“You think I’m a key player? You guys need to do your homework.”
“CBC manages most of Tritona’s investment assets.” Merriman pointed his right index finger at Kent. “That makes you a key player as far as we’re concerned.”
“You’re wasting your time with me. I can’t tell you anything.”
“Don’t play games with us. We need hard evidence linking those investments back to Tritona. You can access the documents we need. We all know that.”
“I can’t help you.”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me, right? You can’t believe you can continue to operate as usual? I’ve just told you where your investment funds are coming from. Your investors are the biggest source of illicit narcotics entering the US market. CBC no longer has a business. It’s finished.”
Kent had known his business was finished the moment he’d discovered Tritona’s criminal involvement. That was not news to him. “Of course, you can prove all of this?”
Merriman looked over to his colleagues. “Is this guy serious?” Whitlock and Young laughed and shook their heads.
“How do I even know you’re who you say you are?”
“College boy here thinks we’re the amateurs.” Merriman took out his DEA badge, walked over to Kent, and thrust it under his nose. “Does this make you feel any better?” Kent didn’t bother to look at it. “I didn’t think so. Don’t fucking pretend you think we’re making this all up,” he shouted. “We’ve been tracking the cartel for years. This is a massive investigation. We haven’t come all this way to play games with you. We’re here to finish the job, and you’re gonna help us.”
“I can’t help you. I’m sorry.” Merriman will have to look elsewhere. Go find some other idiot to put his life on the line.
Merriman sat next to Kent again. This time, he pulled his chair closer; his face was just a few inches from Kent’s. He lowered his voice. “John, if you don’t help us then we’re gonna have to assume you’re part of Caruana’s criminal network. We’ll assume you’re in it for the money, because that’s how it looks. You see where this is going, don’t you? Losing your business is not the worst it gets. Think it through for a moment.”
“I have nothing to fear. I’ve done nothing wrong.” Kent thought about cooperating with the DEA for a split second. It makes no sense to, he reasoned. It’s clear they’ve done a lot of work on this, but without access to our files they don’t have enough to put me away yet. I’m certain the Caruana cartel would think nothing of killing anyone found helping Merriman. There’s no contest.
Merriman thumped the table hard. Kent jolted back in his seat. “When we get the documentary evidence we need, and make no mistake, sooner or later, we’ll get it, you’ll go down with everyone else. We’re offering you the chance to walk away from this, in exchange for saving us a lot of time and unnecessary effort.”
“If you want to be difficult,” added Whitlock, “we’ll have your ass extradited to the US. Forget the fourteen-year sentence for money laundering here in the UK. Conspiracy, wire fraud, tax evasion, you name it. We’ll have you locked up for the rest of your life.”
“Have you finished?” Kent wanted to tell them all to go to hell.
“You’re making a very big mistake. This is the biggest decision you’re ever gonna make. Don’t get it wrong. Think of Sarah and what this means for her. How will she cope on her own if you’re growing old in some US prison?” said Merriman.
“That’s if the cartel don’t get to you first. We got plenty of their boys behind bars,” said Young. “You’d fit in real well.”
“I assume I’m free to go?” Kent stood, grabbed his briefcase, and started making his way to the door.
Merriman got off his chair and blocked Kent’s path. Move out of my way, little man. If it wasn’t for the two bouncers, Kent would have pushed his way past.
“For the moment, you’re okay to leave, but you’d better think this through, John. Here’s my card. Contact me on this number when you see sense.” Merriman handed him a card, stood aside and opened the door. Kent breathed in the rush of fresh air as he left the room.
“But don’t leave it too long. Pretty soon, we’ll find the evidence we need elsewhere, and then you won’t have a choice,” shouted Merriman as Kent hurried along the corridor.
Kent raced out of the building and made his way back along Old Broad Street, looking for a cab. He had no idea what his next move would be. He was certain Merriman was not going to give up.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The fast catamaran took just over an hour and a half for the crossing from Naples to the island of Capri. The route offered water-level views of Mount Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples. Kent and his wife first visited the island as university students. Back then, all they could afford was a week’s camping under canvas. They lived off beer and pizza and fell in love. Since then, they’d returned to the island too many times to remember. It was their favorite getaway.
When Kent suggested to Sarah that they spend a few days on Capri, she didn’t need persuading. She made arrangements for colleagues to cover her patient workload at the hospital, and they were off. They booked themselves into the best hotel on the island, in a suite overlooking Tragara Point, a rocky outcrop just off the coast. They spent most days relaxing at the hotel. Around six each evening, they’d take a walk into the main square, mixing with the locals. They liked the quieter feel of the island in the evenings, when all the day-trip tourists had returned to the mainland. Each night they chose another of their regular restaurants for dinner, after enjoying apple martini cocktails at their favorite bar on Via Certosa.
