by Mark McKay
He was able to stay out of sight and when he got within twenty yards he could see that both vans belonged to a building firm. The big sliding door had been opened and there were four men in the process of tidying the place up and re-fitting it. There was a lot of hammering and sawing going on and the office was being cleared of its World War Two paraphernalia. One of the vans had a variety of cardboard packaging in it, which was being carried inside and dumped on the benches. There was boxed-up computer equipment too, also on the benches. Everything you’d need to run a retail operation, bar the product itself.
He went back to the car. There was two or three days’ work left before they had the warehouse in a fit state to receive goods. When the workmen left it would be very interesting to see who and what came in after them. He wondered when they would finish for the day, probably no later than 5pm. He’d wait here, until they left.
When the vans came out of the access road at 6pm he took the little security camera and went back to the warehouse. Both the sliding door and the small entrance door were locked. He checked the few windows that ran down the side of the building, but without breaking one he wouldn’t be able to get in. It wasn’t till he got around the back that he found one window partially open. He eased it all the way up and crawled through. When he stood up he was right behind the altitude chamber, where he’d almost met his end. He emerged from behind it and began looking around for somewhere to discreetly mount the camera. Somewhere high on the office partitioning seemed to be the best option. As he walked towards it he stopped to check the packaging that had been delivered. It was all in flat packs and came in a variety of sizes. Its only marking consisted of the words ‘Amazon Ascension Natural Products, in Association with Hackett Pharmaceuticals’. I’ve come to the right place, he thought.
He realised that the best position to mount the camera would be on the top of the altitude chamber. You’d get a view of the whole place from there, with the exception of the office interior. The builders had a couple of ladders lying around, so he borrowed one and used it to get up. The camera had a magnetic bottom which attached quite firmly to the metal of the chamber. He positioned it and switched it on. The batteries were good for months, so that wasn’t an issue. When he got back down he went into the centre of the warehouse and looked back at the chamber. From here the camera was tiny, you’d have to be looking for it to know it was there. Satisfied with his work, he slipped out the way he’d come in and made his way back to the car. Then he drove back to Sevenoaks.
He logged in and tested the camera from his laptop. It was dark now so there was nothing to see, but everything seemed to be working. He found a bed and breakfast a few miles from the clinic and made a booking. The only thing left to do now was to advise Russell and Richards. He tried Richards first and when he didn’t answer, tried Russell. The DCI picked up immediately.
‘Your timing is a little more sociable,’ he remarked. ‘What is it?’
Nick told him what he’d discovered. ‘The labelling on the packaging makes it almost certain that the powder will be delivered to Norfolk,’ he said. ‘And unless they’ve removed the cocaine somewhere in transit, you’ll find that, too.’
‘And your friend Conrad Steadman? Will he be there?’
‘He has an interest. If the coke is there, I think he’ll arrive at some point. I’m going to stay close to the place. I suggest you ask the Norfolk police to remain on standby for the next week or so. They might be needed.’
‘I’ll advise them,’ said Russell. ‘I’ll get you a contact name as well. As soon as you see any sign of anything coming in or going out of that warehouse, let him know.’
They were as ready as they could be. Nick would return to Norfolk in the morning and start to monitor the warehouse. He could do most of that from the bed and breakfast place. He told Mariko and Oyama of his plans.
‘So, this could bring Conrad out into the open,’ said Mariko. ‘What will you do if that happens?’
‘I’ll grab him, this time. And then Norfolk’s finest can take him into custody.’
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘I was about to suggest it. I could use the help. What about you, sensei? It means you’ll be here on your own.’
Oyama shrugged. ‘The sensors will work. And if they don’t sense anyone coming, I will. I don’t need to be awake to do that.’
With that, the matter was decided. He and Mariko began packing everything they’d need for the coming days, including two guns and Mariko’s long bow. They were ready to go hunting. It was only when they were halfway to Norfolk the next morning that he realised his mistake.
‘I only booked the one room,’ he said. ‘Hope they’ve got another one. You can call them and see.’ He handed Mariko his phone. ‘The number’s in my contact list.’
She scrolled through the list, but didn’t make the call. ‘We’ll be a married couple,’ she said. ‘Is that alright with you?’
He looked across at her, but her face was giving nothing away.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That’s fine.’
Their accommodation was a big double room in a Georgian house in a tiny village with just a few houses, a pub and a village store. An idyllic spot if you were a holidaymaker. They might be here on business, but the charm of the place wasn’t lost on them. They visited the pub for their evening meal. It had a snug, quintessentially English feel about it, with lots of wood panelling and low ceilings with exposed beams. The place was almost full but didn’t feel crowded and the quiet conversation of the well lubricated patrons only added to the atmosphere. For a couple of hours, the ‘married couple’ forgot about why they’d come here and went with the flow of it all. When they got back to their room that night, they made love. It had been an unspoken promise between them all evening and Mariko came quite naturally into his arms and kissed him for the first time, as a lover. It was a long, sensual kiss. There was no need to say anything and there was no need to hurry, either. It was as if they both knew on some level that this had been coming for a while, now.
