Dark Secrets

by Doug Pountain

  “Are you two staying the night”? Asked Carol.

  “Yes we brought our things so we can go straight off in the morning”.

  “Right in that case I will start some food and we can settle in for the night”.

  But for Joyce the thrill of hacking kept her and David occupied for the rest of the day. It was 9pm before they had all finally finished eating and everyone helped to clear away. It was now 4pm in New York as Graham and Carol Skyped Carl on a secure line and explained what was happening, he confirmed he would make some very discreet enquires, and then he was also introduced to Joyce.

  “Don’t trust that David, you will like me far better when we eventually meet up and you will probably want me to Father some Children with you, but we must discuss that first”.

  Which led to David and Carl having a brief exchange of profanities as big friends do.

  “Don’t forget what I said Joyce, and when we do meet I will take you for some real food not that Chinese shit that David likes, bye”. And he was gone. Carol and Graham went to bed and again Joyce went to her bed and left David to the joys of the camp bed.

  CHAPTER 7

  The next morning over breakfast they again went over the plans on the assumption that the money would be moved sometime during the day.

  “Don’t forget Joyce, I will need a good distraction from you, otherwise if Cathy looks at her screen she will see me using it”.

  “I understand, I know exactly what to do”. She replied.

  “Carol don’t forget to put some woolly knickers on”. And she quickly turned and threw the dish cloth at Graham. The three made their way outside and into the van, but Carol was a little more prepared for the ordeal of the car park this time with several pairs of socks and a thick coat and woolly hat.

  “Do I look very fashionable in this outfit”? She asked.

  “You look wonderful”. Came the reply amid howls of laughter.

  As usual it was a struggle through the city traffic, but eventually they arrived at the Bank and were admitted to the car park, David parked in the same position as the previous week and he and Joyce left the van and made their way into the building. David went straight into the computer room and Joyce entered her office and got a coffee from the machine just as Cathy walked in.

  “Would you like one Cathy”?

  “Pardon, oh sorry, yes please”. She replied.

  Joyce took over the drinks and she sat at her desk. “Did you have a nice weekend”? She asked.

  Cathy was obviously not a morning person, but she was also not used to another person being so civil to her in the office.

  “Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to be so rude, no I had a very poor weekend”.

  “I am so sorry”. Replied Joyce.

  “How about you, how was your weekend”? Asked Cathy,

  “I had a lovely time, my brother David took me for a meal and then we went to see some friends, do you have any family Cathy”?

  “I have a Half Brother, but he doesn’t live in this country”.

  “Where does he live”?

  “Oh he moves around a lot with business”.

  “What does he do”?

  “What is this, a fucking quiz”? Said Cathy rather sharply.

  “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, and I was only trying to be friendly”.

  And Joyce turned away as the bell sounded for the start of trading in a room that was more like a zoo than an office with people running and shouting, it gave the room a look of panic and yet everyone knew exactly what they were doing. After about an hour Joyce was well on her way to another good day, were as Cathy on the other hand was really having a bad day,

  “Fuck fuck fuck”. She said as she threw her head set down on her desk, and in Joyce’s ear piece Carol told her to distract Cathy as David was about ready to start.

  “Look Cathy I know it’s none of my business, but can I help you”?

  Cathy turned and looked at her, she certainly wasn’t used to such niceties.

  “I am sorry I was shitty this morning, but I had a row with my Father about something I should have done on Friday but didn’t”.

  “Look Cathy, just say you need a breath of fresh air and let’s go outside for a minute”.

  “That’s a very good idea”. She replied.

  The two girls got another coffee and went outside, and it was now very obvious just how upset Cathy really was.

  “Surely it can’t be that bad”. Said Joyce in a very reassuring voice trying her best to appear on Cathy’s side.

  “If you knew my Father, then you would understand, he can sometimes be a real bastard.

  “Does he live in London”?

  “No, he lives in Russia, I am half Russian, my Mother was an American but she died a few years ago”.

  “Keep her there a little longer, David has nearly finished”. Joyce was told in her ear piece. “That’s it he’s done, you can go back any time you like”.

  “What time is it”? Asked Cathy.

  “It’s nearly 11 why”?

  “I must get back quickly”. She said and she turned and ran back into the office closely followed by Joyce.

  “I am fine now, but thank you for listening to me moaning a lot”.

  “That’s no problem, why don’t you come for a drink with me and my brother one evening”? Asked Joyce.

  “Oh I don’t know”.

  “Alright, but the offer is there if you change your mind”.

  “Well done Joyce, you did brilliantly, now just watch her but don’t watch her if you know what I mean”.

  Exactly on 11.30 Joyce noticed Cathy’s fingers working overtime until finally she hit the return key on her keyboard, and through her earpiece Carol said.

  “That’s it, we have the money and David’s just confirmed it’s in our account, and so you and I will carry on for the rest of the day dealing exactly as normal”.

  It was just before lunch that Cathy’s mobile rang and Joyce overheard her say.

