Till Sudden Death Do Us Part Read online

  ‘Sorry I’m a bit late, darling,’ she said finally. ‘Who knew the little turd could run that fast? I’m surprised he’s still alive. You saw what he did to those kids.’

  ‘You saw the orders,’ I said.

  ‘To hell with the orders,’ she said, and shot Toby Slaughter in the head. She shot him twice more, just to be certain, and then lowered her gun and smiled at me. ‘I have aristocratic connections too.’

  ‘Y isn’t going to be very happy about this,’ I said.

  She shrugged. ‘It’s past time I retired to my country seat and grew roses, like I always wanted to.’ She looked at the dead body and shook her head. ‘It’s cases like this that spoiled things. It’s not fun and games any more.’

  The past faded away, the sixties and the seventies retreating into the mists of memory, and I was back in the here and now. None of the buildings around me were in any way familiar. The ones I remembered had all been pulled down, renovated or rebuilt, in the ongoing effort to make Soho safe for tourists. The world I knew was gone. Lady Patricia retired, Doctor Alien vanished into a mirror in 1969, and the Groovy Ghoul never came back from a bad acid trip. Even Department Y was gone; swallowed up in the secret bureaucracy.

  Penny could see I was affected by my memories, and jumped to an understandable misconception. ‘Was this Lady Patricia more than just a partner to you?’

  I smiled, and shook my head. ‘No; Patricia never made any secret of the fact that she played for the other team. All jolly hockeysticks, and girls-only clubs. Which was a pretty brave stand to make, back in the sixties. In her own way, she was almost as much an outsider as I was. Which is probably why we worked so well together. After I left Department Y I drifted through half a dozen subterranean groups, of varying respectability. Fighting the good fight in the shadowy corners of the world, being the secret monster who hunted other monsters. Until finally I joined Black Heir, in the mid-eighties.

  ‘I’d always given them lots of room before, because they specialized in cleaning up after close encounters and might just know an alien when they saw one, but in the end I decided I needed to know what they knew. In particular, whether they might know where my long-lost starship was buried. But if they did know anything, it was hidden behind so many layers of security I couldn’t get anywhere near it.’

  ‘All these secret groups,’ said Penny. ‘All the strange people and weird happenings … It’s like a whole other world. I can’t believe I never even suspected …’

  ‘A lot of people go to a lot of trouble to keep the secret world secret,’ I said. ‘Because most people couldn’t cope with the truth. Or at least, that’s the official position. I think most people are stronger than that.’

  ‘You think they could cope with knowing about you?’ said Penny.

  ‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ I said. ‘I have no intention of ending up in a zoo, or strapped to a dissecting table, or worst of all, on a reality TV show.’

  ‘Still,’ said Penny, ‘there are groups who’d be thrilled to meet an actual extraterrestrial. You know; the saucer watchers, the true believers. Calling occupants of interplanetary craft, and all that.’

  ‘Are you kidding? Have you met those people? Some of them are weirder than I’ll ever be. And anyway; I’d only disappoint them. I’m not nearly alien enough to satisfy the real enthusiasts.’

  Penny looked around her, taking in the bright open streets and the happy crowds. ‘How many years has it been, since you were last here?’

  ‘Ages,’ I said. ‘It really was a different world, then.’

  ‘Is there any chance someone here might recognize you?’

  ‘We’re talking fifty years ago,’ I said. ‘More than enough for people to forget a face, never mind a name. And even if someone here did think I looked familiar, they wouldn’t believe I was the same man. How could I be? I’d just be someone who reminded them of someone else.’

  Penny shook her head slowly. I didn’t say anything. She preferred to forget that while we might look the same age, there was a gap of years between us that could never be closed. And then I turned away from her, as I was struck by a sudden feeling of being watched. Without making a big deal of it, I turned slowly in a complete circle, glancing this way and that, like any other tourist. The streets were full of people just walking along, doing normal things, and none of them seemed to be paying me or Penny any undue attention. But I still felt the subtle pressure of unseen eyes, from some hidden watcher. Developing instincts like that is part of what’s kept me alive all these years. And finally I spotted the Colonel, moving slowly and remorselessly through the crowds towards us.

