‘I’ll be ready in twenty minutes,’ she called out.
‘Bloody bitch!’ he muttered.
Richard Cornwall made no comment on her late arrival, which disappointed her as she had already constructed a few well-chosen ripostes during the journey in. Instead he gave her an hour’s briefing on her trip to the USA and on to Cuba and then took her on a short re-familiarisation tour of the building which had undergone some reorganisation in the last few years.
Gerry had been expecting to see some familiar faces but there were few people she recognised. She had been hoping to bump into some old friends. ‘Where’s Fiona these days, Fiona Bennett? Is she still here?’
‘Ah… she’s married, has two kids. Fiona Davenport now. She works part time and isn’t in today,’ said Cornwall.
‘How about Diana Turner?’
‘Let me see.’ He tapped on a keyboard. ‘She’s still full time, she works… oh… she’s taken the day off. Emergency dental appointment it says.’
‘Laura Harvey?’
Cornwall made another entry and then picked up a phone. ‘Hello Laura, its Richard Cornwall. There’s someone with me… oh… well where is she then? Oh ok then.’
‘Laura’s gone to see someone in Special Branch. We’ve just missed her. Is there anyone else?’
‘No, no one. I’m sure all my erstwhile friends will have gone sick, or be at meetings or something,’ said Gerry.
‘Gerry Tate, delighted to see you again!’ came a greeting. Cornwall saw a smile light up her face for a brief moment before she identified the voice as Vince Parker’s. Nevertheless she shook hands with him agreeably enough.
‘Hello Vince, how are you? You’re coming to the States with me I understand.’
‘Yes, the Sandstar op. I’m looking forward to it.’ He gave her his confident smile.
Smug, handsome creep, she thought to herself.
‘Well I have an appointment to go to. I’ll leave the two of you to get re-acquainted,’ said Cornwall.
‘Ok, How about we get lunch Gerry?’
She tried to think of an excuse but none came to her weary mind. ‘Yes why not?’ she replied. ‘I’m going to the ladies’; I don’t really want to go to the canteen so if that’s ok with you I’ll see you in the lobby in a few minutes.
She brooded about sharing the flight to the States with Vincent Parker, formerly her junior in the hierarchy. She remembered that he was efficient and intelligent, but also inclined to be condescending. She remembered his presence hovering in the background when she had been dismissed, and although she could not put her finger exactly on the reason why, she did not really trust him. Before his entry into the service he had completed a short service commission of eight years in the Guards. He had served on active duty in the Gulf and received some creditable military decoration. He was about two years older than her, but now she thought he looked younger. Anyway, she would have to put up with him.
‘Well it seems straightforward enough,’ said Vince when they were sitting together in the pub. ‘We fly to somewhere in the States, meet up with some gentlemen from their Department of Homeland Security which in this case probably means the CIA. Then visit this fellow Ali Hamsin, who may or may not be an Al Qaeda terrorist, or a war criminal or just a guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. If the Americans are happy with what he tells you we can bring him back to this country.’
‘That’s about it, said Gerry, nodding. ‘The more difficult bit is keeping it all secret from the gentlemen of the press and Amnesty International until he is safely resettled. The new administration doesn’t want to see the words “extraordinary rendition” in the papers again. Apparently there’s a team of plane spotters tracking the moves of every US ad hoc charter.’
‘So that’s why we’re handling it,’ said Vince. ‘We’re the only branch of Government who can be relied upon not to blurt out the details to the press for some grubby payment.’
‘Well I hope so,’ said Gerry, ‘but no doubt the Freedom of Information Act will be soon be extended to Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Now we have a contact in the US Embassy called Neil Samms, who I believe is travelling with us. Could you go and meet him? I don’t think I’ll be welcomed in Grosvenor Square. We also need to see if we can contact any of Hamsin’s family members, and find out where they’re living.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
In the evening a few days later, having completed the arrangements for Ali Hamsin’s return to Britain, Gerry sat withdrawn in memories in the car that was carrying her to a small airport south west of London
‘Penny for your thoughts,’ said Vince Parker, seated next to her in the back seats.
‘Did you know that these cars have the fastest depreciation of any built in the UK? I read it in a newspaper article recently,’ Gerry declared.
Vince smiled at her. ‘Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.’
‘It’s ok. I haven’t been in an aeroplane for some time, or to the States, or done anything much at all really.’
An hour later they were through the airfield security gates and being driven towards the white executive jet that gleamed pale orange under the apron floodlights. The muted scream from the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit was the only sound in the still night air. When the vehicle pulled up beside the aircraft, the main door swung down and the stairs extended to the ground. A moment later a man in pilot’s uniform walked down the steps followed by two women, one short and dark and the other tall and blonde.
‘Hi,’ he said, ‘my names Gary, I’m the First Officer flying you to the States. The Captain’s Harvey Wallbanger… er Harvey Wallis, I meant to say. This is Susan from your border control people, and this is Leanne from our embassy. Sue’s going to check you out and Leanne’s going to check you in, so to speak. Then we won’t have to trouble the Department of Homeland Security when we arrive in the States.’
Gerry pulled out her brand new passport and Vince his slightly dog-eared one and they handed them to the tall blonde woman who glanced through them and wrote the names and numbers on to a pad on a clipboard. She then handed them to the short dark woman who smiled broadly and said ‘Thank you!’ She pulled a hand-held computer link from her bag and swiped the passport edge through the slot and studied the biometric details. ‘Oh! It says here that you’re a convic… er… well could you just place your right index finger on the little screen there?’ she asked Gerry with a frown. Gerry complied. ‘Good. Now you sir,’ she said to Vince. ‘Good, you’re all set to go.’ She gave Vince a grin. ‘Enjoy your trip to the USA.’
Gerry climbed the stairs and boarded the Gulfstream. Inside were the usual plush seats and also one side was fitted a high tech communications console. Neil Samms, now with red hair cut short, was sitting before it busying himself at the keyboard.
He glanced up at Gerry as she walked down the aisle with a familiar gold tinted grin. ‘Hi Gerry, Vince. It’s all on schedule. Our other passenger should be with us in ten minutes.’
‘You’ve had a haircut,’ Vince remarked.
‘Yup. Tails may be ok in Europe, but back at head office they don’t look so good.’
‘Oh, you looked much younger with the ponytail,’ said Vince with a wicked smile, ‘what a shame!’