Page 1 of She Saw What He Did

Prologue

24th July

Robert Preston checked his reflection. He was happy with what he saw. He was a handsome man. No one would have argued with that. His skin, evenly tanned was enhanced by the white shirt he’d chosen. A few strands of grey peppered his jet-black hair but that didn’t bother him. He thought the grey gave him an air of distinction. The cool blue eyes looking back at him were full of intensity. The determination in them was clear for everyone to see. Robert Preston never doubted his decisions and had no time to listen to those who did. He ran the country with strong determination. He’d been quite clear. The British government wouldn’t give in to Russia. He believed it was right to support the Ukraine. The United States disagreed with him, as did many members of his cabinet. He knew who they were. He’d given them free rein for too long in the hope they would come around. He was aware of their disloyalty and after the summit those traitors would have to go. But right now, he would stand firm in his resolve and do what was best for the country. He was good at that and he knew it. He wouldn’t lead the British people into war. He didn’t believe that Ukraine had a weapon that could destroy the whole planet, as Russia claimed. They had no proof and no evidence. It was propaganda fed by the Russians to instil fear and draw the west into conflict. Intelligence had found no evidence of a weapon and he wasn’t about to gamble his career on rumours.

Tomorrow, at the summit, he would make his intentions clear. The United Kingdom did not support an invasion of the Ukraine. He took one last look at his reflection, straightened his tie and stepped out of the room to meet his wife. It was time for dinner.

Prime Minister Preston was confident and self-assured. He didn’t know that today was his day to die.

Chapter One

Three weeks earlier

Sparrow

He looked down at his phone and smiled. A withheld number meant only one thing.

‘Yeah,’ he said roughly.

‘Sparrow?’ questioned the gravelly voice at the other end of the line.

‘Yeah it’s me.’

‘I’ve got a job for you. It’s a bit different from the usual. These are new clients. It’s a big one. Do you think you can handle it?’

Sparrow’s jaw twitched.

‘Sure. Don’t I always?’

‘This is different. You can’t make any mistakes,’ snapped the voice.

Sparrow bristled.

‘When have I ever made a mistake?’

‘Just as long as you understand. I don’t want any problems. There’s fifty thousand in this for you, but these people aren’t amateurs and they don’t take prisoners. This is a big contract. I don’t want it fucked up.’

Sparrow’s eyes gleamed. He’d misheard, surely.

‘How much?’ he questioned. It had always been a few thousand and he’d been more than happy with that.

‘Fifty thousand,’ repeated the voice.

Sparrow whistled. His insides quivered with excitement. That was a hell of a lot of money.

‘No mistakes. You do a good job, you’ll be well rewarded. You mess it up and you’re fucked. Well and truly.’

‘What do I have to do?’ Sparrow asked breathlessly.

‘The same as usual, get the package in safely, except this time you have to caretake for a while longer. This is highly sensitive. We want the heat off before any collection. There’ll be others wanting this cargo and …’

‘What is it?’ he interrupted, pulling a stale sausage roll from a brown paper bag and biting into it. There were a few seconds of silence.

‘Fifty thousand means you don’t ask questions,’ said the voice. ‘The less you know the better.’

Sparrow wrinkled his nose. He wasn’t so sure he agreed with that, but, fifty thousand …

‘Suits me,’ he said, throwing the remainder of the sausage roll into the sea.

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