Chapter Thirty-nine
MI6 Headquarters, Vauxhall Cross
London, United Kingdom
“What else do we know about the kidnapping?” Justin asked and glanced at the phone transcript Mandy had slid across the table. It was Ying’s phone call, where she had threatened to kill Mary if the team did not stop its efforts to thwart the assassination.
“Nothing new.” Mandy shrugged and stood up. She walked to the large wall-size whiteboard, where she had taped a series of photos and had drawn boxes connected to each other by a series of intricate lines. “Mary disappeared three days ago. Security cameras show the last place she was seen was at the Caledonian Road station. That’s on the tube’s Piccadilly line. You’ve seen the video.”
Justin nodded. The grainy, blurry recording showed Mary walking toward a series of apartment buildings and then disappearing behind a double-decker bus. “Right. What was she doing there?”
“Not sure. As far as we know, she has no friends in the area. Maybe she went to buy something. There are many stores in the area, some high-end ones.”
“Did anyone see her?”
“No, but we’re still checking. We suspect this is where someone nabbed her.” Mandy tapped the map on the whiteboard. “Just outside the station.”
“All right. So Ying has Mary. Did you get proof of life?” Carrie asked.
“No, I wasn’t the one talking to her, otherwise I would have asked for that. But when she calls again, we’ll do that.”
“Are you sure it was a local call?” Justin said.
“Yes, according to our tech staff. The number could have been scrambled, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It was prepaid, just activated yesterday. No other calls were made or received by that number, which makes me think it’s genuine.”
“Where did they triangulate the caller’s location?”
“Waldegrave Gardens in Upminster. We’re checking the area, but the signal disappeared, so there’s not much hope of finding the caller.”
Justin nodded and returned to the one-page transcript. He had read it perhaps half a dozen times. He looked at Mandy, who was still standing by the whiteboard. “They really think we’ll stop?”
“No, this is to demoralize us and to eat up some of our resources,” Mandy said. “This sounds harsh, especially coming from me, but the Russian president’s life is more valuable than Mary’s.”
Justin nodded. Whether he liked it or not, the UK’s policy was very clear when it came to dealing with terrorists. There would be no negotiations, no giving in. The only way that Mary’s life would be saved was by a rescue mission. Or a trade. If somehow we can capture Lim or Ying alive, it will be his or her life for Mary’s.
He sighed and glanced at his laptop. The screen showed a map of the Russian president’s route. Markov was still working on securing Justin’s and Carrie’s participation in the convoy as part of the security. There had been some initial reluctance to having foreign intelligence agents so close to the head of the Russian state, especially considering the threat. No one openly suspected the CIS of having any part in the plot, but there was a heightened level of distrust of anyone who was not Russian. Still, Markov was confident she was going to convince her superior and the head of the Federal Protection Service, or the FSO, charged with the protection of the president’s life.
“Let’s see if we’ve missed anything.” Justin clicked to the MI6 report Mandy had given them. He and Carrie had already reviewed it, but he wanted to re-examine it.
Mandy shrugged. “I’m not sure there’s anything of use in there, except for what we already know. I’ve got to make a few calls, but I’ll be back in half an hour, I hope.”
* * *
It had been about twenty minutes when Justin’s phone rang. He recognized the ringtone he had assigned to calls forwarded from the phone he had left with the Mossad agent’s men back in Iraq. It could be Suen or Ying. They are the only ones who have that number. He glanced at Carrie, who said, “Speakerphone.”
Justin nodded, then tapped the answer key and said, “Yes, this is Justin,” followed by tapping the speakerphone key.
“Justin Hall, this is Lim. You’ve been looking for me,” said a strong male voice with barely a hint of the Chinese accent.
“Lim, Huang Lim?” Justin said and motioned for Carrie to go and find Mandy.
“Yes, were you expecting another Lim?”
“Making sure you didn’t have the wrong number.”
“Oh, you think you’re a funny guy.”
“Sometimes. Why did you call?”
“To tell you that neither you nor MI6 or the Russians will stop me.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“This isn’t my first op, Justin, and I’ve never failed.”
“Do you have any investments, Lim?”
A moment of pause, then Lim said, “No, but what does that have to do with—”
“When people make investments, they’re told that past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. This will be your last op, and you will fail.”
“Oh, really? What makes you so sure?”
Justin smiled. “I’m not going to repeat your words, but let’s say I’ll explain it to you when we meet.”
“When we meet, I’ll put a bullet in your head. How’s that for an explanation?”
“We’ll see about that. Now, what do you want?”
“I have something you want.” Shuffling noises, then Lim shouted, “Speak.”
“Hey ... please, help ... help me,” a sobbing female voice said.
“Mary, don’t worry, we’ll—”
Lim’s voice cut Justin off. “No, you’re not going to save her. The only way you’ll see Mary alive is if you stand down and give up coming after me and Ying.”
Justin frowned. He looked up as Carrie and Mandy burst into the conference room. “Lim, I thought you said no one can stop you. Let Mary go. This doesn’t involve her.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that. She’s my insurance policy. And you’d better follow my order, or her blood will be on your hands.”
“I want to talk to Mary again.”
“Why? You heard her, so you have proof of life.”
“I want to reassure her that everything will be okay.”
“It will be, if you do what I say.”
“Lim, ten seconds with Mary; that’s all I’m asking for.”
A brief silence, more shuffling, then the woman said, “Help me, this is Mary. They’re holding me at—”
The sound of a slap, then Lim said, “Hall, that’s why you wanted to talk to her? So she could give you the location?”
“No, no, of course not. Don’t hurt her.” Justin looked at Mandy.
She nodded and mouthed the words, Yes, that is Mary.
Carrie frowned and clenched her jaw. She stomped toward the phone, but Justin stopped her with a hand gesture.
“I’m going to kill her, Hall. I swear, I will put a bullet in her head.”
“No, Lim, look, don’t hurt her.”
“Stay away from the president, and perhaps you’ll see Mary alive, if she behaves. But if I as much as sniff you or Carrie or anyone else from MI6, or the Russians, she’ll be the first to die. Got it?”
“You think you’ll defeat the Russians—”
“None of your business. Stay away, or you’ll regret your actions. Got it?”
“Lim, this isn’t—”
“Tell me you understand, Hall.”
Justin sighed. “I do, Lim. But whatever...” His voice trailed off as Lim ended the call. Justin placed the phone on the table. “He’s gone.”
“And he has Mary,” Carrie said and cursed Lim and Ying.
“I’ll check with the techs,” Mandy said, “about the signal’s location.”
Justin shook his head. “It’s of no use. Lim is a pro. The signal would be bouncing off a series of satellites. Or he could be simply using a cheap burner phone.”
Mandy shrugged. “What do we do then?”
Justin pointed at his phone. “Now we know for certain that Lim has Mary. Let’s keep searching for her. Maybe someone saw her when she was taken. Anything we can find.”
Mandy nodded. “I’ll get us more help.”
Carrie said, “Yes, and let’s get closer to the Russian president. Lim’s determined to go ahead with the assassination.”
“Yes, and he seemed unfazed by the Russian security presence,” Mandy said. “Maybe he does have a mole in their midst.”
“Or maybe he’s just overly confident. A serious mistake,” Justin said.
Carrie said, “Whatever it is, let’s talk to the FSO.”
“Yes, the two of you can handle the convoy. I still believe the attack will happen at the hotel, so I’ll cover that angle.”
“Great. I’ll give Markov a call, then Carrie and I will meet with her and come up with a plan.”