Deadly Trust

by J J Cooper

  ‘Yep, that’s what I was thinking,’ Jay said. ‘You got a hypothesis then?’

  Bill sat back on the lounge. ‘If it was just the first incident, I’d say military link somehow. Maybe you pissed those two boys off at one stage. Maybe interrogated them in a training session. But we’ve got nothing on the bus incident yet. And you said the guy didn’t look military.’

  ‘I doubt it. Didn’t carry himself right for military.’

  ‘Then I can’t contribute until we have some more background details.’

  Jay looked across to his father. ‘Your turn.’

  ‘Concur with Bill. We also need to bring the female MP on board. She put this together and if there is a military angle, we could use someone on the inside. I know you still have contacts, but it couldn’t hurt.’

  ‘Don’t have to sell me there. Good idea,’ Jay said.

  ‘And I’ll have a team work Underwood and get a direct report on the bus crash from the Commissioner. He’ll expect that I’d be interested because you were involved.’

  ‘I guess you’re a little pissed that I gave Underwood a touch-up.’

  ‘Would have been ideal if you hadn’t. I probably would have done the same thing though. We’ll work through it. So, to throw a spanner in the works, I’m out of the country for a couple of days.’

  ‘Where to?’ Jay asked.

  ‘London. Big spy convention that I can’t avoid.’

  ‘What? Like an expo or something?’ Bill asked.

  ‘No. I mean real spy stuff. A summit with allied leaders of intelligence agencies. The anthrax attack just bumped me up to keynote speaker.’

  ‘Short speech then?’ Bill asked.

  ‘At the moment. Unlike 2001 when there were only a dozen scientists who could make that stuff, today we have a list of over one hundred we’re working through. That means logistically I’ll be in touch via the Blackberry for the next few days. I assume you’re out of here yourself tonight, son.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Bill will handle this end. You need to be in Brisbane to talk with the MP. And besides, I’d prefer you keep a lower profile at my place.’

  ‘Lower profile? Last time I was there I was almost kidnapped.’

  ‘You could use my place,’ Bill said.

  ‘It’s next door to Dad’s.’

  ‘Yeah, but I’ve got two German Shepherd guard dogs.’

  ‘Fair enough. I’ll head back to–’

  The crack-thump of a gunshot pierced the night.

  ELEVEN

  Jay rolled out of his chair and hit the floor faster than his father and Bill. The thundering of his heart seemed louder than the actual gunshot outside his apartment. He waited.

  Ed Ryan took control. ‘Bill, your driver armed?’

  ‘He’s got a concealed licence. Glock.’

  ‘Loaded?’

  ‘It stays in the middle console of the car unless we’re on foot. Should be.’

  ‘Okay. My two are obviously carrying. And they knew your driver was out there. They weren’t firing at each other. My two are solid. We wait it out until they call. How good is the security system on the apartment, Jay?’

  Jay couldn’t answer. His mind was replaying the moment he was shot in the foot and hand by a Mossad agent.

  ‘Jay?’

  He took a deep breath. ‘What? Yeah, it’s good.’

  ‘You okay?’ Ed asked.

  ‘Yep ... yeah ... just too much going on today.’ He turned his head to face his father. Ed gave him a nod, like he knew what Jay was thinking.

  ‘The camera out the front looked like it could traverse. Can you do it from here?’

  Jay blinked hard, willing his mind into action. ‘No. Can only be done from the manager’s apartment. It’s like a toy to him. Anytime someone visits he’s flicking it around to check who it is.’ Jay looked at the display next to his door. ‘Which means he’s probably flicking it around right now.’

  ‘What button do I press to check?’

  Jay propped up on an elbow. ‘I’ll do it.’

  ‘Sure?’

  Jay nodded and dragged himself onto his injured knees. He moved cautiously across the polished floorboards. He could hear muffled shouting out the front as his mind played out a dozen scenarios of what had happened. He hauled himself to a seated position under the screen, reached and pressed the right button. The screen came to life and, as expected, the camera panned back and forth viewing the front of the apartments. Ed and Bill had snaked their way over to view the screen.

