The Dark Web_The stunning new thriller from the author of The Angolan Clan

by Christopher Lowery

  ‘Actually, Tom, nobody’s really interested in a case like this, they’re pretty common. We’re not talking about a murder here. I’m sure the woman doesn’t want any publicity either, it would only weaken her position, make her vulnerable. If you can keep it quiet on your side, there’s no reason why it should be known outside of the people in this room.’

  ‘Great, thanks Hatim, that’s quite a relief. Now, what’s the latest situation with Leo?’

  The lawyer repeated everything he’d explained on the phone, adding, ‘Leo seemed in pretty good form, despite the circumstances. I gave him a few tips on surviving Bur Dubai, but that place is an accident waiting to happen. If he steps out of line, he’ll pay for it, and possibly with his life.’

  Ed was struggling to contain himself. ‘I hope you agree that this is all bullshit, that there’s no way he could have raped that woman?’

  ‘Unfortunately, what I think is of no importance whatsoever. My job is to try to get Leo out of jail and back into XPC, that’s what I’m paid for. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it’s likely that he actually raped Angela, he seemed too calm and collected about it, like remembering she put on his favourite album before they had sex. She’s having a complete medical examination right now, which might shed more light on what happened, but I wouldn’t count on it. If she’s smart, she’ll know how to fake the evidence and we can’t argue.’

  ‘So, this afternoon Leo pleads not guilty, and if she doesn’t change her story, he stays in jail until whenever the trial is held, then he’s found guilty and shipped off to die in some godforsaken pigsty of a prison.’

  ‘It’s not exactly like that. There’s a chance he’ll be bailed with house arrest under a corporate assurance. But that would still probably take a week.’

  ‘And in the meantime, he might get gang-raped or beaten to a pulp or even killed. I don’t fucking believe this country.’

  ‘OK, Ed, we know you and Leo are good friends, but you’re not helping right now.’ Tom tried to assert some authority. ‘Hatim, when and how can we get in touch with Angela to talk turkey? There must be a number, an amount that will compensate her for whatever reason she had to put Leo in jail.’

  ‘She won’t want to talk to me, since I’m representing him and XPC, so it’ll have to be a friend or acquaintance, someone she knows and maybe trusts. A contact could be made tonight or tomorrow, there’s no law against that.’

  ‘Right. Shen, you said she’s a good friend. Go see her and find out what it would take for her to withdraw her accusation and drop the whole business. I’ll get approval for the payment, if it’s not too outrageous. It seems like it’s the only way we’ll get Leo out of there, for his own safety, and back in here to tie things up before we run out of time.’

  The Chinaman didn’t seem too keen on the proposal, but he agreed to try to meet Angela and do what he could. Ed wasn’t convinced that he’d succeed, or even try. He started thinking about what he might be able to do, if anything.

  Bur Dubai Police Station

  ‘What happened to you?’ Leo was getting to know Oskar Novak. The Pole had an interesting educational background, having graduated from Gdańsk University of Technology then obtained a Masters in Finance at the London School of Economics, before working at Rolls Royce for ten years. He had been in the cell for a week and was awaiting sentencing for forgery. A small matter of a cheque for $10,000 made payable to himself, which of course was merely a misunderstanding with the account holder. It seemed the LSE’s motto, ‘to Know the Causes of Things’, hadn’t quite been understood by Oskar.

  ‘You mean this?’ He indicated the scar around his neck. ‘I slept with a guy’s wife and he slit my throat. Didn’t do a very good job, missed the carotid and just left me with an interesting scar. The thing is, I did him a favour. His wife was actually screwing a friend of mine, and I kind of slipped in one night and got caught. But then he hired a private dick to watch her and found out she was doing him wrong, so he saved a fortune on the divorce. And before you ask, I didn’t get a commission.’

  Leo laughed. Oskar was a villain, no doubt, but he was a likeable villain. ‘You know,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a great theory about how sex is responsible for everything that’s wrong in the world.’

  ‘OK, let’s hear Leo’s theory of sex.’

