by David Costa
‘Well Jake have you everything ready for me?’
‘Yes, Mrs Webb it’s all here. How are you today?’
‘Very well thank you, but I’m working to a schedule today so can we get on with it?’
‘Of course, I have all the documents here would you like to sit down?’
She sat at the desk as Jake sorted through the papers in front of him, producing them one at a time he asked her to sign in the appropriate places six times in all.
‘I need to take a copy of your passport, have you got it with you?’
She produced the passport of Karen Webb giving it to Jake who continued to complete the paperwork. As he was doing this Mohammad entered the office and sat next to Lyndsey.
‘Sorry I’m late. Have you been able to sort everything?’ he asked Jake.
‘Yes, no problem. Mrs Webb has been able to sign everything off and I now have the copy of her passport. I just need the deposit to go through and I’ll get you the keys?’
‘How much do you need?’ asked Lyndsey.
‘Including the security bond, three thousand pounds please.’
Lyndsey handed Jake her credit card.
‘Thank you. I’ll just go to our accounts office for the machine, back in a few seconds.’
When he left, Lyndsey leaned a little closer to Mohammad so that he could hear her without being overheard.
‘When I leave, stay and talk to Jake for a few minutes then when you leave take a walk away from the direction of the apartments. Stay out for a couple of hours getting yourself a meal before heading back to the apartments and call me when you’re coming towards them.’
‘Are you worried about surveillance; I haven’t spotted any. Did you?’
‘No, but let’s just be extra careful now that we’re this close to the security perimeter.’
Jake returned with a hand-held card reader and punched in the payment figure then having inserted the credit card, passed it over for Lyndsey to provide her pin number.
‘Thank you, that’s everything gone through. I’ll just get you the keys and you can be on your way. Do you want me to accompany you to check that everything is OK?’
‘No, thank you for being so helpful we’ll manage I’m sure.’
‘Right, back in a second.’
Again, he disappeared into the back office returning with a small set of keys and a document folder.
‘Thank you for your business, Mrs Webb,’
He handed over the folder and the keys.
‘In the folder you’ll find all the information you need and details of how to get in touch should there be any problems.’
‘Thank you for all your help, Jake, I’m sure everything will be all right.’
Lyndsey placed all the documents in her bag left the office turning to the right pulling her scarf up around her head once more.
Mohammad made the excuse of speaking with Jake for a few more minutes by asking to see any other brochures he had on similar apartments.
Reece and Grey had been watching the front door of the estate agents since following Tourist One when he’d left the Conference Centre and took a roundabout route to bring him to the estate agents where he’d entered a few minutes before. They had taken up positions at each end of the street. Mary once more stood and watched the eyes of the man she loved as he looked over her shoulder in the direction of the door recently entered by Tourist One.
‘Do you know something, Joseph, you really do have beautiful blue eyes.’
‘Do you mind I’m trying to concentrate here?’ He smiled.
He’d noticed the woman who had left the offices pulling the red pattern scarf around her head, as she’d walked back in the direction of the Great Northern Square where Grey had been looking at the goods in a window display with some interest while still watching for the appearance of Tourist One, but that didn’t surprise him, as the cold wind made it difficult to stand about Deansgate for any length of time if he had a scarf he would pull it round him too.
‘What’s happening, I’m beginning to freeze here?’ Mary still had her back to the estate agents.
‘Nothing much, wait a second. Alpha Three, let’s swap and keep warm with some movement.’
‘Roger that, good idea.’
Both agents carried out the swap with ease. Just as they’d done so Tourist One reappeared onto Deansgate. Reece saw him first and noticed he was walking towards Alpha Three who now had her back to him.
‘Alpha Three, keep walking ahead Tourist One has left the building and is now walking to the junction again.’
‘Roger, Alpha One. I’ll turn left at the junction and find a closed location.’
Closed location meant a safe place from where she could observe without being seen. Reece and Mary moved after Tourist One on the same side of the street as he continued to walk towards the junction ahead.
Grey had turned left into Hardman Street junction and entered a shoe shop with a large window that looked out onto the street giving her a view of Tourist One as he crossed the junction continuing to walk straight ahead on Deansgate. She then left to catch-up as Reece and Mary crossed the same junction about seventy yards behind their target. All three continued to watch and follow Tourist One as he took his time walking through the central Deansgate area of Manchester without, it soon became apparent to Reece, any purpose whatsoever.
He eventually entered a Chinese restaurant in the China Town area of the city. Reece and Mary crossed to a Starbucks Coffee House opposite and waited for Grey to join them.
‘OK, April do you fancy a Chinese?’ Reece asked.
‘Could do, I like Chinese.’
