Sue Douglas is a full time author who lives on the west

coast of Scotland. She enjoys comedy shows and

listening to rock music when not writing. Dream On is
her seventh novel and currently she is working on her
ninth.

Other books by Sue Douglas:



One Kiss and I am Yours Once Again

Me Time

Say You Will Wait For Me

The Chosen Path

Wrong World, Wrong Life

The Waterwomans Gift










To Michael







Sue Dougl as


D R E A M O N





























Copyright Sue Douglas (2014)

The right of Sue Douglas to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims
for damages.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any
resemblance to real persons living or dead is purely
coincidental

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British
Library.


ISBN 978 184963 610 0


www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2014)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LB




Printed and bound in Great Britain









Acknowledgments


Thanks for the continued support from everyone at Austin
Macauley.





Chapter One

Krista


Thirty five seemed far too young to be retired, yet many
careers were difficult or virtually impossible to continue
beyond a certain age, and Krista had already completed five
years beyond what had originally been expected of her. The
news of her imminent departure, imparted by her unemotional
boss, was not unexpected and yet it still came as something of
a shock as she sat in the huge, oak-panelled office she knew so
well. She was fit, healthy and enthusiastically dedicated to the
job she excelled at; a job which gave her a stress-free, albeit
solitary, lifestyle where the monotonous or mundane tasks in
life were taken care of for her, as were any household costs she
incurred.
As Krista was informed of what would be put into place
regarding her future accommodation, transport and severance
conditions, her first thoughts were those of being responsible
for paying her own bills, shopping, cooking and generally
organising her life. She felt certain they were tasks she was not
going to enjoy and wondered if she ought to attend a course on
day to day living before she was cast adrift into the unfamiliar
world which the majority of working people seemed able to
cope with, even if the remainder only managed to muddle
through at times.
Trying to ignore the spectacular view of London from the
large window behind her boss, Krista solemnly regarded the
man known only as Major Arlington, The Major, or in some
circles, Major Disaster. The epithet was not used as a criticism
of the man in any way; he was extremely efficient, admired by
everyone who worked with him and well suited to his position,
but habitually ended his instructions with a warning that if the
operation he had detailed were to fail, it would be a major
disaster for one reason or another. Edward Arlington, no more

an actual major than the tea lady, looked older than his true age
of sixty one but Krista had always believed he must have been
a handsome young man with his abundant fair hair and tall,
athletic figure.
She attempted to gauge The Majors mood over the
decision to end her career, a decision which would have been
made by him alone, but infuriatingly, the man had always been
impossible to read; his accent and speech pattern were
permanently bland while his expression never altered from
serious. She continued to nod her acceptance of the situation as
he readily admitted she was still capable of executing her
duties. This was an unfortunate, though wholly appropriate,
phrase given her profession. He acknowledged how
dependable she had been in her particular field but explained
how he felt the time had come for her to return to a normal life,
having dedicated so many years to the safety and security of
others. The pension she would be paid monthly, in addition to
the huge lump sum of five times her annual salary, was
certainly generous, but it came with strict conditions. She was
reminded of how, once retired, she would be unable to work
for any other organisation or employer, even in a charitable or
advisory position. Paperwork, The Major assured her, detailing
a fictitious record of her life and employment, would be
available if ever required but most people leaving the service
had little cause to request them, given the substantial pension
and continuing perks from the job.
Krista assumed there were younger men and women ready
to take on her contracts but, while envying them in some ways,
the longer she mulled over the idea of renting a cottage or
bungalow miles away from London, the more she saw
positives in attaining a degree of normality. Major Arlington
was explaining how she would be at liberty to return to her
original name or choose a completely new identity for the fully
documented history she would be issued with and, providing
she kept within the accompanying instructions, she would then
be at liberty to lead a conventional life for the very first time in
her adult life.

Not that she had been aware of it at the time but she had
been highly recommended as an ideal candidate when she
attended her first interview at the unremarkable, government-
owned building. She had been twenty one years old, studious,
but full of the self-confidence instilled in her by Eleanor
Lewis, the ageing headmistress of Carne Valley Boarding
School for Girls. The private school, situated in a beautiful part
of Wales, had been her home for as long as she could
remember and having the dubious honour of being the only
boarder without parents or family members, spent both term
time and holidays within the confines of what had at one time
been an extremely large family house, miles from anywhere.
She had not been unhappy at the school, far from it, but could
still recall the exasperation of her career mistress when she
expressed no desire to further her education beyond the science
and technology A Levels she chose to study. Unsuccessfully
attempting to steer her towards a career involving physics or
computer studies, the science mistress had sighed even louder
when told of Kristas ambition to become a professional
athlete instead.
Kristas refusal to conform marked her as headstrong, a
characteristic appreciated by the elderly and somewhat
eccentric Eleanor Lewis. The much admired, chain-smoking,
headmistress who was not averse to swearing at girls who
misbehaved marched through the school wearing tweed suits,
lace-up brogues and thick stockings but was loved by most of
the pupils for making school a pleasurable experience.
Approaching sixty five, but with no intention of retiring, the
still-slim Eleanor wore her grey hair in a plait and applied
bright red lipstick at regular intervals throughout the day. Her
unorthodox behaviour, however, seemed to inspire even the
less academic girls to achieve their full potential, which
satisfied their parents and enhanced the schools reputation
considerably.
Though unconventionally relaxed in many ways, the
headmistress demanded respect from pupils and teachers alike
as she ran the school along military lines, refusing to adapt to
any new ideas or education department directives she thought

