by Mike Holden
“Is your driving really as good as you say it is, Kim?”
She gave him one of her stares. “Of course”
“Then I’m going to ask you to do some dangerous manoeuvres very soon. I think it’s our only way to lose these thugs”
He explained to her what he wanted her to do. She flinched.
“You’ve got to be joking!” was her response “I’ll end up killing us both”
“If you don’t they’ll end up killing us both because we can’t out manoeuvre them. Kim, its our only real chance, especially when I see that your fuel gauge is showing nearly empty.”
She really thought the manoeuvre was far too dangerous and would probably kill both of them. However, she could not be negative with Ned and after some thought she realised that there was probably no alternative. She glanced at him showing an air of resignation to the situation. The turn off to the airport was very near and she moved into the middle, speeding up until she found what she was looking for. The Merc performed similarly. She made no attempt to move into the nearside lane but concentrated on the speed at which she was overtaking the lorry. As she was almost past him, she accelerated and swung the steering wheel hard left cutting straight across the front of the lorry, and onto the airport slip road, causing the driver to hit his breaks violently. The immediate result was near enough to carnage.
Whilst Kim and Ned made it by the skin of their teeth, others were not so fortunate. The lorry jack-knifed and Haslam slammed on his brakes, not because of the lorry, although its skidding played a part, but because he was unable to make the same manoeuvre that Kim had done, and consequently he had missed the junction. He was lucky in that his collision with the lorry did not cause any injury or serious damage to his car. Others unfortunately, hit the lorry and each other with quite a force causing a pile-up of several vehicles. Although he collided with the lorry, his car was still drivable and he was able to reverse onto the hard shoulder. Once there he decided that he would reverse until he reached the airport turn-off junction. As he reached there, he could hear the sirens of the police cars. He reversed quickly before they arrived and headed towards the airport. He was beginning to think that all was in vain because his quarry had long since disappeared.
Kim and Ned were completely unaware of the upheaval that they had caused as they drove towards the airport complex.
“Make for the long-term car park” He said to her quietly. He could see that she was shaking and his first reaction was to take over the driving from her. However, he decided against this as he believed that she would have to concentrate on her driving instead of what had just happened to them and also that the car park was nearby.
“Park as near as possible to the middle of the park to make ourselves as obscure as possible”
She did so. As soon as she stopped the car and turned off the engine, she turned round to him sternly and said to him
“You bastard! You could easily have got us killed back there”
“And the guy following us would probably have done the same thing if you hadn’t done it” he replied softly. He noticed that she was still shaking.
“There’s the bus coming. Let’s get to the terminal” He got out of the car, went round to the driver’s door and helped Kim get out. Ned’s feelings for Kim were somewhat unconventional. He loved her very much but in a different way to what he regarded as normal love. He believed that his kind of love for her was not reciprocated although he knew that she regarded him as a true and special friend. In the circumstances, it was probably as much as he could expect. However, one thing that meant everything to him was that he would never hurt or upset her in any way and he would feel very despondent if ever he caused such upset. He knew that he had done just that and he must make amends for it.
He retrieved their bags from the boot and gently put his arm around Kim as they walked for the bus. She did not resist on this occasion. Once seated on the bus, he said to her
“I’m really sorry for what happened but I couldn’t think of anything else. Perhaps I’ve been watching too many movies. At least we are OK for now. Do you want to pack this all in and ring the police?”
She thought about this for a moment or so before replying
“No. I’m OK now. Let’s carry on.” She gave herself some thinking time before continuing, “Did you notice all those CCTV cameras in the car park?”
“Yes” replied Ned
“Well, I’ve just thought of something. Have you got that policeman’s telephone number?” Ned reached in his wallet. He was quite meticulous at keeping this sort of information. He handed the card to Kim, who reached into her bag for her mobile phone. She dialled his number and was soon speaking
“Sergeant Kingsly?” The response was obviously positive as she continued “This is Chen Mei-Zing. The person you were harassing earlier this morning. The car park entrance to my apartment block is covered by CCTV and if you were to check the camera, I think you will find that it will corroborate our arrival time back at the apartment and confirm that the car was in the car park the rest of the night. I think that should clear us. No doubt you will wish to check and get back to me.” She ended the call
“Good thinking, Batman,” said Ned. They were now approaching the terminal building and therefore gathered their belongings ready to leave the bus.
CHAPTER 10
A battered blue Mercedes was passing the bus at about this time, but neither occupants of car or bus paid particular attention to each other. Had they done so, then matters might have changed dramatically. Haslam knew that he had lost his quarry but desperation would lead him to make a frantic search of the airport. He told one of his “colleagues” to go into the terminal and search for them. Their description, after all, would make them somewhat conspicuous. However, had he not headed for the departure lounge he might have caught sight of them as they made their way directly back through the arrivals area.
