Corruption's Price: A Spanish Deceit (22 page)

Among others working for Señor Garcia-Martín was Pedro's remote cousin, a young woman by the name of Ana de la Rosa. Pedro volunteered that their families, though not closely connected by blood, did occasionally gather together which was why he knew her and why Ana had brought him into this whole affair after the next 'initial player' sought external guidance because of his high opinion of her. While she had a law degree she had chosen not to practice law.

That next player was an Englishman, born of a Spanish mother, who has been working as a consultant to ORS. By coincidence, Pedro said, he had first met him in the case of the Israeli who took refuge in El Al's diplomatically immune corner of Barajas airport. Davide Shape was his name.

Juez
Garibey nodded, by now fascinated at this roll call of the improbable.

"I can speak personally for Davide Shape's integrity from my own experience of the Barajas incident. More relevantly, I know his quality to be verifiable by both Interpol and for work he performed for the Vatican."

At this,
Juez
Garibey's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. He waited for more.

"Connected to both Davide Shape and Interpol is an Australian called Caterina Certaldo. She was also involved that Barajas/El Al affair. At the time she was working for Interpol, having been seconded there from the Australian Crime Commission. She is, to put it in her then boss' words, a genius with computers and especially software. She created the situation you now face, by accident, she maintains.

"Señora Certaldo is travelling with a fellow Australian named Emilia Romagnolo who trained alongside Señora Certaldo but in forensic accounting. Both are on leave from their respective Australian police authority employers. They met with Davide Shape because Señora Certaldo worked with him at the Vatican and he introduced them to ORS, though for what reason I am not yet certain. It's probably not relevant though I will check."

"That's some cast you've assembled. Only one is Spanish so far. Carry on."

"Last Friday ORS was visited by a Señora Márquez, who'd asked to meet ORS to discuss the amounts that ORS is claiming, on behalf of its clients MMH, ServiArquitectos and Constructores Equilibris, from Señora Márquez's client, FyP. You know, the combined pharmacy and para-pharmacy chain?"

"I do indeed. My wife keeps it going from what our bank account tells me," responded
Juez
Garibey somewhat dourly. "How much were these three clients claiming from FyP?"

"I believe in the region of something a bit more than three quarters of a million euros in total, when added up over the past five years."

"A decent sized sum. I assume that your ORS takes a percentage of whatever it can find and return to its clients?"

"Exactly. Now we come to the strange aspect." Pedro recounted the incident where Marta charged her phone on Catrina's laptop, including all the backup, private photos, and such like, which were later discovered. He also named everyone else involved.

"I am amazed, Pedro. This is more like a circus you have assembled. So what do you want me to do?"

"First I'd like you to meet each of my 'initial players' to form your own view, followed by opening a formal investigation, authorising us to operate under your remit.

"I would also like, if you approve, to request the Australian employers of Señoras Certaldo and Romagnolo to second them to assist us here in Spain. This would bring them formally under a legal umbrella as well as make their specialist competences available.

"Finally, I'd like you to ask ORS to make its resources available, including both Señor Garcia-Martín and my cousin. If you're puzzled by me involving ORS it's because I want to ensure an absolute lockdown on what we may find until we know what we have. Regrettably, working from the ORS offices may be more secure than from our own, if you understand my drift."

"Sadly I do. Okay. I'm not agreeing yet. Let me meet the members of your international circus. They are here? How do you want to do it?"

Wednesday: Malasaña

They regrouped at Davide's
piso
in the early evening, for that was closer to the
Sala
of the
Audiencia
Nacional
, and far quicker to reach than going back all the way out to Alcobendas. All were feeling more than a little strung-out, as it wasn't every day you faced a senior
Juez
de
Instrucción
.

Pedro began with, "Now that I have instructions from
Juez
Garibey we can proceed. This is what I suggest. First of all, it's going to take time for
Juez
Garibey's request to reach Australia and later for the relevant authorities to decide."

"I wouldn't bet on it," muttered Emilia, none too quietly.

"In any case, thank you, Emilia and Caterina, for agreeing for us to make the requests for you to be seconded and join our investigative team. As the
Juez
made clear, we believe doing it this way will assist greatly with the legal formalities. I'll be delighted to have you on the team. You'll save us much time given your expertise and experience."

Both tried to look modest and pleased, yet failed dismally. Each loved the idea of being invited and paid to do something from which they obtained real professional pleasure, and in Madrid. Doing it formally was much better than informally, though there would inevitably be bureaucratic constraints attached.

"In addition, I'll need time to organise my own resources. I am, therefore, suggesting that you take a long weekend starting from tomorrow. We'll reconvene next Monday at the ORS offices in Alcobendas. From whenever I can arrange it I'll add discreet policing for the building and for the ORS office.

"I should also apologise, Caterina. It didn't occur to me that
Juez
Garibey might want to see your laptop and that simulated phone on it. I thought the paper printouts we prepared would be sufficient, which they were, though he was clearly disappointed."

"Not to worry, Pedro. Actually, it would've been more convenient for me if I'd brought my laptop to the
Sala
, because I could've brought it back here to work with tomorrow and over the weekend."

"In fact, no. Even if you had brought it with you I would've asked that we keep it somewhere safe, though that will remove you from your favourite 'toy'. I hope you won't mind a few days deprivation, meaning you'll have some enforced time off from it. In Alcobendas it'll be safe until we do as agreed, and move from your simulated version over to running copies on actual smartphones identical to those that Señora Márquez uses. This we can do on Monday and, once working, you can have your laptop back.

"Moving on to you, Felipe. Presumably you need to keep ORS running and won't want to take tomorrow and Friday off."

