by Lee Weeks
Carter shouted, ‘Now!’ and Maxi dropped like a stone as Carter shot four bullets into Marco and he stumbled backwards with the impact. Two of the bullets went straight through him. Maxi picked up Marco’s gun and made sure he stayed where he was.
‘Just like old times, Maxi.’ Carter smiled as he walked across.
Maxi shook his head, relieved.
‘Christ, I need a drink.’
Chapter 79
20 December
Carter looked at his watch: it was half seven. He was in early for the debriefing which was starting at eight. He had to be at the airport at ten to pick up Cabrina and Archie. He hadn’t seen them for two weeks. It seemed as if a lifetime had passed during that time. He’d told Cabrina not to be shocked when she saw his face. He had been stitched up; his broken nose was taped; the burn on his cheek was covered with a piece of gauze. His body was one big bruise and his left shoulder had been reset and taped up to keep it stable, but it was still in danger of dislocating again with any sharp movements or pulls.
Carter sat in the car park in his car. He wanted to listen to Della’s message one more time. He called his voicemail and listened to her voice.
‘I’m about to get on a plane, Dan. I hope and pray you made it too. I killed Laurence in self-defence’ – he heard the pause in her voice – ‘but I’m not coming back to make a statement, not now, maybe not ever. I loved being with you again. I just wanted to say that. If ever you need me, tell Connie and she’ll pass the message on. I have to go now. Take care, Dan.’
Carter closed his eyes for a few seconds and smiled as he pressed the button to erase the message. He had loved being with her again, too, but now he understood why they broke up. They were chasing different forms of happiness. What brought Carter contentment would never be enough for Della, and her life wasn’t real to him. It wasn’t what mattered, the wealth, the trappings. It made him lonely thinking about it. He parked up and went into Fletcher House.
At eight, Carter stood and addressed the assembled team. The whole of MIT 17 were gathered to hear the outcome of the previous day’s events. David Ross was also present. Bowie was hovering by the door with a big smile on his face.
Carter waited for the team to settle.
‘Tony Butcher is now in custody.’
The room erupted into cheers.
‘But, it came at a price, a high one. We have two officers dead, three more injured. So this success is tinged with great sadness for their families and colleagues. They died bringing a man in who was about to change the face of the UK drug market for ever, to flood this small island with enough cocaine to increase our addicts tenfold. They paid the price for the rest of us, and we are eternally grateful.’
The room fell silent as each officer remembered the dead.
‘Now, we come to the celebration of what we achieved. Tony is right now shivering in a cell in King’s Cross. He will be interviewed later on today. Harold is cooperating with us; he will also be interviewed later. Marco Zapata is in intensive care under heavy armed guard. We think he will live. When he comes to, he will be charged with the murder of Eddie Butcher and Melvin Pratt. Another of the Colombians died at the scene, Justino Zapata. His death is going to cause a major upset in the Zapata cartel. We must expect there to be a period of bloodshed while the cartels lick their wounds. Both the Mendez cartel and the Zapata will be looking for revenge. Sandra Butcher was shot and killed this morning on her way to a hairdresser’s appointment in Puerto Banús, a ride-by motorbike shooting. This will be the start of a tense time.
‘Now we have the task of extracting information from Tony and Harold and making many more arrests around the country. We want to knock out the distribution networks, trace all the other laboratories and close them down. But we have that rare thing in custody – we have the man himself, Tony Butcher. Well done.’
A cheer rang around the room. Carter left Ross and Willis to finish the briefing as he headed out to get into his car and drive to the airport.
‘Daddy!’
Archie ran full pelt into Carter’s arms and Carter was so grateful that with stitches, with black eyes, with a hole in his cheek from a cigarette burn, his son still loved him and recognised him. He caught him one-handed and hoisted him up.
‘I prepped him.’ Cabrina kissed Carter on the good side of his face. She looked as if she were trying not to cry. ‘I told him Daddy was trying out a look for Hallowe’en.’
‘Take the mask off now, Daddy,’ said Archie, frowning.
‘I will do, son, in a while.’
Archie stared at his dad and smiled nervously as he hugged his neck.
Ross and Willis went for a coffee after the meeting.
