Dangerous at Night Pt. 04

"Barney! We may have a likely suspect. I have the plate number of a midnight intruder." After more discussion of the night's events, he sent her to bed, saying that he would get to the Met automobile department and ask for an immediate identification.

* * *

By the end of the next day, the whole matter had been dealt with, and Barney and Sarah were in the Director's office receiving his thanks.

"I am ever so grateful that you have solved this so quickly and without any publicity. She is a senior clerk with a disabled brother who needs an operation that NHS will not get to for years. There is a South African family connection and the brother was going there for treatment."

Malcolm looked across his large desk at them. "In the old days, she would have been terminated instantly. Considering the circumstances, I have accepted her apology and asked HR to find a way to handle treatment of the brother. She is buying back and returning the items she took."

He added, "I trust that your superiors will be willing to bury this item without official notice?"

Sarah decided the Director needed a hug and kiss for his generous reaction, and dashed into his arms.

"Sir, that is such a fine way to handle what could have been a bad piece of business!" She touched his lips with hers and relaxed, but the tall man kept a grip and said, "Sarah if there is ever an opportunity to return the favor you have done for us, please let me know." He and Barney shared wide smiles over Sarah's head.

At Thames House the next day, she decided to avoid the Library event entirely and said that she and Barney had worked a routine precinct problem. However, a week later, along with Geoff and Alan, she was summoned to the Director's office.

After telling them to be seated, he pointed with his letter opener to a sheet of executive stationary in front of him. The frown was intense. "This is a note from the Director of the British Library, commending agent Sarah Morrison for exemplary skills in solving a particularly difficult thievery problem. And especially doing it on the first night of her surveillance assignment."

He looked up, not smiling, "Why, pray tell, is there no record of this assignment in our files? Is there some new arrangement whereby the newest agents do free lance at will?"

Dead silence filled the room. Sarah was blushing to her toes. "Sir, this is all my fault. You have my deepest apologies. If it helps, Geoff and Alan are not aware of this either. If you wish, there is an explanation."

In his deep voice, the Director asked, "Sarah, do you have any idea how long it has been since I received a letter like this from a knighted head of a Government Office? For my most junior agent?"

Maintaining his frown, he allowed the silence to deepen. "Well, it has been so long, I do not remember. Now please relax and tell us how you impressed the head of the British Library in one day."

Feeling a huge weight lifted from her shoulders, Sarah launched into the tale, not leaving out the pique she felt at having her first two assignments canceled out from under her.

"Sir Malcolm was so wrought up about exposure of the Library to a thievery problem! Barney and I felt we had to really get to work! And it turned out that my training was just what I needed that first night. It was actually a piece of luck to capture that plate image before she drove away."

The Director looked at Geoff and Alan, "A piece of luck?"

"No sir, she moves like a ghost in the dark, and had her camera at the ready."

"Well then..." He rummaged in a side drawer and drew out a small item in a cellophane wrapper.

"I don't give out many of these in a year, but you certainly deserve one for the success of your first real assignment. I think, in deference to Sir Malcolm, that we will all treat this as an anonymous matter?"

Raising his hand, the Director motioned them back into their chairs. "Before you go, a moment on the Sutherland affair. As you can guess, this is an unhappy matter to me, for both personal and professional reasons. The palace wants a lid on it, but I am not inclined to go along. This is not a poorly paid library employee with a disabled brother, it is aristocrats with political connections and the drug cartel. I sent the PM a private note the other day saying his intervention was necessary and that I was prepared to offer my best resources to help get it resolved."

Geoff spoke up, "Sir, we are happy to be replaced by more senior operatives..."

The frown was replaced by a smile, "It's obvious from this letter, and others, that my A Team is in the room!"

He stood, "The Deputy will let you know about next steps."

"May I have one of your famous hugs, Sarah?"

She dashed around the desk into his arms, and added a quick kiss to his lips for good measure. "Thank you!" she whispered.

In the corridor, Geoff and Alan had her arms, "Are you ever going to get it! Inside the service that pin is almost the same as MBE!" She skipped along, applying kisses and higher than a kite. The Director said she was on the A Team!

"I hope we are having a special lunch!"

