The Mallorcan Bookseller (The 3R International Series Book 1)

by PETE DAVIES

  They checked the firearms before locating a suitable hiding place within the garden to bury the gun box, leaving out two of the Glocks and a Taser.

  “Okay guys, speak tomorrow. I’m now off for dinner with my new half-brother.”

  The two men looked at her. She had got in the Merc and driven away before they could say anything. They looked at each other with the same thought, ‘Half-brother, what on earth was that all about?’

  *****

  Sam picked Terri up from her apartment and drove to Llucmajor, to Contrabando. As they walked in the restaurant, he noticed the people at the tables close to the door looked towards her. She did look stunning. Miquel saw them and came across to greet them.

  “Sam, welcome my friend and you must be Terri. It is a pleasure to meet you and welcome to Contrabando.”

  They sat down at one of the window tables and Miquel brought cocktails on a tray. Terri looked at the drinks and then at Miquel.

  “It’s a Martínez, Terri. Gin, sweet vermouth and maraschino cherry liqueur. Enjoy!”

  “You’ve got a drink named after you?” she looked at Sam.

  “Well, I can’t claim it’s named after us, but I have to admit I do like it.”

  They chose some tapas and Miquel suggested the wine and as they waited Sam asked her to tell him about her father.

  “Strange day for you Sam. What with finding out about your mum and then about my dad, or rather our dad.”

  “Yes, definitely. The thing with Greg is, well, in some ways it’s less of an issue. Mum had never really talked about my biological father. She didn’t exactly hide anything and she had told me what had happened when I was old enough to grasp it. She’d had a relationship with a guy who she would never be able to be with. I think I might have thought he was either married or his parents wouldn’t allow it, you know, that sort of thing and it wasn’t Greg’s name on my birth certificate. I gather now it was a name with a made up background that someone in MI6 had put together for her. So finding out he’s my actual biological father is strange, but now I know they both were spies, well it sort of makes sense.”

  “If it’s any consolation mate, he’s a pretty good bloke in my view,” said Terri. “My mum went on later to have a long term relationship with a guy back home and finally married him. He’s been a great step-dad, but Greg has always been there for me and worked with my mum to be part of my life, so when I decided to leave the army it was too good an opportunity to pass up not to work with him.”

  They talked about each other’s jobs and Sam found her easy to talk to and found himself telling her about what had happened with Jimmy and how it had affected him.

  “So how are you feeling now?” said Terri.

  “Pretty good actually, which surprises me a bit. I hadn’t realised how close to the edge I’d got. I just need to watch it when I get in pressure situations.” He went quiet. “I can sometimes lose it a bit then.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked gently.

  He told her about the two guys who had tried to mug him as he walked from the car and how he could have just disarmed them and let them go, but he’d wanted them to try again and then he’d made sure he hurt them.

  “Don’t lose too much sleep over them though Sam, but I get where you’re coming from. Are you getting any help, any therapy?”

  “I’ve tried, but I think now that I wasn’t ready. Go back a week and I couldn’t talk like this to anyone and now I’ve off loaded to both you and this guy here,” as Miquel came back to see them.

  “Yes, you did amigo and it was about time he opened up Terri. He’s had me worried for a while, but hey, enough talking and more eating. I have the rest of your tapas for you,” presenting them with plates of grilled vegetables with Romescu sauce, pork loin with homemade sobrassada sausage and honey and finally, pork cheeks with sweet potato purée. “Buen provecho amigos. Enjoy your food my friends.”

  *****

  Greg had collected Lori from her apartment and they had walked into town for some dinner. They found a quiet restaurant away from the usual tourist area and a good distance from the clubs where Pérez and his team would be working tonight. Conversation was easy and Lori felt relaxed and comfortable in his company, but she was also still trying to get her head around her feelings for Greg and how to not let things get in the way of what she was supposed to be on the island to do.

  “Lori, is it just me or is this, well, just a bit awkward. I mean the timing of this?”

  She looked at him and smiled.

  She felt that he liked her, but was it all just too much like a holiday romance? She was working away from home and so was he and they had been brought together because of the situation, so why not just live for the moment and enjoy a bit of romance with an attractive man? But he was now asking if it was a bit awkward.

  “What do you mean Greg?” She wanted him to lead on this. To tell her how he felt about her and what he might want to do.

  “Look, I really like you,” said Greg.

  “I sense a ‘but’ coming here Greg.”

  “Yes, but I think it’s for the right reasons,” said Greg taking hold of her hands. “Could this be something that is more than just a few days and nights together whilst we are working on this case?”

  It had been so long since she had felt anything like this about someone. She felt her heart throbbing and thought it must be so loud that he’s got to be able to hear it. She smiled. It was like being a teenager again ‘and I’m nearly forty eight,’ she thought.

