Sue also rang, asking where to meet him. This was a little trickier. He wanted to keep Sue at a safe distance while Boldo was in town, it would certainly be safer if they never met. No need to, so why add to the risks? He told her to keep her head down for a couple of days and explained why as sparingly as he could. She wasn’t happy. So he arranged to meet her in the car park of the Capital Centre retail park, where he could take her for a coffee and explain his plans better.
Now, he stood by the back door and checked that there was no one about before striking a match and putting it into the box of unlit matches. He quickly threw the box through the doorway before the rest of the box ignited, and hurried away at some pace, in the direction of London Road.
It only took Babik 10 minutes to walk to the retail park, where Sue was waiting in the blue motor. They headed into Walton-le-Dale, a small place on the southern outskirts of the city, and found a quiet coffee shop. Several fire engines and cop cars dashed past them in the opposite direction.
Once settled with their beverages, Babik made small talk, asking how the freeing of Amal had gone. Sue replied that Amal would be no trouble, adding, ‘She knows nothing and seems very timid in any event.’
She then asked about Boldo. He knew what was coming.
‘I thought you were the top man. You’ve never mentioned this Boldo before,’ Sue stated.
‘I am in charge, round here, but he arranges the women. Most are brought in from eastern or southern Europe. Once they are here, we take over.’
‘And anyway, aren’t we supposed to be partners? I’d like to meet Boldo.’
Babik could feel his temper edging forwards. He felt like reminding Sue that he was, in effect, her boss, but he didn’t want a row with her. He knew his feelings for her ran way beyond that relationship. ‘Let’s just say it’s safer for you, if you are not too exposed.’
‘I’m guessing he doesn’t know about me, then,’ she said.
‘Not as such.’
‘Is that because I’m a cop?’ she asked.
‘It might complicate things; he doesn’t know you, and can be an over-cautious man.’
‘Don’t tell him I’m a cop, then.’
‘He knows I have contacts in the police.’
‘If you don’t tell him I’m I cop, he won’t know it’s me.’
She had made a fair point, he could certainly do with some help running Boldo around and keeping him entertained. He was sure Boldo would expect him to do that. but the man could become a little tiring after a while.
‘Aren’t you due back in the cop shop?’ Babik asked.
‘I’ve gone sick, didn’t want to run into Amal in the police station whilst she is being debriefed. She only has to overhear me…’
‘Fair point,’ Babik said. ‘Look, keep your head down for the next 24 and if Boldo is still here, which I hope he won’t be, then I’ll give you a shout to help with the babysitting. And you’re right about not telling him you were a cop.’
‘No problems,’ she said.
Babik felt the tension lift and noted that Sue was smiling again. It could actually work out for the best; he knew how mentally draining Boldo’s company could be.
‘When’s he due in town?’ Sue asked, as she drained her coffee cup.
‘Not sure yet, but it’ll be very soon.’
Chapter Forty-Eight
‘Good of you to let us see Sadiq at such short notice,’ Harry said to the guard at the security gate at HMP Preston. The man just nodded and pointed at a colleague who stood back, waiting. That man led Harry and Vinnie to the room where they had previously interviewed Sadiq. As soon as they were seated, the cell door opened and a prison officer brought him in.
As Sadiq took a seat facing them at the metal table, the officer said he would be outside in the corridor whenever they were ready and promptly left, closing the door without waiting for a reply.
‘You’re cutting it fine; they are shipping me to Strangeways in Manchester later on.’
Ignoring the comment, Vinnie said, ‘No chaperone this time?’
‘Now I’m convicted, Babik is obviously happy that I haven’t talked.’
‘Don’t worry; we’ll make a point of saying what a waste of time out visit has been as we leave.’
‘Appreciate that,’ Sadiq said.
‘But we just had to risk speaking to you in here as time is of the essence.’
Sadiq nodded.