‘I have many ways to make you happy,’ she said. Then she showed him. They didn’t get to sleep till late, that night.
The warehouse was either monitored from the comfort of their room or wherever they went on their jaunts as holidaymakers over the next two days. The builders packed up and left and for twenty-four hours, nothing happened. Then, another van arrived. You could only see the back of it from the vantage point of the camera, but it was enough to see that a shipment of something was being unloaded. By whom, was unclear. There were two of them and they both had the full use of their arms, which ruled Conrad out. Once the van was unloaded, the two men went to work on the contents. Nick had counted twenty-five boxes during the unloading and now they were being opened one by one. Each box had about ten packets of the amber powder inside. One of those packets would be selected and carefully slit open. Its contents were poured into a container until the smaller packet with the cocaine revealed itself. The operation was repeated until all the coke was out and stacked on the bench nearby.
‘We’ve got them,’ said Nick. ‘Now all we have to do is wait and see who comes to collect.’
He called the Norfolk Police and told them to be ready. The contact name Russell had given him was someone called DCI Jeanette Silver.
‘I’m sending a couple of guys up to help you,’ she said. ‘Between you all we can monitor the place continuously.’
The two cops arrived that evening. Nick gave them access to the camera link online and they agreed to keep an eye on the place overnight. They were both young plain-clothes men and they seemed up for it. They were anticipating what was going to be their first big drugs bust and the adrenaline was flowing.
‘We’ll be staying in Burnham Market,’ said one, a detective sergeant by the name of Harvey. ‘Craig’s sister lives there.’
Burnham Market was only a few miles away. Craig, who was a big blond-haired lad who looked as though he spent
a lot of time at the gym, nodded.
‘We’ll call you if anything happens.’
Both men looked at Mariko with undisguised curiosity. She smiled back. I guess they don’t see many exotic female Japanese cops in these parts, thought Nick. If that’s what they think she is. Certainly not one as elegant and inscrutable as Mariko. There was a certain air about her that drew the attention of men and women alike. And with the barest outline of the noose-mark still visible on her neck, she looked even more enigmatic than usual. I hope they don’t think I did that to her, he thought. He suppressed a smile and said he’d call them if he saw something first. The two men said their farewells and a minute later they were gone.
‘We need to get in closer, now,’ said Mariko. ‘When someone comes, I want to be dug in and ready.’
The van had been driven away from the warehouse, but one man had stayed to keep an eye on the consignment.
‘We’ll go in tomorrow,’ said Nick. ‘Slowly, so we don’t alarm the watchman. I just hope we don’t have to wait too long.’
They went in the following night, at midnight. They left the car in the main car park where it would blend in with every other vehicle and then, both dressed in camouflage gear, they took packs and walked all the way to the warehouse access road. Mariko had the bow with her. It was a shortened version of the traditional Japanese bow, but it was still longer than the European version and only just fitted into the boot of the VW. There was a quiver of arrows to go with it, which was slung across her back. She looked like a mix of modern-day soldier and medieval bow-woman, from the days of Agincourt.
It was a cloudless night and some light was coming from a half-moon. They took their time until their eyes adjusted and they eventually found a position that gave them a view of the sliding door, from about thirty yards away. They were in a little grove of trees and should be quite invisible to anyone looking out from the warehouse. They settled down together and tried to get some sleep.
The morning dawned clear and warm. A good day for surveillance as far as body temperature was concerned. Nick wondered how the man inside the warehouse was getting on and if he’d brought something to sleep on, like a camp bed. They didn’t see him till about 9am, when the entrance door was opened and he came out for a cigarette. He was middle-aged and unshaven and had long hair tied in a ponytail. He wasn’t Nick’s idea of the archetypal hood, he didn’t seem at all like the violent type. Appearances could be deceptive, of course. He finished his smoke and went back inside.
Then at 11am, the sliding-door was opened, as if in anticipation of something or someone arriving. And fifteen minutes later, someone did. Quite a lot of someones in fact, in a convoy of three cars.
‘Time to call in the cavalry,’ whispered Nick.
He sent a quick text to Craig and Harvey and got an acknowledgement. The cavalry was primed and ready.
The first two vehicles drove into the warehouse as far as they could, while the third parked just outside. The passenger door opened and Conrad stepped out.
‘That’s him,’ he whispered to Mariko, who nodded and motioned him to silence.
Conrad had a new arm, a state of the art prosthetic with fingers that were movable, by the look of it. No expense spared on that, thought Nick. The driver then emerged and was someone Nick hadn’t seen before. A man of about forty, who didn’t have much in the way of menace about him. He was tall, thin and wore a lightweight summer suit. He could have been an accountant or an axe murderer, he looked rather nondescript.
They had a good view into the warehouse. The watchman stood next to the packets of cocaine. The two cars that had driven inside had disgorged four men who certainly did have an air of menace about them. All thickly built with close-cropped hair. From where Nick and Mariko crouched they looked like slightly less intimidating versions of Harry. It was impossible to hear the conversation from here, so they waited to see what would develop.
