by Ted Tayler
“Thank you, Giles,” said Athena, “it’s not what we hoped to learn, but keep plugging away on the rest of the names on your list. If we can trace the entire seven thousand over the next three weeks, we will have a firmer grip on the potential number of Irregulars the operation will unearth.”
“When can we start work on the balance of the eight hundred that survive Henry and Kelly’s analysis?” asked Minos. “Finding suitable accommodation for them will take time.”
“When I’ve discussed the matter with Kelly Dexter, we’ll set up a system which releases details to you and Alastor every twenty-four hours,” said Henry. “If that’s acceptable?”
“That sounds perfect, Henry,” said Alastor. “We’ll compile lists of potential addresses in each region, then match your candidates with the nearest suitable accommodation.”
Athena was anxious the meeting didn’t get embroiled in too much detail.
“Minos,” she said, “can I leave you to get this running smoothly?”
The former High Court judge nodded.
“We’ll summarise where we stand ready for the fourth of next month, Athena,” he confirmed.
“Do you want to tell the others what you’re up to later in the week, Phoenix,” Athena asked.
Artemis looked at Rusty. He hadn’t breathed a word of what he and Phoenix had discussed in the orangery meetings over the past few days. Her partner didn’t look up from the notes on the table in front of him.
“Rusty and I will head to the North East on Wednesday,” Phoenix replied. “To carry out two planned missions against those responsible for the anti-Muslim attacks in Bradford and Newcastle. We expect to be home on Friday.”
“Neither mission is in any way related to organised crime, or the Grid then?” asked Artemis.
Phoenix paused for a while.
“We had success with our selective strikes against the Grid, right across the country. At first, I believed we could continue to cherry-pick soft targets as often as we wished. The objective was to draw Hanigan and the other gang bosses into the open. To expose them to the possibility of either being taken out by us or arrested by the authorities.”
Phoenix stood and walked to the fireplace. He felt the presence of Erebus at the other end of the mantel.
“The further you delve into the characteristics of our UK crime groups, the more you realise how fluid they have become. They adapt rapidly. Even in the few months, we’ve been on their case, several of their numbers shifted towards lucrative markets where detection is more difficult. These markets are less risky and less violent; therefore, our method of direct action might not be appropriate.”
“The severity of the crime doesn’t warrant them being killed; you mean?” asked Henry “that’s a shame.”
It was the first bit of good news for Henry this morning. The prospect of violent criminals visiting the ice-house for his attention over the summer was fading. The last thing he needed was a full house of prisoners to handle when Sarah was at Larcombe. He realised that Artemis was speaking.
“Traditional crimes are still thriving,” she said, “drugs and human trafficking show no signs of a downturn.”
“True, yet fraud, counterfeiting, and vehicle crime are showing rapid growth. Bank robberies and jewellery heists occur now and then. But you’re more likely today to find these criminal gangs operating in the financial sector, in renewable energy, and in waste and recycling. To show you why the Grid’s activities are getting harder to detect, perhaps Giles can explain.”
“Try to keep it simple, Giles,” said Rusty, “we’re not all computer geeks.”
“The modern criminal uses apps and encrypted messaging to evade the police,” said Giles, “as a result, their online deals are less easy to trace. The Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act came into force fifteen years ago. As you will remember, there has been fierce debate around its use ever since. The latest amendments are six months away. Telephone software has moved on significantly in fifteen years, and gangs possess sophisticated levels of security now. How the police secure communications data in the future will require firmer legislation and a change in their methodology.”
“How do these changes affect Larcombe, and how the ice-house teams capture data?” asked Alastor. “Are we in danger of missing vital information?”
Giles smiled.
“We don’t face the problems the authorities do,” he said, “we don’t have to play by the rules. If Athena wants a wiretap, we don’t need to apply for a warrant from the Home Secretary.”
Phoenix returned to his seat, alongside Athena.
“You can get an idea of the problems we face,” he said. “We believe at present our intelligence-gathering systems are robust enough to keep us abreast of the competition. Stand still though, and we will see them disappear over the horizon. Athena and I will do everything in our power to avoid that situation.”
“Zeus and the others are aware a significant proportion of our budget must go on security,” said Athena. “Of necessity, it will receive higher priority over the number of agents in the field. Without up-to-the-minute intelligence, those agents would chase shadows.”
Athena sensed a sombre mood in the room.
“We must stay positive,” she urged, “the enemy may be constantly changing, but it remains the enemy. Whether we target drug dealers, human traffickers, or those criminals conning the public out of their hard-earned savings in cyberspace, we’re still upholding the core Olympus principles.”
“Every crime has victims,” said Phoenix, “and I would remind you what Erebus told me the day after I arrived here. That the police and the judiciary have been weakened by political correctness. Support from successive governments has been spineless. The days of handling crime with a firm hand and meaningful sentences are long gone. The results are clear. Organised crime now operates the length and breadth of this once great nation. The authorities will object to the suggestion these gangs act unchallenged. They will point to their success in removing criminals from the streets. Yet our experience tells us these are few and far between.”
