Tall Order_The 15th Spider Shepherd Thriller by Stephen Leather

Author:Stephen Leather [Leather, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Thrillers, General, Fiction, Action & Adventure
ISBN: 9781473604186
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Canada
Published: 2018-07-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 45

Present Day, London

C harlotte Button had long been a fan of the J Sheekey seafood restaurant in Covent Garden and appreciated the fact that Patsy Ellis had chosen it for their meeting. The fact that it was more than a mile from MI5’s headquarters in Millbank was a bonus. Ellis and Button were old friends but after Button had burned her bridges, eyebrows would be raised if they were seen socialising.

Ellis had arrived first and had taken a small table tucked away in the corner of one of the more private rooms. There was a bottle of Pinot Grigio in front of her and she was halfway through her first glass. She smiled when she saw Button and stood up. There were dark patches under her eyes and her make-up couldn’t disguise the unhealthy pallor of her skin.

‘Charlie, darling.’

They air-kissed.

Button sat down and put her Louis Vuitton bag on the floor next to her chair. The maître d’ had taken her coat at the door. She was wearing a blue suit, a close match to the one that Ellis was wearing. They had always had a similar taste in clothes, though it was less a coincidence and more that Ellis had been Button’s mentor at MI5 and she had copied many of the traits that had made her boss such a success in the service.

A waitress appeared and poured wine into Button’s glass.

Ellis lifted her glass and toasted Button. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you for coming and thank you for …’ She smiled. ‘You know what for.’

They clinked glasses and both drank. Button took a sip of the chilled white wine, but Ellis took two large swallows. When she put the glass down, the waitress reappeared and refilled it. Ellis caught Button’s look and she smiled defensively. ‘One glass, darling. And we are celebrating.’

‘You’re entitled,’ Button said.

Ellis nodded. ‘The funeral is on Tuesday.’

‘I’ll be there.’

Ellis took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘Thank you.’

‘Does anyone at Five know that you were Eleanor’s godmother?’

Ellis shook her head. ‘No, and there’s no reason for them to, either. Her parents are civilians, there’s no blood connection and they were never mentioned during my positive vetting.’

‘And how’s Tony?’

‘He’s a rock. But you know Tony. He’s a great one for locking away his emotions. He’d have made a great spy.’

‘I’ve always thought that.’

‘He was approached at Cambridge. He turned them down without a second thought. Funny old world. If things had gone differently he could have been running Five and I’d be … What would I be, Charlie?’

‘Not a housewife, that’s for sure,’ said Button. ‘Five is lucky to have you, Patsy. This country is lucky to have you.’

Ellis blinked away tears. ‘I can’t thank you enough, Charlie.’ She reached across the table and held Button’s hand.

‘Hush,’ said Button. ‘I’m happy to do whatever you want.’ She lowered her voice and leaned towards her. ‘But I have to ask. Does it make you any happier?’

Ellis sniffed. ‘What about you? When you killed the men who murdered your husband? How did you feel?’

Button sighed.

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