This site had a vehicle lay-by on a narrow road and, surprisingly, gave Sean a mobile-phone signal. Sitting in the pickup truck alone, he decided to speak to Jack, who answered after a lengthy delay.
‘Jack, I’ve found something on the hills. It’s only a tiny cache of stuff but I need some documentation analysed by a cryptography expert from the Doughnut in Cheltenham. I’ve asked Samantha to get onto it.’
‘That’s fine,’ Jack confirmed. ‘You think he’s been using steganography as part of the trail then?’
‘Almost certainly. He probably had a number of methods in play.’ Sean explained to Jack that it was a breakthrough, enough to keep Dominic happy, and that Alfie may have hidden more caches, which might lead to something. Sean was careful to ensure he had enough information to keep Dominic satisfied that progress was being made, but also that he could subtly change that information if required in order to buy himself time.
‘I need to task him directly, Jack, as this could be important and link in with what I’ve found so far and what I’m now looking for.’
‘OK Sean. I’m happy to go with that and I’ll work on getting a formal tasking note out to them today. We do need a result quickly though, so don’t hold back or elongate this where it’s not needed. Also, don’t forget I’ve got Jane back here on standby to come and take Melissa back whenever you need.’
Sean managed to keep Jack and Dominic onside whilst keeping the information he had found very close to his own chest. He didn’t trust anyone and wanted to solve this puzzle himself before deciding what information to give to his masters.
Sean wiped the condensation off the nearside window, peered out at the high Pyrenean mountains, which twinkled with ice through the clouds, and continued to explain his thoughts to Jack. ‘It might be that Alfie has left a purposeful cryptic trail to follow. It seems that way to me at the moment, so I’ll keep following the clues.’
‘No problem,’ Jack said. ‘Just be aware that there are some nervous people back here in the centre of this storm, so we need to know as soon as anyone else comes on the radar trying to follow any clues. It must be us that wins this prize, Sean. For you, and me.’
That was a curious thing to say, Sean thought. Jack sounded calm but tenacious, reminding him in veiled speech of the need for success and how his future life might depend on it. Sean knew that Jack wouldn’t be completely fooled by his charade but, for now, it seemed he was content to keep allowing Sean to progress unimpeded.
*
Sean followed Jugsy down a steep bank and over a small ditch into a secluded valley. The ground was covered with bracken and large clumps of peat, making it awkward to walk without twisting an ankle. Jugsy steered the team to a valley that traversed leftwards and continued curving around below a concave hill. Sean remembered this area from the aerial imagery. It was the one that Jugsy had explained to him had five good peat runnels and some interesting features on the hillside worthy of a good inspection, and an area that was ideal for the killers to dig without being seen.
Sean watched Mike scarper up the concave hill, with Billy Phish busting a gut to stay with him. Sean wandered slowly to the top of the hill, looked up at the peak bog stretching ahead of him and was shocked to see Mike going absolutely crazy.
He was running around sniffing at four or five places within a ten-metre area and was barking wildly at his dad. He got his dad’s attention and then moved to the next place and barked uncontrollably again, each time turning and barking furiously at Billy Phish.
‘Fucking hell,’ Jugsy shouted. Everyone looked at each other, bedazzled.
‘He’s only gone and fucking done it, mate,’ Jugsy said ecstatically, shouting over to Sean and pointing to where Mike was going crazy. Melissa stood still, stunned and not knowing what would come next. Billy Phish was his calm gruff self and went straight into a series of double-checks with Mike before he would reward him.
‘Sensational,’ Sean said, rushing up to Billy Phish with utter relief in his voice. Sean was panting heavily now, caked in ankle-high bog and spiked with a surge of adrenalin as he sensed a result. He watched Billy Phish move Mike around the peat to try and home in on the specific site of the scent. But Mike kept indicating at all four areas situated closely together.
‘Looks like he’s found a scent which is travelling around in the air passages,’ Billy Phish explained as he rewarded Mike.
