Shades of Loyalty

by Paul Stretton-Stephens

  “Just checking, Boss, just checking.”

  Jago hurled himself down the stairway near the store, very nearly crashing into a small family.

  He appeared outside the M&S store. “Did he go inside or elsewhere?”

  “In, he went inside. I have limited cameras in there, but I do have the cameras on the exit. Go straight through the store to the far side. There’s an exit. I’ll let you know when I see him.”

  Jago ran through the store at pace, rushing past startled shoppers and assistants, some of whom were calling security. He made it to the exit.

  “Where, Abi? Where? I need eyes on him.”

  “He hasn’t left here. He must have gone through the storage area. That’s north-east of your location.”

  “Roger that, I’m off.”

  Jago swept through the store, past the queue outside the changing rooms and burst through the service doors to the storeroom. He paused, waiting to spot Jed or hear a noise. He heard some workers cursing and shouting at someone; it had to be Jed. He ran in the direction of the disturbance.

  Slightly breathless, Jago announced, “Security, I’m security. Where’d he go?”

  “He went out into the service area; it leads to the car park.”

  Jago followed the directions and exited the building. There were plenty of cars parked, and no one was running.

  “Abi, can you see me?”

  “Yes, Boss, and I’m scanning the area. Look left in the centre of all of the cars, there’s a group of people leaving a minibus, and just beyond that, there’s a man waving his arms around frantically. He’s got to be over there.”

  “I’ll get over there. You sweep the area.”

  “Will do.”

  Jago ran over to the group of people and slowed his pace as he neared the man ranting and raving at someone. Then he heard the sound of a revving engine and increased his pace. Just as he was a car distance away, the vehicle sped off across the car park, leaving a white-haired man shouting, swearing and waving his arms around.

  Jago appeared beside the white-haired man who asked him, “Are you the police? I want to report a stolen car.”

  “I’m afraid not, Sir. They’ll be here soon enough, though. Just wait here.” He placed his hands on his knees like a runner finishing a marathon.

  “Did you manage to get the vehicle registration, Abi? Model et cetera? Please tell me that you did?”

  “Yes, Boss, I captured it all. He left via Merlin Road at speed for about a mile, adopted normal speed, and he’s headed southbound on the motorway.”

  “Okay, keep him in sight. I’m going to get my bike. Give me the vehicle details.”

  ***

  “Boss, you’re ten minutes behind him. He’s turning off at Junction 18 and taking the Portway towards Shirehampton.”

  “Where’s he heading? Can you tell? And does his mobile phone correspond regarding the location or is he using diverted calls?”

  “Bernie is looking at that now to see if we can trace the phone that receives the diverted calls. Wait a minute, Boss. He hasn’t appeared on the next traffic cam. He must have turned off somewhere near the park and ride scheme or into the residential area.”

  “My bet is he’s gone into the park and ride to get a change of car. Have you got camera access in there?”

  “I can get it, but he’ll be long gone by the time we get it. It’s probably better to check the occupants of all cars leaving the car park.”

  Jed had entered the park and ride car park. There were plenty of good pickings in there. He parked his stolen car at the rear of the car park, near the fences and overhanging bushes. He then made his way cautiously through the multitude of cars, looking for something reasonably innocuous but with a little power if needed. He came upon a black BMW sports estate. It wasn’t a new model and was less conspicuous that some of the other cars with power. He deftly broke into the car and had it running within minutes. He changed his T-shirt for a blue shirt that he had just purchased and donned a baseball cap from one of his shopping bags. He placed his other clothing and leather jacket in the shopping bag behind the seat before driving onto the main road in the direction of the motorway.

  Jago reached Junction 18 and was close to the park and ride. After a couple of minutes, he turned into the car park and slowly scoured the area for signs of Jed and the car. He spotted the stolen car at the rear of the parking area.

  “Abi, I’ve found it. He must have changed cars, and he had plenty to choose from. Did you manage to get camera access here?”

