Chapter Eight
Wednesday afternoon, 10 October
'Harry, I've got something,' Ros said as she walked into Harry's office with Adam following behind.
Harry swallowed the whisky he'd just sipped. 'What is it?' he asked with a sigh. It had been a long day of writing and reviewing reports related to their current operations as well as follow up information on Asnik and Zaf.
'I passed along Adam's intel about the Redbacks having a possible base in Cyprus to my contact in Greece. He took some personal time and drove down into Turkey and looked at possible ways to get to Cyprus without raising too much attention. He hit pay dirt, finding a local shipping company that also makes runs to Cyprus. My contact claimed to be working with Interpol on smuggling operations and implied that smugglers were using smaller shipping services to move their goods around, unbeknownst to the shipping operators, who would be left holding contraband were it to be discovered.'
'So what did he find?' Adam asked, hoping for good news.
'Five men, one of whom appeared to be quite ill, paid for transport to Polis, Cyprus about 10 days ago. Their story was that they were taking their sick friend home to his family,' Ros said.
Harry looked at his agents seated in front of him. 'And you feel confident that the sick man is Zaf,' he asked Ros.
'I think there's a strong likelihood, Harry. I'd like to fly to Cyprus and track them down.'
Harry was quiet as he considered the request.
'I'll go with her,' Adam said. 'We can pose as a couple and it'll be less suspicious.'
Harry shook his head. 'No, Ros will go alone but first we need to wrap up the Davidson operation. From what you've told me we should have the information we need in the next day or so from Davidson and then you can leave for Cyprus. Adam, I can't spare both of you from the Grid right now, especially with Zaf gone. If Ros…'
'When I find something,' she interrupted, 'I'll let you know. I'm not leaving Cyprus without Zaf,' she said. 'I'll get what we need from Davidson and file my travel details with Jo,' she said before leaving the room.
Harry and Adam looked at one another. 'Well, I guess that's decided,' Harry noted. 'Since Malcolm's out, make sure she gets the right kit so we can keep track of her. We don't need the Redbacks to pick her up, too.'
Thursday evening, 11 October
Ruth and Zaf had mapped out possible routes back to London. Without knowing how good their false passports would be, they weren't sure they wanted to risk flying directly from Palermo to London. There was also a greater risk that someone from the Security Services connected with the Redbacks would discover their plans. Zaf had admitted to Ruth, when they were still back in Polis, that he would commit suicide before allowing himself to be taken again and his position had not softened since then, not that she could blame him.
Ruth herself wasn't exactly keen about flying to London. She was officially dead, after all, and if the wrong person was to discover she was alive and in London, then everything she went through this past year would be wasted. A flight to London was quickly ruled out. They opted for a slower pace, something that would allow them to be flexible in their plans at a moment's notice and would keep them under the radar.
Adding to their challenge was that Ruth hadn't received a response from Malcolm before she and Zaf had left Cyprus. Ruth tried not to think the worst; that he'd been killed on an op or something as stupid as getting hit by a bus, but this was Malcolm. He's not someone who would go on holiday and leave the account unattended, though he'd always had Colin to do those little things for him when he wasn't available.
'Zaf?'
'Ruth?'
She smiled at his reply. 'Has Malcolm hired a new tech to fill Colin's position?' she asked.
Zaf shook his head. 'No, at least not by the time I'd left. He'd not had a chance to and then after what happened with your replacement…'
'What do you mean? And who replaced me?' Ruth interrupted.
'I need to back up first. The day you left Harry received a call that Catherine had been injured in Beirut. He left that same day and didn't return for nearly a month.'
'But she's okay?' Ruth asked.
'Yeah, he stayed with her until she could fly home. Her boyfriend Fabian was there with her as well and returned to London with Harry and Catherine,' Zaf said.
'Poor Harry. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been for him had she died,' Ruth murmured.
'In a way it worked out for the best. Mace was forced to resign from the JIC but he didn't go quietly. Blake handled the situation as best he could but Mace was still around, trying to stir up trouble. Blake admitted to Adam that he knew that Harry didn't have anything to do with Cotterdam. It's probably good that Harry left the country; it gave Blake time to deal with the fallout.
'Well, a few days after Harry came back, terrorists snuck into the country via a shipping container and our government decided to sell plans for nuclear power plants to the Saudis. One of the Saudi princes who flew to London to finalize the deal was suspected of providing assistance to Al Qaeda. Six sent over a guy named Neil Sternin, a Saudi expert who'd been working on this issue to assist us but it turns out he was working with the Israelis and providing them information. Sternin was after revenge for the death of his Israeli wife several years prior by a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv.'
'That's horrible, but what does this have to do with my replacement?' Ruth asked.
'While Harry was gone, Personnel forced Adam to choose your replacement. He chose Sally Bernard, an analyst from Section A. Neil used her to cover his illegal download of data and then covered his tracks by stabbing her to death in her flat.'
Ruth's jaw dropped in shock and her hands covered her mouth.
