‘The policeman said that the autopsy found no marks on the body, just the alcohol in the stomach. He said the level of alcohol in the blood was so high that he was surprised the man could actually walk! He also said our friend wasn't robbed. His wallet, money and so on were found on the body. It looks as though he simply drank too much and fell off the dock, into the water, on his way back to the ship. He said there were no suspicious circumstances and they are not planning to investigate further.’
Marco finished by saying:
‘I'm sorry, I don't know what else we can do.’
Together they left the police station and returned to the ship. Kev shared the disturbing news with Shaun and Patrick, Jack and Sandro. It made no sense.
It was early, just before dawn. Jack tapped his knuckle on the cabin door, trying to get Sandro's attention. He was just about to knock for a second time when Sandro opened the door and ushered him into his cabin.
‘I wasn't asleep,’ explained Sandro. ‘I seem to have been awake half the night thinking about what we talked about on the wreckage of the Blizbanci,’ he confided.
‘Me too,’ replied Jack before he went on: ‘I tried to check out Pancrovita and Livactomel but it’s not easy. It seems Pancrovita is being developed by an American drug company to extend the life of terminally ill people suffering from pancreatic cancer. It’s a combination of three drugs that supplement treatment like surgery and chemotherapy. In the current trials they are saying it may extend life for three to five years more than other combined treatments. But here’s the odd part. The drug has recently completed final trials and will be available in the US sometime soon.
‘Livactomel is another cancer drug, for those with cancer of the liver, and being trialled by a different US drug company. Again, it’s part of a combination of treatments to combat the disease. From what I can discover it is due to be launched sometime soon.’
Sandro continued:
‘I also did a bit of searching on the web. Do you know how many people in Brazil, India, Russia and China were diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer last year? Almost one hundred thousand! I did a similar check for liver cancer in the same countries and it is about four hundred thousand cases a year. If these drugs were available to wealthy patients it would explain the mind-blowing figures we read about in the files.’
Jack ruffled his hair and added:
‘So how can James Blake and Lawrence Anderson be advising a small pharmaceutical company like Pharmaco on setting up production lines for the two sets of drugs and selling them for a massive amount of money in Brazil, Russia, India and China? If this was a legitimate commercial operation I would expect the American drug company to retain control and make the profit. It doesn't make sense. Or rather, it does make sense if Pharmaco is manufacturing and selling the drug outside the US and in lucrative markets.’
'I've been thinking along exactly the same lines,’ said Sandro. ‘It all seems to revolve around the missing briefcase. If we assume that Will retrieved it from the wreck of the sailboat then perhaps his death wasn't an accident. From what we have seen of Will it was clear he wasn’t a drinker. I can’t imagine him drinking the amount that Kev said was found in his stomach.
‘If someone believed the briefcase was still onboard the Blizbanci then blowing it up would destroy any evidence. So what do we do?’ asked Sandro.
‘This “cloak and dagger” stuff is outside our league,’ said Jack. ‘We need to share our suspicions with someone who won't laugh at us and who is in a position to find out more.’
Jack and Sandro looked at each other and simultaneously said ‘Penny’.
Penny Pendleton-Price, now a senior UK Border Force officer, had accompanied Jack and Sandro on a routine inspection of the Lee Kwan Fong, an ageing freighter that had sunk off the Kenyan Coast. They were to inspect the vessel in terms of possible salvage of the cargo and ship. Penny’s role, as observer, was part of her training. The dramatic events surrounding the forced salvage of a container from the ship had served to form a strong friendship. Sometime later her help and involvement in the salvage of two large plastic tubs containing drugs had cemented their relationship. Both Jack and Sandro knew that Penny had access to resources and networks that could make sense of what they had discovered. They phoned her office and left a message.
It was mid-morning before Penny returned the phone call. Sandro and Jack were sitting around the dining room table looking through printouts of ‘Invitations to Tender’ and emails that Lesley, the company secretary, had forwarded to them. The shrill call from the satellite phone broke their concentration. Jack and Sandro had rehearsed their concerns and shared these with Penny. When they had finished Jack merely said:
‘What do you think?’
‘Have you shared your suspicion with anyone, anyone at all?’ she asked.
‘No, no,’ replied both Jack and Sandro. ‘We only started thinking about it when we were stuck on that life raft in the middle of the Adriatic and this morning after hearing more about Will’s suspicious death.’
‘Good, do not, I repeat, do not talk to anyone about this. Do you understand?’ she said firmly before continuing.
‘I know there is growing concern within the UK and the EU about unauthorized drugs appearing on the streets and counterfeit drugs appearing in hospitals and clinics. I think it was in June 2015 that we were involved in seizing over £16 million of fake and unauthorized drugs. It’s big business and what you describe could well be part of such a set-up.
‘You’re not going to believe this but I’m actually in Dubrovnik at the moment. It’s all part of EU cooperation and joint activities. I can’t get away from the office at the moment but I will arrange for a Border Force officer to collect the briefcase from you tomorrow. I’ll share your suspicions and the contents of the briefcase with colleagues here. Give me an hour and I will get back to you to confirm the time and who will be collecting it. I’m going to have to go but thanks for letting me know. This could be of major importance,’ she added before ringing off.
It was sometime later that Petra replayed the conversation that the listening device had recorded.
Chapter 23
Not a happy chappy
Brian Kenworthy was not happy. As a UK Border Force officer, currently on attachment to the Croatian coast guard, he didn't expect to be driving around the countryside collecting briefcases. His short term attachment to the Anti Trgovanja Ljudima, the Anti People Trafficking Task Force in Dubrovnik, was going well. He felt he was both contributing and learning. On his return to the UK he was hoping for a promotion to the equivalent section within the UK Border Force. However, he had been instructed, not asked but instructed, to drive to Split to collect a briefcase. He was given the name of a ship, the boat yard where it was moored and the name and phone number of the person he should collect it from. He was also told the briefcase contained sensitive documents that were important to an ongoing investigation. He was to secure the briefcase and return it to Senior Officer Pendleton-Price, also of UK Border Force, without delay. She had recently arrived in Dubrovnik and would be in the office waiting for him on his return. ‘If it was that important why didn't she get off her arse and collect it herself,’ he said to himself as he sat in traffic.
He was also unhappy because he had a hot date that evening and even high speed driving would take him six hours to get there and back. He had roared along the E65 and D8 motorways but had hit traffic on the coastal road into Split. Frustrated, he was keen to collect the briefcase and get back to Dubrovnik as soon as possible. When he was ten minutes away from the boat yard he phoned the number he was given. The contact answered and confirmed he would be on the dockside, by the Sultano, waiting for him. The sat nav guided him through the maze of roads by the docks and eventually onto the dockside. It took only minutes to show his ID, collect the briefcase and reset the sat nav for the return journey. He was still within the dockyard area when he turned a corner, only to find a man standing in the middle o
f the road taking a photograph! Officer Kenworthy could only see his back and slowed, expecting him to take his photo and walk on.
He was rammed from behind. There was a dull thump as the two cars collided. His head flicked backwards and hit the head restraint. The car bounced about a metre forward before Brian slammed on the breaks. All thoughts about the photographer were now forgotten as Brian switched off the ignition, got out of the car and started to walk towards the driver of the car that had hit him. The last thing he remembered was the dark baseball cap and dark sunglasses of the driver. When he woke up he had a bump on his head, a graze on his cheek and then a sickening feeling. The other car and the briefcase were gone! He looked around but the street was deserted. Then he was struck by another fear – had he been robbed? No, his phone and wallet were still in his pockets. He hit the speed dial for the office switchboard in Dubrovnik and asked to be connected to the UK Border Force officer that had sent him on this trip. Penny picked up the phone.
‘Pendleton-Price here. Can I help you?’
‘It's Brian. I've been attacked and robbed. A car rammed me from behind. The briefcase is gone.’
‘Brian, listen to me carefully. Are you injured, do you need a doctor, do you need to go to hospital?’ Penny asked.
‘I was knocked out. I've got a bump on my head. There's blood on my hands,’ he said as though surprised to see it.
‘Brian, listen to me,’ Penny instructed. ‘Can you get to your car, start it up and switch on the sat nav?’ she asked.
In a daze Brian staggered to the car.
‘I'm in the car now. Yes, the car starts, the sat nav has come up,’ he replied.
‘Good,’ replied Penny. ‘What street does it say you are on?’
Brian tried to pronounce the name of the street and decided to merely spell it instead.
‘OK Brian, listen carefully. I am arranging for an ambulance to come and take you to hospital. There will be a Croatian police officer waiting to speak to you as soon as a doctor says you can. You will need to make a full statement to the police. Just sit in the car until the ambulance turns up. Do you understand?’ she asked.
‘Yes, yes,’ Brian confirmed. ‘I'm sorry, it was so quick,’ he added before the phone was put down.
Penny was in the office early the next day. She was hammering away at her laptop and didn't notice Inspector Tomich of the Croatian Police approach her desk.
‘Good morning, Penny. So how is your colleague, Brian Kenworthy?’ he asked.
‘He has a bump on his head, a graze on his face and acute embarrassment,’ replied Penny. ‘They kept him under observation overnight but he is expected back later today. How could he have been so stupid?’ she asked. ‘One of the set procedures, if you are carrying sensitive documents, is to lock them in the boot. If you are involved in an accident call for backup immediately in case it's a set-up,’ she added.
‘What did he tell the police in Split?’ asked Inspector Tomich.
Penny summarized the discussion she had last night with the police in Split.
‘The car that rammed him was an old, white or cream Skoda. He's no idea what model or age. The police showed him photos in the hope he could be specific. The driver of the Skoda was wearing a dark baseball cap and dark glasses. He thinks it was a youth because the driver was clean shaven and sitting low in the car, but it could have been a woman. All he can remember about the photographer in the middle of the road was that he was a big man and he thinks he was wearing a dark suit. The officer in charge in Split knows how serious this is and is currently contacting all scrap yards, bodywork repairs shops and so on in an attempt to find the car.’
‘Can I help in any way?’ asked Inspector Tomich.
‘That's very kind of you,’ replied Penny. ‘I'm going to talk to Jack Collier and Sandro Calovarlo in a few minutes and get them to write down what they can remember from the documents in the briefcase. While they are doing that I will be flying up to see what information I can salvage. I also want to talk to Mrs Petra Kovačić of Pharmaco. Could you liaise with your colleagues in Split and clear it with them? Perhaps it could be regarded as a joint investigation,’ she added.
‘No problem, I will talk to Split and ask them to phone Mrs Kovačić and set up a provisional meeting, time and date to be confirmed,’ he replied.
The police found the white Skoda that morning as Penny flew to Split. It had been stolen only hours before the incident. It was covered in fingerprints but the officers in Split were not confident of finding a link to the person who stole it.
Chapter 24
Salvaging information
The shuttle between Dubrovnik and Split was quick and efficient. Marco had agreed to take Jack to the airport to collect Penny and return them to the Sultano. No sooner were they leaving the airport when Penny turned to Jack.
‘Have you and Sandro managed to make a note of all you can remember from the documents in the briefcase?’ she asked.
‘We spent over one hour, separately, making a note of all we could remember and then another hour together trying to jog our memories,’ Jack replied. ‘I reckon we have stuff you can work on,’ he added.
Penny seemed to relax and thought she may be able to salvage something from the disaster.
They bumped through the marina and around the warehouses. Suddenly before them was the Sultano, bathed in sunshine and looking magnificent. The sun glinted off the pristine white paintwork and freshly cleaned windows. The former Italian patrol boat had been rejuvenated and looked ready for action.
‘She looks fantastic,’ said Penny as she squinted through the windscreen and squeezed Jack's hand. ‘Like the marine equivalent of a classic sports car. When do you sail back to the UK?’ she asked.
‘There are a few more things to sort out – we have to complete the sea trials and then we are ready to go,’ said Jack with a big smile.
Penny insisted Marco join them on a complete tour of the Sultano. She had Patrick and Shaun in raptures as she gushed in admiration over their renovation of the engine bay and seemed genuinely interested in the speed, fuel consumption and range of the ship, wattage that could be generated and, of course, the amount of sea water the Moffat water canon could move per minute. She made it sound as if Kev had actually made and fitted all the instruments and gauges on the bridge and insisted he talk her through the various dials and screens. Marco had a constant grin on his face as Penny repeatedly acknowledged the amazing transformation he had organised. Even the workshop and dive store received a visit and praise.
Sandro had prepared bruschetta for everyone and was pouring glasses of sparkling Italian wine when the entourage eventually returned to the main saloon. The conversation continued as the bruschetta and wine were consumed. However, after ten minutes or so people started to drift away and left Penny with Jack and Sandro – they all knew why she had made the flying visit to the ship. They moved across the saloon and sat in the group of easy chairs. Penny brought them to the business at hand.
‘It’s lovely to see you, and your amazing ship, but I really do need to talk to you about the contents of the briefcase that was stolen. The fact that it was stolen convinces me that the contents are important and the investigation needs to move as quickly as possible.’
Penny took a small digital audio recorder from her bag and placed it on the table. It was directly under the smoke detector with the flashing red light.
‘Do you mind if I record the conversation?’ she said. ‘It will make sure I don’t miss anything. What can you tell me?’
Jack and Sandro had spent hours wracking their brains, trying to remember as much of what they had read as possible whilst bobbing around on the wreckage of the Blizbanci. Sandro had summarized it all on several sheets of paper and started to talk Penny through it.
‘OK, we found passports, wallets and business cards in the briefcase and in a leather portfolio. One passport was for a man called James Blake. His business cards said he was a senior chemical engineer at A
MC Pharmaceuticals in Slough, just outside London. There were UK credit cards, a UK driving licence, a load of loyalty cards and a return British Airways ticket from London to Split. There was nothing to suggest he lived and worked in Split. There was also a brown envelope with a lot of US dollars in it. We counted it and there was US$100,000 in US$100 dollar notes.’
Sandro looked down at his notes.
‘Inside the portfolio was another British Passport, this time for Lawrence Anderson. His business cards said he was marketing director of a consultancy group called Taylor, Gibbs and Morgan, plc. based in the City of London. We can’t remember the address. There was also a return ticket to London and another brown envelope stuffed with money, another US$100,000.
‘That should be enough for us to track them down,’ Penny commented.
Almost as an afterthought Sandro added:
‘Of course, this could have been their fee. It could have included expenses, maybe Mrs Kovačić can clarify all of this. Now to the interesting part,’ Sandro explained. ‘In the briefcase and portfolio there were two sets of documents. They looked like Microsoft power point slides and handouts, part of a presentation. There was a flash drive tucked into a pocket. We guessed that the documents in the briefcase belonged to James Blake because several of the screens were about a product called Pancrovita. There was loads of technical stuff and a summary Gantt chart that set out a timetable for coordinating all the different production jobs. At the time we guessed that James Blake was advising Pharmaco on producing this product. However, when we got back to Split we checked online and discovered Pancrovita is a very sophisticated drug that has been developed by an American company. It was described as “a potential breakthrough in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, an expensive and cutting edge drug combination that was about to be launched on the US market”.’
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