Chasing Aquila

by James Hume

  Sandra nodded. ‘You’re right. So, if McFadden wants Huizen’s exact name, then he must want to track him down. He must think Huizen has something to do with Tommy’s drug business. And he doesn’t. It’s probably not even his real name.

  ‘So what will McFadden do now?’ she mused. ‘Will he go to Amsterdam? I don’t think so. But I assume these gangsters have some sort of network, so he’ll pay an associate in Amsterdam to find out for him. And Bruce just turns a blind eye to it all. I hope the CC nails the corrupt bastard sooner rather than later.’

  Tom pursed his lips. ‘Yeah, I agree. But it would make a big difference to McFadden if he got a copy of Tommy’s notebook and his contacts. I wonder if Bruce knew about that?’ He stopped and thought for a moment. ‘Maybe he does, and wants to keep it all to himself. Either way, ma’am, you need to alert the CC about who’s in that photo.’

  She snorted. ‘Yeah, I really need to keep him onside.’ She didn’t mention Tommy’s notebook might be difficult to unravel for someone without her insider knowledge.

  ***

  Sandra called Porritt mid-afternoon. ‘I’ll send over a full set of prints for Huizen, sir. We picked them up from his hotel room. We also got his prints from the whisky bottle. Hundred percent match.’

  ‘Great. Well done, Sandra.’

  ‘I’ll also send over an artist’s impression of Huizen’s wife, sir. A pretty, blonde girl, but nothing distinctive.’

  ‘Okay, thanks. I’ve already set up protection for Jane from the local police, so we’ll keep an eye out for her as well.’

  ‘Right, sir. The situation over here with Thomson has got even messier in the last twenty-four hours.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘In three areas, sir. First, with Huizen. We discovered a loaded gun, with Thomson’s prints, in the river. So, we think they’d quite a fight, probably because Thomson didn’t give Huizen any info on Jane.

  ‘Second, with Thomson and his drugs. He used a false ID – the name and address of a pal – and that pal was found dead last night, murdered we think by local gangsters trying to muscle in on Thomson’s drug business. They also turned up at Thomson’s flat looking for the drugs. And they did get Huizen’s name as the person responsible for Thomson’s death. I think they’ve linked that with the drugs business, and so they’ve probably sent a team out to nail Huizen if they can find him.’

  ‘You’re right, it is getting messy.’

  ‘And lastly, sir. I’ve just analysed Thomson’s notebook that details his drug dealings and contacts. They’re all in code. I remembered Malcolm Craig talking about a code Aquila used, and surprise, surprise, it’s exactly the same code, sir. And to crown all, the Regional Distributor of the drug network is a Mr Andrew Lyall of Hampstead, the same name as the man who ran Aquila in London. Malcolm and I think this is Aquila reincarnated as a drug network and not a spy network.’

  ‘Bloody hell, Sandra.’ There was silence for a minute. ‘And do you think Huizen’s coming in from the spy end or the drugs end?’

  ‘From the spy end, sir. He visited Brown in prison before he appeared in Glasgow. But he now could have a bunch of gangsters on his tail who think he’s part of a drug network.’

  ‘Okay, Sandra, we’ll keep our eyes open here. Keep me informed.’

  ‘Will do, sir. Bye.’

  ***

  Just after five, Sandra’s phone rang. ‘It’s Commander Burnett for you, ma’am.’

  He came on the line. ‘Hey, Sandra. What’s happening your end?’

  ‘Plenty, sir.’ She gave him an update much as she’d covered with Porritt, with the additional information that, after she decoded Thomson’s notebook, she’d verified the number in Amsterdam for Michael, Thomson’s drug supplier.

  ‘Wow. The same code? Aquila reincarnated? Great work, Sandra. Just what we need.’

  ‘How do you mean, sir?’

  ‘Well, the Home Secretary wants to make an impact, and take action on this drug menace before it really gets started. So, he’s putting together a top-notch two-person team to dig out the facts and present a quick report on what we can do. He’s selected one of his top Home Office chaps to be part of it, who looks pretty reasonable. But the HS also wants a good cop to work alongside him. So I volunteered you, assuming you’d like to do it, of course.’

