Thanks to the enthusiastic response so far, I decided to upload two new chapters today. Please keep the comments coming.
Jo caught Ros' attention as she approached her desk, "I've been able to track Harry entering the FSB station, but then nothing." She brought up some CCTV footage on her screen, "There's a car that leaves their underground car park about an hour after the bomb went off, but that's it. Surprisingly quiet really."
"No other traffic in or out?" Ros asked, and Jo shook her head.
"That can't be right. We need to find out where that car went. The windows are too dark to tell who was inside, and Harry might have been one of the passengers, willing or otherwise."
They kept tracing the car via the CCTV and were soon joined by Malcolm who had so far had no luck with Connie's workstation. Losing the car on CCTV, they switched to satellite and followed it to an airfield where it had stopped.
"I really don't like the look of this," Ros' mouth was pursed tightly in a grimace.
*****
By the time he reached the grid, Lucas' mind had been tossing ideas around and wondering what the the postcards were all about.
Ros, Jo and Malcolm were all back in the briefing room when he broached the subject, "So, our discussion before, about the faked deaths, what happened to the fall guy?"
Malcolm opened his mouth to respond, casting a hesitant sideways glance at the others, "It was a fall woman actually. Ruth Evershed, Senior Intelligence Analyst. She and Harry were ... close."
"How close?" Lucas asked, knowing that he was right, now that he'd heard her name.
Jo smirked a little from across the table, but quickly straightened her face, "We all thought there was something between them, but they were very discreet."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" said Ros glaring at Jo, "Ruth might have had a thing for Harry but that's all there was to it. She was a know-it-all pain in the back side, but she was damn good at her job and she wasn't stupid enough to compromise that. Neither was Harry."
"Actually," Malcolm looked at each of them as though asking if he could continue what he had been saying, "Ruth was the best. And I for one think it was more than just, a thing, though I don't believe anything ever happened between them.
"Harry tried to save her from being framed for murder, but wasn't left with any choice when Ruth wouldn't let him to make that sacrifice. She made other plans with Adam and Zaf. And contrary to what most people think, she didn't drown. She, er ... disappeared."
None of them really looked surprised, and Lucas was curious for more details, "Really? So she was, ah, relocated?"
"Yes, but don't ask me where, because I really don't know."
"Well, I've got something that might help," said Lucas, producing the envelope and emptying the postcards onto the table.
"Are these from Harry's?" Malcolm asked as they all reached for them.
"Locked in a desk drawer," Lucas could tell they had had no idea they existed.
Malcolm thought about how unlike Harry it seemed to hold onto something like this, then smiled as he started to read them, "They're from Ruth. Harry, you sly old dog."
"I think it's probably safe to assume Harry didn't reply to these, but maybe we can use them to track Ruth down. If she's as good as you say she is, she might be just the person we need to help find Harry. And Malcolm ... I rather think that you're the best man for the job of finding Ruth," Lucas arched an eyebrow questioningly at him.
"Consider it done," Malcolm nodded in reply, and quickly gathered the postcards before leaving for his desk.
*****
Although he wanted to believe Ruth could help them, and that Malcolm would find her, Lucas felt they may be hoping in vain, "Malcolm? Any luck?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid. The postcards don't appear to have any hidden messages. Nothing at all."
"So what now?"
"I'm cross matching the postmarks with names on travel records, if we're lucky, we might find something or someone in common. That should narrow down the field a bit. Might take a while though."
*****
An hour later Malcolm's voice rang out across the grid, "I found her!"
They crowded round his desk, Malcolm looking extremely satisfied, "She's not far away either. Edinburgh."
"Still in Britain?" Ros was surprised.
"Working as a travel agent. Perfect cover for someone wanting to move around easily."
"Well done Malcolm," Lucas said with an appreciative nod.
