Everything to Lose (11 page)

17

Portsmouth

The pre-designated rendezvous place for a RED FLASH meeting was the north corner in the Cascades car park, Charlotte Street, Portsmouth. Toni met and introduced herself to Rolley and Elaine then led them into the back of a large van. She told them that she and Scott were tech support. Scott worked on the communications equipment to link up with Alan Cairn in London while Toni poured cups of coffee for Rolley and Elaine.

Scott
sat at a short desk in front of a twenty-six inch flat screen with integrated camera embedded on the screen. He lifted his earphones off his ears and looked up briefly to say hello to Rolley and Elaine. He typed while he spoke to a technician at the other end of the link to confirm settings and security protocols.

Gavin
and Zoe were the last members of the team to arrive in the car park. It was four o'clock in the afternoon and the park was almost empty as the shoppers had made their way home. Zoe parked beside the large black van. Inside Scott, Toni, Elaine and Rolley waited and drank coffee.

Zoe
introduced Gavin to Scott and Toni then praised Rolley and Elaine for their quick reaction to the RED FLASH. Zoe told Scott to open the link and he typed in a command to connect with a Home Office communications room. He switched the module from headphones to loudspeaker and Zoe sat down at the desk.

Alan
Cairn stood in the Home Office room talking with two others. When told the SLIPFIRE team were on he sat down in front of a screen with integrated microphone/camera.

"Afternoon
sir, SLIPFIRE team all present and correct."

"Good
Zoe. There's been a development," Alan said as he signalled to someone nearby who started typing into a keyboard.

The
picture from the Home Office split into two, showing Alan on top. On the bottom a white plastic tray containing a human hand.

"This
is Jemard P Edmond's left hand," Alan said.

"Oh
my God," roared Rolley as he looked away.

"It
was identified through his DNA, which is on record from his sports drug tests. It was found just outside Folkestone ten days ago. No other body parts have been found despite an extensive search."

"How
long has he been dead?" Zoe asked.

"Home
Office pathologist says more than four weeks. Jemard has been officially off campus for six weeks."

"Maybe
he's still alive," Gavin said.

"Pathologist
says damage to specialised cells and nerves was not sudden. Death occurred while the hand was attached to the body," Alan explained.

"Where
was it found?" Zoe asked.

"It
was found on a fly-tipping site when council workers turned up to clear the site. The last time they cleared that site was three months ago."

"Could
this be some kind of freak accident?" Elaine asked.

"I
don't buy that. We know Jemard was involved in Buzzwall's research. Now we know he's been dead for some time. Yet someone is going to the trouble of making it appear he's still alive. Why?" Alan replied.

"He
might have discovered something and was killed to shut him up. Maybe Oliver Mansole found out the same and that's why he's missing," Zoe said.

"I
know I'm new to this type of thing but I don't see the purpose in making it appear he's still alive," Rolley said.

"Good
point Rolley," Zoe said.

"Buzzwall
is lying or being lied to about Jemard. Why is a good question? We need to dig deeper. Look at Buzzwall's associates."

"Roger
that sir. I'll develop a strategy."

"Alan
can you ask your tech to display the hand palm face up," Gavin asked.

Alan
nodded to the tech seated nearby and within a minute a picture of the hand was displayed on the whole screen.

"What
is it?" Alan asked.

"What
did the pathologist say about the cause of death?" Gavin asked.

"Inconclusive
at this point. Why?"

"I'm
looking at the cut end. It's not uniform like a decapitation. At first I thought it was burnt but there is no sign of burning on the palm or fingers. These uneven ends like rows of tailcoats. I can't figure out what kind of trauma would leave such ends on a hand."

"Thanks
for that Gavin I'll get right back to the pathologist and give him a piece of my mind," Alan said.

"I
wouldn't do that ...," Gavin started.

Zoe
grabbed Gavin's wrist in a vice grip. When their eyes met he saw an expression that said
don't
you
dare!

Earlier
in the day Zoe was refused entry to the University staff car park and Gavin said he would give a car park janitor a piece of his mind. She told Gavin not to do it because soon he wouldn't have much of it left.

"Why
not?" Alan fired back.

"Nothing.
Pathologists and dead bodies. I think they're all weird," Gavin said.

"Any
progress on finding Oliver Mansole?"

"Well
sir we're still ...," Zoe started.

"Yes
I have."

Zoe
gave Gavin one of her looks that was enough to tell a soldier to shut up, look straight ahead and stand to attention.

"Some students I have to tutor know him very well. I've asked them to tell him I want to speak to him."

"What
context?" Zoe blasted at him.

She
was annoyed he had not told her. She knew he had just finished a tutorial with some students but he could have told her as they drove to the meeting. He was being childish because she told him off over the name mix-up.
Bastard
Shawlens
.
If
you
were
one
of
my
men
I'd
tan
your
backside
for
this
she thought.

"I
told them it's about a new research project," Gavin said and saw infuriation in her eyes.

