sThe Quiet Wart (9 page)

When Sean arrived home late at night, Anna greeted him like a long-lost friend, hugging him tightly; a little too tightly. As he pulled away, Liz backed off into the bedroom and slammed the door.
Shit!
He quickly made his apologies to Anna, who just shrugged and blew him a kiss, then went into the bedroom to join Liz.

‘I don't know why she did that,' he said, climbing onto the bed and putting his arm on Liz's side.

Liz turned away from him and pretended to be asleep. A few minutes later, when he climbed into bed, he thought he could hear the sniffle of tears and tried again to console her. But she just pushed his hand away roughly.

‘I'm sorry, Liz, but there's nothing between us,' he said to her back, before giving up and falling asleep himself.

In the morning they both took Praew to school and managed to put on a happy act until she walked through the school gates. She beamed a beautiful smile, so proud of her achievements so far.

As soon as she disappeared into the playground, Liz turned to Sean, her smile gone. ‘You slept with her, didn't you,' she said.

‘No, I didn't,' Sean responded, looking straight at her.

‘I can tell… the way she looks at you.'

‘I think she has a crush on me, but it's not reciprocated… honestly,' Sean pleaded.

‘Promise me that you haven't even kissed her.'

‘I promise. I wouldn't cheat on you,' Sean said honestly. Even though Anna had tried to tempt him, the one thing that stopped him was the thought of cheating on Liz. She'd been so good to him and he loved her so much. He just wished he could make her understand, but he couldn't find the right words.

‘I want her out of the flat,' Liz said, rubbing her tongue against her teeth.

‘We agreed one week. She's scared. Somebody tried to kill her.'

‘Which is another reason I don't want her there. What about Praew? What if they come after her? What about the Home Office? We can't be considered good carers if we put her life at risk. I want her out tomorrow, or you go with her.'

Liz's ultimatum took Sean by surprise. He'd known that the discussion about Praew or him was coming and he'd been dreading the moment, but this wasn't how he'd expected it to come about.

‘Is this about Praew and the things your lawyer said?' he asked in a more reconciliatory tone.

Tears started streaming down Liz's face as she turned to face him again. ‘I don't know what to do. It's awful. I thought if I got angry with you it'd be easier for you to leave me,' she said.

‘Liz, I love you, and seeing you like this is killing me. Praew's as much my responsibility as she is yours. We have to face it together and find a solution that we can both live with,' Sean said, pulling her into his shoulder.

‘I know. I'm an idiot. Sorry. I just don't know what to do.'

Seeing Liz in this state churned Sean's stomach. She was the most together person that he knew and she'd been reduced to a blubbering wreck by this ludicrous situation. ‘Promise me that you'll just be open about everything in the future. Then we can decide together,' he said, stroking her hair.

Nodding her agreement, Liz continued to cry. ‘It's just not fair,' she said.

‘I know, but we'll find a way through.'

After a few minutes Liz pulled herself together and stopped crying, lifting her head from Sean's shoulder. ‘I still don't like her,' she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

‘Okay, tomorrow,' Sean agreed.

‘Good. You know she hinted that you'd been intimate with her to me before you came home, and then I saw you hugging her like that, what was I supposed to think?'

Sean was taken aback briefly.
Why would Anna hint to Liz that they'd been intimate? Besides some brief flirting, nothing had happened.
‘Liz, I swear nothing happened between us. I'd never do anything to hurt you.'

‘Then why would she say it had?'

‘I really don't know. I think she's recently divorced and lonely.'

‘Well, she's not having you,' Liz said, reaching out and pulling Sean into her again.

Clinging onto her waist, Sean looked into Liz's dark eyes. ‘I love you,' he whispered.

*

Back at the flat, Sean made a point of sitting as far away from Anna as possible and of making open gestures of affection towards Liz, who returned the same. By the time Clive and Terry arrived, the tension between Liz and Anna was palpable and Sean hastily gathered the group around the dining table to watch the video clips of the rally from the previous evening.

