“That’s why I said you would not have known he was ill. Normally treatment for cancer causes all sorts of side effects, not the least being the impact of chemo therapy on the white blood cell count, and the risk of patients getting infections. But he remained fit and well through the treatment. I thought it was little short of a miracle.”
He looked directly at Hooley. “The biggest thing I have to say is how much he wanted to keep it quiet. He took the view that it was possible his getting better could go into reverse. He said until he had been in full remission for a year he didn’t want it discussed at all. He only talked about it with me because it was obvious that he was better and he had to tell me something.”
“That was one of the last conversations I had with him and it’s why I hedged my answer to you Mr. Roper. I couldn’t bring myself to break my promise but since then I have realised that you do need to know. I was pleased when you called me first.”
Roper had been listening avidly.
“This treatment sounds amazing. But you have no details at all?”
“Yes that’s exactly right. I did ask him repeatedly but he insisted it had to be totally confidential. He told me that if it worked then I would be the first person to know the details. My job was to monitor his general health, nothing more. I found that very difficult but he made me give my word that I would not pursue it and I felt I had no choice but to honour his request.”
He stopped for a moment as he looked at both men in turn and then placed his hands palm down on his legs and puffed out his cheeks.
“When I spoke to Mr. Roper I was still trying to honour my word to my patient - and friend - but afterwards I started to wonder if I should have said something. After all, maybe there is a clue there as to why he was killed.”
Hooley took this as his cue to wrap things up. He said. “Thank you. You’ve made the right decision to tell us and it may prove helpful, unless there’s anything else on your mind?”
The doctor pressed his lips together. For the first time he looked slightly uncertain then squared his shoulders as though stiffening his resolve.
“There is one other thing. After he started the treatment his mood improved greatly. There was a lightness of spirit I hadn’t seen for some time. But then I saw him the week before he disappeared and something was troubling him. I would go as far as to say he was very angry about something, and that’s not an emotion I was used to seeing from him; he was always so calm and collected.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t ask him what the problem was as it never crossed my mind that it was the last time I was ever going to see him. I suppose I just assumed that whatever was troubling him would come out eventually. Since then, I can’t tell you how often I have wished I had asked.”
52
Ever since Roper had “bullied” him out of his favourite meal, Brian Hooley had been obsessing about returning to the Balti House and ordering a full-fat Chicken Masala.
It was just after 7pm when the doctor had left so he decided they might as well head straight to the restaurant and discuss the latest developments over a decent meal. To his relief Roper didn’t raise any fresh health concerns and a few minutes later they were walking towards Pimlico. Despite it being overcast and a little muggy both men enjoyed the chance to stretch their legs.
It was quiet in the restaurant and they were shown to a corner table. The waiter anticipated Hooley’s request for a pint and Roper surprised him by ordering one as well. The DCI studied the menu briefly then put it down.
“I know what I’m going to have tonight,” he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. He looked up and saw the beer approaching on a tray. Both glasses frosted from the ice-cold beer. He took a moment to admire the drink the waiter placed in front of him then took a long and appreciative sip.
“Quite a day,” he said. He was about to go onto the new developments when the waiter appeared and took their order. Hooley kept one eye on Roper as he ordered his normal dish but to his relief the younger man seemed content to leave him to it. He really hadn’t fancied another “lifestyle” lecture. As the waiter walked off he took another pull at his pint and then looked at Roper. So far he’d only taken a sip of his own lager.
Hooley picked up his napkin and placed it on his lap before shuffling his knife and fork to one side as he gathered his thoughts. He was about to start speaking when his mobile rang. Checking the caller ID he took the call and listened carefully.
He murmured “yes” a few times then spoke. “In that case I think we should put the house under observation. Let’s see if we can find out why he finds it so interesting. Thanks, that’s good work.”
Hooley used his index fingers to perform a drum roll on the table and then double-checked there was no-one within listening distance. He leaned towards Roper. “The team we put on David Francis,” he said, nodding at his phone. “They arrived at Euston just in time to see him leaving. They followed him and he caught a cab to Mayfair where he went into a very large house, close to Berkley Square. He was there for about an hour then came back to his lab. Since then he hasn’t moved.”
Roper rubbed his chin as he listened. “So that’s the place I heard you telling them to put under observation?”
“Exactly,” nodded Hooley. “I know there could be any reason why he might go and visit someone but the office has done a check on the place and all they can find is that it is owned by an anonymous off-shore company. Apparently, there is no way of telling who actually owns it.”
Suddenly Roper’s eyes were glittering. “In the documents we found at Sir James’s home there was mention of a fund that wanted to invest in DF Pharmaceuticals. There was no name just that it was based off-shore. It looked to me as though Sir James was against the offer.”
Hooley absentmindedly picked his drink up then put it down again. “That’s very interesting. Did it say why he didn’t want to take the money?”
