“Not really, Steven. I’m meeting Tugra Polat again shortly. He sends his regards, by the way, Laura.”
“Say hello back, please,” Laura replied smiling. Tugra Polat, of the Turkish Intelligence, had been her contact during an investigation into a technology company earlier in the year.
“Will do. He thinks they’re close to pinpointing where the funding source emanates from. Once confirmed, we will fly out to join the local forces to catch whoever it is.”
“I hope it goes well,” Gurning said. “I need to go now and brief the DG. Speak soon. We look forward to hearing of a successful outcome.”
* * *
An hour later Gurning still had not emerged from his briefing with the DG when Laura’s phone beeped with a text message. David had left to continue working with his team elsewhere in Thames House, leaving Laura and Rob in Gurning’s office where Laura had completed the report on her laptop.
Please email me your report, going to brief COBRA. Thx. And by the way, have heard that the Turkish authorities have traced many of the payments, including recent ones, to Van in southeast Turkey – Burak was right. SG
* * *
“Sir, I really should be informing my counterparts in the other countries,” Gurning protested as he accompanied the DG down to the basement and a waiting car, clasping multiple copies of Laura’s report.
“Get Laura to do that! I’m sorry, but by the sounds of it, this is possibly the most extreme threat we have ever faced, and COBRA will want to hear from you!”
As he sat back in the chauffeur-driven car with police outriders, Gurning contemplated his imminent first appearance at COBRA, the UK government’s major emergency committee. He only briefly thought about the unusual way that the committee had been named – Cabinet Office Briefing Room ‘A’. Instead, he rattled off another, but far longer, text to Laura before quietly contemplating what he would say to the great and the good who would be responding to the urgent call to attend COBRA under the Prime Minister’s chairmanship.
* * *
“Oh! Goodness!” Laura exclaimed on receiving Gurning’s second text. “DG has called for COBRA to be convened and Steven is on his way there now to present.”
“Well, surely that’s good,” Rob suggested. “That shows this is being taken seriously.”
“Yes,” agreed Jill, Gurning’s assistant, who had come in with some filing. “But I can guess by the look on Laura’s face that she gets the job of briefing Steven’s counterparts!”
“Ah!”
“Exactly!” Laura confirmed, handing Rob her phone for him to read the text. “At least the Turkish authorities have traced the source of the funds Steven referred to yesterday.” Sharing a touch, however briefly, confirmed her proximity to the man she loved, but had not fully declared and gave her the confidence she needed to fulfil her boss’ latest request.
Jill stood and surreptitiously laid a gentle hand on Rob’s arm to encourage him to leave as well. “She needs to gather her thoughts,” Jill said on closing the door to Gurning’s office.
* * *
While Rob waited for Laura outside Gurning’s office, Nikki had started pacing her hotel room with growing concern. An increasing number of drivers had not arrived at their scheduled meeting points. A transfer of drivers had been planned so the end-to-end route was known only to very few people. Damn! I’ve got to let Emilio know, but this is not going to go down well! She sat on the edge of her bed, running her hands through her blonde hair. “Damn, damn, damn!”
Summoning up all her courage, she picked up her phone.
“Yes, Nikki. I hope this is good news.” Arroz had clearly checked caller display before answering.
“Hello, Emilio. Unfortunately, I don’t think so. A number of drivers haven’t turned up to switch with the second crew.”
“Shit!”
“I just can’t think what this means. I…”
“Shut up, Nikki, and listen! It’s obvious and we should have thought about it! The authorities must have been monitoring the departures of vehicles before the raid and are now pulling them over!”
“Oh no! What do…”
“Just listen!” Arroz said urgently. “Start calling every driver you can and tell them to dump their vehicle, torch it and disappear. If they can prove they haven’t been caught in four days’ time, they get a bonus and another in four weeks. Did you get that?”
“Yes.”
“Good. After you’ve contacted the drivers, contact the transfer teams at the drop-off locations and tell them no more deliveries and they are also to disappear. Same bonus arrangements. Got that?”
“Yes, Emilio. I…”
“Just do it, Nikki. Once you have done that, get rid of your phone for a new one. Call me once you have done all that. And don’t tell anyone why, and absolutely do not tell your man-friend or any of the inside contacts.” Arroz then hung up without giving Nikki the opportunity to confirm she understood. He knew she was an intelligent woman and was reliable, always delivering on instructions, despite her weaknesses – many of which he had instigated.
Now it was his turn to pace the rented house as he kept telling himself that the mixing process had started the night before and was irreversible. So long as no one has been followed the whole way, we’ll be okay! he thought. This cannot fail! Just cannot fail! The authorities will surely assume something entirely different, even if they work out what the chemicals are!
* * *
When Laura emerged, exhausted, from her briefings shortly before lunch, she waved Rob into the office, asking Gurning’s assistant as she did, “Have you heard from Steven?” Jill shook her head – nothing.
As Laura closed the door, she complained “That was exhausting. I don’t know how Steven does it! His counterparts were seriously annoyed that we hadn’t informed them of the operation, despite my assurances that we only realised yesterday what this all meant!”
“To be expected,” Rob soothed. “I’m sure they now have to refocus resources from other operational duties and brief their lords and masters on something they have very little information on! I wouldn’t want to be in that position!”
“I guess.”
“What about the refineries?” Rob asked. “Should they be informed?”
“Good point, but Steven didn’t…”
