Dead Men Don't Bite (Jake Dillon Adventure Thriller Series) (12 page)

Dillon was enjoying a glass of the hotel’s finest
vintage Champagne, when a knock came at the door of the
penthouse suite. Ignoring this intrusion, he continued to
stroke the naked back of his beautiful female companion;
asleep next to him on the enormous bed. Five minutes later
the bedside phone started to ring. He reached over and
picked up the handset, listening to the voice at the other
end of the line. It was the hotel manager, informing him that
there were two gentlemen from London to see him, and that
they were waiting downstairs at the bar by the swimming
pool. He put on a pair of linen trousers and short-sleeved
shirt. Went back to the bed, leaned over and lightly kissed
the attractive blonde-haired woman on the back of her
neck. She stirred sleepily, rolling over, and stretching her
elegant and sensuous body underneath the silk sheet that
partially covered her. On seeing him, she said in a sleepy
voice. “Hello, Jake Dillon. Why are you dressed?”

“Because we’ve got company from London.”
“Come back to bed, I’m not finished with you yet.”
“Well, as much as I’d love too comply with a woman

of such persuasion, Tatiana. I’m afraid that I’m going to
have to go downstairs, and talk with our two unannounced
guests.”

“Who are they, do we know them?”
“No idea, but I’ve got a feeling who it might be. And
if I’m right, I should only be fifteen minutes at most. So why
don’t you put another bottle of bubbly on ice?” As Dillon
turned to leave, Tats reached up and pulled the Englishman
back down onto the bed. When they kissed it was hot and
passionate, her expensive perfume filled his nostrils. She
made his head spin, and his heart pound, as she’d done
from the moment they’d met in the corridor of Ferran &
Cardini, where they both worked. That was well over a
year ago, and the time that they’d started to see each other
seriously.

At his Château on the outskirts of Paris, Hugo
Malakoff was about to take a mid-morning ride on one of
his prized horses, when his butler came out and informed
him that there was a telephone call from England. It was
Oliver Asquith.

“Hugo, I’m so sorry to trouble you, but I’ve been
trying to get you all morning.”
“I lead a very busy life, Oliver. Now what news have
you got for me?”
“Levenson-Jones telephoned me late last evening.
He’s spoken to the Cunningham girl who has informed
him that she doesn’t know the location of the cavern.
Apparently her father had told her about the cavern and
the U-boat before he flew up to London, but deliberately
kept the location a secret.”
“How does Levenson-Jones know that she is not
lying about this?”
“Because he has over twenty five years of interrogation
experience, that’s how.”
“What of Commander Cunningham’s condition?”
“Still in a coma I’m afraid, Hugo. Doctors say he
could come out of it at anytime. It may be weeks even
months before he regains consciousness.”
“That is very unfortunate, Oliver. However,
Cunningham is not the threat. Levenson-Jones is. Do you
know what he’s up to?”
“No, all he said to me was that he’d keep me posted
if anything turned up.”
“And what of the girl? Is she still staying with
Levenson-Jones?”
“Yes, she’s still at the Belgrave Mews apartment.”
“Good.” said Malakoff.
“So what’s our next move, Hugo?”
“What do you mean, Oliver? Our next move, you
will continue to do nothing. After all it is what you do best,
isn’t it? I’m still not convinced though that the girl is telling
the truth. So I think that we will pay Miss Cunningham a
little visit.”
“What do you mean a visit?”
“A visit, Oliver. It will simply be two police officers,
or that is what she will think, and they will simply be asking
her a few simple questions to assist them with their enquiries
into her father’s hit and run accident, if that’s not successful.
Well, my people in London will just have to think of some
other way to approach her.”
“You can’t expect to get away with that, surely,
Hugo. I mean she’ll see straight through it. She’s not stupid
or naïve you know.”
“My dear Oliver, there you go again, presuming
the worst. It is a very foolish man who presumes what the
outcome of something will be, before it has taken place. All
that I require from you, is that you keep me posted as regards
Levenson-Jones’ plans, and I’ll have the Cunningham girl
taken care of. Now, I have business meetings this afternoon
and intend to stay here at the château for another day at
least. In the meantime I’ll have my boat made ready for
sea. We will need to be set to sail immediately we hear that
Levenson-Jones is heading for Jersey. Until we know more,
I think that’s about it. Now, is there any part of what I’ve
just said that you do not understand Oliver?”
“You can be so bloody patronising at times, Hugo.
My head is spinning with all of this stuff. It’s alright for
you, but if this comes out I’m finished. Do you hear, Hugo,
bloody finished.”
“I promise you this, Oliver. That U-boat will never
surface. Because I will see to it personally that it doesn’t,
my old friend. I’ve no intention of allowing this LevensonJones, or whomever he sends to Jersey to destroy what has
taken many years to build. So don’t worry yourself, you
leave the messy end of this business to me.”
Malakoff hung up, and immediately rang the yacht
club to instruct them to make his sixty-five foot Sunseeker
Carmargue ready for sea. He then went back outside,
mounted his horse, and set off at a canter across the field
on his morning ride.

