Double Cross: A gripping political thriller (The Cadre Book 3)

by Stephen Edger

  ‘You don’t have it in you,’ he sneered.

  ‘I think you’d be surprised at what I’m capable of.’

  ‘What about our connection? Do you really want to kill the one man you need?’

  She smiled at him. ‘The sex was great, but there are other men who can fulfil my needs. Of course, if you’re prepared to listen to reason, we could be great together.’

  ‘I won’t do it. I’m not prepared to kill an innocent child.’

  She erupted. ‘How do you know they’re innocent? You know less about them than I do. Why would you choose strangers over me?’ She disengaged the gun’s safety mechanism as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

  Aaron knew he only had one chance. He ducked his shoulders and launched himself at her, his arms stretched out towards her waist. The gun discharged, the bullet whistling past his ear. He collided into Victoria and she fell backwards under his weight. The gun went off again, but with her hands stretched above her head the round lodged itself in a wall behind them. He began to crawl up her body, stretching his hands out to try and gain control of the gun. She stretched her hands as far from him as she could. She knew she wouldn’t be strong enough to prevent him reaching it and raised her knee quickly into his groin.

  He began to roll off to one side and she pushed him the rest of the way as she struggled to return to her feet. He grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled her back to the floor. Despite the ache between his legs he managed to pull her body back beneath his, this time using one of his legs to keep hers flat against the floor. She pulled her arms down quickly, cracking the gun’s butt against his forehead. He ignored the shooting pain and stretched a big hand around the top of the gun, pulling it closer to them both. It discharged again and Victoria’s arms went limp. He wrestled the gun from her fingertips and threw it across the floor. It clattered as it skimmed across the laminate boards.

  He knew something was wrong without looking. He rolled onto his side so he could get a better look. Victoria had both her hands clutched against her abdomen, just above her left hip. He could see the dark liquid pushing between her knuckles. Her face was a picture of shock and fear.

  ‘Let me see it,’ he whispered, desperate to keep her calm. The last thing he wanted was to watch her die.

  She shook her head without opening her mouth. Her eyes were streaming.

  ‘Let me find something to stem the blood,’ he said starting to get up. She reached out and touched the side of his face with one of her hands, and it was then that he saw just how big a puddle of crimson was spreading from beneath her.

  ‘It’ll be okay,’ he began to say, but she shook her head gently again.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she mouthed as her eyes began to fill with tears again. He desperately scanned the room for a phone so he could call for an ambulance, but a sudden gasp from her brought his attention back to her face. She had a sharp intake of breath and as she exhaled her body went limp and her head rolled gently to the side. He knew she was dead even before he’d pressed two fingers against her neck to search for a pulse.

  He rolled onto his back and then to his feet to avoid the blood flowing towards him. The keys were still hanging from the door lock. He moved across and opened the door, pulling the tape from the mouths of the young woman and child. ‘It’s going to be okay,’ he whispered to them. ‘I’m going to get you out of here.’

  The woman didn’t answer, but looked out through the door at the dead body of the woman who had forced them into the back of a car at gun point. ‘Elena, mummy wants you to close your eyes tightly,’ the woman said, her accent from Eastern Europe somewhere. ‘Do you hear me, Elena? Keep your eyes closed until I tell you.’

  The little girl nodded. Aaron used his hands to loosen the ropes tying the mother first and then the two of them untied the girl’s ropes. The woman lifted her daughter up and carried her from the room. He led them to the first apartment and passed them the bacon sandwiches to eat whilst he searched for a phone. He eventually found one in a handbag discarded on a bed and punched in 9-1-1.

  47

  SOUTHAMPTON, UK

  22:00 (G.M.T.)

