The Accidental Warrior Read online

  I sometimes wonder what he was really like as a man. There are hints in the history books, but many Greek historians at the time did not like him, referring to him as a ‘barbarian’, or accusing him of insatiable ambition, or of breaking treaties. There were others who described him as charming, charismatic, astute politically, of displaying unusual courage. But conversely, he’s also been labelled as overly extravagant, a man who drank too much and who was quick to temper. There are also tantalising references to injuries he incurred, such as a leg wound, serious enough to cause him to limp and the suggestion that an arrow blinded him in the right eye. You know, I suspect he was a bit of all of the above, a lovable rogue!

  Putting the letter to one side, Harriet wondered if it was feasible that events that occurred so long ago could really have a bearing today. It seemed crazy. Could the stone discs from Operation Chapel really be linked to those found by her father twenty-five years before? And what had happened to these? And what about his words to her? “Harry, beware of the serpents, the sun is the path to enlightenment.” Was this significant? Was it linked to the reference in his letter to a possible battle between the Guardians and the Serpents? Or were they just the demented ramblings of a tortured mind? Too tired to ponder this further, Harriet turned in for the night.

  CHAPTER 11

  Rain lashed the garden doors. Harriet peered at the stormy scene outside, the wet trees bending in the breeze. It was in stark contrast to her father’s sunny garden the day before. Still in her dressing gown and nursing a mug of coffee, she looked at the clock at the far end of the kitchen; in a few hours Ben and Amelia would arrive for Sunday lunch. She turned to put the oven on and was about to go for a shower when her mobile burst into life. It was Derek Wynn.

  “Hello Harriet, sorry to ring you on a Sunday, but I need to have a word. I was hoping to speak to Nick at the same time, but I’m having difficulty tracking him down.”

  “Sorry, I don’t know where he is. What is it that you want?”

  “Well, as I was jogging this morning I spotted a red-faced Alec Brown emerge from some foliage onto the path in front of me. He was waving me over. He looked rather like an overweight and overdressed twitcher.”

  “Oh, stop, please,” said Harriet, laughing. “Whatever did he want?”

  “To tell me he was in trouble, trouble of his own making. It’s a long story but essentially he got himself involved with a group of high-profile individuals, and for years, he’s run around doing their bidding in return for generous payment. At first it was little favours, no questions asked, but as time went on, the requests became more and more involved. It wasn’t long before he realised that he’d crossed the line.”

  “The corrupt bastard, but how is this relevant?”

  “Well, I’m about to get onto that. It would seem he’s grown a conscience. When the decision was made to move you from Operation Eagle to Chapel, he was given the job of delivering the news.”

  “Yes, I remember the enthusiasm with which he did that,” said Harriet, frowning.

  “Quite, but when Nick confronted him, he found himself showing off and went off script. For some reason, and he still doesn’t know why, he blurted out that the move was for your own safety. Understandably, Nick was alarmed, and demanded answers.”

  “I knew Nick was holding something back from me.”

  “Really? Anyway, now Alec had a problem. When he confessed his mistake to his boss, he was berated, but then his boss decided Alec’s slip presented an opportunity.”

  “An opportunity for what?”

  “To warn you off, discourage you.”

  “Bloody hell, what else did he say?”

  “That they have placed someone on Operation Chapel, and this person is really impressing the hierarchy.”

  “Do we know who this is?”

  “No, Brown refused to say. But Brown believes that you are now truly in danger, particularly if you continue to progress Chapel.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, you sound as sceptical as I was, but he anticipated this. He’s no fool, so he recorded part of a conversation with his boss. Here. Listen.”

  A male voice could clearly be heard saying “Alec, this better be good.”

  Then Brown: “Sir, I am sorry to bother you, but ‘our friend’ reports Harriet is pursuing a line of enquiry into the possibility that snake venom is involved in the Chapel deaths.”

  Then the other male: “Shit, shit, shit.”

  And Brown: “‘Our friend’ doesn’t think it will be too long before she makes the link between Eagle and Chapel.”

  “There’s a link?” Harriet asked.

  “It would appear so, the recording ends with the other man saying:

  “Well, we can’t have that, so we’ll have to make sure that she doesn’t make that link, won’t we? What is it about that woman, why can’t she just keep a low profile, for fuck’s sake?”

  “That’s a bit rude. Do you know who that is?”

  “I think I might, but I really don’t want to say anything quite yet, if that’s okay? I’ve strongly advised Alec to make a copy of the recording, and place it somewhere safe. I’ve also suggested that he disappears for a bit, perhaps takes some leave. In the meantime, I will try to track Nick down; apart from anything, we need to discuss what we are going to do about Brown.”

  “That sounds sensible.”

