Chapter 21 #2
Even if they couldn’t afford Malik’s place, there was no way Kaden wanted to stay somewhere Alistair had picked out.
He felt increasingly uncomfortable about the guy.
Now he’d allowed doubt to take hold, it was working its way deeper and deeper.
When this was done, he’d take Joe away for a while.
It was a long time since he’d had a holiday. Cornwall might be nice. Or Scotland.
Joe sat reading about the camera as he ate his toast, though Kaden didn’t intend that Joe use it. Kaden was doing this on his own, but he’d keep that quiet. Except Joe was reading too fast and Alistair was going to notice.
“Slow down,” Kaden said. “You won’t take it all in.”
“I was just flicking past all the different languages.”
Quick thinking by Joe. Though from where Kaden was sitting, he could see that wasn’t true.
He clicked onto a talk by the DG and listened to the patterns of his voice. Would he be able to recognise it?
When his phone rang, he jumped.
“Put it on speaker,” Alistair said.
“Hello?” Kaden croaked, then cleared his throat.
“Kaden Bauer?” a man asked.
“Yes.”
“Is Snowdrop with you?”
“Yes,” Alistair said. “I’m here. Kaden wants to be sure he’s doing the right thing.”
“You absolutely are,” said the man. “We’re not in the habit of using civilians for this sort of work, but in this case, we needed to be extra cautious. Snowdrop assures me that you’re trustworthy. We’re very appreciative of those who take risks on our behalf.”
“How do I know who you are?” Kaden blurted, though it did sound like him.
There was the faintest pause on the line—not long enough to be suspicious, but long enough to feel deliberate.
“You don’t,” the man said calmly. “Not with absolute certainty. That’s the nature of this world. But you can verify the number that called you. You can confirm the name of the Director General of MI5. And you can ask yourself one simple question—what would I gain from lying to you right now?”
Kaden swallowed. His mouth had gone dry. “People lie for less.”
“True. But people in my position don’t have the luxury of improvisation. Everything we do is documented, authorised, and accountable, whether you see that or not. If Snowdrop brought this to me, it’s already passed several layers of scrutiny.”
Kaden glanced at Alistair, who gave nothing away.
“And Blake?” Kaden asked. “Is he a threat?”
Another pause. This one heavier.
“He’s a person of interest. We believe he’s in possession of information that could cause significant harm if it were made public or passed to the wrong people. Your role is to help us understand what he knows, and how he intends to use it.”
“That sounds like surveillance,” Kaden said.
“It’s observation,” the man corrected. “You’re a well-known journalist invited into his home. Nothing more. You are not being asked to steal, break in, or endanger anyone. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, you walk away. Understood?”
Kaden hesitated. “And if I don’t do this?”
“Then you don’t,” the man said simply. “But there may be consequences beyond your control.”
Joe.
Silence settled over the kitchen. Joe had stopped playing with the camera.
Finally, Kaden exhaled slowly. “All right.”
“Good,” the man said. “Then I’ll leave you in Snowdrop’s capable hands. And Mr Bauer?”
Kaden stiffened. “Yes?”
“Don’t try to be clever. Just be natural. People reveal far more than they should when they believe they’re in control.”
The line clicked dead.
Kaden stared at his phone for a moment before lowering it onto the table.
“Well?” Alistair asked.
Kaden looked up at him. “If that wasn’t the Director General, it was someone who sounded just like him.”
Alistair smiled faintly. “I feel I should tell you that it could be someone impersonating him, though it’s not.”
Joe let out a breath. “So we’re actually doing this?”
Kaden nodded. “Looks like we are.”
“This is the device.” Alistair put a small plastic box with a lift up lid on the table.
Kaden opened it. “It’s tiny.”
The small thin grey rectangle was no bigger than a camera memory stick.
“Once you peel it off the pad, it becomes sound activated. It has a long battery life.” He handed his phone to Kaden.
“This is a picture of Blake’s home office.
He’ll likely sit behind that desk. He likes to feel superior.
The front panel of the desk doesn’t touch the floor.
You could probably put this under the front rim. ”
“Okay.” Kaden slipped it into his pocket.
Kaden washed up and as he dried his hands on a tea towel, he noticed the slight tremor in his fingers. The tiny device in his pocket felt heavier than it should, as if it carried far more than circuitry. He glanced at Joe. It does. It carries our future.
“A burner phone too.” Alistair handed one to Kaden. “Any chatter or text about this job, use that phone.”
“Right,” Joe said eventually. “We should go. We won’t take our things with us now. We’ll come back and get them, okay?”
“That’s fine.” Alistair pushed his plate away and stood. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be in touch later with a few more details.”
“Such as?” Kaden asked.
Alistair paused at the doorway. “Such as what Blake looks for in people.”
