‘That’s why I’m here,’ I said. ‘To ask the questions it would never occur to you to ask.’
Hayley looked disappointed that I wasn’t going to dispute her authority, but I was too old a hand to show my cards that early.
‘I trust you know better than to get in the way of the actual interrogations?’ she said.
‘I’m just here to oversee the operation and make sure everything goes smoothly,’ I said. ‘Though I will need to speak to Parker before you start.’
‘I can’t permit that,’ Hayley said immediately. ‘Establishing the proper relationship and rapport between interrogator and subject is a delicate matter. I won’t allow you to jeopardize our work.’
‘You don’t get to permit or allow anything where I’m concerned, doctor,’ I said patiently. ‘I will decide what is and is not for the best. Feel free to make an official complaint about my attitude, if you like. Many have. See how far it gets you.’
Hayley glared at me fiercely, but had nothing else to say. She had the look of someone who preferred to nurse her grudges then attack from ambush. She turned to the man who had to be her colleague and he smiled back at her, entirely unperturbed. He then turned his smile on me; a short dumpy man in his fifties, with a gleaming bald head and a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. His suit was good quality, but a little faded. He had the look of a college professor who’d stayed on past his best days. His smile was an entirely professional thing, and didn’t touch his eyes. He put out a hand, and I shook it solemnly. Like two boxers touching gloves before the fight begins.
‘Doctor Robert Doyle,’ he said breezily. ‘Don’t take any of this personally, Mr Jones. It’s just that we’re all very keen to get started. When we were brought in, we weren’t told you would be overseeing things. Doctor Hayley and I are used to a certain level of autonomy … I’m sure we’ll all work perfectly well together, once we’ve had a chance to get to know one another.’
He was going out of his way to be friendly and present himself as the reasonable voice, the man I could trust. I didn’t buy any of it. His voice and his attitudes were practised things, the false face of the interrogator who wants you to have faith in him. The one who persuades you to say things that aren’t in your best interests. I gave him my best false smile in return. Because I can fake it with the best of them.
Up close, I could smell gin on Doctor Hayley’s breath. And the presence of tranquilizers in Doctor Doyle’s perspiration.
I looked to the one man who hadn’t introduced himself, slouching at the back and looking at everything except Penny and me.
‘Philip Martin?’ I said.
‘Indeed,’ said MacKay. ‘Step forward and make yourself known, Mr Martin. Move yourself, you idle fellow!’
‘I was never in the army!’ Martin said loudly. ‘Don’t think you can order me around! I have qualifications.’
‘Of course you weren’t in the army,’ said MacKay. ‘Look at the state of you. None of the services would take the likes of you on a bet.’
Martin moved reluctantly forward and nodded grudgingly. His gaze lingered on Penny. He seemed the typical techie; early twenties, grubby jeans and trainers, a World of Warcraft T-shirt, and a baseball cap on backwards. He shrugged at me with a put-upon air.
‘I’m the one who really runs things around here. The one everyone relies on to work miracles with outdated equipment and a limited budget. And do I get any thanks, any appreciation? The hell I do! Can we get this over with, MacKay? I want to get back to my screens, so I can keep an eye out for orcs and trolls.’
‘How is the security situation?’ said MacKay.
Martin glowered at him. ‘Nothing’s changed in the hour or so since you last asked. All my cameras and microphones are working, all the recorders are running, and my exterior sensors are functioning perfectly. No one can get in or out of the Lodge, or the grounds, without my equipment knowing all about it and raising all kinds of sweet merry hell. I’ve got it all running on cruise control for the moment, but never trust a computer to do a man’s job. They’re not sneaky enough. The sooner I get back to my screens, the better I’ll feel and the safer you’ll be. Can I go now?’
‘How extensive is the surveillance coverage?’ I asked. Because I felt I ought to say something.
Martin sniffed moistly and rattled through his answer at speed, half proud and half resentful at being made to sound off like a performing seal.
