THE ORANGE MOON AFFAIR (7 page)

"So you think there is some fraud going on that emanated from the board room?"

"I think fraud is a little strong, because if someone not involved with the deal was asked to run a programme which he knew to be part of a fraud, then odds are that he would not do it."

"So it was either done by one of the board or a person from elsewhere. That being the case, surely the operators would have noticed something a little strange just as you did?"

"Yes, except that the code used to obscure the Rathborne accounts would probably not have been available to IT.”

"Was there anything else strange about the thing?"

"No, just the usual games played by bored operators. Crosswords with cryptic clues and that sort of thing."

"Going back to the missing data. Have you any idea what might be on it? Or where it is?"

"That is virtually impossible to say. My guess would be that it is data that links directly in with the accounting system. It could be the explanation as to why the procedures changed for this particular company. It could be anything. As to where to find the missing seven gigabytes of data, I'd look for a flash drive."

“Couldn't you have told us this over the phone, or on Skype?” Julie asked.

“I need your phones so I can encrypt them.” He held out his hand. We handed over our iPhones and watched as he plugged in a cord connected to his computer and busied himself for a few minutes at the keyboard, then handed them back to us along with a small thumb drive and a sheet of hand written notes. “On the drive is a security program you need to install on your computers. Instructions are on the sheet.”

The conversation carried on into the realms of speculation. Julie had been very quiet throughout and didn't speak except to say goodbye to Oldfield as we left to drive back to Calder Hall. The rain had ceased leaving the roads shiny under the street lamps, reflecting the safety lights in the shop windows.

"What do you think?" Julie said quietly.

"How do you mean?"

"Are you any closer to understanding what is going on with Rathborne?"

"No. I have some more information now, so I'm going to have another crack at Adrian. I'm sure he knows that the accounting system was strange. And I'm sure he is well aware of the amounts paid to these contractors. Now that your father has given me the code, I will he able to find out who received all the money."

Julie lay back in the seat and closed her eyes. It had been a long day. I drove the remainder of the journey in silence while she dozed.

FIVE

"
Mr McDougall is away
on a trade mission and will not be back for a few days. Do you want me to make an appointment with one of his assistants? I have his office on hold." Jennifer's face pixelated a little on the monitor as she leaned over to retrieve a document.

"Yes, please. Make it as soon as possible."

"Will do. I'll get back to you in a minute." Our daily Skype routines were proving a good and efficient way to work. She went offline and I accepted Adrian's call. He was seething with anger at the knowledge that I had Oldfield go through the computer without his knowing.

"Do we keep back-up servers in a remote location in addition to the office mainframe?" I asked.

"Of course. But they are in a separate security room in the sub-basement. Not offsite.” His voice was tight and barely under control, his dislike of me very apparent. But at this moment I really didn't care what he thought of me. The priority was to get to the bottom of this Rathborne mess.

"Are they secure? By that I mean, who has access to them?"

"Only specific members of the board. The Head of IT of course also has access but only with one of us." I didn't say anything for a while. Just let him wonder what I was going to say next. Whilst we sat and looked at each other in silence, Jennifer confirmed by instant message that I had an appointment with a Mr Jonathan Radley at 1500hrs tomorrow afternoon. I hoped the weather would clear as I didn't fancy the drive from the Hall into central London.

"Do you know how Government business loans are paid to companies, Adrian? Obviously I'm thinking about Rathborne in particular."

"There are various methods. Bank guarantees, letters of credit, immediate cash injections, that sort of thing. How the Rathborne loan was handled I have no idea. I've told you before."

"I don't think you did. There is not a lot that gets past you and I cannot envisage my father making any major decisions without consulting you."

"Are you calling me a liar?" he shouted, his voice rising to a choking screech. "Well, are you?"

"I'm not in the mood for histrionics, Adrian. Sooner or later, with or without your help, I am going to find out what this is all about, and if there is a link to my father's murder.”

"Now you listen to me," he snarled, leaning over the desk shaking his finger at me. "I have told you before that if you want my resignation you can have it. Just say the word."

"Tempting Adrian, but you know as well as I do that you won’t
resign. People like you are too afraid of being unemployed. Besides, who is going to pay you the sort of money you get here?" It was a risky thing to say but I was pretty sure I was right. It was time we had a showdown and it was better now than later.

I wanted to know exactly where he stood. My words seemed to have the desired effect and he slowly crumpled back into the seat.

"I'm sorry, Thomas, but there is nothing I can I tell you about the deal. I tried to get your father to tell me, but he just said that when it was over and settled then I would be put in the picture. Until then the facilities of the Group would be available to the Managing Director of Rathborne. He didn’t even tell me the man's name. All the instructions we had were via the encrypted email and the data was fed into the computer. We don't even know who did the programming. Occasionally, your father took away one or both of the external storage drives, presumably for security." He looked tired and defeated.

"You said one or both of the storage drives. Are you sure there were two? There is only one in the computer room."

"Yes, positive. One I know was just general accounting data and movement of money, both in and out of the account, and the other I didn't see too clearly, but it seemed to be a personnel file of some description. Your father switched off the computer before I had a chance to see what it was all about." He leaned forward, about to cut off our Skype link when I interrupted.

"Adrian. You are the only one who knows how the Group runs. I'm going to have to rely on you heavily over the next few weeks while I clear up this mess. If, after that, you want to leave just let me know." He looked at me for some long seconds before nodding stiffly in agreement.

Was this just a wild goose chase? Was Adrian telling me the truth about external storage drives? There was something about the way he looked down when he was telling me about the external drives that didn't seem genuine.

There were times when I would cheerfully have walked away from all this, but there was, in the background, the vision of my father lying on the slab in the mortuary with the back of his head blown off, and I had to find out why.

