Chapter 24

Caradoc made his way down a corridor that curved downwards in half a spiral, and stopped at the reinforced door to Roland's office. He raised one hand and gave it three quick raps.

Moments later, a latch clicked from the inside, and Roland held the door open. Past her was a spartan room with bleak grey walls and floor, and a very standard metal desk in the middle of it. On the desk, next to the computer, was a splash of colour in the form of a potted cactus.

Caradoc took a step into the room, and glanced at the various locks on Roland's door. "You really like your privacy."

"I just don't like people entering without knocking."

Then one lock would do, Caradoc thought, but said nothing. He pulled the metal chair back and sat down on it, shifting in his seat.

Roland closed the door, and from where Caradoc sat, he heard several clicks and clacks as she re-engaged the locks. She sat in her own identical chair opposite him. "Charlemagne sends his regards."

"Does he? You still haven't told me how he's doing."

"His orders. Charlemagne is concerned that we might have another mole."

Caradoc nodded. "So Doctor Estok's voiced his concerns to you?"

"I don't know what you found him, but he's one of the best doctors I've ever met. Highly intelligent as well. I might consider sending him to New York."

"If anyone's sending him to New York, it's me, Eve. I found him and he's mine. You looked into the leak?"

Roland adjusted her glasses. "I did."

"Anyone else know about this?"

"I haven't told anyone yet. Right now I only trust you, the doc and Gawain. And Esclados as well."

"Why him?"

"I know the guy. He wouldn't do it. He just...just hasn't got the balls to. Don't tell him I said that, though."

"I won't. What did you find?"

"I checked with Agravain, and he's combing there, and Galahad doesn't think anyone on his team could be the mole. But…" She pushed the computer screen to the side and spun it around a little.

On the screen was a still from a video camera, of Pellinore talking into her mobile phone.

"Strange thing is, there was no record of this call on her phone."

"Interesting." Caradoc leaned closer to the screen. "Did she make the call or did someone ring her?"

"Someone called her."

"I'll ask her about it" Caradoc stood up and pushed his chair back into its original position. "And I'm going to have to ask you to stop looking into this."

"Two heads are better than one."

"But," Caradoc said slowly. "I don't know if you're the mole or not."

Roland furrowed her brow at that, but said nothing and nodded instead, turning her computer screen back towards herself. She got out of her seat and ritualistically worked on each of the locks on her door.

Latch, slider, chain, deadbolt. Caradoc watched as she flicked each one out of its secured position, and then calmly pulled the door open for him.

"I think it's best if we don't discuss the mole at all, at least until you have enough evidence to convict someone."

"It's for the best, isn't it?"

Roland said nothing, shutting the door.

"Where's Pellinore?" Caradoc asked, poking his head in through the doorway.

Esclados turned to him, yawning. "I dunno, she left a few minutes ago. Personal errand or something."

"You look like you could use some sleep."

He shook his head. "I'm used to this. I pulled a five-nighter after V-day as well, so I'm fine. Marcel isn't though."

Caradoc swung into the room, and peered at one of the monitors. "I don't see anything wrong wi- oh, shit."

"Does she do that a lot?"

"Yeah. Two guys in the last few days as well so try not to piss her off. Tell me if Pellinore comes back, eh?"

"I'll call you." Esclados went back to staring at his screen, folding his arms on the tabletop and resting his chin on them.

Caradoc exited into the hallway, and made a turn, bringing him to one of the doors to the cafeteria, which he pushed in. The bittersweet smell characteristic of ground coffee wafted to his nose, and he looked over to the corner of the room, where workers and one of the agents were standing around a counter.

Urien had a ceramic mug with the French flag plastered on the side in his hand, periodically sipping from it, and he stood leaned against one of the tables, listening to a worker recount something. His eyes slid to Caradoc for the briefest moment, and then back to the worker.

"Urien," Caradoc said. "You got some time?"

He said something to the workman, and he scurried back to his friends who were camped out on a nearby table. "You're a godsend."

"Am I?"

"First you save Pellinore's life, then you save me from this guy who was trying to tell me about that one time he went to Vegas and got a tattoo or something. The last time I went to Vegas a casino almost got blown up and I fell off the roof of a skyscraper."

"That's what we're for, isn't it? Coffee any good?"

"It sucks. But better than instant merde."

Caradoc hailed the cook with a wave and raised his index finger, before turning back to Urien. "How's Kay?"

"Doing fine. Shot collapsed his lung, so he'll be out of comission for a while. Makes me wonder how you guys do it up in Amsterdam without all these guys." He waved his hand around at the workers.

"There's not much going on there, really," Caradoc said, taking a steaming mug from the cook. "Not a lot of 'bad guys' set up in Holland. Sometimes I envy you guys, going undercover or getting in a shootout all the time."

