by M A Comley
After they arrived, Katy instructed Graham to try to get hold of any CCTV footage available outside and around the London Standard’s headquarters. It took him a couple of hours, but the results were worth it. Katy peered over Graham’s shoulder while he played the footage. Koffi left the main entrance to the building. He met up with two white men, one taller and the other slightly shorter than Koffi. Judging by his body language, he appeared to be uncomfortable in their company. Nevertheless, they either escorted him or forced him to go with them. The action changed over to another camera where they witnessed the men striking Koffi and putting him into the back of a car.
“As suspected, he’s been abducted. Judging by what’s gone on this week, I can’t see this boding well. Right, we’re going to have to work overtime this evening, team. Ring your loved ones to let them know. If anyone can’t help out, tell me now.”
Katy slipped into the office to ring AJ. He was fine about the extra work even if she detected a little disappointment in his tone. “We’re so close, love. If we don’t take the gamble and hang around, these guys might disappear forever.”
“Who are you trying to convince, you or me? I’m fine with it, Katy.”
“You’re amazing. I’ll either see you or speak to you later.”
“Try and keep me up to date,” AJ suggested.
“You’re on. I love you, AJ.”
“I know. I feel the same. Oops, gotta fly, Georgie needs assistance, she’s got her hand stuck in a cup. Don’t ask.”
Katy sniggered and ended the call. It didn’t take much to visualise what her daughter and husband were getting up to in her absence.
She rejoined the others in the incident room to learn that a squad car had spotted what appeared to be the van sitting outside a run-down house in Peckham. “Graham, why don’t you and Stephen go over there, keep an eye on the van? If it makes a move, I want you to follow it, to see where it goes. There’s still the matter of the car to consider which was the latest to be used in connection with the crime. Karen, can you use the ANPR system to try to locate the car or at least see in which direction it went?”
“On it, boss.”
“In the meantime, going back to victim number four, Siaka Traore, he worked in telesales at Lombarts. Patrick, can you ring whoever is in charge there and see if Siaka has had any trouble either in person or over the phone in the last few weeks? We’re looking for a name, someone must know something.”
Patrick nodded and shrugged. “They seem to have covered their tracks so far with the vehicles, but I’ll give it a shot, boss.”
“But then, we have to take it as a positive they allowed the plates to be picked up by CCTV, so someone screwed up along the way,” Katy responded.
“Maybe that was intentional. What if they use the vehicles once and dump them?” Charlie offered.
“That could be the case, too. At this point, we need to consider all the options and try to figure out which is going to lead us to the gang. There’s something else I need you all to remember. As well as the four victims we also have Gillian Kouassi and her child, and Koffi Bamba still missing, presumed to be abducted by the gang. For what reason, we don’t know; in Koffi’s case, it would be wrong of me not to assume the gang’s intentions, given that the other victims were all young black men. Let’s do our utmost to try and save him from that fate, tonight, if possible.”
She left the team with their various duties and collected a coffee on her way into the office. Taking a few minutes to herself, Katy thought over anything she may have missed. Nothing came to mind, although she did kick herself for not checking with the hospital to see how Akissi Soro was faring after the birth of little Yao. She corrected her faux pas and rang the maternity ward to learn that mother and son were doing very well, under the stressful circumstances. The staff were doing all they could to comfort the grieving woman and had agreed to keep her in hospital an extra day to ensure she was well cared for until her initial grief subsided enough for her to bear returning to the family home.
Katy ended the call feeling relieved that the staff had made such a bold decision. Relieved and grateful.
Another half an hour skipped past in which Katy attacked a few reports she had set aside. She was interrupted by the telephone. “Hello, DI Katy Foster, how can I help?”
“Hello, Inspector, this is Eliza Kone speaking. We met the other day after the death of our son.”
“Of course, hello, Mrs Kone, how are you?” Katy cringed for asking such a dumb question and prepared herself for a verbal attack.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose. You told us to call you if we had any questions or if a problem arose.”
“I did. How can I help?”
“I want to know if you’ve caught my son’s killer yet.”
“Sadly not, although, in our defence, we believe we’re getting closer to arresting the perpetrators.”
Eliza gasped. “Are you telling me you know who they are?”
Katy tried to recall what she had told the couple at the time; they didn’t know back then that a gang was involved. “We’re aware that a few men are involved, possibly a gang-related crime.”
“Oh my. Do you know why they killed him?”
Katy detected the emotion rising in the woman’s voice. “Nothing has been confirmed as yet, Eliza, sorry. The men will be interviewed once they’ve been arrested. All will become clear during the interviews, I’m sure.”
“But you can’t guarantee it. I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to be honest with me.”
“Of course. I’m not in the habit of lying. What do you want to know?” Katy suspected what was coming next; she had no intention of swerving the truth either.
“Do you believe it was a racial attack?”
“At the time we weren’t certain if that was relevant, however, we’ve been dealing with three further cases and are sure the gang is to blame for all the deaths.”