  ‘Simple. It’s because it’s enjoyable. If it wasn’t, there’d be fewer people having sex, because they didn’t like it. They’d only have sex when they wanted a child, so they’d have fewer children and the world population would be manageable, there’d be no sex crimes, no two-timing, no pornography and so on.’

  ‘And there’d be no fun.’

  ‘Yep. There’s a defect in every theory, and that’s it.’

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  Sharif was talking to Shen Fu Liáng in his office. ‘It’s a strange coincidence, Leo being arrested.’ The Pakistani sounded worried.

  ‘How do you mean, a coincidence?’

  ‘I think he found out about the redundancy test on cell S470C887,999 that was commissioned by Shanghai. I’d been testing it the previous night, and he must have noticed it on my log. That’s what he said when he called me in Sharjah. I don’t think he ran a test, or he’d have said so, but he wanted to know what it was.’

  ‘I guessed as much, he called Tom about it, but I wanted to explain it to you anyway.’

  ‘Shen, you asked me not to tell Leo about those tests, and you’ve never told me why. That’s the coincidence, because you asked me not to tell Scotty when you gave me the codes on the flash drive. I told you Scotty saw it and asked me what it was. Then the next thing is, he dies of poisoning, and now Leo’s in jail. I’m really wondering what’s going on around here.’

  Shen went and closed the door. ‘Well, the first thing that’s not going on is anybody poisoning Scotty or getting Leo arrested. That’s so far-fetched it’s too ludicrous to even consider. There’s absolutely no connection between that cell and those unfortunate events.’

  Sharif looked dubious. ‘The cell’s not on my design spec. It’s something they’ve added in the manufacturing process in Shanghai, and I’ve got no idea what it’s for. And all the redundancy test seems to do is to temporarily close down the network. I don’t see the point. I mean, what exactly is that test for?’

  ‘It’s not exactly what it says on the box, but it has nothing to do with anything in current production. It’s for a highly confidential development I’m not supposed to talk to anyone about, and I wouldn’t tell Tom, or Leo, because I don’t know them, and in my book you don’t trust people you don’t know. You and I have worked together for five years and I trust you, but you’ve got to promise me it won’t go any further.’

  ‘You know I never talk about things. That’s one of the reasons you hired me.’

  ‘OK, here’s the heads-up, and it stays with you. Over the last three years, Shanghai has been developing another innovation to introduce after ACRE, something just as world-shattering. That cell was added only to test the concept, and the codes I gave you are for that and nothing else. It’s simply to ensure that we can put the system on hold for a moment when we’re ready to launch the next development. Don’t worry, it won’t be included in the package you send to Shanghai, it’s only for your testing here.

  ‘I’m not permitted to tell you exactly what it is, but right after the upcoming launch, we’ll receive the specs from Shanghai to write the new firmware and build the next design. And you’ll be leading one of the teams that brought Mark VII, ACRE and this new technology to the world. That’s why I came down to Dubai and why I chose you and your team, to give you a chance to make history with us.’

  Shen was watching Sharif’s reaction to his speech. He saw the Pakistani’s eyes shine and his chest swell at the thought of achieving greatness. He went on, to try to seal the deal. ‘Tell me something, quite honestly. Could you, without Leo and with or without Ed, bring the project to a successful completion by the end of the month? Natu
rally, the increased responsibility would come with extra remuneration, I’d make sure that you’re very well rewarded, you know you can count on me.’

  Sharif took his time to answer. He still resented the way Leo had been brought in above him. Instead of getting the top job as he wanted, he’d been demoted. Now Shen was offering him that chance. He knew that if Leo didn’t return, Ed might jump the boat, and he’d be the only man with the experience and knowledge to take over. The last tests he’d run showed that all the new software was working perfectly. As he’d just confirmed to Tom Connor, his design work was almost finished, and that was something he was uniquely capable of executing.

  ‘Honestly, Shen, I could do it. I’d prefer to do it together with the others, but if I have to, I can do it alone and it will be before the end of the month, I can promise you that.’

