6
The Grid was a hive of activity as Ros and Adam returned. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something. The idea that Harry was dead had permeated the team. Catherine looked more angry than upset, a response Ros could relate to but Ruth and Malcolm were nowhere to be found.
"Adam." She turned to the blonde man as he shrugged his jacket off.
"Yeah."
"That woman?"
"The wonderful Susan." Adam rolled his eyes as Ros booted up her computer. "That woman is the most obnoxious woman I have come across since I joined the Service. I mean."
"Don't trust her." Ruth stated as she joined them.
"Never have, never will." Ros stated calmly as Ruth handed her a piece of paper. "That woman."
"Has ties to several do called Russian interests. Two of these were also linked to the trade talks that initially brought the Gavriks back into our sights." Ruth folded her arms as she watched her friends. "Elena Gavirk and Susan Jackson may have never met but they both had a financial stake in a Russian backed firm in London."
"Go on." Ros read the piece of paper Ruth had handed her. Adam watched his friend.
"She is a very wealthy woman." Ruth continued. "Maybe she got greedy but when you told her about Harry." She took a deep breath. "About Harry."
"She looked shocked." Adam stated. "I think the majority of the JIC were. Clearly unsettled by Ros having me with her."
"Good." Alec snapped. "That stuck up, self absorbed woman wouldn't know a real spook if she walked into one."
"History with Jackson?" Ros turned to him.
"Not a pleasant one. The woman was in 5 when I was a Junior Case Officer." He snapped as the memories came back to him.
"And?"
"The Op we were put on."
"Operation Silent Night." Ruth stated, Alec nodded once.
"Yeah. She was incompetent. Her complete lack of any awareness lead to three of our officers being compromised. One died."
"Yet she is the second in command at the JIC." Adam paused.
"A case of who you know, rather than what you know." Alec sneered. "She has no clue what she is doing. Daddy worked for the Service, got a knighthood. So, she followed him."
"I hope that's not me you are referring to." Catherine snapped as she wheeled her way from the Briefing Room. She looked as if she had been crying for hours, but the anger radiated from her in waves.
"No, you know what you are doing."
Catherine rolled her eyes, knowing that was as close to a compliment she was going to get from the former IA man. Ros closed her eyes deep in thought.
"I'll do a deep dive, see what other links I can get from records between the Gavrik family and any of our friends on the JIC." Catherine stated. Ruth nodded once before turning back to her own computer. She knew Harry was relying on her to get through this, he needed her to be strong enough to cope with his apparent death. Narrowing her eyes she wondered if she really could cope with the idea of never seeing her husband again.
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Harry slipped the burner phone into his pocket, glad that he had been able to resurrect a rather obscure alias he had used a lifetime before. He knew the JIC and the majority of MI 5 would now believe he was dead. Now all he had to do was get to Anouska Krychek before she could do any more damage. He looked out over the sea of shoppers and commuters in the middle of Oxford Street before getting into a black cab. He gave his driver the address before sitting back in the seat to contemplate his next actions.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ros walked to the small bench on the far side of the River Thames. She knew she had to get her head in the game. Since everything with Yalta she had been almost triggered by any form of treachery from within the Service. Memories of her and Harry tied to chairs as she was 'executed' had resurfaced. She rubbed her neck subconsciously, remembering the words Harry had said that fateful day over a decade earlier. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she promised herself she was going to make sure Harry came home. He just needed her to do what she needed to. She sat on the bench as an older woman approached.
"Ros, how are you holding up?"
"You heard?"
"Of course." Pauline Crowther sat next to her. "I may be out of office but I try to stay in the loop." She smiled kindly. Ros looked away.
"I see."
"White Vauxhall Astra, 15 plate. Two men, white, suits. Obviously from 6 at some point. I lost them just outside of Wandsworth."
"Good."
"There's a woman, thin face. Terrible jacket sat three benches along. I suggest we get a coffee." She nodded towards the local Costa as Ros got to her feet.
"Good idea." Ros walked alongside her. To anyone who didn't know them they could have been anyone getting a hot drink in Central London but to the woman in the terrible jacket they were the most interesting women she had seen in a long time. Ros looked back over her shoulder as she ordered the drinks, sitting down opposite the former Home Secretary a few moments later. Pauline took the flat white with both hands, before placing it back on the tray. Ros raised an eyebrow as she realised that a small slip of paper had been placed just beneath it. Sipping her own black coffee she retrieved it. Glancing at the handwriting she recognised it immediately.
"I better be getting back." Pauline got to her feet. "Look after yourself, Ros and give Ruth and young Catherine my love. Terrible, terrible business." She walked away as Ros sat back in her seat smirking.
"Once a spook." She muttered to herself knowing exactly what the numbers on the scrap of paper meant.