  ‘Who the hell are those two on the front of my car?’ Bill asked.

  Jay squinted, but he knew instinctively who were being searched. Two large men were going through the pockets of Detectives Peterson and Green.

  ‘I hope they’re your guys doing the searching, Dad?’

  ‘They are.’ Ed Ryan stood and peered closer at the monitor. ‘Who are the other two?’

  Bill and Jay stood beside Ed and looked intently at the screen.

  ‘The two detectives that were questioning me this morning.’

  ‘Shit!’ Ed Ryan pulled out his mobile and hit a few buttons. On the screen, Jay could see one of the searchers step back and take the call. Ed listened with an intent look. He checked the screen again, turned and walked towards the balcony. Jay and Bill followed as Ed pulled open the sliding door, leaned over the edge, looking down onto the commotion.

  All Jay could hear of the conversation was the end when his father said to send them up, which he assumed meant the detectives.

  Jay returned to the video screen. By the look of the jerking motion of the camera, the apartment manager was probably having some heart problems. Jay pressed the lock release to let the detectives straight through.

  ‘I’ll take care of the manager if he comes out the front,’ Ed said as he opened the door to head down.

  ‘And I’ll make sure my bloody driver is still alive out there,’ Bill said, hot on Ed’s heels.

  Jay left the door open and hobbled to the fridge. He opened a can of scotch and dry and downed half with one swig. He took out three more cans and sat back down. He propped his leg on the coffee table as the detectives entered.

  ‘Mr. Ryan?’ Detective Peterson said.

  ‘He’s out front.’

  ‘We meant you.’

  ‘You should have called first. Who shot at who?’

  The detectives came around and stood at Jay’s feet. Green looked ghostly white. Peterson said, ‘Accidental discharge. The man in the car looked suspicious and as we approached...’

  ‘Unauthorised discharge, you mean,’ Jay said.

  Peterson looked at Green and then back to Jay. ‘Can we use your phone?’

  ‘Let me guess. This place will be crawling with cops shortly.’

  ‘Umm, yeah,’ Peterson said. ‘I’d say the switchboard is being lit up by your neighbours at the moment.’

  ‘No doubt. Reckon I’ll actually get any sleep tonight? Been a big day.’

  Peterson shook his head. ‘Should have told us you had a couple of secret agents out there.’

  Jay gave a wry smile. ‘Kinda defeats the purpose. You’re not supposed to know they’re out there. They’re secret agents. Besides, how should I know you were coming to visit?’

  Green had some colour back and piped up. ‘Can we get into this later? We have to call it in.’

  ‘Don’t you have mobile phones?’

  ‘Of course. But we have to keep those lines clear for the Commissioner.’

  Jay raised his eyebrows. ‘Go ahead. The phone’s on the bench.’ He pointed towards the kitchen counter. ‘You can take it into the bedroom. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to get noisy in here real soon.’

  The moment Peterson and Green closed the bedroom door, Bill exploded up the stairs.

  ‘Where’d they go?’

  ‘In my room. What happened?’

  Bill came around and stood in front of Jay. He pointed towards the room. Veins at his temp
les throbbed. ‘Those incompetent twits put a hole in my windscreen and my leather seat, missing my driver by inches. He refuses to get out of the car.’

  Jay held up his hand. ‘Simmer down. An accident, I’m sure. You’re not going to solve anything barging in there and putting them offside.’

  ‘Want a bet?’ Bill turned towards the room.

  Jay put his arm out to block the path. ‘Not yet. Think about it. We can play it for what it’s worth. Did your guy reach for his gun?’

  Bill stopped. ‘No. He was filling his face with pizza.’

  ‘Then we help those two out by saying he was reaching forward to change radio stations. He didn’t even see them approach. That way we help them out. I bet anything they’re in there now, getting their stories straight. They’ll both say he was reaching down for something after they had clearly identified themselves. The gun will be found in the console and they’ll be vindicated. They’ll owe us some favours if we go along with the story. No harm done. Advantage us.’

