Three (Detective Alec Ramsay Series Book 7)

by Conrad Jones

  “Okay,” Toni shrugged meekly. She didn’t care what he wanted. She wanted to live. She wanted to see her children again. She wanted to see Kayla again whatever it took.

  “Believe me when I tell you this,” he sat forward and raised his index finger. “If you ever speak of this again, I will send someone to silence you and you will watch your children die before you do, understand?”

  “Yes,” she answered glancing at where the old couple had burned to death. She had no doubt in her mind what he was capable of. “I won’t say anything.”

  “Good. What I have told you about your family is for you and you only. When the police question you about being here, you cannot remember a single detail, understand?”

  “Yes,” Toni nodded. She didn’t care about telling anyone. She didn’t want to tell anyone. She didn’t want to think about one second of her time with Three. She wanted to live and if that meant lying and losing her memory then so be it.

  “I have your word?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good,” Ivor said standing up. “We will be leaving soon. When we do, wait one hour and then call for help, understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Be warned that this is up to you. Break our pact and the next time you see one of us you will be dead soon after. Go and live your life, Antonia Barrat and never step into ours again.”

  Toni just nodded her head in agreement. “Thank you,” she said looking him in the eyes. There was nothing else to say.

  CHAPTER 62

  Alec listened to the radio chatter as the force copter described the layout of the plant. It hadn’t changed much since the aerial photo that they had seen was uploaded onto the net. There were three vehicles and a van parked outside a warehouse that seemed to be the centre of the plant. The Acting Chief Constable had given Alec everything that he had asked for on the proviso that there was no siege. He had insisted that Alec surrounded the site without the occupants knowing and play a waiting game. Alec was fine with the request. The area was filled with armed units, sharpshooters and unmarked traffic interceptors. The motorway access roads were blocked and the river was covered with police launches and coast guard boats. If Ivor Markevica was inside, he was caught like a rat in a trap. Within an hour, they had sound equipment listening to what was going on. It wasn’t long before two men left the warehouse, climbed into the van and headed for the plant gates.

  “Let them leave,” Alec said into the comms. “We’ll take them when they’re well clear of the plant.”

  The van stopped while the driver hopped out and opened the gates. He climbed back in and drove through them before stopping and closing them again. They drove towards the motorway unaware that they were being monitored every metre that they travelled. As they reached a roundabout that linked the industrial area to the normal roads, the driver unexpectedly stopped the van in the middle of the road. Alec watched him through binoculars.

  “Something has spooked him,” a voice came over the comms.

  “There’s nothing else on the road,” Alec replied. “That roundabout is usually backed up to the motorway with traffic. Move in now!”

  Two interceptors roared onto the roundabout blocking the exits. Armed officers dressed in full body armour sprung from the vehicles and others ran from the bushes and trees at the side of the road. The driver hesitated and raised his hands. The passenger opened his door and jumped down onto the road. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a nine millimetre. Shots rang out from all directions and the man dropped to the floor, a pool of blood spreading from beneath him. The driver panicked and put the vehicle into gear. He reversed the van at speed and smashed it into one of the interceptors. Shots hit the windscreen, shattering it. Shards of glass exploded into the vehicle but the driver wasn’t ready to surrender. He floored the accelerator and the van lurched forwards and mounted the kerb onto the roundabout. The tyres ripped up the grass and hurled dirt high into the air behind it. Bullets peppered the van on both sides but didn’t halt its progress. It picked up speed, knocking over one of the armed officers. He was catapulted onto the bonnet and then tossed over the roof before crashing to the ground as the van accelerated across the roundabout. It bounced over the kerb as it screeched back onto the road; sparks flew from beneath the wheel arches. Another hail of bullets hit the vehicle. The driver was hit in the forehead, snapping his head backwards and spraying the interior with bone fragments and grey matter. The driver’s foot wedged down on the accelerator pedal and the van sped uncontrollably towards a crash barrier. Armed officers scattered in all directions as the vehicle careered onwards. It hit the barrier at speed with catastrophic force flipping it over the railings. The vehicle fell into a concrete storm drain, landing on its roof. The engine roared at full revs and grey smoke began to pour from the bonnet. A fuel line ruptured and the escaping petrol hit the exhaust pipe. The vehicle burst into flames which crept their way down the fuel line to the tank. Seconds after the flames ignited, the petrol tank exploded.

