he’ll be going down for that, too. His reign is over.’

  Ellis wanted to consider it a victory, but given the hell Harvey, Thomson and Farsi had been through, it would be a hollow one at best.

  ‘I’d better get back to the office,’ she said. ‘I have a feeling there’s a lot to catch up on.’

  Ellis rose and shook the PM’s hand, and – despite her loathing for him – Maynard’s, too.

  ‘Oliver King also asked me to thank you,’ Parrish said. ‘Without your timely intervention, he would have been caught out in the open and I’d be looking for a new health secretary.’

  ‘Thank God for reinforced cars, eh?’ Ellis smiled. ‘How long before I can get my access back?’

  ‘Your security card is waiting on reception at Thames House,’ Maynard said. ‘All other privileges have already been restored.’

  Ellis smiled at the home secretary, knowing it was killing him to give her a second chance.

  ‘Thanks, John. I look forward to working with you again.’

  With the lie delivered, Veronica Ellis left for the short drive back to her office.

  Chapter 31

  12 February 2016

  Ellis steered the rented Chevrolet off the freeway and into the suburbs, the windows open as the Florida sun beat down from an azure sky. The satnav told her to make a left turn at the junction, and she obeyed the electronic instructions until she found herself outside Tom Gray’s house.

  It looked much as it had a few weeks earlier, though the grass was a little longer. The most striking difference was the real-estate sign on the front lawn.

  Ellis climbed out, and Harvey and Thompson got out of the rear seats.

  ‘Nice place he’s got,’ Harvey noted, as they walked towards the front door. His gait had returned almost to normal, but Sarah still walked tentatively, the result of the skin grafts she’d been undergoing to heal the cuts on her legs.

  ‘Are you sure he’ll be pleased to see us?’ Thompson asked.

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ Ellis said. After her last visit, she knew what kind of reaction to expect if they just turned up on his doorstep, so this time she’d called ahead. ‘We’re bringing him good news, and we’re not here to separate him from his daughter again.’

  She knocked on the door, and Gray opened it, looking genuinely happy to see them.

  ‘Come in.’ He smiled and led them through to the kitchen. ‘So what brings you over here? Your call said it wasn’t work-related. I hope that’s true.’

  ‘I just wanted to thank you personally for all you did,’ Thompson said as Gray put on a fresh pot of coffee. ‘Andrew wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.’

  She threw her arms around Gray and hugged him tight.

  ‘I had a lot of help from some good people,’ Gray said, once she’d let go. ‘How are you holding up? I hear you went through a lot.’

  ‘I’m good,’ Thompson assured him. ‘The scars are healing nicely.’ She held up her hands and showed off her fake fingernails.

  Harvey went over to Melissa, who was sitting at the dining table drawing a picture. ‘Remember me, darling?’

  Melissa looked nervous, shifting her gaze towards her father, so Harvey backed away.

  ‘She’s still a little shy around some men,’ Gray explained, lifting his daughter up. ‘Hopefully that will change once she starts nursery.’

  Ellis sipped the coffee Gray had placed in front of her. ‘I noticed the “For Sale” sign outside. You going somewhere?’

  ‘Yeah, I found a place in San Giovanni in Fiore near Ken and Mina. Melissa thinks of them as Grandma and Grandpa, and I thought it best if she had more family around her. They have quite a large English community over there, and it’s the perfect opportunity for Melissa to learn a second language. They say the younger they start the easier it is.’ Gray shrugged. ‘We really should have gone there in the first place, but I always liked the idea of living in America.’

  ‘That’s a fair point,’ Thompson said. ‘You can feel isolated without friends and family around you.’

  ‘The reason I’m here,’ Ellis said, ‘is to pass on some good news. Andrew told me you had an agreement to replace McGregor’s helicopter if you broke it.’

  ‘I did,’ Gray admitted. ‘That’s the other reason for selling up. We don’t need a place this big, and after I buy a house in Italy I’ll use what’s left to square things with Mac.’

  ‘Well, the good news is that he got his chopper back, all in working order.’

  ‘He did? How?’

  ‘A gift from President Milenko,’ said Harvey with a smile.

  Gray looked confused. ‘I thought you said he was the main reason Veronica lost her job?’ He turned to Ellis.

  ‘He was,’ Ellis said, ‘but when he found out that it was your actions that stopped the sniper, he wanted to repay you.’