  Bill sat opposite Jay and grabbed a can of scotch and dry. He took a swig and said, ‘Reckon they’ll pay for the windscreen and upholstering?’ He had a wry smile.

  ‘Doubt it.’ Jay heard the familiar shrill of an unoiled hinge as his bedroom door opened. He turned his head towards the room as Peterson came out. He looked pumped and walked with purpose towards Jay.

  Peterson stopped beside Jay’s chair. Close and intimidating. Hands on hips he said, ‘Who the hell is in the car? And why the fuck was he reaching for something after we clearly identified ourselves?’

  Bill spat a mouthful of scotch and dry onto the coffee table. Jay fought back laughter. He had to play it cool.

  ‘What are you laughing at?’ Peterson scowled at Bill.

  Bill couldn’t answer; he buried his head in his lap.

  Jay composed himself. Glad that Peterson hadn’t noticed him fighting down the laughter. ‘He doesn’t normally drink scotch. His nerves are shot. This is Bill Hunter. He works with my father. His driver is the victim of your accidental shooting.’

  Peterson was about to continue his rant before Jay held his hand up. ‘The driver has a concealed firearms licence and there is a weapon in the console. We submit that he did not hear your warnings due to the radio blaring and that you probably saw him reaching to turn down the volume. Obviously, this means that you and Detective Green could have made the assumption that he was reaching for a weapon. Considering the events of the day, I think that’s reasonable.’

  Peterson relaxed his shoulders and looked towards the bedroom door. Green hadn’t emerged. He lowered his voice. ‘She’s shaken up bad. Will the driver go with it?’

  Bill had recovered. ‘He will.’ He got up, took his can of scotch and dry and headed out the door.

  As soon as Bill was out of earshot, Peterson leaned closer to Jay and said, ‘What do you want?’

  TWELVE

  The chaos in Jay’s apartment didn’t clear until a couple of hours before sunrise. Jay had spent most of the night on his recliner, answering questions and drifting in and out of sleep. Ed Ryan had convinced the Police Commissioner that the day’s events had been an unfortunate coincidence. Bill convinced the apartment manager to let him and his driver stay in one of the holiday units while he set up camp to handle his local investigations.

  Green hadn’t coped well with almost having shot someone by accident. Jay doubted she would last much longer in the service. Peterson had agreed to keep Jay and Bill in the loop during his investigation of the bus crash and the attempted hold-up.

  After dropping Ed at the Gold Coast airport, one of the secret agents drove Jay to his father’s house in Brisbane in the Chevy while the other agent followed in the agency vehicle. They would maintain discreet surveillance from Bill’s house next door.

  The first thing Jay did when he arrived was ring the hospital for an update on Brooke. All through the night, she hadn’t left his thoughts. It took a lot of persuading to get information on her condition. Finally, all they would tell Jay was that she was serious but stable. He then rang Bill and asked for his security contacts at the hospital to seek a more detailed update.

  By mid-morning, Jay had contacted the military police Captain and she agreed to meet him at his father’s house. Although he could walk, he wanted to keep off his legs to allow the swelling in his knee to subside.

  On hearing a car door close, Jay put the icepack aside, got up and peered through the blinds. The military police Captain had almost made it to the front stairs.

  The icepack had numbed his knee and Jay wobbled over to the front door. He was immediately taken aback at the stunning beauty that topped the stairs. Wisps of blonde splayed out from under the red beret. Striking hazel eyes offset her tanned complexion and matched a mouth that couldn’t help but smile. Jay was sure the khaki uniform hid an hourglass body.

  ‘Mr. Ryan.’

  Jay couldn’t help but stare until she raised her eyebrows. ‘Umm ... sorry. I was thinking about the last time an MP was here. A couple actually. They tried to kidnap me.’

  ‘I heard.’ She held out her hand. ‘I’m Toni Griffin.’

  Jay took her hand and gave it a gentle shake. ‘Jay Ryan. Nice to meet you, Toni. Come on in.’

  Toni turned Jay’s hand over. She noticed the cuts, and looked down at his leg. She held on to his hand while she continued to look him over. ‘What happened?’

