The Financial Terrorist
Page 34
Carrie was one Charles’ oldest friends. She had left her husband a couple of years back and now lived with her father and her six-year-old son. It would be nice for them to get together again, but this was not the right occasion for revisiting the past.
“Commander, this is business. I need to see you. I have a proposition that could interest you. Is there any chance of you popping over tonight for a drink? We could discuss it then.”
“You intrigue me. What is it about? Should I bring anyone?”
“No Commander. Just bring yourself. How would seven suit you for a pre-dinner drink?”
He agreed and, once again, Charles returned to work.
He walked over to the dealing room. It operated as smoothly as before. They were happy doing deals they could not comprehend. They knew how to feed numbers into a computer and the numbers told them the answers they wanted to hear. The numbers always told them that they were making a profit. The programme on the computer wouldn’t allow them to make losses. They would only uncover them later and then it would be too late.
He said “hello” to the younger Dunkillin who was brimming with enthusiasm for all the deals they were doing. He kept his door shut and let others do the messy trading.
All the same one couldn’t fail to hear the juvenile traders shouting “buy a hundred” or “sell fifty” as they casually omitted the millions whilst gambling away with other people’s money.
Charles was relaxed, his secret systems were good enough to detect anyone else’s fraud or a run of bad luck that would lead to unacceptable loss. He had invested good money to guarantee that.
He looked into Sir Brian’s office. The great man reeked of drink and was much further gone than usual. Charles picked up a chequebook. It was lying on his desk.
He asked for his signature on a blank cheque and the unsuspecting fool signed it there and then. He took it away. It was a company bank cheque and he would fill it in later to credit the poor fool’s own account. An account he would open in Switzerland or somewhere. The money moved to them very soon after it was deposited, although it would never be traced. But it would tie Sir Brian even more into the fraud.
He moved on to the Honourable James. He, too, was brimming with confidence. The management accounts for the first nine months had just been produced. He said that it looked as if IBE in London alone would make well over an annualised four hundred million plus. And that was in sterling! In dollars it was nearer eight hundred million. He told Charles of the fortune that they were making in the trading room. Charles could hardly stop himself smiling as he thought of all those phoney deals that were the main targets of their intended fraud. And the amazing thing was that the Honourable James sensed nothing unusual about this incredible performance.
He went through the figures with Jacqui later that day. Their sales of the funds in the US had reached six billion already. Amazingly, the US sales force was good. They had been given enough incentives. But the six billion of sales added up to another two hundred million of commissions. Adding in the trading and lending earnings, it looked as if the Group would be running at close on 1.5 billion dollars before tax. On that growth rate, with an optimistic forecast, they would command a high price in the market.
They ran some new sums given the soaring stock markets, and came out with an estimate of a stock market value for the group of over twelve billion dollars. They would easily get more than six billion, and most likely much more, from the floatation of half their holdings. Hopefully, though, they were going to float their company at the top of the market on inflated profits. It was going to be so easy to con the public and make themselves another fortune.
That evening Commander Delaney came to see them. He was inquisitive. Delaney was a tall man. He was an ex rugby player. His grey hair was cut short in military style and his moustache was trimmed neatly. The pin striped suit, the white shirt with starched collar, the regimental tie and the gleaming black shoes all pointed to his military past.
But the man was far from a stereotypical Colonel Blimp. He had a keen mind and an evil sense of humour. The former was evident from his double first at Oxford and the latter from his ability to mimic his political masters at Westminster. But the latter he only did among select friends.
He had known Charles since he was a child. Charles had been an only child. Delaney had a daughter, Carrie, who was his only child. The two had become close friends, almost like brother and sister. And, as they grew up, they realised that the friendship was more important than any other relationship. So they remained friends.
Charles had been Carrie’s protector. She was accident-prone and had got into all sorts of scrapes. He suspected the Commander knew of her abortion, he definitely knew of her earlier drug habit and one or two other skeletons in her cupboard. He also would have known of Charles’ role in supporting her. And there was, therefore, a close bond between the two men.
He did not approve of Charles and his family’s financial activity. He may have actually believed that they had more or less kept within the law as they built up their fortune. He knew also that the only reason that had been the case was because the law was unclear.
He would have realised that they would have taken every opportunity to skate as close to illegality as they could, and, at times, they would have crossed the line. But these transgressions were untraceable. Delaney knew of Jacqui’s past. He was not aware of the murders. He was unaware of some of their wilder escapades. He would not have been aware of the French shooting. But he was aware of a lot. He looked at Charles quizzically over a gin and tonic and waited for him to speak.
“I want to destroy Di Maglio’s Empire. But I need help. And I need to call the tune on how it is done and when it is done. Does that interest you?” asked Charles, almost casually.
Delaney didn’t hesitate. He just raised his eyebrows and looked over at Jacqui. She looked back. He nodded. “Explain how and why,” he asked crisply.
