The Badge & the Pen Thrillers

by Roger A Price

  ‘Yes, thank you, and all because of you. I’ve not forgotten.’

  ‘How can I help?’ Christine asked, regretting her clumsy choice of words. She hadn’t meant to sound patronising.

  ‘That man; the one who came for us in Liverpool.’

  ‘Yes, the goon you recognised.’

  ‘Goon?’ she asked.

  ‘Sorry, I mean the hired thug,’ Christine said, inwardly cringing a second time.

  ‘I told you I find his name.’

  Christine said that she remembered Bob-A had promised to try and get the man’s details.

  ‘I not know, I’m sorry, but I have found out who he works for.’

  Christine couldn’t believe it, what a breakthrough for her story! She put the phone to the ear on the other side of her head as she took a notebook and pen out of her handbag. ‘Go on,’ she said, once she was ready.

  ‘He works for a big secret man with many, many friends. A dangerous man,’ Bob-A started.

  Sensing a touch of apprehension, Christine interjected, ‘Don’t forget I will never, ever, disclose you as my source, erm, sorry, I mean as the person who has told me anything.’

  There was a short pause before Bob-A replied, ‘I know, I trust you. It’s just that this man is known of, but no one has ever seen him.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘He is a big secret man, like I said. Some call him The Ghost.’

  ‘OK,’ Christine said.

  Bob-A carried on. ‘The Ghost is a man who people say can be very cruel. People are too scared to even mention his nickname. One man in the village talked about him and then he was gone, though some say he just moved away. Others say it was the goon as you call him, who took him on the orders of The Ghost.’

  Christine’s neck was starting to ache, but she didn’t harry the poor woman. There was a further pause, and then Bob-A added, ‘My uncle told me, but made me promise.’

  Christine said nothing, her neck was really aching hard now. But then Bob-A continued, and Christine realised she hadn’t needed her notebook, after all.

  ‘My uncle says that The Ghost is called Mr Boldo, I have to go now, thank you again.’ And then the line went dead.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Vinnie was getting bored driving around aimlessly. He’d checked past Grady’s known address several times; it was all in darkness with the curtains drawn back, and he noted the equally bored-looking intelligence detective parked up, watching the house. He didn’t pull over to chat; he didn’t want to draw attention to either of them. Not that there was anyone about. Vinnie checked his watch. Cowboy time; 10 to 10, time to go.

  Twenty minutes later, Vinnie had booked in at the hotel’s reception and was reading the note left for him by Christine, as the author herself walked through the front doors.

  ‘Damn, I’ve timed this bad,’ Christine said, as she arrived at Vinnie’s shoulder.

  ‘Saw you coming from the reflection;’ Vinnie said, pointing at the highly-polished ornate glass backdrop behind the reception desk, and then added, ‘Surveillance training, you don’t lose it.’

  ‘Didn’t know you were trained,’

  ‘Not officially.’

  ‘Never mind, you can buy me a drink in the bar whilst you count out that 50 you owe me. Oh, and I might have another snippet for you.’

  Vinnie looked at her, surprised but not shocked. ‘How much will that cost me?’

  ‘Depends if you have anything to trade with me,’ she smirked, and then started to head further into the hotel. Vinnie followed, he was looking forward to some chill time with Christine, especially after what had happened the previous night. Or not happened.

  The first drink didn’t touch the sides and after getting the second round in, Vinnie duly handed over the £50. He was a little surprised that Christine took it, but he supposed a bet’s a bet.

  ‘I’ll get the next one in,’ she announced, as she put the notes into her bag.

  ‘That’s good of you, ‘Vinnie said, ‘since I’ve just bought two.’

  Christine threw her hands up in the air in submission. ‘OK, let’s trade.’

  Vinnie told her that Susan Grady was now circulated as wanted for murder, and explained the rationale behind it. ‘Whether she’s guilty or not, there are lots of corruption offences that she is solid on. Do you think you’d formally recognise her again?’

  ‘Only got a glimpse as I was more concerned about Amal being bundled out of the car, but I reckon so; in the short term, anyway.’

  It wouldn’t surprise Vinnie in the least if Christine ended up being the one to find Grady, but that wouldn’t matter, he just wanted Grady locked up. Then Christine started grinning inanely; the “I know something you don’t know” look she did so well. Vinnie rolled his eyes before asking.

  ‘Well, I can tell you that the man behind all of your man Babik’s activities is the same man behind the forced servitude case in Manchester.’

  ‘We’ve worked this one out, so if you’re fishing for another £50…’

  ‘Don’t panic, but I’ve had it confirmed that he was behind the men who came after us in Liverpool, and that he is believed to behind most, if not all, people trafficking into the north west,’ Christine said, before she took a sip from her drink and then explained what Bob-A had told her.

  ‘Still waiting for something new?’ Vinnie teased.

  ‘Oh yes, and I’ve confirmed the existence of the mill.’

  ‘Not new,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘It is somewhere off the aptly-named Deepdale Mill Street: new enough for you?’ Christine said with a flourish.

  Vinnie was impressed, she’d done it again. She went on to explain, and by the time she’d finished explaining, Vinnie had finished his second drink. ‘Are we having another?’ he asked.

  ‘I know it’s my round, so how about I put a bottle of wine on the room and we go and relax,’ Christine said, with a twinkle in her eye.

  Then, Vinnie’s mobile rang. Not twice in a row, surely? He saw Harry’s name on the screen, pressed the green icon with a sigh and put the phone to his ear.

  ‘You busy?’ came Harry’s first comment.

  ‘You wouldn’t believe how bad your timing is becoming,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘Uh?’

  ‘Forget it. Go on.’

  ‘There have been developments. Can you get in straight away?’

  ‘Give me 15; I’ll need to walk in.’

  ‘See you in 10,’ Harry said, before ending the call.

  Vinnie turned to face Christine and they both burst out laughing. Then she said, ‘But wake me when you get back, if it’s really juicy.’

  ‘Is that the only reason to disturb you?’

  ‘Be too late for any other malarkey; but I can’t wait to find out what Harry wants. Didn’t he give you a clue?’

  ‘Sorry, not this time.’

  Vinnie thought that he would probably have been OK to drive, but didn’t want to risk it. That said, after a 10-minute power walk across the city centre he was sure he’d be good to go if needed. He walked into the incident room, which was all in darkness but for the secondary illumination cast into it from the lights of his and Harry’s office. He walked in to find Harry at his desk, but Vinnie was surprised to see DI Jim Day sitting at his own place. Jim started to rise, but Vinnie waved him to sit back down, which he did.

  ‘I’ve asked Jim to join us as it involves his staff,’ Harry started.

  ‘What does?’ Vinnie asked, and Harry turned to look at Jim.

  ‘It’s Grady.’

  ‘Locked up?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘Not quite,’ Jim said, before going on to explain. The intelligence detective whom Vinnie had spotted earlier had reported in that Grady turned up at her rented address and rushed straight in through the front door.

  ‘Looked like she was in a hurry,’ Jim said, adding that as he was reporting the sighting to comms and requesting back up, Grady left — after only an couple of minutes — and took off again.
/>
  ‘Your man follow her?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘As best he could on his own,’ Jim said.

  Vinnie could feel a ‘but’ coming. And he was right. Apparently, she had driven off swiftly and the intel detective had done his best to stay with her, without her releasing she had a tail. Vinnie sympathised, he knew how difficult that would be. Jim went on to explain that his man lost her near Fletcher Road in the Deepdale part of the city.

  That made Vinnie take note. ‘That’s a shame,’ he said.

  ‘It’s not easy being a one-man surveillance,’ Jim started, defensively.

  ‘I know, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve just been told that the mill might be somewhere near to Deepdale Mill Street, which as you know, is itself off Fletcher Road.

  Now it was Harry’s turn to take note as he leaned forward, and said, ‘Where’s that come from?’