  ‘Me?’ She grimaced. ‘Why me, sir?’

  ‘For a number of reasons. First, we need someone with top-notch analytical skills, and you fit the bill. You’ve also got evidence that no one else in the country has, and we need to use it to make an impact. So, it would be good for your career. It would also get you out of the toxic atmosphere in Glasgow while the CC takes appropriate action with his staff. And last but not least, you’d immediately move up to CS, which you deserve, and it’s the right level for this job. So, what do you think?’

  She was stunned. ‘Is the CS permanent, or just for this job?’

  ‘Permanent. As I say, you deserve it, Sandra.’

  ‘And what would happen here?’

  ‘Move your best Inspector up to CI, pro tem. It’s only for a few weeks. The HS wants your report by the end of January, and we can both keep an eye on him.’

  ‘And would I come back here?’

  ‘That’s the plan, Sandra. You might have to oversee some on-going action, depending on what you recommend, but you could do that from Glasgow.’

  ‘Okay, sir. I’ll do it. What’s the next steps?’

  ‘The Home Office fellow’s Bill Franklin. Here’s his number.’ She noted it. ‘Give him a call tomorrow and arrange to get started. The HS had a private meeting with Franklin and myself afterwards, and made it clear, while officially you’re doing a review, unofficially he wants this drugs menace closed down. You’re free to bend the law as much as you like, just don’t break it. If you’re going undercover or need help, let me know, so we can put the necessary links in place for you. And give me a weekly update when you can.’

  ‘Right, sir. Will do.’

  She hung up and took a deep breath. What an opportunity. Her brain buzzed with ideas, but she just had to calm down and take time to think. She noticed Tom with his hat and coat on ready to leave, went to the door and called him.

  ‘Tom, the boss has asked me to do a special job for the Home Office for the next few weeks, and we’d like you to step up and run this unit while I’m away. You’ll get a temporary CI, so it’s good for your career. Will you do it?’

  ‘Blimey, that’s a surprise, ma’am. Thank you. I’m happy to do it. What’s the job?’

  ‘It’s a special review of this new drug menace spreading across the country. Both Burnett and I will help you if you need it at any time. So don’t hesitate to call. Okay?’

  He nodded. ‘Sure, ma’am. ‘

  ‘Good. See you in the morning.’ She saw Doc Roberts coming across the outer office with the suitcase. ‘Hang on a sec, Tom. Let’s hear what Alex has to say.’

  ‘Good evening, people. Glad I caught you. Just to let you know, on the evidence of this suitcase, the people you’re dealing with are very clever. In my opinion, you should not underestimate them.’

  Sandra smiled. ‘Really? What have you got?’

  ‘Let me demonstrate, ma’am.’ He put the suitcase on her desk and opened it. ‘I agree with your assessment. Measurement indicates about a one inch gap top and bottom, but it’s taken us most of the day to figure out how to get into it. Let me show you.

  ‘The top and bottom are identical, so let’s unzip the satin liner from the bottom.’ He did so and folded it to the back of the case. ‘You see now we have a complete leather base covering the bottom, and smoothed right round the edge under this rim, so it appears part of the case shell. And it doesn’t come out.’ He tried to lift it out.

  ‘Now, we know there’s a gap underneath, so how do we get to it? We thought it must have something to do with these buttons.’ He pointed out four leather buttons on the base, each around two inches diameter and located close t
o each corner. ‘We pulled the buttons out.’ He got a penknife from his pocket, and gently eased off one of the buttons to reveal a plastic disc with a large slot across it. ‘We first wondered if it was a screw, but when you turn it,’ he got a shilling from his pocket, put it into the slot and turned it, ‘nothing happens. It just rotates. Now, it obviously does something, but what?’ He smiled at each of them in turn.

  Sandra opted to keep quiet and let him get on with it.

  ‘Then we had a breakthrough,’ he went on. ‘By chance, we had left one of the discs aligned vertically to the case, like this.’ He turned the disc.’ And one of our team noticed the leather liner seemed looser at that point. So we aligned all the discs the same way,’ he turned the other three discs, ‘and voila, the leather liner lifts out.’ He lifted the liner out to reveal a fine steel frame built inside the case shell, and surrounding a hidden space.’