faddy. It was generally believed by the older girls that Eleanor
had a bottle of Scotch secreted in her desk drawer, in addition
to cigarettes, crisps and chocolate. Complicated plans were
frequently hatched to raid the stash but not even one of the
brave, mischievous, or overconfident pupils had found enough
courage to so much as verify the existence of such a tempting
stockpile.
Miss Lewiss fondness for physical fitness and mental
agility was no doubt what had first inspired Krista. While other
boarders returned home for weekends, or end of term holidays,
she and many of the pupils with absent or overseas parents,
had taken full advantage of the excellent extra-curricular
facilities available. All of the girls who stayed behind kept
themselves to themselves, and all but one went on to excel at
their chosen career. The one girl who failed to make the
academic grade she had hoped for still managed to become
extremely wealthy, however, by marrying and later divorcing
an American businessman she met on a skiing holiday.
Kristas aspirations, however, should have come as no
surprise to anyone. During the holidays, or the moment lessons
and homework were completed, Krista headed for either the
gymnasium or sports field to practise one of her favourite
events. While the majority of girls thought up excuses to avoid
sport, Krista signed up for individual coaching in archery,
fencing and self-defence. She could not imagine life without
sport and for the first few years at the school there were other
girls who felt the same, taking full advantage of the expert
tuition.
By the third year of seniors, it was Krista alone who
regularly trained. The others had given up on the activities they
previously enjoyed, most citing exam pressures, whereas the
truth of the matter was they had discovered boys so no longer
wished to appear muscular or unfeminine. Surprisingly,
Kristas nearest rival had also seemed less inclined to train
regularly so began to fall far behind and was asked by Miss
Davies, the games mistress, to explain her lack of form. The
girl had used the age-old excuse of wanting to concentrate on
her studies but frankly admitted to Krista that continually

washing and restyling her hair was damaging it so she intended
to concentrate on less physical pursuits.
While the academic subjects Krista had taken at A Level
had come easy to her, they had not inspired her to study them
to degree level; she found far more motivation in the
challenges athletics brought. She could run, jump, throw,
catch, swim, fence, fire arrows at targets and climb her
proficiency in each speciality well above average, which drove
her even further on. Constantly striving to improve her own
times or skills, she had trained until she reached what she
imagined to be the peak of her ability and then sought further
coaching.
Her sixth form report from the games mistress had hinted
at Olympic medals being a possibility if she were to continue
to train; encouraging advice which Krista appreciated and fully
intended to follow. On her CV she listed her interests as
fencing, climbing, paint-balling, archery, orienteering and
martial arts, which elicited well-meaning but unheeded
comments from teachers. With the exception of Miss Davies,
she had been advised by her tutors to replace the sporting
activities with more feminine pursuits; advice she ignored.
After all, she would be unable to respond convincingly to
questions concerning the topics of needlework, domestic
science or beauty care.
Following excellent A Level results, Krista surprised her
tutors by deciding to continue with her studies by taking a
sport-based degree course, having been advised by Miss
Davies of the benefits of doing so. Her determination to pursue
a sporting career meant once more having to explain to her
science teacher how she preferred to challenge herself against
a clock, her own records, or another competitor. It seemed so
instinctive to pit herself against opposition that Krista found it
difficult to understand why others did not share her passion.
Challenges were everything to her and she hated to lose.
Arguments revolving around the cost of her education and the
shocking waste of her scientific mind fell on deaf ears, with
only Miss Davies openly admitting that Krista Crawshaw had
the makings of a phenomenal athlete in any of the disciplines

she enjoyed. In the privacy of the staff room, however, it was
generally accepted that success at one of the more popular
sports could bring Krista far greater wealth and fame than by
becoming a scientist no matter how brilliant she was at
physics and chemistry
Having no parents, or even distant relatives, Krista had
known no other home than the former manor house but, unlike
some of the other students, had been quite content to remain
there for as long as possible. She saw no advantage to living by
herself and being forced to cook, clean and shop, in addition to
dealing with all the officialdom required simply to live
somewhere. Despite Eleanor Lewis strict regime, life at the
school was pleasant. Pupils were safe, well fed at regular
intervals, had their own rooms with en-suite facilities, were
kept warm and given an excellent education, so there seemed
little to be gained by fledging into the adult world. In fact,
Krista had been so content throughout her time at the school
that she had never asked how she came to be a boarder or who
paid her fees. Knowledge of her history would have
undoubtedly led to others wanting to discuss it with her and,
having a tendency to be secretive, she had no desire to mull
over something she remembered nothing of. She preferred to
spend any free time pushing herself ever further towards the
physical limits of her abilities, lifting heavier weights, running
faster, aiming straighter or enduring gym apparatus for longer.
After inexplicably being allowed to remain a boarder at the
school until fully completing her degree course at the nearby
university, Krista was called into the headmistress office
where she was offered tea and cake for the first time. Through
a haze of slim cigar smoke, Eleanor explained that as she had
graduated she was no longer a student so the interview was
more of a social chat. Asked where she hoped to be living and
working while pursuing her dreams of success on the athletic
field, Krista had been forced to face up to the reality of adult
life. She had always known that her education fees had been
guaranteed and yet she had not once considered requiring an
income after graduating. Following an extremely long
discussion regarding her prospects, and personal questions

