The Saboteur (Jude Lyon) by Simon Conway

Author:Simon Conway [Conway, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

40 One step behind

The Situation Awareness Group is a hive of unexpected and purposeful activity. Every work station appears occupied. Casually dressed twenty-somethings are moving back and forth from the glass-walled offices that flank the operations room. He sees that even the windowless room with foam-covered walls, which Gretchen refers to as the Black Room, is occupied.

As Jude crosses the open space in Rosanna’s wake, he catches sight of Gretchen smiling at him across the top of a dividing wall. It seems that Rosanna’s right and she’s with her tribe. The number of orchids and bromeliads has multiplied tenfold.

Rosanna stops in the middle of the room and says to no one in particular, ‘Can we get a briefing?’

The whole room stops and Jude is impressed by her effortless authority. A curly-haired man in sneakers and a white sleeveless cricket jumper with a Blue Peter badge on his left pocket grabs a tablet from one of the work stations.

‘Jude, this is Dan,’ Rosanna says.

Jude nods and they shake hands.

‘The police found the car they were using,’ Dan explains. ‘Candida Taunton purchased a seven-year-old Toyota Corolla with cash two days ago from a used car dealer called Ray Ridley in World’s End. That’s the same day that Levi Minkin of Mr Roxy’s Pet Food was killed and his barn burned to the ground. We made the connection through the Narcotics Anonymous meetings that both Candida and Ray attend on an irregular basis. Ray was uncooperative at first but when SO15 explained he was likely to be charged with terrorism offences he quickly changed his mind. Three hours after its purchase, number plate recognition places the Corolla heading east out of Gravesend in the direction of Mr Roxy’s Pet Food. And an hour later heading back into London.’ Dan touches the tablet screen and the video wall shows a map of north and east London with red data-pins marking the locations where the vehicle was logged by CCTV and road-rule enforcement cameras. ‘The gaps between sightings suggest that the vehicle was stationary on at least five occasions. We have been reviewing video footage in these locations but so far we have not identified Guy Fowle, Candida Taunton or their teenage son Cosmo.’

‘Quite the family,’ Rosanna says.

‘We lost all track of the vehicle at two a.m. in Bethnal Green,’ Dan continues. ‘There are no further sightings of the Corolla so I think we have to assume that they switched vehicles. The police are looking for abandoned and burned-out cars that match the Corolla’s description. They are also talking to registered scrap dealers and garage owners, but we’ve had no luck yet.’

‘What about the malware used in the oil terminal attack?’ Rosanna asks.

‘We can’t examine it because we don’t have a copy. It was destroyed in the explosion. However, we do know that it was communicating with the company’s national control centre right up until the moment of the first detonation,’ a woman says from the door to the Black Room. She’s wearing a vest and her arms are fully sleeved, even more intricately tattooed than Gretchen’s.

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