‘There are cameras and motion sensors in place all through the grounds, and along the boundaries. There isn’t an inch that isn’t covered by something professionally suspicious. I can hear the grass growing and track the flight of butterflies. Nothing happens here that my machines don’t know about.’
‘Defences?’ I said.
‘Land mines,’ said MacKay. ‘Set off by contact or remote control, singly or in groups. So let me remind everyone once again to stick to the designated paths. Unless you want to find out just how high you can jump. There are also gas jets hidden throughout the grounds, ready to dispense everything from soporifics and hallucinogens to deadly measures, as required.’
‘Deadly measures?’ said Penny. ‘What kind of intruders are you expecting?’
‘The kind who come prepared for ordinary defences, miss,’ said MacKay. ‘But in a real emergency I would have Mr Martin place the Lodge in lockdown, and we would sit tight and wait for armed reinforcements.’
‘Lockdown?’ I said.
‘All the doors are electronically locked,’ said Martin. ‘And steel shutters slide into place over the windows. Don’t let the pleasant exterior fool you, Ringstone Lodge is a fortress.’
‘Of course it is,’ I said.
‘How long would it take for help to arrive?’ said Penny.
‘An SAS contingent could be here in under an hour,’ MacKay said calmly. ‘And we are required to report every twelve hours, to give the All’s Well. If we miss a report, the SAS are sent in automatically. So we make sure never to miss a report. Those gentlemen are not renowned for their sense of humour when it comes to being called out unnecessarily.’
‘All of this, for just one man,’ said Penny. ‘Is Parker really that important?’
‘He might be,’ I said.
‘This is all standard procedure, miss,’ said MacKay. ‘We have had some very important personages as our guests. Prominent enough to require such levels of protection.’
‘When was the last time your defences came under attack?’ I said.
‘You will understand there are some questions I am not permitted to answer, Mr Jones,’ MacKay said carefully. ‘You would have to contact your superiors for such information.’
‘And see how far that gets me,’ I said.
‘How long before my backup gets here?’ Martin said loudly. ‘I can’t run everything on my own. Well I can, and I do, but even I have to sleep sometimes.’
‘He’s on his way,’ said MacKay. ‘Now contain yourself, you overpaid mechanic, and try not to let the side down in front of company.’
‘I should have asked for another raise,’ said Martin. ‘You people don’t deserve me, you really don’t.’
‘I often wonder what I did to deserve you,’ said MacKay.
From the amicable way the two men snarled at each other, it was obvious they had years of shared experience behind them.
Martin looked at me squarely. ‘I quizzed Headquarters about you once we were told you were on your way.’
‘Even though you were instructed not to,’ said MacKay.
‘I like to know who I’m going to be working with,’ said Martin. ‘But interestingly, they wouldn’t tell me anything about you. Almost as though they didn’t know anything about you themselves.’
‘Well,’ I said. ‘That’s sort of the point of being a secret agent. We like to keep the element of surprise on our side.’
‘Doctor Doyle and I have read your Organization file,’ said Hayley.
‘It made for very interesting reading,’ said Doyle. ‘W
hat there was of it.’
‘We have a great many questions to put to you,’ said Hayley.
‘Save them for Parker,’ I said.
And there must have been something in my voice, because everyone looked away. MacKay cleared his throat.
‘Mr Jones, Miss Belcourt, your mobile phones will not work inside the Lodge, for security reasons. If you need to make a call you will have to go outside, into the grounds. And even there, your conversations will be recorded. I should remind you that there are surveillance cameras in every room, including the living quarters. Everything is recorded, for later scrutiny. Our security cannot be compromised.’
‘What about the bathrooms?’ said Penny.
‘Take a deep breath and try not to think about it,’ said Martin.
‘Oh, ick …’ said Penny.
‘Where’s Parker?’ I said.
