Bearings: The Compass Trilogy Part One
Page 18
I replaced the receiver and took the coffee from Charlie…
“Have the Duty Officer recall Norman and Sarah, I’ll Email all of this to their desktops…I’ll let Chris know then we can be on our way…”
We left at 1500 headed across Westminster Bridge, passed Kennington Oval then onto the A23… Brixton and Streatham High Road were quiet so we made good time through Croydon and onto Purley Way. We then headed down the A22 Godstone Road; crossed the M25 at junction six then turned left to travel east along the A25 direct into Brasted… It took fifty minutes. I was amazed, on a weekday, two to three hours would have been more realistic.
Steve had been correct, it was a surveillance dream. The three properties in close proximity to the target were surrounded by trees and woodland. The golf course was situated 100 metres to the west. I was very confident that audio visual detection devices could be set up relatively quietly however if our concerns were proven we would have to evacuate the houses… the Selsdon Park Hotel was top of our list for this and rooms were available… Suites, Spa and golf access, of course…
“It looks good for a recce Steve… How are we doing with the residents?”
“We’ve spoken to them… They know we have to move them and they’ve been quite pragmatic about it… No problems there… One husband and wife are in Nigeria, he’s working for BP, the other two and their wives are keen golfers so a trip to Selsdon has been received enthusiastically… Professionally not many questions will be asked, both wives stay at home and their husbands are senior executives who don’t always travel to the city during the week… It’s very tidy.
“Christ, we dodged one there… I’m waiting for a call back from Robin; he’s briefing the Home Sec now.”
“Ok then we’ll have another recce now… You and Charlie can see where we are…”
We headed back toward the main road then turned left:three blokes out for a Sunday teatime pint, that’s how we wanted it to look. We would need to think of something a little more elaborate when members of the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment arrived from Colchester but we’d cross that bridge when we came upon it. We drove a little along the High Street and then parked near the golf course club house… As we approached the eighteenth green my cellphone chirped… It was Robin…
“Chief… There are two 2nd Battalion Para Fire teams heading your way from Colchester, their ETA is 1930. With a bit of luck the village will be a little quieter by then enabling them to move around with more freedom…I have also instructed 621 Regiment of Explosive Ordnance Disposal to be on standby, based at RAF Northolt: they will respond quite rapidly. We have also raised the threat board to Amber with appropriate steps taking place…”
“Understood sir, I’ll ring if there is an escalation…” “Have you thought of taking them out of the equation…?
“Yes sir…It’s been discussed however we don’t really want to initiate preemptive neutralization. We are really interested in two horseboxes which have been placed away from the dwelling against a west facing perimeter wall…”
“Yes… I see the significance… I’ve cancelled my Sunday evening, so I’ll be here.”
Robin ended the call and I placed the cellphone on vibrate only; we were approaching the hedgerow which separated the course from the residences…
“Chief, from here it’s a two minute walk along the lane, which you can see from this location is very dimly lit…”
“Ok, let’s walk by and regroup Steve…”
Steve had been right, the lane was very dimly lit and as it was unadopted the local council had no responsibility to supply street lighting or maintain the road surface. On passing the stable residence most of the property was in darkness having only one interior light showing, human nature being what it is we assumed it was the kitchen… The two 2.5 metre high stable gates were illuminated by lamps at each end… SO13 had previously discovered three external lights in the courtyard which appeared to be of the infra-red security type. These would have to be neutralized in order to allow the two Para Fire Teams to do their stuff…
When we had returned to the choke point, the hotel reservations had been confirmed for the two couples who would be ready to leave by 1900… I was aware that, so far, the operation was running smoothly, granted we hadn’t really done anything too proactive in the hours of daylight but I was acutely aware that the darkness brings its own obstacles…
At 1840 there was movement in the house… A black Audi 80 saloon had approached the gates, one of the male occupants; the driver had exited the car and pressed the bell push on the pillar under the right side light. I could hear a faint whirr as an SO12 officer took his photograph… The vehicle’s passenger remained seated… The courtyard was illuminated as the gates were opened, so we were right, we would have to deal with the security lighting. The bright lights allowed the SO12 officer to keep taking photos, this time he also caught the passenger too. The gates were closed and bolted rapidly…
I turned to Steve and whispered…
“Get the residents away now… Time’s up…!”
Steve signalled to two officers who hurried along the lane. Five minutes later a dark Mercedes 500E and silver BMW 740i hissed past and were gone…
Steve turned to his colleague…
“I want the photos within the hour and have someone run the Audi plates now…”
Garret climbed out of the Audi and entered the house heading straight for the kitchen, the three lilywhites followed.
With a gloved hand he poured himself a large scotch then turned on the two of them…
“Who was the bright spark who did the Catlin woman…?” “I drove the van; Brendan was on the bike…”
“Gannon have you no fucking idea the shit storm a stunt like that can cause…?”
