Robert Young - Gatecrasher

‘I had nothing to do with that!’ Asquith interrupted sharply. ‘Michael acted entirely in secret and of his own volition.’

‘As you say. Even so, the mere association is enough, for a conviction, as they say, in the court of public opinion. You know this perfectly well and you know that this would ruin you, your ex-partner, and the existing company and every one of its staff.’

Campbell paused for a moment, to let his words sink in. He needed the other man to realise what he knew, how far this went and that he was to be taken seriously. Asquith didn’t respond this time, his quick temper apparently replaced now by apprehension, as if he couldn’t figure out Campbell’s role in this.

‘I am aware of the attempt to blackmail you Mr Asquith though I can assure you, I am in no way involved, if that is what you are thinking.’

‘I think you should tell me who you are before I call the police,’ Asquith replied with a hard edge to his voice, clearly short of patience now. Time to play your hand Campbell.

‘I can tell you who your blackmailer is Mr Asquith, and why.’

‘I saw what I thought to be an opportunity to make a significant sum of money many years ago and that is exactly what I achieved. Did my small actions prolong the civil war? Did they sway the war in any particular or decisive direction? Could I have stopped it by abstaining from what I did?’ Horner shook his head at Griffin, his expression dismissing any objections the other man might seek to make. ‘My actions represented a tiny fraction in a far wider situation. There were larger institutions with vested interests in the conflict, getting paid vastly more than I received and involved in ways that dwarfed my own involvement. But those actions were despicable and shameful nonetheless. I profited from the misery of other people. Yes. I was ruthlessly opportunistic and those actions have come full circle to haunt and threaten me and other people. Yes. I do not want you to understand this Andrew and I do not ask for such hollow luxuries as forgiveness. But what I would like from you is discretion.’

The silence that followed was thick with tension as Griffin took in the weight of Horner’s words. He reached for the glass of water and took a sip, then another, set the glass down.

‘Silence?’ Griffin said, his tone cool and challenging.

Horner said nothing. After a moment he dipped his head just a fraction in assent.

‘I have no more interest in this information becoming public knowledge than you do,’ Griffin said.

‘Not now I grant you. But things change, people move on, retire. I should very much like to ensure that should circumstances, uh, alter in time, I can rely on you to remain, what is the phrase? On message.’

And then Horner slipped a hand inside the jacket of his expensively cut suit and took out a small dark object. He laid it on the table in front of him and pushed it halfway toward Griffin. It was a small black velvet pouch. Griffin wanted to examine Horner’s expression, his eyes, but his own eyes were fixed on the bag.

Time passed and neither man spoke or moved. Horner sat motionless, watching Griffin stare down at the table.

Then, slowly, Andrew Griffin sat forward and hesitantly reached for the pouch on the table. Though he knew what he would see there, something compelled him to look anyway, something he couldn’t fight.

He picked it up and could feel the hard sharp shape inside the velvet as he pulled it open.

‘The price of silence,’ Michael Horner said softly.

Griffin gave no indication that he had heard him as he continued to stare inside at a large uncut diamond.

Wednesday. 6.40pm.

His bait cast, Campbell watched to see whether it would be taken. He had further to go yet though. Even if Asquith did bite, he still had to reel him in.

‘Over the course of around the last eighteen months, three companies have been quietly purchasing stock in three specific firms,’ Campbell began. ‘This is perfectly normal since they are investment companies and the purchases have been so arranged that they were spread out over time and transacted through a number of different dealers. The use of more than one investment firm to do this and the process of layering the investments helps to disguise the true nature of what is happening. But the upshot is that these three investment houses now collectively represent the majority shareholders of each of the companies in which they are investing, holding in total just short of 30 per cent of each firm. The shares that they have been buying up are in construction and engineering firms Mr Asquith, firms who are now awaiting the results of the tender process for the Malaysian Dam project that is being in large part funded by the British Government’s Department for International Development. The contracts for the design, construction and implementation of the project are worth many tens of millions of pounds and will, naturally, bolster both the coffers and the share price of the firms that win those contracts. You of course are perfectly familiar with what I am telling you since it is you that is due, tomorrow, to announce who the successful tenders have been and which firms will win those contracts.’

‘If you are threatening me…’ Asquith began but his tone was uneven and Campbell had the feeling that the Minister for International Development had yet to decide which side of the fence he was on. He had obviously not figured out whether this was just another part of the blackmail plot, if Campbell was one of the conspirators or whether he were not involved at all, as he had asserted.

‘I’m not threatening you in the slightest. On the contrary; the real danger so far has been to me, not from me.’ Campbell said and with that he walked slowly from the shadows across the room toward Geoffrey Asquith and into the light where the other man could see the colourful array of bruising and swelling on his face.

‘Believe me Mr Asquith when I say that I’m here to help. Help us both.’

‘That remains to be seen,’ Asquith replied. He was still being abrupt but that was hardly surprising as far as Campbell could see. What was more significant was that he was still listening.

‘The Dam project has been referred to in various quarters save the very highest and most official, as a white elephant. The hydroelectric plant will produce energy for a region that already has an energy surplus. Already some 10,000 people have been displaced from their homes — land owned by their ancestors for generations — and moved to smaller, inferior plots where the land is of poorer quality and in places largely infertile. The fabric of these communities has been torn; alcoholism and violent crime already on the increase. The environmental assessments are widely acknowledged to be deeply flawed and accusations of suppression and even falsification of information are common. An area the size of a large town will be flooded by the dam, threatening the habitat of a diverse range of plants and animals and the costs of the entire project are said to be significantly higher than comparable examples in the developed world.’

‘There have been a number of in-depth studies conducted both by the Malaysian government and our own agencies. We could exchange stories all evening about whose sources are the more credible or politically motivated,’ Asquith replied defensively.

‘Of course we could but only one of us would then be a liar Mr Asquith. This is all a matter of public record anyway and there’s no point me trying to argue with you. I have no doubt you are far more extensively read on this subject than myself. Indeed, that is why you are here.’

‘So you are one of them?’ he said but his tone lacked conviction. Campbell wanted him uncertain though because if he was intrigued then maybe he would keep listening.