Chapter 5
The police Car called by Inspector Greene arrived in a short time. It was clearly marked as a police vehicle and I was hustled into by a burley bobby as if under arrest.
The trip to New Scotland Yard was made with the blue lights flickering and siren sounding. Once at the office building I was escorted to a side door and directed to an unmarked vehicle which took me quietly to a residential area in Highgate. The two police officers accompanying me kept an eye on vehicles trailing us.
At no time did either pain clothed officers speak to me during the drive. After we reached our destination the driver turned and tersely said, "alright doctor this is the house we were instructed to provide safe and secure passage to-knock twice and then ring the bell-good luck sir."
I walked up three stone steps to a small portico and stepping in I knocked and rang the bell as instructed. The police car remained at the curb the two men-apparently planning to linger until my safe conduct was confirmed.
I stood in plain sight for at least two minutes before an spare, gray haired gentleman opened the door. He glanced at me and then at the idling police vehicle before swinging the door wide saying, "welcome doctor I am Leah's uncle Sandy."
As we shook hands, a strong grip by a rough hand, his sharp blue eyes behind gold -rimmed glasses, made a quick assessment of me. He was a bit shorter than I, with sparse, close cropped gray hair. He wore a three piece pinstriped blue suit which was perfectly fitted to his spare frame.
As he led me from the entry hall his ramrod straight bearing was unmistakably military. We entered a large book lined, exquisitely appointed room. From hidden speakers pleasant chamber music flowed softly. Moving to a desk backed by French windows he gestured to a chair placed so that I would face him and the light from the windows.
Clearly 'llncle Sandy' was not the corner grocer nor even the neighborhood physician. He was a man of importance. And one who took his responsibilities seriously.
Although he was pleasant he was clearly ill-at-ease with me. After carefully polishing his glasses and putting them back on he looked at me and said, "while we talk would you like some tea or coffee?"
"Coffee would be fine," I said secretly wishing for something to eat. "Please tell me what I am to call you, sir. I don't believe 'Uncle Sandy' would be appropriate. Do you?"
He chuckled. "Well Sandy without the avuncular prefix will certainly do, doctor."
"Ok. I'm Jason, Sandy."
"Fine Jason. Let's get a few things straight about your situation." There was a soft tapping at a side door and then a pleasant appearing older woman entered carrying a tray loaded with sandwiches, and a bowel of fruit and a large steaming pot of coffee. I did not see Sandy press any button and certainly he never interrupted our conversation to request service.
After setting the heavy try down on a sideboard near Sandy's desk the lady placed a plate, cup and saucer plus necessary cutlery before me on a corner of Sandy's desk. She then did the same for him Sandy. She poured a rich, steaming cup full of well brewed coffee for each of us and after passing the sandwiches she left as quietly as she had entered.
We ate in silence for a few minutes. Sandy leaned back in his chair and sipped the coffee with obvious relish. "For all their accomplishments the British are still deficient in their coffee making ability I find," he said refilling his cup from the pot near at hand.
"I'm afraid I have to agree," I said after hastily swallowing a bit of sandwich. I was truly hungry and was struggling not to make a pig of myself.
We sat for a while longer sipping coffee, he carefully sectioning and eating a blood red orange, I chewing noisily on an apple.
"Alright young man let's get down to it," Sandy said abruptly.
"Down to what, sir?" I replied nervously. I was afraid my relationship with Leah was about to become a source of trouble. "The business of the keys. I hope you realize that you are in very real danger," he said his blue eyes flashing.
"To be perfectly honest I don't know what in the hell is going on. But certainly no one has told me my life is in danger," I said feeling more angry than frightened.
"Jason I will arrange to put you in the picture.
But before I do that tell me do you have any luggage or even any clothing left?"
I shook my head, "I'm lucky to have a passport and travelers checks."
"I'll arrange to send someone to Harrods to get you outfitted," he said rising and moving to a beautiful walnut credenza. "I like a little music and the Schubert has just ended. Do you have a preference? Feel free to suggest anything but that terrible rock stuff," he laughed.
"Mahler's first, Schumann's quintet and any early Mendelssohn," I said trying hard to sound more knowledgeable than I am.
