by Iain Cameron
‘Is that a real fucking gun?’
Matt turned to see a young guy walking towards him. Wearing a polo shirt and jeans, he stopped in front of Matt and stared at his gun, while his body swayed as if standing on the deck of a ship. Matt reached over and grabbed his shirt. Just then, Lamar fired. The guy in Matt’s hand yelped and immediately went limp. Matt lowered him to the floor and peered around the edge of the building. No Lamar.
He checked the guy’s pulse, still alive, and climbed the stairs. Lamar was limping along the top of the sea wall, heading in the direction of the town. Matt steadied his gun and fired.
Lamar staggered across the sea wall. His hand reached out, searching for the metal hand rail. He missed and tumbled over the barrier, and fell head-first onto the concrete surface of the Harbour Wall, two metres below.
Chapter 49
Matt picked up the drinks from the bar and returned to the table. He’d bought a pint of lager for himself and a G&T for Rosie. This time alcohol was included. After a long debriefing session with Gill and the HSA psychologist, they both needed it.
For once, Gill was fulsome in his praise. Lamar was a dangerous individual and there was no question in his mind that he needed to be taken out, although the concrete base of the harbour wall had done more damage than Matt’s bullets. His political masters would have preferred to have seen him in court than in a coffin, as they would have expected him to blow the lid on Simon Wood’s operation, but they were living more in hope than reality.
While drug dealers like Wood and Lamar didn’t go so far as the mafia in declaring omertà, they were very proficient at keeping everything under wraps. If they didn’t want to reveal something, the secret would stay in-house. Like the mafia, they knew they had too much to lose by talking.
‘Here’s to the conclusion of a successful operation,’ Rosie said, raising her glass.
‘I’ll drink to that.’
‘Also,’ Rosie said still holding her glass, ‘to Emma. At last you can put her memory to rest.’
‘I’ll drink to that too.’
Matt took a swig and put the glass on the table.
‘You feel that, don’t you?’ Rosie said, ‘that Emma’s memory is finally laid to rest? Only you don’t look too convinced.’
‘I am, don’t get me wrong. Lamar, Harris and Reno are now off the street and we know for sure all three were present the night she was killed. We also know it was Harris’s deception that led her to that house in the first place, where Lamar shot her and Reno acted as doorman.’
‘And?’
‘And, it’s taking a bit of time for it all to sink in.’
‘It didn’t take Gill long. I thought he was about to hand you one of his Cuban cigars.’
‘At least it will get his sister off his back. She’s been giving him grief again.’
‘Let’s not forget, it was Lamar who planned the highjack of the prison van with Simon Wood on board, and with him gone it could weaken his organisation.’
‘Talking about Simon Wood. Do you think he might come after us for nabbing key members of his team?’
‘There’s a distinct possibility he might try. What about you?’
‘I think so, and while it’s still a possibility, it means we’re not finished with him yet.’
‘He may be less of a threat than you think, Matt. With all of the forensic information the police are gathering from the locations we know about, the laptops and phones collected, and the houses each of them lived in, it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with him. Added to this is the money Jack Harris had invested in the offshore banks. We’re nabbing the lot.’
‘That’ll hurt him more than losing his team, I bet.’
‘Of course, it’s not all good news. Wood might become more aggressive to make up for the short-fall he’s suffered, or it could make him vulnerable to take-over by rivals with more money and firepower, now that he’s short of a few key players. We could be in for a blood-bath one way or another.’
‘As long as it’s their blood, I don’t care. Have you heard the latest on the missing Irish guns?’
‘Nope. I’ve been too preoccupied with this,’ Rosie said.
‘Siki said the Garda have raided a garage in County Clare and found the last remaining pieces.’
‘That’s great news. I’d hate for Doherty’s lasting legacy to be a series of shootings in Belfast or Londonderry.’
‘Me too.’
‘Another?’
‘No thanks,’ Matt said. ‘There’s something I need to do first.’
He walked Rosie to the tube station and then headed back to the HSA building to collect his car. Once inside, there was no need to program the satnav, even the car knew the way back to Ingatestone Cemetery.
There, he would tell Emma that he had kept his promise and found her killer. He wouldn’t tell her that even though Simon Wood wasn’t present at the Romford house where she was killed, and didn’t pull the trigger, it was his greed that ultimately lay behind her death Nor would he say that he wouldn’t rest until Wood was dead, or rotting in a jail cell.
The End
About the Author
Iain Cameron was born in Glasgow and moved to Brighton in the early eighties. He has worked as a management accountant, business consultant and a nursery goods retailer. He is now a full-time author and lives in a village outside Horsham in West Sussex with his wife, two daughters and a lively Collie dog.
Deadly Intent is the second book in the Matt Flynn thriller series. For more information about future releases, please use the links below.
Website: www.iain-cameron.com
Twitter: @iainsbooks
Facebook @iaincameronauthor
Books by Iain Cameron
DI Angus Henderson Crime Novels
One Last Lesson
Driving into Darkness
Fear the Silence
Hunting for Crows
Red Red Wine
Night of Fire
Girls on Film
Matt Flynn Thriller Novels
The Pulsar Files
Deadly Intent
All books are available from Amazon
In the UK: here
In the US: here
In Australia: here
In Canada: here
The Pulsar Files
The Pulsar Files is the first book to feature HSA agent, Matt Flynn.
Matt is hunting a Serbian gunman, but uncovers a major corruption scandal involving a multi-billion pound helicopter purchase. He’s trying to save the life of a computer hacker at the centre of it…but can he also save himself?
