‘What I’m about to tell you,’ continued Sir Charles, ‘are some of those sensitive matters involving national security I spoke of earlier, and the reason I had to ask you to respect the undertaking Jack and I had to give in this murky affair to keep out of trouble. You will see in a moment just how sensitive and potentially explosive these matters really are.’ Sir Charles kept adjusting his bowtie, a nervous habit that somehow helped him focus when tackling difficult subjects.
‘The reason Lord and Lady Elms’ murders attracted so much secrecy and the attention of MI5 at the highest level is simply this,’ continued Sir Charles. ‘At the time of the attack, Lord Elms was investigating certain matters involving David Huntington, the Leader of the Opposition, on behalf of the government. This was entirely politically motivated and designed to discredit Huntington and the Labour Party. The aim? Simple. To cause maximum damage just before the election, thereby seriously undermining Labour’s chances of winning. In fact, you could say that Lord Elms was digging up the dirt on Huntington and, as you’ll see in a moment, he was very successful in doing so. That is what cost him his life.’
‘Are you suggesting, Sir Charles, that Macbeth was somehow implicated in this?’ interjected Jana.
‘Yes, but he was more than that. He was both; the instigator and the target.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Carrington.
Jack turned to Sir Charles standing next to him. ‘May I?’ he said.
‘Of course.’
‘Charles and I met with the head of MI5 the day after our impromptu press conference at the airport you would have all seen on TV the other day,’ said Jack. ‘You will recall, that was all about our abduction and the horrors we discovered in Somalia implicating Blackburn Pharmaceuticals, the sinking of the Calypso by the pirates and Macbeth’s dramatic death. Sensational stuff, and as it turned out, political gold for the Conservative government. You will see why in a moment.’
Overwhelmed by what she had just heard, Señora Gonzales covered her face with her hands and began to sob.
Carrington looked at Jana. ‘This is getting better by the second,’ he said under his breath. ‘Jack and his adventures …’
‘After Charles and I gave the undertaking we spoke of to MI5,’ continued Jack, ‘we exchanged information. This is the full, murky story … warts and all.’ Jack paused, the silence in the room deafening.
‘As Charles just told you, Macbeth was both the instigator and the target, albeit indirectly. The government had suspected for a long time that Huntington had a powerful backer standing behind him in the shadows, watching, and shaping his career. And not just any backer, but someone who could manipulate the press at will, provide unlimited campaign funds, silence opposition to Labour policies and ideas and create a powerful image and a public persona with huge appeal to the electorate. And most importantly, that mystery backer could do all this well away from prying eyes, by staying in the background and under the radar of scrutiny and accountability. In short, someone was grooming the man for a historic election victory and the highest office in the land by carefully paving the way for the Labour darling who couldn’t put a foot wrong, because most of the usual obstacles had been carefully removed.
‘Understandably, the government wanted to expose this and approached Lord Elms, a trusted supporter of the Prime Minister and one of the most powerful political figures in Britain, to undertake this highly sensitive, and politically dangerous task. Project Detego – unmask – remember? Lord Elms was going to unmask Huntington’s secret backer and, hopefully, discredit Huntington by association. At least, that was the strategy because, it was assumed, such support didn’t come for free. There had to be a catch, a payback of sorts and Lord Elms had to find it.
‘Lord Elms, a brilliant, well-connected strategist, worked mainly alone and without leaving too many footprints. However, we believe most of the missing pieces have now been found, and a clear picture of his activities has emerged.
‘When he began to dig deep into certain highly confidential toxic waste disposal arrangements during the nineteen eighties and nineties, Lord Elms knew he was getting close. He also knew he was treading on some important and powerful toes. The Calabrian Mafia, for instance, and those in high office who had done business with them at the time, and profited handsomely from it.
‘By now, Lord Elms was following a clear trail and began investigating certain pharmaceutical companies. That’s when the name of his project changed from Detego to Stars, hide your fires—’
‘Are you suggesting Lady Elms knew about this?’ interrupted Carrington.
