'Okay, boss. I'll get on the radio and keep an eye on Julian here.'
DCI Haines looked up at the house. Julian's mother was striding down the driveway with a face like thunder.
'What are you doing? Where are you taking him? Don't you go hurting my boy!'
'It's Okay.' Haines held his hands out to calm her and stop her getting any closer to the car. 'He assaulted my colleague so we've arrested him and we're taking him to Bradwick Police Station.'
'He wouldn't assault anyone. He's a good boy.'
'He pushed her out of the way. I saw it. That's enough.' There was an uneasy silence between them. 'Does he live here? With you?' The mother nodded. 'Right and the shed you mentioned?'
'That's where he spends most of his time. He's very good with computers.' A hint of pride crept into her voice.
'Right. Okay. We'll send a couple of uniformed officers to search the shed and his bedroom for any computers. We might have to remove some items, but you'll get a receipt.'
'All this for brushing past an officer?' The fire had started to go out of her attack and now she was edging towards exasperated. 'It's a bit much isn't it?'
'We came here to ask him about some videos that were uploaded to the internet and he ran.' Haines tried his hardest to sound reasonable. 'We need to know why he didn't want to talk to us.'
'Well, he's my boy. Can I at least be the responsible adult? Sit in on the interview?'
Haines frowned. 'I understood he was nineteen?'
'Well, he is. But...' She trailed off, suddenly uncertain of her ground.
'Listen, the uniformed officers will be here soon. Is there anyone you want to call? Someone to come and sit with you while all this is sorted out?'
'I'll have to tell his father. He'll be livid.'
'Is there anyone in the shed at the moment?' Haines was worried that things were being deleted as he spoke.
'No, his friends usually come over in the evenings. They'll spend hours in there, playing video games and chatting. You know what boys are like.' Haines thought rather grimly that he had a far better idea of what her boy was like than she did.
'And these friends...?' he left the question deliberately half formed. With a bit of luck he could write this up as Julian's mother volunteering information.
'Oh, that'd be Ceiran and Tom most nights.'
'Right. Who are they exactly?'
'Ceiran Knight and Tom Small. Ceiran's been friends with Julian since primary school and Tom came along as he was friends with Ceiran's younger brother but kind of latched on to the older two.'
'Thank you, Mrs Lockwood, you've been most helpful.' He wanted to keep her there until he could get hold of the other two suspects. The last thing he wanted was a concerned mother talking to the other parents involved. But on the other hand he had a problem to fix with his other operation. He was saved when he looked around and saw the familiar colours of a marked police car driving up the road. 'Look, here they are now. I'll just show them where we are and we can be on our way.' With this Haines went to guide the police in and warn them to notify DC Angel if the mother made any attempt to contact the families of either Ceiran Knight or Tom Small.
When he finally got back to the car, he started giving orders. 'Right, Angel, you drive.'
While she navigated the car back to the station he phoned back to DI Hargreaves.
'I know, I know. I am in the middle of a murder enquiry here. Maybe you could tell him that?'
'It's just that I know how much effort we've all put in to make this work. No one wants to see it go tits-up because you missed a meeting.'
'I'm still your commanding officer, don't tell me off.' Haines paused to draw breath. 'I know you're not working on the murder case but if I'm going to this meeting you'll need to pitch in with the MIT. I'm on my way back to the station with a suspect for the Taylor murder. There are two further suspects – Ceiran Knight and Tom Small. I need them brought in as soon as possible. Take two people for each of them. There's a chance that Small is under eighteen so be careful and make sure there's a responsible adult. Just hold them at the station and I'll interview them as soon as I'm back.'
DC Angel kept stealing sideways glances at her boss as she drove back to the station. Eventually her curiosity won out. 'So, what's this important meeting then?'
'It's an operation that's been months in the planning and now one of my contacts is getting jumpy. If I don't go and pat him into shape then we might lose everything. That's all I can say.'
'Okay, boss.' DC Angel couldn't believe it. They were in the process of arresting their main suspects in a murder case and he was going off reassuring people on another case.
