Chapter 6 chapter Five

The next morning, Bartrop called the president back. So you're pretty sure about this girl?he asked. I was sure yesterday, and I'm still sure today, unless of course your spies discover what you call the complicated background. No.We did a review.There is nothing against her.She appears to be a fairly normal young woman.Work hard, play seems to be very hard.Drinks, but not a problem.Had plenty of boyfriends at Cambridge but the enthusiasm seems to have faded now.You know she was on good terms with Carter for a while, right? Of course I know, Barrington lied, so what? Nothing special.Anyway, in a word, she can do it.

You said she could do it, what are you talking about?He exclaimed that she was impeccable. Come on, she's impeccable.So you're happy to continue? Exactly, I'd love to. I mean you personally. Look, Bartrop, we've talked about this.I had your word, and besides, since I've seen Sara.Jason, I can tell you the truth, on this matter, Marcus.Elijah couldn't do it, or anyone else.She is a level headed client.I don't think she will be persuaded by Elijah.The crux of the matter lies entirely in persuading her, earning her trust, and letting her do what we want, don't you think?

right. In this case, there is no need for a contact person.I am personally responsible. Well, that's great, President.Now, we had better discuss how to indoctrinate Miss Johnson. Barrington complied on the other end of the line.What a loathsome word: indoctrination. Bartrop continued: "The most important thing is to keep in mind at all times that no situation instilled in her can be complete.We need to tell her a good story, President, to convince her, to entice her, but not to tell her anything that might jeopardize our action against Fieri.This situation should not let her know at all.To her, it was just a case of fraud in the City.If it is necessary to disclose more information to her in the future, then we will talk about it at that time.Let's see if she takes the bait first.And then, if she gets the job, we'll be able to see if she's doing well, if she's reliable.Let's play it by ear then.

Makes sense.said the governor. Good luck.After Bartrop finished speaking, the two ended the call. The president reached into the desk drawer and took out a bottle of whiskey that fit in the back pocket of his trousers.He took a quick sip before calling Carter.He said he wanted to see Sara the next morning.Just nine o'clock, Jason, let her come to the Bank of England.He asked Carter if he could arrange it. Sarah had just entered the door when the phone rang.She ignored it.The few people she wanted to talk to were far away from the phone at this moment, in an inaccessible land. John.Carter left a message on her answering phone asking her to call him back.In a hurry.Sarah walked cautiously through the silent room.It's five thirty.She is tired.Whatever it is, we can wait until tomorrow.

She picked up a bottle of whiskey from the floor and went into the bedroom.The bed looked empty and the bedding was disheveled.Sarah picked a Cagney and Lacey disc from a pile of videotapes and stuffed it into the VCR.The cheerful theme song suddenly sounded.Sarah undressed, put on a set of old pajamas, and snuggled comfortably under the crumpled sheets.She poured a tall glass of whiskey when the phone rang again.She picked up the phone and said hi angrily.Or John.Carter.He asked apologetically if he had disturbed her, and apologized, saying that he did not wish to disturb her but had to get in touch with her.

no need to worry.Sarah said and turned off the sound of the video recorder, and Cagney's singing was interrupted. You looked tired at lunch yesterday. Oh sorry.Am I unbearably boring? Carter laughed out loud, no.The President finds you absolutely attractive. Seriously?That's fine.Distracted by the silent image, Sara simply turned off the video recorder, and by the way, I didn't have a chance to ask you.Why did you take me to see the president?I think the whole thing is kind of weird. Strange, Carter admitted, but that was his idea, not mine.He said he wanted to talk to forex traders, so I suggested you.He paused for a while, and now he wants you to meet him at the bank.

Sarah was at a loss. What was going on, John? To be honest, I don't know, maybe he intends to hire you. I don't believe the dignified Governor of the Bank of England wastes his time recruiting staff. you're right.But look, Sarah, all I can do is deliver his message.He said he would be very happy to see you at the Bank of England at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Oh well.Sarah said, see you there at nine o'clock. Oh not us!Carter hurriedly said, only you and the president. Nine o'clock in the morning.The subway bank station looks crowded.The Northern Line and the Central Line subways meet here, and groups of serious-looking passengers get off here and rush onto the street.They carried the Financial Times or the Sun like passports, and wearily walked to Burleigh to buy muffins and milk cheese coffee, put them in white paper bags and take them away, so the elevators of hundreds of financial institutions It smells like breakfast.

Sarah.Jason walked out of the subway station, walked ten steps and walked up Needlework Street.The bright sunlight reflected from the tall white buildings made her squint her eyes.She walked quickly up a short flight of steps beside the road, her high heels clattering on the flat stone steps.She smiled at the tall guard in a black hat and pink half coat standing at the gate of the Bank of England.She remembered that this vivid pink on his body was called Hobrow's pink, after John.It is named after Sir Hobbes, the first Governor of the Bank of England created by an Act of Parliament in 1694.This color was the uniform color of his valet and has been used ever since by the doorman and parlor attendant as a valet.A few years ago, when she first came to work in the City, she took a guided tour of the Bank of England.She didn't see much at the time, and the most attractive places were off-limits.When she thought of going into the president's office today to open her eyes, she felt a burst of excitement.