“No it didn’t. I suppose it could have been for any reason but it all seems a bit of coincidence and I still remember one of the first things you ever told me. “Jonathan. Where you find a coincidence you will always find trouble.”
Hooley smiled at him. “If I’m honest it was my first Sergeant who told me that. I guess it’s good these things get passed on and I agree, it is too much of a coincidence.”
He was about to carry on when he noticed a young couple walk in. He hoped they wouldn’t be shown to a table close by. He could never understand why restaurants did that when it was quiet. To his relief the waiter showed them to the opposite end of the room.
He said:”Well the surveillance will look after itself. We also need to think about Mr. Ross and Dr Humbert. What did you make of events today?”
Roper leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed as he checked his thoughts. “First of all I don’t see Ross as being a particularly important player. I think he was given specific tasks but was probably never aware of the bigger picture.
“I placed what we know about him in the Rainbow Spectrum and he only has loose connections to a few of the other developments. I remember you once talking about the “fog of war” and I think he is part of the fog that is stopping us working out what is going on.”
He leaned forward, his expression suddenly intense. “I think what Dr Humbert told us is very, very important. I can fit that information into every file on my spectrum. The timing of Sir James becoming concerned fits with what we know about events suddenly speeding up.”
“It couldn’t be clearer that he discovered something he didn’t like and that it was related to the treatment he had been having. It also confirms that everything was being done in secret so no one knew about it, or who was involved in it.”
At that moment the waiter appeared to ask if they needed any more drinks but Hooley waved him away with a tight smile. He said. “Sorry Jonathan. Carry on.”
“We also know that Tricia Williams was working on cell regeneration and that DF Pharmaceuticals was originally set up to pursue a possible cance
r cure that had been identified by David Francis.”
Hooley was nodding vigorously. “Even without your Rainbow Spectrum I was starting to see those links, so let’s pursue that for a minute. Have you been able to establish anything about Tricia’s work that would help us?”
For a moment Roper looked frustrated. “Not exactly. As I said before, I still get the feeling that I haven’t seen all the work she has done and I think you are right, that must be down to David Francis. I checked with his team and they said the only person who would have all the information at any one time is him. Mostly they just have the bits that they need to complete experiments and the like.
“The one thing I do know for sure is that she is a world expert on foetal stem cell research. The UK government has been among the first to back that sort of research.”
“So what’s foetal stem cell research when it’s at home?”
“That’s the million dollar question, literally,” said Roper, tapping his finger on the table for emphasis. “The leading scientists tend to keep a lot of things close to their chests but it’s an area of huge interest because that’s where they are looking to eliminate diseases through techniques like gene editing.”
Hooley held his hand up. “Might be best if you spared me the details. I’ll take it as read that you have that in hand. But I assume we are talking about the potential to make an awful lot of money?”
“Billions and billions, I should think,” said Roper. Before he could say any more the waiter arrived with their food.
Hooley watched the various dishes being set out with a benevolent eye. With everything placed he picked up a spoon and started heaping Chicken Masala onto his plate.
“Let’s eat and then finish our conversation off back at the flat. I don’t know about you but I find the more complicated the case the hungrier I get.”
“I’m always hungry,” said Roper.
53
Tommy Burns had turned up in Mayfair unannounced. It wasn’t like him. The man liked to telegraph his comings and goings a habit Sykes’s found rather pretentious, as though Burns had such a high opinion of himself that he needed to let it be known where he was. None the less, his unannounced arrival put him on his guard. He knew the only time people changed their habits was when they were worried. He was proved right.
“This man Roper is turning into a super irritant.”
Sykes kept his expression neutral but assumed the next thing would be asking him to arrange for the investigator to be chopped down to size. And presumably it would be a more permanent solution than Burns was looking for than last time.
He wasn’t surprised when his boss finally stopped pacing and said “You need to kill him.”
Now he was surprised. Burns had actually used the word ‘kill’. Normally he liked to beat about the bush with expressions like ‘terminate’, ‘remove’ or, his favourite, ‘delete’. It was funny how people who killed for a living tried to avoid naming it for what it was.
Sykes braced himself. No matter what words were used Burns was not going to like what he said next.
“There’s a problem with that. Every time he’s out in the open he has an SAS minder attached to him.”
Burns frowned. “I know about that. I thought that was only after work and when they were out on the street. I’m not suggesting you storm their office and take him out, but you can get him at that flat he’s sharing with the DCI.” He paused for a moment as he thought about something. “Tell you what; since you’ll be there anyway you can do that fucker Hooley as well.”
Sykes managed to keep the anger off his face. If it hadn’t been for him they would never have known where Hooley lived, or that Roper was sharing the space with him.
“I’m afraid there is one other problem. Well two actually.”
Burns looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Explain.”
“The SAS boys have taken to hanging around after they’ve dropped them back at the flat and they are there all night. It only started a few days ago so I don’t know what triggered it. I only found out because I have been keeping very low-profile tabs on them.”
