Random Targets

by James Raven

  ‘I suggest we worry about that when the time comes,’ Temple said, keeping his voice calm. ‘For now, let’s concentrate on finding Cole Renner.’

  Vickery took a deep breath and then softened his tone to ask Temple for an update. He then said he would stay in London that evening so he could respond if there was another motorway attack anywhere in the country. He would also coordinate the efforts of the task force outside the Southampton area.

  The rest of the afternoon was manic. Police in uniform poured on to the streets of Southampton with copies of Cole Renner’s photograph. From the incident room calls were made to estate agents and private landlords in and around the city.

  Temple gave interviews to the local TV and radio stations and interrogated Martin Renner once again in the presence of the duty solicitor. He was hoping he’d reveal something new about his son and when he didn’t Temple felt obliged to tell him he was no longer a suspect.

  Renner did not kick up a fuss or demand an apology. Instead he asked for a cigarette and a lift home.

  ‘You might want to go and stay somewhere else for a while,’ Temple said. ‘Your address is known to the media and I doubt they’ll leave you alone.’

  ‘Well, I’m happy to talk to them,’ Renner said. ‘So long as they pay me up front.’

  Temple gave him a look of utter contempt and then stormed out of the interview room before saying something he might regret. He went to his office to sift through mounds of paperwork and answer calls. His TV was showing a rolling news channel and his computer was tuned to the AA Traffic site.

  He stood at his window as dusk descended on Southampton. His features were taut; he could feel the tension zinging round his body. This was when the great Friday rush hour usually got under way. But according to the reports that were coming in, the country’s motorways were running smoothly and there was no congestion on any of them.

  Sky News had reporters stationed on the M25, the M1, the M40 and the M5. They all had the same story to tell – that there was about a sixty per cent reduction in the amount of traffic on the carriageways.

  The four sniper attacks had all taken place between five and six. But Temple did not breathe a sigh of relief until his watch said 7 p.m. That was when DCS Vickery called to tell him that although most motorways were virtually deserted it was chaos everywhere else.

  ‘Every town and village close to a motorway is completely gridlocked,’ he said. ‘Major and minor roads are at a standstill and it’ll take commuters forever to get home.’

  ‘But at least nobody’s been shot,’ Temple said.

  So the big news of the night was that the sniper did not strike again. It prompted a rush of speculation. There were those who said it was probably because he was too scared after his close shave with the police on the M4. Others reckoned it was because there was far less traffic on the roads.

  Temple’s name came up during the various TV discussions and interviews. It was generally accepted that his televised warning had convinced many motorists that it wasn’t worth the risk. But it also provoked an angry reaction from people who were caught up in the traffic chaos. They described what he’d said as an over-reaction.

  On the plus side no one had died. The working week had ended without another awful bloodbath. And it gave the task force teams a much needed breathing space.

  In the incident room the relief was palpable. A couple of detectives patted Temple on the back and said they were glad he’d said what he had on air. They told him to ignore the criticism. He held the last briefing of the day at eight when the night shift took over. He said it was important that those officers who had been working throughout the day should go home and get some sleep.

  The good thing about the creation of the task force was that he didn’t have to worry about running out of people. Reinforcements had been joining the team from other forces throughout the day and there were plenty of detectives on duty overnight.

  ‘My phone will stay on,’ he said as he brought the meeting to a close. ‘If we get a lead on Cole Renner I want to know about it straight away.’

  He didn’t actually leave the building for another two hours and when he called in at the hospital Angel was fast asleep. He didn’t wake her. Instead he sat next to her bed for a while because he felt an overwhelming urge to be close to her. So much had happened over the past four days and for much of the time he’d pushed her to the back of his mind. She was not only seriously injured, but also desperately worried about her future. And he hadn’t been very supportive. But he promised himself that when this case was over he would take time off to look after her. There was no doubt in his mind that she was going to face a long, uphill struggle, especially if there were long-term symptoms associated with her head injury.

  Angel was still too young to have her hopes and ambitions crushed. She’d be devastated if she was no longer fit enough mentally and physically to pursue a career path with the Force.

  He was dog-tired by the time he got home, but his mind refused to relax. And when he finally went to bed at midnight he struggled to get to sleep. When he closed his eyes he thought about Cole Renner and he wondered what had prompted him to embark on his savage rampage?

  He also wondered what he would feel like when he finally confronted the bastard. Would he be able to hold himself back or would he try to tear him apart? Renner had killed thirty people and seriously injured dozens more. No punishment could possibly fit his crimes.

  As far as Temple was concerned he deserved to suffer from now until eternity for what he had done.

  CHAPTER 48

  THE BREAKTHROUGH CAME the next morning, Saturday, when a woman named Megan Trent arrived at the central police station in Southampton.

  Temple was behind his desk going through the notes left by the night shift detectives when he got a call from the front desk. The duty inspector said that the woman had information on Cole Renner and that she was insisting on speaking to him. She was actually the fourth person to turn up that morning in response to the various appeals. Hundreds more had phoned the task force hotline in the hope of claiming a share of the multi-million pound reward. Most were deliberate time-wasters or people who genuinely believed they had spotted Britain’s most wanted man.

  For that reason Temple’s reaction on being told about Megan Trent was less than enthusiastic.

  Until the duty inspector mentioned that she was a local landlady.

  And that she was pregnant.

  That’s when his pulse kicked up a gear and he jumped to his feet.

  ‘Get someone to bring her straight up to my office,’ he said.

  Three minutes later Megan Trent was escorted into his office. She was in her early thirties and about three months pregnant. She had a sharp equine nose and blond hair that was wispy and unwashed. Her face was square and chubby and without makeup. She was wearing black leggings and a dark blue anorak. On her feet she wore a pair of snow white Adidas trainers. The word chav came to mind and it struck him that she didn’t look like a typical landlady.

  Temple got up from behind his desk and introduced himself.

  ‘Please sit down, Mrs Trent,’ he said.

  ‘It’s Miss,’ she said. ‘But just call me Megan. Everyone does.’ Her voice was hard-edged and with the hint of a Hampshire accent.

  ‘May I take your coat?’

  She placed her large fake leather handbag on his desk and let him help her off with her coat. Beneath it she had on a tight fitting yellow T-shirt that clung to her bloated body like an extra layer of skin.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked. ‘Tea? Coffee?’

  She shook her head. ‘No thanks. If I do I’ll need to wee. I’d rather just tell you why I’m here.’

  Temple sat back down and rested his elbows on the desk.

  ‘I gather it’s about Cole Renner,’ he said.

  ‘That’s right,’ she said. ‘I know where he is.’

  Temple felt his chest contract.

  ‘Really? Where?’
>
  She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. ‘He’s in my house. He’s my tenant. I’ve been renting the upstairs flat to him for the past couple of months.’

  Temple stared into her wide green eyes and leaned further across the desk towards her.

  ‘Are you absolutely sure it’s him?’ he said.

  She nodded. ‘I’m bloody positive. It’s the name he’s been using. And I saw his picture this morning.’

  ‘So why didn’t you phone us?’

  ‘I came into town early to do some shopping. Parked opposite the station and went into Tesco. That’s when I saw the newspapers and his picture on the front pages. I got a shock I can tell you. Almost gave birth there and then. I walked straight over here because I knew it’d be quicker than phoning.’

  ‘So you didn’t see his photo last night on the news?’

  She shook her head. ‘I don’t watch the news much, especially not on Fridays. There’s too much else on the telly.’

  ‘So where was he when you left home?’

  ‘He was in bed. I heard him because he snores loud enough to wake the dead.’

  ‘Does he always sleep in late?’

  ‘Most mornings he does,’ she said. ‘I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a job.’

  ‘So what else can you tell me about him,’ Temple said.

  She shrugged. ‘Not much. He keeps to himself. Most days he goes out in the afternoon and doesn’t come back until the evening. Then he goes straight upstairs and I don’t usually hear a peep from him. He keeps his door locked when he’s not there. The flat is self-contained and has its own bathroom and kitchenette.’

  ‘Does he have his own transport?’

  ‘He has a motorbike that he usually leaves out front on the drive, but it wasn’t there this morning for some reason. I thought at first it was because he wasn’t home. Then I heard him snoring.’

  ‘You did the right thing coming here,’ he said.

  ‘If I’d known sooner, I would have told you,’ she said. ‘I feel so bad about that. To think that he’s been living under my roof all this time and I didn’t realize he was a murdering scumbag.’

  ‘It’s not your fault, Megan. You weren’t to know.’

  ‘It still rankles, though. I don’t want people to blame me for not sussing him sooner.’

  Temple got up and walked around his desk to place a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘No one will do that,’ he said. ‘Now just sit quietly for a moment and try to relax. I need to go and talk to my colleagues about this. And I need your address.’

  ‘It’s twenty-seven, Purbeck Road. That’s in Southampton.’

  ‘Great. I’ll be back in a few minutes.’

  He stepped out of his office and closed the door behind him, then dashed through to the incident room.

  He quickly called for silence and told the team what Megan Trent had said.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ DS Vaughan bellowed, jumping out of his seat. ‘Is she sure about that?’

  Temple nodded. ‘She has no doubt it’s him and don’t forget he told Ryan Addison his landlady was pregnant. She says Renner was in bed when she left the house earlier. With any luck he still is. So I want an armed unit ready to move in ten minutes. I’ll let Beresford and Vickery know.’

  Temple went back into his office and asked Megan Trent if there was anyone else in the house with Renner. She said there wasn’t. She said she lived alone downstairs and explained that her former boyfriend had left her several months ago.

  Temple then went to his computer and brought up Google Earth.

  ‘I’d like you to show me your house on this,’ he said.

  Temple typed her address into the search box and within seconds he was zooming in on Purbeck Road. He turned the screen towards her.

