The Sniper and The Spy: The Grimalkin Screamed - book two - part two

By Peter Court

Book One - Part One - Who did survive the dramatic rendezvous at Nyanga Crossroad Cape Town South Africa? The Albanian gangster Mr Pockmark and his cohort Mardochée? Did they survive and what about Winston the agent Provocateur, did he survive? Maybe he did, just maybe but what of his future now he has usurped his "Master" Alohivira Rajapakse? As the chase to recover stolen flash drives and sensitive Graphene formulae continues across the South American Continent will the sniper Remus Barr, the MI6 spy David Wallace or the MI6 assassin Genesis survive the chaos that ensues? What of the other protagonists involved in the drama, how will they react, the CIA, British Counter Intelligence MI6, the Romanian SIE and a certain Alohivira Rajapakse? Each organization has a modus operandi unique to them, however, what will their game plans be now after the dramatic brouhaha and escape from "Nyanga Crossroad?"

Book Two - Part Two - Buenos Aires, South America, and for 'The Sniper and The Spy' the art of deception had been an integral part of their espionage and counter espionage training. Now, whether it was one mystery, several mysteries or perhaps several deceits, Matryoshka was for them. The challenge was how to get off the radar; disappear for one week, one year or forever thus and hide a truth, a conundrum that was concealed within a mystery, "How to find "The Sniper and the Spy?" The mystery for the fugitives' is analogous to a Matryoshka Doll; substitute one deceit for another. Murderous events which explore the survival and resolve of the protagonists continue as the chaotic chase across South America supervenes yet another dark day when Genesis laughed aloud as "The Grimalkin Screamed?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter Court
• Release date: Jul 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005667993

Peter Court

Indie Author - Published on Smashwords EditionOwner - Peter Court Media Services – Photographic and video servicesJanuary 2010/Present - Market Harborough - Leicester - UK

Book preview

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Synopsis

01 Buenos Aires Argentina

02 Not for the Sniper – Not for the Spy

03 Going From Bad to Worse

04 Pariah of MI6

05 A Cain and Abel Moment

06 The Sun Rises and the Sun Sets

07 Run Rabbits Run

08 Matryoshka

09 Those Three Blind Mice

10 Seek They May But Shall They Find?

11 Ever Hopeful

12 A Murder in Caracas

13 Day 13 Unlucky for Some

14 Duped

15 Tally Ho!

Table of Content Two

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Acknowledgement

16 Another Red Herring Day Perhaps

17 The Smell of Blood

18 All at Sea

19 Waltz of Life or Death Danse Macabre

20 Mangled and Broken

21 Señor Hinks The Second Interview

22 Odysseus Wallace

23 How to Execute the Plan

24 Primeiro Comando da Capital Perhaps

25 Eulogy or Epilogue In the Beginning was the Word

26 A Sleazy Encounter For Alohivira Rajapakse

27 Welcome to this Brave New World Mr Dutch

28 Mr Dutch Meets Winston the Agent Provocateur

29 Plan to Terminate The Shard of Glass

30 Time to Terminate A Shard of Glass

Table of Content Three

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Acknowledgement

31 For Gerald It Would Come To Pass In the Blink of an Eye

32 For Her The Want For Him The Reality For Both The Truth

33 A Crazy Merry-Go-Round

34 Desperados'

35 South Side of Somewhere

36 Treasure Island or Maybe Terror Island

37 From The South Side of Somewhere To The North Side of Nowhere

38 The North Side of Nowhere Winter 2012 Kinloch Rannoch

39 With Circumspect and Good Reason Zing

40 So Said The Spy To The Sniper Was It Him Remus?

41 The Postman Always Rings Twice The Seagull

42 The Twitcher at Kinloch Rannoch Did Konstantin fire a gun at himself?

43 The Armed Man

Statistics Graphene; Truth or Hope? Thereby Lays the Rub

License Statement

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Acknowledgement

Music inclusions are for perceived ambiance of scene only

Many thanks to the composers and or performers of music

and poems.