“What? This is horrible, I’m at a loss for words. Despicable conduct in this day and age. Adama has lived here since he was eight. We came to this country for a better life. We have contributed in taxes since our very first week. I work for the NHS, and my husband is a bus driver. You should hear the abuse he gets daily. I’m rarely abused at work, only when something appears to go wrong with a patient. We arrived with work visas, we have a right to be here, we didn’t arrive illegally, like some immigrants today. But people’s ignorance to the facts are ripping this country apart.”
“I can understand how upsetting all this must be for you. I truly believe we’re talking about a mindless section of the country and genuinely don’t believe their actions speak for everyone living in the UK.”
“Oh, I know that to be true. I work with some wonderful people who have always treated me fairly, day in, day out on the ward where I work. It infuriates me that these men… I’m presuming that the killers are men?”
“They are.”
“It’s disgusting that they are allowed to target black men and appear to get away with it.”
“They won’t, I can promise you, not if my team and I have anything to do with it. We’re as sickened and appalled by the crimes as you are.”
“Forgive me for saying this, but I doubt that is true. No white person can ever know the depths of despair a black person sinks to when they are either attacked verbally, physically or mentally. Last summer, the Euros have highlighted the need to police the racist bastards trawling our streets, but they have also brought with them another wave of racism that we thought had died down. Notice that it is only gangs of men and women, possibly doing these dreadful things. You will never see an individual attacking a black person, they simply don’t have the guts. Pack culture at its finest. Something we’ve had to contend with on different abominable levels over the years.” She exhaled a long-suffering breath. “I’m sorry to get so emotional, it’s something that I never thought I’d be discussing after living in this country for nearly twenty-four years. It’s heartbr
eaking to know there are people out there who still see us as being different. Social media has a lot to answer for, giving these bastards a voice, contributing to their vile behaviour and the heinous crimes they are committing.”
“I agree one hundred percent that social media is at fault. On the plus side, we’re aware of what people of your culture have to contend with and, as a force, we’re doing our very best to stamp it out. Don’t give up on us, on me, just yet.”
“I won’t, as long as you don’t give up on us,” Eliza countered.
“You have my word. I’ll be in touch as soon as we’ve arrested these men. I’m on your side, please don’t ever forget that, Eliza.”
“Thank you, Inspector. I’ll stay by the phone, eagerly awaiting your call.”
“Hopefully, that will happen soon. Thank you for contacting me, Eliza.”
“Do your best, Inspector. Goodbye.”
Katy sat back and stared at the ceiling for a second or two, her mind full of the investigation, hoping it would come to a successful conclusion soon but also fearful for the three people she knew were missing.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She sat upright and called out, “Yes, what is it?”
Patrick opened the door and stuck his head into the room. “Sorry to barge in like this, boss. The person I spoke to, the line manager at Lamberts, has given us a name of a person who threatened Traore a few weeks ago.”
Katy bounced out of her chair. “That’s great news. Have you managed to trace the person, Patrick?”
“Yes, I went ahead and searched social media and came up with something surprising. Let me show you.”
Katy left the office and followed him back to his desk. “What have you got?”
He pointed at his screen to the profile picture and page of a Joseph (Joe) Rice. Then he picked up a sheet of paper which was a printout of an image from the footage of the men attacking and abducting Yao Soro. Katy’s heart missed several beats, and she gasped.
“That’s definitely him. Right, let’s act quickly and bring him in. Wasn’t he the one who seemed to be calling the shots on the CCTV footage?”
“That’s right. I’ll see if I can find an address for him.” Patrick dropped into his chair and tapped at his keyboard.
Katy crossed the room and added the information they had gathered about Rice and the van to the whiteboard. Adrenaline tore through her veins like an express train. She could sense they were getting close now, at least she hoped they were.
Charlie came and stood beside her and said, “Is this it? The key piece we’ve been searching for?”
“Who knows? We’ve got to think of this as the Golden Fleece. God, I hope it is. Charlie, I need you to assist Patrick. While he tries to find Rice’s address, I need you to go through his Facebook page and other social media sites, see if you can link him to the other men in the CCTV footage.”
“Right, gotcha, I’m on it now.”
Katy then fetched her mobile from the office and rang Graham to let him know where they stood. “Keep an eye on the van, don’t let it out of your sight. We’ll keep digging at this end.”
“That’s excellent news, boss. The noose is tightening.”
“I bloody well hope so. Ring me the second the van starts off. Let it go and follow it.”
“Will do.”
“Speak later.”
Patrick raised a hand to get her attention.
“Found it?” she asked.
“Yes, boss. I’ve checked on the map and found it’s not too far from where the van is located.”
“Which is great. Let’s keep at it, folks. Try and find out the names of all those concerned.”
10
A few hours later, they had gathered all the information they needed and matched every face to a name, all thanks to the wonders of social media. In spite of the late hour, almost nine p.m., Katy felt buoyant and on top of her game. Her phone rang, and excitement tickled her spine when she saw Carol’s name light up her tiny phone screen. “God, you read my mind, I was just thinking about you. How are you, Carol?” She walked back into her office, just in case the conversation got a bit weird.