  “Now, as far as you’re concerned, I think we need to take sensible precautions. Later this afternoon, technical support will call by; I’ve asked them to review your security. At the very least we need a panic alarm, and cameras on all entry and exit points. Can you dig out the IMEI number on your mobile for them? Also, I need you to make a note of Incident 67 and today’s date. It’s restricted, it details these measures and gives instructions to the control room, should you call in.”

  “I really appreciate that, thank you, Sir.”

  CHAPTER 12

  The following afternoon Harriet arranged to meet Mike for a second time at the coffee shop. Keen to find out if he had located her assailants, she got there early.

  “How did you get on? Did you manage to track my attackers down?”

  “I did. They met the mystery woman in the park, just off Highland Avenue, on the morning of the attack. She gave them verbal instructions.”

  “What about the surveillance photos?”

  “Handed out to them at the same time. They had no knowledge of where these came from, or indeed how long you’d been subject to surveillance. Your attackers were amateurs, but they did provide a half decent description. They described the woman as exceptionally confident, mid- to late-twenties, with long dark hair tied in a loose pony tail, immaculately made up, with stunning green eyes. What is interesting, however, is that one of the guys caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist.”

  “A tattoo of what?”

  “A snake.”

  “Really? Really? I didn’t expect that.”

  “I know. They apparently communicated via a pay-as-you go mobile. It’s no longer live. When she left the meeting, they saw her drive away in a white Range Rover. No index though,” said Mike.

  He leaned forward and placed his hand on Harriet’s arm. “There is one other thing: apparently before she left, the mystery woman joked with them that if you didn’t get the message soon, your immediate family would have to be the next target.”

  Harriet could not catch her breath.

  “You’re not on your own, I’m here.” Mike kept his hand on Harriet’s arm.

  “Listen, you are a remarkable officer, with a reputation for being a bit of a terrier. This is not going to beat you, okay?”

  Harriet nodded and took hold of Mike’s hand.

  “I think there are a couple of things we should do straight away. Firstly, move your children out of harm’s way. The less people who know the better. Secondly, speak to Nick; he has a right to know what’s been going on, you need to bring him up to speed. Despite your personal d
ifficulties, he is Ben and Amelia’s father and Senior Investigating Officer on Chapel.”

  Harriet could only manage another nod, but she was more grateful to Mike than she could ever say.

  CHAPTER 13

  Harriet could not sleep. Each time she closed her eyes shapes and silhouettes of serpents appeared. In the end, she sat in the kitchen drinking tea until the clock chimed 7 a.m.

  “You sound stressed,” said Annie as soon as she heard Harriet’s voice.

  “I’m in a bit of a spot. Is there any chance you could have Ben and Amelia for a bit?”

  “I would love to have them, it would be an absolute pleasure.”

  “Thank you, Annie. I’m sorry though, I can’t tell you what’s going on, save to say the kids mustn’t contact any of their friends or family for a while. It’s important that they vanish. I’ll text you the details later.”

  “Don’t worry my dear. I’ll take good care of them. Now, stay safe and don’t do anything risky.”

  “Thank you so much. I will, I promise, and please be on your guard.”

  “Not a problem, speak soon.”

  Later, between meetings, Harriet made another call.

  “Good Morning, St Bartholomew’s School, how can I help?” said one of the school secretaries.

  “Morning, it’s Harriet Lacey, Ben and Amelia’s Mum. Could I possibly have a quick word with the Headteacher, Mr Jones? It’s rather important.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, love.” Harriet winced, but decided to let it go. “He’s covering the Deputy Head’s history class; would you like to ring back about twelve thirty?”

  “Look, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

  “Sorry, love, he’s teaching; please ring back later.”

  Before Harriet could respond, the call terminated. Harriet redialled.

  “Good Morning, St Bartholomew’s School, how can I help?”

  “It’s Detective Sergeant Harriet Lacey again,” she said, resorting to using her job title. She didn’t have time to mess around. “I have to speak to Mr Jones, it concerns the safety of students. It’s imperative that I have a conversation with him now, this is a safeguarding matter.”

  The silence at the other end of the phone seemed interminable.

  “Look, do I have to come to the school and drag him out of the classroom myself?” shouted Harriet, immediately regretting losing her cool.

  Some minutes later a breathless Mr Jones was on the other end of the phone.

  “Good morning Mrs Lacey, what can I do for you?”

  “I need your help. A serious situation has arisen; Ben and Amelia are in danger. To elaborate would also place you in danger.”

  “Oh gosh, well of course, just hang on a second while I close my office door.” There was a pause. “So, what is it that you would like me to do, Mrs Lacey?”

