Chapter 22
The Present
“So where are we headed?” Linda breaks the silence inside the van.
“Nowhere just yet. The bosses have not decided to talk to you in person. So here we are waiting for instructions.”
“So we just drive around?”
“Not necessarily.”
The van exits and stops at a small road off Old Rome Street.
“There are a lot of trees, soulless… except for me. Just a nice place to kill someone.” Linda comments.
The van’s door slides open. Several silhouettes of men stand against the sun. And in the middle of them.
“Soulless?” Bernard Shaw, resentful of what he heard. “Speak for yourself, young lady.”
“Shaw, Bernard Shaw, from her majesty’s secret service, retired of course.”
“Oh, Shaw, like the movie, Bond, but you’re no double o. Double 1000, that you?”
“Ah, trying to be witty lassy, it’s a movie. But let me put it this way. Do they always get away with it?”
“Are you saying you are going to get away with it?”
“Of course we will, you colonists think that you have gotten away from our control. Have you?”
“No, Great Britain is going to take back her colonies. I am so scared.”
“Nothing of that sort. You are however too shallow. I thought you were good at this game. Here is a food for thought, Spain was our enemy, did we not manipulate you into taking her colonies.”
“Yeah right?”
“Cuba, the Philippines and yet they told you in school that you were there to help. Did the US not answer our call during World War I and II, we needed you to help our ally France, so you took Vietnam.”
There was silence. Linda’s face from cheeky became rather more doleful. Her insolence was suddenly replaced with a feeling that this time around she won’t be in control, like the first time she was taken into custody by a government agency she has never heard of.
Bernard knows what the silence is, then he smiles, like a wolf about to pounce on its prey.
“So young lady, try not to be cheeky, this old timer has been around, when you have been around you know what goes around. It would be best that you tell us everything, everytime you lie we will see through it, and we shall know the truth, by your lies.”
“Very well then,” trying to mock the old man Linda replies with a Londoner’s accent. “I cannot break trust with my government agencies if you must, hence they are off the table.”
“So let me ask you this? Why did you send those mercs to Horse Island?”
“I was attracted to him, and I want him for myself.”
With an absent stare, Bernard looks at her as if she does not exist.
“Okay okay, there was a missing to a puzzle that I have been pondering for years now.” Lind feeling guilty as she rolls her eyeballs, and losing the accent.
“Please do tell what was or is that puzzle?”
“Well, I guess it has something to do with my question next. Are you or your boss a member of the ‘Good Club’ a.k.a. ‘Billionaire Boys Club’ a.k.a. ‘BBC’ ? They hide or change their names a lot.”
“No, but invited, yes.”
“That explains it, you guys were a dead end.”
“The government is investigating I presume?”
“Please, there is nothing they can do about it but keep tabs.”
“So that is your task?”
“Among other things.”
“What is your relationship with Aleksander Tunney?” Bernard then shows pictures of her with Aleksander.
“Nothing, I guess, I flirt with him, try to make love to him, his mistress, confidant, spy. So I guess nothing really.”
“Now let me get back to the first question, who is your target at Horse Island?”
“Ernest Sirg, I don’t really have information about him, and neither do I have on you and your employers. Well current employer I suppose.”
“Hmmm…” then Bernard sighs, “seems rather dull, how do you know about Mr. Sirg?”
“All I know is he is under the employ of Irene Arceo, ever since he joined her motley crue. Her business went up exponentially. I don’t know what it is that he does. And I want to find out.”
Meanwhile, Anna is listening, and sending messages to her grandpa.
“I’ve sent the JESTERs to her apartment. We found the same baby blanket as Ernest.”
“That is not possible.”
“The same material and font.”
“I meant this cannot be happening, are you trying to try and connect with your dead father. Forget it he’s dead. If you are trying to help her, out of the emptiness that you missed out on growing up without your dad. Forget it.”
“Trouble at the office?” Linda, trying to spin things around.
“Not exactly, my granddaughter. She is quite a handful.”
“Oh, she must be cute. How old is she?”
“There is a baby blanket that we found in your apartment, don’t worry we’ll put them back as they were. We are not barbarians.”
“How dare you invade my home?” Linda with an accusatory tone.
“Touché, isn’t it? You tried to invade one, and yet you complain.”
Anna, irritated by his grandfather’s reasoning, calls him.
“Hello lassy.”
“Gramps, listen to me, let me do this my way. You’ve dealt with men, she is a woman.”
“That is very thoughtful of you dear.”
“Ask for her DNA, I’m sending you the photo of it, on both side by side for comparison. Just tell her that. She could be related. Then we can turn her.”
“We’ll see if you can talk to your father dear about a new bike.”
With that they both hangup.
“My apologies Linda, can I call you Linda or Ms. Cunningham?”
“Linda is fine.” Fretful that her home has been invaded. “You better put things back together.”
“So the blanket. With a grey G. How did you come into possession of it?”
“Alright, I was adopted, and they said it came with me. I’m afraid that is all we know.”
Bernard’s phone buzzed, a text message from Anna.
“DNA, ask her if she is willing to take a DNA test. Maybe we can find her family.”
Bernard complies with her granddaughter and politely asks Linda. “I do not mean to pry, but there will always be a price, to our actions. Would like to know if your parents are still alive or even a sibling?”
