To Kill a Grey Man (15 page)

As the nurse came forward a small group gathered around the man,
blood had started to stream from his nose and his breathing was shallow.
 
Surge edged to the wall away from the group and
started for the door.
 
He grabbed a wheelchair
from the same stack that Collins had and wheeled it forward.

As he came out the front door he saw the watcher from the car coming
directly towards him obviously worried why transmission from his colleague had
stopped so abruptly.
 
He ignored Surge and
just powered on.
 
As they got level Surge
rammed the wheelchair into the man’s legs knocking him forward and off balance.
 
Surge hit him hard targeting the nerve under
the chin and then spun the unconscious body round so it fell into the chair
perfectly.
 
Surge pushed the man back to
his car, got the keys from his pocket, opened the front door using that as a
shield for prying eyes and quickly manhandled the man into the driving seat.
 
Then Surge walked round and got into the
passenger seat.
 
If the man woke up,
Surge would simply knock him out again.

Collins pushed The Grey Man through the door marked ‘Dr
Alding
’.
 
Sitting at
a desk was a slim, elderly man, with a warm comforting smile.
 
He was smartly dressed in a dark blue suit,
white shirt and red tie.
 
He could have
been anywhere between fifty and seventy years old.
 
He looked fit but had a craggy, sagging well-worn
face.
 
His balding head had a few strands
combed over the top that looked to be growing from near his ear, in a style
named affectionately after an English footballer, a Bobby Charlton.

Without any preamble he got The Grey Man into an opticians chair
complete with all sorts of eye gadgets on a stand to the right of it.
 
Collins phone rang and he answered it as the
doctor went to work examining The Grey Man’s eyes.

“We have been seen,” said Surge.
 
“I have neutralized both men.”

“Dead?” said Collins.

“No,” said Surge.
 
“But you have
ten minutes at best.”

“Okay,” said Collins and rang off.
 
“We have ten minutes,” he said to the doctor, who grunted by way of reply.

Collins sat there fretting.
 
He
removed the safety strap from the gun on his hip and phoned Jonathan.
 
“In five minutes,” he said.
 
“Start the engine and bring it round the
front.
 
Park in the emergency bay and do
not move no matter what anyone says.”

“Okay,” said Jonathan.
 
“Five
minutes.”

Eventually Dr
Alding
looked up and said to
The Grey Man, “I have some good news.
 
What you have is a form of glaucoma.
 
It is unusual for it to have affected both eyes at the same time but not
unheard of.
 
It can be reversed by a
simple operation as long as you do not leave it too long.”

Collins stepped up.
 
“Can you
do this operation?” he said.

“Yes.
 
It is just
routine
,” said Dr
Alding
.
 
“But I will of course need a full theatre set
for laser eye treatment.”

“Okay,” said Collins thinking fast.
 
“I need you to come with us.”

The doctor’s eyes went cold.
 
“I don’t think so,” he said.
 
“I
am happy to do the operation but cannot schedule you in until next week
assuming I can book a theatre.”

“I am afraid you do not understand,” said Collins.
 
“We have been spotted coming here by some
very nasty men and they will want to speak with you and I can assure you they
will not be gentle.”

“I will take my chance,” said Dr Alding now looking very worried.

“Let’s try
this a
different way,” said The
Grey Man.
 
He pulled from his jacket a
wad of bills that had been in his escape bag.
 
“Here is ten thousand pounds.
 
If
you come with us now a further one hundred thousand pounds will be deposited into
a bank of your choice this afternoon which you can verify.
 
After the operation a further five hundred
thousand pounds will be added.
 
If anyone
asks, you can say you were kidnapped and forced to perform an operation at gun
point which should make everything okay.
 
We are, after all, very dangerous men.”

At the same time The Assassin pulled out his 9mm
Glock
and laid it on the table near the wad of money.
 
The message was less than subtle.
 
“Trust me,” he said.
 
