The Diva Crusade (John McRae Book 1)

by Phoenix Ford

  "I guess I don't exactly understand my role in Cyprus. What do you want me to do there?" asked John.

  "We will have to play it by ear because we don't yet know exactly what Eleanora has up her sleeve, but your main role is simply to help me maintain my cover. If MI6 can catch her in the act we will be able to shut down her activities. There's no telling what she is planning next against the Islamic State." Sylvia looked very serious as she spoke to him.

  "Okay," said John. "Does this train have a dining car? I'm a bit hungry. I didn't have much for lunch today."

  "I'm sure it does. Shall we go there together? The food probably won't be great, but it's a good way to kill some time until we reach Bari. We should be there just after 10 PM."

  "Sounds good to me," said John, standing up.

  As expected, John and Sylvia arrived in Bari a few minutes past 10 PM. They each carried one small suitcase which they pulled on wheels through the train station to the taxi stand outside. Once their bags were loaded into the trunk the driver asked where they were going. Speaking her excellent Italian, Sylvia gave him the address of the private airport. After twenty minutes they arrived, paid the driver and wheeled their bags through a small terminal where they were met by a tall Englishman, their pilot. He introduced himself as Tony and escorted them out to the tarmac to a white Cessna Grand Caravan turboprop airplane. Thirty minutes later they were in the air enroute to Crete.

  When Sylvia and John arrived at the pier in Crete a sizable motor yacht glistened in the overhead lights along the pier. "Princesse Sophie, Nice," the name and home port of the yacht was emblazoned on its stern with a fleur de lis and a tricolor French flag hanging from the slanted flag pole. John glanced at his watch. Not accounting for any change of time zones, John's watch indicated it was 3:37 AM, November 2nd. He was glad to be wearing a light leather jacket. His new mobile phone indicated it was 60 degrees Fahrenheit, rather chilly with the brisk wind.

  "I see we're going French," John commented.

  "Yes, if we are boarded we have French registration papers showing it belongs to a charter yacht company located in Nice, France. However, that's all subterfuge," replied Sylvia. "It is really owned by the Royal Navy which uses it for clandestine purposes. The yacht was returning from another mission to a British naval base in Cyprus so we were fortunate to arrange a brief stop here. I've been on it before on another MI6 operation. Shall I give you a tour?"

  Two men in plain white uniforms met them as they boarded the yacht. "This is our captain, Max, and this is James who is in charge of the galley and a number of other details. They are actually with the Royal Navy. Gentlemen, for purposes of this trip I introduce Ron Hartford from Canada, and I am his wife, Catherine," Sylvia smiled as she made the introductions. John shook hands with them. Turning to John, Sylvia said "Shall I give you a tour?"

  "That would be a good idea," replied John. "This looks like a very nice yacht."

  "Yes," replied Sylvia. "I believe you will find it quite comfortable. There are three staterooms, a saloon, galley, covered rear deck and quarters for the small crew. It's 78 feet in length, very fast and outfitted with all sorts of radar and sonar and some carefully concealed defensive equipment in case we run into trouble." John followed Sylvia through the yacht as she gave him the grand tour.

  Afterwards, Sylvia turned to him and said "It's so very late, and after the day you had I suggest we get some sleep. I'm tired too."

  John smiled wearily. "Yes, that's exactly what I want to do."

  "Good," said Sylvia. "Let's sleep late, and by the time we're awake we should be only a few hours from Cyprus. This yacht is quite fast."

  CHAPTER 33

  At 1:20 in the afternoon the day after Sylvia and John travelled to Bari Eleanora and Monsignor Polombo sat at the table in a small restaurant not far from her villa. She had met him outside the entrance.

  As she poured red wine into their glasses she said "Really I can't thank you enough, Monsignor. If everything goes as planned we should be able to virtually wipe out the Islamic State fanatics and help our Christian brothers in Syria." They were having a light lunch of gnocci pasta in chicken broth with grated Romano cheese followed by a mixed green salad with freshly baked bread. The spacious room was dominated by a portrait of the last king and queen of Italy on one side of the room. The sunlight streaming through the two large windows was so bright the overhead chandelier was not needed.

