Chapter 2

I looked at him. He was sitting there, as nonchalant as if he’d told us that it had rained yesterday. Lena chuckled.

“I guess that we’re now drawn into the web of intrigue now. I’ve met a few spooks when I was in the SAS, but none of them were as spooky as you, my friend. I say, ‘my friend’ as I would hate to be on the wrong side.”

He stood up and put his hand out to me. We shook hands and then he held it out to Lena.

“Ladies, Maria will now take up some of your time, if you don’t mind. Do you keep tour details in Soho or Canary Wharf?”

“It’s all at Canary Wharf. That side of it is my husbands’ dealings. I have the venue details so that I can co-ordinate the security. I suppose the starting point is the tour that the two bands played on as warm-up for the main act. I have the band member names and contact details, as well as the names of the crew, if not all their details. Their manager will have that information, unless the crew are sub-contracted. I don’t go into that, just needing the numbers we need to get lanyards for.”

“We’ll start there. Are you prepared to give Maria the details on a USB?”

“I can do that. I gather we won’t have your number to contact.”

“Correct. You have Andy and Marias’ card, and you should use those details, but make sure you say nothing other than asking about clothes when you ring. Maria can give you a brief outline, so you can understand why you should only meet somewhere safe. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot at stake, and we’re dealing with a dangerous enemy. Maria will tell you more when you’re safe in your apartment.”

He nodded to Maria and left us. She went and paid the bill, then came back.

“My car is around the corner. I’ll drive you.”

In the apartment, I sat them down and got some drinks.

“Talk while I print the tour detail, then you can look at it while I compile a list of people. I’ll do that for all three bands, but the stars have been around long enough not to be suspicious.”

“Don’t be so certain of that, Maxine. The Cambridge Five had been in the business a long time as well.”

I printed the rest and went back to them and replenished the drinks.

“Now, this is a list of members of the star band, along with the others that were on stage to provide the bigger sound, as well as the regular roadies and the company that provides big tour roadies. Next, we have a listing of ‘Exarctics’ and the other, supplementary lists. Last is the lists for ‘Dominerter’, the band that the other guy in the picture is a roadie for, and their other lists.”

Maria was looking at the second set.

“There are a lot of names here that don’t sound normal.”

“That’s because the two founders of the band are Russian. They were quite happily working at a Gulag in northern Russia when Putin had them, and a load of others, rounded up and sent south to fight in Ukraine. He was running out of guys able to hold a gun.”

“You say that they were working at a Gulag?”

“As far as I know, the story was that they were in the admin, but they’re far too fit to have been sitting behind a desk. If I tell you that they were able to desert, walk through the Ukrainian lines and get to Poland, then you’ll have an idea of how good they were. They formed a band in Poland, first, and then refined it in Germany to the line-up they now have. They do have a few of their own songs, but the bulk of the show are covers, mainly bands like Jefferson Airplane. They have a lead singer who does a mean Grace Slick.”

“I see this picture shows a white rabbit on the bass drum. This other band, ‘Dominerter’, what do they do?”

“They’re purely a cover band, anything that catches their fancy. They’re all right as an opening show, plenty of energy and beat. They’re half French, and half Italian, which is why they were on the bill. That tour went all over Europe, from Estonia to Greece. It took six months and was interesting. I only popped over for a few of the shows, in the better cities, as a way to show my face, catch up with Bertie, and do some shopping. Now, Mister Spice said that you’d give us more information.”

“If I do that, I’ll need to take you somewhere so that you can sign some papers. I know that you’ve already signed, Lena, but as Len at the time. Maxine, I have to say, that although you weren’t in the force as long as I’ve been, I’ve never had to face danger the way you had to. It would have freaked me out to have a machine gun pointed at me when a sniper took the brains out of the guy holding it.”

“It was set on automatic, and the bastard destroyed my car with the full clip. It’s still on the roof of a car yard in Lowestoft. From what I remember from the papers, you and Andy had a fair time of things, yourself.”

