The two most experienced detectives on duty in Portsmouth CID were then briefed by DS Maggs, and they set off to keep a discreet watch on the offices of Henderson Partners, ready to confront the Russian visitors.
14.
VICTOR PETERS ARRIVES
Soon after Jeremy had driven off on Friday morning to return to his office, Susie Mann arrived at her parents’ house, together with Betty McGuire. They had both arranged a day off at the hospital, and Marina was relieved to see them; she could hardly stop hugging and thanking Betty for all her help. They all had much to chat about over a girlie lunch, and Susie and her mother became increasingly apprehensive as the story of Marina’s Russian contact emerged. They began to worry about what they had unwittingly become involved in.
When Admiral Mann returned during the afternoon, his wife quickly followed him to their bedroom, where he planned to quietly change his clothes and take a rest. He was immediately faced by a rather tense Jennifer. “Do you know that this Marina is not just a friend of Betty’s, but she is apparently caught up in this Russian spy business at the Dockyard? She’s here to avoid the press, and there are also a couple of Russians in Portsmouth looking for her, too. I can sense that it’s all going to get messy. Do we have to get involved?”
“Don’t worry, m’dear,” replied Robert Mann, calmly. “I’ve already had a briefing from her lawyer in Portsmouth, who is a good egg. I also plan to chat to the Commodore she works for. If any reporters or Russians think they can find her here, I will deal with them. So relax and let the poor girl recover from a very trying couple of days. Let’s find a cup of tea.”
The Admiral took his tea into the sitting room and joined the ladies. He wanted to know more about Marina and quietly questioned her about her background and her job at the Dockyard. She then began to tell him about her online relationship with the Russian Lieutenant until she was interrupted by Mrs. Mann bringing the cordless phone. “Your father is on the line.”
Marina discovered that he had just arrived at Portsmouth railway station.
“Are you alone?” she asked. He said he was, and she asked him to hold on while she chatted with her friends. Admiral Mann quickly took the initiative.
“Tell him I will drive into Portsmouth to meet him, and you had better come with me to be sure we find the right man. Tell him to go into the station café and wait there – we’ll be there in about half an hour.”
A few minutes later, Marina and Betty were both in the Admiral’s large Mercedes car and heading to Portsmouth, discussing where might be the best place to have a discreet meeting. They suspected that the press might still be keeping a watch on Marina’s flat and possibly Betty’s too. Using Betty’s mobile phone, they hooked up with Jeremy Scott, now back in his office, who then connected them all with David Barclay-Smith. They eliminated various options for a meeting, including the law firm’s offices, which Jeremy said had just been visited again by the two Russian agents. After considering a couple of local hotels, David said, “Look, just bring them down to my house. I think Robert knows where I live in Old Portsmouth.”
At the railway station, Marina and Betty went in to find the café and Victor Peters while Robert Mann waited in the car. It was very busy, but they soon found him, looking around anxiously with just a cup of coffee and a newspaper at a discreet corner table. Marina gave her father a warm hug and said they needed to go straight away. In the car, she introduced him to Betty and to Admiral Mann and explained that they were going to a lawyer’s house, where they could have a long quiet chat. It was just five minutes to Old Portsmouth and to the Barclay-Smith’s elegant 18th-century home overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight. David was at the window and saw them drive up and park. He came to the front door and welcomed them – “Very good to see you again, David,” said the Admiral as they went up a flight of stairs to the sitting room with a sea view. It was the view Marina had enjoyed just two days earlier as she’d waited for the Russian ships to arrive; it seemed like a week ago.
David quickly explained that Marina needed to have a quiet chat with her father, and he then took Robert and Betty into his adjoining study so that Marina and her father could be alone for a while.
Robert offered them a scotch, but David said “Thanks, but maybe later” and took the opportunity to call Jeremy to discover what had happened at the office that afternoon.
“Well, I didn’t get the opportunity to talk to them,” explained Jeremy. “They were intercepted at the door by two men who turned out to be CID officers, and after a short chat, the couple disappeared, and the police officers came into the office and said not to worry because we wouldn’t be hearing from them again. And that was it.”
“OK,” said David. “At the moment I have Marina and her father here at my home, and they are catching up with each other as we speak. Admiral Mann brought them down here, and I am not sure what happens next. You go off and enjoy the weekend, and we will regroup at the office on Monday morning.”
“By the way, David, I still have the box here for Marina – it’s her laptop computer and mobile phone returned this morning by the police.”
“I don’t think we should hold on to it,” said David. “Can you drop it in to me on your way home and give it back to her?”
David then called Portsmouth CID again and was immediately put through to Detective Superintendent Maggs who told him that the matter had become more complicated since they last spoke. His officers had confronted the two Russians as planned. They had given their names and addresses as “care of the Russian Embassy” in London but had refused to say why they were in Portsmouth or why they had been calling at the solicitor’s office. They had managed to snatch photos of the couple approaching the office, and they had now been positively identified by Scotland Yard as known GRU agents based in London.
“Now, this is the latest,” continued DS Maggs. “MI5 has insisted that we keep the girl Marina under wraps. They think the Russians probably know the farmhouse address by now, so MI5 say that we should drive her to London as soon as possible and they will take care of her there for the time being. So it will be out of our hands.”
David then told Maggs two things that were surprises for him. Firstly, that Marina and her friend Betty were now at his house in Old Portsmouth, and secondly, that Marina’s father had arrived by train from London and was now with her. And he explained that Admiral Mann had brought them into town from his house near Rowlands Castle.
“At the moment, Mr. Peters is telling his daughter about the contacts he has had from someone at the Russian Embassy asking to meet with Marina. I will catch up with them both in a few minutes. So as things stand,” continued David, “Mr. Peters will be on the late evening train back to London, and Marina is going back to the Manns’ house in the country until we know what happens next.”
Maggs thought quickly and said, “This is getting serious. In these circumstances, I think MI5 will probably want us to take father and daughter to Thameside in London together as soon as possible, and then they can decide what to do next. So hold on and I’ll call you back.”
15.
A MAN NAMED JACK
Marina and her father were both tense as they sat together in the Mann’s sitting room with their tray of tea and biscuits, brought to them stylishly by the lady of the house. Neither knew quite where to start the conversation, and the initial small talk while the tea was poured by Mrs. Mann did not last very long.