  ‘That’s great, Sharif, I was sure of it. I’m going to try my best to get Leo back, but I doubt it’ll work. I think he’s going to be stuck at least until the trial, and we have no idea how long that will be. Now I know we can manage without him, I feel confident we can fulfil our obligations to Shanghai. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters. And just as important, you’re going to get the credit you deserve for the great job you’ve done.’

  Sharif left the office walking on air. He was going to be the leader of the team which built the two most innovative and valuable Internet developments of the decade. His family would be proud of him, and so would everyone who knew him.

  Public Prosecution Office, Dubai

  ‘Not guilty, sir.’

  The Public Prosecutor rattled off something in Arabic, and Hatim translated for Leo, ‘State your version of what happened last night concerning the woman, Angela da Souza.’

  Leo summarised the events of the evening as succinctly as possible, while a male secretary typed up his statement in Arabic. Hatim read it over and nodded for him to sign it. He asked for bail, which as expected was refused, then he proposed house arrest with the corporate assurance of XPC; a billion-dollar Dubai company, subsidiary of a multibillion Chinese enterprise, where Leo was a highly valued executive.

  The prosecutor called over another official and they talked for a few minutes, then he answered Hatim. He relayed their answer to Leo. ‘Remanded in custody in Bur Dubai until trial. Date to be set in due course.’

  Back at the station, they walked to the cell block. The lawyer saw the disappointment on Leo’s face. ‘We didn’t get house arrest, but there’s no mention of the other prisons, so you’ll stay here until the trial’s called and I’m sure it won’t be long. The discussion with the other official was about the damage XPC could do with media reports in China. They don’t want to cause an incident, and I think that will weigh in our favour to some extent.’

  Before they left for the hearing, Leo had asked him for his mobile, so he could call Emma, but Hatim didn’t have it. ‘I had to leave it at the entrance,’ he’d explained. ‘Everyone does, they’re not allowed in here.’

  Now he said, ‘Is anyone allowed to visit me now?’

  ‘Not until after the trial. I’m the only person allowed to communicate with you.’

  ‘What about my mother? Has anyone called her?’

  ‘I’m going to get hold of Tom now, to tell him what transpired here, and he’ll call her straight away. He wanted to wait until the hearing to tell her everything he could, it’s still only midday in the UK. It’s good news, so I hope your mother won’t be too worried.’

  Leo was astounded at the lawyer’s lack of understanding of a mother-son relationship. He couldn’t bear to think how Emma would react when she heard the news. He said, ‘You must get a phone to me, so I can speak to her myself. You’ll have to smuggle one in. Bring one tomorrow and shove it in your shoe or your underpants or something. Just get me a phone so I can call her. She’ll be going crazy not hearing from me.’

  ‘I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise. They’re not as stupid as they seem here, they’re used to all kinds of tricks.’

  As they re-entered the cell block, a huge black man in handcuffs being escorted by two officers came towards them in the corridor. He was struggling with them, and didn’t seem to even notice that they were both beating him mercilessly. His eyes focused on Leo, and he shouted out, ‘Hey bitch. You like to fuck? Come and get some here.’ They came closer and he tried to grab Leo, licking his tongue around his lips. The guards smashed their clubs into him and yanked him away, almost tearing the skin off his hands with the manacles.

  ‘I’m busy right now with these fucking Arabs. See ya’ tomorrow, bitch. Don’t fuck around with nobody else. Just you save ya’ ass fa’ Razza.’

  The guards pulled him past them along the corridor, and Hatim said, ‘That’s the kind of fight you don’t want to get into. Stay away from crazy prisoners like that, they really do rape people, anyone they can.’

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ Leo tried to sound relaxed, but he was counting the number of bad options that surrounded him. He knew he’d be lucky to get out without having to protect himself from someone like that guy, and that might cause more harm than good.

