Dark Games:
Page 20
The small balding guy Gregson knew was Peter Iyich, from one of the UK’s East European neighbour’s embassies. The two other large men who looked as nervous as hell were new to him.
‘You know Peter, Alan?’ Sir Charles said, and he stood up to shake hands.
They sat back down. ‘And these two gentlemen?’ Gregson asked.
Sir Charles and Peter exchanged a look and ignored his question.
‘Alan,’ Sir Charles said. ‘Do you know Roland Vitchkov?’
‘Of course,’ Gregson said. ‘Why?’
‘You are aware he went missing?’
‘He cleaned out his bank accounts and went AWOL.’
‘Caused a bit of a stir at our embassy,’ Peter said.
‘I can imagine,’ Gregson replied. ‘May I speak openly?’
‘We are all friends here,’ Peter said.
‘Well, he was running some, let’s say dubious extra-curricular activities. I thought maybe you had clamped down on him’
Peter asked looked over at Sir Charles who raised his hand. ‘We don’t want to get into what Vitchkov was or wasn’t doing,’ he said. He looked at Gregson. ‘Alan, I have assured Peter that our people had nothing whatsoever to do with Roland Vitchkov’s disappearance. I am quite right in saying that, aren’t I?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Impossible,’ Peter said, raising his voice.
‘Peter,’ Sir Charles warned, and turned back to Gregson. ‘I am trying to prevent a situation here, Alan.’
Gregson shrugged. ‘I appreciate that, sir. But I really have no idea what happened to Vitchkov.’
Charles sighed and nodded for Peter to continue.
‘These gentlemen were Roland Vitchkov’s bodyguards,’ Peter said, and the two men looked up. ‘They were with him on the night he disappeared.’
Gregson looked across at them. ‘Well?’ he said.
‘Four women,’ one of them said, carefully licking his lips. ‘They came and took him.’
Gregson looked at Peter and Sir Charles, expecting them to burst into laughter. This had to be a joke. But they were looking at him dead-pan.
‘Four women?’ Gregson asked, and turning back he saw the two bodyguards both nod.
‘Where was this?’
The men looked at Peter, who hastily intervened. ‘The location isn’t important at this time.’
Gregson knew exactly what that meant. He was well aware of Roland Vitchkov’s side businesses.
‘And were you present when he was taken?’ he asked them
‘These were not ordinary women,’ one bodyguard answered.
‘So, you were there.’
Peter interrupted again. ‘These women attacked two of our men, and kidnapped Vitchkov.’
‘There’s been no ransom, has there?’ Gregson asked.
‘No ransom,’ Peter conceded. ‘So, maybe they’ve killed him. But what we do know is they knocked these men unconscious and when they came to, Vitchkov was gone.’
‘Were these women armed?’
‘No,’ the first bodyguard said, looking down at the table in embarrassment.
‘But you were?’
‘Yes,’ he mumbled.
Sir Charles stood up from the table. ‘Four women able to disarm and disable two fully trained bodyguards, and take a diplomat in broad daylight?’ He stepped up behind Gregson and rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘Drop whatever you’re doing, Alan’ he said, ‘and find them.’
Gregson waited until Sir Charles had left the room, before he turned back to the bodyguards.
‘Can you describe these women?’
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