by Helen Harper
I sat down. ‘Then proceed.’
‘They approached me,’ Adam said. ‘It was all their idea. At first all they told me was that they wanted me to climb up the London Eye and draw as much attention as possible. I was to wear a pair of fake fangs and make everyone think I was a vampire. They said it was a stunt to prove that humans are as strong and capable as vampires. That’s all. They were supposed to pay me two grand – one grand up front before and one grand afterwards.’
‘Okay.’ I nodded. ‘And who are they? What were their names?’
‘I don’t know.’
I sighed. ‘Adam.’
He threw up his hands. ‘I’m not lying! They didn’t tell me their names. They said it was safer that way. There were four of them…’
‘Four?’ I asked sharply.
He bobbed his head. ‘Yeah. Two women, two men.’
‘What did they look like?’
‘If you’ve been watching the shop, you must know all this already,’ he huffed.
‘It’s my job to cross the Ts and dot the Is,’ I said. ‘I want to hear it from your lips. What do they look like?’
He cast his gaze upwards. ‘One man has dark hair and a big moustache, kinda like Tom Selleck, you know? The other guy is smaller, light-brown hair. He is pretty weedy and wears glasses. I think of him as the professor. He seems to know a lot of stuff.’ He was describing the man who’d been shot in the car on Tower Bridge.
‘And the women?’ I asked.
‘Some blonde chick. Sounds like she’s walked off the set of EastEnders.’
That would be the Russian with the fake Cockney accent.
‘And,’ Adam said, ‘there’s an old bird.’
I sat up straight. ‘Old bird?’
‘Yeah.’ He sniffed. ‘An old woman.’
‘What does she look like?’
‘I dunno. She looks old. Wrinkly.’
I sighed again. ‘You’re not giving me a lot to go on here.’
‘I’m doing my best,’ he whined. He raised his shoulders helplessly. ‘I think she had blue eyes?’
‘Is that a question or are you telling me that she had blue eyes?’
He dropped his head. ‘Uh, I dunno. I’m not sure.’
I gritted my teeth. ‘Tell me about the shop.’
‘I wasn’t supposed to know about it.’ His features suddenly took on a sly cast. ‘But I followed them back to it without them realising. I should have guessed what they were up to when I saw that they worked out of a locksmith’s crib.’
I held my breath. ‘Uh huh. And this is the locksmith’s on…’
‘Chase Road,’ he said with a trace of impatience, ‘not far from Acton Cemetery.’
Not all that far from Wormwood Scrubs; in fact, it was less than a mile from the disused electricity tunnel where the gang had switched vehicles. Suddenly it felt like everything was sliding into place. I did my best to keep the satisfaction off my face. ‘Go on.’
Adam sighed loudly. ‘They didn’t want me to know what they were really up to because they knew that, if I did, I’d ask for more money. I sneaked into the locksmith’s from a back entrance and heard it all. They were planning to rip off the vamps and the wolves.’
I leaned forward. ‘So you confronted them?’
‘Hell, no. I’m not stupid. They might have found someone else to take my place. It was all in the timing, see.’
Adam Jones was on a roll. He was ridiculously proud of the plan he’d come up with and, rather than stay quiet, he wanted us to know how smart he’d been.
‘I altered their schedule slightly so I could get in on the action,’ he continued. ‘They wanted me to start climbing the Eye at one o’clock but I did it at noon instead.’ He gave a satisfied smile. ‘I knew that would give me enough time to get to the Talismanic Bank afterwards. I had a bike nearby, all ready to go. If I managed to get there at the same time as they were robbing the bank, they’d have to cut me in to keep me quiet. It would have worked,’ he added, ‘if you hadn’t nabbed me.’
Not as well as he thought it would. His appearance during the robbery led to the gang shooting him dead so that there were no loose ends to worry about. Adam had rolled the dice and lost. Three times.
‘Let’s backtrack,’ I said briskly. ‘Where and when did the gang approach you the first time around?’
Adam’s self-congratulatory expression transformed into a scowl. Perhaps he was upset that I wasn’t admiring his tactical genius. ‘Last week,’ he began. ‘I was…’
He was interrupted by the sound of the Supe Squad front door thudding open and several loud shouts echoing down the corridor. I frowned. ‘Hold that thought,’ I muttered to him. Then I went to see what the noise was about.
DSI Barnes, wearing an immaculate grey suit and a severe expression that matched it perfectly, was standing outside the interview room. She wasn’t alone; there were several uniformed officers with her and, I noted unhappily, the familiar hard features of DI Collier. This time there was no sign of my friend, Molly. That was probably a good thing because I doubted the next few minutes would be pretty.
‘Detective Constable Bellamy,’ Barnes said coolly. ‘I’ve been trying to reach you for some time.’
‘I’ve been busy.’ I folded my arms defensively across my chest. ‘I was planning to call you as soon as I’d finished interviewing my suspect.’ I was lying, of course, but DSI Barnes didn’t need to know that.
She tapped her foot. ‘I’m sure you were. Unfortunately, the events today have proved serious enough for responsibility for the investigation to be referred to CID. We don’t believe it’s a coincidence that there was an incident at the London Eye shortly before we had to deal with a stand-off at Tower Bridge.’ She looked at me sternly. ‘Your presence at the bridge was requested but you were out of contact.’
‘From what I understand,’ I said carefully, ‘the hijacking at Tower Bridge was not a supe matter, despite appearances to the contrary.’
Her brows snapped together. ‘How do you know that? We only discovered it for ourselves in the last fifteen minutes.’
Ah… I had no answer to that, no answer that she would believe. I shuffled awkwardly, painfully aware of Collier’s suspicious glower. As far as he was concerned we’d not yet met, but he already seemed to mistrust me.
‘Detective Superintendent Barnes!’ Lukas called, appearing from the office in the nick of time. Fred and Liza shuffled in behind him. ‘How lovely to see you again.’
DSI Barnes gazed at him then flicked her eyes at me. ‘What is Lord Horvath doing here?’
‘He was helping out with the suspect from the London Eye incident,’ I said, suddenly on surer ground.
‘And is that suspect a vampire?’
‘No,’ I replied. ‘The suspect is called Adam Jones and…’
‘If Mr Jones is not a vampire, DC Bellamy,’ Collier interrupted, ‘then he’s not Supe Squad’s concern.’
I dropped my arms. ‘Okay. I understand why you would think that, but actually Adam Jones is part of an another ongoing Supe Squad investigation.’
‘What investigation is that?’
This time I had no reason to lie. ‘A suspected bank robbery that’s being planned for the Talismanic Bank.’
Even Collier looked shocked at that. ‘A bank robbery? That’s even more reason for this Jones fellow to be transferred into our custody. Supe Squad hasn’t got the resources to deal with a crime of such magnitude.’
As DSI Barnes looked at me something flickered in her face. ‘The Talismanic Bank is a supernatural institution,’ she said mildly. ‘Any crime relating to it is a matter for Supernatural Squad. It’s part of DC Bellamy’s remit.’
I breathed out. I might have pissed her off by ignoring her calls but she was still on my side – at least in public.
‘Yes.’ I forced a smile. ‘I appreciate your offer of help, DI Collier, but we have this covered. Mr Jones and I have come to a mutually beneficial agreement already. He’s talking.
That’s all you need to know at this point.’
Collier didn’t look at me. His attention was wholly on Barnes. ‘Is that man over there actually Lord Horvath?’ he enquired.
‘I am,’ Lukas said.
‘He is,’ I replied.
Collier ignored us both. Slowly Barnes nodded, which seemed to satisfy the grizzly bastard.
‘Surely then, DSI Barnes,’ Collier said, ‘you realise that your detective is jeopardising any future legal proceedings against the suspect by having a vampire Lord in the building at the same time as an official interview.’
‘He’s not a vampire Lord,’ I snapped. ‘He’s the vampire Lord.’
‘Just so,’ Collier replied. He raised an eyebrow. ‘I suggest that we take custody of Mr Jones to avoid any conflict of interest. We’ll pass over any details he reveals about this supposed bank robbery, but he is human and he committed a human crime. He shouldn’t be here. He certainly shouldn’t be here at the same time as Lord Horvath!’