"Lunch?! What about punishment for free lancing?.."

She hugged and kissed them as hard as she could, even though they were still in the headquarters building. "Oh, you are such great friends and mentors for my silly self!"

They stopped her and insisted the medallion be pinned to her collar. "These are not advertised, Sarah, but word will get around."

Alan asked, "Would it be appropriate to see if Reggie has lunch available? We need to brief him that MI5 is not giving in to Palace pressure."

Reggie was available, and so were others. In less than an hour, a party of six was seated at an elegant window table in Reggie's club. There was a moment of consternation when Natalie spied the medallion on Sarah's collar and cried out, "Good gracious, what has happened to Sarah?"

The attempt to be low key about the events at the British Library was a failure. Reggie was overjoyed and ordered champagne. Sarah couldn't stop smiling, and was especially happy that her success was tied to her skills in the night. Carolyn and Natalie were super proud that their young colleague had been recognized by the head of the Service!

Geoff and Alan were seated on either side of Sarah, poking her once in a while about not getting a swelled head or anything like that.

There was a fruit cup for dessert, which allowed Reggie to suggest a rethink about their assignment.

"Originally, this effort was to discover cells of terrorists in our midst. But we have wandered sidewise into drugs and crooks and corrupted socialites. We could do the Service a favor by dealing with the latter before the former!"

He paused to chuckle at his words. Sarah, still high on her recent accomplishment, boldly proposed, "We can use the night to set a trap. I will partner with Barney, who is caught in the middle between the Met and ourselves. We enjoy working together and exploring the limits of free lance!"

Natalie and Carolyn held hands and laughed at the intensity of their brilliant colleague. Alan and Geoff frowned and said to Reggie, "Sir, we will provide supervision as needed!"

This brought howls of laughter all around, even from Sarah. She quickly amplified her statement.

"Sir, I was too flip. This is serious business with dangerous people. There will be careful planning with my mentors!"

Chapter 14 - A Hunt for Crooks

At the last second, before running off to see Barney, Sarah realized her soon-to-be husband needed a date!

"Alan, I love you and am sorry for being so distant. What about dinner and a night at your place?" Her hug was full on his front with a flip of hips.

Alan returned the kiss and said loud enough for others to hear, "Oh my, I shall have to check..."

Natalie and Carolyn advanced with hands raised. Alan swept Sarah into his arms and whispered, "You are such a winner, new agent!" Reggie said they were being disreputable and shepherded everyone to the curb. Sarah was squeezing Alan's hand and promising to be at Belsize Park by six.

Moments later, Sarah was doing another of her rapid disappearances on foot, headed to Camden Town. In broad daylight, in Mayfair, she couldn't be seen running, but the pace of her walk would have had her in front of a run-walk contest.

Barney was on a bench close to the Met Office address he had given Sarah. He almost laughed at the oncoming sight. Her intensity was a wonder. He had spoken so highly of her to his wife that the wife accused him of chasing an other woman. He hugged and whispered, "Dearest, even if I wanted to chase that fancy body, which I don't, she would be leaving me in the dust in seconds." Their sex afterwards was special.

He raised his hand as she approached and there was a sudden diversion into his arms for a hug and quick kiss on the cheek. "Constable, so nice to find you out here in the sun! We have much to discuss!"

After a minute to catch her breath, she spoke in a normal agent tone, "Barney, I am so energized by today's events. You'll never guess what happened at work this morning!"

He held her trembling hand, "I see your beautiful pin, Sarah, it must have been quite a thrill to receive that."

"Oh my, yes! And from the Director himself! The letter from Director Coleridge was wonderful. Did your boss get one too?"

"Indeed. I am to be advanced to Chief Inspector a half year early."

"We are a team, Barney! I love working with you!"

She paused, but went on, "Reggie says we must adjust priorities to settle the business with the MP's wife. He calls it the 'Sutherland caper,' which sounds like something from the BBC."

He took her hand again, and returned her intense gaze. "Sarah, this time we are in deeper and more dangerous waters. And serious politics too. When the Commissioner gets wind that your agency is stiffing the Palace over Caroline Sutherland, if he hasn't already, there will be questions. And some in the ranks above me may wish to put us out of business."

