Takedown

by Heather Atkinson

  “It looks like a pretty well-monied street, so that rules out some areas.”

  “Yeah, like the one we’re in right now,” said Kevin.

  “How do we know Ben actually lives on that street?” said Faith. “He might have been visiting friends or family.”

  “Because on the next photo the caption says, At home with the family.”

  “Great,” she sighed. “He’s got a wife and kids?”

  “Yep.”

  “That makes the situation even more complicated.”

  “Jason, you can look at house prices in Blackpool,” Vance told him. “It’ll list every house that’s sold in the area for the last few years, with photos. If you find a house that looks like the one on this photo, then we’ll know where to look.”

  “Hey, that’s a good idea,” he replied. “Or we could just look at street view online.”

  “The problem with that is it’s often years old. Those houses look pretty new.”

  “Oh, yeah. It was still a good idea though,” he sniffed.

  “Yes it was,” smiled Vance. “And bring up a map of Blackpool on your laptop. We can divvy up the streets between us.”

  “Can’t we just ask Young to get us the address now we know who he is?” said Abi.

  “He won’t give us the address,” replied Faith. “He’s worried about what we’ll do to Ben.”

  “We won’t do anything to him,” said Kevin. “Except rip his fucking face off.”

  “Case in point,” said Caleb wryly.

  Jason brought up the map and placed the laptop on the floor for them all to gather round.

  “This is a needle in a haystack,” said Abi. “And how far do we check? Just the town itself or do we need to go wider into Poulton-le-Fylde and Bispham?”

  “No,” said Vance. “He’ll live near the station so he can get there quickly when he’s on-call during standby hours.”

  “Brilliant,” said Caleb. “That means we can really round it down.”

  “We’ll split into three groups and use the fire station as the epicentre of the search. Me and Faith will take the north and west, Caleb and Abi east and Jason and Kev the south.”

  “I thought I was supposed to be searching on my laptop?” said Jason.

  “The beauty of a laptop is that it’s portable. Kev can drive while you look.”

  “Oh yeah, good idea.”

  “Why don’t we just wait at the fire station and follow him home?” said Faith. “It’ll save a lot of time.”

  “Because we don’t know how long we’ll be hanging around,” replied Vance. “And he might notice he’s being followed, losing us our advantage.”

  “I suppose but driving around the streets seems the difficult way to do things.”

  “Sometimes the difficult way is the quickest one. Too many people waste time trying to find a shortcut when they could have just taken the longer route and got the job done.”

  “All right, I get it. Let’s get on with it then.”

  Rose returned to the front room with a teapot. “Who wants a top-up…,” she began, trailing off when she saw the room was empty.

  CHAPTER 11

  “This is a waste of time,” said Faith. “I think we’re in the wrong area. The others will find the house. Let’s go home and go to bed. I’ve had enough for one day.”

  “And what will we say when the others ask why we gave up so quickly?” replied Vance as he drove them around the streets north of the Forest Gate Fire Station. “We’ve only been driving for ten minutes. What’s up Faith?” he pressed when she sighed. “This isn’t like you.”

  “I don’t know. I suppose it’s because I’ve no idea how we should handle this situation. It would be easy if it was a gang of scumbags but these people are known and respected, they have families who will miss them. If we’re not careful we’ll be the ones in trouble.”

  He patted her knee. “We’ll get it sorted. Don’t worry.”

  “It’s such a mess and I feel it could have been avoided if we’d had better security. It’s made me realise that we’ve got so much to learn.”

  “And we will. Do you think the Maguires have never gone through shit like this? Because we know they have. It’s why Jules is being so understanding.”

  “I bet they would have realised weeks ago that they were being followed and done something about it.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. We’re doing a good job Faith. You’re just feeling bad because this has come so quickly on the back of Marlow and his men.”

  “And what if we deal with this situation and something else happens?”

  “That’s why Jules wants us to make an example of them, to make sure it doesn’t.”

  “And what if she does want us to kill them? Then what?”

  “We’ll just have to do it.”

  “That’s cold Vance.”

  “What choice is there? It’s either them or us. I wouldn’t have thought this would be much of a problem after Lenny Paisley.”

  “Lenny was in the heat of the moment. A cold-blooded execution is very different and Ben has a family, kids.”

  “So that’s what this is really about – his family.”

  She nodded sadly.

  “I can always handle it Faith. You don’t need to do it.”

  “I don’t want you to handle it. What you did in prison you did to survive but this…it doesn’t feel right.”

  “We knew we’d have to do things we wouldn’t like when we got into this business and we can handle it. I’ll always be by your side Faith, through thick and thin. You don’t have to shoulder the burden alone.”

  “I want to ask Jules if we can run things jointly. For some reason she wants me in charge but I think you’d be the better choice.”

  “Jules knows what she’s doing and she chose you for a reason. She sees something in you that I don’t have and I’m fine with that.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Don’t worry about me wanting to take control. As long as I get to be with you, I’m good. But I’m here to handle the stuff you don’t want to do.”

  “What sort of leader is that? I can’t expect other people to do the things I won’t do myself.”