  Sandra smiled. ‘So, how does it work, then?’

  ‘If you look under here,’ he turned the leather liner over, ‘you see these four steel pods are connected together with this fine metal frame, which matches the frame in the case outer. So, if I take this paper clip,’ he lifted a paper clip from her desk, ‘and put it against the base of the pod, you see it just falls off. But if I turn this slot 180 degrees and put the paper clip on now, it sticks. The pod has become magnetised. And if we do the same with the three other pods, the whole frame becomes magnetised and sticks to the frame in the case shell.

  ‘These pods are in effect magnetic switches. When they’re on, you can’t lift the leather liner out. But when they’re off, you can lift it out and access the hidden space. Neat, huh? And very clever. We’ve never seen anything like it before. It looks like a neat piece of German design, and very effective.’

  Sandra thought, no wonder the GT Pharma company want their people to use this suitcase. It’s doubtful anyone would ever find the hidden compartments with a casual search. ‘Brilliant, Alex. We’ll hold on to it for the moment. Could you put the case into our evidence vault on your way out, please, Tom?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Alex put the case back together and Tom left with it.

  ‘Anything else I can do for you, Sandra?’

  She shook her head. ‘No thanks, Alex. I’ve got to figure out how I use all this info now.’

  ‘No problem, Sandra. Give me a shout if you need me.’ He left the room.

  Sandra remembered Porritt outlining his analysis of Aquila at that time. He definitely had not underestimated them, and she wouldn’t either.

  ***

  She’d just put out her bedside light when the phone rang. She sighed. Not again. She picked up. ‘Two-five-six-seven?’

  ‘Watch your back, you interfering bitch.’ He rang off.

  She sighed again. A local accent. It must be Sam McFadden or one of his team, with their sense of entitlement that they should get whatever they wanted at the threat of violence. As though a stupid phone call would somehow get her to cooperate. How dumb were these people? Plenty dumb, she thought, on the evidence of Davy Wilson. And how would they follow up, if at all?

  Now she had to follow procedure. She called the Duty Inspector and reported it. He’d put a uniformed cop on her front door overnight. Like most senior police officers, she already used different routes to and from the office each day, but now she’d have to move her mother to her sister’s home in Ayr for a while. Bastards.

  Maybe the boss was right. She should get out of this toxic atmosphere for a while. She picked up her book again and tried to read her way to sleep.

  Chapter 7. Sam

  Sam lay in the hotel bathrobe and watched the girl walk naked round the end of the bed and head for the bathroom. He caught a glimpse of her large wobbling breasts in the wall mirror, and admired her neat ass as she disappeared through the door. Slim and petite, and a bloody good ride. Worth every penny. But he needed more. His skin seemed to ripple all over. He padded through to the lounge, and picked up the phone.

  ‘Reception?’ He asked for the number.

  A few clicks later, ‘Yep?’

  ‘It’s me. Need another one. You know what I like.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘How long?’

  ‘An hour, tops?’

  ‘Good. Thanks.’

  ‘No problem, boss.’

  He went back to the bedroom just as she reappeared. ‘Right, toots. Time to go.’

  ‘Aw, Sammy. I thought we might have longer.’

  ‘We’ve had the whole bloody night.’

  She stretched up on tip toes and put her arm round his neck. ‘But you were so good, Sammy. Will I see you again?’

  ‘Yeah.’ He playfully slapped her bum. ‘Now, get dressed and get going. I’ve got things to do.’ He lifted his wallet and pulled out two five-pound notes. ‘Here’s a wee bonus for you. Now, bugger off.’

  ‘Okay, Sammy. See you again.’ Within minutes she’d gone.

  He had a quick shave and shower. Still semi-erect, even after a night of frantic love making. Christ, that pill was magic. No doubt about it. He relaxed in the bathrobe, clear thinking, alert, and with his senses fine tuned. He’d never felt this good before.

