Adrian Magson - Retribution

‘How long will it take? I’m at the airport ready to go.’

‘Twenty-four hours, max. I’ve put word upstairs that they’re obstructing our investigations, and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s good to go.’ He paused. ‘This thing with Bikovsky: I’ve been contacting people about this and calling in some favours. Have you spoken to him yet?’

‘No. He’s not answering his phone. I was planning on going there rather than leaving it to a local cop.’

‘Well, when you do, tread carefully. Like your message suggested, Bikovsky’s got history. He ran with a couple of small gangs when he was a kid, and got into street trouble. Nothing really serious, though. But about fifteen years ago he was accused of sexual molestation of a minor.’

‘And they allowed him in the military?’

‘The evidence wasn’t proven. I spoke to a member of the sex crimes unit in San Diego. None of this is repeatable, by the way. In ’ninety-eight Bikovsky was charged with the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl. His lawyer got him off on a technicality. . something to do with her testimony being assisted by one of her brothers. Anyway, they couldn’t get at the truth and the girl finally withdrew her statement. So, no complaint, no charge. Six months later another girl came forward and said Bikovsky had got her involved in illegal drugs for sex and she’d developed HIV. She was a wild child who dropped out of high school and ran with some undesirables. Her father was a high-powered studio executive with a top lawyer in his pocket. He got him to file for a court order under California’s health privacy laws protecting minors. It means her name can’t be disclosed. . and nor can her attacker’s. We’re locked out.’

‘For ever?’

‘Probably not, but it’ll take a ton of paperwork to gain access on the grounds of national security — and maybe even not then. I’ve put that in motion with our legal team but it’s gonna take time. The studio exec’s still around and he’s a real hard nose when it comes to privacy. I haven’t made this information available to anyone else yet — it’s too sensitive.’

‘Is there any possibility he’s guilty?’

‘According to my San Diego PD contact, definitely — and for more than one, in his opinion. But proving it is something else. Fact is, with this rape story coming out of Kosovo, if anyone places Bikovsky there at the time, his history gives validity to the idea. Tread easy with him, Harry. We don’t want to spook him and lose him: we want him to answer for his crimes.’

Harry was beginning to have doubts about his involvement in this. ‘Shouldn’t the police or FBI be doing this? They could have people round there checking on him right now.’

There was a short silence, then Deane said neutrally, ‘They will be called at the appropriate time.’

‘When will that be?’

‘As soon as you find him.’ He paused. ‘There’s more. Pictures of the compound have just arrived. They’re hitting the internet as we speak. They were posted by an anonymous contributor on a blog site with anti-American and extremist links. There’s even a photo of the spot outside the wire where the girl’s body was allegedly found.’

‘Have they named the victim?’

‘Not yet. As it goes there’s very little fact at all, just a brief description with some anti-UN comment. They say more will be revealed shortly. It’s like they’re taunting us. Most of the press have been sceptical so far, thank God, but this stuff is enough to give a louder voice to those who don’t like the UN.’

‘Any way of tracking down the origin of the site?’

‘Not much. Our guys say it probably passed through several servers before hitting the blog site, and the blogger will certainly have moved on by now. Give it a day or so and it’ll come back up from somewhere else. That’s not all, though.’

‘Tell me.’

‘He talks about a “spectacular” being planned.’

It was typical extremist talk, signalling something big in the wind. It could be hot air, to stir up unrest, but Harry didn’t think so. This whole thing felt as if it was gathering momentum. It wouldn’t take much now for the sparks to be fanned into a roaring inferno.

‘Is there a date on the photos?’

‘No. But they look recent. Someone’s been doing his homework.’

Harry was surprised. Somehow he’d expected the depot and everything in it to have disappeared, along with the changing political landscape in Kosovo. He had only a vague memory of the compound itself, having seen it mostly in the dark and under floodlights.

‘Can you email me the photos and send me the link to the blog site?’

‘Sure. If I send the link, you’ll get the photos anyway.’

‘Belt and braces; send both in case the site gets taken down.’

‘Good point. Anything else?’

‘Get your man in Kosovo to take similar shots of the same locations.’

‘How will that help?’

‘It might tell us if they’re genuine. If your man’s shots look different, it’s because the ones you just received are a put-up job.’

‘And if they match?’

‘Then somebody went there to take them. That makes it more real.’

There was a pause. ‘No. I think someone’s playing us.’

‘If you believe that, you’re dreaming.’ He sensed Deane was still reluctant to believe what was happening. ‘This is real — they’ve gone to too much trouble for a scam or a smear campaign against the UN. With this much organization, someone somewhere has got something that’s going to sink you.’

‘Christ, you’re bad news, you know that?’ Deane sounded depressed. ‘What’s your email address?’

Harry gave him the email he shared with Rik. He wasn’t sure how much help the photos would be, but they might refresh his mind about the place where this had all begun.

Deane made a note then said, ‘They’re on the way. Check back with me when you’ve had a chance to study them. I need some input, Harry.’

‘What are you looking for?’

‘Jesus, anything: ideas, thoughts, guesses — anything you’ve got. This thing’s driving me nuts. There’s too much that they know and we don’t.’

‘Such as who “they” are.’

Deane sighed. ‘Tell me about it. Take your pick. We’ve got plenty of anti-UN groups around the world.’

‘I’ve been thinking about that. There’s got to be a connection with Kosovo.’

‘How d’you mean?’

‘They’ve got a story, a location and a list of UN names, none of it random. Anyone wanting to hurt the UN could have taken any one of several complaints over the years, most of them well documented. But this is too specific to one place and one event.’

‘What about the girl’s name? Wouldn’t they have jumped at making that public by now? It would add credibility to their claims.’

‘Maybe it points too directly at the killer or the people behind him. They could be saving that for later once they’ve got the attention of the press.’

‘And here was I thinking it was a single nut job.’

‘Get used to it,’ Harry said. ‘This was never a lone operator. He got the names of personnel from protected UN archives going back a dozen years, with updates on their current locations. So far he’s managed to track down and take out three of them in different countries. He’s mobile and resourceful enough to adapt to situations as they arise. But he couldn’t do it alone. He’s got a network, starting with Demescu and whoever used her.’

‘Well, maybe it’s not all bad news,’ Deane said finally, sounding a little happier. ‘We might yet have a face. The crime scene officers at the place Carvalho was killed found his wallet. No driver’s licence, no cash and no credit card. What are the odds?’