“We wanted to sh…”
“I don’t give flying fuck what you wanted to show boy… You may well have jeopardised the whole southern campaign you idiot…! There are coppers all over Chelmsford now; when they come up short they’ll spread their search…”
Garret took a deep breath then finished his drink…
“I hope for both your sakes it doesn’t go tits up…. Show me what you’ve done so far…”
The four walked out into the courtyard and headed for the horseboxes. O’Boylan lowered the first ramp showing the contents… Four oil drums each containing 500lbs of ammonium nitrate fertiliser. Each drum also contained 10lbs of Semtex and detonator caps, equalling just less than 2100lbs of explosive, there was Semtex centrally located at the top of the four drums with the innards of a cellphone wired to it… The other horsebox was a mirror image of the first…
“Why are these in the open…?”
Again it was O’Boylan who answered Garret.
“We needed the areas under cover for the small vans; I thought that if the horseboxes were seen from the air or the gate that they wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion, this is a stable. The drums are sealed and quite safe…”
“Good…! Consider yourselves redeemed…”
Garret said approvingly…
“Now as a slight change, we’ll use the Fiat to tow one of these and we’ll use the Vauxhall estate to tow the other…I want the car here tomorrow. What do you have left to do…?”
It was O’Boylan who answered…
“The three Semtex bombs are ready for transport to Blackwall and the Isle of Sheppey Bridge… They are all 50lbs each, more than enough to seal the tunnel entrance and stop road and rail traffic crossing the river Swale…We’ve also 5000lbs of slurry ready. I was thinking of splitting it equally between the two vehicles, as you’ve now said use the van and car, I was thinking of 1000lbs in the Vauxhall and 4000lbs in the van… We also have 30lbs of Semtex and four det’ caps… Mr. Garret the M4 and M25 junction will disappear…”
“Excellent… Go to the top of the class young Eddie… Right let’s get out of here and head for the safehouse…”
Just after 1900 the gates opened once again… The
Audi roared through the gap like a racehorse out of the gate then the driver slammed on the brakes. A rear occupant dived out to close and secure the gates with a padlock; he was still struggling to close the car’s rear passenger door as it sped off down the lane toward the A25…
Steve was on his RT immediately…
“Black Audi 80, index Lima nine seven one Alpha Delta Kilo… Shadow it…!”
He then turned to me and said…
“We can’t use air support; the searchlight will give them away”
“Yeah I know Steve… Let’s give Romford the heads up, just in case…I need to call off the Paras too…”
I turned away dialling Robin’s number…
Chapter Nineteen
We waited until 2000 hours then I instructed SO13 to breach the gates, this was done quietly with a bolt cutter applied to the padlock after an officer had been assisted over the gate with the aid of a stepladder to ensure they weren’t booby-trapped…It was all clear however the huge gates were swung open slowly with a hook and line, just in case.
The courtyard was 50 metres square approx. encompassed by a solid stone wall. Directly to my right was the residence, this we would search later as the two horseboxes against the west facing wall were our main focus… If there were no horses why have horseboxes…?
We all stopped collectively as the security lighting was activated…a couple of the SO13 lads had witnessed first-hand PIRAs use of P.I.Rs and instinctively held their breath…
We approached the first horsebox and with a good deal of trepidation scrutinised the aluminium sides…So far so good. After giving the rear the same treatment I offered my clasped hands to Steve so he could look over the rear three quarter ramp and shine his torch, after twenty seconds or so he jumped down…
Quietly he said… “Get everyone away from here; we may well need to re-evaluate the evac’ too…”
“What have you got Steve…?”
“I’d say four oil drums full of ammonium nitrate or sodium chlorate and benzene…The tops of each appear to have explosive triggers, I’d reckon on Semtex, and each of them have det caps fitted…I can’t be sure but I think we’re looking at remote initiators too, a keypad or some such from a cellphone…”
“Jesus…! Ok, a squint at the second and then we’re off.”
We did the same at the rear of the second box just to confirm the drums and then we retreated calmly. I walked to the police car parked on the opposite driveway and sat on the passenger seat and dialled Robin’s number…
“Robin we need 11 EOD now…Yes we have discovered at least one major device and on cursory inspection we believe there is a second…”
“Very well, consider them on their way.” I turned to Steve and Charlie…
“11 EOD are on their way…Steve where has the IMINT been transported to…?”
“Maidstone for developing…I’ll get on the RT and chase it.” “Please… I want Charlie to look at the images of the visitor.”
