Chapter 29 Chan Tells All
It seemed funny that not so long ago Martin and Roland were prisoners in Chan’s suite of offices. Whether Chan was going to be as ruthless with them as he was with his own men they were not going to find out and an escape plan had materialized from nothing because of Martin’s training as an agent working for the British Government.
Roland who was captured just a couple of hours later was really a God send as it was more likely to be a successful escape from the clutches of Chan’s gang. As it turned out Chan was not the ruthless person that he made out to be and Martin soon found out that Chan did not kill his own men as he first thought. Chan explained that he fired two shots in the air and the covered bundles that Martin assumed that Chan’s gang members were taking down the stairs were bodies were in fact bundles of cigarettes on stretchers, not the two men that tried to contain Martin and Roland.
As Chan explained had he shot his own men, he would soon have no gang left.
It seemed to make a lot of sense to Martin.
Martin chose one of the “Safe Houses” that Goodall didn’t know about. It was some distance away from where Martin worked and it took a good forty minutes to reach.
Chan was eager to tell all, but Martin insisted they had a cup of tea first, it’s what makes the British true blue – must have a cup of tea before anything else.
Chan’s speaking voice was truly English, not one syllable out of place and had you been on the end of a phone, you would not have guessed his nationality being anything else but British.
He remarked on how nice the tea was and began his tale about Goodall. He believed he was an agent working for the Soviet Union, a spy, a double agent no less. Chan was being blackmailed by Goodall and explained how he was subject to a beating up by who he assumed Special Branch. There was some false information handed down that he was plotting against the British and the Russians at the same time. Although this was an impossible situation, Special Branch had to act upon it as the order came from a senior member of their department. It was only after the assault that the orders were found to be untrue and Chan found himself in hospital and the man in charge of the attack stated that Chan would receive a full apology from the Government and compensation. This was because Chan had telephoned Goodall.
Chan was just finishing sipping his tea and had moved the cup from his mouth when it shattered into tiny pieces, the residue of the contents of his cup splattered over his shirt. Martin shouted out to Chan to dive under the table and he did so just in time as further shots rang out and where the bullets hit, panes of glass disintegrated and wooden cupboards splintered with each shot. There were six shots in all and after a period of time everything went silent. Martin peered over the edge of the table and out through the window. He ducked quickly when he saw the glint of something in the distance and he knew there was a sniper just waiting for someone to show themselves.
Chan said, ‘Someone’s trying to kill me?’
‘No! If someone was going to kill you, you’d be already dead, those sort of people never miss their target. I think they want to keep us in captivity until someone comes along. I don’t think our friend out there is the only one, there is bound to be someone at the back of the house.’
Martin crawled towards the rear of the house and stood up against the kitchen curtains and a bullet smashed the pane of glass and went right through a kitchen cabinet. Martin heard the chink of glass ware as it fell to pieces. It missed Martin by a few inches, too close for comfort. Martin slid onto the floor and crawled back to Chan and said, ‘Follow me – I have a little surprise for our friends out there.’
Chan said, ‘You’re not going to shoot back are you?’
Chan looked a bit frightened at the prospect of Martin doing battle with his pea shooter of a gun against a sniper’s bullet.
Martin said, ‘Certainly not! – Just follow me and keep your head down, this type of house was built before Goodall and many members of department had started in our office and not all the houses were on the register and this is one of them.’
Martin reached a door that led to the lounge. Luckily the curtains were drawn shut. Martin groped under an armchair and found what he is looking for and pushed the chair aside. Sure enough he found a circular slot with a ring attached and pulled it up and slid the cover backwards. The air hit Martin full in the face. It was stale air, dark and damp. Clipped to the underside of the cover was a torch, whether it still worked was anybody’s guess and Martin lifted the cover. The torch was covered with thick cobwebs and a massive spider crawled out of its hiding place and walked towards Martin’s hand. Martin hated spiders at the best of times and this one was huge. Whether it was Martin’s hand trembling or some other movement the spider took another direction and disappeared down a hole. Martin reached out and unclipped the torch, unscrewed the end and the batteries looked new. He screwed the top back on and pointed the torch down the hole and switched on. There was a brilliant flash of light which not only lit up what was below, but seemed to light the room and Martin switched it off quickly.
He had noticed that the iron ladder was still in place and beckoned Chan to descend and go down seven rungs and wait there. Martin had to do some work to cover their tracks. The armchair should have been on its runners and Martin had to manoeuvre the chair to slot the wheels in the almost invisible grooves. He replaced the cover and heard a rumble as the chair slid back into place.
Martin switched on the torch and pointed it down towards Chan, he was shivering, whether it was because he was cold or frightened he was not sure.