‘Down in the basement, sir,’ said MacKay. ‘Entirely secure behind thick stone walls, a great many steel bars, and an electronic lock that can only be opened from the main security centre. We are keeping Mr Parker comfortable enough, for the moment. He hasn’t made any complaints. Not that it would do him any good if he did. He has frequently expressed his desire to get the process started. Perhaps he feels confession will be good for his soul.’
‘I need to talk to him,’ I said. ‘Right now, Mr MacKay.’
Hayley started to say something, only to back down as Doyle put a hand on her arm. Interesting power dynamic there. I made a mental note to look into that later. MacKay produced an official file from a desk drawer and handed it to me. He’d clearly been expecting me to ask for it. The file was large and heavy. I leafed through it quickly, with Penny crowding in behind me and peering over my shoulder. Frank Parker’s official file had little in it that I didn’t already know, or at least suspect. There were half a dozen photographs, of six entirely different faces. I felt like wincing. After so many plastic surgeries, it would be a wonder if Parker had any working facial nerves left. If he wanted to raise an eyebrow, he probably had to give himself plenty of warning or use a wire. The file contained extensive reports on places he’d been and people he’d worked with, but only code names for his various cases. Never any details. I closed the file and handed it back to MacKay.
‘There is a more complete file, of course,’ he said. ‘But that has been declared “Eyes Only” for the two doctors. So they can check details of past cases against what our guest tells them. If you wish to see that file …’
‘I know,’ I said. ‘Talk to my superiors.’
MacKay put Parker’s file back in the drawer and locked it. ‘Now, if you will come with me, Mr Jones …’
‘And me!’ said Penny. ‘We’re a team.’
Hayley raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I value her input.’
‘It’s true,’ Penny said brightly. ‘He does.’
‘But not this time,’ I said. ‘Parker might say things to me, as a fellow agent, that he would never admit to in front of company. You can meet him later, Penny. After I’ve pulled a few of his teeth. You stay here and make friends. Or failing that, teach them a few useful tricks.’
‘You will tell me everything later?’ said Penny.
‘Of course,’ I said.
‘I want to make it clear, here and now, that I officially object to this intrusion into our procedures!’ Hayley said loudly.
‘And now you’ve done it!’ I said. ‘Do you feel any better? Good. Now find something to keep yourself busy until I’ve finished with Parker. I recommend flower arranging. Very soothing to the troubled mind.’
No one so much as smiled.
‘Tough crowd,’ I said to Penny.
‘Fuck them if they can’t take a joke!’ she said sweetly.
MacKay led the way down the backstairs. All bare plaster walls and rough stone steps, descending a lot further than I was comfortable with. The surveillance cameras observing our every move weren’t even hidden down here. A narrow corridor with locked doors on every side finally brought us to the main detention cell. No door for Frank Parker, just steel bars. No privacy, and no chance for him to hide anything. All to put him in the right frame of mind, no doubt.
He was already standing on the other side of the bars, waiting to greet us. He seemed perfectly calm and relaxed. They’d let him keep his own clothes, but it was clear from the way his trousers drooped that they’d taken his belt. Just in case. He had no jacket, and looked a little chilly in his shirtsleeves. I glanced at his shoes; they were slip-ons. I turned to MacKay.
‘Go back to the stairs and wait for me there.’
‘Are you sure, sir?’ He didn’t actually raise an eyebrow, but he sounded like he wanted to.
‘Three’s a crowd.’
‘As you wish, sir.’
He nodded to me, just a little stiffly, gave Parker a look that made it clear he’d better behave himself, and then disappeared back the way we’d come. I waited till I was sure MacKay was out of earshot, and then nodded to Parker.
‘Hi. I’m Ishmael Jones.’
‘Oh, I know who you are,’ said Parker. He had a light, careless voice. ‘Just as you know who I am.’
‘Well,’ I said. ‘I know who you’re claiming to be.’
