* * *
He made the first pot of coffee strong, because he needed the caffeine, but made a promise to himself that he’d ease off as the day went on. Not that there was much chance of that happening.
First, he rang Allport and got through in seconds. He doubted the guy had got much sleep the night before. He asked Allport to email over his routine for when he went out with Sandra, and it arrived in his inbox within minutes. He printed off a copy and forwarded it to the team – including DCS Oliver who wanted in on this case. As she did on all his cases. Good job she was an asset.
Dan liked to get in the office before the others so he could spend a few moments looking over reports from the night before. That didn’t happen this morning. They were all in, bright and keen, by 7.45am. Even Sally, who always scraped in last, was making herself a drink.
‘Okay, good morning everyone, thanks for getting in early. This is a crucial day. We must not cock it up. Allport will meet his girlfriend, Sandra Eastman, aged forty-eight – poor quality photo on the board – on Saturday evening.’ He read the schedule from the sheet of paper. ‘So, he leaves Lympstone at seven pm, arrives at Sandra’s flat on the Strand in Topsham at seven twelve. Goes in for a few minutes, then they go on to eat at one of two regular places in the village. Tomorrow night, they will go to the French bistro down on the quay.
‘Sam, bring up the map of the area, please.’ While he did so, Dan checked the high and low tides for the following day. ‘Low tide, sixteen forty-five at Topsham; high tide, four in the morning. I guess they will need to be putting up that fire in the afternoon.’
‘Or, if they have a dry spot, they could have taken some of it there already,’ said Foster.
‘Good point, Adam. You and Sam get down there straight after the briefing, and see how far you can walk round the Strand, onto the beach, before you get cut off. Also, what would be the best route to get a vehicle onto the Strand without attracting too much attention? Ask the owners of that pile,’ he pointed to a grand house whose garden looked out over the estuary, ‘if you can have a snoop over their hedge. Jay Vine told us there was a trailer with the wood in – find that trailer. Could be at the flat in Exmouth, could be already in situ, could be hidden nearby. Find it.’
The map flashed up on the large screen and Sam changed it to satellite view. By chance, the photo had been taken on a low tide. The long red sand beach wrapped itself from the Strand right around to the Bowling Green Marsh bird sanctuary.
Sally got up and traced the line of sight from the big house to the estuary. ‘Won’t they see the flames? And there are another couple of houses in the sight line, here, and here.’ She frowned in concentration. Where could you put a fire that is accessible but not visible? It’s not going to be easy.’
‘Hmm,’ agreed Dan. ‘Might not matter though. By the time the flames really catch, our three would expect Allport to be unconscious. He’d be dead soon afterwards, and they can leg it as soon as they are sure. What would you reckon, an hour, hour and a half?’ He traced two possible routes with his finger. ‘They could drive straight along the Strand and onto the causeway, which is very public, I agree, or take a detour up Monmouth Street and down Bowling Green Road. That way, there are very few houses as you get to the beach end, and there’s a boat ramp, down onto the beach, which gives a quick way back off.’
‘And then it’s a quick drive back, dump the Land Rover in Exeter, and away they go. I can see why they left this murder to last, boss,’ said Lizzie. ‘It’s tight, time wise, but they’re close to where they need to be. Clever.’
‘So, how do we thwart them in their clever plan?’
DCS Oliver came in at that moment, and Dan suppressed a sigh as the junior ranks shuffled about and made room at the table.
‘Sorry to be late,’ she said, ‘but I’ve had the MI5 woman on the phone again. They are to be kept informed of our movements at all times. Note they are not offering their considerable resources to capture these murderers. Anyway,’ she continued, ‘they have let us know that Brendan Moore is still a wanted criminal, with half a dozen murders to his name, and they would like us to pass him over to them. I have agreed that we will do so. As long as we get Tana, or Maria, and Kegan, they can do what they like with the other one. Right, I’m all ears, what do you need?’
‘If Allport and Sandra go to the bistro, and leave there around …’ Dan checked the printout, ‘ten o’clock, then that would be the best time for the suspects to pick them up. They won’t want to kidnap them too early, otherwise they would have to subdue two people until the fire is ready and most people have gone to bed. My best guess is, just after 10pm as they are leaving the restaurant.’