Chan’s quivering voice echoed round the narrow tunnel and going down the iron ladder was no easy task. His feet missed the rung once or twice and his chin and nose were in direct line to be scuffed by the upper rungs.
‘Do you think we’ll get away?’
‘Yes, just keep quiet and concentrate on what you are doing.’
Chan whispered, ‘There’s a lot movement at the bottom.’
‘Yes, I know. It’s a water outlet. Just be careful where you’re treading, there are rats down here.’
Chan said, ‘I don’t like rats!’
‘Nor do I!’ said, Martin. ‘But they are a lot better than the rats up there.’
Martin pointed upwards.
Chan splashed down and waded a little way along the tunnel and Martin followed shortly after. Martin heard a rumble in the distance and knew exactly what he had to do. He shouted at Chan to come back and grabbed hold of him and told him to climb the iron ladder a little way. Both were clinging to each side of the ladder when a whooshing noise, getting louder and louder came hurtling past their hole. It filled the whole space and even slurped each side of where they were clinging to the ladder. After a few minutes the water subsided back to a few inches off the bottom of the tunnel.
‘Well I think it’s safe to climb down!’
Chan shivered and climbed down and started to walk the way the water had flowed.
Martin said, ‘Sorry Chan. It’s the other way!’
‘Supposing we meet another gush of water, we’ll be swept away!’
‘C’mon, if we hang about here talking about the pros and cons of what may happen, it is likely to happen.’
Martin went, first shining his torch left and right and along the tunnel and they came across a corner that had two outlets running off it. Martin told Chan that they should follow the left hand tunnel and not the one which seemed to have daylight shining through. It was a trap because just before you could reach daylight iron bars would descend and that is where the water would be gushing down and if you were trapped in there, it was likely you would be drowned or if you survived you would be captured.
Martin had vaguely remembered going this way when he was in charge for the very first time and having been promoted to a position of trust to escort dissidents out through these tunnels to safety, only to find it was just an exercise and his final test and he had passed with distinction.
Martin could hear distant voices and he switched off the torch and told Chan to stop moving. They both clung to the side of the tunnel and almost held their breath. Every little movement and breath seemed to echo along the tunnel.
The voices moved away and Martin sighed and whispered,
‘They’re going the other way!’ Martin heard three pairs of feet sloshing along the tunnel and all of a sudden heard the iron bars clanging down, followed by the thunderous roar of the next onslaught of water.
Martin told Chan to run as quickly as possible and Chan ran past Martin, it was as if he was running on water. There was an iron ladder set into the wall and Chan clambered up the ladder, allowing Martin to climb some way up before the water came.
After awhile the water subsided and Martin requested that Chan should allow Martin to climb up first.
Martin pressed a button and heard the chair move away. He lifted the cover and slid it back, climbed out and Chan followed.
Richard was reading and looked over the top of his newspaper and saw Martin and a friend standing in his lounge.
‘Ah! Martin – what’s happened to you and your friend?’
‘The usual!’ said Martin. ‘Can we use your bathroom?’
‘Yes! Of cause you can! Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?’
‘Yes if it’s not too much trouble.’
‘No trouble at all, my friend.’
Martin and Chan went upstairs to the bathroom.
Martin said, ‘Bags I have the bath, you can have a shower.’
Afterwards Martin was able to find Chan some suitable clothing for him to wear and Martin was dressed with everything fitting perfectly, so much so that Chan remarked on it. Martin explained that this was a “Safe House” as well but was occupied by another member of the department and some of his clothes were placed here as well whenever there was an emergency like we have had these past few hours.
Martin and Chan went down stairs and walked into the lounge. Everything had been put back in its place excepting the iron ladder that was leaning against the wall, dripping with water onto a thick towel, so as not to ruin the flooring. Martin remembered last time he used it in his test job, it was a detachable ladder held by two iron lugs. It was a secret item that only Martin and his predecessor and Richard knew about. It was always a mystery how people disappeared once they entered the tunnels and those that followed could not find those they were chasing.
Richard had done them proud with a tea trolley full of sandwiches, cream cakes and Earl Grey tea.
Richard said, ‘Now tell me lads – what the devil have you two been up to?’
Martin explained as much as he dared to Richard while Chan devoured three sandwiches and chocolate éclairs, but he grimaced when he drank the tea, it wasn’t to his taste.
Martin asked if he and Chan could stay the rest of the night as he felt it would be unsafe for them to put in an appearance as he felt sure that Goodall’s cohorts would be licking their wounds after being drenched by cold water, if they survived the deluge and he was sure that Goodall would have found a way to safety. Not finding Martin or Chan in the house must have been perplexing until they found the cover under the chair.