“We had our moments, but that was pure sleuthing, none of your derring-do. OK. The facts are that there have been a spate of assassinations through Europe. Not all well-known people, but mainly people with influence, both male and female. There hasn’t been a single factor that has the links we need. That’s why this situation in Laon is being looked at so closely. There wasn’t any need to kill the French agent unless he had captured something important. Otherwise, it would have been easier just to browbeat him into deleting the picture that you didn’t want seen. The killer had to have sussed him as a member of a force. It may go nowhere, but we’re clutching at straws.”

“What about the link being car events. Rudy mentioned that he was looking forward to being at Blenheim next year. I haven’t seen anything about a tour, yet, and I’ll have to ask Bertie if there’s something in the wings. He did say that the band was playing in Reims that weekend.”

“We’ll research the links between them all. I thank you for your help, today. I’ll get in touch about the signing bit, but that will be if what you’ve given me is something we’ll follow up. If that’s the case, you may be pulled in to help find likely future events close to people with influence. If the car thing is part of it, both Blenheim and Hampton Court would be magnets for terrorists, seeing how many of the upper crust and royalty attend those.”

Lena put her cup down.

“One other thing that Rudy said was that their drummer had a friend, in Turin, with a car good enough for Blenheim. With the concours being by invitation, the organisers should have a list.”

“Good one, Lena. I’ll make a note of that. Italy seems to have more than its fair share of troublemakers, and one that’s a millionaire could fund an operation. Thank you for your time. I’ll get in touch if we need you again. Obviously, what was discussed today is between us, with any breach of confidentiality being likely to lead to unwanted consequences.”

Lena grinned.

“We’ll keep quiet, Maria. I was told something similar about things we did while deployed. There was an occasional ‘accidental stray bullet’ over there that was kept under wraps. The problem with secrets is that they don’t remain secret if someone wants to be applauded and gets drunk.”

I put everything on a USB for Maria, and she stood. We had a hug before she left. Lena stayed a while longer as I made us lunch. After that, it would be a good time to ring Bertie.

“Hello, darling, how’s it going?”

“Pretty good, love. We have a day off before the next gig. How’s lovely London?”

“Just the usual. I have a quick question that I want to run by you.”

“Fire away.”

“Is there a UK tour being planned with ‘Dominerter’ and ‘Exarctics’ on the list?”

“You really are a mind reader. I only got an email a couple of days ago. It should also be on my computer, by now. It’s being led by an Italian band, ‘Che Macello’, that’s big there and wants to expand into the UK. They do sing in English, so it could work. I’m happy to organise the tour, as we get paid, no matter what happens with their popularity. How did you know?”

“I spoke to Rudy at Laon, and he said that there was a tour coming up. I’ll need to get the dates and venues for the security.”

“Have a look in my computer for the email. I’ll create a new file when I get more information. It will be called ‘whatamess’, as that’s what the band name translates as.”

“I’ll create it for you, then. You’ll be home in a couple of weeks, as planned?”

“That’s right. I’m looking forward to being in my own bed, with my woman.”

“I’ll blow her up in readiness, then.”

“Love you, Maxie.”

“Love you, too, your Lordship.”

Lena was stifling a laugh, as I had the phone on speaker.

“If you walk funny after he gets back, we’ll know why. Let’s go and check his computer.”

We went into his office, turned his computer on and brought up his emails. There were a lot, so I scrolled through to get to the later ones, finding one from a band manager in Turin. I forwarded it to my own laptop. Then I created the new file in his ‘Tours’ section and copied it into that. I went and turned my laptop on and waited until the email appeared, then sent it to the email address I had for the Bartons, with a note saying that I thought they may want to see this show.

I drove Lena home and then went back to my apartment. Something was niggling in my mind. I turned my laptop on and asked the AI what ‘Che Macello’ meant in Italian. It did tell me that the full phrase meant ‘What a mess’, but it was an extra line that got me closing my eyes. Macello was a slang word for ‘slaughterhouse’.

Justin hadn’t given us any details off the assassinations, only that the lad had been stabbed by a thin-bladed knife. The sort of knife that abattoir workers would use. For the next few days, I co-ordinated with Lena and the club girls in the office to put out a flyer to see if any members wanted to make up groups, next year, for Laon again, for the Festival of the Unexceptional in July, the Vintage Prescott meeting in August, or the Silverstone Festival in September. We would be allowed to gather together, or even put on a club display. We now had banners and a portable information booth we could set up.

