Face Value: A Wright & Tran Novel

by Ian Andrew

  The modelling agency’s front door and narrow stairwell were squeezed between a charity shop and a building society. The first floor windows, dressed by vertical blinds that hid all indication of activity within, bore a striking logo of a curved ‘starstreak’ with Krasota written across its centre in a westernised, Cyrillic-style font. Tien thought the ‘starstreak’ effect looked a little like the old Soviet sickle.

  She and Eugene were watching from the corner seat of a fast food restaurant obliquely across the pedestrianized precinct. Just visible to the right of the Eleanor Cross that gave the town its suffix was the agency’s doorway. In the previous hour they had seen one young woman exit with a large format portfolio under her arm, but since then the door had remained closed.

  “Another coffee?” Eugene asked.

  “Oh no, if I have to try drinking anymore coffee I’ll burst.”

  “Soft drink?”

  Tien made a fake retching sound, “Definitely not.”

  “Well we need to pick something or find a new place to lay our heads. That big officious pain in the arse who came over earlier is hovering again.”

  Tien looked past Eugene’s shoulder to the long mirror that reflected the whole of the small restaurant. A teenage girl with five stars on a badge that wobbled and jostled as if trying to hang on to a uniform shirt that gaped at every seam stood, with hands on hips, openly glaring at them.

  “What on earth is her problem do you think?” Tien asked.

  “I would assume that for each gold star they’ve given her the more of a pain she’s become,” said Eugene. “Or, she is awestruck by my handsome good looks and is insanely jealous of you.”

  “Yep, I agree,” Tien paused, “She’s got worse with every new star they gave her.”

  Eugene started to laugh but was stopped short by his phone ringing. He scooped it up, “Go… Yep… On our way.” He pocketed the mobile and began to slide out from the seat, “Turns out we shall avoid the wrath of Miss Five-star. That was Kara. Dan has eyes on Yanina and another women who is presumably Francesca. They’ve gone out the back.”

  The problem with the pedestrianized precincts so common to English towns was they left multiple options for where a town-centre worker could park their car. Waltham Cross was no exception. During their initial planning Kara’s team had determined the extent of their 3-D puzzle and knew it would be touch and go. There were a potential seven car parks within walking distance of Yanina’s office. They didn’t know what car she drove so they couldn’t hope to find it and wait for her and they couldn’t rule out she’d be picked up by a driver. None of that took into account the chance she used public transport, but that was the least likely proposition. The obvious disadvantage was not knowing where Yanina’s home destination was going to be but at least they would know where she was going to start from.

  Tien and Kara, accompanied in turn by Eugene and Dan monitored the front and back of the agency. Sammi, Dinger and Chaz, prepositioned in their separate cars along the most likely routes out of town, waited for cueing onto the target.

  Knowing that Illy and Yanina’s house was likely on the western side of Epping Forest was an advantage of sorts. The remnants of the ancient woodland stretched for miles but the main expanse, bounded to the north by the M25 and to the south by Chingford was only about six miles in length. However, if the house was in the scattered patches of forest that stretched southwards past Chingford then life would get considerably more difficult.

  Kara and the rest had designed the best solution they could manage. Tien and Eugene had taken up their place in the restaurant; Kara settled on a bench seat that covered anyone coming from the rear door of the agency and turning to exit through the Pavilions Shopping Centre whilst Dan got the least comfortable post. He had oversight of an alley that could be accessed from the rear door of the agency, led to the centre’s waste bins and eventually came out next to the offloading dock of a supermarket.

  Once they were all in place the first thing was to confirm Yanina was still in the office and presumably waiting for ‘Tamsin’ to call back. Unfortunately Sammi didn’t have an appreciative audience this time and made the call from her car. After chatting for a few minutes and insisting Yanina sent her headshots of her most auspicious nominations for Tatler to peruse, Sammi wound it up. She gave the almost salivating Yanina a false ‘Tatler’ email address that Tien had rigged and promised to be, ‘In touch as soon as I find that face I’m looking for. Love to you sweetie. Ta ta.’