"Gavin
you must give the names of these students to Zoe and Elaine so we can run backgrounds."

"Zoe
we need to be on the ball in case Oliver contacts any of these students."

"Yes
sir we'll be ready if he pops up with any of them."

"Good
work everyone. Be vigilant and be safe. I feel that this backfire is starting to unravel. Cairn out."

18

Cosham
,
Hampshire

The flat that Gavin and Zoe shared in Cosham was thirty minutes walk from the University campus. It was a well furnished two bed apartment with bathroom, living room and kitchen-dining room in a quiet residential area known as Reagal Close. Not more than five minutes walk from all the amenities of Cosham High Street.

It
was a comfortable flat with good size rooms that were done out in light pastel colours of which magnolia was the recurring scheme. Zoe had taken the largest bedroom with an en-suite toilet and shower.

Gavin
Shawlens let out a sigh of relief as he dropped his briefcase at his feet and closed the front door to the flat by leaning back against the door. In the living room Zoe had set her laptop to play Katie Melua's songs quietly in the background. Zoe thought she had a voice similar to Katie Melua so she sang along in a duet with Katie as countless thousands of other people do. Katie Melua wouldn't mind and it helped Zoe to unwind. 'Nine million bicycles' was the current duet.

Gavin
carried his briefcase to his bedroom then went to the kitchen and put on the kettle. He spooned coffee into one cup and was pouring the hot water into the cup when Zoe sat down at the kitchen table.

"There
are two people in this flat y'know."

"What?"
Gavin looked confused.

"I'll
have a coffee."

"You
didn't say."

"YOU
didn't ask."

She
pushed an empty cup in his direction and he made her a cup of coffee while she fetched milk from the fridge.

"Sorry.
By the way they've all got cars now."

"Who?"

"The nine million people in Beijing," Gavin said.

"How
did your research meeting go?"

"Torture,
they won't talk to me for some reason. I had to do all the talking. I had to drag a few words out of them."

"My
heart bleeds for you Shawlens. Really. Anything to report?"

"I
overheard a male technician saying he thought you were hot," he smiled at her.

"Well
I overheard a female student saying she thought you were gay."

She
smiled back and his smile disappeared.

"Unfortunately
that's been said before."

"Any
strong vibes in the Department?"

"Nothing
I can feel yet."

"Are
you sure about that?"

She
had told him to be on alert for negative vibes. She told him that anyone with something to hide would be worried about an outsider nosing around their patch. She told him to observe their tells. Then he would be able to spot when one of them was worried.

"Yes
I'm sure," he replied.

"You
must keep your eyes and ears sharp. When we start digging up the bones, you need to sense them coming, before they hit you. Do you understand?" she said business like.

"I've done this before. I know how to play."

She
sighed loudly and took a large swallow of coffee. If he had been one of her troopers she would have told him abruptly she was not playing games. She decided a harsh word might put him in an even more uncooperative mood.

"Before
dinner I want you to describe everyone you met today, what they said, what you said and what you were feeling when you were talking to them."

Shit
he thought to himself
she
meant
it
when
she
said
she
wanted
every
detail
. Zoe was smarter and more thorough than anyone he had worked with before.

He
had to creatively fill-in some of the gaps. He didn't tell her about a conversation he had with Tyler Wattsin when Tyler cornered him in the Library because he couldn't remember most of it. In fact the only main thing he did remember about Tyler was the powerful lingering body odour. It was strong enough to make Gavin shift to another part of the Library.

She
debriefed him and made notes on her laptop as he spoke. Making things up to fill gaps made him feel uncomfortable. He was a poor liar who couldn't remember his lies and was easily caught out. He decided he would listen more carefully and absorb more detail. He felt sure she would punch his lights out if he didn't do what he was told. That's why he started shaving and looking after his appearance the day after he started sharing with Zoe.

He
envied her fast typing. When he asked she told him she could type three hundred characters per minute which was about sixty words. He said he could only 'hunt and peck' about twenty words per minute. She told him the downside of special ops was long periods waiting for something to happen. Zoe always put the time to good use.

When
she was sure she had extracted every last detail that he could remember she finished preparing their dinner. She had cooked chicken breasts and covered them in a creamy wild mushroom & chicken sauce with white wine and a touch of chives. When the microwave fries were ten seconds away from the ding zing she called on him to pour out two glasses of bottled water.

She
had already used an apple corer to produce apple segments for afters. She bought an apple corer when she found out on the first day of their flat sharing that he didn't eat apples because he was too lazy to cut them into bite sizes. After dinner they sat down on the living room settee with a glass of Shiraz wine.

He
didn't thank her for the meal or compliment her how good it was. He took off his sweater and threw it over a chair. He plonked himself down and it seemed to her that he was going to sink his mind into his own little world as he had done for most of the nights since they started sharing the flat. Staring at the radio, or the TV, or the wall with a faraway look. She knew why and decided to tolerate it up to a point.

"Why
did you do that with your sweater?" she asked.

