by Jack Probyn
By now, they would have normally been on their second vehicle change, having parked the last one in a remote location somewhere only dog walkers and doggers would find it. Now, however, everything about the heist was different. The dynamic had changed. And it was Danny’s plan they were all supposed to follow, put their trust in. Luke was hesitant. He trusted his brother but not enough. Freddy, their old leader and Luke’s closest friend, had been the one responsible for pulling off their previous heists. Danny’s way of doing things was different.
And different didn’t always mean good.
Danny swerved the car round a roundabout.
‘Slow down,’ Luke said, massaging his forehead. ‘I’m going to heave in a second.’
‘Do it on the back seats.’
‘But I—’
‘Look at the cars in front of us or something. That usually helps. We’ve got a couple of hours to go. You’re a big boy – I’m sure you can last that long,’ Danny said, throwing his hands in the air. ‘Or you can start putting the diamonds in the bags if you want?’
‘Do you want me to pass out? I’m useless if I’m unconscious, aren’t I?’ Luke replied, swallowing hard, fighting to allay the bile that rose in his throat.
Without warning, Danny slammed on the brakes, launching Luke forward in the seat. The seat belt dug into his shoulder. ‘If you don’t slow down, we’ll get pulled over. The cops’ll be all over this car soon, remember?’
‘Yes – thanks, Luke. I have done this before. I know what I’m doing; I don’t need a kid like you telling me what to do.’ Danny gripped the wheel harder and rolled his knuckles back and forth.
Michael chimed in. ‘A moment ago, you said he was a big boy, and now you’re—’
Danny pointed his finger in Michael’s face and then punched him in the arm. ‘Don’t start, Micky. Now ain’t the time.’
‘Never seems to be a good time with you recently. You’ve been uptight the past few days. Ever since you had to let that bitch go.’
‘I did that for you boys. You lot should be thanking me.’
‘Where’d you get that idea from?’
‘Louise told me to sack you lot off, but I said no. Nobody splitting me and my brothers up.’
‘Good riddance to the slut. I certainly ain’t gonna miss her. Now, enough of her – she ain’t worth our time.’ Michael twisted in the seat and grabbed the open gym bag beside Luke in the back. ‘How much you reckon we got here, boys? Hundred grand? Two? Three?’
‘Easy five,’ Luke added.
‘Music to my ears, Luke. Music to my fucking ears.’ Michael dropped the bag, clapped his hands, and switched the radio on – Radio X, blasting the latest rock track that Michael seemed to already know the words to.
Usually, Luke hated listening to Michael’s taste in music – he was more of a drum and bass fan, garage music, something with heavy, repetitive beats – but on this occasion, he accepted it.
Luke had never been through a break-up – he’d never even had a girlfriend – and he was aware that they were hard, but from the way Danny continued to speak about Louise, it sounded almost as if they were still together. And that was beginning to piss both Michael and himself off. Danny was supposed to be the fearless leader of an organised crime group, not some wet-behind-the-ears drooler, pandering after his ex-girlfriend.
Luke eased himself into the chair, allowing the music to wash over him and offer a respite from any more episodes of the Danny and Louise Show.
CHAPTER 15
FRIENDLY FACES
A wall of smoke lingered in Danika’s face. The air was still, and the smell of chemicals and tar in the tobacco climbed her nostrils and plunged down her throat. She inhaled hard, her mouth tingling as she absorbed the toxins. She cherished the taste, the feeling, the relaxing sensation the cigarette incited every time she took a drag. It helped vacate her mind and offered a momentary release from the angst and stress of life, of everything going on. She wanted more but knew she couldn’t. Her husband would be able to smell it on her when she got home. No matter how much perfume she applied, the smell and taste lingered like burning rubber. And the less ammunition she gave him to use against her, the better.
Mount Browne’s wooden double doors opened beside her, and DI Mark Murphy – the first person in the office who’d made a point of introducing himself – stepped out. He was handsome – his cheekbones prominent on his face and his jawline chiselled. He was dressed in a waistcoat with his tie tucked just beneath the buttons, and his navy shirt hugged the contours of his shoulders and arms. It was clear to see that he was in good physical shape. A man who took care of himself. His only obvious flaw was the receding hairline that looked as if it were running away from his eyebrows, even though he tried to hide it with copious amounts of hair gel.
Murphy reached into his pocket, produced a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. It dangled there as he frisked his chest and thigh pockets.
‘Don’t suppose I could borrow your lighter, do you?’ he asked. ‘Sorry. I left mine at my desk.’
Saying nothing, still reeling in the euphoria from her last hit, Danika reached into her pocket and pulled out a lighter. She ignited the flint and held the flame beneath Murphy’s cigarette. He inhaled and the end glowed orange like a small firefly dancing in the night.
‘Fourth one of the day, and it’s not even noon,’ he said, ejecting a cloud of smoke into the air. As he did so, the wind picked it up and wafted it into Danika’s face. Two for the price of one. ‘How many you on this morning?’
‘Just the one.’
