The Becket Approval by Falconer Duncan (best big ereader .TXT) 📗

turning off his lights and engine. The silence was abrupt as he removed his helmet. There were no other vehicles on the road. He accessed a 3D map on his phone. The lane Krilov had turned into went steeply up hill, down the other side and quarter of a mile later reached a small collection of structures.

Gunnymede climbed off the bike and walked to a hedgerow to find a way through.

The elevator doors opened on the third floor of Scotland Yard and Dillon stepped out reading his phone. A handful of officers were at work. He entered his office and closed the door behind him.

Bethan sat in the shadows watching him. She took a deep breath and got to her feet. Time to face the firing squad.

She knocked on Dillon’s door and walked in.

‘What are you doing here so late?’ he asked.

‘I believe I’ve added a few more links to my theory regarding British military related homicides.’

‘Can it wait until tomorrow? I’m leaving to meet my wife for dinner.’

‘It won’t take long,’ she said, aware she sounded anxious.

He smiled. ‘Burning to tell me your theory. I can’t dampen your enthusiasm.’ He sat back. ‘I’m all ears.’

She groaned inwardly, knowing the smile would soon be gone. ‘I think we’re looking at a British Special Forces and military intelligence organised reprisal.’

‘A what?’

‘A revenge squad.’

‘Go on.’

‘Here’s how it works. If a member or former member of British Special Forces or military intelligence is murdered and the perpetrator escapes justice, the organisation will take revenge.’

Dillon stared at her as if waiting for more.

‘That’s it in broad terms,’ she added.

‘Sounds quite serious.’

‘Yes.’

‘Are these avengers serving members or former?’

‘I’d say both ... I don’t think it’s a small group of people either. I think it’s structured.’

‘What do you mean, structured?’

‘Some of the killings appear to have benefited from sophisticated intelligence resources. Lamardi, for instance. He could’ve been killed in revenge for the deaths of two SAS operators and a Military Intelligence officer. Finding his home in Macedonia required state sponsored levels of intelligence. Another example is moving individuals and weapons across distant foreign borders without detection. There’s also access to current British ordnance, items only Special Forces use such as sophisticated mines. Financing is another factor. The Albanian and Lamardi operations must’ve been expensive. One might expect such incidences to have a financial justification but many of them appear to be purely revenge.’

‘You’re suggesting these avengers includes personnel within British military intelligence, the military and the Ministry of Defence?’

‘There is no other explanation.’

‘Are you also suggesting this is state sponsored?’ Dillon asked.

‘I wouldn’t make that accusation for the purpose of initiating an investigation. But I wouldn’t rule it out in some form or other. Lamardi’s death would’ve been privately applauded by certain members of the MoD. But then we have the two lawyers who were murdered because they were responsible for Peters’ son committing suicide and the Albanian border guards who were assassinated for killing a former SAS trooper eight months ago. They both sound like private vendettas. I suppose I would describe the avengers as a private clique with those involved having access to MoD assets.’

Dillon mulled it over. ‘How do you think one gets access to this organisation?’ he eventually asked. ‘How did Peters know who to contact for instance? How does a qualifying individual get their case heard?’

‘The organisation has to be secret, obviously. It wouldn’t be if people knew how to contact it. But what if it’s the other way around? What if you don’t find it? It finds you. What if “they” decide which murders should be avenged? The relatives don’t need to know. Their permission isn’t required. The organisation can just go ahead and do it.’

‘But Peters knew how it happened. He probably knew who did it.’

‘Perhaps he’s old enough and well connected enough to know someone in the organisation. That would explain why he got revenge for his son who wasn’t Special Forces.’

Dillon went into thought again.

‘British Special Forces is sending out a message,’ she pressed. ‘If you mess with us, then if the law doesn’t punish you, we will.’

‘Any proof?’

‘Not yet. I’ve just been looking for the right direction in which to focus.’

‘It must sound a bit fantastic even to you.’

‘Fantastic?’

‘Remote from reality.’

‘It’s extraordinary but not impossible.’

‘Possible is not probable. What’s your next step?’

‘I need help. This could be enormous. It needs a dedicated investigation team.’

‘I can’t go upstairs without evidence. Not something on the scale you’re proposing.’ Dillon made ready to get back to work. ‘If we’re going to implicate the Ministry of Defence, the Army and Navy we’d better have a damn sight more to show than an unsupported theory. Get me some evidence, and I mean serious evidence, and we’ll take another look at it.’

She sighed and leaned back against the wall.

‘Was there something else?’ he asked.

‘Gunnymede found out about Milo Krilov.’

Dillon stopped dead. ‘What?!’

‘The man who raped Megan Henderson, Gunnymede’s former girlfriend.’

Dillon’s eyes darkened. ‘And how, pray tell, did Gunnymede find out?’

‘I screwed up.’

‘How exactly did you screw up?’

‘He went into the wrong room in my house looking for the bathroom and found my matrix.’

‘For Christ’s sake! I gave you Milo Krilov in the strictest of confidence!!! The implications for the classified operation surrounding Krilov could be catastrophic. And catastrophic for me and therefore for you!’

‘Only if he acts upon it.’

‘Acts upon it! For God’s sake! He’s not some ordinary Joe in the street. He’s an MI6 operator, a dysfunctional one at that and of dubious background! Are we to wait until he does do something?’

‘Give me time to fix this,’ she pleaded.

‘Fix what? Remove it from his memory?’

‘Ensure he doesn’t act on the information.’

‘The fact is,