Sean gave Mike a few pats on the head and stroked his back. ‘What an amazing dog you are.’ He looked at the ground where Mike had hit. The scent spot was in a shallow dip on the crest of the hill but, worryingly, was an area that could be observed from quite some distance away. Nonetheless, this was a major breakthrough. A major find. Sean had confidence that a body was buried here – somewhere.
Billy Phish probed the ground with his extendable metal rod to release more vapour trails and Mike did his stuff all over again. They didn’t have any spades but Jugsy used his small trowel to start digging. It was pure peat underneath the grass and there was no real sign of any ground disturbance to concern Sean. There were also quite a few gaping holes in the peat suggesting small tunnels like a series of rabbit warrens.
After thirty minutes checking the potential burial site, Sean decided it needed a proper dig – he would return with spades later in the day. But, before that, he insisted in finishing the pre-planned route to check the entire area. Mike was bouncing around on the terrain like a jack-in-the-box, happy and playful after his success. Billy Phish steered him over the back end of the hill and then turned right into the valley. Sean was worried, though. ‘Why has he hit, but found no body?’ he murmured. The adrenalin seeped deep into his veins as he laboured those thoughts. He felt the gooseflesh on his neck.
Sean took a hold of himself and looked at Jugsy and Billy Phish. They were wearing the biggest of smiles, chirping away to each other as they finally, after so long, had something tangible to work on. When they entered the low valley, Mike went crazy again. He hit again. He started barking incessantly and stood rigid next to a small flow of water coming off the hill and into the tiny stream. The peace and solitude of the area were broken as Mike barked relentlessly.
‘What the hell?’ exclaimed Jugsy. ‘What’s going on now? This is bizarre – has he found another body or what?’ Sean was speechless. Mike was going crazy and Billy Phish moved him around again to try and determine the primary area of the scent, all the time filming the activity with his chest-mounted video camera. Mike remained in the same area, barking furiously. Sean could see it was the far side of a tiny stream by a pocket of peat next to some very small rocks housed in the cascade of water coming off the shallow hill. Sean listened to the gentle torrent of water rupturing as it broke over the rocks, and only Mike, barking wildly, dimmed the sound of its fall.
‘I think there are pockets of air moving through the aerations in the peat,’ Billy Phish said to Sean. He lit his pipe as he always did when he was nervous. ‘This isn’t going to be as easy as we thought. I think the air is moving from the top of the hill to the bottom and vice versa – we have some digging to do, my boy.’
‘Bloody typical,’ Sean said. ‘Well, at least we’ve narrowed it down quite a bit. This is one hell of a result, Billy: well done.’
Sean called the team together in a huddle. ‘Right, let’s work the entire area and see if Mike hits again. This is going to be a long day guys,’ he said fervently. He was exhilarated knowing they had homed in on Alfie’s burial site, or at least the rough area. It was still a huge area to search in detail, but Sean had planned for that.
Billy Phish moved them all further into the valley, with Mike leading about twenty metres ahead. The shallow stream curved gently to the right where the peat runnels cut into the hillside. The drizzle had stopped but it was still a grey, bleak morning.
Mike hit again as he went halfway up the second runnel. He was barking wildly and stood stock-still as he picked up the scent inside one of the folds of the runnel banks. Billy Phish looked at
Sean and Sean looked at Billy Phish. Neither spoke.
Sean eventually broke the silence. ‘It’s almost as if Mike has triangulated a large area with all these hits Billy. It’s quite strange to see him hitting everywhere.’
‘Totally,’ Billy Phish answered quietly, composing his mind before explaining his thoughts. ‘And I’ll tell you this for nothing, this could turn into a right mess. It could be very tricky to solve – and very time-consuming.’ Billy Phish sounded grumpy in his typically dour Yorkshire way, but Sean could tell that, under his impassive face, Billy Phish was chuffed to bits with Mike.
