by Tom Bradby
‘I know what the Russians are trying to do. I think about it almost every waking moment, and most sleeping ones, too. The last few hours have been the most wonderful escape from that reality – but this just took me back with a bang.’
‘For a spy, you’re a shit liar. And for the record, the children and I are going to need a bit more than a few hours away from that reality.’ Stuart grasped her arm and gripped it tight. ‘That’s it, Kate. That’s the last time you doubt me. Understood?’
She nodded.
The door banged shut behind him.
Kate sat on the bed, shaking. Her phone pinged. A message from Rav: Have you seen it?
She WhatsApped back: Hard to miss.
It would be quite a turn-on if I was straight.
Then: In fact, it’s still a turn-on – she has a hell of a body and so has her stud.
Inappropriate, Kate replied.
She lay back and stared at the gathered silk canopy of the four-poster, relief still flooding through her. Stuart annoyed she could handle, Stuart angry, even. But Stuart a liar would have killed her.
The phone sounded. ‘I can’t speak, Rav,’ she said.
‘My sources tell me she hasn’t been shagging him for a while, so they’ve sat on this for years.’
‘Have we got a trace?’
‘GCHQ don’t hold out much hope. It’ll have arrived on a USB stick, in the post.’
‘I’m here with my family, Rav. I have to go.’
‘It puts her out of contention, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘Yes.’
‘There’s something else. More on Ryan’s little business venture. Guess where it was incorporated?’
‘British Virgin Islands?’ Kate sighed. ‘Belize?’
‘Belize. Via a Panamanian law firm. But here’s the interesting bit: GCHQ have pinned François Binot as the intermediary.’
‘Christ.’
‘Yup.’
Binot was a legendary Swiss lawyer who’d once worked for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, helping to compile cases against Ratko Mladić and the other butchers of Bosnia. But in the early 2000s he appeared to have switched course to represent, or at least assist, some of those he’d previously been investigating. He had quickly acquired a reputation for taking on tasks and individuals others would not contemplate and before long had found his way into the orbit of the Russian president. It was Binot who had set up the offshore companies that stored the wealth of the Russian president’s closest associates. He was the president’s bagman. ‘How the hell would James Ryan have come across him?’
‘Kosovo. Ryan served there, and the last work Binot did in The Hague was on those accused of war crimes in Kosovo. I can’t prove a connection, but I’d bet you any money they met there.’
‘I have to go,’ Kate said. ‘Let’s talk in the morning.’
‘I want to get on a plane to Zürich first thing, to try to get in front of Binot. Will you authorize?’
‘No, Rav, I won’t. I want a proper risk assessment and I’d also like a discussion about what getting in front of him is likely to achieve. Apart from alerting everyone involved as to how much we know.’
‘I’ll go anyway.’
‘No! Stay right where you are. We’ll talk about it in the morning.’ She waited, but he didn’t hang up. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday,’ she said.
He didn’t reply.
‘If it had been infidelity, I wouldn’t have told you, but I thought you needed to know.’
‘But don’t you see, Kate? It is infidelity. Worse, even. It makes a mockery of everything we’ve been through together.’
‘Have you spoken to him?’
‘No. And I’m not going to.’
‘Rav, I really think—’
‘It’s none of your fucking business, Kate. It wasn’t your job to tell me, and I asked you not to. I don’t want a lecture, and I don’t want to talk about it again.’
Rav cut the call and she put her face into her hands. So much for a break from reality.
Perhaps inevitably dinner became a low-key affair. They paid the price for Lucy’s earlier good humour, and Rose put her to bed early. Simon kept the conversation ticking over, mostly talking to the three kids about their lives, plans and hopes.
Fiona was particularly forthcoming, announcing that she now wanted to be a doctor, despite having little previous aptitude for or interest in science. Since the source of this newly discovered passion was obvious enough, neither Stuart nor Kate sought to puncture her balloon. Only Jed felt obliged to share the profession’s drawbacks, based on his experience of his parents’ lives.
Kate wondered whether her daughter’s sudden volubility had something to do with the tension in the air between her and Stuart. She could tell that Rose knew something was wrong too, but she didn’t want to talk about it tonight, so turned in straight after they’d finished eating. She heard Stuart come to bed hours later, reeking of whisky, and found herself thinking how strange it was that you could sense your husband’s wakefulness in the dark, yet not be certain of his fidelity. She felt ashamed for doubting him.
The journey back to London began in silence, but Kate knew she could rely on her mother to make matters worse. It was just a question of when.
‘Rose says you don’t look after me properly,’ she said.
Kate continued to stare out of the window.
‘She says you don’t come to see me enough.’
‘She actually said she was worried that Kate was working too hard,’ Stuart said, ‘which is not quite the same thing.’
‘Your father would be ashamed of you.’
Kate let that go, too. Her mother was like a spiteful child, who would go on prodding until she got a reaction.
‘He always said you were selfish.’
Stuart kept his attention fixed on the road ahead. ‘That quarry a few miles back would be a good place to hide a body.’
