When he walked out of the station a few hours later, he went straight to the pub he’d arranged to meet Colin in if they were lifted. Jack was halfway through his pint when the door opened and big Billy Drew walked in and nodded. Jack winked at him and smiled. ‘How’d it go?’
‘Walk in the park – they’re not making Glasgow detectives like they used to. One of them offered me a tea! I’m telling you, Colin, Taggart must be spinning in his grave.’
14
Billy Drew always used a stolen car on a job, but for scouting he used his own wheels, which he changed every few months. He knew that even if for some reason he was stopped by a patrol, there wasn’t an awful lot they could do him for. Nevertheless, he was aware that no matter how careful he was, it just took a piece of bad luck on his part to give the pigs a break against him.
This time it was just an off-duty and very eager young probationer that clocked Billy Drew parking up an Audi well away from his home, which was what he tended to do. The probationer passed the car number to HQ and it was fired down the pipes to the MCT intelligence section.
The information reached Jack Forbes as his surveillance team were watching the front doors of the Drew brothers and Colin Jack from unoccupied flats. He set up another OP on the Audi once it was located. Drew was seen on two consecutive days getting into the car and on one of those days picking up Colin Jack at his home, and Macallan decided that there was enough to get Jack Forbes to carry out a night job – installing the electronic beacon on the Audi. It took a big team operation to make sure that the area around the car was safe, and at 3 a.m. on a moonless and very wet night, Forbes’ team got into the Audi, leaving the area with the job done just nine minutes later. The bug pulsed every few minutes to tell the team it was working then lapsed into sleep mode; it would activate if there was any movement on the car.
When Forbes got back to HQ he walked into Macallan’s office and she gave him a thumbs-up as a technician altered some of the settings on the laptop. The screen glowed with an electronic map showing the exact location of Billy Drew’s Audi. Harkins was with her and O’Connor had come out to show support.
Macallan put her hands on Forbes’ shoulder. ‘It’s alive and kicking, Jack, so good job for you and the boys. We’re going to let him run for two or three days to see where he goes and when we get him settled at night just leave him be. In any case, every job he’s ever pulled was done early evening so we don’t want to do twenty-four-hour cover at the moment. Let’s all go and get a couple of hours’ sleep.’
15
Billy Drew opened his door the next morning and frowned at another miserable, wet day. He swore he would fuck off and get a bit of sun after the next job. His head throbbed morning till night, he was sick of his lot and his guts told him that bringing his brother on board had been a major-league fuck-up.
He looked round the street and watched a couple of smackheads walk past talking shite. He had no time for these wasters, didn’t feel sorry for them and regarded them as somewhere below the bottom rung of the criminal ladder.
He zipped up his waterproof and jogged the few hundred yards towards the Audi. He was just going to have a couple of runs past the house he fancied turning over to make sure of the ground and then recce the job after dark. Once they’d got it all done he’d have a look at the casino. He still kept fit so the run to the car got his blood flowing, and he was getting a buzz as the job developed.
Five hundred yards away a surveillance officer sat in a disused office block and made a note in the log of the exact time Billy Drew left his home, what he was wearing and that he was alone. He fired the information to HQ on an encrypted system and down to the rest of the team, spread well away from the area but ready to move.
Drew opened the door of the Audi and jumped in, starting the engine and putting on the heaters almost in one movement. The car was freezing; he made a call to Colin Jack while it heated up and the windows ran off the layer of half-frozen water.
‘Listen, I’m having a bit of a run round the place today to see if there’s anything behind me. I’ll give you a shout about two and drive past your place. Usual drill, wait till I’m past and have a look at the cars behind me to see if anything smells. Call me if you see anything resembling pork.’
The conversation was picked up clearly by the listening device in the car. In the MCT office the listeners were monitoring the car and relaying the information back to the surveillance team, so they were warned that Drew would be using a third eye in the form of Colin Jack to identify any surveillance activity later in the day. There was a general sigh of relief in the office and cars that the equipment was feeding back the necessary to the operational team, and Harkins slapped his hand on the table at the news. ‘Not so fuckin’ smart after all, Billy,’ he said.
Drew pulled away slowly and started what for him was his day’s work. He prided himself on taking every precaution, but he had to be right on his toes with the murder squad still digging away, although he knew they would have a pile of suspects in Glasgow to get through while he earned. He couldn’t stop thinking about Frank and whether he’d done the right thing bringing him into the team. If he didn’t look after him, the boy would do something extra stupid and end up with a blade in his throat. Frank liked to play with the big boys, but he just wasn’t equipped.
As big Billy Drew headed into the centre of the city, he would have been a bit upset to know that behind, to the side and in front he had an escort of surveillance cars hundreds of yards distant but following as if they had an eyeball on him.
He spent the early part of the day doing his counter-surveillance moves and relaxed when he never saw the same car twice. He ran into the country and took a couple of long quiet roads then pulled into field entrances to draw anything in. The electronic device did its job and the team following could see exactly what he was doing and where he’d stopped, and they put even more distance between Billy and themselves. On script, he ran past Colin Jack at the appointed time and the team ran an alternative route.
