Deadline by Terence J. Quinn

Author:Terence J. Quinn [Quinn, Terence J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Published: 2020-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

43

THERE WAS a sharp rap on the door and Shiv O’Shea strode in, followed by Mrs H with her arms outstretched as if to say, ‘What can I do?’

‘Perfect timing,’ I said. ‘Mrs H, can we have some coffee please?’

I got up and walked to the two sofas that faced each other in one corner of the massive room. Shiv sat demurely on one, her face devoid of expression.

I sighed heavily. Bolshy’s vehemence had shaken me.

‘I really, really hope you are here to tell me you’ve found out something about our Russian lord and master.’

‘Well boss, now you come to mention it …’ She had a strange smile on her face that said little but promised much.

‘Come on, Shiv, whatcha got?’ I said.

‘Actually, I shouldn’t gloat … it’s quite serious. You remember I told you that an old friend of mine, Barbara Scaife, had died?’

‘Yes, but what has it got to do with Bolshakov?’

‘It’s a long story, so you’ll need to be patient.’ Shiv took a deep breath. ‘Barb and I trained together twenty years ago. Later, I went to Fleet Street, she moved back to Leeds. We kept in touch over the years, mainly by email, but only saw each other occasionally.

‘Barb worked on the business desk of the Yorkshire Telegraph. One of her banking sources tipped her off that Marvell Manufacturing International got into serious financial difficulty some years ago. After no one else would touch them, they received loans from a Russian bank.’

Bugger me. ‘I assume Marvell Manufacturing has something to do with the PM?’

‘Dead right. It’s the family firm. His father Albert is still the chairman despite being in his eighties, and one of the PM’s brothers is the current CEO. James Marvell worked there after he left uni and before he went into politics. On the face of it, he no longer has anything to do with the company. But he wouldn’t want the firm to go down the gurgler. His family has owned it for most of the last century.’

‘We should check the Parliamentary Members’ Register of Financial Interests to make sure he hasn’t got a direct interest,’ I said.

Shiv suggested that we get Douglas French on to it. ‘He’s the political editor after all. He could give us a better insight to all that stuff.’

‘Can we trust him with this?’

‘I think so. I’ve known him for several years. He’s a dry old stick but he loves the paper and he’s a byline tart. The man lives and breathes intrigue.’

‘Okay, let’s get him in shortly. But you still haven’t told me why you think Bolshy’s connected to all this.’

She smiled at me sweetly. ‘Does the name Varvara Moroshkin happen to mean anything to you?’

‘The only Varvara I know is married to Bolshakov. Wait, you mean …’

Shiv nodded in delight. ‘Barb came across the name when she was researching MMI’s financial documents. ‘She was trying to find out where the company’s big cash bail-out had come from.’

‘How do you know all this? Have you spoken to the Scaife woman?’

‘No.

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