Chapter 14

The following day was Andrew’s final day at the Ministry of Defence Police. He and Vestie went out for lunch at a pub just behind the office. It was either the Oak or the Elm, there was definitely a tree involved.

“How did you find it?”

Andrew presumed Vestie meant the job, not the beer.

“I had to learn a lot in a hurry. It was almost if the order was the wrong way round. It started with such a bang, flying all over the place but once we got back from West Germany it was pretty straightforward. Sevenoaks was just commuting and even the submarine range was more a hassle to get there rather than really taxing. What am I missing?”

“It is a pretty good cross-section of the job Jock. Standard inspection, wild goose chase or something very minor and a complete disaster with everyone running around. Do you think you will apply again?”

“I didn’t apply here this time. The key thing will be what Jamieson and Brodie say to Lester. I spent way more time helping Susan catching up on some of the outstanding stuff than I ever did looking at a computer. It was interesting but it was also isolating. I couldn’t tell my friends what I was doing. It sounds fucking pretentious saying I can’t really talk about it when people ask about your summer job. A couple of neds were hassling one of my friends on the boat back up from Greenwich, I got her out of there but they were waiting at the end of the pier. Now I was saved from a shoeing by the arrival of a couple of Met constables. But they wanted to see ID from everyone and I had to show them the pass for here. You should have seen the old guy’s face. In his forties, he had this twenty something WPC with him and he thinks she is a kid, then he meets me with my pass. But the point is I can’t even show my friends what I showed the police that made them laugh. So I don’t know. The professors may line me up a job in engineering or something. Honestly, I would be happier at Halstead or Chatham than here. I think I could carry my weight more.”

“Halstead? Why there? I know you are interested in the Sappers but that is a research lab.”

“You guys have got me well trained already, I never really talked about it. It is why I am here, indirectly at least. Quick version is I was up the street when the Chelsea Barracks bomb went off a couple of years ago. Well out of the shrapnel range but I felt the power of the shockwave. You read in the paper it was only a 20lb bomb. That made me think, given that there are 2,000 pounders going off in Ulster. So when I was at the Sapper camp the following summer I asked about bomb protection, blast protection, who decides all that stuff. We were doing Military Plant exercises, temporary revetments, berms stuff like that, so I asked. The guys running the camp had no idea so they asked. I didn’t get an answer obviously but the Major in charge called me in for a meeting and told me that Halstead would be one of the places making those determinations. My 6^th year Physics project was the impact of explosives on different materials, including the positioning of the explosives and the augmentation or not of the materials. The pieces of explosive were about the size of the last joint of my pinkie. So fast forward to May when I came for my interview for this job, well the MoD generally. I got an interrogation about my enquiries about, and interest in, explosives. I already had passed the background check through the checking they had done on me because of my questions. Since I had the basic clearance already they used me as the guinea pig to see if a summer student could get Secret clearance. I got that, and so they sent me somewhere it is at least necessary.”

“Jesus Jock. The IRA are blowing up the whole fucking country and you are asking about explosives and blast protection. I am surprised they didn’t throw you in jail.”

“In hindsight I didn’t think that all the way through. But it was all at Sapper camps and for the project I designed the models but Sappers placed the explosives, I never touched them. Plus I have filled in so many CCF and OTC forms that they knew my whole life anyway.”

“So if we had gone into the labs at Halstead like we did at Kyle and you talked to those blokes, would you have understood it?”

“A little maybe. The stuff they are doing is miles beyond anything I will have seen. Maybe the concepts but probably not the detail.”

“Fuck me. I don’t know why I am surprised though. It still blows everyone’s mind that you created that computer program.”

They wandered back to the MIU.

“Once Lester has seen you get out of here. You have that wedding dinner to attend. Go down to Craig’s office and drop off your pass. You were alright Jock. You did what you were told, didn’t make a fuss but stayed switched on. You would make a good copper. Maybe I will see you next summer.”

Detective Sergeant Noel Vestergaard was a very decent bloke. You just had to compare him to Julian’s boss that summer who had single-handedly poisoned Julian from ever working at Ferranti. Andrew had been lucky. Lester was also complimentary about him. The one interesting thing he mentioned was that computers were coming to the Army, all three forces actually. He would support Andrew working there the following summer. It is all you can hope for on your first job. Andrew thanked him and as Vestie suggested he got the hell out of there. Craig was as sullen as ever but Andrew returned his pass, and was escorted from the building for the last time.

Suzanne was originally going to come down to London on the Thursday but it ended up being the Friday afternoon before she landed at Heathrow. Andrew had checked into their hotel just off the Cromwell Road that morning and when he got back there Suzanne had checked in as well. All these meetings and connections were always tense and fraught in the days before mobile phones. Half the time you turned up not knowing whether the other person was there, been delayed, got lost. That day everything went smoothly and Suzanne was standing in the bathroom working on her hair. As always, she filled a robe spectacularly. Andrew had left his two bags at reception that morning so laid the garment bag flat on the bed and swept Suzanne into his arms.

“No problems getting here?”

“Straightforward. I am glad I came down when I did, I am showered and nearly finished my hair. Grab a quick shower and then get changed. We don’t have a lot of time and I don’t want to be late.”

Andrew could tell there was some underlying stress about the rehearsal dinner so gave her a quick kiss and did as she asked. At 6.00 they headed out and 40 minutes later were standing outside Baker Street Tube station, awkwardly early for the dinner. The Deerstalker called. Over a quick drink they chatted some more.

“Did you get finished up on Wednesday at the Commission?”

“No, I had to go in on Thursday for half the day to complete something, that is why I didn’t come down until today. Your last week go okay?”

“Quiet, but they did let me know that I could work there again next year which was nice to hear. I don’t think I am going to do that though.”

