Face Value: A Wright & Tran Novel Page 8

  Kara reached forward and poured a little more of her mineral water into her glass with an unflinchingly steady hand. The young waitress turned up again and gave another winning smile to Ty. He didn’t even register her presence. Kara sent her away to get Ty a straight Scotch.

  “Ty, you can think about this all you like, but I’m not leaving until you tell me what frightened you so much. Who is in that photo?”

  The silence drew on, the waitress brought the Scotch and Ty downed it in one. Kara let the alcohol hit the Jamaican’s system before she spoke again.

  “Ty, do not think I won’t do this. Do not think I will not have my colleagues take you to a remote location and make you hurt so much that you beg to tell me what you know, just to make them stop. Now make your choice.”

  “I don’t know what his name is.” Ty’s accent had returned to what Kara was used to.

  “Okay, but what do you know?”

  “He works for Chekov.”

  Kara had no idea who that was other than a dead Russian author or the Star Trek helmsman but she didn’t let it show, “What does he do for him?”

  “I don’t know. I just know he works for him.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Cos’ he was there. With all the rest of Chekov’s crew.”

  “Look Ty, you need to concentrate and start telling me a coherent story. I don’t have time for this. Who is he, what does he do, where did you meet him? Start to finish.”

  “Well how the fuck do you get your hands on these passports if you don’t fucking know him? You’re taking the fuckin-” Ty stopped short as Eugene leant his considerable weight down on his shoulder and said quietly, “You need to answer her questions or I’m going to start breaking things like she promised.”

  Ty calmed himself and nodded up towards the bulk that was behind him. “Okay. Okay.”

  Kara repeated herself, “Start to finish.”

  “I saw the man in the passport photo once. With Chekov. I was doing a job in the run up to the Olympics that needed some extra women hanging around. The mark had a liking for foreign girls. Chekov has the biggest stable in town so we came up with a deal through an intermediary. When it was over I was a day late in getting the money to the right place. It was a genuine mistake but Chekov thought I was being disrespectful. I was brought to him. Don’t know where, some big shed. He had a line-up of people watching on.”

  “And this man in the passport was there? You’re sure?”

  “Yeah he was there. He was one of the spectators.”

  “Go on Ty, tell me about it. All of it.” Kara said and nodded up to Eugene who leant his weight off Ty’s shoulder.

  “Chekov had them all lined up to watch. Like it was a warning to them that no one fucks with him. Not even a little bit. Not even if it wasn’t intentional. I mean I had all his money. I had all his fucking money and he still wouldn’t listen to me. He said I had treated him like a peasant. I told him I didn’t mean no disrespect but…” Ty’s voice was shaky, hesitant and he looked like he was going to be sick.

  “Go on,” Kara insisted.

  “He… it was… he just… turned some of his guys loose on me,” Ty’s voice cracked and Kara could see him struggling to swallow.

  Kara softened her approach. She reached forward and set her hand on his, “Tell me the rest Ty.”

  “He fucked me up,” Ty paused again and Kara recognised the struggle he was having. The memories of trauma and the shame of being unable to stop it when it happened. The inability to control your emotions when you remembered it. She knew he would tell her but she also knew it would cost him. She considered leaving it, telling him he could stop, but he was her first decent chance of finding a link to where Chris and Brenda Sterling were. She had no option.

  “Finish the story Ty.” She nodded up to Eugene who put a small amount of pressure back on to Ty’s shoulder.

  “Okay, okay, please don’t hurt me,” Ty gulped air and Kara watched a tear roll down his face. His voice was reedy, thin, almost childlike. “He beat me, but he made sure I stayed conscious. Two others held me up. He didn’t touch my head so I could see and hear and feel every fucking thing.” Ty sniffed and rubbed the back of his hand across his nose, the marks of his tears wetting both cheeks now. “Then Chekov was right there, with a knife to my nuts and another to my throat. Leaning right into me, both blades pressed against me. Shouting that no one betrays him. Then he asked,” Ty looked down and Kara saw his tears fall freely onto the gaudily coloured paper table cloth. She waited.

