Unknown Evil - A Noah Wolf Thriller Read online

  Potential acts of terrorism? She’d heard something about some unidentified poison on the radio news just that morning, but nothing had crossed her desk in connection to it. She slipped the message back into its envelope and placed it inside a desk drawer, then leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment.

  The first thing she would need would be the files from MI5. She couldn’t even begin to guess what type of investigation could be necessary until she saw what they had already done. The boys over at 5 were generally pretty thorough, so it was almost intimidating to realize they had been unable to come up with any answers. It was days like this that made her wish her superiors didn’t have so much confidence in her.

  She opened her eyes and sat forward again, then picked up the phone on her desk and dialed an extension. Two floors down and on the other end of the building, one of her favorite agents picked up.

  “Lingenfelter,” he said.

  “Albert, it’s Catherine. I’m afraid we’ve work to do. My office, good lad.” She hung up without bothering to wait for a reply, and smiled to herself as she imagined Albert Lingenfelter bursting into laughter at being called a lad. He was far enough up in years to be thinking seriously about what he planned to do with his retirement, while Catherine had quite a few years to go before she even had to worry about anything along that line.

  Downstairs, Albert blinked as he put the phone back in its cradle. Like everyone else in that section, he had heard that the Yanks were back in the country, but he got along well enough with Catherine not to worry about his own safety. If she was calling him up to her office, that could only mean there was something serious coming down the pike. He picked up his coffee cup and filled it from the urn before he headed for the elevators.

  Catherine was relaxing in her chair when he arrived, but she opened her eyes and became instantly businesslike as soon as he shut the office door behind him. He sat in the chair in front of her desk, one he had occupied many times in the past, and saluted her with his coffee cup.

  “What? You didn’t bring me a cup?” Catherine asked. She followed that up with a smile. “I’m joking, already had mine this morning. What do you know about the suspicious poisonings around the city?”

  Albert shrugged. “Five has it,” he said. “Simple police matter, I thought. Somebody telling you different?”

  “C wants us to take over the investigation, and he’s dumped it on me. That means I get to dump it on you, so get over to Thames House and find out everything you can. We want their entire file, including any speculation they might have. When you get back, then start setting up a team. We need to know what this is all about, and we need to know it quickly.”

  Albert looked at her for a moment, obviously hesitating.

  “What?” she asked.

  “It’s only that we don’t do anything domestically,” Albert replied. “That’s why five has it. It’s an internal domestic problem, not one of our international fiascoes.”

  “Yes, well, C seems to think otherwise. If this turns out to be related to terrorism, there is bound to be an international component somewhere in the mix. We only have to follow orders, Albert, so go rattle Box 500 and see what they know, will you?”

  “Can I finish my coffee, first?”

  Catherine looked at him and grinned. “Only if you do it in the next ten seconds.”

  Albert sighed, then tipped the cup up and swallowed its contents as quickly as he could. When he was finished, he tossed the paper cup into her trash can as he got up and turned toward the door.

  “Albert?” Catherine said. “Don’t let them give you any static over there. If they try, just let them know that it will annoy me. Surely, someone over there knows that’s a mistake, yes?”

  “If they don’t,” Albert said with a smile, “I’ll make sure to explain it to them.”

  ONE

  There was fog laying on the grounds around Feeney Manor, but the sun was rising and it was sure to be gone before long. Noah let Sarah sleep in a little longer, taking the time to see to morning necessities and get a shower. By the time he came out with just a towel around his waist, she was awake and looking at him from the bed.

  “I wonder how long we’ll get to stay,” she said. “Did Allison give you any indication?”

  “Not directly,” Noah said, “but I told her we needed at least a month off. Jenny is still having a rough time after the last mission, and I’m not sure she’s ready to go back into the field.”

  “Parker said she is. That’s his job to know those things, right? Do you have some reason to doubt him on this particular case?”

  “Nothing I can put my finger on,” Noah said. “I saw her face, though, when she realized she couldn’t pull the trigger. Jenny prides herself on being able to carry out her mission, no matter what it is, but even with Allison telling her to her face that it was okay to go ahead and kill her, Jenny couldn’t do it. I’m not sure that isn’t going to affect her in the future.”

  “Noah,” Sarah said, sounding exasperated. “Allison is family. You know, we all had to walk away from family when we joined E & E, and Allison has become a lot like a mother figure to some of us. I know she is to me, and I’m pretty sure Jenny feels the same way. It was probably just a case of not being able to pull the trigger on a woman she loves. Maybe you could do that if you had to, but I suspect most of us couldn’t.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Noah said. “And I already concluded that was the reason she couldn’t do it, but I’m afraid it may force her to see her future victims as more than just targets. That could be a serious problem for her, because she’s always managed to see them as less than human. That goes back to her first kill, the men who raped and murdered her sister; to her, they weren’t human beings, just animals that needed to be put down. I think she’s transferred that feeling onto all of the targets she’d been given, up until now, as a means of justifying what she does to them. If she loses that ability, she may become incapable of killing again.”

