Bearings: The Compass Trilogy Part One

by Mr Iain F Johnston

  “West Midlands have found the Rover in Stourbridge. First indications confirm an agricultural connection so it looks like a farm or small holding is accurate…”

  “That neck of the woods also ties in with the A449 too…”

  My desk phone rang again…

  “Sect’… Right…Confirmed…? OK thanks… No I’ll contact him myself Phil, cheers…”

  I replaced the receiver and looked back at Chris… “Two down one to go…Hull is a negative too…”

  “It might not be today Iain; the crossing from Dordrecht may just be a coincidence or Stegen carried all three of them. Shame the Dutch missed the ferry. They were also a little lethargic in responding to the first safehouse too…”

  “I know… Let’s see If Sarah can speed them up a bit… Maybe let them know that being the European destination of choice for known terrorists doesn’t look too good on the CV…”

  0900 came and went… Steve, Chris and Charlie had congregated in my office ready for what we hoped was to be positive news…

  “Well, it’s 0920 and nothing from North Shields, it’s not looking hopeful lads… I would have sworn that the three of them would be on the move now…”

  Charlie closed his notepad and pocketed his pen…

  “Laddie maybe they have already, or as Chris said, all three crossed with Stegen…? Until he docks this afternoon we won’t know…”

  “Or maybe Charlie I’ve got it completely wrong and neither of them is involved in the UK operation…”

  Steve was somewhat surer with his response…

  “Chief there are too many unknowns and these ships travel daily remember…I think you’re right; look at what we have: the Chiswick safehouse is now empty, that’s significant. Those three haven’t so much as swatted a fly in the last twelve months; there has been so much domestic bliss around there that they’ve probably had to cancel the milk and the Avon lady, they then suddenly up sticks and vanish…? And don’t forget Griffiths and his garages, he’s been conspiring with known terrorists… Anne Pendleton’s boys will find something at Sittingbourne and I’m sure the Met lads who are crawling all over the High Road garage as we speak will find something too… We also have to factor in Brierley Hill’s discovery of the Rover and what was found on the tyres, no Iain, I think you’re right, it’s very soon-ten days at the most, we just need to be patient until every stone is turned…

  Robin had been standing unnoticed in my office doorway…

  “I think what also needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that Crown and Harraghy are free men Yes I know that argument could also stand for Morris and the others, but, it’s more significant for those two. They were released under a media spotlight due to the ceasefire and were media darlings for a period of time…No doubt their stories commanded hefty fees…”

  Robin had said the latter with a degree of distaste… Not without reason… Throughout history many individuals who had constructively broken laws and yes, killed innocent people, had been released from incarceration for whichever political reason to a fanfare and media frenzy, shown to be some sort of anti-hero of the people to then scream harassment when the eyes of the law turn on them once again…

  To divert attention, Crown and Harraghy might well choose an optimum moment to do the same…Robin had made a good point; we would have to tread softly with these two…Well, a little less heavy footed at any rate…

  The Royal Marines at Chivenor had come up trumps for us. Their first in command had understood the urgency of our ideas and had also placed a call to Sgt Mortimer who again had explained the reasoning to him: there were many choke points within the UK which we had not even contemplated, he also explained that in some instances to target road, rail and air links was far more devastating than the traditional method of invasion and take over. Tobring a country to its economic knees would have a far more long reaching effect that wiping out a good portion of its citizens, uniformed or otherwise…

  “Colonel March due to the movements of the last evening we have reason to believe there may be an Active Service Unit close to Bristol airport although we haven’t any intelligence to suggest that any airports are on their agenda sir…?”

  “Chief, apart from the usual suspects of Heathrow and Gatwick, areas around modern airfields tend to be sparsely populated due to noise pollution. These are ideal locations for any type of incursion force, legitimate or otherwise… The empty farm buildings, the stables, the dairies… I believe, quite rightly, your urgency in searching these properties is the way forward. The populations surrounding the two hubs I’ve mentioned can’t realistically move to other areas. Major airports of this stature attract the terrorist with a different agenda: they want the short sharp shock and mass casualties associated with that kind of atrocity. From what I can gather from your Intelligence Estimate and your results so far, this is not their Modus Operandi. It’s interesting that Brasted is within the area of Gatwick although none of your acquired information points to the area being a target. As far as Bristol is concerned, many rural residents have migrated due to the airport expansion and increased mentioned noise pollution… However, the targeting of the surrounding road network I would think could be part of their agenda. As I’ve said there is more than one way to bring a sophisticated modern airport to a halt. A small device rendering their Instrument Landing System capability inoperable, for instance, is all that is required… The hardware for such things is usually housed in an isolated facility in the surrounding areas… One could disable this without detection quite easily…”

  “Yes I’d have to agree Colonel; this group has shown us a degree of sophistication not normally associated with them… I would think disabling a modern airports ILS would well be within their remit… So far none of what we have has any hallmarks of the shock-horror tactics we’ve seen previously… I believe human life as collateral damage is legitimate to them but it’s not their main priority, economic damage is…”

  “Quite so Section Chief. I am free tomorrow afternoon. If you wish I could visit Compass and explain our findings to your colleagues in greater detail, maybe offer them a little more direction…?”

