‘As long as she plays ball,’ said Nicholls.
Nobody disagreed with that. The one weak point in the way the Protectory operated was that not all their ‘projects’ were guaranteed to trade information for the promise of a new life and new identity. Serving personnel decided to jump the fence for all sorts of reasons, including fear, sickness, religious principles, right through to a change in philosophical outlook. Not all of them felt so disenchanted with their lot that they could easily break the oath of loyalty they had taken and sell country, regiment and — most importantly — former comrades for the chance of a new life.
‘She sounds a real prize.’ Paulton was holding his wine glass to his nose, breathing in the aroma and staring at Deakin with a measured gaze over the rim. It gave him an almost professorial air of superiority.
‘Hang on a sec. Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves?’ Turpowicz gave Paulton a sideways look, then glanced at Deakin. ‘Exactly how much does he know about this?’ His tone suggested that if it were true, Deakin had gone too far in revealing details of their targeted deserters to an outsider.
‘Everything.’ Deakin paused for a moment to let that sink in. ‘George already knows what we do. I briefed him on our current projects because he has a line on some new contacts in the market place; contacts who will guarantee us a better price for what we sell. He knows the current thinking in the British and American security establishments, which is vital to us if we are to continue in safety, and I felt he had a right to our confidence in return for his help.’
‘In that case,’ Nicholls said coolly, ‘it’s rather too late in the day to argue about it, isn’t it? But what makes George here so all-knowing? Does he come with special credentials?’ He stared hard at Paulton as if challenging him to say otherwise.
‘I do, actually,’ said Paulton calmly. ‘I spent many years working for the British government. . in the Security Services, should you be interested.’ He smiled at the look of shock on the faces of Turpowicz and Nicholls. ‘Sadly, we had a little disagreement and I was forced to leave. I now find myself at a loose end and, knowing Thomas here, I decided to get in touch and offer my services.’ He fixed a steady gaze on Nicholls. ‘Is that satisfactory or would you like to check my shirt size?’
‘We’ll have to see, won’t we?’ Nicholls looked calm enough, and nodded for Deakin to continue. Before he could speak, however, Paulton chipped in, leaning forward to add emphasis and authority to his words.
‘I realize you have reservations about me, gentlemen — which I understand, believe me. I would, too, in your place. But let me say this: Tom’s absolutely right about the opportunity here. From what you’ve told me, an extremely bright young woman joins the British army and moves into a position of vital importance, working alongside the Deputy Commander ISAF in Kabul. She will have seen documents, data, plans and people from David Petraeus on down. There are very few at her level who would have had this kind of access. Very few.’ He looked around but nobody interrupted him. It was a clear sign that his position was already established, even after such a brief time. ‘And now this bright young woman with a superior brain has gone walkabout. . and the British MOD has put an investigator on her trail. Believe me, gentlemen, they don’t do that lightly. It must mean they think she’s worth it for whatever information she has in her head.’ He paused again, demonstrating his skill at holding an audience. ‘It won’t be just the British concerned about that, either. Your former bosses, Mr Turpowicz, must be equally keen to see her returned to the fold of the godly before she can unload what she knows about Petraeus and his home team.’
‘Maybe.’ Turpowicz was unconvinced. ‘Get to the point.’
‘My point is simple. If we find Lieutenant Tan. . locating a suitable buyer for what she knows will be a matter of course. In fact, I may already have one in mind.’
SIXTEEN
On his way back to London, Harry rang Ballatyne to arrange a meeting. There were things he needed doing which he hadn’t got the clout for, but which Ballatyne had. The MI6 man agreed to a rendezvous at the Italian restaurant off Wigmore Street later that evening.
Next he rang Rik Ferris, who already had news about the Eurostar ticket.
‘It was bought through a ticket office in Scheveningen, near The Hague, in the name of Fraser,’ said Rik. ‘I checked his background; it was Pike’s mother’s maiden name.’ He gave Harry the address of the ticket office. ‘Still no other hits on his or any of the other names, and Tan’s so common it’s like wading through seaweed.’ He yawned. ‘Can I come out to play? I’m getting bunker fever here.’
‘Sorry,’ Harry told him. ‘I might need your back-up later, though.’ It was a small lie; he couldn’t see any scenario arising where he would need that kind of help, and Rik was in no shape to go around being physical. But he didn’t want to depress him further.
This time when he arrived at the restaurant, there was no coffee on offer and the suited hard-case stayed with the car.
‘Sorry about the rush,’ Ballatyne explained. ‘I can’t spare much time — we’ve got some rockets going up. Nothing to do with our business, though. What’ve you got?’
‘I’ve drawn a blank so far on Lieutenant Tan. No family, no background to speak of and nothing yet to show even a sign of where she might be.’
Ballatyne looked unconcerned. ‘So she’s gone to ground. I’m sure she’ll surface sooner or later. I think you should forget about her for the time being. Weapons technology and systems are the hot topics right now; personnel with that kind of saleable knowledge are the ones being sought.’
Harry was surprised. It was such a change of emphasis that he got the uneasy feeling Ballatyne was stonewalling him. Or maybe he had developed a new set of priorities.
‘You mean who’s got the biggest gun?’
‘Exactly. Boys’ toys, Harry. Boys’ toys.’ He looked pleased at the analogy.
‘I still think Tan’s worth looking at, that’s all. You can be sure the Protectory will, too.’
‘What are you looking for, specifically?’
‘I haven’t got the punch to gain access to Cambridge University graduate files or unlock the MOD’s records. You do. Did something happen while she was at university which could have had a delayed reaction — made her vulnerable? Did she meet someone after joining up who could have influenced her in some way? Anything like that could be a lead to help track her down. There’s certainly nothing else out there.’
Ballatyne looked unconvinced, but appeared to relent. ‘Very well. I’ll see what I can find.’ Then he changed the subject. ‘On my way here, I got word from the security boys at London City airport. Two supposed German males boarded the scheduled Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt at seven fifteen, the same evening Pike and Wallace were killed. The timing fits; it wouldn’t have taken them long to get from the A12 to the airport. They could have lost the Merc anywhere along the way; left the keys in the ignition on a side street in east London and the local bangers would have done the rest. It’s probably gathering a thin layer of desert sand on a dock in Dubai even as we speak.’
‘Sounds like it was planned,’ Harry agreed, ‘if it was the same two men. Do we have pictures?’
‘Not good ones — and nothing from the hospital cameras. They were offline. Highways Agency computer problems made their pictures grainy. Both men were heavily built, one medium height with dark hair, the other tall, but bald, possibly shaven.’