  She ended the call and texted to the whole team, ‘She’s still in there.’

  That had been half an hour earlier. Now Yanina had finally decided to leave for the day. Dan had spotted her and alerted Kara who in turn alerted the rest of them.

  Tien and Eugene were moving in opposite directions. Eugene to recover their car from the Eleanor Cross Road car park to the rear of the town’s bus station and Tien to intercept Dan and take over the surveillance of Yanina if needed. Kara was moving to recover the car she and Dan had parked in the main High Street car park and Dinger, Chaz and Sammi held position until they knew which one of them would be in the best place to take the lead.

  Tien heard a small whistle in her ear followed by a broken series of words, ‘Rad- ch-k, o-’ She pulled her mobile and phoned Dan.

  “Radio’s not working mate, too many buildings in the way. If you need to talk you’ll need to call. What’s up?”

  “Two women exited from the rear. One confirmed as Yanina, assume the other is Francesca,” Dan said in an efficient but unrushed manner. “They dumped rubbish bags into the skip bins and then headed for the multistorey on top of the shopping centre. They’ve taken the stairs and I’ve had to break off. Can you cover the exit lane?”

  Tien turned on her heel and walked back past the restaurant she had come out of. Ten yards further on and directly opposite the only exit lane of the multistorey car park, a throng of people were formed in distinct and orderly queues lining the front apron of the town’s main bus station. Tien joined the end of the queue that gave her the best view of cars coming down the steeply sloped exit ramp.

  She still had the phone to her ear, “In place. Describe the other woman.”

  “Early twenties, five nine, brunette, shoulder length, free flowing, straight fringe, hazel eyes, high cheekbones, thin nose, wearing a black mid-length jacket with a fur-trim on the collar, white blouse under,” Dan said keeping the description to the attributes Tien would likely see of a driver in a car. “Copy?”

  “Copy. And Yanina?” Tien asked.

  “ID as per photography. Good likeness. Wearing pink blouse under dark blue business jacket. Gold loop drop earrings.”

  “Okay. I’ll initiate a multi-way once I get Sammi up. You talk to Eugene, tell him to hold at the car park, I’ll come to him. Sammi is placed to take the lead. Copy?” Tien said quietly into the phone that she held to her right ear whilst masking her mouth behind her raised prosthetic hand. The man immediately to her front in the bus queue turned to look down at the small Asian woman but, on seeing the false hand, he smiled embarrassedly and looked away. Tien considered that on occasion her hand could be a good deterrent to too much attention.

  “Roger that. Out,” Dan said.

  Tien disconnected the call. She knew Sammi was less than one hundred yards to her right in the car park of a KFC that was shielded from view by a modernised block of apartments. The fast food outlet also sat perfectly positioned to intercept cars coming from either the multistorey or the car park behind the bus station. She tried the digital radio but with no luck. Tien figured with Sammi in a car and her standing under an aluminium bus shelter it was all a bit too much for the close range system. She hit the speed dial on her mobile.

  “Sammi, Yanina’s in the multistorey. Has to turn left on exit. Once I get the car ID I’ll give it, then you’ll have the lead.”

  “Too easy,” Sammi said and Tien heard through the phone the sound of her car’s engine starting up. “I’m swapping you over
to hands free. Wait,” Sammi said.

  During the pause Tien watched a small and slightly battered red Ford Fiesta edge down the exit ramp of the car park. The young girl driving was very attractive, had dark, lustrous brown hair, cut with a straight fringe. Her hair nestled on top of a fur-trimmed collar. Tien heard the click in her phone.

  “How Copy?” Sammi asked.

  “Fives. Standby, standby. The girl we reckon is the receptionist, Francesca, left with Yanina at the same time. Her car now exiting from the car park. Red Ford Fiesta, plate is Echo Zulu Zero Seven Romeo India Romeo. Assume Yanina not far behind. Copy?” Tien reported in her calm, unhurried and precise manner.

  “Roger that,” Sammi acknowledged.

