Chapter 4: A Case Conference

At Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police hold a case conference into the Jennifer McEwan disappearance. Has a crime been committed or did Jennifer merely take time out from difficult circumstances at home and at work?

In London’s East End, the Directors of Canopus ImpEx think about what the future might hold for the company...

Maskirovka?

Anatoly is having coffee when Igor Mendeleyev’s call is put through to him.

He is at the AKE Headquarters building, occupying several floors in one of the office towers which have grown up like so many steel, glass and concrete mushrooms in Moscow’s financial district. (1)

He can guess what - or who - this is going to be about. Anatoly waits as Mendeleyev rehearses the Slavic formalities, not sure whether to be optimistic in anticipation of good news, or to steel himself whilst Mendeleyev carefully details yet more difficulties. Through the glass wall which separates his own office, he can see the Lithuanian Girl who Mikhail Barysovitch has grafted into his organization, to report back to Mikhail and to be a constant reminder that Mikhail and those above him expect a strategy, operational plans and above all, results. The girl is holding a telephone handset. Anatoly is sure she is patched into his call.

“ ... so I have heard from Professor Dawney” begins Mendeleyev. “She telephoned earlier today. It seems that Vyera has called to see her and my impression is that the meeting was not cordial”

“Oh?”

“Vyera’s project”

“Yes?”

“I thought of it in the first place and suggested it to Professor Dawney almost as a joke. I was really very surprised that she had taken up the idea so enthusiastically, to the extent that she has obviously forgotten where she herself got the idea from – which of course was me – and she went on to accuse me of poaching her student and the data and the original idea. Academic life is very competitive Anatoly Sergeyevitch. The root of the trouble is the scientific paper in ‘Psychological Letters’. Professor Dawney reads the Journal and recognized the account Vyera had written. I expected trouble from her anyway but she has connected Vyera Anatolyevna Kuznetsova with Jennifer McEwan. I am very sorry that Vyera’s name was included in the final copy which went to the Journal offices.”

“Igor Ivanovitch, you are telling me that the situation is getting worse. Angela Dawney now knows where Vyera has been, who she has been with and how she has spent her time – some of it at least.”

“I am afraid so, Anatoly Sergeyevitch. The solution to the Vyera problem will now have to include Professor Dawney in some way...”

Anatoly closes his eyes as if shutting out the light but actually he is trying to avoid looking at the Lithuanian Girl. If only he could make the world a simpler place, as it was just a few short weeks ago. What had possessed him to take Vyera on the boat trip? Why on earth had they gone to Stockholm, the girl’s motherland, as it were? Why did Sveta choose that moment to take leave of her senses and release the slave girl? Alas! So many ‘what ifs’. So few answers.

Anatoly opens his eyes again. The Lithuanian Girl is wearing a carefully tailored leather skirt and white blouse, with black tights. On her feet she has black mules. She is kneeling with one knee on her office chair and bending over the desk supporting herself on her forearms, presenting Anatoly with a view of her bum covered by tight, smooth shiny black leather. With her other leg, her foot plays with her mule, sliding in and out, in and out.

Anatoly closes his eyes once again, to shut out the sight of her. In his ear, Mendeleyev’s voice says,

“ ... so I began to think about how Vyera will be reacting to her new surroundings...”

Anatoly’s coffee is cold and bitter. He can see exactly why Mikhail Barysovitch finds Mendeleyev so irritating: he was talking about Vyera as one might talk about an experiment with test tubes or space probes on the moon... “we gave her the name Vyera to remind her that she always has to be truthful, to be an open book to her superiors. Soon she will become aware of a tension between keeping her work with us - her new family - confidential and the responsibility she once had to keep the Inward Bound data confidential...”

“Igor Ivanovitch, I have followed every step of your argument and the information about Professor Dawney is ... let’s just say interesting, but I was expecting more that a wearisome recitation of the problems and challenges in front of us? Have you anything actually positive to say or good news to tell me, or even a logical step which might lead us out of this mess?”

“But of course Anatoly Sergeyevitch. I have a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“We must regain the initiative. We must begin to manage events. Neena must contact Vyera and give her instructions about the IWB data. Vyera must be told that we will keep the data confidential, so Jennifer McEwan’s original responsibility is discharged and Vyera has permission to tell the Inward Bound people that there will be no consequences for any of the subjects in Vyera’s data set, if she is questioned by them.”

“So why are we thinking about Inward Bound?”