  “We’re family and we have each other’s backs…”

  “Jesus,” she gasped when he suddenly slammed on the brakes. “What are you doing?”

  He looked back over his shoulder. “We just drove past that house in the photos.”

  Faith turned in her seat to look. The houses they’d stopped outside were red brick but the ones further back looked newer and had the mock-tudor frontage. “At least no one was behind us.”

  “I’ll drive around the block,” he said, setting off again.

  They came back down the street in the same direction, slowing as they drove past the newer houses.

  “There’s the Audi four by four we saw in the social media photos,” said Faith as they passed the third house down on the right. “The house is number five. I’ll let the others know we’ve found it,” she said, taking out her phone. She hesitated before dialling. “What do we do now?”

  “Watch the house and follow him. Me and you can handle that. The others will be too obvious.”

  “And we get to cosy up together in the car,” she winked at him.

  Faith told her siblings to keep an eye on the businesses while they staked out the Cooper home.

  “So,” she said to Vance after she’d concluded her calls. “How do we handle this Chief?”

  “Chief?” he frowned.

  “Isn’t that what your officers called you?”

  “No because I worked in Blackpool, not Detroit.” His grin was wolfish. “But if you want to call me Chief I won’t object.”

  “Actually I don’t,” she smiled. “So, what do you do during a stake out?”

  “First of all, we need supplies – drinks and snacks. We need to wrap up warm because we can’t sit here with the engine running and it’s a good idea to use the loo first too becau
se you can be stuck in the car a long time.”

  “It’s fortunate I have a very capacious bladder.”

  “Just so you know, that’s not a sexy statement. I worked with a DC who had a bladder the size of a teabag. He got out of the car and crouched down behind it to take a piss. A packed coach came up the road and its headlights lit him up like a Christmas tree.”

  “I can promise I won’t pee by the side of the car.”

  They drove to the nearest supermarket to buy snacks, bottles of water, blankets, gloves and a thick coat each, both of them using the loo before returning to the car. Vance drove them back to the street where the Coopers lived and parked further down outside one of the neighbouring houses.

  “What now?” said Faith.

  “Now we wait,” replied Vance.

  “I get the feeling this is going to be long and boring and we can’t even snuggle to keep ourselves warm and entertained.”

  “You can get some shut eye while I keep watch.”

  “It’s only nine o’clock, I can’t sleep this early. I wish I’d brought a book. How did you stave off boredom when you were in the police?”

  “We’d chat, do puzzles.”

  “I’ve got one on my phone…”

  “You can’t use that. The light from the screen might attract attention.”

  She sighed, folded her arms across her chest and slumped further into the seat. “I thought being all cosy in a car with you would be fun but it’s not.”

  “Looks like you won’t have to put up with the torment for long,” said Vance, sitting up straighter in his seat. “Someone’s coming out of the house.”

  Although it was dark and they were at a distance, the glow from the streetlights was enough to tell them that the person exiting the Cooper home was Ben himself.

  “Why aren’t you starting the engine?” Faith asked Vance as they watched Ben climb into the Audi.

  “Because he might hear us. I’ll start it when he’s started his own engine.”

  “Sorry, I’ll shut up.”

  He winked at her and started the engine, only setting off once Ben’s taillights were in the distance.

  “It’s difficult tailing someone this time of night when the traffic’s so light,” said Vance. “It’s very easy to be spotted.”

  “He could be going to the fire station.”

  “By the way he’s driving it can’t be an emergency.”

  “He might be about to start his shift.”

  “Possibly.”

  “Should I call the others?”

  “Let’s see where he’s going first. We don’t want to drag them out because he’s going to the all-night supermarket.”

  “He’s headed towards Stanley Park. His station’s not far from there.”

  They continued to follow as Ben drove past the park and joined onto the busier B5124, giving them a little cover.

  “Wherever he’s going, he’s heading north,” said Vance. “Meaning he isn’t going to work.”

  He allowed another car to pull out in front of them, giving them cover, hanging back a little.

  “Shit,” said Vance when Ben turned right into a petrol station. “I’ll turn right after the petrol station. There’s a few parking spaces outside a row of shops.”

  He made the turn and pulled into a space. As it was getting late all but two of the spaces were empty.

  “Wait here,” he told Faith, unfastening his seatbelt. “I’ll see what he’s up to.”

  He jumped out of the car, eyes bright with eagerness. He was enjoying himself but this was the type of work Vance loved to do, it was what had attracted him to the police force in the first place.

  Vance jogged over to the fence dividing the edge of the car park from the petrol station. From this vantage point he could see Ben filling up at one of the pumps. He appeared calm and casual, not as though he was up to anything. Vance watched him remove the hose from the petrol tank and head into the shop to pay. As he exited, Vance rushed back to the car, jumped in, started the engine, left the car park and swung back onto the main road.

  “Can you see him?” Faith asked him.

  “Yes, he’s indicating right. He’s coming this way,” he replied before steering the car into the next lane that would allow him to turn right. Fortunately the lane was empty.