  Sarah sat up in the bed, letting the sheet fall away from her. Her bare breasts caught Noah’s attention, and she wasn’t terribly surprised when he dropped the towel and crawled back onto the bed.

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t finished. “Don’t get frisky now,” she said. “Has Neil said anything to you about her?”

  Noah shook his head, rolling over onto his side. “No,” he said. “I think Neil is just hoping she’s over it, that she’s back to being the old Jenny. I don’t think he’s even noticed that she’s being more submissive to him than she was before. Not sure if you caught it, but she’s always chosen something different from whatever he orders when we go to restaurants. The last few days, she just takes whatever he’s getting. That makes me think she might not be trusting her own judgment anymore.”

  “Look, there’s a big difference between picking what to have for dinner and knowing when to kill somebody. I think, when the time comes, she’ll do whatever has to be done.”

  She tossed off the rest of the covers and stood up, then walked straight to the bathroom. Noah watched her, then got up and started putting on his own clothes. By the time Sarah came out twenty minutes later, he was fully dressed and watching a news program on the television.

  They had arrived at Feeney Manor the previous afternoon and had been welcomed by Thomas, the butler. He had expressed his delight at seeing them again, and told them that his entire family was delighted to have “the new owners” in residence once more. In fact, he said, his wife Caroline was preparing a very special dinner as a form of celebration: roast duck with orange sauce and savory stuffing that would, he assured them, be the best they had ever tasted.

  Some introductions had been in order, since Marco’s girlfriend, Renée, had recently joined the team. She was now sporting a beautiful wedding ring, and was introduced to Thomas and the others as the new Mrs. Davis.

  “Just call me Rita,” she said politely. “Mrs. Davis makes me think of my mother-in-law.”

  Thomas beamed and welcomed her to the estate.

  Team Camelot had acquired the estate during an earlier mission, when it was temporarily necessary for them to lay low and stay out of sight. Using a special fund that was set up for emergency purposes and kept out of the official ledgers of E & E, the London station chief, Leon Kendall, had purchased the estate for them. They were using new identities at the time, so Thomas and his family, and all of the other servants of the estate, knew them as Travis and Penny Lightner (Noah and Sarah), Gary and Stacy Jamison (Neil and Jenny), and now John and Rita Davis (Marco and Renée. According to their cover stories, they owned a website that was making them a lot of money, enabling them to live the good life.

  “I think Jenny will be okay,” Sarah said as she pulled on a pair of jeans. “Besides, I know you. You’ll be watching out for her, just like you do for all of us.”

  “Well, hopefully we won’t have to worry about it anytime soon. This is honestly supposed to be a vacation, and that’s exactly how I want to use the time. Let’s go down to breakfast and we can start thinking about just how to act like tourists for the next few weeks.”

  “Is everybody else up?” Sarah asked.

  “Just a minute,” Noah said. His eyes narrowed, and he softly said, “Activate all.” He waited a couple of seconds, then said aloud, “Who’s awake?”

  In their last mission, Noah and the team had been introduced to what Wally called “Sub- coms,” special micro-miniature transceivers that were implanted against the skull just behind their ears. Using these, they could communicate amongst themselves without anyone being aware of it. The devices could pick up the slightest whisper, so soft that someone standing a foot away would not hear it, and transmit it to one or more of the other units within range. The built-in microphone was also se
nsitive enough to pick up sounds around each of them, so that the others could hear what was going on in the general vicinity.

  “We are,” Neil said, and both Noah and Sarah heard him clearly. Marco answered a second later. “I’m in the shower,” he said. “Be done in just a minute.”

  Renée, who had just received her implant a couple of days earlier, said, “I’m up. Sleepyhead didn’t want to get out of bed, I’ve been up for an hour.”

  “All right,” Noah said. “We’re going to head down to breakfast shortly, so we can start planning how to enjoy our time off.”

  “Neil’s not quite ready for breakfast,” Jenny said with a chuckle. “We’ll meet you down there in a few minutes.”

  “Sounds good,” Noah said. “Turn off subcom.” His unit turned off instantly, and Sarah did the same.

  “Give me a couple of minutes,” she said, “I’ve still got to put on makeup. You can go on down if you want, just make sure they have some of that good coffee when I get there.” She blew him a kiss. “Love you.”

  Noah stood up and walked over to her, took her face between his fingers and kissed her properly. “I love you, too,” he said, and then he walked out the door.

  Marco and Renée, a.k.a. John and Rita, were just coming out of their own room.

  “Morning, boss,” Marco said. “Where’s Sarah?”

  Renée dug an elbow into his ribs. “Penny,” she corrected him. “It’s Penny, as long as we’re here.”

  “Painting her face,” Noah replied. “I’m going on down to get ready for breakfast. You guys coming now?”

  “Right behind you.” Marco held Renée’s hand as they followed him down the stairs and into the smaller dining room. The table was already set and there were two large pots of coffee waiting, so the three of them sat and poured their own cups.

  “So,” Marco said after taking a sip of his coffee, “what are we going to do for the next couple weeks? Any ideas?”