“I’m fine. Sorry I haven’t been in touch until now. Katy, I’m aware that several men have lost their lives this week, utterly deplorable and unnecessary in my opinion, all because of their colour, but you’re already aware of that, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I kind of had an inkling right from the word go that would be the case. We’re working late tonight, I sense that things are going to kick off. Unless you’re going to tell me otherwise, of course.”
“No, I was calling you to tell you to prepare for a fight tonight. A name has just come my way if you want to hear it?”
“Of course.”
“Joe Rice. Does it ring a bell?”
“Yes, we’ve managed to track him down, only uncovered his name a couple of hours ago. Dare I ask how you know?”
“A gentleman who told me his name is Siaka. He came through earlier this evening. Horrifying ordeal he went through. I was tearing up during our conversation. He wanted to reach out to send a message to his wife, however, I know how weird that is likely to sound to the woman, so wanted to run it past you first.”
“I’m not sure, Carol. I suppose to some, hearing from a loved one after they’ve passed can be a great source of comfort, but then again, to others it might sound like someone is trying to mess with their heads.”
“I agree, it’s a tough call. He wanted to tell his wife that he will endeavour to watch over her for however long is possible and to get on with her life.”
“Oh God, I’m filling up here. His wife found out this morning that she’s pregnant.”
“I know she did, I picked up on that. I had to tell him. I was an emotional wreck when he departed for the evening. I also wanted to issue you with a warning, Katy, please adhere to it.”
Katy perched on the edge of her desk. “Go on, I’ll do my best.”
“You’re right about tonight. I believe it’s all about to kick off for you and your team. I’m warning you now, the gang will put up a fight, and someone is going to get injured, just be aware of that.”
Her heart sank. “One of my team?”
“Yes, I’m only telling you this so you can pass on the warning. I know your team are all great at covering each other’s backs, but this time I need them to go the extra mile to ensure that you all stay safe.”
“Thanks for looking out for us, Carol. Tell me this, are we going to be successful in our mission?”
“In the end, yes, it’ll be touch and go for a moment or two. I’m going to leave you now. Take care, give Charlie a hug from me.”
“I will. Thanks for watching over us, Carol. I’ll be in touch once it’s all over.”
“Stay safe, love.”
Katy ended the call and shuddered at the thought of what was to come. Her tummy rumbled, and it was then that she realised they had all been too busy to eat. She needed to remedy that issue before it was too late. She went back into the office and said, “Right, who’s up for pizza?”
The team placed their orders and got back to work. Katy rang the order through and was promised it would be delivered within the next thirty minutes.
She took Charlie to one side and relayed the information Carol had given her. “So, as we feared, it would appear that it’s all going to kick off tonight. I need you to be on your guard, if it does. Think and double think every move we make, got that?”
“I will. I’ll be by your side every step of the way, boss.”
“That’s my girl.”
The pizza arrived. The team tucked in and discussed the possibility that things were likely to come to a conclusion later that evening.
“It’s an unknown quantity, we’ve got to see how things progress, but a word of caution, if we’re called out and need to confront the gang, I need you all to be fully alert at all times. They’re dangerous, we need to keep that knowledge at the forefront of
our minds.”
They received the call at around eleven forty-five. Graham told Katy the van was on the move. She and Charlie got on the road soon after. Patrick joined them, setting off in his own car, and that left Karen manning the phones and the radio back at base.
“Are you ready for this?” Katy asked.
“Let’s just say, I’m glad the ART have been drafted in, that was a good call on your part.”
“I must confess, it took me a while to consider the options, but then Carol’s voice kept chipping away at me and I was forced to make the call.”
Graham and Stephen kept the line open so they were aware of the van’s movements as they happened. Charlie relayed the information to the ART commander until they met up en route. The vehicle flashed its lights behind Katy. She slowed down to let the Armed Response Team pass. Luckily, the main roads were relatively quiet at this time of night, a bonus in Katy’s opinion.
They were in a four-car convoy now, still on the tail of the van which, by the look of it, was heading towards an industrial estate. “We must be getting close now, surely.”
Charlie inhaled and exhaled a few times beside her.
“How are you doing?”
“All right, I suppose. You’re okay, you’re driving, I’m just sitting here, with my mind working overtime.”
“Maybe it was wrong of me to pass on Carol’s message.”
Charlie waved the apology away. “No, I don’t think it’s that. The gang are violent, we know that. I suppose I’m anxious, worried they’ll take it out on the woman and her child and the journalist once we get there.”
“I can understand your concerns. There’s not a lot we can do to prevent it from happening, all we can do is our very best. We’ll leave things up to the ART when we get there, they usually try to negotiate with the criminals before going in there heavy-handed.”
“I hope so. Do you have a backup plan in case things go wrong?”
Katy turned her way and gave Charlie a knowing smile and quickly faced the road again. “Never write me off, Charlie. My mind is constantly working through different scenarios. We’ll have to bide our time and see how it all develops when we get to the location.”