Sean watched Billy Phish put his spectacles on to look at the map. He was puffing at his pipe, which had now gone out. ‘I’ll look at the markers and see what kind of route the bastards may have had in their mind to follow back to this burial site. This is a great site and my money is on the runnel.’
Sean nodded. ‘We can start digging after we’ve completed this last recce,’ he said. ‘Let’s get it marked up on the map. I’ll need to use the chemical kit now to see if that helps.’ He now had three potential body deposition sites. But he also knew he could have an even larger site to search if each area didn’t give him a quick result. It was confusing but stimulating at the same time.
They returned to the vehicle and had a twenty-minute lunch break before returning to the sites with spades, ready to dig. It seemed to be the ideal site, with good markers to lead the killers back to an area they may have tested for digging, and it provided them with great cover whilst they dug.
Jugsy started the dig and Melissa and Sean helped place the cut peat neatly to one side. It was easy digging, but very wet as Jugsy dug deeper into the bank. The peat then became soggy and crumbled at his feet the more he dug.
The sun broke through the clouds and Sean spotted a couple of walkers high up on another hill adjacent to where they were operating. He was perched above the bank, satisfied that no one would be able to see into the runnel and spot Billy Phish digging. The fractured black peat now smelt like rotten eggs. Mike indicated and barked again at the area central to the entire hole and Sean walked down the incline to inspect the dig. He could see the pockets of air in the peat, almost like an Aero chocolate bar, and deduced that such air gaps probably went deep into the hillside. There was no body. The dig had revealed nothing. He looked at the team, seeing the disappointment etched on their faces.
It was late in the afternoon and Sean wanted to set up another piece of forensic work. There was no other way than to try and zoom into the exact burial site using different forensic techniques. He asked Jugsy to return to the vehicle and collect the chemical equipment, which he could use to try to identify the exact area of the hillside where Alfie was buried. Jugsy obliged.
Sean and Melissa spent forty minutes placing the small plastic vials in the ground, pushing them deep under the wet grass and peat. Sean placed them strategically at points that he knew would easily collect the water he wanted from the many surfaces of the hills and valleys.
‘What are these for then?’ Melissa asked, watching as he placed one directly under a crevice on the eastern bank of the hill. Sean looked round from his kneeling position and beckoned her to look at how he had placed it.
‘The idea is that we can collect some of the water running off the hillside to analyse the chemicals. The water will make its way down overnight and seep into these sunken crevices, dripping small drops into the vials. I can then analyse whether anything that is dead is making its way into the fabric of the hillside. It might help us work out the general area where he is buried.’
‘Fascinating stuff,’ Melissa said coyly. ‘I love how you do this work.’ Sean stood and felt Melissa grab his shoulders as she tiptoed to kiss him on the lips. He sensed the moment of her first real affection for him but turned swiftly to avoid it, knowing full well she would be affronted, if only partially. Like most of his emotions, he placed that one in a drawer in his mind and closed it shut for the time being. He was intensely focused on the job in hand.
By the time Sean and Melissa returned to the farm that night, the rest of the team had eaten and were merrily chatting away with the open fire roaring as the chilly spring night wore on. They left their equipment and bade farewell to the team, returning to the hotel late. Sean accompanied Melissa to her room, where he caught a final sad glance from her. He then made his way to his room further down the corridor. He slipped the swipe card into the door, expecting the light to turn green, but it didn’t. He tried twice more and cursed under his breath. He then made his way down to reception to explain that his card wasn’t working.
The receptionist issued Sean a new key card and he went back upstairs. He knew straight away that someone had been in his room. He checked the fibres he had left covering the set of drawers next to the bed – sure enough they had moved. Someone was onto him. He started searching for any secreted bugs or covert cameras using a small hand-held detector. He found a covert camera and two bugs carefully concealed in the room, including one in the fabric of the high headboard.
Finally, he took the shower he wanted and then sat with his thoughts on the double bed. He grabbed the small bottle of water from the side table.