  Kyle pulled his overcoat tight around his middle and buttoned it up. He really regretted not bringing a hat and scarf to work that morning. Of course if he’d have known his evening would end with him crouching in the darkness staring through a pair of binoculars, he probably would have chosen warmer attire. He tried to stem the urge to let his teeth chatter. He’d been squatted in the same position for over an hour, since the large container ship had docked. It was a mammoth of a vessel; at least three hundred metres long in Kyle’s opinion, and stacked to the hilt with large metallic containers. He knew that McManus was waiting for one of those containers, but they couldn’t be certain which. The two cranes had been systematically relocating the crates for about ten minutes already, but so far there had been no sign of McManus.

  ‘You still awake, man?’ he heard White mutter through his earpiece.

  Kyle pretended to snore back.

  ‘Very funny, man,’ White said flippantly. ‘You seen our man yet?’

  ‘No, Guv,’ Kyle replied lowering his binoculars.

  ‘Me neither, man. Partridge’s information had better be on the level, like, or I won’t be held accountable for what I’ll do to her.’

  ‘She said he’ll be here, Guv, and I’m inclined to believe her. Besides, we put that tracer on her phone, so if she tries to bolt for it, we’ll know.’

  ‘Were you surprised she cracked so easily? Giving up McManus, like?’

  Kyle thought for a moment. ‘I don’t think I’d say I was surprised, Guv. She’s a politician, right? There’s something in their D.N.A. that compels them to choose self-preservation over anything else. You know what I mean? She knew we had her banged to rights with what Carmichael helped us find on the laptop. She’s made her play, and now we have to make the most of it.’

  Back at Mercure’s house, Partridge had told them that McManus had visited her on Tuesday to advise her that he was expecting a large shipment tonight. He’d wanted to meet with her personally so that she would guarantee that Stead and his Fortress team would be looking the other way. She had provided those guarantees, but he had been reluctant to elude to what was in the container. She hadn’t pushed the matter, as she’d thought it was safer not to know. What worried White was the distinct possibility that the container could contain something perfectly innocent, and that if they did catch up with the wily Scot, and he was clean, they’d have blown their last chance to get him. Kyle had told White to keep the faith several times since they had left Mercure’s house and escorted Partridge back to the city.

  Kyle put the binoculars up to his eyes again and stared at the people milling about on the dockside, next to the container ship. They didn’t know where or when McManus would take possession of his container, so it was a waiting game. Hoxley’s tip that McManus had dock workers on the payroll was good to know, but not very useful as it wasn’t clear if one or all of them were involved. It made pinpointing the container that bit harder, and so they were resigned to watching the crates and the dock workers for any suspicious behaviour.

  Mercure had suggested now would be as good a time as any to contact D.C.I. Payne and involve her in the operation. At best, she would be able to provide backup to help them catch McManus red-handed. At worst she would contact Partridge to warn her, but then Partridge would probably tell her to help them. White had been less convinced and had told Kyle in no uncertain terms that they wouldn’t be involving Payne until they had something more concrete. It wasn’t that White was worried that Payne would somehow tip McManus off, he was concerned that Payne would suspend them both for carrying on a personal investigation. Kyle had agreed to support his decision, even though he could see the merits in what Mercure had suggested.

  After a quick bite to eat, Kyle and White had headed to a local technology shop and purchased the surveillance equipment they were currently using: binoculars wi
th optional night vision, and an untraceable two way communications system. It didn’t matter who tried to listen in to their radio waves, the signal was encrypted. The equipment hadn’t been cheap, but White had covered the costs. Kyle admired the man’s steel eyed determination to nail McManus whatever the cost, but he was surprised the Geordie wasn’t more excited about the fact he was finally going to achieve his life’s goal.

  ‘I’ve got movement down here,’ White’s voice said suddenly. ‘Three of the dockers have wandered off for a cigarette, and there’s a trailer driving onto the dock. You see it?’

  Kyle had to crane his neck at an awkward angle to get a view of the arriving truck. White was at the east side of the dock, so had a clearer view of the comings and goings. From the west, Kyle’s view was slightly more obscured. ‘I see it, Guv. Any sign of McManus? Is he in the cabin?’

  ‘I can’t see, man. I’ll switch on the night mode to see if I can get a better look in inside the cabin.’

