Thanks to those who reviewed. This is longer than planned but I couldn't find a suitable point at which to break it up.

The Grid. 9.30

The Grid was rarely quiet but today the usually febrile atmosphere was enriched with an extra buzz. By some nefarious means, in an organisation dedicated to secrecy, the news had rapidly leaked to even the most junior of officers that the very private life of the formidable head of Section D had once again become entangled within a forthcoming operation. Following hard on the heels of the events colloquially referred to as 'The Gavirk Affair' it was a juicy topic for gossip. These speculations were taking place well out of earshot of the three senior officers, the only persons present who actually knew what had taken place regarding the death of Ruth Evershed and the equally mysterious reappearance of a harrowed Sir Harry onto the Grid. This trio were feverishly occupied in trying to discover some information, however minor, as the fate of their boss's daughter. A dispassionate observer might have concluded that their jobs were dependent upon their success – which given Harry's mood these days might indeed prove to be the case. Thus the news relayed by Erin that Harry was bringing his estranged ex-wife onto the Grid was greeted with a stunned silence.

Calum was the first to recover: "You do realise that their divorce made Macca and Mills look fluffy by comparison?" Before Erin could ask from whence he'd acquired that historical titbit Dimitri interrupted with a more pertinent concern: "Erin, does she know about Ruth and the Gavriks?"

Erin stared at him disbelievingly; "Di would you tell your antagonistic ex 'actually I'm mourning a woman seventeen years younger than myself who was accidentally stabbed to death by the boy I thought I'd fathered on a triple agent during the Cold War while I was still married to you?"

"Not unless I'd completely lost my marbles."

"Which Harry hasn't – not yet anyway. I suggest you two find some Intel to keep it that way."

The whoosh of the pods heralded the arrival of the companions at war. The sudden hush that greeted their appearance, followed by a wave of animated chat, alerted Harry immediately as to the nature of the interrupted conversations. Stepping forward he shot a basilisk stare across the Grid announcing in a voice that made his displeasure obvious.

"We are not refugees from Hello magazine. Anyone not searching for Al Qaeda's pinup boys within the next five seconds will be saying goodbye via my personally delivered autograph on their P45."

As he made this statement he unexpectedly felt a sudden protective urge towards the woman standing beside him. He had felt rather than seen Jane's momentary hesitation as they emerged from the pods and he could have sworn that for a brief moment she had moved slightly towards him. A quick sideways glance told him that she was all too conscious of the close scrutiny and was staring back at the curious spooks with her most fearsome schoolmarm glare, the one that could have felled a gorgon at ten paces. At least for once he wasn't its recipient.

Jane's expression conveyed an air of confidence that belied a feeling of increasing disorientation. For years her image of Harry had been that of a neglectful husband and absent father but from the instant she'd entered the Thames House foyer she'd become aware of the air of unconscious deference accorded to him. She'd known, of course, that he'd achieved promotion from the ranks after an outstanding career as a field officer, but she'd never quite realised the extent to which this had transformed his persona into that of the powerful man now at her side. A man possessed of an unquestioned authority, a man to be defied at the peril of the transgressor. It was as if she was viewing him through a pair of 3D spectacles; the original image was retained but enhanced by the addition of a hitherto unseen dimension. As she readjusted to this amended vision she consoled herself with the reflection that no man was a hero to a woman who'd seen him in his underpants.

Harry, anxious to spare her too much intrusive attention steered her across the Grid towards his office as he barked, "Meeting Room Erin, Dimitri and Calum in five minutes." The three spooks exchanged apprehensive looks, clearly Harry's usual sunny disposition was still firmly in situ.

After a quick glance Erin nervously followed Harry into his office. "Sorry Harry but the Home Secretary rang. He needs to bring forward tomorrow's meeting. 2.00pm today. I did try to explain."

Harry would have liked to reply in some highly unparliamentary language but concluded that it was unfair to shoot the messenger. Looking at Erin he contented himself with saying: "Thanks Erin. Can I introduce you to Jane?"

