Tony put his notebook away and headed out.
“Tooms, speak to the local boat hires,” she told him.
“See if anybody took a boat out that day to go fishing.” He stood up.
“You got it,” he bellowed and headed for the door.
McCall looked over at Jenny. “Jenny, go back to the motel where we found Jane Doe and flash that picture. Check traffic cams, look at anything that will tell us where she came from.”
Jenny gave a quick friendly salute and pushed through the double doors. Tina looked down at the remains of Bill Foster.
“McCall, just what the hell is going on here?”
Sam shrugged. She had little to go on. Her only lead was the mystery guy who might just turn out to be just some poor man in the wrong place at the wrong time. She stared into space, her thoughts wandering.
Tina recognized the pensive expression and gave a subtle cough.
“Something you want to share?” The detective looked up, shocked for a moment by the interruption.
“Nothing really. I was just thinking that our John Steel would have loved to have been part of this mystery.” Tina nodded, giving a mischievous grin. “Talking of mysteries, how was your date with Doctor Dave?” Tina almost purred as she spoke the words.
McCall gave her a false grin and headed for the door.
“You know where I am if you want to share!” Tina yelled as McCall pushed through the doors.
“Bye, Tina.” Her sarcastic words echoed through the corridors.
TWENTY
Tia May sat in her room while the Stewarts wrote down her account of what happened in the restaurant in Vigo. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was shower and crash into bed. Their questions began to wear her down. After all, she had no idea who had shot at them or why.
They sat facing the cabin door on chairs they had found around the suite. Notebooks and bottles of water lay on a large coffee table in front of them. The debrief felt as if it had gone on for hours and Tia was getting bored and tired with answering the same questions. She looked at the door for a brief moment, half expecting Steel to walk in with that boyish smile on his face—God, she didn’t even know if he was alive. The last she had seen of him was when he bundled her into a taxi, which had brought her away to safety. Tia was no rookie but she had never taken fire like that. Her hands were still shaking from the ordeal.
A sudden knock at the door made them all freeze. Bob Stewart raised a finger to his lips to signal for them to be quiet, and slowly he drew his Glock from the kidney holster beneath his blazer and lifted it so it was next to his right ear. He slowly inched forwards to the door and looked through the small fish-eye spy hole, only to find the corridor empty. He shrugged and put his weapon back into the safety of its holster. He walked back to his seat and picked up the notepad once more.
“Okay, just to run through it again” Tia shot him angry look. She was tired, in fact her eyes were burning from fatigue.
“Look, Bob, no matter how many times you ask me it will still be the same story.” She closed her eyes and masked her eyes with her hand, her thumb and forefinger resting on her temples.
“Sorry, look it’s been a really long day, can’t we pick this up later? I just want to sleep.” Jane Stewart smiled sympathetically.
“Sure, I can’t see any harm in that. I think we have enough facts about what happened.”
Tia smiled and was about to thank her when a voice rang out behind them:
“The facts about what happened, really? I would love to hear what those are, because I am still trying to figure out what exactly did happen.”
They all turned to face the bed, where they found Steel sitting comfortably with his elbows on his thighs and his hands clenched together in front of him, as he leaned forwards.
“How did you......?” Bob Stewart looked confused as he kept looking from the door to Steel’s position on the bed. John took pleasure at Bob Stewart’s baffled expression.
“Don’t worry about it. I’d advise that if you are going to pretend you’re not there, it’s a good idea not to talk loudly, then go suddenly silent. It’s a real giveaway.”
Tia grinned and looked away, hoping that Bob and Jane had not seen her.
“So what do you want, Mr. Black?” Bob asked.
Steel stood up and walked over to Bob, who remained in his seat.
“I want to know what the hell is going on for a start. Ever since I have been on this tub I have been shot at, roughed up by a gorilla in a hotel room, and been pursued by a hot, but creepy waitress. So what’s the story, Bob?”
Bob Stewart stood up slowly. He gazed towards Steel, trying to intimidate him.
“Sorry Mr. Black. Facts about this are on a need-to-know basis. And you don’t need to know.”
Steel resisted the urge to physically confront him, as the other man concluded his lecture by giving a broad obnoxious grin.
John shot a look towards Tia, who was sitting next to Jane.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently. She smiled and nodded silently.
“She is fine, thank you for your concern,” Bob snapped.
“Now if you would please leave we can continue with our discussion.” Bob raised his right arm as if to point the way to the door. Steel made his way in that direction with the other man in close pursuit. Suddenly Steel stopped and turned.
“Why were they at the restaurant?” Bob and Jane Stewart looked confused.
“Your guys should have done a risk assessment on the meeting place.” Bob shrugged.
“We got our orders and she went to meet with another agent. So what?”
Steel closed the distance between the much shorter man, his face within inches of him. “You have no idea why we went, do you? You just took it on orders and you sent us.” Steel growled the words.
“We had orders that the building was secure and that she was to......” Stewart stopped talking, realising he was telling Steel too much.
“I don’t have to explain anything to you, Mr. Black, so if you would kindly.....”
