by PETE DAVIES
Lori had been waiting to be told that Alex’s body had been covered up. As much as she knew Anna was an ex-spy, she had been through a hell of an ordeal and it was perhaps best she didn’t see the body.
“Okay, let’s get you back home Señora and I’d like you checked out by a doctor, just as a precaution,” said Lori.
“Yes, I’ll get that sorted Lori,” said Sam. “Can we leave the statement till later?”
“Yes, of course. I suspect that our man Tigran will be more interested in helping us with information about the OCG than answering questions on the kidnap, so we’ll be focussing on that to start with,” said Lori.
She would need to stay there to await the doctor to certify Alex’s death and there would be a senior officer en-route to manage the police shooting. Greg had texted her to say he was on his way with Terri and she would collect Tommy and he would take Anna and Sam back to her house. He had also been getting the images from Tommy through to his phone, so he had seen what had taken place.
“Greg is on his way and he will take you home and I’ll catch up later,” said Lori.
“Thank you. Sergeant Pérez and his team were first class. I can’t believe what has happened in the last day or so,” said Sam, “and to get my mother back within, what? Six or seven hours, is some going. Can I ask, is Pérez okay? I’ve been involved in the follow up to a number of police shootings and there can be a lot of pressure on the officers involved in the inquiry that inevitably comes afterwards.”
“Thank you for thinking of him Sam. He’s a good officer and a good man. I know what you’re saying. Even when you have done the right thing, as he did today, the inquiry can sometimes make you feel like a villain. I will tell him you have asked after him and I know that will mean a lot to him, coming from an experienced firearms commander.”
At that moment Tommy made his way down to see them at the same time Greg and Terri arrived.
“Great job Señor Tommy,” said Lori. “You made a really difficult job a lot easier with your comms and the images you were transmitting. Thank you.”
“Just an everyday job Ma’am,” said Tommy, smiling. “Thank you though, it’s appreciated.”
“Ma’am?” said Lori to Greg.
“Mam, as in ham. What do your team usually call you then?” said Greg.
“Boss, Señora, Inspectora. So that’s a new one for me. I thought 'Mam' was only something you called your Queen?” said Lori smiling.
TWENTY ONE
Greg took Sam and Anna in the KIA and Tommy went with Terri, who was using the Armenians’ hatchback.
“Tommy, you did a great bit of work back there mate,” said Terri.
“Thanks. Those GEO guys did a good job. Their Sergeant, Pérez, is very good. You’d like him.”
Tommy was in his mid-40s and looked upon Terri as a younger sister who he needed to look out for, although he knew he didn’t really need to look after her. She was tough, bloody tough and she could really handle herself in a fight, but he wasn’t shy in coming forward with suggestions on who she could go out with.
“Thanks Tommy, I’m sure he is very nice, but…..”
“Here we go again with your ‘buts’. I’m just saying he seems a nice bloke that’s all. Anyway, before all this kicked off you said something about going out for dinner with your half-brother? I thought you were going out with Sam?” It suddenly dawned on him what he had said and he looked at Terri and she smiled back. “You mean, your dad, I mean Greg and Sam’s mother, Anna?”
“Yep,” said Terri.
“Did he know?” said Tommy.
“Apparently not. He hasn’t seen her since he finished training which was Sam’s age plus 9 months ago.”
Tommy just sat there. “Half-brother eh? Just as well you didn’t…..”
“Don’t even go there Tommy,” said Terri laughing.
On the way back to the house, they gave Anna an overview of what had happened after she had been kidnapped and then Sam called Dr Sanchez, their family doctor for as long as they had been on the island. He was waiting at the house when they arrived and despite Anna’s protests that she was okay, he carried out a thorough check up of her before finally declaring her fit and well and just needing some rest.
They then sat in the kitchen with coffee and ensaïmadas. It was now 7.30am and Sam had given up trying to get his mother to catch up on some sleep.
“I’ve got that call coming in from Rob this morning and he was quite clear that he wouldn’t talk to anyone else. I promise I’ll get some rest this afternoon, when things have quietened down a little,” said Anna.
“Okay, point taken. What about the two guys then Greg?” said Sam.
“Well, they’re pretty low down the food chain I think and so I don’t think they will be any more use to us. I’ll check with Lori and see if she wants them, but they might just be an unnecessary distraction for her too. So if all else fails we’ll just let them go and they can explain to Sonny what happened to them during the night. In fact thinking about it, why don’t we just ring Sonny and tell him what’s happened and see if that shakes him up a bit?”