‘She must have,’ said Jack. ‘Otherwise, why would she have used those exact words? And let’s not forget, by linking that dreadful attack on her and her husband with precisely those words, she pointed the finger at those responsible. And as it turned out, she was absolutely right.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Isis.
‘MI5 discovered very soon after that the Calabrian Mafia was somehow behind the attack. We know this for two reasons. Firstly, the attackers left something behind. Quite deliberately, as a warning …’
‘No one told us about that!’ interjected Isis. ‘What was it?’
‘A message; a memento mori. A mask. And not just any mask, but a most bizarre and recognisable mask, the Venetian Medico della Peste, the Plague Doctor mask. It was hanging around Lord Elms’ neck when he was found shot dead in his home.’
‘A warning, you think?’ said Carrington.
‘It would appear so, and a signature. Classic Mafia,’ interjected Sir Charles.
Jack continued. ‘The second reason was this: Once the bodies in the burnt out getaway van had been identified, it soon became apparent that the Mafia was indeed involved. However, the hitmen were executed within hours of the attack.’
‘To frustrate any further investigation, you think?’ asked Jana. ‘To cover the trail and protect those behind it all?’
‘Very likely, because the attack had gone spectacularly wrong,’ said Sir Charles.
‘What do you mean?’ interjected Carrington.
‘Allow me to answer that,’ said Jack. ‘According to MI5, the attack was originally intended as a warning, not an execution. We know that Lord Elms arrived home unexpectedly and surprised the intruders. They panicked and killed him as they fled the scene. This had not been the plan—’
‘Then what was?’ interrupted Isis.
‘To disfigure Lady Elms’ face in her home and leave the Medico della Peste mask behind as a warning and a clear message to Lord Elms and those behind him to drop Detego. Instead, he was killed and his wife mortally wounded in the botched attack, and he ended up wearing the mask himself as the Medico della Peste.’
‘Lord Elms, the Plague Doctor having fallen victim to the very disease he was trying to expose?’ speculated Carrington. ‘Something very contagious. Political pestilence perhaps? How ironic!’
‘Could be,’ said Jack. ‘The warning was supposed to be all about exposure. If Lord Elms didn’t stop and persisted with his enquiries, the whole affair would blow up in the government’s face, causing even more damage to its already very slim chances of re-election. That was the obvious threat.’
‘This is absolutely right,’ said Sir Charles. ‘This was a political gamble at the highest level. Bold; risky; desperate. The attack was intended to stop Lord Elms and signal to the government that its smear campaign to discredit Huntington had been discovered and would be exposed – no doubt through a sympathetic press – causing a major scandal and embarrassment to the government.’
‘This is all getting a little too much for me,’ said Isis, shaking her head.
‘Understandable,’ said Sir Charles.
‘Something puzzles me here, Jack,’ said Isis. ‘If Macbeth was indeed behind all this, and he was that mystery backer dabbling in British politics as you suggest, answer me this: why?’
Jack had been expecting the question and was prepared for it. However, he knew he ha
d to tread lightly as one more rather devastating revelation was still to come. Well aware that Señora Gonzales had perhaps endured as much as anyone in her position could be expected to cope with in one night, he realised he had to choose his words carefully.
‘We are coming back to those black and deep desires,’ said Jack. ‘To put it another way, revenge and ambition.’
‘In what way?’ asked Isis, the heavy make-up no longer able to mask the strain on her wan face. Despair was beginning to show as her world was crumbling all around her.
Lola reached for Isis’ hand and held it tight. It felt cold and limp. Just like her heart, thought Lola, I fear …
‘Revenge first,’ said Jack. ‘The handsome young man almost beaten to death by the jilted husband of his lover, had somehow survived, but as a cripple, abandoned by the love of his life and stripped of everything he held dear. He keeps himself alive by nurturing one burning desire: revenge. He vows to avenge the terrible wrong done to him by Lord Elms and the Establishment that had helped him do it, and allowed him to get away with it and cover it up. The British.
