by Hylton Smith
They continued to disagree and the strange split of equity did not help. Gretz had the major share with 43%, Verdasco and Boniek had 24% apiece, and Banco Iberia had a stake of 9%. This had been hammered out for just such wrangles. For Gretz to prevail he had to convince the bank to vote with him. If they voted against him or abstained, the other two would have the mandate to resist Pierze.
They informed Pierze that they would consider the points he had raised with due diligence and get back to him as soon as possible. They left separately as Gretz had to meet with Banco Iberia at their HQ in Swiss Iberia to set up the voting session. Verdasco and Boniek headed for the elevator on the northern ‘Pillar of Hercules’ – the southern equivalent being a few miles across the sea in Africana.
Chapter 24
Manuel noticed that the smug expression had deserted Bernardo’s face, and he was decidedly fidgety. He seemed keen to get started. “Since we last spoke I have had further thoughts on the situation and I ...”
“So have I,” said Manuel, “and it’s not good news. It is of course no secret that I’m commissioned to investigate the deaths of protesters against SACRED, you knew that. However, there’s a new development which may interest you. One of my sources has revealed that your new boss, Pierze, has somehow acquired names of potential suicide subjects before the events occur. It was hoped this would bring fresh impetus to his task, but I’m told that an arrested individual on his list failed to provide him with any usable data. Pierze is said to be furious at how inept this makes his department appear and is determined to conduct a cull of underperforming executives. You didn’t know this did you Bernardo? You were a confidante of my father, and Pierze doesn’t trust anyone connected to Antonio Salina. I think our little agreement may be endangered by this. If you can’t hold on to, or control Sandrine Benitez I may have to sacrifice you. It’s not personal, I hope you understand.”
The little man was visibly shaken. Manuel felt he had effectively discharged the agreement with Pierze to leak the false information about Tirishev. He had been quite happy to link this to the new regime’s distrust of all prior hierarchy. Bernardo appeared to have forgotten whatever he was going to say and excused himself.
*
To quell his fear, the President summoned Pierze to his residence. Sanchez ushered him into the library. “What news do you have for me?” Pierze gave a very graphic account of the tension in the Borderlands and expressed his belief that Rojo-Negro Mano was a facade for the training of insurgents of some kind. He stopped short of suggesting it was part of the SACRED saga, or indeed sponsored by Orient. “I do think that the Foreign Office should look into whether there is evidence of Orient’s fingerprints, as it is clear there are preparations for some purpose other than humanitarian causes going on.”
Sanchez nodded, yet seemed relatively unconcerned. “I wanted you to come here tonight because I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of my aide – Ortega. I have reliable information that part of your investigation into the SACRED deaths has been shared with Manuel Salina. I don’t want to appear unduly melodramatic but it worries me. Before I say why, perhaps you could explain why you feel it necessary to do this.”
Pierze was brief in his reply. “I didn’t feel it was necessary.”
Sanchez was persistent. “Then why is he involved?”
“He is on the periphery of the investigation, but has proved to be very helpful because he disliked everything his father stood for, and I wanted some inside track on Antonio when I found the department I inherited was littered with his loyal acolytes. I am happy that he stays in the team for that reason alone – Antonio may be dead but his ghostly agenda still seems to have momentum.”
Sanchez twirled the ends of his well-groomed moustache and grimaced. “There is history between Antonio and myself. What you have said is therefore reassuring. I want you to keep me briefed regularly in this way in future. Ortega is very efficient but certainly not transparent. I’ll let you know when to come again. Thank you.”
*
The Madrid police needed to interview Bernardo and Manuel’s mother again. They had declared Antonio’s death as suspicious. Manuel asked if he could be present during their visit to the house. They agreed, as it was said to be informal, not an interrogation. When they arrived Manuel asked if they had interviewed Bernardo for a second time. They said not, he was scheduled for the next day. The two officers requested Senora Salina to re-trace her recollections of the time after she had called Bernardo to the scene. They told her to take her time, as little details could be very important. When she got to the point where Bernardo and his colleagues arrived, she was asked if the two men with the equipment remained together until they left. She said she couldn’t be sure as she was downstairs throughout the entire period. While she was explaining that Bernardo was with her for most of that time, trying to comfort her, she did remember hearing the two men seemed to be arguing about something upstairs. Then she recalled a thud on the ceiling, but had assumed one of them had dropped their camera or something. “Did they both have cameras?” asked one of the officers.
“Yes I think so. Well, they both had some kind of equipment. They did not look exactly the same though.”
After going over the scene again with her they asked to see the housemaid once more. She confirmed Senora Salina’s statement about the difference in equipment. “When I went upstairs to retrieve Senora Salina’s shawl, I disturbed them and they were trying to connect one piece to the other. They were surprised to see me and one of them dropped his part. It started another argument between them and I hurried downstairs again.”
The officers thanked them both for their help and left. Manuel spent the next hour with the maid, drawing what she recalled about the equipment. Manuel couldn’t recognise it from this drawing, but one part could have been a large battery for a portable instrument. It was unlikely to be a camera.
