The Financial Terrorist

by John Gubert

  He needs our cash and I could stop him getting that. If we clear five to ten billion on the shared pot and he gets his two and a half percent, then that makes him one fifty to two fifty million. That’s amazing money for him. Your father pays well but he’s only a multi-millionaire.”

  “So you reckon we have everything tied up?”

  “It’s as tied up as I can make it. The only big loose link is the Empire. I can only think to run it into the ground. But we can’t do that till next year. It has to be after we’ve completed the take-over. We’re well down the road in the scam. We sell the bank to the public in April or May. Then we allow the shit to hit the fan in August at the latest. And, hopefully, we’ll be taken out in September. Then I work on the Empire and try to destroy it in three months. That should be feasible but it’s tight.”

  “And don’t forget the baby is due?”

  “I wouldn’t. Nor will I forget you and Juliet in between times. It’s going to be tough but we’ll get there. And we need that island retreat so that we can spend the whole of the next year together.”

  She poured him another glass of champagne, “I’ll drink to that.”

  And one thing led to another. What idiot said that pregnant women weren’t inviting and exciting?

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Next morning the ringing phone woke them. Charles picked it up. It was five in the morning.

  “It’s Maria. I need you here. I’ve had visitors.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m hurt. But I’m not hurt badly. My visitors are in worse shape. They’re dead.”

  “Should I come alone?”

  “I think that‘s best.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  He got up and pulled on his black combat clothes. He slipped a gun into his leg holster and some spare ammunition into his pocket. He had another identical gun in his waistband, covered by a jacket.

  “Be careful,” pleaded Jacqui. “First, there was Claire. Now Maria’s attacked. I bet it’s my father. Be careful. You may be wrong about his opinion of Maria and his suspicions about you.”

  “I’ll be careful. I’ll see you in the office if I don’t get back before you leave. You be careful as well and make sure Juliet has enough security.”

  She nodded. She knew better than him what to do. She’d been born into this lifestyle, he’d only grown into it. He got into the car. The security guards wordlessly opened the gates. He drove through the streets of Kensington and down to Chelsea. He had the key to her flat and let himself in, gun in hand. He thought she would be alone but you could never tell.

  The light was on in the kitchen and he moved carefully towards it. If there were someone there, they would have heard him open the door. In those old mansion flats it was impossible to remain silent. If the doors do not creak, the floorboards do.

  He pushed open the door, and slowly the kitchen came to view. Then he saw Maria, sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar. There was blood on the breakfast bar and on her clothes. She was wearing a short nightdress, but it was torn.

  She turned round to face him. She was white. He saw the blood coming from her shoulder and arm. She had been stabbed and cut badly. She was holding a cloth against the wounds. The cloth was soaked with blood. The blood dripped slowly through her fingers.

  He moved towards her and shut the kitchen door behind him. There was nobody else there. He asked her to let him look at the cut, it was deep but not life threatening. She needed a doctor. He was sure that she would have called for one already. At least once she knew that Charles was on his way.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I stayed in last night. I was sleeping when I heard something. I went to look. It was two men. They were in the lounge. I shot one and then had a struggle with the other. He had a knife. He slashed at me and I managed to half avoid it. Then he slashed again and got me. He went to finish me off. I had fallen and pretended to be half-conscious only. The idiot took that for fact. As he approached, I managed to knock the knife from his hand. I grabbed it and stuck it into him three or four times. He just moaned. But he’s dead.”

  “So I have to get rid of two bodies.”

  “Yes. And you can’t use the normal disposal channels. They’re Di Maglio men. But what’s strange is that they’re not the types he’d send if he wanted me to be killed. These were second rate thugs. One got lucky and managed to knife me. I think this was a warning. Perhaps it was to me. And perhaps it was also for you.”

  There was a lot of truth in what she said. Di Maglio was getting dangerously close to them. Charles needed him though for the moment. He could do nothing to stop him. He would remain all-powerful for some time. So they would need to live in a protective cocoon. And they would have to include Maria.

  “What doctor did you call?”

  “It’s the one who saw to Jacqui the other week in the country. He’ll be here soon.”

  Charles looked in the lounge and checked the men. They were dead. There was blood on the floor. The place bore all the signs of the struggle that had taken place. He saw Maria’s gun under the table and picked it up. He slipped it into his pocket.

  He called home. Jacqui answered and he brought her up to date. He asked for Douglas. A minute or so passed before he came to the phone. He could find a small van and he could bring some large refuse bags and sealing tape. Charles in turn would empty out a cupboard in the spare bedroom. It was just the right size for his purpose.

  They would bring it downstairs and they would place the bodies in it. That way they could get them out of the house. All that was left then was to dispose of the men. That would not be difficult. He could depend on Douglas for that. He was an expert in that particular field

  He went downstairs. Maria was still sitting in the kitchen. He explained what he had done, “I’ll take you to our house after the doctor’s seen you and we’ve got rid of the evidence. Douglas will tidy up your place tomorrow. You’ll be all right.”

  “I can wait for Di Maglio’s call.”