‘We know about the other mill,’ Harry said, before sitting back in his chair and letting the ensuing silence go to work. One, even two minutes passed, and no one spoke. Vinnie could see that Harry’s blunt approach had taken Sadiq by surprise, and that he was wrestling with it.
‘Well?’ Harry eventually asked.
‘Well, what?’ Sadiq replied.
Vinnie saw Harry glance at him so knew it was his turn. ‘The nice brown envelope your parole board will see in 17 or 18 months’ time?
‘What about it?’ Sadiq said.
‘Well, it can also be a not-so-nice brown envelope. Just as easily.’
Vinnie noticed Sadiq hide a grimace. OK, I know about the mill.’
‘So, tell us.’
‘I’ve never been there, but I knew of it. It hasn’t been there too long and is supposed to be premier league, for the more discerning clients.’
Vinnie shuddered inwardly before he asked, ‘Discerning by way of perversions, or quality?’
‘Both,’ Sadiq said, adding, ‘and therefore the cost is far greater. They also restrict the number of clients that are permitted.’
‘Just tell us where it is,’ Harry said.
‘I don’t know. Like I said, I’ve never been there.’
‘Bollocks!’ Vinnie said.
‘Envelope contents…’ Harry added.
‘Look, straight up, I want you to catch that bastard as much as you do.’
Vinnie doubted that very much.
‘Would it help if we told you that Amal is now safe and in our care?’ Harry added.
‘Thanks be to Allah,’ Sadiq said, as he threw himself back into his chair. ‘Thank you, thank you; but why didn’t you say so straight away?’
Vinnie could see how relieved Sadiq was, and hoped their delay would work. They’d discussed strategy on the walk over from the police station and had jointly agreed to ask about the mill before they told Sadiq the good news. It would give them a control sample of what he was prepared to tell them, allowing them to better judge whatever came next, hopefully.
‘We just wanted to ask you about the mill first. But now you know Amal is safe, we need to know where it is,’ Harry said.
‘Don’t understand what game you’re playing, all I can tell you is that it is somewhere in the north or north-eastern part of the city. But I swear, that’s all I can tell you. How is Amal towards me? Does she know…?’
‘Still being debriefed, so we don’t know what she was told about you whilst she was abducted. But it’s fair to say it wouldn’t have been all good,’ said Vinnie. He hoped this would add to Sadiq’s dislike of Babik.
‘I really hate that bastard for abducting Amal! So believe me, I’ve told you all I can. The only addresses I ever visited are all now up in smoke.’
Vinnie and Harry glanced at each other. Sadiq must have seen it as he quickly added, ‘we get the news in here too, you know.’
Fair point, Vinnie thought.
‘You still prepared to turn Queen’s?’ Harry asked.
Vinnie was half expecting Sadiq to start backing out, now he knew that Amal was safe, but he didn’t. On the back of his reply Vinnie looked at Harry, who gave him a wink. Vinnie then dropped the Boldo bomb.
‘Boldo? Never heard of him,’ came Sadiq’s expected reply.
As rehearsed, Harry scrapped his chair loudly backwards as he stood, closely followed by Vinnie. Sadiq looked slightly stunned.
‘No more games,’ Harry said.
‘No nice envelope,’ Vinnie added.
‘Have a nice sentence
,’ Harry said, as he turned towards the door. Vinnie hesitated a moment.
‘What about giving Queen’s?’ Sadiq said.
‘It’s the here and now that’s important. You can’t give Queen’s against people we haven’t found,’ Vinnie said.
‘I thought this was all about Babik, the bent cop and my bent brief?’
‘It was, it is, but things change,’ Vinnie said.
Harry walked to the door and said, ‘Come on Vinnie, time to go.’
‘Just a minute!’ Sadiq said.
‘What?’ Harry and Vinnie said in unison.
‘You don’t know what you’re asking!’
‘So, enlighten us.’ Vinnie said.
*
Twenty minutes later, Vinnie and Harry were clear of the prison and heading back towards the police station.