"You don't seem to be missing out."

"Yeah, this week's kind of been...intense, if that's the right word for it. I've had more bullets fired at me in the last three days than I've had in years."

"Makes you wonder who they are, don't they?"

"Gawain is working that out right now. With shoe-to-groin contact."

"Oh, you wish it was you."

"What?"

"You wish she did that to you as well."

"Who the fuck wants to get kicked in the balls? Actually, don't answer that, just piss her off and we'll see."

"You're right, but she'd be paying attention to you, wouldn't she? Isn't that what you want?"

"The heck are you babbling on about now?"

"It's clear as fucking day, man. The others probably don't give a damn or respect you or whatever, bu-"

"And you don't respect me?" Caradoc cut in. He took a sip of his coffee, and grimaced. "Wow, this sucks."

"Don't change the subject; I'm just being honest. Why don't you just ask her?" Urien had a wolfish grin on his tanned face.

"We agreed to end it."

"Oh, so you've hit it before."

"You know, you should shut up before you have to drink that coffee through a straw." Caradoc couldn't help but smile.

"Dunno, it might taste better."

"Maybe I don't have to do it. Maybe the cook will do it. Tell me: did you have a parachute in Vegas?"

"Why do I feel like this is going to be a threat?"

"Just answer the damned question."

"I managed to get on one before the guys started shooting. It was like a fucking action movie but shit, broken glass hurts like hell."

"Would you like to try it from a skyscraper in Paris, without the parachute?"

"I think the answer is obvious."

"Then shut up about...about whatever it was you were rattling on about before. If Esclados starts giggling I'll know who to go to." Caradoc tipped back the rest of the coffee, and set it on the cook's table. "I'm going to see Kay."

"Do you even know where the medical bay is?"

"Er...no?"

Urien pointed at the cafeteria door that opened into the T-junction. "Right, and right again at the end. Kind of hard to miss."

"See you."

"Do yourself a favour and tell her."

Caradoc raised his middle digit at Urien as he exited to the intersection, and turned right as instructed. The corridor split left and right again at the end, but the left path led to the bathrooms. To the right was a pair of stark white doors, and the sign above it said "Medical Bay".

He pushed one of the doors in, and into a brightly lit room with rows of empty hospital beds. A woman in nurse uniform was scribbling on a clipboard on a desk in one corner of the room, and Kay laid asleep on one of the beds.

"Can I wake him?" Caradoc asked.

The nurse jumped the tip of her pencil stubbed against the clipboard, breaking it. "Y-yes you can," she stammered.

"Thank you." Caradoc stood beside Kay's still body, and put a hand on his shoulder.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. "What now?" he croaked.

"Just checking to see if you're okay. Rough day, huh?"

Kay chuckled, then jerked forwards, coughing. The nurse looked over from her desk, but Kay gave her a wave and laid back down. "Rough week, really. I was about to crack down on some kingpin."

"No shit?"

"No shit." Kay coughed again, albeit less violently. "He literally stuck a gun up my ass on my first day undercover and asked if I was a spy."

"Seem like the classes Ga-" His watch vibrated, and he tapped the button on the leg of his glasses. "Yes?"

"Val's done with Marcel," Esclados said. "She got nothing. This guy is persistent, man."

"Alright, let me finish up here with Kay and i'll get back," He hung up. "Sorry about that," he said to the injured agents. "Where was I?"

"You said my classes with Galahad something, I think."

"Oh, I was saying they paid off. Because otherwise…"

"Can we not? It still hurts."

"Fine by me. Wait, when you say it hurts, do you mean it figuratively or do you mean your arsehole hurts?"

"Just let it go."

Caradoc broke out a grin. "Has Pellinore visited you yet?"

"No, why?"

"I've something I need to discuss with her. Not in a rush, but tell the nurse to call me when you see her, alright?"

"Will do."

Caradoc waved and exited the medical bay, jogging down the corridor, into the cafeteria, past a snickering Urien and through the other door, then down the corridor and into the interrogation observation room.

Gawain and Esclados were sat in front of the computer screen, Esclados' hand tapping a few keys to play the video back and forth.

"Nothing?" Caradoc asked, pulling up a chair beside them.

"Nothing," Gawain said. "If Pellinore can't get it out of him, I doubt either of us can. I'm out of ideas."

"Tasers?" Esclados suggested.

"Or you could give him the same treatment as he gave Holly," Caradoc said. "I know an eye for an eye isn't exactly modern, but he might feel guilty or something."

"Marcel? He's a narcissist. He won't feel guilty."

"Not before I'm done with him, no." Caradoc picked up a paper clip from Esclados' desk. "This is gonna take a while."

"Take your time. He's not going anywhere."

Caradoc winked, and opened the door into Marcel's room.