by Annie Seaton
‘Sounds like you need it.’
‘Make sure you catch me before you head out and I’ll give you the cash.’
‘Will do.’ Dru got back into the ute and fastened her seat belt.
‘What’d he want?’ Rocky turned to watch as Adam went back into the security booth.
Dru started the car. ‘Just some shopping.’
‘Poor bugger looks frazzled,’ Rocky said. ‘Haven’t seen him at the mess or at a card game for a while.’
‘Apparently there have been more camera problems.’
Rocky grinned. ‘I guess the artefacts aren’t going to be an issue then.’
‘Just as well we don’t have diamonds,’ she replied. ‘The whole site seems to be going to the dogs.’
Dru frowned as she turned towards the main road.
Breakdowns and injuries.
Maybe Connor better hurry up and get on with his safety audit.
*
Connor had spent the night in his room intent on finding the link he was overlooking. He’d emailed Greg and set him another series of tasks, particularly trawling through any financial records they could find for Rocky Cardella.
If it was Dru and Cardella, there had to be a third person working with them. But if Cardella was involved, why would he hand a bag of diamonds over so publicly to an accomplice? After much thought, he concluded that whatever was in that bag must be unrelated.
Connor shook his head. He knew from past experience that it was rare that an illegal conspiracy involved more than two people on a site. The probability of being caught increased with each person involved. He sat back and closed his eyes. If there was a third person involved, it would have to be either someone in the security area, or in the diamond recovery room.
Don Finlayson? John Robinson was adamant that it wasn’t him.
Adam Hennessey? He had overheard Hennessey asking Dru for a favour, but apart from that he’d never seen them together since that first night in the staff mess.
Or was there another person in security who was still unknown to him?
He snatched a couple of hours’ sleep and then headed for the staff mess. The room was full of workers heading off to day shift, but there was no one of interest there; he’d been hoping to come across Dru but there was no sign of her. Restless, he went back to the donga and gathered up some safety manuals.
The medical clinic also was unattended and Dru’s ute was gone from the car park. Perhaps she had gone out to the site early before the heat became unbearable. A niggle of something worried at him. If the medical clinic was closed, that might mean they had taken Rocky off to hospital somewhere. Dru had been in a state last night and Connor hoped she was okay this morning.
Christ. What was with this unwanted concern for Dru? He pulled open the door of the ute with more than the necessary force and threw the documents across to the passenger seat.
What the hell is wrong with me? Connor climbed in and started the engine, but before putting the vehicle in gear he put his head back and closed his eyes. For the first time in many months, he summoned up Nina Smythe’s face.
She had similar coloured hair to Dru, and a long nose but Nina was olive skinned where Dru was fair. Their voices were similar, both with a husky undertone. He had to remember and keep drilling into his mind, they were both women.
And not to be trusted.
There was no room for feelings of sympathy. He was here to do a job; to find the diamond thief or thieves, and resist this bloody attraction that threatened to deter him from his path. Hell, he should have learned that lesson well enough before.
Connor opened his eyes and wrenched the steering wheel to the right, pointing the vehicle out of his parking spot and up the hill to the security block.
Women are not to be trusted.
He would keep that at the forefront of his mind until he’d delivered those responsible to John Robinson and was out of here.
*
‘I can’t afford to lose my job. I’ve got a mortgage, mate. The wife is already unhappy. Please just let it go.’
Adam Hennessey’s office door was wide open and Connor glanced inside before he tapped on the open door. The guy from the X-ray machine in the search room—Connor couldn’t remember his name—was sitting beside Hennessey’s desk.
‘Last chance, Steve. Just remember what I said.’
Adam screwed up his face in a grimace when he saw Connor about to knock. He turned to the guy. ‘So you’ve got all that? Loud and clear?’ He moved around the desk and stood over Steve.
‘Yes, Adam. Appreciate it.’ Steve bolted out of the chair and scurried out the door with a brief nod in Connor’s direction.