'After that we rotated through some of the junior staffers while Harry decided what to do, but when I left for Tehran we still didn't have anyone permanent in the position.' He watched Ruth, who still appeared to be in shock over Sally's fate, as she stood and walked across the small room. 'Did you know Sally?' he asked.
Ruth was standing at the port hole looking out onto the water and didn't answer right away. Wrapping her arms around herself, she turned and looked back at Zaf. 'Yes, I knew her. Not very well, but we'd crossed paths from time to time. I can't believe she was murdered.' She walked back towards the table where Zaf was seated when another look of shock crossed her face.
'If I hadn't left because of Cotterdam, Sally wouldn't have been there, I would have. I would have been the person that Neil murdered!'
Zaf reached out and grabbed her hands in an effort to calm her. 'Ruth, we don't know what would have happened if you were there instead of Sally but it's over and done with and there's nothing we can do to change those events. You need to concentrate on our getting to London safely, okay?' He continued to hold her hands as her breathing evened out and returned to normal.
'What happened to him, to Neil?' Ruth asked.
'He committed suicide. Jo and Malcolm were close to figuring out what he'd done with Sally's computer so he locked himself in one of the interrogation rooms and took cyanide.'
Late Friday afternoon, 12 October
'Come in,' Harry called to his Section Chief who was impatiently knocking on his door. 'I'm surprised you knocked. You've gotten as bad as… never mind. What do you have?'
'I've heard back from Six, who had word from their agents on the island. Last week, several men in Polis, Cyprus were asking for Zaf. Last anyone saw them was a few days ago. Doesn't appear that they've found him, though,' Adam said.
Harry allowed the surprise to show on his face. 'So Zaf is still alive?' he asked.
'As of quite recently, yes it would appear so.'
'Has Ros arrived there yet?'
Adam shook his head. 'No. She purposely took a few indirect flights to keep a low profile but she should be there this evening. I'll relay this information to her and direct her to one of Six's agents in the area.'
'Get in touch with your Syrian friends and see if they can get you anything else on the Redbacks and their supposed base on the island. We need to give Ros as much information as possible to work with. Get in touch with the RAF at Brize Norton and alert them we may need a medical flight from Cyprus. Apprise them of what we know of Zaf's medical condition.'
'Will do.
After Adam left his office, Harry looked out over the Grid. It was after five in the afternoon so most of the staff had already left. He thought of those who'd been lost in recent years and hoped that by some miracle one that was thought lost could be saved.
Saturday afternoon, 13 October
Ros sat at the small table outside the café, looking like a proper tourist. Her pale skin and blond hair branded her a non-native and she decided to play the part. She thanked the waiter who brought her a steaming cup of coffee as she looked at a map of Polis. She'd located the newsagent where the asset for Six worked and she planned to stop there next.
Depending on the information she received from him, she also planned to stop at the local hospital and inquire after Zaf. Her cover in searching for him was that he was her boyfriend and hadn't returned from holiday as planned. The thought brought a slight smile to her face, knowing how Zaf would react at the thought of being her boyfriend. She only hoped he had the chance to give her grief about her cover.
An hour later, Ros walked out of the newsagents with some information, primarily about the men who'd been searching for Zaf. There were four men but they hadn't been seen in Polis since Monday. The agent agreed to send her a photo he'd snapped of three of the men, though he admitted it wasn't a great picture, given the distance from which it was taken.
Ros wandered back through the town square and up to the hospital at the base of the hills surrounding the city. The walk from the newsagents to the hospital was nearly a mile but Ros enjoyed the warmth of the shining sun. Twenty minutes later she entered the hospital and approached the information desk, where she was greeted by a young woman.
'Yes, my boyfriend came to Polis recently on holiday and he's not returned nor been in contact and I'm starting to be worried for him. I'm wondering if he may have been a patient here, I have his picture,' she said as she pulled the snapshot from her bag.
Anastasia looked at the photo and shook her head. 'Sorry, but I don't necessarily see the patients, especially if they need help. What is his name? I can see if he was ever registered as a patient here,' she inquired.
'Zafar Younis,' she said before spelling the name. One of the challenges in searching for Zaf was not knowing if he was using his own name, but given how ill he was Ros decided it was likely. 'He arrived in Polis about two weeks ago, so it may have been anytime between then and now,' Ros added. She and Adam had estimated that Zaf and his captors likely didn't arrive before then given what they'd learned of their travels up to that point.
Anastasia shook her head. 'Sorry, I don't have a record of anyone by that name. You can check down at the A E desk; they may recognize him if he was admitted on an emergency basis. Walk down the corridor on your right and the desk is through the second set of doors straight ahead.'
Ros smiled and thanked the young woman for her help before turning towards A E. Within a minute she was standing in front of another young woman, this one apparently named Athena.
'Hi, I was directed to you by the lady at the information desk. I'm trying to find my boyfriend. He came here on holiday last week but he's not been in touch since. Here's his picture,' she said as she handed the photo over. 'His name is Zafar Younis. Do you recognize him?' she asked, trying to sound like a worried girlfriend.
