The Blue Notes

by J. J. Salkeld

  He knew the woman who lived at 37 to say hello to, so he slipped out of the cab, walked quickly to her door, and kept his head turned away from the blue hatchback. They’d not be using their mirrors anyway, the twats. The door opened quickly.

  ‘All right, Davey?’

  ‘Aye, fine thanks, Paula. Can I come in for a minute?’

  She smiled, and held the door open wide.

  ’Of course, come on in. Can I get you a drink?’

  ‘No, ta. I wanted to ask a favour.’

  ‘Bowl of sugar, is it? I’ve been waiting for you to ask me out for months, so there’s no need to beat around the bush, like.’

  Hood smiled. ‘I won’t. But it’s a real favour. I wondered if I could borrow your car.’

  ‘My car? Why? Is your truck off the road?’

  ‘Aye. Well, no. It’s just that I need to use another car for half an hour, an hour tops. And if I break it, I bought it.’

  ‘Come in to the sitting room, love, and tell me all about it. I knew you weren’t just a van driver, Davey, right from when you first moved in. You’re undercover, aren’t you? Copper, is it?’

  ‘No, love, you were right about me the first time. I’m just an ex-soldier who shifts stuff about the spot, that’s all. If I was undercover I wouldn’t need to borrow a car, now would I? It’s nothing, just a little errand I need to run, and not in my own vehicle. Nothing covert about it, I promise.’

  She thought about it for a moment. ‘All right, but I’m coming with you.’

  ‘No, love. I can’t let you do that. It’d be far too risky.’

  ‘Ah-ha’, she said, ‘so you are up to something. I bloody well knew it.’

  Hood smiled. ‘You’re not just a pretty face, are you? All right, here it is. A couple of blokes have been following me, and they’re parked up near my place now. I want to follow them when they leave here, which could be anytime, but will probably be very soon.’

  ‘Really? Christ. You’re making this up.’

  ‘I’m not, honest.’

  ‘All right, I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you the keys…’

  ‘Great.’

  ‘….on two conditions. First, I walk down to see if they’re there, and second that you take me out for a drink after. Deal?’

  ‘Deal. But I need you to be quick, and you’ll have to run all the way round the block after. I can’t risk you walking past the car twice. It’s the blue hatchback, looks like a Vauxhall, two up, parked up outside number 17, that sort of area. Just walk past normally, love, and don’t stare.’

  Hood stood at the bay window and watched as Paula walked past the car, then crossed over and turned right. A minute later she was back, but still breathing lightly. She must be every bit as fit as she looked.

  ‘Shit, Davey, you’re right. They look like a right couple of animals.’

  ‘You mean they’re big, fat and shaven headed?’

  ‘Aye, how did you know?’

  ‘It’s a type. They’ll be about as hard as putty, love. Now, can I borrow your car?’

  He sat in the purple Fiesta and waited. It smelt nice, but the car was untidy. So he sorted it out a bit while he waited. Paula kept coming over to the front window and waving at him, and he kept shooing her away. He was relieved when, at seven fifteen, the blue car pulled out. He looked over his shoulder before he followed, but they weren’t being relieved by another vehicle. So he settled in a couple of cars behind them, and he was soon certain that he hadn’t been spotted. Hood trailed the car through the early evening traffic to the western outskirts of town, and drove past when the car stopped outside a row of shops. They were all boarded up, except for a corner shop, and Hood expected one of them to pop in there and pick up some snacks. They sounded like snacking lads, from what Paula had said. But when the passenger door opened the man didn’t go into the shop, but walked back to a unit further along, with metal shutters over the doors and windows. He banged on the one covering the door, and a few seconds later it rolled up, and he disappeared inside. Two minutes later he was out again, trotting the fat man waddle back to the car. And then it pulled away, fast.

