Out of control

by John Dysart

  “That’s right but I’m sure you can do that. I’ll help you fudge some numbers that make it look like the best option by far.”

  She thought about it for a moment.

  “Look, I’ve got a pile of other questions. Let’s take some time out. We’ll go for lunch and talk it through.”

  *

  Over lunch we managed to answer all her questions and finally convinced her. When she heard in more detail how these guys operated and the hell they put these girls through she became more and more angry. By the end of the meal she was completely in agreement with us.

  I told her that all the participants in the affair were going to meet at my sister’s farm on Thursday evening for dinner to discuss the details. I invited her to come along as well and she accepted. Provided we had everything clear and we agreed that the plan was practical I’d call Ross on Friday and ask if Pierre and I could meet him on Monday to try to get his backing. Helen was going to wait until Ross’s OK and then she’d call Dugain and tell him she agreed to sell and fix for him to come over on the following Tuesday.

  All I had to do now was to get Heather to persuade Oliver to do one of his fish pies for seven on Thursday evening.

  *

  We gathered round the table in the large farmhouse kitchen which was the nerve centre of Heather and Oliver’s existence. The evening was warm and the sun shining so the windows were open giving a view over the duck pond and the paddock.

  There was a little natural nervousness on the part of Liam at meeting Helen again but she diffused that very quickly. She knew now that he had not really been as much to blame as she had initially thought and I left them to smooth out the relationship between them. Thanks to the fact that they had obviously had worked well together before the issue was soon resolved.

  Oliver had found a couple of bottles of Rosé and after Helen had been introduced to everyone we all felt relaxed and just a bit excited about our venture.

  Mike had driven down that afternoon so we were seven. Over dinner taken sociably in the kitchen I announced or informed the assembled company of what was intended. Not everyone had had the latest information but by the time I was finished they were all in the picture. Helen and I would have the main roles, Heather and Oliver would be the moral support back home, and Mike and Pierre were in charge of logistics.

  Liam was disappointed that he wouldn’t be in the front line but he was still not fully fit and I explained to him that I was going to take him up to Lochbervie the next day because we needed someone up there to keep Ana and Sophie company.

  One thing we were all agreed upon was the fact that anything we could do to bring about the breakup of this gang of girl traffickers was worth the effort and, if our suspicions were true, there was a reasonable chance that we could help the police to do so and perhaps help them solve the murder of Irina.

  When we had finished our meal I made a sign to Pierre to come through to the sitting room. I poured us each a glass of whisky and, standing beside each other at the window, we admired the sunset over the mountains. So peaceful - a world away from the hell that these evil men were creating. I looked down at my glass, swirled the liquid round a couple of times and sighed. In spite of appearances I was a bit worried about the whole thing and I wanted to reassure myself. I needed to throw a few thoughts around.

  “Tell me, Pierre. Do you think I’m crazy?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t really know. Here we are about to embark on an operation to try to destroy a bunch of criminals who are destroying the lives of young girls and doing God knows how much additional damage to hundreds of people by pushing drugs. It could be dangerous. I might be putting members of the family at risk. Look what happened to Liam in that car crash.”

  My previous attempt to right a wrong had nearly cost me my life and here I was getting involved again in something which I could easily walk away from. Maybe I should. Maybe I should just go to the police with what we now knew and leave it all to them.

  Pierre looked across at me.

  “Bob, I’ve lived almost all my life with no family other than my mother. I’ve just found a new family and I’m beginning to realise how important it is and what I’ve missed. I agree that the last thing that I want is for any harm to come to any of us. But there’s another side to this. All of these girls also have families. And all the people who get hooked on drugs, they have families as well. They all suffer.

  “Whatever can be done to stop this should be done. I think we both agree on that.”

  I nodded, listening intently continuing to study the amber liquid in my glass, admiring the wonderful colour.

  “It seems to me that the basic question is that if we leave it completely to the police are they likely to succeed in putting all these people behind bars? Or are the police far more likely to succeed if your plan comes off. That’s the first question. The second one is whether there really is any danger to any of us.”

  That sounded reasonable. I had been so tied up in the detail that I hadn’t really stood back and looked at things objectively.

  Pierre continued. “The other thing is this. If we didn’t get any more involved and left it to Ross and he didn’t manage to get any kind of conviction, how would you feel? Would you forever regret not having helped as much as you could?

  “If they did get the murderer convicted and managed to break up the gang that would be fine. But if they didn’t, what then?”

  That was the main question that was bothering me. Would I always regret not having helped? I knew what the answer was. It was ‘yes’, definitely, even if there might be some danger for me. But I wasn’t alone. There were several of us involved in this. Did I have the right to implicate them?

  When I expressed this to Pierre he said, “It’s easy then. Put it to a vote. Explain what you see as any potential risk and we take a vote. For me personally, I’m with you. I say ’go ahead’, but let’s see what the others think.”

  I need not have worried. We went back through and I asked everyone what their opinion was. Bearing in mind the feelings about the evil these men were perpetrating the answer was a resounding ‘yes’.