“I promise
you that you are doing this country a great service.”

Dr
Alding
smiled and said, “I just need to
make a quick call to my housekeeper.”

“Sure,” said Collins.
 
“As long as I can listen in.”

The doctor dialed a number and put it on speaker phone. “Hello,
Mrs
Leith
.
 
I am going away for a trip with some friends
for a week or so.
 
Can you look after the
house?”

“Certainly Dr
Alding
,” replied
Mrs
Leith
with a cultured
accent.
 
“Have a nice time.”

The doctor grabbed his old black Gladstone bag and packed it with
equipment, drugs and bandages that he felt might be needed.

He then
rang
down to his secretary, again
on speaker phone.
 
“Sorry Ruth,” he said.
 
“Something has come up so can you cancel my
appointments for the next few days?”

“I hope everything is alright?”
came
Ruth’s
concerned voice.

“No problems,” said Dr
Alding
.
 
“Just some urgent family business
to attend to.”

He turned to Collins and The Grey Man.
 
“Ready when you are,” he said.

Surge saw The Grey Man, Collins and the doctor leaving the building.
 
He got out of the car checking the watcher
was still unconscious and ran across the road.
 
The three men got in the back of the Range Rover as quickly as they
could without attracting attention, the doctor and Collins helping The Grey Man.
 
Surge jumped in the front.
 
Jonathan gunned the engine and they were away.
 
“Not too fast,” said Surge.
 
“Do not bring attention to us.”

Jonathan, although pumped with adrenalin, slowed down.
 
Three miles down the road they stopped in a
quiet lay-by and Surge and Collins reversed the number plates again, putting
back the original plates.

Jonathan headed towards the coast.
 
Collins and The Grey Man looked happy.
 
“I assume,” said Surge finally.
 
“That since the good doctor is with us, something can be done?”

“Absolutely,” said Collins.
 
“Now the game changes.”

Chapter 20

The Tide Turns

Danny the
Dipper,
woke up on a hospital bed
with a splitting headache.
 
He had a doctor
bent over him and a nurse standing at the end of the bed.
 
He pushed the doctor away and sat up carefully
spinning his legs and putting his feet on the ground.

“I’m fine,” he said pushing passed the doctor.
 
Feeling a bit woozy, he walked unsteadily but
as fast as he could to the reception then out the front doors to see a black
Range Rover pulling away with the marks inside.
 
He struggled over to the car to see Bob unconscious on the driver’s seat.
 
He pulled open the door and shook him until
he woke.
 
His jaw was hanging at an
unnatural angle and was obviously broken.
 
Danny put his arm around Bob and together they lurched into the
reception where a nurse took care of Bob.

Danny went back outside and phoned his boss,
Sumi
.

“We had them,” he said.
 
“But
they attacked us and got away.”

“Right stay where you are,” said
Sumi
.
 
“Someone is coming and if I was you I would
tell them everything.”

“Sure,” said Danny.

Sumi
then phoned
up The Enforcer and explained what had happened.

“Tell your guy I am in Birmingham,” said Keith Poole.
 
“But I will be there in two hours, he’s not
to move or open his mouth to anyone.”

Keith turned the new XF Jaguar onto the M42 and opened up the
throttle.
 
He raced as fast as he could
trying
to avoid the speed traps and keeping an eye out for
the police.
 
An hour and fifty minutes
later he got to hospital.
 
Screeching to
a halt in the car park he spotted Danny the Dipper straight away.
 
“Oh my God,” he thought.
 
“What a joke!”

In Keith’s eyes Danny looked exactly what he was, a small time thief
and pickpocket, scruffy jeans, an old ripped jacket with a flat cap, small
lined face with beady eyes.
 
Everything
he did looked furtive.
 
“No wonder he got
jumped.
 
Is this the best we have got?”
thought Keith.

He walked up to him and could see Danny getting worried as he looked
up at the bulk of The Enforcer.
 