Luckily there were three bedrooms, so accommodation was not a problem. Martin was ready for bed with a glass of water and hot cocoa. Chan decided to accept a small bottle of whisky and a glass of water from Richard and on entering his room emptied the water in the hand basin and unscrewed the top of the bottle and gave himself a hefty helping and gulped it down. Suddenly he felt very tired and peculiar. He looked at the bottle and he reckoned he had been drugged and he fell on the floor.
Martin and Richard walked into the room and picked Chan up, undressed him down to his vest and pants and placed him in bed and took his clothes away.
‘Going to give him a goodnight kiss?’ Richard said to Martin.
‘No I don’t think so – I don’t want too much excitement on our first date.
Chapter 30 Anti-hero Turns Hero
Chan awoke to the smell of breakfast. His brain was still a bit fuzzy. The bottle of whisky had been taken away just in case he took another nip, although he realized that’s what had sent him to sleep. He thought what a waste of a good drink but then no-one would suspect a bottle of whisky to be drugged and he didn’t.
The time was eight thirty, it was a sunny morning and he swung his legs from the bed and made to stand up and immediately fell backwards on the bed. Coming to terms with his head feeling so strange caused him to worry, but after a short rest he appeared to be okay. He strolled to the bathroom, washed and shaved – although his skin was always soft and he never once had to shave more than once a fortnight, but decided to have a birthday and do something different for a change.
His clothes he found in a neat pile on a chair and he reckoned while doing his ablutions, someone had crept in and placed them there. Chan thought they had been taken away because they guessed he might escape during the night should he managed to recover from the drugged whisky, but as it turned out, his clothes had been neatly laundered.
Chan dressed himself quickly and rushed down stairs and into the kitchen. Martin and Richard were enjoying a feast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, sausages and tomatoes. Chan was hungry and he noticed that a plate with the same ingredients had been placed under a slightly lit grill ready for Chan to eat.
‘Mind the plate – it’s hot!’ said Martin. ‘Better use a tea-cloth.’
Chan picked up the cloth and gripped his plate lovingly and placed it on the table, he wasn’t used to such lavish food content. The nearest he got to a super breakfast was porridge and toast and sometimes not even that. He ate like it was going to be his last meal and he was watched by Martin and Richard as he gobbled it all up in double quick time. He had three pieces of toast and marmalade followed by two cups of coffee.
Chan got up and walked into the lounge and collapsed on the large settee and belched out loud. A very distant timid voice said, ‘Excuse me!’ followed by a snort and snoring.
Richard and Martin finished their breakfast and shoved everything in the dish washing. They sat down round the breakfast table to discuss some sort of campaign. Martin and Chan had to disappear for a while, especially Martin as his position had become untenable as far as Graham Goodall was concerned, unless of course he could play the innocent and deny any involvement in last night’s escapade.
There would be no proof he was anywhere near the safe house, the two marksmen did not identify who the men were and only had instructions to contain whoever was in the house until Goodall arrived.
It was Sunday and Martin was not on duty until Monday morning. Richard went out shopping but felt that eyes were following his every movement. He bought three papers as he always did on a Sunday morning and then went to the large Superstore to get enough food for three mouths and to store up his freezer as he always did on every fourth Sunday in the month and it was just lucky that this was the fourth Sunday.
There were three entrances to this store and three lots of tills to pay for your goods and so Richard decided to go out of an entrance that gave him a longer walk to the car. There was a good reason for doing this, firstly he was hoping to avoid those who were watching and secondly he wanted some sweets. He could have got them from the store, but preferred to go to this old fashioned sweet shop where he could purchase sweets from bygone days. A large bag of Humbugs and ten double Mars Bars were his favourite. He tried desperately not to eat all the Mars in two weeks.
He came out of the shop and they were there waiting for him to emerge. He wasn’t approached – just followed to his car. He loaded up the boot with his purchases. As he drove off he noticed something on the floor of his car, he didn’t stop as he didn’t want them to think that he had spotted whatever it was. He realized that they had managed to get inside the car and search, search for what he didn’t know, but one thing was certain. He would put the car away in the garage and begin his own search.
Richard recounted his shopping experience to Martin. This was a worrying factor and both Martin and Chan stayed well away from windows and spent most of their time in their bedrooms reading the newspapers until it was time to eat the Sunday lunch.
Richard dined alone as Martin and Chan decided to eat in their bedrooms. Their dinners were on trays balanced on their laps. In one way it was a good idea, at least they wouldn’t have to listen and see Chan’s eating habits. Anyone sneaking up to the windows of Richard’s house would see only him eating his Sunday roast.
Martin planned for him and Chan to leave Richard’s kind hospitality and it looked as if they would have to leave by the way they had come, because he was sure that somehow or other Goodall had suspected, but not proven, that Martin and Chan were at Richard’s house and he suspected that Goodall had made his plans to ambush them when they left and Goodall was certain that it had to be Sunday night.