‘Come in, Connor.’ Adam removed the hipflask that was sitting square in the middle of his desk before he gestured to the chair that Steve had vacated.
‘Problems?’
‘Jeez, tell me about it.’ Adam sat back in the chair and pointed to the silver flask that he’d put on the small sink in the corner of his office. ‘I’m tempted to get one of them myself. Seems every other bugger on site has one.’
‘And you’re telling that to the safety officer?’ Connor raised his eyebrows. ‘I saw a couple around myself in the staff mess my first night on site.’
‘I know it’s tough. The guys here work hard and to be here in this unrelenting heat for fourteen days straight makes it very tempting to sneak a drink. An alcohol-free worksite is almost impossible to police.’ Adam shook his head and then ran his hand through his short, sandy hair. ‘Honestly mate, the last few weeks have been hell here. How do you tell a guy his job is gone if he breaks one more rule? The bugger’s got a huge mortgage and three kids in fancy private schools. Sole income—although a bloody good one—and his wife has expensive tastes.’
‘Do you think he’ll heed your warning?’
Adam looked up and stared him square in the eye. ‘I have no doubt of that at all. If I had chosen to come down on him, Steve Jarvis would’ve been heading for the gate now. But don’t worry, I’ll be keeping a close eye on him.’
Connor nodded as he filed the guy’s full name into his memory. He held out the booklet he’d brought with him. ‘Have you got time to go over a couple of safety issues with me?’
‘Why are you so interested in safety in the security department?’ Adam’s gaze was quizzical and Connor huffed a sigh. Track covering time.
‘I know, mate. It gets a bit tedious. It’s a full site safety audit. Bit like Steve there; if I don’t do a proper audit my job’s on the line too.’ He shrugged. ‘Besides, what I overheard flagged an immediate safety issue.’
‘Look, if he’d been on duty, it would have been an instant dismissal. I saw him with it in his ute last night. I asked him to bring me the flask and I gave him a dressing down.’
‘Anyone else you know of? Drinking on site? Or not “every other bugger on site”, like you said.’
Adam shook his head. ‘Not recently. I was exaggerating. I’m bloody tired. I’ve been extra busy with Don on leave.’
‘Okay. Look, I won’t bother you with any more questions. I can find what I need to know for my report out of your documents.’ Connor held up the file he’d brought in with him. ‘Take it easy, mate.’
‘Thanks.’ Adam was already staring at his computer screen as Connor let himself out of the office.
His mind was ticking over. Walking in on that conversation had been most opportune. Steve Jarvis had looked as guilty as hell, and Connor recalled that the afternoon he had been through the security check in the recovery room, he hadn’t seemed particularly interested in what he was doing. A weak link in the recovery area that his instincts kept telling him was the place he should be looking.
He pulled himself up. Forget the instinct. Go with the facts.
He pulled out his phone and messaged Greg:
Steven Jarvis. Security worker at mine. Finance check please.
That was the logical path of investigation to follow and as he let himself out
of the security building and glanced at the cameras mounted on the outside of the building, he knew he had identified another one. He would contact John Robinson and find out how he could get hold of the footage of each camera before it was archived.
Chapter 23
Connor flew to Perth on Wednesday morning and spent the rest of the week reviewing the security footage at head office. While he was there he discovered an interesting correlation. He met with John Robinson before he flew back to Darwin, ready to head to Dubai and Antwerp.
‘I’ve had a breakthrough, John. Still no specific evidence but I’m sure I know how they’re getting them out of the recovery room. Also what I’ve found is sure to be of interest to you with the plant breakdowns.’
‘What’s that?’ John followed the direction of Connor’s finger as he pointed to the graph on a whiteboard above the desk.
‘Look at the dates and then look at the colour coding below them. A red square means a plant breakdown and loss of production. The yellow means camera interference. I’ve written the plant location below each incident. There’s a definite correlation between the interference and the location of the equipment breakdowns.’ Connor pointed to the dates.
John scanned the month of dates Connor had written in a vertical column. ‘I see what you mean. But why? What’s your take on it?’ He moved forward to take a closer look.