  As the Ford stopped at the foot of the ramp and Francesca checked it was clear to pull out, a sleek black Lexus saloon with heavily tinted side windows came into view at the top. When it turned onto the down ramp Tien thanked whatever laws stopped tint being applied to windscreens. Yanina Bobrik was clearly visible behind the wheel. Tien actually thought her photo didn’t do the woman justice. She was Tien’s mental idea of the archetypal Russian beauty. A perfectly oval face was framed by blonde hair that curled and fell across her shoulders in a way that made Tien think someone had styled the woman just before she stepped into the car. The intensity of her blue eyes was clearly visible across the gap that separated her from Tien. She was either a lot younger than they had assumed or had aged remarkably well. Tien went for the former. She must obviously have been Natalya’s mum’s younger sister by quite a margin.

  “Sammi. Black Lexus saloon. No idea of the model type. Plate is Lima Mike Won Fife Sierra Quebec Delta,” Tien said using the standard radio pronunciation to make sure there was no misinterpretation of the numbers. “Copy?”

  “Tien. Black Lexus, Lima, Mike, Won, Fife, Sierra Quebec, Delta. Confirmed?”

  “Roger. Fifty yards from passing your front. You have the lead. Now hang up until I can get the multi-way established. Out.” Tien ended the call, waited for Yanina to drive past, then sprinted to the rear of the bus station and the car park where Eugene was waiting for her.

  Sammi eased her car forward and watched as first the red Ford passed by and then moments later the black Lexus. There was no opportunity to leave standard gaps as the Lexus was about to enter the biggest traffic roundabout in Waltham Cross and she had to know where it exited. She eased into the main road right behind the target vehicle. The tinted rear screen of the Lexus meant she had no idea if Yanina was checking her rear-view mirror but Sammi knew it was highly unlikely that a target car would notice anything as long as she didn’t follow for too long.

  Tien slid into the passenger seat next to Eugene and as he accelerated to catch up with Sammi, she started to call the numbers of the other cars. Kara first, then Chaz, Dinger and finally Sammi. As each answered she pressed ‘add call’ on her iPhone screen and eventually pressed the merge calls button. They now had five-way communications that would be reliable over distance.

  “Sammi, it’s all yours,” Tien said.

  Sammi had managed to get a car between her and the Lexus as they entered on to the roundabout and stayed in a one-car separation as it exited straight across, staying on the A121 heading directly eastbound. In her mind she could see the geography of the playing field that she had taken charge of.

  Epping Forest provided the right hand, eastern wall to a large rectangle that Sammi was currently travelling along the top edge of. Chaz had been stationed up to the top left corner in case Yanina had either headed west or been parked in the western car parks. Dinger was sitting near the top right of the box in case Yanina had headed east. Sammi had been the close-in pivot capable of moving to whichever central car park Yanina might have left from. Sammi also knew Eugene and Tien would be about half a mile behind her providing secondary backup and that Kara and Dan would hold until things became a little clearer but could move to the bottom of the rectangle to provide potential intercepts later in the game.

  “Dinger, I’m straight on the A121 eastbound. If she stays on here past the turning to the old Gunpowder Mills I’m going to bug out and let Eugene take it. If she heads south I want you to take her from there. Copy?”

  “Copy,” Dinger said from his position in a McDonalds car park on a main corner junction. Its location allowed him to exit back onto the top of the rectangle or head south and east on a road that aimed for the midpoint of the forest.

  The traffic was quite light and it took less than a minute for Sammi to cross the bridge that traversed the twin waterways of the River Lea. The main junction was just ahead.

  “Dinger, she’s indicating right, right, right. Standby.”

  “Roger.” Dinger eased his car towards the exit that would lead him onto the southbound section of the A121 known as Meridian Way.

  Sammi stayed in the left lane. Green lights meant she could do nothing else but head straight across the junction.

  “Dinger, she’s in the right hand lane waiting to make the turn. I’m clear through and about to lose eyes on. Confirm black Lexus, plate Lima Mike Won Fife Sierra Quebec Delta. She’s all yours. Copy?”

