Jigsaw Lovers (14 page)

‘Mr Hamilton,’ a sophisticated female voice began, ‘you have been referred to us by a mutual friend in the East.’

At first Hamilton had no idea what she was talking about, then he remembered the conversation in Tokyo ten days earlier. ‘How did you get this number?’ he asked calmly. She ignored the question.

‘That is not important. Before I go on. You know the friend that I am referring to?’

‘Yes. He said someone would contact me.’

‘We understand you require information. Can you come to London in the near future to discuss your requirements?’

Hamilton was surprised. ‘I suppose I could be there sometime next week.’

‘If it’s inconvenient we could arrange to meet with you in Cape Town.’

‘No problem. I have one or two things to attend to there anyway. I was intending to make a trip quite soon, actually. I’ll phone you when I get in.’

‘It’s probably better if we phone you. Where will you be staying?’

‘The Ritz.’

‘We’ll contact you when you arrive.’

He put the receiver down. He was intrigued. The only people he had given this number to were male, and this did not include his friend in Tokyo who had offered to help.

A week later the taxi he’d taken from Heathrow Airport dropped him outside the Ritz in Piccadilly. He checked in and went up to his room
that overlooked Green Park. He had just finished taking a shower when the telephone ran.

‘Mr Hamilton?’ he recognised the sophisticated female voice.

‘Yes. Good morning. I’ve just arrived.’

‘So we understand. Can we meet tomorrow morning at eleven o’clock?’ she asked.

‘Yes, that’s fine. Where?’

‘Just around the corner from where you’re staying. Come to Ackermann International, twenty-third floor, St James Street. You’re to see Mr Ackermann.’

Hamilton was ushered into Ackermann’s office by his personal assistant called James. The office was well appointed with views over the city and the river in the distance. The furnishings were of black leather, with Persian carpets on white marble flooring, and eighteenth century architectural en
gravings on two of the oak-panelled walls, and on the third, in pride of place, a Hockney swimming pool.

Dan Ackermann appeared from a side door, mobile phone in hand.

‘Deliver it on Saturday afternoon at three. Not before. The party should have been going for an hour by then and all her friends will be there to see it arrive.’

He put the handset down and introduced himself.

‘Dan Ackermann. Sorry about that. It’s my daughter Chantelle’s twelfth birthday on Saturday, and she’s been dropping hints for the last two months that she wants a pony. I’m afraid I can’t resist indulging her every whim. She’s such a beautiful little thing. My trainer’s found something suitable, and by leaving it until the afternoon before it’s delivered, it should come as quite a surprise to her.’ Ackermann was a very indulgent and devoted father. Chantelle was his only child from two marriages and there was nothing that he could deny her.

He had often reflected how different his own childhood had been from that of his daughter. The family, coming from eastern Europe as refugees, had struggled to survive in the immediate post-war years. He had learnt of necessity to become self-reliant and secretive at an early age. All his first childhood experiences were kept to himself, a trait that stayed with him in later life, making him appear cool and distant. His first wife had managed to penetrate beneath his harsh exterior, but his opening-up was short
-lived. His second wife, Caroline, never found the secret to his dark moods. Although they had a happy and stable marriage there were occasions when it was interspersed with cold silence on many issues. She had learnt that none of the icy, aloof moods had any relevance to her and had weathered each episode over the years.

He took a seat opposite Hamilton across the glass-topped desk, with legs of roughly polished black granite. He was in his early fifties, alert and fit with no excess weight. He wore a dark grey pinstriped double-breasted suit with a pale blue shirt, gold monogrammed cuff-links and polka dot tie. He looked as Hamilton had imagined. Successful.

‘I trust you had a pleasant journey, Mr Hamilton.’

‘Not too bad.’

‘Thank you for taking the trouble to come over here and see us. I could have come to Cape Town, but with first meetings we find it better if our potential clients come and see how we operate, and what the facilities are that we can offer.’

‘I quite agree and I’m suitably impressed, with your offices at any rate. Fantastic view.’

‘Thank you. Do you mind if my assistant sits in on this meeting? It will save having to brief him later and he may well have something of value to contribute.’

‘He was the one who showed me in, wasn’t he? No objection at all.’ Ackermann pushed a button on his desk and a moment later James came through the door and took a seat to the left of Hamilton.

‘I understand from a mutual friend of ours that you require information,’ Ackermann began. ‘I assume its information about someone?’

‘That’s correct. A certain someone.’ Hamilton crossed his legs and leaned forward over the table’s edge. ‘But before we discuss that, I am a little curious and somewhat concerned as to how you acquired my private telephone number.’

Ackermann smiled. ‘How shall I put this? We are in the research business. The company does a lot of normal research, but for some clients we carry out investigations that are a little more unconventional. Investigations that require the utmost discretion. We have a hunch that maybe your needs will fall into this category.’

‘I think they will but you haven’t answered my question,’ interrupted Hamilton.

‘I’m coming to that. I just want to give you a general overview of how we operate, in order to help you understand us.

‘Much of what we research is very sensitive and confidential. We have to be very careful as to whom we work for, and we like to know as much as possible about our potential clients, in order to avoid the possibility of embarrassing incidents arising later in the relationship. As part of our standard procedure, even though you were highly recommended, we ran a check on you. You are here because we were satisfied with what we discovered about you.’

‘Well I’m extremely pleased to hear that,’ Hamilton answered somewhat sarcastically.

‘It’s just a normal precaution we take with all our new clients. Nothing for you to worry about.’

‘And the telephone number? How did you get hold of that?’