Tango Sensual La Cumparsita by Gerardo Matos Rodriguez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Ud0PS0H_k

The Assassins Tango by John Powell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeeJ-WgTMAs

Doc Martens Boots by Alexi Sayle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltjQzMGd6r0

In My Secret Life by Lenard Cohen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW7oNpzBSGc

Danse Macabre Op.40 Camille Saint–Saëns performed by The National Philharmonic Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVpUIq4bxxA

Optimist by Zoe Keating playing cello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4xVOhVX8T4

Saint–Saëns Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix Instrumental Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-48OwzN7ocE

Batman theme by Neil Hefti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAzagp0PXSk

L'elisir d'amore Una furtiva lagrima by Gaetano Donizetti - Camille Thomas playing cello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bec-8vaKvA

Isn't Life Strange by The Moody Blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXKPtFzwPmg

Mine Eyes have seen the Glory by Julia Ward Howe 1862 hymn adaptation of 'John Browns Body'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORsNiReoCsw

The Rime of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_pudATuoNU

Gabriel's Obo by Ennio Morricone - Caleb Cox playing Uilleann Pipes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b3fSjHPyjE

The Armed Man – Sanctus by Karl Jenkins

Copy and Paste to listen on youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-wBd0BXFA

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Synopsis

Who did survive the dramatic rendezvous at Nyanga Crossroad Cape Town South Africa? The Albanian gangster Mr Pockmark and cohort Mardochée certainly did not. What of Winston the agent provocateur; did he survive? Maybe he did and if so, what will become of Winston now he's usurped the Sri-Lankan international gangster Alohivira Rajapakse?

Buenos Aires South America where the action continues to evolve. The chase to recover the stolen flash drives and sensitive Graphene formulae continues across South America, however, will the sniper Remus Barr, MI6 spy David Wallace or the MI6 assassin Genesis survive the chaos which ensues? What of the other protagonists involved in the drama; British Counter Intelligence MI6, the CIA, the man in the warm office on Bd. Libertății nr 14D sector 5 Bucharest Romania and a certain Alohivira Rajapakse; how will they react? Each organization has a modus operandi unique to them but what will their game plans be after the brouhaha at Nyanga Crossroad?

For 'The Sniper and The Spy,' the art of deception has always been an integral part of their espionage and counter espionage training. The challenge they now face is how to get off the radar, disappear for a week, a year or forever thus and hide a truth, a conundrum concealed within a mystery. This for the fugitives' is analogous to a Matryoshka Doll; substitute one deceit for another. Deceive the chasing pack, especially the assassin Genesis who is resolute in his determination to eliminate David Wallace and the Banjara Remus Barr; The Sniper and the Spy?

Now, whether it was only one mystery or several mysteries or perhaps several deceits, Matryoshka was for them as murderous events continue to test the survival and resolve of the protagonists no matter what. Will anyone survive the chaotic chase across South America? Supervene the day The Grimalkin Screamed

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The Grimalkin Screamed

01

34° 33' 43.84 South 58° 22' 19.04 West

Buenos Aires Argentina

América del Sur, Argentina, the sound of a female voice crackling over the airplane loudspeaker system. An announcement in Spanish; 'América del Sur, Argentina y solo falta media hora para aterrizar en Ezeiza International, Buenos Aires...'

There was a moment delay whilst the flight attendant repeated the announcement, first in Portuguese and then in broken English; 'South America, Argentina and it is only some half an hour before we land at Ezeiza International, Buenos Aires - Please be seated with fasten seat belts until this aeroplane is arriving stationary at the airport terminal. The pilots and crews of this Latam Airlines flight to Buenos Aires Ezeiza hopes you all enjoys your journeys with us. We are looking to you flying again with Latam Airlines in the future, Gracias; thanking you.'

He opened his eyes in a somewhat tired squint and watched as the flight attendant placed the announcement handset back into its cradle. He closed his eyes again before she turned to face the passengers. With freshly pressed uniform and hair tied into a tidy bun the flight attendant smiled a wide red lipstick smile with assured panache which ostensibly said;

I’m refreshed after this long, arduous journey to Argentina and Ezeiza Buenos Aires, why aren’t you?