It was nervous chit-chat filling in time before walking the couple of blocks to the restaurant. There were only 14 of them for this dinner. It was billed as a rehearsal dinner but they had skipped the rehearsal part. It was a family dinner with Norman and Jean and Suzanne and Andrew there as well. Jim’s dead wife’s brother and his family, Freya’s second cousin and her husband and Lars and Moira.

Andrew thought back to the meals in Paris, a group of people, comparative strangers, and how comfortable the meal was, how relaxed everyone was. Meals like that stood out because this meal was the norm. Oh it was charming and polite and everyone tried hard, but that was it. Everyone was trying too hard to find any kind of common link. Moira and Jim might have had the most connections but Suzanne and Andrew found it trying. It was probably a necessary ice-breaker for the following day but it was not a meal he would want to repeat any time soon. With Moira talking to her cousins and introducing Lars it was not even as if they had much of a chance to chat to them. Moira and Suzanne did have a few minutes together but it was not as long as either wanted. So they got out of there as early as politeness dictated. It was only when they returned to their hotel that Suzanne finally relaxed.

“Whew, I am glad that is over. I think I was more worried about tonight than I am tomorrow. Just knowing that Julian and Leslie will be there makes tomorrow seem less daunting.”

Later Suzanne lay on Andrew as usual, their combined fluids dripping out of her, over him and onto the bed.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?”

“I will be fine. I hope I don’t hum and haw too much in my speech but other than that it is okay. There is not a receiving line after the ceremony, it is just Jim and Freya and we are the second people out after Moira and Lord Wylie. I think if I had to run the gauntlet of meeting everyone then I would be more stressed whereas it is just escorting Freya down the aisle, handing her to Jim and then sitting the hell down. I’ll be okay.”

“You don’t normally like to be the centre of attention.”

“No, you know me, I hate it. Jim explained though that for second marriages, especially for couples in the fifties and even older, the father of the bride is often deceased and so another family member steps in. That I am not family and so young is noteworthy but the circumstances are not. I worried that they would have to explain why she chose me but at the end of the day it is her problem, their issue to deal with. We should have fun with it. The three of you will probably see Julian’s mum and dad and Julian and Leslie will probably sit with them but remember you will be escorted to the front pew on the bride’s side. Try and see his face, it will be a picture.”

All four of them were looking forward with unalloyed glee to see Mr. Strong’s reaction to Andrew walking Freya down the aisle. He will have bathed in lemons. They were both awake in plenty of time to get over to King’s Cross to meet Julian and Leslie and after they left their stuff in Andrew’s room they went for breakfast. Their room was not available until later.

“How is the man of the hour?”

“Probably hung over as he was spending the night at a hotel with his best man. But if you mean me, I am fine. Truth be told I want to get the day over with and to go on holiday. It has been a disjointed summer and I want to relax. The final week in Edinburgh will be busy, between the meetings, and then helping Suzanne get resettled in Glasgow. How about you? Done at Ferranti?”

“Yes, in both senses. We can talk about it at the meetings. I am looking forward to holiday next week as well.”

“How are you doing that if you came down by train?”

“Trains and hire cars on the way back. I know we said we would take your wedding clothes back, but do you think we can change that and leave ours with you instead? Will Jim and Freya mind if they are in the wardrobe in your room at their flat?”

Andrew thought about it. Fortunately for them Jim and Freya had a morning flight to the Mediterranean and would be out of the flat by 9.00 at the latest, probably earlier. Suzanne and Andrew were on a 2.00 flight so it should be doable.

“They won’t care about leaving clothes, they have asked if I wanted to leave stuff there while I am at Cambridge, so formal clothes in the wardrobe is not a big deal. If we get there at 10.00 tomorrow they will be gone and we will still be okay for our flight. What time is your train?”

It was sorted. They were leaving early afternoon as well so all four of them could leave their glad rags at the flat and holiday unencumbered. As they walked back to the hotel Andrew understood how important that Leslie and Julian were there for Suzanne. He had to leave well before the others to get to the flat, whereas the three of them were a two-minute cab ride along the road from the church. She would have company, and importantly support, until it was time to walk into the church. As Kari and Anders, Freya’s cousin and her husband, knew very few people they had agreed the night before to walk into the church together. Suzanne was calm and it eased Andrew’s own stress that she was comfortable and was not going to be hating every minute.

As for him? As Suzanne fussed over him, making sure everything was in place, it started to become very real. Once he reached the flat his role would begin. So he kissed Suzanne carefully.

“You look beautiful. I will see you in a couple of hours, okay?”

“Get out, you handsome rogue, let me finish.”

The next two hours were a drag and a blur. When Andrew got to the flat neither Freya nor Moira were ready and he paced in the drawing room waiting for them to come through. Moira was ready first.

“Well don’t you look handsome. But then I have this thing for tall men that like my arse.”

As an icebreaker it worked. They both laughed and had a fun time catching up. It was the first time in years that he had a chance to talk to Moira on her own.

“I hear that you are moving to Reykjavik.”

“Yes. Lars is enrolled in a PhD at the University of Iceland. I will work there at a law firm, concentrating on international law, particularly the EEC. I don’t think I can qualify as a lawyer there as my Icelandic is only basic. It will be good experience and once Lars has his doctorate then we will think about the next steps. Almost certainly back here but we will see.”

“Wow, that’s quite the step to move to such a small country. I must admit I don’t know a lot about Iceland.”

“It is a more extreme version of Scotland. Wilder weather, volcanoes, higher hills, steeper valleys, a sense of independence, of being different. I am looking forward to it in many ways. I will miss seeing Dad regularly but if we each make one trip a year we will be fine. We did not need to hang out constantly before so it will be lots of expensive phone bills but other than that it won’t be that different than if I was here and he was in Edinburgh. How are you holding up?”