She smiled at the doorman, and walked into the wide, vaulted foyer, whose floor was covered with mosaics depicting coins from the past.She approached the receptionist sitting at the information desk, gave her name and added that she was here to see the president. The receptionist greeted her with a smile and said he had been notified in advance to wait for her.He picked up a telephone, dialed the number, waited a moment, and then announced that Miss Johnson had arrived.He nodded to a doorman, who turned to Sarah, said this way, ma'am, and led her into what was called the drawing room.This is the most majestic and spectacular place inside the Bank of England, where the offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor and all directors are located.

Sarah has a strange habit of remembering the routes she has traveled, but she quickly loses track of them.Her attention was distracted by the echo of footsteps on the mosaic floor, the rich paintings hanging on the walls, the high ceilings, the elegant cornices, and the small voices behind closed doors. The doorman stopped before an oak-paneled door and knocked softly and respectfully.A secretary opened the door, and the doorman ushered Sara in, announced her name in a solemn tone, and retreated quietly.The secretary smiled politely and led Sarah to the governor's office. The president was standing there with his back to her, looking out the window at the inner courtyard of the bank.He clasped his hands behind his back, as if contemplating the peaceful and orderly scene before him.The inner courtyard is surrounded by the offices of the senior officials in charge of the bank's operations.It's a matter of pride for those in these offices to look inward at themselves rather than out at the world.This is seen as a symbol of otherworldly objectivity.The hustle and bustle of the world and the scruffy traders seem far away.The atmosphere here is civilized and elegant, just like the owner of this office.