‘What do you reckon?’ Harry said.
‘Too vague; he’s definitely met him, or at the very least, seen him.’
‘He looked shocked to hear the name,’ Harry said.
‘Shocked that we knew it, and scared in equal proportions.’
‘At least we now know Boldo is the one responsible for bringing the women into the country in the first place.’
‘Granted,’ Vinnie said. ‘I reckon Sadiq only said that bit because he thought we already knew it.’
Harry nodded, and said, ‘Come on let’s get back, it’s getting late.’
*
A further twenty minutes later and Vinnie brought two steaming plastic cups of coffee into their office. Harry was coming off the phone.
‘Only machine stuff available now, I’m afraid, so give it a day or so to cool down,’ Vinnie said as he handed one cup to Harry.
‘Powdered milk doesn’t help,’ Harry replied, as he took it.
‘How’d you get on?’
‘Jim Day is over the moon that we have a named suspect for him, and that it’s their original target from the failed raid.’
‘But?’ Vinnie said.
‘But he knows how hard it’s going to be to find the bastard. I’ve told him to circulate Susan Grady as wanted. We find her; we find Babik and the mill.’
‘What offences are you showing her as wanted for?’ Vinnie asked.
‘Misconduct in public office, and assisting an offender, for starters.’
‘Why don’t we add suspicion of murder? Whether or not she’s had anything to do with the deaths, it will give us a bargaining position to come down from.’
‘Good idea, Vinnie, if not a little unethical.’
‘But we don’t know she hasn’t had anything to do with the deaths,’ Vinnie said, with a half-smile.
‘True. OK, let’s do it.’
‘I’ll ring Jim in a mo,’ Vinnie said.
‘It might also turn off any “friends” she still may have support from in here, if they think she’s involved in murder,’ Harry added, but Vinnie knew he was talking to himself. Justifying the decision. ‘How did you get on?’ Harry added.
‘I’ve got two intel detectives who are going to scour the north and north-eastern parts of the city listing and photographing anything that looks like it is, or ever was, a mill.’
‘I’ll be a long list, in this town.’
‘I know,’ Vinnie said, before tentatively trying a sip of his coffee. ‘Ouch. This stuff gets hotter.’
Then Vinnie’s phone rang, it was Christine, he took the call, ‘Hi, how’s it going?’
‘Amal’s been taken to a safe address overnight by social services, who are going to stay with her. One of your detectives has finished writing her statement in first draft. They are going to finish it tomorrow.’
‘You heading back to Manchester?’ Vinnie asked.
‘Not tonight. I’ve got to write up my own notes so I’m ready for June as and when you give me the green light. And before you say it, I know you and Harry will have to see my narrative first.’
‘No, I was just going to ask where you planned to stay.’
‘Not in your police J block again, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’ll probably book in to the Premier Inn in the centre of town, and before you get any other ideas, it’ll be late before I turn in so hold the front page on your testosterone.’
Vinnie laughed out loud before he replied, ‘I’ll probably stay there too and catch you at breakfast. Will you book me a room when you get there?’
‘Not going there just yet, but I’ll book you one online when I book mine. Lazy sod.’
‘Where are you off to?’
‘Thought I’d have a scoot around the Deepdale area, where I lost that perv’s van, see if I can’t find this mill.’
Vinnie told her to be careful, and also added that there would be two of theirs sniffing about too, before he ended the call and briefed Harry.
‘You should head off,’ Harry said.
‘And you, you’ve been up even earlier than me.’
‘Might do, after I’ve finished here and spoken to Jim Day.’
‘OK, Harry. I’m going to have a sniff around to see if I can’t find Susan Grady.’
‘Now that would be the perfect end to the day. But don’t work too late,’ Harry smiled.
Chapter Forty-Nine
‘Where is this place? Boldo asked, as Babik pulled his blue motor into the small car park at the rear of the hotel.
