by SL Beaumont
Within seconds the paramedics were at his side. “We’ll take it from here.”
Adam wandered away from the injured men and checked the surrounding area for Dave, but there was no sign of him. He crossed back over to the pub, where the publican and barmaids were standing, looking at their shattered windows.
Adam pulled his own phone from his pocket and called Dave. He answered after one ring.
“I’m okay. I just got the hell out of there. I’m not sure who’s after me this time.”
“That was intended to send me a message, not you.”
“How do you know?”
“There was a text on Smyth’s phone seconds before the explosion, warning me off from my investigation,” Adam replied.
“Sounds like good advice. Later.” Dave disconnected.
Chapter 16
Kat stepped from the shower and wrapped a fluffy white towel around herself. She grabbed a second towel and carefully dried her stump, checking for any abrasions. Finding none, she reached into her gym bag for her hand and reattached it. She’d left her damaged one with the lab at lunchtime. She dressed quickly and stood in front of the mirror to fix her hair and makeup.
“See you on Thursday, Kat,” a slim, athletic woman called as she walked out of the changing room, a small backpack slung over her shoulder.
“Bye,” Kat said.
Five minutes later, Kat packed her bag and headed out into the gym’s busy foyer. She stopped to refill her drink bottle from the water cooler by the reception desk and watched people arriving for their evening workouts, along with those who were finished and going home. She glanced outside before the doors closed behind them. The sun was beginning to set.
“Ready, ma chérie?”
Kat turned at the sound of the voice. Marco, her kickboxing instructor, sauntered towards her. He was muscular, with a swarthy complexion and dark eyes. His jet black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He slipped his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her right hip and guided her towards the automatic door. The door swished open, and they stepped into the night.
“Kat.”
She turned to see Adam leaning against the wall beside the gym’s entrance. His clothes were dusty, his hair messy, and one cheek was covered in small cuts and scratches.
“Adam, what happened to you?” she asked, reaching out instinctively to him.
Marco’s hand tightened on her waist.
“Long story.” Adam’s eyes narrowed as they focused on her companion.
Kat disengaged from Marco, who released his arm and instead snagged her left hand, interlinking his fingers with hers. He looked Adam up and down before holding his gaze.
“Adam, ah… this is Marco, my kickboxing instructor. Marco, Adam and I work together.”
The two men nodded to one another.
“Kat, there have been some developments tonight that I need to go over with you,” Adam said.
“What? Now?”
He nodded.
She looked at Marco. “Sorry, I’ll have to take a rain check.”
Marco lifted her prosthetic hand to his lips. “Of course, ma chérie, but come over when you’ve finished.”
“It could be late.”
“Never too late for you.” Marco dropped her hand and sauntered away without another word.
Kat shuffled and looked down at her feet. “So, what do you need to go over with me?”
Adam studied her for a moment. “I’ll tell you in the car. This way.” He led her towards a vintage gold two-door Ford Capri parked at the curb, and opened the passenger door.
“Nice car, Adam. It suits you,” she said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Do you fancy yourself as Bodie or Doyle?”
“I would have thought you too young to have watched The Professionals?” Adam said.
Kat shrugged. “Re-runs, I guess.”
“So, your kickboxing instructor is also your boyfriend?” Adam asked.
Kat shook her head. “No, as I told you yesterday, I don’t do relationships.”
Adam quirked an eyebrow.
“Don’t you dare judge me,” Kat said, turning to glare at him. “Marco is a good guy. He does a lot of great work with amputees and burns victims. That’s how I met him and ended up going to his gym. There’s a lot of anger and grief in the rehabilitation process, and Marco works with people to get it out in a positive way.”
Adam started the car’s engine and swallowed the comment that sprang into his mind concerning Marco. “I’m not judging you, Kat. Marco is a fortunate man to have your respect and affection.” He eased the car out into the traffic. “I’ll drop you home, where am I going?”
“Thank you,” Kat said, chastened by his response. “Head towards Green Park. Now, what did you want to tell me?”
“This goes no further at this stage, okay?” Adam said.
“Sure.”
“I met a contact tonight, in a pub across the road from his office in Rotherhithe. I needed some help to unlock Henry Smyth’s phone,” he explained. “We were successful, but as we were leaving the pub, I received a text message on that phone telling me to stop, or I would be next.”
“Next, what?”
“Seconds after receiving the message and saying goodbye to my contact, there was a small explosion near the pub.”
“God, that’s why you have those grazes on your cheek. Was anyone hurt?”
“Two men from a nearby shop.”
“That’s awful,” she said. “And your contact?”
“He’s fine.”
“Did you come straight from there?” Kat took a deep, shaky breath.
“Yeah.”
They pulled away from the lights and drove along the Embankment, both silent for a moment.
“Adam, you have to stop the car now. Let me out,” Kat said, pulling at the door handle.
