Blood Money (14 page)

“Damn right I do. Someone appears to have got themselves a copy of my keys, so change them both. In fact, do me a favour and replace them with something really secure, I want my girlfriend to be able to sleep well at night.”

“Ok, now you're talking…but let's discuss the readies before we get carried away. Labour is £50 an hour. What's your budget for hardware?”

John replies honestly. “Look, I don't want to be ripped off…-but I do want some premium gear. So show me what the top-end options are.”

“I like your style mister.” Shifting his gaze to the door he continues with his sales-patter “Ok, let's have a look at what we're working with here. Looks like it's been replaced in the last few years, solid frame, that's good. The door's pretty sound as well; you'd be wasting five minutes of your life trying to smash through that! Tell you what mister…-I've got the perfect lock in the van, -high security 6 pin cylinder and a hook-shaped steel bolt that will stop your lock being bumped or your door being spread. But it ain't cheap, you won't get much change out of two centuries….and I promise to have it fitted in less than an hour. How's that for you?”

“Get it. Fit it.” is John's no-nonsense reply.

“Replacing the night latch will be a pony. Tell you what, for all of that I'll even fit you a beefed-up security chain for free, since there's a little lady involved. Peace of mind's what I deliver. That's what I always say…”

Whilst the Lock man sets about his work, the Alarm man duly arrives. John explains about the break in, and how one of their fobs has been taken and asks him what he can do about it. It doesn't take him ten minutes to change the codes and supply John a fresh set of fobs so whilst he's got him at the flat he also gets him to fit two panic alarms, one in the main bedroom and one in the lounge. Keen to get onto his next call, the man quickly starts pulling up the edges of the carpets to lay down the additional wiring that's needed.

When Rebecca arrives back at the flat, she's clearly nervous about coming in. It helps that there's three men around but John has to heavily reassure her that the kitchen's been cleaned-up before she's prepared to set foot inside. Only when he talks her through the additional levels of security that's he's having fitted does she seem to accept that the flat will soon be safe once more.

*

When both tradesmen have finished, John writes-out a couple of cheques to cover the work and once they've tidied-up and left, peace descends on the flat once more.

“Let's go through this thing one more time. Killing Mustard like that seems to have been done because someone is sending out a warning. Something fairly major has been going-on and it seems to be about what you're working-on at the FSA. You seem really insistent that the only enemies you might have made are the people at Kronos, so explain to me why you think a powerful man like Mr Vasilakos would feel threatened by you?”

“Alright, yeah, he's certainly powerful, probably worth hundreds of millions. But I reckon he's under enormous pressure to keep delivering the results to all of his super rich investors. Now my boss is possibly right, maybe the FSA shouldn't focus on hedge funds, but if only I could get someone to understand the overwhelming proof my statistical data represents then I could bring down Kronos like it was a house of cards.”

“But are you sure you've got your facts straight on this? Have you any doubts in your mind at all?”

She pauses as she tries to control the anger she feels building up inside. “Listen to me John, I know what I'm talking about here. So yeah, I appreciate that there might be some ballsy traders out there who get lucky a couple of times a year but NOBODY's as lucky as those guys at Kronos. He's using insider information, left right and centre. He must be! And insider information on lots of different companies from lots of different areas. Utilities, oil and gas, financials, pharmaceuticals, technologies, industrials, conglomerates, right the way across the board. He seems to specialise in generalisation.

Oh and yeah…so what if he's got some wonder computer predicting trends and market corrections and making automatic trades day and night? He's certainly not the only one using automated trading. Can his data and his algorithms be so much better than everyone else's?….. It's possible……but I of all people know what computers are like, the more data you give them the more powerful the hardware needs to be, the smarter the programming the more data it requires. What could be so special about his hardware? What could be special about his software?…. It's possible he's made some breakthrough….. But do you know what I think?”

Rebecca can be like an unstoppable run-away train at times like this and John is getting more and more frustrated with her ranting. It seems clear to him now that this fearsome obsession about Kronos is almost certainly the reason why they're in this current predicament.