Keeping her hand in his, she rose, saying, "Let's walk, I am too tense to sit."

After a minute, she answered his comment, "You are absolutely right. And we certainly do not want a turf war between the Met and the Security Service!" She punched his uniformed arm gently.

"Is it ok of I let off steam on your arm? It's terribly out of order, but it helps the new agent stay calm."

He laughed, "Calm, Sarah Morrison calm? I don't believe so, sir. Haven't noticed that."

"Barney, I am still working off the champagne from lunch. Reggie took us to his club and it was very gay."

She added, "Until he laid it on the line about Caroline Sutherland and whatever it is she is up to."

Barney picked up the thread of their conversation and suggested they needed to go undercover to follow the preliminary clues which Natalie, Carolyn and others had assembled. Sarah agreed, and said Geoff had already signed her out of Thames House for the duration.

"I have an idea, Barney. What if you requisitioned an electrician's lorry and I became your apprentice. Part of a new program to give females a chance in the trades. Alan will file for a renovation permit on the Belsize Park apartment, and we can use it as our headquarters?"

Barney smiled at her, "Sarah Morrison in an electrician's jumpsuit, with wires and nippers and things hanging off? That I will have to see!"

She elbowed him, "Natalie has a friend in the dress business. They will fix me up. I will even have to find a pair of the proper boots they wear."

They strolled downhill, going nowhere in particular until she said, "Let's go to the Zoo. You can buy me an ice cream, like a proper date."

"Apprentice," he said, "I am happy to find us a sweet today, but we can't be sloughing off like this or our renovation business will go south!"

She laughed, "Boss, I am going to find a wiring handbook and learn something about the trade we are in!"

* * *

Knowing Alan would take her out for dinner, but secretly prefer something more intimate, Sarah shopped for something elegant but easy to prepare. When he walked in just before six, she was in the kitchen clad in an apron and very skimpy underwear. Drink makings were on the counter and she folded herself into his arms. A long kiss later, she said, "I've missed you."

He growled, "Eating in, are we? A sleepover perhaps?"

She followed another kiss with, "Master, I am yours to command this evening. Perhaps a little gin would smooth the way?"

He poured her two fingers with an ice cube and said he would clean up and be back.

Letting a sip of the gin burn its way down, she surveyed the counter. The quiche was in the oven. The water for the green beans was almost at a boil, and the greens for salad were lightly dressed. She wondered how quickly her lusty lover would want relief. She dare not talk work until that problem had been dealt with.

She was standing in the middle of the kitchen, glass in hand, when his hands wrapped her from behind, bringing fresh body smells with them. His voice at her ear spoke quietly, "I don't know how to make love to a decorated agent!"

She turned and pulled his lips to hers. "You are going to spear me with that awful thing and after that nature will take care of the rest. Do you want me now, or would you rather dine first?" She had a difficult time suppressing a giggle.

Standing in tight embrace, they enjoyed anticipation of the loving to come. "Your work on this meal should be rewarded. The fiance will behave."

The quiche was delicious and she provided seconds. The Beaujolais he opened went well with the egg dish. Their quiet enjoyment of each other after busy days was tangible.

"My brain is full of work talk and interesting developments, but I promised myself that there would be nothing of that sort until other issues have been dealt with." She gave him a tentative smile and watched the struggle across the table between his lust for her body and his brain wanting to know what she had been up to since lunch.

He looked at his watch. "It is nearly eight. We will clean up the kitchen and fire up the espresso machine. Dessert will be on the sofa, and you will unload your busy brain on me for a maximum of one hour, after which my brutish self will ravish you!"

Minutes later, her mouth full of fruit tart, she began, "Barney and I have made some plans. We are very sensitive to the political side of dealing with Caroline Sutherland and her friends and want to keep a very low profile on our work. Frequent progress reports up the chain, but little else until we are ready to shut them down."

His fingers played with her hair, "So far, so good. Continue."

She nestled tighter in his arms and applied a kiss. "Barney and I need to go undercover with the right kind of disguise. I think you will like what we have come up with."