Watching the proceeding again made what they'd seen the previous night seem somehow more real. But Sean still found it hard to believe that this kind of thing still went on in Europe. All but Anna were overtly disturbed by the Nazi show of strength.

‘What was he saying?' Clive turned to Anna.

‘Just the usual Nazi rhetoric: blaming the Jews, the Romas and the Muslims for the problems in Europe, and saying that the time is coming; that they'll soon be in power; and they'll be able to right the Jew-led wrongs of the last 100 years.'

‘Aren't there laws against that? Isn't it inciting racial hatred?' Sean asked.

Anna shook her head. ‘In Germany, yes, but in the Czech Republic, no. That's why they have the rallies there. Most of the people attending were probably German though.'

‘Yes, there were a lot of German plates and the people were getting changed before driving back,' Sean said.

‘So Wagner can do this and just get away with it? What about all the armed militia there?' Clive asked.

‘As long as they're used for private security, it's allowed.'

‘What if we released the video on YouTube?' Sean asked.

‘You could, but it'd just be one of many. Wagner doesn't hide from his Nazi ideology; he actively promotes it,' Anna responded.

‘It's true. There's stuff all over the Internet on him, including videos at rallies like this one,' Liz added, not looking at Anna.

‘What about that flag? The combination of the EU and Nazi symbols,' Clive asked.

‘It's nothing new and people will just write them off as cranks,' Anna countered.

‘So we're no closer to finding out who killed Phil and Allsop, and who tried to kill Anna and us. And we don't have a thing we can write about.' Sean exhaled loudly.

‘I wouldn't say that. You've got pictures of Blom getting into Wagner's car in a quiet car park at night in Brussels, carrying an envelope, then leaving later without it. That should be enough to stop Blom,' Anna said.

‘Yes, but as far as a story goes, and without more detail, it's a bit circumspect,' Sean said. ‘It's more like a paparazzi job.'

‘Really? It'd be big news in Sweden and the mainstay EU countries. People in Britain may not be so interested, but they're not the target market,' Anna said.

Momentarily, Sean crossed eyes with her. She was staring straight at him and he immediately wished he hadn't, as she took the opportunity to raise her eyebrows provocatively. Acting instinctively, he looked away and stroked Liz's hand, but he knew that the brief interchange hadn't gone unnoticed. ‘It'll probably pay well, but I don't feel good about destroying somebody's life. Not without doing more checking,' Sean said.

‘He's definitely involved. He has to be, and he did meet with Wagner. That couldn't be innocent,' Anna said.

‘In truth, we only saw the car, not Wagner himself,' Sean replied.

‘We know he was there, just as I know Blom is behind all of this,' Anna said, raising her voice slightly.

‘She's right. The priority needs to be to stop this insidious mess that Blom is behind. People are getting killed. I know you'd rather find out more and make it the perfect story, but this time, I think you'll just have to publish a scandal piece and be done. If this Wagner character has some influence over a key EU official, lord knows what damage could be done,' Clive added.

It was nothing more than Sean expected from Clive: intelligent as he was, he was still a policeman at heart, and stopping crime was always his first priority.

‘Liz?' Sean asked, looking for a more balanced view.

‘I'm not sure. I'll defer to your judgement,' she said.

‘Sean, you really need to publish this, not just to stop Blom, but also to allow me to return to a normal life and go back to work. Otherwise, I'm a prisoner,' Anna pleaded.

‘It's only half a story though. What about the others? What about Phil and Allsop? We haven't solved their killings,' Sean said, shaking his head, still unconvinced.

‘Please, Sean, if nothing else, do it for me.' Anna reached out and put her hand on his.

As soon as he felt Anna's touch, Sean immediately withdrew his hand and looked at Liz, making sure that she knew he hadn't made the gesture.

‘Are you happy that we don't follow up on Phil's death, Clive?' Sean asked, beginning to think that he was losing the argument.