concerning her ambitions beyond athletics, Eleanor enquired
as to whether Krista would consider the army as a career, the
army providing all the encouragement for her athletic dreams
while providing a salary and accommodation. They were both
aware, however, that Krista was a loner and unlikely to
respond favourably if asked to work as part of a team.
Just as it seemed they had exhausted all possibilities,
Eleanor handed her a job description clipped to a multi-paged
application form. She suggested the position on offer was
ideally suited to her and, with a first-class reference from the
school, she would almost certainly be offered an interview. It
would then be entirely up to her to prove herself. Requirements
for the post were outlined on un-headed paper, giving no clues
as to the type of employment or employer, but Krista reasoned
that if Miss Lewis was encouraging her to apply, it had to be
genuine. What she found even more unusual, however, was the
description of their preferred candidates. Whoever drafted the
advert had seemingly ignored employment laws by requesting
applications from young women only women in fact just like
her, with identical qualifications and interests. Female, 21-25,
single, without family ties to one area, of average build but
above average fitness, willing to move around the country with
the job and work flexible hours without supervision. A clean
driving licence is essential, as is good eyesight and an aptitude
for sport and electronics. The successful applicant will be one
who can demonstrate the ability to remain cool under pressure
while being able to use her own initiative. The work entails
operating alone but the chosen candidate will be provided with
full back-up if and when required. All accommodation and
transport will be provided, along with full training, an above
average salary, generous expense account and a non-
contributory pension scheme, the benefit of which will be
accessible on retirement.
Krista had been intrigued and asked Eleanor Lewis what
the job entailed. Rather than going into details, the
headmistress simply telephoned a gentleman she called
Edward, arranging an interview time for her in a very business-
like fashion. As Krista left Eleanors office, she was wished

good luck with the interview and given instructions to be
herself rather than anything the careers mistress had suggested.
Somewhat bizarrely, Eleanor then added that she should take
swimwear, a tracksuit and trainers with her. Never having
attended a job interview, Krista had no idea what to expect and
assumed it would be held locally, or perhaps even in London,
but she was provided with a coach ticket to Stow-on-the-Wold
plus five pound coins for unforeseen expenses. Eleanor
explained that a private car would be waiting close to the
coach stop and a woman by the name of Patricia would drive
her to the secluded country house location being used to
conduct the interview.
Amazingly, everything went smoothly and according to
the plan. She found herself being driven up a long, tree-lined,
drive towards a beautiful, honey-coloured property which she
later discovered contained conference rooms, a restaurant, full-
sized pool and luxury accommodation. The immense country
house also boasted a fully equipped gymnasium plus
marvellous outside athletic facilities, all with the latest hi-tech
equipment. Patricia, a middle-aged woman with short grey hair
cut into a flattering style, wore a well cut, dark trouser suit
over a dazzling white blouse but, although perfectly pleasant,
had said little on the journey, or during the tour of the eerily
empty house. Checking her watch, after roughly twenty
minutes, she escorted Krista to an office on the first floor
where only Krista was invited in by a particularly good-
looking man of around forty. He wore casual yet smart clothes
and smiled a genuinely warm greeting as he shook her hand.
Please, take a seat and relax. Ive heard a lot about you,
Krista, all of it good, I assure you. You are evidently Eleanor
Lewis star pupil, and come highly recommended by her, so
Im not sure why they want me to formally interview you but
lets have some tea brought in and go through the motions by
having a chat anyway; that should keep everyone happy.
Instantly at ease, Krista spoke at length about her interests,
capabilities and ambitions. The man, who had at no point
introduced himself, initially appeared uninterested in her
sporting abilities, which disappointed her, but having discussed

