The Final Flight by James Blatch (fastest ebook reader .TXT) 📕

car, in his Royal Air Force uniform. From the group of stragglers at the back, a young woman approached the car. She was pretty, with short, dark hair and wearing a thin top which was loose and open.

She walked up to the Healey and leant forward, placing her hands on the bonnet. His eyes automatically followed the line of her neck to her small breasts.

There were jeers from the others, laughing at his obvious discomfort.

He snapped his eyes up, mortified that she should have trapped him like that. The woman had a sweet smile; her eyes scanned the car, taking everything in.

She looked directly at him, held eye contact for a few moments, then straightened up and walked on.

Rob watched the group meander away in his wing mirror.

He put the car into first gear and pulled off toward the main gate.

The car search was tediously long. It was a quiet Saturday, so everyone received maximum attention from the security guards.

Rob got out of the car and waited. His eyes tracked back along the road, but the protestors had disappeared from sight.

“They give you any trouble?” the sergeant asked, following his gaze.

“No. No trouble.” A corporal continued to comb his car. “Must be nice, though.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“To be so free and easy. They didn’t look like they had a care in the world.”

“They didn’t look like they’d seen a bath recently, either. You can carry on now, sir.” He stepped back and gave a smart salute.

At TFU, Rob was faced with a new barrier, manned by a group of West Porton Security Police.

He edged toward the temporary bollards, assuming the officers would pull them aside for him, but a security man stepped out, raising the palm of his hand.

“Sorry, sir. This unit is out of bounds. If you’re after TFU staff, they’re in the station headquarters building.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes, sir.”

The HQ building was quiet.

A corporal sat at a desk in the station commander’s outer office.

“Mr May?”

Rob nodded.

“Wing Commander Kilton is expecting you. You can go in.”

In the office Mark Kilton sat at a small conference table; Periwinkle was behind his desk.

“Sit down, May. I’m afraid I have some very serious news.”

Rob took a seat.

“In clearing out Millie’s locker, we have found something very disturbing.”

“I’m sorry?”

“We found extensive evidence that Millie was stealing information about Guiding Light. Data tapes, records of previous trials, part of a manual with his own handwritten annotations. And that’s just for starters.” Kilton stared at him. “You look surprised, May, but I’m not.”

“You’re not, sir?”

“Millie was bad with money, May. We all know he lost his savings on that stupid investment. This project was worth millions. He was nearing retirement. I’m afraid it all adds up. And to think I charged him with the investigation into who leaked Guiding Light to the outside world.”

Rob glanced at the station commander, who so far had said nothing.

“It was probably an oversight. I mean, they were still in TFU, weren’t they? So he hadn’t actually stolen anything?”

“We don’t know that, May. The locker was probably just a staging post before he smuggled them out. We’ll find out everything. Dead men have no secrets.” Kilton stared at him. “Is there anything you need to tell me? It will be a lot better for you if you speak now.”

The phone rang. The station commander answered it, said a few curt words and hung up.

“Well, May? Anything we need to know?”

“Millie worried about the system,” said Rob. “I’m sure that’s what this was all about.”

Kilton didn’t look convinced. “What does that mean, though, Rob? Did he tell you he was up to something?”

Rob shook his head.

“Of course, he might have used his supposed concerns as a cover for something else entirely.”

Rob could only stare back at Kilton, who stood up.

“Fine. We’ll know more once they carry out a full search. They’ll turn his house and car upside down.”

“But Georgina’s at the house.”

“So? This is simply too serious to delay.”

Realising he was being dismissed, Rob got to his feet.

“Have you written your account of the crash yet? May?” Kilton had to raise his voice to get Rob’s attention back.

“No, not yet.”

“Well, find a table and chair and do that now.”

Rob left the office and walked back down the corridor, out of the main doors and straight to his car.

Once through the main gate, he put his foot down and sped quickly along the lane. The protestors had moved on.

He came to a halt with a squeal of the tyres.

Georgina opened the door; he stepped toward her and put both hands on her shoulders.

“Are you alone?”

“They’re all in the garden, apart from Charlie. Why?”

“No-one else has called? No-one official?”

Georgina shook her head. “No. Not since Mark yesterday. Should I be expecting someone?”

“You said earlier that you wanted me to come back? You had some things for me?”

She looked blank for a moment. “Oh, yes. Just some work stuff. What’s going on, Rob?”

“Can you get it now?”

“If you like.”

She headed upstairs.

Charlie was in the kitchen to his left, staring at him. Rob gave him a weak smile.

A moment later, Georgina tramped down the stairs in her slippers carrying an open vegetable box.

He glanced in, relieved to see Millie’s flying logbooks and nothing more sinister. He picked them up and handed them to Georgina. “You can keep these. Maybe Charlie would like them?”

“Thank you,” Charlie said from the kitchen.

Rob looked back in the box. A large brown envelope filled the bottom. It looked new.

He pulled open the top and peered inside.

Guiding Light – Data Output May 1966 – Page 12.

“Oh, Christ.”

“What is it?” Georgina said, staring at him.

Underneath the envelope were two reels from the project.

“Oh, no.”

He looked underneath the tape sleeves.

More and more. Each document stamped with a red TOP SECRET.

Outside, a car turned into the road. Rob pulled the front door shut.

“What’s going on, Rob?” said Georgina, peering over his shoulder to see who was arriving at the house.

“Don’t open the door.”

“Why ever not?”

He pushed past her to the small porch window.

Two