Prior to leaving Thames House, Farsi had checked each record to see if any of the men had a connection to James Farrar. There was one hit, an intern who’d worked for him for a couple of years before moving to the Home Office. Farsi had placed the prime suspect at number nineteen on the list, hoping to avoid any chance of a false-positive identification.
When Roberts reached number nineteen, he skipped past the picture, then paused and went back.
‘I think that’s him.’
‘You sure?’ Farsi asked. ‘You said he had black hair. This guy’s blond.’
‘It’s him,’ Roberts insisted. ‘The hair’s different, but I know the face. I saw him just a couple of days ago.’
Satisfied that they had the right man, Farsi took the laptop, closed it down and knocked on the door.
‘Am I going to get anything in return for my help?’ Roberts asked, unable to conceal his desperation.
As the door opened, Farsi turned and locked eyes. ‘Sure. I’ll see to it that you get to share a cell with the most vicious sodomist in the system.’
Farsi left the room, Roberts’s pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears. He thanked Manello for his help, and once back in his car he pulled out his phone and dialled a pre-set number.
‘We have confirmation,’ he said, heeding Harvey’s warning not to share anything specific over the phone. ‘Have you made progress?’
‘Plenty. I’ll fill you in when you get back.’
‘Okay. On my way.’
Once he reached the main road, Farsi turned on the radio and tuned it to a news channel, where the reporter brought him up to date on the clean-up process. Traffic was just about back to normal throughout the country, and airports indicated that the backlog of flights would be clear in the next three days. The power companies were still taking things cautiously, though they believed they could have ninety-five percent of the electricity supply restored within a week.
On the down side, the official death toll had risen to more than nine thousand and was expected to reach five figures in the coming days. The economic cost was also mounting, with clean-up estimates ranging from six billion to thirty billion, and that was before the knock-on effect was factored in. Businesses were suffering as investors fled the country, while the stock market was at its lowest in more than twenty years.
The home secretary’s announcement of ‘enhanced surveillance methods’ had made the headlines, though the opposition parties claimed she’d done too little too late, and that the worst atrocity in Britain’s history had happened on her watch. Despite calls for her resignation, Juliet Harper remained defiant, highlighting the fact that the attacks had been neutralised within forty-eight hours, thanks to the skill and dedication of the security services.
Farsi knew it was a bullshit statement meant to pacify her detractors. If it hadn’t been for the new system, they’d still be sifting through what little CCTV coverage was available while the attacks continued around them.
He arrived back at Thames House just over an hour later, the light traffic having been kind to him. Once he reached the office, he went straight to Harvey’s desk.
‘What do we have?’
‘Our friend Joel Haskins—AKA Efram—disappeared yesterday. As you know, he quit his post at the Home Office a couple of days before the attacks, and the last sighting was by Roberts. Since then, no credit- or debit-card transactions, his mobile phone is off, and the lease on his flat expires in three days’ time, all paid up.’
‘Looks like he wasn’t planning to hang around,’ Farsi said. ‘Any record of him leaving the country?’
‘Not on his own passport, and facial recognition at the major airports hasn’t found any matches.’
‘If he’s involved, he’ll have planned an escape that can’t be tracked,’ Farsi mused. ‘I’ll get someone to dig up a list of private airfields and see if any flights left for the continent in the last seven days.’
‘There’s another possibility,’ Harvey said. ‘I did a check on Farrar’s assets and he had a boat moored at Brighton Marina. It’s nothing special, but could easily make it across the Channel. I called the harbour master an hour ago and he told me it left last night.’
‘Destination unknown, I’m guessing.’
‘You guess correctly, but I’ve alerted the French, Belgian and Dutch authorities to be on the lookout for it.’
‘And what have you asked them to do if he turns up?’ Farsi asked. ‘Take him in?’
‘No,’ Harvey said. ‘I’ll bet a month’s salary that he’s going to join up with the others behind this. I want to put a tail on him and see who he leads us to.’
‘Who are you going to send?’ Farsi asked.
Harvey’s smile said it all.
‘Go get yourself a new legend and be ready to move.’
Chapter 33
19 December 2014
A weary Tom Gray reached the Hilton in Abuja just after seven in the morning. He hadn’t managed any sleep on the two flights from Italy, and he wanted nothing more than to crash in a comfortable hotel bed for the next twenty-four hours.
As he entered the expansive reception, that dream was dashed as Sonny crept up behind him and slapped him on the shoulder.
‘Morning, Tom! Ready to go?’
Gray turned, and over Sonny’s shoulder he saw Smart, Mackenzie and Kyle Ackerman walking down the stairs, their luggage in tow.
‘You have to be kidding.’
‘Sorry, mate. The plane’s booked for nine thirty. Kyle checked the arrival time of your flight and got us on the first one available.’
Ackerman approached and ran a hand through his short brown hair before shaking hands with Gray.
‘Good to see you again, Tom.’
They stood the same height, though Ackerman was a good twenty pounds leaner than Gray.
‘Likewise. I hear we’re heading out now.’