  "There's no need to thank me, cara. We are fighting those murderous extremists together," he smiled. "I just hope you will take every precaution and stay safe. Please promise me that you will not go to Cyprus alone."

  "Please don't worry, Monsignor," she said briefly placing her hand on his arm as she looked directly into his eyes. "Angelo and his two best men are going with me. A friend has graciously agreed to lend me his eight seat private plane and pilot so that we can keep the lowest profile possible."

  "If you make the purchase successfully how will you get the goods to the brothers of St. Pachomius?" he asked.

  "I called the same Greek Orthodox priest in Cyprus who helped us get the explosives into Syria. I understand that if I can get the goods to a particular dock near Kyrenia harbor a fishing boat will transport them several miles away from the island where they will be transferred to a boat hired by the brothers of St. Pachomius."

  "I presume the Greek priest is helping us of his own initiative and is keeping our operations secret from the Greek Orthodox Church," said the monsignor with a serious look. "This matter must not be linked to them just as it cannot be linked to the Vatican in any way."

  "Don't worry, Monsignor. They fully understand the risks just as we understand them. These activities are being carried out by individuals and not by any church or other organization. Even the abbot of the brothers of St. Pachomius has not been informed, or so I have been told."

  "Assuming you successfully make the purchase, how will you get the goods to the dock?" asked the monsignor.

  "The fewer details you know the safer you will be," Eleanora said with a polite smile. Eleanora was just finishing her gnocci in chicken broth. "Are you ready for your salad?" she asked.

  "Yes, thank you," said the Monsignor, sipping his wine. "The gnocci were delicious. You're leaving tomorrow, is that correct?"

  "Yes, early tomorrow morning I will ride with Angelo and his men in Angelo's SUV to a private airport outside Rome where the plane will be waiting. Fortunately the weather report is good. Do you have the cash?"

  "Yes," said the Monsignor. "Provided you did not drive to this restaurant I will give you a ride back to your villa."

  "Excellent!" smiled Eleanora. "I knew I could count on you, my dear friend."

  "You can always count on me, cara. I have known you since you were a child." He smiled back at her.

  Colin had listened to the recorded call Eleanora had made to the monsignor from her study earlier that morning and now sat at a table by himself approximately fifteen feet away from the contessa and the monsignor in the restaurant. He had ordered his meal and was sipping his wine while apparently reading a book. The book was really a listening device which was discreetly connected to a tiny earpiece. He had heard the entire conversation between the contessa and the monsignor which was also recorded by the device.

  Eleanora and Monsignor Polombo finished their meal and walked leisurely to his nearby car, a small late model gray Fiat sedan. They drove to her villa where he pulled into her spacious garage next to her BMW. Eleanora quickly opened her door, got out and pushed a button on the wall to lower the garage door for privacy. She also switched on an overhead light. Monsignor Polombo walked to the rear of the Fiat, opened the trunk and pulled out a medium-sized metallic suitcase with a combination lock. He placed it in the trunk of the BMW. "The code to the combination is 4--1-8-8," he said.

  After they said their goodbyes and the Monsignor drove away, Eleanora went to her study and called Angelo. She gave him the locations of the private airport outside Rome as well as the one
where they would be landing near Kyrenia. "Yes, that's correct, Angelo," she said into the phone. "Please be at my villa no later than seven o'clock in the morning. It's a turboprop plane, not a jet. I want to get there in time to go to the freight forwarder's office before the close of business."

  CHAPTER 34

  When John woke he didn't know where he was for a split-second, but the motion of the yacht quickly brought the previous day and night back into focus. He rolled over, saw that Sylvia was not there and sat up on the edge of the bed. He felt quite sore. His back hurt where he could feel the bandages the doctor had told him to wear overnight. His legs ached, presumably from his rough landing when he climbed over the wall in his escape from the kidnappers. His watch indicated it was 12:32 PM, but he figured it was actually an hour later because they must be in a different time zone by now. He put on a pair of slippers and a terry cloth robe Sylvia must have laid out for him and went into the small head. A few minutes later he walked out of the stateroom and found Sylvia drinking coffee in the saloon.