‘It’s the Premier Inn,’ Babik replied, as he took stock of Boldo properly for the first time since he’d picked him up from Manchester Airport. A small swarthy man in his forties, with jet black hair. It was hard to say whether he was only of eastern Mediterranean heritage, or from further east. Babik had never asked. Not good form.
‘I asked where, not what,’ Boldo snapped.
‘The centre of Preston itself, your visit was at short notice.’
Boldo sighed before he spoke. ‘Too risky for both of us. Have you forgotten that you are a wanted man?’
Babik hadn’t planned to stay with Boldo; it was his turn to sigh.
‘And you would be surprised who knows me.’
‘I know, that’s why I didn’t pick somewhere in Manchester.’
‘Fair enough, but take us to somewhere on the outskirts. I saw a hotel near the motorway exit. Take us there,’ Boldo said.
The ‘us’ word was not lost on Babik; he may well need Sue’s help after all. He just nodded his acquiescence and turned the car around. He had to do a three-point turn as a black cab was dropping a woman off at the entrance. Babik noticed how attractive the woman was, with long slender legs, and couldn’t help thinking how well she would fit in on the upper floor of the mill. He glanced at Boldo in order to make the comment, to try and lighten the mood, but Boldo wasn’t paying attention. Perhaps women weren’t his thing; even though he traded in them.
Fifteen minutes later they were both booked in at the hotel near the motorway junction and Boldo said he would join him for dinner in 30 minutes. Babik couldn’t be bothered freshening up, so headed straight for the bar.
Nothing was discussed during the meal, after which they refreshed their drinks and headed to a quiet corner.
‘So, all the problems are now taken care of?’ Boldo started with.
‘Absolutely, and the mill is not known to the police,’ Babik added.
‘How can you be so sure? The policía are not always as stupid as you may think.’
‘We have friends, as you know, and it was only yesterday when we checked,’ Babik replied.
This seemed to satisfy Boldo, as he leaned back in his seat and took a sip of sangria before saying, ‘The mill will be our flagship; it is what we will show partners we bring on board. I will be in your trust on who you choose.’
Babik was slightly irritated now. He knew this; this was his side of the business. He paused before he answered. ‘Look, Mr Boldo, you have no need to worry on that score. When the new girls are in place I have a list of serious people who are willing to set up all over this country. We will make millions.’
‘How do you propose
we control these other mills?’ Boldo asked.
‘Easy,’ Babik said. ‘We sell them the concept as a franchise. An initial signing up fee and then an annual fee when we replace the girls. As the girls come with the fee and with no add-on costs, they will make far more money than with normal girls. And if anything goes wrong with individual premises, there will be no links back to you or me.’
‘How do you plan to ensure security?’ Boldo asked.
Babik spent the next ten minutes outlining his plan. How no one would know how the girls were brought here or what happened to the worn out ones when they were replaced. How he had people in place to manage it for him so that there were no direct links back to him, and no links to him meant no links to Boldo.
‘This is very different to what we have now,’ Boldo commented.
Babik knew that they had meant to set up the mill as a top class facility and just that. He also knew they had each made a fortune so far, but as the girls in the mill needed exchanging it was time to think bigger.
‘You are expecting me to source you a large number of girls.’ Boldo said, once Babik had finished. Babik reminded him of earlier conversations, when he had told Babik that he could get as many girls as they needed.
‘True, but you are now talking on an industrial scale. And if they need changing every year, it will be an ongoing issue,’ Boldo said.
Time to put him to the test. ‘Can’t you do it?’
Babik could see that his question had rattled Boldo, it was intended to. He paused before he answered. ‘Yes, I can do it, but it seems like I’m the one doing all the work.’
Babik reminded Boldo that he had the entire infrastructure now in place to facilitate the custody and control of all the women as soon as they hit UK soil. And then added that they could use the same transportation routes the other way, to take the used women back out of the country.
The Badge & the Pen Thrillers Page 75