Latent Hazard rkadika-1

by Piers Venmore-Rowland

  ‘Can you see what’s in the dinghy?’ asked Kate.

  ‘Hold on a moment… We’ve started to get enhanced images from our high magnification camera… Would you believe it! Looks like two wooden coffins… The dinghy and the two boxes are now being pulled on board Golden Sundancer… Give me a moment and I’ll send through the pictures.’

  ‘While you’re at it, could you include any markings on the wooden boxes?’ asked Kate.

  ‘Will do.’

  ‘What speed has Golden Sundancer been cruising at?’

  ‘Between thirty-seven and forty-one knots – very respectable given the conditions down there. Their de-icing system seems to be working well; unusual, though, for this type of boat.’

  ‘How many do you reckon are on board?’

  ‘Two men; the captain and a crew member are all we’ve seen… The trawler has disengaged. She is turning south-east and heading for home.’

  ‘Is there any chance of them picking you up on their radar? Seeing or hearing you?’ asked Kate.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’re as good as invisible; we’ve got our radarcloaking device on.’ The Nimrod captain paused. ‘They have completed the unloading of the dinghy and the two boxes have been safely stowed on board.’ After a moment’s silence he continued, ‘Golden Sundancer is returning to her bearing of 152° and is getting back up to her previous speed. I’ll keep you posted if she alters speed or course, or has another rendezvous. Out.’

  Kate looked up. ‘Emma have you got the pictures?’

  ‘Yep,’ came the reply. ‘The boxes and their markings are just what we wanted. They confirm the whereabouts of our missing Kornet missile launcher!’

  ‘Excellent, now we’ve only got one missile target to find, not three!’ Kate picked up the phone and relayed the good news to the commissioner’s assistant, Beverley.

  John, who was now back in the room, raised his coffee cup towards Kate, toasting her.

  ‘Here’s to your eclectic team. Twenty-four hours ago I wouldn’t have given you any odds. Now – who knows? – we might beat the buggers, yet.’

  Alex entered the room. ‘I thought I’d see how the other half lives. My goodness, it’s cosy in here!’

  ‘You should have seen it thirty-six hours ago – none of this mess was here,’ replied Rafi.

  ‘No,’ said Emma, ‘it was all tidied away into the filing cabinets!’

  Alex walked across to Rafi’s desk and pulled up a chair. ‘I am so pleased that you are OK. Might I ask why you chose me, when you could have picked one of the high-profile City economists?’

  Rafi looked at Alex. ‘It was a no-brainer. How are you getting on with your colleagues?’

  ‘Really well.’

  ‘There’s your answer,’ he said with a broad smile.

  ‘Thank you and thanks for choosing me. Oh, by the way, your little sister is proving an inspired choice; she’s a bright cookie and has us all organised. Chat to you later,’ with that Alex turned and left.

  Kate looked across at Rafi. ‘You don’t by any chance have a brother? If so, I’d like to meet him, please!’

  ‘Afraid not.’

  She looked at Rafi, her head slightly to one side. ‘You are proving to be a most resourceful guy, with some great friends. I’m pleased that I let David bully me into getting you out of Paddington Green!’

  Kate and Rafi were finalising the background materials for the presentation to the Chiefs upstairs, when Jeremy bounced into the room.

  ‘Well done tracking down the fifth missile launcher; at last we’ve something to celebrate.’

  How he managed to keep up to date amazed Rafi.

  ‘Talking of having fun, we’ve been over to Aidan’s office,’ said Jeremy. Greg has had a field day. He’s borrowed three large state-of-the-art video-conferencing screens, a large plasma screen and a selection of other useful gismos. The basement store proved to be a real Aladdin’s cave. Aidan did a brilliant job of distracting his two security guards and he even got them to lock up the conference rooms before he left, saying that they were to remain locked until 8 a.m. tomorrow. Greg is down the corridor setting up his new toys. How long has the meeting been going on upstairs?’

  ‘Almost an hour,’ replied Emma. ‘The PM arrived a bit late.’

  Kate had finished her collating and walked over to Rafi’s desk. ‘Well, I seem to be ready. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Given the circumstances, not that bad, thanks. At least my brain is still working; the rest of me feels due for a refit and needs a bit of TLC.’

  Kate smiled and whispered, ‘When all this is over, I’ll see what I can do – as a small thank you.’

  ‘A thank you for what?’ Rafi replied.

  ‘You’re simply impossible! What planet are you on? If it hadn’t been for you, I’d be having a normal night, oblivious to the fact that tomorrow we could be facing Armageddon.’

  ‘Excuse me.’ Rafi, still deep in thought, walked off down the corridor to see how the economics team was getting on. He put his head around the door. The six occupants had reorganised the room, with a group of desks in the middle. Alex and Donald were sitting next to each other, opposite Matthew and Bob. Saara was at one end and Aidan at the other. On one side of the room were a couple of PCs and a printer photocopier. A whiteboard, now covered with writing, had been hung on the opposite wall. Plates littered the table. The room definitely had a work-in-progress air to it.

  ‘Just thought I’d drop by to see how you were getting on and to let you know that we currently have a good idea where seven of the eight terrorist targets are.’

  ‘And they’ve traced the two suicide bombers with the journalist Kaleem Shah to the outskirts of Aldermaston, not far from the Nuclear Weapons Research Establishment, as Emma predicted,’ added Kate who had arrived just behind Rafi.

  Matthew spoke up. ‘Emma and Aidan have explained what the terrorists are planning. My view is that you are underestimating the financial downside.’

  ‘But at least we have advance warning,’ said Aidan.

  Rafi smiled at his sister.

  ‘They’re being very tolerant of my lack of finance skills,’ she said.

  ‘Have none of it Rafi; this young lady could join my team any day!’ said Donald, Rafi’s former boss, with a smile.

  Rafi turned to leave. The soft voice of Saara follow him down the corridor. ‘Rafi, look after yourself.’

  Back at his desk, Rafi called across to Kate. ‘For the life of me, I can’t come up with any more ideas where the missing target might be. I’m beginning to feel rather useless…’

  Kate looked up. ‘Why don’t you put your feet up for a few minutes and have a bite to eat. How you manage to still think straight, amazes me.’ she added in a caring tone.

  Rafi was halfway through a sandwich when Kate’s phone rang. ‘We’re on. Time to face the music!’

  As they went down the corridor, Kate put her head around the door of the interview room and asked Aidan to join them.

  They walked past a positively beaming Greg, who by the looks of things had the Ops Room fully up and running. He gave a thumbs up sign to Aidan, who acknowledged it with a wave and a grin.

  The walk up the back stairs took Rafi back to his school days; it conjured up memories of visiting his house master – the gloomy lighting and the greying wall paint added to his apprehension. The question he was thinking, was ‘what would the PM do?’

  Chapter 5

  The team walked into the commissioner’s anteroom, where Beverley was at her desk. ‘Giles is ready for you. Do go straight in.’ The commissioner’s conference room had a very businesslike air to it.

  ‘Good evening,’ said Giles Meynell, standing up as Kate entered the room. ‘Please be seated. John and Jeremy, would you let Rafi, Kate and Aidan sit at the table and pull up two chairs behind them? Thank you. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but I reckon we can manage. Time for some introductions: Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence, Air Chief Marshal Sir Nigel Hawser
, head of our armed services, and Ewan Thorn, head of MI5 – it is my pleasure to introduce: Detective Chief Inspector John Dowsing of Special Branch, Detective Inspector Kate Adams of our Economic Crime Unit, Jeremy Welby of MI5, Aidan Gilchrist of Maine Leadbetter – a derivatives expert – and Rafi Khan.

  After a short pause, Giles continued. This time his gaze was fixed on Kate. ‘We have had a fruitful discussion, but before we go any further the Prime Minister and his Defence Secretary would like to ask you some questions.’

  ‘Thank you, Commissioner,’ said the PM in a measured voice. ‘Three hours ago I had envisaged spending the evening dealing with mundane matters. Suffice it to say, Giles’s revelations have come as a serious shock – the intricacy and scope of the terrorists’ threat to our energy supplies, our financial system and our country’s economic welfare is every bit as grave as anything we have faced since the Second World War,’ he looked at Giles reassuringly. ‘I’m not going to shoot the messenger. Indeed, I understand that you’ve been working day and night since Monday. To have come this far with your investigations in such a short time deserves my considerable gratitude.’