‘We need someone in there just in case he is meeting someone. Mary was behind him earlier and I’ve been near him all day, so it has to be you. We will stay here for a coffee. If he moves on or you need us shout out.’
‘Will do.’
She then crossed the street and entered the restaurant leaving Reece and Mary to order a coffee and continue to watch from the window.
‘Alpha Control, check out the Deansgate Estate Agent office and see if we have anyone in there who’s known,’ said Reece.
Chapter Fifty-four
When she’d left the estate agents Lyndsey had turned into the wind coming down Deansgate pulling up her scarf to protect her face. Walking back on the route she’d come she noticed the lovebirds on the other side of the street in a couple’s close embrace. It had been a long time she thought, since she’d held her husband so close, before he’d committed himself to Allah, becoming a martyr and leaving her behind to become the White Widow. Now she was back on the same soil with the intent to honour his memory and make the British feel even more pain for their support of a false prophet.
When she entered apartment C12, she noticed how quiet it was, having come up from street level and with all the double-glazed windows closed there was a strange silence. Looking through the rear balcony doors she could see the back door of the Midland Hotel in the distance now lit up by street lighting as the evening darkness began to descend.
The inside of the van was lit up as his phone began to buzz in the darkness of the carpark. He could see it was a text from Lyndsey.
I’m in will buzz you up when you get here.
On my way. Costello text back.
Lifting the bag beside him and placing the Browning into his belt at his back Costello locked the van and headed for the lift.
Costello walked straight to the Great Northern Apartment building and pressed the buttons marked C12 and then the call button. Immediately in reply he heard the open lock release the front door. The lift to the twelfth floor seemed to take an age but when the doors opened on the landing, he turned left to find the door to apartment C12 already open. Waiting inside he heard Lyndsey’s voice.
‘Come in quickly and close that door, there’s an awful draft when it’s open.’
‘Nice to see you too. You want to try to sit in a cold van in a cold carpark.’
�
��You’re here now. Do you want to set up? Jake has kindly left us a welcome basket with tea, coffee, biscuits, and milk.’
‘I got bloody soaked just walking a few hundred yards, so a cup of hot tea is first on the agenda.’
Mohammed loved Chinese food and he’d used this restaurant before and knew the quality was excellent. Although it was still early, there were plenty of customers and he always thought that was a good indicator for quality. He was so engrossed with his menu he didn’t notice the SG9 operator sit at a table at the back of the room behind him. Grey asked for a menu and spoke quietly into her body mic.
‘Tourist One alone, looks like he’s only here for the food just eating, no calls, will report.’
‘Roger, Alpha Three, we’ll stay here and enjoy our coffee or two.’
A voice cut across the conversation.
‘Alpha One, we’re in position parked up on Deansgate if you need us.’
Harrison and Cousins had arrived.
‘Great, Alpha Four. Keep position we have Tourist One in a restaurant in Chinatown, but we might need your help if he meets up with anyone.’
‘Roger, Alpha One, we’re dry, at least for the moment.’
Chapter Fifty-five
Jim Broad was now sitting in the comms section of the hanger listening in to the conversation of his team. Broad knew the final decision when to move, when to act, would be down to him and Fraser would back him all the way whatever he decided.
‘Sir, a call from Sir Ian again.’ It was one of the communication operators speaking, interrupting his thoughts. Right on que it was the MI6 Chief on the phone.
Calling back so soon, this should be interesting.
‘Sir Ian, how can I help you?’
‘Jim, I don’t know if it’s good news or not, but as you know we’ve been monitoring the airwaves for Costello’s phone conversations, but it seems that our friends in GCHQ in Cheltenham can also monitor any text messages.’
Broad knew that the Government Communications Headquarters were good at monitoring things, but he was surprised they could also break into the text messaging facilities of the target’s phones.
‘Any news will be helpful if it clears the mud from the picture a bit more.’
‘Well it appears that our Mister Costello is somewhere close to the Conference Centre as we speak. A text message he received about an hour ago shows him to be near there. But we can’t pinpoint exactly where.’
‘Do we know the message?’
‘Yes, I’m in. Will buzz you up when you get here,’ Costello replied, ‘On my way. That was all, but we now have the phone the other person is using so we’re monitoring that as well. We’re starting to link all these people together, so we hopefully will get more which will help you and your team. I’ve organised the GCHQ for you to get these phone communications in real time through your comms there which will save time. No sense in me getting a breakdown here and then having to contact you. Have you the means to work that?’