  White strained but it was impossible to make out the features of either of the figures in the truck’s cabin. ‘Negative,’ he eventually said. ‘I can see two men, but that’s all. We’ll have to wait until they’re out of the cabin.’

  Kyle watched the truck pull up, reverse and manoeuver until it was facing the exit. Above the truck the crane had selected its next crate and was raising it into the sky. Kyle read the container’s markings to White, who jotted them into a notebook.

  ‘The driver’s getting out,’ White’s voice crackled.

  Kyle’s heart was racing as he waited for confirmation of the driver’s identification.]’It’s not him,’ White said.

  ‘What about the cabin’s passenger? Can you see what he’s doing?’

  ‘Negative, man. The cabin’s at the wrong angle. I can’t see him.’

  The driver was now talking to the dockers, one of whom handed him a clipboard to sign. The metal container was now directly over the truck’s rear axle and was slowly descending out of the sky.

  ‘What do you think he’s got in there?’ Kyle asked excitedly.

  ‘Drugs? Guns? Inflatable sheep? God knows!’

  Kyle laughed nervously, suddenly not feeling quite so cold. He moved his binoculars back down to where the driver as still talking to the dockers when his heart skipped a beat. There was a man walking towards the group, and it was someone Kyle immediately recognised.

  ‘Guv, are you seeing this?’

  ‘Seeing what, man?’

  ‘There’s a man in dark overalls walking towards the group. It’s Tyrese, Guv. What the hell is he doing here?’

  Kyle heard grunting in his ear piece as White adjusted his position to get a better view at the group below him. ‘Ah shit! That’s all we need! That probably means D.C.I. Stead is lurking around here too.’

  ‘We’re gonna have to get out of here, Guv. If Stead thinks we’re encroaching on his op he’ll have our heads.’

  ‘No way, man! I’ve been chasing this bastard for too long! There’s no way in hell we’re not gonna catch him today. Besides, Stead said himself that he’d never heard of McManus. There’s no reason for us to believe we’re stepping on anybody’s toes.’

  ‘There is if Tyrese told him about our little chat yesterday.’

  ‘Screw it, man! We’ll cross that bridge if we ever get to it. Okay? Get your camera ready and start snapping. It looks like the passenger is climbing out of the cabin.’

  Kyle raised his binoculars to the passenger side of the cabin and sure enough, the door was open and a man was emerging. He lowered the binoculars and removed the camera from the satchel at his side. The technician who had sold it to them earlier that day promised it was capable of taking long distance shots in the dark, without the need for a bright flash. Kyle had been doubtful, but White had readily parted with his cash. As Kyle now pointed it in the vague direction of the cabin, he hoped they hadn’t been duped. He turned on the camera and looked at the small LCD display. He was amaze at the level of detail it was showing. ‘Oh, Guv, you’re not going to believe this,’ he jabbered excitedly. ‘It’s him. It’s McManus.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘One hundred per cent, Guv! This camera is fucking awesome!’

  ‘Well the lad in the shop did describe it as a peeping tom’s dream. Get as many shots as you can.’

  Kyle continued to snap away as McManus walked towards the rear of the truck, where the container had now been lowered into position. Two of the dockers were systematically moving around the vehicle, securing the large box in place. McManus shook hands with Tyrese as the two met, though it was impossible to see or hear what it was they were discussing. McManus then waved his hand and one of the dockers unfastened the levers at the back of the container. He then stepped back and allowed McManus to look into the box. The door wasn’t opened wide enough for the camera to capture the container’s contents, but McManus seemed happy with his delivery. He waved for the docker to re-secure the door, before shaking hands with Tyrese once more and then heading back to the front cabin.

  ‘Did you see what was inside?’ White whispered.

  ‘No, Guv.’

  ‘Alright, man, never mind, we’ll have plenty of time to check later. Did you get a shot of him looking inside?’

  ‘Yes, Guv.’

  ‘Great, man! They’re on the move. We need to move quickly, like. Get the car and meet me at the dock entrance. I’ll watch which direction they head in.’

