Cell

37

'Lord, it's a heavy mist,' Paula exclaimed.

With Beaurain behind the wheel, they were driving down the bumpy track after turning off the main road. Paula sat beside the Belgian while Buchanan and Tweed occupied the rear seats. The Superintendent was peering out of the window.

'Worse than mist,' he commented. 'It's fog.'

During their drive there Tweed had produced his map of the district. He pointed out how close the power station was to St Jude's Hospital. Buchanan's mouth compressed. He shook his head.

'If al-Qa'eda are inside that power station we can't launch an attack to check out the place. They'll have a ton of high explosives. If they set them off that hospital – and all of its patients – would end up obliterated. Beaurain, can I suggest you dim your fog-lights? In case they have someone watching on this side of the river.'

'Yes, I can. Then I won't see where we're going…'

'Hold it,' Buchanan went on. 'Turn over the ground to your right. I've just seen a figure waving a torch. Could be Warden.'

Earlier, while in the car, he had used his mobile to contact Warden. He had warned him they would be coming. Beaurain had manoeuvred the car off the track on to the sterile ground to their right. At Buchanan's request he stopped.

Paula was on edge about the situation. The fog was like a dense murky blanket. She could just make out the torch being waved. Buchanan spoke as he opened the door on his side.

'Wait here. I'll check. Don't follow me if you hear shots fired,' he warned, a Walther in his hand as he left the car.

'Take care,' Paula called out.

'My motto…'

The torch was still shining but had stopped waving as Buchanan stealthily approached the vague silhouette. He crouched low.

'Who is it?' a familiar voice called out.

'Me, Warden,' Buchanan replied as he recognized the voice. As he came close to Warden he saw he was now holding the small torch in his mouth. This had enabled him to use both hands to grip the sub-machine gun aimed at Buchanan. 'And I appreciate it if you'd lower that weapon.'

'Sorry, sir. You always say it's better to be safe than sorry.'

'How far away is the first van you've hauled out?'

'A few hundred yards. The winch boys have really worked. The second van has also been hauled up on to the bank. Further on.'

'We want to see both. Come back with me to the car and guide the driver to the first vehicle…'

With Warden ahead of him, showing the way with his torch pointed at the ground, Beaurain drove slowly forward. The ground was even rougher. Paula thought it was her idea of a nightmare. Drifts of fog, like ghostly hands, swirled over the windscreen. She felt better when Warden held up a hand, illuminated it with his torch. Beaurain stopped, switched off the dimmed headlights and the engine. They all got out, following Warden in a crocodile.

Policemen with automatic weapons stood near the van. There were also two frogmen, still in their kit. Through their goggles they stared at Paula. They hadn't expected a woman. She gave them a cheery wave and walked with Tweed to the rear of the van. Both rear doors were open.

She put on latex gloves and leapt up inside the van. Tweed hauled himself after her, his hands also protected with latex gloves. Warden followed, switched on his powerful torch.

'Douse that!' Buchanan snapped. 'It could be seen across the river.'

Paula switched on her smaller torch. She was slowly checking the floor of the van, which seemed strangely clean. Then she stopped, aiming her torch.

'Look at this.'

She was kneeling, with Tweed crouched beside her. In the light from her torch they could make out four screw-holes, well apart from each other. She hauled out from her satchel the fold-up ruler, measured the distance between the screw-holes.

'Just under two feet from one hole to the next one.' She looked up at Beaurain, who had joined them with Buchanan behind him. 'Jules, at Mrs Wharton's we decided the base plate was about two feet wide.'

'So,' Beaurain replied, 'while the van was transporting the devilish device here it was held firm, kept still by the base plate held firmly to the floor.'

One of the frogmen had arrived. He had taken off his helmet, exposing red hair plastered to his skull where water had dripped off the helmet when he removed it. He addressed his remark to Paula.

'Only one of those in this job. Two of them in the other van we hauled out upriver.'

'Like to look at that one in a minute,' suggested Beaurain.

'I know they used four vans,' Tweed said, standing up. 'Tell you how I found that out later.'

'Four vans,' Beaurain repeated. 'That suggests to me about six devices brought down here.'

'And six barges,' Tweed said almost under his breath.

They drove to where the second van had been hauled out. A short distance away was a large winch machine with a drum holding a cable. At the tip of the cable was a strong hook.

Both rear doors were open and again Paula was the first to leap inside it. She swivelled her torch slowly round the floor. By its light she saw another four screw-holes to the right side of the vehicle and near the back. Further in, nearer the front, she found four more, this time to the left side.

Again she used her ruler to check measurements. She looked up at Beaurain.

'Same as in Van One. Don't see why the two holding points are on different sides of this van.'

'Balance,' he said. 'Assume they drove a distance to bring the devices here. In this van having one device at the right side, the other at the left – and spaced apart – it would give balance. The devices must weigh a lot. We know they do. Mrs Wharton said it took six men to carry one from the van to the motorized trolley.'

'You've had lab experts go over the floors?' Tweed asked Warden.

'Yes, sir. Nothing. No fingerprints. The only element they noticed was a smell of a strong cleaning material.'

'That's it then.' Tweed looked at Buchanan. 'Now both vans must be shoved back into the river, the way they were.'

'What?'

The exclamation came from the red-haired frogman who had spoken to Paula earlier. He looked appalled.

'Sorry,' Tweed said firmly. 'But the dangerous villains involved may send a man back to make sure the vans are no longer visible. The tide has risen. We can't take a chance on this one.'

'Do it, Warden,' Buchanan ordered. 'Quickly. And move that winching apparatus out of the area. Now. Understood?'

'Yes, sir…'

They went back to the car and Beaurain drove them back to Park Crescent. The mist was clearing as they reached the track and turned up it to head back for the main road. As it did so Paula glanced down the track, wondering what hell might be going on at the power station.

Ali was supervising operations on the three barges moored on the east side of the wharf, the side the team led by Tweed and Buchanan could not see while checking the vans. The hard cover had been rolled over the interior of the barge. Before this action had taken place Ali had insisted the small wheels attached to the underside of the cover were oiled. This had been planned earlier – so when the cover's wheels were rolled along the rail-like tracks on either side they would make no noise.

As six of his men carried the device to place it in position, he climbed the ladder to the main hatchway, which was open. He peered down, gesturing for them to place the device in the perfect position – below the hatch opening. The hatch was more than wide enough to allow safe passage when the huge bomb lifted off its base, streaked through the hatch, aimed with all its explosive power at the target.

He descended the ladder – which would later be thrown overboard – and ordered them to screw the base plate firmly to the bottom of the barge. When they had completed the task he picked up a screwdriver, tried to tighten the four screws at each corner of the plate. He couldn't move any of the screws. This barge was ready, as were the two alongside it. Ali had been chosen by Abdullah for his meticulous attention to detail.

'Now we deal with the other three barges,' he ordered. 'It will be foggy so no danger of anyone seeing us.'

He had listened to the weather forecast for the next day. Very cold, no overcast, clear skies. They would have no trouble seeing the targets. Allah was on their side.