‘Good. If Pemberton saw, she’d kill you. Hates fag breaks. But I’m a little more lenient. Can’t blame her really. Filthy habit. I’ve been meaning to quit. It’s on my to-do list.’
‘It’s like that for everyone, no?’
Remember, Danika, he’s your boss. Keep it civil and professional. Tony’s not here – he won’t know a thing.
‘I like to think so.’ He smiled at her and lowered the cigarette from his mouth. ‘Interesting start to your first day. How you finding it? How’d the witness statements go just now? Get some solid reports?’
‘Good, I think,’ she replied. ‘They didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, which was a shame.’
‘That’s not always a bad thing. Means that the rest of us are doing our jobs properly. Although I must admit I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone turn up to the office as early as you did.’
‘I’m well trained,’ she said with a smile. ‘Had to make a good first impression somehow.’
‘I’m sure you’ll be able to keep it up. So far you seem to be pulling your weight just fine. What’re you thinking about it all at the moment? Any suspicions?’
Danika hesitated a moment to collect her thoughts. It wasn’t something she’d actively thought about. There were no hypotheses floating around in her mind, guiding her in a particular direction. That was for the senior detectives to decide. Unlike Jake, who’d taken it upon himself to jump ahead of everyone else.
That reminded her.
‘I’ve noticed there are similarities,’ she began.
‘Between?’
‘Have you ever heard of The Crimsons?’
Murphy’s face changed slightly. His eyes narrowed and he took another drag on the cigarette. ‘Should I have?’
‘It looks to me like it could be them. From the witness reports, their uniform is consistent, as is the use of firearms.’
Murphy pursed his lips, nodded. ‘Interesting, but how do you explain the abduction and murder?’
That was as far as it went. The hypothesis well had dried up. If only she’d listened to Jake more, she might have been able to impress Murphy better.
‘It’s a good theory,’ Murphy said as he scratched the underside of his chin when she didn’t respond. ‘One that I definitely think we should focus on, but right now the priority is not who these guys are, but where they are.’
Danika took a drag of her cigarette;
she’d lit a second one without realising.
‘I can tell it’s going to be a busy day,’ Murphy said, nodding to the second stick she’d just sparked. ‘What made you get into it?’
‘My parents – they both smoked.’
‘No… I meant the police. How did you become an officer?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘We’ve got some time. I like to make sure I know the people I’m working with. Make sure I can trust them.’
Danika hesitated. She was reticent to share the details with him. Not least because it involved the man who was currently making her life hell, and any mention of how she got involved with the police was enough to drudge up the feelings of repugnance she felt towards a man she’d once loved. In the end she ceded.
‘My husband,’ she began, ‘he was a police officer. He joined when he left school. I met him a few years later when I moved from Slovenia. We worked together. Started a family together. A year after our kids were born, he was involved in an incident. Somebody threw him from the top of a building. Broke both his legs. He was forced to medically retire. He’s been looking after the kids ever since.’
‘That’s heavy. I’m sorry.’
‘You asked.’
A moment of silence washed over them. Danika enjoyed it. Relaxed in it. But Murphy… well, it was clear to see he was hating every second. She sensed from his body language – his posture, his eyes, his mouth – that he had an arsenal of questions he wanted to fire at her.
He fired the first shot from the barrel.
‘Would you like to talk about it?’
Danika shook her head. Of course she didn’t.
‘Well, if you need someone to speak with, come and let me know. I’m always around. And it helps to know a friendly face in the office once in a while.’
CHAPTER 16
KEYS
Fourteen minutes later, Pemberton arrived with an entourage of police officers: four liveried police vehicles, a black van containing six authorised firearms officers, a dog van and two detectives pooling together in their Volvo. Within minutes, both ends of the street were sealed off and entrance to the road was blocked by one of the vehicles. Nobody in. Nobody out.
Up until that point, Jake’s orders had been to sit back and wait. Bridger clearly didn’t think he was much help, and Jake could hardly blame him. But as he watched the firearms team shuffle closer towards Candice Strachan and the device around her neck, he felt himself relax a little, less overwhelmed. The situation was beginning to feel like it was in safe hands, and he was happy to keep it that way.
Jake climbed out of Bridger’s car and rounded the front, joining Bridger and Pemberton as they discussed the next plan of action. She’d been good on her word and got herself on the ground, and Jake respected her for that. He was sure that many SIOs would distance themselves from an investigation like this and manage it from behind a desk.
‘Ah, Jake,’ she began as he caught her attention. ‘I need you to do something for me.’
Jake glanced at Bridger. The man replied with an almost imperceptible nod. He’d saved him the embarrassment of having to explain himself and tell her why he’d had a panic attack. For that, he owed Bridger one.
‘I need you to call in forensics and bomb squad. I should have done it sooner, but I didn’t realise it was this bad.’
‘Of course, guv. No prob—’
‘Let me do it,’ Bridger interrupted, already pulling his phone and holding it to his ear before either of them had the opportunity to object. ‘It’ll be quicker.’
Jake watched the sergeant disappear further up the road before he turned his attention back to the mansion. The armed officers were in the middle of approaching the vehicle, their weapons raised and eyes trained on Candice and the surrounding area.