Chapter 29
Porte Vendres, 22 April 2016
Natalie’s frustrations and impatience had now become insidious, but she had a new plan. Her powerful and influential resolve meant she knew she had Gregory where she wanted him and that he would do whatever she wanted.
‘I don’t care what your normal procedures are on these tasks, Gregory – it’s a fucking shambles and won’t work.’
She knew he wouldn’t disagree, and it was now time to get him to bend his operational rules.
‘You lot haven’t been able to maintain surveillance on the farm, you don’t know what’s happening there, who has been coming and going and you can’t follow more than one vehicle at a time – so we’re blind to what the fuck they are doing.’
Natalie stood and looked out of the window into the moonlit gardens. She clutched her black hair and put it in a ponytail, adjusting it using the reflection. She was incensed. She was right and always right, and no one would stand in her way of doing things the way she wanted them to be done – even if she didn’t have experience of hard-core surveillance operations. She poured herself a glass of vodka and took her Arcus 94C high-power pistol from her bag. She loved the feel of the Bulgarian weapon in her hand and it eased her tensions when she gripped the walnut handle firmly.
‘We don’t have the resources I need,’ Gregory said.
‘Bullshit. You’re responsible for this and, in the words of the British, you need to get a fucking grip of it.’
‘I need better men to get this done properly.’
‘Properly? I’ll give you fucking properly,’ she said, raising the weapon. Solid and beautiful, she stroked the smooth stainless-steel barrel, feeling an urge to fire the first of its thirteen-shot capacity right into Gregory’s head. Natalie turned and walked towards Gregory, releasing the safety catch. ‘I’m dealing with a bunch of fuckwits and you need to get sharp quickly.’
‘We are sharp, and I’m not convinced we can do anything more than what we are doing. We’re all well trained in this you know.’
Natalie began to fume. ‘You idiots haven’t given me anything so far, I’ve had to do it all myself. I really ought to pump a bullet into you right now and get someone in who can do a better job of this for me.’
‘We haven’t had anything to go on though.’
Natalie took one stride and smashed the weapon into Gregory’s head with a sharp backhand swipe. Her ring cut his cheek with a sharp slice, and blood began to pour down his face.
‘Don’t make me fucking angry ever again,’ she growled.
Gregory held his hand against his cheek, lurching forward for the tissues on the table.
‘It’s only a matter of time before Sean finds out that his red-haired woman in Southwold went missing,’ she said, turning away. ‘I ca
n’t keep up the charade of pretending I’m her on the phone. Someone will find out and then we’ll be fucked – he’ll simply pull out and get away,’ she said with increasing rage.
Natalie had been answering Jack’s texts to Jane – stringing him along and deceiving him into thinking Jane was still alive. She also had Jane’s passwords for her laptops, the codes to her phones and sent messages and emails as if it was actually Jane sending them.
‘We have to be bold now – if we aren’t bold and daring, we’ll lose everything,’ Natalie stressed, standing above Gregory and looking down on him. ‘You will now do everything I say – no fucking questions.’
Gregory nodded.
Natalie knew her next moves were vital to give her the upper hand on Sean. And she would force Gregory to comply.
Chapter 30
Porte Vendres, 23 April 2016
Sean was up early and decided to forgo the swim that he had promised himself. Instead, he stretched to warm his muscles and then banged out forty-five press-ups without interruption. He followed this with a series of sit-ups, showered, went straight to the breakfast room and sat in the far corner waiting for the others. He noticed a brunette woman dressed in a white blouse, blue tailored skirt and blue high heels wander over to his table. She smiled at him. Sean recognised her as the woman he had seen in the swimming pool. Natalie asked if she could sit down, at the same time not waiting for an answer. She crossed her legs, Sean noticing the slash of her thigh.
‘Hi, I’m Natalie,’ she said piercingly. ‘I’ve seen you around here over the last couple of days. I thought I’d come and introduce myself.’ She smiled, and Sean sensed an air of supremacy as well as her hugely attractive disposition. He was curious at such an approach and wondered what was coming next. He gazed at her face.
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