“Di Maglio wants us to run his set-up. We will ask him to sell it to us and, as a precondition, he retires. We still need to agree that and the terms. We haven’t really started talking yet. But he wants us in place as his successors.
If we don’t do what he wants, we’re at risk. He sees this as a battle. And he wins if the Empire stays in the family. Otherwise, he loses. And if he loses he becomes even more dangerous than usual. That’s why we’re all at risk.”
Delaney glanced again at Jacqui. He waited for her response. She smiled at him, arched her eyebrows and nodded. He did not react, but he must have noted her look. She was angry. She was sad. But, she was certain. She knew they had to win the battle. He then looked at Charles and waited for him to continue.
“I need one person I can trust absolutely. That man will run the business for me. I suspect he’ll have to work alongside Di Maglio in the beginning, but I’ll try to limit that period. Initially, he will run the business for profit. He will make it work. And you know what business it is. It’s prostitution, blackmail, extortion and, above all, drugs, but if we destroy drugs, the rest will just crumble on its own.
The business has to be run well for two or three months. Perhaps it will need to be run well for longer. My belief is that we will need to run it profitably till March or June at the latest. Then things will start going wrong. I will arrange for drug shipments to be seized. My man there will organise large shipments and we will tell you about them. You will be the only one who knows the source. You will also ensure that others are unaware that you are the recipient of the information.”
“Someone will need to know. I’ll have to pass the information on. But I can limit that to someone in the UK or someone overseas.” Delaney was already thinking ahead. He was trying to work out how he would run the busts. He knew that he would be a silent partner. He was considering using overseas agencies. That was sensible.
Charles smiled and continued, “We will also pass word of smaller shipments to other gangs. Effectively we will start gang warfare, especia
lly as some rival gangs will be told of the same shipment. You will also be told of some of the gang action, but not all. They could happen in Europe or in the US.”
Charles paused but Delaney did not interrupt. “Then, the Empire will get desperate. It will be short of supplies and be getting short of cash. We will organise a mammoth consignment. The timing is critical for a lot of reasons but I can’t share them with you.
We will tell you of the mammoth shipment and you will seize it. You can do that with your people overseas. That will give you some glory. We would be talking of a half billion dollar shipment or more.”
Delaney interrupted this time, “What is the reason for the timing? You said it was critical and you could not explain why.”
“Rest assured. It would not put you in any risk. It’s part of our need to ensure we are safe and Di Maglio is harmless. It’s better you don’t know exactly how we achieve that.”
He looked Charles in the eyes. Charles returned the look. Delaney held his gaze. A smile seemed to float around his mouth. Then it was gone. He said nothing. They knew, then, though, that he’d agreed.
“Who’s the man in charge? You depend on him?” he asked.
“That’s where you come in. I need one of your men.”
Charles ran him through the whole idea of the double agent. They talked of the temptation that the agent would face. They talked of the strengths they had to have. They discussed the weaknesses they must not show.
Then Delaney said, “I’ve got the person. She’s just what you need.”
“A woman,” Charles exclaimed. He saw Jacqui start. “No disrespect, but this is about running the biggest and most deadly Mafia organisation of all times.”
“The woman I have in mind meets your needs. I’ll call her Miss X for the moment. She can handle herself as well as Maria. She shoots as well as her, too. But she’s a secret service agent and not a Mafia protector.”
Delaney grinned. He knew Charles was surprised. He had never talked to him about Maria. Her cover in the UK was that she was his personal assistant. Yet the fact he knew about her told Charles two things. The first was that they were being watched. The second was that nobody knew of their killings in this country. That was a relief in his case.
“What cover would you give her?” he queried.
“It’ll have to be the double agent cover. The Mafia will know her. She heads up the money laundering operation in my shop. But she has spent time with organised crime. She will know the business. And a woman will be better than a man will. The Mafia respects them in a strange way. So there’ll be no shenanigans. She’s good. She’ll do your job. And the cover’s perfect. She works in your area; it’s the financial world. You could have had contact for years. Initially, she was second in command there. She runs the show now. All you have to do is say she was always working with you as your person on the inside. She gains credibility through that. And she is valuable for them if she knows how law enforcement works. Your main challenge will be to get Di Maglio to accept a turned agent as the new boss.”
“When can we meet her?”
“I’ll organise it for next week. You better see her on your own. I better not see you more than necessary till this ends. But I’ll be in touch. If you destroy the Di Maglio Empire, you’ll still be at risk. He’s a billionaire and, while he has money, he’s going to be a big threat.”
It was Jacqui who replied, “Charles said there were bits you must not know. We have everything arranged. There won’t be a big risk once we’ve finished. But leave that bit to us. We’ll come to you if we need you.”
“Who will you have to tell?” Charles queried. “The more people who know, the more dangerous the whole thing becomes.”
“I’ll have to inform Miss X, of course, and the Prime Minister. Then we’ll just tell the head of the secret services. Nobody else need know. That’s the beauty of my position.”
“If this leaks out, Miss X would die alongside Jacqui and me. And we would not be the only ones. There would be a bloodbath.”