  Looking up Sylvia smiled. "Good afternoon, John. How do you feel?"

  "Good afternoon, Sylvia. Other than feeling like I've been stepped on by an elephant I feel okay." He smiled. "As you can see, I haven't showered or shaved yet. I wasn't sure I could remove the bandages on my back yet."

  "Why don't you sit here next to me and drink some coffee. When you're ready there are some delicious chicken salad sandwiches, or would you prefer breakfast?"

  "Chicken salad sounds good," he replied. "What time is it where we are?"

  "It's only one hour later than Italy. Right now it's 1:47 PM. We should be approaching Cyprus in another hour and a half according to Max." She poured his coffee. "There's hot milk here and sugar if you want either."

  "Thank you," John replied. "I only take milk in my coffee. I usually drink three cups. How long have you been awake?"

  "Well, I've been up for about two hours. I woke several times during the night, but you seemed to be out cold." She smiled at him.

  John took Sylvia's hand for a moment and said "Despite the circumstances of this adventure I am so happy to be with you." He kissed her on the cheek.

  "Well, I'm so happy you escaped that shed yesterday and are here to be with me," she replied. She placed a small plate in front of him with a napkin and handed him a small platter with chicken salad sandwiches on thick slices of crusty Italian bread.

  Taking a bite, John said "This is delicious. I love Italian bread."

  "I do too," she replied. "There are so many different types of it too. There's plenty of time, but after you finish your coffee and sandwich I can remove your bandages so that you can take a shower."

  "Thanks," he said. "The doctor said I only needed them overnight, mainly to prevent the scratches from bleeding onto my clothing. They're pretty superficial. Has Colin learned anything new?"

  "He sent me an encrypted message saying he had followed the contessa and the monsignor to a restaurant and planned to call me as soon as he has more information. So far he hasn't called, but we're going to dock in Kyrenia on the northern coast of Cyprus because we already know that's where the contessa plans to meet with a freight forwarder. That way we will already be nearby."

  "Have you been up on the deck yet?" John asked. "I was just wondering whether it is warmer here or about the same."

  "It's about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and as you can see it's a sunny day. After you have showered and dressed perhaps we would enjoy sitting on the deck."

  "That sounds good," said John. "This really is a nice yacht," he commented looking around the saloon. It looks like there's a sound system. Do you mind if I put on some music. I nearly always listen to baroque music while I wake up."

  "Of course not," she replied. "Baroque music sounds nice to me. If that system has Bluetooth you can use Spotify on the satellite mobile phone I gave you to listen to virtually any music you like."

  "Great idea. I'll check it out."

  Two hours later the Princesse Sophie entered the scenic little harbor at Kyrenia and was headed towards a private marina. Sylvia and John sat on the rear deck. It was still about 65 degrees Fahrenheit with a noticeable breeze. There wasn't a single cloud in the brilliant blue sky.

  "This reminds me of the harbor in Chania, Crete" said John. "I know this is the Turkish part of Cyprus, but it looks so Greek."

  "Well, no wonder," said Sylvia. "Before the partition of Cyprus it was a predominantly Greek town."

  "It's quite beautiful with the castle over there and the ridge of mountains forming the perfect backdrop. It's much smaller than I expected." The yacht had slowed to a snail's pace as it glided into the marina.

  Sylvia turned to John. "Can you ride a motorbike?" she asked.

  "Can I ride a motorbike? Does the bear live in the woods?" he grinned.

  "Good," she smiled. "I found the address of a motorbike rental office only one block behind the harbor. I thought you and I might rent motorbikes and use them to surveil the town. I spoke with Colin when you went to the head while ago. He managed to hear the conversation between the contessa and the monsignor in the restaurant today."

  "Really?" replied John looking back at Sylvia. "What did he learn?"

