Had anyone taken the time to document them, then Harry's well recognised collection of facial expressions followed by a well - honed diatribe, should anyone dare to be the bearer of bad news, would have made for interesting reading. So it only took a moment for Jo to realise, that her so soon after the previous evening's visit, wasn't exactly welcome and that she'd arrived at what could only be described as an inopportune moment. Late - morning, Ruth's hair so recently washed and not yet dry, the breakfast things still littered across the kitchen table and their combined sleep deprived faces, told her everything that she needed to know. Thank god for small mercies, they'd finally managed to get their act together. Yes, Harry made a very good attempt at hiding it, whereas Ruth could barely meet her eye, the blush heightening from her throat upwards.
Had they been less under pressure, she would almost certainly have given them some time to prepare for what she was about to deliver, but now wasn't the time for sentiment. This was a massive reality check into the real reason that they were here and together, and in light of what Alec had suggested, however difficult, had to be dealt with now and not at a time that suited them.
Feeling far less comfortable than she'd been the previous evening and after a weak smile by way of an apology to Ruth, she followed Harry's disappearing figure into the sitting room and produced what she knew was a potential time bomb.
Side tracked by the look of resignation that had settled across Harry's face, she completely forgot her well - rehearsed lines and without preamble, went with the first thing that came into her head.
'Malcolm's come across this list Harry and in view of what's happened to you, Ros and Alec want you to go through it and highlight anybody that you've had a relationship with.'
Well that went down well she thought to herself, as she watched the colour rise in his cheeks and the fingers on both his hands stretch out into spikes and then ball up into fists.
'Define relationship,' he growled, 'I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are Miss Portman?' was delivered with the ice cold sound to his voice that she recognised only too well and would have sent her running a mile had she been on the grid. But they weren't, they were sitting across the room from each other, with Ruth who was making them some coffee likely to be back at any minute. She'd volunteered for this and for reasons best known to her she needed him to know that.
'I'm not suggesting anything Harry and believe you me, at this precise moment I'd rather be anywhere other than here, but it was me or Ros Harry and for Ruth's sake I persuaded her to let me do it, so please stop accusing me of being disrespectful and just hear me out.'
As Harry's mouth opened and then closed as though he was attempting to catch flies, or was momentarily resigned to listening, the predictably of what was likely to follow was overtaken by her desire to maintain her advantage, before he dispatched her back to Thames House with a note that said must try harder, where she'd be deemed a complete failure. Christ had she really spoken to him like that? Strike now you idiot she told herself as she watched him visibly building himself up to another of his, how dare you speak to me like that tirades. Beat him to it, it was time to deliver what she knew was going to put a giant sized cat amongst the pigeons.
'The section's been targeted again Harry, someone has hacked into our personal records or to be precise these personal records,' she told him, handing him the list, 'and Alec is convinced that for whatever reason, amongst those names are the people behind your abduction,' she told him, in a voice that she hoped he'd recognise as her attempt at reconciliation.
Before her eyes and with a pause before he answered her, she watched the other Harry Pearce, the one that loved Ruth and she suspected would rather die than lose her again, slump down at the desk as though he'd been shot.
'But Ruth's on this list, that can't be possible?' was said to himself with a deep and faltering breath, before he raised his head to look at her with an expression that told her everything.
'Yes she is Harry, which is the reason that we're so worried, considering that Adam went to great lengths to remove it and she's supposed to be dead,' she told him, the fight now gone from both of them and a quiet understanding having descended across the room.
Ruth chose this moment to arrive with their coffee, as if she'd been summoned by some mystical power to assure him that she was real and alive.
'Which begs the question about Connie, Harry finally asked Jo, 'does Ros seriously suspect that she's involved?' she imagined was his attempt at delaying the inevitable.
'Involved yes, but we don't think that she's masterminding it. Her daily work pattern's changed and in the last few days she's been spending far less time on the grid, which is another reason that I have to ask you to go through that list now, so that I can go back to Ros with some answers.'
Amongst the four pages of names, most of which Harry barely remembered, some not at all, eventually highlighted under sufferance and with a degree of embarrassment, were a dozen or so that for one reason or another, which give him his due Jo thought, Harry explained he'd either driven out by being boorish or sacked for inappropriate conduct either professionally or personally and he'd noted as such.