Sam zoomed in to a close-up of the area around the bistro. ‘There’s parking all over this area. They could stash the Land Rover anywhere, cosh the pair of them over the head, throw them in the back, and be away before anyone sees them.’
‘There will be other people out on a Saturday night, Sam,’ said Sally. ‘It needs to be a bit more subtle than that.’
Abashed, Sam sat back down. ‘It’s what I’d do,’ he muttered.
‘Also, this Sandra person is a weak link. We actually have no idea whether they will bring her along, dump her outside the restaurant, or what,’ said Dan.
‘They’ll need to tie her up or knock her out though, boss, or else she’d be straight onto the police,’ said Bennett.
There was silence for a few minutes as the team attempted to work out what a more subtle approach might look like. Dan watched their faces. I can’t think of any other way to do it either, he thought. Unless … ‘What if they wait until Allport gets back to Sandra’s house, which is a short walk from the bistro to here.’ He put his finger on a block of modern flats situated on the Strand. ‘It’s a much more private car park, just for residents, and closer to the scene. That’s what I’d do. I’d grab him, knock Sandra out and leave her there, and take Allport just down the road.’
There was nodding round the table. ‘Any other scenarios we haven’t thought of?’
Sam looked up. ‘Sir, can we call up the drone team for this? Their help would be invaluable. And I hate to think of them sitting there with all that kit doing nothing.’
‘Another good point, Sam. I’ll get onto them and organise it.’
‘Do you think we need armed response?’ asked Oliver.
Dan had been worrying about this all night. The problem with guns is that they are there to be fired, and he really wanted all the suspects alive at the end of this. He just didn’t know whether Brendan Moore would be armed or not. ‘I guess so, ma’am,’ he said, ‘but I’m reluctant. There’s been no mention of firearms in any of the murders, nor have they been mentioned by the suspects in custody. Shall we keep them on standby in the village?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll bring Sergeant Lake in immediately.’
41
Kegan stretched and looked at his phone. It was after 9am and they had work to do today. Tana was out of it, curled into a ball and snoring lightly. He took a shower and shaved the two-day stubble from his chin and cheeks. Having a beard had made him lazy and he didn’t like the look of his pale, winter-white skin. Still, once he got away, he could do what he liked, couldn’t he? He certainly wasn’t going to hang around and take the rap for this, whatever Tana had planned.
When he emerged from the bathroom, Tana was alert and on the phone – to her grandfather, he presumed, in the same hotel somewhere. He dressed and put the kettle on for coffee, slopping boiling water into both mugs and putting hers next to the bed. He turned on the TV and switched to the News channel. He watched until their story appeared, and he grunted. Good. They still didn’t have a clue about him and Tana, although it looked like they had caught Jay Vine after all, as they now had four people ‘helping them with their enquiries’. It was only a matter of time, of course. He tossed the keys to the Land Rover from one hand to the other and considered going now. Just walking out the door, jumping in, and getting a fe
rry across to France. He wouldn’t have to do any more of this if he dumped her.
But then he thought about what Brendan had told him last night. About how Allport had killed his and Tana’s family in a terrible fire. Burnt them to death for no reason except that they were Irish Catholics in Belfast. And Kegan had to agree it was wrong that Allport had been taken away and given a new identity and a great job. Like being rewarded for murder. And that just wasn’t right. No, the bastard had it coming to him, and he may as well see it through now.
* * *
Bill Larcombe took the call just after 9.30am. ‘Boss,’ he shouted, ‘patrol car has spotted the red Land Rover in the car park at the Premier Inn. What do you want them to do?’
Dan shot to his feet. What indeed? Should he try to take them now, in the hotel? Or wait and catch them later? He didn’t really have a choice, they weren’t ready. ‘Err … tell them to back right off, we’ll take over from them.’ Who to send? Half the team were out anyway, and he hadn’t got armed response yet.