  Ty’s head remained bowed, “Then he asked if I wanted my nuts or would I take a whipping.”

  Kara knew her face was registering the shock that she could see reflected in Eugene’s. She was going to stop Ty, but before she could say anything he continued, “They tied my arms up and he whipped me. He whipped me like I was some fucking slave and he made all of them watch. That’s why I remember this fucker in the photo. I remember all of them, every face from the six that Chekov made watch. They all stood and stared at me.”

  “Okay Ty. It’s Okay,” Kara nodded at Eugene to stand back. “We’re going to take you home Ty. I’m going to have some of my friends watch over you and your house. Chekov and his people won’t find out that you spoke to me. I can promise you that, but I’ll provide protection for you anyway. Just to make you feel safe. Until you can get your own people back.” She pushed a slim envelope across the table. “Your fee is in there. We’ll take you home now.”

  *

  The phone screen showed 04:00 and ‘No Caller ID’. She struggled to sit up and took a couple of extra rings to prepare to speak, “Kara Wright.”

  “Good morning sleepy. I believe you wanted to talk?”

  Kara’s mind cleared as she swung her legs out of the bed and sat upright, “Yes I did. How long have you got?”

  “Not long. What do you need?”

  “A full background on the man whose kids you put in touch with me.”

  “I can, but if you contact Sandy Marrs he’ll be able to do it a lot easier than me.”

  “We already did, but all he gave us was the standard file.”

  “That’s the full scoop. There’s no special file. The guy in question was just an Imagery Analyst. Nothing of significance. Other than being a bit strange in that he was ex-Navy yet specialised in Russian Tactical Air Forces.”

  “So why did you get contacted if he was just a run-of-the-mill?”

  “Because he and I go back years and some people knew that. It was more helping a mate than anything involved with our world. I mean he was within our circles but at a completely different level. He wasn’t an operator. I met him on board a Royal Naval Frigate that I was hitching a ride on. We bumped into one another off and on over the next lot of years. You know how it is. Some people you see regularly and others you don’t run into again.”

  “Hitching a ride on a Frigate?”

  “Long story. Don’t ask. What’s next?”

  Kara hesitated before asking her next question.

  “C’mon kiddo, I’m on the clock here. What’s next?”

  “Do you still have contacts within organisations like your ex-hubby used to work for?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I need to open an account.”

  “Do you mean in that particular jurisdiction?”

  “Not fussed but it needs to be completely opaque.”

  This time the pause came from the other end of the line. “Completely, as in not traceable?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay, that’s not a problem. I’ll have someone contact you. They’ll use the initials of the band to verify. You can take it from there. Next?”

  “That’s it. Other than, how’s things, are your boots tight, is the mail getting through, do you need me to send socks?” Kara teased.

  Victoria laughed, “I think I’m fine thanks and the socks might be a bit much.”

  “Can you say where?”

  “Sunnier, sandier climes th
at continue to display an unending ability to set their days and nights to a background symphony of RPGs and AK-47’s. You need anything else you know how to get me.”

  “No worries. You keep your head down and thanks.”

  “Too easy, anytime. Say hi to Teen-girl.”

  “I will. Be safe.”

  Kara disconnected the call and decided to get up. Her mind was too busy to be able to get back to sleep.

  Chapter 13

  Wednesday Morning. Central London

  Dan and Eugene were handing over the physical protection of Ty to a couple of their associates. The brothers had maintained a vigil all night and were now heading off for some well-earned sleep. Tien was installing the suite of hidden cameras into the Lizard and Pickle Pub and briefing the owner on how it all worked. Kara was in Victoria Tower Gardens, on the western bank of the Thames with a skinny latte and a Marks and Spencer’s jambon-et-fromage croissant. Although she did wonder what had happened to the days of a cheese and ham sandwich and a white coffee she couldn’t help but feel that out of the rest of them, she had the best of the morning so far. She sat on the low steps of the Buxton Memorial Fountain as the coolness of the morning sun hadn’t burnt off the dew on the grass.