Five minutes to three o'clock
the following afternoon, saw me in Victoria at the offices of the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
. All Government buildings have the same effect on me. I want to get out as quickly as possible before getting sucked into the morass of forms and papers. For me there is always a strange feel about these places, as if we, the general public, are a necessary nuisance and that if we didn’t exist, it would make the running of government far easier for civil servants. So with a feeling of persecution, I squared my shoulders and prepared to do battle.

Once past the reception and up at the sixth floor to Hamish McDougall's office, I was shown into a side room by Mr Radley's secretary and asked to wait. I got the feeling that if Mr Radley decided he was too busy that I could remain in the room forever and nobody would care. Finally the door opened and the secretary motioned me to follow her. Jonathan Radley rose from his desk, stitched a civil service smile on his face and spoke in a slightly lisping manner. He was medium height, close cropped dark hair, and surprisingly light blue eyes, wearing an expensive Saville Row suit and a distinctive salmon pink Leander Rowing Club tie.

"Good afternoon, Mr Gunn, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long. Such a lot to do these days,” he said extending his hand. His grip was firm and brief. I noted that his desk was empty and that the secretary hadn't carried any papers or files out with her.

"Good afternoon," I replied, and sat down before he could offer me a chair. "I really wanted to see Mr McDougall, but I understand he is away for a few days.”

"That is correct. However, I'm sure I can be of assistance to you. I handle a lot of his more mundane tasks." I decided I could get to dislike this guy quite easily. It seemed that recently there were not many people whom I had met I didn’t take an immediate dislike to. I didn't think his remark worthy of an answer, so I just sat looking at him. His voice and manner belied the look of the man. Beneath the suit jacket was an athlete’s body, so the rowing club tie wasn't just for show.

"I believe you are interested in the loan to Rathborne Micro-Electronics Limited. How can I help?"

"Yes, but first how did you know that was the question I was going to ask?"

"Your secretary." His reply was prompt and he didn’t bat an eyelid, but I was sure he was lying. Jennifer was very careful about not letting information slip. It didn't seem that important, so I just let it pass.

"The reason I'm curious about the loan is that there seems to be some odd goings on as regards the accounts of the Company, regarding the investments and the Government loan structure. As you may or may not know, the accounts are handled automatically by the Gunn Group computer system, presumably until the factory is completed and they have their own set-up. What puzzles me is that I have not been able to contact the Managing Director, even though both my mother and I are directors of the Company. I was wondering whether or not your department could shed any light on the matter. After all there is a sizeable amount of Government money at stake."

"I'm sorry to sound so negative but there is nothing much I can tell you." Radley put on his civil service smile again, the
'this is a Government Department, therefore we don't have to communicate with the general public'
smile. "As you probably realise the Company is producing products in a very sensitive area and we have careful who we discuss matters with. So...."

"Are telling me that as the owner of the Gunn Group I am not entitled to know what is happening to my own company?" I interrupted, keeping my voice low and tone civil.

He still didn’t bat an eyelid. "….so we keep the information level down to a bare minimum,” he continued as if he hadn't heard me. “I'm afraid I'm just as much in the dark as you are, but I shouldn't worry unduly if I were you. The department does keep a strict eye on these things and I'm sure that if anything was amiss, then we would know about it." He paused, waiting for me to interject again and when I didn’t he continued. "Because of the nature of the product that is going to be manufactured there, there are certain elements covered under the Official Secrets Act. That being the case only by receiving direct instructions from the Managing Director or the Chairman of Rathborne Micro-Electronics Limited, can we release any information. I’m sorry but that is the way it works." He sat back in his chair watching me. He knew as well as I that short of reverting to physical violence there was no way to get any information at all.

"Interesting. You do know that I have a AAA rating under the Official Secrets Act, don't you, or are there some things even you do not have a high enough rating to know.” I wanted to see of there was a reaction. There wasn't. And that told me more about him than if he had answered. Mr Jonathan Radley was not Hamish McDougall’s assistant, or anything remotely close. It was just a niggling feeling, an instinct that prickled my Special Forces background. “Assuming you don't know anything about Rathborne because of your low rating, how about giving me the basic outline of how a Government loan is effected. Purely hypothetical, of course."

"I'm sorry, we don't deal in hypothetical cases. Every case is real and different; therefore I cannot discuss this subject with you. Now, if you will excuse me I have a very important meeting to attend." He leaned forward to press the intercom button on his desk. Before he could reach it I slammed his wrist down on the edge of the desk, eliciting a grunt from the arrogant bastard.

“Be careful who you fuck with, Mr Radley. Perhaps Mr McDougall will let you see my file, if you have a high enough clearance.”

I released his arm and he slowly, hesitantly reached for the button again.

"Miss Heatherton, would you please show Mr Gunn out. He's just leaving," he said, watching me carefully. Disturbingly he showed no sign of pain as he clasped his hands and placed them on the desk.

Once outside I loosened
the collar of my shirt and took a deep breath. That meeting was one of the shortest I had attended in months and left me with the same feeling as before.

Frustration.

Every time I tried to find out about this company there was somebody or something in the way. I was determined that the best thing to do was to approach the Fraud Squad, provide them with as much information as possible and see whether or not they would instigate an investigation. Instinct had kept me alive throughout my Army career and now told me that I needed help.

If only Hamish had been around, it would have been different, but he wasn't and I couldn't wait for him to return from wherever he was.

The taxi dropped me off at the Heliport. The meeting with Radley left me feeling frustrated and impotent. I had two choices and I reckoned I would take both of them. The first was to reveal all my suspicions to the Fraud Squad and see what happened, and the second to visit the factory in Northern Ireland and find out how things were progressing and to see if I could discover anything about Des Ascot.