  “What makes you think he’ll call you?”

  “He’ll call me. He’ll want me to know that he let me off with a warning. I’ve not betrayed him He thought Claire did. Charles, we need to kill him. Or it’ll be us. Perhaps it won’t be the next time. That may be a warning again. But he never warns more than twice, and usually not even that often.”

  “I know. We’ll talk about that tonight with Jacqui.”

  The discussion stopped as there was a knock on the door. It was the doctor. He came in and examined Maria.

  “You should have this seen to in hospital. I know you won’t agree to go, so I’ll have to do as best I can.”

  He looked at Charles and obviously did not recognise him. Charles explained he was a friend and had been called over to help. He asked if anybody else had been hurt. Maria said not. He accepted that. He would be long gone by the time Douglas arrived with the fake delivery van.

  The shoulder wound was patched up and the arm needed stitching. He gave Maria painkillers and explained how the dressings needed to be changed. The stitches would come out in a week or so. The slash on the arm may have bled a lot but it wasn’t that serious. The shoulder wound was minor and Maria would be OK. Charles noted, though, that she was weakened and wondered if that may have been Di Maglio’s main objective.

  The doctor left, telling her to rest. So Charles made her a coffee and had one himself. It was not long before the ever reliable Douglas arrived. He glanced at the clock. It was just past seven. If they could move the cupboard quickly, they would miss the early morning rush hour.

  They removed the clothes hanging in the cupboard and carried it to the lounge.

  “Roomy for a double coffin,” noted Douglas, lugubriously. “Glad they both look well under six foot, otherwise we might have had to shorten them somehow.”

  They quickly wrapped them in the bags and sealed them. They were then dumped unceremoniously in the
cupboard. It was heavy. They made it appear light work. Nobody was in the street when they did the journey from the house, but you could never tell. They locked the van and returned indoors.

  “Where will you dump it? Can you manage alone?”

  “There’s a building site I know down near the airport. I’ll leave it there. I can drive up to wherever I want to dump it and just slide it out.

  “They’re in-filling the land on the site . But there’s a strike on and so almost nobody’s there at the moment. I’ll put the cupboard in one of the pits and top it with rubble. They get the occasional casual labourer working. It won’t be found. They have to cement over the rubble before they start building. Then they’ll put the foundations over the cement.”

  “How much rubble will be over the cupboard?” Maria queried.

  “I’ll be there most of the day. Some of the pits are about ten by ten. The main one is almost filled. Then there were a series of small pits around the place. I’ll find one that’s at least ten feet deep. That means nine feet of rubble. It’ll be rock and crushed stone mainly. That’s what they’re using. I’ll leave an acid bomb with each body.”

  “What’s an acid bomb?”

  “It’s a delayed charge that will release concentrated acid. It will disfigure the bodies and most likely destroy them. I can’t be sure as the wardrobe will corrode as well.”

  “Won’t there be gas escaping?”

  “A bit, but it’ll have been dispelled by morning and I’ll time it for the evening so nobody will be there.”

  “Could it move the rubble?”

  “Not the gas. The acid could cause a bit of subsidence. But that’ll be no problem. It won’t cause more than the odd few inches of drop. And I’ll allow for that.”

  “If it’s a construction site, there’ll be a lot of machinery around, what about their security?”

  “A mate of mine runs that. But he’s only nights. They don’t do anything in the daytime but spot checks. And I’ll look like a labourer. One of the casuals they employ to be around and keep things moving.”

  “Could there be others around?”

  “Yes. If there’s a problem, I’ll abort and do something else. But I want to get off and be there by eight. The casual labour doesn’t tend to start till later. And the night man goes off at seven.”

  “Douglas, how do you know all this?” queried Maria.

  “I always know a dumping ground. Not usually for bodies. But I’m flexible,” he said with a laugh. With that, he was gone and Maria and Charles were alone. They packed her case. He had parked in front of the house. They locked up and quickly went to the car. Nobody gave them a second look.

  Maria turned to Charles, “I didn’t know that Douglas managed body disposal.”

  “He’ll do anything for us. I wouldn’t call him for a Miss Wendy Dale. But he’ll help against thugs like this without a second thought. And he’s not going to be indiscreet, I can be certain of that.”

  “What will he do with the van?” she asked. “Could it be traced?”

  “He’ll dump it. He’ll have stolen it. Don’t worry. He’s a true professional.”

  She smiled weakly. “I must be in shock. I’m fussing. I’m usually not like that.”

  Once inside the house, Jacqui took charge of Maria. She was put into a cosy guestroom. Charles came down and saw her just before he headed off to the office. It was just after eight and he was to drive them both in. Jacqui came down the stairs in a neat suit.

  It was tight fitting but her pregnancy wasn’t showing yet and so she could carry it well. Tall, dark and elegant, her olive skin and large, soft dark eyes were framed by her long black hair. Her body seemed to fit neatly into the curves of the suit, or perhaps it was the other way around. She walked with a gentle sway, which seemed to ripple all the way down her body, before easing herself into the car.