He never finished the sentence, because John Steel grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him against the wall, smashing the wind from his lungs.
“That plaza was a kill zone. Someone either messed up or they set you up. Frankly I don’t care if you guys kill each other, whoever the other side is. What I do care about are the innocent people who got killed because of it.”
Steel could see that Bob wanted to say something.
“And if you say anything about collateral damage I swear I will throw you off the balcony and I will take pleasure in watching the sharks feed on you.”
Beside him Steel was aware of the sound of the hammer being drawn back on a pistol. He turned his head slowly and stared into Jane’s eyes. What she saw in those eyes made her tremble in fear. Her hands began to shake as she pointed her Sig handgun at him.
“You may want to put that pistol down before you shoot him instead of me,” John warned her.
“Personally speaking, you would be doing the world a favour but still...”
Jane Stewart carefully un-cocked the weapon with her thumb and holstered it. Steel then released Bob’s collar, dropping him to the ground.
“Someone sent your people to that plaza. Why?” he demanded. Jane sat down hard and looked up at him.
“Tia said that she received a text saying to go to that meeting spot. We never sent such a message.” Steel nodded as he assessed the facts.
“And the other agents? Did they get the same message?” Bob nodded as he rearranged his blazer and tie.
“Our network is linked, so everyone working on a job gets the same information simultaneously. It saves time.”
Steel pondered the problem for a second. Who were these people who could tap into a government network and access the agent’s cell phones, he wondered?
“I have to call this in,” Bob said, sitting down as he took his phone from his blaz
er pocket.
Steel reached over, took it from him, and tossed it onto the bed. Bob looked up furiously. “What the hell are you doing, Mr. Black?” He stood up and glared at Steel who just pushed him back into his chair.
“If you were thinking about calling the office you may want to find a secure line,” John told him.
“Obviously yours has been compromised.” Jane stood up and took down a small aluminium case, and then, using the numerical lock on the catches, she opened it. Inside were new cell phones without batteries. Taking one out, she inserted the battery and tossed it to Bob.
Tia looked over towards Steel, willing him to stay, but she knew he wouldn’t.
“So what do we do now?” Tia asked.
“Carry on as normal,” Steel told her. “I for one am going to dinner, I am starved.”
Tia gave him a warm smile.
“Me too. I’ll see you there.” Bob sighed.
“I am sure you won’t be missed for one evening.” His tone was almost like a strict parent. Steel grinned and looked into Tia’s sparkling eyes.
“Oh but it’s what you will miss. Everything that is said or done. Every little curious look that someone makes. No, there is too much out there and if we miss one little piece we might miss something important.” He turned and left through the door, leaving Tia staring after him, her eyes capturing that last image of him before the door clicked shut.
Jane turned to Bob, who was waiting to be put through on the phone. He had a curious look on his face as he regarded the balcony door
“What is it?” she asked.
“How did he get in anyway?” Bob Stewart muttered angrily.
Jane rolled her eyes at the question. “For goodness sake! Now you ask!”
Steel returned to his room knowing that the Stewarts would never give up any secrets, not intentionally, anyway. As well as learning Tia was okay he had discovered that the Stewarts had no idea that an unknown party had compromised them. In Steel’s past, he had worked with agencies of all descriptions and in one respect they were alike: they were in fact more trouble than they were helpful, or so he had always found. To these nefarious bodies, everyone was regarded as the enemy.
He showered and changed into his black tuxedo for another engaging night of false pleasantries and laughter, another night of what he saw to be lies and deception. He grinned at the prospect of his brain been taxed by strangers’ chatter about how good their lives were and seeing through the charade. He took the jacket out of the closet and slipped it on over his black shirt and black vest. He stood for a moment in front of the long mirror and made sure everything was in place. He leant forwards, checked his teeth and then combed his hair to the side with his fingers. Steel saw the clock’s reflection in the mirror, it was almost seven.
He smiled to himself, headed for the bedside cabinet and took out his cell phone. He held it up towards the light so he could see along its flat glass surface to find out if the double-sided tape had collected any prints. He almost seemed disappointed when he concluded there’d been no tampering. Happy that the phone was secure, he typed in the code to unlock the SIM card and sent a quick message to Detective Sam McCall:
HEADING OUT TO SEA TONIGHT SO THERE WILL BE NO CONTACT. SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. STEEL.
Steel watched as the hourglass symbol spin round slowly before disappearing then the message appeared to tell him that the text had been sent. He switched off the phone and put it away again. He was now alone. He would have no contact with anyone until the ship neared the US.
Happy faces filled the captain’s dining room, laughter and music drowned out conversations and provided the perfect excuse not to be heard by unwelcome ears. Steel walked in casually and stopped near the entrance. Looking round he took in the room for a moment, his eyes scanned the area like a bird of prey, watching for something or someone out of place. He walked over to the seating plan and was pleasantly surprised to see he was back on the captain’s table, then he grinned as he saw with whom he was sharing the evening. The band started to play a slow waltz, which Steel had learnt indicated, ‘Take your seats for dinner’. He glided over towards the table to find most of the dinner guests already seated. Already arrived were the Studebakers, the Metcalfs, The Dawsons and the large frame of Martin Goddard.