‘Harvey’s orders,’ Ackerman said, then dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘Once we leave the hotel, keep your eyes peeled. It seems someone knows we’re here and where we’re going.’
Gray was instantly alert, and his first thoughts were for Melissa. If someone knew about their travel arrangements, they must surely know where she was, which meant she was in danger.
‘My daughter . . . .’
‘Andrew didn’t mention that,’ Ackerman said, pulling out a mobile phone. ‘I’ll let him know, and—’
Gray stopped him with a hand on his arm, glaring over at Sonny. ‘Didn’t the guys warn you not to use one of those?’
‘They did, but it’s for emergencies only. Andrew told me to get a clean cell in case we had urgent news. I’d say this was critical.’
Gray removed his hand and let Ackerman dial. ‘Just keep it brief and to the point.’
‘There’s an issue with our friend’s youngest,’ Ackerman said when the call connected, and Gray leaned in closer to hear the conversation from both ends. ‘We might need child protective services to pay her a visit. Just precautionary.’
‘I’ll need details,’ the tinny voice said, and Ackerman looked to Gray for inspiration.
‘Just tell him the lawyer knows where the relatives live,’ Gray whispered, and Ackerman passed on the message.
‘I’m on it,’ said Harvey’s distant voice, and the call ended.
‘That good enough for you?’ Ackerman asked, and Gray nodded, though he knew he wouldn’t be able to shake this new feeling of dread.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Sonny said. ‘Let’s get this done so we can go and pick her up.’
‘Speaking of which,’ Ackerman said, ‘what’s the mission? Andrew was vague, to say the least.’
‘I’ll fill you in when we get to Kano,’ Gray said, looking round for signs of anyone taking an interest in the group.
They filed out of the hotel and into
a waiting taxi, and Mackenzie climbed into the back next to Gray.
‘What’s the problem with your daughter?’
‘It’s probably nothing,’ Gray told him. ‘I just worry about her too much.’
‘Sonny told me you’ve had an incident-packed few days,’ Mackenzie said. ‘Doesn’t sound like nothing to me.’
‘Well, she’s safe for now, and this will soon be over.’
‘Sonny said you don’t like leaving her with others. It must be a wrench being away from her.’
‘Sonny talks too much,’ Gray snapped, then instantly regretted it. Mackenzie wasn’t the focus of his anger at the moment, and it wasn’t fair to take it out on him. ‘Sorry. She . . . she’s with her grandparents in Italy. It’s only for a few days, just until this mission’s over.’
‘Still, it must be hard, for both of you.’
You have no idea, Gray thought.
No idea at all.
When they finally arrived at the airport, Mackenzie was the first out of the taxi. He hauled his bag from the boot and stood with a pained expression while the others grabbed their belongings and paid the driver.
‘What’s up?’ Gray asked.
‘I really need a dump,’ Mackenzie said, as they set off in a rush towards the check-in gates. They arrived with a couple of minutes to spare, and after exchanging their tickets for boarding passes, Mackenzie asked them to hang around while he went to the toilet.
‘Sorry, but I hate shitting on planes.’
‘Be quick,’ Gray warned. ‘We’ve only got a few minutes before boarding closes.’
Mackenzie dropped his bag at Gray’s feet and jogged to the toilet, which gave off an unwelcoming odour as he opened the door. Inside he found a row of cubicles, two of which were unoccupied, and after dismissing the first with its overflowing bowl, he entered the second and locked the door.
He pulled down his trousers and retrieved the mobile phone that was strapped to his inner thigh, then quickly typed out a message and hit the Send button. Once the text had been sent, he quickly removed the battery and SIM card from the phone and dropped them into the cistern. He opened the cubicle door, and after checking that none of his party was around, he stepped out and dumped the rest of the phone in the waste paper bin. Ideally he would have taken it onto the plane, but there was always the chance it would be detected as he went through security, and he’d have a hard time explaining it away to the others.
As he made his way back, he felt just the slightest trace of guilt at the thought of betraying Gray. He was a fine man, according to Smart and Baines, and in the little time he’d spent with the man, he’d found nothing to contradict those sentiments.
Getting close to Gray hadn’t been that hard, given his training. He knew he stood out among the other Minotaur contractors, so securing a training position with Gray’s company had been a doddle. The only uncertain part had been getting into Gray’s inner circle, but spending his days working as an instructor alongside Sonny, as well as the socialising, had done the trick.
While he hadn’t had a real chance to get to know Gray personally, he knew plenty about him. He’d used the internet to glean most of the information he’d needed, with his bosses and Gray’s friends providing the rest.
Gray was indeed a remarkable man, who’d been through a hell of a lot in the last few years, but business was business, and Mackenzie was being paid handsomely to stick close to him. To what end, he didn’t yet know, but he felt the moment was drawing closer.
Back at the check-in gates, he joined up with the others and they made their way through security and to the boarding gates. His little diversion meant they were the last to board, and he once again took a seat next to Gray in order to find out even more about his boss’s past.
Andrew Harvey knocked on Ellis’s door and walked in, dragging Small after him.
