Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Three

The Cessna plane was already thirty thousand feet above the English Channel by the time the Special Operations Service at Heathrow received the MI6 telex.Sarah.Jason was sitting in a thick armchair with his seat belt scrambled aside.She was languidly leaning on the cushions, holding a glass of whiskey in her left hand, smoking non-stop.She closed her eyes, opening them only slightly when she stubbed out a cigarette, lit another, or poured a drink. Jacob unbuckled his seat belt, stood up with a slight wobble, walked across the narrow aisle to her side, and touched her shoulder lightly.He asked her how she was feeling, but she didn't seem to hear, her eyes still closed.His words are like playing the piano to a cow.He looked at her, then returned to his seat, sitting alone, his face lined with concern.

He was taking her to a safe place, but that would not be an ideal place of refuge.How long can he protect her?How can they get out of this predicament that even they themselves don't fully understand? Sarah will be safer for a while, but she will live in a cold palace isolated from the world.She may lose the strength to start her life anew as a result.She might try to put those two murders aside as best she could, but how was she going to get on with her life?In such a beautiful time, she will be deeply trapped in a helpless situation. He knew she would figure out one way or another to express her individuality in everything.Otherwise, she will sink in the mire of doing nothing.

The plane bumped through the turbulence and began to descend.Sarah opened her eyes, took a swig of whiskey, and turned to look out the window.Below she saw a plain, surrounded by mountains in the distance, faintly visible in the gray sun.She saw an airport and a runway.The plane began to descend, slowing to a crawl as tires creaked on the shiny tarmac. A few minutes later, the plane stopped in front of a small terminal.A uniformed pilot approached the front of the plane and asked Sarah, grinning, if she had a good trip.She heard her own voice in the distance, as if it were not her own but someone else's.Yes, thank you.She spoke quietly and politely, but said nothing else.The man smiled and beckoned her to follow him.She stood up, but she couldn't stand firmly. The muscles in her legs were like cotton, and they didn't listen to her commands.Feeling exhausted and weak, she grimaced and pushed herself forward, following the men in uniform.Jacob followed and saw her walking like a wounded child toward a door that had just opened beside the cockpit.

The captain jumped onto the runway and exchanged pleasantries with a man who was waiting outside.The man had black hair, dark skin, and a navy blue uniform.He smiled and said to the two passengers who got off the plane: Welcome to Morocco.Morocco!Sarah was rather curious.She walked down three steps and felt the heat as soon as she stepped onto the runway. The dark-skinned man took the two suitcases handed to him by the captain and led Sarah and Jacob into the terminal building.The floor of the building is covered with white and gray floor tiles, which are hard and rattling when walking on them.Sarah found her footsteps annoyingly loud.She looked around and saw Arabic writing everywhere.In the past, these words seemed very cheerful in her eyes, but now they seemed to be ominous.There were people everywhere: dark-skinned men with mustaches and smiling faces, women carrying things like tool boxes.She guessed that it was a cosmetic box that women carry with them.Some of the heavily made-up women carried as many as four, five or even six boxes on their backs.She glanced at her own face through the glass partition, and turned her head away quickly.

The driver led them to the customs and shook hands with them.They showed their passports, went through customs, walked through the airport passenger hall, and arrived at the brightly lit baggage claim in the building's forecourt. Sarah's eyes were narrowed by the sun.What is she doing here?She turned to Jacob.Jacob grabbed her arm, greeted a man who was walking towards them, and led her to him. After the two men hugged each other, Jacob turned around with a smile and introduced Jack.Kerr.Kerr was all smiles, eyeing her curiously.Sarah shook his hand and looked at him with the same curiosity.He was a small, dark man with a bald fringe of hair on his head, and he had bright brown eyes.Sarah looked into those eyes and smiled at him.After Kerr saw it, he couldn't close his mouth with a smile.

Welcome to Marrakech!He took the boxes and led them to a shiny Mercedes. Sarah looked around, and it seemed to her that she should be on vacation.This warm welcome, this bright sun, this hot climate.She asked herself again what she was doing here.She thought of work, and thought of Intercontinental Bank.Those Arabic words made her uncomfortable.Controlling herself with all her might, she stepped through the open door and got into the car. The seats are leather.It was very cool in the car, and she immediately felt as comfortable as drinking a glass of cold water.The coolness made goose bumps on her arms.She looked out the window, tears streaming down like broken beads.

This was seen out of the corner of his eye by Jacob, who was sitting next to her.He was relieved to see her cry.This is not like the painful sobbing a few hours ago, this is her acceptance of the reality, there is nothing she can do. Jack got into the driver's seat, put on his seat belt, and pulled the car out of the parking lot onto a tarmac road.After a few minutes, he turned the car onto a dirt road.There were many people on old bicycles on the road, and there were carts drawn by thin pony horses.Sarah closed her eyes, trying to sleep with it for a while. Soon she was awakened by a car driving on a winding road.They are climbing high hills.From time to time, fir trees and cacti can be seen on both sides of the road. Gradually, a slope like a high ocher wall appeared on one side of the road, and a steep slope into a bottomless valley appeared on the other side.Jack was a skilled driver, and occasionally he had to squeeze the car against the side of the dirt wall to make way for a car hauling logs.

An hour later, he slowed down, made a sharp turn to the left, and stopped the car in front of two tall white iron gates.He reached out and pressed a small black thing on the dashboard, and the two doors opened automatically.He was driving along a half-mile drive.The green grass on both sides of the driveway is full of gorgeous flowers, red, orange, pink, and yellow.Sarah looked at the flowers, then turned her head just in time to see the two large doors closing of their own accord.She wondered where the water for this piece of green land came from.She rolled down the car window, and a scent of hot air rushed towards her face immediately.

The car slowed down again and turned into a wide curved driveway under a large house.The house was several stories high and was built with local clay and stone.The house has a rich ochre-coloured exterior, with beautifully carved wooden shutters all down, surrounded by blooming flowers and a variety of plants.Then blocks of terraces appeared in front of the car. Jack got out of the car and opened the door on Sarah's side.She got out of the car and stopped for a while before a flight of steps leading to the house.A man and a woman at the top of the steps quickly ran down to help them carry their luggage.

It's Angelo and Mariella, Jack said, nodding at them, who've worked for me for twenty years, first in Spain and then after I've come here. They smiled at Sarah and Jacob, and went up the steps. Sarah slowly climbed the stairs.When she reached the top of the steps, she stopped and gazed at the scene before her.Down the driveway are terraces, each of which is planted with various plants and shrubs, some of which have grown to the stone path.Further down the terrace is a garden that is almost untended. In the afternoon sun, the tall palm trees in the garden cast short shadows, and the garden is full of blooming flowers.At a distance around the garden, there is a high stone wall, where the flowers and trees are also very luxuriant.In this green, hidden from the eyes of the human eye, is a barbed wire fence.Not far away are rolling hills covered with low shrubs.Sarah turned to Jack.

