Chapter 37
She slid through the front door, closing it behind her. Taking the scarf from around her neck she hung it, and her jacket, on the ornate coat stand with its integral mirror and picked up her handbag again.
She found him sitting over a glass of chilled wine at the kitchen table, deep in thought. He looked up, gave a weak smile and filled her glass.
"What are you thinking, sweetheart?" she said as she placed her bag on the table, took the drink he offered and sat down.
"Oh, nothing much. Did you sort out everything at your end?"
She sighed and sipped the wine. "Mmmm, I needed that. Yes, I told them we're taking a short holiday in France, the Loire, and we'll be back in a week. What about you? Did you get the passports?"
"No." He topped his glass up. "They've arrested ‘Smolensk’. It's all over the village. They didn't try to disguise it either. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. If they didn't hide it maybe they don't know about us. Naturally, I couldn't get the passports done. It's just as well I didn't do it yesterday, if he'd collected them from the cafe they would've had the photos so maybe it's a blessing. I'll keep them anyway in case they're needed later."
She lit a cigarette and pulled the ashtray a bit closer. "And the flights?"
"I've had to book them in our own names. I couldn't get anything for Sunday so it has to be Monday now. It's done and we can still do this tomorrow, it's the best time, there'll be no one around. Then we just collect our things and stay at the safe house in London. Monday afternoon we'll be sipping champagne in Stockholm. I booked the Berns. Hell, why not?"
She blew smoke towards the ceiling and smiled. "Yes, why not." She leant over and touched his hand. "Stop worrying. Everything will be alright. I've told her we'll be there around four. I kept it vague, said I had another client to see. She was fine about it. I'll take the lead with her. The first opportunity, I'll use the syringe, so be ready to restrict her movement. It should be quick, I've increased the dosage." Exhaled smoke headed rapidly for the kitchen door then decided to give up. "And then we hang her from the banisters." She smiled again.
"What if we can't find anything suitable? I know you said she uses scarves but what if we can't find them?" He pulled a cigarette from the packet and lit up.
She shook her head as she inhaled. "It'll be fine. I'll know where to look and anyway, I bought an inexpensive little scarf that will do the trick if disaster strikes. It'll be a breeze, as long as no one intervenes."
He got up, leaving his cigarette in the ashtray, "I need something a bit stronger," then wandered into the living room returning with a scotch and soda.
"Which reminds me, the visitors Mike mentioned the other day, I spoke to an Inspector I know from the Freemasons. He doesn't work in Swindon but knows a couple of people who do. They say there's no Inspector Gallagher working for their CID as far as they know though there is a Sergeant Carragher who deals with vehicle crime. They reckon maybe Mike misheard the name."
He sucked on the cigarette then stubbed it out and downed the whisky in one. "He said, Carragher's off with the flu at the moment so that might be why he never came back.” He raised his empty glass. “I'm having another."
She shook her head as he walked away. "I'll start tea in a moment, so make the most of it."
When he sat back down, she said, "Well, the description is vaguely similar to the man who passed us that day. Everything about him said ‘Police’ to me but we've not seen anything unusual and we have been very careful. I'm fairly certain no one's been watching us. We'll see what happens tomorrow. If we get there a bit early we can have a little tour just to check the place out." She finished her drink, stood up and refreshed the glass. "Right, I'll pop that lasagne in the oven and do a quick salad."
As she made her way to the fridge, he said, "Helen, you know I love you, don't you?"
She returned, stroked his head then bent down and kissed him.
"I know, and I love you too, very much."
He looked up. "Everything will be ok, won't it? Or should we just go now?"
She laughed. "What? And ruin it all. You silly boy. It'll be fine. It's everything we believe in and everything we've worked for all these years."
She gently stroked his head again, held him to her and said, dreamily, "We'll both be 'Heroes of the Soviet Union' and they'll make you a Lieutenant Colonel at least. I can see you in your uniform already. You'll look so handsome and I'll be so proud of you.”