"I'd love to take tomorrow off. You've maybe forgotten that Friday's a holiday in Madrid, as my staff has been only too happy to tell me. I may pop into the office tomorrow, but shall try not to. It can tick over for a day without me, especially if Ana will go in the morning. Will you, Ana?"

"So I get the short straw? All right, that's okay with me providing you don't mind me leaving as usual by early afternoon."

Felipe was at his most magnanimous in agreeing. This extracted a sour expression from Ana, which everyone but Felipe noticed. The latter was not winning consideration brownie points today.

Pedro said, "You're right. I had forgotten Madrid has Friday off. That makes many things simpler. I'll come to ORS tomorrow and perhaps take Ana out to lunch and home afterwards."

Ana perked up at this, thanking Pedro, while deliberately not including Felipe in her smile.

"That leaves Emilia and Davide. I imagine that you'll want to take the same opportunity as Caterina?"

"Ripper!" gushed Emilia. She almost blurted out to Caterina: "Would you and Davide kindly bugger off? That'd leave the
piso
for me and Alberto." Fortunately she managed to refrain. These were topics not for general airing. What she did say was, "Ana, didn't you mention living nearby here?" Ana nodded. "Maybe we can get together over the long weekend, if you don't have plans?"

"I don't. That'd be good. Let's speak tomorrow or Friday to arrange something."

Pedro, after mentioning having to leave to start the official paperwork, addressed Felipe and Ana: "Do either of you want a lift? I'm going to ask for a car to take me to my office. I can drop you off or get it to drop you off afterwards."

Both Ana and Felipe accepted. The three of them left about five minutes later.

Davide returned from the kitchen with a bottle of Prosecco, saying, "This is all we have at the moment. I'm not sure a celebration's in order but who cares? In any case, I like Prosecco, though it can be difficult to find in Madrid. Will you join me?"

Glasses were filled and they sat down together.

"This has been some week," said Emilia. "I wouldn't have believed it, or that we may yet be back on a payroll."

"We don't know yet," half-contradicted Caterina. "In any case, what shall we do with our spare time?"

A pregnant pause developed. Nobody wanted to be the first to suggest anything until Caterina eventually took pity.

"You want to see Alberto, don't you? And Ana? And you'd much rather Davide and I made ourselves scarce?"

Emilia went bright pink. It was a shockingly unflattering colour. If Davide was taken aback, Caterina was astonished. This was not an Emilia she recognised.

"Yes to the first, and it'd be nice for the second. I was only trying to be friendly to Ana after Felipe's horrid treatment of her just now."

To Caterina's, and Emilia's, surprise, Davide chipped in with, "Nevertheless, it was the right thing to do, Emilia. Well done! I also may be able to spare you further blushes."

Nonetheless, she turned pink again.

"Tío
Toño asked me to visit him in Marbella this holiday weekend. As Emilia wants to be spoken for, would you like to join me, Caterina?"

Emilia stared intensely at her best friend. If looks could manufacture instant decisions ... Instead Caterina replied with a serene thank you, asking for time to think about it.

"You miserable cow!" expostulated Emilia. "You're just doing this to wind me up, aren't you? Admit it."

All of a sudden Emilia wondered if she was being unkind. Perhaps Caterina had her doubts about accompanying Davide. Maybe she was being unreasonable in expecting her friend to leave her in peace.

Caterina projected innocence. In reality she was happy to needle Emilia. At the same time her uncertainty regarding Davide and his invitation was genuine. It was an opportunity to be with him. Yet she felt puzzled about her feelings.

Thursday: Isidoro

'Manners Makyth Man'
was the motto given by William of Wykeham to New College, Oxford when he founded it in 1379. For the fourteenth century this was a revolutionary statement, first because it was expressed not in Latin but in the English vernacular, and second because it suggested that behaviour should count more than birth. Isidoro remembered being introduced to this when attending an international civil servant development course. He ground his teeth.

He'd just come from the presence of the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, the head of the Catholic Church in Spain. His Eminence was from an ancient family with social pretensions far greater than its remaining wealth. But, in the Cardinal, they had an astute though rigidly reactionary advocate who did his utmost to ensure that nothing changed. Whether it was birth control, social mobility, same-sex marriage, or
violencia de género
(where men abused and even killed women) he made sure he was in the right place to create blocks to any initiative that might address the underlying problem. He was also notoriously greedy.

Isidoro despised the priest for his attitudes. Unfortunately, Juan Pastor Nieves thought the Cardinal Archbishop was rectitude and reasonableness personified. If His Eminence wanted the Prime Minister to bark, or purr, all he had to do was ask. Seeking an audience, which is what had occurred today, was child's play.

In the meeting at Moncloa, for the Cardinal Archbishop had been gracious enough to visit mammon rather than demand
el
Presidente del Gobierno
attend himself in the archiepiscopal palace in Toledo, the prelate had raised concerns about enquiries into the behaviour of members of the Church. Notwithstanding the proven instances of child abuse in Ireland, the United States, Holland and many other countries, the sole concern of His Eminence was to ensure that his good friend Juan would squash any possibility of any enquiry into such happenings in Spain. And, by the way, "it would 'help the Church enormously' if the lies about the Catholic priests facilitating the removal of babies born to undesirable Republican mothers to give to responsible though childless Nationalist mothers could be made to disappear".

Purely by coincidence, of course, he had raised three specific instances where he was sure
el
Presidente del Gobierno
would want to move to ensure enquiries made no progress. That these had occurred in Pastor Nieve's native Asturias was surely no coincidence.