Echoes of a Violin

Chapter 7: Neal and the Doctor

Neal placed a call to Sara from the hospital after John left. As predicted, when she heard about the attempt on Peter's life she was eager to participate. Together, they worked on their shopping list. Sara's obligations were light that day. She offered to leave work early to acquire the needed gear. Neal tracked down a motor scooter rental place in Iver near Scima. It closed at five, but Sara said she'd handle the paperwork and Neal could meet her there. The rental shop had a return box to place keys for late returns. All systems were fully operational, with liftoff scheduled for six o'clock that evening.

Neal wheeled John's metallic blue Jaguar into the motor scooter lot promptly at the appointed hour. The car drove like a dream, even better than Byron's. He still had to pinch himself that John had offered it to him. Who would have thought a Brit was less of a stickler for rules and regulations than Peter?

Sara was standing outside the rental office beside a bright blue scooter. She had three large shopping bags next to her. Neal rolled down the window and waved at her as he drove past. Her face lit up when she saw who was at the wheel.

As he parked the car in the lot, she strolled over to greet him. "Nice wheels. James Bond would approve. How's Peter?"

"He's still out of it, but the doctor says that's to be expected. She believes it will be several more hours before the drug wears off. I was with Peter till I needed to leave to meet you. He woke up once but was too woozy to say anything. There's a police guard on his door and John promised to keep me posted. He's staying at the hospital during our caper."

"You realize that if Peter were awake, he probably wouldn't have allowed this."

Neal grinned. "I'm sure you're wrong. Since I started working for him, Peter's loosened up. He rarely bothers quoting from the Bureau manual now."

Sara eyed him skeptically. "He wouldn't object to us sneaking into Scima as stunt doubles? He'd look the other way if you broke into Chapman's office?"

"Of course," Neal said confidently and quickly changed the subject. "Any trouble finding the clothes?"

"Not for a world-class shopper. I bought everything on our list, just as we discussed." She handed him a bag. "This one's for you. Brown pinstripe suit and white running shoes. Your helmet's in the other bag."

"What did you get for yourself?"

"I'll be a vision in a bouffant pink skirt, denim jacket, and blond wig. I scouted out locations before you arrived and there's a petrol station just down the street where we can change."

Neal grinned. "Jump in, luv. I'll give you a lift."

Minutes later, transformed into the Doctor and Rose Tyler, they returned to the motor scooter shop. Her blond wig looked better than the ones Neal had seen on the stunt doubles at the soundstage earlier in the day. Sara had pulled part of the hair back and tied it with a pink satin ribbon. Since she was going in as a stunt double, she didn't have to resemble Billie that closely, but Sara had copied her look well. She'd darkened her eyebrows, added dark eyeliner and eyelashes, and used a pale pink lipstick. When she caught Neal checking her out, she executed a perfect Billie pout. "Do I pass?"

"They'll want to hire you along with me."

"They didn't really want to hire you, did they?"

"If you don't believe me, ask the stunt coordinator. His name is Colin Granger."

"I just might," she said, adding a Cockney accent to her voice. "Have you ever driven a scooter before? Maybe you should let me drive."

"Hey, I've driven a scooter in Milan and lived to tell the tale." Neal slapped on his helmet. "We only have three miles to go. You think you can fit that skirt behind me?"