‘Yes, no problem, that’ll be helpful. The team have been following that one guy around the Conference and then the Deansgate area all day as you know. We don’t think he’s contacted anyone other than by phone earlier. He’s currently sitting having a meal in a Chinese restaurant in China Town and we have people covering him. We have the troop on standby in Irlam at what we think is the safe house ready to move in close later tonight, so I believe we’ve at least two of their people covered.’
‘What about Irlam, Jim? Are you thinking of hitting the house?’
‘Not for now. We’ll try to get close enough to find out who’s in there first, but I think we’re getting close to the end game. If there’s people in there and they’re the kind of people we believe they are, then we can’t let them leave and get mixed up with the public.’
‘Agreed, but if we move too soon and the rest of the terrorist outfit are already gone, we may only get the small fry and the big fish will disappear. It’s something we have to think about. Either way, call me back before you make your move. If I get anything more, I’ll let you know right away. I’ll bring Bryant and the PM up to date. I also think that now we have Costello and at least one other close to the Conference area we should get the Gold Commander and the Prime Minister’s security team to beef up their cover. I know we expect Costello to make his move tomorrow, but I don’t like him being this close without an actual location or eyes on him.’
‘Agreed…but an increase in cover needs to be discreet not the Normandy Landing. I still think Costello is working to a schedule so let’s give our teams a little more time.’
‘Thanks, Jim, I’ll keep in touch.’
The call ended, Broad studied the electronic maps on the wall once more one of China Town and one of Irlam both with a red dot showing exactly where he believed, at least two dangerous terrorists were currently located. Blue dots showed the locations of the SG9 team in Manchester and the SAS team in Irlam.
‘Tourist One on the move,’ April Grey broke through the silence in the room.
‘Roger that, all teams be aware,’ replied the comms operator.
The next voice over the network was that of Reece.
‘Alpha One, I have him. By the look of things, he’s heading back towards the Conference area. Alpha Two can you cover the foot approach to the front of the Midland Hotel, Alpha Four stay mobile in case we need vehicle cover.’
‘Roger, Alpha One’ replied both agents.
The voice of Broad broke in on the conversation.
‘Alpha teams from Control. We have been informed by our friends that there are at least two more, including Costello, in your area. GCHQ have picked up a couple of text messages which indicate they may be holed up somewhere close to the Conference Centre so be aware. If they get anything concrete will let you know.’
Reece acknowledged receipt of the new information and continued to follow Tourist One as he walked straight by the Conference entrance and the front of the Midland Hotel.
Where are you off to now? thought Reece.
‘Tourist One continuing on Peter Street past the Midland,’ reported Grey, who was ahead of the target on the opposite side of the road.
‘He’s stopping and taking out his phone.’ Reece could see him clearly from where he’d stopped with Mary outside the Midland front entrance.
‘Now talking to someone, Alpha Four, can you come in from your end in case we need the help?’ asked Reece.
‘Roger, on my way,’ Harrison replied.
Tourist One finished his call and started walking in the direction of Deansgate at the junction with Watson Street he turned left.
‘I have Tourist One,’ Harrison’s voice spoke clearly over the air.
Now it was the turn of Jim Broad.
‘Alpha Team, be aware your target has just spoken to a woman. He told her he was almost there. She replied she’d buzz him in. Looks like he is going to be meeting with his buddies, so stay on him.’
This was the time when the adrenalin would be pumping up in the watcher’s systems. Now they were close anything could happen. Mary couldn’t hear both sides of the conversation, but she’d been with him long enough to recognise the change in his voice when he spoke.
‘On your toes, people, looks like our fox is going to ground.’
Reece kept up a steady pace fifty yards behind the target with April Grey behind Reece, catching up on the opposite side of the street. Harrison gave another update.
‘Tourist One using intercom on the front of an apartment building. Now going in and waiting at lift, will try to get closer.’
As Reece and Mary followed, Grey reached the left turn that Tourist One had taken. Harrison walked over to meet with them.
‘He went into that block of apartments. It’s called the Great Northern Tower, after the square in front of it, I guess. He was buzzed in. I can only say the lift definitely went up.’
‘Great work, Steve, at least we know he’s probably in there with Costello and a woman, so three here,
and two in Irlam. Let’s lock this down and see if we can zero in on what apartment they’re in. Alpha One to control, did you get all that?’
‘Roger that, Alpha One. I’m happy that we have this team narrowed down to two locations. Now we need to find out exactly which apartment they’re in. I’ll do some research here and keep an ear for more phone use and get back to you. Is there somewhere you can lie up in the meantime?’
‘I’ll keep two at a time in the car parked in Peter Street with a view of the front door. The rest of us will return to the security suite at the Conference so we can speak more securely.’
‘Roger, Alpha One, call me when you get there.’