Stopping World War Three

by Stan Mason

  Dear Jason,

  I know this will come as a shock and I am sorry for the inconvenience but by the time you receive this letter I’ll be many miles away. Since our wedding I became more disappointed in you as the months went by. You seem to think that life is a constant round of changing jobs, moving house, ending commitments and then starting all over again.

  It’s impossible to argue the facts with you, You were always away at evenings and weekends to play bridge. Although it went against the grain

  I managed to endure it. But when I l earned of your infidelity with your secretary, that was the last straw. After all the mental stress in our marriage I was the one cast aside at the end. I don’t know what the future has in store. All

  I know is that you won’t be sharing my life with me again. Oddly enough, once you’ve mended your pride, I don’t think my absence will mean much to you. But that’s how you are.

  Jan

  I allowed the letter to slip from my fingers and stared coldly at Primar. ‘You bastard!’ I swore angrily. ‘You didn’t have to tell her about Penny.’

  ‘Me?’ he exclaimed with innocence in his eyes, completely taken aback by the accusation. ‘I think you owe me an apology for that remark, old boy! I might have been forced in that direction for my next move if you turned me down flat but I hadn’t got that far.’

  ‘If that’s true,’ I countered, ‘how did you know about the letter?’

  ‘By accident,’ he related calmly. ‘When I arrived, your secretary was out of the office. A well-dressed lady entered with this envelope in one hand and a suitcase in the other. She seemed very distressed, threw the envelope on the desk and hurried out. I was curious. The enveloped hadn’t been sealed so I read the letter.’

  ‘God... you must be desperate!’ I accused him acidly. ‘What on earth is your motivation?’ He failed to reply so I turned on my secretary who pushed the photographs back to me with a pained expression on her face. ‘Someone’s set me up!’ I snarled. ‘What do you know about it?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she blurted out, almost in tears. ‘I know nothing about it.’ She turned to Primar, her bosom heaving with emotion. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’

  ‘None of this concerns you, my dear,’ Primar told her smoothly. ‘I suggest you get on with your duties and ignore what you’ve seen. In fact you’d be wise to forget you ever saw me.’

  ‘But this does concern her!’ I told him savagely. ‘We’re in these photographs together and you told me that we were involved in stealing company funds. How can she ignore complicity?’

  He bridled for a moment. ‘Jason... she doesn’t have to get involved. She’s not part of the plan. Don’t you understand?’

  ‘No!’ I shouted, ‘you’re the one who doesn’t understand! Now that my wife’s left me, your threat of exposing me to her is doomed to failure. I have no fear of that any more.’

  Primar issued a hollow laugh. ‘I wasn’t going to expose you but your employers will think differently when they examine the accounts. Think it through properly, man! Look... I’m here with a propostion. Okay... I’m beefing up my request in my own way to get what I want but it’s to benefit both of us. If you don’t come with me on the flight to Israel within the next two hours, you’ll be spending the night in a police cell... both you and Miss Smith. Listen to me carefully, Jason. I want you on my side not against me.’

  I dismissed my secretary with a wave of my hand and moved over to the window again. The roar of the crowd below surged into the office drowning the noise made by the brass band as the monarch came into view. Everyone waved frantically as the raiments worn by royalty glowed with an aura of brilliant Technicolor, reflecting the light of a myriad of sparkling jewels which embellished them in majestic splendour.

  I turned and place my hand on my wife’s letter as if to blot it out before turning to Primar. ‘What happens now?’

  He tossed the old matchstick into the ash-tray, drew a fresh one from his pocket, and started to chew on it. ‘Let’s evaluate your current position, Jason. Your wife has left you. Your secretary will treat you like a leper because of the photograps. Your employers will call the police within the next twenty-four hours on the financial shortfall. In any case, you could be waiting ten or fifteen years for decent promotion all the time being promised greater rewards in the future.l It doesn’t sound very good, does it? Life is passing you by a rate of knots, old boy. But I’m offering you instant thrills and excitement. All I ask is that you trust me.’