Erin held out her hand which was grasped by Jane who smilingly said, "I believe I owe you some thanks – although I'm sure you found Harry's text as embarrassing as I did."

"Think nothing of it I was just glad to help. Harry, I'll go and chase the other two into the Meeting Room."

As the impossibly glamorous Erin retreated Jane's eyes followed her thoughtfully. On Harry's past form his mystery woman was probably a work acquaintance. Harry noticed her suspicious look and flatly stated, "No Jane I'm not having an affair with her."

Jane, not keen to admit to her suspicions, attempted to wrong foot him: "Actually I was wondering how she manages to run after terrorists in those heels."

Harry gave a slight smirk, "Touché Jane, I read your mind correctly, don't deny it, but you've read mine. I've often wondered the same thing."

"Twenty five years since we divorced and we can still tell what the other is thinking!"

Harry's eyes strayed briefly through the glass panels of his office and out over the Grid. A quick flash of yearning ran across his face. What was he looking at? Jane didn't have time to consider as Harry was now holding open his office door for her as a precursor to them joining his team.

Entered the Meeting Room slightly behind the three younger spooks Harry noted an undignified scuffle between Calum and Dimitri both striving to sit in the place traditionally occupied by the Data Analyst, unused for the past few months. Harry sighed, he understood their reasoning but wondered why they thought it would affect him so badly to see another woman seated in Ruth's place when he walked with her spectre everywhere and every day. He knew she was gone forever and he knew the team had to move on, even if he couldn't. His tardiness in appointing a successor had nothing to do with an unwillingness to replace her, because he never could; it had everything to do with finding someone competent.

Taking his usual position at the head of the table Harry took a deep breath before saying: "Firstly can I introduce Jane. As you all know she is my ex-wife. She is also our only witness. She has signed the act and you can trust her not to divulge anything she hears." Jane was shocked, after all the bitter arguments she'd had with Harry he actually trusted her! Harry oblivious continued, "What have we got?"

Calum and Dimitri exchanged another quick glance before Calum said, "Not much so far. Dimitri has the report from the Bomb Squad plus the CCTV footage from last night with Jane rocketing across the road. That's it."

"What no other CCTV from the street!" Harry was incredulous. When Catherine had moved in he'd made it his business to unobtrusively check her security. "Why not?"

Calum gave a sigh as he explained, "The area is having the CCTV checked and upgraded, it's an agreed programme, being done to a timetable. The cameras are turned off at 9.30 in the morning and switched back at around 6.00pm. Yesterday was the turn of Catherine's street, plus one or two surrounding ones. I've asked for a list of those who knew about the timetable. It was kept relatively quiet at the request of the police but even so the list will be lengthy."

Harry seemed likely to combust but any explosion was averted by Dimtri asking, "Could Jane tell us exactly what she remembers from yesterday evening before we see any footage?"

Harry nodded as he as he turned towards her, "Jane, can you repeat what you told me last night plus anything else that may have occurred to you since." Closing her eyes Jane recounted for the benefit of the team exactly what she had told Harry the previous evening.

When she had finished Dimitri leant forward, "Can I ask... you are absolutely sure that you just half turned the key?"

"Yes – I remember because it seemed to have hit an obstruction and that's when I heard the footsteps."

"Dimitri – why the grilling about the key?" asked Harry.

"I'll explain in a minute but could we first see the CCTV footage of the explosion?" Turning to Jane he added, "I hope it won't be too distressing."

Jane shook her head. "What more distressing than the actual event? Go ahead. Just don't post it on YouTube."

As he watched the footage, the central feature of which was Jane's starring role as a human cannonball Harry realised that she had had a very close call. He wondered briefly how he'd have reacted if she'd ended up as a fatality. Before he could answer that one Dimitri said, "I can see why the Bomb Squad leader was mooning all over it."

"Yea mate well some of us get off on a different sort of Big Bang so could we have the details?"

"Okay. The bomb was set with a double detonator. Inside the flat it was set with a timer that would explode a small relay of little bombs. Enough to destroy the contents but not weaken the entire building. The squad think it was set to go off sometime this morning after most of the occupants in the building had left for work."

