The Conspiracy 2
Page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
By The Same Author
Join The Mailing List
Foreword
Meet Jake Tanner
Quote
Previously On: The Conspiracy
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
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Enjoy This?
Also in The CID Case Series
About the Author
—————————————————————————————————
EPISODE 2
By Jack Probyn
Copyright © 2020 Jack Probyn. All rights reserved.
The right of Jack Probyn to be identified as the authors of the Work had been asserted him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Published by: Cliff Edge Press, Essex.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying form without written permission of the author, Jack Probyn, or the publisher, Cliff Edge Press.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-912628-22-3
First Edition
Visit Jack Probyn’s website at www.jackprobynbooks.com.
For Nana.
By The Same Author
The CID Case Series
The Conspiracy
The Community
The Confession
The Cadre
The Company
The Cabal
The SO15 Files Series
The Wolf (coming 2021)
Dark Christmas (coming 2021)
London Eye (coming 2021)
St Paul’s (coming 2021)
Power Station (coming 2021)
School Attack (coming 2021)
Mile 17 (coming 2021)
Royal Wedding (coming 2021)
Arena (coming 2021)
The Terror Thriller Series
Standstill
Floor 68
The Jake Tanner Terror Thriller Series Boxset 1 (Contains Standstill & Floor 68)
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Foreword
THE CID CASE SERIES: HOW IT WORKS
This is no ordinary series…
… it’s so much more that.
Before you begin reading The Conspiracy, there’s something you need to understand.
The Conspiracy, and the rest of The CID Case Series, is modelled on television. The story is split into six different episodes, and each episode is intricately plotted, and follows the same storyline right up to the end. Think of your favourite programmes like Line of Duty, Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad.
I wanted to bring that experience to your e-reader. One story, but edge-of-your-seat pacing.
Just keep that model in mind as you begin reading. You won’t want to flip the channel.
Episodes are released every Monday from the 8th June 2020.
MEET JAKE TANNER
Born: 28.03.1985
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 190lbs/86kg/13.5 stone
Physical Description: Brown hair, close shaven beard, brown eyes, slim athletic build, scar on his cheek
Education: Upper Second Class Honours in Psychology from the University College London (UCL)
Interests: When Jake isn’t protecting lives and finding those responsible for taking them, Jake enjoys motorsports — particularly F1
Family: Mother, older sister, younger brother. His father died in a car accident when Jake was fifteen
Relationship Status: Currently in a relationship with Elizabeth Tanner, and he doesn’t see that changing, ever
“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him.” - [Thomas Jefferson, 1785]
PREVIOUSLY ON…
THE CONSPIRACY: EPISODE 1
The Crimsons, an organised crime group consisting of three brothers — Danny, Michael and Luke Cipriano — raid a small jewellery store in the middle of Guildford High Street. With one of the employees dead, the brothers abduct the store’s owner, Candice Strachan, and drive to her mansion in Farnham, Surrey. With them is a tag-along they hadn’t planned for: a Good Samaritan who tried to save Candice’s life before being abducted. Now they’ve got two problems to worry about. Inside Candice’s mansion, Danny, the eldest brother, reveals his deadly machination: an evil collar device which they attach to Candice’s neck and leave her to die.
The countdown has begun.
Meanwhile, DC Jake Tanner is starting his very first day in Surrey Police. He’s been transferred there from Croydon Station. Before he’s even able to get himself logged into his account, he, DS Elliot Bridger and DCI Nicki Pemberton are rushed to the crime scene, where they investigate the death of the shop employee and the disappearance of Candice.
Jake has his suspicions as to who is responsible for the heist, but the only problem is convincing the rest of the team that’s he rights — and having the courage to put himself in the firing line if he’s wrong.
The Conspiracy: Episode 1 ends with Jake, Bridger and Pemberton arriving at Candice’s mansion.
And now, The Conspiracy: Episode 2…
| EPISODE 2 |
CHAPTER ONE
MOTHER OF GOD
‘You have to help me! I’m going to die!’ came an ear-piercing scream from across the driveway.
The firearms team was the first to arrive in front of Candice, keeping their distance to fifty feet. Their orders for her to remain still with her hands raised quickly filled the air. Jake watched on from Pemberton’s car just outside the driveaway gates. He observed the armed officers saunter closer towards Candice’s mansion and the blacked-out van that was used to kidnap her, with their weapons raised and eyes trained on her and the surrounding area. The sound of Jake’s beating heart echoed around his head, and the sweat on his back multiplied.