*
Gretz had received a rebuff from Banco Iberia. He had assumed they would vote with him as a matter of course. He should have guessed – these ultra-conservative mandarins were more than a little cautious about any further decline in the value of their stockholding in SACRED. The Orient Moon escapade had already caused a fall of seven percent, and they predicted that Pierze’s presence on the lunar surface would raise the tension further. Gretz had to report this to his partners as the bank had abstained, effectively giving Verdasco and Boniek a mandate to try to block Pierze’s visit. Gretz also informed them that he had approached the bank to buy them out and they were not unreceptive.
*
Although Vaglio and Kruise had been ‘altered’ in just over twenty-four hours with extremely delicate, non-invasive microsurgery, they still had to catch up to Tirishev. He had a start, but now had to alter course to Salzburg. He was instructed of their arrival time and told to take a longer route, and then meet them at the north end of the Opera House Strasse.
Ricardo Pierze‘s plan was neat, ingenious, meticulous in its conception, yet simply flawed. He hadn’t heeded his own theory closely enough. In declaring that the controlling organisation initially only needed janitors to function, he failed to apply that to the personnel who would be monitoring the now ‘misfiring’ drones. They were also drones, and as such had minimal value. Once they had observed the coming together of Tirishev, Vaglio and Kruise, they drove their hire car to the meeting point to pick them up. As soon as they were inside the car, Pierze’s team reacted and blocked the exit. Another drone, at a distance of fifty metres used his communicator to detonate the device strapped to the underside of the car. All occupants, six Central Security personnel and seventeen innocent bystanders were atomised by the blast. Many more were injured in the busy street. Pierze heard of the tragedy on the news.
This was a blow to the whole investigation team. Pierze was disconsolate. He received a call from President Sanchez. “Ricardo, this is further evidence that your general prognosis mus
t be correct. These people do not place value on the life of their perceived enemies or their own foot soldiers. You have plans to visit the Moon and the elevator. I suggest now is a good time. I will help contain the growing clamour for information on Salzburg, coming so quickly after Northern Iberiana.” Pierze’s response was tired but measured.
“Thank you Snr. President, I’ll take your advice and contact Gretz. I will however have to rethink the means to protect the remaining names on the list.”
*
Sorin Gretz wasn’t at his office and his secretary was concerned enough to contact his partners at the elevator. They hadn’t seen him nor heard from him. He wasn’t at his apartment. The Director of Banco Iberia was expecting him to conclude the sale of their stock. In his absence Verdasco and Boniek rejected Pierze’s request to travel to the Moon. He would therefore have to get legal enforcement orders to progress his trip. The Swiss-Iberian police began a search for Gretz.
Meanwhile Pierze met with Manuel and Duarte. “You have undoubtedly come to terms with one of the consequences of Salzburg. We are now in no position to find Viktor Lopez in Balkan Iberia. It will be a painfully slow exercise if we have to comb the entire region, and we don’t have the luxury of time. As I got it terribly wrong in Salzburg, I’d appreciate your ideas on how we should proceed to look after the remaining people on that list. And in case you were going to ask, there is no hope of even recovering the bodies of Tirishev, Vaglio and Kruise, let alone identifying or analysing them.”
Duarte was more upbeat than Manuel and asked, “What do we really have to lose by bringing them all into protection right here?”
Pierze stated the obvious. “The controllers will write them off and either move on to another batch or just bring forward activating the plague.”
Duarte questioned this. “If they’ve planned a conspiracy, they may not have much flexibility, especially if they’ve identified key targets for the hundred thousand plus drones. They may still have to produce many more. They may have much to accomplish before Drone-Day. They surely didn’t just pick the date out of a hat.”
“This is pure speculation Duarte. I am afraid I cannot, in all conscience risk more lives on the strength of further guesswork.”
Manuel eventually spoke. “Ricardo, during my last conversation with Bernardo, to leak your ‘misfiring’ plan, at your request, I found him in a very worried mood. I added to this by saying you were conducting a ‘Salina Syndrome’ cleansing. Can I ask what contact you’ve had with him since you took over?”
“None, I was warned that he was joined at the hip with your father, and I intended to ignore him until this case was concluded one way or another.”
Manuel made a suggestion. “I’m sure from my early conversations with Konrad, that he knew of some incriminating evidence that my father was involved in some highly irregular activity, other than the protest deaths. If he was, then Bernardo would be up to his neck in it. This is why I bluffed him into thinking I had some such evidence back in Uruguay. He certainly believed me. Why don’t we push this for all it is worth before you leave for the Moon? In addition, the Madrid police have interviewed my mother and the maid again. They’re going to grill Bernardo too, and they have concentrated on some modular equipment his subordinates were seen assembling.” He put the diagram in front of Pierze. “We have nothing to lose.”
Pierze’s eyes widened as if he recognised what was in the sketch. They all agreed it merited an interview, now that Bernardo had a strict reporting relationship to Pierze. He may have got too comfortable being ignored. The unsettling surprise for Bernardo would be the presence of Manuel and Duarte, flanking the boss.