It had been a week since Kent’s meeting with Merriman in London, and he was in need of a break. The last few months had been chaotic, and he was still struggling to comprehend how things had ended up in such a mess. He knew he only had himself to blame — his stupid, overarching ambition had blinded him to the risk he’d been running. He felt foolish and alone. His life was a disaster, and now he was in a dangerous trap with no obvious way out.
After three or four days, Kent began to release some of the pressure. He’d even enjoyed a couple of good nights’ sleep. If he could have given it all up, and gone back to his simpler student days with Sarah, he’d have done so. They were broke back then, but no less happy.
On the fourth evening, they had dinner on the terrace at La Capannina.
“It’s good to see you relaxing for a change, John. I was worried about you,” said Sarah.
“Worried?”
“You haven’t been yourself for weeks.”
“I’m fine. I’m under a lot of pressure at the office. That’s all.”
“You need to switch off more. Push more of the workload onto your partners.”
“I delegate as much as I can.”
“You don’t know the meaning of the word. You’re such a control freak.”
The wine waiter brought over a bottle of Brunello. Kent welcomed the interruption. He poured them both a large glass. “I love you, Sarah,” he said as they clinked glasses.
“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Something’s bothering you. I can see it in your face.” She reached out to touch his hand.
Sarah’s in as much danger as I am. I have to tell her something, but I don’t want to frighten her.
“It’s complicated.”
“We have all evening.” They were briefly interrupted by the waiter as he brought over their starter of grilled gamberoni — Sarah’s favorite. Kent waited until he had gone to speak again.
“I don’t know how to tell you this.” He reached across and squeezed her hand.
“Spit it out. It can’t be that bad.”
“You know we signed up Tritona a while back?”
“Yes. The people in Geneva?”
Kent nodded. “They were keen to back us and, after Grampian failed, we were desperate to find new investment capital.”
“Don’t tell me Tritona are about to fail.”
“No. It’s much worse than that.” Sarah shot him a concerned look. Do I continue telling her?
“You have me worried now.” She put down her wine glass. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry, Sarah, but there’s no way to dress this up.”
“Go on.”
Kent looked into her large brown eyes. Such an angelic face.
He knew what he was about to tell her would change their lives forever, and it would frighten her. He loved her because she always saw the best in people, and he’d always done his best to shield her from the hard realities of his business life. He wanted to stop right there and rewind the conversation. I can’t do this to her.
“Come on, John.”
“I feel so bloody stupid.” He paused, searching for the right words. He cleared his throat and looked back into her eyes. “Tritona is a front for organized crime, and the money we’ve been investing on their behalf is all illegal drug money.”
“Oh my God!” she said, clasping her hands to her mouth. “Oh my God!”
There’s no going back now. I hate having to put her through this. “I’m so sorry. We were deceived into thinking they were a legitimate organization. They told us a pack of lies and, in my desperation to replace Grampian, I failed to ask enough questions. By the time I found out, it was too late.”
“You’ve got to give the money back. Just give it back.”
“It’s not that simple. The money has been invested.”
“Drugs! Have you reported all this to the police?”
“No.” Kent recognized the incredulity in his wife’s eyes. How can I tell her I was blackmailed, without telling her why?
“Why not? You’ve got to speak to them. You’ve no idea what the hell you’re dealing with.”
“I don’t believe Anton’s death was an accident.”
“What do you mean? What’s Anton got to do with this?”
“He and I were discussing Tritona in my office. He was raising questions about where their money came from and telling me how he’d discovered something about their backers. The next morning he was dead.”
“But that could be a coincidence. He was killed riding his bike on his way to the office.”
Kent knew Sarah needed to believe his business partner’s death was a straightforward road accident, but he had to be honest with her. “I don’t think so. I think he was murdered.”
“This can’t be happening. You’ve got to be wrong.”
“Somehow, they knew Anton and I were concerned. They must have thought we were onto them or something.”
“But how could they know?”
“I think they were listening to our conversation.” The waiter came over to ask if they were enjoying their meal. Kent waved him away.
“You think they’re monitoring your offices?” Her hands were trembling, and all color had drained from her face.
“That’s exactly what I think.” Kent knew from the timing of the blackmail note that his offices were bugged, but he couldn’t share that with her.
“Are we safe?”
“I think CBC still has a great deal of value to Tritona. We move a lot of their illegal money into legitimate assets. They need us. I think we’re safe for as long as we cooperate with their money laundering. But if we go to the authorities, if we stop complying…”
“My God! What are we going to do?” Sarah’s eyes were welling up.
“I’m so sorry, Sarah.” Kent reached across the table and held both of her hands. They sat in silence for a while.
“You have to go to the authorities.”
“Don’t underestimate the threat if these people discover I’ve talked. I’m certain Anton was killed as a deterrent. The last thing I’m going to do is put your life at risk.”
