While they waited for breakfast, Mitch read his team the information sent from Marcus.
“A VIP house for a male VIP,” Nick repeated, “so when do we see the VIP?”
“I suspect not for the test if he is that important. So if the lift is the following Friday, they’d want to bring him down late Wednesday or Thursday I’m guessing,” Mitch said.
“I think we need to consider what might be going on underwater,” Ellen said. “Unless he looks like a frog, I’m guessing Froggy is a navy man, a frogman. If they are lifting the VIP off that beach, then they are swimming out and going under, like we’ve seen them practicing.”
“Which means something is picking them up,” Mitch said. “And they are going to need to breathe underwater from that point to the pickup point.”
“They’re factoring tidal drift too,” Ellen said. “Let me investigate what could be used for the lift, Mitch.”
“Please.” Mitch nodded. “And underwater this morning?”
“It was fantastic,” Ellen said. “But if you are just talking work, then my gear didn’t detect anything new or active. There’s plenty of room to bring in a sub if that’s what you’re asking?”
“That’s what I’m asking,” Mitch said, looking around to check they were still alone.
“How could they get that into these waters?” Samantha asked.
“In 2006 no-one heard a Chinese Song-class attack submarine enter our waters until it surfaced about nine miles away from the USS Kitty Hawk. They could have technology we don’t even know about,” Mitch said. “And I remember there was a Chinese research vessel disguised as a fishing trawler near an island in India as well.”
“Who the hell is this VIP if they need to get that person and whatever they are providing out like this?” Ellen said.
“That’s what’s keeping me awake at night,” Mitch agreed. “Sam, your report …” Mitch sat back and sipped his coffee.
“I dashed back to the house since all four were on the beach just to see if I could get any new intel, you know additional fingerprints, maybe even of this VIP. The place was spotless, but I swiped it anyway. There might be something from the monitors and keyboard. I’ll scan it to the lads after breakfast.”
Mitch sighed. “Your orders were to observe. What if I needed you and you’re off in the car somewhere? Nick rang to say one of them was leaving the group; it would have been really handy if you could have told me he had got in his car and was heading my way!”
“But Mitch, it was an ideal opportunity …”
“What if there were more of them at the VIP house? You could have blown it for us.” Mitch took a deep breath. “Sam, I appreciate the initiative, but check in with me. I’ve got you there for a reason, not just window dressing.”
“Yes boss,” she agreed. “Anyway, I saw them on their monitors in the communications room, when they were on the beach and I could see the boat but not you two in it.”
“Wait up …” Mitch froze.
“It wasn’t recording, it’s just a live feed, I checked,” Samantha added.
Mitch hit his chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. We could have all been on it. God, I need another coffee. Nick, what have you got?”
“I hate fishing, but besides that, the exercise they did today was identical to yesterday. So if tomorrow is the test, I think we can expect something underwater or at least they’ll run it with the appropriate breathing gear surely. John has organized for me to take the tour plane up later today and tomorrow at nine a.m. I’ve got to have it back by ten o’clock for their ten-thirty tour.”
“Excellent,” Mitch said. He looked across the road and out to the beach. He began tapping his fingers as he thought. “I’m going back first thing after the test tomorrow.”
“Home?” Samantha asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got to run this angle on the VIP and the university,” Mitch said. “But Nick and Sam, you need to stay on the ground until the lift, or until we prevent the lift. Ellie …”
“I’ll come back with you after the test if that’s OK? I need to speak with the SEALs, they’ll point me in the right direction and I’ve got a few angles to cover with the uni leads as well.”
Mitch agreed. “For the test, Ellie and I will be on the boat. Ellie will dive, I’ll watch the shore, Nick you’ll take the beach so you can get away quicker to take to the air if needed and Sam, you’ll stay in the room and observe the beach from there. Understood?”
The group nodded their understanding.
Mitch continued. “Also from three-thirty Sunday morning, I want the translator at our headquarters in your ear telling you anything they say before they leave the VIP house. I’ll get John to roster someone on. Sam, you need to phone me through anything that is relevant. Everyone happy?”