‘Next: ambition. Fast forward fifty years. The abandoned, penniless cripple has turned himself into one of the most powerful business tycoons on the planet and is ready to strike. He has two things in his sights: Lord Elms, and the British Establishment. He plans to destroy them both.
‘However, just before he’s quite ready, something unexpected happens. Incompatible with destiny, Macbeth’s meticulous planning is intersected by fate. Lord Elms begins his secret investigation and uncovers what had been carefully hidden for decades, thereby raising the spectre of something Macbeth fears most … exposure.
‘After that, things begin to go wrong; very wrong. First, the ill-fated attack. Lord and Lady Elms were not supposed to have been killed. In fact, without the Elms investigation, the attack wouldn’t have taken place at all. For Macbeth, just killing Lord and Lady Elms would have been far too lenient a fate. He had something much more subtle and cruel in mind. He wanted to destroy their lives and dreams just as they had destroyed his. He wanted them to know who had done it, and why. And in David Huntington, he had the perfect tool to achieve his darkest desires … all of them. How? I’ll tell you. Through an exquisite plan of revenge that would have made the story of the Count of Monte Cristo look tame.’
‘Please explain,’ said Carrington.
‘Macbeth plotted to achieve all this by crushing Lord Elms’ dream of a third successful Conservative government brokered by him. For decades, Lord Elms had been a highly successful king-maker, standing behind two successful Conservative prime ministers. By ending his long, illustrious political career through one of the most devastating election defeats since the war, Macbeth would make sure that this defeat would become Lord Elms’ legacy and what he would be remembered for in history.’
‘Come on, Jack, facts please, not speculation,’ interjected Carrington, unable to help himself.
‘I know how this must look,’ said Jack, ‘but please bear with me. You will not be disappointed; promise. In order to fully appreciate what I’m about to tell you, please keep this in mind: I confronted Macbeth on the Calypso in person about all this. This was just a few days ago. I showed him the Hoffmeister interview with all its far-reaching implications. Macbeth too, had to come to terms with some quite earth-shattering revelations. To begin with, he found out about Wolfgang Steinberger, his real father, and discovered that Erwin and Greta weren’t his parents at all … Then came Dr Rosen. Remember, she was a prisoner on his ship at the time, just like me and he was going to obliterate us both. I asked Macbeth if he was prepared to kill his own flesh and blood. That’s when he realised that the very person who had exposed his secret medical experiments in Somalia, was in fact family! And if that wasn’t enough, he had to deal with another cruel, ironic twist of fate: Mercedes, the love of this life he had killed in such a brutal way, had been his half-sister! That’s quite something to get your head around, even for someone like Macbeth. But then came the killer blow …’
‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Isis.
‘I told Macbeth that he had a son … you, Isis. He had no idea, you see. At first he didn’t believe me, but when I began to explain, the irony of it all began to dawn on him. Blinded by black desires, he had killed the mother of his love-child. A child conceived during the happiest time of his life.’
‘We understand all that,’ interjected Carrington, getting impatient again, ‘but the Huntington bit still doesn’t make sense. Surely you can see that.’
‘Perhaps this will help,’ said Jack. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and held it up. ‘This is without doubt the most brilliant part of Macbeth’s plan. Dark genius. It combines revenge and ambition in a devastating blow designed to crush Lord Elms and the government at the same time.’
‘What is it?’ asked Isis.
‘This is what Huntington was shown by the Prime Minister the other day. This is the reason Huntington resigned …’
Silence.
‘Come on Jack, what is it?’ Carrington probed, realising that his would-be witness might be getting the upper hand after all.
‘In a way, this is what killed Lord and Lady Elms …’
‘Please, Jack,’ pleaded Isis.
‘It’s a copy of a birth certificate issued in South Africa in 1965 …’
‘Yes?’ prompted Jana.
‘Macbeth had an affair with a young white nurse who looked after him in Somalia.’ Jack paused, taking his time. ‘This document proves that Macbeth is David Huntington’s father,’ he said quietly, and once again held up the document for all to see.
