Ch 18. Customers of all kinds
The following days Maxine and Andrew spent their days by visiting Ypres and the battlefield, Brugge, Gent, Ostende, Lille and by making a tour with the car to the Cap-Gris-Nez in France.
At the end of the day Mike entered the house and saw that Helen just has prepared some coffee for the evening.
"You've seen Max and Andrew?", he asked her.
"They are to Ypres for a dinner", she replied.
"But I'm wondering where our next guest is. He had to be here already", she continued.
At that moment the phone rang and he hurried to the reception desk to pick it up. A moment later he returned.
"And?", she asked him as she put the coffee jar at the coffee table in their living room.
"It's our guest. Guess what? He asked if we could pick him up at the railway station of Menin. He got stuck there."
"Hmm, you can't imagine what they dare to ask nowadays. Menin is not that close", Helen answered as she grabbed her spy novel.
He shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. Always smile at the customers, even when they ask stupid things", she said slightly annoyed as she sat down at the couch.
"See you within a hour, I'll get that bloke", he said while giving her a kiss.
He grabbed the car keys, his wallet and walked outside.
He has only left for 5 minutes as a car stopped at the parking of the B&B. A middle aged bolt man with a short beard got out and entered. The door bell rang.
Helen walked towards him.
"Hallo, wat kan ik voor u doen?" (Hi, what can I do for you?)", she asked him.
Hmm, I've a feeling that I've seen this bloke before.
"Hello, can I have a drink? Coffee perhaps?", he asked her in English.
"Hmm, normally we're not a pub, but I hear that you're an Aussie and for compatriots we do something extra. It's still sweet outside. Do you want it in the garden?", she asked him with a smile.
"Yeah, sounds great."
"This way please", Helen asked and she guided the man to the terrace.
He looks familiar, but I don't know…
He choose a table on the outside of the terrace, the closest to the garden. He sat down with his back to a bush and from there he had a view on the terrace door, the terrace and towards Ypres.
Helen came out with a tray with a cup of coffee, some milk, sugar and a biscuit.
"Here you go sir", she said as she put down the tray.
"Thank you", he said and when she turned to go inside he added : "Well, Kate McGregor, how you're doing?"
A shivering ran down her spine.
Oh my god!
She tried to turn slowly to that man.
"I beg your pardon?", she asked.
Why does he know my real name? It must be something of that undercover operation.
He smirked and leaned back in his chair. "I said, how you're doing Kate McGregor?"
Helen felt how the ground under her feet sank. She tried to be as calm as possible.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not Kate McGregor. I'm Helen Porter."
"Hehe, don't play dump on me McGregor. I know damn well who you are and I saw your reaction. You froze at the ground. Or do I have to call you … Emma Forbes? ", he said on a conspiracy tone.
"I … I really don't know what you are talking about ", Helen said tried to hide her panic.
"Oh yeah, you certainly do. We need to talk", he said and he stood up and started to walk towards her.
"No, stay where you are!", she said fiercely, stepping slightly backwards.
All of sudden he took a few quick steps and pulled out a gun with a silencer from his jacket. He grabbed her by her arm. "Don't try to yell sweetie, otherwise I'll kill you straight away!"
"Hey, keep off of me!", she said fiercely.
"Shut up! You caused me already too much trouble", the man snapped at Helen and he yanked her by her arm to chair at the table with the coffee. Helen lost her balance on her heeled mules and stumbled.
"Get up your feet bitch", he grumbled and yanked her towards the table whereby she lost her shoes.
He pushed her with such a force in the chair that she grimaced.
"Wha.." Helen started to yell, but he put the barrel of the gun to her head.
"Yelling is dying", he said softly.
"What the hell do you want from me?", Helen spat out much softer now.
"Oh just a little bit", he said with a smirk.
"Listen within a sec my husband is home and then you're finished", Helen said spitefully.
"Tttt it will take some time before he's back from Menin", he said showing her his mobile that he grabbed from his pocket. "I called him and I waited until he left."
"If you yell and someone else comes to see you, then I kill that person too and that's something you don't want huh?"
Helen widened her eyes hearing what he just said. She realised that it was an orchestrated action. She was shaking all over her body and tears ran down her cheeks.
Why can't I recognise and remember this bastard? Why me? Why now? It's already 14 years ago.
"I'm still surprised that you don't recognise me Kate McGregor", he said pointing with the gun to her.