  Noah looked at him. “I’m sure the ladies will find shopping to be fun, and there are plenty of things we can take in around London. I would like to get in some hunting while we’re here, I haven’t been hunting in many years.”

  Thomas had entered the room as he was speaking, and smiled. “As it happens, I’ve become familiar with your American versions of hunting, so I think I know what you refer to. Are you thinking of game birds or deer?”

  Noah grinned at him. “Well, probably a little of both. Do you have any recommendations on where I should try?”

  “The back of this estate is heavily wooded, and quite well populated with red deer. However, I should point out that if you plan to shoot the deer, that is referred to as deer stalking, rather than hunting. Hunting is when one rides on horseback and follows the hounds. It does not involve shooting. As far as game birds, we are well endowed with pheasants and grouse, and there is a large population of rabbits on the grounds. I can arrange for the lads to act as beaters, if you wish.”

  Noah started to speak, but Marco cut him off. “Beaters? What does that mean?”

  “In traditional game shooting, beaters are employed to drive the game toward the shooters. Normally, the shooters all stand along a line on one side of the property, generally some meters apart, while the beaters drive the game toward them. As they break from cover, the shooters may take aim and fire.”

  Marco looked over at Noah and grinned. “Sounds like my kind of hunting,” he said. “Beats the dickens out of sitting in a blind and hoping something will come by.”

  “I’m sure we’ll give it a try,” Noah said. “Let’s see what the ladies have in mind before we make any decisions, shall we?”

  “Have in mind about what?” Sarah asked as she entered the room. Noah glanced around to see Neil and Jenny right behind her. Jenny was smiling from ear to ear, and Neil’s face was red.

  “John and I are thinking of doing some hunting,” he said. “Thomas says there are deer on the estate. He was just explaining to us about the way hunting is done here in England.”

  “Oh,” Sarah said. “Is it hunting season?”

  They all turned and looked at Thomas, who smiled. “Under the Regulations of the Wildlife Act, the previous owners registered the estate as a wildlife farm, which means that the owners of the estate and any person authorized by the owners are permitted to shoot any game or animals within the grounds, regardless of season. I take the liberty of seeing to the annual renewal of the license, myself. The lads occasionally stalk deer for the purpose of keeping venison in the larder, and we often stock up on duck, goose and pheasant in this way. Being the owners, you are therefore always authorized to hunt on your own property.”

  Jenny suddenly broke into a smile. “We’re going hunting? I’ve never been hunting, that sounds like fun.”

  Renée laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not hunting, Stacy,” she said, using Jenny’s cover name. “Over here, they call it stalking or shooting.”

  “Awesome. I’m in.” She turned to Neil. “Gary?”

  The tall, skinny young man grinned. “Might as well,” he said. “I could use some exercise.”

  Thomas beamed at the entire group. “Very well,” he said. “I shall inform the lads, and they can begin preparing. May I suggest we schedule this event for tomorrow morning?”

  Noah glanced around at the others, who all seemed pleased with the suggestion. “That sounds good,” he said. “At the moment, though, I think we all want to hunt down breakfast.”

  “Indeed. Caroline is making an American breakfast for you, eggs and bacon and sausage with potatoes and onion. I hope this will be to your liking?”

  “Sounds great to me,” Neil said, and the rest echoed him.

  Thomas clapped his hands twice, and the door from the kitchen opened. Caroline, Thomas’ wife, along with two young women, brought out the food and began serving it onto the plates in front of each chair. The third girl carried a large carafe of coffee, and poured for each of them.

  They thanked the servers and dug in. Breakfast was delicious, and provided the perfect setting for the amiable conversation that took place around the table, once the servants had returned to the kitchen and Thomas had gone his own way.

  “So,” Sarah said, “we’re going hunting tomorrow. Does that mean we can go shopping today?”

  “Oh, shopping,” Renée said, smiling. “This is the first time I’ve ever gotten to come to England, and I intend to get some shopping in.” She looked at Marco. “You can get by without me for a few hours, can’t you?”

  “It’ll be hard,” Marco said with a straight face, “but I’m sure I can find something to occupy myself.”

  “I know I can,” Neil said, and then lowered his voice. “I got an email from the Dragon Lady this morning. She wants me to set up a videoconferencing system over here. I’m going to need to make a trip into London to get everything it’ll take.”

  “Videoconferencing?” Noah asked. “Did she say why? Is there something going on?”

  “No clue. She just told me to get it set up as soon as I could, so I figure that means getting on it today.”

  “Then I suppose the best idea would be for all of us to head into London. I was thinking of buying a car, something to tinker with when we’re over here. The girls could take the Bentley, and we’ll take the Land Rover.”

  “Oh, I get to drive the Bentley?” Sarah asked with a smile. “Eat up, girls, I’ve been itching to get behind the wheel of that beauty.”

  They all finished eating a few minutes later and went upstairs to get ready for the day. Sarah, Jenny and Renée changed into dresses, while the men decided to simply go casual. A half-hour later, they walked out to the garage and started toward London, with Sarah leading in the beautiful, old Bentley T2.