The president turned around, walked towards Sara with a big smile on his face, and shook hands with her. Hello, Sara.Nice to see you again.He pointed to the armchair beside the wall where a traditional oil painting of seascape was hung and said please sit down, then sat down opposite her with a smile, his gaze fell on her gently.Sarah felt like she was being judged by him yesterday. First of all I want to thank you for coming here at short notice.He paused, crossed one long leg over the other smartly, and leaned towards her.She smiled slightly, waiting for him to continue.He smiled confidently. At the same time, he seemed to be secretly encouraging himself, and then smiled even more confidently. I hope you will keep in mind that what I am going to talk to you right now, you can’t be casual at any time. leak out.If you feel that you cannot abide by this rule, then it is inappropriate for me to continue.The smile had receded, and he was watching her eyes closely. Sara was startled, trying to suppress the curiosity that surged in her heart.She replied with the same careful tone of words: Of course, President.Whatever you have to say, I will keep it strictly confidential. He stared intently into her eyes. As you know, there have been a number of scandals involving companies in the City in recent years.Our reputation has taken a huge toll as a result. Sarah nodded.The financial firms affected by the scandal include: Guinness, Blue Arrow, Barlow-Closs, Maxwell, International Credit Commercial Bank, and some lesser-known companies.The Bank of England was particularly embarrassed by the International Credit Mercantile Bank, nicknamed the international bank of rogues and criminals.It was the largest fraud in banking history, and the Bank of England, the main regulator, came under direct fire in Bingham's report, which accused it of handling the multibillion-dollar financial fraud and the international credit business. The process of the bank's eventual closure was lax. The Governor frowned, and Parliament was under increasing pressure to pass an anti-City bill, which would further weaken us and not necessarily do much to help us tackle financial fraud. Sarah understood his concerns.The City resents being judged by outsiders it sees as ignorant.It is more inclined to the self-discipline of peers. I am well aware that in some ways the existing system is not working as well as it could have been.For example, after several years of filing and investigation of those fraud cases, the trial work has been closed, and it has cost tens of millions of pounds. The president glared at an invisible enemy. It occurred to Sarah that something similar had happened with Guinness and Blue Arrow.The Guinness case became notorious for what appeared to be a unfair trial used between different defendants, and cases against some defendants were dismissed for reasons that could not be fully understood or appreciated, those People serving prison sentences are particularly puzzled.The Blue Arrow case is causing trouble for the Fraud Office.The case came to trial after spending two years and costing taxpayers £37 million.The charges listed in the indictment were long and cumbersome, and the charges that were patched together were overturned during the appeal process. The former governor, although not responsible for the deception of the CB office or the conduct of the trial, was indirectly and discreditably attacked because of his position as de facto chairman of the City. Seeing that Sarah showed signs of empathizing with him, Barrington moved closer to the point.Of course, there have always been fraudulent behaviors in the Financial City, and there have been situations in which certain cases were handled with caution before. When the governor learned about the violations, he quietly talked with the relevant personnel in private and asked them to retire with dignity. .This is very sensible.The Financial City implements self-discipline and rectification, eliminates fraudulent activities, and ensures that its own reputation is not damaged.This is a kind of self-government, which is better than publicizing family scandals.What do you say? It does have its strengths, Sarah said, as long as the self-governing people are clean and anti-corrupt. The governor gave her a quick look, someone had to play God. I think that's what the courts are for. In theory, yes.Barrington said angrily, but I mean, in some extremely rare cases, the system doesn't work. Sara restrained herself and waited for him to continue.He shrugged. You know, we can't have any more high-profile scandals.Fraud crimes are not going to go away, but we have to find new ways to deal with them without relying too much on the existing system of prosecutions by the Fraud Bureau.Of course, the Fraud Office will still play an important role, especially in the big cases.After Bingam's report was published, we set up a new investigative agency, which was very useful.But I always feel, let's put it this way, as long as the investigation team mobilizes people to drive in, the fraudulent activities will disappear and go underground. Sara nodded, so what you're trying to say is correct me if I'm wrong, some frauds can't be detected after the fact.You must be at the scene when the crime occurs, and catch the criminal on the spot almost without anyone noticing, otherwise you will only get circumstantial evidence. Exactly so.Barrington, who was sitting across the table, leaned over to her with a successful smile, and you said it right.It is this type of problem that I want you to help me solve. Sara's interest spontaneously arose, her pulse beat faster, and all the tiredness of the previous few days was thrown into the sky.She sat forward and listened intently. Are you familiar with Intercontinental Bank? Who is not familiar with it? The president smiled, indeed.They are famous.They are smart, make a lot of money, and perform brilliantly.You know, they work hard and they play hard, but they have a little scandal.His blue eyes narrowed, especially their foreign exchange desk.Their trading record is so good, it's almost unbelievable, which has caused a lot of rumors.He stopped, observed her expression, and then returned to his topic. They are currently hiring a new Forex proprietary trader.I think you are perfectly qualified for the job.It depends on whether you want to. Barrington smiled.Sarah sat motionless, her legs hooked over the chair legs, her fingers clasped together.She stared forward over Barrington's head, out of the window, out into the inner courtyard.She felt a rush of excitement.She has always been eager to work for InterContinental Bank, and it is an honor to have InterContinental Bank work experience in her resume.If one can stay there, one will have no problem getting anywhere.They are the aerobatic aviation team of the Financial City. They are very aggressive, but they are also well paid.Hard-earned money, Sarah thought.She smiled at Barrington. I love this job, but you better tell me what to do first. First, get the job.I'll find a headhunter and ask them to call you this afternoon and arrange an interview.A work experience like yours will definitely impress them.When you get the job I'm sure you'll get it You just have to watch.You just go about your business as normal, but keep an eye out for anything suspicious.As long as you think it is a deviant behavior that seriously violates the trading rules, you must report it to me.If it turns out they did break the law in some way, I'll deal with them. How to deal with it?Sarah asked. very simple.I will give them notice to quietly resign and leave the City, or I will make arrangements to prosecute them.If they had brains, they would accept my request.Don't you think so? Uh yes I think so if they are guilty and we can prove it