  “Copy. Lima Mike Won Fife Sierra Quebec Delta,” Dinger repeated.

  The tension within and between the five cars was palpable. Eugene and Tien were fast approaching the junction and could probably deal with any route changes the Lexus might throw if Yanina was running counter-surveillance techniques, but it was never good to have a blind moment.

  “Dinger we’re coming over the bridge now. The right hand signal has gone green,” Tien said.

  “Roger that.”

  “She’s turned. But we’ll be caught on the change of lights,” Tien added looking the hundred or so yards ahead to the busy junction.

  There was a pause of almost half a minute which in the scheme of the operation seemed to stretch for an hour. Yet no one chipped in, no one prompted for responses. A good few years had gone by since all seven of them had worked together but the trust and confidence in each other hadn’t diminished. Back then in the dust and sand and heat, when they had formed a specialist team with particular expertise in close quarter observation, the bad guys had been worse than ruthless. It had honed Kara and her friends. They had no need to hassle Dinger. He would answer when he was ready.

  “Tien, I’m visual south on Meridian Way. Kara can you follow behind Eugene and Tien? I think we’re going to need to hand off quicker,” Dinger said.

  “Roger,” Kara responded.

  “Chaz, same with you. Make as good time as you can mate,” Dinger said and figured Chaz and Kara might not get to him quickly enough. The risk was that he and then Tien would be forced to follow for too many miles. He was pleasantly surprised by Chaz’s answer.

  “Dinger, I’m eyes on Tien. I started heading east when Sammi first called it, so I’m probably way in front of Kara.”

  “Okay. Good news. Kara let me know when you get to the McDonald’s turn. Tien tell me when you see me.” Dinger knew all of his colleagues had the picture of the local area committed to memory so he knew they could follow along in their mind. All he needed to do was provide the commentary, “Going round a long left-hander. Now east on Meridian Way.”

  A native of Skye, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, the tall, broad and fair haired Scot spoke with a clarity, cadence and softness that Kara had once teased would have made for a great voice-over artist.

  “Straight across the first roundabout.”

  “Continuing east, approaching second roundabout.”

  The next roundabout was also the next major decision point for what parts of the rectangle stayed in play. If Yanina went straight across she would be heading for the northern stretch of the forest. If she turned right and went south that would open up the whole southern half of the space. Dinger had three cars between him and the Lexus.

  “She’s not indicating but she’s moved into the right hand lane at the Dowding Way roundabout. She’s going right, right, right. Southboun
d onto A112. Tien are you close enough?”

  “Yep, we can take it,” Tien answered.

  “Roger that. She’s gone right, I’m out. You have her.” Dinger continued eastbound on Dowding Way.

  “Eyes on, southbound A112, we have four vehicles between her and us. Chaz how far back are you?” Tien asked.

  “I’m just approaching the roundabout. Have about six cars and a couple of trucks in between us.”

  Tien was pleased that the homeward bound rush hour was making the tail relatively easy but it could also be a pain if it got too busy. Suddenly too much traffic was the least of her problems.

  “Oh damn. She’s indicating left, left, left. Heading for,” Tien paused and checked the map on her smartphone, “Avey Lane. She’s turning into Avey Lane. Oh this isn’t good. It’s nearly single track. Multiple turn offs. We’ll have to go with her but the traffic’s going to be thin.”

  The Lexus turned onto the small road that angled across and intercepted the main expanse of forest at almost its midpoint. No other cars turned after it which meant Tien and Eugene would be highly exposed.

  “Duck down,” said Eugene as he prepared to make the turn. “She can see me but it’s not a good idea she sees both of us. Get me a pull-in down here that we can hand off to Chaz.”

  Tien, doubled forward almost into the foot well and tried to check her map but Kara responded first.

  “Tien. Halfway down the lane, on the right there’s a nursery. Turn in there. Chaz can take it. I’m just turning at McDonalds. About five minutes behind Chaz. Copy?”