The Yacht Party (Lara Stone)

‘This is Le Caché in action,’ he said, with a hint of pride. ‘We have members and contacts in each of these guys’ home territories, so we have been able connect them all together. Stella was impressed. In less than 48 hours they had names, places and connections. The collective was like Interpol for investigative journalism.

‘So where does the trafficking come in?’ she asked.

Eduardo gave her a nod, which Stella took as a good sign. It was better than a laugh, anyway.

‘When you say trafficking, people think of drugs or the sex trade. But human trafficking is merely getting an illicit workforce and exploiting them, which is what is happening here, setting children to work in the cobalt mine. Modern slavery by any other name.’

Stella thought about her own childhood in the schemes: there’d been violence, deprivation, it’d been a place where school dinners had been the only meal many kids would get all day. It had been tough, sure, but nobody had to dig with their bare hands. There had been a chance.

Next Lara recounted her conversation with Josie Bourne. Stella felt a flush of pride as she watched her speak: Lara was assured, concise, impressive. Since the Chronicle had dispensed with her services, Stella had seriously begun to question her career choices. Her friend Minnie was making five figures a month on Instagram, while Stella had to go to the corner shop to pre-pay her electric. But this reminded her of why she was here, why she had come down to London: she had come to learn. And who better to learn from than Lara Stone?

‘Do you know who this Mike is?’ asked Eduardo, when Lara had finished.

Lara shook her head.

‘No, but look at this.’

Lara reached into her bag and pulled out the post-it note that they had found in Sandrine’s apartment.

Helen

Michael

Jonathon

‘At first I read it as ‘Helen Michael’ – one name – but we couldn’t find anyone by that name linking to Jonathon Meyer. Now I think these are three separate names.’

‘“Get rid of her” – that’s what this guy said?’ said Eduardo. ‘And this Josie thought meant “kill her”?’

‘Josie wasn’t sure,’ admitted Lara. ‘This was at a party, the music was loud…’

‘So it could have been anything,’ said Eduardo.

Eduardo had a bluntness Stella had seen in many newsroom editors and execs. From the outside it seemed rude, but there was a method in it too: each detail had to be examined from every angle or ‘tested to destruction’ as Alex used to put it. However, Stella could smell something more here: the first whiff of a power struggle.

‘Are there any Mikes or Michaels in the inner circle?’ said Stella, doing her best to support Lara’s thesis.

‘Not that we know of,’ said Eduardo, shaking his head decisively.

‘And I think the Kanjomo mine is the strongest lead we have. It’s an actual link from Meyer to trafficking and that’s what Sandrine said the story was about.’

Stella saw Lara’s eyes narrow, but even she had to agree that Eduardo had a point. Stella spoke up again.

‘If Sandrine had the story of trafficking in the Kanjomo mine, I see how that might put her in danger, but why kill Meyer? He co-owned the mine – and he threw Jago off the boat because he wouldn’t help with it.’

Eduardo let out a frustrated sigh.

‘One, we don’t know for sure that Jonathon Meyer had invested in the mine and two, we don’t know for sure that he was murdered.’

‘We don’t know anything for sure, Eduardo,’ said Lara, her own frustration plain. ‘That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do anything.’

Eduardo looked at her.

‘We’re not doing nothing, Lara,’ he said. ‘There’s a flight to Kinshasa via Brussels leaving this afternoon and I’m booked onto it.’

‘You’re going to the Congo?’ said Lara in surprise.

Eduardo nodded. ‘A Le Caché member based in Nairobi is flying out to meet me. H