  “I did, but it’s a long shot. They have an old system and only capture every thirty minutes. Why?”

  “I’m looking at a full car park here minus about half a dozen cars. That’s half a dozen empty bays. If I give you the bay numbers, can you check what was parked in that bay last? It might be worth trying?”

  A short while later, Abi started passing the details of the cars and finally the BMW that Jed had taken.

  “Here’s a possible, Boss, but the occupant has changed clothing. From the captured images, we can’t see a face or any features. Looks like he’s now wearing a blue shirt and a baseball cap, one of those with the large peak.”

  “Okay, Abi, thanks. Let’s call it off. There’s no use in chasing a trained ghost. He’ll surface elsewhere. I’m heading back to The Ranch.”

  “See you soon then, Boss. Oh, hang on a minute. Bernie wants a word.”

  “Okay, put him on.”

  “Boss, one of my old mates at the yard just called to let me know that one Cristóbal Pérez Díaz was delivered to the steps of New Scotland Yard last night.”

  “Isn’t he on Interpol’s most wanted list? And what do you mean ‘delivered’? By whom?”

  “Yes, that’s him, Boss. It seems he’s in a pretty bad way. Someone shot him multiple times, then tended his wounds before finally dumping him outside of NSY.”

  “What’s the connection, apart from South America?”

  “Cristóbal is a drugs baron, and he’s also got ambitions in other areas such as funding and supplying terrorism. He was in the same region of Colombia as our man, at the same time. And, he’s been reported to have held meetings with your friend, Sir Arthur Green. Our man was part of a four-man team advising government forces. One of the team had successfully infiltrated Green’s network and met with Cristóbal. The next thing you know is his body parts were delivered to the British Embassy in the post. They delivered one part a day every day over the period of a couple of weeks. Cristóbal openly took credit for the killing. And guess what? He was dumped off by a man that fits our man Jed’s description.”

  “He’s loyal then. After all the carnage he’s created here, he’s remained loyal to his oppos and, because he’s kept him alive, loyal to his country. He wants the authorities to milk him because he’s no use anymore. He’d be better off dead.”

  Jago fell silent.

  “Boss, you there, Boss?”

  “Yes, Bernie. I was just thinking. Can you pass this on to your profiler friend and see what she comes up with? Maybe we can use his shades of loyalty as an angle to get to him? Any news on the brother?”

  “Okay, I’ll give her the intel straight away. And no. No sign of the brother yet.”

  Chapter 27 – The Penthouse Problem

  Dom stood looking out of the window of Irene’s plush office which overlooked a sea of parked cars destined for faraway places. It was partially overlooked by an older six-floor building.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in.”

  A security guard entered with a petite Latino woman.

  “Ms Grimshaw, the caterers are here. Where would you like the food?”

  “Would you take it over to the table near the coffee machine, please?”

  The middle-aged woman smiled as she was directed to the table, and Dom kept watch over her movements while she pushed her two-tiered trolley, laden with an assortment of food chosen by Irene. Placing the food carefully on the table,
the woman asked in broken English, “Shall I stay and serve?”

  The security guard shrugged his shoulders.

  “No dear,” Irene said. “That will be all, thank you.” She extended her hand out. “Here, this is for you.”

  “But it’s already been invoiced to your company.”

  “Yes, I know. But this is for you. Go and treat yourself to something nice. You deserve it. I ask you to come here at a moment’s notice, and you go the extra mile, and that’s worth something. Take the fifty pounds and treat yourself.”

  With her smile beaming from ear to ear, the woman accepted the gift. “Thank you, Miss. Thank you very much.”

  As the guard and caterer left the room, Irene asked, “Nick, or whatever your real name is, would you like something to eat and another coffee maybe?”

  “Yes, sure. I wonder when he will call?”

  “I’m sure that we won’t have to wait long. He seemed eager.”

  They sat and ate from the arrangement of delicious food on display while they engaged in social chat. Dom knew that the building could be rife with listening devices and gave little away. And Irene sensed his guardedness.