*

For David Wallace and Remus Barr, the flight to Argentina had been a three-legged journey. They had taken a scheduled flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and onwards to Sao Paulo Brazil, the final leg being Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport Argentina. It had been a long flight, almost twenty hours including stopovers; comfortable but also tiring. After clearing customs they got a taxicab for the forty-five minute journey into Buenos Aires and their hotel, The Plaza Hotel Florida 1005 Retiro where they checked in with their respective counterfeit British passports; him with the name Laurence Fischer, and her as Tsura Vadoma. As David Wallace finalised the hotel check-in the Banjara gypsy Remus Barr sent a short surreptitious text message from her encrypted cell-phone to the Gitan Romani who occupied a comfortable and warm office on Bd. Libertãții nr.14D sector 5 Bucharest Romania. The text was precise and to the point.

– Message start –Arrived Buenos Aires – Message ends –

*

Buenos Aires Day 1 through Day 5; and during their first night in Buenos Aires they both slept for a full twelve hours, no sex, only sleep; recharge the batteries. Then it was early morning breakfasts and long restful days by the hotel swimming pool. They were very relaxed and the wounds David had acquired in the fracas at Nyanga Crossroad were healing well. The Tampax cores removed and the bullet wound surgically sutured and taped. Time in Buenos Aires was becoming a fulfilling merry go round for them both. Sleep, eat, sex, relax for a while, more sex then eat and sleep. This was their routine over the next few days until they felt refreshed and ready to get about Buenos Aires and enjoy life, dance Tango and spend some of the monetary gains acquired from Alohivira Rajapakse. It was during this period of relax and enjoy Remus started to complain about a pain at the top of her right thigh. The pain, the ache, was becoming apparent every time they walked any distance, danced Tango or just after swimming a few lengths of the hotel swimming pool.

'Babushka, it’s not sex because I donnot exercise my legs for sex, only my butterfly and hips. So do not stop the sex Babushka, please! It's when we exercise, when we walk we dance or we swim. It's not too painful. It's just there as a discomforting ache I'm feeling sometime, well, most of the time.'

'Ok Remus, we’ll just have to get it checked; get you to the local hospital and I’ll make a concession about the sex and agree with you because we still need to exercise!' He gave her a kiss on the cheek before continuing; 'Look, we’ll go to The Hurlingham, now, today. It's a sister club associated with my London club so there will be no problem with just turning up. There's a hospital not too far away, so we can get your aches and pains checked out there. I know one of the consultants and he will be discreet, of that I’m sure. Ok?'

'Babushka it’s really not a problem. I'm sure it can wait? Who knows anyway, it may only be muscle ache and will get better?'

'Perhaps, but we’ll take no chances and just make sure.'

'OK, if you insist.'

'No problem Remus. I've already arranged to meet him. He's going to introduce us to a facilitator, someone who will launder the money and blood diamonds whilst we're here in Buenos Aires. I just need to confirm we're here.'

He made the necessary cell–phone call to his contact, a certain Señor Raphael Gomez at the San Bernardino Hospital to confirm their arrangements and make an appointment for Gomez to medical check an aching Remus Barr.

*

Buenos Aires Day 6 and after checking out of The Plaza Hotel, they took a private limousine for the thirty–kilometre drive to the Asociación Civil Hurlingham Club, an Argentine sports and social club located in the city of Hurlingham, Buenos Aires where today the receptionist was being belligerent, insisting he produce proof of membership before he could reserve a room.

'We require you to produce a bona fida Overseas Reciprocal Club membership card with a letter of introduction complete with a signed and dated photograph no more than six months old. All of these before you are able to check in,' she said.

Producing documentation wasn't a problem, he was required to produce such when attending the associated Hurlingham sister club in London. He'd stuffed all of his personal paperwork into his holdall when vacating his apartment at Sands End London therefore had the necessary letter of introduction and current membership details in his possession. He suddenly realized however, and with some concern, by using his real name to register he would create a physical link of him being in Argentina and by default with a woman companion. He had a private word with the manager about their situation. 'We must attend the San Bernardino Hospital at German Argerich 1650 tomorrow as a matter of urgency, and we need accommodation, just for tonight.'

The manager was obdurate about the rules. 'I am sorry Señor. I cannot override the committee, these are the rules I must abide by. I require your real name, membership number and a letter of introduction; it is the only way and these are the rules. I’m sorry to disappoint but I cannot help you without all of these things Señor!'

