‘Boss,’ said Bill Larcombe. ‘Do we put this image out to the press? It’s the first positive ID we’ve had on any of the main suspects.’
Dan stared at his sergeant. He wasn’t firing on all cylinders today and he knew it; he was knackered. Make a decision. ‘No, we only have a day and a bit left until the deadline. After that, we will either have them, or they’ll be dead. We can release it on Sunday morning, let Lisa Middleton have a heads-up first, like we promised.’ He chewed on the skin around his thumb. He’d have to hammer the budget to keep up surveillance for the next twenty-four hours, but it had to be done, and as for the overtime bill, it didn’t bear contemplation. Shrugging, he washed his mug and made some tea, in deference to Claire’s commands at breakfast.
At his desk, where he was going over a hastily rearranged plan for the following day, he took a call from Neil Pargeter. Usually he was pleased to hear Neil’s voice.
‘Mate,’ Neil began, ‘I’m glad you’ve got time to talk. Wasn’t sure you would have, with, you know, everything going on and that.’
‘What can I do for you, Neil?’
Dan heard the blowing out of a huge breath through Pargeter’s teeth. ‘I don’t know how to say this but, Dan, I’m sorry. Really sorry.’
‘Sorry? What for? Can you get to the point, I’m trying to catch a murderer or three here, you know?’
‘You don’t know? Sorry. It was last night. Alison. She was out with me.’
‘What? She was with you? And you let her get in a state like that? What were you thinking of? I warned you, I told you what she was like, Neil, I thought you had more sense.’ Fury made his voice tight and hard.
‘No, it wasn’t like that. Just listen, all right? She’s on antibiotics. Shouldn’t have been drinking at all, but she didn’t realise it. Mate, I didn’t just dump her, I made sure she got home and into bed before I left. She was okay when I left her, honest.’
‘First I’ve heard of antibiotics,’ Dan said, the sick feeling in his stomach had come back. ‘I think she’s having you on, Neil.’
‘No, I’ve been round to your mum’s this morning and it’s true. That’s why she asked me to ring you and explain.’
What the …? Neil had been at his mum’s? ‘You seem to be getting very close to my family, Neil. Anything else you want to tell me about my own sister? Shoe size, bra size?’ There was silence on the other end of the phone. ‘Well?’
‘Well? You’re making this too hard. You’re not her dad, you know.’
‘Well?’
‘Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated? Okay, okay, let’s do it. Since that night the other week, Alison and I have seen each other a few times. Just a few times, we haven’t, you know, or anything.’ He seemed to gather strength from somewhere. ‘Anyway, we like each other and we’re going to carry on seeing each other. I thought you’d be pleased. You did introduce us, after all.’
Dan rubbed his tired eyes. Yeah, it was his own stupid fault; of course it was. He’d got suckered in yet again. When are you going to understand that she’s not your responsibility? Let her see whoever she likes. He wriggled his stiff shoulders and tried for emotional detachment. It didn’t work. Instead, his head threw up for his consideration: but what about my flat? Who coughs up for that? Not Alison, that’s for sure.
‘Well, thanks for letting me know, have to go now.’
‘No! No, wait, Dan, please. Don’t be angry about this. She knows she messed up. I’m just trying to show you that she hasn’t gone back to her old ways. That’s all. Okay? Dan, are we okay?’
‘I haven’t got time,’ Dan mumbled. ‘Got to go,’ he said, and cancelled the call. He really didn’t have a clue how he felt about all this. He hadn’t had time to process what had happened at the flat, and had certainly not had time to work out how he felt about his only friend seeing his sister. Voluntarily. Or that Claire was in on it with them. His mum, too.
* * *
Dan gathered the paperwork from his desk and headed back into the MI room. He was glad to see most of the team had assembled, and he could focus on that for a few hours instead of thinking about his family. He glared at Sally and Lizzie, and mouthed, ‘Lost them?’
Shaking his head, he threw his paperwork on the table and perched on the corner, waiting for the shuffling to stop.
He welcomed Duncan Lake of the tactical team. ‘Nice to have you with us.’
‘Always glad to be of help.’ Lake nodded to the team, most of whom he had come to know when they had raided the animal rescue centre a few months earlier.
