The Russian Lieutenant

by Peter Marshall

  “Nothing I know of yet,” said Gary. “Did she have any other special friends who could help me – like a boyfriend or anything?”

  “I don’t think there is anyone special at the moment, but she was a bit excited about a fellow she had met on one of those dating sites on-line. She didn’t say a lot, that was her way. But I think she said he was a foreign naval bloke and she was expecting to meet him when his ship arrived this week. Single girls here in Portsmouth do a lot of that, but I know Marina was always very careful about meeting strangers – especially sailors. Would you like a cup of tea?”

  “Not at the moment, thanks, but that’s really helpful,” said Gary, now trying anxiously to get away without looking rude. “I don’t suppose you have a picture of Marina I could borrow, do you?”

  Betty went through to her bedroom and came back with a framed picture. “That’s the two of us in the Dockyard at the Navy Days last year – it’s the best one I’ve got.”

  “Tell you what, Betty. Could I just borrow it for a couple of hours and then return it to you, please?”

  And with a few more pleasantries, Gary made his exit as quickly as he could and probably broke a few driving regulations on his way back to the office.

  “It’s coming together,” he said, breathlessly to the editor. He went on to report on his conversation with Betty McGuire and showed him the photograph. He then took the photograph down to the art department with instructions to make several copies, deliver them all to him and then find someone to take the original “in exactly the same state” back to the owner. He scribbled Betty’s name and address on a slip of paper.

  7.

  “A RUSSIAN SPY?”

  Gary did not need to be so concerned about his “exclusive”. Not long after his early-morning wake-up call, his freelance friend Mike Morrissey had also received a call. This was from his local police contact, who was a detective working in the CID; he, therefore, knew much more about the events there during the night than Gary’s friend Bill. He spilled out the information that a Russian naval officer and a Portsmouth woman who worked for the Royal Navy were being questioned by two men who had come to Portsmouth the previous day from MI5 in London. They were still there.

  Mike quickly made some more calls but was not able to get any confirmation from his usual contacts in the Dockyard, other than details about the three Russian naval ships which had arrived the previous afternoon. “Just a fairly routine refuelling stop for 24 hours,” he was told. When asked, his contact added that it was not often that the Russian Navy visited Portsmouth these days.

  Mike trusted his police contact, and this sketchy information was enough for him to put two and two together and call his best Fleet Street contact, David Hancock, the news editor at the Daily Star in London. He knew they would pay the most for an exclusive story, especially one involving MI5, the Russians – and a woman! Mike outlined the details he knew so far and then followed up by e-mail with a few more facts, such as where the ships were berthed and the exact location of the police station. Hancock wasted no time in getting things moving. He briefed two of his reporters to follow up with their contacts at the Home Office, at the Foreign Office and with Scotland Yard’s National Security section, and then he despatched one of his best men to drive immediately to Portsmouth to work with Mike Morrissey.

  The contacts made by the Daily Star reporters in London during the morning led to a flurry of phone calls between government departments. Ministers were informed, and this activity led to another urgent background briefing at the Home Office, who were taking the initiative, since at this stage, it was essentially a police and MI5 matter. The decision was made to bring the Russian officer from Portsmouth to London as soon as possible for further interrogation. At the same time, they would move cautiously with the woman and continue to process her involvement locally in Portsmouth. The MoD would liaise with the Portsmouth naval command, and meanwhile, the Foreign Office would keep the Russian Embassy informed.

  Word had quickly spread that the press was onto it and, by early afternoon, the Foreign Office had issued a statement which went out to all the usual newspaper, news agency and broadcasting editors:

  “Following the arrival of three frigates of the Russian Navy for refuelling in Portsmouth yesterday, it proved possible to follow up a long-term security operation by MI5 relating to an exchange of information between a member of the ship’s company of RS Admiral Essen (one of the three frigates) and a staff member in the offices of the Commodore of the Portsmouth Royal Navy Base. The two people concerned were detained for questioning by the Security Service, and further investigations are taking place. The names will be released later. The Ambassador of Russia to the United Kingdom has been informed.”