Barnes outranked Collier so she could refuse his request. Unfortunately, she believed that he was right. I could see it written all over her face. Even I knew that Supe Squad was on shaky legal ground.
‘Very well,’ she muttered. I opened my mouth to object. ‘But DC Bellamy will accompany you and will be included in any further questioning.’
‘That’s not necessary,’ Collier said.
Barnes glowered at him. ‘It is necessary because I say that it’s necessary.’ She turned to me. ‘If there is an assault planned on the Talismanic Bank, you’ll require back up. You can’t possibly deal with it on your own.’
‘I can assure you,’ Lukas said, his voice cold, ‘that DC Bellamy has the vampires’ full backing.’
‘That doesn’t matter. This isn’t your call,’ Collier growled.
I gritted my teeth. I could stand here and argue until I was blue in the face but I doubted it would make any difference. And just because I disliked Collier and he was a prejudicial bastard didn’t mean that he wasn’t good at his job. Perhaps he could offer me some insights into tracking down the gang.
‘I look forward to learning from DI Collier,’ I said. I pushed open the interview room door. ‘Mr Jones is here.’
Collier nodded at two of the uniformed police officers. They walked into the interview room and prepared to handcuff Adam.
‘Hey!’ he protested. ‘What’s going on?’ He looked at me. ‘What about our deal?’
The officers ignored him, cuffed his hands and hauled him to his feet before leading him out. ‘This is bullshit,’ he muttered.
‘Don’t worry, Mr Jones,’ DSI Barnes said. ‘You are simply being transferred to CID for further questioning. We’ll arrange for your legal representation to meet us there, if you like.’
Adam was propelled down the hallway and out of the front door. Suddenly he turned his head and looked at me. ‘Wait,’ he said slowly. ‘How did you know where to wait for me? When I climbed over that barrier to get away from the London Eye, you were in the exactly the right spot to catch me. You’d never have caught me otherwise. Back in the car, when you said that shit about the magic potion stuff, was that true?’
I didn’t get the chance to come up with an answer. There was a loud pop and a cloud of dust appeared from the side of the doorframe. Then there was another pop and a perfect ‘oh’ of surprise lit Adam’s face. A split second later he collapsed, blood blossoming from the wound in his skull.
I stared at him, momentarily frozen into inaction. Oh shit. It was starting all over again.
Chapter Eighteen
The two police officers who had been holding Adam sprang into the Supe Squad hallway, slamming the door shut and leaving his body sprawled on the pavement beyond.
‘Shots fired!’ Collier barked into his radio. ‘Shots fired at Supernatural Squad. One victim so far. Armed response immediately requested at this address.’ He grabbed hold of my arm and yanked me back from the door. I shook him off and strode towards it, my heart hammering in my chest.
‘Back! Get back!’ Barnes shouted.
I ignored the yelled commands and placed my hand on the doorknob. I knew without looking that Lukas was directly behind me.
‘I think we can assume,’ he said darkly, ‘that whoever killed Adam Jones a few seconds ago is the same bastard who killed me. He’s also probably the same guy who warned off the gang from the bank.’
‘Actually,’ I replied, ‘I don’t think it’s a guy at all.’
‘Detective Constable Bellamy!’ Barnes roared. ‘Get away from there!’
‘Don’t worry,’ I called. I opened the door an inch.
‘Emma!’ she yelled again. ‘Fucking get back here!’
I turned and met her eyes. ‘It’s fine,’ I said calmly.
‘Whether you are resurrected or not, you need to stay back! The last thing we need is for you to hang around on a morgue slab for twelve hours!’
Collier stared at her. ‘What are you talking about? Resurrection?’
I waved a hand. ‘The shooter’s already got their target,’ I said flatly. ‘Adam Jones is dead. He won’t be talking to anyone any more.’
‘You don’t know that’s who they were after!’ Barnes protested.
I felt a leaden weight settle across my shoulders. ‘Yeah, I do,’ I whispered. Then I raised my voice. ‘If I’m going to catch whoever fired those shots, I have to go now. Trust me on this.’ I glanced at Lukas. ‘Stay here. Please.’