Remember, according to my plan, we will never go to court.We don't need court evidence, just enough evidence that they are committing a crime, as long as I'm satisfied with the evidence.The evidence needs to be strong enough to prove that someone at Intercontinental Bank is committing a crime.All your mission is to find out who is committing crime and what crime. You make it so easy.Sarah said. The president laughed, sorry.I'm sure it's not that simple, but I think a long, careful, dispassionate first-hand observation should pay off.Of course, it was an experiment for both of us.We have to cross the river by feeling the stones, so to speak, and improving as we go Sarah leaned back in her chair and was silent for a moment. Isn't there a professional to do this?I mean, I'm basically unqualified. This is on point.We cannot use professional investigators, the governor said.They will startle the snake.As I said just now, what we need is a foreign exchange trader, a fellow trader, to observe first-hand.Someone who knows the business, who knows what is normal behavior and what is suspicious, and who can observe without arousing any suspicion.He leaned in her direction again. We did our research Sarah and you are impeccable. us?who are we?she asked sharply. Barrington cursed secretly.He smiled and said: Of course it is John.Hello Carter.He recommended you. Oh, said Sarah, it was John, of course.So he knew the whole story? Oh no.He didn't know the whole story, only part of it.But I ask you not to talk to him about it.I said the same thing to him.So if you bring it up, he will feel uncomfortable. of course.Sara was vaguely annoyed, and if you asked me to keep it a secret, of course I would.She frowned slightly, but tell me, how did you come to suspect Intercontinental Bank, and how did you decide to investigate this way? Barrington wanted to sigh deeply.She really broke the casserole and asked the bottom line. An auditor became suspicious and reported it to his supervisor.So the director of the accounting firm came to see me.He explained matter-of-factly, then laughed, as if to inject confidence, and then, well, it was a matter of deciding on the best course of investigation.I pondered for several weeks before deciding on this experiment.The next step is to find the best candidate, and John.Carter and you come in at this stage. Sarah leaned back in her chair and fell silent.The governor is waiting.Finally she spoke. That sounds interesting and tempting.I'd love to give it a go, but you gotta tell me who the suspects are and what do you suspect them of? Barrington smiled.He felt a burst of elation, remember when I said that the foreign exchange department's track record was so good it was almost unbelievable?Sarah nodded. Uh, their huge profits are made in a man named Dante.It started after Scarpirato's men arrived.I think he's either a genius or a criminal. How do you think he makes money if he is a criminal? Barrington shrugged with a smile. It is a difficult problem to understand the psychology of criminals.They are so good at planning crimes that the regulators can't imagine.I really don't know what's going on.I can venture a few guesses, but that would be misleading really interesting.So I'm now allowed to think like a criminal. For a moment, Barrington looked terrified. Don't worry, Sara laughed, I was only joking.She hurried on to ask: This Dante.Scarpirato, do you know him? After meeting him once, Barrington said with almost disgust that this man was self-righteous, cold and arrogant, and smooth.You know, he's a regular at Annabelle's and the Mark's, and he's always tanned.He was said to be ruthless and seemed to be the enemy of all.Because he can make a lot of money, there is nothing anyone can do about him.He is not a likable character.Barrington paused, watching Sarah carefully, but I've heard he's got a knack with women. Sarah laughed. Don't worry about me, President.I can take care of myself. I believe you can take care of yourself.He just stood up, seemed to remember something, and sat down again.As soon as he opened his mouth, Sarah could tell he was a little awkward. Oh yes, this reminded me.There is something I must make clear to you.After I finish speaking, you can still retreat.If so, I can totally understand.You have to tell the truth. Sarah tilted her head to one side and looked at him without saying a word. You do this at your own risk.To gain intelligence, you know, you might think it necessary to take a little risk.For me, this is no problem.Intelligence is very important to us.It is worth taking a few risks for it, mainly depends on whether you are willing or not.I don't want to know exactly how you're going to work and what you're going to do when you get this job.Your way is your own business.But I have to warn you that if you are discovered, I will do my best to provide you with all the necessary help behind the scenes, but I cannot help you in public.You are on a covert mission, so you must maintain that identity.It's best not to be found out.His face flushed slightly, but not too conspicuously.His lines are smooth and he still looks so confident. Take risks and don't get caught.Is this always the way it is done in the City and everywhere else?Sarah thought.She was about to express her thoughts, but after pondering, she decided that the president probably wouldn't think her joke was funny.She continued to remain silent, forcing herself to seriously consider what he had just said.It was a while before she spoke. Governor, as I said just now, there is no need to worry about me.I can take care of myself, I understand the rules of the game.Then added, as if in retrospect: as long as they don't change as we go along. He didn't quite understand why he felt so unlucky to hear that.It was just a blurted line, without any malice.He thought he had been with James recently.Bartrop had seen too many times, and from him he picked up the paranoia. Well, I think I'll stop here.The president seemed a little dazed for a while, but then he remembered, yes, there are some materials for you.He took out a dark yellow document bag marked Intercontinental Bank from the desk drawer, and pushed it across the desk to her, you'd better take a look.Inside were several annual reports, several newspaper clippings, and an internal report prepared by our Banking Supervision Department.It can be seen that since Dante.Since Scarpirato took over, Intercontinental's foreign exchange profits have soared last year.He stood up, would see this end, well then, Sarah, good luck with Intercontinental Bank.Let me know how you go.On a slip of paper he scribbled my personal phone number at the bank and the phone number of one of my flats here, in case something particularly urgent should arise.He handed the note to Sara, shook her hand, and said good-bye. Sarah walked through the echoing corridors, out of the building, into the crowded street.There was one thing she wasn't entirely happy with.She felt that the governor seemed to be hiding something from her.She thought maybe it was just his misgivings about the nature of the fraud.After all, if he was only vaguely guessing, then what he said was still reasonable, otherwise, she might have misled her investigation, and as a result, she might have missed the real fraud. The excitement of her mission dispelled her worries.At this stage, she is loyal and steadfast.The governor hit her weak point.She loves things with mystery and excitement.This mystery or taboo had a strong attraction for her.In many ways, the governor could not have picked a better candidate than her. Sarah could have simply declined, forgotten about their conversation, and returned to her trading desk at Finlays Bank.And yet she didn't, and her life, and the lives of so many others, would be irreversibly changed as a result.