Ethereum

by N C Mander

  Edison had no response to this. The details of Sir Donald Hughes’ departure from the Security Service had never, and would never, be released to the media. Edison had been assured that there were only a handful of people that knew of his involvement. The case against Hughes had been predicated on Edison’s anonymous evidence. It had been strong enough to evict him from his position as director general but, notionally, not sufficient to bring criminal charges. Edison blamed himself for this, having been unable to pull together enough intelligence to back up his hearsay evidence in time. The truth of it was that Hughes had some very influential friends, and Edison suspected the disgraced director general had dossiers of dirt on some very senior figures in British politics. Timothy Johnson, Edison believed, had pulled the necessary strings to exonerate his friend in the eyes of the law.

  The pub was beginning to fill up, and Andy was called into action to prepare a large round for a rowdy group of men who looked like they’d just come off a boat. ‘Down from Mallaig, lads?’ Andy asked.

  ‘Aye,’ one of them replied. ‘Back for the first sailings tomorrow morning.’

  Robert excused himself, spotting a friend on the other side of the bar, and left Edison to his thoughts. They were filled with Hughes and Anna and stowaway terrorists. The ill effects of the whisky were causing these thoughts to muddle uncomfortably in his head. He knew he needed to speak to Kat. ‘Andy,’ he summoned his new friend, who looked at him, expecting another drinks order. ‘Any chance you could find me some juice for this?’ Edison waved his dead phone in the air.

  ‘Aye, give it here.’ The publican plugged a charging cable into the handset, and Edison saw it glow. He left it for twenty minutes before deeming there was enough battery to make the call.

  ‘I need to speak to Kat,’ he slurred when the phone was answered at Thames House.

  ‘Edison, is that you?’ Colin had answered the phone.

  ‘Colin, I need to speak to Kat,’ Edison repeated, trying to sound urgent.

  ‘She’s gone downstairs for an interrogation.’

  ‘Of Jamie? Waste of time, he doesn’t know anything. Scapegoat.’ The last word came out as ‘scaygo’.

  ‘It’s a different suspect,’ Colin said cagily.

  ‘Who?’

  Colin didn’t reply.

  ‘Who Colin? Who?’

  ‘Edison, I’m not sure I should be talking to you. You’re persona non grata round here at the moment.’

  ‘What do you mean? I told Kat I was taking a couple of days off.’

  ‘Yes, but you didn’t tell her you were going to see Sir Donald Hughes and accuse him of treachery, did you?’ Colin exploded.

  ‘I didn’t accuse him, I just needed to talk to him,’ Edison objected. He was reeling from Colin’s uncharacteristic outburst. He was always so calm. In the fifteen years they’d known one another, Edison didn’t think he’d heard more than a handful of cross words uttered by the Welshman. ‘Anyway, how do you know where I’ve been?’

  ‘He called the Home Secretary, Edison.’ Colin was losing patience.

  Edison was dumbstruck. Moments passed in silence before Edison pulled himself together. ‘Listen, Colin, I’ve screwed up. I know I have, but there’s no time to lose on this. You know that arresting Jamie was a really stupid thing to do, right?’ Edison could feel the influence of the whisky waning as if he were shedding a skin.

  Colin muttered his almost inaudible agreement.

  ‘And you know I’m more use to you on the inside of the fence than the outside, right?’

  Colin mumbled again.

  ‘Who is Kat interviewing?’

  ‘We brought in Anna earlier this evening.’

  ‘Anna? Why?’ Edison’s mind ran back over the conversation he’d had with Hughes and the mentioned of the Turkish Ambassador’s god-daughter.

  ‘She was pulling cash from the Barinak Holdings account.’

  Edison whistled as the door of the pub burst open, and a familiar figure appeared, silhouetted against the light outside. The pub had few windows and was dimly lit by a handful of electric lights. Despite the hour, outside, the mid-summer late-evening sunshine of the Highlands was still illuminating the sky.

  Recognising the figure, Edison volleyed instructions at Colin, ‘Colin, I need you to get Kat to call me before she speaks to Anna. And I need Jock to go to the flat she shares with Christoph. Get hold of any laptops or computers there.’ Charlie was standing next to him now, glowering at his friend. ‘Also, track down Christoph Langer, if it’s not too late.’