  “You’re smiling Lori. Is that good?”

  “Yes.”

  He didn’t say anymore. He didn’t think he needed too. They held hands and just looked at each other, before he suddenly got up from his chair and leaned forward towards her, hesitating a moment until she moved towards him and he kissed her tenderly on the lips.

  *****

  Jaz saw him enter the hotel bar, El Patio de Glòria. She had been looking forward to seeing him and she was glad he didn’t have his two bodyguards walk in behind him. This was a lovely hotel and she didn’t want people looking at him and wondering who he was. He greeted her with a gentle kiss on both cheeks and they went in for dinner. They talked a little business and then like a couple out on a date, they talked and laughed together about memories of growing up and first loves. She then noticed he went quiet after he had been talking about his friend Sergei.

  “Sonny, is anything wrong between you and Sergei?”

  “Are you asking as a business partner, or as someone who might have some feelings for me?” said Sonny.

  She paused and said, “It might surprise you, as it actually surprises me a hell of a lot, but I’m asking as someone who does have feelings for you.”

  He had first met her over three months ago when he had noticed her sitting alone quietly in a bar. She wasn’t like a lot of the women he often went for. Yes, she was still very pretty but she wasn’t having to make a noise so people looked at her and yet, the way she was sat at the table still screamed out loud to him, ‘Hey, look at me.’ He lived in a harsh world where violence was part of his everyday life, but that all seemed to disappear when he was with her. He didn’t know why and he didn’t really want to think too hard about it in case the bubble burst and he never saw her again, but he had been looking forward to her coming back to the islands, especially with how things had been going with Sergei.

  “Thank you,” he said taking her hand.

  “Let’s go back into the bar and you can tell me all about it over a drink,” said Jaz and she led him through to the bar and ordered two brandies, the fifty year old Suau that she knew he had really enjoyed last time they had dined there.

  She listened as he explained what had happened and how following the death of the MacDonald woman there was an increasing amount of police activity. Although he didn’t tell her outright that he had been responsible for the MacDonald woman’s death, she heard enough to make the assumption.

  “So who is this Londo
n cop and what’s his involvement?” said Jaz.

  “I don’t know what he’s doing over here. We can’t find out if he’s just on holiday and across to see his mother or if he’s working on a case, but the fact he heads up a major crime unit in London makes me suspicious.”

  He told her about how his men had gone to the Martínez house, to send a message by shaking the mother up, only to find the Patterson guy, who had been one of her scams and was on the potential burglary list. His guys had roughed him up a bit getting the information out of him that he was a family friend, but it was just all getting too much of a coincidence. He was thinking now that he wanted to make sure the Martínez cop got the message loud and clear to back away from any investigation he might be involved in.

  “Sonny, do you really think intimidation will work on this guy? It’s a pretty high risk tactic if it doesn’t come off.”

  She was making a good point, but he had always met any sort of conflict head on and it had worked pretty well so far in his life.

  “He’s out here on his own, so if he wants his mother alive and well, he needs to back off and then I can just focus on the Garcia woman and she’s got nothing except a guy with a tattoo who stole a van and she won’t get far in finding him.”

  She didn’t react to his last statement. She thought she knew what he had meant and if it meant keeping the business safe then it was something she might well do herself.

  “Okay, if he is on his own, then he’s got no back up or support, except the police here and they are already stretched, so I can see why you’re thinking that way,” said Jaz. “So when will you do it?”

  He looked at his watch. It was 10.30pm.

  “I’m expecting a text any moment.”

  SIXTEEN

  They had waited until the lights had been turned off in the villa. Alex Krikorian and his team had then taken up their positions.

  He had a view of the Martínez villa and of the two local cops sitting in their marked police car blocking the front gate. Alex checked the team comms and then told everyone to sit quiet and wait. He was expecting a change in police crews, with the new one covering the night shift.

  It wasn’t long before he saw another police car with two officers arrive. Alex saw the four officers get out of their vehicles. He could hear them talking, presumably the day team were briefing the new officers that the Martínez woman was back at home from the hospital, but he couldn’t quite pick up what was being said. The officers then got back into their vehicles and the day crew left, leaving the night crew in their car, but for now, they weren’t blocking the villa entrance. He texted Arman, who was closer to the police cars, to see if he had heard what was said. Arman texted back, ‘They’re expecting the son home from dinner sometime soon.’ Realising that this explained why the new cops hadn’t moved their car forward to block the villa driveway when the day crew drove off, Alex knew he needed to move quickly to take advantage of this opening.

  Sonny saw the text arrive. ‘We have a window with low risk.’ He smiled at Jaz as he texted back, ‘Do it.’

  “Good news then?”

  “Yes. Now, shall we go to your room?”