*
When Kim and Ned were planning their escape, they had considered several options of how they could cover their tracks. Their first idea was to hire a car from the airport but dismissed the idea when they realised that a driving licence would have to be produced and therefore they could be traced. They then considered stealing a car from the long-term car park but Kim, who was a frequent user of the airport, told him that there was a number plate recognition device on the exit and would allow only cars with the correct registration number on the parking ticket through the barrier. They now embarked on their third option, another illegal operation. Once in the arrivals area, they waited in an area where they could be as inconspicuous as possible until they saw what they were looking for. That was a courtesy bus from one of the airport hotels. On this occasion, it was going to the Marriott. Ned had stayed at this hotel before and knew that the car park was semi-obscured. They boarded the coach and when it dropped them at the hotel entrance they quietly walked around to the car park.
Ned, who, was normally a real law-abiding citizen, knew how to steal a car and make a quick, clean get-away. He once advised a young man how to set up his own security business. This person had been a prolific car thief and had now learnt the error of his ways. But not before he imparted his knowledge to Ned. Whilst Ned never once believed that he would ever put this knowledge to use, nevertheless, he never forgot it. They picked a suitable car, a nine-year old Vectra. He told Kim to stand back whilst he smashed a rear window. The car alarm went off but it was a good chance that nobody would even take any notice. The world nowadays was oblivious to car alarms. He soon put what he had learned into practice and within seconds they were driving out of the car park. Kim looked at him and smiled, her shock seemed to have dissipated.
She said “You know, we have become serial criminals and they’ll throw the book at us”
“Do you want call it all off?” he asked. He did not intend to continue if Kim was uncomfortable. Sh
e smiled again at him.
“Bonny and Clyde now. Besides the police will stop looking for us once they’ve seen the CCTV. Let’s head for the sunset, cowboy”
On a Magical Mystery Tour, thought Ned. He knew where the Beatles had gone all those years ago, but he really had no idea where they would end up on this one. They were now on the motorway heading west. They would have gone north but the motorway was closed owing to the accident that they had unknowingly caused. When people like Kim and Ned are put in desperate situations, they require an element of luck. Unfortunately Lady Luck was not on their side at this moment. Ned had calculated that the majority of cars in the car park would belong to people leaving them there while they travelled abroad, as the hotel offered this facility. Unfortunately this was not the case now. Barely one hour after they drove out of the car park, the owner of the car, who happened to be a duty manager at the hotel, came out to it to collect some items. On realising that it was missing, he immediately rang the police.
*
The blue Mercedes had circled around the short-term car park and found nothing. Haslam dropped off his second “colleague” at the terminal with instructions to search for them
“If they are flying somewhere, they have to be here for at least another two hours” he told him. With a grunt, he left the car. Haslam then drove to the long term park and again circled it making sure that he covered every lane. Towards the end of his search he found the white Audi.
“Eureka” he said to himself quietly and drove back to the main car park next to the terminal. Once safely parked, he reached for his mobile and made the call.
“Sergeant Kingsly, please.” A pause. “Neil Haslam here. Have you got my money back yet?”
Back in the police station, Kingsly answered “Not yet, Mr Haslam. However, we shall need to interview you again today. Come to the Station later on this morning”
“I’ll try. I’ll see what I’ve got on today. I know I’ve at least one meeting. This is not why I’ve rung. Have you any idea at all where the Chinese woman and her boyfriend are?” Another pause “I thought not. Well, I seem to be doing the police’s job for you. I can tell you that they are currently at the airport and about to flee the country. Keep me informed what’s going on. I want my money back” He switched off. He got out of his car and headed for the terminal building. The problem with this airport is that there are three terminals. He found his “colleagues” and stationed them at two of the terminals with himself at the third. He had only two thoughts in mind, retrieval of money and personal retribution.
Kingsly quickly found Hannah and took her to a small private room where they could talk confidentially. He also summoned his DC, Alan Payne.
“I’ve just had that man Haslam on the phone. Appears that he’s tracked Chen and White to the airport and they’re waiting for a flight to somewhere. Hannah, go and ring the airport, find out what flight they’re on and get them stopped before they board any flight. They shouldn’t be hard to find.” Hannah immediately left the room.
“Alan, what have you found?”
“Firstly, I’m scanning CCTV cameras for the main roads around Warner Street but I cannot find a white Audi on the ones I have seen so far. And whilst investigations are still going on, I cannot find any link between Haslam and White-stroke-Chen.”