‘Sorry, Veronica, but Gerald’s got something.’
The technician placed his open laptop on her table and showed her some text on the screen.
‘This was intercepted from Thompson’s phone a few minutes ago,’ he explained.
Ellis read the short message and the colour began to drain from her cheeks.
Gray’s kid in Italy with grandparents.
‘When did this come in?’ she asked.
‘A couple of minutes ago,’ Small said. ‘I tried to track the sender, but the phone is off.’
Ellis stood and paced the room. ‘Did you warn Gray that someone was following them?’
Harvey nodded. ‘I was told that his daughter was with relatives, and Gray’s accountant confirmed that Melissa’s grandparents have a place in southern Italy. Someone must have overheard my conversation with Kyle.’
‘Or they’re monitoring all of your calls,’ Small suggested.
‘Unlikely. I used a burner cell and didn’t even buy it myself. No-one could possibly know about it.’
‘Well, from what Veronica’s told me about Brigandicuum, it’s possible that they have voice-matching capabilities, too. Once you speak to someone over the phone, your voice could trigger a download.’
There were so many possibilities, yet none of them struck Harvey as the obvious choice. Could someone with a directional microphone have overheard Ackerman’s side of the conversation? Or was Brigandicuum more powerful than Manello had let on?
‘However they did it, our priority is to make sure Gray’s daughter is safe,’ Ellis said. ‘God knows what he’ll do if anything happens to her.’
‘I’ve already got two assets watching the place,’ Harvey said.
‘Something tells me that’s not going to be enough. Ask them to collect the grandparents and the girl and take them to a safe house until this is over. They may or may not be targets, but I’m taking no chances. I don’t have to remind you that we wouldn’t have to do this if Gray was still at home.’
Harvey took the jibe on the chin, his mind suddenly focused on the message on the screen. There was something about it that cried out to him, but he couldn’t quite make the connection. He leaned in and read it again, but frustratingly nothing jumped out at him.
‘What is it?’ Ellis asked.
‘I’m not sure,’ Harvey said, and explained the feeling he had about the text. ‘I’m sure it’ll come to me.’
‘If it does, let me know. Now, go and get those assets moving.’
‘I’m guessing you don’t want me to tell Gray about this latest message,’ Harvey said, as he walked to the door.
‘No, just let him focus on the mission. You can explain when he’s on his way back.’
Harvey and Small left Ellis’s office, with the technician heading back to his own little kingdom. Harvey picked a brand new cell phone from his drawer and dialled the number of the operative who was keeping a watch over the Hatcher place.
‘I need you to move in, identify yourself to the three occupants and take them somewhere safe. Tell them I ordered this on behalf of a friend.’
With the instructions relayed, he tried to concentrate on the message on Gerald’s laptop, but the answer remained tantalisingly out of reach.
Chapter 34
19 December 2014
Tom Gray had to be shaken awake as the plane made its final approach to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. His watch told him he’d managed just over an hour, and he felt worse for having had the short nap.
A headache threatened to add to his misery as he trudged off the plane with the others, and he was pleased to discover that their first port of call was the hotel Ackerman had booked.
After a thirty-minute taxi ride they pulled up outside the building, and Gray didn’t care that it looked two-star at best; he just wanted to get his head down for a while.
‘What’s the plan?’ Ackerman asked, as they waited for the receptionist to book them in.
‘I’ll tell you once we
get into the rooms,’ Gray said quietly, conscious of two strangers in the lobby.
The party walked up the stairs and piled into the small room assigned to Gray and Ackerman. Smart opened a window to let out the musty smell while the others took a seat on the two wooden-framed single beds. The room was functional at best, with a side table and chair, and an en-suite with toilet and shower.
‘Andrew identified a phone signal believed to have been used by the leaders of the attack,’ Gray said. ‘It’s coming from a hospital, so he’s assuming someone managed to escape the blast that killed their hierarchy. He wants us to go and speak to the survivor, if there is one.’
‘What if he’s already been discharged?’ Ackerman asked.
‘Assuming it’s a male, Sonny will use his charms on a nurse and find out where he lives.’
Sonny folded his arms, acting humble but clearly flattered at being chosen for the role.
‘He could also be dead,’ Mackenzie pointed out.
‘Andrew realises that, but he wants us to at least try. If we can get someone to give us a description of their leader Takasa, it will help in tracking him down.’
‘So what else do you have in mind?’ Ackerman asked.
‘We go through the passenger lists for the three days either side of the explosion. Hamad Farsi tried, but the data is held on a closed network at the airline.’
‘All right,’ said Ackerman. ‘I already know about that. Sonny told me while we were waiting for you to arrive from Italy. I’ve already called ahead and made arrangements. It could be tens of thousands of names to go through, though.’
‘According to Andrew, the airport has seen record-low numbers of passengers this year, apparently due to DSA’s presence in the area. Hopefully it won’t be that big a job.’
‘I suggest we hit the hospital first,’ Smart said. ‘If we can get a description, it’ll be easier to filter the passenger records.’
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