“I led you to believe that we were looking for her in Yorkshire, and indeed you seemed to lower your guard because of this. However, we have CCTV film of her escape from Blackbushe airfield, which clearly shows the French registered aircraft which was chartered for the job. Chartered by the Russian embassy, as it happens. We discovered that the security guards at the airfield had been bribed to keep well clear that evening, but you forgot the security cameras. The boy, Donald, tried to make a phone call from the airfield, which we were eventually able to trace, and also found the Wilkinson’s car in the car park. You forgot to arrange for its removal. You also forgot about the banking system. The man from the Russian embassy you sent to collect the cash you had arranged to be paid to the airport security guards, actually signed for the money on your behalf. He was given new £50 notes, and the bank kept a record of their numbers. We have recovered most of the cash.”
“This gets more and more ridiculous,” protested Algar. “You are weaving an ingenious web of fiction, but you cannot have a shred of evidence to link me to any of your wild theories. I demand that you let me return immediately to the Cabinet Office.”
“You will be leaving here shortly,” promised Clayton. “As to evidence, we know that the cash to pay the security guards at Blackbushe was taken from your account. I have been able to obtain a copy of your bank statement, which you are at liberty to study if you wish. And before you ring your bank manager at the Butler Place branch of Lloyds, I can tell you that we did not obtain it from any official source within the bank.”
For the first time, the Director General of MI6 spoke.
“We have been aware for some time of the existence of a Russian sleeper cell operating at a high level in Whitehall,” said Sir Michael Richard, “and if our assumptions are proved to be correct, then your role in running it will eventually help to explain many outstanding issues which have been puzzling us in the past.”
Brian Newman, Head of Special Branch stood up, and two of his colleagues who had been watching moved across to stand behind Sir Robin Algar.
“There are a few further questions we would like to ask you under caution,” said Newman. “Perhaps you would be good enough to accompany us now to Paddington Green police station, where we shall formally place you under arrest.”
“On what possible charge?” demanded Algar.
“Perverting the course of justice for a start, apart from aiding and abetting foreign agents.” replied Newman. “We shall also have in mind your involvement in two murders – Jarvis and Professor Barclay’s brother – and one or two other issues which will become more obvious to you as our questioning continues. There was also an attempt made on Bill Clayton’s life last night, which if successful, would have avoided your presence here today. We shall need to enquire into that. If you wish, I can formally arrest you here and now, and lead you away in handcuffs, but I hope that won’t be necessary.”
“We have at least saved you the indignity of carrying out this briefing in your own office, and having you driven away from there in a police car,” Clayton pointed out. “The Prime Minister is being briefed as we speak, by the way, so word will soon get out.”
“How dare you do this, Clayton, after all I’ve done for you and your career in the past.”
“It’s entirely your fault,” he replied. “You should never have asked me to run this enquiry instead of the people whose proper role it should have been.” He nodded toward the two security chiefs. “It should have been their job, not mine. That’s what first made me suspicious.”
“I demand to see my solicitor,” Algar almost shouted.
“We shall arrange for him to be present at our formal interview at Paddington Green,” said Newman.
“You will be very lucky to make any of this stand up in a court of law,” threatened Algar. “I’ve no doubt the bank statement is a fake, and you have no witnesses to anything at all.”
“We have in mind, since you mentioned witnesses,” countered Clayton, “applying for the extradition of Barbara Wilkinson, to stand trial herself and hopefully confirm your role as her field commander.”
“Huh!” sneered Algar. “Not a hope. She’s already dead – murdered in Moscow.”
“Now that is interesting,” countered Clayton. “How could you possibly know that?”
“You must have told me.”
“Certainly not. Four of us here knew, but we have made sure you were not told. Only your people in Moscow could possibly have told you. And as a matter of interest, Sasha Makienko is also dead. She committed suicide.”
Algar slumped back in his chair, a defeated man, all his dignity and authority gone.
“Whatever will happen to me next?” Algar almost whimpered.
“If we eventually decide to bring charges, you will be given a fair trial, mostly in a closed court in view of the severity of the case, but as you would expect, you will be given a fair trial. If you are found guilty,” said Newman, “you will probably be handed down a long prison sentence. However, as an alternative, we are actively considering the very real possibility of exchanging you for some of our own agents currently being held in Russia. The Foreign Secretary will be in touch with his opposite number in Moscow later this afternoon to begin negotiations.”
“Exchange?”
“That’s right. A spy swap. It will save us a good deal of time, effort and expense, and you will then be able to spend the rest of your life in Russia, the country you appear to be so fond of.”
“Whatever you do, don’t send me there,” pleaded Algar almost hysterically. “It was their ideology and political system that appealed to me, not the people or the country itself. The very thought of spending the rest of my life in a foreign country like that is appalling.”
“Guy Burgess and Donald MacLean managed. And you had no hesitation in sending Professor Barclay into exile to spend the rest of his life in a foreign country. So perhaps you should have thought of that earlier. But since you were arrogant enough to believe you would never be discovered, you must now pay the price and face the consequences.”
“One of which,” Sir Michael Richard could not resist saying, “is that you will be stripped of your Knighthood, Robin.”
“Let’s go,” said Head of Special Branch, as two of his officers took Algar by the arms. Ashen faced he was escorted away from the Briefing Room, and taken to a waiting police van in the underground Clerkenwell car park.
As he left the room, Algar turned.
“Damn you, Clayton,” he hissed.
***
APPENDIX - Characters.
RUSSIAN
Yuri Nevski - London Ambassador
Dmitri Makienko - Secret agent
Sasha Makienko – Dmitri’s wife
Egor Ivanovic - Director, FSB
SWISS
Colonel Schilling – Swiss Air Force Base Commander, Payerne
ENGLISH
Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) members
Sir Robin Algar – Chairman and Cabinet Secretary
Sir Fredrick Forsythe – Permanent Secretary, Foreign Office
James Burgess - Permanent Secretary, Home Office
Sir Len Watkins – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence
General Pearson-Jones - Chief of Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS)
Sir Michael Richards - Head of MI6 (C)
Robert Neil - Head of MI5 (M)
Head of Special Branch
Brian Newman
SECTION 11
Bill Clayton (S) – Head of Section (Col. retired)
Barbara Wilkinson - PA to ‘S’
Commander Nick Marsden – Deputy Head (Special Boat Service)
Maj. Peter Northcot – new recruit (MI5)
Dusty Miller – Staff Sergeant, SAS
Albert ‘Whistler’ Piper – Duty Officer
Archie – driver
Clive Newell - ex-Special Branch
Brian Drake – Head of Communications
Nigel Mynott - IT s
pecialist
‘Spy’ Committee
David Poulson - MI5
Frank Browne - MI6
Stuart Carrington - GCHQ
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
RAF Brize Norton – Tactical Medical Wing
Annie MacKie – RN Petty Officer Medical Assistant (Arctic team)
Military Wing, Selly Oak Hospital., Birmingham
Col Mark Graham - i/c Trauma Unit.
Squadron Leader Drew Wilson
Cpl Phil Saunders - Orderly
Cpl Stan Archer; 1st Rifles - Patient
Others
Alan Jarvis – MI5 (ex-Head of Section 11)
Richard Evans – MI5
Prof Jack Barclay/aka Dr. Roger Lloyd - CERN
Professor Williams – Director, Cullum Nuclear Research Laboratory
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Duncan James was an RAF pilot before eventually reaching the higher levels of the British Civil Service, in a career that included top-level posts at home and abroad with the Defence Ministry, and work with the Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard.
***
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends