The River Seine Killings : A Snowdonia Murder Mystery (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Book 10) by Simon McCleave

Author:Simon McCleave [McCleave, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stamford Publishing
Published: 2021-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Ruth and Nick were sitting in Moreau’s neat office in the DGSE building. The slatted blinds had been closed and the only light was from her desk lamp. She handed a thick file over to Ruth, who couldn’t help but notice Moreau’s slender hands, immaculate French-tipped nails, and the lack of a wedding ring on her left hand.

I wonder if she’s gay, she thought in that fleeting moment.

‘This is everything we have on Milan Golkin,’ Moreau explained. ‘He was a Colonel in the Spetsnaz.’

‘What’s that?’ Nick asked.

‘Russian special forces. They are controlled by the main military intelligence service, the GRU.’

Ruth looked confused. ‘Maybe I’ve watched too many films but I thought the KGB was the Russian intelligence agency?’

Moreau shook her head. ‘The KGB was effectively a state-run, secret police force and has had little power in recent years. The GRU has no time for the KGB. It thinks it’s old fashioned and obsolete. The GRU is military intelligence and sees itself as far superior. At the turn of the millennium, Golkin virtually ran an elite unit called 29155.’

‘Catchy,’ Nick joked.

‘What did they do?’ Ruth asked.

‘Foreign assassinations, covert operations. You remember the poisonings in Salisbury in 2018?’

Ruth nodded. ‘Of course.’

How could she forget the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the seemingly leafy and harmless Wiltshire city of Salisbury in March that year. Skripal was a former Russian military officer and a double agent for the British Secret Intelligence Service. The British government eventually accused Russia of attempted murder, and retaliated by expelling many Russian diplomats.

‘Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, the two men suspected of the poisoning, are GRU Unit 29155 agents.’

Ruth looked slightly shocked. ‘And Golkin still runs this special unit?’

Moreau shook her head. ‘No. Five years ago he went rogue.’

‘Meaning?’ Nick asked.

‘I suppose it means freelance. He sold his services to the highest bidder.’

‘Patrice Le Bon?’ Ruth guessed.

‘Correct. Le Bon has been one of his employers, along with Sergei Saratov.’

Ruth let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘Which is why he was at the hospital and why we saw him taking Sarah from there and into a waiting car.’

‘How do we find Golkin?’ Nick asked.

‘My honest answer is that you don’t.’

‘Why not? We’re experienced police officers.’

‘Golkin is a psychopath. He’s incredibly dangerous.’

After a brief silence, Ruth got up out of her chair. ‘I’m sorry, Camille. We’re not going back to the UK without Sarah.’

‘You two need to listen to what I have to say to you. You are now out of your depth,’ Moreau warned. ‘If you go after Golkin you’ll probably end up seriously injured or dead.’

Nick got up, casting his eyes from Ruth to Moreau. ‘Well, we’ll just have to take our chances then, won’t we?

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