“Whoa, hang on, Kat.” Adam manoeuvred into the next lane and pulled over into a bus stop. Kat leapt from the car as soon as he stopped and stood in the bus shelter. She bent over, with her hands resting on her knees, gulping in one lungful of air after another.
Adam jumped out and ran to her. Tears streamed down her face, and he reached out, but she pushed him away. “You smell of smoke.” She pressed the heel of her right hand into her eyes and swiped at the tears. “Give me a minute,” she said, walking several paces away from him.
Adam stood still and watched her. After a few moments, she turned and retraced her steps. She stopped in front of him and looked up into his face, her expression one of embarrassment.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out. Being in a car and smelling smoke is not a good combination for me.”
Adam ran his hand through his hair. “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
Kat looked away. “Just take me home, please.”
They drove in silence to Kat’s flat with the windows down and the fresh night air blowing through the car. Kat leaned against the passenger doorframe with her head turned away from Adam and stared out at the oncoming traffic.
Kat’s flat was on the second level of a four-storey Victorian building on the edge of a square with a private garden in Mayfair.
“This is really nice, Kat,” Adam said as they stepped into the entrance hall. Kat threw her keys on a narrow table inside the door. She dropped her gym bag underneath the table and walked across the wooden floor into the living room. Adam pulled off his leather jacket and hung it on an empty hook and followed Kat. The living room was light and spacious with a soft cream sofa along one wall and another at right angles to it facing tall French doors leading to a private balcony. To the left was the kitchen, separated from the living room by a long bench with two stools tucked in under it.
“Thanks, I like it,” she said. “Would you like tea or something stronger?”
“Tea would be good, thanks.”
Kat padded into the kitchen as a smoky grey Persian cat sauntered into the room. She stopped in front of Adam and appraised him for a few
moments before curling around his legs. Adam bent down and scratched behind her ears, setting off a purr that resembled a small motor.
“You’ve done it now, she will never leave you alone,” Kat said.
Adam looked around the room. The wall behind the sofa displayed black and white photos in simple black frames. He walked over to study them and was surprised to recognise several desert scenes from his time in Afghanistan. His view of the country was so coloured by war and death that he was shocked to notice that there was such a stark beauty to it.
“Who’s the photographer?” he asked.
“My brother.”
“Carl?”
“No, Joseph. He was a keen photographer. These were on his camera when they shipped his belongings home. Framing and displaying them seemed like a way to be close to him and not lose him. Seems a bit stupid now, because he really is gone,” Kat said, coming up behind him and handing him a steaming mug of tea.
“Not at all, we all deal with grief and loss differently. Your way seems as good as any, and they’re great photos.” He smiled at her. “Is it okay if I wash my hands, I came straight to you from the explosion?”
“Of course, the bathroom is through there. There are fresh towels under the sink. Help yourself.” She pointed to a doorway at the back of the room and took back the mug of tea, setting it down on the breakfast bar. Adam passed a box room that Kat used as an office as he walked down the hall. A tall cupboard stood in one corner opposite a desk and chair, and a Roman blind covered a small window. He washed his hands and face before standing for a moment staring at his reflection in the mirror. He looked rough. Tired and beaten. He rolled his shoulders and left the room.
Kat was seated on a stool at the bench. Adam noticed that she'd closed the door to her little office. He slid onto the other stool and took a sip from his mug.
“Kat, do you have reactions like that often?” he asked.
She shook her head and looked down into her cup. “No, not anymore. I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Don’t be. I’ve seen plenty of guys with PTSD, that’s what it looked like...” he trailed off.
“I know.”
“What happened, Kat?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, if you do…”
“I know where to find you,” she said, her eyes downcast.
“I was down in Cobham the other day,” Adam said after a moment’s silence.
Kat’s head snapped up, and she stared at him.
“Have you been there?” he continued.
“Yeah, and I don’t care if I never step foot in the place again.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. “Why’s that?” He glanced at her hand.
Kat breathed deeply before leaning towards him. “Have you been looking into me? Please don’t. You need to keep out of my business,” she said in a low voice.
Adam didn’t react or move back. Instead, he held her gaze until she looked away.
“Now, tell me what exactly was your contact doing for you tonight?” she asked, leaning back, making it clear that the subject of her past was closed.
Adam regarded her before answering. She really had mastered the art of deflection. He decided to let her deflect, for now.
“He’s a technical expert,” he said. “He was helping me to unlock Smyth’s phone.”
Kat looked at him. “Technical expert? Or hacker?”
“I think he prefers ‘technical expert’.”
Kat gave a weak smile. “Is that even legal?”
“It’s on the edge. Let’s just say any evidence found isn’t admissible in court.”
“So what did you find on Henry’s phone?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to look. We unlocked it, but it’s now in pieces thanks to the explosion, which tore it out of my hand.”
“So, no way to trace the message?”