Kate glanced over her shoulder. Gus was sitting next to Lucy again, with his headphones in. Fiona and Jed were in the row behind, their heads together as they watched something on his phone. ‘I said I wanted you to do the time,’ she told him, ‘but, actually, I wouldn’t mind doing it myself.’
Stuart smiled and reached for her hand. They locked fingers.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Kate said.
‘You’re an idiot,’ Stuart replied, ‘but, thankfully, you’re my idiot.’
Kate found Magic again, to discourage her mother from offering further contributions.
‘Who do you think leaked the footage?’ Stuart asked.
‘No prizes for guessing that one.’
‘How?’
‘In a manner we won’t be able to trace. The simplest way, probably. Put it into an envelope and sent it to the website, which is unscrupulous enough to have run it without any checks.’
‘You think it could be fake?’
‘No. They’ve used fake videos to devastating effect in the past, but you can always tell it’s real when the quality is so good. The Russians like to shoot their porn in high definition.’ She paused. ‘How is she?’
‘Devastated, needless to say. Harry has taken the kids and gone to his mother’s. Would you mind popping round to see her tonight?’
‘Will that help?’
‘I don’t think she should be alone. And I suspect she’d rather have a woman to talk to. Also, I’ve persuaded her not to pull out, and I think a word or two from you would help. If that wouldn’t be above and beyond the call of duty.’
‘I’m afraid it’s now her duty to go on running. And to win, though I doubt she has any idea what she’s really up against.’
‘That’s what I said you’d think. But she needs to hear it from the horse’s mouth.’
Kate looked at him. ‘I’m sorry, darling, I really am.’
‘I know you are. But it’s water under the bridge. Just don’t bloody do it again. You are not your mother and I am not my father. And that’s all there is to say.’
In the early evening Kate went round to Imogen’s. There was a sizeable media pack outside the front door, so at first she kept her distance and messaged her. Together they devised an alternative route through the side entrance of a neighbour’s garden and over the dividing wall.
‘In other circumstances,’ Imogen said, ‘I’d find this funny.’
Moments later, Kate was inside the house and Imogen made her a cup of tea. They sat at the kitchen table. ‘I know I shouldn’t say this,’ Imogen said, ‘since, in a very literal sense, I made my bed and now have to lie in it. But I feel almost as if I’ve been raped.’
‘That’s a pretty understandable response.’
‘It’s bloody out there for ever now, and I have no desire to show my face in public again. I mean, what happens if my parents see it?’
‘No one you care about is ever going to set eyes on it.’
‘The internet is today’s version of the Wild West. All the newspaper websites are running the video with the bits helpfully pixellated, while giving every reader a shortcut to the unredacted version. I mean, some porn videos are less explicit.’
‘On the plus side, thank God you have such a great body.’
Imogen looked at her, clearly aghast. And, for one terrible second, Kate thought she had misjudged the moment. But then Imogen burst out laughing. And started to cry.
Kate touched her shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, that was a terrible joke.’
‘No, it was a good one. And if I lose sight of the funny side of this nightmare, I’ll go upstairs and blow my brains out.’
Kate was tempted to give her a hug, but it wasn’t her style, so she waited patiently for Imogen to gather herself.
Imogen wiped the tears defiantly from her cheek. ‘Christ, what a mess,’ she said.
‘I hardly dare ask about Harry.’
‘He walked out with the children, saying he’d see me in court. Under the circumstances, I didn’t feel there was much I could do to stop him.’
‘I imagine he’ll be feeling pretty humiliated, apart from anything else. But we have to believe that doesn’t necessarily have to be permanent, don’t we?’ Kate sipped her tea awkwardly, marvelling at her own hypocrisy. ‘Do you mind me asking you when and where it was filmed?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘How long did you …?’
‘On and off for a while.’ She snorted with laughter. ‘No pun intended. We did a lot of foreign trips together.’
‘Were you with him at the time of your Moscow trip?’
Imogen frowned. ‘Fuck knows. No, I don’t think so. I’m not sure it had started by then. But …’ she looked intensely sheepish ‘… unfortunately, I have to admit it could have been recorded in quite a number of places. I just don’t remember that particular hotel.’
‘Hmm. They didn’t focus much on the décor, did they? There’s no doubt it’s you?’
‘Afraid not. It’s me, all right. I’d recognize those tits anywhere. I’ve hated them my entire life.’
‘I have no doubt whatsoever that plenty of us are currently green with envy.’
Imogen smiled again. ‘So, who was holding the camera?’
‘Your previous hosts.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘They had the means, the method and the motive. They were on home turf. And they do it all the time.’
‘What motive?’
Kate stared at the table. Tread carefully, she told herself. ‘I think they’d rather James won this particular race.’
‘For the leadership?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘They think he’d be more likely to align himself with their interests. And they’ve already demonstrated countless times that when they make that judgement they’re not afraid to try to affect the outcome.’
‘But neither of us has talked much about Russia in recent years, have we?’
‘You have in the past.’
‘Years ago.’
‘They have long memories.’
‘And that’s it? They did all this because of something I said years ago?’
‘I think so, yes. And that’s one of the many reasons you shouldn’t step down from the leadership contest.’