‘My take?’ Connor stepped away from the whiteboard. ‘First up, someone has a device to deliberately interfere with the cameras. There are many things that can interfere with a wireless signal but your wireless cameras are engineered to switch channels to find a clear one in the event of interference. But if there is another wireless device in the close vicinity, one designed to switch a signal, this will result in persistent choppiness or intermittent freezing in your video feed.’
‘You think it’s deliberate? It couldn’t just be someone with a phone or some other sort of communication device in their pocket?’ John stared at the whiteboard.
‘My theory?’ Connor had put a lot of thought into this before he raised it with John. ‘It’s a decoy tactic. The malfunctioning of the cameras is a small issue when you look at the impact of some of the breakdowns. I’m wondering whether your thief is even aware that he is interfering with the cameras as he moves around the site. The equipment breakdowns are only in two buildings, so we can look closely at the staff who work those buildings. Somewhere hidden in all that data will be the times where there was interference in the recovery room and your thief has picked up the diamonds.’
‘But we’ve got the random search procedures.’
‘The yellow, blue and green system?’ Connor shook his head. ‘Only as good as the staff working it.’
‘So you’re saying the thief has an accomplice in the recovery room security.’
‘I’d put money on it. Ten different staff in there and I’m looking closely at each of them.’
‘It’s more than a coincidence, isn’t it?’ John Robinson looked weary and frustration laced his voice. ‘You really think there’s a connection to the missing diamonds?’
Connor’s voice was firm. ‘I’m sure there is. Everyone is concerned about the breakdowns too. The site managers have been in my ear about safety.’
A rueful smile crossed John’s face. ‘Seems like we picked the wrong cover for you.’
Connor waved his hand dismissively. ‘The right one, I’d say. All this focus on the breakdowns has meant I can look more closely into the areas where I think the diamonds are being picked up.’ He injected confidence into his voice to reassure the CEO. ‘Anyway, I’m off to Dubai and Antwerp in a few days, and I’m hoping to wrap this investigation up for you quickly. My colleague is looking closely at the names I’ve given him.’
John expelled a long breath. ‘That would be good. And then I can focus on the breakdowns on site. Our share price has been a bit volatile in the last two weeks and that’s one thing we don’t need.’
As the two men shook hands, Connor looked at John Robinson’s weary face. He wouldn’t want a job like John’s, no matter what it paid.
On Friday morning Connor called Greg as he waited for the flight to Darwin to pick up his international connection. ‘I’ve just had a call from Al Tayer’s personal assistant. He’s agreed to meet me.’
‘Did you tell him what you wanted to talk to him about?’
‘Of course not. I’m a businessman looking for an opportunity. Technically correct. I just didn’t elaborate.’
‘That’s great. I hope it’s worthwhile. It’s a long bloody way.’
‘So you’ve got all the details for me?’
‘Yes, mate. I’ll message them to you now.’
Greg had retrieved Dru’s flight details but it had taken him a bit more digging to find out which hotel she was staying at in Dubai. Greg had reserved a room for him on the floor above Dru’s at Atlantis, the Palm, on Jumeirah Island, and booked him in business class on the same flight.
‘She’s right at the back of economy, so if you board late and get off first, you can stay out of her sight.’
Connor kept an eye on the departures board as he spoke. ‘I’ll have to time it carefully. Last thing I want is to have my name called over the airport system and warn her.’
‘I’m sure you’ll handle it.’ Greg’s voice was cheery. ‘Two nights in a luxury hotel in Dubai. I hope Matsu have given you a good expense account.’
Chapter 24
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dru picked up the face cream for Adam at Pentecost River Fine Diamonds in Kununurra before she flew to Darwin. She stayed the night in her apartment and put a note on the fridge to remind her to take the cream back to the mine when she returned to work.