  ‘Trust you!’ I challenged. ‘I meet a man by chance on the Costa del Sol. Some time later, he places me under surveillance and wants me to fly to the Middle East at two hours notice. Then he says ‘Trust me!’ You must be crazy!’

  ‘Don’t be naïve!’ he returned coldly. ‘I knew all about you long before we met in Spain. You were on my short list of recruits.’

  ‘Recruits!’ I guffawed. ‘For the 21st Century Crusaders... ... whoever they might be!’

  ‘Everything will be revealed to you in good time., my friend,’ he insisted. ‘I suggest you tell your secretary you’re taking two weeks’ vacation. I’ll drive you to your house and you can pack a bag before flying with me to Israel.’

  ‘What’s so important about Israel?’

  ‘It’s the first stepping-stone. You’ll soon find out.’

  ‘The first stepping-stone of the 21st Century Crusaders?’

  He shook his head sagely. ‘I told you... all in good time, my friend. You have a certain way with you, Jason. Positive, ruthless, definite.’ His face broke into a smile. ‘I like that in a man.’

  ‘And Penny Smith comes with me,’ I told him with determination in my voice. Wherever I go she comes with me.’ The thought of losing my wife and my mistress at the same time was too difficult to bear.

  The smile disappeared from Primar’s face. ‘Not possible,’ he stated bluntly. ‘The faster you detach yourselves from each other the better. This is no adventure for a woman.’

  ‘Then the deal’s off,’ I responded equally firmly. If she doesn’t go I won’t. I’ll face the consequences whatever they may be!’

  He chewed on the matchstick for almost ten seconds and then got to his feet. ‘Okay, We all have to make sacrifices. I suppose this one’s going to be mine.’ He reached the door and turned to face me. ‘I’ve changed my mind about flying today. Best make it nine o’clock tomorrow morning at Stanstead Airport. I’ll be there to meet you and brief you.’

  ‘Don’t you think I ought to know a little more about what I’m getting myself into?’ I ventured. ‘You owe me that much.’

  ‘There’ll be plenty of time tomorrow. We’ll talk during the flight. That’s a promise.’

  He departed leaving me in a foul mood. It was becoming the kind of day when nothing turned out right. Primar and my wife had turned my world upside down in the space of fifteen minutes. I was suddenly a free agent. Perhaps it was the best. Someone once told me that everyone’s life was planned in Heaven and whatever you did it would only turn out according to the set plan. What had Jan written in her letter to him. ‘I am sorry for the inconvenience’. How bizarre! Wht on earth was she talking about? They had been in perfect harmony, hardly every arguing. She claimed that he left her often to play bridge. She knew what she was in for when she married me. I had reached the Camrose Trials to be selected to play for England. Clearly she was becoming short in her vision with even less foresight. However, she was right about one thing. It wouldn’t be long before I nursed my pride back to good health although I could never stop loving her. Yes... I was having an affair with my secretary but it didn’t mean I felt anything less for my wife. I was a man with a sexual apetite that Jan couldn’t deal with. I still loved her deeply and it was a shock to know that she had left me.

  I pressed the intercom and told Penny to block all calls and visitors to the office.
I needed to assess my position more carefully. Although Primar had advised me to take two weeks’ holiday, I had a gut feeling that whatever destiny had in store for me would take a great deal longer. I sat at the desk for some time wrestling with future as I doodled on the blotting pad in front of me. Then I stood up and returned to the window, looking down at the empty streets strewn with litter left by the sightseers who had long departed. By this time, the ceremony at St.Paul’s Cathedral would be well under way and I mused at the affinity which existed between the Prince and myself. We were each embarking on a new venture that would alter the trend of our lives... although our journeys would move in entirely different directions. Nevertheless, I intended to face the challenge with no regrets at not being the Prince... and no doubt the Prince, had he even the remotest knowledge of my existence, would have had no desire to change places with me.