  "Plenty," said Sylvia. "And it was all recorded. Except for the fact that the recording would most likely be inadmissible as evidence in a court proceeding there's already enough to prove the contessa and the monsignor are definitely spearheading the counter-terror activities against the Islamic State. In their conversation they discussed activities in Syria, working with some Christian religious order in Syria she referred to as 'the brothers of St. Pachomius' and whether the monsignor had the "cash" for purchase of 'the goods' in Kyrenia. He suggested that he should give her a ride in his car back to her villa where he presumably gave her the money to buy 'the goods,' whatever they may be. He cautioned her to be careful, and she told him she was taking somebody named Angelo and three of his best men. She said a friend had lent his private plane and pilot to her for a trip to Kyrenia. She was planning to leave Rome early tomorrow morning."

  "So, what are we going to be looking for on our motorbikes this afternoon?" asked John.

  "We need to generally familiarize ourselves with the town. It's not very large, only 33,000 people, give or take a few hundred. I sent a message to MI6 headquarters asking for the names and addresses of freight forwarders here. They replied that there are many in Cyprus but that only one, Bozkurt Brothers, has a local office. It's near the port. Its main offices are in Istanbul."

  "Do you want to take a look at their office?" asked John.

  "Yes, and as I may have mentioned yesterday Eleanora made a reservation for tomorrow night at the Arkin Colony Hotel, so we want to find that."

  Two men in uniforms were waiting on the pier as Max and James tied up the yacht and secured the boarding ramp in place. "It looks like Customs has just arrived. Let me have your passport to give to Max who will do all the talking." Sylvia took John's passport and her own to Max to show to the officials. After a cursory inspection of the yacht the officials collected the harbor fee and stamped all their passports before leaving the yacht. They were mainly looking for commercial goods and firearms. Because Cyprus had previously been a British colony and still had many British residents and tourists there was nothing the least bit suspicious about two Canadians stopping here on a honeymoon cruise around the Mediterranean.

  CHAPTER 35

  By 1:30 in the afternoon the Princesse Sophie had docked in the private marina. Sylvia had just called Colin and told him to meet them at the yacht when he arrived in Kyrenia later in the afternoon. He was taking a British military airplane to a British base on the island and would then get a ride to Kyrenia. Sylvia picked up her small backpack and turned to John. "Are you ready for a little sightiseeing?" she smiled.

  "I'm all set," he replied. "At least we have a beautiful day for all this cloak and dagger stuff." They were both dressed in jeans with cotton sweaters and sunglasses. J
ohn wore a plain blue baseball cap. Sylvia had covered her hair with a scarf. It was a bit windy. John took her hand as they stepped off the yacht onto a pier.

  The harbor was small so it didn't take long to find the motorbike rental office. They rented two well worn Honda Grom 125cc motorbikes, both red. The only difference between the two was that John's had a small dent in the gas tank. They tested the brakes and checked out the gears as they cruised around the harbor and up a road heading away from the harbor. After a short distance, Sylvia stopped. John pulled up next to her. "Let's return to the harbor and locate Bozkurt Brothers, the freight forwarder."

  "Do you have the address?" asked John.

  "Yes, it's at one end of the harbor. It must be on the end opposite the private marina where we docked. Afterwards we'll locate the Arkin Colony Hotel where Eleanora has a reservation tomorrow."

  Kyrenia was such a small town it didn't take long to locate the freight forwarder. Their office was in an old building with a newer metal warehouse behind it. John and Sylvia stopped just after they passed it. "Do you want to go inside" he asked.

  "No," said Sylvia. "We want to stay as invisible as possible. When it turns dark we might return so that I can try to peek inside. We still don't know what type of goods Eleanora plans to purchase, and we most likely won't know until after she arrives. I'm hoping we will be able to eavesdrop on her conversation with someone in that office when she makes the deal."

  "What do you think she might buy?" asked John.

  "It could be weapons, explosives or something like that, I really don't know, except that it must be something to bring harm to the Islamic State." Sylvia looked very serious.

  "Well, if Colin already overheard the contessa making arrangements for money with the monsignor why can't you stop her now?"

  "Good question," said Sylvia. "We certainly could stop her now, but it would be better to let her make the deal, take possession of whatever it is and pay for it. Then we can seize whatever it is as well as her. We need to be very vigilant too. In addition to the men Eleanora is bringing with her, the men from the Islamic State who are supposed to buy the goods on November 7th could show up at any time."