“Tell me
everything,” he demanded.
 

“Well, they broke Bob’s jaw and he is in surgery now.
 
You should see him, what a state,” he said in
a high pitched rush.

The Enforcer grabbed him with one massive hand and in a show of
strength lifted Danny up until both his feet were off the floor and slammed him
into the wall so hard his teeth shook.

“Listen,” The Enforcer whispered into Danny’s ear.
 
“I couldn’t give a fuck about your mate, you
understand?
 
If they ripped off his arms
and beat him to death with the soggy ends it would cause me no pain whatsoever.
 
Now you had better let me know what happened
before you need a bit of surgery yourself.”

He slammed him hard into the wall again and then let him down slowly
until his feet finally touched the pavement.
 
Danny’s face was flushed and he brushed the front of his old jacket down
and tried to compose himself before he spoke,

“I was sitting in reception and in came two old men, one in a wheelchair
who obviously could not see.
 
They both
had hats pulled down to cover their faces but I knew it was them.
 
I went to call Bob but the next thing I knew
I was waking up on a hospital bed.
 
I
managed to get outside and saw them speeding off.
 
I checked and they have taken the doctor with
them.”

“Okay,” said Keith.
 
“Good,
good.
 
Now you had better have got the
number plate.”

“Sure,” said Danny and reeled of the number.

“Well done,” said Keith and drew a wad of notes from his pocket.
 
Here’s a couple of grand for you and your pal.
 
Contact
Sumi
for
more and let him know to keep looking and to keep in touch.”

Keith reported into John Sea who then phoned Sir Thomas.

“This changes everything,” said Sir Thomas.
 
“If they have the doctor then obviously
something can be done to get The Grey Man’s eyesight back and if that happens,
all hell will break loose.
 
Give me that number
plate.”

John Sea read it out and Sir Thomas punched it into the computer.
 
Immediately a name and address in Newcastle
came up.
 
He read it out to John Sea.

“I doubt this is them,” he said.
 
“But tell your guys to go careful.”

“Now I suggest,” continued Sir Thomas, “That we stake out every eye
hospital and clinic that can perform operations.
 
There
are not that
many so let’s hope we get lucky.
 
They
cannot keep the doctor for long or his disappearance will get noticed.
 
I would think they will move in the next
forty eight to seventy two hours.
 
I will
try to divert as many men as I can.
 
Phone
me back within the hour and I will have a complete list of operating theatres that
we can divide up.
 
I will also have a
number of hit squads based throughout the UK.”

“I thought you did not want to get directly involved,” said John Sea.

 
“I don’t.
 
It is going to cause me no end of trouble,
not to mention possibly an end to my career but trust me if The Grey Man gets
to see again and that team get operational, you and I are dead so I
am having
to take the risk.”

.
  
.
  
.
  
.
  
.
  
.

Jonathan drove quickly and carefully back to Swanage, this time avoiding
the ferry but taking the long way round into the lush English countryside,
through the ancient village of Corfe and passed the beautiful ruins of Corfe
castle that had been destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil war.
 
No one spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.

Just outside Swanage he pulled over for fuel and he and Surge went
into a small supermarket where they stocked up with fresh food and other
supplies.
 
Back at the house he parked in
the garage and closed the garage door before everyone got out.
 
Surge cooked a simple meal of pasta and tomato
sauce and they all sat round the kitchen table to eat.
 
The Grey Man let his cool before lifting the
bowl up to his chin and spooning in every mouthful very carefully.

Afterwards they all went into the front room which was fast becoming
their operations centre.
 
 
Collins looked at the doctor and said, “Tell
us about the operation.”

“It is a relatively simple operation,” he said.
 
“The Glaucoma is caused by a raising of
pressure in the eyes called IOP which shuts down the flow of liquid in the eye
and can, if not treated, cause permanent damage to the optic nerve.
 
Luckily in this case we have caught it
quickly so that does not appear to have happened.
 