  ‘But it wasn’t me,’ Gray said. ‘You told me that something had gone pear-shaped in the apartment block and the sniper was trying to get away. Even if I hadn’t stopped him, he wouldn’t have been able to complete his mission.’

  ‘You know that,’ Harvey said, ‘and we know that, but Milenko must have got a . . . slightly different account. He also had Veronica reinstated.’

  Gray turned to Ellis. ‘You got your job back? Congratulations!’

  ‘It was a combination of Milenko and the PM,’ Ellis said. ‘While you were chasing Zhabin – that’s the sniper’s name, by the way – an attempt was made on the health secretary’s life. It was pure coincidence that the call came in just as Oliver King was getting out of his car. The security team heard about the threat and forced him back inside, which saved his life. A bomb was detonated outside the car, but the reinforced chassis barely suffered a scratch. Our actions saved both Milenko and King, and I guess the PM would have found it hard to justify sacking me.’

  ‘I saw that on the news,’ Gray said. ‘Did anyone claim responsibility? They were calling it a terrorist attack.’

  ‘Far from it. His name was Richard Notley, an accountant from London. His suicide note blamed King for his wife’s death in hospital a few years ago.’

  ‘There was no mention of a suicide note,’ Gray said.

  ‘And there never will be. If it ever got out that NHS privatisation was the reason for the attack, the Left would have a field day. Not something the PM wants to have to deal with right now.’

  ‘So how long are you guys staying?’ Gray asked. ‘I’ve got plenty of spare rooms but no beds in them.’

  ‘Just overnight,’ Ellis said. ‘We’re booked into the Radisson.’

  Gray saw Melissa taking an interest in Thompson, and decided to make the most of it.

  ‘Do you want to go outside and play with these lovely ladies?’ he asked his daughter.

  Melissa smiled, and he handed her over, then opened the French windows that led onto the expansive rear garden.

  ‘Careful, she’ll wear you out,’ he warned them.

  With the women out of the way, Gray asked about Hamad Farsi.

  ‘He’s doing well. He’s recovering at home and should be back to work in a few weeks. As will Doc Butterworth. I told Ellis how he’d done a good job patching me up over there, and she managed to arrange a flight home last week. I went to see him, to offer my thanks.’

  Gray nodded. ‘I knew about Doc. Len told me he’d made it home. But that’s great news about Hamad. Give him my regards.’ Gray took a sip of his coffee. ‘So how are you and Sarah really holding up?’

  ‘I won’t pretend it’s been easy,’ Harvey said. ‘Sarah wakes up sweating most nights, and once or twice she’s woken me with her screams. She insists everything’s fine, but throughout the day there are signs that she’s still traumatised. She jumps when the postman arrives, and when we went for a walk in the park
a few days ago, her eyes were everywhere and I could feel her shaking.’

  ‘What about professional help?’ Gray asked.

  ‘Five have arranged counselling sessions for both of us. The woman we’re seeing is supposed to be one of the best in her field. It’s early days yet, but I’m hopeful she’ll help Sarah break through this.’

  ‘And you?’

  ‘I’m good,’ Harvey said. ‘According to the shrink, I have high resilience factors. I guess that comes from growing up on a rough estate as a teenager. Sarah’s different, though. She had what she calls a sheltered background, and all this violence was completely new to her. It’s not something you can screen out at the application stage, unless you’re looking for a field-based assignment. Sarah was in it for the career progression, and the ability to withstand extreme torture wasn’t something that came up in the job interview.’

  ‘She seems happy enough now,’ Gray noted, watching the women play with Melissa in the garden.

  ‘I think the change in location is helping,’ Harvey said. ‘When we drive through London she’s constantly on edge, especially if we have to go within a mile of Bessonov’s place. Once the plane took off, the change in her was remarkable. It’s as if she literally left all of her troubles behind.’

  ‘Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like,’ Gray told him. ‘I can get a double bed for one of the spare rooms. I’m sure she’ll love the sunshine. Speaking of which . . .’

  Gray went to the fridge and brought out a plate of steaks, burgers and chicken breasts, along with a bag of vegetables. ‘I thought we’d have a barbecue tonight.’

  ‘Sounds great,’ Harvey said.

  ‘Like I said, you’re welcome to stay longer . . .’

  ‘We would, but I’m afraid we have to head back tomorrow. We have a three-week break in Aruba planned for the end of the month, but first I need to prep the team about a new threat coming out of the Middle East.’

  ‘Oh? Anything I should be concerned about?’