*****
Sonny woke up and felt Jaz was still beside him. He liked her. She was her own woman in a culture that he knew was sometimes difficult for young women to keep their own identity. She was also no fool and she had sensed he had things on his mind. Taking the Martínez woman had seemed like a good idea last night, but he had Sergei’s weekly call this morning and he still hadn’t found who the damn grass was within his own team who was filtering information through to Sergei. He got up and showered and she was awake as he came out of the bathroom.
“Are you coming for breakfast?” said Jaz.
“I’m sorry I can’t. I have a breakfast call with Sergei at nine, so I need to get back to the office, but let’s catch up later, maybe lunch, but if not, then definitely dinner.” He kissed her and held her hand gently.
“Are you okay Sonny?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. I enjoyed last night. See you later.”
He wasn’t alright, but he needed to focus on this morning’s call and make sure Sergei didn’t embarrass him again. He texted his driver and two minutes later he stepped outside the hotel and into the waiting Porsche.
“Where to Boss?”
“The office and make it quick,” said Sonny.
*****
The tracker had pinged in Greg’s phone as soon as the Porsche had moved and Greg had been watching it since then. Sonny had been expecting an update call or even just a text from Alex and was surprised he hadn’t had anything from him. He rang Alex’s mobile but got no reply. This was the time when he wished Alex was on the Tracker App as well, but then he tried Tigran’s phone. No reply again and the Tracker App showed the phone was still at the finca, so everything was presumably okay. He hadn’t planned to go to the finca, but he wanted to check things out with Alex.
“Change of plan Narek. Take me to the finca that’s on the way to Esporles.”
“He’s doubling back,” said Greg. “I’ll ring Lori before we ring him, as I did promise to tell her before we did anything.”
She quickly picked up the call.
“Buenas dias. How is Señora Martínez?”
“Yes, all good. I’m sorry, but I need to be quick and tell you something. I’ve got Sam and Anna here and we’re on speaker phone. The doctor’s been and we’re just having some breakfast. Two things. Did I tell you we have got someone looking at who the scammers are? He does some work for the British Intelligence Services and Anna managed to pull some strings and he is calling this morning with what he has dug up on the people behind the scam.”
“Yes, you mentioned something, but nothing about the Security Services, but that’s okay, I forgive you. What is your second thing?”
“We’ve got a number for Sonny and I’m thinking it might be interesting if we get Sam to ring Sonny and see what drops out of that?”
There was a pause before she answered.
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“I hesitate to say this, but given the fact that we probably haven’t got enough to charge Sonny with the kidnap, then this might actually be a good idea.”
“Might be a good idea. That’s high praise indeed Señora Garcia,” teased Greg.
“Don’t push it Señor,” countered Lori. “Plus we have just had a blocked call come through to Alex’s phone. It could have been Sonny. We turned Tigran’s phone off and they are both now on their way to headquarters for forensics to look at their call history, so if Sonny checked the Tracker App it would still show as being at the finca.”
“Have you still got some of Pérez’s team there?” said Sam.
“Yes, why?” said Lori.
“We’ve just seen the Porsche double back along the Passeig Maritím and looking at the route he could potentially be heading for the finca. We should know in the next few minutes,” said Sam.
Lori called up Bravo 1, who was still at the site with his team providing armed cover for the forensic team, to let him know what was happening.
“Okay Sam, Bravo 1’s got the guys on an outer and inner cordon and if it’s just Sonny and his driver then they have enough to deal with him. Now let’s wait to see if he goes to the finca. If he gets cold feet, then let’s put the call in then,” said Lori.
“Agreed. Good plan,” said Greg. The Porsche was still heading in the direction of Esporles. “It’s looking very promising Lori, they have just turned off the Ma20 onto the Ma1040, heading north.”
*****
Sonny tried Alex’s phone again. Still no reply. He sent a text, ‘Call me now.” Still no reply. He had known Alex Krikorian for over fifteen years and he had never known him to not respond to a call or text within a few minutes. This didn’t feel good. He tried Tigran’s phone again. It was just ringing.
“Stop the car!”
They were on a quiet country back road and the driver pulled over immediately and Sonny was out of the car and on the ground looking underneath the car. The driver realised what he was doing and went to the other side of the car. Sonny found it first, at the back of the car, where Tommy had attached it. He pulled the tracker off and got to his feet. The driver saw what he had in his hand. Sonny pulled his gun from behind his waistband and pointed it at the driver.
“Boss, Boss, I’m sorry, I don’t know how it got there.”
“And that’s just the problem you clown. It’s your job to keep me safe and you have spectacularly failed.”