  Hood watched for another five minutes, then got out of the Fiesta, locked it, and strolled past the shops. There was an alley leading down the side, and he walked slowly down, stopping at the end of the wall. He glanced round the corner, saw there was no-on about, and had a look at the rear doors. All of them were padlocked, but weren’t protected by metal grilles. He pulled the multi tool out of his pockets and loosened the screws holding the padlock plate to the door of the unit that the fat man had gone into. He was pretty sure that, if anyone was really keen to get out, then a really solid kick would burst it right open.

  After that he walked back to the car, drove back to Paula’s house, and parked up outside. Sure enough the blue hatchback was in position near his house. So he got back into his pick up, drove it to the yard, and parked it up inside. Then he walked quickly back to Paula’s.

  She opened the door before he’d even knocked.

  ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

  ‘Well I’m not. I’m bloody terrified. You’re having that drink with me right now, Davey. I need something to calm my nerves.’

  She gave him a beer, made herself a gin and tonic, and led the way back to the living room. Some music that Davey didn’t recognise was playing softly, and there were a couple of candles burning. He pretended not to notice, and said thanks for the drink.

  ‘Are you a criminal then, Davey? Is that what all this is about? Have you nicked off the wrong people, or something?’

  ‘No, nothing like that.’

  ‘Then let’s call the police, love. Let them take care of it.’

  ‘No, there’s no need for that. I’ll head off in a bit, and go and stay with a mate. I’ll take care of those lads in a day or two. Let them spend a night in the car first.’

  ‘You’re not going anywhere, Davey Hood. You’re staying here tonight, and that’s an order.’

  He took a sip of his drink.

  ‘Yes, ma’am. But only if you insist, like.’

  Wednesday, 15th April

  Carlisle Divisional HQ, Carlisle, 9.01am

  DS Jarvis looked steadily at Superintendent Clark as he spoke. ‘I hope that’s all absolutely clear, ma’am?’

  ‘Yes, I think so. You’re saying that you are now convinced that we do have an officer in this station who is leaking operationally sensitive information to third parties connected with organised crime.’

  ‘Not necessarily a sworn officer, but someone, certainly. We have intelligence to that effect, and the information is judged to be of very high quality. Grade A intel, that’s all I can tell you.’

  ‘And you can’t say who that source is?’

  ‘I can’t, or rather I couldn’t, even if I knew.’

  Clark nodded. ‘So the plan is to mount another operation, targeting organised crime, but this time you’ll be monitoring the communications and actions of a large number of personnel based at this station, the idea being to catch the person in the act of passing on operational information. Is that right?’

  ‘Yes, that’s pretty much it.’

  ‘But what if our mole makes personal contact with their handler, or whatever it is you call them?’

  ‘That’s an operational detail, ma’am, and I’m not at liberty to discuss such matters with you, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Because I’m a suspect?’

  Jarvis smiled. ‘The only way that we can eliminate you, and all your other colleagues, is to ensure that no specific operational details are shared, ma’am.’

  ‘So you’ve already begun your surveillance, I take it?’

  ‘We have, yes.’

  ‘And can you tell me the nature of the operation that will be mounted?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘That’s big of you, DS Jarvis.’

  ‘Not really, ma’am. Superintendent Phillips is already in the build
ing, and will hold a formal briefing in ten minutes.’

  This time Clark smiled. She should have guessed. ‘So what’s the target?’

  ‘A business premises in Carlisle, on English Street. Thompson’s, the wine bar, just along from the bank.’

  ‘I know it. I’ve been there several times, in fact.’

  ‘Well, it’s owned, or rather controlled, by Dai Young, and above it is an office suite. It’s a straight operation, but in one of the offices there’s one computer, not connected to the network and only accessible by one of Young’s most trusted people, and that holds his whole operation’s financial details. That’s the target. It could be a treasure trove for us, and break his whole organisation wide open.’

  ‘Young has an accountant?’

  ‘More than one, actually. He’s not the ultimate boss, remember, so he has to report back, and his masters want to be sure that every penny his organisation earns is properly accounted for. They want to be sure that he’s not stealing from them, essentially.’

  ‘I see. So this is a real operation, not some kind of ruse to get the mole to expose themselves?’