  “Colonel March that would be greatly appreciated, particularly as we feel we are to be targeted within the next fortnight…”

  “Really so soon…? I’ll be there at 0900…” “Thank you sir”

  I was quite taken aback by his concern of the situation… Had his military Intelligence Estimates hinted at something…?”

  Chris put his head around my door… “What…? You look somewhat puzzled…?”

  “Colonel March is visiting tomorrow morning. He says to talk through with us his findings on the hypothetical I asked him to do for us…”

  “That’s a bit, well, strange isn’t it…?”

  “Yeah I thought so too, once I mentioned that we think something is imminent, his attitude changed totally… I wonder what he’s sniffed out…”

  “Some of his lot have just returned from the Yemen haven’t they…? Let’s have chat with Robin and see if anything has landed on a third floor desk…”

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Marward and Riddell had finished preparing the Ford Cargo box van at five that morning. The device in the rear consisted of fifteen oil drums in five rows of three which had been bolted to the van floor during the initial stages. The device as a whole was very similar to the horseboxes discovered and disarmed at the stables in Brasted; each drum contained ammonium nitrate and a Semtex core with Semtex attached centrally to the drums and a remote initiator constructed from a cellphone. Riddell had also wired a standard intruder alarm passive infrared sensor, a PIR, to the device; this he had painstakingly affixed centrally to the roof behind cab area of the rear box. He had explained to Marward that it would also work independently to the remote initiator…All in all the blast potential would be in the region of 12,000lbs…

  “There we are Pat, once armed any nosey parker who opens the rear doors will be orbiting t
he earth…”

  Marward nodded in approval…

  “Nicely done Frankie son, all we’re waiting on now is Bobby then we can move. The Railtrack van is ready too, I used the remainder of the Semtex, all 55lbs of it and four door solenoids…I would have liked to have fitted a solenoid to the bonnet too but that’s the lot. It’ll make a mess of the entrance that’s for sure. We need it in place before 0600 Thursday as the tunnel maintenance crew will arrive a little before seven…”

  *****

  Crown and Harraghy had moved seamlessly through the crowds of foot passengers impatient to disembark the overnight ferry. Dressed as ship staff they had gone unnoticed by the watchers as the brief was to check the passengers. Crown had been serving behind the bar in the ships main lounge until 0100 and Harraghy, guests in the main a la carte restaurant until 2230 the previous evening. The two had worked legitimately for the carrier for six months crossing the North Sea regularly, on occasions covering the route to Bergen in Norway and Gothenburg in Sweden too.

  No one attached or involved with the security services both in the UK, or the ships destination countries had, considered checking employees. This was a major oversight. Working as they travelled had been the easiest, most realistic and viable option open to them; a dream come true, even the customs at the various ports only gave them cursory glances as they passed through. Working under their pseudonyms of Francis Lee and Colin Bell, no one gave them a second thought: just another two uniforms going about their business.

  If any of us had taken the time to think about it I’m sure one of us would have come to the conclusion that it was one of the easiest ways to travel inconspicuously. With the INTEL we had regarding the infiltration of Railtrack and the Highways Agency, with hindsight, it was logical. As it was, the notion wasn’t put forward for the best part of the remaining day, a precious ten hours…

  At 1045 both Crown and Harraghy drove the Ford Scorpio out of the NCP in Newcastle and began their journey south.

  Morris was making good time too; he estimated that he would arrive at the farm in Wrington Hill by 1500, more than enough time. He had in his mind a plan to bring the campaign forward by 24 hours, maybe not initiate detonation, as that would involve the cooperation of EENY too, but definitely to have Riddell and Marward place the devices… He would argue his point with the others, offering the opportunity to be away and clear long before as his selling point. After all, both devices were designed to be triggered remotely using the cellphone technology, the days of hanging around and releasing a pin or some such crude mechanism were well and truly over. The new VBIEDs were also a lot more stable now during transportation; the aforementioned pins had on occasion shifted or indeed released their yield long before they had reached their desired locations to spectacular effect… The downside for this particular group of terrorists was that they were far more stable for the authorities to disarm too; this latter issue was the reason he would have to argue his point… Marward, Riddell or both might want to hang around to initiate the devices locally, earlier if necessary, so as to alleviate the chance of discovery… They might want to witness the fireworks too of course but for Morris this was childish. He wasn’t a bomb maker; he didn’t see the need that many of them shared in watching their own handiwork.

  *****

  “Janet is Robin free…?”