The radio attached to Pemberton’s hand bleated. ‘The vehicle is clear. Approaching the property now, ma’am,’ one of the armed officers said. Despite being a short distance from an unknown and potentially dangerous device, there was a high measure of calm in the firearms officer’s voice.
‘Understood. Approach with caution,’ Pemberton replied, holding the radio against her lips.
Jake was transfixed on proceedings until a noise distracted him. A police dog – a gorgeous German Shepherd – had just jumped out the back of the dog van and was busying itself with the new scents and smells offered on the concrete, its handler standing a few feet behind. German Shepherds were Jake’s favourite. His family had owned one once, when he was a child, and it had been his best friend. They were gorgeous animals, loyal, trusting, and Jake had longed to have another one ever since, but there was no way they could afford the extra expense right now.
‘House is clear, ma’am. Safe to proceed,’ the radio echoed, and thirty seconds later the armed officers exited the mansion, giving Candice a wide berth.
As soon as she received the order, Pemberton turned her attention to the officer holding the police dog. She called him over and waited until they came to a stop by her side, both as attentive to Pemberton as the other.
‘We don’t know what that thing around her neck is,’ Pemberton started. ‘But we need to be able to communicate with her so we can help her and find out what it’s for.’
‘Understood, ma’am,’ the handler replied with a slight dip of the head.
Pemberton spun on her feet and looked at Jake. ‘Can you find me a spare radio?’
Feeling like he finally had a part to play – albeit a minor one – Jake propelled himself from Bridger’s car and raced towards the nearest police vehicle. There, he found one of the uniformed officers dawdling, caught in the middle of trying to make himself look busy. Jake asked him for a radio, and the man handed him the one from inside the car.
‘Will we get it back?’
Jake shrugged. ‘I hope so.’
Pemberton was grateful for the radio and told him so. She passed it to the handler, who placed the small device on the dog’s back, clipping it onto his harness. During times of hostage negotiation, the animal was usually deployed to open up a two-way communication with the abductor and begin a negotiation. But this wasn’t a negotiation in the traditional sense. There was no madman holding a gun to Candice’s head making incredulous demands. Instead, there was an invisible enemy and an unknown device, and everything about the situation was unprecedented.
As soon as Pemberton gave the order, the officer led the police dog through the gates, across the gravelled driveway and over to the perimeter that the armed officers had set for themselves. As they arrived at the firearms team, the officer bent down and let the dog off the leash. The animal bounded towards Candice in a flash and stopped by her side. When Candice picked up the radio and held it to her face, the dog hurried back.
‘Candice,’ Pemberton began, seemingly as relaxed as the firearms officer she’d spoken to moments ago. ‘This is DCI Nicki Pemberton from Surrey Police. We’re going to need you to stay exactly where you are until we tell you otherwise. I need you to remain calm. We’re here to help you.’
‘Please! Please! You have to get this thing off me. I don’t want to die. They said it was going to go off in a few hours if we don’t stop it.’
‘Who’s they, Candice? Who did this to you?’
‘The Crimsons!’
At the mention of The Crimsons’ name, the quaint, empty road seemed to fall silent, and a lump swelled in Jake’s throat. He thought about clenching his fist and raising it in the air in celebration, but then the severity of the situation slapped him across the face, and he remembered where he was and that he needed to demonstrate at least a modicum of decorum. A few things were certain – firstly, that he’d been right in his suspicions, but more importantly, The Crimsons had now upgraded their methods. Never in any of their previous heists had they abducted someone – let alone two people. And never had they used anything as devious and evil as a spike collar bomb.
‘Are you sure it’s them, Candice?’ Pemberton asked.
‘Yes. They told me it was. They said people were going to r-r-remember their name forever.’
‘What else did they say?’
‘They said it was booby-trapped. Shouldn’t be tampered with.’
Pemberton nodded and stepped into the driveway. She moved gracefully across the stones, looking as though she hovered above them a few inches. When she came to a stop halfway between the gates and the ring of armed officers, she continued.
‘Did they say how to defuse it, Candice? Did they give you any instructions?’
Candice nodded, the whites of her eyes shimmering in the sun. As she moved, the device bounced up and down on her chest.
‘They left a note with some instructions on it. It’s in the house. I can g-g-get it.’
Candice took a step forward, but as soon as she moved, the armed officers raised their weapons.
‘No!’ Pemberton shouted. ‘Stay where you are. Do not move. We’re setting up a perimeter, and we need you to remain perfectly still. Just wait until I tell you what to do next.’
Jake watched on in awe of everything happening around him. Feeling pleased and horrified at the same time, he wandered onto the stones, tiptoed past the gate and came to the edge of the shadow that ran along the driveway. One more step and he’d cross into the unknown. Holding his breath, he did it and stopped beside Pemberton.
She lowered her radio and spoke to him. ‘Roger Heathcote’s missing still. Advise uniform to look for him. He’s got to be out there somewhere, and he might be able to help us track The Crimsons. Give them the witness report Mr Heathcote’s wife gave us.’