Dead Secret

by Peter Kozmar

  “You’re quite a visionary. What are your plans for the world?” Andy asked.

  The Secretary-General looked at his watch and ignored Andy’s question and changed tack. “We asked you to investigate the attack on our facility in New Zealand. The team we sent there have completed the investigation, ended your contract and have reported back. However, you’ve clearly come all this way with something to tell me. Something you believe is important and had to be done face-to-face, otherwise, we’d be having this conversation over the phone.”

  “You’re right, you’re very perceptive,” Andy said.

  “What have you got for me?”

  Andy rummage in his backpack pulled out the paperwork and handed the files on the money trail, and transcripts to the Secretary-General, “It’s all in there, that’s why they were murdered.”

  “What are you talking about?” the Secretary-General appeared surprised and interested as he held the files in both hands.

  “It’s about dirty money and bribes to buy votes here at the UN. I have evidence about bribes around the vote to establish Sunrise Phoenix for the reconstruction of Iraq.”

  “I see,” the Secretary-General said, his voice betraying a note of concern.

  “The files also show the second vote, to reduce the supervision and oversight around the contracting processes, has been compromised. You need to do something about it, delay the vote and launch your own investigation.”

  “I’m sorry Andrew, that’s what we’ve just voted on. The resolution had been widely debated around the chamber. I genuinely believe all delegates had a fair opportunity to have their say and give their opinions, that’s why we carried on into the early hours, I had no idea the votes were being rigged.”

  “Is there any way to stop it?”

  “No, we’ve just had the vote and ratified the decision to allow Sunrise Phoenix to run at arms-length and with a light touch on its oversight.”

  “What now?” Andy asked.

  “If this information is true, we have to do something about it. First, I’ll need to check that what you’ve handed me is real. Then we’ll challenge those who are implicated. Now do you have any more information?”

  “No.”

  “Did you take any copies?”

  “No, that’s all I have,” Andy replied.

  “Okay, that’s great, just wait here a moment.” The Secretary-General stood, made his way to his desk and punched a speed dial button on his desk phone while at the same time lifting the handset. He said one sentence: “Come to my office please.”

  The Secretary-General returned to sit opposite Andy. He continued to hold onto the files. They were soon joined by the well-presented man in his neatly pressed suit. He stood between the two chairs at the edge of the table and looked down at the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General waved the files in the air, “Take this! Study it! Investigate its credibility!”

  “Yes sir,” the man replied.

  As the Secretary General handed the files over he said, “You take good care of them.”

  The man nodded, turned away and left with the files. The two men were alone again. “I understand you uncovered a plot to compromise the President of the United States using a look-alike.”

  “Yes I did,” Andy replied, a little thrown off guard.

  “Carl Walker was good, but he didn’t fool you, did he?”

  Andy struggled to conceal his surprise. He’d only revealed the name of the presidential imposter to a small group of the closest advisers to the President. How did the Secretary-General find out? “I like to be thorough,” Andy replied.

  “So do I. That’s why I employ people like your son and have my own information gathering capability. I can’t take what governments tell me at face value. Most of the time I have to go and find things out for myself.”

  The Secretary-General looked at his watch and yawned, “Please forgive me Mr. Flint, I’ve been on the go for over twenty-four hours. I do need to get some sleep. I hope you don’t mind me bringing our meeting to a close. You’ve done a great job and I can’t thank you enough for finding this evidence and handing it over to us.”

  The Secretary-General stood and headed towards his office door with Andy following closely behind. He led Andy back to the reception area, where, to Andy’s surprise, the aide in the pressed suit was waiting for them. Andy noticed he no longer had the files. “Andy, I’m going to say goodbye and once again, thank you,” the Secretary-General said as he shook Andy’s hand. Then he turned and left.

  The aide stepped forward, “I hope you don’t mind, I’ve arranged for a UN jet to fly you back to Washington. It’s on the tarmac at JFK waiting for you. There’s a car downstairs to drive you there. Pointer will accompany you to the airport.”

  The elevator arrived without anyone seeming to press a button. As the doors opened the aide handed Andy his business card, “Give me a call if you need anything.”

  Andy nodded and stepped into the elevator.

  As the elevator began its slow descent to ground level, Andy turned the card over and read the details: Mike Webb, Business Manager, Office of the UN Secretary General.

  Excerpt from Zero Trust

  PROLOGUE

  The captain of the Freedom Blue Airlines 787 Dreamliner punched in the last of their flight data into the aircrafts on-board computer. With over twelve thousand flying hours on the Dreamliner, he had confidence the aircraft could fly itself from Ashgabat to Rome without him needing to touch any of the controls. However, the current aviation rules required him to remain in charge of the aircraft.

