Birdcage

Chapter 18 Dane...

I bring the tips of my fingers up to my closed eye lids, and apply pressure to my exhausted eyeballs. I take a sip of my coffee and click play once again, so I can watch the interview of Stephen Gough-Whitaker's PA for the third time this morning. When we found out he had the hard drive, MI5 sent a small team out to find him but it turns out it isn't as easy as catching a plane to America and grabbing him. He told his daughter he was going overseas on business but I'm starting to think he went there to lay low and didn't want to be found. Trying to find someone with money in a place as big as America is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. He had left no trace of where he was going other than the fact, we knew he flew into JFK airport, but from there he could have gone anywhere else in America. Now, our job has been made harder by the fact that he has disappeared completely, having no contact with his PA who he was travelling with, or Maisie who has been in frequent contact with him since he left the UK. Earlier in the week when Maisie told us of her worries, I knew instantly something wasn't right and the following day after leaving Lila in the morning, I came into work and informed them of what had transpired. Our guess is that the Russians have got to him before we could. However, what we now need to determine is if he is still alive and if the Russians have the hard drive. If they have, it would be a huge blow for the case because they will most likely destroy it.

MI5 together with the FBI have been looking into his disappearance, and so far, to no avail. They took in his PA and asked her questions, but all she can tell us is that she went to a spa for the whole day and when she returned to their penthouse apartment in Chicago, he was gone. There were no signs of a struggle in the apartment and conveniently enough, the apartment buildings CCTV was undergoing maintenance that day. All witnesses claim they saw or heard nothing, as if he has vanished into thin air. At the same time, we are glad a body hasn't been found yet; meaning there is a chance he is still alive.

I keep watching the interview of his PA in the hopes she says something we have all missed. I'm trying to determine whether she is involved at all but from what I can see each time, she is as confused as everyone else. Surprisingly, Maisie hasn't gone over like she claimed she would; either she isn't that concerned; she knows something; or Pierre is stopping her because he knows something.

Thoughts of Maisie lead to thoughts of Lila and how strained things have been this week ever since we arrived back at her house from our meal with her friends. I'm struggling with the fact I'm lying to her about the case and Maisie, but I am trying my hardest to keep her out of it all. I know she wants to help in any way she can and I feel that if I tell her about Maisie, she will do something stupid. I'm also concerned about how she will react because this girl is her friend. I know I have been a little distant from her and she knows something is bothering me, but to my surprise she hasn't pressed me about the issue. I have wondered to myself if that is because she is worried about what I will say, or because she has been concentrating on her own work problems. She has talked to me all week about her bosses worsening behaviour toward her, and I can visibly see the upset it is causing. I hate myself for not doing anything about it but I cannot risk drawing any attention towards myself until we have the hard drive and the case is closed. As much as it hurts me, for now my priority is ending all this so I can concentrate on the first thing I have really, truly cared about for a long time; Lila.

Something I can say we have achieved this week was the interception of six young girls being smuggled into the country last night. Thanks to Lila, police have been monitoring Dover all week and finally they got them. Two men were arrested and the girls were taken to safe houses to be cared for until they are ready to give statements. They would have been taken by now, but the wonderful team of ladies looking after them won't let us near the girls until they are happy with their mental state. Later today I'm listening in on the questioning of one of the guys arrested; seems as my cover is blown out in the field, interviewing seems to be my role at the minute.

Stopping the video that I've only just started playing, I grab my coffee, stand up and decide I need a break from my computer screen. I leave my work station and head over to see Greg, who has been tasked with looking through all of Gough-Whitakers financial records to see if he has used any of his credit cards in the last few days. We know the authorities in the US will be doing the same but maybe we can do it quicker. I take a seat in the chair next to his and ask him how he is getting on.

He looks at me and lets out a dramatic sigh, throwing himself back into his chair before saying, "Bloody bored, that's how I'm getting on. This is the worst job I could do; staring at these numbers is sending my brain to mush."

"Your brain was mush anyway," I taunt him, dodging the empty paper cup that he throws towards my head. "Is there at least anything jumping out at you?"

"There has been nothing on his cards since Sunday, and that was in Chicago, his last known location." He clicks between a few different screens until he finds the document he was looking for, scrolls down the page a fraction and says, "Bingo. It was used at a restaurant in the city, a few designer stores and an establishment called 'The Coyote'. I looked that up and discovered it was a strip club."

I wonder if his PA girlfriend knew he was visiting a strip club on an evening, I think to myself. I knew from comments I'd heard from Maisie that he was having a relationship with his employee, hence why she goes everywhere with him. Some of our police officers went to see his wife to keep her updated on the investigation, and see if there was anything useful she could tell us. However, they very quickly learnt that she couldn't really care where her husband was, or if he was even alive; I presume she has always known about his extra marital affairs, but as long as she has her money - she's happy.

The more time that passes where Stephen Gough-Whitaker hasn't been found, the more I think he is dead and Nikolai has what he needs; has what we need. If that's the reality then all of our efforts and hard work have been for nothing, meaning more vulnerable people will continue to be hurt at his hands. For now, to keep me motivated, I think of the six girls sat safe somewhere in a location that even I don't know about.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when I realise my phone is vibrating in my jeans pocket. I pull it out and see Lila's name on the screen. It's only mid-afternoon when she is usually busy, so it's unusual to hear from her. Ever so slightly apprehensive, I answer, immediately asking if she is okay. Hearing her voice tells me she isn't, and my heart thuds in my chest. She isn't crying, but her voice is shaky and I can hear the whistling of wind in the background which tells me she isn't in her office building.

At first, she talks so fast that I don't even know what she is saying so I try to calm her and say, "Lila, slow down, take a deep breath." I hear her do as I say, as she takes in the air with her nose and breathes it out again in a loud sigh. It feels like an eternity passes before she speaks again, but when she does, her words are like a punch to my gut and anger begins to take over my body; "Dane - he attacked me."