‘Were there any logos on the power point slides or on the other documents? Were there any signatures, any dates? Was there anything to suggest these were official documents from a particular company?’ Penny asked.
Sandro looked at Jack enquiringly. ‘Not that I can recall,’ he said.
Jack took up the commentary:
‘We are pretty sure the documents in the leather portfolio belonged to Lawrence Anderson, the marketing guy. There were dozens of documents related to the drugs and a summary spreadsheet for sales in Brazil, Russia, India and China. There were sheets for each of the BRIC countries that listed hospitals and clinics as well as details of the sales reps.’
‘Can you remember the names of any of the hospitals or clinics? How many sales reps are we talking about? Can you recall any names?’ asked Penny, desperately trying to extract as much information as she could from them.
‘Hang on,’ replied Jack, ‘give me a chance to finish!’ he said with a hint of irritation. ‘It never occurred to me to try and memorize all the information ’cos there were piles of the stuff. At the time Sandro and I were just inquisitive. We were trying to get a feel for what we had found. I recall flicking through the pages and my finger stopped at India. I remember looking at the list of sales reps because the first one was called Sanyaya Mishra, based in Delhi. I knew a Sanyaya Mishra from university but when I looked at his photo it wasn’t the same guy. There was a Hemlata Chari based in Mumbai and I think a man called Asoka Garg based in Chennai but I can’t be sure if the city is correct. I think there were at least a dozen sales reps for India. When I flicked through the other pages the same pattern was repeated. There were the names and small photos for each of the reps. We have wracked our brains and can’t come up with specific names. However, I do recall the name of one hospital or clinic in Delhi. It was called the Guanyin Clinic. I just happen to know Guanyin is a revered Buddhist deity and is often referred to as the goddess of mercy.’
Sandro picked up the discussion.
‘Jack and I have discussed this. There cannot be too many hospitals and clinics in and around Delhi that specialise in pancreatic cancer. It may be laborious but it must be possible to check out which sales reps have been selling Pancrovita. Even if we can’t recall a single Brazilian, Russian or Chinese rep or hospital there must be a way of checking who is selling this drug.’
‘Yes, you’re right,’ replied Penny. It may be laborious but I’m sure it could be done,’ she added.
Sandro went on:
‘There was also a summary table linked to clusters of hospitals and clinics… a projection of sales and income. It was staggering. Whatever they were planning to make and sell it looked as though it was worth a fortune!’
As Sandro seemed to pause Jack continued:
‘We are guessing, but it also looked like another drug, Livactomel, was about to be produced and marketed. There was another complex summary sheet with loads of figures quoted. Alongside Livactomel there was something called “lotions and potions” which, from memory, didn’t make a lot of money compared to the massive amount that Livactomel would make.’
‘I’m impressed,’ said Penny. ‘You’ve given me a lot to get on with. Is there anything else you can remember?’ she asked.
Sandro looked across at Jack and they both nodded. Jack continued:
‘We couldn’t explain how the briefcase came to be drifting in the middle of the Adriatic! It’s not unreasonable to believe it was on the Pharmaco when she went down, but how did it turn up hundreds of miles away?’
Sandro interrupted:
‘We believe it was on the Blizbanci when she blew up. Neither Jack nor I salvaged it from the Pharmaco. We can only think that Will salvaged it and left it on board the catamaran. It's the only explanation.’
‘We came up with two scenarios,’ offered Jack. ‘The first one assumes James and Lawrence were working for Mrs Kovačić on a product and that the details were commercially sensitive. The cash in their wallets could be payment for the job they were doing. It could even be a case of them avoiding tax. Wanting to find James and Lawrence, and the sensitive documentation, would be understandable. Furthermore, saying they worked for her would be true. It would just be a way of encouraging us to look for them. It's all perfectly reasonable and makes sense,’ Jack concluded.