  “The other vehicles are leaving the plant,” the helicopter pilot said excitedly. “Three cars in convoy, four occupants in each.”

  “Take them as soon as they pass the gates,” Alec ordered. “If any of them want to be heroes, drop them where they stand.”

  Ivor was in the middle vehicle when the police swooped. Unmarked interceptors surrounded them blocking their progress and their escape to the rear. His men tried their best to manoeuvre the vehicles away but there wasn’t a chance. Each car was swamped by armed officers pointing Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine guns. Two of his men opened their doors and made a gallant if not stupid bid to run but they were tackled to the ground before they took more than a step. None of his men drew their weapons. To do so would have been suicide. The police were too fast for them to react. One by one, they were dragged from the vehicles, forced face down onto the floor and handcuffed. As Ivor was pulled up from the floor, he noticed one of the men in charge staring at him. He thought that he resembled a television chef whose name he couldn’t remember.

  “Take your unit and comb the warehouse for stragglers,” Alec ordered. He didn’t want any of the gang sloping off. “Make sure all these vehicles are searched for weapons before they go to the lab. The more we’ve got to charge them with at booking, the better.”

  “Guv.”

  “Take him separately,” Alec said. He singled out Ivor Markevica. “Make sure he’s processed separately from the others.” Ivor smirked as he was led away. Alec couldn’t see Andris Markevica amongst the other men and that bothered him immensely, “Wait a minute,” Alec called after him. The arresting officers turned Ivor to face Alec. “Where is your brother?”

  Ivor smiled and shrugged. He wasn’t going to answer Alec; that was obvious. A thought occurred to Alec.

  “He wasn’t in the van that left earlier was he?” Ivor’s eyes flickered. Alec knew the answer immediately. “Oh dear,” Alec said. “I’m afraid he’s probably not going to be stood in the dock next to you. Not unless we put him in an ashtray anyway.” Ivor tried to break free from the officers but they held him firm. “Take him away,” it was Alec’s turn to smile as they dragged Ivor Markevica away. .

  CHAPTER 63

  Kayla Yates looked grey. Her limbs were plastered and bandaged and she was attached to monitors. A tube was taped inside her nose and both hands had drip feeds inserted into them. Toni was sitting in a chair next to her bed holding her right hand in both of hers. She had stopped crying now. There were no tears left for a while. She was emotionally drained. What she had witnessed earlier had sapped her strength and made her feel numb. The euphoria of being allowed to live was swept away with the agony of seeing Kayla broken and beaten in a hospital bed. She was still alive, which the doctor said was incredible. They hadn’t expected her to survive the night, but against the odds she had. Toni leaned in and kissed her on the forehead and said a prayer to herself. She didn’t believe in God. If there was one, he had abandoned her decades ago when he let her fath
er burn to death in front of her eyes. She had seen evil up close. What type of God would allow an animal like Ivor Markevica to live while innocents died every second of every day? Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Muslim, none of the above were getting a good deal from their God. Toni had given up caring. Whoever they claimed made the earth did a reasonable job but then they fucked it up by putting humans on it. A sympathetic entity wouldn’t allow all the suffering to go on. A tear ran down Kayla’s face. Toni wiped it away and kissed her cheek.

  “I love you,” she whispered into her ear. “Don’t you leave me, you hear? Don’t you dare.”

  Alec appeared in the doorway and she smiled tiredly at him. “Come in,” she said.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Alec felt a little embarrassed. “How is she?”

  “As well as she looks,” Toni touched her face. “They didn’t expect her make it this far.”

  “No.” Alec said “She is strong.” They both looked at Kayla, no words came to mind. Alec needed to talk to Toni about her ordeal but it would wait, for a few days at least. She wasn’t exactly busting at the seams to tell him what had happened to her and she didn’t look injured physically. “I just wanted to say that you have my number and if you need anything, call me.”