“I'm sure you're going to tell me…”

“I think he's got to be insider dealing because it's the only logical explanation.”

“Ok, but you and I both know he's not the only one out there doing it. It's rife in the City. Why are you getting so fixated about Kronos?

“Because as well as the sheer number of suspicious trades going on, it's all the little differences that sets Kronos apart. It all adds up to something really significant, I just don't know what that is yet.”

“I don't see what you mean.”

“Let me explain, there's lots of stuff really. Alexis just doesn't seem to put the effort in that his peers do into networking, for example he doesn't do the charity scene and neither does he schmooze clients with corporate entertainment. He only employs about half the number of analysts you'd expect for a company with his amount of turnover. And another thing, most other super-rich Hedgies now base themselves in the most luxuriant parts of Mayfair. They don't locate themselves in the cramped confines of the City. They like to be near the best restaurants and the most exclusive nightlife spots. Plus, when all other Hedge Fund Managers wear polo shirts, chinos and loafers…. Alexis remains suited and booted in one of the most traditional parts of the Square Mile. He's a loner, a misfit, an oddball.”

“Ok. I've got to ask you” John pauses as he wonders how best to phrase such an awkward question. “Is there anything you're not telling me, what part of this story are you keeping back?”

“John, I've given you the full picture. I just wish I had something concrete, but I don't. YET. To be honest, the FSA appear to be powerless to stop him. Not only are we under-gunned, we're essentially reliant on people shopping their own employers. And even if someone handed over proof tomorrow I don't think my boss would act on it. This thing's become personal. If and when I get the tip-off I need I'm going to have to bypass Tom and go straight to the new Enforcement Director with it. She seems like she got the balls to go after Kronos.”

“Ok. Put Vasilakos to one side for a minute. Let's think really hard if you have made any other enemies…ever…. Any creeps at work trying to blackmail you? Any bunny-boiler bitches who hate your guts? Any long running feuds with neighbours you've never told me about? Is there anything else that could be behind what happened in our home?”

“Nothing, I promise! If there was anything like that going on I'd come right out and tell you. There's only one person I've got a problem with and that's Alexis Vasilakos.”

“Beccs, as far as I'm concerned I think you're 100% right. I trust you and accept everything you've told me as absolute gospel. And that's why you've got to stop this immediately. The cat being killed is a clear warning for you to back-off. Your life is in real danger. You do see that don't you? If you don't stop this obsession then there's a real chance there won't be a 2nd warning.”

“So you're not going to help me then?”

“Of course I'll help you, but first we need to make sure you're not going to wind up dead! The first thing you have to do is stop talking about Kronos to anyone at work. And I mean anyone, from your best mate right through to the bloody cleaning lady. It's my suspicion that Kronos must have someone on the inside at the FSA who is feeding them information on what you're digging-up. No one is above suspicion, from your boss to the girls you eat lunch with. You don't talk to anyone about Kronos ever again except with me. I'll support you totally but I'm not having you put yourself in any more danger.”

*

Out in the van, Eddie Slater is finding himself in a situation he hadn't anticipated. This now requires a decision that can only come from Alexis. He leans over into the back of the van and retrieves a glossy box. Opening it quickly he pulls out a brand new pay-as-you-go phone, he puts in a SIM card and powers it up from a charger that he sticks in the cigarette lighter socket. As soon as it's got sufficient charge he dials his boss's number.

“I'm bird watching at the location. The birds have been singing beautifully, but there's a major problem. The female is upsetting the nest and fairly soon it looks like eggs are going to get broken. She's going to make a right mess of things. I'm in position.”

When Alexis gets a call from an unrecognised number and hears Eddie's voice on the other end he immediately takes notice. He listens very carefully to the exact words his bodyguard has chosen to use, then makes a one-word reply to make his instructions clear.

As soon as Alexis utters “Proceed” he ends the call.