‘I hear you met my ex-wife,’ said Ross as they sat down at a table with their drinks.
‘Yes. I took the girls their dresses. You left them with me when you disappeared.’ Willis locked eyes with him before he looked away.
‘Yes, I’m sorry about that. I realised unless I stayed in Spain we would have no hope of catching Tony. The police were in his pay. I thought, if it looked like I was on the take too, I could watch them closely and monitor, and affect the outcome of the operation.’
‘Was I drugged? I didn’t hear you come back into the flat.’
He nodded. ‘It was just meant to help you sleep – I couldn’t risk having to include you in the deal. I didn’t know how corrupt Garcia and Ramirez were until they offered me bribes that evening.’
‘It’s an odd thing to do to your partner.’
He shrugged. ‘I did it with the best intentions. I did it because I cared about you. I had no idea it would make you ill.’
‘I don’t even take aspirin.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Willis sipped her coffee. ‘Can I make it up to you? Can I buy you dinner? The girls would love to meet you.’
‘Your ex-wife is expecting your baby?’
‘Yes. Strange but true. We can be friends, can’t we? I don’t have many of those and I felt we bonded in Spain.’
‘We bonded, until you slipped something in my drink.’
Ross went to speak and instead he shrugged.
‘It was done to protect you at the time. You were going back to do a crucial part of the operation. I felt I could be more use in Spain doing what I do best. It would never have worked if I’d stayed to explain to you that night. Garcia and Ramirez would have known I was talking to you. It had to be convincing. I did it because I know you care about your job, you care about getting it right and you would have struggled with my way of doing things.’
She nodded, deep in thought.
‘I care about you. I’m very fond of you.’
Willis stared into space as she thought things through, then she turned back to him.
‘Italian. My choice this time.’
Epilogue
Christmas Eve
At seven in the evening Della sat in the Aqua Bar in Hong Kong. It had 360-degree views and floor-to-ceiling glass. Below her the skyscrapers clustered around the harbour mouth, lit up in brilliant colours, blazing like jewels in the dark. It made her feel alive. She’d forgotten how much she loved the bright lights of the city, and not just any city. Hong Kong was a place that felt as if it had no time zone, no sleep. It had its own set of rules. Only money mattered and she had plenty of it. She could reinvent herself here. She touched her face. It felt much better. The plastic surgeon had done wonders.
She ordered a second Bloody Mary and waited for the waitress to bring it, and then she raised her glass in a silent toast.
‘To Eddie. To diamonds and memories and men I have loved. To you, Dan. To the future.’
A tall man, mixed race, beautifully dressed, appeared beside her.
‘Is this seat taken?’ he asked.
She smiled and nodded.
‘It is now. Detective Inspector Johnny Mann. How lovely to see you again.’
Acknowledgements
Thanks for help with this book go to Dave Willis, invaluabl
e as ever; and to John Jacobs, Frank Pearman, Katie Sarah Carew and Peter Selley for their expert knowledge. Thanks to Becky Long at Visage and Della from True Colors for being great listeners and sounding boards.
Big thank you, and one I never take for granted, to all my friends and family who make time to help me with every part of the creative process. I’m thinking especially of: Norma, Noreen, Traci and my sisters Clare and Sue, my Mum and my kids Ginny and Rob. Plus, there are so many others who show their support: fans and critics alike, both are much appreciated.
Marbella connections remain unnamed but much appreciated.
Big thanks to my agent Darley Anderson and everyone at the agency. Thank you to my editor Jo Dickinson and the team at Simon and Schuster.
Lastly, there are two special fans who helped me in naming this book Cold Killers and had characters named after them: Debbie Sturt and Sandra Church… I’ve had great fun with your names, but sorry I couldn’t make Debbie and Sandra any nicer!
Lee Weeks was born in Devon. She left school at seventeen and, armed with a notebook and very little cash, spent seven years working her way around Europe and South East Asia. She returned to settle in London, marry and raise two children. She has worked as an English teacher and personal fitness trainer. Her books have been Sunday Times bestsellers. She now lives in Devon.
ALSO BY LEE WEEKS
Dead of Winter
Cold as Ice
Frozen Grave
Cold Justice
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2016
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Copyright © Lee Weeks 2016
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