Assassin Flame

by Tomson Cobb

  ‘Yeah. It was my decision to move there, not his.’ He stretched the collar of the T-shirt he’d pulled on just before the call, which had now become stuck to his chest despite the aircon being on full.

  ‘Then?’

  ‘Then we started to discuss my campaign.’ Kruger began to feel that one wrong word would lead to an irretrievable situation. One that would end in his sudden death. ‘I told him about my ideas for the presidency. Everything that you told me to do.’

  ‘Everything? You’re sure?’ The perfunctory style of question added more threat than a longer winded one might have done.

  ‘Yes. Of course.’

  ‘So what was his response?’

  ‘Just interest. Questions about why voters would believe me when they didn’t believe any other politicians. I handled them as I always do.’

  ‘None about funds this time? Or why you were in Venezuela, for instance?’

  Kruger knew his heart rate must be now well into double figures as he tried to keep his own voice calm and his manner confident. It was difficult.

  ‘Yes. He asked again. I told him what I’d said on the plane. No more, no less.’

  ‘Really?’ A statement or a question? Wade didn’t know, so stayed silent. The caller was also quiet for a few seconds. It felt like a lifetime to Kruger. He could hear his raised heartbeat pound against his chest and wondered whether the caller could also hear it.

  ‘What happened then?’

  Kruger had readied himself for the question, although not how to answer it. Once he’d realised the caller knew about his assignation details, he’d decided to respond to each one in turn but not offer any additional extraneous detail unless pressed. It might be the best way of not providing the fatal mistake.

  ‘We got hit by a gang of young locals on bikes who tried to rob us. We fought them off with help from a couple of guys who happened to be passing.’

  ‘You fought them off, Wade? I didn’t know you had such ability. I’m impressed.’

  ‘Well, when my people got taken out, I had to defend myself.’

  ‘Hmm. Be that as it may, you haven’t mentioned the other individual in the bar. Why is that?’ said the caller.

  Kruger was now close to a coronary. Why hadn’t he mentioned this at the start of his report? Stay cool, he told himself. If only he could.

  ‘Oh, you mean the drunk? He came in before the goons arrived. I think he was a local. Didn’t say much. Just drank a beer with his head down along the bar from me and Hale. I think he got knocked around some by one of them. I was too busy with one of the gang myself to notice. When they ran off, I thought it best for me and my boys to get back to the yacht before the police arrived. Don’t you agree?’

  Kruger closed his eyes. If religion had played a bigger part in his earlier life, he would have known which prayer would be appropriate in this sort of situation.

  ‘It is not for me to agree or disagree, Mr Kruger. You make your own decisions in the field, just as we taught you. That also means any consequences are yours as well. You do understand that don’t you?’ The polite articulation of the threat suggested more danger than any coarse version, Kruger thought.

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘Why didn’t Hale return with you to the boat as we planned?’

  ‘He decided not to take up my invitation. Said he had to go back to London. I thought it best to change the itinerary and sail back here to Corfu. If he’d agreed to come back to the boat with me, I would have slipped off it later on the launch when Hale was asleep, as you ordered.’

  ‘In the circumstances you were indubitably correct to do so,’ the caller said. The American breathed a little easier after the caller’s words.

  ‘What do you want me to do now?’ Kruger asked.

  ‘Carry on with your presentation to our guests at the hotel. It is essential that you display confidence in the plan you have been tasked to deliver to the rest of the delegates.’

  ‘Of course. Do I need to change anything?’

  ‘No. Definitely not. These greedy little people and their entourage need to be reassured with guarantees that we will support them, with funds transferred into their offshore accounts. You also need to suggest that the military force we have at our disposal will be available if they need such help. You must emphasise that it comes with a price though. These grasping autocrats that want to become plutocrats are distasteful, however they are essential to our long-term strategy, Mr Kruger. You must remember that.’

  ‘I understand, of course.’ Kruger’s heart rate had slowed dramatically. Had he passed the inquisition, he wondered?

  ‘Report to me at the conclusion of the conference.’