  Meanwhile, in Portsmouth, Mike contacted his friend Gary at the Herald. He discovered that he was already on the story, and they agreed to compare notes. Mike then went to meet the staff reporter from the Daily Star, who had just arrived in Portsmouth, and briefed him as far as he could. They went to a pub to meet Gary, and as they exchanged information, they quickly recognised that this story was becoming big. They were particularly impressed when Gary produced a copy of the photograph he had borrowed, and this was quickly scanned and sent to the Daily Star head office in London.

  By the end of the day, the Daily Star had enough facts for a front-page splash in Friday’s paper. It was a story with the by-line of their Security Correspondent, together with the photo of Marina and Betty, and with the bold headline:

  A RUSSIAN SPY? OR JUST A DATE?

  MI5 detains Royal Navy woman at a Dockside tryst

  WHEN A PORTSMOUTH WOMAN MET A VISITING SAILOR IN PORTSMOUTH ON WEDNESDAY, TWO MI5 AGENTS INTERRUPTED THEIR TRYST AND TOOK THEM TO THE LOCAL POLICE STATION FOR QUESTIONING. THE WOMAN WORKS IN THE NAVY HQ IN THE DOCKYARD, AND THE SAILOR HAD ARRIVED EARLIER IN THE DAY ON BOARD A RUSSIAN WARSHIP.

  NO NAMES HAVE BEEN RELEASED, BUT THE WOMAN HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY HER NEIGHBOURS AS MARINA PETERS AND IS REPORTED TO BE SINGLE, AGED ABOUT 30, AND HAS WORKED AT THE DOCKYARD FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS (photo shows Marina on the left with her friend Betty McGuire at the Portsmouth Navy Day earlier this year).

  A STATEMENT FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE CONFIRMED THAT THE RUSSIAN HAD ARRIVED IN PORTSMOUTH ON BOARD THE FRIGATE RS ADMIRAL ESSEN, AND THAT THE WOMAN WORKED IN THE ROYAL NAVY COMMODORE’S OFFICE IN PORTSMOUTH. THEY WERE “DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING” AS PART OF A LONG-TERM SECURITY OPERATION BY MI5.

  THE FOREIGN OFFICE SAID THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR HAD BEEN INFORMED AND THAT FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS WERE TAKING PLACE.

  THE ADMIRAL ESSEN IS ONE OF THREE NEW RUSSIAN FRIGATES WHICH ARRIVED IN PORTSMOUTH TO REFUEL DURING EXERCISES IN THE ATLANTIC. THIS IS A RARE VISIT BUT IS DESCRIBED BY NAVAL EXPERTS AS “A COURTESY BETWEEN NAVIES IN MANY COUNTRIES.”

  (SPY FLASHBACK! THESE RUSSIAN SHIPS ARE MOORED AT THE SAME JETTY WHERE ANOTHER FAMOUS SPY INCIDENT OCCURRED IN 1956. THAT WAS WHEN THE CRUISER ORDZHONIKIDZE BROUGHT THE SOVIET LEADERS KHRUSCHEV AND BULGANIN TO BRITAIN AND THE NAVY FROGMAN COMMANDER “BUSTER” CRABB MADE HIS FATAL ATTEMPT TO SPY ON THE UNDERWATER EQUIPMENT OF THE SHIP.)

  8.

  OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT

  At the Portsmouth Police Station on Thursday morning, the Chief Constable and his head of CID were assessing the implications of the major situation which had suddenly descended on them. They were concerned that on MI5 and Scotland Yard instructions, they had now detained the two individuals overnight as a security inquiry and were trying to decide what to do next. They were relieved when one of the MI5 officers came into the office to tell them that after discussions with his boss, they were planning to leave for London shortly with the Russian officer.

  Then he added, “But it will be your job to take further statements from the woman we detained and to make a decision on when it is appropriate to release her on bail – pending further inquiries, of course. There is not enough evidence to charge her with anything at present, but we suggest you keep an eye on her and give
her a warning about not talking to the press or anyone else about it.”