“And what’s that?”
Alistair’s smile returned, thinner this time. “Honesty,” he said. “Or at least… a convincing version of it. He’s from working class roots. He admires those who’ve worked their way up.”
The door closed behind him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Joe leaned back in his chair. “I don’t like this.”
Kaden picked up the camera, turning it over in his hands, then powered it on. The screen flickered to life. “How do I look at the pictures on it?”
Joe took it from his hands and showed him. When Kaden saw the images of the exhibition in the Tate, he sighed. But then would he expect the UK’s intelligence agency to be anything but thorough?
The camera’s cool,” Joe said.
“Four thousand pounds worth of cool.”
“Wow. I better not drop it.”
Kaden chuckled. “Try not to.”
A short time later, they were stepping out into the street and heading for the Tube.
They’d have to catch a bus too because Muswell Hill didn’t have an underground station.
Kaden zipped up his jacket, his mind splitting in two directions, one focused on having to pull this off without fucking up, the other on what would happen if he did fuck up.
He replayed the image of Blake’s office.
Desk. Gap underneath. Quick placement. No hesitation.
Right. And if Blake had them sitting in armchairs around a coffee table?
Coughing fit. Request water. Fall to knees.
Put device in place under the coffee table.
“Didn’t you ought to call Malik and check it’s convenient?” Joe asked.
“Yes.” A few moments later, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. “We’re fine.”
“Alistair seemed different, don’t you think?”
“He’s got what he wants. He’s all business now. I feel pissed off I didn’t see this other side of him.”
“He’s just doing his job.”
Yes, but for whom? Kaden still had doubts. But he glanced at Joe and dismissed them. I’d be a terrible spy. Threaten someone I care for and I’d do anything to save them.
Kaden had been to Muswell Hill a few times. There were great places to eat. When he saw how close Malik’s place was to the high street, he worried whether they’d be able to afford it. Joe had money but…
Malik opened the door and beamed at them. “Come in, come in. I’m Malik. Nice to meet you. Kaden, right? So you must be Joe.”
They shook hands.
“You’re doing me such a favour. It’s bloody difficult to find someone I can trust to actually move out when I come back. Danny’s vouched for you. Let me show you round.”
The flat was small but oceans better than Kaden’s last place. No mould. Smart wooden floors. New bathroom. Well equipped kitchen with a washer-drier.
“One thousand eight hundred per calendar month,” Malik said. “I’ll still pay the council tax and all bills because you’re saving me the cost of using an agency. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” Joe said. “That’s fine. Thank you.”
Kaden had been going to negotiate. It was more than he’d been paying but he wanted to live here with Joe. The flat was clean, cosy and well furnished. It even had a small balcony. And there was no hamster. He smiled.
“I’ll transfer the first month’s money now,” Joe said. “Give me your details.”
Look at you, acting like you do this all the time. But he was proud of how far Joe had come.
“Great. Done,” Malik said. “Here are your keys. There’s a folder on the work surface with everything you need to know.
My sister stayed here for a month last year and I put it together for her.
Nothing’s changed that I know of. Don’t worry about the record player.
I know it’s broken. Neighbours are good.
No plants to water. I’ll be out of here at eleven so move in when you like after that. ”
“Thanks so much,” Joe said. “We’ll be careful with all your things.”
A few hours later, they arrived back in an Uber.
Alistair had been out and Kaden had left the keys to his place in the kitchen.
They stood in Malik’s lounge with bags and boxes and cases, along with the borrowed camera and the weight of a story they couldn’t tell anyone.
Though Kaden was glad he’d told Danny because if anything bad happened, he’d do something.
Everything they wouldn’t need, they stored at the side of Malik’s wardrobe.
“He’s even left the sheets on the bed,” Kaden said.
“It’s a huge bed. Yours won’t fit.”
Kaden laughed. “We’re lucky to get a place for three months. Usually, you have to sign for a year. It gives us breathing space, a chance to decide where we want to live. I wish it was a bit cheaper, but—”
“It’s fine. The money I won is there to be used.”
Kaden opened the fridge. There was a note inside that said, ‘Consume whatever you like.’ There was a bottle of wine, pizzas and a six pack of beer. That was kind.
“Oh good. I like tasting beer when I kiss you.”
Kaden turned to Joe and laughed. “But you won’t drink beer?”
“Don’t like it.” Joe kicked off his shoes and sprawled on the couch. “Big bed and a big TV too. It’s comfortable here.”
“Find something to watch and I’ll cook pizza.”
“A vampire film?”
“That’ll be a good distraction from what’s happening on Thursday.”
“What’s happening on Thursday?” Joe asked.
Kaden turned to him, then laughed. Except you’re not going to do this with me.