by Jack Probyn
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
By The Same Author
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Foreword
Meet Jake Tanner
Quote
Previously On: The Conspiracy
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
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Also in The CID Case Series
About the Author
—————————————————————————————————
EPISODE 5
By Jack Probyn
Copyright © 2020 Jack Probyn. All rights reserved.
The right of Jack Probyn to be identified as the authors of the Work had been asserted him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Published by: Cliff Edge Press, Essex.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying form without written permission of the author, Jack Probyn, or the publisher, Cliff Edge Press.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-912628-25-4
First Edition
Visit Jack Probyn’s website at www.jackprobynbooks.com.
For Nana.
By The Same Author
The CID Case Series
The Conspiracy
The Community
The Confession
The Cadre
The Company
The Cabal
The SO15 Files Series
The Wolf (coming 2021)
Dark Christmas (coming 2021)
London Eye (coming 2021)
St Paul’s (coming 2021)
Power Station (coming 2021)
School Attack (coming 2021)
Mile 17 (coming 2021)
Royal Wedding (coming 2021)
Arena (coming 2021)
The Terror Thriller Series
Standstill
Floor 68
The Jake Tanner Terror Thriller Series Boxset 1 (Contains Standstill & Floor 68)
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Foreword
THE CID CASE SERIES: HOW IT WORKs
This is no ordinary series…
… it’s so much more that.
Before you begin reading The Conspiracy, there’s something you need to understand.
The Conspiracy, and the rest of The CID Case Series, is modelled on television. The story is split into six different episodes, and each episode is intricately plotted, and follows the same storyline right up to the end. Think of your favourite programmes like Line of Duty, Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad.
I wanted to bring that experience to your e-reader. One story, but edge-of-your-seat pacing.
Just keep that model in mind as you begin reading. You won’t want to flip the channel.
Episodes are released every Monday from the 8th June 2020.
MEET JAKE TANNER
Born: 28.03.1985
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 190lbs/86kg/13.5 stone
Physical Description: Brown hair, close shaven beard, brown eyes, slim athletic build, scar on his cheek
Education: Upper Second Class Honours in Psychology from the University College London (UCL)
Interests: When Jake isn’t protecting lives and finding those responsible for taking them, Jake enjoys motorsports — particularly F1
Family: Mother, older sister, younger brother. His father died in a car accident when Jake was fifteen
Relationship Status: Currently in a relationship with Elizabeth Tanner, and he doesn’t see that changing, ever
“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him.” - [Thomas Jefferson, 1785]
PREVIOUSLY ON…
THE CONSPIRACY: EPISODE 4
DCI Pemberton is forced to make a difficult decision and decides that the only way to save Candice is by putting her in the back of a police van and transporting her down to Portsmouth where it’s believed the brothers are heading.
At the same time, The Crimsons arrive in a car park in Portsmouth, but Danny lands a truth bomb on them: their cruise ship is actually leaving from Southampton. What else isn’t he telling them? The brothers find out while they’re on the bus: Danny’s got the last key, meaning Candice is going to die unless the police can get to Danny in time. As a result, the brothers split up. Michael and Luke head off on their own, while Danny remains on the bus, still bound for Southampton.
Meanwhile, Jake and Bridger are hot on The Crimsons’ tails, arriving in Portsmouth shortly after the brothers. After making a discovery, and as they begin to receive reports of the brothers’ suspicious behaviour, Jake and Bridger race towards Fareham where Luke and Michael were last seen.
In the end, Jake and Smithers, the police constable accompanying him, arrest Michael Cipriano. Luke Cipriano escapes.
And now, The Conspiracy: Episode 5…
| EPISODE 5 |
CHAPTER ONE
CLEAN SLATE
‘Rupert Haversham. He’s my solicitor. I want my solicitor,’ Michael Cipriano said with a wry smile.
‘Tough. You’re not getting one.’ Bridger rested his arms against the edge of the table.
‘On what grounds?’ Michael protested. ‘I know my rights.’