  ‘On it,’ Colin said, all his earlier anger having dissolved.

  ‘I need to go. Get Kat to call me before she speaks to Anna.’

  ‘Bloody hell, Eddie,’ Charlie hissed as he hung up the phone and placed a firm grip around his arm.

  Robert appeared at Charlie’s shoulder, looking merry. He grinned widely and said, ‘Friend of yours, Mr Edison? Should we sort him out with a drink?’

  ‘That won’t be necessary,’ Charlie snarled.

  Robert cowered at Charlie’s ferocious glare and slinked back across the room to where his friends were pretending not to stare at the unfolding scene.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Charlie said in Edison’s ear.

  ‘I’m fine, Charlie,’ Edison protested as he was manhandled off the barstool.

  Edison stumbled to the door, following his friend out into the tiny car park. There was only one car other than Edison’s hatchback parked there, and Charlie guided his friend toward it firmly. He opened the passenger door with his free hand and bundled Edison in. Charlie dug in his pocket for his phone and eventually liberated it. Against the backdrop of the loch and imposing mountains, Edison observed him raise his phone in the air and twist around, staring at the screen. ‘Not even one bar,’ he grumbled.

  ‘Who are you trying to call? There’s signal in the pub,’ Edison offered. ‘I just checked in with the Grid.’

  ‘What? They’ve had me drive virtually the breadth of the country to find you, and you just casually check in.’ Charlie made his way round to the other side of the car and got in. ‘You’ve caused quite the furore today, Ed.’

  ‘I’ve really screwed things up, I know.’ Charlie started the engine. ‘Woah, woah, woah, I need to take the car. I need to get back to London tonight.’

  ‘You’re not driving anywhere in this state.’ Charlie reversed onto the main road. Edison looked worried as he glanced back at the hire car stood in the car park. ‘I’ll bring you to pick it up tomorrow, Eddie, don’t worry.’

  ‘I need to get back to London tonight,’ Edison repeated.

  Charlie ignored him. They drove on in silence as dusk started to descend on the glen. Charlie flicked on his main beams to pick out the unlit road. Edison toyed with his phone for the entire journey, praying that Kat would call as they drove through a rare window of signal. When they eventually reached the holiday let, she still hadn’t called, and he was despairing.

  Through the gloom, he could make out that they were parked in front of a small, single storey, wooden cabin. There was a light on in one of the rooms, but the rest of the building was in darkness. ‘The boys will be asleep. But it looks like Layla waited up,’ said Charlie. Edison nodded, acknowledging the need for quiet so as not to disturb the children.

  He and Charlie crunched across the gravel driveway to the door, which opened as they approached, and Layla, wrapped in a dressing gown, stood aside to let them in. They entered an open-plan room. A huge kitchen table stood in front of glass doors on the opposite side. A log burner, unlit, served as the focal point, around which a mismatch of armchairs and a comfortable-looking sofa were arranged.

  ‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ were Layla’s first, whispered words, and she padded on bare feet to the sideboard and filled the kettle. With those words, Edison felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. He dropped his holdall next to the sofa and followed Charlie across the room.

  At just gone midnight, Charlie, Layla and Edison s
at around the dining table with hot cups of tea. Edison, seated closest to the socket where he’d plugged his phone in, still willing Kat to call. Layla spoke first, ‘Are you ok, Edison?’

  ‘I think so,’ Edison replied.

  ‘What possessed you to visit him?’ Charlie asked.

  Edison paused, considering the question as he watched the steam rising from his mug, ‘I’m sure he’s involved in all of this.’

  ‘The HAPSBURG operation?’ Charlie asked.

  Edison glanced at Layla – she was one of the few people in the world who had known what Edison had done for a living since leaving university. He had assumed that Charlie would have told her about Edison’s recall to the Service as a freelance agent but felt, although he trusted Layla as implicitly as he did Charlie, she probably shouldn’t be privy to the minutiae of the operation. She took her cue and stood up. ‘I’m exhausted, I must get to bed. You two would be wise to do the same. There’s linen in the cupboard by the bathroom.’ She made her way to where a corridor led to the cabin’s two bedrooms. She turned back to them. ‘It’s good to see you, Edison.’ Her eyes were filled with kindness, and Edison felt his shoulders drop as he relaxed a little more.