Martin was to report for duty at seven thirty next morning. He needed to be away from the house and by so doing that would exonerate him from any connection with the disappearance of Chan and himself.
It was eleven pm Sunday night, a good a time to leave the house. All the house lights had gone out at 10 30pm. They had said their goodbyes earlier over tea and supper.
Martin, Chan and Richard crawled along on their hands and knees to the lounge. The iron ladder had been placed on the floor in readiness for their departure. Richard lifted the chair off the runners as the rumble in the silence of the night might be heard outside. Martin lifted the cover and peered down the hole. There had been an onrush of water and the level was receding to the usual ankle depth. Martin had trouble trying to locate the iron lugs to take the ladder, but eventually made a connection and when it slotted into place it made a noise that echoed along the tunnel. Martin held his breath momentarily because of the noise, but no-one appeared. He nodded to Richard and climbed down and Chan shook hands with Richard and disappeared down the ladder.
- * *
Richard pulled up the ladder, replaced the cover and manhandled the chair back into the railway lines and went straight to the garage. He hadn’t told Martin or Chan about the object he found in the car in case it was a listening device. He opened the car door and inspected the round object, it was black with what looked like a white button on top. He vaguely remembered seeing one of these before, although the ones he had seen red buttons on top. He knew he mustn’t press the button as it would blow up. He knew that the object had a magnetic field around the circumference and he had to prize it off the car floor. He realized too late that he had done the wrong thing – it started to tick, he should have pressed the button. Richard slammed the car door and rushed to the lounge, hurled the chair sideways and slung himself down the hole and landed just when another gush of water came along. He nearly drowned, but he could have broken his neck. A twenty second fuse was not a long time and sure enough there was an almighty explosion, the whole house and foundation shook and fierce flames coursed through the house and down the hole to be extinguished by the water.
- * *
Martin and Chan stopped in their tracks when they heard this roaring noise. They hadn’t got very far along the tunnel as Martin couldn’t make up his mind which was the best way to go and he was leaning a map up on the curve of the tunnel trying to find the best route. They turned and saw Richard limping along. With his part blackened face and singed hair and the whiteness of the rest of his face, he looked like a Panda.
‘What on earth happened?’
Richard explained about the object he had found in his car and at first thought it was some kind of listening device, but it turned out to be a bomb.
‘The car, the garage and the house blown to smithereens – I’ve nowhere to live!’
‘Yes, you have, you can move into the other safe house for now, it’s the last one in this area – don’t blow it up
Richard Somer trudge off in the opposite direction and disappeared down one of the tunnels.
It was obvious with all the noise going on up above that Goodall’s men wouldn’t be looking for Martin and Chan. Martin found a drain cover which he slid open and climbed out and Chan followed. It was in the middle of a road, two roads from the scene of carnage.
Martin took Chan back to his place.
- * *
Richard reached the other safe house without difficulty. He was shivering with the coldness of the water that had gushed through the tunnel. He was muddy, blackened, burnt and wet, his clothes were shredded and he decidedly felt fear all of a sudden and doubt seem to creep into his mind. Had Goodall known that someone from his department had placed an explosive device in his car? With these thoughts he absent mindedly filled the bath with very hot water and dived in. As an after- thought he got out and locked the bathroom door and poured bubble bath liquid and wallowed in the essence and watched the bubbles as some flew into the air when he moved. He felt over tired and he knew he was going to experience a restless night, what was left of it.
He shaved and found a pair of pyjamas that fitted him and made himself an egg sandwich and opened a bottle of whisky, making sure it wasn’t the doped bottle and poured out a good helping and went to bed, hoping he could sleep. He did straight away.
- * *
Martin reached the front door of his house and said ‘Home sweet home. How glad I am to see it.’ He turned towards Chan and said, ‘Come in!’
Chan never felt a thing. He was dead before he reached the ground. The swishing noise of two more bullets whistled passed Martin and if Chan had not been behind him he shuddered when he thought of it, he would be lying there with Chan – mistakenly or not, Chan had saved Martin’s life.
Martin had little option but to crawl to the nearest bush to hide and while he was there contemplating what to do next he stared at the body of Chan. Martin thought Chan was still alive, but the hole in the back of his head clinched the deal. It must have been the third bullet and Martin was sure he would find the other two bullet holes when he was able to get a closer look.
He took out his mobile phone and rang Richard. He was surprised it still worked with all the soaking he had received from the water gushing through the tunnels.
After a while the phone was answered and a very distorted and grumpy sounding voice said, ‘Who the bloody hell is this ringing up at this ungodly hour? ‘Richard…….Richard…….Richard. It’s me Martin…Martin Church…..Chan’s dead!