by Tomson Cobb
‘The Customs Surveillance Service. Yeah. Even better. That makes sense. They’ll go in hard, find the body and we can make a story that Hordiyenko’s another crooked part of Chomsky’s organisation that’s bitten the dust. Turns Belette’s plan on its head. Greenstreet won’t be happy with her.’
‘Nor with you, Jago. Come on, it’ll be light in a couple of hours. We have a lot to do before then.’
An hour later the two had cleaned up the place as best they could, before Jago helped carry Joe’s body in the rug to Shapiro’s car. That was the easy part. The other tidy-up job was harder. The climb down back to the beach had been quite a test for his new ability with heights. To remove any incriminating evidence of their entry, he’d managed to climb down the cliff then Tony had dropped the rope from above when he reached the bottom.
Jago was about to drop into the water with the bag of gear they’d left on the ledge when his eye was caught by a shell that looked wrong. It was a bright red hairclip on a rock. He placed it in his haul bag then began the swim back to the boat, along with Joe’s kit.
Chapter 28
Dawn broke with a thunderclap, the suggestion of a storm to come later in more ways than one, perhaps. A bottle of whisky stood uncapped on the table between them back in Jago’s villa. They watched the slow arrival of the dark bilious clouds through the patio window that overlooked the quay.
‘So whaddya think?’ Shapiro said.
‘I thought Mr Greenstreet would know all about me by now. Evidently he doesn’t. Otherwise Belette wouldn’t have come here avec hypo. What the hell does he need to know that I know, Tony? And why did he decide Hordiyenko had come to the end of his usefulness?’
‘Damned if I know, Jago. Maybe he thinks you’re having an affair with his wife?’
‘Hah. Bit of an expensive way to confirm that with this girl. Seriously though, there’s still lots that doesn’t make sense in all this.’
‘One new piece of the puzzle I found out since we spoke last is that Wade’s maiden aunt did live in Geneva.’
‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me? Volkov, Chomsky, RWC, Troncore and now Kruger all have links with Switzerland. It wouldn’t surprise me if Dias lives there as well. In fact, that’s quite possible now that I think about it. I’ll let my guy at GCHQ know so he can check it out.’
The conversation was interrupted by his phone. It was Natsuko. Jago listened intently and promised to call her when he got back to London.
‘She says they’ve questioned the guy that tried to kill her. He does work for Chetwynd. Gets his orders the same way as the guy in Cyprus did, from a numbers station via short-wave radio.’
‘So it’s our mystery man in London again?’ said Shapiro.
‘Must be. He told her he gets a target with instructions how to carry out the hit. He was told to apply for a job with her father’s company, so it looks like Hiro didn’t vet his employees as well as he should have.’
‘She find any other information?’
‘No. They didn’t get a good image of the woman in the car, although I think we can be sure that was our Belette. She sure gets around a lot, that girl.’
‘Sounds to me like you have a soft spot for her, Jago.’
‘You could use a different expression, Tony. Remember she was about to kill me. I have to admit though, she has balls to climb up that rock face without support, then throw herself off it again. She’s a real ambassador for gender equality. Call it professional respect.’
‘You’re nuts like her. I prefer to call it crazy. She’s a cold-hearted killer.’
‘Aren’t we all in this business, Tony? Let’s agree to disagree on Belette, as I have to get back to London.’
‘What for?’
‘I want to meet Lord Catesby.’
Chapter 29
The Terminal Five arrivals hall at Heathrow was as packed as usual. Jago’s mind was on the girl known as The Octopus as he threaded his way through the chaotic mass which clogged the narrow channel from the arrival gates like a lost Amazon tribe in its first encounter with civilisation. His attention was drawn to a sign with his name on it held by a young Asian man who wore an old-fashioned peaked chauffeur’s cap.
‘You’re here for me?’
‘If you are Mr Jago Hale? Yes sir. I’ve been asked to meet you.’
‘By who? I haven’t booked a cab.’
‘I don’t know, sir. I just got a call to arrive for the flight from Mallorca to take you back to London.’
‘Okay. Saves me some time I suppose. Let’s go then.’
The driver took Jago’s wheeled carry case and led him towards the short stay car park. He stopped alongside a black Mercedes people carrier with blacked-out windows, opened the passenger door and placed the case in front of the seat. He stepped back to slide open the side door. As Jago stepped in, he was surprised to see someone already in one of the rear seats. A tall figure, dressed in jeans with a black polo shirt, a briefcase open on his lap.
‘Hello Mr Hale. Please don’t be alarmed. My name is Frobisher, Howard Frobisher. Okay Farid, we can go now.’
The driver slid the side door closed. Jago looked over his shoulder through the thick glass panel that separated the two compartments to see his guide climb into the driver’s seat.
‘I should have guessed we’d meet at some point. I didn’t expect it to be here, in this situation though,’ Jago said.
‘Yes, I can believe that. Sorry for the cloak and dagger, but we couldn’t warn you in advance. You’ll understand that in my position, I couldn’t meet you in a public place.’
‘Of course. What can I do for you?’ Jago didn’t bother to ask how the head of MI5 knew he would be there at that point. He realised his passport must be on the checklists at all airports, so he was also sure Frobisher wanted to let it be known that Jago was under surveillance.