Where are we? Vygarn, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. It's beautiful here. He also smiled at her, you settle down, after a period of rest, you must go to the mountains to have a look. She nodded slightly.He took her arm and led her towards the house.She was too tired, so he took her away.Jacob followed. The three of them entered the house, into a cool foyer.The foyer was thirty feet high, with stairs on either side.The other end of the foyer leads to a courtyard with many exotic flowers and fountains. Jack leads Sarah up the stairs on the right.It is a shaded passage with windows on the side.The elegant venetian blinds on the windows are all down, blocking the hot sun outside, and the air is gently poured in through the louver blades.Jack stopped at a dull rosewood door and pushed it open, letting Sarah in.If you need anything, you can call Mariela.Her phone number is extension five.My number is one and Jacob's is four.He smiled and turned to leave.Jacob took her hand and squeezed it and said: See you later.Sarah also squeezed his hand and watched him leave.Her door clicked shut, and there was silence. Sarah took a good look around the room.It was a living room, spacious and cool, with a few Persian rugs on the wooden floor.The shelves are full of books.There are some paintings and photos on the walls.Sarah stepped forward and looked carefully.There are mountains, flowers, the sea, and some unnamed portraits on it.Sarah didn't know who these people were.In the dim light, she squinted her eyes.It was too dark in the room, save for a little light from the blinds of the front windows. She goes into a bedroom.French windows open onto a flowered roof deck.The muslim curtains swayed gently in the breeze.The covers on the bed had been removed, and the snow-white sheets were folded down, as if someone knew that she was very tired.It was simply what she wished for.She took off her clothes on the chair and got into the comfortable quilt.She fell asleep as usual. Jacob and Jack sat in the little library, drinking whiskey together. Thank you so much for arranging the flight and all that. Yo, what a shame.I have been with you for so many years, and you have never begged me.i think you have a few things to thank Jacob laughed.If you look at it that way, then Jack has a point.His friend, who was ten years younger than him, had been his apprentice in the early years and learned all the skills he could teach him, but he didn't learn them so well, and sometimes he had bumps and bumps.More than once he approached Jacob to provide his alibi, or to ask him for help with thorny issues that he couldn't handle on his own.Thinking of these past events, Jacob couldn't help laughing.He looked around. You did a great job, I'm glad I saw it.Already greatly surpassed your master. Jack shrugged and demurred, and I was still a little reckless.However, if you can get away from your little place in Golders|Green Road, you probably will, too. Jacob's eyes widened, and he said unconvinced: Why must I do this?I have everything there.Besides, for that matter, I don't need a hiding place in a friendly country that doesn't participate in the extradition treaty. Now it's Jack's turn to tease him unconvinced, hey, I don't need it either.I bought this place just in case.It's not surprising that I later decided I liked this place better than Golders Green's.His expression suddenly became very serious. Besides, there is a hiding place that can be used for emergencies.He paused, looking unsure, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to tell me, whether you say it or not, you can stay here for as long as you want.However, if I know something, maybe I can help a little. Jacob frowned, looked at his hands, then looked up to meet his friend's eyes. It's a long story.Some of it I don't even know, and what I do know is a mess.The poor girl is in a very dangerous situation now.Two of her friends were wiped out.She thinks the killer is looking for her now.She was right.I think they will.There should be some good people on her side, but I don't trust them.I always thought she was being used.How and why, I don't know.This thing is weird.I figured it would be best to jump out of it and hide from the limelight until I figured things out.To be honest, I don't know what to do, but at least we're in a safer place here.He wanted to say that it would be safer for now, but he swallowed it back when the words reached his lips.He looked at Jack's suspicious face.He knew he had no choice but to tell him everything he knew. James.Bartrop sat alone in his office, twisting a pencil in his hand.His eyes sparkled from time to time as he went through his thoughts.There was a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he felt curious. Sarah.Jason suddenly disappears and two of her best friends are murdered.These things are very scary, but it also shows that things have turned for the better.The cost of this action will be political.Bartrop, or C on his behalf, will be questioned severely by the Foreign Secretary, the Attorney-General and perhaps the Prime Minister.He was in a difficult position with the murder of two foreigners, but if Fieri was indeed involved in the murders, and if he could prove it, the situation was not irreversible.Both murders, while heinous, are also inspiring, even hopeful.These were two contract murders by cool hitmen, they were Mafia-related, they were Fieri-related.According to Barrington's report, Jansen had spoken of Fieri, and Bartrop was now convinced of Fieri's involvement. Anything that would lead him to learn more about Fieri was good for him, so the two murders caused him a strange mix of worry and excitement.He wanted to put his worries aside as much as possible.People were dead, and he couldn't bring them back to life.For a moment he thought of Sarah.Jason, thinking she must be sad and scared.He felt a nameless pain.However, she is not very innocent.She crossed the threshold and took some dangerous actions, taking her life as a joke and provoking killers.But it was absolutely impossible for her to know this, and Bartrop knew that he had made a mistake in this matter.After all, she is a fledgling, and he used her a little improperly, something went wrong, so she was exposed, and now she has fled to save her life.It looked bloody and messy, but there were already some clues. Jensen must have picked up on a thread of mafia ties, maybe some kind of ties to Catania, and she herself was exposed by it.In order to kill people, the Mafia is now going to kill everyone they think may have learned about the situation from Sarah.He had to find her first and see what she learned.He notified dozens of agents working overseas to find her.Interpol, the FBI, and customs around the world are monitoring airports and ports. Sooner or later he will find her.Only then will the subtle work begin.If he found out where she was, he wouldn't bring her back.He will keep her under close and careful surveillance.If luck is good, coupled with their means, it is possible to catch the killer.It was a risk of her life, but it was a risk with mixed success, and in view of the possible consequences, it was not a bad thing to do.It would have been worth it if the killer had confessed to Fieri. Moira's words interrupted his train of thought: C wants to talk to you. Bartrop stood up and walked upstairs to the director's office, where C's secretary motioned for him to enter.He sat down in the chair next to C's oak desk. what news? I'm afraid Jason is missing. What should we do now?What other live bait do you have? Arnott and Vjitale are here.Catania is in Italy, I'll send someone to watch them.I've told the people in Italy that we're going to be monitoring Jason's apartment.He paused for a moment, as if to think about it, and I don't think it would do any good to have SSO arrest anyone now.We still don't know much about many things.Surveillance is the best way to get the whole case out and convict Fieri, don't you think? C didn't answer right away.He touched his chin, it made sense.What about Italy?You only talked to us, right? For now.It's best not to rush right now.There is a good chance that the Mafia will go undercover among Italian agents.They could ruin the whole operation.Sooner or later we will ask them to participate, I understand that.If you don't mind, I'd like to delay it as much as possible. I don't mind.I agree with you more.We are not informing them for the time being.But you asked some workstations to be more vigilant, as well as Interpol, how do you explain to them? The Criminal Bureau is in contact with the Interpol.Their caliber is that this is a criminal case.From a global perspective, Sarah.Jason is a criminal. There was a smile on C's face, well, James, you have to give me a copy of all relevant materials.I will report to the committee. The committee he was referring to was the Permanent Ministerial Committee on the work of the security sector.It discusses general priorities, budgets, potential political woes and scandals.Catania's intrigue involved both of the latter two.The cabinet ministers, the permanent ministers of the home and foreign affairs, and the ministers of the standing committee will consider what C has briefed them before deciding whether to refer the matter to the foreign secretary and the prime minister. Feel free to report to me, James.This thing is a little tricky.If we are a little careless, we can do only limited damage at best.I don't have to tell you this, do I?You need to find Sarah as soon as possible.Jason, the sooner the better.