The device strapped round Candice’s neck filled him fear. What was it? He’d never seen anything like it before. It was some sort of collar. Metallic. Clunky. Thick.
Beside him was Pemberton, holding a radio in her hands. Static and distorted voices spoke to her over the frequency.
‘The vehicle is clear. Approaching the property now, ma’am,’ one of the voices said. Despite being a short distance from an unknown and potentially dangerous device, there was a high measure of calm in the firearms officer’s voice.
‘Understood. Approach with caution,’ Pemberton replied, holding the radio against her lips.
In the distance, on either side of the road, a flurry of uniformed officers was setting up a cordon, cutting off street access. Directly next to them was the vehicle the firearms team had arrived in. Standing at the front of the vehicle was an officer holding a police dog on a lead.
>
Jake turned his attention back to the house. And then a few minutes later, they received the all clear from the armed officers.
‘House is clear, ma’am. Safe to proceed.’
As soon as she received the order, Pemberton turned her attention to the officer holding the police dog. She wandered over to him and discussed something, just out of earshot. Moments after, she returned.
‘We’re sending in the dog,’ Pemberton explained.
‘What do you mean?’ Jake asked.
‘We don’t know what that thing around her neck is. But we need to be able to communicate with her so we can help her and find out what it’s for.’
Just as she finished speaking, the officer with the police dog arrived by her side. The dog was a German Shepherd. Jake’s favourite. His family had owned one once, when he was a child, and it had been his best friend. But, due to the upkeep of the animal, Jake’s parents were forced to get rid of it. They were gorgeous animals, loyal, trusting, and Jake owed his life to them for reasons not many people would understand. He longed to have another one ever since. One day, he told himself.
Attached to the dog’s back was a small radio device that was frequently used in hostage negotiation. The dog’s task was simple: give the radio to the hostage and come back. That way they could open up a two-way communication with the abductor and begin a negotiation. But this wasn’t a negotiation in the traditional sense. There was no madman holding a gun to Candice’s head making incredulous demands. Instead, there was an invisible enemy with no demands. Everything about the situation was unprecedented. And everyone was beginning to sense it.
Pemberton gave the order. The officer led the police dog through the gates, across the gravelled driveway and over to the perimeter that the armed officers had set for themselves. As they arrived at the firearms team, the officer bent down and let the dog off the leash. The animal bound towards Candice in a flash and stopped by her side. As soon as Candice picked up the radio and held it to her face, the dog hurried back.
‘Candice,’ Pemberton began just as relaxed as the firearms officer. ‘This is DCI Nicki Pemberton from Surrey Police. We’re going to need you to stay exactly where you are until we tell you otherwise. I need you to remain calm. We’re here to help you.’
‘Please!’ came the hysterical response on the radio. ‘They said it was like a b-bomb. They said it was going to k-kill me. But I don’t know when it’s going to g-go off.’
‘We’re here to help. Everything is going to be OK,’ Pemberton said.
‘No, it’s not. I’m g-going to d-die if we don’t st-stop it.’
A moment of silence fell on the vast driveway. Jake grabbed a pair of binoculars from Pemberton’s car, tiptoed forward to the edge of the driveaway and squinted to inspect the device strangling Candice. A thick piece of circular metal was wrapped around her neck, like a giant handcuff. Attached on the bottom was a small metallic box, resting atop her collar bone. At the bottom of the metal box, on the underside, was what looked like a countdown timer and four holes.
‘Mother of God, what is it?’ he whispered to himself, afraid that he already knew the answer.
Candice replied, almost as though she’d heard him, ‘It’s a spike bomb. Th-th-they stuck it to my neck,’ she stuttered. Her hands shook as she grabbed the bomb and attempted to yank it free.
‘What does it do, Candice?’ Pemberton asked as she joined Jake’s side by the front gates.
‘They said there’s sp-spikes inside it. When it g-goes off, the sp-spikes are going to k-kill me.’
‘Who put it there, Candice?’
‘Th-They abducted me and sh-shoved me in the back of the van. And this other guy. They brought us into my house and… and… they stuck it round my n-neck. They said it would go off in a couple of hours. Please, you have to help me! I don’t want to die.’
‘Are you on your own here, Candice? Where’s the other person who was abducted with you?’ Pemberton asked, her voice clear, distinct.