Eddie's adrenaline levels suddenly surge, not from fear but from excitement. He reaches inside the glove box and puts a silencer onto his SIG Sauer P226 pistol. Once screwed on, the length of the handgun doubles, making it a bit more awkward to use in a confined space and a great deal harder to conceal, but the silencer will deliver 32 decibels of sound suppression that will turn an otherwise deafening gunshot into something more like the noise an air-rifle. He inserts the clip into the handle of the Sig, snapping it into place. Holding the gun securely in his right hand he pulls the slide back and releases it forward to load a single 9mm round into the firing chamber.

Putting the gun on the floor just in front of his car seat, Eddie moves the van into position over on the far side of the access road. Now he gets out the weapon he'd prefer to use should circumstances permit. The black, double bladed knife is 6 ½ inches long. It will bring death quickly and quietly. He hides it in on his lap underneath an A4 sized spiral-bound London road atlas and waits.

He doesn't know how long it'll be before she leaves the flat but he's ready for her when she does. Whilst he waits for Ms Kavanagh to show herself he continues to listen-in on the conversation that continues unabated inside the flat.

*

Johns lays down the law as only a policeman knows how. “Now let's talk about security. We're going to have to be far more careful with our keys. Unless you've got a better suggestion from now on I think we should both wear them on a chain around our necks. And we should stop using the alarm fobs; they're a flaming liability so I'm going to smash them-up so they can't be used. Every time we come and go, we punch the code into the panel. Agreed?”

“Agreed. Whatever it takes to stop this happening again.”

“Ok. Now I reckon whilst you're at work so long as you don't study Kronos and you don't talk about Kronos then you're safe. Happy to go along with that?”

“Agreed. Today is a fresh start. The only one I'll work with or talk to about Kronos is you. But aren't you going to get in trouble if you spend time investigating Kronos when you should be working on the police work you're actually assigned to?”

“Don't worry about that. I'll keep what I do low key. Let's just concentrate on you being safe first of all. Do you feel ok going into work this afternoon?”

“Alright, so long as you come with me on the train.”

“Ok, just this once. Think of it as a romantic gesture. C'mon, get yourself ready and let's get going.”

After slipping on a quick change of clothes, Rebecca is ready for to be escorted over to Canary Wharf.

*

Sitting in the van, Eddie curses when he hears the FSA girl say “…when you should be working on the police work you're actually assigned to?”

He starts the Escort's engine. ‘Why did she have to be living with someone in the filth? Isn't life complicated enough without this sort of shit to deal with?'

Does it matter if her boyfriend's police? Probably not…the main complication is that she won't be leaving the flat on her own.

With the engine ticking over he adjusts the position of the van. It has to be just right. He's got it facing away from Ark House to avoid them seeing his face through the windshield. Next he positions his mirrors so he'll be able to see them leaving the building. He figures that they'll have to pass right alongside the driver's side of his van if they want to walk along the pavement toward the train station.

The danger posed by the FSA girl needs neutralizing. He's been given the ‘green light' and at any moment she'll be stepping outside and walking toward the rear of his van. There's no time to contact Alexis again, and anyway the revelation about her boyfriend's profession is just too complicated to discuss over the ‘phone. If the opportunity presents itself, if things are favourable, he'll make the kill. If he needs to, he can abort and try again as soon as circumstances allow. His game plan for now is to stop her as she walks past, then pretending he's lost he'll merely ask for directions.

This is it…he can see in the wing mirror that they're coming out of the communal entrance at the rear of Ark House. Eddies takes a deep breath. He must stay relaxed. The boyfriend is on his mobile as he walks alongside Rebecca. The knife is hidden under the road atlas, which he opens up to show the area of north London that encompasses Finsbury Park. His fingers feel the razor sharp blade as he watches the couple walking ever closer through his driver's side mirror. Winding down the window as they pass the mirrors blind spot he knows they're now right alongside the van. As they walk past his window he can see the boyfriend is still pre-occupied with his phone conversation.