'In the case of Juliet Shaw, it was a brief and ill - advised affair that cost me the love of my children,' was said in a voice that Jo recognised as deep regret, 'whereas with Ruth, I'm assuming that you already have the answers that you need,' he concluded, crossing the room from the desk where he'd been sitting and settling himself down next to Ruth, in what Jo suspected was an act of mutual support and defiance against the need to disclose what he presumed was going to be repeated to all and sundry, whereas Ros intended keeping it very much in the eyes only bracket, that wouldn't be extended beyond the necessary few.
'What's the target, do we know that yet?' Ruth asked her, in an attempt to save Harry or her for that matter further embarrassment. If Jo was going to ask him to elaborate on his sex fuelled relationship with Juliet Shaw which she was now privy to, with every gory detail thrown in, he'd be mortified. Worse than that, she certainly didn't want the entire section delving back into what had or hadn't gone on between herself and Harry in the early days, not that it had amounted to more than one date, a kiss goodnight on her doorstep and a failed attempt by both of them at Havensworth, which as far as she knew, only Malcolm had witnessed. What she and Harry were doing now was nobody's bloody business, although it was if that made sense and at the moment Ruth was struggling to make sense of any of it.
The only two people who knew that Harry had been the last person to see her and what had transpired before she'd been exiled were dead, but several of the women on the list had been there then and still were. Once junior analysts who had been party to the chatter that had caused her to refuse Harry that second date, a couple of which he'd highlighted for whatever reason. Had they fallen for him as she had, made a pass at him when he was vulnerable perhaps, was that the reason that he'd sacked them? There were just too many questions and not enough answers and Ruth thrived on answers.
'By process of elimination, Malcolm's concluded that at some point it'll be the London Marathon that'll be targeted, but exactly where and how, we have absolutely no idea. He, Tariq and Ben are working full out and now that we've discovered this list, Alec is convinced we'll find who's behind it,' Jo told them, bringing them back to Ruth's original question and from wherever their minds had been wandering.
She'd sat watching them processing what she'd told them, a mini meeting room briefing away from the grid. How much easier it would have been had they all been sitting at Thames House, but that was the whole point of this wasn't it, divide and conquer no matter what the cost in terms of lives or to the nation as a whole, if they were to lose Harry's dedication and brilliance.
All but one of her tasks, the most difficult were done and then she needed to head back and go to her meeting with Ben. She wasn't the only one that was bone weary with the lack of sleep, but unlike them she wouldn't be able blank things out by heading back to her bed.
'There's something else which is equally if not more important given your relationship,' she told them, waiting for another outburst from Harry that didn't come. 'Now that Malcolm's discovered this list, we have a real concern about Ruth's safety. Alec's take on things, is that she may be well targeted again to get you to come out of the woodwork Harry, and his advice was that we separate you and get Ruth as far away from you as possible,' she told him, watching Ruth shake her head and the anger resume its position in Harry's eyes, as he moved protectively closer to her until there was no space between them and his arm was wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Hold your horses she thought, I haven't finished yet. 'After much discussion we are going to move you both, this evening at nine, so you need to be packed and ready. Malcolm and Tariq are coming to collect you and will want to get you out of here with as little fuss as possible, however,' and here she paused, knowing that this would massively ease the added burden that her news had brought. 'Against what we all agree was sound advice from Alec, Ros has decided to go out on a limb here and we're keeping you together. She was adamant Harry, that you were best qualified to protect Ruth.'
Neither of them moved or said anything, although she discerned a huge flicker of relief and gratitude pass across both their faces as Harry nodded in agreement.
'Ros does however need you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid Harry, which includes leaving the rest of this to us. Oh and by the way, one last message. She says turn your bloody phones back on.'
'You have to promise me Joanne,' he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he opened the door for her to leave. 'If anything does goes wrong and you have to make a choice, that you'll put Ruth's safety ahead of my own.'
She didn't want to answer and she knew full well that Ros would never accept it, but she also knew that Harry needed to hear it.
'We will,' she told him.
'So you're the big cheese that Ben keeps banging on about,' had Jo wondering just how much Ben had disclosed to his friend John about her and their colleagues.
'I'm not anything,' she countered, hoping that he was just pulling her leg or perhaps was nervous that they'd suggested that in the short term they wanted him to come on board.
