Liz Carlyle - 05 - Present Danger by Stella Rimington Read Free Book Online

shouldn’t think so,’ said Liz, wondering who her mother was.
    A voice came from the hallway. ‘Don’t be so sure about that.’ It was a woman’s voice, followed by a laugh that could only belong to one person.
    ‘Judith,’ cried Liz, as a tall, elegant woman came into the hall. ‘I had no idea you were living here.’
    Judith Spratt had worked with Liz in counter terrorism. She was a desk officer, widely respected within the service for her acumen and relentless pursuit of leads. She had always been admirably unflappable, and Liz and she had become good friends before losing track of each other – Liz had been moved to counter espionage, and Judith had gone on extended leave after marital problems. Liz had heard vaguely that Judith had come back, but she hadn’t seen her in Thames House – and now she knew why.
    ‘I’ve been here over a year,’ said Judith, as if amazed herself. ‘Time flies when …’ she paused, then grinned. ‘When you’re as busy as I am.’
    By now the white-haired woman had a firm grip on Daisy’s hand, and with a nod to Judith marched the little girl out of the flat. Liz and Judith went into the kitchen, where Liz turned the kettle on.
    ‘And of course that’s Daisy,’ said Liz, remembering the tiny child in London who would clamber out of bed to interrupt her mother’s dinner parties. ‘My she’s grown,’ she added. ‘How old is she now? Five? Six?’ Going on twenty, thought Liz.
    ‘Almost six. I found her a good school.’ Judith’s expression darkened. ‘I’m divorced from Ravi now, you know.’
    Liz was not surprised. Judith’s husband had been involved in a prominent City fraud case; cleared by the Fraud Squad, he had almost immediately found himself charged with a credit card scam. Charming but volatile, he had left Judith at the height of the scandal, which had added humiliation to her shame, and made her loyalty to her husband in his travails seem pointless.
    ‘Where is Ravi now?’ Liz asked gently.
    Judith shrugged, in a display of indifference that Liz sensed was not altogether sincere. ‘He got a suspended sentence, but after that he couldn’t work in the City again. He went back to India for a while; God knows where he is now. The way he fought me for custody of Daisy you’d think he’d be in touch, but I haven’t heard a monkey’s.’
    ‘I’m sorry.’ She had always admired Judith’s ability to juggle career, marriage, and a child. It had been a big shock when things had fallen apart for her friend, and Liz had been taken aback to find such a paragon of self-assurance so upset and unsure of herself. Yet from the look of her now, Judith had picked herself up and built a new life.
    ‘Don’t be sorry. I’m all right now, Liz, and so is Daisy. She’s at a very good school here and doing well. Mrs Ryan collects her every day, and looks after her until I get home. Don’t be fooled by the white hair – she’s quite feisty. But I like that. And I’ve come to rely on her – it’s busy at the office, believe it or not.’
    ‘So Michael Binding was telling me.’
    Judith gave a knowing smile. ‘I know you’ve never been keen on him, Liz. Nor me. He hasn’t changed much but at least he lets us get on with it – I think he’s got enough on his plate with the politicians not to interfere too much. Have you seen Dave?’
    ‘Not yet. They told me he was away on a case.’
    Judith nodded. ‘Yes, he seems to think he’s onto something new.’ Her handsome, composed face suddenly broke into an unrestrained grin. ‘Dave’s so glad you’re here. And so am I. There really is a lot more going on than people in London realise. I don’t know what you’re feeling about this posting, but I promise you one thing. You won’t be bored.’

8
     
    ‘They could easily stop it doing that,’ said Technical Ted Poyser to his two companions, as the gate closed behind them with a long drawn-out squeal, then crashed shut.
     
    ‘Good job they didn’t.