  ‘Absolutely not. It’s very, very real, ma’am.’

  Clark nodded, thoughtfully. ‘Pepper Wilson predicted that this is what you’d do next. Don’t you think that’s a bit, you know, suspicious?’

  Jarvis smiled, then shook his head. ‘No, not at all. I’m not saying that Acting DI Wilson isn’t still of interest to us, but that just shows that she’s a well-informed copper. Plenty of people around here will be expecting this, and that’s why we have to act on real, quality intel. This force has had a pretty bad few years when it comes to coppers getting nicked for a variety of offences, and with mergers back on the table you’ll appreciate that I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that we’re throwing everything we’ve got at this operation. Orders from the Chief himself. My understanding is that, if we don’t catch our mole, then Cumbria Constabulary is facing an existential threat. In a year or two from now, if things go badly, we could just get incorporated into a larger north-west constabulary of some kind. Personally, I’m all in favour, but there are plenty of Superintendents who are shitting themselves about it. Present company excepted, like.’

  ‘Thanks.

  After the briefing, which started at 3pm sharp, DC Copeland asked Armstrong to help him to check the log against some items stored down in the evidence room. There seemed to be some sort of numbering cock-up, and he didn’t want to give any ammunition to some smart-arse defence barrister.

  ‘Did you do that background check on Davey Hood?’, he asked, as they were descending the stairs to the lower basement.

  ‘Aye, I did.’

  ‘And you weren’t the first, I take it?’

  Armstrong smiled. ‘You’re right, Pepper had already done the same. Full background check.’

  ‘I told you so. I bloody told you, mate.’

  ‘That means nothing though, does it? We’ve had contact with him recently, and he might have been a witness if the assault on you and Pepper ever came to trial.’

  ‘Maybe, I suppose. Anyway, what did you find out?’

  ‘Not much. No criminal record, and nothing in his army record, either. A model soldier, by the looks. No CCJs, nothing like that, and no tax returns for his company as yet.’

  ‘Mr. Clean, then? That’s a surprise. Given how handy he is with his fists I’d have expected a conviction or two for affray, or something like that.’

  ‘No, nothing. But his KAs are different. The two lads he employs, for example. They’ve both had convictions since they left the army, both for violence. And they’ve both been on addiction programmes.’

  ‘Smack?’

  ‘Aye, I’d say so, but nothing against either of them in the last year or so.’

  ‘Any gang affiliations, anything like that?’

  ‘Not as far as I could see. Nothing that caught my eye, anyway.’

  ‘And no connection with Dai Young?’

  ‘No. I called the intelligence unit, just on the off chance.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Nothing on Davey Hood. They checked, and his name’s never even come up. So he’s clean, Rex, I’m sure of it. And Pepper’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.’

  ‘You mean he looks clean, mate. That still doesn’t mean he is.’

  They were outside the evidence room now, and Armstrong had his hand on the door handle. But he didn’t open it, and instead turned to Copeland.

  ‘I know Hood’s all right, Rex. For a fact, like. You’re wasting your time on this one, honest.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘Sorry, mate. I can’t tell you, but I do.’

  ‘And Pepper knows this too, I take it?’

  ‘She does, aye.’

  ‘And she’s the one who told you to keep whatever it is you know to yourself, I take it?’

  ‘Aye, it is.’

  ‘There’s no more to say then, is there? But I’ll tell you one thing, mate. There’s something wrong about that bloke, and I’m going to find exactly out what that is.’

  Pepper never liked seeing an email from the Super, especially just before she was about to leave the office. And when she saw the subject, ‘Drink?’, she frowned, and wondered if she could just leave it unopened and head for the door. She hesitated, and then opened the email. It was a chatty suggestion that they could maybe have a quick drink straight after work, or maybe later that evening.

