Hope Never Dies

by Mike Holden

  “Correct” replied Kingsly, “and what else have you noticed”

  Haslam thought about this for a little while, knowing that he could very well drop himself in it whatever he said.

  “Nothing outstanding comes immediately to mind” Haslam said

  Kingsly looked at him delivering that first theoretical punch,

  “Exactly!” he seemed to shout at Haslam, “and what you haven’t seen is any trace on those screens of a white Audi. Those pictures have come from cameras on either side of Warner Street, and no Audi. Can you explain why it isn’t there?”

  “I’ve no idea. All I can say is that I saw that car parked next to our offices in Warner Street as I arrived around 3 am and I saw it drive off as soon as I arrived”

  “Even though it isn’t there”

  Haslam gave no answer. There was a pregnant pause. He said eventually

  “Did you find them at the airport?”

  “How did you know they were at the airport?”

  “I followed them there”

  “From where?” asked Kingsly very precisely. Haslam suddenly jolted as he realised that he had just fallen into a trap. He thought about his predicament for a moment or so and replied

  “Let’s just say that I have some influential friends” he smirked at them, knowing really though that his card was well and truly marked on this item.

  Kingsly again called at halt to the interview.

  “Wait there, Mr Haslam. We’ll be back very soon” Kingsly and Hannah left the room

  CHAPTER 12

  Kim and Ned had checked into the hotel in Blackpool, a rather smart one, used by the major political parties during their conference season. On the way there, they decided that Ned would have to use his own name, for identity and credit card purposes but Kim would give a false one and chose the name of Vanessa Qian. They were given a room at the front corner, overlooking both the sea and a side street. This gave Ned an idea. He moved the car from the hotel car park and into the street as far away from the hotel as possible but where he could still see it. Returning to their room, Kim had made them some tea from the courtesy tray. She was in reflective mood.

  “How long do you think that we shall have to stay here?” she asked

  “I really don’t know, nor do I know what to do next. Shall we go for a bracing walk along the promenade and see if we can come up with any solution. The only thing that I can see at this moment as to how we can get away with this, is to return the money anonymously”

  “While you were out, I telephoned the office to say that I was feeling quite ill, not totally a lie, and would have the next few days off. That should buy us some time. Come on “she said, “Let’s go and upset some folk in Blackpool”

  They left and walked along the promenade towards the centre of the resort, thinking as to how they could get out of their dilemma. Passing the North Pier, Ned shared with Kim, his thoughts as to their next moves.

  “The only thing that I can think of is to take the money to the police station anonymously. We could drop off the money outside and then ring in to tell them where it is. We would have to watch to make sure that it gets into the right hands”

  “And the police would be waiting for us when we got home. They’re not that stupid, although perhaps that Kingsly might be. He looks like a chap who just wants a quiet life. But they will still know it’s us.”

  “Not necessarily. They must have their suspicions about this other guy after the way he has been acting. We will just have to make sure that we do not leave any incriminating evidence on any part of the money”

  “Can we sleep on it and make a final decision in the morning” she asked

  He took her waist and pulled her towards him, “I’m hoping that is a euphemism for something meaning exactly the opposite”

  She did not pull away, but grinned at him and said in a strong Chinese accent.

  “Really, sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. My English not very good”

  Ned laughed at her. She only put on the accent when in a light-hearted and amusing mood. Ned pulled her even closer and gave her an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

  “My little bundle of treasure” he addressed her, “We have some strange sayings in this country and we quite often say the opposite of what we mean. When I say that I would like to sleep with you tonight, it means that I want to keep you awake by pleasuring you all night long. This conversation is making me as horny and randy as hell.”

  She grinned again “Then perhaps you should take a cold shower when we get back”

  Unfortunately Ned would not have time for his bit of nookie or even a cold shower.

  *

  Once Terry Kingsly and Hannah Beaumont had met up again with Alan Payne, Kingsly said

  “I don’t believe that Chen and White were actually at the airport. Haslam’s lied about them being at his offices and he’s lying about his relationship with them.” Hannah reflected for a moment, and then said

  “Didn’t Chen ring in here this morning? Alan, can you check to see if we can locate that call?

  “Right away” and he left the room. Eventually Kingsly said,

  “Haslam’s obviously lying. I would believe that he robbed his own company if it weren’t for the fact that the bag was found in Chen’s flat and whilst there is some sort of connection between them, there is nothing concrete apart from the bag.”

  “There is actually nothing to show that the bag was the same one that Haslam claimed that he saw being taken from his offices. Forensics might help us there”

  Kingsly was caught up in his own thoughts.

  “Or is there? He said he followed them to the airport this morning and we know that they were at their flat earlier this morning. I think he followed them from their flat to the airport”

  “Gaffer” interrupted Hannah. She called him, gaffer when she thought he was wrong. It was her way of telling him “You just said that you didn’t believe that they were ever at the airport”

  The dilemma did not last too long. Payne returned to the room with eyes aglow, exclaiming

  “Miss Chen telephoned here on her mobile phone at 1015 hours this morning and the service provider has pinpointed her location as the airport.”