"Good." He opened the cabinet and was selecting compact discs when a soft tapping at the service door interrupted. "Come," he called.
I was surprised to see my old seat mate and recent rescuer Ari enter. "Sandy you want me?"
"Yes Ari send Hortense and Michael to Harrods or wherever they like to get some clothes for our doctor friend. A suit, some shirts, several pairs of jeans, walking shoes, dress shoes the lot," Sandy was really giving me the once over as he spoke.
"Anything wrong?" I asked.
"No just figuring size for you. My father used to be a tailor and I learned much from him years ago," Sandy said smiling.
"Let me sign some travelers checks for you Ari," I said reaching into my jacket pocket.
Sandy now shook his head, "no the police feel they owe you for failing to better protect your property-and we feel we owe you because inadvertently you have assisted us."
"Who's we Sandy?" I asked.
"Best you don't ask just accept us at face value."
I was obviously into something way over my head but exactly what eluded me still.
Ari left. Again, I suddenly realized, Sandy called some one without any overt pushing of buttons or ringing of bells. Sandy completed the selection of music and, as Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream sounded softly in the background, he returned to his desk.
"Young Jason you were selected as a courier by a most dangerous group of people. Your selection was based, I am certain, on the similarity of your bag to that of the one carrying the group's contraband-in this case keys," Sandy said.
"I guessed that. But the behavior of the people involved was most strange."
"Let me tell you a story. Some years ago the people I work for discovered a strangely accommodating group of arms dealers. They would supply whatever their customer's might want for a price. They would steal what they could not buy.
"The group was headed by three Germans. One of them has been under constant observation by various concerned agencies. The other two, a woman and a schizophrenic man, of unusual intelligence when mentally competent, have disappeared. We think that the man named Kurt may be that man.
"The reason we are suspicious of Kurt is the bizarre behavior you reported. You see the man we seek would develop odd sexual patterns as his mental illness would relapse. The fact that the man we are looking for has not contacted any of his previous doctors in over a year may indicate that he is running out of essential medication.
"The man himself may well recognize his impending mental breakdown and so seek to resolve his current mission before it happens. Or he may try to get medical aid through robbery of chemists shops or even the kidnapping of a physician," Sandy said his piercing eyes fixed on my face.
"Why didn't he kidnap me? I'm a doctor," I asked naively.
A a rustling sound behind me was followed by Leah's soft, cultured voice saying, "because darling you didn't pass his test."
"What test?" I said turning, heart thumping and bumping, to look at her lovely face.
She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek. Then looking at Sandy she said, "do I explain the facts of life to the Yank or do you sir?"
The Mahler first symphony was in it's humorously funereal second movement as Sandy rose and said, "I'll listen to Mahler's variations on Frere Jacques while you tell your friend what you know."
Leah took my hand in one of hers and led me to a comfortable leather sofa placed in the center of the room. Still holding my hand tightly in her delightfully warm grip she tugged me down next to her so that our hips and thighs rested too temptingly close for my comfort.
Her lovely face brow wrinkled in deliberation Leah said, "Kurt's strange conduct with the girl named Loki in your presence was the behavior pattern of many schizophrenic males. They can get and maintain erections for long periods of time. In fact many women with schizophrenic male lovers will tell you that for sex they prefer them untreated.
"Kurt knew you were a physician. He wanted to see if you would spot his odd behavior and give it a name. You knew it was very peculiar but you didn't know why. You are too young as a physician to have picked up this subtle piece of psychiatric information. There fore for Kurt you were of no use-that is not how I feel about you however," she said laughing so that her face lit up with what I hoped was love. Looking at her and remembering our time together made my temperature, and other things, rise significantly.
We sat holding hands and whispering until the music Sandy had selected stooped. Sandy snoring quietly in his easy chair roused and stretched as if the stopping of the music had been an alarm clock that wakened him.
He glanced at a small carriage clock on the mantle and then rose quickly saying to Leah, "Michael and Hortense are late."
Leah rose and went to Sandy's desk. She sat down in his large chair and waited as if she knew something was about to happen. Within moments the side door from which Hortense had emerged earlier with food and drink opened and Ari entered carrying the same ugly weapon I had seen at the Russell at the ready.