  People hurried to get out of his way without quite realizing why they were doing it. Reacting unconsciously to his natural air of authority. The Colonel; the middleman, the public face of the Organization. The man who gave me my orders and sent me out on missions. I drew Penny’s attention to the Colonel, and she glared at me accusingly.

  ‘You didn’t tell me we were coming here to meet him. You didn’t even say he’d phoned.’

  ‘He didn’t,’ I said.

  ‘But he always phones first!’

  ‘I know,’ I said.

  ‘This can’t be anything good,’ said Penny, scowling openly at the Colonel. ‘Want to make a run for it?’

  ‘I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction,’ I said.

  We stayed where we were, and let the Colonel come to us. Standing shoulder to shoulder to present a united front to the enemy. The Colonel saw we’d spotted him, but still took his time, strolling along and refusing to be hurried. When he finally came to a halt before us he didn’t smile, just nodded coolly; every inch the professional. Tall and elegant, a man in his prime and proud of it, the Colonel wore the finest three-piece suit Savile Row could provide with casual style and all his ex-military bearing. I looked at him coldly.

  ‘The protocol is, you always phone me first; so we can agree on a meeting place. I don’t like being ambushed.’

  ‘This isn’t official business,’ said the Colonel, in his dry, clipped voice. He sounded a little irritated, even disturbed, at having to make such an admission. ‘But, I was ordered to seek you out and speak to you, so here I am. Someone from Black Heir has reached out to the Organization, asking for a favour. Which is … unusual. Apparently the request originated with someone who used to know you, back when you both worked for Black Heir.’

  ‘No one is supposed to know that person is me,’ I said sharply. ‘I had a different name and identity then.’

  ‘The Organization works with a number of other secret groups,’ said the Colonel. ‘A certain amount of shared information is therefore inevitable. People will talk, even when they know they’re not supposed to. Perhaps especially because they know they’re not meant to. Rest assured; your current circumstances are still secure. You still have our protection, from all forms of surveillance and official interest. Black Heir doesn’t know why this retired employee of theirs is asking you for help; they just passed the message along.’

  ‘Are you sure about that?’ I said.

  ‘As sure as we can be, in our line of work,’ said the Colonel. ‘This old friend of yours hasn’t told anyone why he wants your help; apparently he’ll only tell you that, in person.’

  I considered the Colonel for a moment, choosing my words carefully. ‘Does the Organization have any objections to my answering this old friend’s call for help?’

  ‘Would it make any difference if we did?’ said the Colonel.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘But I like to know where I stand.’

  ‘You have always been free to pursue your own interests,’ said the Colonel. ‘As long as they don’t interfere with Organization business. And there’s nothing in the air at the moment which requires your particular skills. Should that change, I shall of course inform you immediately.’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ I said.

  ‘Of course you will,’ said the Colonel.

  Penny was glaring at him coldly
. ‘You swore you’d keep Ishmael hidden from the world. Including those scumbags at Black Heir. Why are you putting him at risk now?’

  ‘The Organization could use Black Heir being in our debt, even in an indirect way,’ said the Colonel. ‘We have to work with these people; but we always work better from a position of strength.’

  ‘How very petty,’ said Penny.

  ‘The things that matter most often are,’ said the Colonel.

  ‘Who exactly is this old friend of mine?’ I said.

  ‘Robert Bergin,’ said the Colonel. ‘Black Heir referred to him as an information analyst; which probably translates as field agent.’

  He looked at me inquiringly, but I just nodded slowly, acknowledging the name.

  ‘I remember him.’

  ‘And is he a friend?’ said the Colonel.

  ‘He was, then,’ I said. ‘But we’re talking thirty years ago. People change.’