  Gazing up she could see half of Big Ben’s face and only the very tip end of the minute hand as it tried to hide completely behind the tower and spires of the Palace of Westminster. Off to her left and not to be outdone by its more famous counterpart, the clock on the eastern end of the former Church of St John’s was hiding behind the full foliage of the trees that lined the gardens. Kara watched as the breeze stirred the leaves and the hands of the Baroque edifice’s clock peeked into view. It was 07:25. She watched the minute hand slew to twenty-six and saw David turning into the far end of Dean Stanley Street. He walked with confident, long casual strides and Kara couldn’t help but reflect that the once Police Constable might have left behind his uniform days, but still meandered like he was on ‘the beat’.

  He smiled and waved to her as he came through the gates to the gardens. “Don’t get up,” he said sarcastically as he plonked himself down beside her.

  “Charming. I could just keep these for myself,” she said gesturing towards a takeaway cappuccino and the second Marks and Spencer’s croissant.

  He leant over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “What would I do without you, oh favourite sister of mine?”

  “That’s not much of a compliment, oh only sibling of mine,” she teased him back.

  “So, what do you need?” he said as he twisted the plastic lid off his coffee.

  “David, why do you think that every time I drop in to see you, or call you, or arrange to have an alfresco breakfast snack with you that I naturally want something?”

  He didn’t answer but she saw his eyebrows raise over the rim of his cup.

  “Well, I might need a little thing,” she admitted.

  “Of course you might,” he checked his watch. “But we’ll have to get a move on Sis, I have a briefing on the move to go to.”

  “What move?”

  “The building move. Remember? The whole of New Scotland Yard is being shifted.”

  “Oh yeah,” Kara said a little vaguely. She remembered reading some stuff in the press but had slightly tuned out to David’s explanation of what was happening when she had gone round for dinner a few months ago. She didn’t feel too bad. Alice had tuned out just as much if not more. “So you’re all moving to,” she hesitated and her brows furrowed.

  He shook his head and said a little exasperated, “Embankment. We’re all, well not all, but about half of us are going to Embankment. Anyway, never mind concerning yourself about that. Obviously. But, I have to be in the office fairly sharpish. So what do you need?”

  “No problem. It’s just a bit of background. Should be simple for you. I came across the name of a fairly nasty thug yesterday but I’ve no ideas on him other than he’s brutal and runs prostitutes. Wondered what you guys had on him? The name’s Chekov, I assume it’s an alia-” Kara was silenced by the look that passed over her brother’s face. He had been about to take a bite from his croissant but had stopped short. He set it and the coffee back down.

  “Kara, did you meet this man?”

  “No David. I just heard about him. What the fuck’s the matter? You’ve gone grey.”

  “You listen to me Kara. I am not messing about here. Did you see him or were you seen by him?”

  “No, I wasn’t David. I told you.”

  “Yeah I know you told me and I also know that sometimes you don’t tell me the truth ‘cos you think you’re protecting me from all the weird and daft shit you get up to. But this is different.”

  “David,” she said it forcefully. “I promise I’ve had no contact with this man. Now who the fuck is he? You’re worrying me.”

  “Well you should be worried. The guy is an animal.”

  “Yeah, I know that already from the story I was told. What I don’t know is who he is. You obviously do. What’s his real name?”

  “We have no idea. We know of him, but we’ve never got close to getting him. He’s an ex-pat Russian who’s been over here for fifteen, maybe twenty, years. In all that time I think we have one photo of him and we’re not even sure it’s him. We do know what he does and some of the specifics he’s gotten up to, but we’ve never had one shred against him. On the one occasion we thought we were getting close the confidential informant we had just disappeared. No trace, ever.”