  The call ended abruptly. He was relieved, yet it left Wade with a sense of unease that he was sure the caller had intended. He hoped that was all it meant.

  In a less humid part of Europe an hour later, another phone conversation was near the point of completion.

  ‘Kruger was clearly lying. I believe we should carry on as planned, however,’ Lord Catesby said.

  ‘If you say so. I agree the situation is delicately poised so we can’t have any more delays, I would propound. Can we still implement the next stage without delay?’ the caller asked.

  ‘I’ll meet with Lopez when he arrives in London tomorrow night. Herman will be there as well. I’ll call you afterwards.’

  ‘Excellent. I’ll be available when you need me.’

  Chapter 43

  ‘You’re sure about that, Nik?’

  ‘Absolutely. Lopez and Herman will have dinner with Catesby at his place tomorrow evening. We monitored a call from Herman at his hotel. They’re still there on Corfu. They’ll come back here on Herman’s jet after the conference ends.’

  Shapiro nodded in silence. Jago had put the call on speaker so he could listen in. They both couldn’t help looking towards the window. The view from the hotel room terrace was still dominated by the white super yacht that was anchored in the same spot as the day before.

  ‘Thanks mate. That means I should get back home as soon as possible. If they’re there, Ms P. won’t be far away,’ Jago said.

  ‘You made any progress on her location?’

  ‘I may be a bit closer. I’ll let you know when I have more. I’ll get an early flight even if I have to change somewhere, I don’t want to bump into Herman at the airport. Let’s meet up in town when after I get back. I’ll call you.’

  Jago finished the call. He looked across at Shapiro.

  ‘Do we visit the hotel here tonight dressed as waiters?’ Jago asked.

  ‘We don’t have to. My boys have wired the place already. We can have room service here and listen in to the presentation at the same time.’

  ‘Ah. Very civilised I have to say, Tony, although I’m sure Six could have provided similar resource. I agree with you, we should stay off their radar for now. They don’t know you guys are here and I want to keep it that way for now, until we know more about Mr Greenstreet. I think—’

  The conversation was interrupted because Jago’s phone rang again. It was another collaborator. This time he didn’t put it on speaker. It was Ivan.

  ‘Hello my friend. What can I do for you?’

  ‘You remember I told you I’d try to trace the user when you activated that little program I put on your laptop?’ Ivan said.

  ‘I do. I must admit, with all that’s happened I forgot to come back to you to ask if you’d found the source. Have you?’

  ‘Right on. The IP address was simple to get. Where that device was located proved a bit more difficult, so it was.’

  ‘You managed it I’m sure. So where is it?’

  ‘Are you sitting down? Be prepared for a surprise. It’s somewhere in the MoD.’

  ‘What? I thought you were about to mention an unfriendly state. Although I shouldn’t be surprised, what with the trouble I’ve been sucked into in recent times. I won’t bore you with the details. Can you narrow it down?’

  ‘I don
’t know. Their systems have been improved over the past year. They now use a smart AI-based “track and monitor” program, so I have to be careful I don’t trigger their own location search tools. I’ll use a version of Mimikatz to get through the Dysnc and use a Pass the Hash attack of my own.’

  ‘Mate, you’re speaking a foreign language. What the hell do you mean?’

  ‘Sorry. Bit over enthusiastic. Forgot you were a novice in cyber security. Let’s just say I’ll see what I can do, except I can’t promise I’ll find the end user.’

  ‘Just do your best. What you’ve just told me helps a lot in itself. You’re a genius, as I often say.’

  ‘Not often enough, Jago.’ Ivan chuckled. ‘Okay. I’ll call you if I get more. Cheers.’

  ‘Who was that?’ asked Shapiro.

  ‘Someone that works for me.’ Jago outlined the report without all the detail. He didn’t mention the name of his computer expert or the cookie that Ivan had installed on his laptop. Some habits die hard.

  ‘That fits what we know so far. All routes point to Catesby,’ Shapiro said.

  ‘They sure do. I’ll fly to London myself after you leave tomorrow. I’ll meet you at your place then we can find out what the get-together in London is about.’