The waiter came to take their dessert order, but they’d both lost their appetites. They paid for the meal and walked back. As they drew near to the hotel, Sarah said, “Promise me something.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll not keep all this to yourself from now on. Share everything with me, even if you think I won’t want to hear it. I can’t believe you’ve been holding onto all this for months and you kept it to yourself.”
“I promise. I didn’t want to frighten you. I wanted to protect you, but once I found out who we’re dealing with, you had to know.” He hugged her. “I’ve been so bloody stupid.”
Kent decided not to share with Sarah the conversation with the DEA. He’d already terrified her. What good would it do to heap more pressure on her?
Chapter Forty
Kent was back from vacation only a few days when his compliance partner, Adrian Johnson, asked to meet with him.
“What’s up, Adrian?” asked Kent, recognizing the troubled look on Johnson’s face.
“We’ve been selected for an FSA active review.” He looked as though his world had come to an end. Johnson was the firm’s worrier, which is why Kent made him the compliance partner in the first place. Compliance partners are paid to worry about the rules and regulations, acting as counterweights to the risk-taking activities of the deal-doers. Kent needed someone in the team to control the worst excesses of his other partners and to keep them out of trouble.
“Is that a problem? We’ve had FSA reviews in the past. Our records are always in good shape. What’s there to worry about?”
“We’ll be the first private equity firm in the country selected for this new type of review.”
“What do they involve?”
“Active reviews have only recently been introduced by the FSA’s new investigations department. They’re part of their response to not having been sufficiently prepared when the financial crisis hit. They took a lot of bad press for being behind the curve when problems first surfaced among supposedly healthy banks and other institutions.”
“I can’t see why we should be concerned about this.”
“When I took the call from the FSA this morning, the chap from the new investigations unit said we ought to set aside at least two weeks for their visit, and that it would not just be about us providing evidence we’ve followed our own internal systems and controls. He said they’ll actually be checking a number of matters back to source documents and will speak to a number of our investment clients. As we only have one client, this will involve troubling Tritona with a lot of admin.”
Kent now understood why Johnson was troubled. The two-week burden of the work would cause an admin headache for Tritona. Kent immediately realized there was a real risk the review would uncover the problem with Tritona’s documentation. What if the FSA decides they want to speak to Tritona’s investors as part of their work? As they don’t exist, that would be a complete disaster.
Kent stood, walked over to his window and looked toward Cambridge, deep in thought. I can’t see a way out of this. They’ll be listening to this conversation and know there’s a problem. Can we put it off?
“When did they say the review will take place?”
“Four weeks from today. They wanted to come in earlier, but I knew you’d want time to make sure all of our files are in order and to lay the groundwork with Tritona. I pushed them back as long as I could.”
Four weeks is nothing. “Do you think they would allow us any more time?”
“I doubt it. They seemed keen to start.”
Kent shook his head. “Okay. I’ll speak to Baumgart and settle things with Tritona.” Can’t afford them being spooked. They’re going to need careful handling.
“Thanks. That would help.”
Johnson still looked as if his life was over. Does he know more than he’s letting on? Has he been examining Tritona’s files? “Is there anything else?”
“Just one more thing.”
“Fire away.”
“It’s more bad news, I’m afraid.”
“What is it?” If you’ve discovered the fake passport, for God’s sake don’t blurt it out. They’re listeni
ng to us.
“You’ll never guess who’s heading up the new investigations team at the FSA.”
Such relief. “Some idiot who couldn’t cut it on our side of the industry, no doubt. Who is it?”
“Your best friend, Doug Wright.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck! Kent slumped into his chair. He now understood why CBC had been chosen as the first private equity firm to undergo an active review.
Kent was flooded with panic. This is no coincidence. That bastard, Wright, is out to make trouble for us. He’ll love this. He’ll dig deep into the files at CBC and will go out of his way to disrupt our business. When he interviews the team, he’s bound to speak with Tara. What if Tara mentions the suspicious activity report she thinks I filed with SOCA? Wright will assume I was trying to hide something; he’s bound to involve the authorities. It will all come out. An embarrassing police investigation and the certainty of a long prison sentence. He’s bound to contact Tritona and their investors. He won’t stop until he finds something. When that happens, the whole shitty mess will be discovered. Christ, what if the cartel think I’ve tipped off the authorities to cause this?
“He’s going to cause a lot of trouble for us, Adrian. You’d better make sure our files are in very good shape. We can’t afford to give him anything to go on. He’ll go for the jugular.”
Chapter Forty-One
That night, Kent took Sarah out for dinner He rarely had time for dinner, other than with clients, during the week. Only when they were in the noisy Italian restaurant was he confident the conversation was not being heard. He’d told her in Capri they couldn’t discuss Tritona in the house or car in case the conversation was being monitored. Over the meal, he explained what had happened earlier in the day and what it all meant if Wright dug deep into CBC’s affairs.
“I’m certain Wright will probe until he finds something. He won’t stop until he does.”
Martin Bodenham Page 18