  ‘Do you want to do him this favour; whatever it is?’ said the Colonel. ‘You’re under no obligation to us to do so.’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ I said. ‘I don’t have so many friends that I can afford to turn my back on them.’

  The Colonel just nodded. He didn’t appear pleased or displeased; this was all just business to him.

  ‘Since this is not an official Organization case, please bear in mind that you won’t be able to use our authority or call on any of our resources. Nor should you expect any backup, if things get out of hand.’

  ‘I think I can manage,’ I said. ‘I did survive a long time on my own, quite successfully, before I joined the Organization.’

  ‘It’s a mystery to me how,’ said the Colonel.

  He handed me a card, with nothing on it but an address in Bradenford, Yorkshire. And then he turned and walked away. Penny and I watched him go, just to make sure he kept going.

  ‘The real question,’ I said thoughtfully, ‘is how the Colonel knew to find us here … I didn’t tell anyone we were coming to Soho.’

  ‘And even we didn’t know we’d end up here when we started out,’ said Penny. ‘The Organization must be keeping an eye on you.’

  ‘I’m not sure I approve of that,’ I said. ‘Especially when I still don’t have any real idea of who and what the Organization is. And I really don’t like the idea of Black Heir taking a new interest in me.’

  ‘Could the Organization have made some kind of deal?’ said Penny. ‘To hand you over to Black Heir, in return for something they need?’

  ‘I wouldn’t have thought so,’ I said. ‘Until now.’

  ‘This whole thing could be a trap,’ said Penny.

  ‘If it was,’ I said, ‘I can’t help thinking it would have been made to seem more attractive. Even enticing. I haven’t a clue what this is all about.’

  Penny scowled unhappily. ‘What do you remember, about this Robert Bergin?’

  ‘That I owe him.’

  Penny waited a while, until she realized that was all I was prepared to say, for the moment.

  ‘What’s he like?’ she said finally. ‘Was he a close friend?’

  ‘A good friend,’ I said. ‘Back then, I never let anyone get close to me. It wasn’t safe; for me, or for them. But we did work a lot of cases together, saved each other’s lives more than once, and spent a great deal of time in each other’s company. I haven’t had any contact with Robert since I walked away from Black Heir in 1988. In something of a hurry, because they were getting a little too curious about my background.’

  ‘You cut him off, just like that?’ said Penny. ‘That’s cold, Ishmael.’

  ‘I was protecting him,’ I said flatly. ‘From guilt by association. And I never look back. I can’t afford to. Because I never know when I’ll have to move on again.’

  Penny looked like she wanted to say something about that. I waited, to give her the opportunity, but she chose not to.

  ‘And you’re ready to help him out, after all these years?’ she said. ‘Even though it could mean walking into a trap?’

  ‘If he’s gone to such lengths to reach out to me, using Black Heir and the Organization, whatever his problem is must be pretty damned important,’ I said. ‘And I really do owe the man. Still … I have to wonder how Robert will react, on seeing me again. It’s been thirty years; he must be in his seventies by now. And I’m not.’

  ‘We never talk about this,’ Penny said steadily. ‘Never talk about the fact that if we stay together, I’ll grow older but you won’t. Let’s say you were born in 1963, when you were first made human. That would make you fifty-five years old, on top of the mid-twenties you appear to be.’

  ‘And I have no way of knowing how many years I lived as my previous self,’ I said. ‘And whether that was considered young, or old.’

  ‘I can’t think about that too much,’ said Penny. ‘I don’t know how to cope with something like that.’

  I didn’t tell her about the face I’d seen in the mirror that morning, but Penny could tell I was keeping something from her. She always can.

  ‘Does Robert know what you really are?’

  ‘No. He knew there was something different about me; but he never asked and I never told. You’re the only person in the world who knows the truth about me. Let’s try really hard to keep it that way.’