However, if I do not operate soon, it most
certainly will.
 
All I need to do is give
a local anesthetic in the form of eye drops and the patient looks into a light
for about ten minutes.
 
The laser cuts a
slot in the eye reducing the amount of liquid and opening up the tracts.
 
With this done the pressure will drop, the
liquid will flow again and the eyesight will be restored.
 
The patient will need to keep a blindfold on
for twelve hours and then stay in a darkened room for another twelve.
 
After that he should be fine.”

“Since we have you, they will know we are planning this operation
and every surgical unit in the country will be covered,” said The Grey Man to
the doctor.

He faced the rest of them.
 
“They
will also know that waiting is not an option either for me, or to have the doctor
with us for too long or finally for all of us to hide in the UK for any length
of time.
 
We need to move quickly and if
we do they will confront us.”

They all went quiet for a moment.

“Can we go abroad?” said Jonathan.

“Not easily,” said Collins.
 
“All ports and airports will be on alert and we are conspicuous no
matter how we try to disguise ourselves.
 
We would also need to split up and I am loath to do that.
 
We also have the problem that once we are
abroad we still need to find a hospital.”

“I may have a solution,” said Dr
Alding
and they all looked at him.
 
“I have
periodically being doing some consultancy for a small engineering and optical
company in Dorchester.
 
As you know
England has some of the finest small engineering companies in the world and this
company are, and I say this confidentially, working on the latest series of
lasers for eye surgery.
 
They have a
small theatre set up to demonstrate their equipment to potential customers with
some terrific equipment.
 
It is not
exactly sterile but I assure you it is good enough.”

“Could you talk to the owner and get permission?” asked Collins.

“Not a chance,” said the doctor.
 
They would get shut down and I would get struck off if anyone knew an
unlicensed operation was being performed there. You will have to break in.”

“Give me the name and address,” said The Grey Man.
 
Turning to Jonathan he continued, “Jonathan, I
need your eyes.”
 
Jonathan smiled and
went to get the laptop.

Two hours later they all gathered again.
 
Jonathan set up the laptop so everyone could
see the screen.

“There is good news and bad news,” said The Grey Man.
 
As he talked Jonathan let the computer scroll
through photographs of the engineering company gleaned from various places on
the net.
 
“E&O Engineering is privately
owned, very profitable and well respected in the industry.
 
Many of their lasers are bought by the competition
and incorporated into their equipment due to the high standard of the design
and build quality.
 
Everything is
manufactured and finally assembled on the spot to keep the secrets and
integrity of their designs.”

“What’s good for us is that they only work one shift and the business
remains closed over night.
 
There are no
security guards or
dogs,
neither do they have any
external security lighting pointed at the building, just ones illuminating the
car park.
 
They do not even have gates.
 
We can drive straight in up to the front door.”

“The bad news is that they are security minded and they obviously do
some military work as the burglar alarm is quite sophisticated.
 
They have advanced sensors on doors and
windows, pressure plates, the works.
 
Also, because they are on an industrial estate, they even have a large
alarm siren which will wake up half of Dorchester and bring the police running
in minutes if it goes off.”

Jonathan pulled up a picture of the front of the building and they
could see a large orange fog horn type siren half way up the wall.

“Can you neutralize or turn it off?” asked Collins.

“If I had my eyesight back I could,” said The Grey Man.
 
“But without offending young Jonathan it
would take too long to teach him and one small mistake and they would know.
 
This kind of alarm is very up-to-date and
looks for cyber attacks.”

Collins went quiet.
 
It looked
ideal but without The Grey Man they had no idea how to break in.
 
He was an Assassin and Surge was a breaker,
this was The Grey Man’s area and he was unable to help.

Jonathan piped up, “What if we kidnap the owner and get him to open
up?”

“Then I am out,” said Dr
Alding
.
 
“It is bad enough what I am agreeing to.
 
I am not going to be party to kidnap!”