  Chapter Two

  By the end of the day, when the dust had settled, my secretary left a message with Personnel Department to say that I was taking two weeks’ leave as a result of domestic problems. They would not consider it strange that Penny Smith was also taking her leave entitlement for many secretaries took their holidays the same time as their managers.

  Penny was obviously upset after Primar’s visit. She seemed convinced that I was being blackmailed and that I was shielding her. I had never donned the mantle of a gallant before but I did nothing to dissuade her. I recalled that she once told me that her father had been a vicar in the north of England before he died. No doubt she had a mother with a high degree of propriety who would have taken fright had she ever caught sight of the photographs.

  I accompanied Penny back to her apartment so that she could pack a suitcase. I had to admit that it was not a wise decision to take her with me but we seemed to be involved in this mess together. We gathered her belongings and returned to my house. It seemed cold and empty without Jan there to greet me. Everything was still in its place; none of the furniture, the paintings or the bric-a-brac had been removed. The repatriation of many of the possessions we shared was likely to come later.

  The night passed by with an uneasy calm for neither of us could claim that we had slept well... if indeed we had slept at all because we felt that, at any moment, the police could come knocking at the front door to arrest us for stealing the company’s funds. Consequently, when morning arrived and light entered the bedroom, we both felt extremely tired.

  Primar failed to meet us at the airport but his absence didn’t create a problem. As we proceeded through to the reception area, we saw a young man holding a wooden pole bearing a sheet of paper which had my name written in block capitals. He also held a photograph in his hand to enable him to recongise us.

  ‘I’m Chedda!’ he announced brightly in a clipped accent as we approached him. ‘Primar has been delayed but he asked that you wait for him on board the plane. Come... if you follow me I’ll take you to it.’

  He led us across the tarmac towards a strange aircraft I had never seen before. The door was open and he pointed to the steps indicating for us to climb aboard. Chedda’s face broke into a smile when he saw the confused expression on my face. ‘You know something about aircraft, eh?’ he laughed easily. ‘But you’ve never seen one like this. I’m not surprised. It’s a Kfir Junior,’ he explained. ‘Kfir is the Israeli for ‘lion’. The advantage is it can fly much further than other light aircraft bcause it has additional fuel tanks fitted to keep it going. You’ll learn the Israelis are a great nation for ingenuity.’

  We ascended the steps into the aircraft as Chedda placed our luggage in a locker placed on one side of the cabin. The interior was practically new and very smart capable of carrying six passengers comfortably.

  ‘How many others are coming with us... apart from Primar?’ I asked tentatively,

  ‘You have star treatment and total privacy today,’ he replied.

  ‘In fact once the door to the pilot’s cabin is closed, no one can see you and you can do anything you wish. The cocktail cabinet is over here and food is in the locker there. Excuse me for a moment. I’ll take this opportunity to warm up the engine.’

  He left us for a while and we relaxed in the soft comfortable seats acclimatising ourselves to the new environment. Primar had thought of everything. There were the morning newspapers, the latest magazines, cigarettes, cigars, sweets and alcoholic drinks. We were about to travel in style!

  It was almost ten minutes before Chedda reappeared. I lowered my newspaper and, at the sight of the expression on his face, sensed that he was going to present us with bad news.

  ‘We have a problem,’ he advanced solemnly. ‘Primar hasn’t arrived but but traffic control has given me clearance to take off. I can’t delay because of airport flight schedules so I’ll have to go. Will you secure your safety belts and be ready for take-off. And please... no smoking for a while... yes?’

  Before I had the chance to ask him any questions, he had returned to the pilot’s cabin. Penny and I glanced at each other uneasily. I shrugged my shoulders in a casual manner but the truth was that Primar hadn’t turned up as he promised.

  ‘How long do you think this journey will take?’ asked Penny apprehensively.