‘I can’t carry on with it, Kate.’ She leant back, spread her hands. ‘I just can’t. I’m going to have the battle of my life trying to keep my family together. Harry isn’t the world’s most forgiving man, and he was only half supportive of my ambition in the first place. If I go on, I’ll lose any slim chance I have of winning him back.’
‘You have to stay in the race, Imogen.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s important for the country. I’d even go as far as to say it’s your duty.’
‘What aren’t you telling me?’ Imogen gave her the full benefit of her unblinking almond-shaped emerald-green eyes. ‘Come on, Kate, I’m at my lowest ebb here. You owe me the truth.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Or won’t?’
‘Either. It doesn’t matter which.’
‘So you want me to throw away my husband and children but you won’t tell me why?’
Kate took a couple of deep breaths. ‘We think your opponent might be a Russian spy.’
‘Fucking hell.’ Imogen just stared at her. ‘What does that mean?’
‘I’m not totally convinced he has an ideological bone in his finely hewn body, so it would mean he’s been coerced or bribed into working for them.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘No, not yet. But I’m confident enough to break every rule here and tell you why you can’t come out with a white flag. And I’ll do my absolute best to help you.’
Imogen put her head in her hands. ‘Jesus,’ she said. ‘What is the world coming to?’
‘In a way, you should take it as a compliment. The Russians try to acquire compromising material on everyone of influence. The fact that they had something on you confirms their perception of your significance even back then. And choosing not to try to coerce you indicates that they don’t believe you would bend. So they kept it up their sleeve to discredit you, if need be.’
‘Diabolical,’ Imogen said.
‘Dirty and immoral. They always have been. Unfortunately, they’re also very effective.’
‘I’ll have to think about it. I’m still … I just don’t know if I can.’
‘I’m not going to sugar-coat it. You don’t have a choice.’
Imogen looked at her. ‘You’re a tough woman, Kate.’
‘Not always a compliment.’
‘From a man to a woman, it wouldn’t be. But from a woman, it is. Especially a woman like me.’
‘Why especially a woman like you?’
‘Politics is a dirty word for some people, I know. Even you, perhaps, when you’re in the privacy of your own home. It’s also a lonely business. And the higher you climb, the lonelier it gets. I’m not completely sure I want it that badly.’
‘You once told me that, though it was a terrible cliché, you really did come into politics to make a difference to people’s lives.’
‘I’d never say that in public – everyone would die laughing.’
‘Perhaps. But isn’t it also true that the higher you climb, the more difference you can make?’
‘Most people don’t believe politicians are capable of altruism.’
‘Maybe they don’t, but I’m not most people. Any more than you are. I work in a world where the threat to us is rawest. And it’s very, very real. If people like you and I don’t stand up and face it, there’s no telling where this story might end.’
‘I’ll do it if you agree to work for me.’
‘That’s a discussion for another time.’
‘Do we have a deal?’
‘I assume you’ll take Stuart with you to Downing Street, and … look … I’d like to count myself as your friend. I will help. I promise you that much.’
Raised voices in the street made Imog
en glance towards the front door. ‘I’ll think about it. I’m ambitious and I do want to make a difference – though there are probably more egotistical and less attractive motives in there as well. But I don’t yet know if I want it enough to risk losing my family. Would you?’
‘That,’ Kate said, ‘is a very good question.’
She waited. She’d done as much as she could. There was just one more question she needed to ask. ‘Imogen, I’m not sure how best to ask this but … is there anything else?’
‘Do you mean anyone else?’
‘Both, I’m afraid. Anything financial? Any other … affairs?’
‘Affairs. Such an odd word, isn’t it?’ Imogen shook her head. ‘No. Even for me, one really bad sin is enough.’
‘So there’s nothing else that could bite you on the bum?’
‘Nothing I can think of.’
‘No other …’
Imogen’s brow furrowed. ‘I’m not a scarlet woman, Kate. I made a mistake. Harry and I haven’t had the most active of love lives these past few years, and I sought solace elsewhere. I’m ashamed of it. And now I’m paying the price.’
Kate raised her palms. ‘I’m not prying. I just need to know what might be coming down the track.’
But, of course, that wasn’t the whole truth. Kate walked home with a spring in her step, feeling foolish and relieved in almost equal measure.
22
When Kate arrived at the office shortly after dawn, Julie was already there.
‘How was Belgrade?’ Kate asked.
‘Complicated and inconclusive. I’ll explain when we have more time. Have you seen this?’
‘Seen what?’
Julie pointed at her screen. ‘It’s just dropped on the Guardian’s website.’ The gist of the story was instantly clear from the headline. MI6 Investigates Foreign Secretary over Links to Russian Intelligence.
‘Fuck,’ Kate said.
‘C’s asked you to go up.’
‘Where’s Rav?’
‘He’s in Switzerland.’
‘Doing what?’ Kate asked, though she knew well enough. He had gone to see the Swiss lawyer, Binot, the insubordinate bastard.
Julie looked confused. ‘He said he’d told you about it.’
‘Tell him to get on a plane back, and I mean yesterday. That’s an order. And if he ignores it, I’ll ensure he’s fired before the day’s out.’