“Because they might contact Vyera and she must have replies ready by her side which she can trust and can give with complete confidence. Also, Vyera might contact them on her own initiative and confess that the data has been in the hand of others. My scheme can take her off the horns of a painful dilemma. Loyalty to us. Loyalty to those she knew before.”

“Two horns but what about the third horn?”

“Third horn? That would be a trilemma, surely?”

Anatoly feels a flash of anger at Mendeleyev’s obsession with details but he controls his temper and says, by way of explanation “Professor Dawney. Vyera had a professional responsibility to her, I think?”

“Ah, of course. You are quite correct. Three horns. A trilemma. Well, there at last fortune has smiled. I think Professor Dawney wanted Vyera for herself and sent her to Inward Bound, less to be an objective scientist and more to fall under the influence of the programme. I think she hoped that Vyera would become more malleable and fall under her spell to the disadvantage of the husband, Joseph. I think the professor’s dismay at loosing her academic lead in this area and the knowledge that Vyera was much further from her influence sparked her anger and jealousy, which was directed at Vyera when they met. I believe that Vyera did not have a pleasant interview.”

“So they are no longer on speaking terms?”

“If I am optimistic, Anatoly Sergeyevitch the very best I can say is, the relationship is very sour and so there is no third horn to snare Vyera.”

After he closes the call, Anatoly gets up and leaves the building. He needs space, to see beyond the confines of his office. To feel the wind on his face and taste fresh air in his lungs. He is aware that several respectful paces behind, his security detail shadows him. Moscow is not what it was in the nineteen nineties but it remains wise for an Oligarch to have due regard to his personal security. Walking alone was in Anatoly’s experience, is the best way to get his mind to cut a problem down to size or to encourage some original thought. Presently, Anatoly and his Shadows reach Presnensky Park. He finds a bench and sits. The advance of winter was clear to see. Occasional stinging darts of rain were being blown in the wind beneath a grey sky and there was the rustle of fallen leaves.

What might his father do in circumstances like these? Anatoly allows himself to imagine his late father sitting next to him in his full General’s uniform: cap, tunic, high boots, medals. Together, they gaze over the Park, towards the old American Embassy Building as Anatoly presents his report...

‘The Situation. A member of my personal staff is in the hands of the British Authorities. She is alone and vulnerable but she is loyal. Eventually, she may crack and say more than she should.’

‘The Context. Vyera was acquired from the United Kingdom where she was Jennifer McEwan. She came to Moscow aboard the AKE aircraft masquerading as Anna Tereshkova. The deception is robust. Perfect maskirovka. (2)

For a moment, Anatoly feels panic rising inside hm. He feels he is in a dead end street with his enemies massing at the open end to prevent his escape. They could not extract him from Russia and it is almost inconceivable that the Russian Authorities would hand him over but his reputation would be badly tarnished, perhaps ruined and his life-style would be severely compromised if he was no longer able to travel abroad – and then as Anatoly struggles to bring his emotions under control, an idea flies swiftly across his mind, so quickly that Anatoly has difficultly in appreciating its form and shape.

He juggles with the idea as a football player might struggle with a wet, slippery, spinning ball.

The plain facts connected Jennifer McEwan and Vyera and Anatoly but if masikarovka could not effectively supress the simple conclusion, perhaps the answer had something to do with describing Vyera’s time in Moscow in alternative words, even very positive words? To acknowledge Vyera is Jennifer but provide an alternative description of her time in Russia?

That Lithuanian bitch could work that up! It would get her hands dirty. It would keep her out of his sight, Give her something to tell Mikhail Barysovitch, Give them both some thing to do. All in all, this could be the perfect solution for keeping them off his back!

At New Scotland Yard, London

Twelve people are sitting around a table in a conference room in New Scotland Yard. (3) There is a general rumble of conversation. Some are already known to each other. Others are strangers and are getting acquainted before the meeting begins. The man sitting at the head of the table checks his watch and brings the meeting to order. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Time is pressing. I suggest we start by going round the table and introduce ourselves. Let me begin. I am Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steven Davies. I have been asked to convene this meeting by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. I am chairing this meeting because of the potential sensitivity of the case and the international dimension.” (4)

“David Rice. Commander Metropolitan Police Special Operations Command.”

“Colin Grantby, Chief Inspector, Special Operations Command, Metropolitan Police.”

“Michael Lockwood, Chief Inspector Counter Terrorism Command, Met’.”

“Brian Ackroyd, Inspector Warwickshire Constabulary.”

“Joan Borland, Sergeant, Special Operations Command, Metropolitan Police.”

“Anne Elba, psychologist working with the Metropolitan Police.”

