I Am Pilgrim

Read I Am Pilgrim for Free Online Page B

Book: Read I Am Pilgrim for Free Online
Authors: Terry Hayes
safety, and facing the need for immediate action, youdidnothesitateorgiveanythoughttoyourpersonalwelfare,’hewrote.
    Hesaidthatwhileitwasimpossibleforthepublicevertoknowofmyactions,bothhepersonally
    andthecountryatlargeweredeeplygratefulfortheserviceIhadperformed.Somewhereinithealso usedtheword‘hero’.
    Iwalkedtothedoor.Ifelttheassembledeyesonme,butIhardlynoticed.Iwentoutandstoodon thelawn,lookingacrossthebleaklandscape.‘Clearedofallwrongdoing,’theletterhadsaid,andasI thought on that and the other word he had used, it unchained a host of emotions in me. I wondered whatBillandGracewouldhavethought:wouldtheyhavefoundtheprideinmeIhadsolongdenied
    them?
    Iheardacar ’styrescrunchupthelonggraveldriveandstopatthefrontofthehouse,butIignored it.AndwhatofthedeadwomaninDetroit,theonewiththesamestartlingblueeyesasmine?Shehad lovedme,Iwassureofthat,butitwasstrangegiventhatIhardlyknewher.Whatwouldmymother
    feelifIcouldhavetoldher?
    Ikeptstandingthere,shouldershunchedagainstthewindandtheemotionaldebrisswirlingaround
    me,untilIheardadooropen.Iturned–theteamleaderandWonderbrawerestandingontheporch.
    Withthemwasanelderlyman,justarrivedinthecar,whomIhadknownforalongtime.Itdoesn’t
    matter what his name was – by design, nobody has ever heard of him. He was the director of The Division.
    Slowlyhecamedownthestepsandstoodwithme.‘Youreadtheletter?’heasked.Inodded.Heput
    hishandonmyarmandexertedatinypressure–hiswayofsayingthankyou.Iguessheknewthat
    anywordsofhiswouldhavelittlehopeofcompetingwiththatblue-and-goldseal.
    HefollowedmygazeacrossthebleaklandscapeandspokeofthemanIhadkilled.‘Ifyoutakethe
    finalbetrayaloutofit,’hesaid,‘hewasafineagent–oneofthebest.’
    Istaredathim.‘That’sonewayofputtingit,’Ireplied.‘Ifyoutakethebomboutofit,6Augustwas probablyanicedayinHiroshima.’
    ‘Jesus,Eddy!I’mdoingmybesthere,I’mtryingtofindsomethingpositive–hewasafriendof
    mine.’
    ‘Minetoo,Director,’Isaidflatly.
    ‘Iknow,Iknow,Eddy,’hereplied,restraininghimself–amazingwhataletterfromthepresident
    cando.‘I’vesaidadozentimesI’mgladitwasyou,notme.EvenwhenIwasyounger,Idon’tknowif
    Icouldhavedoneit.’
    Ididn’tsayanything:fromwhatIhadheardhewouldhavetakenamachineguntoDisneylandifhe
    hadthoughtitwouldhaveadvancedhiscareer.
    He turned his collar up against the wind and told me he wanted me to return to London. ‘I’ve checked with everyone who has to sign off. The decision was unanimous – I’m appointing you the newRideroftheBlue.’
    Isaidnothing,juststaredacrosstheblightedfieldsforalongtime,saddenedbeyondtellingbythe circumstances and those two little girls. I was twenty-nine years old and the youngest Rider of the Bluetherehadeverbeen.
    ChapterEight
    LONDONHADNEVERlookedmorebeautifulthanthenightIflewin–StPaul’sCathedral,theHousesof Parliamentandalltheotheroldcitadelsofpowerandgrandeurstandinglikesculpturesagainstared anddarkeningsky.
    It was less than twenty hours since my promotion, and I had travelled without rest. I was wrong aboutthelocationoftheranchhouse–itwasintheBlackHillsofSouthDakota,evenmoreremote
    thanIhadimagined.Fromthereitwasatwo-hourdrivetothenearestpublicairport,whereaprivate jethadflownmetoNewYorktoconnectwithaBritishAirwaystransatlanticflight.
    AFordSUV,threeyearsoldandsplashedwithdirttomakeitlookunremarkable,pickedmeupat
    Heathrow and took me into Mayfair. It was a Sunday night and there was little traffic, but even so progresswasslow–thevehiclewasarmour-platedandtheextraweightmadeitabitchtodrive.
    The guy wrestling the wheel finally turned into a cul-de-sac near South Audley Street and the garagedoorofaneleganttownhouseswungup.Wedroveintotheundergroundgarageofabuilding
    which,accordingtothebrassplaqueonthefrontdoor,wastheEuropeanheadquartersoftheBalearic IslandsInvestmentTrust.
    Asignunderneathtoldthepublicthatappointmentscouldbemadeonlybytelephone.Nonumber
    wasgivenand,ifanyoneeverchecked,Londondirectoryassistancehadnolistingforit.Needlessto

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