by Tom Bradby
Stuart went to do whatever Stuart did in front of the bathroom mirror. After a while, he came back, removed the electric toothbrush from his mouth and stopped it for a moment. ‘You should see the abuse and trolling Imogen gets online. It’s off the scale. James hardly has anything like it. Don’t you think that’s strange, given what a complete dickhead he is? I reckon they’re trying to swing the election in his favour. I can’t help feeling it’s all connected.’
‘They?’
‘Your Russian pals.’
Kate closed her book and switched off the light. ‘I need to sleep.’
‘Will you keep me posted? It feels important.’
‘Right now, we’re looking at a total shutdown, even when it comes to sharing certain information with each other internally.’
Stuart went back to the bathroom to finish off, then quickly slid between the sheets next to her and spooned her, which he hadn’t done for as long as she could remember. She wrapped his arms around her waist and folded them over her stomach. It felt very good to be held.
‘I do love you,’ he said.
She felt his breath against her neck.
‘And I have some good news.’
‘I can hardly wait.’
‘I went to see your mother. I agreed we’d take her down to see your aunt Rose this weekend.’
Kate was too exhausted to protest. ‘A whole day with my mother. My cup runneth over.’
‘On the plus side, she’ll be on her best behaviour – she always is when the kids are around – and we might get the chance to murder her and dispose of her body on the way back.’
‘As long as you do the time, I’m up for it.’
‘Okay. Let’s work up a plan in the morning.’
He turned over and, seconds later, was snoring quietly.
‘To answer your question,’ she whispered, ‘do I think it is possible to be a warrior and the wife and mother I want to be? No, I don’t.’
17
Sir Alan’s message had said: Early meeting at the RAC Club. How about breakfast there at 8.30?
Kate knew that the early meeting was in fact his morning swim and, sure enough, chlorine was the aroma she detected as she kissed him in the lobby.
‘Sorry to drag you over here,’ he said. ‘But sometimes escaping from Mission Control can be productive.’ He led her to the upper atrium, with its beautiful domed ceiling, where a red vintage Ferrari had been parked on the carpet. ‘I’d recount its history for you in some detail, if I had the slightest interest in motor vehicles.’
‘Well, thank God you didn’t drag me to an automobile club.’
His eyes sparkled. ‘Indeed.’
‘I thought you were a member of the Travellers?’
‘I am. But it’s impossible to go there without feeling … noticed.’
The waiter leapt to attention as they moved through into the dining room. ‘Good morning, Sir Alan!’ He took them, without further discussion, to a table that was carefully hidden from view and where there was no prospect of being overheard. It was exactly the kind of place you would expect a spymaster to be taking his breakfast. Sir Alan had learnt his trade in the KGB’s heyday, and old habits died hard.
‘How are Stuart and the kids?’ he asked.
‘Stuart is well. The children are teenagers.’
‘Ah, yes, been there, got the scars to show for it. And so has my wallet. You’ll be pleased to know they emerge as surprisingly sophisticated and likeable human beings.’
‘I’ll hold you to that.’
The waiter took Sir Alan’s order of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. Kate wasn’t hungry, but asked for the same, and coffee.
Sir Alan leant towards her. ‘I just wanted to offer you my support,’ he said quietly. ‘I know how it can feel when an operation goes wrong, especially one in which a young girl lies dead. But we’re fighting a war, as you know, and however much we attempt to guard against it, the innocent are often casualties. There is no merit or sense in blaming yourself, and I hope you’re not going down that road.’
‘I’d love to take a different one entirely, but I can’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I am to blame.’
‘Is that what Ian said?’
‘No. He was quite decent about it, actually.’
‘I’m sure he was. He’ll be positioning himself and, no doubt, in his situation I’d be doing the same. He’s already looking forward to the day when this explodes into the public domain and costs me my head.’
‘I’d like it if that didn’t happen.’
‘So would I. In the meantime, allow me to share my vision of the future. The first bout of the leadership contest on Monday will see Imogen and James go through to the run-off vote with the party members. Ballots will go out very soon afterwards. It’s even possible that one or other of them will stand down, paving the way for an immediate coronation. Although it shouldn’t make any difference, we all have to consider the political reality. Once one or other is prime minister, we’re going to find it difficult to continue to investigate him or her without the most solid evidence imaginable – which, let’s face it, is a rare luxury in our trade. Or, to put it another way, if we don’t nail this in the next few days, we may have to park it for ever, with potentially incalculable costs for our country. The clock is ticking now and we need a result fast.’
The waiter returned with a large silver jug of coffee, but knew better than to invade Sir Alan’s personal space without invitation. He got the nod, poured for them both and left the jug.
Sir Alan took a sheaf of papers from an inner pocket, unfolded them and placed them on the table. ‘I had GCHQ take a look at what’s going on across the web. The vast majority of the most suspicious activity is swinging behind James, although they seem to be refuelling Imogen as well, to try to throw us off the scent.’
‘What if that’s just another part of the misinformation ploy?’
‘It could be. But I think we’re better off assuming they have a dog in the fight and want him to win. If they really have compromised him, their reward will be considerable.’
