Mrs. John Doe

Chapter 30

The London Underground is the oldest subway system in the world. It is also one of the longest, with 250 miles of track serving 270 stations. An average year sees approximately one billion riders on the Tube, making it one of the busiest public transports in Europe. Eleven separate lines take passengers to a wide variety of destinations in the Greater London area.

He could be going anywhere.

Nora followed the young man into the Russell Square station, making sure to keep people between them. That wasn’t difficult; the place was crowded with travelers, even at this late morning hour. Still, she’d have to see which ticket he bought so she could get an identical one. This thought gave her a brief sense of panic. What if he had a Travelcard or one of those Oyster things? He might just swipe something and rush through to the elevators, leaving her here. How would she know what sort of ticket to buy?

She was in luck; he had to purchase a ticket. She crept up behind him as he used a machine, and she saw him touch the indicator for Leicester Square. She quickly bought the same zone 1 ticket, relieved that he wasn’t going far, and to a part of London that was familiar to her. The elevator was tricky, but she pressed herself against the wall on the opposite side of the car from him, safely shielded by packed bodies. When they reached the lower level, she let him walk down the platform and stop twenty feet from her. As they waited, she looked around the place, thinking about her husband. Near this station, on July 7, 2005, twenty-six of the people were killed in the London bombings. Jeff had come to London from Langley the next day, and he’d been here for several weeks.

Nora wondered if that young man down the platform, waiting so calmly for the train, had been involved in the massacre. Was he thinking about it now? Did he think about it at all? She looked over at him, studying his impassive face, clenching her hands into fists at her sides.

When the train arrived, Nora got into the car behind his and stayed by the door. She knew this route pretty well, thanks to all the theaters nearby; their destination was in the center of London’s West End. The train stopped at Holborn and Covent Garden, then Leicester Square. She followed him up to Charing Cross Road, where he paused just outside the station and pulled out his cellphone.

“Where are you?” he said. “Okay, I’m on my way.” He pocketed the phone and strode away toward the square.

Nora’s anxiety had been growing throughout the journey, and now her heart was pounding with a force that alarmed her. Who was the mystery person on the other end of the call? Where was he leading her? Calm down, she told herself. Just stay calm. You can do this.

She kept well behind him on the sidewalk, making sure not to lose sight of him entirely in the throng. They came into Leicester Square, and she glanced around, orienting herself. She’d been here many times in the past; it was the film center for London, where all the big premiere movie palaces were. She looked over at the huge Odeon theater on her left and the Empire on her right, at the north end of the square, and there was the TKTS booth on the south side, where she had frequently waited in line for half-price theater tickets. But the most interesting part of the scene was the little park in the center of the square, with its beautiful gates at each corner and its dramatic centerpiece, the round fountain topped by the famous statue of Shakespeare. She watched as the young man in front of her crossed the street and went directly into the park, and she hurried to catch up with him.

Another park, she thought as she arrived at the gate. What is it with secret agents and parks? Probably something like the gray cars-a neutral ground to meet where it was unlikely that your hush-hush conversation would be overheard. And yet that was precisely what she must now do. She would have to follow him into this place, see the person he was meeting, and somehow listen in on them. I can’t do it, she thought. I’ll never be able to do it.

Then she thought of her husband. Jeff was out there somewhere, tied up, locked in a room. He might be hurt; his captors may well have injured him. He was alone in some dark place, wondering if anyone was looking for him. He might even be dead-no, that wasn’t an option. She couldn’t even entertain that thought. Otherwise, she’d give in to despair, and she wouldn’t be of any use to him. He’s alive, she told herself; he must be alive.

And I can do this. For Jeff, I can do anything.

Her quarry, for his part, was apparently agitated too. He walked slowly to the center of the park, by the Shakespeare fountain, looking constantly to his right and left as he went. He even turned around once and scanned the crowds behind him. Nora kept bodies between them as she followed. Yes, he was turning to glance behind him yet again; he was definitely nervous.

This pocket park had a similar layout to Russell Square Gardens, only smaller: a square island with four walkways in an X pattern that met in a central plaza, where the Bard held court. The young man stood before the fountain, gazing around, then walked quickly over to the nearest of the benches that lined the walkways and sat. Nora moved closer, keeping the fountain between them. She looked up at the statue, temporarily arrested by the sight. She was an actor, after all, and in her world this man was the king of kings. She felt a whimsical urge to curtsey, but she was currently an elderly French lady with arthritis, so curtseying was out of the question. She lowered her gaze, peeking around the plinth at the man on the bench. He sat alone, watching all the people passing by him.

He wasn’t alone for long. He suddenly looked over at the fountain where she was standing, and for one wrenching moment she thought she’d been spotted. No, he wasn’t looking at her but past her. A large dark figure in a dark suit passed by her, moving by the fountain to the bench. The figure turned around and sat down beside her quarry, facing her. She gasped when she saw him, and a sharp electric shock rose up from her stomach to her brain. No, she thought. No!

It was Bill Howard’s chauffeur. What was his name? Gilbert-Andy Gilbert. Craig had told her that in the car yesterday. The big black man was wearing his chauffeur’s uniform, and he dwarfed the slim young man beside him on the bench. He was so muscular that his neck was the same diameter as his large head. A handsome face, nice features, but the effect was marred by the mean, almost malevolent expression she saw there now. He too scanned the crowds around them, just as the other man was doing. Then he turned to his companion and leaned forward to talk. Her quarry listened intently.

She’d only heard that deep voice utter three words: Be careful, Pal. But she had to hear what he was saying now. She glanced around the square, wondering how to get closer, praying to Shakespeare for inspiration.

As if the statue had heard her and answered her prayer, the opportunity arrived. A well-dressed elderly woman with a cane moved slowly along the sidewalk, looking around at the benches for a good place to sit. She chose the empty one beside the chauffeur, sitting a little way from him, at the other end of her bench. If Nora hobbled over there and sat next to her, engaged her in conversation, the two men probably wouldn’t even notice.

Probably.

It was her only chance. She drew in a deep breath, made herself as old and stooped as possible, and shuffled carefully out from behind the fountain. She wandered over to the bench and sat between the woman and Andy Gilbert. The two men were talking; they didn’t even glance over at her.

“Good morning,” she said to the other woman in her best French accent. “Eesn’t thees a lovely day? I’m so glad for thees sunshine.”

The woman smiled over at her and nodded. “Yes, it’s a fair morn, all right. No rain, for a change.”

“Een Paris eet ees always the rain too,” Nora said. “I have just come from there. I am here een your beautiful city to consult the-what ees the word?-the particular doctor?”

“I think you mean a specialist,” the woman said. “Nothing serious, I hope?”

Now Nora was in an awkward position. She was sitting on a bench, turned toward the woman beside her, while two men talked a few feet away. She would have to keep up her end of the chat while listening intently for anything she could hear of the conversation behind her. Okay, she decided, pretend we’re in a Feydeau farce, a bedroom comedy with lots of eavesdropping.

“Oh, eet ees the aching in the bones, how do you say?”

“She wasn’t there, I tell you. I waited, but she didn’t show up. The kid at the hotel said-”

“Arthritis? Is that what you mean?”

“Yes, that ees eet: arthritis.”

“Listen, Yussuf, we need to act fast. He’s planning to move it out tomorrow-”

“I know how you feel, my dear. My hands have been predicting the weather for years now! I’m Margaret Green, by the way, but everyone calls me Madge.”

“-Copperfield, a Cessna Cargomaster, at three p.m. I’m pretty sure they-”

“How do you do, Madge? My name ees Blanche, Blanche Weelliams.”

“Blanche-what a lovely name! I had a friend at school named Blanche, and she was the prettiest…”

Her new friend was off on a story from her long-ago youth, so Nora concentrated on the voices at her back. Her nemesis, Yussuf, spoke perfect English with a British accent in his light baritone voice. The chauffeur, Andy Gilbert, was a basso profundo with a strong Caribbean inflection.

Yussuf: “They both arrived three days ago. Heathrow. They’re going out to Laura’s tomorrow.”

Gilbert: “And where’s Naseem?”

Yussuf: “We don’t know.”

Gilbert: “Damn! Okay, we have to find her, that’s all there is to it. It’s clear Baron’s not going to spill anything, no matter what’s done to him. His wife’s got it, and we can’t let them get it. If they do, we’re screwed.”

Yussuf: “I had the damned purse in my hands. In my hands! I can’t believe-”

Gilbert: “Don’t tear yourself up about it now. You had no way of knowing they’d be sticking so close to her.”

Yussuf: “That goddamn Elder! I didn’t even see him in the fog until he was on top of me!”

Gilbert: “I know. He’s very good at what he does, damn him to hell! Look, I’ve been gone too long. I’ve got to-”

Yussuf: “Okay, you get back to work. I’ll keep looking for her. I’ve got someone watching the hotel, so we can grab her if she shows up there. She got away in the cemetery, but her luck can’t hold forever. She won’t get away from me again.”

Gilbert: “All right. I’ll meet you at Laura’s.”

Yussuf: “Okay, Laura’s, noon tomorrow. Bring any firepower you can lay your hands on. If they’re on to us, we’ll need it.”

Gilbert: “Right. Call me if you find her.”

“…but she didn’t marry him. She married the banker instead. So, she ended up rich, but she let her true love get away. Wasn’t that silly of her?”

“Yes, very seelly.” Nora blinked and smiled at Madge Green, acutely aware of the movements behind her. The two men were standing up from their bench and walking away in opposite directions. Her quarry, Yussuf, was returning the way he’d come, past the fountain and out at the northeast corner of the park, in the direction of the Tube station. He crossed the street and disappeared.

“Well, Blanche was always a silly creature, even when we were girls. Not a lot going on upstairs, if you know what I mean-”

Nora made a big show of looking at her watch. “Mon Dieu! Eet ees already une heure-how you say?-one of the clock! I must be een Harley Street for my veeseet avec le docteur!”

Madge Green smiled and pulled knitting needles and wool from her purse. “You’d best run along then, love. It was very nice to meet you. If you’re back in London soon, you’ll find me right here most afternoons. We can have another lovely chat.”

“Merci, Madge. Au revoir!” Nora shouldered her bag and stood up, then walked slowly away from the bench, tottering past the fountain and out of the park. She wasn’t overly concerned that her quarry had gotten away; she knew where he was going to be tomorrow, and when. But now she had to be alone and think about everything she’d just overheard.

Jeff was alive! That was the good news; the men had made that clear in their conversation. But she didn’t have time to exult, not now, because now she knew exactly how much longer they’d keep him alive. She was afraid, more afraid than she’d been since she arrived in Europe, even more than she’d been in the cemetery.

It was now one o’clock, and whatever was happening would occur at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon. She had twenty-six hours to find her husband and free him from these people. After that, he would be expendable.