  The captain had seen this route grow in popularity for the airline over the last six months as Freedom Blue had made Turkmenistan a twice weekly destination. This was only possible after the oil and gas industry ramped up exploration and extraction activities across the region. Greater investment meant more skilled staff and an increased need for travel when the staff rotated each month. In addition, the constant stream of subcontractors, risk management consultants and geologists who regularly flew in and out occupied the airlines more expensive premium cabin seats.

  Both he and the co-pilot were happy with their preflight checks, the aircraft was technically sound, fueled and prepared for departure.

  Behind the cockpits locked door in the main cabin, the cabin crew prepared their stations for the on-boarding of their passengers. The catering trolleys with their range of Eastern fusion and Western cuisine had been loaded and locked into position. They'd checked the fruit they'd taken on board looked fresh and blemish free. One of the junior cabin crew checked the water tanks were full and that each of the toilets had been cleaned and fully provisioned by the ground staff.

  The Cabin Service Director studied the passenger manifest where she noted that today they carried a VIP, the airline’s Marketing Director. She'd brief her team members responsible for their First Class passengers and reminded them to make sure their Marketing Director had a positive experience. She saw there were several frequent fliers with platinum status who could board at their own convenience and bring into the cabin a far more generous baggage allowance than the other Business Class passengers.

  There was one passenger who required assistance to board, a young woman with a wheelchair. The Cabin Service Director tasked one of her team to greet the passenger at the gate and bring her on-board and settled before they boarded the economy passengers. As a final action for this special passenger, she keyed in a message onto her hand-held tablet for the arrivals team in Rome to meet and assist for the disembarkation process.

  With her passenger manifest check complete she noted the cleaners were nearing the end of their tasks as they were now going through the aircraft removing all the litter. The last member of the cleaning crew followed behind them, wearing a portable vacuum cleaner strapped to their back cleaning the floor between the rows of seats and down the aisle.

  ***

  In the Business Class lounge at Ashgabat International Airport, Greg Piper made a star
t on his second beer. The lounge, with its large wall of glass, offered expansive views of the runway and the taxiing aircraft, none of which interested Greg. All Greg wanted was to drink more beer and watch the sports channel.

  His employers rulebook stated it was a severe breach of company policy if employees drank alcohol while working and would result in their immediate dismissal. This included around the oil and gas fields, within their work campus or accommodation unit. But the policy allowed staff heading off duty and out of the country to consume alcohol once they were at the airport and checked in. Greg led a team of geotechnical engineers for Global Energy Solutions Inc. GES, or more commonly, Global Energy as it was known to its employees. Global Energy had its corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas with offices and exploration sites across the world, mainly in inhospitable or challenging locations. Greg had visited all of their exploration sites and for the last six weeks his team had been re-validating data on the routing of their proposed gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to reach either their nearest processing facilities or alternatively to a deep water LPG bulk shipping terminal.

  He'd not been happy that the Board had insisted on his investigating two options for the pipeline routing. To him and his team, only one proposal made sense from an economic and environmental perspective. But as an adviser, he didn't make the call on which way the six Billion-dollar pipeline would route. Greg felt his stress levels ease with each sip of beer and the thoughts of being home for two weeks before he reported back to the office.

  He needed some downtime. The break-in at his accommodation two weeks earlier had left him feeling insecure and though he didn't want to admit it, a little paranoid. He found himself double checking he'd locked his safe, closed his windows and locked his front door. Sometimes he'd turn right around and drive back to triple check he'd locked the front door and that the windows were closed. His paranoia didn't stop there. He’d started to believe he was being followed and surveilled.

  With his final geotechnical report submitted to the regional director of energy production in Almaty, he and his team could leave Turkmenistan. He planned to split from his team in Rome and take a few days in Brussels before heading across the Atlantic and home.

  ***

  In the baggage handling area, the cases, boxes and holdalls destined for the Freedom Blue flight spilled from the conveyor belt and were placed by a solitary baggage handler into the first in a line of silver luggage crates. This was the handler’s fourth international flight of the day and he knew his colleagues would be arriving soon to assist him.

  He saw a cream colored canvas holdall with zips and no locks coming towards him along the conveyor belt. Looking nervously around, he confirmed he was still alone. Reaching down for the holdall, he saw it wasn't packed fully. Instead of placing it straight into the crate, he placed it beside him. He waited for a natural lull in the steady stream of approaching luggage.

  Once a gap reached him, he knelt down, unzipped his jacket and removed the bulky plastic container he'd kept stuffed under his jacket for the last two hours. He placed the container on the floor while he unzipped the canvas holdall. He picked up the plastic container and turned it until the metal ring which protruded from its side faced him. He placed his index finger through the ring and pulled firmly, releasing a thin metal pin. As the pin came clear, the container emitted a single, quiet click.