Dillon came out of the cool air-conditioned interior
of the luxurious hotel. To be greeted by the brilliant
Californian sunshine and Edward Levenson-Jones who was
wearing a dark blue blazer, a pair of khaki trousers and
a rather ancient Panama hat. The silk headband of which
sported the colours of his old public school. Sitting next to
him was Vince Sharp, resplendent in Australian bush hat
that had seen better days.

“Ah there you are Jake, its good to see you looking
so tanned and relaxed, old son,” LJ said getting up off his
chair.

Dillon didn’t bother to answer, instead he walked
past the Director of Special Projects on his way to the bar
and ordered three large bourbons with ice. Turning around
he casually leaned against the bar, and rested his elbows on
the edge of it.

“I was wondering when you’d be in contact. Never
thought you’d actually turn up here in person though?”
“Oh, come now Jake, don’t be bitter. I’m not here
to argue with you old son. As a matter of fact, Vince and
I have flown over to congratulate you on getting Harry
Caplin out of Cuba, and back to Florida to stand trial. A
job well done, after all he did cause extreme embarrassment
to not only yourself and Ferran & Cardini, but to everyone
else involved with the operation in Dorset. I’m glad to say
that you’ve thankfully redeemed yourself and the firm with
the Americans. So all’s well that ends well, as they say.”
“That’s all very touching, but what is it you really
want, LJ?” Dillon asked, adding. “And just for the record,
had it not been for Fiona Price pulling a string or two, I
wouldn’t be here at all, and certainly couldn’t have taken
Caplin without the help of agent Romerez.” He picked up
the drinks from the bar, and went and perched himself on a
seat opposite Vince Sharp who was precariously rocking on
the back legs of his wicker chair, which were now creaking
and bending under his weight.
LJ stopped pacing up and down, blew a series of
small circles of cigar smoke up into the air, and considered
his reply.
“I’ll be perfectly honest with you Jake. Sir Lucius
Stagg has brought pressure to bear on the Partners to
reinstate you back onto the active roster with immediate
effect.”
“Has he now, but you still haven’t answered my
question, why are you both here? Because that piece of
good news could have been emailed to me.” Dillon took a
cigarette from his sliver case, and lit it with a match.
“A situation has arisen back in the UK, that requires
someone of your ability. And, let’s say, other dubious talents.
But to be perfectly blunt old son, I’m still not convinced
that you’re the right person for this particular job.”
Vince Sharp who had been sat quietly listening;
suddenly stopped rocking his chair, got up, and said. “I’m
sorry boss, but I disagree. Jake’s more than right for this
assignment. I mean, he shoots guns rather well, is qualified
to fly both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, speaks at
least four languages, and most importantly is an extremely
good diver. Need I say more?”
LJ leaned back in his chair, and looking Dillon in the
eye said matter of factly.
“What concerns me, is that ‘devil may care’ attitude
of yours, and of course your lack of team spirit, old son.
But this assignment is definitely going to require someone
who can handle himself if things get rough. I’m not saying it
will, but it could. One thing I am certain of though, is that it
is going to require, at the right moment, someone who has
considerable diving skills.”
“Okay, so you have my attention. Where would all
of this take place?”
“The Channel Island of Jersey.” LJ stood up. “Of
course you can turn down this assignment, Jake, and stay
here in the sunshine if you wish?”
“What, and miss all the fun?”
“Good, but you do realise that by accepting the
assignment, you’ll have to do exactly as you’re told, and
play by my rules. Have you a problem with that?”
“I’ve not got a problem with that.” Dillon gave Vince
Sharp a sly wink as he drank the remains of his bourbon.
“I knew you’d see it my way, old son.” As Dillon got
up to go, LJ added, “Oh, and by the way. The flight back
is booked for three o’clock this afternoon. Which should
just about give you enough time to pack and say goodbye
to Tatiana. Who I believe is here with you, and booked in
for another week. Don’t worry about your hotel bill, Dan
Parker has already paid it, and sends his best wishes. Oh,
and one last thing, Jake. Please be punctual we don’t want
to miss the plane, now do we?”

Dillon finished reading Korvettenkapitan Otto
Sternberg’s diary, and closed it. The former army intelligence
officer passed the leather bound book back to LJ was
sitting alongside him in the business class cabin of the
British Airways 747, bound for London Heathrow. “Very
interesting. Is this really genuine, or some kind of elaborate
practical joke?” Dillon said.

“Of course it’s genuine, Jake. The source is one
hundred per cent reliable, and I’ve known and worked with
Nathan Cunningham for many years. Had it been anyone
else, I’d have almost certainly thrown it straight in to the
waste bin. Is that all you’ve got to say?”

The stewardess made her way back up the wide aisle
from the galley area towards him. On the small circular
tray was the glass of Champagne he’d asked for. Bending
down she smiled demurely, placing the tall fluted glass into
the cup holder of his luxurious seat. “Well, what do you
expect me to say? I only know the bare facts, and what
about this business with Nathan Cunningham, and the hit
and run incident? Was it simply an unfortunate accident or
was it a deliberate attempt on his life? Personally, I think
it’s just a little too coincidental that it should happen before
he has the opportunity to tell you the exact location of the
U-boat.”