  The PM paused and looked around the room. ‘Unfortunately, all you have accomplished will come to nothing unless our next steps are the right ones. As has most eloquently been pointed out to me, we have to be proactive – not reactive – in the face of these heinous threats.’ He looked at his Defence Secretary, then continued. ‘There are a number of questions to which we would appreciate candid answers. First of all, why do you believe that COBRA is not the right way forward at this point in time?’

  Kate looked across at the PM. ‘I wish it were, sir,’ she said slightly shakily. She paused and regained her composure. ‘MI5’s and our worry is that the terrorists have sleepers in place who could tip them off, and prompt them to switch to a contingency plan. At this point in time we’ve a lead on all except one of the expected terrorist targets. We know that we’re up against well-trained and battle-hardened mercenaries. If they were to be tipped off, such is the transportability of their missile launchers that they might simply switch to a plan “B”. To answer your question, whilst the chances are small, the downside hazard is too large.’

  ‘Where precisely is the threat of an internal tip-off?’ asked the

  PM.

  Kate pulled out some stapled sheets of paper from the small bundle in front of her and passed one to each of the individuals around the table.

  ‘In front of you are the names of individuals we and MI5 can place within the terrorists’ web of companies. To put it bluntly, all these individuals are on the terrorists’ payroll – whether they know it or not. You will note that there is an executive officer of a metropolitan authority on that list, which falls within the London disaster planning area. On page four is a list of the organisations which the terrorists have infiltrated through their huge outsourcing business and the limited liability partnerships they run. The list includes: the Ministry of Defence, GCHQ, Paddington Green police station, the Home Office…’

  ‘Thank you,’ cut in the PM.

  ‘Your list is very impressive, but can it be verified?’ asked the Defence Secretary.

  ‘The names come from Companies House and have been given the once-over by MI5.’

  ‘Let us be clear. You are suggesting…’ The PM looked at the sheet, ‘That a special adviser to me at Number 10, whom I was with not four hours ago, is on their payroll, as are two individuals who provide support to COBRA. Is that correct?’

  Kate looked straight at the PM and said simply, ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘The problem is that we have identified two potential moles in COBRA, but we can’t be one hundred per cent sure that we haven’t missed a third,’ said Ewan.

  The PM looked at the head of MI5. ‘This is very disturbing; why didn’t I know about this sooner?’

  ‘Unfortunately, Sir, we have only just uncovered them. They’re “sleepers”, put in place to carry out one or more specific activities. Up to that point, they are in effect invisible. I have seen the documentation relating to one of the limited liability partnerships controlled by the terrorists, on which an MP sits as a non-executive. He gets paid?40,000 per annum for attending just four half-day meetings a year. The going rate for an individual with little business experience would be less than onetenth of what he’s being paid. The fact that this MP sits on a couple of sensitive committees is what concerns us at MI5. Following our investigations into the activities of Maryam Vynckt, we believe that a number of those on the list have received large payments offshore, via Gulf Trade Bank. The problem is that the offshore payments are very hard to trace unless you know exactly where to look,’ Ewan paused. ‘Therefore, for now, it is difficult to confirm that the list is complete.’

  The Defence Secretary looked agitated, but kept quiet.

  ‘So, it’s a matter of timing?’ asked the PM. ‘Whilst the terrorists have their Kornet missiles and remain at large, you believe COBRA should not be activated?’

  ‘Precisely, sir.’

  The Prime Minister looked thoughtful. Rafi sensed he didn’t agree.

  ‘Thank you,’ said the Prime Minister, ‘that answers my first question. My second question is: how certain are we that the terrorists have Kornet missiles?’

  Kate flicked through her bundle of papers, pulled out copies of the digitally enhanced photos of the two wooden boxes strapped into the inflatable dinghy and passed them around the table.

  ‘The photos were taken under an hour ago. The boats involved are owned by the terrorists… And the markings on the boxes match those stolen from the Russians.’