Sykes thought Burns looked suitably surprised at this development.
“I didn’t know anything about that.”
Sykes said. “There was no reason for me to tell you until now.”
“Not from you,” said Burns, a dark flush rising up his face. “I meant I never knew they had extended their cover. I should have known.”
Not for the first time Sykes wondered where the man got his information from, then he shrugged. Need to know and he didn’t need to know.
“Just to be clear, are you saying you can’t do the pair of them.”
Sykes clenched his jaw. “I’m not saying no, I am saying it might go very badly. No one should ever plan to go up against the SAS without a very good plan and very good odds. We have neither.”
“I thought you were ex-SAS?”
Sykes shrugged. “I was, a decade ago. These boys are current and current tends to be better. I was pretty good but I’m not superman and I’ve spent far too much time sitting behind a desk to risk going into a proper battle.”
The last was a dig at his orders to delegate most of the work; Burton ignored it as he thought for a moment. “We really do need to get rid of Roper. What about a sniper that could work couldn’t it?”
“It might” said Sykes. “Let me see if it’s practical. They do tend to walk to work so it might be possible if we can find the right spot.”
“It needs to be done fast, so don’t hang about. In the meantime anything from the Williams woman?”
“I admit I am way out of out of my depth on the science involved but Francis came round yesterday. He reckons the experiment went OK and we should know in the next 48 hours or so.” He looked at his watch. “Actually, make that about 30 hours now.”
“What did he say?” asked Burns.
“Don’t ask me for a verbatim, but he reckoned that this time we should know if they have got everything right. If that is the case we can get rid of Williams since he won’t be needing her again. I assume you will have no problem with that?”
“Do what you like with her as far as I am concerned but just make sure that Francis actually gives you the green light. He’s been a slippery little bastard throughout this and I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him.”
Sykes nodded. “Don’t worry. He might end up with a few lumps and bumps but I’ll make it’s clear that it is on his word, so he had better not get it wrong.”
“Good,” said Burton. “I don’t mind him getting a bit of a slap. Doesn’t hurt to remind him he is part of a team, not the big star he likes to play at his company.” He looked around. “It will be strange to be out of this place but once you do get confirmation from Francis that everything is OK I want us to clear out within 48 hours.
“That Roper character has already got far too close for comfort. The more I think about it the more I want us to focus on getting away.” He shook his head in irritation. “In fact don’t waste time on getting a sniper, I’m just indulging my irritation and we need to think bigger than that. We need to be away and sorting it out will be a distraction.”
Sykes noted how it suddenly became about “we” rather than the more normal “me” when things went wrong. He was about to protest but Burns cut him off impatiently. “I know I raised it but this isn’t about your ability to get the job done. This is about finishing up and collecting our money. Nothing else.”
54
The debate had been intense, but it was decided to leave David Francis on the loose, at least for now. That could change in a moment. It was Brian Hooley who had argued that he should be brought in for questioning and Julie Mayweather who wanted him left free. All they had at the moment was Roper’s theory. A pretty convincing theory, but a theory none the less and not supported by evidence that would hold up in court. After much reflection she had decided there was a significant risk they would end up accused of runni
ng a “fishing expedition.”
But even with the decision made the pressure was still on. Everyone could sense that while events were on the move the details they needed remained frustratingly out of sight. Since his journey out to Mayfair, David Francis had remained inside the offices of DF Pharmaceuticals. They had learned he could stay there pretty much full-time as he had access to a small sleeping area. With Tim Ross maintaining his “no comment” routine it felt as though the investigation was treading water.
Roper had reacted by burying himself in research and Hooley had gone back to checking the rest of his team, gently encouraging people who were working at the limit of their physical and emotional capability.
Heading back to his own office he sat down and realised it was lunch-time. He tried to gain Roper’s attention by tossing a screwed up piece of paper in his direction, but even though it bounced off his head there was no response. Hooley rolled his eyes and hauled himself to his feet to cross over and tap Roper on the hand. He said. “I’ll get the sandwiches and coffee then you can tell me what you’ve been up to.”
Roper nodded distractedly, which the DCI took as a yes, and ten minutes later he was back with the food. Roper grabbed his sandwiches and started eating without saying anything. Hooley, knowing his man, concentrated on cooling his coffee while he waited for his colleague to rejoin the world.
Food finished, Roper carefully folded his wrappers; he liked to create the smallest shape possible, and dropped them into his waste paper bin. Then he stared at his screen for so long the DCI thought he would have to go and shake him. But before he could do that Roper held up a story he had photocopied from the Evening Standard.
“That solicitor you mentioned, David Evans. The one where his secretary seems to have admitted murdering him. I think he might have something to do with this. Not in a criminal sense, but I think he is connected to the Sir James case.”
Hooley was genuinely surprised. This was the last thing he had expected to be told. He wanted to know more. “What’s making you think that?” he asked.
Going Underground (Jonathan Roper Investigates Book 1) Page 17