  He also asked them to interview her Navy bosses to establish whether she had signed the Official Secrets Act and to find out what confidential information she might have been aware of. Then he said, almost as an afterthought, “By the way, be a bit careful – she has a Russian background herself – she used to be Marina Petrov.”

  This unexpected news certainly got the attention of the two senior Portsmouth Police officers. They sat upright in their chairs and looked at each other knowingly, both thinking what the CID Chief then said: “Wow – this is now a whole new ball game!” As he left and said goodbye, the MI5 man added, “And by the way, say nothing to the press about this – if they get wind of the detention of the Russian, just say that there will be a statement from the Foreign Office in due course.”

  Left on their own, Matthew Sampson then told his CID chief, Paul Maggs, about the call he had received earlier from the editor of the Herald. “We’ve got a problem – the cat is already out of the bag. I don’t know how they heard about it, but we can’t put it back in now! I think you had better go down to join the London guys now and see them off with their Russian – and then follow up with this woman. What’s her name now?”

  Detective Superintendent Maggs, informed him: “Well, her English name is Marina Peters,” and he went off to set up the arrangements for the formal interview with her. But first, in the CID department, the two men from MI5 gave him a quick summary of their meetings during the night and then prepared to leave with the Russian, who was still protesting and now looking even more unkempt.

  The Chief Constable then placed another call to the Navy Commodore’s office. This time, he reached Commander Gaffney, who said he had been expecting the call and thanked him for the earlier message when an officer who said he was from London had explained the absence of the staff member from the Communications Office. Told that the lady concerned was being interviewed at the police station on a security matter and that the press were already making inquiries, Gaffney said this was a worrying development and he had no idea how the story had leaked and continued: “I’ve already heard from the MOD that this now also a matter for MI5 and the Foreign Office because it involves a Russian national, and that the FO will be issuing a statement later today. We are bound to get more inquiries from the press because an official statement will go to all the usual places. Will that help you?”

  “The sooner the better,” replied the Chief Constable. “Will you be dealing with any press inquiries about this woman Peters? She is still here at the station for questioning, but she has not been charged with any offence at this stage. We’ve already had a call from the local paper, and we still have to decide what to do with her… Can you tell me any more? Has she been there long, and was she doing any secret or confidential work?”

  “We’ve had no problems with her since she joined us,” continued the Commander. “She is a bright and intelligent lady, from what I know. What does she do? Well, she’s in the department which handles all the comms traffic between us and the Admiralty – ship movements, future plans and so on. Sorry, I’m an old-timer, and I still call it the Admiralty instead of the MOD… and all the staff here have to sign the Official Secrets Act, of course. And I really have no idea what the link is with the Russian fellow except that I assume it is connected with the three frigates which arrived yesterday. I guess your MI5 guys will know more about that.”

  “Thank you, Robert, we are all working on it,” replied Matthew. “And by the way, did you know that Miss Peters used to be Miss Petrov and has a Russian family background?”

  There was a moment’s silence. “Can’t say I did, old man. But I suspect it’s all in her files – or I hope it is. Goodbye for now.”

  Downstairs in the CID’s interview room, Detective Superintendent Maggs, with one of his bright young detective sergeants, was ready to start their formal questioning of Marina Peters. After her late-night session with MI5, she had managed to get a few hours’ rest. She had been taken to the ladies’ cloakroom by a policewoman for an opportunity to freshen up and was offered a bacon sandwich and coffee brought up from the staff canteen. The solicitor, Jeremy Scott, had returned early and accompanied Marina when she went into the interview room again.

  “Do you know why you are here, Miss Peters?” Maggs began, in his best attempt at a friendly voice.

  “Not really,” she replied quietly. “May I speak to my supervisor at the office?”

  “Not at the moment, I’m afraid, but they know you are here. Now, you have not been charged with any offence, so there is no need to caution you. And I know you are tired and upset after an all-night session here, so I will try to keep this as easy for you as I can. Mr. Scott, your solicitor here, will give you any help and advice you may need if you are in any doubt. But first, may I ask you how well you know this Russian navy officer called Nikolai Aldanov?”