I kept monitoring Berties’ emails for more suggested details about the upcoming tour. One arrived the following Monday and I printed a copy for me, as well as sending it to my inbox. I checked the dates and venues against the list that I had of car events, most taking place on set weekends. There wasn’t anything close to the Festival of the Unexceptional, but that was to be expected, seeing that it was for ordinary car collectors.

There was a performance, in Cheltenham, when the Prescott Hillclimb was to be on, another in Oxford at the same time as Blenheim, and one in Streatham on the same weekend as Hampton Court, with a few others in the London area into October. There were others, before and after, not related to car events, and it would be up to Marias’ office link the venues with any targets that lived nearby, so I forwarded the email to her. There was almost a year before that tour started.

At the end of the week, I took our Mercedes E Class to Heathrow to collect Bertie, giving him a big smooch as he came out of the door, holding up a few other passengers. One told us to get a room, so I took Bertie home to a room. We didn’t leave it, except to eat, drink, and pee, for over twenty-four hours. I did walk a bit funny for a day or two afterwards.

Two weeks after that, I got an invitation in the mail. It was to the opening of a new Jolenes’ Dress Emporium, in Moorgate. It was the first one outside Birmingham. The leaflet in the envelope said that it was a new range of quality French products sourced during their recent buying trip, as well as some items from the original shop. Lena rang later in the day, to say that she also had an invitation.

Bertie claimed that he needed to work that day, so I ordered an Uber to pick me and Lena up. My old driver, Hassam, had moved on from driving an Uber, he now had a full-time job in our security firm, driving our people around. When we were dropped off, we could see that it was quite an affair, with streamers and balloons. They had either done very well for themselves in Birmingham, or else this shop was an experiment backed by their bank. Whatever was the case, when we got inside, it was seventh heaven for girls.

We just browsed the racks and picked out a few that we would like to try. At one stage, Andy came up to us.

“If you see things you’d like to try, there are changing rooms in the back. If the usual ones are occupied, there are a couple of more private ones for special customers.”

I picked a couple of the outfits that I liked most and followed him past the normal changing rooms and through a door. There were a couple more booths, bigger than the others, with a decent chair and small table to put your bag.

“If you try these on, Maxine, I’ll get Maria to help you. If you do go back to the front, wearing something different, it will maintain your cover.”

“Cover or no cover, Andy. I’ll be wearing one of these home, if not with the other in a bag. If you want to push the cover, go out and ask Lena if she would like to join Lady Woodward in the special booths. That may lift the interest of others out there who are only after a bargain.”

He laughed.

“I bow to your obvious experience in retail matters, my Lady.”

While he was away, I tried both outfits. One was labelled ‘Jolene’, and the other had a Paris label. Neither were cheap but both were bargains. As I was admiring my reflection, Maria came in.

“That looks good on you, my Lady. Your friend is trying something on in the next booth. I think that we were able to find something for her that really captures her new outlook.”

“Thank you, Maria. She really is embracing full womanhood, and it’s good to see.”

“If you’re happy with that outfit, I’ll take the tag.”

“Take the one for the other outfit, as well. If I can have a bag for the one, I arrived in, I think that I’ll wear this to dinner, with a new look Lena.”

“If you follow me, I have an office where you can settle up. There are a few bits of paperwork to fill in, for our warranty, you understand.”

She picked up my second choice, and my original outfit, and I followed her to another door, where she ushered me in. Mister Spice, whatever his name was, was sitting beside the desk. He stood and took my hand, leading me to another chair.

Maria was closing the door.

“I’ll pack these for you, Madam.”

Justin smiled and proffered a sheaf of papers.

“I’m sorry, Maxine, but I need you to sign these. Maria will keep Lena occupied until you finish, and then she’ll be brought in while you admire more of the stock. When you’ve signed, I can tell you more about our problem.”