  “So what sort of stuff are we talking about? I heard he ran girls?” Kara asked.

  “He does. High and low-end prostitutes and when I say high I mean really top end, thousands of pounds for a couple of hours. He controls a chunk of the amphetamines coming in to the East End and possibly controls the traffic lanes from Amsterdam. We certainly know he provides protection around the east and north of the city. We’ve lifted low-level people who work at the street end of his operations but they’ve never even seen him let alone interacted with him. He always keeps them at a distance. And frightened. He keeps them very frightened. From what we do know, we figure he has about seven or eight key people who run the operations side for him. They control the street ops and keep the fear pressing down on the lower end.”

  “I’d guess he has six key people working for him David. And yes, they are well motivated to keep their people in line.”

  David looked genuinely startled, “How can you possibly know that?”

  “Because I met someone last night who was flogged in front of them to keep them focussed.”

  “Jesus Kara. Who was it? We need to talk to him.”

  “That’s not going to happen David. Even if I gave him up, he wouldn’t talk to you and he certainly wouldn’t be standing up in a court. You can’t scare him as much as Chekov does.”

  “So why did he talk to-,” David stopped himself asking the question. “Don’t bother. I don’t want to know.”

  “Okay, so you’re not telling me much new here. Chekov’s a thug and a nasty one, does drugs and prostitution and protection. Anything else?”

  “As well as our CI that went missing, he’s suspected of being involved in a stack of murders or disappearances in the UK and a whole litany of others back in his home.”

  “Which is?”

  “Somewhere in that bit of Russia that’s squeezed in between Poland and Latvia.”

  Kara shook her head.

  “What?” David asked.

  “I think you mean the Kaliningrad Oblast and I think you’ll find it’s between Poland and Lithuania. Did you actually take Geography in school?”

  Her kid brother raised his middle finger.

  “Mature, nice. Suits you. Now, can you get me a look at his file?” she asked with no embarrassment.

  “Nooo! Of course I can’t Kara.”

  She lifted her coffee and drunk it without taking her eyes off him.

  “Stop it,” he said and looked away. She continued to stare and waited for him to look back
. “Kara, pack it in. I can’t get you in to look at his file.” She held her stare.

  David tried to eat the rest of his croissant and drink his coffee without making eye contact with her but in the end he gave up, like he always had when they were little and still did even now. “Fine! I’ll read the damn thing myself and talk to you later. Okay, satisfied?”

  Kara smiled, shimmied over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “You are the best brother a girl could want,” she laughed as he stood up. “Oh and the photo of him would be handy?”

  “You’re the worst sister a bloke could want and fine, I’ll get you a copy of his photo. But you have got to be careful Sis. This is-”

  She cut him off by holding her hand up like a traffic policeman on point duty, “David, it’s me and Tien you’re talking about. We’ll be careful. We’re always careful.”

  “Okay,” he said and smiled a half smile, half grimace down at her. “I’ve got to get into this meeting Kara. I’ll come see you tonight. Try and be good.”

  “Oh, I will, but tell me, did you get up to something naughty with Wendy Mead at that conference this year?”

  David paused and Kara watched as he had to place who Wendy Mead was. That told her most of what she had thought but David confirmed it anyway.

  “No I didn’t! She was a nice person. We spoke at the majority of the interval breaks. I think she was just a bit lonely that’s all. Why? What on earth did she say?”

  “She didn’t say anything bad, relax. In fact she just enthused over how simply spiffing and wonderful you are. And I can see her point.” Kara reached her hand out and David helped her up.

  “I am spiffing and wonderful,” he paused, “And so are you.”

  They hugged and as David left the gardens to the west Kara left them to the south. Her mobile began to ring as she turned onto the footpath that ran along the side of the river. She pulled the phone from her pocket but didn’t recognise the number.

  “Kara Wright.”

  “Hi Kara. My name is Timothy Yorath. I believe you wanted to talk to me about an account?”