‘If they compromised him, how did they do it? And how do we prove it?’
‘I’ve known James Ryan long enough and well enough to be in no doubt that there is nothing in his sexual closet that would trouble him. He can’t keep his flies done up and might have illegitimate offspring in every port, for all I know, but I don’t think that would embarrass him unduly or surprise his wife. I’m not quite clear about the basis of their marriage, but conventional fidelity doesn’t come into it.
‘He’s always been greedy, though. His father was a gambler and womanizer, who was periodically penniless after he left the army. James was constantly worried that he was going to be pulled out of school. I’ve always wondered how he manages to fund his lifestyle, and send his children to the most expensive establishments in the land without apparently breaking sweat. So, my advice is to follow the money.’
‘Rav is on to it.’
‘I know. I’ve spoken to him already this morning. Beyond that, I want you to concentrate on two things. First, Mikhail. Danny says the Empress is moored off the coast a little way from Andros, but as soon as it pulls in anywhere else, let’s put a team on the ground. This time I don’t want anyone but me to know.’
‘You want to cut Ian out of the loop?’
‘I’ll tell him what he needs to know. In addition, I want you to keep me informed about Sergei.’ His gaze was steady again, those grey-blue eyes boring into her own. ‘This is the last time I’m going to ask. I understand personal loyalty, but this goes beyond that.’
‘You make it sound like a test.’
‘Everything is a test. Of your suitability for high office because, as you well know, this is about the integrity and security of our country. And nothing – at least nothing we do – is more important than that.’
The waiter brought their food. Kate looked at her plate. ‘I’ll try to make contact
with … my source, but there’s no way of hurrying it. The US Embassy reception is next week, as you know. If he doesn’t turn up there, I don’t know any other way of making contact without colossal risk for him.’
‘You should know that Ian is also aware of Sergei’s existence.’
Kate failed to hide her surprise. ‘How?’
‘He might be a selfish shit, but he’s no fool. He asked the same questions as I did, and arrived at the same conclusion.’
‘He came to talk to you about it?’
‘Yes. I told him you had been lovers—’
‘I didn’t sleep with him. Ever.’
‘That comforts me not at all. Love is infinitely more dangerous. Anyway, suffice it to say that he didn’t buy it, and I’m not sure I do either.’
‘Buy what?’
‘That Sergei was helping you out of long-held affection. Ian suggested there were only two realistic possibilities – that Sergei was manipulating you for his own ends, or those of his masters in Moscow, whoever they may be.’
‘You said there were two possibilities.’
Sir Alan gazed at her from beneath hooded eyelids. ‘Or that he had recruited you a long time ago.’
‘You think I’m Viper?’
He finished his scrambled egg before he answered. ‘I believe the former explanation is more likely. But I prefer to keep an open mind. Either way, it would help if we could place Sergei within the system. At the moment, we’re coming up blank. We have no idea what he does and are therefore struggling with motive.’
‘But Ian favours the latter?’
‘Yes. Though it may occur to you, as it has to me, that this might be a convenient way of diverting suspicion from himself.’
Sir Alan tilted his head in the direction of his empty plate, and her still full one. Kate gave him an apologetic smile. ‘It’s a terrible waste, I know. But I’ll just stick with the coffee.’
Sir Alan had an appointment in Downing Street, so Kate walked on alone. As she skirted the Horse Guards end of St James’s Park, she saw the prime minister’s wife emerge from the rear gate and set off for a jog. She looked pale and drawn, and who could blame her?
Kate accelerated past the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as it started to rain, and jumped into a cab in Parliament Square.
When she finally got to work – it would have been quicker to crawl on all fours along Millbank – Rav was at his desk. He didn’t hear her approaching.
‘Morning.’
He responded as if she’d set fire to his trousers. ‘Shit! You gave me a shock.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing.’ He shook his head vigorously, but somehow without conviction. ‘C’s asked me to refine the search for Viper. These are the names.’ He handed her a handwritten note. Kate featured. So did Ian, Rav, Julie, Danny and C. ‘So I’m in the unusual position of having to investigate every one of my superiors. Thank God I never liked you.’
‘The job is the job, Rav. You’d be the first to say it – just put one foot in front of the other, and we’ll see where it lands.’
‘I’ve asked Maddy to start pulling the phone records as soon as she’s in.’ He sucked his enviably white teeth. ‘Mine will come to you.’
‘If someone inside this building is betraying us to a foreign power, I’d like to think they were smart enough to avoid giving themselves away that easily.’
‘I’m pulling everything else as well.’
‘Good.’ But Kate could tell that wasn’t what was troubling him. ‘Spit it out.’
‘I’ve got a lead on the foreign secretary’s African business activities. The man is now a teacher and lives in Oxford. We should get going.’
‘We will. As soon as you tell me what’s on your mind.’
Rav gazed at her. ‘The initial feedback on our original Viper search group.’ He opened his drawer and took out a dossier. ‘I’ve been going through it for most of the night. I can’t find anything at all unusual on anyone around the foreign secretary. We’ve got every email they’ve ever written that mentions Russia, and if they are working for Moscow, they’ve been doing a great job of hiding their true feelings for a very long time. The same is true of those around Imogen Conrad.’ He cleared his throat uneasily. ‘Except …’
‘Except what?’