  They pulled out into the traffic jam that would accompany them all the way to the City at that time.

  “You know it was your father giving us another warning.”

  “I know. What’s his game? Is he still trying to intimidate us to take on his business?” She looked at Charles for an answer.

  “That’s part of it. I think he wants us to be at his bidding. I suspect he feels he could rule the world if he combined our money and his.”

  “Let’s take out his Empire sooner rather than later? We could destroy it at the same time as we run the scam. In fact, we have to. It’s too risky to do it after we have taken my father for several billion. He would never buy anything we proposed. The plan you mentioned last night just wouldn’t work”

  “What do you mean?” said Charles with incredulity. “We could never manage simultaneously the bank scam and the destruction of the Empire. That’s why I needed to do them one after another.”

  “We take on the Empire and ease him out. We agree to pay him the money for the business, but with payment only when we’ve done the bank deal. We stick to your idea of a couple of billion up front and a share of future profits. Then we screw him out of the money and destroy the value of the future profits. Everything goes down at the same time.

  We find the right person to manage the outfit for us; insist on an outsider we can trust. They‘ll organise the raids by the police. We can get other gangs to raid the business. Loose talk will ensure that alone. It’ll be easy.”

  “Who can I put into the Empire?” queried Charles.

  “Why not use Maria?”

  “No. I need her as a general spy and support at the bank. In any event, I suspect she may not be quite up to it. By the time we sell the bank to the public, you’ll be eight months gone. And you’ll not be around when the plan reaches fruition.”

  “What about Commander Delaney?”

  Charles was puzzled. “What about him? He can’t help us.”

  “Why not tell him that Di Maglio is looking to hand the operations to you. He knows you want to avoid that like hell. Ask for one of his key undercover men. You’ll have to manufacture a past for him, and it will need to be good enough to stand up to scrutiny. Put him in as our general manager. That’ll give you the way to the police.”

  “It’s possible, but how do we get them to do it without letting the cat out of the bag? I can’t tell Delaney about the bank and our plans. He’d bend the rules and break them to destroy a major drug Empire. But he wouldn’t help out on a major fraud.”

  “Why do you need to tell him anything? Play hard ball. We need him to accept out timing for the fall. Can’t you just say that you have other things to do, as well as destroy the Empire, if you are also to destroy my father, tell him he has to accept that and the timing; or there can be no deal. ”

  “Jacqui, that’s brilliant. I’ll call Delaney and see what he’s willing to do.”

  Delaney could be trusted. He knew of their connection. He would have to clear the plan, but he would do this at the top. Charles doubted if it needed to be known by more than two or three people and they would all be used to being discreet.

  Delaney would find a background for the new man. Logically, he would invent a double agent. It would be someone who worked inside the police and worked for the other side as well. He could have a background in organised crime, in any case.

  Charles would be able to sell him to Di Maglio. The plant would need to work alongside him for two or three months before they could take out Di Maglio. Then the destruction would start; and things would move all the faster if they had help from their man at the top. It would work like a dream.

  He turned to Jacqui as he drove into the bank, “I’ll call Delaney. I might suggest he come round tonight. We should suggest this to him. I can think of ways of making it work and it looks good. That was a brilliant idea.”

  They both felt as if a weight were off their shoulders. The fall of his despicable father-in-law was approaching. And he would fall sooner than they had hoped.

  The office day went much as expected. The
y ran through the figures and arranged more dodgy deals. They ensured they were all signed by their stool pigeons. The US duo were especially keen to sign off on anything with a lot of zeros. It was as if they felt that there was some enormous kudos in doing bigger and better deals. It was while happily pushing out the loans that another thought struck Charles.

  They would wait for the year-end. Then they would do a few mega deals. The Honourable James’ son and McGarth signed anything. Their understanding of the basic rules of banking was so poor that they could be persuaded to do anything.

  Charles even thought up a scheme where they would suggest that a deal had to be signed on a Saturday in Hawaii. That would be in demand. And each deal just flowed through to their coffers. It was a joke how easy the whole process had become. And, still, no one suspected a thing.

  Charles ran through his secret records. Sir Brian’s wife figured prominently among the signatories on the stolen money. His brother and nephew did, too. Dunkillin’s family was prolific in their hunger for directorships and their willingness to sign away at random anything one put in front of them.

  And, in the US, they had their strange couple. On the one hand, there was the snobbish idiot of a banker, McGarth, and, on the other, the perverted son of their noble chairman. It was going to be amusing when the proverbial hit the fan. For starters, the prison aristocracy would certainly increase quite dramatically in number.

  They had some standard banking to do and Charles did those tasks as efficiently as he could. He met regulators. He met other leading bankers. He saw real clients. He looked over committee papers. He mulled over the deals from the traders, all dutifully signed by his fellow directors and, to his amusement, certified by them as understood and well structured. It was, therefore, quite late in the day when he got hold of the Commander.

  “Charles. It’s a pleasure to hear from you. Carrie was asking about you the other day. She says you haven’t been around for a long time. You should wander over and we can jaw about old times.”