Skinner chuckled quietly. ‘I know quite a few people who would consider that a bloody good thing.’
Shannon frowned at his interruption. ‘Did Sewell propose a solution?’ she asked.
‘He did: a radical solution,’ Hassett replied. ‘He said that the weakness in the royal line had to be removed, and that a means of doing this had been devised, one which would be based on the use of outside operatives, who would be seen to be pursuing a monetary objective, ransom. It would achieve our objectives by removing the individual involved, and by creating an atmosphere in which the country would inevitably swing back to the Right, and in which the Monarchy would be protected, by retreating from populism and resuming its traditional role in our system of government.’
‘How did you react to this?’
‘At first, I didn’t believe it, and I told him so. I thought it was a test of some sort, or even entrapment, but he promised me that he was being deadly serious. He said that he was the leader of a group within Five who felt that way. He told me how it would be done, and when they proposed to do it.’
‘What was your role in the operation?’
‘I was to handle Bassam: I was to go up to Edinburgh, recruit him and brief him.’
‘What was in it for him?’
‘Money, of course: what else?’
‘Was he paid?’
‘Oh, yes. He was given a hundred thousand up front, half for himself, and half to finance the operation as necessary.’
‘And his men, the people he recruited?’
‘They believed it was a kidnapping for ransom. That’s what everyone was supposed to believe, after the event.’
‘What would have happened to them afterwards?’ Skinner asked.
‘They would have been killed, immediately, on board the pick-up vessel, as their target would have been. The bodies were to have been ground to pieces in an industrial mincing machine and disposed of at sea.’
‘And the men on the boat who would have picked them up?’
‘Military; they were a squad assembled by an intelligence colleague.’
‘No.’
‘Pardon?’
‘They weren’t soldiers. Their fishing-boat was destroyed after they opened fire on two RAF helicopters that were sent out to intercept them. We’re recovered two bodies so far; they haven’t been identified, but we do know that they weren’t our people. As for their vessel, it’s at the bottom of the North Sea.’ He looked at Shannon. ‘Sorry about the interruption, Dottie. Carry on, please.’
‘Yes, sir. How was the money paid to Bassam?’
‘In the usual way: through a Swiss bank.’
‘Where did it come from? Who funded the operation?’
‘I have no idea: it was never discussed.’
‘Let’s go back to the meeting on the houseboat. Did you decide there and then to go along with Sewell’s plan?’
Hassett nodded.
‘So you were a willing participant?’
‘Let’s say that I saw the logic of the argument. But I saw something else at the same time: this was a very dangerous man entrusting me with a considerable confidence. I had to assume that indeed he was not alone, and that he would be prepared to plug any potential leaks before they sprang, as it were.’
‘Are you saying that you were coerced?’
‘I’m saying that having been identified, by whom I know not, as a potential participant, I didn’t really feel that refusal was an option, not if I wanted to make it off that boat.’
‘But you could have blown the whistle at any time.’
‘Could I? I had no means of knowing who was involved and who wasn’t.’
‘You could have gone to the press.’
Hassett snorted. ‘I’m an intelligence operative, Inspector. If I was identified as such, there are people in various parts of the world whose lives would only be worth the bullets it took to end them.’
‘And also you could see England disappearing before your very eyes.’
Hassett wrung his hands together. ‘Yes,’ he murmured.
‘So you were a willing participant from the start. Let’s not fanny about: you were, weren’t you?’
‘If you choose to see me as such.’
‘Oh, that’s how you’re seen, Mr Hassett, believe me.’ She paused to let her words sink in. ‘When did you two meet again?’ she continued.
‘Almost Shakespearean,’ the traitor sneered. ‘On a few occasions, on the houseboat, when I had feedback from Bassam: that the people had been recruited, that they were on the move and that they were in Edinburgh and ready to act.’
‘When NATO intelligence reported that the Albanians had slipped their domestic surveillance, and passed a warning to London that they were heading for the UK, did you think of aborting?’
‘No, Sewell was able to promote the theory within Five that they were involved in drug-smuggling, and Amanda Dennis’s unit was brought in. Rudy thought that he would be able to keep them well away from our people.’ He glanced around the room. ‘Clearly, he was mistaken.’
‘So to sum up, what you are saying is that you are not aware of the identity of any conspirators other than Sewell, and that you have no knowledge of how Bassam was recruited for the operation.’
‘That’s correct.’
‘You are also saying that the operation was initiated by Sewell, and that you were brought in later, presumably to avoid the risk of his meeting with Bassam.’
‘Yes. As a Vauxhall Cross operative, I’m unknown even to most people in the Security Service.’
‘Which leaves one last question,’ said Skinner. ‘Since you are very much an undercover operator, who put you in the frame for the job?’
Hassett stared at him. ‘Do you believe that if I knew I would keep it from you, given my present situation?’
‘I do believe this,’ the big Scot replied. ‘The answer to that question is the most important thing in your life, at least what’s left of it.’
Thirty-three
‘ The car was there?’ asked Mackenzie, as Wilding stepped into his office.
‘Yes: it’s a silver-grey five-door hatchback A class, a funny-looking car for a Merc.’
‘I know the model. Any indications so far?’
‘Give us a break, sir. It’s dark, and there was no room in the garage to have any sort of look at it. It’s been loaded on to a recovery vehicle, as you said, and taken up to Fettes: DI Dorward’s team will look at it there. Is the mechanic fixed up?’
‘Yeah, the foreman from the dealership volunteered straight away. I’m not surprised: he’ll be on overtime and we’re paying. He’s prepared to work for as long as it takes.’
‘He’ll do well out of it, in that case. Arthur Dorward said that it’ll be a complicated motor to take apart, for all that it’s not very big.’
‘That’s okay. I’ve warned the Guardia Civil not to expect anything from us till tomorrow.’
‘You’ve spoken to them?’
‘Yes.’ The DCI caught the look on Wilding’s face. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve cleared that with McIlhenney. He spoke to McGuire about it and gave me the okay to run with it ourselves for now. They’ll keep the SDEA informed, and call them in if it becomes necessary.’
‘So, what did they say? The Spanish, that is.’
‘Not a lot. I told my contact Smith’s story, and gave him the address: he’s based in Madrid, but he’s going to consult his people in the region to see if they have anything on the place, and to ask them to keep it under observation.’
‘Don’t you think they should go in there straight away? Starr’s murder’s been reported in the press: whoever he’s associated with, they’re likely to know that we’ll find evidence of his drug-dealing in the course of our investigation. Won’t they have passed the word to the Spanish end?’
‘If they have, there’ll be nobody there to keep an eye on, will there? Okay, maybe I should have spelled that out, but these people aren’t amateurs, Ray, they’ll get to it.’
‘I suppose so,’ the DS conceded. ‘Have you made much progress on all those files we took from Starr’s shop and from the house?’ he asked.