  Relieved, I thanked all for their support and confidence.

  All that was left to do now was to arrange the meeting with Inspector Ross and hope we could persuade him to agree to it. I would call him in the morning.

  If so, Helen would call Dugain and invite him to a meeting. Mike would go back to Forfar to get Mac and Doug organised and find the equipment we needed. I would take Pierre and Liam up to Lochbervie the next day.

  I called Ross the next morning. When I told him that I had perhaps some information that might help him in his enquiries he readily agreed to meet me on Monday. I informed everybody and then set off north with Pierre and Liam. One more hurdle – agreement from Ross – and then I could get things moving.

  Chapter 21

  We arrived mid-afternoon. Sophie and Ana had gone out for a walk down to the loch and when we had unpacked, Mike and Liam went off to find them - Liam still limping and aided by a stick.

  I had the opportunity to catch up with Maggie and tell her all that had happened. She seemed a bit worried when I explained what we were going to do but said nothing.

  It was a lovely balmy afternoon so we took the opportunity to sit outside and it wasn’t long before we observed the four figures of our wanderers coming back up the track.

  I could already see at a distance the change in Ana. She was smiling and chatting gaily to Sophie while Mike followed on more slowly with Liam, thirty yards behind.

  Sophie welcomed us back and with a hug and thanked me for bringing ‘the boss’ back. She told me she was charmed with Liam and had heard his story of our accident.

  Ana, now seen close to, was a different person from the frightened nervous little girl I had left behind and there was no shyness when she was introduced to Pierre.

  She and Sophie had been out
hiking each day and there was a freshness in her face and a new lightness in her eyes. She was full of praise for the country around her, telling us that it reminded her of some parts of Romania. She and Sophie had managed to climb a couple of the local smaller peaks and she tried to describe her impressions of the views – the colours, the smells and the wildness of it all. Her descriptions were worthy of the Scottish Tourist Board.

  Sophie watched and listened affectionately, giving the impression that this was perhaps the daughter she would have liked to have had if she had been able to.

  Then Ana disappeared into the hotel to brew up coffee for us all. Maggie turned to me with a smile.

  “She’s a great girl, Bob. She’s made herself quite at home with us and I’m so glad we got her out of the clutches of these people. It makes me even gladder that you’re trying to do something about them.”

  Mike and Liam had arrived and Liam collapsed, groaning, onto a chair. “Don’t overdo it,” I told him.”That ankle will still take a while to recover.”

  There were a few guests in the hotel that evening so, while Maggie organised their evening meal, we stayed in the bar, except for Ana who, to my surprise, disappeared into the kitchen. I raised my eyebrows to Sophie who informed us that she had volunteered to wait on the tables and was, according to Maggie, doing an excellent job as a waitress and was greatly appreciated by the guests. She was happy to be busy and it showed. Pierre and I were quite happy with the newspapers and magazines lying around. Maggie had recently started to subscribe to Golf Illustrated for my benefit.

  After their exertions in the hills most of the guests fairly early and we were all able to pass a relaxed evening together. The young ones swapped stories of Australia and Romania with a fair bit of laughter and seemed very much at ease.

  In bed later that night, comfortably welded to Maggie, my arm round her shoulder, I recounted my conversation with Pierre and the doubts I had had about the plan. I wanted to know what she really thought as she hadn’t said much earlier. So I asked her what her opinion was. Should I go ahead?

  She was quiet for a moment. Then she snuggled even closer.

  ”I think you should do what Bob Bruce would do.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Be true to yourself. Pierre’s right. That’s what we would all expect you to do. If you walked away and these people got away with it, how would you feel?”

  “But look what happened to Liam?”

  “Do you think he blames you?”

  “No, but if I hadn’t spooked Macek it wouldn’t have happened.”

  “But he’s just as keen as you to do something about these evil people. He’s got quite worked up about it. You know he’s taken a bit of a shine to Ana since he‘s been up here.”

  I bent my eyes from the ceiling down to her hair nestling under my chin.

  “He has, has he?”

  “Uhuh. He’d give you his vote.”

  “And you?”

  “Don’t you remember how we met? I’d hate anything to happen to you again but I’d also hate it if you regretted, for the rest of your life, not doing what you feel you have to. I knew what kind of a man I was getting entangled with. Anyway I think you’re worrying unduly. I don’t see how there could be any danger.”

  She was quiet for a few moments then I felt her leg slide over mine. “Bob, don’t worry about it anymore. Come inside me.”

  I gently did as she asked and, while they got on with whatever they were doing down there, we kissed softly. When they’d finished she closed her eyes, I gently kissed each eyelid and we drifted off to sleep.

  *

  When Mike left on Monday morning I assured him that I would let him know the result of our meeting with Ross. Shortly afterwards Pierre and I set off for Stirling.

  When I had phoned him to fix our meeting I had asked him if he had made any progress on the murder of Irina. He had admitted that so far they had not got any further. So I was looking forward to hearing his reaction when I shared the extra information that we had gathered.