her lack of family or close friends, her interest in technology
and academic qualifications, he suddenly returned to her
athletic prowess. Having noticed the tracksuit in her holdall, he
asked if she would care to demonstrate her fitness on the field
and in the gym. The moment she agreed, Patricia returned to
the room and guided her to the well designed changing rooms.
Following a long afternoon of running, fencing, hurdling,
climbing ropes, swimming and hitting the inner circle several
times on the archery range before proving she had a head for
heights by scaling the artificial rock-face, her unnamed
interviewer wrote a lengthy appraisal on his clipboard before
asking if she had fired genuine guns as opposed to the paint-
balling weapons she was apparently so accurate with. The idea
of her school or university ever having wanted firearms to be
used on the premises seemed rather unlikely to Krista and she
apologised that the opportunity had never arisen, wondering if
her admission of never even handling a gun, other than those
used in paint-balling, was going to prevent her passing
whatever test she was clearly undertaking.
The good-looking man smiled and escorted her towards a
well-protected armoury. He signed out a small handgun and
they made their way to the practice range where he described
the weapon in great detail before demonstrating its capabilities.
In what she thought was a particularly brave action, he handed
her the gun, instructed her to load it as he had shown her and
invited her to fire four shots at a newly lowered target. Krista
had wished she had the farming background so many of the
girls in her school had been fortunate enough to possess, so, as
she took aim, she could not help but think of Gwen Williams.
Gwen had been one of the schools house captains and had
gone on to agricultural college, in preparation for when she
took over her familys estate. She would have scored a perfect
four out of four in the precise centre of the indicated area.
Encouraged to try for the Great Britain team, after easily
winning several county competitions, Gwen had declined the
offer, saying she would not have the time once she was
running the estate.

Though far different to the skills required in archery,
Krista had shot a crossbow many times so knew how to adapt
her shots in response to the first attempt. Her first attempt
missed the outline of the figure by centimetres but the
following shots inched nearer and nearer to the centre of the
required zone. Saying nothing, her instructor took back the
handgun, checked it was empty and returned it to the armoury
before pointing out other types of weaponry, all securely
locked in special cabinets at the side of the room. Krista had
been fascinated by the lethal array of rifles with sights and the
various types of handgun, some of the smallest having the
capability to kill at short range while looking like childrens
toys. She was allowed to handle the weapons and took great
care not to point them anywhere dangerous, even though she
was assured they were empty. Having asked technical
questions about each gun, and enquired as to its primary use
and range, she was taken to the otherwise empty restaurant and
invited to choose whichever dish she wanted from the
extensive menu.
After her excellent evening meal, Krista still had no idea
what job she was being interviewed for, who was offering the
post or what it entailed, but had thoroughly enjoyed her day.
She simply hoped she had given correct answers to the
questions which had been continually fired at her as she
demonstrated her fitness and agility. She had not needed to
wait long to find out. Following a drink in the bar she was
informed by the man with no name that the exhaustive
questionnaire she had been given to complete by Miss Lewis
had been marked as favourable. In addition, her responses to
questions he had asked that afternoon especially those
concerning how she would deal with hypothetical situations
were the most imaginative he had heard for some time. As a
result of her day-long assessment he had deemed her suitable
for a position within a unit of similarly qualified, like-minded
men and women, but before he could reveal the nature of the
work, she would be obliged to undergo psychological tests to
satisfy his bosses that she possessed the necessary aptitude for
what would be asked of her. He stressed that she would only

be told the nature of the post if she passed the tests but thought
it likely she would enjoy the challenges of the career on offer.
Krista agreed to undergo the tests and was allocated a room on
the top floor for the night. Thinking back over all that had been
said, she deduced the interview had not been designed to fill an
office post or recruit a salesperson. The guns had been the
incongruous test and she suspected Miss Lewis military past
had more than a little bearing on her being given the
opportunity to apply for whatever job was on offer.
The following days psychological tests confirmed her
suspicions, so she was unsurprised when asked by a panel of
interviewers, sitting behind a leather-topped desk in the vast
library, if she would enjoy working for a small government
department concerned with national security. She had
immediately asked if it was MI5 or MI6 but the good-looking
man, still nameless, shook his head, explaining how their
authority came directly from number ten, meaning they were
answerable to no one but the PM. He went on to say how this
arrangement meant they were at liberty to complete any task
given to them, by whatever means they saw fit, with no fear of
interference or arrest. They were necessarily a clandestine
team, their very existence known only to the PM, Home
Secretary, a handful of trustworthy Home Office personnel,
armed forces chiefs and very senior police officers; all of
whom referred to the department simply as The Unit.
Evidently there were several field operatives working in The
Unit, each having a particular strength they played to, but the
team was a female short and the interviewers all agreed Krista
would be ideal for the post. Krista had needed very little time
to think over whether she wished to join the small, elite band
of operatives and immediately agreed to take the position.
Unlike in tense films, portraying undercover agents or
government spies, where operatives were essentially on their
own if arrested, she learnt that should she be taken into
custody, her one permitted call, made to The Units operations
room, would secure release from any British police station
within minutes. If for any reason this did not happen, she was
assured the department also benefitted from the services of a