"How very considerate," said Harry with deep sarcasm, – "so why did it go off when it did?"

"That's what I'm coming to. A second detonator was set, basically if the front door was opened the key turn would activate one bomb on the door which would in turn trigger the relay into the flat."

"But it didn't."

"Yes, well it seems that for the complete effect the key had to be turned fully. Jane says she only half turned it which triggered the door and because she stepped away she avoided the full blast. She was lucky."

Jane rubbed her shoulder thoughtfully – so this was what lucky felt like. She recalled briefly the number of occasions when a battered Harry had reappeared shrugging off his injuries with that particular utterance. She began to wonder which she'd underestimated more, his pain threshold or his acting ability.

These thoughts were interrupted by Harry's voice. "So in conclusion we can assume that this was targeted, that the culprits are trying to avoid unnecessary loss of life if possible but they needed to destroy something in the flat. Which means it's still there. When can we get access?"

Erin asked, "But why target Catherine and where is she?"

Before Harry could answer Jane chipped in, "Unfortunately our daughter is a chip off the male block. She makes films on controversial issues and isn't bothered who she upsets or how reckless she is in the interests of her cause. She also plays thing close to her chest so I've no idea what she's been working on but I'd reckon she might have upset someone. She'd have been dead on more than one occasion if it hadn't been for her father."

'Should he be gratified by this ambiguous statement?' Harry was still trying to decide when Erin intervened.

"Harry there is another possibility. That someone is trying to manipulate you using the three fs and have skipped straight to family."

Jane looked puzzled, Harry's eyes were shooting daggers, but Erin decided to risk annoying him as she attempted to enlighten Jane. "It's a well known technique for breaking or controlling someone, you try to get to them through friends, finance or family and in our job we make enemies. And Harry ...well now..." Her words tapered off as she realised that she was venturing into indiscreet territory.

"That will do Erin." A glaring Harry interrupted before Erin could expound further. He'd noted how shocked Jane looked. Not surprising really, she'd lived on the edge of his world but neglectful as he'd been in many ways he'd always managed to protect her and the children. It was one of the few creditable actions he had undertaken during their marriage, but now Jane was truly face to face with the dangers that had been the mainstay of his life for so many years. He awaited a hysterical denouncement as she sought relief in blaming him for the situation. It was to his surprise when she said quietly but in a voice that required an answer:

"If my, - sorry, - our daughter is at risk I have a right to know why. Harry?"

Calum, Erin and Dimitri collectively held their peace. This was Harry's call. Harry looked at Jane directly as he replied, "A few months ago an operation went badly wrong and a Deputy Director of the CIA ended up dead. The buck stopped with me and my extradition to America was agreed. At the very last minute it was discovered that the real culprits were the agents of a dissident group so the extradition was cancelled."

'You had to admire him,' Erin thought. From Harry's almost casual tone as he impassively recounted the bowdlerised version of one of the worst experiences of his life the uninformed listener would have supposed that this had been an event on a par with a convivial booze cruise, rather than one in which the best case scenario had been a lifetime in an American penitentiary.

"But surely..." Jane halted. "Sorry I'm being naive aren't I," 'God Jane did you have to use that word,' "The CIA still want you and aren't happy chappies so your team think that they are trying to manipulate you into making a mistake that will reactivate the extradition, presumably so they can wring a number of State secrets out of you." The assembled spooks, with the exception of Harry, were stunned by her quick grasp of the implications. Harry cast a slightly sardonic look at their faces, he could have told them that teaching English literature did not exclude an uncanny ability to put two and two together. Life with Jane had been a huge help in honing his deceptive skills, although judging by their earlier conversation he'd not been quite as successful at hoodwinking her as he'd previously believed.

"That's one possibility but ..We have another one," Dimitri had spoken now. "What about the cultural Olympiad that you're involved with Jane – I understand that has some controversies attached to it?"