  “So he was right, they were there and they just disappeared. Alan, check again that they did not catch any flight and have airport security scour the car parks for the white Audi.”

  Payne continued with further information he had extrapolated,

  “Forensics have managed to identify Neil Haslam’s fingerprints on the bag”

  There was a pause for reflection before he said to Hannah, “You are good at giving a synopsis, let’s have your view in the light of this new information”

  She replied, “Firstly, there is no sign of a white Audi anywhere near to Warner Street. It’s my belief that he robbed his own offices and blamed it on Chen and White, whom he has previously known, otherwise how would his fingerprints be on that bag and how does he know where Chen lives. He knows more about them than he is saying.”

  Kingsly said, “It’s going to be difficult to prove, and like you Hannah, I believe he’s up to his neck in this. And why have Chen and White suddenly disappeared, no doubt with the money? We need more information” To Alan Payne, he said “See if there is anything unusual, anything at all, reported around the airport in the last few hours that might give us some clue as to where they are and then go to Sapphire Computers, see if there is any way that the Audi could have got into Warner Street without being detected and speak to the boss of the company to get a profile on Haslam”

  Payne replied “I’m on to it now”

  Another coffee for Hannah and Kingsly,

  In the canteen, Hannah said to Kingsly “You’re contradicting yourself again. Earlier on you said
that you thought that Chen and White were not involved in the robbery at Sapphire, yet you think that they’ve now disappeared with the money. How can you link them both?”

  “I still think that there is a connection between the three of them which currently eludes us. They’ve gone AWOL with the money for one of two reasons, either they are double-crossing Haslam or they are planning something elaborate between them and using us as fools”

  They pondered over it while they drank the remainder of their coffee.

  “Do you realise” he said, “we’ve been on the go for over fourteen hours and it’s time we went home. Once Alan’s come back with his information, we’ll call it a day.”

  That was fifteen minutes later. He was glowing again

  “Three more items of information. One, Miss Chen’s white Audi left the garage at her apartment at 0933 hours this morning, the first time it has been seen to have been moved since they arrived at midnight. Two, at 1116 hours the Duty Manager at the Marriott hotel at the airport reported his Vauxhall Vectra stolen from the hotel car park. Three, the Audi is currently parked at the long term car park at the airport.”

  “Good work” replied Kingsly “Now alert all patrols to keep a special look-out for that Vectra and see if we can get some footage from the airport of Chen and White. Oh, and put a tail on Haslam to see what he’s up to, at least for the rest of the day”

  When Payne had left, he suggested that they go home, but before going, Hannah was to release Haslam but telling him that he was very likely to have to return.

  *

  Kim and Ned took a long and relaxing walk along the promenade, stopping to eat at the well-known fish and chip shop next to the Tower, before deciding to make their way back to the hotel. Ned explained to Kim that he wanted to ensure that there were no problems with the car before returning and they walked a little way beyond the hotel to the street where he had parked the car. To his dismay the Vectra was being examined by two uniformed policemen, one of whom was talking into his radio. More Lennon and McCartney, You better run for your life if you can, little girl, hide your head in the sand, little girl

  “Bloody Hell” exclaimed Ned, pulling Kim around the corner. “That’s put us right in it. It won’t be long before they suss out where that car’s been stolen from and they start making enquiries in all the surrounding hotels. We’ve got to go.” Ned explained to Kim what their best plan was and she readily went with it for the time being. The Magical Mystery Tour continued. They made their way back to their room, packed their bags and left by the stairs rather than the lift. It was still only mid-afternoon and the hotel was fairly quiet. Receptionists these days are not very observant, particularly in larger hotels and Kim and Ned were able to leave unobserved. They walked back into town by the road parallel to the seafront. Once in the centre of town, they had to do some errands, a hat for Ned that Kim chose with care, as it had to disguise him in some way without making the disguise too obvious. They then bought two more luggage bags, totally different in colour to their existing ones and headed to the nearest toilets to transfer their belongings to these new bags. When they met up they left the shopping centre through a rear door and found a skip where they deposited their old bags. Ned felt uncomfortable in his hat as he never wore one as a rule. They walked the short distance to the station. The idea was that Ned would buy the tickets with Kim keeping out of sight. The first train to leave was to Manchester, and two single tickets were purchased for that destination. Now Ticket to Ride blasted through Ned’s mind. They boarded the train almost immediately. Once seated in a carriage they had almost to themselves, Kim said

  “We can’t go back to Manchester. Not yet anyway.”

  “My sweetness, you are quite right and when I bought the tickets, I had no intention of returning there. I’m sure that the trail we are leaving will eventually bring the police to this railway station. That young guy in the ticket office, if he can remember at all, will tell them that we bought tickets to Manchester. If the police are quick enough they may have the Armed Response Unit surrounding Victoria Station when this train arrives. We are going to get off at Preston and take a train north on the main line” he replied. Kim settled for this and a short time later, Ned was again buying tickets, this time for Glasgow. They boarded a Glasgow-bound train in no time at all and as it left the station, Ned studied all stopping places from the train guide on the wall.