‘You want the specifics? All right then. Code C 6.6 and Annex B. The police may proceed with an interview in the absence of a solicitor if an officer has reasonable grounds that failure to do so will lead to interference with, or harm to, evidence connected with an indictable offence, lead to alerting other people suspected of having committed an indictable offence but which they have not yet been arrested for, or if they have reasonable grounds to believe it will hinder the recovery of property obtained in consequence of the commission of such an offence. So I’d say that covers you straight off the bat, doesn’t it? We’ve got all three’ – Bridger held his hand in the air and displayed his thumb, forefinger and middle finger in front of Michael’s face – ‘haven’t we? We’ve got the evidence connecting you to the crime… We’ve got your brothers being alerted to what’s happened to you… and we’ve got the jewels and money that your brothers have run away with that are still at large.’
The smirk on Michael’s face grew even bigger. ‘How many nights did you lose memorising that word for word?’
‘More than you’ve spent in a nice warm bed.’
‘There’s just one thing you’ve forgotten to mention, Detective Sergeant Bridger, which is that the law also states that the officer making such a decision must be of the rank of superintendent or above. I don’t see those credentials in your title anywhere. Nor your colleague here.’ Michael flicked his head towards Jake.
‘How many nights did you spend memorising that particular part of the code?’ Bridger retorted.
‘One actually.’
‘I’ve got it cleared with the powers that be,’ Bridger replied.
Had he? It was the first Jake had heard of it.
‘You don’t have to worry about me doing my job properly,’ Bridger continued. ‘So why don’t you just tell us everything you know?’
Michael, with an air of defiance, leant back in his chair and folded his arms. The three of them were locked inside the interview room in Fareham Police Station a few hundred yards from the bus station where Michael had been arrested. Bridger had managed to pull a few strings and called in a favour to get them into the interview room as soon as the procedure allowed.
A few seconds of silence passed. Jake’s steady breathing pounded in his ears. This was his first interview where he was unprepared. Usually, he was allowed time to prepare and present the evidence and line of questioning against the defendant. But now he didn’t have that luxury and didn’t want his inexperience to hinder the proceedings in any way. It was down to Bridger now, and after that small exchange between Michael and Bridger, Jake admired him much more than he had done half an hour ago. He was in control of the interview, and Jake was happy to keep it that way… unless, of course, he saw an opportunity for him to strike. And then he’d let his intuition take over.
‘It’s simple,’ Bridger continued after Michael’s silence. ‘If you want it to be.’
‘Leave my brothers out of this.’
‘Where are they?’ Bridger asked, snapping to the point.
‘Gone.’
‘Where?’
‘Neverland.’
‘With Captain Hook?’
‘Tinkerbell,’ Michael corrected. ‘You can always rely on Danny to sprinkle some magic dust on everything and make it better.’
‘And you believe that, do you?’ The words came out of Jake’s mouth before he had a chance to process them. It looked like he’d taken his opportunity to strike without realising it. ‘You think he’s got the special powder to fix this situation you’re in?’
Michael shrugged.
‘He knows people—’
‘So do I. We meet a lot of people in our line of work,’ Jake said sarcastically.
‘I’m willing to bet Danny knows the same people you do. If not more. And if not better.’ The same wry smile grew on Michael’s face again, this time filling Jake with incipient rage. ‘Shocking, isn’t it? That there’s still bent coppers looking for the next pay cheque.’
‘I imagine every copper looks for the next pay cheque.’
‘You’ll never find him,’ Michael said, wiping his nose.
‘Just the one brother? You have two.’
‘I don’t need reminding.’
Jake straightened his tie and flattened it against his shirt.
‘So, what happened with you guys?’ he asked. ‘How come you separated?’
Michael remained silent.
‘Tell us about Luke,’ Bridger said, budging his way back into the conversation. ‘Where is he?’
‘Alone and scared, no doubt,’ Jake added.
Michael’s breathing increased. The steady rise and fall of his chest turned into a heaving balloon that was nearing its limit.
‘Luke’s fine,’ Michael said eventually, avoiding their gaze for the first time. ‘He’ll be fine.’
‘You were the one looking after him, weren’t you?’ Jake asked, tilting his head to the side. ‘You were the middle child. No mum. No dad. You were the one getting him ready for school. Feeding him. Making his breakfasts, lunches, dinners. Making sure he didn’t miss the bus or turn up late. But Danny’s role was different – Danny protected Luke when there was any sign of danger, and he left you lurking in the background. Luke never appreciated your help. At least, he never told you he did. So, Danny became the big brother that would always protect Luke, the one he looked up to, and you were cast to the side.’
