Peter Robinson - Watching the Dark

‘A car came, and she got into it.’

‘Whose car?’

‘Roderick Flinders. I know because I’ve seen him here before.’

‘What make of car?’

‘A grey Clio.’

‘What happened?’

‘I don’t know. I wasn’t watching. I was just crossing the yard, coming here, as a matter of fact, when I saw her walk out of the gatehouse and get in the car.’

‘Did she get in of her own free will?’

‘I suppose so. I mean, I think I’d have noticed a struggle. I can’t really say I paid a lot of attention. I had other things on my mind.’

‘It’s all right, Dennis,’ said Annie. ‘I’ve finished now. You can put it out of your mind again. For the moment.’ Then she turned away and walked off.

When she got in her car, out of the rain, Annie thought things over and realised that Flinders would certainly have heard about what happened to Corrigan, and that would have shaken him up a bit. He wouldn’t necessarily know who had shot Corrigan and Curly, that it was an angry parent of a girl their organisation had exploited, or why, so he might well have imagined that it was something to do with the murdered policeman and journalist, and that the whole enterprise was falling apart. Perhaps he thought that he himself was next for the chop. The sensible thing to do would be to abandon ship.

And no doubt Joosep Rebane back in Estonia, or wherever he lived, would have heard the news by now, too, and his most sensible course of action would be to extricate himself as completely as possible from the whole business. Three murders meant way too much pressure and scrutiny. Best to wash his hands and walk away.

But where, Annie wondered, did that leave Krystyna? And how had she got to the yeast factory? She probably knew the name of the place, Varley’s, having seen it day after day, and she had enough money for a taxi. She thought she would find Ewa there, but she had found Roderick Flinders instead.

Annie stopped at the gatehouse on the way out. The man was still reading his paper.

‘Got a minute?’ she asked.

He acted as if it were a great hardship to tear himself away from the Sunday Sport .

‘What is it?’

‘There was a young girl here earlier this morning. She was seen coming out of your office and getting in a car, Roderick Flinders’ car.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Want to tell me why?’

‘Because Mr Flinders asked me to get in touch with him if I saw any of them. They weren’t supposed to be here, see. He’d placed them all somewhere else, but I suppose not all of them knew. She couldn’t speak English, anyway.’

‘You work for Flinders?’

‘No. Varley’s. But he treats me well, and I keep an eye on his crews. It’s good for everyone.’

‘What did she want?’

‘I think she was looking for someone. She kept saying a name. Sounded like Eva. I told her to come in out of the rain and sit down for a minute and I’d try to find out for her.’

‘And you phoned Flinders.’

‘Yes.’

‘What did he say?’

‘To keep her there, and he’d be over as soon as he could. He only lives about fifteen minutes’ drive away. I gave her a fag and a cup of tea. She seemed content enough. A bit nervous, maybe.’

‘And Flinders took her away?’

‘She went with him. He nodded when she said Eva, to let her know he knew what she meant and he could help her, like.’

‘Where did he take her?’

‘Now, how the hell should I know?’

‘So, am I to understand that Joosep Rebane is something of a celebrity?’ said Banks, lowering his voice. Joanna had stopped sulking and pricked up her ears now.

‘Celebrity criminal, you might say,’ Erik answered, scratching at his bushy beard. ‘Nothing proven, of course.’

‘Of course,’ said Banks.

‘It does not harm his reputation that he looks like a rock star and has the lifestyle to match,’ Erik went on.

‘But I’ll bet he doesn’t play an instrument.’

‘He plays many. The gun. The knife. The baseball bat.’

‘A veritable symphony,’ muttered Joanna.

Banks sipped some coffee. It was cold but strong.

‘Thirty-one years old, and for the past four of them, he’s been the leading man in the drug-dealing and people-trafficking rackets and, clearly, also is involved in these migrant labour schemes that your friend and Mihkel have been investigating. Baltic Mafia. Estonia is not a destination, you understand, but it is a route. Rebane is a skilled fac— what is the word?’

‘Factotum? Facilitator?’ Banks suggested.

‘Facilitator. Yes. He has connections with all the organised criminal groups in Eastern Europe, especially the Russians, but in some ways he stands very much alone and aloof. Very Estonian.’

‘Have the cops ever got close to him?’

‘It is possible,’ Erik said. ‘But I do not know. My guess would be that he always has someone powerful on the inside. He greases the palms. Is that how you say it?’

‘That’s how we say it.’

‘We have corruption here, like everywhere. Police, local government, parliament, for all I know.’

‘You say he’s been in the business for about four years?’

‘Yes. Before that he was just another wild, spoiled, rich kid who got away with far too much, and spent his time with the wrong sort of people. He came to prominence in his own right when a storage container full of illegal immigrants was found at Southampton docks. A container that was discovered to have shipped from Tallinn. You may remember the incident. Two of the people inside were dead. Of course, there was no evidence to link him to the crime, but his name was whispered in many circles, and it soon became something to fear.’

‘Was the newspaper involved?’

‘We could not name him, but we came as close as we could without risking a libel suit. His father is Viktor Rebane, a very famous and powerful businessman. He was fortunate enough to be able to buy into utilities after the Soviets left and everything was privatised.’

‘I wonder what he thinks of his son.’

‘Viktor Rebane has never spoken publicly on the subject. He is a very well respected figure, himself, but he must be aware of his son’s activities. Sources, however, say he becomes furious every time Joosep’s name is linked to some crime or bad behaviour, but he can do nothing to stop him. Joosep is headstrong.’

‘Did Mihkel write about Joosep?’

‘Yes. In “ Pimeduse varjus ”.’

‘So there was no love lost between them?’

‘Pardon?’

‘I mean, they didn’t like each other.’

‘I do not know if they ever met. I do not think so. But no. Mihkel recognised Joosep Rebane for what he was, a thug come into power. And Mihkel could be merciless in his attack, so that everyone knew who he meant.’

‘Does Joosep have a reputation with women, too?’

‘There have been complaints. Rape. Violence. All withdrawn.’

‘Any deaths?’

‘None that could be directly linked to him.’

‘His name comes up six years ago,’ Banks explained, ‘when Larisa worked at the club, and her friend Juliya was Joosep Rebane’s girlfriend for a while. Juliya left town rather suddenly around the time Rachel disappeared. Larisa thinks she went back to Belarus. His name has also come up more recently in connection with Warren Corrigan, Roderick Flinders, and their migrant worker scheme. Rebane probably runs the agencies here, Flinders does the staffing and accommodation in northern England, and Corrigan puts them all in debt. Nice little scam. Robert Tamm is probably Rebane’s enforcer, or one of them. Can you search around for any links?’

‘I can try,’ said Erik. ‘But as I told you, he’s low profile. He manages to keep his name out of the newspapers. Even ours.’