  “This junction is controlled by four-way lights,” said Faith as she watched Ben’s Audi roll up to the lights on their left. “So they’ll take forever to change.”

  “It looks like he’s going straight on. Let’s hope our lights change first.”

  They did and Vance put the car into gear, turning right, driving as slow as he dared without attracting attention.

  “He’s set off,” said Faith, turning in her seat to keep watch. “But he’s quite a way behind us. At least he drives a big vehicle. It makes it easier to spot him.”

  “We need to let him get ahead of us,” he said, slowing down the car even more and indicating left.

  “You can’t do that,” she said when he pulled onto the drive of a large Victorian semi-detached house.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not staying here,” he said, watching Ben’s car pass them in his rear-view mirror. When it had gone, he reversed off the drive and followed. There were two cars between them and Ben. They passed a biscuit factory and headed under a bridge before driving past more houses and shops.

  When they reached a roundabout, Ben turned left and they followed at a safe distance.

  “He’s heading to the north shore,” said Faith. “He must be.”

  Sure enough, they turned onto the promenade where the traffic was a little heavier.

  “Well,” said Vance. “Things are getting a little clearer. He’s pulling into a casino.”

  “A gambling problem would explain why he robbed us.”

  They drove past the casino and turned right onto the street running down the side of it. Vance turned the car around and pulled up at the kerb so they could watch Ben get out of the car and stride inside.

  “He doesn’t look like he’s dressed for the casino,” commented Faith. “He’s only in jeans and a jumper. They might not let him through the door.”

  “The way he’s walking says he won’t give them a choice.”

  “Things aren’t as they seem. He just doesn’t look like a man out for an evening of roulette.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  Less than a minute later Ben exited the casino escorting a slender blonde by the arm who was dressed to the nines in a cocktail dress, hair piled up on top of her head.

  “That looks like his wife,” said Faith. “She was in the photos on his social media profiles. I think it is anyway, it’s hard to tell in the dark.”

  “And it looks like she’s been tucking into the sauce, she can barely stay upright.”

  Ben shoved her into the passenger seat while he jumped into the driver’s seat. The way Ben slammed the car into reverse, making the tyres squeal indicated he was furious and he sped off, hitting the promenade faster than he should have done.

  “I don’t think we need to follow,” said Faith. “He’s not going to get up to anything dodgy with his drunk wife in the passenger seat.”

  “I agree. Let’s go home and curl up together in bed.”

  “Sounds lovely but things are starting to make sense now. If his wife has a gambling problem and is also an alcoholic they could have got desperate. That house and car won’t come cheap.”

  “Why not just rob some cash off someone?” replied Vance. “Why nick drugs off us? There’s a lot of the picture we’re not seeing. Even though we don’t know these people, something about all this still feels personal.”

  “You could be right. Well, we know more now than we did an hour ago. That’s enough for today. All I want to do is go home and snuggle up naked with you.” Their night-time foray had left her feeling cold and a little down. Yes, they had more information but they still didn’t understand what was going on and they were no nearer to getting t
he drugs back. Nestling under the duvet with Vance however was the perfect antidote.

  “Bastard,” yelled a voice. “The total and utter bastard.”

  Faith sat up in bed with a confused frown, rubbing her bleary eyes and brushing her hair back off her face. She was alone, Vance’s side of the bed rumpled but vacant. She realised it was his voice coming from the lounge.

  Getting out of bed, she pulled on her big cosy dressing gown, stuffed her feet into her slippers and shuffled into the lounge, yawning. She found Vance freshly showered and fully dressed, sitting at the table by the window, scowling at the laptop.

  “What’s going on?” she asked him before breaking into a huge yawn.

  “I’ve been checking the footage recorded by the cameras we set up around the car park.”

  “And I take it they’ve picked up something?”

  “Too fucking right they have,” he said, turning the laptop to face her.

  She peered at the screen and her eyes widened. “Is that Adam standing in the car park here, outside the flats?”

  “Yes. Your ex-boyfriend’s a fucking stalker,” he spat, slamming his fist down on the table.

  “Take it easy,” she said, warning in her voice.

  He shot to his feet. “I’m going to find him and break his fucking legs.”

  She put herself between him and the door. “Just calm down before you do something stupid.”

  “The only thing I’ve done that’s stupid is not smash his kneecaps with a sledgehammer.”

  “You’re not to go near him. Do you hear me?”

  “You’re actually protecting him?”

  “Look at what proof we’ve got - he’s been hanging around the car park. For all we know he was meeting someone who lives in these flats. We don’t know that it’s anything to do with me.”

  “Oh really?” he said, tapping at the keyboard. The image on the screen shifted to the exterior of their mother’s house. “There he is again, lurking across the street while your car was outside, so he knew you were there.” He tapped at the keyboard again and another image popped up. “This was recorded by the camera on your car when it was parked outside Pulse and you were in the club. And here again.” He stabbed at the keys so hard Faith was surprised they didn’t break. “When you went into the supermarket. He’s the one who’s been following you Faith, it’s not Ben or his friends. Why would they need to follow you when they had Patrick Prentiss to track the drugs? All the time it’s been your creepy ex.”