"Sorry
I'll put it to my room later."

"No,
why did you take it off that way?"

"What
way?"

"You
crossed your arms and grabbed the sides and lifted it over your head."

"So?"

"Men grab the neck and pull it over the heads."

"I
don't know. I've always done it that way."

"I've
never seen a male take a top off that way."

"I
have an older sister and she more or less brought me up. I hung out with her girly gang. We shared the same room and we talked a lot especially at night before we went to sleep so I probably do some things more like a girl. It's her fault," he said.

"You
don't come across as gay," she said playfully.

"I'm
not. I've got mates who were brought up by a single mother and I feel better connected to them than with other guys. We talk differently about things. Not like guys who just talk to exchange information. It's hard to explain but none of us are gay."

"You
learn something new every day."

"Does
that make me special?"

"Different.
Anyway do you have a handle on the CASTER report?" she wanted to get back on mission.

"Yes."

"Well then do we have a backfire in Sports Biology?"

"I
believe so."

"Thank
God this hasn't all been a waste of time."

"I'm
certain there's a backfire."

"Good
lad Shawlens. I'm very pleased with you. Quick and dirty version. What have these stupid buggers been up to?" she said as she topped up his glass of wine.

At the Home Office briefing Gavin Shawlens had received a report from CASTER that outlined serious concerns about research published by Professor Buzzwall, Professor Kwan and Dr Griffan of the Department of Sports Biology. Gavin had reviewed their published research papers.

Lambeth
Group procedure for investigating a research project backfire in a university required the appointed expert to evaluate the CASTER findings. He told Zoe that Buzzwall's team started out trying to develop an ergogenic aid to increase athletic performance. They wanted a method to increase the release of energy for muscles.

He
explained that muscles receive energy from the molecule ATP. Buzzwall's logic was simple. More ATP activity means more energy for muscles and better sports performance. Even a few percent more ATP energy could mean the difference between third place and first place in fast finish cycling and sprinting events.

Buzzwall's
research papers claimed they have used an energy boost to raise muscle output by eighteen percent. With an energy boost their athletes had completed a number of sprint and track time trials in much faster times. Gavin derided Buzzwall's claim that his energy boost provided an eighteen percent increase in muscle output and told Zoe the research papers were completely unrealistic.

"So
they exaggerate. Why is it a problem for us?"

"Buzzwall's
research involves studies on athletes. You can't do research on people in this country without obtaining ethics approval from a major health organisation such as the NHS. I have searched the University record of ethically approved research and their work in not there. Not only is it not approved they have never submitted an application for approval."

"Okay
so it's a little bit illegal. I'm still not seeing a backfire."

"Jemard
Edmond is dead. He was a contributor in early papers but not later ones. He participated in early cycling trials. Both the Department and Buzzwall are pretending Jemard is still alive. I think Buzzwall's research backfired and Jemard died because he discovered the research was faulty. We just need some evidence to link them."

"Okay
I buy that. How does Oliver Mansole fit into the picture?"

"Oliver
Mansole was one of Buzzwall's technicians. In pole position to discover any flaws in the research. I think he discovered the faulty research and he's dead too."

"I
have the picture now. Anything else?"

"Of
course. There is a large hole in their research," he enthused.

"
Oh really."

"They
say nothing in their papers about the energy boost. How it supplies more energy to muscles. You can't suddenly become a biochemistry expert with no training, no equipment, then discover a new biochemical process to increase energy for muscles."

"They're
not biochemists so they've no right to discover a new biochemical process," she sounded contrite.

"I'm
not saying that. I'm not. It's like, I couldn't walk in to the SAS barracks tomorrow and say right guys I'm leading the next mission to Afghanistan. I would need physical training, equipment training and survival training to get me ready."

"
And a miracle but point taken," she smiled.

"Buzzwall
and his team have no biochemistry training in energy research, nor do they have the right equipment for energy studies. I've checked their labs and spoken to a few of the researchers. They don't know anything about biochemistry. So how did they get their discovery. This is one of my main concerns."

"Silent
partner maybe?"

"There
is no mention in any of the research papers of collaborators, joint projects or anything that might suggest a partner."

"Maybe
they prefer total anonymity. It's not unusual," she said.

"If
another party gave Buzzwall a set of results and he published them under his own name then that's fraud. More important is why they want to hide."

"So
their research is surrounded by secrecy. So what? It's the best way to protect intellectual property."

"Research
that comes out of a dark corner tends to stink. Previous disasters occurred because research was passed off as safe then when it backfired it was found to be based on unsafe methods, unqualified people, shortcuts or illegal procedures," he said.

"Okay
I hear you and in fact I agree with your assessment. Just making sure you were confident in your reasoning. You know what Alan Cairn is like."

"I've
seen some awful consequences of bad research. I'm not a biochemical snob. If they have a good discovery then the best way to get it accepted is full and frank disclosure."

"Thanks
for that Gavin. I needed a grip on the science."