It was Harry's turn to look slightly fazed - what on earth was Dimitri talking about? Then he remembered that he'd recently tasked Dimitri with the overseeing of what Harry privately regarded as an unnecessary arty add on and irritating security distraction from the main event. Not that Harry the opera lover wasn't partial to the odd Shakespearean production. Given a personal choice of entertainment he'd consider it preferable to the three week extravaganza revolving around American jocks, dubious franchising and nationalistic hyperbole with ne'er a cricket ball in sight.

Jane was speaking; "Firstly my arrival yesterday was unplanned, secondly the arguments are those of interpretation so I think that is highly unlikely."

Before Jane could squash Dimitri completely Calum chipped in, "Yea think of the headlines, set of scary spear carriers terrorise London."

Harry stood up signalling the end of the meeting; "Dimitri find out how quickly we can get access to Catherine's flat. We need to know why it was bombed and whatever details you can turn up about the bomb itself. Calum check the CCTV for witnesses and trace them. Erin check everyone who knew the CCTV would be turned off and their contacts. We need facts not theories, and quickly. Jane, a word."

His voice sounded even but Jane could tell from the way Harry strode out of the Meeting Room that he was furious at having his ignorance exposed. Well she supposed she could enlighten him on this topic at least. She followed him into his office, calmly sat down on the sofa and waited for the hurricane to begin swirling.

Without preamble Harry snapped, "Jane –give me the full tale as to how you ended up here," at the sight of her thundercloud face he added a belated, "Please."

"You probably remember how horrible I was to you when we met at Luke's funeral." 'Not really Jane I thought you were being your normal self.' "Well at the time I was worried about being prosecuted for assault."

Three years ago just before she returned from Cyprus. Harry dragged his thoughts back to Jane's timeline and expostulated, "What!"

"As I said last night, or do I mean this morning, long story."

"Could you précis it then, the last I knew you were having huge success as Head of Department at..."

"Yes well things change. We acquired a new Head with cool ideas who wanted us to think outside the box." Harry winced, cool was definitely not his favourite word and jargon in his experience was used by mentally bankrupt incompetents seeking to disguise their total lack of ability. Jane noted the grimace and said, "Exactly. He'd absorbed every trendy idea from the last ten years and decided to introduce them. First move was to get rid of the school library and replace it with a computer suite, then in the interests of relevance I found myself having to discuss the ethical considerations displayed in East Enders rather than Shakespeare. The school went paperless with all work submitted electronically by VLE, when the pupils could be bothered to do it."

"Sorry, VLE?"

"Virtual Learning Environment – changed the excuse for not finishing from the 'dog ate my homework to the broadband went down'. Students had to be referred to as clients and their wishes became the paramount driving force, so when the pupils, sorry clients, announced that they found difficulty in getting up the school day was adjusted to begin at 10.30 in the morning."

Harry wondered if Jane was winding him up but looking at her face her realised it was the truth, she was nearly as wedded to her profession as he was to his. It was that quality of passionate commitment to an ideal that had attracted him. He remembered vividly the evening in the pub when she'd first announced her career plans. At the time they been mere acquaintances, in fact Jane had made it clear that, like most people, she regarded the young Harry Pearce as a shallow youth, heedless and caring for nobody. Harry's plans to enter the army had generally been dissed by his crowd with caustic comments, 'mate you don't need a uniform to pull.' In the face of such statements Harry hadn't thought it worth attempting to articulate to anyone his unspoken desire to serve his country. Somehow he'd just known that this was the most fulfilling vocation he could think of, although he couldn't explain why. If he'd been asked he would have assumed that Jane Townsend with her model girl looks and pithy turn of phrase was headed for a career in media or PR so when her heard her declaim to general astonishment that she wanted to teach, and not in the private system at that, his jaw nearly dropped. Barracked about her choices Jane's face had lit up with vehemence insisting that she wanted to make a difference to those who hadn't had her chances. As she faced down the mockery, lambasting one and all for their snobbery, he'd recognised in this gorgeous girl a kindred spirit infused with a sense of intense purpose that matched his own. From that moment he'd pursued her relentlessly, that she disliked him had merely added to the sense of challenge, it had taken him two months to persuade her to date him, and even longer to get her into his bed, a record of female resistance that she had held until ... well... Jane however was continuing to speak.