  ‘Just got it from Christine — fill you in in a bit.’

  ‘Well, we flooded the area with all available patrols, but nothing, so my officer headed back to Grady’s address, and as you were on your way over he rang in to say Grady had returned home,’ Jim said.

  ‘Excellent, have the cavalry gone in to get her?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘Not exactly,’ Harry answered for Jim. ‘But we have the front and back covered covertly.’

  ‘Why the delay?’

  ‘Because we have complications to risk assess,’ Harry said.

  And before Vinnie could ask, Jim answered. ‘As my man was pulling up, down the road from her address, he noticed her car approach so ducked down. When he risked a glance, he saw Grady leading two women of eastern European appearance into the house.’

  Vinnie tried to compute what Jim had just said, but wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, though he could guess what the women might be for.

  ‘So do we send the troops straight in, or sit and wait to see if Babik turns up?’

  ‘Exactly,’ Harry said. Adding, ‘which is why I wanted you both in here.’

  The next five minutes were spent discussing the pro and cons of both options, and as it would take too long to get a full surveillance team down there, the sit and wait option lost voice.

  ‘If she leaves again, we might not get another chance,’ Vinnie argued. Harry and Jim both agreed, so the joint decision was to send the watchers in straight away, arrest Grady, free the women and bring them all into the nick whilst leaving an arrest team inside the house as phase two, in case Babik turned up. None of them really expected the latter.

  Harry said that he had already briefed the sergeant on the ground with the various scenarios and reached for the police personal radio on his desk.

  ‘Superintendent Delany to Oscar One,’ Harry said into the device.

  ‘Oscar One, go ahead, sir,’ came the reply.

  ‘Scenario one is a go. Arrest option confirmed.’

  ‘Yes, yes, received; all teams from Oscar One; strike, strike, strike.’

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  A little earlier…

  ‘Can you meet me on top of the multi-storey car park near the market?’ Babik asked.

  ‘Sure, but why there?’ Sue replied.

  ‘There are a couple of girls from the mill who have earned their freedom, and I need you to look after them for a little while until I can arrange their onward transportation,’ Babik said.

  ‘You at the mill now?’

  ‘Yes, I’m here with our guest, which is why I want this doing now, so I can impress him.’

  ‘Wouldn’t it be easier if I just came to the mill? You could introduce me,’ Sue said.

  Babik replied, ‘We are just leaving and as he wants dropping back at his hotel first, that will have to wait.’ Then he lowered his voice to a whisper and added, ‘There was a reporter sniffing about earlier, so the less comings and goings around here the better. See you in 30.’ Babik ended the call without waiting for a reply.

  Babik hadn’t wanted to worry Boldo over what the streetwalker had told him, but it was a concern he would have to address. First though, he would deposit Boldo back at the hotel and tell him he would see him at breakfast. As he did so, Boldo said that he would make a couple of calls and get the new women mobilised.

  Babik then went back to the mill and collected the girls. He told Gill to close the mill once the current gold card holders had finished, and to cancel any remaining appointments that night. He was fairly confident that whoever had been asking questions would have long since become bored of riding aimlessly around the streets of Deepdale, but security came first and he didn’t want anyone noticing any comings or goings anywhere near the premises.

  He told the two women to hunker down in the rear seat of his car. They did as they were told without question. Both women were only in their mid-thirties, slim and very attractive brunettes with deep olive complexions. The taller of the two insisted on thanking him again. He told her to be quiet, and that there was no need.

  ‘But you don’t understand,’ she added.

  ‘Understand what?’ Babik asked.

  ‘My next client later, was to be Mr Fifteen.’

  Babik knew that the gold card holders were told to only use their card numbers and not their names, but without checking the register in Gill’s office he had no idea who the girl was referring to. ‘And?’ he asked.

  ‘Fifteen is a bad man, he likes to hurt.’

