Blood Stones by Evelyn Anthony Read Free Book Online Page A

Arthur Harris. ‘“It’s been such a pleasure to negotiate with you; my frustrations with D.E. over the years have been brought to breaking point by the devious and short-sighted attitude of Harris in London, whose word simply cannot be trusted. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with you, the Archangel Mining Corporation and the Russian government. I look forward to meeting President Yeltsin and to visiting the site …” etc.’ Reece stopped and slid the paper back into his briefcase. He knew he was called a spy, a creeper who did the Chairman’s dirty work. Too often Arthur Harris had vented his feelings about Heyderman on his underling Reece; this was Reece’s moment. He looked down at his hands folded on top of the desk and allowed himself a slight smile.
    There was absolute silence in the room. Ray Andrews lit a cigarette. It was so still the lighter rasped like a hacksaw. Arthur Harris’s pale face had flushed. Kruger came to his defence. He glared at Reece aggressively. ‘Are you sure that’s genuine?’
    â€˜Absolutely,’ Reece answered. ‘It has the same provenance as the other documents. It came out of Karakov’s personal correspondence file. It was an informal letter, not a company memo. It wasn’t intended for general viewing.’ He said it very softly, as if he were apologizing.
    Arthur Harris didn’t look at him, or at his brother-in-law, who had just humiliated him in front of them all. Deliberately. He said, ‘In view of this, I should not try to negotiate. I’d like to say that his personal opinion does not concern me in the least. My only concern is what is best for our business.’
    James Hastings had to admire him for that. He had shown quiet dignity in the face of a calculated and brutal insult, orchestrated by Heyderman. But it wasn’t any good being dignified when you couldn’t strike back.
    Heyderman made a gesture, which didn’t fool anybody, least of all his victim. ‘We should have taken a tougher line with him in the beginning,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll nail the old bastard. As I see it, we’ve got to plan this like a battle. Attack the problem on two fronts. First, someone’s got to go to Moscow and get to the Minister of Mining Development. And, if necessary, to President Yeltsin. Someone with the know-how and the weight to undermine their confidence in Karakov, and persuade them that he doesn’t have the resources to market their stones properly without us. Point out what a trade free-for-all would do to the market and to their hopes of substantial foreign currency.’
    He looked at Ray Andrews.
    â€˜You negotiated with them five years ago. You know the country and the set-up. You may be able to rectify that mistake when you lost us the mine. Will you take it on?’
    Ray Andrews was not a coward; his moral principles had sometimes caused embarrassment. He had boobed, and he accepted the responsibility. Even though he knew it was a poisoned chalice.
    â€˜I will,’ he said firmly. ‘I’ll fly out to Moscow and report back on the situation, if introductions can be arranged through our Embassy. I’ll need all the diplomatic pressure I can get if I want an interview at the top.’
    â€˜I’ll put that in train,’ Arthur Harris said quickly. ‘We have excellent relations with the Foreign Office; they’ll be glad to help.’
    â€˜Good,’ to their surprise Julius Heyderman pushed back his chair. ‘We’ll break for an early lunch. I’ve got an appointment. Reconvene at one forty-five. Then we can discuss how to deal with Karakov and who’s going to do it.’
    They lunched in the directors’ dining-room. Arthur did not believe in the canteen culture, as he described it. He didn’t lunch with his employees. He wouldn’t have enjoyed it, nor, he maintained, would they. James