Home Office barrister who dealt solely with government
issues. Although this barrister was theoretically on twenty-four
hour call for The Units operatives, it was unlikely she would
ever need to physically visit a police station. A call of her own,
to the relevant areas Chief Constable would always suffice
and no record of any operatives arrest or suspected
involvement would remain on file.
Once Krista had decided to accept the job offer, she was
obliged to change her unusual name for one which would
arouse little interest or remain in someones memory.
Choosing to become Jennifer Jones she was furnished with all
the necessary documents to prove it; birth certificate, driving
licence, educational certificates and medical records. Every
one of her original documents had been taken from her and
placed in The Units safe until the day she retired. She had
never seen her genuine birth certificate; it had been kept at the
school until she required it. As she never had cause to ask for
it, she was unaware of the names or addresses given for her
mother and father, so accepted the story she had been given;
that of being called Krista Crawshaw, given up by her mother
and placed in the school by her unknown father. When she first
met The Major, he had instructed her to forget she had ever
been Krista Crawshaw or even visited Wales. He also
suggested she cut her shoulder-length hair to a far shorter style,
to facilitate the wearing of wigs in the course of her
assignments, and to wear glasses whenever possible, even
though they would only be plain glass. Having lost the final
trace of her Welsh accent, she was certain not even the girls
she had known at school would recognise her on days she
carried out work for The Majors Unit.



Chapter Two

Targets


After a twelve-month intensive training course in
Northumberland, Krista had felt fitter and sharper than ever
before. The comprehensive programme included advanced
driving tuition, expert instruction in the use of firearms and
electronics, plus a thorough grounding in anatomy, drugs and
readily available poisons all of which Krista found
fascinating. She found the classes in acting and sleight of hand
illusion equally as enthralling, but most of all she enjoyed the
hours of sports instruction. The expert coaching improved her
already above average ability to well beyond athletic club
standard. On the final day of the course, she was congratulated
and passed as competent for her first solo assignment.
Her instructions were to simply follow a middle-aged man
who would arrive alone and without luggage at Manchester
airport. He had travelled from Alicante on a holiday flight but
there had been no one in the arrivals lounge or car park to meet
him so it had been a straightforward task to follow the taxi he
took to a mid-priced bed and breakfast in the city. Krista
wondered if the man was actually one of their own, giving her
the chance of a dummy run, but of course, once she had passed
on the required information, she never discovered the full story
behind the mans reason for being in the country, or what
further action was taken. Her assignments however, usually a
few weeks apart, became increasingly complicated and
increasingly perilous, some requiring many of her skills. Two
of the people she had trained with now planted evidence in
criminals homes or cars before the police were tipped off as to
what they would find, effectively removing a known nuisance
for several years, but Krista knew her assignments would
eventually be far more lethal.

When given her seventh assignment, she was amazed to
learn that her male target had been classified by the
government as an undesirable. She was provided with details
of the man, plus a code name to refer to him by in all
communications. Throughout her years of service, Kristas
targets would always be issued with the name of a type of bird,
and in her first assignment to deal with an undesirable the
allocated code name had been Mr Finch. She had been
authorised to despatch the target as soon as safely possible,
wherever and however she felt most appropriate. She had felt a
little apprehensive at first but, after reading his file, accepted
that her excellent training had been designed especially to deal
with such people and The Major obviously had faith in her
ability to complete the assignment or she would not have been
given it. Her fantastic salary and expense account reflected
what was expected of her and it was far more than following
men to guest houses, driving more experienced operatives to
their assignments, pretending to be someone she wasnt or
placing surveillance equipment in a targets home; all of which
she had so far succeeded in doing without incident.
Mr Finch, her first coded target, was a middle-aged man
she felt no compassion for, even before he had made an
approach to her in the bar of the luxury hotel where he was
staying. Dressed in a business suit, and supposedly studying
graphs on a laptop, she had pretended to be waiting for a
colleague but had pre-programmed a bogus call on her mobile
to give credence to her explanation of having been stood up.
Decades older than she was at the time, the man she thought of
only as Mr Finch introduced himself as Dennis and bought her
a couple of drinks before inviting her to have dinner with him.
She accepted his offer and ordered a prawn cocktail, followed
by a fish pie concoction, despite her severe allergy to sea-
foods. As the starter arrived, Dennis was called away to the
hotel telephone to answer an unexpected call and he urged her
to start her meal as the main course would be arriving shortly.
Krista wondered if the call would be from one of his numerous
girlfriends, but uppermost in her mind while listening to his