  “You don’t open up very much, do you?”

  Dom shouldn’t have been caught off guard by her directness, but he was.

  “I guess it’s the nature of the job, nothing personal. It’s just business. I’m sure that you understand that?” he smiled.

  “Yes, I understand that. It’s a shame that we have these circumstances between us, don’t you think?”

  Dom felt uncomfortable. Here was this wealthy, attractive, elegant, intelligent, if not foolhardy, woman being as direct as you like, right at him. He did find her attractive, but didn’t think that he, a modestly paid ex-soldier security operative, was even in her league.

  “Look, Irene, I’m just here on business. Period.”

  She persisted, apparently ignoring his response. “Do you have someone in your life already, then?”

  He looked at her in the eyes. “I am unattached and I like it that way, and I’m very happy in my work.” He thought for a moment. “And I’m not looking for anything else.”

  “Very well, I hear you loud and clear. You don’t find me attractive, and that’s that. I thought there was some—”

  “Some … what?”

  “Chemistry. I thought we had some chemistry.”

  The phone rang, and they both glanced at each other.

  “Don’t forget what I said: keep calm, be normal and as businesslike as you normally are. I’ll be listening.”

  She answered the phone, putting it on speaker.

  “Hello, this is Irene Grimshaw.”

  “Irene, go secure … do you have what I asked for?”

  She recognised the electronic disguise of the voice and did as instructed.

  “I have two out of three, which under the time restraint isn’t bad.”

  “What’s missing?”

  She hesitated.

  He sensed her reluctance to voice. “Don’t worry. On this call you can say, we’re secure, and nobody is listening in, are they?”

  “No, nobody is listening in. I’m afraid that I couldn’t get hold of any grenades at short notice. But I have your other items. How do want them delivered, or would you prefer to collect? And will you be paying in cash again?”

  “How much are the goods?”

  “Well, let me tell you that it was challenging to obtain the goods at short notice, they cost me more than I have ever paid, and my source tells me that the cost has risen because someone has been using something similar around the country in recent months. They’re very reluctant to move these goods on in case they get implicated in something bigger. And I have to say, I too am a little reluctant.”

  “Well, are you going to sell them to me or not?”

  Her hesitancy had disappeared. She was the businesswoman now. “Oh, yes, I’ll sell. But I want a good price. I want forty-five grand, that’s pounds sterling, in a mix of unmarked notes.”

  “No way! Forty-five grand? You’ve got to be out of your mind! I’ll give you twenty and not a penny more.”

  “Look, the risk is high. It’s forty-five grand, take it or leave it.”

  The voice on the other end changed. “You like to drive a hard bargain don’t you, Irene? What if I were to say that I wanted a discount because you lied to me? What would you say then?”

  “What do you mean? I haven’t lied to you.”

  “Tut, tut, tut, Irene. You have lied to me on three counts. I want a big discount now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Firstly, you tell me that you haven’t lied. That’s a lie. It’s a lie because you do have some grenades in stock. A little bird told me so. And … someone is listening in, aren’t you Nick, or whatever your name is?”

  Dom disconnected the phone and moved over to Irene and whispered in her ear.

  “Someone in your organisation is lying. They’re either telling you that the countermeasures sweep that you employ twice daily is fine when it isn’t, or you have an informer on your staff. Let’s test it out.”

  She nodded in agreement. She was out of her depth and knew it.

  Dom spoke aloud. “Irene, look you have countermeasure sweeps twice daily and you’re in the clear. So, you must have someone on the staff who is informing on you. Who could it be? Come on, we need some names now. Think!”

  “It wouldn’t be Mason, or Virginia, or Carl. They’re the only ones who know about my activities.”

  “Okay, so now we know who it wouldn’t be, what about who it could be?”

  The phone rang again.

  Dom whispered. “Come clean with him for the same price. Throw in the grenades, if you’ll excuse the pun.”

  She smiled nervously at him. “Okay.”

  “This is Irene.”

