Riddled on the Sands (The Lakeland Murders)
Page 27
But the boat didn’t beach. Rae heard the engine throttle up and for a moment he thought that the gang had been spooked by something. Had they caught sight of one of his team? But the spot light was still on him and the tractor, and now he could see a figure standing in the boat, beckoning him forward. And Rae could clearly see the weapon in the man’s other hand, too.
He was almost sure that he was reducing his team’s safe angle of fire too much now, but he had no choice. So he drove forward again, then turned sharp right, so that he could swing back round and stop parallel to the water’s edge. As he did so the boat turned again, and came straight towards him. As it beached two men, both armed, jumped into the shallow water, and started to move toward him. They were barely fifteen yards away.
As the first thunder-flashes and smoke grenades went off Rae jumped down from the tractor, and heard the first volley of bullets pass by his head. He heard shouting, just for a second, but the firing didn’t stop, and then he could see the team firing at the two men from both sides. One of them went straight down, and the other tried to get back in the boat. He didn’t make it. The rib’s outboard was in reverse now, and it shot backwards, it’s wake white in the gloom, and it span in the water in much the same way that Rae would have turned it himself. The firing had stopped now, but Ian Mann was launching flares out to sea, as he’d been told to, so that the other boat could close with the target.
Mann listened as everyone shouted their names. And he found himself shouting his own too, as he ran towards the two bodies on the edge of the water. Two of the guys were there before him though, kicking the weapons away from the bodies.
Jimmy Rae hadn’t fired a round, but his ears were ringing as he ran round to the rear of the trailer. All the cops still had their heads firmly down in the trailer, waiting for the all-clear.
‘All clear. The only men standing are ours’ Rae shouted, when he reached the bodies on the beach.
‘What happened?’ shouted one of the cops. ‘Where have they gone?’
‘Two are shot, and the rest are just about to be given a choice. Heave-to, or their engines will be shot off their brackets.’
‘What about the drugs?’
‘They’ll dump them overboard. They probably have already. But we’ll recover the lot, don’t you worry.’
Ian Mann walked over, with the two automatic weapons slung over his shoulder. His aches had all gone, at least for now, and he was smiling broadly.
‘Did you enjoy that then, lads?’ he said to the Police on the trailer. ‘I’m sorry that your uniforms got so wet. And we’ve got a couple of extra passengers for the trip back. They won’t say much though.’
Andy Hall was standing on the shore when Rae, Mann and the rest returned.
‘We’ve got the lot’ said Hall, when Rae jumped down from the tractor. ‘Or at least your lot have.’
‘And the gear?’
‘It was all floating. The bales were wrapped in polystyrene, just in case any went overboard.’
Rae nodded. ‘Good. Both of your shooters are dead though. Sorry about that. We had to recover them from the Bay and bring them in or they would have just drifted away on the tide.’
‘I know. Our SOCO team is on its way now, and we’ll take statements from a couple of your lads, as well as Ian. That should do it. It’s a shame that they opened up on you like that. I hear that the rest gave up without a fight.’
‘They did fire first. One of them must have realised that something was up. Don’t know what it was, though.’
‘I know that, don’t worry. We’ll have to see if anyone in the boat is willing to talk about Jack Bell’s death. So at least Betty might get some kind of closure.’
‘Not likely though, is it?’ said Jimmy cheerfully, smiling as Ian Mann walked over. He looked to Hall as if he’d been buried up to his neck in sand for a week. He also looked as if he liked it.
‘Like old times, was it, Ian?’ said Rae, shaking hands with Mann.
‘Like all the worst bits.’
‘So you don’t fancy coming back?’
‘No bloody way.’ Mann turned to Hall. ‘Sorry we didn’t manage to nick those two cowboys, Andy. But they were never coming quietly.’
Hall shrugged. ‘Less paperwork, I suppose, so that’s something. And at least Geoff told me what happened, so that’s something.’
‘I don’t understand how he got involved in the first place’ said Mann.
‘The way most bent coppers start off, Ian. He just crossed the line, and from then on he was theirs. No more line, and no way back.’
‘So why did he own up like that? Conscience, was it?’
‘No. I wish he had. Not that it makes any real difference, but no, not that. He saw one of our cars today, and he must have realised we were on to what was happening. And what were his choices then, realistically?’
‘And what about our local drugs gangs? Have we got the money, the lads from our side who were paying for the gear?’
‘No. Vic Osman will do his best to track it down, but Geoff told me he knew nothing about it.’
‘Did you believe him?’
‘Oh yes, I did. Why did he need to know? And even if he did know we’d never have got a word out of him anyway, because he’d never have got out of prison alive if he ratted off our local drug barons. They’ll have lads in every prison from Haverigg to Strangeways. Of course the really interesting question is who has lost out on this deal?’
‘You mean had the cash changed hands, like?’
‘Yes. I’ve got a funny feeling that whoever was running our gun-toting friends on the back of that trailer has already collected their cash, and I very much doubt that they operate a returns policy, as required by the Distance Selling Directive or the Sale of Goods Act.’
‘So there are going to be some very pissed off Cumbrian organised crime lords?’
‘Yes indeed, and the way Vic Osman tells it they were actually working in partnership with gangs from the north east and Merseyside. It was that much money, apparently.’
‘So they won’t be too pleased either.’
‘No, and it couldn’t happen to nicer people. They’re bound to start falling out with each other, aren’t they? Vic’s not saying much, but I think he’s a bit worried that we might start seeing even more drugs related violence because of all this.’
‘But so long as they only kill each other that’s really not a problem, is it?’ asked Rae. ‘Good result, I’d have thought.’
‘That’s not quite how we approach it, Jimmy’ said Hall. ‘Will you excuse me? I need to phone Jane and tell her that I’m all right.’
‘But you never left the safety of the shore’ laughed Mann.
‘I told her that you stayed here, and I went out there, mate. Said it was my duty, all that. I hope you’ll keep that little fib going with her for me.’ Hall’s expression was deadpan, and it was a second or two before Mann laughed.
‘I see’ said Jimmy Rae, a moment later. ‘You’re very droll, Chief Inspector.’
‘Thanks, Jimmy, but you just promoted me. I’m only a humble Inspector.’
‘Really?’ Rae shrugged. ‘Perhaps I was misinformed then. But I rather doubt that, don’t you?’
Rae held out his hand, shook Mann’s again and then Hall’s, nodded, and turned away. And when Hall looked round he saw that Rae’s whole team had gone, and all their gear had vanished too.
‘Bugger’ he said. ‘The Super’s going to go mad when I tell her that I never got those statements.’
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