‘Sally, Lizzie, the Land Rover has been seen in the car park of the Premier Inn. Take a pool car and get over there. Try for a clear photo, but do not approach under any circumstances. Stay with them, I’ll get a surveillance team en route asap to take over from you. Move it then.’
* * *
Just after 10am, Sally Ellis and Lizzie Singh pulled into the hotel car park. The Land Rover was backed into the furthest corner, but there wasn’t much cover in the grounds of the newly-built hotel and it was easily spotted. ‘It’s there,’ said Sally, pulling into a bay that faced the exit.
‘I’ll go and have a look round, Sarge,’ said Lizzie. ‘They might be having breakfast.’
‘Okay, I’ll talk to the receptionist.’
They took separate routes, once through the sliding door, and Lizzie was back before Sally had even asked the receptionist a question. ‘I think they’re in the restaurant,’ she said. ‘Come and look through the window.’ She led the way back outside. ‘What do you think? Is it them?’
Sally remembered the grainy film that Allport had provided the day before. ‘I think it is. Right, what to do?’
‘I’ll ring the boss, let him make the decision. I’m not kidding myself that we could arrest them without backup.’
Dan took the call as soon as it was sent through. ‘What are they doing, Lizzie?’ he asked.
‘Sir, eating breakfast with an older man, as far as I can see through the steamy window. Moore, I reckon.’
‘Can you get close enough to get a photo of them?’ asked Dan.
‘I’ll try; I’ll get back to you, sir.’ She pocketed her phone. ‘Sarge, the boss wants a photo.’
‘Right, we could wait in the car for them to come out. Or, do you fancy a bit of breakfast?’
Lizzie shook her head. ‘We’ve been told not to approach them, just to follow them. They’re murderers, Sarge, they could be armed.’
‘Oh, come on, Lizzie, we’re just going in for breakfast, why on earth should they suspect two women having a natter? Get a grip.’
Lizzie followed her reluctantly, and chose a table set against the wall that had a clear view of the older man – Moore – and the back view of who she assumed were Tana and Kegan. She was struggling not to stare at them, and kept her eyes on her phone until Sally returned with the tray of food.
‘Eat this, and let’s play best friends,’ said Sally, adding a sweetener to her tea from a small box in her handbag. ‘Take my photo eating a sausage, go on.’
* * *
Brendan Moore had spotted them as soon as they entered the restaurant. They were just a little too loud and chatty to be believable. He sipped coffee and let Tana rattle on about something with her fella, while Moore kept the women at the very edge of his vision. After a careful ten minutes, they were not making any suspicious moves and he began to doubt himself. How could they possibly know where to look for him? The pair were chatting away, tucking into a full English, when he at last began to relax. They had shown no sign of noticing him or the others, and had made no attempt to ring for backup. Maybe he was getting paranoid. Then again, maybe not. ‘Let’s get moving, you two,’ he said, breaking into their conversation.
Tana finished her tea. ‘What’s the hurry? Not much we can do until this afternoon, you know. Then it’ll be all hands to the deck.’ As she spoke, one of the women in the corner spilt her tea over the table and into her companion’s lap. The subsequent screech caused all three of them to turn towards the table, at which point Moore understood that they had been photographed, face-on. ‘Get outside, now,’ he barked. ‘We’ve been rumbled.’
The three bustled off through the door at speed and headed for the Land Rover. On their way out, Moore stared at them and pulled aside the edge of his coat to display a holstered gun.
There was a moment’s silence. Lizzie said, ‘So are we just going to sit here, then?’
‘Are we buggery. Come on, Liz,’ said Sally, shoving back her chair and heading straight for the car. ‘They know we’re onto them, we’ll call it in and get someone to take over the surveillance. Meanwhile, we’ll just be brazen about following them and try not to lose them.’
The Land Rover had bullied its way into the traffic, leaving Sally’s pool car a whole set of traffic lights behind. Sally hoped the distance would make them more difficult to spot, as she brought the car slowly into the same lane. They were in real danger of losing the Land Rover in the press of traffic. ‘Keep your eyes peeled,’ she said, ‘don’t want to lose them.’