"Hortense and Michael are late," Sandy said quietly.
Ari shrugged and said, "Mike radioed and said he thinks they were made. He would try to lose the adversary team before heading home."
"Everything is ready then?"
Ari looked at me and then at Sandy smiling, "yes we can handle it all if necessary."
About an hour later Hortense and Michael returned. Sandy immediately gave us all instructions, Leah and I were to go upstairs and wait for the dinner call. Hortense was to get dinner ready and Michael was to report his experiences while "shopping". Leah led me up the sweeping staircase to the third floor of the house. Her bedroom suite was large. My new clothes were lying on one of the two beds that stood against the inner wall of the bedroom.
"We will share this bedroom if it's alright with you Yank, " Leah said with a leer.
"What about Uncle Sandy and propriety?" I asked turning red.
"He knows about you and me. I told him I was in love-I hope that's ok?"
I took her in my arms and kissed her passionately. She clung to me and whispered, "hurry, we have time before dinner."
Kissing and tugging at each other's clothes we finally landed on the unopened bed naked and panting. I took Leah's tiny, pointy breasts alternately into my hungry mouth and sucked her nipples. She squealed and squirmed as I let my eager tongue slide down her tense, avid body.
Her hands rested on my head and she pushed me gently downward until my tongue and lips were kissing and exploring her wet, impatient cunt. She whimpered as my tongue touched her stiff cunt and her hips thrust up to meet my hungry mouth.
My fingers gently rolled her stiff, erect nipples and my tongue stroked her clit and cunt. With a sharp cry, "oh my love," she suddenly stiffened and pulled at my hair. I felt my mouth suddenly fill with her wetness as her supple body shivered and jerked with orgasmic spasms. She held my face to her wet, throbbing cunt and lay panting and whispering, "my lover I love you."
After a surprisingly short while she wriggled into a sitting position and whispered, "come let me love you my darling Yank."
I sat up facing her drinking in the wonder of her lovely, tiny and so ardent body. I reached again for her sharply pointed breasts and the tirelessly erect nipples. She squirmed as I kissed and sucked them. Then abruptly she eased me down onto the bed and kissed my mouth hungrily.
Her tongue moved feverishly in and out of my greedy, sucking mouth. Slowly she slid down my shivering body her lips and tongue leaving a trail of sparks and fire where they touched and nipped. Her hands took my throbbing erect and moved slowly up and down the shaft as her warm, wet lips slipped over the glans and her tongue explored it teasingly.
I held her head and thrust my hips eagerly at her until with a soft groan I lost all restraint and exploded into her soft, sucking mouth. She squealed softly and kept moving her lips and hands up and down the shaft of my cock until it grew limp in her grasp.
She lid slowly up my panting , sweaty body and whispered, "you taste as good as you look, isn't that remarkable?" Lying side by side and holding each other tightly we dozed.
A soft buzzing sound roused us. Leah glanced at the clock and whispered, "I'll shower first-lay out the new dark stuff Michael bought for you-then you can shower while I dress."
I sensed an urgency in her manner although she moved without undo haste. I had unpacked the new clothes and picked out the black turtle neck shirt, black twill pants and heavy dark hiking boots the shoppers brought back for me. My underclothes were of British make and not what I was used to. I had no choice but to lay those out for use also.
Leah came out of the shower and said, "hurry please darling-stop looking at me like that we have no time for games now."
I ran to the bathroom and since the shower was still running it took me only a a couple of minutes to bathe. I dried and hurried into the bedroom. Leah was dressed and sitting on the bed. If it were possible her attire was more somber than what I had selected.
"I will give you instructions while you dress," she said in an authoritative voice that was new to our relationship. "Our perimeter here has been breached!"
"Perimeter? Breached what the hell-"
"Jason shut up and listen to me," her face was red and she was obviously angry. "This is a mission facility of my government. The people who spotted Michael have apparently decided to break in and perhaps destroy it. We are not under siege but may well be shortly. "You and I will leave together."