Kingsly told him to check on the CCTV camera in the car park entrance of Chen’s apartment to confirm when the white Audi had returned after midnight and if it left at all. Payne left the office.
“What do you make of all this, Hannah?” he asked, once she had returned to the office. She replied after considering the question.
“We have to consider the facts and they don’t add up. A phone call comes through at 3am made by Haslam to report a theft of a large amount of money from his offices. He describes the thieves and their car in detail. He rings up later in the morning and asks if we have retrieved the money, not if we have found the thieves. It’s as though he has only one thing on his mind, to get this money. He rings again shortly telling us where Chen and White are, so he’s obviously been following them. Why? Because he’s so obsessed by getting his money back, he’ll do anything and he believes that Chen and White have it.”
Kingsly considered her thoughts, but she continued, “Look at this from Chen and White’s angle. They are accused of breaking and entering offices and stealing a lot of money. They both deny it and Chen makes a point of telephoning us to say that she can prove her car was in her car park at the time of the robbery. I’ll check to see if we have the results of the surveillance. But, and it’s a big but, they are as guilty as hell over something and now they’re trying to make a getaway. There are no known connections between the two parties and both White and Chen are lying through their teeth. That’s my opinion for what it’s worth.”
“Let’s get Haslam in” he replied making a telephone call
CHAPTER 11
Despite an extensive search of the departure areas, there was no sign of Kim and Ned. However, Haslam did notice some increased discreet police activity behind the check-in desks. He bought himself a coffee to allow himself some thinking time. The two were not in the public area and therefore they must have gone through the gates. They would now be out of reach to him. If he saw them again here, it would be likely that they had been arrested. His best bet now was to talk to that policeman again. He telephoned the station, talked to Kingsly and arrangements were made for him to come to the station immediately.
*
“He must be desperate for his money” said Kingsly to Hannah as he replaced his phone, “Come on, let’s get a coffee before he arrives and we’ll grill him. Make sure that the CCTV images are available”
*
An hour or so later, exactly at the same time as Kim and Ned were arriving in Blackpool, Haslam arrived at the police station. He was put in an interview room and, as usual, Kingsly decided to make him wait and sweat. He called Hannah Beaumont and Alan Payne to the office.
“What’s the latest?” he asked them both
Hannah responded “The airport police have failed to find Chen and White. They have not checked in at any desk or for any particular flight. Also they have seen nobody who has matched their description either together or separately. They may have checked in under false names but again, but that is difficult unless they came equipped with false identities and again, no one has identified them. We must assume that they are hiding at the airport or left some other way”
Kingsly butted in “Or they were never there. In which case Haslam has more awkward questions to answer”
He spoke to Alan Payne “Set up the CCTV in the interview room where Haslam is and put a PC there to make sure he doesn’t interfere with the equipment.”
“Before I do that, sir,” he said, “I’ve just had a phone call from PC Buchanan who is at Chen’s apartment block. He has seen the CCTV footage for last night. He says that her Audi was confirmed as arriving at fourteen minutes past midnight and did not leave again before the tape was changed at 5 am this morning.”
“Is it still there?” asked Kingsly
“They change the tapes at 5 am each morning so we’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning. Buchanan has checked the garage and there is no sign of the car in the garage now.”
Kingsly and Hannah went to the canteen for another coffee before starting the interview. Once they felt that they had kept Haslam waiting long enough, they went to the interview room. The uniformed policeman left.
“Thank you for coming” said Kingsly politely. “We need to go through all the points again, for the benefit of the tape. OK?”
“OK” replied Haslam
They all sat in their respective places around the table.
Kingsly spoke into the microphone, stating the time and the names of the three people present. He asked Haslam to go through the sequence of event
s again, starting when he stated that he first received the phone call from the security company. He did so, having carefully rehearsed the scenario over and over again since early this morning. It was only when he had finished that Kingsly interrupted him.
“I’d like you to watch some CCTV footage, Mr Haslam”
”Don’t you want to hear the rest?” He replied indignantly
“All in good time, but first please watch the monitor” Kingsly said somewhat casually. He switched the television on knowing that Alan had pinpointed the exact parts he was expected to see without wasting any time. The screen showed a main road which was well-lit and very little traffic. The time and date showed that it was 0200 hours on that same morning as the incident at Haslam’s company. He watched somewhat disinterestedly the traffic on that main road for the next hour, albeit speeded up a little. After an hour, the picture went off the screen to be replaced by another similar picture, again starting at 0200 with another hour’s worth of night traffic. Kingsly then turned off the screen and asked
“Did you notice anything there that you recognised?”
Haslam replied that he thought the roads were near to his offices