Moments later, Señora Gonzales collapsed and had to be carried up to her room. Sir Humphrey gave her a sedative. He tried to give Isis one too, but she refused. She told him that sleeping would be more terrifying than staying awake to deal with the implications of what had just taken place. Drained and exhausted, everyone went to their rooms. Isis, however, was determined to stay with her grandmother. The evening that had started with such excitement and anticipation, had turned into a revelation of black and deep desires of the most devastating kind.
Jack could feel something touching his shoulder and heard someone talking. Reluctant to leave the much needed sanctuary of sleep, he tried to ignore both, but the voice wouldn’t go away. There it was again. ‘Jack, wake up, please,’ he heard someone say over, and over. This time, however, the voice sounded familiar. Jack opened his eyes and looked at Lola leaning over him.
‘Something terrible has happened,’ she said.
Jack sat up, instantly awake. ‘What?’
‘Señora Gonzales just passed away.’
‘Oh my God! I’m so sorry. It was all too much! Perhaps I should have …’
‘Don’t, Jack. There’s nothing you could, or should have done differently,’ said Lola, putting her arms around Jack to comfort him. That’s when she noticed he was crying. ‘Come on, Jack, she was ninety-four …’
‘I know; still … How did Isis …?’
‘You can imagine …’
‘Where is she?’
‘In the chapel. With Dr Rosen and the countess.’
Jack put on his tracksuit, slipped on his shoes and went downstairs with Lola, their footsteps cutting through the eerie silence. He stopped in front of the familiar chapel door, unsure whether to go inside. Memories of another late-night visit to the chapel came flooding back. On that occasion, he had made a promise to a distraught mother to find her lost daughter. This time, however, he was about to visit a grieving grandson whose world had just fallen apart, mourning the loss of someone he held very dear. ‘I don’t know …’ said Jack.
‘Go to them,’ said Lola, gently pushing Jack towards the door. Slowly, Jack opened the heavy door and looked inside.
Isis and Dr Rosen sat side by side in the front pew, two candles burning next to Anna’s photo the only light in the chapel. The countess was kneeling in front of the altar with her head bow
ed, praying.
‘Come in,’ said Isis without turning around. ‘Please, sit with us.’ Jack went to the front with Lola and sat down next to Isis. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘Perhaps I should have—’
‘There’s no need to apologise, Jack,’ interrupted Isis. ‘No regrets, please. Mamina was finally at peace, thanks to you. The pain of knowing what happened was much kinder than the anguish of not knowing at all. She would have died a long time ago, except for that. She had to know. Now, she was ready.’
Isis looked at Jack. ‘Words can never express how grateful I am for what you and Lola have done. Painful as it is, the truth is precious. I may have lost my entire family, but I have found someone special I didn’t know I had and, most importantly, I found the truth.’ Isis turned to Dr Rosen and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. ‘You know what Mamina’s last words were, Jack?’
‘Please tell me.’
The countess stopped praying and turned around to listen.
‘“If we don’t believe in something greater than ourselves”,’ whispered Isis, ‘“we are destined to remain forever small”. Sound familiar?’
Part VI
KALM 30 and Demexilyn
“The life is so short,
and the craft so long to learn.”
Hippocrates
Kuragin Chateau: three months later
Isis desperately needed closure. She had ignored Sir Humphrey’s advice to avoid long flights, and had taken her grandmother back to Mexico for burial. This was to keep a promise made a long time ago to lay her to rest next to her husband, José, in the family crypt on their estate. In honour of the lady she had admired and loved so dearly, Lola had insisted on flying Pegasus all the way to Mexico herself.
Shocked by Señora Gonzales’ sudden death, everyone had left the chateau the next day, needing time and distance to reflect on Jack’s extraordinary revelations, and an evening none of them would ever forget. Jack had agreed to accompany Isis to Mexico to attend Señora Gonzales’ funeral. He understood that Isis wanted him by her side to help her come to terms with the new reality he had uncovered, and which had so dramatically changed her life forever.
The Hidden Genes of Professor K: A Medical Mystery Thriller (Jack Rogan Mysteries Book 3) Page 53