I looked through the paperwork and signed in all the places required. They were mainly an updated version of the Official Secrets Act, and some more that absolved the government should I be killed, or injured, during the course of my involvement. There was one that showed that I was now re-activated as an Inspector, on full pay, working for the Parliamentary Security Detail, out of Whitehall. It even had all the correct details, including my banking to have my salary paid into. I pointed this one out to him, and he nodded.

“We’ve realised that this project may take more than a year to bring to completion, and that you deserve some recompense for the time that we’ll be asking of you. Your friend, Lena, will be re-activated into the SAS, as a Major, and classed as a liaison officer at Whitehall. You will be given appropriate identification that will bring you into our office. Maria will call you about a new range of clothing that she wants your ideas on and pick you both up. You’re to wear proper office outfits that will be suitable for Whitehall, you know, the blouse and straight skirt.”

“I gather that what we spoke about, before, has opened up some interesting avenues.”

“It did, and the connection of dates and places go back a few years. Now, say no more. I’ll speak to Miss Sergeant when you’re back in the shop. We’ll talk in the better security of Whitehall.”

I left, and went back out to the shop, where Andy made a great display of letting the other shoppers know how wonderful that outfit made ‘Your Ladyship’ look. I perused the racks and shelves, until Lena came out, looking radiant in a longer dress that made her look stunning. Maria led us to the counter, gave us our bags and took our payments. We walked out of the shop and into the street. Lena gave out a giggle.

“That was a major undertaking, if there ever was one.”

“Tell me about it, it was a lot more than I inspected.”

“Coming to the office?”

“I think that would be good. We could send Sue home and use the club office to talk.”

We flagged down a cab and went to Soho. In the office, Lena told Sue that she could have an early day as we needed to talk business. She gathered her things and thanked us as she left. Lena and I sat in the back office with cups of tea and a few biscuits.

“We’re up to our necks in this one, Maxi. They wouldn’t have given us covers in our own names if they didn’t think we weren’t worth it. I was once told that I wasn’t officer material, and now I am one. Open the brandy and call me Rupertina.”

“Yes, and I’m now an Inspector, not even getting out of probation before I was shown the door. We’ll just have to wait until Maria gets in touch. You may have to come to Canary Wharf so she can pick us up together. Do you have an office outfit?”

“Never needed one, before. I’ll ask the girls where I can get one, tomorrow. That’ll make them chortle. Have you any more information for friend Spice?”

“Just some explanation of the band names. There will be an Italian band joining them for a tour during next summer.”

“Old Spice did say that things may last a year. We’ve had some responses to that flyer. There’s about twenty who want to put on a display at the Festival of the Unexceptional, next month, and about thirty, so far, interested in Goodwood. A few of the eligible guys have offered to take any of our girls who want to sit in their passenger seats for that one, as they all have forties American cars that would go well as a group of mafia hoods and their floosies. They’ve even offered to pay for the flapper outfits.”

“I expect that the two of us will be roped in with the invitational shows, to suss out the security aspects. Lady Woodward and her lifetime companion wouldn’t stand out much.”

“Especially in Paris gowns. Neither of our cars would be acceptable.”

“I expect that we may find, when it comes around, that we have club members with good cars who are inside the circle of those with clearance, even if it had been while they were of working age. If they can re-activate the two of us, I’m sure that they could get a couple of ex-army brigadiers to drive us around.”

“Did Spicey tell you anything?”

“Only that a lot of dates and venues lined up. I’ve looked at the tour for next year, and there’s some links with shows and car events being close. Of course, until we get shown the links with the deaths, we wouldn’t be able to extrapolate anything. We’ll just have to be patient.”

“I’ve been in places where patience is the most valuable asset to have. Sitting under a camouflage net, waiting for a patrol to come by who should have been in front of you two days before is no joke. The biggest problem was making sure that your shit was well buried. Not that some of the enemy would have noticed, as you could smell them at a thousand yards.”

“Too much information, Lena. How about us letting the girls lock up and we get ourselves a nice dinner before I go home and feed Bertie some reheated lasagna. I expect that we should get a call to report for duty in a week or so. At least we won’t have to salute anyone if we’re in civvies.”

“Bugger! I was looking forward to having NCOs saluting me.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025