  ‘Just short of four hours I would think,’ I answered. ‘It all depends on tailwinds. They can make a difference of over half an hour.’

  The engines took on a more fortified note as Chedda taxied the aircraft along the runway and, within the span of less than a minute, the plane had taken to the skies. I smiled amiably at Penny but it was impossible to shift a discomforting sensation that something was very much amiss.

  After we had gained considerable height, I opened the cocktail cabinet to pour the drinks. What had happened to Primar? Why hadn’t he arrived? The only person who might know the answer was the pilot, Chedda, but then it was reasonable to presume he didn’t know. For the first time in a long while my nerves started to get the better of me and I had difficulty in sitting still. I managed to find a pack of playing cards and began to play patience to calm myself down while Penny ploughed through a number of the magazines. It was nearly an hour when I tired of the card., I stood up and looked out of the port window for a while, gazing dismally at the white clouds floating below us like cotton-wool. Then, impatiently, I went to the door of the pilot’s cabin and knocked on the door. There was no answer so I turned the handle a number of times only to discover that it was locked,

  ‘Hey, Chedda!’ I called out at the top of my voice. ‘Open the door! I want to speak with you!’

  There was silence for a few moments, then his voice rang out over the communication system. ‘Sorry about this, Mr.Scott but I have strict instructions not to communicate with you or open the door of this cabin. Those were Primar’s specific orders. You have everything you need in there. I suggest you wait until we land when we may both learn something to our advantage.’

  ‘What’s going on, Chedda?’ I pressed urgently. ‘What the hell’s happening?’

  ‘Don’t ask me. I’m just a hired pilot,’ he replied calmly. ‘I’m just obeying orders. Maybe Primar will contact us on the radio soon and then we’ll find out.’

  ‘You must have known he wasn’t coming on this trip when we met at the airport.’

  ‘What difference does it make? I told you, I’m only the pilot.’

  ‘Let’s not play games!’ I shouted, turning partly to face Penny who stared at me with concern. ‘Open the door! If you don’t I’ll break it down!’

  ‘Be sensible, Mr. Scott,’ advised Chedda unhelpfully. ‘Just enjoy the trip. Make yourself comfortable until we reach our destination.

  The communication system went dead and I hammered on the door with my fists until realising the futility of my actions. I then noticed that the door to the pilot’s cabin had been reinforced by a steel sheet preventing anyone from breaking it down. I returned to my seat angrily. Why should Primar
say he wanted me to accompany him to Israel and then fail to turn up? Why should he give the pilot specific instructions not to communicate and refuse to let me into the pilot’s cabin? None of it made any sense! Primar was not the kind of man who issued orders wantonly. He always had a motive in mind. I regretted having insisted that Penny came with me on this trip. On reflection, it had been a rash and foolhardy idea. My lack of foresight, especially as I mistrusted Primar, had brought her to the forefront of danger. I tried to relax telling myself that it was pointless to become agitated in a fight I could not win. We were captive passengers trapped in a cabin until the end of the journey.

  It was distinctly to our advantage that the tail-winds favoured us that day. We made exceptional headway, reducing the time of our arrival substantially. I stared at the face of my wristwatch for about the fortieth time when Chedda’s voice rang out over the communication system.

  ‘I hope you haven’t been too bored back there. Better fasten your seat-belts and refrain from smoking. We’re coming in to land shortly.’

  I finished my drink determined not to be hurried but Penny obeyed the request instantly securing herself tightly in her seat. I stood up to look out of the starboard window to look at the terrain in the distance. We were still out to sea but approaching the shore very quickly. The pilot warned us once again of the imminent landing and I say down to secure my safety-belt.

  ‘Hold on!’ he shouted. ‘We’re coming in to land!’

  It was the last sentence he ever uttered because there was a tremendous explosion in the cockpit which caused havoc. If the door to the pilot’s cabin had not been locked, or if it hadn’t been reinforced with a sheet of steel, we would have been blown to pieces at the same time.