They drove in silence until they got onto the high street when Haines spoke. 'Pull up over here on the left.' DC Angel swung the car in to the kerb and looked questioningly at her DCI. 'I'm getting out here, I'm already late for a meeting.'
'Sir, we have a suspect on board. We should have two of us present at all times.' She spoke in a tight, quiet voice.
'The station is right up there. He's handcuffed and you'll be parking in under a minute.' With that he got out and shut the door. Swearing under her breath she glanced in the rear-view mirror. Lockwood was staring sulkily out of the window, apparently oblivious to the argument in the front.
The final two hundred yards to the police station passed without incident. The custody sergeant gave DC Angel a look that meant he'd noticed that she was bringing in a suspect on her own. But he didn't say anything and Julian Lockwood mumbled his way through the whole procedure.
When he was safely locked in the cells, she went back to the MIT room and made some calls. She found out that an impressive collection of laptop, desktop and tablet computers was in the process of being bagged up and logged in to evidence ready for technical analysis.
She tried DCI Haines number and it went straight to voicemail so she felt a bit lost. She made some notes and tried to plan her interview strategy but her mind kept wandering to where her boss was and what he was up to. It must be something important to keep him from the first breakthrough of the case.
Her planning was disrupted by the phone. The desk sergeant called to ask for someone from the MIT to come down as there was a situation in custody. The background noise certainly sounded as if there was a problem.
Chapter Thirteen
DC Angel heard the noise from three fire doors away. When she came in, she found the source of the noise to be a small woman with long dark hair and sharp features. She was berating DS Stonor while DC Ed Mitchell tried to fade into the background.
'You can't just come round to my house and arrest my son and then not tell me!'
'We did tell--'
'You said it's part of an ongoing investigation and something about uploading videos. That doesn't really explain anything!'
'Look, here's DC Angel now. She's on the case and can help you.' He shot her a look beseeching her to step in. 'Why don't you take her to one of our relatives' rooms and get her some tea?'
'I don't want your bloody tea! I want some answers!'
'Okay, come on then. Let's just talk in normal voices for a start.' DC Angel was deploying all her training to calm her down even though she was seething. DS Stonor was an experienced officer, why couldn't he defuse the situation? She suspected it was because she was a woman.
'Who exactly are you?' The woman's voice was calmer now.
'I'm DC Angel and I'm working on the case connected with the arrest of your son.' She kept her voice calm and even. 'And you are?'
'Tabitha Small. You've arrested my boy Tom.'
'Right. This is probably not the best place to deal with this. Why don't you come over to one of our rooms and we can chat?'
With a mutinous look, Tabitha Small agreed to follow DC Angel into a small side room. This wasn't an interview room, instead it was a softer space. It had low sofas and tables with boxes of tissues.
Soon they were seated and ignoring cups of tea. Tabitha peered suspiciou
sly at DC Angel who felt uncomfortable and wished that she looked more mature. Her fears were realised when Tabitha asked, 'What was your name and rank again?'
'I'm DC Angel and I'm investigating the Mazey Taylor case.'
'DC? That's a constable isn't it? I've seen enough TV shows. I want to see the inspector or the superintendent or whoever's in charge.'
'There is DCI Haines but you have to understand that this is a large and complex investigation--'
'I don't care! You've arrested my sixteen-year-old son. You've said it's something to do with obscene videos on the internet and now you're telling me it's something to do with that poor lass who got killed.' She folded her arms. 'I want to speak to someone in charge.'
There was an ominous silence as DC Angel assessed her chances of changing Ms Small's mind. Internally fuming that Haines had dropped her completely in it, she spoke in a curt voice. 'Fine. I'll just go and see where he is and when we can expect him back.'
In the corridor outside she tried Haines' mobile again. And once again, it went straight to voicemail. She didn't trust herself to leave a polite message so she broke the connection. She leant against a wall and mentally took stock. They had Julian Lockwood and Tom Small in custody. Ms Small was in a waiting room and didn't look like she would move until she found out what fate awaited her son. DCI Haines, her boss, had disappeared in the high street, presumably switching off his mobile as soon as he left the car.