‘I'll keep the pressure on the Belgian police, but this is separate to that,' Clive responded.

‘Please, Sean,' Anna said.

‘Just do it, Sean. Then we can all get our lives back to normal,' Liz said, glaring at Anna.

It went against all Sean's instincts, but now he was the only one defending further work, and Liz had obviously realised that it was an opportunity to get rid of Anna for good. ‘Okay, sod it!' he reluctantly agreed. ‘I'll pad the story out a bit and take it to some editors. They'll probably ask for more, which I don't have, but it'll get published in a tabloid.'

Still unable to make any connection between Phil's or Allsop's death and Blom, or the attempt on Anna's life and Blom, Sean decided that it was just something he'd have to put down to experience and move on. There was too much at stake to do anything else. He wasn't about to lose Liz over any story, no matter how important.

Early in the afternoon, he crafted a short piece entitled
EU COMMISSIONER LINKED TO NAZI LEADER
and attached a few of the more telling photos: one of Blom getting into Wagner's car with the envelope; one of him getting out without it; and one of Wagner speaking at the rally in the Czech Republic. He wasn't happy with the story, because it left too many
why
questions unanswered, but he settled for it the way it was, and didn't offer any speculation beyond what the images showed, protecting his legal position. He didn't even mention the corruption in the translation department.

It took him less than two hours to sell the story to four newspapers in different countries, all with national exclusives. Even he had been surprised by the price he attained: at €20,000 per country. After costs, and splitting half with Liz, he'd still have €15,000 which would allow him to buy back 15% of the company from Liz.

Even though the story was a financial success, it still didn't leave him with a good taste. It was just an assassination, nothing else. Maybe Blom deserved it, Anna seemed sure, but to Sean it was an unfinished piece and that was something every good journalist hated.

The piece hit the news in morning. By midday, Blom had resigned from his post in the Commission amid the scandal, which had broken out into a wider discussion about the extent of the powers the unelected European Commission held.

Anna was interviewed by the
BBC News
at Heathrow airport, before catching a flight back to Brussels. She commented that the power in the EU should be devolved from the state member cronies of the Commission, to the real elected representatives of the Parliament. Shortly afterwards, the British Prime Minister said much the same, renewing his commitment to EU reform.

Within a few days, the Commission President had also resigned, citing unacceptable changes in the power balance between the Parliament and the Commission.

Sean wasn't surprised when Clive announced that he was going to Brussels to visit the Belgian police regarding Phil's death. He was convinced that Blom was behind it and he wanted them to investigate it. While there, he also attended the coroner's hearing on Allsop, which confirmed the suicide theory that the police had put forward.

Kissing Liz on the cheek gently before standing and straightening his bow tie, Sean walked steadily through the tables, shaking hands before he climbed onto the stage to accept his outstanding journalism award: his second in just twelve months, albeit from a different organisation. Last time, he'd been in hospital and unable to attend the ceremony, or make a speech. This time, after clearing his throat, he thanked everybody that had helped him in his investigation of Lyle Walsh, the Baptist priest from Cornwall, who had since been arrested for a number of crimes, including extortion and embezzlement.

Then he turned his attention to what he really wanted to say and spoke about the plight of a thirteen-year-old Thai girl, sold into prostitution by her father at twelve and brutally raped every night for a year, until she was finally rescued by a loving British couple. Now the Home Office were trying to force that couple to return the girl into the same plight. He didn't mention any names, just the outline facts, but he knew that the room was filled with journalists and it would be followed up by at least one of them.

All the way home to their Fulham flat from the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge, Liz held onto his arm, leaning her head on him gently. ‘That was very selfless of you, to use your time in the spotlight to help Praew, rather than further your own career,' she said.

Suddenly feeling good about himself, Sean bent his neck forward and kissed her on the forehead. ‘It's the least I can do. You've been jumping through all the hoops with the idiots at the Home Office, while I've been gallivanting around having fun, chasing errant priests.'