"That wasn't even the worst, we were told that disciplining and criticising the clients damaged their self esteem so we must always be positive. On one occasion the only positive thing I could say about a pupil was that she'd attended one third of my classes, on another that he'd ceased belching when spoken to."

Harry found it impossible to imagine Jane the arch disciplinarian surviving in that scenario.

"Why didn't you give in your notice?"

"I'd decided to try and stick it out in the hope that OFSTED would intervene but then," she halted for a moment before continuing, "Finally one of the yobs backed me up in a corridor and objected to the mark I'd given his GCSE controlled assessment, he wanted me to agree to up it - with a knife at my throat as a persuader."

"Christ what did you do." Few knew better than Harry just dangerous that situation could be or how fatal... knife or glass could have the same effect. His drifting thoughts were recalled by Jane's voice.

"I was terrified so I kicked him in the nuts and legged it – but of course no witnesses, no mark on me and substantial bruising on him."

In the pause that followed Harry asked, "CCTV, they do have it in schools surely?"

"Disabled as an affront to the human rights of the pupils. The only evidence was the bruising on the pupil and no witness to back me up so I was facing a disciplinary. I decided that I wasn't going to go quietly and threatened a counter claim for constructive dismissal. The Head didn't want bad publicity, the pupil didn't want to press for assault because the photos of the damage would have been produced in court, proving that his brain wasn't the only undersized part of his anatomy. Finally I was allowed to leave with a reference and my professional reputation intact so it was win win, except of course for the pupils who wanted to study properly."

Harry was still looking somewhat aghast at her tale. "God I wish you'd told me what you were going through."

"Why, what could you have done about it?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Sure about that are you?"

"Yes I am. And now."

"About two months later I was head hunted for a part time post coaching A level and talented GCSE pupils at a local independent school. It's well endowed so about one third of the pupils are scholarship. The school aims to get most of the pupils into Oxbridge, Russell or 1994 group. It suits my somewhat diluted ideals. "

"So why exactly are you in London?"

"One of the fathers who works in publishing saw some of my notes on his daughter's work. He liked the style and asked me to do some commentaries etc, and from there I've acquired other contacts, including eventually involvement in the cultural Olympiad as a schools representative. I was supposed to attending the reception later this week but I'll send in my apologies. I can't go partying in this state with this worry hanging over me.- Sorry us.

Harry amazed himself with the surge of pride he felt in Jane's recent achievements. He knew that she was underplaying the desolation she must have felt when almost deprived of her career. He was, after all, a man who regarded gardening as hell's torment for the underemployed. Not only was she passionate about her job, she was also damn good at it. He remembered briefly an occasion many years ago when she'd been pregnant with Graham and feeling somewhat nauseous. For once he'd been home and had volunteered to collect her from a Parents' Evening. Waiting for her outside the school hall he'd overheard at least three sets of parents praising her approach and enthusiasm to the skies as they left.

His amble down memory lane was disturbed by the sound of Jane asking hesitantly, "Harry you're not trying to hide anything from me are you?"

"About Catherine no, I promise you that. But state secrets..."

"Are secret, I know."

Any further conversation was disturbed by a worried looking Dimtri knocking and entering Harry's office simultaneously.

"Harry I've just had a call from the plods. Don't ask me how but someone broke into the flat, they killed a police officer before running." Harry could tell from Dimitri's expression that there was something else, "And?"

Dimitri swallowed hard before looking Harry firmly in the eye, "Whoever it was managed to get away with Catherine's laptop."

Harry's eyes flew to Jane and realised that she had instantly understood what Dimitri was implying. Her words, when they came, were a statement not a question:

"So if they are prepared to kill, Catherine really is in danger isn't she Harry."

For those readers who don't have knowledge of the English education system I should mention that most of the points Jane waxed lyrical about have been either discussed or implemented somewhere. I don't know of any school however that has actioned them all. OFSTED is the national inspection body charged with checking the performance of schools.