“You think so?”
“It’s only my opinion, but yes that’s what I think.”
“Um, well the question is how do we go about

finding this place?” LJ said.
“Have you spoken to his daughter?”
“Yes, I spoke to Annabelle just before I left last

evening. I’m afraid that Nathan hadn’t told her anything
that we didn’t already know. Although, there was something
that she did say which surprised me a little, that after all
these years, Nathan is still a bit of an adrenaline junky. I will
always remember that when the two of us worked together
on missions. Nat was always the daring one who thrived
on the danger, especially in life and death situations.” LJ
sighed, and sat back in his seat.

“So what makes you believe her?”
“As you well know, I’m a sceptical old goat, Jake.
But there’s something very pure and unspoilt about her,
and I suppose that it’s partly to do with having known,
Annabelle since she was a small child that genuinely makes
me believe that she really doesn’t know.”
“She’s obviously very pretty then?”
“I’ll ignore that last comment, Jake. Anyway you
can judge for yourself. We’ll be having lunch with her
tomorrow.”
“What an excellent idea.” Dillon sipped some more
Champagne. “But if she really doesn’t know where this
U-boat is, what are we going to do?”
“Before I left yesterday, I started the ball rolling
by arranging for Phil Allerton to fly you and Vince down
to Jersey in one of the company helicopters, the day after
tomorrow.”
“That doesn’t give us much time to plan the
assignment?”
“That’s because we don’t have much time, old son.
If word of this discovery leaks out, there will be an invasion
of reporters, relic hunters and possibly religious fanatics
clambering all over the island of Jersey in a matter of hours.”
“Point taken, so where will we be based?”
“A property has already been rented at Bonne
Nuit bay. Nothing to elaborate of course but it’s elevated,
and secluded with direct access down to the harbour and
beaches.”
“And what about our cover story?”
“Young Roberts has gone over it with a fine-tooth
comb. You’re a wealthy businessman from London who
has gone to Jersey for a spot of wreck diving. Vince was a
little more difficult, but in the end, we thought it best if he
were your sort of man-servant come personal assistant.”
“LJ,” Dillon said patiently, “That’s all fine, but have
you any idea how I’m going to locate this German sub? The
waters around the northern coast of Jersey are rough at the
best of times?”
“You’ll think of a way, you always do, Jake. After
all it’s the one thing of which I know you to have a special
talent for.”
“Your confidence in me is very touching. However,
I would still like to know whether you think Cunningham
was run over deliberately or was it simply an accident?”
“Without a shadow of a doubt, I’d say it was most
definitely an attempt to kill him. The eyewitness clearly
stated that the BMW came out of a nearby turning and
approached the crossing as if it were going to stop only to
accelerate at the last moment. That’s why I’ve called in a
favour from the Chief Constable and had an armed guard
posted outside of his hospital room twenty four hours a day
since it happened.”
“And what about this break-in at your apartment?”
LJ leaned forward. “Well, at first glance it looked
straightforward enough, nothing had been touched. The
police agreed with me, and I signed a statement to that
effect, and they left. But it was afterwards, when I’d sat
down with a stiff drink, and glanced up at the painting
of Winston Churchill hanging above the fireplace. That’s
when my suspicions were aroused. It wasn’t level, you see,
and my paintings are always perfectly level. So I had Vince
come round early the next morning, and sweep the place
with one of his little gadgets. That’s when he discovered the
bugs. He found one in my study, another in the living room
and the third little bugger in the kitchen. He also discovered
the phone tap, but only after he’d run a check through the
firm’s computer system.”
“So, who would go to those lengths, and why?”
“The who, Jake. Now that’s a complete mystery. But,
whoever it was, knew what they were doing and were using
very expensive and sophisticated equipment. Vince thinks
that the software for the phone tap came from the Far East,
probably Korea and is not even on the open market yet. It
apparently reconfigures a mobile phone network connection
to break in to the land line which is being tapped, and then
automatically records any outgoing or incoming calls.
It then redirects the information back through a maze of
connections all over the globe before it ends up back on a
specified laptop computer via the internet. But the clever bit
is that this particular software never uses the same network
or mobile phone number twice. Which obviously makes
tracing the source or location of the computer virtually
impossible. The bugs use the same method for transmitting
their sound and image files back to whoever is waiting for
them in real time.”
“So, all of this has taken place since Cunningham
came to see you in London, and told you about the U-boat?”
“That’s correct, and all of my instincts tell me that
whoever is out there is most definitely linked in some way
to that sub, and certainly up to no good. So you’d better
watch your back on this one, old son.”
“Well that should make for some fun, shouldn’t it.”
Dillon said sarcastically. “And how am I supposed to do
that, when I don’t even know who it is?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be alright, Jake. Now be a good
chap and allow me to eat my meal in piece, will you?”
LJ started to tuck into his evening meal of roast beef and
Yorkshire pudding.
Dillon turned in his seat and smiled, the urge to
laugh out loud was irresistible. Perhaps it was something to
do with the contempt he felt towards the condescending old
fart sitting next to him. Instead, he ordered another glass of
Champagne, reclined his seat and put his headphones on to
watch a film on the small screen in front of him.