The man before me looked to be in his late fifties. Several years younger than he was supposed to be. A little overweight, with receding hair, and a very ordinary-looking face that was completely unlike any of the photos in Parker’s file. But then that was probably the point. Looking closely, I could see scars concealed in his face and neck, along with surgical implants designed to change the shape and structure of his skull. Whoever he was, he really didn’t want to be recognized. He studied me carefully, dark eyes peering out of old scar tissue, like an animal from its cave.
‘If I’m not Parker,’ he said. ‘Who am I?’
‘A lot of people could have a vested interest in undermining the Organization through carefully tailored disinformation,’ I said.
‘But how many of them would be willing to place themselves in the hands of the Organization’s interrogators?’ he said.
‘Why would Frank Parker be willing to do such a thing?’ I said.
He shrugged, briefly. ‘Penance, perhaps.’
‘Penance for what?’
‘I wondered who they’d send,’ Parker said thoughtfully. ‘I thought it might be the current Colonel, or perhaps another field agent, but I really didn’t expect the infamous Ishmael Jones.’
‘We’ve never met before,’ I said. ‘I’d know.’
‘I know your reputation,’ said Parker. ‘You’ve made quite an impression in the darker corners of the hidden world. You look just like your photo. Even though it was taken a long time ago.’
‘I’m amazed you were able to find one,’ I said. ‘I’ve destroyed most of the ones that have made it out into the world. Where did you find it?’
‘In your Organization file, of course,’ said Parker. ‘Not the official one, I mean the one they don’t let just anybody see.’
‘Good thing there isn’t much in it,’ I said.
‘More than you’d think,’ said Parker.
‘You don’t want to believe everything you read,’ I said.
There was a pause, as we looked each other over.
‘You’d be surprised how many people are genuinely scared of you,’ Parker said finally. ‘Mostly because they can’t figure out how you do what you do. Though I have heard things …’
‘Oh yes?’ I said politely. ‘Such as what?’
‘That would be telling.’ He smiled, and winked roguishly. ‘In my current situation, information is all I have to bargain with. I’d be a fool to give it away for free. Let’s just say certain people have been studying you for some time. From a distance. You’d be amazed how much I know about you … Ishmael Jones.’
‘You only think you know about me,’ I said. ‘Let’s make a start. What can you tell me about the traitors inside the Organization
?’
‘Sorry,’ said Parker. ‘I’m not giving up anything until I have a deal in place.’
‘You really think you’re in a position to dictate terms?’ I said.
‘I have something the Organization wants,’ said Parker. ‘I’m sure the two doctors could get it out of me, in time. But you don’t have time. The information I possess is very time-sensitive. So yes, I think they’ll make a deal. Don’t you?’
‘How long has the Organization been compromised?’ I said.
‘Too long,’ said Parker.
I looked at him for a moment.
‘What exactly is the Organization? Do you know?’
‘No,’ said Parker. ‘Even after all these years, I’m not sure anybody knows. Except for those at the very top.’
‘It has been suggested to me,’ I said carefully, ‘that the whole thing might just be smoke and mirrors. That there is no actual Organization, just a handful of people running a gigantic bluff.’
Parker smiled. ‘Wouldn’t surprise me.’
‘Then how can there be traitors?’ I said.
‘That’s part of the information I’m selling,’ said Parker.
‘I’m not buying,’ I said.
‘You want to ask me something,’ said Parker. ‘Something specific. Be my guest, I’m not going anywhere.’
‘Why did you leave the Organization?’ I said.
He smiled, but there was no humour in it. He looked suddenly tired, and perhaps a little sad. Not that I trusted any of what I was seeing in his false face.
‘One of these days you’ll feel the need to walk away and leave it all behind. All the lies that are our life, all the compromises and small betrayals of everything we think we believe in, that break our spirit piece by piece. And then maybe you’ll end up here, standing on my side of the bars, waiting to answer questions and hoping you can make a deal. We come home because it’s the only place we can go where they’re sure to take us in. Not because the Organization cares about us, but because we’re valuable.