'Very well,' said David, his annoyance quite apparent now. 'I would appreciate you keeping our conversation as a private matter Señor, between you and me?'

The manager nodded his head, blinked his eyes several times and shrugged his shoulders in silent if not mutual agreement.

'May I make a phone call, from your desk phone?'

'Of course Señor Fischer, may I get the number you require?'

'Intercontinental Saint Exupery, you have the number?'

'Certainly Señor and the phone call. You require a room at The Intercontinental no? Please allow me to reserve a room for you, charged to The Hurlingham, by way of apology you understand Señor Fischer.'

'The best, a junior suite, or better, whatever they have.'

The manager confirmed his request; 'A junior suite booked on behalf of Mr Laurence Fischer and Ms Tsura Vadoma.'

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02

The Office of CIT MI6

Not for the Sniper Not for the Spy

The Office of CIT MI6 was busy today. There was an unusual amount of activity about the place, a sense of urgency as people scurried between the many offices of the British Intelligence Service MI6 with official looking people appearing from every nook and cranny. The Suit buzzed her secretary George; 'Escort the members of The Joint Intelligence Committee to the conference room if you would George.'

'The Director will see you now, ladies and gentlemen, if you would follow me; this way please.'

The JIC convened in the conference room, talking among themselves in small groups whilst standing around the oak conference table in the Snow Leopards Lair. The Suit came into the conference room, sat herself down at the head of the table, and bid them, 'Good morning everyone and please be seated.'

She looked at them one at a time with the hungry eyes of a predator. The green and yellow iris of her eyes extenuating the pinprick of a black pupil betraying the want of closure. This meeting she hoped would be the catalyst to that conclusion. The Snow Leopard wanted blood, his blood. The Suit wanted him skinned alive with his head on a plate if possible, however, Penelope Sheraton James the women just wanted the man, her man David Wallace back. With two flash drives and gray SD card if he has them of course. She knew with those items in her clutches she would regain her vanity, her pride and her promotion. What about him though, her precious man. What will happen when this is all over? Well, we'll talk at last of times gone by and get to know each other again. All events of the past shall be forever...? Well, stay forever in the past and be forgiven...?

*

Penelope Sheraton James had earned the office of DCIT MI6 by having a total commitment to her masters and a total disregard for those who served her as DCIT MI6, her minions. Her masters were the well–groomed manicured people who sat in well–heated and carpeted offices and sanctioned the taking or the giving of life. The elderly man, who was a mere silhouette as he stood by the large window in her office, was one of them. Her official position was now under scrutiny by the very people she served. Her position as Director CIT MI6 was becoming nothing more than a patronizing attitude of pseudo moral support amongst her peers at the department. She was aware everything she had worked for over the previous years of service was finally at meltdown. Possibly her career was now over, finished, terminated perhaps unless of course she and her department were able to conclude the job, see the mission through and quickly. The man who stood by the window coughed a long rasping cough which brought to bear the undivided attention of the seated. Standing by the closed window he was a dark imposing figure against the bright morning sky. His gaze was transfixed to something happening outside as he lit another cigarette. The white gray smoke from the cigarette rose upwards, curling into a spiral until it met the high ceiling. It hung there suspended for a brief moment in time and then dispersed into a horizontal cloud, expanding with alacrity in every direction. The Suit thought, Deja Vous, as she addressed the seated assemblage...

'Ladies and Gentlemen, as Director of this department I am required and charged to resolve a problem. For some reason our agent David Wallace has disappeared off the radar. May it be for personal reasons or because of his involvement with material of a sensitive nature being computer flash drives with downloaded encrypted formulae? This we have yet to determine,' she hastened to add.

The gray man at the window dropped his cigarette butt onto the polished oak timber floor of her office. He extinguished the tip of the cigarette with no more than a casual twist of his black leather John Lobb Darby II brogue shoe. Watching him commit this act of total disregard for her position as DCIT she thought; That's how he extinguishes life, with no more than a casual twist of fate and no remorse, perhaps he's trying to tell me something?