  ‘That’s my house,’ she said, pointing.

  It was a 60s-style terraced house in a nondescript street. Temple adjusted the mouse and used the street-view mode to study the property from all angles. It had two floors, a short driveway and a small front garden. The fenced-in rear garden had a square lawn and small crazy-paved patio. It backed on to another garden.

  ‘This image is probably quite old,’ Temple said. ‘Has it changed much?’

  ‘No. It looks exactly like that now. More’s the pity. It needs renovating, but I can’t afford to do it.’

  ‘Are the houses either side occupied?’

  ‘The one on the right is. A couple with a teenage son. The one on the left is empty because the owner is very old and quite ill. He’s been in hospital for months.’

  It was all the information Temple needed.

  ‘Now listen to me, Megan,’ he said. ‘We intend to go to your house right away. I want your permission to make a forced entry if we have to. Is that all right?’

  She clamped her lips together and nodded.

  ‘Good,’ Temple said. ‘And I want you to wait here. I’ll get someone to take care of you.’

  He stood up and moved towards the door, adrenaline flooding through his veins.

  ‘Can I ask you a question?’ she said.

  He stopped, turned.

  ‘Sure. What is it?’

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. ‘It’s the reward money. Will I get it if you manage to arrest him?’

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ he said. ‘But there’s usually a long drawn-out process so be prepared to wait it out. And keep your fingers crossed in the meantime.’

  She gave a little smile. ‘I will.’

  CHAPTER 49

  BEFORE DESCENDING ON Purbeck Road in force Temple sent an unmarked police car to recce Megan Trent’s house. The officers parked across the road and reported back that there was no sign of life and the curtains were drawn across the upstairs windows.

  The head of the Tactical Firearms Unit was told to assume that Cole Renner was inside and that he was armed with a sniper rifle. Therefore extreme caution was called for.

  Three armed response vehicles moved into the immediate area along with dozens of officers in protective vests and military style helmets with visors lowered. They carried semi-automatic weapons and Taser guns.

  Temple knew that this was going to be a delicate and dangerous operation. It was a residential street and it wouldn’t be possible to evacuate the residents without raising the alarm. But he also knew that they had to move in quickly. They couldn’t afford to hang about. The longer they left it the riskier it became.

  Megan Trent had given him her door key and he discussed with the team the possibility of simply going up to the house, unlocking the front door, and rushing in. It was a risky manoeuvre, though.

  They also considered calling on the house phone. Temple had got the number from Megan who told him the phone was downstairs in the kitchen. If Renner answered then they could try to talk him into giving himself up. But if he was still asleep then they didn’t want to wake him. Key to success with most police raids was the element of surprise; the aim was to swoop suddenly and forcefully and to catch the suspects unaware, and preferably while they were half asleep and disoriented.

  The problem was they had no idea if he was in bed or up and dressed. Or if he was even in the house. In the end they decided to storm the property from both sides and give Renner as little time as possible to react. They’d go in with stun grenades and tear gas.

  First step was to gain entry to the house directly behind Megan’s property. This was achieved easily enough, although the family living there were understandably alarmed when they were asked to open their home to a bunch of helmeted storm troopers.

  Once the officers were in place and ready to charge the back of the house, the head of the Tactical Firearms Unit gave the command for Purbeck Road to be sealed off at both ends. Then his officers hurried along the pavement towards the house.

  Temple stood back behind the cordon. He’d donned a ballistic vest and was clutching a radio. His heart was pumping as he watched the operation get underway. He had a view of the front of the house as the officers clo
sed in.

  But just as the assault team reached the driveway to number 27 an explosion of breaking glass stopped them in their tracks.

  Temple watched, horrified, as one of the ground floor windows crashed outwards and the officer who was leading the raid was blow off his feet.

  ‘Pull back, pull back, pull back.’

  The team leader’s frantic words blared out of every radio.

  Even as he issued his order, another shot was fired, this time through a window at the back of the house. All hell suddenly broke loose. The wounded officer was dragged back along the pavement by two of his colleagues, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. At the same time the street cordons were moved back and everyone shifted position so they were no longer in the line of fire.

  Much to Temple’s relief word quickly came through that the second shot had not hit anyone. The bullet had been fired into the lawn. But one officer down was one too many. It was a disaster that showed they had under-estimated their quarry. Cole Renner had obviously spotted them closing in. Maybe he had even been waiting for them to appear, having seen himself on the news.

  And now he was determined to make a last stand. He was armed and lethal and had nothing to lose but his life.

  The gunshots had alerted the other residents in the street to the fact that something was happening. People opened their front doors and appeared at their windows. It prompted a senior officer to issue a warning through a megaphone for them to stay indoors and away from windows.

  An uneasy quiet descended on the street, broken only by the passing of a low-flying aircraft overhead.

  Temple felt sick at the thought of a long drawn out standoff. They would have to try to evacuate the other homes now and that wasn’t going to be easy. The whole situation had spiralled out of control. It had become even more dangerous and unpredictable.