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“She’s been missing since Friday and you’re not worried?” General Lord Hugh Creighton-Ward looked at his erstwhile RSM, and current Minder for his daughter. “What the hell do you think you’re doing! That is exactly why I employ you – to know where that girl of mine is at all times! God knows what she could be up to!”
“Hwell, M’Lord, I know in which general vicinity she’s in. And I know ‘oo she’s with. I just don’t know ‘her h’exact location and wat she’s doing there.”
Lord Creighton-Ward took a deep breath. “All right then, Parker. Who’s she with.”
________________________________________
“I cannot believe I agreed to this. Tell me again why I did.”
“Because you like a challenge, John. And I asked nicely. And you owe me a favour after the thing with the British Space Agency.” Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward peered over John’s shoulder to where he was delicately attaching a small component into the computer mainframe. “Are you nearly done yet?”
“Almost. It’s tricky. Another reason I need to ask why. There are easier ways to do this.”
“You know, if you stopped complaining, then you might get through this faster.”
John turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “And yet again I find myself asking why I keep agreeing to your suggestions.”
Penelope patted his shoulder. “Because I’m irresistible, John. Oh, and because it gets you out of the artificial atmosphere of Thunderbird Five.”
John soldered the last wire in place, long fingers delicate. When it was done he sat back on his heels. “London, you said. A couple of days in London. Tea. Scones with cream. Fish and chips. This is not what you promised. We are not in London.”
“Well, that’s entirely your own fault, darling,” Penny retorted and then stopped and raised a black-gloved finger to her lips. She moved noiselessly across the floor and peered out the door cautiously. She darted back to John. “Are you finished?” she asked urgently. “Because I think it would be best if we left now.”
John rose and sighed. “Really? You were supposed to be keeping watch. I’m done now. I’ll be able to access this from anywhere now.” He took a step towards the door, but her hand stopped him.
“Not that way. There are intruders.”
“Other than us? Are they having some sort of intruder open day or something?” John’s voice, although quiet, was richly sarcastic, and Penelope couldn’t help but to smile. John always managed to keep her from taking herself far too seriously.
“It would appear so; however I suspect that we don’t want to spend time with these people.” Her finger tapped her lower lip. “Time for plan B I think.”
She turned to the backpack that John had carried and rummaged, pulling out two small round objects. “When I throw these, run in the opposite direction. We may have to do some climbing.”
He loved Penny, truly loved her. But her Plan B’s tended to sometimes be a little sketchy. And he didn’t fancy climbing either up or down the building.
It was then that he saw it. There would be no noise, no running. And he had just the equipment needed to make it an effective exit. John reached out and grabbed Penny’s arm. “No,” he hissed. “This way!”
*~~**~~~***~~**~*
“Good morning, Daddy!” Lady Penelope’s voice was chipper, bright and she bent down and kissed the top of her father’s head.
She had managed to conceal her surprise at seeing her father’s car waiting for her and John after they disembarked the Euroexpress train in London. John hadn’t missed the way her eyes widened though when the car driver wasn’t Parker, and when they pulled up at Lord Creighton-Ward’s townhouse. “How lovely of you to send somebody to collect us.”
John Tracy looked startled and ducked his head slightly. “Sir,” he managed to croak out, aware of the fact that he looked less than well-turned out.
Lord Creighton-Ward put down his tablet and deliberately drank some of his tea before answering. “How was your weekend?” he asked, his tone deceptively mild.
Penelope breezed to the sideboard, picked up a plate and started to serve herself from the breakfast dishes laid out, gesturing at John to do the same. “Interesting,” she said, taking her seat. “I’ll have tea please, Dawkins. I believe Mr Tracy will as well.”
John wished he could be as nonchalant as his best friend. But he couldn’t get rid of the thought that they had spent the weekend breaking into and stealing information ffom the man seated at the head of the table.
The toast was dry in his mouth, and it seemed as if it had a life of its own – crumbs falling like a toasty hailstorm. Desperately he took a gulp of the tea before him. It was hot, civilised; and John took comfort in the fact that If Lord Creighton-Ward blamed him for all of this mess, he wouldn’t have offered him breakfast.
He hoped.
“Interesting transport method you used. Any reason why you chose it?”
Penelope sipped her tea and daintily ate a piece of toast. “I was hoping you could explain that. I was most surprised to find that suddenly and inexplicably both Parker and the Rolls were unavailable. I must admit, it did make the task you set rather more…. Challenging.”
John spluttered. “Hang on…” He looked at Lord Creighton-Ward. “You knew?”
Hugh Creighton-Ward raised an eyebrow. “I knew about the task I assigned my daughter,” he said. “However, I did not expect her to vanish completely.I was most perturbed by Sunday morning. I spent a very very uncomfortable few hours with Jeff Tracy until we finally tracked you both down. Amazing technology that satellite has.”
He rose and went to the sideboard, coming back with two plates which he put on the table in front of Penelope and John. “For crying out loud, eat you two! It’s bad enough you look like street urchins at the moment, but when Sylvia comes down, it will cause her to shut up somewhat if she can see you are eating at least!”
He harrumphed as he sat down again. “I dare say neither of you would turn down a hot bath and a change of clothes anyway.” He tried, he really did, to sound gruff. But he was proud of his daughter, and impressed by John.
They were damn good!
There was silence at the table as John and Penny ate, but as they finished Hugh settled back with a fresh cup of tea.
“So, tell me from the beginning.”