  “What do you mean it’s not there? I did exactly as you told me. Look meet me at lunch time, you know where”. And she put her phone away as Joyce quickly relayed the information to Carol.

  “Right, David’s going to follow her, so you just get a sandwich and don’t go anywhere near her and let’s see what happens later”.

  It was now 1pm as Cathy left the building and made her way the short distance to Trafalgar square. David followed her at a discreet distance and watched as she walked over to meet a bearded man about 60 years old, and it was obviously a very heated discussion taking place, David pretended to be a tourist and took several photographs, and then he watched as the man pointed his finger at the Cathy before they both stormed off in different directions.

  David decided to follow the man, but it soon became very obvious that he was no stranger to the possibility of being followed and he made several detours turning back on himself several times before a large black car with CD plates finally picked him up and drove quickly away. David returned to the bank via its car park where he gave Carol his phone to send the pictures he had taken of the man to Graham.

  “I will leave that with you, I must get back”. And he very quickly returned to the computer room in the Bank. Joyce had stayed at her desk and was sitting there as Cathy returned with tears in her eyes.

  “Whatever is wrong”? She asked,

  “Oh, I think I may have fucked up”. Said Cathy.

  “Why what did you do”?

  “Err nothing, I am sorry, it’s something I have to sort out”.

  “Ok, but if I can help you only have to say”.

  The bell sounded and Joyce could see her trading figures were not as successful as Friday but they were again very good, the accounts manager as usual made his way round the office checking everyone’s figures, but this time Joyce had only come third in the daily ritual of “Mine is bigger than yours”. Then finally he picked up Cathy’s.

  “Fucking hell, have you been asleep all day�
�? He said.

  “Look I have had a bad day, so fuck off and leave me alone”. She replied.

  Joyce turned to her. “Well I don’t suppose you want that drink then do you”?

  “No thanks I have to meet my Father, err sorry I mean a friend”. And she left the office very quickly without speaking to anyone.

  David and Joyce made their way to the car park and drove out of the city.

  “You did really well, especially trying to get her to go for a drink”. But then Joyce told them of Cathy’s slip up regarding meeting her Father.

  “That’s very interesting, and I wonder if that’s the man she met at lunchtime”.

  “Well she was quite happy to tell me that she was half Russian and that she also had a half-brother, but I thought her Father was supposed to be in Russia”?

  “That’s where he is supposed to be, but you have to remember that he is a very powerful and dangerous man, and he could well afford to be in two places at once if you know what I mean, let’s wait until we get back and see if Graham has any news on those pictures”.

  The day had still been very cold especially in the car park, but Carol had again survived due to her forward planning and her extreme winter clothing, but also the fact that her Bank Account now contained eight billion dollars, which made her feel much warmer on the inside.

  “We could treat ourselves to a few new clothes with that couldn’t we, don’t you think Joyce”?

  “We certainly could, but I also believe there are a few other people out there who would also like it and I am sure they will want it back with or without our permission”.

  “We will have to watch our arse now”. Said David.

  Eventually back in the warmth and safety of their docklands apartment with Graham who now had a very large smile on his face. “Are you ready for this”? He asked.

  “Why, what have you found out”?

  “Well I sent the photos that David took at lunchtime to a very trusted old friend of mine at MI5 and he confirmed that it is indeed Aslanov. But not only that, the car that you saw pick him up is registered to the American embassy, and so it would appear they do know a lot more about what is happening than they are telling our people, my own opinion is that it was always their intention to steal the money and I think they also set it up”. Said Graham.

  “I wouldn’t have believed that it was U.S policy to steal their own money, but it could be someone’s wet dream, but again you will also like this piece of info. I have a contact who works for immigration, and he has just confirmed to me that a someone who bears an uncanny resemblance to a man named “Adamo Fermi” and who comes from Chicago, came into the country about two weeks ago and passed through immigration with diplomatic immunity on an American passport, and so it looks as though it was they who brought him in, and if that is the case, it looks like he and Aslanov are working together for the yanks. But not only that, he is also Herr Blosch’s Father in Law, and I have a very strange feeling that he is the one who murdered him and made his own Daughter a Widow.

  This new information was of great concern to the group, there was now going to be an even greater need for their own safety. Carol and Joyce went into the kitchen and started to prepare the evening meal as the two men sat and discussed their next move, when suddenly the phone rang, it was Graham’s friend from the Security Service.

  “I just thought I should let you know that we have no connection with your present activity and that your operation is in no way associated with this service. We know of a theft but we officially have no connection to any missing money, so whoever is involved, it is being controlled by others and not by ourselves. My boss would like to see you urgently and off the record”.

  “Well in that case tell him to come here tonight”. Replied Graham.

  “Well I am very pleased you said that, as we are already outside of your apartment building in the car, so if you would kindly let us in we would be most grateful”.

  Graham turned to the others. “You had better delay that food Carol, we have a visitor”. He said.

  “Who is it”? She asked.

  “Only the head of the Security Services”. Said Graham. As the lift came up and two men stepped out.