  Kyle didn’t need telling twice, and quickly stashed the camera back in the satchel before rushing back to the car, which was parked fewer than fifty metres from where he’d been crouched. He shoved the satchel in the back seat and tore off into the dark. He reached White’s location in no more than two minutes.

  ‘They’re heading towards the motorway, man,’ White shouted as he slammed the door and reached for his seat belt. Kyle didn’t bother waiting and put the car in first gear and pulled away. ‘If you go fast enough, we should catch up with them,’ White continued.

  Kyle could see the back of the trailer as they reached Redbridge. He was doing twenty over the speed limit but he didn’t care, as the adrenaline took control.

  ‘There he is,’ White shouted excitedly, pointing at the windscreen.

  ‘I see him,’ Kyle replied excitedly. You want me to catch up with him or pull back?’

  ‘Catch the bastard! We need to detain him whilst the container is still in his possession. I’m not letting some slimy lawyer protect him this time.’

  Kyle pressed his foot down on the accelerator harder and it wasn’t long before they were within touching distance of the trailer.

  ‘Now what, Guv? We need to attract his attention somehow.’

  ‘Flash your lights several times and then pull up alongside him. I’ll wave my badge out of the window.’

  Kyle did as he was instructed and yanked hard on the lighting stick several times before pulling alongside the truck. White wound his window down and waved his hand up and down, but the driver didn’t seem to notice. ‘Pull in front of the truck and slow it down. We need them to stop before they reach the M271,’ White demanded.

  Kyle put his indicator on and pulled in front of the truck, gently applying his brake, and forcing the truck driver to do the same. Kyle turned on the hazard warning lights as they reached a stop, and then both officers exited the car. White walked straight towards the passenger’s side of the cabin. McManus’ wide eyes stared back down at him in disbelief. White flashed him a wink, before shouting up for both men to exit the cabin. Both doors were reluctantly opened and McManus and the driver exited the truck and allowed themselves to be escorted to the rear of the container.

  ‘Open your box,’ White sneered.

  McManus looked like he wanted to fire a witty riposte back, but couldn’t think of one. Instead he nodded for the driver to do as instructed. The container’s locking lever snapped back and the wide door began to open. Kyle pulled out his mobile phone and loaded up the camera app. He began snappin
g away. Neither White nor Kyle were expecting to see half a dozen wooden crates with military insignia stamped on the side, nor were they expecting to see the wet and frightened eyes of thirty or so pairs of eyes staring back at them.

  ‘Jesus, Guv,’ Kyle whispered.

  White nodded. ‘I think it’s time we woke up D.C.I. Payne.’

  48

  White took a sip from the nearly cold coffee in the yellow plastic beaker, but ignored the urge to grimace. Instead he swallowed it down with a satisfied smile on his face, as if it were the best damn cup of coffee he’d ever tasted. He thought about pausing the interview so he could get himself a fresh cup, but that would give McManus more time to get his story straight, and White was determined to keep his nemesis on the back foot. So he drained the rest of his coffee, and grinned at the Scot who had been decidedly quiet since the interview had commenced some ten minutes prior. McManus looked shell-shocked, his head bent low in the white all-in-one plastic suit. White had insisted that McManus clothes be retained for ‘evidential purposes’. The truth was, he just wanted to see the Scot embarrassed.

  My how the tables have turned, White thought.

  It wasn’t that long since White had been pleading for his job back in Newcastle after McManus had phoned the chief Superintendent and complained about the detective’s harassment. Seven months on, and White knew that reprimand had been worth it. Being able to spectate McManus squirm uncomfortably was worth the price of all the raised voices and apologies. This was his moment, and he was determined to commit as much of it to memory as he could.

  ‘So,’ White continued, ‘can you tell us why you’re in Southampton tonight? We believe it was to receive delivery of the metal container you were caught transporting, but if there is another reason, now would be a good time to tell us, man.’

  McManus raised his head slightly and glanced at his solicitor.