  Kim said “I’m not sure that Glasgow is the best place to go unless you know the city well”

  “I don’t and I agree with you. You know,” he reflected “before I first went to Glasgow I always thought of myself as working-class. When I got there, I realised that I was middle-class. Besides we are going to leave the train at Oxenholme, and head to the Lake District, an area I do know quite well.”

  They left the train at the small station which is in the middle of nowhere and Ned was pleased to see that there was a bus about to leave for the nearby town of Kendal. As they were travelling on the bus Ned asked “Do you think we are far enough away and safe enough to be proper human beings again?”

  “I think so. Why are you asking?” she quizzed him.

  “Because we are going to have to use our real names when we rent the car and cottage” he replied.

  The journey did not take that long into Kendal and they soon found a car hire place. Unfortunately the office was now closed for the day. They looked for and found a small hotel for the night, again using false names, this time it was Li Yeung and David Hewson. Once settled in, Ned said to Kim.

  “For the first time since last night, we can feel safe. I think that we have covered our tracks sufficiently and we can now lie low until we choose to emerge”

  Kim came and sat very close to Ned on the bed

  “I agree with you, my dearest” she replied whilst gently stroking his arm. Never to miss an opportunity, Ned pushed her back gently on the bed and began to kiss her. Only after enjoying that kiss did Kim wriggle free.

  “Not now. Let’s go and find a restaurant. I’m hungry”

  Her declaration of hunger signalled to Ned that she was practically back to her old self and he told confidently that everything was going to be alright. They would be blissfully unaware that events currently unfolding would totally shatter their illusions and put them in imminent danger.

  CHAPTER 13

  As he left the police station, Haslam looked at his watch and decided that there was still sufficient time to see the blackmailer-stroke-thug. He set off in his car to the appointed place, the same as yesterday and he was to go through the same procedure. The Astra was again parked in the street and again he found that it was unlocked. The mobile phone was again lying on the passenger seat and to Haslam’s surprise it rang almost immediately. He picked it up.

  The voice said “Have you got the money?”

  “There’s a bit of a problem” he replied.

  “Your problem, not mine” said the voice cutting him off quickly

  Haslam quickly responded, “Don’t put the phone down yet. I have the twenty-five grand.”

  There was silence at the other end of the phone, but to Haslam’s relief the phone did not go dead. The voice then said “It’s time we talked face to face. Wait in the car”. Then the phone went dead.

  *

  Back at the police station, Detective Constable Alan Payne was very busy collating all the information he was asked to provide and without Kingsly on his back all the time interrupting him for information, he could get on far quicker. However, he took some time to ponder over a matter that was bugging him. He knew Kingsly of old and he had always regarded him as lazy, doing only as much as was absolutely necessary. He was acting totally out of character on this case, using his initiative, wanting lots of information immediately, and being on duty when he was supposed to be resting. He would continue to watch him carefully and made a mental note to spea
k to Hannah of his queries. However, for the matters in hand, he was able as usual to collate quickly the requested information and he filled in the details on the computer screen.

  Mei-Zing Chen’s Audi was still parked at the airport. There was footage of her and White arriving at the airport concourse, going inside the building and immediately leaving again through the “Arrivals” door. The cameras showed that they then boarded a courtesy bus, supplied by the Marriott Hotel. Bingo! They were now linked to the theft of the Vectra from the hotel, albeit tenuously.

  He would definitely talk to Hannah about his misgivings. After returning from lunch he found that information was pouring in thick and fast. Firstly, he received a phone call from his colleague, Detective Constable Sam Futcher reporting on the strange behaviour of Neil Haslam and as Haslam was sitting on his own in a stationary car that was not his, what should he do? He was told to keep discreet surveillance. There was now a report on his screen that the stolen Vectra had been located in Blackpool, parked in a side street. He rang his counterpart there asking for some assistance and found him to be extremely co-operative. He emailed the photos of Chen and White, and once received they would visit all the surrounding hotels even though there was a lot of them. Things were moving and he felt that at last they were getting on top of this.

  *

  Haslam did not have to wait too long. A nondescript dark green BMW pulled up alongside the Astra and three men quickly emerged. Two of them bungled him out of the car and into the BMW driving off very quickly. The other got into the Astra, but before he drove off, he noticed another car further down the street, drive off quickly in pursuit of his mates. He telephoned to warn them, and followed at a discreet distance and speed. There was no conversation in the BMW apart from the phone acknowledgement, whereupon one of the men blindfolded Haslam as the driver accelerated. This morning he was the chaser, now he saw himself as the chased, not that his new-found colleagues appeared to be all that worried. This driver is an expert, he thought. He was so much of an expert that it was not too difficult to lose his pursuer along the streets to the north of the city. Futcher had to admit defeat but not before phoning the car registration through. He was told to return to continue surveillance on Haslam’s car.