‘Do you have brothers or sisters, detective?’ Michael asked, keeping his arms folded. A fire of aggression smouldered behind the curtain of his eyes, ready and waiting to burn the stage down and unleash hell.
Jake nodded. ‘Younger brother. Older sister.’
‘Similar to me. Do you love them?’
‘For the most part,’ Jake said, his thoughts turning to his siblings, and how they had grown distant in recent years.
‘Have you ever taught them anything?’
Jake paused a moment to think. ‘I’ve taught them many things.’
‘Like what?’
‘Respect one another. Work hard. Accomplish anything you want. I’d say that qualifies me as a good brother.’
Michael leant forward, wrapping his fingers round the edge of the desk.
‘Have you ever taught your brother how to steal so he doesn’t starve that night? Have you ever taught him how to look out for number one? Have you ever told him never to let anyone else tread all over him? Have you ever told him that, if anything happens to him, he must fight, and he must fight, and he must fight until the other person gets knocked down and never gets back up again?’
Jake hesitated. ‘I can’t say we ever needed to have that conversation.’
‘Well, we did. Luke and I. I taught him to punch back twice as hard as he got. So don’t underestimate him. He’s smart. Always was. The brightest out of all of us—’
‘Then why didn’t you keep him at school?’
‘Danny decided to get involved. He always told Luke he needed to stay with us and continue what we were doing, so Luke was always by our sides. He never left them. He would always wait to be told exactly what to do. He lost his independence. That’s Danny’s fault. Danny made him that way.’
Jake nodded, absorbing everything Michael told him. ‘So, he’s going to be left all alone, with no one to help?’
Michael shrugged.
‘Your actions now will determine what happens next,’ Bridger said in an authoritative yet calm voice. ‘The past is where it needs to be: left behind. We’ve all got things we’d like to bury, but right now you should be concerned about your future. Tell us where your brothers are, and things can be made easier for you.’
Michael looked at his lap, exhaled deeply and then lifted his head. ‘You know, I read something once. I can’t remember where from. Might have been from a book somewhere. But there was one sentence that jumped out at me. It said: “All men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.” What do you think that means?’
Jake glanced over at Bridger, whose expression was as confused as Jake felt.
‘That you’re going to give yourself up for your brothers?’
‘It means that I’m not going to give you what you want unless I get what I want.’
Jake shook his head in disbelief. ‘I don’t see the correlation, but I’m starting to think maybe you’re the smart one. What is it that you want?’
‘I was born with one brother, and I’m going to end it with one. I’ll give you Danny if you let Luke go. He’s had nothing to do with any of this. Detective,’ he said, addressing Jake directly, ‘this is my act of retribution – I’m wiping Luke’s slate clean instead of mine.’
‘You realise it doesn’t work that way?’ Bridger added, checking his watch.
‘Yes, but you haven’t got long. Time is of the essence for you lot. You need me, whether you like it or not. Otherwise this has been a complete waste of time.’
Jake smirked. ‘You’re loving this, aren’t you? Middle child… sidelined by the elder and younger brother. Craving the attention you never had. We don’t need you as much as you think we do. We’ll find Danny, and we’ll find Luke – and when we do, none of you will remember what life was like before prison.’ He hesitated a moment. ‘Do you remember Freddy?’
Michael’s pupils dilated, like giant black holes swallowing the rest of his eyes.
‘I met with him earlier. He was thrilled to see me. He said that he’d tried to make contact with you boys, but he’d heard nothing back. And do you know the most dishea
rtening thing he said to me? He said, more than anything else, he was disappointed in you. You, Michael. He expected more from you. I think he even likes me more than he does you and your brothers. But imagine – a few years down the line, you’re in prison. You attempt to reach Luke, and he doesn’t respond. He’s forgotten about you. Nothing but a stain in his memory that he regrets, trying to make his life better without you. If you tell us now what we want to know, we can work something out for you. We can work on something suitable. Perhaps the two of you could share a cell.’
Michael descended into a deep state of reflection. He lowered his head and twiddled his thumbs. After what felt like a long time, he opened his mouth.
‘Southampton Port. He’ll be there by now. If I could tell you where Luke was, I would. But you saw him – he ran off, so he could be anywhere by now.’
‘It’s fine,’ Jake said, rising out of his chair and straightening his tie. ‘We already know where Danny is – you just confirmed it for us. And now we’ve got a pretty good idea of where Luke is going to be as well.’