They agreed, then stopped talking as the waitress dropped off their meals. She smiled at Nick as she left.
Samantha rolled her eyes.
“The girl’s only human,” Nick said, reaching for the salt.
“Or desperate,” Mitch added. He studied his scramble eggs. “Two hundred and sixty-eight steps to the top of that lighthouse, plus a half a mile jog there and back to the beach. I’ve earned breakfast.”
“That’s nothing,” Nick scoffed. “You’re getting soft; in the old days that would have been your warm up.”
“That was my warm up. You and I are going for a run later.”
Ellen laughed. “That’ll teach you.” She punched Nick’s arm.
“That was a trap I walked straight into.” Nick shook his head.
Sally didn’t want to make the call, but out of loyalty to Charlotte, she agreed to. She rang Mitch’s phone number.
“Parker,” he answered.
“Mitch, it’s Sally,” she said.
She heard him draw a breath. “Sally, how are you?”
“Oh, I’m good, how are you?”
“Yep, been better, but I have my health,” Mitch answered.
Sally laughed. “Where are you? Can you talk?”
“Just away on business for the weekend,” he replied. “I’m stepping out onto the veranda of the hotel room, hang on.”
Sally waited a minute until he spoke again.
“And where are you?” Mitch asked.
“I’m at home, about to go and meet … you know why I’m calling, and I think you know this is not my idea.”
She waited but Mitch didn’t say anything.
“It’s just that she’s miserable and feels she’s made a mistake and …” Sally stopped.
“Sal, do you think we’re good together?” Mitch asked. “Be honest.”
“No, I don’t. I love Charlie but she’s too needy for you and you need someone low maintenance,” Sally said. She closed the window she was looking out and turned to face her living room where her gray Persian cat lay curled up.
“I want her but not the relationship if that makes sense?” Mitch said. “We had seven months and they weren’t great. I just want to deal with it and move on. Can you tell her that? It is over, move on.”
“I can tell her that. Good luck, Mitch,” Sally said, feeling she was losing a friend.
“See you Sal, I’ll miss you,” Mitch said.
“Really?” Sally asked. “I bet you say that to all the friends of ex-girlfriends. Well, if you ever need a stand-in for the FBI ball, remember me.”
Mitch hung up and moved inside. He sat on the couch and went into his text inbox. He deleted all the texts from Charlotte and all in his sent folder. He looked up as Samantha entered his apartment room and dropped onto the couch opposite.
“Anything to report?” Mitch asked.
“Yes, the latest translations haven’t given anything up, except …” she stopped.
Mitch looked up from his phone and gave Samantha his full attention.
“Except that there seems to be a little leadership tension,” Samantha said.
Mitch put his phone down and leaned forward. “Really, that’s interesting. Between whom?”
“Well the one called Hai and Danny Huang have been snappy with each other. I think Danny and William might be the bosses, but from the way Hai talks to Danny I suspect he thinks he should be.”
“Can you run a more detailed background check on Hai, see what you can find on him beyond what was on file?” Mitch asked.
“Sure. Where’s Nick?” Samantha pulled her hair back and tied it up.
“Out at sea with Ellie, then they’re going to the lighthouse, then Ellie has a phoner with someone from the SEALs and Nick’s on one of the plane joyrides, thought it might be worthwhile to have a quick look around this afternoon from the air before he takes it up himself tomorrow,” Mitch said.
“What are you doing?” Samantha asked.
“You’d make a good interrogator,” he teased. “I just finished Kinaird’s diary.” Mitch rose again, went to the window and stretched his back. “He wrote something interesting … he said that William Ying was in the science block talking to one of the young scientists and was angry when Kinaird came to take him to the Photography Gallery Exhibition. William snapped at him that he would meet him outside. Kinaird wrote that he was disappointed given he was not William’s servant, but the head of that department there as a courtesy to escort him.”
“What was he doing talking to a young scientist?” Samantha asked.
“Kinaird didn’t get the chance to find out, but we will,” Mitch said.