Drew called Jack after the run. ‘See anything, Colin?’
Jack coughed into the phone, trying to draw on a cigarette and talk at the same time. ‘Fuck all, unless the bizzies are dressing up in Lycra, wearing plastic helmets and using racing bikes. What about you?’
‘Nothin’, and I’ve run outside the city so we’re fine. I’ll have a look at the place later and see what it looks like in daylight. Probably have a walk round the streets there. Speak to you later, and get a hold of Frank but tell him fuck all at the moment. Just make sure he’s available when we need him and that he’s not sticking a needle in his arm or some shite like that.’
16
Macallan was still in the office and concentrating on the movements of the team when O’Connor walked in and sat opposite her and Harkins, who as always was sipping a stale coffee. ‘How’s it going, Grace?’ he said. ‘Any problems?’
She stretched her arms above her head and noticed that for the briefest moment O’Connor’s gaze flicked downwards. Normally she would have had a problem with it, but she almost smiled and felt flattered that such a disciplined man had lost control, short as it was. What she didn’t know was that Harkins had spotted it as well.
She gave O’Connor a weary smile. ‘I don’t want to tempt fate, but it’s going like a song – the devices in the car are working perfectly. He’s definitely looking at a job so we’ve just got to stay the course. It’s going to cost a bomb running this job, but that’s the battle you’ve got to fight with the gods upstairs.’
O’Connor made his usual notes and scratched his forehead with a pen. ‘How do you see it going – and chip in with any thoughts, Mick?’
Macallan wanted to pick her words carefully as these jobs could be easily blown off course if they became protracted and expensive; there was always something else that needed done yesterday. She sounded as confident as she could be, and Harkins started to believe that she was at least as good a manipulator as O’Connor.<
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‘The big bonus is that he’s scouting, and if we can work out how he’s picking his target then we can do it. We have his car beaconed but they’ll steal fresh wheels for the job and we might not know what that is so we have to identify the target first and hopefully he’ll come to the party. The problem is that we want him for the murders as well and he’s not prone to leaving clues. If they just go for a break-in, they might do six months and then be out on the street again. However, Mick reckons that Frankie Drew is where it can go wrong for them. We’ll prepare for full searches if we can get them lifted for a job, and who knows after that. We’re also liaising with other forces on the historical jobs so maybe if we can get him doing one, we can tie others to him.’
Harkins agreed with Macallan, and O’Connor seemed satisfied, leaving to explain to the DCC why it was money well spent and likely to cost a lot more.
17
Billy Drew parked his car in Morningside Road, an area of the city that reeked of money and still felt like a small town on its own. It was that rare thing in that there was enough wealth in the place to keep a whole array of small, specialised shops in profit, and it did that even with a Tesco brandishing its muscle in its heart.
The surveillance team were warned where the car had stopped, and two female surveillance officers were dropped off to see where he was. He was gone by the time they eyeballed the Audi, so they took up seats in a very nice coffee shop where they could refresh on expenses and hopefully see him returning to the car.
He walked back into view about half an hour later, just as the two officers were enjoying their second overpriced latte. He could have been anywhere in the area but they were close to some of the most expensive bricks and mortar in the city, so Drew’s target had to be close.
He drove straight back to his home and waited for the darkness.
Macallan decided that she would go out with the team; she was sure now that Drew was getting ready and they had to find out what his MO was. ‘What do you think of the show so far?’
Harkins looked up from his expenses claim. ‘I’ll tell you when it’s done. Somewhere along the line we’ll need a bit of luck. You always do, so let’s hope the lucky fairies are with us tonight.’
18
Billy Drew heaved himself back into the Audi about the time Macallan was considering calling the operation off for the night. That was always the way of it with surveillance – sitting for hours or days with nothing happening. The trick was to be patient and have faith in the job.
The electronic beacon pulsed and betrayed Billy Drew to the surveillance team, who could afford to stay a bit closer with the cover of darkness. He headed straight to the same casino he’d gone to the previous night with the team keeping him company. They followed him in past the bouncers; it was busy enough to let them watch him with the minimum of effort.
The casino was a handsome art-deco building that laid on a nice service for the punters and stood on any trouble with maximum force. It had a good clientele, and at this time of night was filling with customers looking to break the bank. There was the usual mix of dreamers, loners, gambling addicts and the odd criminal trying to launder a bit of the profits. It was also this late in the evening that the real money started to arrive in the shape of restaurant owners who’d sweated for twelve to fourteen hours trying to keep their customers fed and happy. The majority were ethnic Chinese who just loved to spin the wheel at the end of the day. The casinos went out of their way to encourage them in through the doors, and for the Chinese it was more than the gambling – it was a meeting place for their community, and they would travel long distances after a day’s work to chew the fat with their own.
Drew played the tables and the surveillance team watched him place the odd hand but realised he wasn’t concentrating on his game. He was doing what they were doing and watching someone else. They passed the information back to the rest of the team, spread well away from the casino and any over-inquisitive bouncer with a dislike for law and order.