She looked up at him with a little girl smile, "Your fiancee is now an apprentice electrician, working for Barney in our own business. We have a lorry with the right signage on it, which will spend evenings here because your flat is undergoing remodeling."

His hand was already resting on her breast. When she paused for reaction, fingers pinched the tip.

Before she could complain, he said, "Bad. Too risky. Will never work."

She arranged herself on top, frowning, "Didn't you say something like that the last time I was headed out?"

He pulled her tight. "Yes, I did, and I was completely wrong. This latest sounds fine. I might even get you in my bed a night or two. Will Barney's people go for it?"

"At the moment, he is a star. His boss got a letter like mine from the Director of the Library. But he thinks his chain of command is very thin skinned about a case involving the Palace and Five."

"Yes, that sounds about right." He paused, and continued, "My dear Sarah, you are getting an accelerated introduction to the work of an agent. Hazards in every direction. When the going gets rough, remember, you have friends in your corner."

She clutched him very tightly and whispered, "Take me to bed."

Chapter 15 - Undercover Luck

It took a few days to work out the details of their undercover routine. By seven, when Barney arrived, Sarah and Alan were dressed and a continental breakfast was on the kitchen table.

Observing his companions in their jumpsuits, artificially aged and embroidered, "Jones Electrical Service," Alan couldn't avoid a laugh. "The two of you are marvelous. Are you actually going to work on my flat?"

Barney smiled back, "Sir, the work order is detailed out, and I am told the permit will issue in a day or two. My assistant will collect it and begin the necessary demolition."

Sarah could not suppress her own laugh, "Yes, the necessary demolition."

Rolling his eyes, Alan applied a quick kiss and departed.

Putting up his open hands for Sarah to punch, Barney said, "Lass, we have had a stroke of luck, the house kittycorner from the Cunningham home is undergoing major renovation and the Met has installed a subcontractor with access to the whole building. Jones Electrical is about to share that access..."

"Barney, what a break! Day and night also, do you suppose?"

* * *

Later that day, ensconced in a third floor front room with surveillance scope, Sarah was busy recording comings and goings at the house across the way. Barney had been called in to Headquarters and decided it was necessary to remove his overalls and become a regular policeman long enough to appease the higher ups.

Periodically, a voice from the innards of the remodeling shouted for her and an opportunity to learn some electrical techniques presented itself. The voice belonged to a big burly man named Morris, who at first was worried about instructing such a small and slender woman.

"Morris, I am assigned to the Met for a special piece of work and need to learn some of your business. Treat me like any other apprentice. I don't break!" She was careful not to disclose any of her connections to the Security Service. Strictly 'need to know,' she said to herself.

Alan and Geoff were not happy about her decision to spend nights in the empty house being remodeled. "Sarah, we said no solo ventures."

She stared at the concerned faces, "I am locked in after sundown. I have my phone and my weapon and will call immediately if there is any intrusion into the house. I do not need any illumination, the night vision scope and goggles give me a fine view of our targets."

The men looked at each other helplessly and swallowed more of Alan's fine single malt. Sarah was being tough, and also fixing a dinner souffle that smelled wonderful.

Geoff swallowed more whiskey and eyed Alan. "Fiance, we have been put down again by the new agent."

Alan tried an order. "Agent, while your divine souffle is baking, please join me for a kiss."

She had her black nighttime clothes on, but settled into the familiar lap and applied lips to his.

"It is very nice having two senior agents to back me up. It is actually very boring in that third floor room with no light and only spying on the Cunningham-Sutherlands to occupy me."

Geoff smiled and tugged at her ponytail. "Ah yes, the routine of an agent is not always exciting."

* * *

It took four nights of Sarah's self-described boring routine for them to get the break they needed. An hour after midnight, a black limousine drew up and four bodies, also in black, emerged and entered the house. Surprisingly, the limousine's plate was illuminated. Sarah copied it down while staring through the high powered scope and immediately phoned Barney.

"Partner, there is a suspicious limo across the way. Here is the plate number. Can we get an instant ID of the owner?"

Barney answered, "I'm on it," and rang off.

In less than five minutes, the four men returned, with Caroline in the middle of the group. She was in regular clothes and did not look happy.