  ‘Thank you. Now for question number three. Could you please tell me why you are so confident that the four Chechen mercenaries have two targets each?’

  ‘A combination of things, Prime Minister. First, we have confirmation that they took delivery of five Kornet missile launchers and twenty missiles, four of which we know have been fired. This leaves them with sixteen missiles. The photos we have just received indicate that a launcher and probably four missiles are now on board Golden Sundancer. This leaves the four Chechen terrorists with a launcher and three missiles each. We have been talking to the army; the launcher, its tripod and the missiles would be too cumbersome for one man to move around quickly. We therefore believe that the Kornet launcher will be used to fire three missiles and then left behind. Each terrorist will then move on to where they have hidden a Vektor mortar and will use it to attack their second target. Our Estonian friends have confirmed that the terrorists have taken delivery of four such mortars with eighty high-explosive shells.’

  Kate paused to let what she had just said sink in, and was about to carry on when the Defence Secretary enquired, ‘Could they not use the mortars first?’

  ‘Yes, that is entirely possible. But the advice from the SAS is that as the Kornet missiles inflict much more damage, they would be used first,’ replied Kate.

  The Defence Secretary nodded and she continued. ‘If we consider the types of targets close to the terrorists’ vacant properties and their weapons – they correspond. The Kornet missiles will be used on the substantially built targets – the nuclear power stations – and the Vektor mortars will attack lighterweight targets – the oil and gas facilities.’

  ‘OK. Question number four: when and where do you believe that the terrorist attacks will come?’

  ‘Our educated guess is that the attacks will be tomorrow between 7.30 and 8.00 a.m. – from first light to when the Stock Exchange opens. This will maximise the news coverage and the adverse impact on the markets. This theory is supported by the information we have from the local harbour masters, who have informed us that the trawlers are all due to slip their berths tomorrow between late morning and early afternoon.’

  Kate passed across more sheets of paper detailing where they believed the attacks would take place.

  The PM looked around at his colleagues, who were deep in thought. ‘Any questions or shall I carry
on?’ After a short pause, he moved on to his fifth question. ‘Why do you want us to let the terrorists escape and make them believe that they’ve successfully hit their targets?’

  Kate looked behind her at John and Jeremy. Neither showed any desire to tackle this question so she carried on.

  ‘We want to arrest the four main ringleaders: Sheikh Tufayl, Basel Talal, Jameel Furud and Maryam Vynckt and any other people who have been helping them,’ expressed Kate. She paused momentarily to collect her thoughts.

  ‘Perhaps I could answer this question Prime Minister?’ said Ewan. ‘Our intelligence unit tells me that the main ringleaders and the escaping terrorists will meet up. We believe that their destination is Morocco. Jameel is there and confirmation has come through that the sheikh’s private jet has filed a flight plan to Marrakech airport. It’s scheduled to land at 12.45 p.m. on Monday. We believe the terrorists will leave Britain on the trawlers and rendezvous with their fast motor vessel, Golden Sundancer, which will then sail to Morocco.’

  ‘What are the extradition procedures like from Morocco?’ asked the Defence Secretary.

  ‘They are a diplomatically friendly country. And we have successfully extradited the?50m Securitas robber from there.’ Ewan paused. ‘However, the procedure is long-winded and the evidence has to be watertight and well documented. Put bluntly, time wouldn’t be on our side. Sheikh Tufayl, a Muslim, is very wealthy and very well-connected. He has the ability to slip the net if he winds up in the hands of the Moroccan authorities.’

  ‘How important do we think these people are?’ asked the PM.

  ‘Very,’ replied Ewan. ‘We’re dealing with international players who are in the vanguard of financing terrorist activities. Their bank accounts are in both neutral countries and some less than neutral. Deals struck in the financial and derivatives markets can easily be done via intermediaries – something like the Banco de “we launder your money for a fee”. The turnover in the derivative markets is vast. Tracking down such transactions would take time and the profits made would rapidly become untraceable. We believe that we need positive proof of the ringleaders’ involvement and can’t afford to let them slip away to fight another day. Capturing them in flagrante delicto would make it far simpler to freeze their assets and then have them confiscated. If they think that they’ve been successful, they and their accomplices will be less likely to go to ground.’