  “In the next ten minutes, a man called Mike Taylor, a colleague of mine, will arrive at the school with train tickets for Ben and Amelia, a change of clothes for both children and a couple of pay-as-you-go mobiles. Can I ask that you organise somewhere for them to change? Then could you take them to the station, and put them on the correct train?”

  “Yes, I can do that.”

  “I’m most grateful. Would you also mind asking Ben to call me en route, on my work mobile?”

  “Yes, I can do that too.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you. I promise I will return them to school as soon as possible. There is just one more thing. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is that no-one else knows about this.”

  “I understand.”

  “If anyone does ask about the children, please don’t give anything away. They will likely be most persuasive, no doubt telling you it’s an emergency, but don’t be fooled.”

  “Mrs Lacey, don’t worry, leave it with me.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  About an hour later, Harriet’s mobile rang.

  “Mum? It’s Ben.”

  “Ben, thank you for calling, are you both okay?”

  “Yes, we’re fine, but what’s going on, Mum?”

  “That’s a difficult one, Ben, just listen carefully.”

  “No problem.” His reply was uncharacteristically mature.

  “Dad and I love you both so much, but something has happened at work and as a result, we need to make sure you are both safe. There are some unscrupulous people who may try to get to you to hurt Dad and me. So, we need to make sure you are safely out of the way. Try to look at it as a bit of an adventure for a few days.”

  “It’s okay Mum, we are cool with it, but we would kind of like to know where we are going.”

  “To Sheffield. At the station, you will be met by a very dear friend of mine, Annie. She was a student of Granddad Rayfield’s. She’s going to look after you for a few days on her smallholding. She’s great fun, a real character.”

  “That sounds alright, and far better than being at school.”

  “Ben, it’s really important that both you and Amelia only use the new phones you’ve been given. And, don’t be tempted to contact any of your friends, not yet anyway, nor your grandparents. We don’t accidentally want to put them in danger too. The best thing for everyone is if you just disappear for a while.”

  “Yes, I understand, but promise me that you are both okay?”

  “We are and feel so much better for knowing you are safe.”

  “Mum, are we a dysfunctional family?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, it’s just that lately we are pretty much living with Dad’s parents full-time. You and Dad can’t bear the sight of each other. Granddad Rayfield has taken to wandering around mumbling about snakes and Queens and ‘trouble’ and now issues at work mean we are being sent away.”

  “Well, if you say it like that, I suppose we are in a bit of a pickle.”

  “Pickle, Mum? Really? I’m fifteen!”

  “Okay, then things, yes, things are a bit shit.”

  Ben laughed.

  “Changing the subject, was Mr Jones okay?” Harriet asked.

  “He was actually very nice, bought us sandwiches and drinks for the journey. I think he enjoyed the intrigue.”

  It was Harriet who was laughing now. “I love you Ben Lacey, give my love to Amelia and I’ll speak to you later.”

  “I will, and love you too, Mum.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Nick was not in his office, but his phone was ringing. She picked it up.

  “SIO’s office, Harriet Lacey speaking, how can I help?”

  “Harriet, it’s Derek Wynn. Is Nick there by any chance? I still haven’t managed to speak to him.”

  “He isn’t, but I’m about to track him down. Why don’t you come across?”

  Just as Harriet dialled her mother-in-law’s number, a rather dishevelled and unshaven Nick walked in.

  “You look awful,” said Harriet, replacing the handset. “Is everything alright?”

  “Everything’s fine. I just overslept that’s all, no big deal.” Nick sounded irritable.

  “Derek Wynn is on his way, he’s been trying to get hold of you for a few days.”

  Wynn arrived, and Harriet left the two men to talk.

  When she was summoned back, Nick was shaking his head.

  “We need to talk, make some decisions.” Harriet could see the fear in his eyes.

  “I’d like Mike Taylor to join us,” she said.

  “Yeah sure, ask him in. Before I forget, Mr Jones from the school called for you.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Oh, about an hour I think,” he said glancing at his watch. “Is it important?”

  “It might be.”

  “Well, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” He pulled a face.

  “No, it’s okay. I’ve had to arrange for the kids to stay with Annie, you know my friend from Sheffield?” Nick nodded.

  Anticipating his next question, Harriet continued. “Mike discovered they might be in danger. It seems I
was assaulted in an attempt to dissuade me from continuing to work on Operation Chapel. When this failed, it was thought that I might toe the line if my family were threatened.”

  “Is this for real?” Nick got to his feet looking from Harriet to Derek.

  “It would appear so,” said Derek.

  “Bloody hell. You are sure they’re safe?”

  “Yes, sure.”

  “I need to make a quick call to the school. I won’t be a minute,” said Harriet. Derek went in search of Mike.