'Oh, he does look familiar. Let me check the computer,' she replied.
'The gal at the front didn't find his name in the computer,' Ros added, trying to be helpful. 'I'm worried that he hit his head and has amnesia or something crazy like that.' Playing the part of a slightly hysterical girlfriend was something Ros had no experience with so she hoped she wasn't too over the top.
'I can't give the names of other patients that fit his description but I can see if someone else remembers him. Cassia!' she called out to a woman walking by the desk. 'Do you remember this guy? He came in last week but his name isn't in the computer. His girlfriend is here trying to find him.'
Cassia walked over to the desk and looked at the photo. 'Yes, I remember him. He was treated by Dr Pavlou. I think his name was Jamal. I remember him because Dr Pavlou's girlfriend knew him and wouldn't leave his side. Dr Pavlou said the guy was a friend of his girlfriend, though now that makes sense,' she said as she nodded her head.
'Why?' asked Ros.
'Because you're English like Dr Pavlou's girlfriend. I never heard Jamal speak; he was unconscious when he was here. It was unusual, he was checked out of the hospital quickly for someone so sick, but he hasn't been back.' She dropped the level of her voice and leaned in closer. 'I also heard that Dr Pavlou's girlfriend has left town. She quit her job here and he's not been happy this past week.'
Ros straightened up in surprise, still trying to understand what she had just heard. She opened her mouth to speak but Cassia spoke first.
'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that your boyfriend has run off with another woman. But it is weird, her not turning up for work since this guy left the hospital. And he was in no condition to go anywhere,' she added. At her name being called she turned to leave. 'Sorry, I have to get back to work. Good luck finding your boyfriend,' she added as she walked away.
Ros was confused by what appeared to be another player in the game and Athena tried to still be helpful. 'Not the news you were hoping for, I'm sure,' she said sympathetically.
Ros shook her head. 'No, not really but I hope he's okay. Can you tell me the name of Dr Pavlou's girlfriend, the one who worked here?' she asked. Sensing Athena's hesitation she quickly added, 'I'm not upset with her or anything like that. I just want to find out if he's okay.'
Athena seemed to believe her and smiled in return. 'I have no idea where she lived but I would see her walking to work most days so I believe she lived in town. Her name is Ruth Miller.'
Ros's sharp inhale of breath surprised Athena. 'Do you know her?'
Ros shook her head in reply. 'No, I don't know anyone with that name, though Zafar had a friend named Ruth a few years ago, but he told me that she died. It must be a coincidence, though.' Ros paused for a moment. 'You don't have a picture, do you? Of Ruth? I mean, it can't be the same woman but now I'm curious, I have to say.'
Athena shook her head. 'I don't, but go back to the information desk and ask Anastasia. Ruth used to work up front with her, so she may have a photo. Good luck finding your man,' she added as Ros turned away.
Back at the information desk, Ros waited as Anastasia gave directions to an elderly couple. As they moved away and she approached the desk, the woman remembered Ros.
'Did they recognize your man?' she inquired.
'They did, they were very helpful. It appears that he had a friend here whom he may be staying with while he recovers. A woman named Ruth Miller? Apparently, she was dating Dr Pavlou. You don't happen to have a picture of her, do you?'
'I do, actually, she trained me when I started.' Anastasia glanced around her work area. 'That's funny, I had a picture with a group of us from work here and now it's gone. Oh, there it is. I put my nephew's picture over it on the board,' she said as she unpinned the photos. Hanging her nephew's photo back on the board she walked back to the desk and handed Ros the photo.
'Ruth is the one in the back, next to George, well, Dr Pavlou. They were a cute couple and Ruth is very nice and English, like you,' Anastasia said with a smile.
Ros returned the gesture. 'I'll be very grateful to her if she's helped Zafar recover from whatever injuries he suffered. You don't happen to know where she lived, do you? Even a phone number would be helpful.'
Anastasia shook her head. 'Sorry, I don't know. She walked to work though, except for the days when she came in with Dr Pavlou. He would know where she is.'
Ros nodded in understanding. 'Thank you. Is he working now? I don't want to bother him at work but maybe I could catch him when he's done with his shift,' she explained.
Anastasia checked the computer. 'He is working now but is finished at four, if there are no emergencies of course.'
Ros thanked her once again and left the hospital. She walked for five minutes before finding a small park with a bench upon which she sat, thankful for the shade the nearby tree provided. Pulling out her phone from her pocket she dialed Adam.
'Having any luck?' he asked, skipping the greeting.
'You could say that. Zaf was here and was a patient at the hospital under the name Jamal,' she said. 'I've not had a chance to follow up on a few other leads but you're not going to believe who Zaf is with, or at least was with when he was here.'
'Who, Ros? Who would we know there?' Adam asked.
'Ruth. Zaf was here with Ruth Evershed.'