  He thought back to Sunday at the mortuary. His wife, Helen had taken a tearful Marion out the room after she’d identified Willie’s body. The mortuary attendant gave Sam an open-topped box with Willie’s clothes in it. Sam noticed the little plastic bag, with four pills. ‘What are these?’ he asked.

  The attendant shrugged. ‘Don’t know, mate. The doc says they give you a hard on for three days. But, they’re not illegal, so you get them back.’

  Sam frowned, ‘Really?’ and slipped them into his pocket.

  He’d fretted over the pills for two days. Where the hell had Willie got them? He’d had one of his best men, Eddie Frame, on Willie’s tail for nearly two weeks because he didn’t trust Willie any more. He reckoned Willie had leaked information to a rival.

  That night, Eddie got into Sam’s car. Eddie had a valuable role in the organisation, but always kept in the background. He’d been an actor in his younger days, and could disguise his appearance and accent. He could ferret information useful to the family, like no one else. ‘Hi, Sam. Something up?’

  ‘Yeah. You know how you said Willie ran around the Saltmarket like an aeroplane before he got hit by the bus on Saturday? I found he had some strange pills. He must have got them that morning. Did you see him buy them from somebody?’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘I didn’t Sam. He was in the Horseshoe Bar on Saturday lunchtime and it was packed. I had a good view of him at the bar, though, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t get any pills there. But he stopped to talk to a lad at a table on the way to the loo. I couldn’t get a clear view, so he might have got them then. I think it’s the only possibility, Sam.’

  ‘Do you know this lad?’

  ‘I don’t, but Willie knew him. He spoke to him the previous Saturday as well. I didn’t notice anything suspicious then either.’

  ‘Could you find out about him?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll do what I can, Sammy.’

  ‘Good man. Let me know at the weekend how you get on.’

  Now, a couple of days later, Sam sat and admired the hotel gardens. His whole body craved action. He’d lasted one more day, before he booked a suite at his favourite south-side hotel to check out these pills. At least he wouldn’t run under a bus here. He’d told Helen he’d to go to Edinburgh for a couple of days on urgent business.

  There was a knock at the door. He got up and opened it. Christ, Johnny had chosen well. Even bigger tits than the last one. She smiled. ‘Sam? I’m Tracey.’

  He opened the door wide. ‘Come in, Tracey. Good to see you.’ His loins had stirred already. A good day ahead.

  ***

  The following Saturday night, he met Eddie at the same location. ‘How did you get on?’

  ‘Oh, he’s a slippery bugger, Sam. He sat in the Horseshoe Bar for three hours. Once you know what you’re look
ing for, you can bloody see it. He had a succession of men sat beside him. All greeted like old pals. But he deals under the table. I reckon he got two fivers for a small bag of pills – with maybe five in it?’

  ‘Jesus Christ.’ Two quid each, thought Sam. But bloody worth it when you know the effect they have. ‘Then what?’

  ‘He left the bar at half two, and jumped on a tram heading down Union Street. I caught the one behind it. He then jumped off in Bridge Street, and went into the Underground station. I caught up with him on the platform. He stood at the far end, waiting on an Inner Circle train back into the city. I stood halfway down and got on the next train. He got on as well, but just as the gates closed, he stepped off onto the platform, and walked over to get an Outer Circle train. That was it. Lost him within five minutes. He used the ‘last on, last off’ ploy. Makes him very difficult to follow, Sammy.’

  ‘Did he know you were on his tail?’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘No, it’s just the way he operates.’

  Sam thought for a moment. ‘He’s obviously a sharp cookie. I want him, Eddie. I want his business. We already control cocaine and heroin in this city. We don’t want some amateur coming in with a new drug just as good and not illegal. It would put us out of business.’

  ‘Is it that good?’

  ‘It’s bloody good, Eddie. I snaffled the pills Willie had, and tried one. Gave me a hard on for two days and the energy to use it. Never felt anything like it before.’

  ‘Jesus Christ.’

  ‘So, I want him, Eddie. How do we catch him?’

  ‘Well, we’ve got to start from what we know. And that’s not much. Looks like he spends three hours every Saturday lunchtime in the Horseshoe Bar. Why don’t we bundle him into a car when he leaves? Make him an offer he can’t refuse.’