Looking round the small and now stuffy, bland meeting room, it was clear that energy levels were dwindling. Everyone who had been assigned to the case was the same – even the normally enthusiastic, sparkling eyes of the keen young men and women on David’s team had started to dim.
“Twenty minute break everyone. It’s not raining, so get some fresh air. I will have fresh coffee and donuts for when you return. When you return be ready to think about this in a different way.”
Laura enlisted Nat’s assistance with her shopping and twenty minutes later the dynamics in the room were vastly improved thanks to the latest sugar and caffeine rush. After just a few minutes’ discussion, David, who had stepped back from the activity to survey all that was going, called a halt to proceedings. “Hold-up, folks. Put all those papers to one side for a moment please. They may be useful again, but Rob’s detailed information is not what we need right now.”
There was a mass shuffling of papers for a few seconds before all eyes refocused on David. “High-level and very simply, what do we know?”
Laura and Nat were looking at David sceptically, but willing to play along, as clearly, were David’s young researchers.
“Romania,” said one.
“Yes!” enthused David.
“A lot of courier drivers from across Europe taking holiday at the same time,” said another.
“Logistics Arranged is used to smuggle items all over Europe, different drivers doing staged pick-ups and drop-offs,” offered yet another.
“Yes, but getting too detailed,” commented David.
“Highly toxic chemicals,” ventured Laura.
“Precisely! Highly toxic chemicals and Romania,” David almost yelled. “They are the two core elements of this puzzle.” He paused to look around the room. “What do we need now?”
“Where the two come together?” asked one of the younger researchers.
“Yes. Go on, continue that train of thought,” David encouraged.
Delighted to have the centre stage, the researcher enthusiastically took the opportunity to elaborate. “Well, the chemicals have to be manufactured – they can’t be bought. Everything points to the fact that the courier first collected the chemicals in Romania. That suggests they were manufactured there!”
“Bravo! Yes!” David was more excited than Laura had seen him for many years. I bet he knew exactly where he was going with this before even asking the question, but wanted everyone else to make the connections as well, she realised, impressed with David’s approach for training his many protégés. And I think I now know as well.
Not to be left out, one of David’s other young researchers, decided to have a go. “These chemicals need a specialist environment – possibly a heavy industrial facility to produce them.”
“Yes,” David drew the word out, expecting the young woman to continue.
“So we need to look for an area of Romania with heavy industry. But, one that’s not a legitimate production facility, so…” the woman started to flounder with the thought process and another female colleague jumped in.
“So, we are looking for a disused industrial plant that has the capability of re-use and is either being used without the owner’s knowledge, or was bought for this purpose. Most likely the latter to avoid accidental discovery.”
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I’m so proud of you guys,” David extolled.
“But David,” the last woman interjected, “What I don’t understand is all that must cost a huge amount of money and any company selling such a facility would surely assess the viability of the purchaser?”
“And,” interjected another, “require specialist people for those works!”
“Two superb points,” Laura remarked. “And I suspect that I can join the dots. It is possible that fewer questions of a building’s purchaser will be asked in Romania than, say, in Britain. We also have the common link of Nikki Williamson. She was not only present at the Wildes’ murder, which connects her to the chemicals, but we also have photographic evidence connecting her to drugs.”
“And drugs could comfortably provide the cash required to fund what we’ve been talking about,” Nat remarked. “The only thing is why?”
“Terrorism,” Laura explained with a single, scary word.
“Okay, okay,” David jumped in, keen not to lose the momentum of thought. “Now we have reached these excellent conclusions, we need to set about narrowing down our field of investigation.”
The next couple of hours were spent researching heavy industrial areas in Romania and property deals over the previous three years. Surprisingly, there had been quite a lot.
25
Bucharest airport was, as usual, a bustle of activity the next day when Laura and Nat found their way through to the arrivals area.
“A far cry from Heathrow Terminal 5,” a voice from behind said, making them jump.
“Rob, you horror!” Laura exclaimed, punching him gently on the arm, before giving him a big hug and kiss on the cheek.
Good! The frostiness is going and their relationship is getting warmer again, Nat thought looking fondly at his two colleagues and friends.
“Good to see you too!” Rob grinned. “Nat, great to see you,” and they gave each other a man-hug. “I’ve already arranged a car for us and, of course, a hotel.”
Rob led them through the airport to a gleaming black hire car – a top of the range Audi, as usual. “Pleased to see you are trying to blend in,” Laura chided, looking around the public parking area.
Over lunch they agreed to do a little sight-seeing on the basis that Laura’s counterpart, Cezar Nagy, of the Serviciul Român de Informatii, or SRI, the Romanian intelligence service, was not available to meet them until the next day. “Let’s regroup at six to discuss tomorrow,” Nat suggested. “There are a few things I want to do which won’t interest you guys.” He was relieved that neither of them objected, reaffirming his optimism that their relationship was heading in the right direction. Nat didn’t actually know what he was going to do, but he wanted to give Rob and Laura space for themselves.
* * *
Cezar Nagy turned out to be a striking man in his late-thirties with an easy smile and designer stubble to accompany his cropped hair style. Wearing a pair of smart trousers and jacket that was cut to flatter his lean figure, Laura could understand why the women they passed turned to look. They followed him through a maze of corridors to a meeting room.
“Tea, coffee?” he asked as they reached their destination. “I would just mention, though, that our coffee is very strong compared to the drink I’ve tasted in America or Britain.”
Requests made, they settled around the meeting table. The room was bland and functional without any external window. “So, I’ve read your briefing, thank you, Ms Harding. It all sounds extremely concerning. My superiors understand the direction of your logic so I have been assigned to work with you for as long as necessary.”