clichd chat-up lines had been the reason she was seated at his
table, and what was required of her.
Although undesirable targets were given names of animals
or birds rather than their real names throughout an assignment,
most were well-known or serious offenders who had escaped
the justice system by intimidation or the elimination of
witnesses. Targets given to Krista, and other operatives, had
often been reluctantly released from custody only to re-offend
within days, believing themselves to be above the law. It was
rare she was allowed to know details of any targets offences
but in the case of male perpetrators she was always fully
briefed and warned not to place herself in danger by
accompanying the man to anywhere private.
Dennis had apparently attacked his wife and daughter,
having traced them to a womens refuge. By threatening to kill
the wifes sister and her children, he had coerced his terrified
wife to return home. At the time it happened, before a
welcome change in the law, the police and social services had
been powerless to help when told the wife no longer wished to
bring charges. Merely days afterwards, an ambulance had been
called to Denniss address. His wife claimed she had attempted
to defend her daughter but in the ensuing fight, Dennis had
been stabbed with a kitchen knife. The wound had not been
life-threatening but he nevertheless pressed charges, telling the
police it was a totally unprovoked attack by his wife. Despite
evidence given by the daughter, supporting the wifes version
of events, Mrs Finch had been found guilty and sent to prison,
her daughter being told to return home with her father.
As a lawyer, Dennis had then called on one of his legal
chums to represent him when he applied for sole custody and
was granted it on the grounds of his wifes instability. The
daughter ran away twice but no one believed her story of being
abused as she had a history of self-harm. Dennis maintained he
had tried his best but the girl obviously took after her unhinged
mother. Within weeks, another ambulance had been called to
the address when the fourteen-year-old supposedly fell to her
death from the fifth floor window. The first paramedic on the
scene was unconvinced by Denniss version of events and

reported his suspicions to the police. Finally, someone listened
to Denniss wife and the requested autopsy revealed a variety
of unexplained and untreated injuries. When Dennis once more
pleaded his innocence, blaming his non-maternal wife for any
assaults on the girl, a female deputy chief constable looked
further into the case and believed the wifes version of events.
When Dennis was once more allowed to go free, thanks mainly
to the jury believing his attractive and persuasive female
barrister, the DCC contacted The Major a man she knew
from experience had extensive and unfettered means of dealing
with such miscarriages of justice.
After four weeks of investigations, there had been no
question whatsoever that the man had indeed escaped justice
and Krista had been assigned her first elimination. She had
little sympathy for the man but had been trained never to allow
her dislike of a person to be obvious or impair her clinical
approach to the task. Removing such people from society,
when all other channels had failed, was no different in her
mind to putting down a dangerous animal in order to protect
innocent members of the public. The solution was a service
which proved to be far less costly than expensive court cases
resulting in, at best, ludicrously short jail terms.
By the time Dennis returned, complaining there had been
no one on the line, her prawn salad glass was empty and the
waiter was arriving with the main course. She loaded her fork
and had it almost to her mouth when she saw the hotel
manager at the dining room door once more. Alerting her
companion to the possibility of his being called back to the
telephone, she waited until he turned his head before deftly
wrapping the forkful of fish in her paper napkin and sliding it
onto her lap. Dennis, who had been telling Krista details of his
fictional job in television, swore at the interruption and made
his way to the dining room door but the manager had merely
been attempting to gain the attention of one of the waiters.
Denniss fate, however, had been sealed during his short
absence from the table, thanks to a condiment not usually
found in kitchens being liberally sprinkled on his rare steak.

Having secreted the remainder of her fish in the napkin
and placed it in her handbag, Krista arranged the knife and
fork on the side of the plate while making certain of her target
swallowing at least one mouthful of the steak. As he did so,
she looked forward to the fresh fruit dessert, the only course
she would actually consume. Enduring further lies concerning
his involvement with recruiting for top shows, Krista was
relieved when Dennis finished his meal. Though beginning to
sweat profusely, he suggested they go somewhere quieter for a
liqueur. She had thought at the time that if Dennis was an
example of how men treated their wives, and told such
plausible lies, then she was pleased she would be going home
alone to watch a DVD while enjoying a glass of wine and a
microwave curry for one.
Offering only a token resistance to his suggestion, she
explained that she had to visit the ladies room first but
nonchalantly left not only the dining room but the hotel as
well. She had no reason to wait until the ambulance was called.
Mr Finch, Dennis, or whatever his real name was, would be
dead before he reached the hospital, and even if her
photograph from a CCTV camera or artists impression was
shown on television, no one would be able to identify the
slightly overweight woman with long red hair and a plaster
cast on her right arm. CCTV was only useful if anyone was
actually watching the picture and could either identify the
person involved or have them arrested immediately. Her
disguise and fake injury had not only been adopted to prevent
identification but to convey a slight insecurity and
vulnerability which would appeal to her target. The wig, cast
and extra layers of clothing were disposed of the moment she
returned home; the benefits of an open fire were never to be
underestimated.
Her first coded assignment had been a success and she was
moved to a newly furnished flat before being given the next
target. By possessing only a few personal items she was able to
relocate unaided, as what needed to be taken with her could
easily be transported in a car. Normally there was just her bed
linen, a box of CDs and several DVDs, all of which she played