Conrad and his friend walked in and words were exchanged. One of the menacing types took a packet of the coke and slit it open. He did a taste test, but that was all. No complex testing equipment for this lot, it seemed. Then one of his colleagues took a large briefcase from the boot of his car and presented it to Conrad, who opened it and examined the contents. He was counting something now, probably lots of fifty pound notes. After a while, he nodded. Then the four Harry clones, albeit smaller, loaded the cocaine into the boots of their cars. Or rather they removed the false bottoms of the boot compartments and stashed it all there. Conrad and his friend waited while they did this and then hands were shaken all round. It seemed as though business had been satisfactorily concluded.
While all this was going on, Nick had texted licence plate numbers through to the two detective sergeants. They should pick up these men on their way out of here. All he wanted was Conrad. It looked as though the buyers would be leaving first and Conrad would be doing whatever he needed to do in the warehouse once they’d gone. That suited Nick perfectly. The four men got into their cars and began reversing out and around Conrad’s vehicle. Then everything went wrong.
The cavalry arrived in two police cars, sirens wailing. This brought the two cars exiting the warehouse to an abrupt stop. The four men spilled out, and they were armed. They started shooting at the approaching police, who also pulled up. The six policemen who quickly emerged were suited up in riot gear and had automatic rifles. They spread out into the trees and began returning fire. In the meantime, Conrad, with his friend and the watchman made a swift exit and started running towards the back of the warehouse. From there it was a short run through more trees into open fields.
‘Where the hell do they think they’re going?’ said Nick. ‘Come on.’
He and Mariko skirted the firefight and gave chase. They were seen by one of the four gangsters, who diverted his fire from the police and turned it on them, instead. Mariko quickly notched an arrow on to her bow string and let fly. The shaft went deep into the man’s shoulder and he went down, yelling. They got away from the shooting then and ran through the trees. Conrad’s party had about a hundred yards head start and as Nick and Mariko emerged into the open they could hear the sound of a helicopter approaching. Was it a police helicopter? Nick looked up and could see that it was headed in Conrad’s direction. It was impossible to tell from here if it was police or not. Then it got lower and it was easy to see that there was only the pilot inside, and that he was a civilian.
‘He’s coming to pick them up,’ said Mariko. They increased their pace, but they were still a long way behind the three men. The helicopter came down and landed. Conrad and his friends now had fifty yards between them and safety. The watchman was out front, carrying the briefcase. It looked like they were all about to get away. Nick loosed off a shot at the watchman, but it missed. Mariko thought he’d aimed at Conrad.
‘We want him alive,’ she shouted, over the noise of the helicopter. She stopped and fitted another arrow. It was a difficult shot with all of the wind disturbance being created by the helicopter’s rotors and she had to adjust accordingly. The arrow took Conrad through the upper part of his leg and he tumbled over. The man ahead of him turned around, but Conrad waved him away. As the two men out front clambered into the helicopter and it began to climb, Nick got a look at the pilot. It was Edward Torres. They went up fast and although he got off a few more rounds, he was pretty sure he hadn’t hit anything that would disable the aircraft. The bastards had got away. But not all of them. They still had the one they wanted. As they came up to Conrad he twisted around and for a moment Nick thought he had a gun, but his good hand was empty and the other one, for all its technological sophistication, probably couldn’t fire a gun even if it could hold one. Conrad looked at them, his face a mixture of pain and anger.
‘I should have known,’ he said, when he saw Nick bearing down on him. ‘Of all people, it just had to be you.’
Chapter 13
They got Conrad to his feet and he had to limp back towards the
warehouse, with Nick’s support. Mariko followed. The shooting had stopped now, and with the helicopter gone they could hear what sounded like someone shouting orders. The arrow’s shaft had passed through Conrad’s right thigh and had missed both bone and arteries, so there wasn’t much blood to contend with. The tip protruded from the front of his leg and he had to hop on the other one, which made progress slow and for him, painful. It took them almost ten minutes to get back to the warehouse.
Mariko went on ahead to see what the situation was. She came back through the trees five minutes later and waved them in. When they arrived, they saw DS Harvey shepherding two of the gangsters into a police car. The one Mariko had hit was sitting with his back against his car, clutching his shoulder where her arrow had gone in and where it still remained. The fourth gangster was down behind the car, face down and not moving. It looked like he’d been fatally hit by gunfire, as nobody was paying him much attention. The man with the arrow in him had an armed policeman for company. Nick lowered Conrad into a sitting position next to the other victim of Mariko’s bow. DS Harvey came over.
‘Who’s this?’ he asked Nick.
‘The man I wanted to apprehend. A murderer and now a drug dealer. Conrad Steadman.’
Conrad and Harvey stared at each other. Harvey grinned. ‘There’s enough cocaine in those cars to put you away for a very long time,’ he told Conrad. He got no answer to that, Conrad just continued to stare at him with a deadpan expression.