‘There’s something else that leads us to a different scenario,’ said Jack. ‘Mrs Kovačić employs two armed bodyguards. One of them, Anna, was serving supper the other night when she dropped some cutlery on the floor. As she bent down to pick it up I saw a gun hidden under her top, in her waistband. Petra told me she carried the gun at all times. She also told me that her father and mother in law were robbed and murdered less than a year ago. Her husband was also killed. It seems the police think it was a carjacking gone wrong, somewhere near Sarajevo.’
Sandro took up the story:
‘Here’s scenario two: the sums of money listed in the spreadsheets are incredible. We are not drugs experts but the numbers were amazing. We think Will may have retrieved the briefcase and he ends up dead. We are on a boat, with the briefcase on board, and we nearly end up dead! Will was teetotal and a professional diver. He would never drink even if the chance of diving the next day was remote. What if the delightful Mrs Kovačić decides to get rid of Mummy, Daddy and Hubby? She then controls her own pharmaceutical company. What if she decides to produce and market some very expensive drugs? What if she would do anything to cover her tracks? That little scenario also makes sense,’ he concluded.
‘It makes sense but I’d rather not repeat it until I get evidence to back it up,’ Penny replied cautiously. ‘I’ve got to get back to Dubrovnik and the office as soon as possible. Is there any way I can get a lift or a taxi to the airport and catch the shuttle?’ she asked.
That evening Petra downloaded and listened to the entire conversation. She removed a mobile phone from her handbag and made a call.
Chapter 25
Just a routine job
‘Hello, hello,’ was the shout from the dockside.
Kev looked over the rail and spotted the smartly dressed middle aged man at the foot of the walkway.
‘Is it possible to speak with either Alessandro Calovarlo or Jack Collier?’ he shouted in good English.
‘I will go and check if they are around,’ replied Kev as he walked away to find them.
Jack and Sandro approached the rail and looked over. They made their way down the walkway and onto the dock.
‘Can we help you?’ asked Sandro.
The visitor reached into his pocket and produced a wodge of business cards. He held one between his thumb and index finger before offering it to Sandro. It was like a hundred business cards Sandro had seen in the past. It seemed this man was Gino Baiggio, CEO of a haulage company in Split; there was a string of phone numbers, email addresses and a website on the card.
‘My friend Petra, Petra Kovačić, said you may be able to help me,’ he said.
The man looked pretty ordinary and it was an automatic gesture to invite him on board. On board the Sultano and sitting at the large dining room table the man explained.
‘Petra was so impressed by the way you found her sailboat and recovered it. It was so sad about the people who died,’ he added looking genuinely upset. ‘She said you may be able to help me. I have a motor cruiser that sank in the storm …’
Jack interrupted him.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt but that was a one-off. We are merely here to collect this ship and sail back to Liverpool. We are already behind schedule and expect to leave in the next few days. I’m sure you will be able to find another salvage company that will be able to locate and raise your cruiser,’ said Jack as he started to rise to his feet.
‘No, no, let me explain,’ said the man, obviously keen not to end the meeting. ‘I know precisely where the cruiser went down. I have the GPS coordinates. The cruiser was old and started to break up in the storm. The two men delivering the boat only had
time to send a mayday and scramble on board the life raft. They were very lucky.
‘They were delivering the boat to Rijeka. I was exchanging it for a new, modern cruiser. On board were all the official documents relating to the old boat plus a lot of cash to pay for the new boat. It was in a sealed plastic folder inside a locked cupboard in the main cabin.’
Gino took a deep breath and continued:
‘I know it was stupid but I could get a great deal by dealing in cash.’
He held up his hands in a gesture of resignation.
‘Now the documents and the money are ninety metres down on the seabed. I’ve spoken to local divers and they say it is too deep and dangerous for them. If you were prepared to dive on the cruiser, and retrieve the package, I would be happy to pay you the same as Petra. I’m happy to pay US$15,000 for forty-eight hours of your time. If you cannot locate the cruiser and package in forty-eight hours I will pay you anyway. If you find it in a few hours I will pay anyway. Please help me, you are my last resort,’ he added.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Jack. ‘Taking the Sultano out into the ocean, at this time, is difficult. It would disrupt the final work being undertaken and set us back days,’ he explained.