‘Equally, don’t want a bullet in my head,’ Lizzie muttered, straining to see beyond the busy morning traffic.
Sally saw the problem as they drove past the Met office. At the next major roundabout, the gang could turn left up towards Pinhoe, take the left lane ahead and hit the motorway, go straight down the A30, take a right towards Sowton and Exmouth, or even go back into town. Nightmare. She slowed down and hovered between lanes as they approached the roundabout.
Lizzie rang Dan on Sally’s phone. ‘We got a picture on both phones, but Moore’s onto to us, sir. Sorry. We’re tracking them, just keeping our distance. Approaching the start of the A30 roundabout. Yes, sir, the photo has been emailed straight to your phone. Err … there’s something else. He had a gun, in a holster, and he made sure we saw it. Yes, sir, terrified to be honest, but we’re on them now.’
She listened, then rang off. ‘The boss is sending a two-car team out to relieve us. We just have to keep them in sight. Then he wants us back in the station. He’s not impressed.’
‘There’s a surprise,’ muttered Sally. ‘Look, they’re taking the Sowton turn. Might be heading back to Kegan’s flat in Exmouth after all. Let’s just slow down a bit here,’ she said, as she chose a lane and followed the Land Rover. She cursed as a bus pulled out in front of her and there was nowhere to overtake. ‘Can you see them?’
Lizzie, hanging out of the passenger-side window, watched the Land Rover approach the next roundabout, then she lost it. ‘No,’ she yelled, ‘I can’t see them. Get round that bus if you can.’
Sally indicated, pushed her way into the traffic, ignoring the honks of indignation from the rear, and approached the roundabout too quickly. Slamming on the brakes, she scanned the exits. Services left, motorway or Exmouth straight ahead, city centre right. There was no sign of the Land Rover.
‘Dammit!’ Sally banged the steering wheel. ‘I don’t believe this. Where are they?’ She jumped as a big SUV swerved around her and onto the roundabout, gesturing imaginatively. Then she followed its line, going around the island so quickly that her tyres squealed on the tarmac.
Lizzie held on and kept looking. ‘No, we’ve lost them, Sarge. Slow down a bit.’
‘I know,’ Sally growled, thumping the steering wheel. ‘I’m such an idiot. Best lead we’ve had and we lost them. Amateur.’ Glowering, she took the city road and headed for the station.
Lizzie tried to turn up the heating in the car – she was cold and
damp from the tea. ‘That was a bit of excitement,’ she said, flopping back into her seat and lifting her wet trousers away from her legs. ‘Yuk. I nearly wet myself when he showed us his gun.’
‘It was too much excitement for me. I thought we’d had it when he spotted us.’
‘Me too. But it’s not about us, is it, Sarge? He’s after Allport, and he won’t want to attract any more attention. Mind you, I don’t want to bump into him again without backup.’ She shivered. ‘I feel really bad, you know. We could have stopped this whole thing there and then if we’d handled it better. Should have gone straight in there and arrested them, no messing about.’
‘I know, love, I know. But we could both be in the hospital if we’d tried to do that on our own. They’re not rational, these people. No, we need to stick to the plan, and go when we’re all ready for what this lot can throw at us. I guess we’ll need armed response tonight after all. I might need it for my own protection,’ she added, under her breath.
42
Dan sent the images – Lizzie had managed to get two – to the colour printer and waited for them to print. He watched their faces emerge a few lines at a time, face-on, startled at whatever Sally had done to get their attention, Tana: blonde, thin-faced, intense, close-set eyes; Kegan: rounder, muscled, closely-shaven head and face – resembling a tortoise more than anything; Moore: a mass of tangled grey hair and a beard to match. He pinned them to the whiteboard and invited Bill and Ben to have a look. ‘We need a quick meeting, get everybody back here. If Moore is armed it changes our approach. I need Lake’s team here, we’ll start when they arrive.’
He stared at the latest intel, which included the first photos he had ever requested from the force’s drone squad. They gave him a good aerial view of potential sites for the fire in Topsham, but there was no sign of a trailer or fire-building in the area.
Death on the Coast Page 22