“Stephen Appleyard, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.”

“Anna Thomassen, Rikskriminalenpolisen Sweden.”

“Joan Wright, Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.”

“Peter Brook, The Security Service, MI5.”

“Mary Stamford, Crown Prosecution Service.”

Thank you, everyone for your attendance and especially for those who have come a rather long way to this meeting. Before we begin to look at matters in detail, I should like to make some general though I suppose not unexpected remarks. Today, there are twelve people here to discuss the case of a young woman who may or may not have been the subject of a crime. We have representatives of the police forces from two countries and from two police forces in the UK, also a representative from two of the UK Security Services, a representative from the Crown Prosecution Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a psychologist. I can’t recall a meeting like this before when there was still doubt over whether a crime has been committed or not. The Commissioner and the Senior Management Team are acutely aware that resources are limited and regrettably, we are just not able to investigate every curious incident which comes to our attention. At the end of this meeting I would like to have a clear view about whether we have a crime or at least an incident that we can properly engage with, leading to an investigation which produces a result. The result could be a benign explanation of hitherto unexplained events or it could be a clear criminal target to arrest and prosecute.

Now, with that strategic overview out of the way, can I turn to you Chief Inspector Grantby and ask you to go through the events as far as we know them?”

“Thank you, Deputy Assistant Commissioner. You will all have a short resumé in front of you about the Jennifer McEwan case and you may wish to follow it whilst I talk...” Grantby quickly runs through the history of the ‘Jennifer McEwan case’. He covers her disappearance, her reappearance. The last sighting in London, the first sighting in Stockholm and the interest of the Swedish National Investigation Bureau. He summarises the curious tale of her arrest and interrogation by the CIA and the relationship of her head of department to a former KGB officer, turned international businessman. He goes through the medical evacuation of someone bearing a striking similarity to Jennifer aboard an aircraft owned by the Russian businessman in question, the involvement of a surgeon who was brought up in the German Democratic Republic and the appearance of Jennifer’s academic work in a Russian academic journal. Grantby concludes, “Not all the people who seem to be involved in this case are normally resident in the UK and one in particular holds a diplomatic passport from a country with whom our relations are somewhat strained but he visits quite frequently. I would especially like to know if my team can detain Mr Kustensky for questioning the next time he comes to Britain.

DAC Davies turns to Ackroyd and Elba. “I believe you two have had the most recent contact with Mrs McEwan. Is there anything you can say to help us at this point?”

“I ought to say at the start,” begins Ackroyd, “that my original view was that we were not dealing with an abduction at all. We identified some ... ah ... potential marital tensions between the McEwans and also some ‘history’ between Mrs McEwan and Professor Dawney. I thought matters had got to a point where she could not cope with the emotional effort of holding everything in place and had taken herself off somewhere where she could either make a fresh start or try to resolve matters in her own time. Some recent developments cast the whole affair in a bit of a different light, though.

First, Mrs McEwan became lost and disorientated whilst she was shopping in Birmingham. Instead of contacting her husband who was also in the city she contacted someone she had been with during the period of her disappearance. The said female gave Mrs McEwan instructions to wait for her husband in a convenient branch of Starbucks and then telephoned Mr McEwan to tell him to go pick up his wife.

When Mrs McEwan’s phone was examined, it had been reset to factory default mode and the call to Mr McEwan was from a withheld number. This made me think again about events which might have happened before Mrs. McEwan disappeared so I then made contact with British Telecom who are the McEwan’s internet service provider and asked them to look at the phone traffic in the months before she disappeared. That was in November 2009 and the record only now extends back to August 09 but it shows that impressive quantities of data were being uploaded from the McEwan PC during the small hours of the morning to an untraceable IP address probably using something like TOR (5), which is of course, a way of sending a message across the internet by a very roundabout route, to make it hard to identify (in this case) the destination of the message. When we examined said PC after Jennifer McEwan disappeared, the hard disc had been wiped completely. At the time we thought the blank hard disc was consistent with Mrs McEwan covering her tracks after making a conscious decision to leave her husband. Now ... well, unfortunately the interpretation is still equivocal. You could say there is evidence that Mrs McEwan had planned to leave and transmitted her data to friends abroad deliberately. You could also say that this is evidence of Mrs McEwan being spied on in the months before she was lifted.

“If I may interject here?” It is Joan Wright from MI6 speaking. “ if you are going to use TOR to cover your tracks of the internet, you have to install TOR software first. Did you every find any?”