‘It’s more what I can do for you, Mr Hale. We’ve checked on Tom Bryan. The PM asked me to help sort this all out. I think you know that already though, don’t you?’
‘I was told you would be involved, yes. What have you found?’
‘It seems that as well as drink and woman problems, he also had an unfortunate gambling habit. His weakness, if I can call it that, was roulette. He’d been a member of two clubs in Mayfair for a couple of years. Won for a while. However, he lost a lot in the last year or so.’
Jago felt a pang of anger. Why hadn’t Frank known this? If he’d done some basic checks on Bryan, they both might still be alive now.
‘How much?’ asked Jago.
‘Over three hundred thou. He’d cleaned out his own account, bitten into a fair amount from his wife’s as well. Borrowed from his parents on top of that.’
‘I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised from what I’ve heard recently.’
‘Yes, well, I’ve just become involved in this myself, otherwise I would have had my people make some moves before now. The work of CUP is vital to my counterpart in Six, so I’m surprised he didn’t vet Mr Bryan himself. Perhaps Sir Frank gave him incorrect information or just didn’t make himself clear enough. Do you think that’s possible? I met Thompson only once so I can’t make a judgement.’
Jago made a mental note to check when that ‘once’ was.
‘It’s possible. Frank was loyal to his people. When he lost his daughter… my wife… well, maybe he took his eye off the ball.’
‘Of course. I’m sure you’re right, Mr Hale. I only ask this as I understand from Charles Bonner that you intend to get more involved in the work of Chiltern University Press, so I wanted to introduce myself. The services of Thames House will be available whenever you need them. I’m sure we both agree that this sort of incident cannot happen again?’
Frobisher said this with that irritating upward inflexion that millennials used congenitally in concert with the word so, to start their illogical answer to a simple question that required neither device by the use of good English. A regular gripe for Jago when watching TV or listening to radio i
nterviews, often with university educated so-called experts in economics or technology who clearly hadn’t encountered good teachers of the language at any time in their academic years.
‘I’m sure we do, Mr Frobisher. I share your concerns I assure you. What else can you tell me? You must have found more than that otherwise you wouldn’t have taken the time to come here to meet me in person.’
‘You are correct of course, Mr Hale. As you know, I think, I put one of my best people on this. They found that Mr Bryan had met with a certain Lord Catesby. Do you know him?’
‘I’m afraid not. Should I?’ Jago had learned from experience not to give out any information that he wasn’t sure was known to the person in front of him, even if it was the Director General of Britain’s internal security organisation.
‘Perhaps not. He’s a non-executive director of a company called Real World Analysis. Have you heard of them?’
‘This sounds like an interrogation, Mr Frobisher. I thought you said you’d just been tasked to do a background check on Bryan, so why are you giving me the third degree?’
‘Sorry if it sounds like that, Mr Hale. Habit I suppose. You must know this is a delicate situation I’ve been put in with this assignment. I have to ask these questions in case there have been any other important security breaches or incidents that have been missed by the CUP team. I owe it to the people that work for them here in this country and around the world, so I don’t want to make the same mistake as others clearly have.’
‘I see that. Okay. I may have heard of RWA, now you remind me. They produce geopolitical research reports for multinationals, I think.’
Jago wondered if the organisation led by the man that had not taken his eyes off him since he got in the vehicle was a client of the company, but stopped himself asking outright at this stage of their engagement. They’d just met, after all, and discretion was sometimes the better part of valour. His own usual technique, the use of pressure to get his interviewee annoyed, might also be best postponed for the present, until they got to know each other a little more at least.
‘That is correct. They also provide reports for governments, Mr Hale. Did you know that also?’ Frobisher continued to watch Jago closely as he waited for a response.
‘No I didn’t,’ Jago lied. ‘Doesn’t that make life difficult for them? I mean if, just for example, it was HMG, they would come to you first as one of the security services to provide such information instead of an outside party like RWA?’
‘Bravo, Mr Hale. You’re right. That’s how it should be, except politics sometimes intervenes which makes my situation difficult at times. I promise not to ask any more awkward questions, so please forgive me. I have to do my job.’
‘I understand that. Are there any other facts I in turn should know about this research company, Mr Frobisher?’ Jago always smelt it when he was given just a selected piece of the story. This was one of those occasions.
‘That’s all we know at present, although my operative is still engaged on the task. And before you ask, the person involved is highly vetted so I wouldn’t have given them this project unless I had absolute confidence in their discretion.’
‘Well, thanks for that reassurance Mr Frobisher. You’ll be glad to know that I’ll do my own checks within CUP when I get the chance. I’m a bit busy on my own investigation into another organisation at present though.’
‘You’re alluding to Chetwynd, I believe. I know all about that as well so don’t worry. If I can help you in any way in that project as well, please let me know. Here’s a card with my personal mobile number. Feel free to call me any time. Now, we’re not far from your house, I believe. We’ll drop you off around the corner by the pub if that’s all right?’
‘Fine by me. Thanks for the information.’