  “Thank you,” Toni said without averting her eyes from Kayla. “Detective Ramsay,” she said as an afterthought.

  “Yes.”

  “We don’t need that armed guard outside.”

  “I hope that you don’t,” Alec frowned and his face filled with deep creases. He thought it was an odd thing to say especially after what they had been through. “At this point, it is better to be safe than sorry, okay.”

  “Okay,” she seemed to be thinking about her words. “They won’t come after me again. He promised me.”

  “Ivor Markevica promised you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “He could have killed me there and then but he chose not to.”

  “Toni,” Alec rubbed his chin. “If Markevica left you alive then it is because he has a reason. Men like him don’t have empathy. He has plans for the future. Let’s hope they don’t include you or Kayla. Don’t believe a word that man said to you.” Alec raised one finger. “Not a single word, you hear me?”

  Toni nodded and looked away. She did believe Ivor. Nobody would understand that but they didn’t need to. He was a monster but he had shed light into the darkest reaches of her past and for that she was grateful.

  Alec slipped out of the room quietly. He walked to the lift in deep thought. They had all hoped that they might find Annie during the raid but there was still no sign of her or her body. The plant had revealed little information on first inspection. The forensic results could be weeks away. Ivor Markevica was saying nothing and his men were playing the same game. Alec knew that some, if not most of them would walk away. It was difficult to make charges stick by association alone. They had recovered a body from the rear of the van. It had been bound and gagged and everyone feared that it might be Annie until a CSI confirmed that it was definitely a male. Alec hoped it was Andris. He had a suspicion that it was, just because of how Ivor had reacted. The lift doors were opening as he neared it. He allowed people to step out before he stepped in and pressed the button.

  When the lift stopped at the third floor, Alec followed two nurses onto the ICU. They nodded hello. He had been to see Jim Stirling several times daily and the nurses recognised his face.

  “Are you here again?”

  “For my sins,” Alec nodded. “How is he?”

  “No change, I’m afraid. His wife is with him.”

  “Isn’t she always?”

  “The poor woman doesn’t know what day it is. Go through and I’ll bring you both a drink.”

  “Thanks,” Alec said. Just as he did an alarm went off. The nurses nearby headed in the same direction. A doctor came out of the room to Alec’s right and ran by him. He stepped back against the corridor wall. More staff hurtled down the corridor and Alec had to admire their urgency though he couldn’t swap places with them, not for a second. The responsibility of life and death was too much for Alec. They were handicapped from the beginning of every individual case. No one walked into hospital fit and strong. They were all weakened by some form of injury or illness. He felt as if he was intruding in a world that he didn’t belong in. When he saw Janice stepping into the corridor her face white and drawn, he realised that it was Stirling’s room where the emergency was taking place. A nurse bundled her out and closed the door in her face. Janice pushed her face against the glass, her palms flat against it like a child looking through a window.

  “Janice?” Alec said as he approached her. She looked at him with tear filled eyes; dark shadows had formed beneath them. The spark in them had gone out. He stood next to her and held her around the shoulders. They watched as the doctors tried CPR. Nurses took turns doing compressions and fed adrenalin into him. The defibrillator whined and hit Stirling with electric shocks. Time and time again. Alec was aware that he was holding his breath. Hot tears ran down his cheeks before he knew that he was crying. Janice squeezed his arm painfully tight and as they watched, her legs failed her and she fell to the floor. The monitor displayed three flat lines as Big Jim Stirling lost his battle for life.

  CHAPTER 64

  When Alec returned to the station the news had arrived before him. The MIT section was in shock. They all knew that Stirling was critical but no one wanted to believe that he had lost his fight. Alec was lost for words. The time to address the troops would come but it wasn’t now. They had a ruthless gang of criminals to process, interview and charge. The job had to be done despite their grief. Max approached him and handed him a stack of notes

  “Tragic news, Guv.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “No one seems to know what to say.”