  Once she was gone, Charlie said, ‘Why do you think he’s involved?’

  Edison explained about the investments in the fund at Penwill & Mallinson.

  ‘It’s a coincidence, Eddie. I know we don’t hold much truck with coincidences, but for once, I think this might be one.’

  ‘But here’s what’s interesting,’ Edison went on. ‘The gatekeeper told me that Hughes entertains all sorts of foreign visitors. The property company we’re dealing with is run by Turks.’

  Charlie gave his friend sympathetic look. ‘Spuriouser and spuriouser,’ he said, and they both laughed.

  ‘But there’s one more thing. Anna, the secretary at the bank, who’s just been picked up as a suspect by the team in London, what were the exact words he used?’ Edison trawled through his memory of the conversation with Hughes, ‘She’s a very dear friend of mine.’

  ‘Five have just picked her up?’

  Edison nodded. Charlie looked thoughtful. ‘Is she your hacker?’

  Edison shook his head. ‘Do you have a laptop up here? Wi-Fi?’

  ‘Sorry, it’s a digital detox kind of a place.’

  Edison’s fingers itched to get online, to see what Christoph was up to.

  ‘Do you think Hughes could have got himself mixed up in all this without knowing the full picture?’ Charlie suggested.

  Edison sighed, ‘It’s possible. Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m desperate, jumping to conclusions. He got away with so much. He’s up here, rolling around that estate, living in the lap of luxury when he should be rotting in jail.’

  ‘You shouldn’t blame yourself. You did everything you could. What you need is some sleep, Eddie,’ Charlie informed him. ‘You’ll have some questions to answer when you get back to London.’

  Edison grimaced. ‘Who called you?’

  ‘Tanya first. Kat later.’

  ‘God knows what accusations Hughes has levied at me.’

  ‘I think you need to assume the worst. But for all his friends in high places, there’s still a cloud over his name.’

  ‘Unfortunately, there’s an equally dark one over mine.’

  Whilst Charlie busied himself pulling out bedding and setting up the sofa bed for Edison, he thought for a while about what to say to Tanya. In the end, he opted for the truth – Tanya, it’s Edison. I fucked up. Let my history with Hughes cloud my judgement. I’m with Charlie. Will debrief with Kat when I get back to London tomorrow.

  It felt like he’d barely pressed send before a single-line response from Tanya arrived – Fucked up may be the understatement of the century. Edison’s stomach lurched, and a wave of nausea, mainly caused by the whisky, washed over him. The phone buzzed at him again, and he was surprised to see an incoming call. He answered.

  ‘Edison,’ Kat’s voice sounded shaky, ‘I’m so glad you’re ok. I … I …’ she faltered and gulped. Edison thought she might be on the edge of tears.

  ‘I’m ok,’ he said softly. He’d never heard Kat, always so calm, even under the most immense pressure, sound so unhinged.

  ‘I was so worried,’ she breathed.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ A silence hung between them. Edison pulled himself together, ‘You’ve brought in Anna?’

  ‘I got your message,’ Kat replied sounding more businesslike.

  ‘Have you interviewed her?’

  ‘Not yet. I’m waiting for Colchester. I think it’ll be tomorrow morning now.’

  Edison rolled his eyes. ‘And have you picked up Christoph?’

  ‘He’s disappeared off the other end of the Eurostar. Colin ran a trace on all ports the second he was off the phone with you. He took a train at just gone half-past three, it couldn’t have been more than half an hour after Anna was arrested. He could be anywhere by now.’

  ‘Shit. I suppose that was inevitable.’

  ‘Do you really think Christoph’s the hacker?’

  ‘I’m sure of it. And him scarpering rather frames him doesn’t it? Has Jock gone to collect the kit?’

  ‘He and Natalie are going in in the morning.’

  ‘What else?’

  ‘I need you back in London.’

  ‘I’ll take the first flight tomorrow.’

  ‘I’ll meet you.’

  There was another long silence.

  ‘I can’t believe you went to see him,’ Kat returned to the subject of Hughes.

  ‘It was a stupid thing to do,’ Edison admitted.

  ‘I don’t think stupid even covers it.’