  The baggage handler carefully placed the container into the canvas holdall and buried it under some clothing before zipping the holdall closed. He stood and gripped the handles of the holdall, slowly he lifted it and placed it gently inside the luggage cart before he returned to his loading duties.

  The five thousand US dollars he'd already received in cash would clear his debts and now he'd completed his task, he started to imagine how he'd spend the next ten.

  ***

  Zero Trust is scheduled for release at the end of October 2020.

  Other Titles from the same Author

  Defector

  His first month in the job and the Russian’s want him dead…

  Moscow 1993 and CIA agent Andy Flint lands an important mission, secure the immediate defection of a high value asset. Flint soon finds himself facing a ruthless opponent, Oleg Malchik, a dynamic FSB agent who’s closing down Western intelligence networks one after another.

  With Malchik closing in, Flint has his own problems with the local Mafia. But things turn for the worse when Malchik wants Flint dead. With the FSB and the Mafia in hot pursuit, Flint believes there’s a mole helping Malchik.

  Who can Flint trust? Can he complete his mission? Who will get to him first, the Mafia or Malchik?

  Defector is the first stand-alone novella in the ‘Beginning Series’, part of the series of international thrillers based around CIA agent, Andy Flint. If you like action, a page turning roller-coaster of a read and plot which keeps you on the edge of your seat, you’ll love Peter Kozmar’s gripping thriller.

  Click here to get your copy of Defector

  Double Cross

  There are eight armed men outside and Flint’s just discovered he’s been double crossed. They’re now moving in to kill him.

  Following the brutal murder of the Luhansk Station Chief, CIA agent Andy Flint is ordered to the CIA Field Station in the Ukraine. But as more intelligence assets are murdered, Flint finds a connection to a mysterious figure seen at the border. With the body count rising and witnessing the murder of those closest to him leaves Flint burning for revenge.

  Flint has a choice, follow Langley’s orders or find the mystery man he believes is responsible.

  In the pursuit of answers, Flint lights the fuse and follows the trail to its explosive conclusion.

  Double Cross is the second stand-alone book in the ‘Beginning Series’, part of the series of international thrillers based around CIA agent, Andy Flint. If you like action, a page turning roller-coaster of a read and plot which keeps you on the edge of your seat, you’ll love Peter Kozmar’s gripping thriller.

  Click here to get your copy of Double Cross

  The Makarov File

  He’s an alcoholic, no job, unable to pay his bills and has a date with a judge. Now there’s an SUV with government plates watching his apartment. His life can’t get any worse or can it?

  Disgraced former CIA agent Andy Flint is brought back by Langley to find out who’s killing their agents and changing the balance of power in Russia. Matters become personal for Flint when an old friend is kidnapped. Flint is torn, save his missing friend or get his job back at the agency and rebuild his shattered life.

  As Flint’s investigation takes him from the corridors of the Kremlin and the frozen streets of Saint Petersburg to the playground of the super-rich in the Caribbean, he discovers the identity of the person from his past who betrayed him. Closing in on the mastermind behind a powerful criminal empire, Flint’s life is endangered as he becomes their next target. Can Flint secure the release of his friend, crack the case and deliver justice before his time runs out?

  The Makarov File is a stand-alone novel and is first in this series of international thrillers based around CIA agent, Andy Flint.

  Click here to get your copy of The Makarov File

  Exclusive Bonus Content

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  I’m pleased to offer an exclusive bonus for my newsletter subscribers who download Dead Secret.

  The bonus material includes some of my personal photographs and commentary around many of the locations where Dead Secret is set. For those who’ve never been to New Zealand and would like to take a peek at what it’s really like, then click on the link and download your exclusive content. You’ll be prompted for your email address, this is to confirm you’re a subscriber to my newsletter. If you are not a subscriber to my newsletter, then sorry, it is exclusive and the only way you’ll receive it is if you sign up.

  Click here to access your Exclusive Bonus Material

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  About the Author

  Peter was born near Manchester in the North West of England into a working class family. He studied Engineering at University where he joined the British Army.

  During his service he worked in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He spent significant time in South Africa. He also spent time briefly in Colombia and Mexico. After reaching the rank of Major, he resigned his Commission and moved with his family to New Zealand where he led an active, outdoors life. However, a skiing accident meant he wasn’t able to run, hike or ski. With time on his hands, he started writing which allowed him to refocus and develop new skills.

  With the positive support of those around him, Peter has written about Andy Flint, starting with The Beginning Series.

  Peter lives in Wellington, New Zealand. His kids have now left home leaving him with his wife and two mischievous Labrador's, Brecon and Pembroke.