  “Better to say nothing for now. Where are we up to?”

  “The phones have been going, Guv,” he said. “Kathy Brooks has been on. She needs to talk to you urgently and the Area Commander wants you to call him as soon as possible.”

  “Thanks,” Alec mumbled. He didn’t want to make that call just yet. Whatever he had to say, it could wait. Kathy on the other hand could have something solid that they could use to bury Markevica and his cohorts.

  “Guv!” a voice called from the next desk. “There’s a Chief Inspector on the line for you, says he’s from the Frodsham nick.”

  “Frodsham?” Alec said with a shaky voice. It was the nearest station to the expansive forests of Cheshire. This was the call that he had been dreading. He couldn’t take it in front of the troops. All eyes were on him. Every detective in the department knew where Frodsham was in relation to the forests. A Chief Inspector calling from there could only mean bad news. An ominous silence descended across the MIT office. Alec gestured that he would take the call in Annie’s office. The detectives exchanged worried glances. No one dare speak. Now was not the time for speculation. It was the news that every member of the team was dreading.

  Alec walked into Annie’s office and flicked the lights on. He could smell her perfume and it brought a tear to his eyes. He put his hand on the phone but couldn’t pick it up. Never had he felt so traumatised by a phone call. He just didn’t want to answer it. Time seemed to warp into a treacle filled void where everything moved slowly. He gripped the handset and picked it up with trembling fingers. Placing it to his ear, he connected the call.

  “Ramsay,” he answered nervously.

  “Alec,” the voice sounded grim. “Bill Kingsley here.”

  “Hi, Bill.” Alec said.

  “I heard about Jim Stirling. I’m very sorry; he was one of the best.”

  “He was,” Alec agreed. “Look, things are a bit chaotic here.” Alec tried to be as civil as possible. As much as he appreciated the sentiment, he didn’t have time for condolences.

  “Of course they are, sorry.” He cleared his throat nervously and Alec braced h
imself for the news. “I’ll get straight to the point. We had a report from a dog walker up in the forest at Delamere.”

  “Oh,” Alec’s stomach flipped. He was filled with dread. His eyes closed, tears escaped them and rolled down his cheeks. He pinched his nose between his finger and thumb and waited for the hammer blow.

  “His dog was running off the lead and found something in the trees, a shallow grave, partially filled in.”

  “Partially?”

  “Yes. There were a couple of shovels discarded nearby. It looks like someone left in a hurry and didn’t finish the job. Maybe they were disturbed by walkers. Anyway she wasn’t buried completely.”

  “Oh Jesus,” Alec sucked in his breath. He said ‘she’. It had to be Annie.

  “We have found a female dressed in her nightgown. She’s got a very bad wound to the back of her skull and she’s suffering from hypothermia but she’s alive. They’ve taken her to the head trauma unit at Walton Hospital by air ambulance. I think we have found your DI.”

  “She’s alive?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fucking hell,” Alec whispered. He couldn’t process the information. “Thank you for the call,” Alec felt his knees weaken. He fist pumped the air and slammed the handset down. When he opened the office door, a sea of silent faces stared at him. He looked around them with tear filled eyes. “They found Annie,” he said. “She’s in a bad way but she’s alive.” The office erupted with cheers, some excited, some incoherent and some were downright abusive.

  EPILOGUE

  One Month Later

  Annie was sitting up in bed, waiting patiently as her consultant and a gaggle of student doctors studied her notes. Their discussion was short and to the point. Her skull fractures were healing nicely and the bruising on her brain was shrinking. That was the good news. The bad news was that she was being plagued by dizzy spells and they didn’t know why. The consultant had told her that they may pass and then again they may not. A brain injury as serious as hers could always leave permanent damage. He had explained that the brain was a complicated organ that surgeons knew too little about. Time would tell. She spotted Alec through the window, waiting in the corridor and her spirits lifted. She was never one to be still and being confined to a hospital bed was mind numbingly boring. The doctors said their goodbyes and Alec waited patiently for them to leave before coming in.