  “I want all of the items for twenty-five grand, pounds sterling. You see I’m learning from you, Irene. Do you want to consult your friend, Irene? Go ahead. I’ll wait. Oh, and by the way, look out of the window,” he laughed.

  They both looked out of the window, and Dom was the first to see a small drone perched on a windowsill of an overlooking building.

  “Go on, give us a wave! Be friendly, guys!” laughed the electronic voice.

  Dom switched on his mobile so that Abi could hear what was going on back at The Ranch.

  “What’s the point of your little toy?” asked Dom. “I mean, a small drone overlooking our location is hardly manly, is it?”

  “It serves a purpose. I can see what you’re doing and how many of you there are. Besides, it’s not the only drone that I’ve deployed.”

  “Meaning?” Dom asked.

  “Meaning that it’s unfortunate for you that you’re on the top floor of your little castle, Irene, yet beneficial for me. You see my other little toy is right above you, only this one is packed with a blast charge from some of your very own explosives. How ironic is that? So, if I don’t get what I want, at the price I’m prepared to pay, nobody will get anything from you ever again. Do you understand your predicament?”

  “We do, and we’ll give you an answer in an hour.”

  “No. I’ll call you in thirty minutes. Bon appetit! Oh, and don’t even think of leaving the room. I’ll be watching you.”

  ***

  Abi had Fi on the line. “Did you get most of that relayed message, Fi?”

  “It was a bad connection, but I think that I got the gist. There are two drones, one watching Dom and the other is likely to be on top of him, packed with a blast charge.”

  “That’s it, Fi. One of the brothers, probably Marti, is close by. I guess that he’ll be somewhere high up. He’s controlling two drones and wouldn’t risk losing signal, especially with explosives. And if he uses it, he’s going to want to watch what he’s done. I’ll get the techies to try to block any signals in the area, but you may be beyond their reach. You’ll have to act quickly.”

  “Roger that. Does Dom k
now that I’m on site yet?”

  “No, and we can’t tell him because his location may be compromised. If you want to let him know, you’ll have to come up with a way.”

  “Roger that, out.”

  Fi was positioned in a four-floor building close to Grimshaw’s, where she could observe the comings and goings. She scanned the area with her digital laser rangefinder. She could see where the drone cam was, but only from the side. It was on the fifth floor of the neighbouring building. She descended part way down her building on the fire escape and leapt up onto the fire escape of the taller building. She rapidly climbed the stairway, pausing at the fourth floor to assess an access point before continuing to the fifth floor. She quickly realised that the fourth-floor access would be more accessible and attract less attention.

  Fi disarmed the alarm connection and entered the building by removing the glass in the exit door. She raced to the fifth floor and tried to enter the room outside where the drone was sat. Quickly, she picked the lock and entered the large office. As Fi ran through the office, she grabbed paper and Sellotape from a desk. Arriving at the window, she slowly opened it behind the drone. She placed the piece of paper over the camera lens and Sellotaped it in place.

  No sooner had she closed the window than the drone took flight. Fi quickly waved across to Dom, who looked surprised, then returned the gesture. After seeing what had just happened, Dom promptly left the office with Irene while Fi exited the building and watched the flight path of the drone. It circled the tall building once and ascended to the top floor. Racing up the fire escape, she knew that she only had minutes before the controller was aware of her existence and set the blast charge.

  Fi arrived on the roof and could hear the drone coming in to land. To the left, adjacent to Dom’s location, was a small concrete structure, probably the machine housing for the lift inside the building. Fi saw movement. It was the antenna from a handheld control unit. Her man was on the other side of the structure.

  Fi ran and leapt up, pushing her left foot onto the perimeter wall and rebounding upwards onto the roof of the small structure. She drew her Glock and made ready to attack. She knew that it was preferable to take him alive, but also knew that the decision would be in the hands of her target. The man knelt down, examining the drone he’d just brought back. He was audibly cursing and then realised that someone must be close. He slowly turned to look at the wall.