  Marina turned to the solicitor. “Shall I answer?” He nodded.

  “Well, hardly at all. He was just a face on a dating website, and we got into the habit of chatting from time to time – there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “No, of course not, “said Maggs. “But you must understand that it is a bit unusual for someone in an important job with the British navy to start exchanging information with an officer in the Russian Navy. Did you not think of that?”

  “No, not in that sense,” she replied. “It was just that he looked nice and we seemed to have some interests in common and we began to get to know each other better, in stages.”

  “You spent quite a lot of time together yesterday. What did you talk about?”

  “It was the first time we had met in person,” Marina replied, rather coyly. “We just had so much to catch up on and I think we both realised that we had become really close, in spite of being at such a distance until now. It really seemed like we had known each other for ages, which of course we had.”

  “Did you tell him that your grandparents came from Russia?”

  The solicitor whispered to her, “You don’t have to answer that.”

  But Marina replied, “It’s not a secret, and it gave us an interesting subject to talk about.”

  “Did it make you feel you were both on the same side, as it were?” asked Maggs.

  The solicitor, warming now to the importance of his task, and in spite of a sleepless night, intervened and suggested quietly that she should refuse to say anything further at this stage. She appeared to agree, so he said to the detectives, “Unless you have any further matters, I think Miss Peters needs a rest.”

  Maggs turned to his sergeant and said, “Right. I think that is all we need for now. So would you arrange for Miss Peters to be released on conditional bail and make sure we know how to get in touch with her if we need to? And find a driver to take the young lady home.”

  She began to feel relieved, but before she left, he added rather sternly, “Please remember that, because of your job, you signed the Official Secrets Act, so be very, very careful what you say to anybody. That includes your friends and particularly the press. And by the way, we have been to your flat and now have your laptop computer and mobile phone here. We will get someone to return them by tomorrow. Thank you, Miss Peters, and goodbye for now.”

  The young solicitor interjected and asked: “Can you just go to Miss Peters’ flat and take her computer like that without a warrant?”

  “It was done correctly, Mr. Scott; this is a national security matter,” came the instant reply. On the way out, the solicitor handed his card to Marina and told her to ring him later to discuss the next steps. He advised her again not to talk to anyone else about the events of the past 24 hours, especially the press.

  She paused at the door and turned back to the CID chief. “Where’s Nikolai?”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that,” replied Superintendent Maggs. “And by the way, you can collect your handbag on the way out, but we need to keep your mobile phone
a bit longer. We will return it with your laptop as soon as we can. Oh, and you should ring your father in London. He has called your mobile a couple of times this morning.”

  “Did you speak to him?” asked Marina. And when he told her they did not answer the calls, she said, “Then how did you know it was him?”

  Maggs replied, “His number was on the phone as the caller.”

  Marina, still hovering in the doorway, was alert by now and asked, “How did you know it was his number?”

  “We know everything,” said the CID chief as he finally walked out. “We will be in touch with you again as soon as possible, and maybe by tomorrow I will know more.”

  A kindly woman police officer arrived and escorted Marina to the lobby where she collected her handbag. They went down to a police car in the underground car park and drove her back to Marina’s flat at about noon.

  Marina took her door keys from her handbag – and suddenly realised that the police must have used them to get into her flat earlier. Using the security code, she opened the door into the lobby and took the lift to the first floor. She used her key to open the door and entered gingerly, but everything appeared to be normal, except that her laptop was missing from her desk and it had been disconnected from her printer. As she looked around, she began to think of a myriad of questions about what she should do next. She must call her father straight away. Who could she contact to find out what had happened to Nikolai? Her solicitor perhaps? And what about her job? She could not e-mail anyone without her laptop. Then her landline phone rang, and it was Betty.

  “There you are at last,” she said. “I have been worried since the press came to see me this morning to find out if I knew where you are? I thought you were missing and gave them a photograph to help them find you. What’s happened? I must come over to have a chat and see how you are.”