  Jay withdrew his hand and stepped inside. ‘I’ll tell you all about it later. Take a seat. Coffee?’

  ‘Thanks. Black with none.’

  Shit, Jay thought. Now he had to have it the same. Although he didn’t have sugar, he liked his coffee with plenty of milk. It allowed him to drink it faster and top up with more if needed. His dilemma now was he didn’t want to come off as weak for having milk. He knew it was a stupid notion. Just something he couldn’t get by. He justified it by telling himself it was good for rapport if he shared the same tastes with the person about to give him information. Same tastes in coffee, at least.

  He hobbled up the couple of steps to the open kitchen area. Made it to the sink and peered across to Toni. She had removed her beret and was perusing his father’s collection of Jay’s commendations and medals mounted along the living-room walls. Despite Jay’s protests, Ed Ryan refused to take them down.

  ‘Wow. You certainly have a good collection here.’

  ‘My dad does. This is his place. I’m just visiting.’

  She turned to face Jay. ‘Figured that. You don’t seem like someone who needs to display his achievements.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘For one, you’re a hard man to track down. I called in a lot of favours just to get your father’s details.’

  Jay nodded. ‘Fair call. And?’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Well. You said “for one”. Means you have something else to back up that statement.’

  She smiled. ‘My cousin spent many a night talking about you. Said you were the best he had ever worked with. They all looked up to you.’

  ‘Cousin?’

  ‘Mark Simpson.’

  They were both seated with steaming cups of coffee in their hands before Jay replied. ‘Sorry, I failed to make the connection. My father said you knew him, just not how. I’m sorry for your loss.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I have to add though, your cousin was a great interrogator and known to stretch the truth a bit. That was our job. I think he may have stretched it too far if he mentioned that stuff about me.’

  She took a sip of the dark coffee and sat back in the lounge. ‘Not just him. Your exploits of last year have certainly made legend status.’

  Jay went to say something but Toni cut him off.

  ‘But I won’t embarrass you anymore.’

  He took a sip of coffee, forgetting he didn’t have any milk in it. Too busy looking deep into her eyes. He burnt the roof of his mouth. ‘Shit!’

  ‘Should have had milk.’

&nb
sp; She was good.

  ‘How is Major Sergeant anyway?’ he asked.

  ‘Out. Seems he had no chance making it much further up the ranks after you escaped his custody. Went into the private security industry.’

  ‘Don’t they all?’ Jay retrieved the icepack and placed it back on his knee. ‘So tell me, I know you weren’t looking for me to attend Mark’s funeral; what exactly is it I can do for you?’

  She frowned. ‘How do you know we’ve already had the funeral?’

  ‘He always said he wanted it over and done with real quick with no fanfare. Cremated, right?’

  ‘Yes, two days ago. And you’re right: I need to ask you about something else.’

  Toni took another sip of coffee and continued. ‘Right after Mark’s accident, my uncle asked me to track down his old mates. You guys from his interrogator days. He said it was the pinnacle of his career when you went to Afghanistan together. Made my whole family proud.’

  ‘Why you?’

  ‘I’m the only other family member in the military, and being a military police officer, my uncle figured I’d be able to do it at short notice.’

  ‘Makes sense. And that’s when you found out about McClelland and Davis.’

  ‘Right. I knew about Bowen and I had no hope of finding you in time because you’d already left the military, but McClelland and Davis were still there, so it wasn’t too hard. And then, of course, I find out they died around the same time as Mark. I don’t believe in coincidences.’

  Jay smiled. ‘Neither do I.’

  ‘I didn’t tell my uncle of my suspicions for obvious reasons.’

  Jay nodded.

  ‘But I offered to clean out some of Mark’s army stuff.’

  ‘And you found something of interest.’

  Toni leaned forward, put her cup down and looked Jay in the eyes. ‘Mark knew someone was coming after him. Coming after all of you.’

  THIRTEEN

  Jay’s icepack had melted so he replaced it with another and hobbled back to the lounge.

  ‘Tell me, what led you to the conclusion that someone was coming after us?’