Jago took his case from the passenger side. He watched until the Mercedes had turned the corner at the end of the road into Hyde Park Street, then walked towards the Victoria.
It was a first for Jago to be met personally at an airport by no less than the head honcho of MI5. That certainly provided enough reason for a beer.
Chapter 30
‘So Steve. How’s the Beeb since I last visited? Is my annual licence fee keeping you in the manner you’ve become accustomed to?
Jago and his old friend Steve Cross were sat in a quiet pub near Broadcasting House. They’d decided on an early start, just after the place had opened, so they could talk freely without a throng of tourists or office workers impeding their discussion. Both nursed a mug of tea rather than an alcoholic beverage.
‘As you well know, Jago, BBC Monitoring’s been funded from the licence fee since 2014.’
‘But it used to be funded by the Cabinet Office as well as the MoD, as I remember,’ Jago added with a hint of mischief.
‘Okay. Yes, the MoD, plus the World Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as you well know I’m sure. What with your knowledge of such arcane information.’
‘I have to know these facts, Steve. I work for myself you know, not the public sector like you.’
‘With your money you don’t have to, Jags. I’m an investigative journalist as well, in case you didn’t know, so it’s also my job to check the person I’m in contact with before I meet them.’ He laughed. ‘Still got that old chip on your shoulder I see though. I would have thought you would have kicked that by now.’
‘It’s only you I would allow to say that to me, Steve. Just because we go back a long way doesn’t mean you can take the piss without a response from me. All right. Point taken. Let’s stop trying to outdo each other so we can get down to the nitty gritty. Tell me more about this new little army.’
‘Okay. But all this is strictly off the record. Is that clear?’
‘Of course. Cross my heart, hope to die,’ Jago said.
‘Don’t be facetious, Jags. Anyway, this army is not so little. My staffer in Ukraine thinks it has up to fifty thousand on its books now, although how many have combat experience he doesn’t know.’
‘Arms?’
‘Most is Russian, light stuff for mobility, some tanks, plus logistics like transport, uniforms et cetera. Rest is Czech or German, a bit from the black market.’
‘Finance?’
‘Don’t know for sure. It has links to a couple of Baltic banks that have been involved in the movement of some serious money laundered from Russia. They in turn have a connection with one of the main German banks that’s now under investigation for the same crime. It’s alleged they’ve set up shell companies for this mob in the BVI and other tax havens. They all deny it of course.’
‘Of course they do. And when they get fined by the EU or the FCA, no bloody director does time or even loses their job. What’s the link to Real World Consulting?’ said Jago.
‘A guy called Peter Herman. He’s the chief executive of Strang Bank’s Private Equity and Investment division.’
‘I’ve come across him before. I did an article about the bank a while back. I remember now that they have some questionable clients in the Middle East. They set up a company as a JV in the Caymans with one particular bank in the UAE that had no products, customers or employees, yet still declared hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. The JV paid tax on it and then both banks claimed the tax relief. The infamous double dip, it was called. It’s now outlawed, at least here in the UK,’ Jago said.
‘Quite. They don’t operate just there. My sources tell me they’re heavily involved with the Chinese for their Belt and Road Initiative. They’re the go-to bank for Chinese investment in the countries involved, most in Africa, also some in Eastern Europe, even Greece. It’s now the biggest infrastructure project in history. It covers seventy countries with sixty per cent of the world population, that includes forty per cent of GDP on a global basis.’ Cross looked around the pub, clearly uncomfortable about the possibility of someone overhearing them.
‘So the money goes from China, through them, straight to the offshore bank accounts of cor
rupt leaders of various states no doubt. Those great democratic leaders sign the lucrative deals that give Chinese companies all rights to the various minerals that are mined in their countries with exclusive access to their roads and ports to get the stuff out. Then I guess the bank facilitates the transfer of money the other way, skimmed off by the politicians in those countries to those same tax havens. So they get two bites of the cherry. Correct?’
‘How cynical of you. You can say that, Jags, but I can’t comment in my position. All I can do through our operation is raise awareness through our reports or broadcasts that highlight the situation in those places.’
‘Then the Chinese issue cheap loans to the countries involved, who can’t pay the interest so they end up taking over the assets and virtually running those countries when their original friends in government have retired to Switzerland or warmer climes. You make all this clear, of course, when you produce a private report for our government or other friendly ones, don’t you?’ Jago was by now in full conspiracy mode.
‘Again, I can’t comment on what we do for our private clients, Jago, if that’s what you brought me here for. You know how this business works so I don’t need to spell it out, do I?’
‘Of course not, Steve. Walls have ears, they say. What about Herman’s connection with RWC?’
‘RWC have some clever software that other consultancies can just dream about. This makes them of interest to all sorts of doubtful characters in dodgy countries. Their client list is now said to be the largest in their particular field, which includes Strang Bank of course. Like RWC, they also have their own personal contacts with most of the world’s leaders in one way or another. You can put two and two together, can’t you?’
‘I can now. So why haven’t you guys highlighted this?’
‘We wanted to but the floor above put a stopper on it.’
‘That’s very interesting. Any idea why? Just between the two of us, of course.’ Jago smiled then crossed his chest with his index finger.