Page 43 of End Game
‘He wouldn’t answer a single question last night. But my team will be trying again this morning.’
‘I suspect he’s no more than a small cog in a very large wheel that is being operated out of Moscow. I doubt he’d know anything of significance anyway.’
Meredith’s tone of voice left William in no doubt of the size and potential danger of the threat.
‘What do you consider should be my next move, Professor?’ he asked.
‘I’m not altogether sure, Commander,’ admitted Meredith, ‘but then, you have to remember that all of us at GCHQ are trained to play the long game. Your particular nemeses have only a two-week window of opportunity available to them, and they will be well aware that another opportunity such as this may not present itself again for several years, if ever – which means they may have to take an occasional risk they would not normally consider. Surprisingly enough, Commander, that could turn out to your advantage.’
William didn’t interrupt.
‘However,’ continued the professor, ‘you have an added problem, as I’m not convinced that it’s only the Russians who are involved. This could even be a three-headed hydra and, therefore, cutting off one of the heads might not solve your problem.’
‘And the other two heads?’
The professor didn’t answer the question directly, but said quietly, ‘You mentioned that you fear a known criminal may be working for the Russians?’
‘Miles Faulkner,’ said William, ‘a white-collar criminal who has crossed my path several times over the years, and has done time – twice – and after this might well spend the rest of his life in jail.’
‘Could Faulkner be strapped for cash?’ was Meredith’s next enquiry.
‘Far from it,’ said William. ‘Croesus is his brother.’
‘Croesus the Great, 620 to 546BC, didn’t have a brother,’ said Meredith, ‘but I take your point. However, one is bound to ask what’s in it for Faulkner if he doesn’t need the money, because if he were caught, he could be charged with treason.’
‘But if he succeeds,’ said William, ‘I could lose my job, and he’d like nothing more. And there’s something else – Miles Faulkner has been spotted taking a great deal of interest in a Van Gogh self-portrait that is part of the Russian Hermitage collection currently on display at the Fitzmolean.’
‘Ah,’ said Professor Meredith. ‘I begin to see things more clearly. I’ll have a team tracking the Russian Ambassador night and day to see if that particular magnet will attract any filings. But for now, I’ll let you get on with the day job – and, William, don’t hesitate to call if you think I can help.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ said William, before putting the phone down.A third party, he repeated to himself, and then he remembered who else was seated in the Russian Ambassador’s box.
•••
Across the other side of the park beneath the Olympic Stadium, Ross and Jackie were sitting in a police interview room. Opposite them sat the man they had arrested the previous night. He had been down there for nearly twelve hours, having slept in the cell next door.
The three of them had been in the interview room for the past half-hour and, so far, the suspect had barely opened his mouth, other than to drink the occasional glass of water. Whenever he did speak, he gave short, monosyllabic answers in Russian. The only words he spoke that Jackie and Ross understood were: ‘No English’, although Ross was fairly sure the man understood every word they were saying. They had requested a translator, but while they were waiting, Ross tried again.
‘What was the purpose of last night’s break-in?’
‘No speak English.’
‘Under whose orders were you acting?’
‘No speak English.’
‘Who was the man with you?’
‘No speak English.’
‘What is your name?’
The man smiled very slightly. ‘No speak English,’ he repeated. He’d been told that, unlike his compatriots back home, the British didn’t go in for torturing suspects.
There was a knock on the door, and when Jackie opened it, one of the constables ushered in the translator. After being cautioned concerning the secrecy of what she was about to hear, the translator was brought up to speed, and was soon conversing with the arrested man in Russian. After five minutes, she turned to Ross and Jackie with a frown.
‘This is all a huge mistake,’ the translator said. ‘This man is not a criminal – he’s on holiday in London to see theOlympics. He’s an electrical engineer by trade, and last night he was threatened at gunpoint by a man he did not know and forced to accompany him and tamper with some machinery. He knows nothing about what happened last night.’
‘Word perfect,’ said Ross, knowing when he was beaten.