‘Oh that came up in the course of our check. It was perhaps a little theatrical of us to use it, but we hope it gives you some confidence in our abilities to find out whatever, no matter how secret, you may require.’

‘Would you mind telling me who gave it to you?’ Although appearing outwardly calm and uninterested, Hamilton was very curious and extremely angry, as to which of his six closest friends had revealed his private number. He would have to deal severely with whoever it was that had betrayed his trust.

Ackermann smiled, ‘We never reveal our sources. But don’t worry it wasn’t from one of the six people who know the number.’

After the initial shock, which he was unable to conceal, Hamilton had to admit that he was impressed by this piece of information.

‘We do try to be thorough in all of our dealings, Mr Hamilton,’ Ackermann said as he walked across the room to a cabinet. Opening it, without asking his guest, he poured two whiskies, one with water and ice
that he handed to Hamilton.

‘Your preferred brand, if I’m to believe my own research. I hope these little indications of what we were able to find out about you, which I might add, did take considerable effort in the short time available, will give you confidence in our abilities to serve you.’

Sniffing the whisky Hamilton shook his head slowly and smiled, very happy with the situation. ‘I’m certain I’ve come to the right place for my purposes. Your health.’

‘And to a successful relationship. Before we find out what it is you require I would like to ask James here to give you a brief rundown on the types of services and facilities that we can offer you. It may give you some additional ideas as to what’s possible, and together we can formulate a
modus operandi
.’ He handed over to James.

‘Perhaps I could begin by showing you a presentation we’ve put together from some of our recent work. Each scenario shows a different type of investigative technique.’

They moved over to the sofa in front of which was a large-flat screen television. James picked up the remote control and began his presentation.

‘First we have what we refer to as “static observation”. This is where we observe the subject in a prearranged location. What you see here is an hotel suite that we lease permanently. We have set up concealed video cameras in each room, two in each, and four in the main bedroom, to cover all angles. They work automatically or a remote operator can control a number of features such as zooming-in for a close-up, or adjusting the preset angle to get a better view of some detail. Hidden voice-activated microphones record every word spoken.’

‘Can you set this up anywhere, say, for instance, in someone’s home bedroom or office?’ asked Hamilton.

‘Yes. All we need is access to the premises for a short time to do a simple installation. Obviously a more sophisticated arrangement like you see here takes a while longer. If the subject uses a place regularly or over a long period of time, then this can be a very worthwhile means of observation.’

Hamilton nodded, very pleased that he had met these two gentlemen.

‘Next, we have some examples of “mobile observation”. Here the subject is just photographed from afar or videoed, often both. They are followed and notes taken as to where they are, who they meet, what they do, etc. From this information we can build a profile of the subject’s habits, routines and activities.

‘In order to eavesdrop conversations in the open there are a couple of techniques. Sometimes from a video image a lip-reader can transcribe what’s being said, or we use one of these.’

‘Looks like a Parker pen to me,’ said Hamilton.

‘That’s what it started life as, and in fact it writes quite well. But inside it has a directional microphone which will receive and record clearly any sound up to fifty feet away, in a line of sight, in the direction in which it is pointed. You can record any conversation you like.

‘Then there’s the usual everyday stuff, such as phone tapping, which doesn’t prove too much of a problem. We’ve yet to meet a foreman of an office cleaning company who is not averse to a little extra cash, in return for turning a blind eye.
Cell phone voicemail hacking is also surprisingly easy.

‘Once we’ve acquired all this information we set about analysing it to see how we can best use it to satisfy our client’s brief. Basically, we find the person’s weakness or weaknesses and exploit them.’ James switched off the video.

Hamilton grinned.

‘Judging by the expression on your face, Mr Hamilton, may I assume we will be able to help you?’ Ackermann spoke for the first time since James had begun his presentation.

‘I think, in fact, I know, that you will be able to do exactly what I have in mind, and I’m sure you will be able to add a few refinements to my plans.’

Ackermann rose, picking up Hamilton’s glass. ‘Another Chivas? And then may we offer you lunch? We have a reasonably good chef at the moment, and perhaps you can fill us in as to what you’d like us to do for you.’

They walked through into the dining room.

They ate leisurely for almost two hours as Ian Hamilton outlined the project he had in mind. Ackermann and James were familiar with his background from the research they had done on him, but that research had failed to indicate the strength of feeling, bordering on the fanatical, that the man held towards the individual that he now wished to act against.

Neither had been able to anticipate the elements of the extraordinary brief that Hamilton had unfolded before them. And extraordinary it most certainly was. They had never acted for anyone before who had devised such an exquisitely devious and unpleasant scenario to tempt and ultimately wreck an adversary. An adversary who could have no idea that he was a target, and had been for almost five years. An adversary who was going to be manoeuvred into a situation whereby he created his own downfall.

It would be a most interesting project on which to work, and a very lucrative one. They were aware that Hamilton had made a fortune from the rights and royalties on a computer game that he had developed, and he had indicated that he was prepared to spend whatever it took to bring his long-thought-out plans to fruition.

‘You do your chef an injustice to describe him as merely “reasonably good”. That was an outstanding lunch, Dan.’ Hamilton sat back well satisfied with what he had consumed.

‘I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll pass your comments on to Pierre.’

‘I hope I’ve managed to convey to you the gist of what I want done.’

‘I think we’ve got a pretty clear picture, don’t you James?’

‘Yes. After the preliminaries, I see the project falling into three phases. Phase one lasts three months. That’s when we’ll be doing most of our high-tech tricks and gathering the evidence.’ He chuckled at the description.