  ‘Before that main course, the Chetwynd conference here looks like a decent appetiser. The wonders of technology make the job a lot easier than it used to be, I have to admit,’ Jago said.

  Shapiro stretched his arms and yawned. Then he returned his attention to the laptop on the table linked to a mass of cables, cell phone, portable Wi-Fi router and Bluetooth speaker, all of which had been delivered in a cool box by one of his team an hour earlier.

  ’It sure is. We got some video as well. Uncle Sam’s so happy to help out you po’ boys. Speaking of which, I wonder what’s on the room service menu?’

  Chapter 44

  ‘What can your guys do, Tony?’

  A day later and Jago was experiencing déjà vu. He and Shapiro were sat in front of a similar bewildering mass of equipment and cables, this time in the lounge of Jago’s house.

  ‘Well, it was short notice. If I say so myself, though, we’re damn good at this. I pulled some favours through a friend in our Special Collection Service. The SCS is a highly classified department of the CIA based in Maryland. Your GCHQ may be good at other skills, but they don’t have the type of surveillance hardware that we have.’

  ‘I can believe that. With austerity the key word in the UK for the last few years, it’s lucky that the government still has any bloody security service at all.’

  ‘I’m sure glad I don’t have that problem, Jago. We have more resource than we can use at times. As far as tonight though, we have the cell numbers of all three participants. As long as at least one of them carries their phone with them into the dining room we can listen in to what they’re saying, even if it’s switched off. We’ll also be able to see where each phone is in the room on the screen here.’

  ‘Impressive. Should I ask how, or is that classified?’

  ‘Hell, Jago, you’re signed up to your little old Official Secrets Act so I can tell you a little. The mobile phone world depends on an interconnect facility protocol called SS7. It has very little security. Do I need to say more?’

  ‘Not really. What if they keep their phones in their pockets? Or worse, leave them in the hall outside the room?’

  ‘We have a fallback. My friend in SCS came up with a new laser device that can listen in through glass windows. His boys have set up a directional antenna that looks like a TV aerial on the roof of the house opposite, pointing directly at the dining room window. We also have another aimed at the kitchen diner which you said is at the back of the house. You’re sure these are the two rooms?’ Tony showed Jago a layout of Catesby’s townhouse.

  ‘Yep. That’s the layout I saw. The kitchen is through a door at the end of the hall. A maid opened it just as I arrived so I got a glimpse of the central cooking area with high chairs set around it. So we’re covered on both counts, then?’

  ‘As long as they don’t order Big Macs and eat them in the wine cellar.’

  ‘How do you know he has a wine cellar?’ asked Jago.

  ‘I don’t. Just a guess. The landed gentry always have wine cellars, don’t they? You should know Jags, you’re damn near one of them, aren’t you?’ Tony smiled.

  ‘Don’t believe all you read in my file, Tony. There’s a subtle difference between inherited wealth from ancestors five hundred years dead and people like me. It’s a world called aristocracy. Let’s leave the history lesson for now and hope he’s the traditional Mayfair type that likes formality when he eats.’

  ‘He is. There’s been lots of calls from the landline at the house to a fancy caterer who’ll provide the food. I’ve got the menu if you want to see it?’ Shapiro offered.

  ‘No thanks. We’ll have to put up with Chinese delivered while we listen to the broadcast, so I don’t want to know about their gastronomic indulgence. You’ll have some good wine though. My small selection won’t compare to Catesby’s, but I think you’ll enjoy the Syrah I’ll serve up.’

  ‘Good. I knew I could depend on your hospitality, Jago. What’s for dessert?’

  ‘Like I said Tony, don’t push it. What time do they start?’

  ‘Seven. Catesby himself called Lopez and checked he had no dietary problems. Lopez replied only that he eats too much. His idea of a South American joke, I suppose.’

  ‘Just on the off chance that these conversations are all for our benefit, do you have a Plan B?’