  “I’d like that,” she said, standing up and taking his held out hand.

  *****

  Alex motioned to his team to execute the plan. All had military experience, with good skills and above all, good discipline. Arman and his crewmate moved out from their position and made their way up towards the police car. Approaching from the rear and hugging either side of the small road they could stay in the shadows and away from the street lights. Arman waited until his partner was in position close to the rear of the driver’s door. They could hear the officers talking and barely paying attention to their surroundings. It was sloppy and careless. He smiled. They’d have to explain their negligent actions in the morning. Alex had said no bloodshed if it could be avoided. Killing cops wasn’t a great idea as it always got them over-excited and it brought too much activity that might disrupt their business. He took his jacket off, leaving him in just a short-sleeved shirt and left his gun by the jacket. His partner would take care of things if things didn’t go to plan, but he needed to show he was unarmed and didn’t pose a threat as he pretended to be a friendly drunk on his way home. He nodded to his partner and moved out of the shadows and started singing softly, staggering towards the middle of the road. The policeman in the passenger seat heard the noise and immediately went to get out of the car. The driver’s eyes followed his crewmate and so he didn’t see Arman’s partner move quietly towards the driver’s door. The timing was perfect. Arman started talking to the police officer and his partner, knowing the central locking was now off the car, pulled open the driver’s door and hit the driver on the side of the head knocking him out cold. The policeman heard the noise behind him and his turn back was involuntary and costly, as it gave Arman time to cover the space between them and the officer was unconscious on the floor before he knew what had hit him.

  They picked him up and put him back in the passenger seat. Arman collected his jacket and gun by which time Alex had joined them by the car. They weren’t sure if there was an alarm or CCTV, so Alex flicked the jammer switch. Now wearing black balaclavas, they made their way to the villa. The windows around the villa were old and wooden and not up to modern security standards. Arman made short work of gaining access by forcing one of the locks with a screwdriver and a bit of force and they were quickly inside the house. They had seen the lights on in one of the rooms upstairs before they had been turned off, so it seemed a good assumption that the woman was in there. The staircase was old and marble and Alex was thinking it was good that it wouldn’t creak or groan, but just as they got to the first floor they found they were on wooden floorboards and before he could warn the others to walk at the sides, he heard the creak as one of them found a loose floorboard.

  Anna had been waiting for Sam to come home to tell her about his evening, but couldn’t stay awake any longer. She was a light sleeper, but she heard the floorboard creak.

  “Sam, it’s okay, I’m not really asleep. Come and tell me about your evening.”

  The door opened and she expected Sam to turn the light on, but even in the darkness she suddenly saw there was more than one person in the doorway.

  “Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?”

  “Señora Martínez, we need you to come with us. Please do this quietly or I will have to make you,” said Alex.

  “Well you’ve got another think coming if you think I’m coming quietly,” said Anna, trying to back away, before realising she had been out flanked along the other side of her bed. She felt an arm come across her right shoulder towards her face. She went to block it, but he was strong and then she smelled something sweet, something she hadn’t smelled for many years. Even as she lost consciousness, it came to her. Chloroform. She was easy to carry and one of the team went and got the Ford Transit van they had stolen earlier in the day. The officers in the car hadn’t even stirred by the time the van was on its way out of the driveway and heading towards the city.

  *****

  Sam dropped Terri off and then as he approached the villa he saw the police car. He could see it wasn’t across the driveway which was a bit odd, but then he thought that maybe they were waiting for him to return. He looked in as he passed the car and saw the policeman in the passenger seat was sitting back with his head towards one side. He slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car and opened the police car and saw they were both out cold. He shook one and then the other. They weren’t dead and first the passenger and then the driver started to come to. He saw the panic in their eyes and then without waiting, he rushed towards the villa, leaving the policemen trying to pull themselves together.

  The front door was open. He was yelling for her, but he knew there was probably little point. He was cursing himself for leaving her. Was she dead? He was running from room to room and the audible alarm activated as he tripped the motion sensors. The polic
e officers were with him now, guns drawn, but it was all too little and way too late. He lost all sense of which rooms he had been in to check and it was the officers, both wide awake now, who had meticulously gone from room to room, who grabbed him and told him she had gone. One was on the radio calling in what had happened, whilst the other was now outside and he was the one who found how they had got in. Then they carried out a preliminary search of the immediate grounds to make sure she wasn’t there. The rest could wait for when they got a full team out there, probably with a dog thought Sam.

  The noise stopped as he turned the alarm off and he sat down on the step outside the villa. He’d let her down. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He should have been there. He felt the anger building in him. ‘No, not now, not now,’ he thought. He didn’t know if he was saying this out aloud, but he saw the policemen looking at him and then they were stepping back as he went towards them. Then he heard his phone ring and he stopped.