Dan filled them in on the morning’s encounter with the gang. ‘They know that we have the details of the vehicle, and of Kegan. They don’t know that we also have the identities of the other two, thanks to Allport. They might not think we have a photo of them, but they’re wrong. So, we have something, at least.
‘Lizzie, get back onto the Irish Garda and find out what they can tell us about Moore. Also, can they trawl the newspapers, say between 1995 and 1997, looking for people killed in fires, IRA caches set on fire, anything like that? Can they shed any light on Tana?’
‘Boss,’ said Bill Larcombe, ‘I know this is a bit off the wall, but if Tana is Allport’s daughter …’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, Allport told us she was adopted into an Irish family, and I assumed it would be in Northern Ireland, but what if it wasn’t? What if Moore did adopt Tana, or at least nosed his way into her adoptive family, and has been grooming her all these years?’
‘She’s his instrument of revenge,’ said Lizzie.
‘The ultimate killing machine,’ added Foster, earning him a dig in the ribs from Sam Knowles.
Dan chewed the end right off another nail and ignored the buzz of excitement. What if they were right? Revenge. It would explain who this guy Moore was, and how the plan had come together over many years. How long would you wait to avenge your dead family? ‘You know, that may be on the money. Vengeance is right at the black heart of this.
‘Right, Sally and Lizzie, find out where that daughter was fostered. As you’ve been seen by the gang, we can’t have you out and about in Topsham, in daylight, can we? May as well get some use out of the pair of you.’
Lizzie’s cheeks burned, and even Sally didn’t have a smart comeback. Dan took a breath and sifted his notes. It wasn’t fair to take out his temper on his officers, in front of the team, but he was angry. They could have taken the three suspects down today, this very morning, and avoided all the worry and expense of a major take-down tomorrow. If they hadn’t lost the bloody Land Rover.
Bill Larcombe interrupted his brooding. ‘Got four teams out looking for the vehicle, boss. Just sent the photo ID for the suspects. All foot patrols are looking, as are area cars on their rounds. They can’t go too far away if they’re picking up Allport tomorrow.’
‘Right, thanks, Bill,’ Dan said. He indicated the drone images of the area around the Strand in Topsham. ‘Clearly, we are basing our plans on this area of the town, mainly because everywhere else along the river estuary is either too populated, or too dangerous to get a vehicle onto the sand. If Tana follows her usual pattern, she will choose an area close to where her victim lives, and set the fire in a dip, or a quiet place away from houses.’ He held up a hand. ‘Before I hear objections, I know it’s speculation, but what else do we have to go on? We have to start with a reasonable assumption.
‘Sam, Adam, what did you see this morning?’
Sam cleared his throat. ‘The tide wasn’t out far enough for us to walk round earlier, but we talked our way into the garden of the big house that overlooks the estuary, and there are two places on the south side of their sea wall that are dry already, even this early in the day. The gang could start building a fire as soon as the tide has gone out a bit further. Tomorrow afternoon would be the best time.’
‘We checked the best routes in and out, sir,’ added Foster, ‘and agree that it would be logical to bring the colonel along Monmouth then do
wn Bowling Green Lane beside the bird hide and onto the sand. There are not many houses on that route.’
‘Good work. Okay, everyone, I’d like to think we could track them down this afternoon, so we keep looking. They know we spotted the Land Rover, and I doubt they will go back to either Kegan’s or Tana’s flat. Where would they hide out?’ He slapped the incident board with the flat of his hand. ‘Could be anywhere. Needle in a haystack.’
He turned back to the room. ‘As I said, we can only assume that Tana will follow her usual pattern. Logically, she will do what we hope she will do. But, Brendan Moore is a wild card, probably IRA trained, which means he might be getting on a bit but he’ll be tough and wary.’
‘And clever, if he’s avoided capture all this time,’ said Sam Knowles. ‘He knew how to put the frighteners on Lizzie, anyway.’
‘Thanks, Sam,’ she mouthed at him.
‘Yes, and he’ll be putting all his efforts into getting hold of Allport before we do. So, we need a plan that allows us to move quickly and react to changes.’ He nodded to Sam.