  “Yes, you can go straight in…”

  It was time to bring Robin up to speed but more importantly, I wanted his thoughts on Colonel March.

  “Yes Iain..?”

  “Your 1300 briefing sir…Not that there is a great deal…”

  Robin closed the brown folder on his desk and locked it in his left hand drawer: “So where are we…?”

  “All the passenger ferries today have drawn a blank however I’d like the coverage levels to continue until our INTEL says otherwise, we are still at amber so that shouldn’t be too difficult…”

  Robin was writing on his notepad, a brief look up indicated that I was to continue:

  “The Dutch sports yacht should be moored back a Dordrecht now, with that in mind we’ve had Sarah involved with the AIVD who should be interviewing Stegen and his crew now.”

  “Ah yes, our intrepid traveller, what a sordid little fellow he is… I’m sure Box has a file on him you know. If my memory is correct, his name came up in the late eighties. He and Morris are quite friendly, there is a cannabis farm north of Amsterdam and I’m sure PIRA money was used to set it up…”

  “Sarah mentioned a nursery where he originally grew orchids. We have nothing in our files to indicate PIRA involvement. I’ll have Mark Ward chase the file…”

  “Is there any feedback from the Met’ or Kent…?”

  I shook my head:

  “You have the file from SO12 regarding Griffiths the garage owner. They’re confident that the Ford Granada in the spray booth is the beige coloured vehicle McQueen drove from Swansea to Plymouth. They are also confident that the repair centre in Sittingbourne is connected too. The only positive so far today is the discovery of the Rover 600 in Stourbridge which has allowed the local forces to narrow their search area considerably. Avon and Somerset are concentrating their efforts along the A roads which run parallel to the M5 but so far all agencies have drawn a blank in regard to the two Mercedes vans and the Rover 825i…”

  “Iain, the choice of car would indicate a fast getaway rather than being used as a delivery system, has there not been anything flagged around Avon or Wiltshire to suggest another such vehicle…?”

  “No sir… It’s fair to say we are all struggling with their transport: possible delivery systems or otherwise. The other known vehicle, the Ford Scorpio used at Hull in January, has vanished too, no doubt at the bottom of a dock somewhere or in a breakers yard…”

  “Yes I’d be surprised if that is used again… Garret is to be released in the morning. He’ll probably want the Audi back but not before we attach a tracker to it… There’s something else isn’t there…?”

  “Yes sir… I don’t know what to make of it… You know I approached Chivenor to help identify possible targets…?”

  “I do… I had to sign off on it because the request was military…”

  “Colonel March has responded very positively, maybe a little too positively. He offered to speak to us regarding his take on things tomorrow afternoon…”

  “Very nice of him…”

  “Yes sir… When I mentioned that we believed an attack was imminent, his whole attitude changed. I got the feeling that speaking to us was now very important… He’ll be here in the morning…”

  “You want me to nip down to the third floor don’t you…?” “Yes I do…”

  “Ok…I’ll do that after lunch… Oh while I remember… How many of PIRA have we connected to the pseudonyms…?”

  “Maybe five or six for definite…”

  “Get on to the DHSS and have them run through their employment files, National Insurance numbers and anything else you can think of. It occurred to me this morning during my preaching about Crown and Harraghy that legitimate individuals need legitimate incomes…”

  “I’ll do that now… I’ll ask Sarah to have the Dutch do it too…” Robin nodded positively….

  “Ok… See you at five…”

  I tasked Charlie with the DHSS enquiry and sent Mark off to Thames House, again…

  It was now pushing 1430. I needed feedback from the Dutch, the fifth floor and Puffin; the latter was originally planned for 1200 but so far, nothing.

  “Sarah, how are we doing…?”

  “The AIVD are with Stegen, his captain and the four or five crew that were on board now. This is in itself iffy. He gave most of them the night off. I was also thinking that if you wanted to travel inconspicuously, particularly for a character like Stegen, you would go about your adventures legitimately; as he did last evening…”

  I agreed:

  “Yes… If he’d just nipped off under the moonlight without telling a soul; particularly the co
astguard, he would have flagged immediately. Dover would certainly have had him tugged especially when he approached the separation scheme.”

  “Precisely… He didn’t merit any attention until he began his return and after we had our chat last evening…”

  “Have they pulled anything from the CCTV or spoke to the marina staff…?”

  “They are in the process now; a couple of them are at home or out with their families…”

  “Ok… Oh, one other thing…? Ask the AIVD to search the Dutch employment records, medical insurance, that kind of thing. We are looking specifically for Crown and Harraghy and under all their names… You never know… There is something here, I can feel it…”

  Charlie leaned out of his office at the same moment he began to bang on the glass…

  “What…?”

  “Morris…Puffin has him…! Colour images off the CCTV, transport and passport all of it…!”

  Chris and I bounded into his office closing the door with such force as to leave the blinds clanking and crashing against it. Charlie caught his breath before continuing: