Chapter 1

"Thanks, Ray!" The blonde woman smiled happily before starting stretches which made the curly-haired agent feel envy. "This really was a great route. You can't believe how good it felt to run, after sitting three hours in that lawyer's office listening to them talking jargon and making things sound as if everything is a complete chaos they and only they will be able to sort out."

She turned a little and bent down, and Ray Doyle discreetly rested his eyes on his companion's legs and rear end for a moment. Not a bad sight, not at all. "I like this route too, and it's so conveniently close to my new place. Yeah, lawyers can be real pains. Or maybe I'm biased as usually I meet them from the wrong side, they trying to get out some bloke I'm trying to get in." Ray lifted his foot on a bench for a set of stretches after their five miles run. "So, you said it's about the property your husband left behind? Is there some problem?" Anna had been widowed a few months earlier, and during her previous trip to UK to meet her elderly husband's remaining family, she had met with Ray, and his colleague and mate Bodie, both agents of Criminal Intelligence 5, for the first time. Everything had seemed to be settled in the husband's family when Anna left, so both men had been surprised to get a message she was back in England the day before, as they had thought they would probably never see the woman again. Nevertheless, for both agents that message had been pretty much the only real ray of sun during the otherwise grim week.

"Well, yeah, actually, it kind of turned complicated. You see, TJ had a brother and three sisters here in the UK. The ones who survived him, an older and a younger sister, one a widow and the other a spinster, lived in the family home. In his will TJ left his share of the estate, their home I mean, to the sisters who lived there, all right and proper I thought and I only came here the last time to meet them and hand over some papers and things TJ wanted them to have. But, as it happened, the older sister died shortly after my visit, and the only will she left, was one where she had left her share to TJ and the younger sister! Can you believe it? She had always thought that the prodigal son would come to his senses and return home, the other sister told me."

Ray couldn't help but chuckle. "All that trouble for nothing!"

Anna grimaced and she too sat down for a new set of stretches. "Exactly. And it had turned out there had been some legal... you know, thingie, that somebody should have taken care of already decades ago after TJ's parents died, that added to the death of the sister created a legal mess where also now the nieces and nephews are involved when it dawned to them somebody might actually get a little money, and they have been trying to pressure and harrow the remaining sister." Ray sighed and nodded thoughtfully, all too often in his work in CI5 he dealt with the human greed.

Anna sat down on the grass for more stretches. "I think the old ladies didn't have much cash in their use, whatever wealth they had being bound to the estate, and I couldn't care less of any property here in UK for as long as there is some family of TJ needing it, so I thought to lend the old lady a hand." Ray raised his eyebrows, suprised. It looked like at least someone lacked greed.

But Anna continued, explaining. "We have all we need on the other side of the Atlantic, and I would happily have left everything here and signed myself and Anita out of it all, but the sister, miss Sylvie, she is a very religious person, and has insisted everything should go according to rules now, so that she would have clear conscience when she meets with her Maker as she cheerfully put it."

Despite the subject, Ray had to chuckle a little at that "cheerful". But then he grew serious again. Which wasn't hard, as he was stretching his back now. "Well yeah, you know, it really can mean the world to old people, to know things are in order." He thought of the letters he himself had written in case some assignment would prove the end of him. He had no illusions about the invincibility or immortality of Raymond Doyle, or even about the invulnerability. You got rid of any such illusions quickly being a field agent in CI5. Very quickly, very painfully. Although he had lost most of his own illusions already when he was a young plain copper in the Met, and had stood beside the corpse of Syd, his killed partner.

Anna was on the ground completely doubled, in a long stretch to her back and legs. And so comfortable she still was able to speak. What did she know that Ray didn't? The agent decided to have good talks about muscles with her. He had never been able to sit that way and he had always though he was bendy. Anna only sounded a little muffled. "The old lady was a darling when I met her, tried to kill me with gallons of tea and dozens of scones when I was here the last time, so I thought I'd come here and finally see to the mess getting sorted out, and sorted out for good when it comes to this issue. After that, the whole lot can merrily mess up with their own personal wills if they only leave me out of it. Those lawyers will probably cost me as much as TJ's share of the house would have been or even more, but I want to know the old lady can live in the house for as long as she is physically able, and there won't be a reason for any fights or inconvenience after she gives the house up." Now Anna straightened up. "I think TJ would have wanted it that way, he probably always believed his brother had taken care of the legal stuff. And I don't want any surprises with taxes or things like that to the sister, not even if she keeps calling me dear child. Too bad Nita refused to come here with me, she's very good in aping, especially if it's something that irritates me, and for some reason she's fascinated by knitting, those two would have happily been dear child'ing me in stereo over the constant clicks of the needles from here to eternity."

Ray had to burst out laughing at Anna's sarcastic tone when she talked about her adopted daughter as still there was a clear trace of pride for the girl's wit and cheek underneath it all. What a piece of work this mrs Ashton was, at the same time sensitive and tough, very kind, yet allowing no-one act condescending towards her, and her sense of humour cracked Ray every time, self-irony being an essential ingredient there.

Yeah, it was great to be able to chat with Anna again, too bad Bodie couldn't join them for the run, being stuck with two fresh agents they trained, but tomorrow he'd be off duty and Ray knew the man would cancel whatever he had planned for the day, to be able to spend most of it with Anna before they all three would have a dinner together in the evening at Ray's. "Does she miss your TJ, I mean Anita?" Ray wanted to see Anna's reaction, as a few months ago her grief had caused her to lose control of herself, and in more ways than one.

"Yeah, she does. But she said that Papa is not ill any more, the thought has helped her over it and generally she enjoys life just like before TJ relapsed. She can talk about him without crying, but she took out some toys she already had dismissed, ones that she got from TJ, and she sleeps with them and I haven't had the heart to say anything about it, she may soon be a teenager but she still is a child. TJ was the only real father for her anyway, and now when I think of it, I just can't help wondering how well he adapted to Nita, I mean, given his age and all, because Nita really hasn't been a most placid child... especially the first months were difficult before she started to trust us. I think that most men of TJ's age would have either got a stroke out of pure spleen with her, or tried to force her into that child can be seen but not heard -mould. But TJ loved her, kept certain discipline but still allowed her be lively, and I think he even encouraged her cheek. And he spent time with Nita, helped her with mathematics and taught her history and English, you know, things acceptable for a manly man, and that gave him some mental challenge too after retirement. I guess he was both a father and a grandpa for Nita. Disciplinarian but also fun." Anna looked thoughtful and there was longing in her voice, but she stayed calm and steady.

"What about you, do you still miss him?" Ray wondered if he was on thin ice.

"He was poorly for so long that I accept him not being there. As Nita says, he is not ill any more, and that thought helps me too. But of course I miss him and probably always will, his was such a huge part in my life. I guess that for me he was more a father in the beginning before turning into a husband, and I have no idea what I would have done to my life, if he didn't step in it. He had enough authority to force me to listen to himself and make me act somewhat sane the first months... well, now as I think of it, he maybe saw in Nita only a child-version of myself... even more a child -version, I mean. Except that I got nowhere close to Nita's volume in my tantrums."

Anna was actually chuckling, saying that, and Ray felt relief. Yeah, Anna was doing a lot better. "It's really scary, the noise kids can make! As if the scream starts from their heels or something. There was once this maybe 2-years-old monster screaming in the middle of a shop I ventured in, maybe mom didn't give it a candy or something, but I just had to get out before buying anything, was being a little hung over maybe and I thought I'd die in there if I had to stay for a minute more, my bloody head would explode."

Ray's story made Anna burst out laughing. "You know, Nita learned to use that. Not that TJ ever admitted being hung over, there always was some excuse, but whenever Nita thought Papa might be sensitive, she even chased him around the house and sobbed and howled like some Irish banshee until either TJ fled or Nita got her will."

"And you did nothing to stop the girl, eh?" Ray gave an amused look.