‘Gone. Ran away. As soon as they d-disappeared, he left me here to die.’
‘OK, Candice, I’m going to need you to remain calm. Do you know who did this to you?’
‘The Crimsons!’
At the mention of The Crimsons’ name, Jake sensed a change in Bridger out the corner of his eye. The man took a slight step further away and reached into his pocket for his phone. A small wave of elation rolled over Jake – he had been right about his allegations – but it was soon dismissed as the severity of the situation slapped him back to reality. The Crimsons had upgraded their methods. Never in any of their previous heists had they abducted someone – let alone two people. And never had they used anything as devious and evil as a spike collar bomb.
‘Are you sure it’s them, Candice?’ Pemberton asked.
‘Yes. They told me it was. They said people were going to r-r-remember their name forever.’
‘What else did they say?’
‘They said it was booby-trapped. Consequences. Shouldn’t be tampered with.’
Pemberton nodded and moved closer to Candice. She moved gracefully across the stones, looking as though she hovered above them a few inches. When she came to a stop halfway between the gates and the ring of armed officers, she continued.
‘Did they say how to defuse it, Candice? Did they give you any instructions?’
Candice nodded, the whites of her eyes shimmering in the sun overhead. As she moved, the device bounced up and down on her chest.
‘They left a note with some instructions on it. It’s in the house. I can g-g-get it.’
Candice started to climb to her feet, but as soon as she moved, the armed officers raised their weapons.
‘No!’ Pemberton shouted. ‘Stay where you are. Do not move. We’re setting up a perimeter, and we need you to remain perfectly still. Just wait until I give you some instructions on what to do next.’
Pemberton twisted and spoke directly to Bridger. ‘Get uniform to look for Roger Heathcote,’ she called. ‘He’s got to be out there somewhere, and he might be able to help us track The Crimsons. Give them the witness report Mr Heathcote’s wife gave us. And call in forensics and the bomb squad. I want them to confirm this thing around her neck is live and detachable.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Bridger nodded and walked to Pemberton’s car, just out of earshot. He dialled a number and spoke into the phone rapidly.
Then Pemberton turned her focus to the nearest armed officer. ‘I want you and your team to search the outskirts of the property. Make sure nobody’s hiding in the bushes in the garden.’
At once, the armed officer adjusted his helmet, whistled to the other officers, waved his fingers in the air and headed down the right-hand side of the building into the garden. In the distance, Jake thought he saw the metal handrail of a swimming pool strutting out of the ground.
‘You ever seen anything like this before, Jake?’ Pemberton asked, distracting him.
Jake shook his head. ‘Never. You?’
‘That makes two of us. You still think it’s your guys behind this?’
‘Honestly… I don’t know what to think. They’ve never done anything this… merciless. But regardless of who it is, we need to find those instructions.’
‘We can’t enter the property until bomb squad have had a look at the device and confirmed it’s safe,’ Pemberton said.
‘How long could that take?’
Pemberton twisted her neck backward and watched Bridger, who was pacing from side to side at the end of the driveway. He held his phone to his ear and appeared to bark orders into the handset. ‘What’s taking him so long?’
A few seconds later, Pemberton had her answer.
‘Ma’am,’ Bridger said, returning. ‘Forensics are on their way. ETA fifteen minutes. Bomb squad are going to take even longer.’
‘Why?’
‘They’re having to come from Reigate. And there’s backed-up traffic on the M25. RTC involving a lorry and a busload of children.’
‘My goodness. Is there no one closer?’
‘Sorry, ma’am,’ Bridger said, pursing his lips and shaking his head.
Pemberton sighed as she returned her focus to Candice. The woman was distressed, her eyes beading, and her hands still clung to the collar bomb. Jake had never seen one before, and he hoped he never would for the rest of his career. They were evil, malignant devices, dooming the person captive to certain death.
‘What do we do now?’ Jake asked.
Pemberton hesitated a beat before answering. ‘Candice,’ she said into the radio, ‘a team of explosive experts are on their way down to help you.’
‘You don’t understand. There’s a timer on it, and we still need to find the keys.’
‘Keys?’ Jake and Pemberton repeated simultaneously. ‘What keys?’
‘To unlock it. There are keys. F-Four of them.’
‘Where?’ Jake asked. He swallowed deeply.
‘Everywhere. There’s one in the house, but I… I can’t find it… and then – then the rest are around Surrey. Please, we have to find the keys before this thing goes off.’