A smile broke out on Liz's face. ‘You were right about him,' she said.

‘Yes, a nasty piece of work.'

‘I can't believe his followers still supported him through the trial,' Liz said, as they arrived at the flat.

Sean took her by the waist gently as she stepped out of the cab. ‘Praew's staying at your mum's, isn't she?'

‘Yes, why?'

‘Then how would you like to have kinky sex with a multi-award-winning journalist?'

‘I can't think of anything I'd rather do more right now. Who were you planning on bringing over? I quite fancy that guy on
ITV News
,' Liz giggled, letting Sean pick her up and carry her into their apartment.

*

Waking up late in the morning and feeling the effects of the previous night's festivities, both in and out of the home, Sean pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and stumbled into the kitchen, where Liz was cooking eggs and bacon. ‘That smells fantastic,' he said, sitting at the dining table and flicking on the TV.

Searching the stations, he quickly found the news, where the anchor was reporting on a fire in a warehouse, somewhere in East London. Sean looked down at the scars on his stomach and chest and thought about how much his life had changed in the last year. The elephant was still in the corner in his relationship with Liz, and they only had a few months left before they needed to make a decision, but they hadn't discussed it since that day in the car, both acknowledging that if they couldn't change it, then it was better left unsaid.

In a way, Sean thought that the Damocles sword that hung over their relationship had strengthened their bond, with both of them seeking to get the most out of it before the sword inevitably fell.

‘Oh, what's that bitch been up to now?' Liz said, looking at the TV, where Anna Faustein was speaking to a reporter outside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.

‘Ms Faustein, why have the three parties merged?' the reporter asked.

‘It's just a further evolution of Europe and a move to greater democracy,' Anna replied.

‘Really? But doesn't it put a lot of power in one party: some 65% of the vote?' the reporter questioned.

‘Yes, but we're democratically elected representatives of the people, rather than the unelected bureaucrats in the Commission,' Anna said.

‘Why do you think you were chosen to lead this new mega-party, when you're a relatively unknown backbencher, and might I say, a lot younger than your peers?'

‘I think the party sees in me a person that can lead them into the future, into a new Europe with closer and closer union between members.'

The interview broke off and the picture returned to the main anchor in the London studio. ‘That was Anna Faustein, the newly appointed head of the Federal Party for Europe.'

Pulling a puzzled face, Sean switched the volume down as the weather came on. ‘That's a bit strange, don't you think? When we met her, she was a staunchly anti-federalist backbencher. Now, only a few months later, she's the leader of a newly formed pro-federalist party, with 65% of the EU voting power.'

‘What are you suggesting?' Liz asked.

‘I don't know. It's just odd, that's all.'

‘I hope you're not thinking of contacting her. Last time you had anything to do with her it nearly ruined our relationship.'

Liz's fiery reaction was anticipated and Sean sat back in his seat, formulating his response carefully. ‘Liz, you know nothing happened, and look at us now: we're better together than we've ever been. I just smell a rat, that's all. Isn't that my job?'

Joining Sean at the table, Liz placed his greasy breakfast in front of him. ‘What is it that you think she's up to?' she asked.

‘I don't know, but I'd like to ask her a few questions about her sudden about-turn.'

‘Okay, but I'm coming with you,' Liz said.

‘I think we should doorstep her; give her no time to prepare,' Sean suggested.

‘How? She'll be surrounded by the media now.'

‘Let's use Clive again. He can watch her and let us know when an opportune chance appears.'

‘Look at you, spending our money now that you're a 50% shareholder,' Liz laughed.

It had been a pleasing moment for Sean when he'd netted enough money from the Walsh piece to pay back Liz, and leave a little more to carry on. They still weren't far from bankruptcy, but they were at least on the right side of the line. ‘Do you think we can't afford him?' Sean asked, misinterpreting Liz's response.

‘I was joking silly. I think we should use Clive. He'll probably catch that bitch eating children, or something equally nasty.'