Sam clicked his keyboard and brought up the map of the barracks and main road into Topsham.
‘Allport must be followed from the moment he leaves the barracks. One of Lake’s officers will be in the back of his car. And PC Lynch from family liaison will stay with Sandra Eastman from tonight, just in case. They may make their first attempt on the road, so the rest of us will be situated along the route into Topsham.’ He pointed at three positions on the A376.
‘If all goes well, and Allport gets to Sandra’s flat, we will then take up positions,’ he indicated to Sam to bring up the street map of Topsham, ‘inside and outside the restaurant, and here and here along the road to her flat. One team on the Bowling Green Road, and a team in the garden of the house, here.’
He faced the team. ‘I know it’s risky, but I still think they will go for Allport as he and Sandra return from the restaurant. They’ll be more relaxed after a few drinks.’
He scratched his head. Got to make a decision; so make a decision. ‘We make the locus that car park in front of the flats. It’s big and we can hide several vehicles among the parked cars. Duncan, I’d like your team near the entrance, in your vehicle, ready to go.’
‘That’s fine,’ said Lake. ‘I’ll go along tomorrow afternoon and have a proper look. I need to brief Sandra Eastman anyway.’
‘Sir, we’ll need to alert the public to stay indoors – if you think there will be arms fire,’ said Sally.
Dan pursed his lips. Could be a disaster if he did, and a disaster if he didn’t. Make a decision. A sick feeling swirled in a stomach already acidic from too much coffee. And knowing that they were working entirely on assumption, threatened to make him throw up. Make a decision, Daniel. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. ‘No, we can’t. Moore is on to us. This morning will have made him edgy. Any sign of them being watched and they’ll abort. We could lose them altogether.’
‘Not even the people in the flats?’
‘No. The last thing we need is people hanging out of their bedroom windows. The plan is to take the gang down before they get Allport anywhere near the fire. If the residents call the police at a disturbance in their car park, well, we’ll deal with that. Okay, Sergeant?’
Sally sniffed. ‘Suppose it’ll have to be, sir,’ she said.
‘I’ll come with you for a walk round Topsham, sir,’ said Duncan Lake, ‘I like to see the locations for myself if I can. It’s a bit of a rarity in my job.’
‘Great. Okay, worst case scenario: they get Allport as far as the fire and prepare to chuck him on it. Allport is a fit bloke, so he will have to be unconscious. Their pattern is to use a rock to bash the victim’s head in. We can only assume they will do the same for Allport. In that case, we’ll have the tactical team move along and set up in the garden of this house, behind the sea wall,’ he stabbed a finger into the map. ‘Sergeant Lake’s team to lead from this point on.’
Sally raised a hand.
‘Yes, Sergeant Ellis, I will make sure we have permission from the absent owners to use their property.’
Sally dropped her hand. ‘Thank you, sir,’ she murmured, ‘just checking.’
‘We could park behind their gates as well,’ he added, ‘that would help hide our numbers.’
He surveyed his notes. What else? ‘Sam and Adam, get back to Topsham and check out all the possible parking places for us. I want pool cars used, not your own vehicles, and I need you in casual gear. Look like people out for a walk, or going to the pub.
‘I’m sure Allport is safe as long as he stays on the base, but we’ll have an armed officer with him all day too.’ Sure? He buried the doubts.
‘Right, you lot. We had a late night last night. Go home early tonight, have a rest, but be on call. If a patrol spots the gang today, we’re going in, whatever the time. If not, I’ll brief you again at eight tomorrow morning.’
43
As arranged, Dan drove straight to his parents’ house after work. He was knackered, frantic, but totally stuck unless they got word of the gang’s whereabouts. So he left the station as he’d promised, even though every part of his brain was screaming at him to stay on, just in case. Now, he sat in his car outside the comfortable home of his parents, and wondered what on earth he was going to do about Alison. Compared to this problem, catching a multiple murderer was easy.
He took a bottle of red wine and some flowers he’d bought hastily from Waitrose to the door. Dinner somewhere else was what he needed. With Claire. Food, bit of alcohol, Friday night sex – always the best – and a few hours of oblivion. Not this.