“Not only are they as rare as hen’s teeth,” added Minos, “but, the punishment never fits the crime. I despair of the proliferation of suspended sentences. If we don’t have enough prisons, then build more.”
“Don’t get Phoenix started,” cautioned Rusty. “You know he believes the only suspended sentence should be at the end of a rope.”
“I was catching up on my reading over the weekend,” said Phoenix. “It’s OK, Minos and Alastor, nothing you do is ever wasted. I apologise for falling behind. If, and when, Hugh Fraser takes up our offer, I’ll be free to keep pace with the frequency of your reports. I was fascinated by your item on the Scottish criminal scene. Imagine how much simpler life would be if capital punishment still existed.”
Minos nodded.
“Phoenix is right. There’s a killer in a high-security Scottish prison, who was jailed for a minimum eighteen years in 2003. His victim was bludgeoned to death. A year ago, Police Scotland's Organised Crime and Counter-Terrorism Unit began an operation to disrupt and eventually dismantle a drug empire. That same convicted killer has been running a heroin ring from his prison cell. He has used a secret stash of ten mobile phones to arrange drug deals across Scotland. A family recycling firm was a front to help flood the country with heroin. When the police finally piece together the evidence, and the case gets to court, seven men will be charged with supplying heroin. Those men were caught after the seizure of a million pounds worth of heroin and amphetamine.”
“Six months ago, police saw a family member with one of his couriers,” continued Alastor, “but he palmed them off with a tale that the man was discussing the sale of a motor vehicle. He also said a visit to the home of another known villain was to buy a wide-screen television. They observed him hiding a drugs consignment under the bonnet of his car. According to the brother, none of the family had visited his brother in prison for years.”
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p; “It beggars belief it takes so long to tie down these cases,” said Phoenix. “You can bet it will be another twelve months before they get this to court. The average time for prisoners on remand is hovering around ten weeks. High-profile cases such as this take longer because they’re scared shitless they’ve not got every detail one-hundred per cent validated. Otherwise, the defence will seize on any miniscule infraction, and another bunch of criminals will escape justice.”
“Is it that simple to get hold of mobile phones in prison?” asked Athena.
“I heard rumours while I was at Avonmouth,” said Artemis, “that there wasn’t much you couldn’t get in many prisons across the country. Drugs are rife and have been for years. Violence is always bubbling under the surface. The staff are as vulnerable as the inmates.”
“Let’s remember what happened eleven years ago,” said Phoenix, “a killer was imprisoned for eighteen years. I could excuse the system if that represented a life sentence, but my preference would be the return of the death penalty. The empire he constructed would not exist. The drugs he peddled, spreading misery across Scotland might never have reached the streets. We’re reaping the wind for an ill-judged decision fifty years ago.”
Artemis broke the short silence that followed.
“My old boss, Phil Hounsell, who we know as Orion,” she said, “used to tell me we had to work with the system as it was, not how we wished it would be. It’s my belief he’s amended his view since he quit the police service. The tasks he has undertaken for Olympus have often resulted in villains receiving far more than a slap on the wrist, and yet he has been supportive of the action taken.”
“We haven’t had many cases to pass his way this year, have we?” asked Athena.
“Out of sight, out of mind, perhaps?” asked Alastor.
“Hayden Vincent speaks highly of his qualities,” said Minos. “How do you think he might react to an offer?”
“To work here, at Larcombe Manor, do you mean?” asked Artemis.
“Would it be a problem?” asked Athena.
“Not for us two,” said Rusty.
Artemis smiled at him. If only it was that simple. Not only had she and Phil had a one-night stand, but Phoenix had been a constant thorn in his side. There were twenty deaths DS Phil Hounsell knew were committed by Colin Bailey before he was believed to have drowned in Pulteney Weir, four years ago. What would her old boss’s reaction be to be meet Phoenix and discover his nemesis was still alive?
The cosmetic surgery might mask his identity from the man in the street, but could it fool a policeman who had been ‘old school’; in other words, he knew his job inside-out.
“Orion’s married, with children, and lives three miles away,” said Artemis, stepping into the minefield, trying to think her way through to safety on the other side. “So, he wouldn’t need to live on the premises. He could operate as a daily visitor to Larcombe. If he reported to Hayden Vincent in the stable block and kept out of the main building and the ice-house, then it might just be possible.”
Phoenix and Athena saw this avenue was fraught with dangers.
“Are we convinced we have a role for him?” asked Athena.
“With the change of emphasis in organised crime gangs I outlined earlier, there will be an increasing role for operators like Orion,” said Phoenix. “As the years go by, it’s Rusty, Henry and me who will become less active. We’ll become dinosaurs.”
“We’re agreed then?” asked Athena. “I’ll ask Hayden to approach Orion, to see whether he’s interested in a permanent role with Olympus. If he says no, then we will continue to use his services, at arm’s length, as now. If he’s in agreement, then I suggest we thrash out how to handle accommodating him. I’m keener than anyone sat around this table to protect our secrets.”
When the meeting ended, different people had differing views on what they had heard.