Macallan realised that they’d just worked out how Drew picked his targets. He could be sure that most of the Chinese were involved in the restaurant industry, especially if they were late-night arrivals. Look for the better-dressed big spenders and follow them home, then once he had them home, he could do it the other way and watch them leaving for work during the day. Eventually he could work out a pattern of behaviour, judge if they were well heeled, and when their homes would be empty, and if it was going to be a just break-in or a tie-up job. Simple, and it had worked for fifteen years.
She radioed the rest of the team. ‘I know it’s late, guys, but we have to see what he does next. I want eyes on the car park and I want someone to get a note of the numbers of all the cars there so we can check ownership and addresses.’
No one had a problem and Macallan ordered a car to run up to Morningside where Drew had been seen leaving his car during the day. Mark the spot and see if he went back there again.
Some of the team were starting to struggle to stay awake when the call came in from the footmen inside the casino – Billy Drew was leaving. Macallan called to the eyes on the car park to see if anyone else was there. They confirmed that a middle-aged Chinese male had left just ahead of Drew.
They had it, and the Audi trailed the owner of a chain of successful family restaurants back to his home, which must have pleased Drew because this area was wall-to-wall money and perfect for what he had in mind. Large detached stone piles of real estate with field-sized gardens to the rear. The area could have been outside the city it was so quiet, and no one bothered anyone in this piece of the town.
Macallan radioed Harkins, who was in the squad room, to make sure he’d heard it all.
‘Got it,’ he replied. ‘What’s the plan now?’
‘Billy’s on his way home now so not expecting anything tonight, but we’ll leave some of the guys in the area in case Sod’s Law comes to visit. We’ll get everything in place – he must be thinking of doing the job some time over the next couple of nights. Get off home for some sleep and I’ll see you first thing to start planning the op. We’ll have it well covered.’
19
Harkins pulled on his coat and left HQ realising that he wasn’t pulling the strings any more – and that he was contributing little to the operation. In the good old days they would have just pulled the bad guys in and started twisting a few handfuls of nuts. He knew he represented old ways but reassured himself that the informant was his and had given confirmation on the Drew boys at least.
He opened the door that led out to the street, felt the cold air swarm over him and cupped his hands around the cigarette as he fired it up and sucked in a lungful. The cold crept into the spaces at his neck, clawed its way under his collar as his nose chilled and tears boiled over his eyelids. The days when the cold air would invigorate him were gone, and he stepped into a monochrome world where the wind scorched the skin on his cheeks, cursing as he felt a damp worm creep in through a coin-sized hole in his shoe.
He walked as fast as he could to get to the protection of his flat and wished that the pubs were still open. There were times when he worried he might be an alcoholic – but what would life be like without its numbing friendship, and what was there that he could replace it with?’ All he was doing was existing in the bubble of each separate day, where there were no anniversaries or flowers taken home to remind someone that they were loved. He couldn’t look forward and was afraid when he looked back and realised what could have been.
He saw the apartment light beckon him. This was the only place now where he could hide from a world that was changing in front of his eyes. The MCT was to be his last big play, but it was just turning into an overdose of reality.
He looked up to his windows on the fourth floor and a dull ache spread from the base of his neck, beating through his shoulders. He stepped onto the road, reaching for his keys and wondering why they were never in the first pocket you tried, before he snapped up straight as a car blas
ted the horn and hissed past him so close it touched the cloth of his flapping raincoat. He swung his head to the right and watched the red tail lights disappear. The car hadn’t been speeding and he hadn’t heard a sound until it had brushed past his life. He ran to his front door and leaned against it till his breathing had calmed.
His eyes snapped open. The TV was on but the sound was on mute and he looked at the small table next to his chair, where the remains of his whisky coloured his glass. He glanced at the clock to find it was 4.30 a.m., rubbed his face and walked through to his bedroom.
20
Macallan couldn’t sleep and was in the office before the morning cleaners. She was still high from the night before. There was nothing like it – that buzz when a job came together and there was the scent of an arrest. It was the hunt, and there was always that possibility that the target could escape, but she’d make sure she left no way out if Billy Drew gave them the chance.
She started planning the operation to bring down Drew and his team. Something could always go wrong of course, but there were days when the gods smiled down on you and it just happened. It felt like one of those days.
The high had spread through the team and they started to pile in early, even though they’d only have managed two or three hours’ sleep. Their biggest fear was missing the show.
The Audi hadn’t moved, and Macallan breathed a sigh of relief. She’d feared Drew would take off during the night with only a skeleton surveillance team to try and keep up with him.
O’Connor sat in on the briefing as Macallan outlined her plan to the team. ‘We believe that Billy and co are ready for a job, and we think we have the likely target. It’s unlikely that it’ll happen during the day, but we’ll have him covered, and if it follows the pattern, they’ll have to pick up a set of stolen wheels – that’ll be down to Frank Drew or Colin Jack.’
Cause of Death Page 10