  Inspector Ross received us in the same small room. I suggested that it might be useful if Sergeant Maclean was also present as he had been involved from the beginning and I had an idea that he might be needed for what I had in mind.

  I introduced Pierre as M. Collard, a friend. I had brought him along to add a little weight to what I was going to say. When MacLean arrived we all sat down around the table.

  Ross was polite, quiet and curious. He had the inevitable pad and pencil in front of him on the table.

  “Inspector Ross,” I began. “As you know I was curious to find out a bit more about what had happened to my grandson and the suspected operation to extract information from him about Bioscope’s research work. We met again because the person who had been involved, Irina Vasilescu, was murdered not long afterwards. Sergeant Maclean told me about this girl’s history and, if I understand correctly, your conclusion was that it most likely had something to do with a drug ring. Is that correct?”

  He nodded in agreement.

  “Well, in trying to clarify whether LyonPharma did indeed indulge in industrial espionage we have uncovered certain facts which we believe might help you to resolve the murder.

  “Some of the information is definitive and can be proven. Some of it is, in our view, almost certain but we don’t have proof. I, with the help of M. Collard and my brother, would like to stage a piece of theatre which we believe might settle things. We want you both to be present to witness it. If I succeed in what I want to achieve, you will have your culprit. If not you will have all the information we are going to give you and you can continue your own enquiries. Is this something you would be prepared to envisage?”

  “Mr. Bruce, if you have information which could help to solve a murder it is your duty to report it to the police.”

  “I agree and I will. But we don’t believe that a police investigation will get very far if it is simply based on the information we have so far. It is more likely to send out warning signals and the people who are behind this traffic of girls and drugs will cover their tracks and there’ll be nothing available to convict them.”

  “I’m intrigued. Could you go on? Before I say yes or no I need to know everything you know and be comfortable that this ‘piece of theatre’, as you call it, has absolutely nothing illegal about it.”

  Pierre responded to that and said very clearly to Ross that what we planned was totally above board and perfectly normal. We only wanted Ross and Maclean to witness the events and be on hand if necessary.

  “OK, let’s hear you,” said Ross. He must have decided that this might take a little time because he got up, took off his jacket, hung it meticulously on the back of his chair and sat down again.

  “Irina Vasilescu was distributing drugs in the central belt of Scotland under the orders of a man called Macek – a Romanian – who works for LyonPharma,” I began.

  Ross started to take notes. He looked up. “Proof?”

  “Nothing solid. I discovered through talking to an ex-employee of LyonPharma in Edinburgh that Miss Vasilescu worked for the company for several months before she was killed. She apparently worked directly for this man Macek.”

  “Who is definitely Romanian?”

  “Definitely. That can be proved.”

  I carried on.

  “Shortly after Miss Vasilescu’s murder Macek employed another Romanian girl, to work directly for him and she is prepared to testify if she gets protection.”

  He looked up sharply. “Where is she?”

  “We persuaded her to jump ship and we have her safely hidden away. She has done nothing wrong because she only arrived here in Scotland a few weeks ago and Macek hasn’t yet started to use her. Like Irina Vasilescu these girls are being forced into this by a company which is in Bucharest. We have the names of the two brothers who run this racket and proof of the link between them and Macek.”

  Ross put his
pencil down, sat up more straightly in his chair and waited.

  “This girl – let’s call her ‘Mary’ – explained to us the whole set-up, confirming what Irina told Sergeant MacLean. They recruit the girls from small towns in Romania and fix them up with jobs in France, promising them opportunities they don’t have back home. They let them get used to a new, better-off lifestyle in France for a few months and then they put the squeeze on them. Sometimes it’s pushing drugs, sometimes it’s prostitution. They are very tough and nasty. It is made clear to them that if they don’t play ball they’ll be shipped back home and if they go to the police far worse will happen. That is what we believe happened to Irina. The girls come initially to Lyon, often to LyonPharma for their first job, and then are dispatched to other cities in France or elsewhere.

  “Mary, when she was in Lyon, resisted to begin with until she was, fortunately, transferred to Edinburgh. She arrived not long ago and Macek has not yet started her working. So far she has not yet done anything wrong. Naturally she is very frightened and will need protection if her testimony is required.”

  Ross picked up his pad and started to doodle. He drew three circles, naming them Edinburgh, Lyon and Bucharest. Then he drew two arrows from Bucharest to Lyon and on up to Edinburgh. He scribbled Macek’s name in the Edinburgh circle and wrote ‘Company’ in the Bucharest one.

  He put the pad to the side slowly, tapped it with his pencil a couple of times, brow furrowed in thought and looked up.

  “And how have you found all this out?”

  “I can’t remember if I told you but LyonPharma is the company that effectively stole Bioscope’s patent. We have proof that their Managing Director organised it.”

  “So that’s why you started to look at LyonPharma and came across this Macek character and discovered that Miss Vasilescu used to work there?”

  “Yes. And we are sure that he murdered Irina and, by the way, made an attempt on my life.”

  Other than a raising of his eyebrows he didn’t react to that one. He remained still, waiting for me to go on.