By the time she’d packed her small Longchamp carry-on bag and called a taxi to take her to the airport, butterflies were jumping around in her stomach. She pushed away her nervousness about going back to Dubai. The wedding would be fun, it would be great to catch up with Megan and Sam and she’d be back home in Darwin in just a few days. As she stood at the Emirates check-in counter, she was tempted to ask if there was space in first class. She hated long haul flights and the exit row seats in economy with extra leg room had already been taken. She bit back the temptation. It was a waste of money; she’d grin and bear it.
The plane was full and the flight to Dubai was uneventful. Between movies, Dru managed to catch up on some sleep. She was squeezed into the middle seat on the window row so by the time they landed in Dubai fourteen hours later, her legs were aching from the cramped space. But that at least took her mind off the butterflies in her stomach. After the plane taxied into the terminal, she stood in the aisle with her carry-on luggage over her shoulder, waiting for first and business class to disembark. Finally, the queue moved and the heat slammed into her as she stepped onto the bridge leading into the arrivals hall.
‘Dru!’ Megan’s squeal reached her across the huge tiled expanse and Dru immediately forgot about her sore legs. Any remnants of trepidation fled as she held out her arms to Megan.
‘You really came!’ Megan hugged her back.
‘Of course I did. I promised, didn’t I?’
‘I had my doubts.’ Megan’s smile was wide. ‘We’re taking you straight to the hotel. You’ve got time for a shower and to get changed before the rehearsal lunch.’
‘Look at you, Megs. Gorgeous dress and beautifully made up.’ Dru looked down at her own rumpled cargo pants. ‘A shower will be great.’
Sam pecked her on the cheek and held out his hand to take her carry-on bag. ‘Which luggage carousel?’ he asked.
‘That’s it. I’m only staying three days, and you’ve got my wedding clothes—and shoes,’ she darted a laughing glance at Megan, ‘so I didn’t need to bring much more.’
‘Two days?’ Sam looked at her curiously. ‘Barely worth coming.’
‘Oh yes it is.’ He kept looking at her and finally he shook his head. Nerves fluttered in Dru’s stomach. ‘What? Wh
at’s wrong?’
‘I can’t believe you came here for two days and what? One night? You’ll spend as much time in the air as you will here.’
‘Couldn’t miss the wedding, Sam.’
*
Connor figured it was safe to leave the airport without following Dru to the hotel. He’d disembarked with business class and then watched from the level overlooking the arrivals lounge as she was greeted by a young couple. He knew where she was heading and where the wedding was being held. Meanwhile, he was looking forward to the interview with Zayed Al Tayer.
On the flight he’d tried to prepare the questions he would ask, but deleted more than he kept. Working in an area where his knowledge was limited was making it more difficult. Connor wasn’t satisfied with any of the answers he was coming up with.
After an hour in a taxi he was ushered into a large office on the twenty-fifth floor of a modern building in the financial district of Dubai. As he waited, he crossed to the window and watched the busy river traffic on the wide waterway known as Dubai Creek. The heat from the desert shimmered in the air and it was difficult to see more than a few hundred metres away. He turned as the door opened and two men walked in.
A tall man impeccably dressed in conservative grey suit, Al Tayer crossed the room and held out his hand. Connor examined him as he returned the firm handshake. Zayed Al Tayer would have fitted into a boardroom anywhere in the world. He oozed self-confidence yet beneath the sophisticated veneer, Connor sensed arrogance.
‘Connor Kirk? Pleased to meet you. I’m Zayed Al Tayer. Welcome to Dubai.’ His accent was British and his expression was inscrutable. He directed Connor to one of the comfortable sofas near the window.
‘Thank you.’
The other man stood quietly in the background until Connor and Al Tayer had sat in opposite chairs.
‘Thank you, Najeeb. You may sit.’ Al Tayer’s voice was deep. He glanced down at his diamond-encrusted watch. ‘So, Mr Kirk. You have fifteen minutes. Normally I wouldn’t meet with anyone without more background information, but as you are from Australia—from the mining industry, I believe—your request intrigued me. I am also curious as to why you requested the presence of Najeeb at our meeting.’