  Edison looked up to see that Charlie had disappeared. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said again.

  There was a long silence as neither of them knew what to say. Edison ventured, ‘Get some sleep.’

  ‘You too.’

  ‘Good night,’ Edison offered, and the line went dead. He looked up to discover a small boy standing in the doorway.

  ‘Hello, Uncle Edison,’ Charlie’s middle son, Henry, said.

  ‘Hello, Henry, shouldn’t you be in bed?’

  Henry ignored the question and came toward him. He looked up at Edison. Even seated, Edison towered over the eight-year-old. ‘Was that your girlfriend?’ he asked.

  Edison laughed, ‘Sort of. Now, back to bed before you get into trouble.’

  ‘Too late,’ said Charlie, reappearing and scooping his son into his arms.

  ‘Good night, Uncle Edison,’ Henry said as Charlie carried him back toward the bedroom he was sharing with his brothers.

  ‘Good night,’ replied Edison.

  ‘Have you got everything you need, Eddie?’ Charlie asked when he returned.

  ‘Yes, thanks.’

  ‘Sleep well.’

  ‘Charlie,’ Edison said as his friend retreated, ‘thank you.’

  ‘Don’t mention it,’ Charlie replied, turning out the light as he left the room.

  *

  0830, Saturday 8th July, Dores, nr Inverness, Inverness-shire

  Charlie shepherded the three boys past his sleeping friend the following morning and took them into the nearby village of Dores for breakfast. Tucking into fried bread and American-style pancakes, the boys thought this a treat beyond their wildest dreams. They returned to the cabin a little after ten, bubbling over with excitement. As they burst through the door, Charlie was glad to see Edison, dressed and sitting at the kitchen table.

  ‘Uncle Edison,’ exclaimed Thomas. ‘You’re awake. You missed pancakes.’

  Edison smiled at Thomas. ‘What a shame. That’ll teach me to have a lie-in.’

  ‘Lazy head,’ said William, the youngest.

  Thomas and Henry fell about laughing. ‘You mean lazy bones, silly,’ Henry admonished the blushing William.

  ‘Ok, you three,’ Charlie took charge, ‘go and play outside.’

  ‘Do you want to play with us, Uncle Eddie?’ Wil
liam asked.

  ‘Uncle Eddie and I need to have a chat, boys. Off you go.’

  Three ginger heads and freckles tumbled over one another to get to the door. ‘Do you think Uncle Eddie’s in trouble,’ Edison heard Henry ask Thomas, who, as the eldest, was considered to know everything.

  Thomas glanced back at the adults, they looked serious, ‘I think so.’

  ‘I’ve looked at flights,’ Edison said. ‘There’s a departure from Inverness at half eleven.’

  ‘What about your hire car?’

  ‘I’m needed in London. HAPSBURG is coming to a head. I’ll worry about that another time.’

  They sat in silence for a while, watching Charlie’s children as they careered about in the garden. Finally, Charlie spoke, ‘What are you going to do?’

  Edison shrugged. ‘I guess I’ll see exactly how much trouble I’m in before making a firm plan.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  ‘This operation really worries me, Charlie.’

  ‘HAPSBURG?’

  ‘Yeah, I feel like I’m so close to it. As though I’ve got all the pieces. I just need to work out how they fit together.’

  ‘Do you really think that Hughes is involved in some way?’ Edison looked up sharply. It was the first time that anyone had entertained the notion with any seriousness.

  ‘It’s more of a gut instinct thing.’ Edison looked helpless. The Security Service and police, ever more accountable to the public, politicians and the media, didn’t deal in hunches and instinct anymore. With budgets stretched to breaking point, suspicions had to be backed by layers and layers of evidence, just to establish the minimum levels of surveillance on an alleged target.

  ‘He won’t have got his hands dirty,’ Charlie pointed out.

  ‘You’re right,’ Edison sighed. ‘And I need to forget Hughes. Even if he is involved, he’s not pulling triggers or detonating bombs. My focus needs to be on what’s happening on the ground.’ Edison fell silent as his thoughts turned to his return to London. Kat was probably in the interrogation room with Anna as they spoke. The promise of a rendezvous with Kat might go some way to filling in the gaps. ‘We had better get going.’