The Englishman - Raglan Series 01 (2020)
Page 31
‘Thanks,’ said Raglan.
Sokol nodded. He knew damned well that it had only been Raglan’s strength and determination that had brought him this far. He turned the ignition key. The four-stroke engine purred into life. He turned the snowmobile’s nose across the frozen lake.
Raglan glanced back and saw that the sun’s beams had penetrated the edge of the forested road. Rivulets of blood, frozen veins in the hard ground, had seeped down from the ambush site. A sharp wind rustled the treetops, shaking flurries of snow. It made no difference that the strengthening wind would also scour the surface of the lake, erasing the snowmobile’s tracks. By then they would be out of sight.
Sokol half turned to ensure his friend was ready. ‘Helluva a long way to track that bastard down. Was it worth it?’
Raglan nodded and tapped his friend’s shoulder. Sokol twisted the throttle.
‘It was a necessary kill,’ said Raglan.
НОВОСТЬ, РАЗМЕЩЕННАЯ НА САЙТЕ СЛЕДСТВЕННОГО КОМИТЕТА РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ
ДЕКАБРЯ 2019 г.
Следственными органами ГСУ СК России по городам Москве и Екатеринбургу возбуждено уголовное дело по факту убийства гражданина Егора Кузнецова на территории Свердловской области Уральского федерального округа. Приоритетной версией является умышленное заказное убийство, совершенное организованной преступной группой по мотиву мести. Указанная группировка предположительно состоит из выходцев из Республики Беларусь и имела целью не допустить дачу г-ном Кузнецовым свидетельских показаний об их деятельности. Согласно сообщению Московского уголовного розыска при попытке задержания указанной преступной группы лиц охранниками колонии №74 (Белый Орёл) совместно с офицерами регионального ГУ убойного отдела МВД, преступники оказали вооруженное сопротивление и в ходе перестрелки, которая продолжалась несколько часов, все члены банды были уничтожены. Имеются также жертвы (4 офицера) и раненные со стороны сотрудников правоохранительных органов. В ходе расследования ФСИН по факту побега из заключения (колонии №74 Белый Орёл) был объявлен выговор и возбуждено уголовное дело в отношении заместителя губернатора области Анатолия Васильева, которому была избрана мера задержания в виде заключения под стражу в один из следственных изоляторов рядом с Москвой. Проводится углубленная проверка систем безопасности в колонии Белый Орёл. Тело заключенного №76590 Даниил Регнева до сих пор не обнаружено, и указанный гражданин числится пропавшим без вести. Предположительно указанный гражданин мог погибнуть вследствие суровых природных факторов в районе расположения колонии.
NOTIFICATION POSTED ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
DECEMBER 2019
Investigative bodies of the Federal Sledstvenniy Komitet for Moscow and Yekaterinburg have opened a criminal case into the murder of Yegor Kuznetsov, which was committed in Sverdlovskaya Oblast of the Ural Federal District. The priority version is the intentional contract killing committed by an organized criminal group with the motive of revenge. The said group is likely comprised of Republic of Belarus natives and their objective was to prevent Kuznetsov from testifying against their activities. As reported by Moscow CID, during the attempt to apprehend the said criminal group by the guards of the Penal Colony No. 74 (White Eagle), in cooperation with officers from the Regional Murder Investigation Unit, the criminals fought back and following a gun battle of several hours the outnumbered officers sought to apprehend the gang after their attempted escape. Moscow Central CID reports that all members of the gang were terminated. There are also casualties (four officers slain) and a further number wounded from the aforementioned law-enforcement authorities. In the course of an FSIN (Federal Penal Service) investigation into the escape from the Penal Colony No. 74 (White Eagle) a reprimand was made and a criminal case started against Deputy Governor Anatoly Vasiliev, who was detained in an investigative jail near Moscow. An in-depth investigation of the Penal Colony No. 74 (White Eagle) security systems is being conducted. The body of escaped prisoner No. 76590 Daniil Regnev has not been recovered to date and this citizen is considered missing, presumed deceased. It is likely that this citizen succumbed to the elements of the rugged, inhospitable environment that surrounds the prison.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my appreciation for those who helped me in the research for this book.
Michael Walker in London took valuable time from his busy writing schedule to spend hours driving me around the congested, rain-soaked streets of Bedford Park, Chiswick High Road and Hammersmith, helping me discover the perfect ambush site in Weltje Road. Furthermore, without complaint given the difficult conditions, he then drove me further afield to point out possible escape routes and hideouts for my criminal gang. The time he spent was invaluable in helping me plan and execute the various elements of the attack and kidnap. And more besides. Thanks, Michael.
My first contact in seeking help for the Russian elements of the story was Olga Puchkova, whose name was given to me by my friend and fellow author, Kate Furnivall, who contributed her own recollections of Russia. Despite being extremely busy, Olga patiently and kindly responded to my long list of queries, giving me insights into various parts of Russia and the way of life in that vast country. One of my readers, John L. Scott, volunteered his recollections of having worked for many years in Russia on behalf of USAID and then introduced me to a friend and former work colleague who lives in Moscow, Igor Troitskiy. If I have captured any essence at all of that city, no matter how slight, it is due solely to Igor’s valuable input as a passionate Muscovite. I am greatly indebted to him for every comment he made and for translating the end piece into Russian for me. Any errors in the information offered are mine alone.
One of my colleagues, Emanuela Anechoum, and her father, Abdelalì Anechoum, ensured my Arabic text was correct, which was extremely helpful given my ignorance of the correct form to use.
It took some digging around for me to find a means of connecting the character Eddie Roman and the newspaper, but retired journalist Marilyn Warnick kindly put me in touch with John Wellington at the Mail on Sunday. He swiftly disabused me of my original idea which did not stand up to scrutiny but his ongoing comments enabled me to solve the problem.
There is a raft of information about RBOC (Russian-Backed Organized Crime) but I concentrated my key areas of research on documents published by the United States Department of State and its Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The European Council on Foreign Relations provided a valuable insight into the role of Europol and Interpol and the role of Russian organized crime in Europe over the past twenty years.
David Gilman
Devonshire
2020
Website: www.davidgilman.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/davidgilman.author
Twitter: @davidgilmanuk
/> About the Author
David Gilman enjoyed many careers – including firefighter, paratrooper and photographer – before turning to writing full time. He is an award-winning author and screenwriter.
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Table of Contents
By David Gilman
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
PART ONE: WEST AFRICA Chapter 1
Chapter 2
PART TWO: EUROPE Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
PART THREE: RUSSIAN FEDERATION Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Acknowledgements
About the Author
An Invitation from the Publisher