I am sorry to say that we did not look properly. If I could have my time again, I would make sure that a “more sophisticated examination of the McEwan PC was carried out but back in 2009 I am afraid I was not so clued-up.”

“Thank you Inspector Ackroyd and thank you for your frankness”, says the DAC, “I am sure many of us could say the same as you. Dr Elba? May I give you the floor at this point?”

Annie Elba has thought carefully about what she should say at this point, to this audience. The policemen and women would all be very interested to know about Jennifer McEwan’s psychotic breakdown: a physical attack culminating in a rape. There would be questions about what should be done; in particular, should Jenny be held in psychiatric custody until her state of mind improves? It was exactly the question she had put to Laura Malvern. Between them and thinking carefully about the events which came immediately before Jenny’s psychotic episode, they have decided that Jenny is better at home and away from work, to give her space and the reassurance of familiar surroundings to take best advantage of the work she was doing with Laura Malvern and to encourage the signs of recovery which Jennifer is gradually showing.

Annie says: “I think the best I can do today is to give you some insight into the psychological state of Mrs McEwan at the moment. You will know that persons abducted and especially those abducted for long periods can sometime begin to identify with their captors. This was first noted in the behavior of some victims of a bank hold up and siege in Stockholm. It is recognized as a psychosis known as Stockholm Syndrome. (6) When our colleagues in Sweden first saw Mrs McEwan (Annie glances at Anna Thomassen by way of reference) they thought she was displaying all the signs of the condition and my professional opinion is that they are correct. I have spent some time with Mrs McEwan myself and I have spoken at length with the psychotherapist who is treating her. For your information, this is a Dr Laura Malvern who has expertise in the care of patients recovering from psychological trauma. I know her work and she is very experienced and reliable. At first glance so to speak, Mrs McEwan generally seems to be a perfectly well adjusted, psychologically stable young woman but she has tried hard not to let anything slip about the people she has been with, the things she has done and the conditions under which she lived. She is in fact scrupulous to keep their confidentiality. There are two conclusions possible. First, that Brian (Doctor Elba turns and smiles at Ackroyd, to confirm to the others who she is talking about) is correct in his initial belief that Mrs McEwan needed space, and does not wish to rake over old and painful ground, especially now she is feeling better about herself. Second, that she was abducted and has been subjected to a particularly effective conditioning regimen and is still unable to break free from its influence. At present, I can’t be completely sure which is true. I would expect that any deliberate psychological conditioning will decay in due course if it is not reinforced - and its hard to see how that might happen - so I think we can expect further information will seep out from Mrs McEwan over the next few months and all we really have to do is wait. I do not expect this is the time scale you were hoping for but it is quite often the case in medicine and psychology, that treatment is like gardening. You just have to let the plants grow at their own pace. However, if I have to make a judgment right now, I think the evidence is in favour of an abduction and particularly effective deliberate psychological conditioning.”

“Inspector Thomassen”, says the DAC, turning to the Scandinavian visitor. “May I thank you for coming to visit us in London and invite you to tell us about the events of the night when Mrs. McEwan reappeared?”

Anna Thomassen smiles and with characteristic confidence glances at the faces before her and begins.

“I represent the Swedish Rikskriminalenpolisen. (7) We stand between the regular Swedish police force and our security services. We deal with crime which has a trans-national dimension and crime which has the potential to destabilise the state. One example is trafficking and supply of narcotics. Another example is the trafficking of people. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the Baltic States as independent nations once more, we have noticed a number of well-organised criminal networks with connections to Russia and the new nations. They are staffed, if I can express myself that way, they are staffed by capable, energetic, violent and unprincipled people and are a constant concern to us. They are active in both narcotics crime and people trafficking but in other areas too.

“When Mrs McEwan appeared to her family from out of the harbour in Stockholm, her father reported the matter to Stockholm county police who passed the case to us when they realised that Mrs McEwan was a wanted person in the UK. I interrogated her the next day and found just what Dr Elba found: she was very reluctant to say where she had been and who she had spent her time with. She was given formal psychological examination and our people also concluded that she was a victim of Stockholm Syndrome - or could be. She was also examined physically and found to be fit and well cared for. She did not have any signs of sexual abuse, so no anal dilatation, vaginal bruising or venereal disease. Her skin showed signed of superficial bruising, consistent with some mild BDSM practice. Her finger and toenails and cuticles were clean, shaped, filed smooth and ... Inspector Thomassen checks her notes ... and she was wearing nail varnish. These are not typical signs of a woman kidnapped into sexual slavery in our experience.