  ‘So,’ Penny said briskly. ‘What’s our cover going to be, this time?’

  ‘Depends on what the problem is,’ I said. ‘As far as anyone else needs to know, we’re just visiting an old friend.’

  ‘And if it turns out to be more than that?’

  I smiled. ‘It’s always more than that.’

  We walked back the way we’d come, arm in arm, like any other young couple out for a stroll on a sunny Saturday morning.

  ‘At least we had a pleasant time together,’ said Penny. ‘For as long as it lasted. Did you find what you were looking for here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I was looking for something from my past, but I don’t think it’s here any longer. It feels more like something in my past is looking for me.’

  ‘Are we talking about your distant past?’ Penny said carefully. ‘Your original self?’

  ‘I never could keep anything from you.’

  I told her about the face in the mirror. The sense that something was stirring in the back of my mind. She just nodded.

  ‘You’ve been having the bad dreams more often lately. I wish you’d talk about them.’

  ‘I can’t,’ I said. ‘There aren’t the words, to describe them.’

  ‘What do you think this thing with the mirror means?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said.

  But secretly I wondered if this trip back into my past, into the life of someone I used to be, was such a good idea. Digging up my past was always going to be dangerous for me. And possibly, for everyone around me.

  TWO

  No More Happy Ever Afters

  In the end, we took the train to Yorkshire. I like trains. Such a marvellously anonymous way to travel. Penny wasn’t keen on driving one of her precious vintage cars all the way up the country to Bradenford, after something tore the engine right out of her precious Rover 25 on our last mission. And besides … on this case, even more than usual, I didn’t want us doing anything that might attract attention. We didn’t have the Organization to run interference for us. It would have been a hell of a long drive, and given that we had no idea of what we were heading into, arriving tired and worn out struck me as a really bad idea. Especially if this plea for help from an old friend did turn out to be some kind of trap, after all.

  It was a pretty long journey on the train; hour after hour, station after station. Even the most attractive of scenery can start to grate on the nerves when you’ve spent half the day rushing past it. Picturesque works best in small doses. Penny had wanted to bring her laptop with her, but I had to say no. You can get tracked far too easily using things like that.

  ‘But I won’t go online!’ said Penny. ‘I’ll just use it to wat
ch films!’

  ‘If you don’t have it, you can’t be tempted to use it,’ I said sternly.

  Penny sniffed mutinously, but didn’t argue. Security was one of the few areas in our life where she was always prepared to defer to me. She looked at me sharply, as a thought struck her.

  ‘Can the Government really tell where we are, using our mobile phones?’

  ‘Not just the Government,’ I said.

  ‘Think I’ll turn my phone off, for the duration,’ said Penny.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that wouldn’t make any difference.

  So Penny read her Cosmo on the train, and dozed a lot. I didn’t want to sleep. I was afraid of what I might see in my dreams; or what might see me. I thought hard, turning the problem over and over in my mind. Why was my old self starting to wake up now, after so many years? Could something have been triggered, by my experiences inside the deep dark hole on Brassknocker Hill? Some of the old alien presence had come to the surface once before, when I had to fight the beast at Coronach House, and just a glimpse of it had been enough to scare the hell out of Penny. I’d been able to suppress it, then … but I couldn’t remember how. I thought long and hard as the train meandered up the long winding spine of the country, but in the end all I had were questions, no answers, and no comfort.

  We finally disembarked at the small country town of Bradenford. Just a small rural station in the middle of nowhere, with a few old-fashioned buildings, two platforms, and a few flower displays set out here and there to add a pleasant dash of colour to the otherwise grim surroundings.

  Penny and I were the only ones to get off the train at Bradenford, and no one got on before it departed, in something of a hurry. I had to wonder whether it knew something we didn’t. Penny and I were left standing alone on the platform, with only two heavy suitcases for company. It was very quiet. The early evening air was pleasantly cool, for this late in the summer, and the light was sharp and clear, as though anxious to show us everything.