‘I can’t do that, Emma. You said it yourself – they wanted Adam and they got him. They’re already hotfooting it out of here.’
I gave him a grim look. ‘Fine,’ I muttered. ‘But if you die again, I’ll bloody kill you.’
He dipped his head suddenly, surprising me as his lips brushed against mine. ‘Noted,’ he said. He pointed at the door. ‘Let’s go.’
I wrenched open the door. I knew that Collier’s radioed request would bring half of the Metropolitan Police Force here at top speed – but I also knew that they might not be quick enough to catch the sniper. I had to act fast and smart.
The shot had cleared the street of people. Apart from a single pigeon flapping overheard in search of some tasty snacks, there wasn’t a flutter of movement. I stepped past Adam’s body, avoiding the blood splatter. Collier and Barnes were still jabbering at me from inside the building but I paid no attention. I could already hear the wail of sirens several streets away.
Lukas knelt down next to Adam. ‘As far as I can tell from the wound, the shot came from a high angle.’
That made sense; a passer-by opening fire from the pavement would be too risky. I looked up at the buildings across the road. The terraced row of shops, residential properties and small hotels stretched for more than a hundred metres. I couldn’t see anything beyond stacked chimneys and sloping roofs but I was certain the shooter was somewhere up there.
‘The rooftops.’ I swung my head. But to the left? Or the right?
The glass door to the hotel next to Supe Squad opened and a head popped out. Max was pale and shaking. My heart lurched. ‘Are you alright?’ I asked. ‘Were you hit?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m fine.’ He pointed up to the right. ‘But before that poor guy fell, I saw something over there. Somebody was on that roof, I’m sure of it. They were right above the chemist’s.’
Lukas and I were running before he’d even finished his sentence.
Blue lights were already flashing at either end of the street. Lukas sprinted for the first building, scrambling up its smooth brick façade like some kind of spider. I didn’t stop to watch his progress but pelted along the pavement, heading for the scaffolding that had been erected outside the flats twenty metres away. Without pausing, I leapt and swung my body up, forgetting about the wound that was only just starting to heal. My shoulder screamed in agony. I lost my grip and dropped back to the pavement. When I tried again, it was only through sheer willpower that I clung on and managed to climb. Move, Emma, I ordered myself. Bloody
move.
Up to the first storey, then the second storey and the third. Five seconds later, I was on the roof. Lukas whipped past me, roof tiles scattering in his wake. I scanned around and saw a flash of something – or rather someone – disappearing from the ledge at the far end. Damn it. The sniper was already heading down to the ground again.
I cursed and sped back down the scaffolding. At least going down was less painful than going up. My feet landed squarely on the ground and exhaled my breath in a loud whoosh. Then I started sprinting again.
‘This way!’ I yelled at the first of the armed police who were already getting out of their cars. I pointed to where I thought the sniper had vanished. I didn’t wait to see whether they responded to my shout, I simply thundered past them.
The scenery around me blurred as I ran faster than ever but my efforts were in vain. When I finally rounded the corner, there was no sign of anyone except Lukas, who had already abandoned his own pointless sprint across the rooftops.
I cursed aloud and joined him. ‘This is bullshit.’ My words were barely audible even to my own ears. I raised my voice. ‘This is bullshit!’ The shout bounced uselessly off the walls and buildings around us.
From down the road, someone stuck their head out of a window and yelled back, ‘Shut up!’
I opened my mouth to shout again, then I remembered who I was and what I was supposed to be doing. I subsided, my body sagging in response to my own ineffectiveness.
Lukas turned to me, his black eyes roving across my face and body. ‘You need to get some rest, D’Artagnan.’
‘Adam Jones was just shot dead on the steps of the Supe Squad headquarters. I can’t rest.’
He reached under my chin and gently tilted it up. ‘This is third time you’ve experienced this day. You’re tired and wrung out, not to mention bleeding from that damned bullet wound again.’
I met his eyes. ‘Until this day is over – and I mean properly over – I can’t rest.’ I set my jaw.