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  Tom Connor ended his call with Hatim. He was relieved to hear that Leo would be held in Bur Dubai, but it wasn’t going to make his call to Ms Stewart much easier. He thought back to the Fitzgeralds, Scotty’s parents, who had come to collect their son’s body. It seemed like it was only yesterday. He was trying to make sense of the situation, wondering why this was happening to him. From what he knew of Leo, his work ethic, his sense of respect, responsibility and dedication, he couldn’t believe the man was capable of such a foul crime. But if he wasn’t, why has Angela da Sousa accused him? What motivation could she have to put a man’s life in danger if it isn’t true? It can only be jealousy, revenge or blackmail.

  Ed had described Leo and Angela’s first meeting, and he doubted there could be any element of revenge or jealousy from a Brazilian woman he’d just met in a place he’d never been before. It didn’t make any sense. That leaves blackmail. She must know he’s an important executive with XPC, she may even know the new products launch depends very much on him. Is this a stratagem to get money out of us to withdraw her accusation, just a honey-money trap?

  Clearly, nothing could be achieved via the legal process in Bur Dubai. The only possible way to a solution was through the woman. Shen has to find out if that’s what’s going on and work out a financial solution with her, before it’s too late.

  Tom was making notes as he worked through his thought processes. He went back over them, adding further ideas and ‘To Do’ items. Tomorrow he was going to have to tell Shanghai that they might not meet the deadline, and he had to make an announcement to the staff. There were already rumours circulating around the building again, just as they had in Scotty’s case, and he didn’t know how he was going to explain another inexplicable catastrophe. If Shen manages to sort something out with the woman, maybe I’ll know more by tomorrow.

  He sat back in his chair and pushed the problem away, to think constructively about the September 1st upgrades launch. From what Sharif and Ed had told him, he wasn’t sure they were out of the woods with the remote activation of the connectivity module. And Leo had asked him and Sharif about this single cell, S470C887,999, he still had the scribbled number, and he’d said it was a source of concern. At this late stage of the project, with just three weeks to deliver the final prototype so Shanghai could meet the launch date, they couldn’t afford to have any concerns. Everything had to be one hundred and fifty per cent right.

  Strange, Tom thought. Both these men, Scotty and Leo, were inextricably linked to the new product’s launch, and both very difficult to replace. It’s a miracle I got to persuade Leo to come in at short notice and was lucky enough to pick the right guy for the job. And now I’ve lost him too. It’s as if they were targeted, as if someone didn’t want the product to be developed. Unknowingly, the same word came into his mind as
had come to Leo the day before. Sabotage. He could think of a dozen competitors who would probably kill to destroy or acquire the Mark VII technology with ACRE. Is that what’s happening?

  He forced himself to put aside this line of thinking, it was self-destructive and would take him nowhere. I have to call Leo’s mother. It’s time to give her the dreadful news. At least I can tell her he’ll be in Bur Dubai until the trial, that’s some small comfort in the whole disastrous business. I just hope she can handle it, because I’m having a hell of a time myself.

  Bur Dubai Police Station

  ‘How did it go?’ Oskar Novak made space for Leo to sit on the end of his bunk.

  ‘Pretty much what you told me to expect. Remanded here until the trial.’

  ‘That’s better than going to Port Rashid. I hear a lot of people don’t come out of there vertical. Plus, you get to keep me company for a while.’

  Leo couldn’t tell the Pole he had a lawyer who was trying to speed up the process. It didn’t fit with his story about being arrested for fighting. He said, ‘I guess there are worse ways to spend a few weeks of my life. I can’t think of any for the moment, but I’ll work on it.’

  Novak laughed. ‘Not high up on your bucket list, right?’

  ‘Wrong. It’s right up there with having all my teeth pulled out.’

  ‘What are you doing here anyway, are you working somewhere in Dubai?’

  Leo hesitated, the less he said the better until he knew what would happen next. Oskar seemed like a harmless guy, but it wasn’t worth taking the risk. ‘I’m travelling on a student discount ticket from London to Mumbai, and I had an option to stop over here. It was free, so I took it. Seemed like a good decision at the time.’

  ‘Student discount ticket? Hmm, bad luck.’ Novak didn’t sound convinced, but he said nothing further about it. Leo figured he was probably used to being discreet, it came with the territory.