‘Seems like we’re in business,’ he declared. ‘I reckon we’ve got around one-fifty mil in bullion here. We’ll do random sampling now, and I’ll only call you again if we hit a problem.’
Getting through to Moscow wasn’t easy, even using the number Richter obtained from Hammersmith. He kept getting either an engaged signal, which was at least encouraging because it implied that there was a phone at the other end, or complete silence. But he persevered and eventually his call was answered.
‘Viktor?’ he began. ‘It’s Paul Richter.’
‘I don’t… Ah, yes, Paul. I had a feeling you might decide to call me. How can I help you?’
‘This line isn’t secure, General, so I must be circumspect. We understand that you lost something recently, a piece of military hardware. Do you recall the incident?’
‘Yes, of course. We immediately advised all interested parties, and I have every confidence that the missing equipment will be recovered soon.’
‘Actually, I think it’s already been found in Dubai.’
‘Dubai?’ There was a pause. ‘I didn’t know that. I will have to confer with our diplomats in the Emirates.’
‘They probably won’t know anything about it yet, because the device is being used as part of a negotiation. We’re trying hard to ensure that nothing happens that might embarrass either the Dubai government — or the equipment’s manufacturer.’
‘You mean it’s not in your hands?’
‘Far from it. That’s why I’ve got some questions. First, does it incorporate a timer?’
‘Yes,’ Bykov replied. ‘Those devices all had timing circuits incorporated so they could be positioned and then activated later.’
‘My second question concerns the abort code. We are led to believe that once the timer was set the device couldn’t be deactivated without a special code. Is that correct?’
‘Yes. Each device had a unique abort code. Is that all you need to know?’
‘Just one other matter, General.’ Richter asked a final question, and Bykov replied immediately.
‘No, never. It was always kept separately. In fact, I have it here in my office.’
This was better than Richter had hoped. ‘Can you let me have it?’ he asked.
‘No, I’m afraid not,’ Bykov said. ‘For obvious reasons, it’s classified.’ He paused. ‘If it’s important, I can try to obtain permission to release it to you. Would that be satisfactory?’
‘Yes, General, as long as it doesn’t take you too long. We’re on a deadline out here, and need that information by tomorrow morning.’
‘I see.’ Again Bykov paused. ‘Did you have any trouble getting through to me today?’ he asked, in an apparent non sequitur, then chuckled. ‘The Moscow telephone system is perhaps not as efficient as it could be. Let me give you the number of my personal mobile.’
Richter took a small notebook and pen from his jacket pocket.
‘The number is seven three four, eight six nine, two six five eight,’ Bykov continued, ‘and obviously you have to prefix it with the Moscow dialling code. Please read it back to me so I know you’ve copied it correctly.’
‘Seven three four, eight six nine, two six five eight.’
‘Yes, that’s correct. I’ll try to get clearance to disclose the other information to you, but I’m not especially hopeful that it will be granted in time. May I wish you good luck, and don’t forget to try my number.’
Before Richter went back into the hotel, he rang several other numbers on his mobile, but in every case all he got was the ‘number unobtainable’ tone.
The next delivery of boxes held cash. Sutter and Haig had already stowed the bullion safely, taking careful account of the aircraft’s centre of gravity, and they’d worked out where the money should go. It was going to be a really tight fit in the cabin on the way out of Emirates airspace, but Sutter doubted if anyone would complain.
Taking samples at random, Haig had finished his checks on the bullion, and each bar had been exactly as its accompanying documentation had described. It certainly looked as if the Dubai authorities were playing it straight, but Sutter didn’t trust anyone, and neither did Haig, so they then started checking the bank notes as well.
‘Michael,’ Richter began when Watkinson answered, ‘we need to talk urgently. I’ve just discovered something that must be relayed to the Dubai government immediately. Carole and I are on our way to the embassy now, and this isn’t something I can talk about over the phone.’ Their taxi was speeding along Al-Jumeirah Road.
‘For Christ’s sake, Paul, weren’t our orders clear enough? I thought you understood that we’d be taking no part in this affair.’
‘I did, and I do, but what I’ve found out may mean the Dubai government has to handle the situation completely differently. Look, let me explain it to you, and to the consul as well, if you like, and then you can decide what to do about it. But I’ll tell you this for nothing, Michael, if you don’t tell the Dubai authorities what I’ve found out, then sometime tomorrow relations between Britain and the UAE will plummet to an all-time low.’
Chapter Twenty-One
‘Who are these people?’ George Arthur Graham demanded somewhat testily of his subordinate as the four of them sat down around a table.
Watkinson had taken Richter at his word, and had requested that the consul attend the meeting, though it had been clear from the start that Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates had not been particularly keen on talking to either of them, or even having them inside the building.
‘These people,’ Richter snapped, ‘are sitting in this room with you, so the least you can do is exercise a little common courtesy and talk to us directly, instead of acting like we’re a couple of dog turds you’ve just spotted on your carpet.’
The consul — his initials may have spelt ‘gag’, but there was no humour in the man — reacted as if somebody had just punched him in the stomach. Richter guessed that few people ever dared address him in such a manner.
‘Who we are isn’t particularly important,’ Richter continued. ‘It’s what we’ve got to tell you that matters. But, since you’ve asked, this is Carole-Anne Jackson of the CIA who’s currently on secondment to the Manama office of the SIS.’
Jackson smiled sweetly at Graham, who still seemed to be struggling to find words.
‘My name’s Paul Richter, and I work for an outfit called the Foreign Operations Executive. It’s loosely associated with the SIS in London, and if you’ve never heard of FOE, that’s because nobody thinks you’ve ever had a need to know about it.’
Watkinson interjected, the oil not entirely smoothing the troubled waters. ‘Richter here is the officer who deduced what was happening at Nad Al-Sheba on Saturday, sir. Miss Jackson was also involved.’
‘I don’t care who you are or what outfit you work for,’ Graham snarled. ‘You will accord proper respect to senior diplomats, particularly when invited into the embassy itself.’
‘Respect cuts both ways,’ Richter replied, equally sharply, ‘and if you keep feeding me this line of crap, I’ll walk straight out of here.’
‘Pardon me for interrupting this high-level pissing contest,’ Carole-Anne Jackson said sweetly, ‘but this isn’t actually achieving anything except to provide an impressive display of testosterone. We’re running short of time now, so why don’t you all shut the fuck up, and let’s discuss what we’ve found out?’