The Old Enemy by Henry Porter (read with me .TXT) 📕

‘But you don’t know where the bulk of the money came from. No one does. Is that correct?’

Tulliver conceded that and said no agency had bothered to investigate and pin down the source of all the money.

‘So that’s where we’re going to start,’ said Reid. ‘There was never any inquiry, because the authorities had persecuted Denis and they wanted to bury the whole goddamn affair. And Denis was relieved he’d got you back, Ana. Then he needed to focus on his business problems, so he didn’t pursue it.’ He looked at them in turn, attempting to soften his manner. ‘I have an instinct about this. I will use everything I have. Is that all right with you, Ana?’

‘What do you think, Jim?’ she asked.

‘Can’t do any harm.’

She levelled her gaze at Reid. ‘You think these hearings in Congress are part of the campaign against Denis? Maybe the same people who went after him two and a half years ago?’

‘I do.’

‘What is your opinion about the allegation that Denis is supplying arms to the Kurds?’

‘I am agnostic. I’ve no evidence either way, but I know you two are involved in humanitarian work and I believe Denis when he says he decided to put the money he’s made recently to good use in the land of his birth.’

Did she catch something in Tulliver’s eyes? She looked hard then said, ‘I don’t have a problem with your offer of help.’

They rose together. Reid held out his hand. ‘You be sure to give Denis my good wishes for his recovery.’ He studied her for a beat. ‘I have to say, you’ve come through this experience very well. You are indomitable Ana, and I admire that in a person.’

She felt as indomitable as someone clinging to a life raft. There were no other options. She nodded her thanks and watched him retreat down the hallway to collect his aide. ‘He’s got a spring in his step,’ she said, turning to the papers Tulliver had handed her earlier.

Denis had flown to Europe ten times since the late autumn of 2019 on his own plane. What interested her was that she had hardly been aware of these trips because most of this had been her dark period, which she didn’t now even want to acknowledge, as she sat, so composed, in the hospital and very much in charge of her own and Denis’s destiny. She was aware that he had gone to Estonia once to meet with and thank Robert Harland, but not five times. And then there were trips to Vienna and London, which could not be directly related to his business, which was now focused in Asia and the United States. There was no clue as to their purpose, although she assumed he would have met with Macy Harp in London. None of the trips lasted more than two days and most were completed in twenty-four hours. He always travelled alone. Occasionally, there were restaurant bills for two or three people. One in Vienna was for four. Denis usually slept on the plane so it didn’t surprise her that he rarely seemed to stay overnight in any of the destinations, except in Tallinn, where he spent the night on two different occasions. The thought of her husband talking to Robert Harland and Ulrike made something snatch at her stomach because it was under their roof that she had renewed her affair with Samson and set in train a disastrous period. But the Harlands were far too discreet to let anything slip and, if Denis suspected anything, he had never let on.

The log of Denis’s movements didn’t tell her much other than that he had been pursuing a project with his usual determination and secrecy. When she had been through it twice, Tulliver pointed upwards and they went to the roof.

‘I didn’t want to put it in writing, but he’s been paying Macy Harp a lot of money, especially in the last month. This is mostly for the protection of the young woman, but there’s also a lot of work on company searches, which has been paid for by Hendricks Harp and reimbursed by Denis.’

‘He’s using them as a channel?’

‘Kind of, but I don’t think there’s anything sinister in that.’

‘What companies?’

‘I couldn’t get that data from Harp. He says he can only deal with Denis. He was pretty upset when we spoke. He and Robert Harland went back a long way.’

‘Call him.’

He dialled and handed her the phone. Macy picked up on the third ring.

‘It’s me, Anastasia, on Jim’s phone.’ She reminded him that the power of attorney meant that any confidential arrangements that existed between Macy and her husband were now, perforce, to include her. ‘I have to know everything, Macy. What we are committed to; where we are exposed.’

He replied that there was a lot he didn’t know.

‘How long have you been looking after this woman?’ she asked.

‘Just a few weeks.’

‘Who is she?’

‘I cannot say. Denis and our late friend believed she was the very best type of asset. Absolutely vital in their project.’

‘And you’re not going to tell me what that project is.’

‘I have some ideas, but these are for face-to-face conversations.’

‘When did this all start?’

‘I never spoke to our late friend about this. I dealt only with Denis. I would say it was towards the end of 2019.’

‘How much did you know?’

‘We began to research some companies in the United States, as well as individuals. The list was in our late friend’s handwriting. He didn’t do email – didn’t trust it. That research didn’t seem to go anywhere, but that was the start of it all.’

‘So this is a really big operation. Which companies? Which people?’

‘Again, I will happily share that in person, or in a more secure manner.’

Macy blew his nose furiously, which gave her time to think. ‘So what are the reporting arrangements? Who does she send her information to?’

‘Our late friend and Denis. Nothing came through this office. Only they knew.’

‘And they talked.’

‘Yes, they talked