  Pepper thought about it for a moment before she replied. They met up every couple of weeks anyway, and it had been a while: but why tonight? The raid was going off, and although neither of them were involved because DI Jane Francis’ team from HQ was running the show, Pepper would still have preferred to be at home, and sober, just in case. But she also knew that Mary was lonely and a bit unhappy. Well, more than a bit, judging by a couple of comments that she’d made the last time they’d gone out. And Pepper knew how hard it was to meet anyone new, especially as a copper. For some reason even blokes who’d never had so much as a parking ticket found women in the job more than a little intimidating. ‘I’m not from the political correctness squad’, she’d said on more than one first date, but it had done sod all good. So she emailed Mary back, suggested they meet at nine, and left the office thinking about who she could persuade to sit for her, at such short notice.

  Mary was there before her, as she always was, and as always Pepper apologised for being late. It was the same wine bar that they usually frequented too, and the bottle in the cooler on the table was the variety that they invariably drank. Pepper sat down, thought how badly dressed she looked in comparison with Mary, and even a quick mental comparison of their salaries didn’t make her feel all that much better. But she smiled anyway, and Mary noticed.

  ‘Looking forward to a glass of wine, love?’

  ‘Always. Since a couple of my mates stopped exchanging sitting Ben for payment in wine form I’ve barely touched a drop. I just can’t seem to drink alone.’

  ‘Really? I wish I could say the same.’

  ‘Well’, said Pepper brightly, ‘we’re drinking together now, aren’t we?’ She sincerely hoped that Mary hadn’t just come out for a moan.

  But she needn’t have worried, because it seemed that the Super was in relatively playful mood, and she told stories about a couple of the other Superintendents, including the married one from Personnel who’d almost literally chased Mary round the table in a meeting room at HQ.

  ‘How did you fight him off? Pepper spray, was it?’

  ‘No, I just kept moving, and he ran out of puff after a bit. Stamina wouldn’t be his strong point, I’d say.’

  ‘I doubt his strong point would be much of a strong point’, added Pepper, laughing. ‘Still, it’s nice to be noticed, I suppose. I’m already pretty much invisible to blokes, as far as I can tell.’

  ‘You? No way, love. I’d kill for your figure. And your looks, too, of course. Tell you what, let’s get our grigio
goggles on, and see what happens, shall we?’

  ‘I know what’ll happen, love. I’ll wake up on my own tomorrow, with nothing but a hangover for company. That’s exactly what’ll happen.’

  The two women chatted their way through a second bottle, and Pepper was enjoying herself now.

  ‘It’s really nice to get out,’ said Mary, ‘this bloody mole hunt is making me nervous.’

  ‘That’s normal, don’t worry. I remember the first time some con made a complaint about me, back when I was a probationer, and I was shitting myself for weeks. None of the old sweats could understand it. Just goes with the territory, worse luck.’

  ‘I don’t know, Pepper. I can’t see what all this proves, either way. What if the raid is a huge success? Does that mean we haven’t got a mole?’

  ‘No, not for certain. But, like I said before, most policing is based on established procedures. You see we learn as time goes on, and the cons never do. That’s what sets us apart. They just keep doing the same stupid shit, generation after generation. They’re the only human beings that actually make you doubt evolution, are the scum-bags.’

  Mary Clark laughed, then looked at her watch. ‘Half-ten. They’ll be on with it now, won’t they?’

  ‘Aye, they will. And I hereby bar you from checking your phone. And I’ll do the same. We’ll hear all about it in the morning, I dare say. And that’ll be soon enough, Mary, believe you me.’

  DI Jane Francis didn’t need to look at her watch, because she was getting a countdown in her ear. This was it. The building’s key holder had been knocked up only fifteen minutes before, and hadn’t been out of an officer’s sight until the moment that he opened the door and the search team ran up the stairs, led by two officers from armed response. Jane and her DS, Keith Iredale, followed when the place was secure, and two members of the tech team, who seemed slightly surprised to be out at that time of night without parental supervision, brought up the rear. They were under instructions to remove the hard drive without powering up the target computer, in case it automatically deleted data. They were to then clone the drive, and put it back.