Steve returned from his car…
“Sergeant Bulmer is waiting for them to dry then he’ll return with them, so 2100 hours I would think…It’s time to see how our shadow is fairing, I think…”
We all walked over, Steve was handed the RT handset by his driver…
“TACCOM Sierra one.” “Sierra one…”
“Location and status over…”
“Shadowing the subject vehicle…We have just entered Romford, over…”
“Roger Sierra one… Inform us of any aspect change, over…”
“Roger TACCOM, out…”
As our car was close to Steve’s I opened the driver’s door sat down and stretched…
“So, time to relax for a bit… I’d kill for a brew…”
“Aye laddie…I can’t see the EOD towing a mobile NAAFI along, pity that…”
Steve handed a stainless steel flask over…
“I can offer tea; we have three of these… A note to you lads… Never leave home without one…!”
“Steve, you’re a star fella…You’ll make Chief Constable, you’ll see…”
“Er, no ta…I’m happy doing this job thanks all the same…”
Charlie looked at him seriously… “Aye we’d be buggered without you laddie and that’s a fact.”
*****
As the Audi drove onto the driveway of the safehouse on Seymer Road in Romford the Rover 800 drove past for 50 metres and used a side street to turn around. The Police car pulled up to the kerb two houses before the target semi-detached… The Police officers immediately noted the Vauxhall Carlton Estate and called it in.
Steve received the confirmation over the RT then summoned Charlie, Frank and I over…
“We have the safehouse, the Vauxhall and the four PIRA members nice and snug… Frank have your team prepared, we will gate crash their little party at midnight…”
“Right oh, I’ll have the teams prepped and on their way to Romford…”
Frank signalled to his driver who instantly gunned the vehicles powerful engine. Steve turned to me…
“Chief I want you and Charlie to remain here to assist EOD and Charlie…? If you identify the passenger from the photos, let me know please… It’s time to wake up my Chief and have all this sanctioned…”
“Ok…I’ll give Robin the heads up…This could be your sergeant now Steve…?”
Bulmer had the car door open before the vehicle came to a halt…Charlie stayed in our vehicle to take advantage of the interior lighting… There were two faces neither us nor SO12 recognised, one which we could confirm was our busy lilywhite, the young man first spotted at Plymouth… The fourth image, the photo of the visitor was gold dust. Both Charlie and Steve said collectively…
“That’s Donal Garret…!”
“This guy laddie is a major player, a known unit commander who we know has worked with Morris and Harraghy…Chris knows of him too…Steve…?”
“We had been tracking his movements from a known safehouse in Chiswick until six months ago…We believe he travelled to Ireland…I need to move now and brief Frank and his men. Good luck gents…”
“Yeah you too Steve…”
He, as Frank had done, sped away into the darkness…The area around the stable had become eerily quiet now there were just the three of us, I dialled Robin’s number…
“Yes chief how are things moving…?”
“We have surveillance on the Romford safehouse which includes the four subjects and the subject vehicle which transported O’Keefe to Harwich…Our busy lilywhite is part of the quartet. The Audi 80 which brought the visitor was purchased in Chester under the name of John Charlton, we believe he is one of today’s mystery men…The other has been confirmed as one Donal Garret…”
“Steve and Frank are planning to raid the Romford safehouse at midnight with Charlie and I remaining here to liaise with EOD…Our plan is to collectively neutralize the ASU sir.”
“Bloody Hell…! Garret eh…? Ok Chief I’ll speak to Commander Shreve and the Home Sec to see if they need anything else from us, I take it we’ll have the EOD report in the morning…?”
“Yes sir, Charlie and I will see to it.”
“Excellent, carry on Chief… Well done to you both…” “Yes sir…”
621 EOD arrived from Northolt at 2105 in three vehicles; the first was a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Snatch Landrover, the other were two white LDV trucks which had all the appearance of British Telecom’s cable layers. No fewer than eight EOD personnel climbed from the trucks and one Sergeant from the Landrover. It was he who walked toward us and shook hands…
Sergeant Bill Mortimer, I’m responsible for this band of cutthroats…!”
Introductions all round completed, it was time for business…
“Right Chief, I believe you have discovered something rather nasty for my boys to play with…?”
“Yes Sergeant…The two horseboxes contain four drums each, possibly consisting of ammonium nitrate with Semtex and what appea
rs to be a form of remote initiator for the detonator…We don’t believe there are photo-electric cells or PIRs as the SO12 TACCOM briefly shone his torch in both…”
“Have you lowered the rear ramps at all…?”
“No, we’ve given the exterior of both a cursory 360 degree check, that’s all…When we saw the contents we backed away…”
“Very sensible too, so we have the horseboxes for a definite…Has there been a recce on the stables and residence…?”
“Again no…We thought it better to leave it to you fine gentlemen…”
“Jolly good…” Chief may I introduce my two 2nd Lieutenants…? Alan Jenkins and Ian Gibb…Alan, your team to inspect and neutralize the horseboxes…Ian, your team to search the stables and residence…Hook and lines gentlemen, you all know how crafty PIRA can be…”
“Sir…”