Inside, they were lined up on the sofa: Mum, Alison, Claire. They were holding hands. He felt a bit sick. Off to the side, his father sat in an armchair, head determinedly buried in the newspaper. Dan took the wine and flowers into the kitchen, came back and took the other armchair. At least Neil wasn’t sitting there. The worry on his mother’s face hurt him. It had been her default expression for so long that her face fell into those lines and furrows whenever Alison was around. ‘Okay, I’m here as summoned. Any chance of a drink, Dad?’
Geoff Hellier virtually danced off the chair. ‘G and Ts all round? It is Friday night, after all,’ he said, rubbing his hands and disappearing into the kitchen before anyone could respond. Or stop him.
‘Dan,’ said Claire. ‘We’ve been talking this afternoon. Sorting a few things out.’ She let go of Alison’s hand – it was impossible for Claire to talk without using both her arms.
Dan suppressed a surge of love for her. ‘You have?’
‘Yes, and I think we have a solution.’ She nudged Alison.
‘I know I’m a mess …’ his sister began.
Dan bit his tongue to stop himself from agreeing with her. He had to listen, had to at least hear what they had cooked up between them. He wasn’t enjoying feeling like the outsider in his own family, though. Short memories, some people.
‘… but my teeth are in a terrible state, and the dentist put me on antibiotics for an abscess, and I just forgot you shouldn’t drink with them. I’m really sorry.’
Claire chipped in. ‘Anyway, the bed base isn’t damaged, your mum has replaced the rug, and we can pick new bedding and a mattress tomorrow and get it all back to normal in the flat.’
Dan sank back into the chair, arms gripping the armrests. ‘You know, I’m not worried about that stuff, Claire, it’s replaceable.’
He looked at his sister for the first time. ‘Alison, what are you going to do? As usual, everyone is running around, looking after you like you’re a bloody invalid, but when do you take control of your own life?’
‘That’s why we wanted you to come here,’ said Alison. ‘I had another job interview this morning, and it went really well.’ She gave a nervous laugh. ‘Not like at the charity shop. Anyway, she’s offered me a job. Part-time at first, but it might lead to more.’ She turned pleading eyes to him. ‘I’m straightening out.’
&
nbsp; Claire interrupted again, ‘You know my friend, the one with the online baby clothes business?’
Dan vaguely remembered her going on about someone. ‘Yeah.’
‘Well, it’s really taken off, and she needed someone to help, so …’
‘So, what’s the actual job?’
‘Well,’ said Alison, ‘I’ll be steaming and cleaning the second-hand baby clothes, and packaging them up to send out. I’ll be based in her house, and she’s paying me eight pounds fifty an hour, for twenty hours a week.’ She sighed. ‘I can live on that, maybe look at getting a room in a shared house. The social will top up my rent for a bit, until I’m out of probation.’ She took Claire’s hand again. ‘I can’t thank Claire enough for helping me. It’s like a miracle.’
Dan watched his mother’s eyes fill up with tears. She squeezed her daughter’s hand. It was hard to watch. He was relieved when his dad bustled back in with drinks, and nibbles in bowls.
‘Dan,’ Claire said. ‘We know how upset you were about the flat, and how angry you feel, but it was a genuine accident, and you can see things are getting better, can’t you? It’s time to move on.’
Dan took a swig of a ridiculously strong gin and tonic. He didn’t know if he could let his anger go, just like that. Claire didn’t know what they’d been through. Time to move on? As far as Claire was concerned, she was helping a woman who had fallen on hard times, not giving in to someone who would let her down, again and again. But he guessed she would learn the hard way, as he had.
He looked at his father, who shrugged back. What did they want from him? Approval? ‘Okay,’ he said, ‘well done on landing a job, Ali. Hope it all works out for you this time. Can’t stop. If you finish your drink, love,’ he said to Claire, ‘we could get to the Indian before it starts to fill up with Friday nighters.’
‘Oh, but Daniel, I’ve cooked,’ wailed his mother. ‘There’s a leg of lamb resting and loads of roast potatoes. Please don’t go.’
Death on the Coast Page 23