on her laptop rather than owning various and cumbersome
media appliances. She owned a modest amount of personal
clothing and footwear, but wigs, make-up, glasses and working
clothes were obtained as required from The Units stores. Once
used on an assignment these items were either burned
immediately or returned to The Unit for disposal. In her line of
work, thanks to her build and height, the garments she wore
most often were hooded sweatshirts, baseball caps and
sunglasses as they ensured her ability to pass as an
unremarkable, teenage boy often a wonderful cover.
On her days off, Krista led an uncomplicated life where all
the stresses and strains of normal day-to-day living were taken
care of for her. Bills were paid on time, appointments were
made, and whichever flat, mobile home or holiday cottage she
was supposedly renting would have been acquired by a Mr.
Smith, McDonald, OConnor or Khan, depending on the
location. Also fully taken care of had been her cars, always
unremarkable vehicles but changed regularly. The cars were
usually silver or red entry-level models of popular family
saloons meaning they would blend in wherever they were
parked. The number plates and tax discs on all of The Units
vehicles were registered to a fictitious government department
but the police national computer would inform any officer
asking for details that the car and its driver should be allowed
to continue without being stopped or questioned for any
reason. No speeding tickets or illegal parking ever resulted in
fines, points on operatives fake licences or towed away
vehicles, but illegal clampers quickly found themselves at the
nearest police station, being questioned for as many hours as
legally possible if they were unlucky enough to target a car
belonging to The Unit.
Thanks to the type of properties rented for her, Krista
rarely saw neighbours. If she accidentally found herself talking
to one, however, they would usually be the sort of people
unlikely to ask personal questions or invite her in for coffee, a
situation which suited Krista. As a loner she was unaffected by
any of The Units stringent regulations concerning friends and
acquaintances but most of her colleagues seemed to struggle

with the no close friends allowed rule far more than the total
ban on romantic attachments. Any operative discovered to be
disobeying the directives was instantly dismissed. Having been
warned that all operatives were regularly followed, and often
kept under close surveillance for up to a month at a time,
Krista happily complied with the condition as she saw no
reason to jeopardise her career.
When she turned thirty three, Krista fully expected to be
transferred to a training position or given a post involving the
selection of new operatives but the subject was never
mentioned so she continued working as a field agent; still
undergoing regular medicals plus the occasional psychological
tests. The tests were undertaken by Euan MacLean, The Units
resident psychologist, and were usually amusing but
instructive. Krista always thought of the day-long sessions as a
pleasant, entertaining experience to look forward to and liked
Euan more than she had ever liked anyone including the one
and only man with whom she had had a relationship; a
relationship she had enjoyed during her time at university.
At thirty-four, still working in the field, routinely receiving
complex or dangerous assignments, Krista began to experience
vivid dreams for the first time in her life, often concerning
work and the people she had met there. Normally the dreams
would be while she was asleep in bed but occasionally they
would occur when she drifted off to sleep while watching a
film, something she seemed to do more and more often.
Strangely, she recalled little of the dreams by the morning, but
if they woke her, she would remember talking over problems
or asking advice from an attractive man. It was always the
same man, and his advice was constantly sound, but she had no
idea if the man was a real person she may once have seen or
simply a character she had imagined while dreaming.
After several such experiences she wrote down everything
she recalled of a dream the moment she woke and was
surprised to find they all seemed to be set at the small tea shop
she frequented in the Cotswolds or beside a small stream, also
in Gloucestershire, where a fallen tree provided a makeshift
bench. The attractive man, however, remained a mystery and

after unsuccessfully trying to recall a time she genuinely met
him, she concluded he was simply a figment of her
imagination. Probably in his late thirties, the man, who had
introduced himself as Finlay, appeared extremely fit, in both
senses of the word. From his conversations with her, she
deduced he was also a government operative, in the same line
of business, making it quite appropriate for them to discuss
work matters.
Kristas most high-profile target was the one she
instinctively knew would mark the end of her career, one way
or another. He had been a household name; a popular actor in a
weekly soap who was attractive and outwardly appeared to be
a charming, charismatic man, known to be extremely generous
to a wide variety of charities. His arrest would cause untold
outrage within certain circles and Krista had been given the
option to turn down the assignment in view of how difficult it
would be to isolate the man from his family, associates or
driver a driver who seemed to be equally at home in the role
of bodyguard. She was given a copy of the targets file to read.
It fully detailed the mans involvement with organised crime,
trafficked Eastern European workers of both sexes and the
high possibility of his being responsible for several
unexplained deaths. She had asked how long she had to
complete the assignment and was doubtful she could arrange
anything in the time available. The Major understood her
concerns completely but knew that if Krista felt reluctant to
take on the assignment, he could not expect any of his other
operatives to accept it, so he offered her assistance from as
many juniors as she required; an unprecedented luxury, but
one he felt necessary.
Having read the mans file Krista agreed to the
assignment, knowing it would be every bit as difficult as The
Major suspected. The actor rarely left his huge Highgate home
without the burly driver, but the house itself was a fortress. He
had a current wife, two ex-wives, plus a stroppy teenage
daughter living with him, alongside domestic staff and a large
guard dog, but even if they had all gone out, leaving him
completely alone, the security system would have deterred a