‘No problem,’ said Gino. ‘One of my friends will let us use his motor cruiser at no charge,’ he added. ‘Look’, he continued as he pulled a folded chart from his inside jacket pocket. ‘This is the chart covering the area. I’ve marked the spot where the cruiser went down. I’ve written the coordinates here,’ he said pointing to the writing on the chart. It’s ninety metres deep at this point with little current. The string of islands, here and here, shield this stretch of water. This is why the crew were taking this route… my friend can have his cruiser here tomorrow morning. By this time tomorrow the job could be complete and you could be US$15,000 richer,’ he smiled.
‘I’m still not sure,’ said Jack. ‘But let Sandro and I have a brief chat,’ he added. ‘Can I get you a coffee while you wait? We have an excellent machine here,’ Jack said as he gestured towards the galley.
‘That would be wonderful,’ beamed the man. ‘I would love a cappuccino.’
Jack and Sandro rose and moved towards the hatchway and onto the deck.
‘I know it’s coming at a bad time but it’s what we do,’ said Sandro. ‘Fifteen thousand dollars is a lot of money. It will pay all the salaries for a month and all for a few hours’ work! Assuming the main structure of the cruiser is intact it shouldn’t be hard to find. If it all broke up and is spread across the seabed we get paid anyway. I’d say it is worth considering.’
‘You are right, of course,’ replied Jack. ‘It’s just there have been some odd events since we have been in Croatia and I will be glad to leave,’ he added.
Over the next few minutes Jack and Sandro quizzed Gino about the cruiser that would be supplied and confirmed the timings. Gino left with a big smile on his face that didn’t disappear until he was well away from the ship. Jack and Sandro walked up to the bridge and checked the chart and local almanac with Kev. The spot where the cruiser had gone down was indeed at ninety metres with a pretty clear seabed. A call to Marco also confirmed that a cruiser had gone down at that point in the storm but the crew survived.
That afternoon, with Kev, Jack and Sandro planned the dive for the next day.
‘At ninety metres you will have a bottom time of only seventeen minutes, even with the rebreather,’ said Kev. ‘At that depth you will need to take bailout cylinders. I can set up two eleven litre aluminium tanks each with a fifteen to forty-five percent trimix. It will be a good test of the filling system we have on board to get a fifteen percent oxygen, forty-five percent helium and forty percent nitrogen trimix. You will each need to carry a third, eleven litre tank of deco mix; I’d suggest fifty percent oxygen in that one.’
‘Yes, that all makes sense,’ said Jack. ‘The computer software says it will be a one hour and sixteen minutes dive time with multiple decompression stops. The descent time to that depth will be five minutes – the ascent time is going to be fifty-four minutes including a ten minute decompression stop at four metres. I can get this all printed out and laminated on some card.’
‘I’ve rechecked the position the cruiser went down against the tidal flow at the time; it was minimal. Assuming it went down fairly quickly, and that’s what they said, it should be pretty close to the GPS spot marked on the chart. We can drop the shot line at that point and work from there,’ suggested Sandro.
Shaun and Patrick, together with Marco’s workmen, were fully occupied with a hundred small jobs as the final fitting out neared its end. With Kev helping, Jack and Sandro checked all their gear and added a new one hundred metre length of line and heavy weight to one of the kit crates. Just before nine a.m. they heard the sound of a large cruiser coming in to dock next to them. With so much kit to transfer, including six extra tanks in addition to the rebreather, it took some time before they were on their way.
Gino was obviously surprised by the amount of kit that was being transferred to the cruiser, particularly the six extra tanks.
‘The deal was for just the two of you,’ he announced as Jack laid the spare tanks next to each other and wedged them in place. ‘Who else is diving with you?’ he asked.
‘No one, it’s just the two of us,’ explained Jack. ‘The rebreathers will get us down to the bottom in five minutes but with decompression stops it will take us fifty-four minutes to get back to the surface. We will carry the extra tanks just to be on the safe side, in case we have to bail out,’ he explained.