"Of course not. I usually even told her where to find Papa. I told TJ that if you're so stupid that you drink too much, enough suffering makes you wiser." Anna grinned. "But believe it or not, it was a great strategy. Eventually it even led to TJ drinking less, as a matter of fact. And actually TJ did put an end to the tantrums, one day when he was ill for real with influenza and Nita didn't listen to me when I told her to let Papa be. She was about five years old, and decided she wanted us to do something, I can't remember what it was, but anyway when she couldn't make me do that, she had sneaked in and she went through her whole drill, I was outside in the garden but still could hear her. But TJ's roar had made our cook drop a kettle in the kitchen and I ran back in from the garden sure that I'd be a witness in a child-murder trial. But the funniest thing about it was that when I rushed in the house, Nita walked towards me, just blinking a little rapidly, and told me in a small voice "Papa said no" and walked into her room very calm and quiet and dignified and closed the door behind her, shutting me outside, and came out maybe one hour later to ask me if Papa still likes her because she thought she just might have been a little naughty to Papa and maybe even more than one time."

Ray was laughing and shaking his head. "Chrissake, you two sure have been more than a handful for the poor bloke! Either he had nerves of steel or then a serious masochistic trait to be able to live with you. How long did it take before he could tolerate the two of you in his eyes again?"

Anna chuckled at her memories. "Well we went to ask about that liking-thing with a glass of water, painkillers and lots of remorse, listened to some growling about being pests and pains and other lovely things, and were eventually forgiven sometime that day as we promised to be good and quiet for a while and pamper him. Which we did, because he really was ill, although that resulted in both me and Nita getting the same bug. That was fun, nursing a moaning man and a whining child when I myself whimpered already getting up the bed. Can't tell who was the biggest baby of the lot."

Ray laughed again. "You're simply terrible, you know that?"

Anna got on her feet. "Well I guess so. But believe it or not, for the most, ours was quite ordinary family life, and I didn't stay with TJ because I felt being forced to it, but because I wanted to. And I tried to make sure he also knew that. Well ok, he was a few years... uhm, decades older that other men of girls of my age, but he was what I needed. Sweet tough macho pigheaded gentleman rogue."

The tenderness in her voice, when she said that last sentence, touched Ray. "Listen... I'm sorry. I know you cared. That you still do. Just tell me to shut up when my mouth's too big, will you?"

Anna shrugged. "Don't worry, Ray, I don't mind. But you really should have met TJ, and I mean at home, to understand how we could be together. He was a special kind of guy." She smiled. "It's really funny, that old men marry or date young women all the time, and that's only smiled at, people say that yeah he's got the money to buy the girl, or high enough position, and they think the women trade sex for money or position in high society, and you know, in a way it seems to be acceptable and guys envy the man who has got a "trophy wife" as they're called. But if the two actually seem to like each other, and care, then you get the really funny looks." She was now rotating her hips, and Ray got a little distracted.

"Uhm, yeah..." Raymond Doyle, hands and thoughts OFF, fer chrissake! Ray reminded himself he had a date fixed for Thursday evening, and Anna was such a refreshing female aquaintance, that there was no point in spoiling things. Especially as in a few days she would again be on the other side of the Atlantic, taking care of her daughter. And she wasn't a bird for one night stands. Definitely not.

But she was one woman he really could talk to. A mate. Those were few and far between, women who were happy to be friends. Especially ones who didn't flinch in front of his job. So Ray determinedly focused again. "Well, you've got a point there. Thinking 'bout the boss, for example. To see him with potentially indecent intentions with some younger woman, ach nay, bonnie lass, I mean,that would already sweep half the CI5 staff off their feet for a while, but if the lass would be seen smooching him for real, like taking his hand without being bellowed to the other side of the moon, I guess 90 per cent of us would drop dead out of sheer shock. And even the last ten would have long-lasting after-effects." He managed to duck the pine cone thrown at him. And the second. By the third which hit his back, Ray was already dashing, laughing, towards the gate of the park he had chosen for the start and finish of their run, Anna chasing him.

A few seconds later Anna shouted that she had to stop, and turning, Ray saw her sit down on the lawn. "You go ahead, Ray, something happened to my shoe, will catch up with you in a moment."

"All right. Remember, when you come through the gate, take to the right..."

"Yeah, I remember, and then the first corner left, past the yellow house, and the gate to your place is right across the street from where you left the car."

Ray blinked, a little surprised. "Ah... yeah, correct. Right, I run along then, I leave the gate unlocked and put coffee on, if I get there before you catch up with me."

"Thanks." Anna smiled at him, waved her hand and started to tug the shoelaces of her trainer.

Fatal trainer.