  ‘Well, we have two guys on a couple of Yamahas at either end of the street in case they disappear to have their meeting somewhere else. If that happens we won’t be able to listen in, it’ll just let us see where they go, if this is all a charade to put us off the scent so to speak.’

  ‘Let’s hope not. Okay, we have a couple of hours before our guests arrive. I suggest we both do a little more research on Señor Lopez and his boss in Argentina, Pablo Macblane. I’ll make us some coffee. Chob, I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with a short walk along the mews in about half an hour. Is that okay for you?’

  At the sound of her most favoured word, the dog lifted her head from the state of stupor that was her normal daytime state, curled up in the corner of the study. The lack of follow-up action on Jago’s part betrayed the intention. She yawned then replaced her head on the front paws laid out in front of her, a study of relaxation.

  ‘I’ll take that as a yes, then,’ Jago said.

  Two hours later, fed and watered with two large glasses of red on the table in front of them, they sat in expectation. Jago had his headphones round his neck, Shapiro held one can to his ear while he tinkered with the controls of the radio receiver linked by USB cable to a laptop alongside.

  ‘You sure that crystal set works?’

  ‘Ha. I remember I made a few of those when I was a kid,’ Shapiro replied.

  ‘I suppose that’s why you were headhunted by the NSA while you were still in short trousers, then?’

  ‘So you know I was a child prodigy in electronics at the age of six? Very funny I’m sure. You’ll be surprised when I tell you that we still use the basic concept at Langley though, smartass. Agents are still taught how to put one together in the field from bits of wire, a coil round a toilet roll and an earpiece from a cell phone. You know that of course, because you went through that very course yourself at The Fort.’

  ‘Yes I did. I got the badge for the best boy in the class. I managed to listen to the European Space Station on mine.’

  ‘Bullshit. Seriously, the technology still has a place. If a foreign state closed down our communications, we could still operate.’

  ‘You must have a big stock of toilet rolls stashed somewhere then, Tony.’

  ‘Not quite. You’re close, but that’s for another... Hey, the doorbell just rang.’

  They both adjusted their headphones. Jago picked up a couple of ballpoints and pushe
d one across the table to his colleague, both ready to scribble thoughts on the notepads so they could listen to the conversation without interruption.

  ‘Señor Lopez. So good to see you again. Peter, you look well. What’s the secret to your youthful looks?’

  ‘I put it down to moderation in all areas. Plus my new trainer. He’s been able to motivate me again so I enjoy my exercise once more.’

  ‘That’s good to hear. I hope you’re not paying top dollar. Let’s go into the dining room and have a drink.’

  Shapiro raised a thumb. Jago scrawled on his pad and held it up. ‘Fee to be raised.’

  ‘I think you’ll find this is a rather enjoyable Krug. It’s a ’96 Clos d’Ambonnay, hundred per cent blanc de noirs cuvee. They produced a mere three thousand bottles of this so I was rather pleased to get hold of half a dozen at the auction.’

  ‘It is, Jeremy. I asked my broker to get some. He was too late though. As always you have excellent taste.’

  Jago wrote again: ‘Herman.’ Shapiro nodded. Jago added, ‘Clash of egos?’ He nodded again.

  Would you like to start, Marcel?’ Catesby said.

  ‘Of course. First, you are sure we are a hundred per cent secure here?’

  Shapiro mouthed the word ‘Lopez’ to Jago.

  ‘Of course. I have the place swept every day. My people came in this afternoon to do their regular check. All is as it should be,’ Catesby replied.

  ‘Good. Then let’s get down to business. As regards our trip, Peter will agree I’m sure that we have just concluded a most successful conference with all of our partner territories in Corfu.’

  Jago wrote: ‘Which phone?’ Shapiro checked his screen then returned with a scrawled ‘Catesby.’

  ‘The timetable is tight, however we are still on course to meet the next deadline,’ the Argentinian continued. ‘The induction of two new partners in Central Africa went to plan. Peter here was able to satisfy them that their new offshore accounts would be impossible to penetrate due to the way he has set them up in his usual meticulous manner.’

  ‘The contracts were signed to your satisfaction?’ Catesby asked.