“I know. Trust me. I’ll trust you.” Delaney smiled at them. He walked over to Jacqui and put his arm around her shoulder. “I know it’s hard for you. But you’re good. Your father’s evil. The two don’t go together.”
She looked at him, “It’s not that, Commander. He’s evil. It’s not that I’m so good. It’s that I’m a mother, I’m a wife, I’m going to be a mother again. And he’s attacking my family and me. I’m defending my own.”
“And Charles, what drives you?”
“I hate drugs. Carrie showed me what can happen if you get hooked. I’m not above criticism, but I have ground rules. And he wants me to break them. Add to that the fact that he’s going to kill us if we don’t do as he wants. That’s a fairly good motivation.”
“If you need help, call me,” he said. He then stood up and somewhat formally shook them each by the hand. He left, walking in the upright manner that was his trademark. He seemed to march in and out of rooms, as if on parade. Yet, one could almost sense his mind ticking over all that they had discussed. Charles also knew one extra thing. He had bought the story. He had put another piece into play in their game.
The next week or so went by without any contact from Delaney. Charles didn’t want to contact Di Maglio until he knew they had the right person. He concentrated on the bank and spent half his time in the US and half in the UK. All their special deals went smoothly. Life continued and, for once, it was pleasantly quiet.
They went to restaurants and to the theatre. They saw friends. Life was as it should be for a rich couple in London. They waited and started to get impatient. Yet they knew that they couldn’t contact Delaney. They kept on thinking that they were already in November and they wanted to start moving. When would he contact them?
One Saturday, he took Juliet for a walk in Kensington Gardens. He was pushing the buggy and she trotted alongside him.
A tall girl with long blond hair jogged past them and called out a cheery good morning. He was surprised. People don’t usually do that in that part of London. He subconsciously checked for his gun which, as usual, he was wearing in a leg holster. Was this another of Di Maglio’s tricks?
He turned a corner of the path and saw the girl again. She was sitting on a bench. Clad in running shorts and a shirt, her long bronzed legs pushed out in front of her. She was slim and athletic but not in a chunky or over muscular sort of way. She looked nice, but Charles was still wary.
She called to him, “Let’s talk.”
Charles grabbed Juliet by the hand and walked to her. “I’m from Delaney. He said I should see you. Can we talk?” she asked.
“Do you live near here?” he asked.
“Yes, but let’s walk and talk. The little girl looks tired. Does she want to go in her buggy?”
He asked Juliet and she agreed. And she sat in the buggy as he walked down the path with Miss X.
She smiled. Her eyes smiled as well as her mouth. Charles knew he liked her instantly. He waited for what she would say.
“My name is Madeleine. It’s Maddy Brown. You know about my background. I understand quite a bit about your business, that is the legal side. I know a bit also about your father-in-law and his Empire. I gather you want me to run it for you.”
Charles was amused by the casual nature of her approach. Of course he wanted her to run the business but he knew it was dangerous. So he explained his plans.
“I can buy everything you say bar the timing. It doesn’t make sense,” she said.
He responded firmly. “You have to trust me. You have to promise you won’t try to find out the reason for that. It’s not worth it, anyway. You’re talking about a delay of around two or three months. It may seem strange to you but it’s critical to me.”
She still looked puzzled. The brow puckered slightly. The eyes seemed to stare at him more intently. The body then moved closer to him. He sensed her perfume. He felt her breath on his cheek.
“We have two objectives. Yours is to help me destroy the Di Maglio Empire. If you don’t follow my timing, you’ll be dead and you’ll just hurt the Empire. I have a different objective. I need to destroy Di Maglio. And part of that task involves the destruction of his entire network. The two go hand in hand. There are things you are able to do. And there are things you can’t. Just remember that and focus on what you can do.”
“I just don’t understand.” She sounded worried. This was not the reaction she expected. She had obviously heard that he was rarely monogamous. She had thought she could use seduction to underpin the whole plot.
“Look, no hard feelings. I want you as the boss because Delaney says you can do it. He doesn’t know everything. I’m finishing off something that started years ago. Some of the groundwork has already been done. The more you know, the more dangerous it is. I need you to run the set-up well. Then I need you to give me information. I will warn you of events that will break the Empire. We’ll break it financially as it loses big bucks on drug raids. We’ll break its image of invincibility by using it as the catalyst for inter-gang warfare. And we’ll break its discipline because, once it gets on the skids, the thugs within it will fight each other to the end.”
She still looked puzzled, “I get the financial bit. But I don’t know if I get the invincible one or the discipline part. If the other gangs get done, won’t everybody be in the same boat? Won’t they all rally round?”
Charles shook his head. “You don’t know them as well as I do. They have beaten me up. They have fought alongside me. They’ve tried to kill me. They’ve killed my friends. I understand their psychology. And so does my wife. She was born into the life. She knew, though, how to escape.”
“Explain to me what will happen,” she persisted.