Chapter 18

Susan was surprised as she drove further out of town on that Friday into a neighbourhood of very large detached houses – mansions more like. When she arrived at the address, she found herself faced with two large and solid-looking wrought-iron gates. They were closed, but she saw an intercom on the gate. She got out of the car and pressed the button. A woman answered.

“Is this the residence of Mr Freeman?” she asked. The answer was affirmative.

“I’d like to speak with him,” she said, “It’s urgent and important. It concerns his safety.”

“Please wait in your car.”

Inside the house there was much discussion and activity. Victor being summoned to the video screens saw on the CCTV that it was Susan, and told the team she was safe. He also said he didn’t want her to know about the team in case she told Seth.

He asked Angela if she would talk to Susan since he had no interest any longer in speaking with her. Jeanette said she’d stay as well since Susan couldn’t know about the team from her presence. It was agreed and the gates were opened. Victor left for his room.

Susan drove up the long drive, and stopped by the front door. The house was breathtaking, and she began to realise that this man was extremely wealthy. When he had said he had more money than he needed that was certainly true. She also realised he never said what he did for a living, and wondered about that. She realised she was still sitting in the car, and got out, walking to the large oaken double doors.

To her surprise these opened without her knocking or ringing the bell, and then she remembered the occupants had spoken to her at the gate. There was no one at the door – but the woman who had been to her flat asking for Victor was standing in the hallway which was long and wide and led to an impressive staircase wide enough for three people to walk up or down abreast. The woman smiled.

“Hello,” said the woman. “I’m Angela.”

Susan noted the soft lilt of her Scottish accent, and smiled in return. “Hello,” she said. “I see you found the house!”

No thanks to you, thought Angela, but said nothing, her smile remained on her face and she gestured towards the study.

“Please sit down.” Angela indicated the large armchairs. “Would you like some tea?”

Susan nodded. “Thanks,” she said. “That would be nice.”

Angela pulled on a tasselled bell-pull and sat in another chair. A bell rang in the distance. “I’m afraid Victor isn’t available, but he asked me to take care of anything that came up. You say he needs to know something regarding his safety?”

“Well,” said Susan, “I also came to apologise to him. All I had to go on was what my ex-boyfriend told me he had learned from a police friend, and I had to protect my children.

“I did a lot of thinking after talking with my employer about it, and the only conclusion I could come to was that my ex-boyfriend had copied my keys and framed Victor while he was on holiday. So I wanted to tell him that.”

“But the danger?” asked Angela.

They were interrupted by Jeanette bringing in the tea. She introduced herself as Victor’s friend and stayed, pouring out the tea. When all was done, Susan replied.

“Seth, my ex-partner, came round today and I now know he hates Victor. He said that some friends of his were going to see to it that Victor never interfered with a child again – but I think he’s using that excuse to bring his friends here to attack Victor.

“I know Seth is jealous of Victor, and hates him for getting him out of my flat. I don’t know who Seth associates with, but I don’t think they’re very nice people – I think they’re into protection and drugs.

So as soon as he and his girlfriend took Carl to the park, I came to warn Victor. I’d hate for him to be injured. And,” she added almost as an afterthought, “I’m so sorry I’ve lost him as a friend.”

She looked unhappily at the two other women. “You will tell him, won’t you? Convince him that he really is in danger? Now I must be going; I’ve got to get back before Seth and Claire bring Carl back.”

They stood, and Angela assured her that Victor would take steps to protect himself, and that Susan need not worry about him. Susan was not sure, but nodded and left,

As soon as Susan was out of the gate and it had closed behind her car, Angela called Victor and told him what had transpired. He immediately called the rest of the group together.

He asked Angela to repeat what Susan had told her, and the team realised that they would need to be extra watchful if what Susan had said was to be believed. Victor sat around morosely after he had heard what Susan had said. He had already contacted Gordon and told him what had transpired, and Gordon in his turn promised he would notify the police.

They discussed tactics.

“If Seth turns up – and I think he will soon, with friends – I want him,” muttered Victor. “I want him to think he’s got me. I want to take him down before we turn him over to the police. He’s fucked up my reputation, and he’s got to pay.”

“That can be arranged,” said Terry, “If there is a group, we’ll assess their threat, and then three of us will outflank them. They don’t know how many we are. We let them into the hallway and come up behind them.”

“Three of you?” asked Victor.

“I get it,” said Gary. “One of the girls shows herself suitably half-dressed on the stairs. It’ll keep the attention of the group forward. The other girl opens the door: they won’t take account of her once they’re in. We can get nearer them that way.”

“How do you see it going?” asked Judy of Victor.

“If possible I want him to confess he framed me,” Victor said, “Then I want him to attack me. Then I take the little tyke down.”

“From what Susan said, the little tyke is six inches taller than you,” laughed Jeanette, “Not that it matters.”

“What if they’re armed?” asked Terry, “What’s plan B?”

“Same, except that you take the back-up group out early,” said Victor. “And Jeanette or Judy -- whoever’s on the landing, has an A80 just in case, and she keeps out of sight instead of coming down the stairs.”

“I suppose we shouldn’t ask where you came by an SA80?” smiled Terry.

“All you need to know is that it’s legal,” replied Victor grimly. “I still do little jobs for the MoD.”

“Little!” scoffed Gary. “You don’t do little!”

The others laughed, and Victor grinned.

So things settled down for the rest of the day, with little happening. Victor saw that Angela had been present for the meeting, and wondered what she had gathered from it all.

She had kept very quiet while the others were talking, and she had tugged Victor’s sleeve and the two had quietly retired to Victor’s bedroom where they undressed each other and made gentle love for a couple of hours. As they lay together, Victor could tell Angela was becoming tense.

“You’re worried we can’t take care of ourselves, aren’t you?” Victor said gently.

She nodded against his chest.

“These four are highly trained personnel,” he told her. “They’ve been in much worse than this in war zones and they know what to expect. You must – and I stress this, Angela – must stay well out of the way if these thugs arrive. I don’t want any of the team distracted. Stay in the bedroom or go to the monitor room.”

“What if there’s a crowd of them?” she asked.