Before she could decide what to do next, she caught sight of movement in the custody suite. She pushed herself off the wall and went to see what was happening now.
Ceiran Knight was being brought in. DS Parry and DC Osborne were looking slightly scruffy and very pissed off. 'Bastard tried to leg it,' a slightly out of breath DS Parry said. 'We had to chase him halfway down the street.'
DC Angel looked at Ceiran Knight. He was not only short, but also small boned. She could imagine that once he decided to run he'd be tricky to hold on to. Now, with his hands cuffed behind his back, he was docile and sullen.
'He must have had a tip-off from somewhere,' DC Osborne said pointedly, looking at DC Angel.
'We've just arrested three suspects who are very clued up on technology with families who all know each other. It's a Sunday but we've still thrown uniforms at it to search the Lockwood house and shed. Most likely a family member or neighbour tipped them off.' In turn she glared at DS Stonor. 'Of course, if our DCI was actually here, he could have got the resources allocated to make sure that we had everything locked down.'
'What? Haines isn't here?' DC Osborne obviously wasn't in the loop.
'He had a meeting.' DI Hargreaves had just arrived back at the station. He glanced uneasily at Osborne. 'You know how hard we've been working on the other operation. Well the wheels are nearly coming off and Haines is needed somewhere else to keep things together.' He looked round at all the assembled officers. No one dared challenge him, so he rounded on DC Angel. 'Angel, you're on the MIT and we're here to help. What else do we need to do?'
'We've got the three suspects in custody. The uniforms are bringing in a van full of computers. Haines won't thank us if we start interviews without him.' And he's burning through the available twenty-four hours with his phone switched off, she thought. 'If you could use your rank to put the rush on the technicians that would certainly help. We really need at the very least a summary of what files they have. How many videos are there? When they started making them? And, if possible, how many people they sent them to? That should be enough for either an extension or a charge so we can fill in the details later.'
Hargreaves nodded, glad that DC Angel hadn't pressed him on where the boss had gone. 'I can do that.'
'Well, I'd better go and search for any previous offences on our suspects, work on an interview strategy and wait for DCI Haines to come back.' She left a pause for anyone to explain to her what was going on. When she was met with silence she turned on her heel and left for the CID office.
Chapter Fourteen
DCI Haines watched DC Angel's pool car driving up the high street and turning into the police station. He had deep misgivings but he had to do what needed to be done.
He walked up the high street and turned into an arcade. He noticed a car parked on double yellows with two guys in the front and a clear view of the arcade entrance. The man he was going to meet was obviously nervous.
He went into the wine bar and sought out Billy King. He saw him in a corner, facing the room. He was, as always, dressed as a successful business man. Haines knew the truth about how he earned his money, so always thought of it in those terms – he was dressing up, pretending to be legitimate. He went to get a bottle of designer lager from the bar before approaching the table.
'Finally! I have to say there's not many people would have the nerve to stand me up.' Billy King stood up and leant his fists on the table.
'Come on! You know if it was up to me, I'd have come straight here. But I'm heading the MIT for the Mazey Taylor killing. We've had a breakthrough and it'll raise eyebrows that I'm not at the station.'
'That poor girl who was killed and left in the rubbish? Terrible thing, terrible!' He shook his head and left Haines wondering how much was genuine and what was put on for show. 'But listen to me. For all that she's pretty and going to be in the papers, I have people too. People that are being stabbed and beaten and shot. And I know the papers will look down on them as thugs but they're my people, damn it.'
'I know that. I'm doing what I can. Come on, let's sit down and be reasonable.' Haines sat in his seat, leaned back and waited for King to follow suit. Eventually the other man settled down.
'I've been up all bloody night.' He ran a hand through his hair and sipped his coffee. 'Down at the A&E. It's definite now. The war is on.'