  Babik looked in his rear view mirror and could see that the other woman was nodding at what the taller one had just said. ‘Well, no need to worry now, you’ll not be feeling any more pain,’ he said, though he knew that wasn’t true.

  Ten minutes later he handed the girls over to Sue, and could see how relieved they both looked as they climbed into her car. His strategy, of using Sue, was working. Though she had asked a strange question of him.

  ‘Mr Boldo happy with the hotel I sorted?’ she’d said.

  ‘Matter of fact he wasn’t, so I had to move him.’

  ‘Where to?’ A further strange question.

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ he’d answered.

  Then, after the women were safely in the back of Sue’s car, she asked what he wanted her to do with them. He told her to bed them down for the night and he’d arrange other premises the next day.

  ‘If they have earned their freedom, why don’t I just drive them far away and drop them somewhere? Say Birmingham; job done?’ she asked.

  He was starting to gather that Sue hadn’t swallowed his story quite as easily as the women themselves had done. There was a long pause as they both stood between the two cars, facing each other.

  Sue broke the silence. ‘Look, we are partners; you don’t have to over-protect me or sugar-coat everything.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, if I’m guessing right, maybe I can help?’ Sue said.

  ‘What are you guessing?’ Babik asked, now more than a little confused at the way the conversation was going. ‘Spit it out, will you?’

  ‘They aren’t getting their freedom, are they?’ Sue said.

  ‘Well, freedom from the gold card holders,’ he said.

  ‘Your turn to spit it out; unless you don’t trust me?’

  Babik signed, and then lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘OK, I just need you to look after them and keep them calm until I can find the right person.’

  ‘The right person to do what?’

  ‘To kill them and dispose of them. You’ve obviously already guessed that.’

  ‘I might be able to help,’ she said. ‘I might know someone we can trust to do it. Someone like Bonehead.’

  This did take Babik by surprise and yes, he half wished he hadn’t killed Bonehead; he’d have been ideal. ‘Really?’ he asked.

  ‘Let me make a few calls in the morning and then perhaps we can talk, early doors. That’ll surely impress Mr Boldo,’ she said.

  Babik knew that would be very true. Sue never stopped impressing him, and here was another example.

  ‘But there is a
condition,’ she said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I want you to introduce me to Boldo tomorrow. We are a team, after all. Aren’t we?’

  ‘Sure we are. And yes, we’ll all meet tomorrow. Look, we’d better move before some security guard comes nosing.’

  He then watched Sue get back into her car, flashing that trademark smile of hers as she turned to address the women on the back seat before driving off. He watched her go before he climbed back inside his own car. Yes, she had truly impressed him, and if she had the right replacement for Bonehead it would solve the immediate problem. But some of her questions about where they were staying still jarred, though he wasn’t sure why.

  Then, he shook the thoughts from his head, climbed back into his car and headed off the car park in the direction of their new hotel near the motorway. He’d make a detour via Fletcher Road and pay the woman who had called him, try to illicit more information from her. Whoever the reporter was; they would need dealing with — permanently.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  The sergeant on the ground had reported over the radio that Grady was in custody and the two women of eastern European extraction were safe. Frightened, but safe. And all were en route to the police station. Jim had disappeared and then returned with a kettle and some brewing tackle; at least they could now have a decent cuppa that was not the temperature of molten rock.

  Harry was now less red and obviously very relieved that Grady was finally under lock and key. The fact that they had managed to save two women into the bargain was a bonus. He’d already called two family liaison officers out, to take initial care of the women. Gathering their stories into statement form would be arduous for all involved and take several days, with specially-trained investigators from the public protection unit. But for now, it was their immediate welfare needs that required attention. The on-call social worker said she would have staff available to help later in the morning. Vinnie glanced at his watch, it was now after midnight. By the time they had finished their heavenly beverages, the sergeant had walked into their office.

  All had ‘gone sweet’ apparently, and the sergeant had left three staff in the premises overnight just in case Babik turned up. He said that Grady had gone mental, and kept saying the cops had no idea what they had done. Then, the surprise came.