  “Richard, it’s so good to see you again, how are you”? Said Graham.

  “I am very well thank you, Carol you are looking as beautiful as ever”.

  “As usual you are such a charmer Richard”. She replied.

  “Introduce me to the others please Graham”.

  “This is David, one of my associates”.

  “So you are David, I have heard a great deal of your various and sometimes very dubious talent’s, and I have to say I have always been very impressed and I am a great fan of your work”.

  “And this is our latest recruit, Joyce, this gentleman is Sir Richard Baxter head of the Security Service in the U.K. The all Seeing Eye for our safety.

  Sir Richard looked at Joyce, “Be careful with these people Joyce, they are just a bunch of crooks and bandits”. He said as he shook her hand.

  “Right, now the introductions are over please talk to me Graham about what is going on and what we don’t know about”.

  “So you are not involved at all”? Asked Graham.

  “Only in the sense that we know of the theft of the money, but I wasn’t informed of any involvement, only that if we heard of anything we would pass it on and that the Americans were going to deal with it themselves, but that’s all”.

  “Well it’s much greater than that, the other evening we had a visit from Sir Alex Pinks the chairman of Brother’s bank”.

  “Yes, I know Alex very well, please carry on”. Said Sir Richard.

  “With him were a Civil Servant who we believe is attached to the treasury and one of your officers”. And Graham went on to tell Sir Richard how he had to request the late night visit from them in order to find out exactly what was going on and that he threatened to pull out if he wasn’t told everything.

  “You say you knew the officer from my department”.

  “I don’t know him well, but he was with you the last time we met in your office about a year ago, you had recently interviewed him for a promotion to section chief”.

  “Right, now I know who you mean. I didn’t give him the job because I didn’t trust him and now it seems that I was right. He left us a short time after that interview and went to work for another agency that was involved with political corruption abroad, and from what you are telling me it would appear some of that corruption has rubbed off, tell me more about the Civil Servant”.

  “Wait a minute, let me get my laptop, he’s on the CCTV”. And Graham quickly went through the footage until he found the image.

  “Yes I know him, we have already made a connection between him and organised crime and also the disappearance of several key players, but so far we have been unable to prove any of it. You and I both know that we deal with some very special people when it comes to, call it what you like “payoffs for favours” and it was this man who dealt with the discreet finance. But we did have some low level intel that he got very friendly with the Russian Mafia and we also think it was he who tipped off the FSB about certain members who were involved and they removed them, leaving the man we think he was dealing with as the new top man in the Mafia”.

  Graham now looked at Sir Richard digesting all he had been told.

  “Don’t tell me his name was Aslanov”.

  “Yes it was, you are well informed Graham, I am very impressed but not surprised by your knowledge, sometimes you know more than I do, maybe you should consider working for me”. And Sir Richards comment brought a large smile to Grahams face.

  “Can I throw another name into the hat, what about Adamo Fermi”? Said Graham.

  “Well, well, you do indeed know a great deal, tell me more”. Said Sir Richard.

  “Well, there is one other thing you may not be aware of, they are both in this country” replied Graham.

  “We were havin
g dealings with a Swiss man by the name of Herr Blosch, and we think that Fermi, who was actually his Father in Law, had him killed and nailed to the tree with his head tucked between his legs as a punishment as he was trying to rip off Aslanov for two billion dollars that we believe were part of the original loan to Nigeria from the world bank. Having said that he was also shagging the Swiss Ambassadors Wife, and as such Fermi wasn’t very pleased as you can imagine”.

  “Well if you can’t trust a Swiss Banker and an Italian Mafia Psychopath then who can you trust? I saw the report on Blosch’s murder, and we believe that it was a warning to others who would dare to cross Fermi, but we managed to keep that away from the press and it was after talks with the Swiss that it was reported as a suicide”. Said Sir Richard.

  “Well two billion dollars is a lot of money, and if we are correct and it is all part of the ten billion that the Nigerians lost in that loan from the World Bank, then I think between us we know more than some people would like us to know”. Said Sir Richard, who although trying his best not to sound too concerned by the information, realised that this was not just a theft, but that it now went much deeper than he realised.

  Carol asked if they would stay for a meal,

  “If you are happy for us to stay, then yes we would love too, and then you can tell me everything you know and maybe we can come up with some kind of a plan. No two bit shitty Civil Servant is going to get one over on me and the Security Service, not unless it is to my advantage”.

  As the evening went on Sir Richard was told of all that the group knew or assumed what was happening.

  “Let’s keep up this little charade for a time, but can I ask what you are going to do with the eight billion in your account, you’re not planning anything spectacular are you”?

  “We know full well that someone will come for us, and I don’t think it will be the Americans. My money is on our Civil Servant friend for a friendly chat before the mob comes in, but that’s still no help with finding out what the money is actually for. Richard can you run a very discreet check on all personnel at the American Embassy, I think we are looking for a connection with Nigeria but that’s only a guess”.