When it was clear that King wasn't going to be forthcoming, Haines asked, 'Why were you at the hospital?'
'Four of my men were in there. All of them took a right beating. And do you know why? Because they were given a number to call, to set up with a new supplier, from Birmingham. All four of them told the new guys to fuck off, and now look where we are. Thing is, I don't know how many other people took the number. Don't know who I can trust.'
Haines thought of the two men in the car outside and now realised why King was so nervous.
'And now, I hear on the grapevine that one of my boys was arrested this week. I can't turn a profit if my people are either cooling their heels in a police cell or sitting in A&E waiting to be seen. I thought we had an agreement.'
'We do.' Haines could sense the frustration coming off Billy King and knew he had to tread carefully. On the other hand he'd taken as much grief as he could today. 'Firstly that was just a caution for bag snatching, which to be honest we should've done him properly for.' King looked sulky. 'Listen, it won't happen again. It's the new girl, she's just come in as a DC.' He stopped to look hard at Billy King, to make sure he made his point. 'But you should have a word as well. They were sat in a pool car drinking coffee in broad daylight. Bloody obvious. And if they see someone commit a crime under their noses...'
King looked mutinous but didn't offer any comment.
'Listen, we've had a good thing going for years,' Haines continued. 'We have common ground – whatever's best for Bradwick. But nothing good lasts for ever. I'm moving up to a desk job, all strategy and meetings. That means you'll have to deal with DI Hargreaves and it also means that everyone will shuffle up one and new blood will come in at the bottom.'
'So, this new girl.' King had a knack of homing in on the one part of the conversation that mattered to him. 'What's she like? Stickler for the rules? Or is it possible she could, you know?'
Haines considered the question. Not just the answer, but whether he'd be prepared to expose DC Angel to this world, the other part of the job. She was an incomer, would probably not understand what the town meant to him and Billy. On the other hand she had shown that she could play the political game. 'I don't know. You know we cut y
ou some slack, scratch each other's backs. But I hope that if any of my officers see someone steal a bag then they would act. You can't hold that against her. It's what the job is.' Haines could tell from Billy King's expression that he'd pushed as hard as he could. 'Leave her to me. Maybe when I bow out with a spectacular raid then she'll come around. How's the intelligence on that shaping up?'
'Before I give you the update, I need your help. You need to do something about those bloody Latvians. I don't know how many more weekends like this one I've got left in me.' He paused, registered that Haines wanted an answer. 'I've got a couple of people undercover. They took the phone number and now they're in Birmingham, meeting new suppliers. That's the last I heard.'
Haines shut his eyes and tried to think. He knew he was already cutting corners with the Taylor murder enquiry. And now he needed to do more here. He opened his eyes as he reached a decision. He would stop chasing the Latvians piecemeal. 'Okay, Billy. I can sort it. Give me a couple of days to put all the pieces in place but we can get the Latvians to back off.'
'You said that last time. Will it really happen this time?'
'Yes. I give you my word. I noticed the goons in the car outside. Are they yours?'
'These are dangerous times. And we were right about the big meeting coming up. All this – the beatings and the cheaper product – that's just phase one. Phase two, they'll bring in a huge amount of product and flood the market with cheap drugs.' He shrugged. 'It's basic capitalism. Once they've edged me out of the market then the prices will go back up again.'
'So we need to survive phase one and disrupt phase two.'
'And when you do, there'll be lots of cash and lots of drugs all in one place.'
Haines nodded. 'That's what I need.'
'As soon as I know you'll know.'
A pause fell between the two men. Haines drank some of his beer. 'You know that this is my swansong? It's my retirement party. I'd much rather leave by heading up a big raid than sitting around in a function room out the back of a pub with warm wine and tired crisps.' King nodded. 'I need this to work. To put the seal on my career in CID. When the dust has settled, we'll have a meeting with DI Hargreaves. You need to rely on him.' King looked mutinously at Haines but didn't say anything. 'But in the meantime, I'll try to take the pressure off you.'
The Retirement Party Page 7