‘I’ve been agonizing about this, actually. I imagined what I’d feel if this was about Zac. I wouldn’t want to know. But I think you would.’ He handed her a wad of papers. ‘Stuart calls Imogen a lot.’
Kate’s heart was pounding, but she was determined not to show it. ‘So he should. He’s her right-hand man.’
‘The night before last, when we were in Greece, he called her at three in the morning. I tracked her phone. Half an hour later it was in your house, which I guess means she was too.’
Kate turned the pages of the call log. Rav had circled those he thought unusual or worthy of note. She found the one at three in the morning. There were several more for the hours beyond midnight. ‘I’ll take a look,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry, I—’
‘It’s fine, Rav. You did the right thing.’
Kate picked up the file and retreated to her office. She closed the door and wished she could bar it. She sat down and stared at the log again. After a while, her vision blurred. She could feel sweat on her palms, her forehead and at the back of her neck. She had an overwhelming urge to pick up the phone, call Stuart and yell at him.
Rav knocked and entered before she could stop him. She didn’t dare turn round. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said again.
‘For what?’
He hesitated. ‘There’s almost certainly an innocent explanation. I sometimes call you at three in the morning.’
‘I understand. I’ll deal with it.’
Rav didn’t move. Kate turned to face him. ‘I said I’d deal with it, Rav. Okay? It’s absolutely not your problem. Leave it to me.’
‘But that’s kind of the thing. I do have to deal with it.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, you know what I mean. Given what’s at stake, it obviously isn’t appropriate that you deal with it so I must. I’m going to cross everyone else off the suspect list for Viper, but I need to transfer Stuart onto the new one.’
‘Rav—’
‘The pattern of phone calls is … odd. Not suspicious or anything, but odd. At the very least, he had access to your movements in Greece, so—’
‘Rav, this is my husband we’re talking about.’
‘I know. I get that. It’s awkward, but—’
‘It’s a bit more than fucking awkward.’
He put up his hands. ‘All right. But in all … well, ninety-nine per cent probability, there’s nothing to it. Like I say, we regularly call each other at three in the morning. It’s a matter of internal record, though, that these logs have been delivered to me. The only line of interest in them is glaringly obvious. If I hand it over to you and the case is ever subject to review for any reason, we’ll both end up being hung out to dry.’ Rav waited. ‘I’m just covering your back, Kate. I hope you know that.’
Kate watched the grey clouds gather above Vauxhall station. ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘You’re right.’ She thrust the papers back at him and turned on her computer.
‘I can go to Oxford on my own,’ he said.
‘I’m coming to Oxford. Just indulge me for sixty seconds.’
He retreated to the door.
‘And I’ll need to see whatever you get on Viper, when you get it. If you don’t mind.’
Kate drove to Oxford in one of the office Astras, mostly in silence. She tried to conjure up a vaguely convincing reason as to why her husband might call Imogen at three in the morning if they were not lovers. She couldn’t. And that ate away at the logical, rational part of her brain until it was hard to concentrate. Eventually, Rav said, ‘For the avoidance of doubt, I assume you’ll check Zac’s phone records as well as mine. It’s your duty to do so. And I would. If I were you.�
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Kate wasn’t in a mood to answer.
‘So, just to be clear, I don’t want to know what you find. I mean, do what you have to do for work, but if there’s anything else – anything at all – I don’t want to know about it.’
‘You’re making a bit of a mountain of this, Rav.’
‘No, I’m not. You seem to forget I’ve known you for a very long time, and I can see exactly what it’s doing to you, even though, given what I know of Stuart, I should think there is almost certainly an innocent explanation. And I’m not as robust as you … so, I’m just telling you that I don’t want to know.’ He waited. ‘Do you understand that?’
‘I get it. There won’t be anything, so let’s just forget about it.’
To change the subject, Rav filled her in on their visit. The man they were going to see had worked with the foreign secretary for the brief period after he left the army. ‘The Guardian ran a story a few years back saying Blandwick Security did some work for Mugabe and his family,’ Rav said. ‘James threw his lawyers at it, but the only man the Guardian quoted was Blandwick’s in-country manager, David Snell. I don’t know whether he left Zimbabwe by choice or not, but he’s now a teacher at the Dragon School.’
‘Quite a change of career.’
‘The Guardian seems to have given up on the story after that. They’ve never written anything else.’ Rav had bits of paper all over his lap. ‘Blandwick was wound up after three years. Its income stream tells an intriguing story. The losses were pretty chunky. Ryan was a consultant for a few years afterwards, working mostly in Africa.’
‘None of which sounds out of the ordinary for an ex-soldier.’
‘Perhaps not. But just before he became an MP, he bought that house in Hampshire for £1.75 million. Two years later, he applied to build a swimming pool with an elaborate pool-house complex. And the year after that, he bought the mews house in Chelsea for £2.2 million.’
‘Maybe he won the lottery.’
‘The African lottery, perhaps.’
‘It’s hard to see what that has to do with Russia, though.’
