Free Frame-Up by Gian Bordin Page B

restaurant.
    With his appearance, the Sanvino affair has not only changed
character, but has been ratcheted up to a level of real physical danger not
just for me but also for my relatives. I find myself between the hammer
and the anvil, the police and the Mafia. Should I let the police in on this
latest development? Would they believe me? Agree to protect my father’s
family? Wouldn’t Somes simply dismiss this as a subterfuge on my part?
How about Willis? He might take it more seriously. I ponder over this, as
I play with my food, my appetite gone. One thought keeps ringing in my
mind — prevent the girls from becoming a target, and that means
discovering the real culprits quickly. Carlo I’m less worried about. He is
more elusive to find and may be out of the country, as he told me.
    The first thing I must do is to inform my father. I call him on my
iPhone, begging him to see me again, that it is urgent. He tells me to
come over. I quickly pay, leave the restaurant, and take the Circle Line to
the Gloucester Road underground station, a ten-minute walk to the
Boltons. It goes without saying that he is upset about the latest
development.
    "Somebody has framed you, to make you take the rap for this thing.
Do you have any idea who?"
    "It can be one or more of a number of people. Edward Long, the guy
who gave me the false rumor, is the most likely. A few months ago I
caught him doing an insider trading deal that netted him a few thousand.
He leads a rather extravagant life style — drives a Porsche, lives in a
penthouse in Chelsea near the Embankment and always brags about his
holidays in Club Méditerrané . But he might not have done it alone. Then
I cannot even rule out Gary Buxton, although he would have needed
somebody to advance the finance."
    "But Gary Buxton, isn’t he your boyfriend?"
    "Was, dad, was. He dumped me after the police questioned him about
the affair. But it was Gary who confirmed the rumor and Long who
suggested I check it with Goldsax, knowing damn well that I would ask
Gary."
    "I’m sorry to hear that Gary broke with you. He was a nice chap."
    "Yes, I thought so too until he dropped his mask and showed me his
real self when I refused to perjure myself for him."
    "He wanted you to lie to the police?" Dad frowns, shaking his head
    "Yes."
    "But I hope you didn’t."
    "No, I have nothing to hide."
    His frown dissolves. "Good… So Long and Buxton could well be
accomplices."
    "Yes, that possibility has occurred to me too. But there are several
other stockbrokers at Lewis who had it in for me. And then even my ex-boss, Fred Garland, could be behind it. What puzzles me most is how any
of them could have conjured up a ten-million-pound loan to acquire the
shares, even if just for two days. Somewhere, there must be a rich
backer."
    "If offered a substantial share, I guess many a broker would be willing
to help out. So what do you plan to do?"
    "I don’t know yet. Investigate these guys, see if there has been a
significant change in lifestyle —"
    "Good, but whoever did it might lie low for a while. Still, it may pay
to check if Long has suddenly paid off his mortgage."
    "I think he is only renting, but I’ll check on it, and yes, I’ll also check
on Fred Garland. Gary is only renting a small rather rundown studio. I’ll
search titles with the Land Registry. Their e-mail and computer files may
also contain some useful info."
    "Don’t do anything illegal for which the police can charge you." Dad
sounds alarmed.
    "I may have no choice. I may have to do some illegal things to get to
the bottom of it, but I don’t really want to worry you about that. I’ll be
careful it can’t be traced back to me. Remember, I have a degree in
computer science. As I said, my real reason for seeing you again tonight
is to warn you about this Mafia guy. They are known to go after relatives.
You have to get the girls and Lucy to safety, and I think you should do
this before Friday next week. You may be under surveillance