professional burglar. Approaching the man, known to viewers
as Kenny Aycliffe, was never going to be easy but his birth
certificate read Thomas Ayres, so Krista searched for a way he
would meet her of his own free will. Kenny Aycliffe quickly
became known to her as Mr Hawk but the assignment required
a lot of thought and planning.
By reading pages of information concerning the man and
his habits, she discovered he had a mother still living. In stark
contrast to her targets luxury lifestyle, Evelyn Ayres, his
elderly mother, survived on a basic state pension in a rundown
part of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This was a fact unknown to his
fans but one which gave Krista the best chance of coming face
to face with the man without arousing suspicion. Her plan took
days to formulate; it relied on information she had read, a trip
to the street where his mother lived and a complete change of
her appearance before she could even attempt to put the plan
into action.
Taking a borrowed Labrador puppy to Evelyn Ayres
house, aware of how the woman was a supporter of several
animal charities, Krista knocked on the door and asked if she
knew who the pup belonged to since the poor thing had no
collar or means of identification. She added for emotional
effect that it had been sitting in the nearby park looking lost.
Krista claimed she had tried other houses but either the
occupants were out or wanted nothing to do with helping her
locate the puppys owner. Evelyn had seen no threat from a
drab-looking young woman on her own with a dog and asked
if she wanted some water for the panting puppy. The front
door opened directly into the front room so, once inside the
property, Krista took mental notes of the interior in order to
describe the place to her target, should it be necessary to do so.
Standing in the old-fashioned kitchen at the rear of the
property, while the puppy drank water from a cracked bowl,
Krista explained that she didnt live in the area but her friend
at works mother regularly went to bingo at the nearby social
club so would ask the ladies there as a last resort. Her lie, just
as Krista had expected it to, prompted Evelyn to chatter about
the club and the people she went with, so by the time Krista

asked if she had any family nearby, her targets mother was
willing to reveal many of Thomas Ayres personal details;
some unknown to the media or even The Unit. Evelyn
continued for so long that Krista was pleased she had decided
to record every word of their conversation on her digital voice
recorder a gadget which had been designed to look like a
famous supermarkets lapel badge.
Back in her hotel room, contact with Mr Hawks family
established, using her secure and totally untraceable mobile,
she called the targets home phone. The number had naturally
been ex-directory but the listings were openly available to The
Unit, giving the impression that the caller had been given the
number by a friend or relation. Thomas, as she had begun to
think of him, rather than Mr Hawk or Aycliffe, answered the
phone himself and she hesitantly asked if he was Evelyn
Ayres son. Without asking who was calling he confirmed that
he was and asked if his mother was alright, clearly assuming
the woman he had not spoken to for twenty years was anything
but alright if someone was contacting him about her. Krista
had noticed in the notes concerning his past that he severed all
contact with his mother after leaving Newcastle to become an
actor. Sensing he would be reluctant to talk about Evelyn to a
stranger, Krista claimed to be a friend of his mother, having
met her at the bingo club two streets away from his old family
home. She went on to explain that the old lady was seriously
ill, talked about him constantly and wanted to make her peace
with him. Thomas seemed indifferent to her suggestion of
coming up to see the old lady before she passed on, so Krista
detailed how Evelyn was no longer eating and refusing
medication; allowing no one but her into the house. When
Thomas still appeared to be unmoved, she added that if it made
any sense to him, his mother had claimed she finally wanted to
tell him the truth about his father.
Thomas had been told as a child that his father died during
the war, but the boy who aspired to become an actor had
subsequently discovered, from a copy of his birth certificate,
that his mother had been unmarried. Further investigations had
proved difficult but the little he had learnt from elderly

neighbours suggested his father had been unknown to anyone
living in the area. Evelyn had flatly refused to tell him the
name of the married man who deserted her the moment he
learnt she was having a baby but it was well known that the
actor had always wanted to discover who his father was,
presumably to give the man a piece of his mind rather than an
embrace. When Thomas hesitated at Kristas suggestion that
he make his visit sooner rather than later, she explained how
Evelyn had decided to tell him the truth about his father as it
would amaze him and, from what the old lady had been saying,
she had left him the house to make up for his early years.
Thomas had absolutely no interest in inheriting the tiny
mid-terraced house in Newcastle, which had no doubt
remained untouched since the day he moved out of it. His car
had probably cost more than the property was worth
financially but he did want to exchange unpleasantries with the
man who caused him to suffer such an unhappy childhood,
living alone with a woman who locked him in the cellar for the
slightest misdemeanour and regularly thrashed him for no
reason other than his being the child who ended her one and
only romance. He had never blamed the other children on the
street, or those in the schoolyard, for shunning him, they were
simply obeying their parents instructions to avoid having
anything to do with the boy who had no father, but he would
never forgive his mother for her cruelty or his father for what
he had done. He informed Krista that he would be there that
evening and she assured him of how she would be at the house
to let him in.
Normally she would have had little hesitation in deciding
her method of despatch or disguise but having read The Units
confidential file concerning her target, she understood the man
appeared to have an unnatural hatred of women in authority or
uniform. Instead of concealing her weapon inside a district
nurses bag and simply walking away from the house to a car
parked conveniently outside the front door, she had needed to
devise a safer plan. The occupants of nearby houses were
mostly pensioners or young mothers, so a district nurse
disguise would actually not have been without risk there