Page 84 - double revenge 3.

THE COTTAGE

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MONDAY FEBRUARY 5 1998

George unlocked his bottom drawer and answered his safe telephone.

‘Andrew Blair speaking, Mr Mcluskey. Mr Darrow has instructed me to contact you directly

whenever there is activity on your London Property Invest account. A large sum of money has been
transferred into the account from the account of Warner Global Investments of Boston.’

‘Thank you. What is the exact amount?’

‘It is three million, one hundred and forty one thousand five hundred and ninety two dollars and
sixty five cents.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Mr. Darrow has also told me to tell you we have received a telephone call from Mr. Warner of
Warner Global Investments asking for your contact number.’

‘Did he say why he needed the number?’

‘He said he needed to keep you up to date with your investments.’

‘Ok give him this number.’

George replaced the telephone and smiled to himself. The extra sixty-five cents were the next two
digits of pi. Warner was signalling he knew where the money had come from and was confirming he
was still loyal to Moscow. The FBI must now be aware Mex had drawn money from the G.H Thorpes
account. To be doubly certain, George’s instructions had included for Mex to make a second
withdrawal.

George wondered why Warner needed his telephone number but according to Viktor Baladin’s
report, Warner was up to his neck in gambling debts so the only conclusion was Warner was going

to try a shakedown.

Exactly a week later, right on schedule, Warner paid the second payment into the account.

Another week on and the reason why Warner had wanted the telephone number became

apparent. It was, as George had guessed, an attempt at blackmail. The call came through on his
safe direct line so George knew his end of the call was untraceable but Warner had spoken several
intercept trigger words. GCHQ would already be listening in and trying to trace Warner’s number.

He wanted half a million dollars for the original of a memo which he claimed, showed Russia was
prepared to pay for the removal of Chinese influence in Guatemala.

The second call came a further week on and George presumed Warner was uncertain about what

he was attempting and was slowly working up courage. There was neither an attempt to arrange a