Henry returned to the ice-house with Giles, in silence. His colleague was already planning the afternoon hunt for homeless veterans. Henry was thankful for the lack of interrogations he might expect to carry out this summer but disappointed that in the long term his role at Larcombe might shrink. What if it disappeared altogether? Was he ready to retire? Would Sarah be prepared to throw her lot in with a retiree? Gosh, things were never easy, were they, he thought.
Artemis and Rusty headed for their apartments. She wondered how the prospect of Orion being on-site up to five days a week would affect their relationship. She loved Rusty; and hoped one day they might marry and have children. Phoenix and Athena had shown it could succeed; despite the dangerous work they undertook.
Rusty knew the risks involved in bringing Orion into the fold.
He wouldn’t allow anything, or anyone to come between him and Artemis, but perhaps the greatest threat was to Phoenix. If his identity was uncovered, then the Olympus Project’s security would be breached, and Larcombe Manor’s disguise as a charitable organisation exposed as a fraud. Everything Erebus and the others had worked for was in danger of being lost. That could not happen.
Phoenix and Athena had reached their apartment. Maria-Elena was playing with Hope.
“Thanks, Maria-Elena; you can go to lunch now,” Athena said, “we’ll see you at two.”
The Spanish nanny had waved bye-bye to Hope and left the family alone.
“Hello, you,” said Phoenix, picking up the little bundle that was so important to them.
“I’ll make us lunch, darling,” said Athena.
“After we’ve eaten, we need to talk,” said Phoenix.
Hope was occupied using the pincer grab to get chunks of banana, and mini rice-cakes into her mouth. They thought she wasn’t listening to their conversation. Little did they know what an interest their daughter took in Olympus affairs.
Her parents were discussing a man called Orion, who was very clever. He was a useful agent for Mummy’s Olympus Project, but Daddy called him a rude name. Hope didn’t know what it meant yet, but Mummy told Daddy off for using it in front of her, let alone when their daughter was in the room. So, it must have been naughty.
“How the heck can we invite Orion here, day in day out, without him seeing me or Artemis at some point?” Phoenix asked.
“The fact Artemis is working here could offer the solution,” replied Athena.
“How on earth do you come to that conclusion?” he asked.
“Calm down, and think it through,” she said. “Artemis left the police force after a chance meeting with Rusty during the attempted terrorist attack on the Royal Family, in Bristol. Her old boss didn’t know where she was planning to work. If he had any reason to look her up, he would have searched for Zara Wheeler, and found a dead end. Giles made certain of that. Once she joined us here, her old persona disappeared. It would be simple enough to explain her presence. Her investigative skills made her a target for Olympus. We headhunted her, and she’s been working in our intelligence section. The sensitive material she handles means contact with her old life isn’t recommended. So, to the outside world, she needed to be anonymous. Rusty can provide any additional protective shield she requires, should Orion dig deeper.”
“So, it’s only me we need to find a disguise for? Where do I buy a fake beard and glasses?”
“I think the sooner you and Rusty head north the better,” said Athena. “This racist mission has got you agitated.”
“When I was a young teenager, I suffered at the hands of two sets of bullies. One gang was white, one was black. They made my life a misery in equal measure. I took my revenge on both in time. I’ve always been a fan of multiculturism. Good people are good people, regardless of colour or creed. It’s villains I object to, and the names on my list for later this week have few redeeming features if any. I don’t see this as a racist mission; we’re merely ridding the world of vile, objectionable creatures. Now, back to Orion, and how we manage this situation.”
“Timing will be our best way forward,” said Athena, “we get him on-site at nine in the mornin
g. If you’re at home, you’ll be in the meeting room; if you’re on a mission, or at an Olympus meeting his presence isn’t an issue. Hayden will need to find him an office that doesn’t overlook the lawns. That will free you up to visit the ice-house or the pool during the day. He can leave between five and six o’clock depending on his workload. Whenever you’re at Larcombe, you need to be in your office, or here with us having our evening meal. Do you see a problem with that?”
It works for me, thought Hope.
“It sounds simple when you lay it out like that,” said Phoenix. “I’ll need to keep an eye on the time when I’m in the orangery, the pool, or in the fitness room. Can Hayden keep him tied to desk duties though? The last thing I need is him wandering around when we’re playing in the gardens with Hope.”
“Tasks we’ve given his firm so far have involved a mix of office and fieldwork. Hayden will need to ensure he keeps the two quite separate. If there are places he needs to visit, he doesn’t come to Larcombe on those days.”
“He has an office in Bath, doesn’t he, and staff? What will happen to them?”
“He has one permanent member of staff and two temporary security personnel. Our offer will have to exclude anyone other than Orion himself. We will make the financial reward attractive enough to ease the pain of no longer running his own firm. If we need to sweeten the pot further and provide a redundancy package for the others, I’m sure Zeus will approve.”
“If you want the best, you pay the price,” said Phoenix.
“Hayden thinks it’s a price worth paying,” said Athena.
“He was a good copper, I’ll give him that,” said Phoenix. “Nobody else has ever come close to catching me. OK, make him an offer. I’ll cancel the false beard and glasses.”
At last, thought Hope, now can I get out of this chair for a cuddle before my afternoon nap?
CHAPTER 8
