“At home, as well. Say, you look a bit peaked, are you coming down with something?”
“No, no, all’s well. What a few days. Terry Alexander, Chappy Donovan? Who would have thought they were capable of getting on the bad side of someone? Now Hemmler I never liked, he was a bad man, so I hear. But Alexander and Donovan? Ah, it’s scary times we live in, Harry.”
“And now Paulina Vittorini was killed up in Scotland, in Glasgow, at her shipyard—”
“What?”
Harry grabbed Corry Jones’s arm. “You hadn’t heard? So you knew her?”
“Yes, of course, most of us knew Paulina. This is horrible, Harry. Was it a drone, like the others?”
Harry still held his friend’s arm. “We believe so. Was she a friend of your family?”
Corinthian Jones, Lord Barstow, slowly shook his head. He made his hands tremble, his face pale. He wanted to send his fist to the heavens. Another down, another 150 million pounds for him. It was too easy manipulating Ardelean. He was so bloody predictable, so eager to kill when he believed he’d been betrayed.
Would Ardelean decide to cut his losses and kill him next? What if June were his next kill? No, he would decide how to get the drones to Africa, he would decide how to eliminate Ardelean before he figured out he’d been scammed. Maybe he would give Ardelean some of what he considered to be his own money, get him to turn over the drones, then he could kill him. He’d figure something out, something better. He always did. He thought again of his magnificent idea, an idea to make his ancestors proud, one to make him the most heroic, not to mention, the richest of them all.
He looked at his supposed friend, made his hands tremble a bit more, the older man so upset he couldn’t control himself. How he’d resented Harry Drummond all their lives, since they’d been boys at Eton. Smart, liked by everyone, the apple of his father’s eye, the sod. Tall, trim, good-looking, and holding up well.
Ah, remember what you’ve accomplished. You’re far more impressive than Harry Drummond. And smarter than the vaunted Roman Ardelean.
Barstow said finally, shaking his head, as if dazed, fully aware Harry Drummond was staring at him, “It’s simply too much, Harry, too much. I don’t know how much more of this insanity I can take. It’s simply so shocking. And all the terrorist attacks, the bombings, cars plowing into crowds, and now drones assassinating people—it doesn’t stop, doesn’t stop.” He fell silent, the picture of a man trying to pull himself together.
Harry cocked his head to one side. Certainly Corry was shocked, to be expected, but this? The look on his face, it was somehow too much. What was going on here?
Barstow drew a deep breath. “Well, I’ve worried you, I see. I was coming by simply to tell you I’ve put in for leave. I thought I’d take June to Italy. She’s been after me for months to take a break, says I’m working too hard.”
Harry nodded, searching his old friend’s face. “Perhaps she’s right. Perhaps a change of scene would be good for you. I know personally I’m working harder now as a consultant than I did as an employee of the Crown. It appears you are, as well.”
“I’d wondered why you came back, Harry.”
“The PM convinced me I was needed, supposedly to relieve some of the pressure on the home secretary, help with the fallout from Brexit and the new terror norms. But that has taken a back burner. Turns out our systems have all been hacked—”
“I wondered about the sudden blackout. You know what happened?”
Harry shook his head. “I know it’s fixed now, my son and one of his team, both computer geniuses, sorted it. There’s so much more, but it needn’t concern you. How are things in MI6 now?”
“As insane as they are here, of course. Speaking of, I should be on my way.” Barstow stopped at the doorway. “It’s good to see you, Harry. We should do lunch sometime soon. Or you could come out to Cornwall, bring Mitzie. She and June could rattle around, and we could go fishing. It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it has. When things calm down, I’ll be in touch.”
“Good, good.”
But he lingered, and Harry watched him for a few moments. He’d been pale, upset, but now he looked once again a man in charge. Barstow went out the door, his step quick and firm, shoulders straight, and disappeared into the hallway.
What was that all about? Harry’s phone began to ring. He recognized the extension. The home secretary.
“Drummond, there’s been a bombing in Kent. Near the Folkestone station. Apparently, the train had just left the station when the bomb went off.”
No, surely not— “It was heading into the Channel Tunnel?”
“We don’t know yet, still assessing, no way to get figures without someone on-site. I’ve activated the emergency network. I trust you’ll know more shortly. The first responders are on site. Terrible few days.”
“Thank you for informing me. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know the extent of the attack. Is anyone claiming it?”
The home secretary sounded tired, harassed. “No one yet. I’m sure that will come soon enough.”
Harry punched off. What was happening? Vittorini murdered in Glasgow, and now a possible bomb on the Chunnel train?
He locked his safe, an automatic reflex, and ran out of his office, toward the command center. Barstow was by the elevator. “What’s happened?”
“Bombing in Kent. Eurostar train.”
Barstow stilled. “So much for leave—I’d best go check things out. Will let you know if I hear anything of use.”
Barstow stepped into the elevator, his brain screaming. Roman, who did you want dead now? Who? Or have you figured it out? Is this is your final warning? Next, it’s me if I don’t get you the money?
In his gut, Barstow knew it was Roman’s doing—and what if the train had exploded in the Chunnel? To have a bomb go off 150 feet underwater? Barstow shuddered at the thought. It was bad enough to have a Eurostar be blown up as it was leaving the station, but add to that the damage to the infrastructure. You deserve to die for this, Roman, you deserve it. Now I have to figure out how to make it happen.
Harry looked back once as the elevator closed on his friend Corinthian Jones. What was wrong with the man? No time to worry about it now. When he walked into the command center, images were flooding the wall screens. It was a nightmare scene, twisted metal and shattered glass, the train bent and on its side. Harry didn’t interrupt the frantic group of people to announce his presence. They knew what to do, had been well trained. He listened to the varied accounts as they came in, assembling a timeline in his head. Ian came to stand beside him, taking notes.
“First reports of injuries are coming in, sir. Miraculously, only a few people are injured, though two have been taken to hospital with burns and are listed in critical condition.”
“Someone’s saying the bomb went off outside the train, which is good luck for us.”
Harry said, “Outside the train? Was the bomb beside the tracks, like an IED?”
“No, what I’m hearing is it was dropped onto the train.”
“Hey, we have a witness, a videographer, can you believe it? The photos are being uploaded right now. He says he saw something fly over the train, then it exploded. He has it all on film. He was doing a promotional video shoot for Eurostar. Here it comes.”
The multiple screens coalesced into a single view of the handsome white-and-yellow sloped nose of the train, flashing into view and then out of it, then an earthshaking blast; the camera wobbled and the train screeched as it flew off the tracks and came to rest on its side. Harry watched, mesmerized, as the video replayed again and again, slowed down frame by frame until, finally, a small black object could be seen entering the frame and making contact with the train.
“There it is,” he said. “Enhance and enlarge.”
Ian stood next to Harry, watching the video loop over and over again, the bomb going off in slow motion, the top of the train coming apart and blowing metal out of the frame.