The gray man lit yet another cigarette as she continued. 'What do we know? What information do we have available? Well, we know a week ago he unexpectedly left his apartment under suspicious circumstances. When we searched his apartment we found the naked body of a woman taking all of the available space in an American style fridge–freezer. She has been identified as an agent of the American CIA on a mission in conflict with one of our own. We believe she was tasked by her department to recover sensitive documentation and Graphene formulae loaded onto flash drives and computer SD chips, items the CIA believed agent Wallace has or had in his possession. Before she died she'd been tortured; two fingers of her right hand had been amputated. We haven't established if agent Wallace was responsible for her torture and death or even if Wallace had or even has in his possession the Graphene formulae and flash drives. In any event, to resolve these matters we have to find and apprehend agent Wallace. Quickly and without fail!' she emphasized.

The gray man had a sudden coughing fit, a burst of rasping coughs brought phlegm from an infected lung. He placed a white handkerchief to his mouth and wiped away the excess. She thought his condition had worsened since their last meeting.

'We know Wallace had access to travel documents and a large amount of used banknotes of various currencies, Euro and GB Pounds, US dollars and official travel documents. We have logged with worldwide enforcement agencies his bona fida passport and driving license, credit and debit cards together with other items of identity should he be foolish enough to use them. The banknotes we can't do anything about, this cash he will use first so we presume there will be no credit or debit card spend at this time. We have no Intel or notifications of any indiscriminate use of documents to date. We may be fishing for a fish that is already hiding in a barrel of fish so to speak. He may be using travel documents obtained without the knowledge of this department by using criminal connections to access counterfeit documentation per se. He may have used a name, a pseudonym of his own choice for his current travel identification, in which case it will take time to flag up such documentation as counterfeit.'

The man at the window gave another rasping cough, which she thought now carried with it a certain amount of boredom; Get on with it will you?

'So, the reason for this meeting is to discuss how to find agent Wallace and confirm absolute his possession of the sensitive documentation, flash drives and formulae, or conversely, not.' She paused briefly before continuing. 'However, we are to assume he has what we want therefore, as a matter of national security we need to recover these sensitive items quickly before they fall into the hands of another government agency or third party. So what do we have?'

There was now conflicting discussions between the group of attendees with subdued mumbling and murmuring and the shaking of heads, each and every one offering some generalised input until someone spoke aloud above the general hubbub; 'We have his department record and there's nothing other than what you've outlined ma’am. He has done exactly what his training told him to do under these circumstances. Disappear without trace. It’s a pity the homing RFID implanted whilst on the operation to Chad and CAR was removed.'

'It would certainly have come in handy now, as a trace I mean!' from another of the attendees. The assembled group murmured in agreement and then all went quiet.

'What exactly do you mean by as a trace?' from The Suit.

'Well, personnel who are assigned to any covert active duty are usually implanted with a small cylindrical transponder chip, an invasive neural implant. It helps us track and trace individuals and it helps them should they be isolated, captured, compromised whatever. We can activate the chip to locate them for recovery stratagem.'

'Do we know if all active personnel on the Chad and CAR mission including personnel listed as missing in action were implanted with transponders and in particular our agent Wallace?'

'I'd have thought so if only because of normal protocol ma’am, but has the removal of same been sanctioned I wonder?'

'Did the medical director sanction removal of such?' she asked.

'There's no documented paperwork filed to indicate such a removal but that may just be an administrative issue. It needs verifying one way or the other.'

'This is going from bad to worse Director James retorted, a sense of urgency now apparent in her vocals. So get it sorted as soon as! Looking at her watch she continued; 'Let me know by no later than eleven o’clock.'

The meeting ended with the JIC attendees returning to their departmental duties, not least in the pursuit of David Wallace. The gray man of government left the window and stood behind where she sat. Placing his hands upon her shoulders he bent down and whispered into her left ear.

'Life experience is now contrasting with life expectations my dear. Do you understand? Should the last point not be resolved we shall be wanting. You do realize you are being groomed for, how shall I say? To take over my position in the heated and well–manicured office upstairs once such a position becomes vacant of course. Any major decisions you make now will be of paramount importance. Remember this; If you do not shape the world the world will shape you. Stupidity and arrogance are often seen as bed–mates Penelope my dear. Do not put your future in jeopardy, not for anyone. Not for the sniper, not for the spy.'

Knowing it would burn into her very being, the gray man left her in deep thought about what he'd just said. '"Don't put your future in jeopardy. Not for the Sniper, Not for the