‘How much longer can this situation continue?’ asked Suzie Brown.
‘It was bad back then. I can only guess at how much worse it is now.’
‘How does the country survive?’
‘Luckily Yukon International have to get their equipment from the coast to their mines, so they are forced to provide the maintenance that keeps the highway in reasonable condition. They also supply homes, a hospital and schools for the mine’s overseas workers and their families, and a number of their local workers are also able to make use of these facilities. The oil company also has a similar set-up for their refinery on the coast. If you’re lucky enough to work for either of these companies then you’re far better off than the rest of your countrymen, so employment with them is much sought after. However, if you live in any other part of the country and work for a local employer, then your life is much more tenuous and your ability to move around severely restricted by the state of the country’s roads.’
‘No wonder they were in such a hurry to take over our encampment,’ said Eliza.
‘We were lucky it was still there when we moved in,’ said Ali.
The members of the board considered the information that they had been given, wondering how they could turn it to their advantage. ‘I think we’d better adjourn for the time being,’ announced Justine, ‘I would like you to give Rod a full written report from you both concerning your knowledge of Lattua,’ she said to Sam and Bree.
‘Most of our information was in reports which we submitted to Inland Security, and we’ve had to wrack our brains to give you what we have here today, but we’ll see what else we can find out for you,’ nodded Sam.
11
On their way out of the headquarters building, Bree and Sam were drawn once more to study the old Rolls Royce on its raised plinth.
‘Are you sure it’s the same one?’ asked Bree.
‘What other Roller could it possibly be? I have the registration number written down in my notes somewhere at home. Let’s go back there and I’ll confirm the number before we ring Thorpe. I don’t think The Fund would look kindly upon us ringing Inland Security from here.’
‘And I want to make sure no one is listening in when we talk to him. The encrypted line is the only way to ensure secrecy.’
***
John Thorpe sat at his large cluttered desk, quickly and efficiently reading through the stack of reports and absorbing the information that they contained while making notations in the margins for him to turn into official assessments and recommendations for future operations.
Absently he considered the spectre of his imminent retirement and who he would recommend as his replacement. Neither of the next men in line thrilled him, but he knew that his days at Inland Security were coming to an end, not because of any failure on his part, but simply from the inevitable passage of time. Having reached the mandatory retirement age, he was now regarded as too old for the job. The politicians had decided that the security of the country should be handed on to a far younger person with a more modern outlook and had ‘asked’ him to step down.
However, before he went, Thorpe was determined that one of his few outstanding cases should finally be closed once and for all. That matter involved Jade Green and her missing videos. He didn’t give a damn that Green was dead. The fact remained that her videos were still out there and they contained incriminating evidence on men who were now in positions of power, men who had been caught in the act with their pants down and therefore capable of being blackmailed.
Thorpe was determined that the videos would be recovered at all costs and that the government be the sole arbiter of who should be coerced because of their failings, coerced in the best interests of the country of course.
Thoughts of Jade Green leapt to his mind because a report had arrived advising him that Sam Tait and Bree Lake had returned to England. He fully expected to have heard from them by now, despite the fact that they had been taken directly from the airport to The Fund’s new building in Walton Village.
Thorpe had remained late in his office in anticipation of that call.
Suddenly there was a chirping sound from the phone consol on his desk and he noted that the light on it was flashing purple. Punching the encryption button the purple light turned to green and Thorpe picked up the receiver. ‘You pair took your time reporting in,’ he said without preamble.
‘We were busy,’ replied Sam, ignoring Thorpe’s jibe.
‘Did you enjoy your little holiday in Singapore?’ continued Thorpe sarcastically.
Sam continued to ignore the man’s tone. He would dearly have loved to tell Thorpe what he really thought of him, but decided that his opinion meant nothing to the Head of Inland Security. ‘We had a wonderful time. Thanks for asking. Both of us are nicely tanned from sitting beside the pool all day sipping cocktails.’
‘You should have been back here helping to locate the videos. They could be anywhere by now.’
‘That’s why we rang. We have news.’
Thorpe stiffened in his chair and he gripped the phone harder in anticipation. ‘What news?’
‘Green’s Roller has turned up.’
‘The bullet-proof one?’
‘The very same. It’s sitting on a plinth in the reception area of The Fund’s new headquarters. We checked the registration number and it’s the same one, right down to the signs of being in a battle.’
‘So what?’ asked Thorpe.
‘Well it’s just that our old friend Mick Sloane always believed that the videos and the Roller were together. He worked out that as both of them disappeared at the same time, then it was a fairly safe bet that one was contained in the other.’
‘So you think that the videos are now somewhere in Walton Village?’
‘It stands to reason doesn’t it? We searched their old headquarters time and again and we’ve all been keeping a constant eye on the place. Nothing has come to light so they must have had them hidden somewhere else, and if you were building a new headquarters wouldn’t you include a secure area where you could keep your most valuable possessions?’
‘Your logic seems sound enough,’ conceded Thorpe. ‘Where do you think they are and how do we get to them?’
‘Bree and I have no idea. We’ve only been inside the new building once. It will take time for us to search the entire tower, especially as we don’t have any particular reason to spend a lot of time around here.’
Thorpe began to lose his temper with the agent. ‘Invent a reason. Move down there if you have to. Find the videos. They must be in Walton Village somewhere,’ he barked.
‘Fine. We’ll do what we can.’
‘You’ll