*
Gretz’ face was on world-wide TV, even in Orient. It had become a vaguely familiar face over the time SACRED had been up and running. There were the usual reported sightings all over the planet, none of them of the genuine article. The police were convinced that they should pursue two main possibilities – he had been abducted, or he had deliberately gone underground. Examination of his apartment indicated a partially eaten vegetarian meal, and a strawberry meringue standing by two dishes and cutlery, but as yet unbroken. The coffee maker was primed with grounds but hadn’t been switched on. There were dregs of Gevrey Chambertin in two glasses; the analysis of one indicated a powerful sedative. It had the hallmarks of abduction by someone he knew, but the police were not ruling out intent to make it appear that way, as there was no forensic evidence to support the removal of a totally incapacitated person. The scene was pristine, and in keeping with the rest of the apartment.
*
The interview with Bernardo was demanded rather than invited, and coming so quickly after his second with the police, was probably responsible for his deathly white pallor. Pierze beckoned him to close the office door and sit. He added to the tension by perusing a box file marked with the dreaded highest level security seal, now broken. He said nothing for several minutes, and then cast a scathing, predatory eye over the now profusely perspiring Bernardo. He buzzed his secretary to show the other two gentlemen into the office. He then rounded on his petrified subordinate and said, “You will have the opportunity to speak first, and for as long as you need, to get anything off your chest which may mitigate actions to be taken after this interview. Do you understand?” Bernardo could only nod in affirmation.
“Speak up please, for the tape. Do you understand?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes.”
“Thank you. Manuel Salina and Maxi Duarte have just entered the interview room.” Pierze did not introduce them, allowing Bernardo to wonder whether Manuel had indeed decided to sacrifice him. The diminutive figure slumped forward on to the desk and Pierze described this for the tape while a doctor was summoned. After a quick examination the medical man said the subject was hyperventilating and asked the others to leave the room while he took remedial action and helped calm the patient. Pierze was relentless; he described this sequence for the tape and the doctor was appalled at the apparent lack of consideration. The interview was suspended for over two hours, and despite the impassioned plea from the doctor, Pierze asked Bernardo if he would like to continue or rest at the office overnight. He made it clear that the interview would not be abandoned. This was to deny any further communication by Bernardo to any personnel who could dispose of items pertaining to the enquiry.
“Thank you for your advice doctor, we will only continue when Bernardo is ready.”
Several cups of coffee and fresh sandwiches later, Bernardo signalled that he was ready. He took up the offer of Pierze to speak before questions were directed at him. “You should know Snr. Pierze, that we are holding Sandrine Benitez in a safe house for now. We took this step as she was about to reveal further damaging information about Antonio Salina, some of which unfortunately we were compelled to ignore. That had to be seen as his personal problem. However, he must have also spilled certain ‘plans’ which would bring the entire department into disrepute. We had to take action to prevent that, and she did eventually get the message that these revelations would put her life in danger. She is happy to be in the safe house.”
“When you say ‘we’ Bernardo, you mean yourself and some others acting outside the authority of Central Security.”
“Yes.” Pierze motioned for him to carry on.
“I have also spoken with the police again and they informed me that they are likely to conclude Antonio Salina was murdered. They believe it was made to look like suicide. I’ve been asked not to travel anywhere and remain available for more questions as they arise. I’m aware of my duties to the department, but none of them require me to allow myself to be wrongly accused of something in which I had no part. I must prove my innocence, if required to do so by the police. I believe you will be asking me, as they have, about what my men were using to check out Antonio’s bedroom, so I can tel...”
Pierze held up his hand. “No, don’t make it worse for yourself. I know exactly what you were using. T
he device was developed under my guidance in my previous department. It is to locate and operate embedded keyboards. I’m much more interested in what you were trying to find with it. Be careful how you answer this, if you want to think about it we have all night. I have a care bed on standby for you in the event of another anxiety attack. Take your time Bernardo we will only have this interview once.”
The ‘patient’ looked into Manuel’s eyes and began to choke on his words. “You have no idea what your father was really like, and neither does your mother.” He then turned to Pierze. “It’s good advice you give me and I will respect it. I would like to take a break.”
Manuel, for the first time, believed that Bernardo was resigned to telling the whole truth. This was confirmed by the request to Pierze, after he had switched off the recorder. “Can we conduct the rest of the conversation off the record? I ask because if such transcripts somehow got to the media it would become my death warrant.”
Pierze promised to think about it if Bernardo was going to deliver everything he knew. “And I mean everything.”
*
The back-up team from Central Security had rounded up some of the remaining names on the list. It hadn’t been easy. Some of the surveillance agents hunting each drone crossed each other’s path, due to the targets meeting. This caused the agents to back off a little. It was just as well they did. An explosive bullet hit each of the drones and ripped apart their heads – pieces of skull and brain tissue spattered the pavement and the frenzied crowd ran screaming for cover. Those agents returned to base, the others had got to the drones in time. Duarte was keen to interrogate those who were now in custody. Pierze agreed to this as Bernardo had expressed the view that both he and Manuel had reason to respect what he was about to say, but Duarte was an unknown quantity.