Chapter 26
Cast adrift
It was a pretty uneventful trip to the dive site. Gino had explained that his friends didn’t speak any English but they were experienced sailors. The conversation flowed easily for the initial part of the trip. Gino explained that over the years his haulage company had thrived and he was now considering early retirement, hence buying the new cruiser. He described the regular work he did for Petra in transporting Pharmaco products across Croatia and to neighbouring countries. He asked about their ship and travels around the world; he was genial. However, after almost one hour they seemed to run out of conversation. It was then that Gino explained in detail where the briefcase was stored; the cupboard was locked but he had a key. He also guessed that it would be easy to break into the cupboard if necessary. After the mini briefing both Jack and Sandro were happy to relax prior to the dive. The weather was good, the sea was calm and it promised to be an easy dive.
‘We are about fifteen minutes from the GPS position; it’s the spot where my cruiser went down,’ said Gino.
Jack and Sandro stirred and began the process of checking their kit and laying it out on the deck. He and Sandro strapped the eleven litre tank of deco mix onto the back of their re-breathers. Once in the water they would only have the two other tanks to handle.
A shout from the skipper of the cruiser told them they were at the dive site; Jack confirmed the position with Gino and then dropped the weighted line over the side. It ran out easily and eventually went slack as the weight hit the bottom. ‘Odd!’ thought Jack. It was a brand new one hundred metre length of line and he had plenty of line left, probably twenty metres at least. He tied the loose end to an orange buoy and tossed that over the side.
Over his shorts Jack pulled on a heavy fabric onesie; a thermal suit from neck to wrists and ankles that would keep him warm. It would be cold at ninety metres! Laboriously he climbed into the dry suit and wriggled his feet into boots that were an integral part of the suit. Sandro handed him the can of foam that he squirted onto his hands and which he rubbed around his head and neck. It made it much easier to push his head through the neoprene cuff around his neck. At ninety metres he didn’t want cold water seeping into the suit! The gear was heavy compared to their normal wetsuits and they had to carry much more weight to counteract their buoyancy and that of the weighted spare tanks.
‘We will go down the short walkway and step off the
back of the boat,’ said Jack. ‘We will get into our kit in the water – it will be so much easier than trying to do so on deck. If you hand us the spare tanks we can clip them onto the backplate in case we need them. We will then go down the shot line to the seabed and use the end of the line as our marker. We can then start our search pattern until we find the boat. Hopefully, it will be intact. Can you keep fifteen to twenty metres away from the buoy? You may need to use the engine to maintain position and we don’t want to come up and into a propeller!’ he explained.
‘At ninety metres we will only have seventeen minutes bottom time before we will need to surface. If the wreck is close to where it went down that should be more than enough,’ Jack explained. ‘At the end of the dive I’ll send up a SMB; that’s an orange inflatable tube. It will tell you that the dive is over and we are starting our ascent. However, it could take us almost one hour to actually surface! We will come up the shot line so make sure the boat is some distance away,’ Jack explained.
All the preparations were complete and Jack stepped off the back of the boat and into the water. They climbed into the now bulky rebreather and Gino handed them the spare tanks. They clipped them to their backplates. It all looked very cumbersome with torches, reel and tanks clipped onto them. Finally Jack and Sandro were ready and finned slowly towards the orange buoy. A quick wave to the men on the boat and they released air from their drysuits and started their descent. There was no current as they dropped down the shot line. Almost weightless, and surrounded by total blue, it was easy to become disoriented. Dropping to the seabed, off the shot line, made it so much easier. Both Jack and Sandro were checking their rate of descent and depth as they made their way to the bottom. At twenty metres they passed through a thermocline and the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. They could feel the change of temperature on their hands, even though they were both wearing tight fitting neoprene gloves. The light was getting less and the blue was gradually becoming grey as they followed the line downwards. There were entering a twilight zone as their dive computers told them they were passing through seventy metres. Out of the gloom the seabed appeared. The grey silt and sand seemed to stretch out in every direction before it merged with the grey of the water. There was no sight of a sunken cruiser!
Missing Presumed Lost Page 15