Meanwhile Andrew and Maxine have arrived back from Ypres.
They got out of the car and she stretched her back and took a deep breath.
"Thank you dear. That was a nice dinner."
"Pleasure honey," he said while he walked around the car.
"The last post ceremony at the Menin Gate is still fascinating. We've seen it already a few times, but it has something magic", she said.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and both walked along the house towards the garden. "Let's enjoy the evening at the terrace", he said softly.
"Hmm, good", she mumbled.
He stopped and turned towards her and pulled her closer him to kiss her passionately while his hand moved upwards to caress her boob. She replied his kiss, but.
"Andy, not here", she panted.
"Come on Maxie, it's holiday."
"Hmm, you little teddy bear, I've been their commanding officer and I would feel embarrassed if they saw us here like this. Let's keep that for our room", she said cheekily.
But all of a sudden their attention was attracted by harsh voices coming from the terrace.
He put his hand to his beard. "Image that I have hair and without beard. Does it ring a bell to you now?"
"Joel Oakes!", she said faintly. "You bastard!"
"Tttt no dirty words please. Watch your language McGregor."
Maxine and Andrew looked from aside the corner to the garden and saw how Helen was sitting in that chair.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in jail", Helen said to him.
"Well, when you behave yourself and with some good friends you can get out earlier huh. "
"F*ck, he has a gun!", Andrew whispered.
"I know him. That's the leader of the smuggle traffic of 14 years ago. My god, he found her!", Maxine whispered beaten.
"But? How did you know that I was still alive? I've been shot when I left the court, but that meant that someone knew that I was alive. It was too well organized", she said.
He chuckled, "I'm glad that we are not in a war right now, because with your gullibility, we were lost even before we started it. You defend the front door while your garden door is wide open to let an aircraft carrier in."
Helen's eyes shot bullets. "Asshole", she mumbled.
All of a sudden Maxine and Andrew heard someone behind and they turned to see who was coming. It was Kate.
They saw how she opened her mouth to say something but both gestured to shut up. Luckily the girl was smart enough to understand that something was going on.
He showed her an evil smile, "I'm enjoying this, just like you enjoyed to betray me. Well, wide-eyed girl, when you're in big business like me, you'll have everywhere people who need money and then it's just a very easy commerce, he knows something and I pay for it, easy huh? The salary of police men is not that high you know and many of them don't like women who think that they are smarter than them. Unfortunately that nutcase stood in front of you and he took your bullet. His own fault!"
"Asshole! How did you find me?"
"Kate McGregor, you're repeating yourself! Indeed, it looked like someone of the Fed's had brains in his head, rare, but it is and he has you vanished.
But, the problem with you is that you are too perfect. It has cost me a year to find you again and after all it wasn't that difficult. You disappeared from earth and you started here. I would never have found you, but what you started here was perfect, again, so perfect that you can find your B&B in every travel guide for Europe in Australia, even with your photo in them. Easy not?"
Maxine, Andrew and Kate were peering from behind a wall to the situation.
"Why does he calls my name?", whispered Kate but Maxine put quickly her fingers to her mouth to indicate that she had to be quiet.
Helen's courage sank in the ground.
"And now it's time to have old friends paid for their actions, not?", he sneered.
Helen widened her eyes again when she realised what was going to happen.
"Enjoy the few remaining moments of your stupid life Kate McGregor. Due to you I lost the biggest deal in my life and a wonderful life at Bora Bora. Now I spent 12 years in a rotten jail and my fortune is gone."
Maxine looked at Kate. "Do your parents have a gun?"
The girl shook her head.
"Come on Max, be reasonable. If they would have one, they would never say that to her", Andrew said softly.
Maxine threw him a glance as 'you're-right'.
"Ok, do you have a small metal torch?", she asked again.
Now Kate nodded.
"Ok, get it here, quickly!", she ordered.
Kate ran away on her toes to avoid noise.
"That's not my fault! I just did my job, I did what I was ordered", Helen said trying to sound brave.
He pointed his gun his gun at her.
"No, please, no!", she begged him.
"To late dear. I was wondering what to do with you. Seeing you suffering when I kill your family, but I think telling you that you're going to die within a minute gives me more fun."
"No!", she cried.
"Bye bye life!", he said and he aimed the gun to her head.
Helen closed her eyes and braced herself.
To be continued