Sonny shot him in the head before the man could react. He then smashed the Tracker with the butt of his gun and threw the pieces in the field at the side of the road. The driver was lying by the side of the car hidden from view from the road. A car approached from the distance and slowed as it passed them, but only because it was a narrow lane and there wasn’t much room to pass. Sonny felt his anger subside and almost regretted what he had done. Less so because he had killed the man, but more because it meant he would have to move the body and it was starting to get hot now and if he was being tracked then it might mean he was being followed. He decided he didn’t have time to get the body into the field, but settled for pushing it into the roadside ditch. He removed all the man’s belongings and then covered the body with dead branches and grasses, before getting back into the car and turning around and heading back towards the City, but taking a different route. He didn’t see any suspicious looking vehicles for a couple of kilometres, by which time he thought it was more likely that he had only been tracked, rather than actually followed.
*****
Greg saw the signal go down and waited a few moments to see if it came back and when it didn’t he rang Lori back.
“Looks like we’ve lost the tracker on the Porsche. He was about six kilometres down the Ma1040 when he stopped and we lost the signal.”
“I’ll get a team out there to check it Greg. In the meantime, why not let Sam make his call,” said Lori.
*****
Sonny had got back to the office and was sitting waiting for Sergei’s weekly call. He wasn’t worried about his figures as they were looking good, but he was on edge. A feeling he didn’t like. He called Arman and sent him to check out the finca, but warned him to be on his guard because something wasn’t right. He was waiting for the video conference call to come through when his phone rang. It was a blocked caller. Very few people had this number outside of his team.
“Yes,” said Sonny.
“Things aren’t going your way are they Sonny?” said Sam.
He recognised the voice from outside the club.
“Detective Chief Inspector Sam Martínez, what a pleasure,” said Sonny.
“So you were on your way to the finca then? Why did you stop?”
“Something came up, but presumably you know that already?” said Sonny.
“You shouldn’t have kidnapped my mother Sonny. That was a mistake, a big mistake.”
“Come now, I have no idea what you are talking about. If something has happened to your mother then I can only send my sympathies.”
“You’ve no need to worry Sonny, this isn’t being recorded and yes, I know you have covered your tracks pretty well by getting your second in command to do the kidnap. But the good thing is that my mother is now safe and Alex Krikorian, your number two, well he’s dead and we also have two of your other men who you sent to find out where my friends are staying.”
Sonny tried not to show in his voice that hearing that Alex was dead had shaken him.
“So tell me Sam, are you now just a simple bookseller, as you seem to be moving away from the rules and regulations of traditional law enforcement?”
Sam hadn’t given any thought recently about whether he would be returning to London, or if he had decided to stay here and help his mother with the business, but Sonny’s words made him come to a sudden decision.
“Well you’re right actually Sonny. I am now just a bookseller and that means I am coming for you.” Sam didn’t wait for an answer as he cut off the call and then looked at Greg and his mother.
“Bit of a sudden decision Sam?” said Anna.
“I like it,” said Greg, “and there’s plenty of opportunity to come and help me and your half-sister whenever you want.”
“Yes, it was sudden, but we need to sort this guy out and by the way, thanks for the offer of work Greg. I might take you up on it, but I don’t have to start calling you Dad or anything do I?” said Sam.
Both Anna and Greg looked at him.
“I’m kidding,” said Sam. “But it seems the right thing to do Mum and for the first time in a while I feel good about things. Okay, so Sonny is probably going to run and hide somewhere and he might be difficult first of all to find and then second, to deal with. Greg, you were talking about approaching this another way before? I think you said something about cutting off the head of the snake? Well I have an idea and we need to go to Armenia. Mum, will you be okay here? Greg, can Tommy come here to the house?”
Greg nodded.
Sam continued, “Mum, if you take the call from Rob about the set up in India, and Greg, we’re going to need transport to Armenia. I hope to be able to tell you whereabouts after I’ve phoned a friend in London.”
“Okay, he’s due to ring at ten,” said Anna.
“And I’ll get Terri thinking about travel and logistics,” said Greg.
Greg then looked at Anna and they both smiled. It looked like the family side of the business had just got bigger.
TWENTY TWO
Sonny sat at his desk looking down at his phone. What had just happened? Suddenly the laptop was buzzing. It was the incoming conference call.
“Good morning Sergei my friend, how are you?”
“I am fine Sonny and I hope all is good with you too?”
“Yes, things are going very well down here in the Balearics. The numbers are good and we’re looking to expand into two more clubs.”
Sergei sounded friendly enough to Sonny and he had congratulated him on the numbers before he ha
d carried on with the rest of the OCG managers on the call. He was waiting for Sergei to come back to him about something, but after giving the guy in London a roasting about falling numbers, Sergei just checked in with Sonny for any other news and Sonny wasn’t about to tell him that he had lost a kidnap victim and five of his team were either missing or dead.
He came off the conference call and Arman was waiting in the office for him. Sonny had got him to go and scout around the finca and see what the hell was going on up there. He could see Arman was looking very uncomfortable.