“Okay.”
“Oh and I suggest even if DIC continue work whilst we hold the investigation and review that their duty teams be suspended?”
“Yes. That would be a good idea.”
Robinson got slowly to his feet.
“Thank you Prime Minister. I’ll start on that first thing in the morning.”
He left the room and went to his car, joined by a security operative, who sat in the front with the driver.
Robinson checked the glass between himself and the two men in the front, knowing he was secure he pulled out the cheap orange coloured Bic cell phone. He rang the one number in the contacts list. The voice at the other end levelly answered ‘Okay’ in a monotone voice when it was told.
“Job done, complete delivery of last requested item.”
Chapter 104
Euston Towers
6-05 p.m.
April 19th
Jack sat back in his office chair as if stung by a hard slap in the face. The prime minister’s call had been a shock.
He called Magda from her office and dictated an all personnel e-mail. He registered her shock as she left to send it. He rang the duty team offices and then made his way to the board room on his floor.
Ten minutes later Jack Fulton was sat at the head of an oval polished table in a neat plain room. At one end on the wall above Jack’s head was a black and white photo of Churchill and at the other, on the wall next to the door, was a black and white photo of Daniel Trevelyan, the first head of DIC. Jack was lost in thought when the door opened and the duty team members came in.
David McKie sat on an upholstered wood frame chair at the door end of the table. Liam, Tony, Ellie, Terry and Jaz followed and sat in places around the table and finally Diane walked in and stood behind Jack, after placing a laptop on the table.
“I have bad news I’m afraid. I’ve heard about a meeting at number ten between the P. M and the Home office minister Tarquin Robinson. The P. M has decided that DIC active duty rota teams are to be stood down and arms bearing and diplomatic rights are to be suspended pending an investigation…”
There was a series of exasperated and angry comments from the team and Jack held his hand up. Silence followed.
“The home office minister is concerned about mistakes made and use of DIC information and identity passes to access Downing Street. There’s to be an investigation”
There were no remarks after this. Each of the team knew that the assassin had got in on their watch. They had all seen the news footage and thanked God that the bomb hadn’t gone off properly.
“The thing is that it may be a plot to discredit us. We’ve got this tape and it does show a link between Robinson and Sternway.” Jack fiddled with the mouse pad and the file played clearly in the room.
“You’re a lovely lady Mrs Robinson and people like you do scare me a little, but you tell Tarquin that it will happen in the next hour, as arranged, and if he doesn’t show some backbone he’ll regret it.“
“That’s it then. This links Robinson to Sternway. They planned to have the P.M. killed and they can cover it up. They’re just trying to blame us and take the heat off themselves. You need to take this to the P. M!” David was very excited, animated and not a little angry.
“David this only tenuously links the men, it doesn’t constitute cast iron proof. I wish it did, but it doesn’t. I will play it to the P.M. at my meeting with him and Robinson at eight tonight, but you must expect our service to be rendered inactive until this has been fully investigated.”
McKie rose from his chair.
“For the love of God Jack can’t you see Robinson and Sternway are linked and that means they might have engineered Cole’s death to put Robinson in place.”
“David you need to be careful what you say. It’s an obvious notion, but there’s no proof.” Diane’s voice was soothing she knew how he felt.
“There’s a trail of dead bodies, innocent dead I might add, and you say there’s no proof. We need to confront them. They must pay for this!” David’s voice wasn’t a shout, but a loud firm imperative tone made his anger clear.
“It will be done by investigation David.” Diane said quietly
“They’ll fudge that and it’ll take years and in the meantime DIC won’t be watching them.” David slapped his forehead. “Of course! That’s what they want! Can’t you see?”
Jack ignored the remark. He had had the thought himself, but had no way to prove it. He needed to end the meeting and plan for eight O clock meeting at Downing Street.
“I’ll need you to take your weapons to the armoury before you leave the building. It’s late tonight so I suggest you stop over and end your duty rota time tomorrow.”
“That’s it? That’s all?” David looked around exasperated.” Dear God are we not going to make a fight of this? We’re just going to quietly fold?”
He pushed back his chair and headed for the door.
“David…” Jack spoke as David reached the door and opened it, McKie paused. “Calm down. We’ll sort this out. I know you’re angry, but don’t do anything rash.”
“No I won’t Jack. I think about everything very carefully before I act. That’s why you hired me. Brains not brawn remember.” David left the room.
All the other team members looked at each other in concern for David.
“I can’t blame him for being angry, but we have to do this carefully and within the rule of law.” Diane spoke to the remaining team members. “Clear?”
They all nodded and the meeting broke up. Diane stayed behind to talk tactics for the eight O clock meeting with the P.M. and Robinson.
In the duty team kitchen David McKie made a coffee and looked out over London. His eyes were hard and showed a process of mental calculation in their occasional flickers from the sky line to the kettle. By the time his coffee was made up so was his mind. He took the lift down to his duty team office. He was damned if they’d get away with all this on his watch. He picked up the phone.
“Hello decryption? It’s David McKie. I’ve got a job for you.”
MI6Safe House
London
6-10 p.m.
April 19th
Stanton started to come round. He’d walked into the house, one man in front and one behind. He’d been hit on the back of the head and had fallen forwards into a hard blackness.
It was a bare room. Stanton went to rise and found that he couldn’t move. He was tied by his arms and legs to a wooden dining chair. His arms were behind his back, each arm tied at the wrist to each upright support of the chair. The back of his head ached.
Looking around the room, which was in half light with curtains closed, he could see a musty green carpet, dust all around him and in the corner a table. He could hear voices in the distance. On the table was the laptop case with the Browning pistol and scooped out laptop inside. Next to that was the Sig220 in its holster and Bill’s beige coat.
Stanton listened carefully. There was no sound of traffic, but he could hear distant voices. The voices began to approach, coming it seemed up towards him; he was upstairs somewhere.