They were sitting either side of one of the picnic tables in Greenwich Park enjoying a coffee and a sandwich, with what Jo had presumed were three stolen racing bikes with all the gear, propped up against a nearby tree.
'Stop worrying,' John continued, picking up on what she was looking at, 'I'm part of a network and those are on loan for as long as we need them, but shouldn't we be making a move?'
Before they did, she needed to explain their instructions from Ros and she had some questions of her own that she needed to ask John.
'This network that you keep talking about, how many of you are there and are you sure that they can they be trusted?' Jo asked him, having been briefly distracted by his hypnotic brown eyes and the fact that he didn't look as though he lived on the streets.
'There are ten of us and yes we're completely trustworthy,' he told her, before going on to speak with a passion that was worthy of Harry. 'Just because we don't mix with the high and mighty, doesn't mean that we don't have the same right to love the city that we live in, there's surely no division when it comes to appreciating beautiful things is there?'
'No you're absolutely right,' she heard herself agreeing with him, totally taken aback by what he'd said and regretting that she'd pre-judged him.
Ros had given her explicit instructions that they were to ride the full length of the Marathon course, taking notes and photographs of virtually anything or anybody that looked out of place, no matter how insignificant. You'll be posing as tourists on a cycling tour of London, she'd told her, justifying the reason that they'd be taking numerous photographs. Roadworks that are in progress, buildings of interest, landmarks that might be targeted, anything that you think we need to look into more closely. One of you pose in front of something if you need to stop for a break or explain what you're doing, use your instinct, just don't take all day.
How about we take a group photograph?' Jo suggested to her companions, for the benefit of the couple of hoodies that were approaching the bench where they were sitting. That was the trouble when you were a spook, everyone had to be considered as a potential threat.
Twenty six plus miles in the heat of the afternoon, when you weren't used to cycling, even if you were fit was no mean task, so Jo took advantage of Ros's advice and stopped again. Having never found the time to watch the London Marathon, she was now becoming painfully aware how close the route came to passing dozens of significant landmarks. As they crossed Tower Bridge, marvelling at the architecture and its history, they stopped for another breather so that John could introduce them to what was now the fourth member of his group of friends. The fact that you could climb the towers they deemed significant and a possible target, the list of which was getting far too long for Jo's liking. With just a week before the race, in order that they could check out every possibility, she now knew that they needed to recruit John and his friends to do work that might well be beyond them. Making a mental note to tell Ros that this was turning into a potential minefield, they said their goodbyes and rode on. Re crossing the river, this time over Blackfriars Bridge, they turned left and headed along the embankment in the direction of the seat of government and some of the most influentially filled buildings in London. Whitehall, the Home and Foreign Offices, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey were less than a couple of miles away, whereas across the river stood Thames House, a safe haven from this nightmare. Road works Ros had told her, which caused her to call a halt to their progress. A group of workmen, who according to the van that was parked in a layby worked for Clifford and Jones, were hanging coloured lights between the trees, which seemed an odd thing to do considering that it was the end of April.
'Getting ready for Christmas?' asked Ben jokingly, as they lent their bikes against the railings on the pretext of having a rest and John reached for his phone.
'Queen's Birthday mate, they'll have decorations everywhere, I'm off to a party at the mother in laws, God knows why,' was the answer he got from the man that introduced himself as Chris.
'What's that then?' John asked, pointing to an area that had been cordoned off, only to be told that it was a feeding station for the runners and that there would be dozens of them along the route, not to mention all the street vendors that would be setting themselves up, to feed the thousands of onlookers.
We've got absolutely no chance of monitoring the entire route,' Jo told Ros and Alec, when the three of them were sitting in Ros's Office sharing a pizza, having watched Malcolm and Tariq disappear through the pods to move Harry and Ruth.
'Then we need to go through that list again, identify those who have left the service and why, even those that Harry can't remember. See if any of them are amongst the runners or part of a support team?' Alec told them.
'The organisers, surely we can dismiss them can't we, or do you think we should give them a cursory glance and what about the street vendors, there has to be an approved list doesn't there?' Ros added to the already growing list of to do things.
'Hang on a moment, what time does it get dark?' Alec asked them, cutting across what Ros was saying by pointing to a group of the photos that Jo was calling up on the screen.
'Nine give or take, why?' Ros asked him.
'Because I know what they're going to do, it's ingenious in its simplicity,' he told them, 'pass me those lists.'