“Good evening.” He greeted them with a smile that they returned readily as he took his seat next to Missy Studebaker. The table was buzzing with conversation when he had first arrived but it was restrained, more of a silent hum of whispers.
“Hope you’re not talking about me?” Steel said jokingly as he placed the napkin on to his lap.
Albert Studebaker leant in towards Steel and gestured for him to come closer, necessary because he and his wife were on the other side of the table.
“We heard that the captain is bringing some real big shot to the table tonight,” Albert confided.
“Don’t know what his name is, though.”
“Really?” Steel smiled and sat back into his chair as the wine waiter started to pour a full-bodied red into his glass. He had thought it strange that three seats were vacant and now he knew why. From out of the corner of his eye, Steel caught a glimpse of Martin Goddard’s large bulk, however it was Goddard’s open-mouthed expression that alerted Steel that something was happening.
Martin was looking behind Steel and towards the entrance. Steel turned slowly to catch the elegant form of Tia May in a strapless electric-blue dress. Steel could see she was enjoying the hungry eyes that were undressing her and, in truth, he couldn’t blame them: she was a picture of loveliness.
Steel stood up as Tia approached her seat between Albert and Martin.
“Good evening, Miss May, glad to see you could make it after all,” he welcomed her.
Tia took her seat as a waiter assisted her with the chair.
“Oh well, you never know what you may miss if you never go anywhere, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Black?”
Steel placed the napkin on the table and picked up his wineglass. As he took a sip from the wine, Steel realised that he had not seen Grant for some time—in fact they had not crossed paths since he had come back on board. His eyes scoured the room for any sign of the journalist but found nothing; he sincerely hoped that Grant was okay.
The change in music meant it was eight o’clock and everyone stood as the captain walked in with another man. Captain Long waved at the many people as if he were some kind of hero or statesman. He stood at the head of the table and his companion took the place next to him. This man was around six foot one tall, with thick black hair that glistened with oil. He had a face that could have been on a fashion magazine and blue eyes that sparkled in the candlelight. He stood upright and straight-backed, as if to make himself bigger, and he had an air of arrogance about him that probably impressed women, but that men no doubt found offensive.
With open arms, the captain beckoned everyone to sit, at which point the orchestra began playing a waltz to open the dinner, which muffled the sound of chair legs on carpet and the clang of glassware against cutlery and crockery as people took their seats. Steel took note of everyone’s reaction to this new face. The investigator just sat back and watched as everyone sat in silence, their eyes measuring up this new addition to the table.
“So, everyone, I would like you to meet an—um—acquaintance of mine, Mr Anthony Blacke.”
The atmosphere around the table changed dramatically. Steel looked over towards Tia, who looked puzzled and upset. Behind the captain, Steel saw the waitress from earlier on, who nearly dropped the two wine bottles she was carrying. At that moment he realised that Tia and the other women had mistaken him for the man who now sitting next to the captain. He was somehow relieved that he was no longer the target of people’s attentions, but also felt a little used by Tia, though he reflected that it was a nice way to be used.
Steel felt the mood alter as wineglasses were refilled and conversations ensued like a stuck recording, as each of the dinner guests talked endle
ssly about their lives before the cruise, all except Steel who just sat there and observed the goings on around him. He was still amazed at how each time he heard the same tale of someone’s life story, it never changed. He looked around, chiefly to observe Tia’s reaction to this guy, Anthony Blacke.
She sat calmly and broke a smile when she felt it necessary to do so, but otherwise there was something dark hidden in her eyes. The table was captivated by Anthony Blacke’s stories of how he was a self-made millionaire and how one of his pastimes was bringing aid to needy countries around the world. Steel sat through several courses, listening to the self-aggrandising stories. Certainly, the man had charisma, but something about him bothered Steel.
Blacke looked over at Steel as he was laughing with the others and found him just smiling pleasantly in a way that made him nervous. Blacke picked up his wineglass and took a long sip, his eye contact held by Steel’s cold blue searching stare.
“So, Mr. Black, what do you suppose are the chances of meeting someone with almost the same name?” Anthony Blacke joked.
Steel cracked a smile. “Indeed. What are the chances?” Steel’s words were slow and drawn out, almost questioning the questioner. Antony Black was an old alias he had used many years ago when he had done some black ops for an American agency. He still had the credit cards and passports in that name, and had preserved the background identity for just such an eventuality as this trip. Steel wondered if the similar names was a coincidence, or could Anthony Blacke’s identity be just as fake as his own.
“So, Mr Black, or may I call you Antony?” the newcomer said.
Steel gave a slight hand gesture to say ‘Carry on’, to which Blacke smiled.
“What do you do for a living?”
The investigator eased back in his chair and smiled broadly, realising that he would eventually be put on the spot. He picked up his wineglass and took a small sip. The earthy bouquet from the wine tantalized his senses, but he was in no mood to enjoy it.
Operation:UNITY (John Steel series Book 2) Page 24
