Page 64
Story: Code Name: Magnet
He went through the same objectives I had while in the shower, including the situation with Ehren. I was stunned when he also mentioned Schmid’s possible involvement.
Magnet, Rogue, Drachen, and I were on one team. Our assignment was physical canvassing, including visits to the two banks where we already knew Godwin had made deposits on behalf of AMPS and possibly the Calabrian Syndicate—Bank Julius Bär and Union Bank of Switzerland. We’d also visit Châteaux Relais.
A second team, made up of Reaper, Macht, Ares, and Flick, would be doing the same thing but visiting other financial institutions as well as St. Moritz establishments, including the ski areas, restaurants, and shops.
Poseidon and Oleander were tasked with delving deeper into Ehren and Schmid, while Verity, Zeppelin, Grey, and Fuchs ran the CCTV footage we already had through facial recognition. As more came in, they would do the same. Depending on what that turned up, they’d have the teams who remained in Shere join them in watching the footage in detail.
“This is odd,” Verity mumbled when I walked past her. While I didn’t think she was speaking directly to me, I stopped anyway.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Take a look.” She pulled up two stills from the CCTV footage, so not very clear, particularly when enlarged.
“This is from Châteaux Relais, yes?”
“It is. What do you see?”
“Two men dressed in black suits, wearing hats, sunglasses, and black gloves.”
“Two or one?” she asked.
“They aren’t the same person.”
She sat back in her chair, then looked up at me. “That’s what I thought.”
“What’s this?” Zeppelin asked, kneeling next to Verity.
“What do you see when you look at these images side by side?” she asked him.
“Is that the bodyguard? Or should I say Xavier Vella?”
“It’s possible one is, but the other is not.” Ten more images filled the screen. They were shots captured in succession from the footage.
“Schön, what are your thoughts?”
“The one image could be a man, but the others are all of the same woman—dressed as a man.”
Zeppelin leaned in closer. “Bloody hell. That could be a woman, couldn’t it?”
Not could be. It was a woman; I was certain of it.
“Zep, I’d bet anything this is who was driving the vehicle the night we followed Godwin and his bodyguard.”
“Hey, Ares,” Zep called out. “We need more footage from your friends at the National Reconnaissance Office.”
While he and Ares chatted about the extra footage he wanted from that night, Verity and I studied the photos on the screen.
“Look at the way the jacket falls at the hips,” I said.
“It was the first thing I noticed.”
“The woman we saw with Godwin at the restaurant was considerably shorter.”
“It’s far easier to add than it is to take away,” she said under her breath. “That includes height.”
“Let’s show Macht the photo we think is of a man,” I suggested, looking around the room for him and finally finding him off in a corner, speaking to someone on his mobile. When his call ended, he walked directly over to Magnet, then turned his back to me.
“Something’s up,” Verity muttered.
Magnet, Rogue, Drachen, and I were on one team. Our assignment was physical canvassing, including visits to the two banks where we already knew Godwin had made deposits on behalf of AMPS and possibly the Calabrian Syndicate—Bank Julius Bär and Union Bank of Switzerland. We’d also visit Châteaux Relais.
A second team, made up of Reaper, Macht, Ares, and Flick, would be doing the same thing but visiting other financial institutions as well as St. Moritz establishments, including the ski areas, restaurants, and shops.
Poseidon and Oleander were tasked with delving deeper into Ehren and Schmid, while Verity, Zeppelin, Grey, and Fuchs ran the CCTV footage we already had through facial recognition. As more came in, they would do the same. Depending on what that turned up, they’d have the teams who remained in Shere join them in watching the footage in detail.
“This is odd,” Verity mumbled when I walked past her. While I didn’t think she was speaking directly to me, I stopped anyway.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Take a look.” She pulled up two stills from the CCTV footage, so not very clear, particularly when enlarged.
“This is from Châteaux Relais, yes?”
“It is. What do you see?”
“Two men dressed in black suits, wearing hats, sunglasses, and black gloves.”
“Two or one?” she asked.
“They aren’t the same person.”
She sat back in her chair, then looked up at me. “That’s what I thought.”
“What’s this?” Zeppelin asked, kneeling next to Verity.
“What do you see when you look at these images side by side?” she asked him.
“Is that the bodyguard? Or should I say Xavier Vella?”
“It’s possible one is, but the other is not.” Ten more images filled the screen. They were shots captured in succession from the footage.
“Schön, what are your thoughts?”
“The one image could be a man, but the others are all of the same woman—dressed as a man.”
Zeppelin leaned in closer. “Bloody hell. That could be a woman, couldn’t it?”
Not could be. It was a woman; I was certain of it.
“Zep, I’d bet anything this is who was driving the vehicle the night we followed Godwin and his bodyguard.”
“Hey, Ares,” Zep called out. “We need more footage from your friends at the National Reconnaissance Office.”
While he and Ares chatted about the extra footage he wanted from that night, Verity and I studied the photos on the screen.
“Look at the way the jacket falls at the hips,” I said.
“It was the first thing I noticed.”
“The woman we saw with Godwin at the restaurant was considerably shorter.”
“It’s far easier to add than it is to take away,” she said under her breath. “That includes height.”
“Let’s show Macht the photo we think is of a man,” I suggested, looking around the room for him and finally finding him off in a corner, speaking to someone on his mobile. When his call ended, he walked directly over to Magnet, then turned his back to me.
“Something’s up,” Verity muttered.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101