I was now fully dressed and Leah handed me a heavy black leather jacket. "Put that on and keep it on. In the inside pockets are your passport, travelers checks, and an introduction to the following friendly governments-pay attention now; United States; Canada; Israel; Great Britain; and Egypt.
"Should you and I get separated go to one of those embassies or missions and they will offer you shelter."
There was now a soft buzzing from the bedside table, three short-pause-three short.
"Let's go Yank, " Leah said jumping up and heading for the closet.
I followed afraid to ask any questions. Leah slid several garments of hers across a metal rod and reached for on or just above the rod on which clothes hung-a metal door perfectly disguised as a part of the closet wall slid back and revealed a small elevator. We stepped in and Leah pushed a one of the three buttons on a panel. The door closed and we began a silent descent.
"I assume you don't know how to use a gun," she was smirking.
"Shot gun-not hand gun," I tried to smirk back.
Bending down she opened a small door near the floor of the elevator and with a deftness that startled the hell out of me she tossed a twelve gauge shotgun at me. I damned near dropped it. "It's loaded Yank
-just take the safety of before you try to fire it
-you know that don't you?."
She stood up and had an ugly looking weapon
-just like the one Ari carried-in her dainty hands.
"What the hell is that?" I asked stupidly.
"An Uzi-it works a bit faster than a shot gun," she laughed. She bent down again and stuffed three magazines for her weapon in various pockets. Then she tossed me a box of shells saying, "don't waste them."
She slammed the cupboard door closed just as the slow moving elevator stopped. The lights suddenly went off and then the door slid open revealing nothing but a pitch black hole that smelled musty.
From somewhere off to our left Sandy's voice, sounding like he was in an echo chamber, said, "good you made it. Move off to the right-is the doctor armed?"
"Yes," Leah said in a stage whisper.
"Hope he knows how to use it," Ari said chuckling softly.
"Leah what the hell are we into here?"
"Darling, it's really your fault these nasty people want to kill us all-you and that girl friend of your who stunk up those lovely gray slacks," she giggled.
Suddenly there was an explosion and dust and small bits of concrete fell around us.
"They blew the door Sandy-there goes all your fancy music. That charge was twice what they needed-poorly trained semipros is my guess," Ari said quietly.
Everything remained quiet for about ten minutes. Suddenly there was another explosion from above followed immediately by a man screaming. This was followed by a lot of yelling, none of it understandable, and then quiet again.
"You got one Ari," a soft female voice from my left said.
Leah sighed, "thank goodness Hortense made it
-I thought they may have trapped her upstairs."
"What happened? Why all that screaming?" I asked.
"Ari built in a couple of booby traps around the house. Just enough to blow some fingers or a hand off. We don't want to kill the people who break in just arrange for them to need lots of medical help
-easy to trace," Leah whispered.
From somewhere in front of me I hard a voice, speaking in normal tones say, "they're going. Driving a van and a battered old Cortina-unreadable identity of course."
"That's Michael, he's been out front watching what the bad folks have been doing," Leah said. "My guess is will be leaving here shortly now."
"Why not go back-the trouble's gone," I said.
"Probably not gone. If they didn't get what they came for-and they didn't-they would have left enough stuff to blow up the building," Leah said. There was some noise off to my right and Sandy spoke sharply, "into the cars-follow Michael down the west tunnel-quickly, quickly
-they left short timers on they're stuff. Amateurs," he said in disgust.
We followed a small bobbing flashlight just ahead. Leah held my hand tightly and guided me unerringly through a damp, cobwebbed tunnel. Everyone moved quickly and we were out on the street a good hundred yards from the house when it suddenly seemed to collapse and burst into flames. Dust and pieces of brick and masonry fell all around the street
-Ari holding a small radio spoke into it and moments later sirens could be heard coming from all directions.
Leah dragged me to a lovely red, Jag quietly idling a few feet from us. Sandy hopped into the driver's seat and we were long gone by the time the firemen arrived.
Our destination was an old warehouse in the City of London. It was something out of a Sax Rohmer novel. The Thames was splashing close by and the dampness was palpable. Nevertheless, it was comfortably furnished and as Sandy said, "here they won't find us. So now we can get something to eat."