“I’ve handed it on to CSU to try, but even if they do, it’s likely to be from a burner,” Adam said as his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, looked at the screen and uttered an expletive.
“Sorry, I gotta take this.” He stood and wandered to the far side of the living room.
Kat jumped up and busied herself by unloading the dishwasher.
“Look, I’m sorry. Something came up.” Kat heard Adam say.
The person on the other end appeared to be shouting.
“Why don’t you call tomorrow when you’ve calmed down, and we’ll reschedule.” Adam listened for a moment. Kat heard him controlling his breathing. “What’s more important? Tell you what, check the news reports about a bomb blast in Rotherhithe tonight and tell me what’s important. I was in the middle of that.” His voice rose at the end, anger spilling over as he lost a little of his ironclad control.
“I’m fine. Please don’t pretend that you care.” He stabbed the end button on his phone.
Kat looked across the room and caught his eyes, which were blazing with anger.
“Don’t ask, it’s complicated,” he ground out.
She nodded.
“There’s one other thing. Greenwood has arranged for a car to pass by your flat tonight, because if whoever set that explosive knows that I’m investigating Smyth’s death, then they possibly know that you are involved too. So it would be good if you remained here tonight,” Adam said.
Kat hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”
Adam drained his cup and stood up. “Try to get some sleep; I suspect we could have a busy day tomorrow.”
Chapter 17
“Kat, when you have a moment,” Charles Stephenson called from his corner den, as Kat walked across the Forensic Accounting Associates floor the next morning, dark rings under her eyes. “You too, Nathan.”
Kat wove her way among the pods of desks, many still unoccupied, to tuck her bag under her desk, and followed Nathan into Stephenson’s office. She gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows to watch a small riverboat chugging along the Thames in the sunshine before sinking down into a visitor’s chair in front of the large mahogany desk.
“Close the door,” Stephenson instructed.
Nathan pushed the door shut and joined Kat facing Stephenson’s desk.
“There’s been progress on the CIP investigation. I’ve just had a call from DI Greenwood. He’s expecting to have a search warrant issued this morning, allowing us access to CIPs servers on their premises, based on providing false data to the regulators. He wants you there ready to go at eleven because you’ll only have a short time before they get their lawyers to issue an injunction.”
“What changed?” Nathan said.
“The judge thought that the missing client records were enough.”
“Seems a little tenuous,” Kat said.
“Perhaps, but Greenwood argued a good case and found a judge willing to listen. With the news full of firms flouting the anti-money-laundering filing rules, the authorities are keen to make an example of someone.”
Kat nodded. “I’ll take Nate and Shamira with me.”
“Agreed. Gather what you think you’ll need. DI Greenwood is in court this morning, so DS Jackson will meet you outside CIP and give further instructions. I have one meeting that I can’t get out of, and then I’ll join you,” Charles said. “Use the opportunity to look for anything unusual.”
“I hope we’re right about the missing portfolios,” Kat muttered to Nathan as they returned to their desks.
“We are,” he said. “I’ve run it from all angles.”
***
They squeezed into the back of a taxi heading for London Wall.
“The first things we go for are the full client lists and fund reports,” Kat said. “We may not have access for very long, as I’d expect they’ll get their lawyers involved fairly quickly and shut us down.”
“Do we know what client management system they use?” Shamira asked.
“I believe it is a bespoke, in-house system,” Nathan replied. “But we’re a
bout to find that out.”
Kat spotted Adam’s car parked in a side street near the CIP building as they drove past.
“Can you swing back around and drop us in that side street back there?” Kat asked the driver.
The driver obliged, and Adam climbed from his car to greet them as they unloaded from the taxi.
“We just need to wait for the go-ahead,” Adam explained, as another vehicle pulled up and a uniformed police officer leapt out and handed him an envelope. He scanned the contents. “Okay,” he said. “We are a go.”
They strode around to the front entrance of the building, where four uniformed officers joined them. Adam marched straight to the security desk showing the receptionist his warrant card. He indicated to one of the officers that he was to remain at the counter.
The glass elevator was waiting on the ground floor and carried everyone to the eighth floor. When the doors opened, they were met by the same efficient office manager as on their earlier visit.
“Can I help you?” she asked, scowling at them and giving the uniformed officers a wary look.
“Avery, right?” Adam asked. She nodded. “Avery, we have a search warrant allowing us access to the firm’s servers,” Adam said, thrusting the envelope at her. “Can you set my team up on your network, please?”
“I will have to run this by the partners,” Avery said, sliding the pages from the envelope and scanning them.
“You can take me to them, and I’ll explain,” Adam offered.
“Wait here.” Avery turned on her heel and hurried down the corridor to an office at the end. She knocked, entered, and closed the door behind her. Several seconds later, the door burst open, and Eduardo Diaz stormed down the corridor towards them, Avery running to keep up with him.
“How dare you? What is the meaning of this?” Diaz shouted, waving the document in Adam’s face.