Red Star Falling: A Thriller Read Online Free PDF Page B

investigators that this committee has to make release requests.’
    Jane Ambersom thrust herself exasperatedly back in her seat, holding herself against another outburst.
    John Passmore said, ‘Without a cross-referencing overview from within MI6, that could take months and even then not assemble it all!’
    ‘I’m afraid so,’ agreed Monsford, turning once more to Sir Archibald Bland. ‘I am meeting the investigators later today, though. Another recourse could be to suspend the regulations for me to provide that overview.’
    ‘Or me?’
    There was a further familiar silence. Monsford’s head snap was the first to bring the concentration upon Rebecca Street, who for the first time met the man’s gaze, smiling up. Monsford remained expressionless, going back to the room, ‘Or, of course, by my very able deputy.’
    Which she’d guarantee included Straughan’s protectively unedited digitally recorded version detailing the intended MI6 assassination of Charlie Muffin, Rebecca thought: the version Straughan had left for her to find. She’d be walking a fraying tightrope, revealing herself to have been present at that discussion. But hopefully she could pre-empt accusations of complicity by manoeuvring a personal appearance before the enquiry to produce it.
    ‘The extraction of Maxim Radtsic was not a shared operation,’ qualified Smith, quickly. ‘But the MI5 dossier should provide a template from which a great deal of MI6 traffic can be traced.’
    ‘It would greatly speed up this enquiry if a full schedule of possible witnesses and materiel were provided in advance by our two services, allowing us to have whatever’s called upon to be instantly available,’ attempted Monsford.
    ‘Surely in an enquiry of this importance the requirement has to be for raw intelligence that Director Monsford and I are here to provide, not material prepared to be immediately comprehensible. Which, officially precluded as you are, neither you nor your deputy could provide anyway. It has to be produced as it is.’
    I could still include my stratosphere bomb, thought Rebecca, desperately; it wouldn’t take longer than a second: a split second even.
    ‘I agree,’ said Bland. ‘My co-chairman and I want the full, raw intelligence dossier made available.’
    ‘As we appear to be formulating an agenda, I’d like it registered that I intend consulting our legal attaché at the Moscow embassy, as well as getting advice from within my department here,’ said Sir Peter Pickering. ‘We have made repeated demands for diplomatic access to the detained Manchester tourists. I think that additionally we should strenuously press the Russians to establish if Muffin is being held on legal grounds or simply being treated for injuries sustained in the airport shooting. As far as I can see the only legal offence might be an entry irregularity, which is pretty low on the scale of things.’ The man went to the Foreign Office group, ‘I’m assuming we’ve already made the formal application for consular access to Muffin?’
    ‘Delivered two hours ago,’ confirmed a balding man, after a sideways glance to the woman next to him.
    ‘I’d like—’ started Smith, but Pickering talked over him.
    ‘I’m well aware of the accustomed practice,’ anticipated the attorney-general. ‘And I can’t imagine a situation more essential than this to include one of your people.’
    ‘Two MI6 officers died and two more are missing,’ reminded Monsford, anxiously. ‘I think it’s even more essential that I also have representation on the delegation.’
    ‘Two would be too many,’ objected Smith. ‘The entire MI5 dossier will be made available. That complete disclosure will obviously include everything we get if our man gains access.’
    ‘I’m satisfied with that undertaking. We’ll restrict it to MI5,’ decided Bland, collecting up his papers. ‘I don’t think there’s anything further to be achieved today.…’
    ‘We haven’t decided