Dead Lucky

by Matt Brolly

  The woman looked at her as if she was strange. ‘Not sure what you mean. Anyway,’ she said, taking another tray of champagne flutes.

  Matilda knew her team would understand. There was no sign of the Croatians and it was increasingly unlikely they would be appearing now. She took one of the trays, half champagne flutes, half orange juice and returned to the main area. The security team looked tense. Atkinson was checking each exit point personally, nodding his approval to the guards. The tension was due to Blake’s arrival. Matilda presumed it would be the time the Croatians would attack, if that was what they had planned, with Blake out in the open.

  With Atkinson’s attention on the guards, Matilda placed her tray down and snuck out into the hallway. Passing one of the guards, she kept her pace steady, her gaze forward as if she belonged in the area. The guard hesitated and continued walking.

  Blake’s children were by the door, still excited. Checking no one was watching, Matilda snuck upstairs. If she was stopped, she would say she was looking for the bathroom. She whispered details of her location to the team. At the top of the stairs she turned left, noticing the back of a guard situated outside a room to her right. She skipped along the landing until she was out of sight.

  She checked the doors as she edged along the corridor, each was locked. From the window she could see the large driveway which led to the house’s entrance. It was still light outside, the sky clouded. ‘Two guards on the driveway, two by the gate,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t tell if they’re armed.

  She heard footsteps from the stairway and continued along the corridor, trying each door as she moved, ready to use her search for a bathroom as an excuse. She rounded another corner and was presented with a second set of stairs which she duly took, the sound of a radio coming from the landing above. She wanted to slip out of her shoes, to dim the sound as they hit the polished wood of the stairs, but it would look too suspicious if she was caught. ‘Oh, a second set of stairs,’ she whispered, as if surprised by the development.

  No one was behind her and she edged to the top of the stairs peering down the second, smaller corridor. The sound was coming from a room a few metres to her right. She stepped onto the landing, thankful for the lush carpeting. Pushing herself against the wall, she sidestepped across the corridor until she reached the entrance to the room.

  The radio blasted out hits from the eighties. Beneath the prominent sound she heard the hum of electricity. She had to see what was in the room but knew one more step would reveal her location. She looked behind her. Convinced she was not being watched, she poked her head around the entrance to the room, ready to tell whoever was there that she was lost.

  As she’d expected, the room was a security centre. A guard sat watching a wall full of small television screens. His back was to her, and from her vantage point she could see the numerous locations of the house: the gated entrance with its two guards, the driveway and entrance to the house proper, numerous views of inside the house, including the kitchen and at least five separate bathrooms. Nowhere was spared, and Matilda marvelled at how paranoid Blake must be to have every inch of the house under surveillance. Even the children’s bedrooms were being monitored.

  She was about to retreat when something caught her eye in the banks of televisions to the guard’s left. The image on the screen kept on changing from inside to outside the building. It was the outside she recognised.

  The guard swivelled on his chair to face her, his face painted with a smile. ‘I’ve been watching you snoop, little lady. You think you’re going to be able to steal from us?’

  Matilda froze, happy to be thought of as merely a potential thief. She stepped out so she was facing the man. ‘No, of course not. I was just looking for the bathroom.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ said the guard, as a second guard placed a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Where are you taking me?’ she said, as the second guard held her shoulder and arm with a fierce pinch.

  ‘Somewhere you can’t cause any trouble.’

  ‘Right, I’m going home,’ she said, as he guided her down the stairs to the first floor landing.

  ‘Not yet, you’re not,’ said the man. He walked her along the first floor landing to a room which was being guarded by a third guard. ‘Another one for you,’ said Guard Two.

  Guard Three stepped aside, as Guard Two guided Matilda in the room with a gentle push.

  Another one of the agency staff was inside the room, sitting on a king-sized bed. ‘What are you in here for?’ said Matilda, as the bedroom door was slammed shut.

  ‘They caught me looking?’ said the girl, who couldn’t be much more than eighteen. She was leant against the headboard of the bed, her legs pulled up tight.

  ‘Have they done anything to you?’

  ‘No, why? You don’t think they’re…’

  ‘No, no. Sorry, didn’t mean to give you a scare. They’re not going to risk anything like that.’

  ‘What did you do?’ asked the girl, lowering her legs so they were stretched out on the bed.

  ‘They caught me looking as well.’ She began speaking for the team. ‘So, I guess we’re on the first floor in a guest bedroom. I turned right at the top of the stairs, and it was three doors down.’

  ‘Um, I guess so,’ said the girl.

  ‘There’s at least one guard outside, and just the two of us in the room.’

  The girl looked at her as if she was mad. ‘You planning to escape or something?’

  Matilda tried the window. ‘Window is locked and has three steel bars blocking entrance.’

  She sat on the bed thinking, hoping she was still in radio contact.

  ‘Do you think we’ll still get paid?’ asked the girl.

  Chapter 57

  Lambert sat in the van listening to Kennedy. Worried looks were exchanged between the four men.

  ‘We should get her out,’ said Tillman.

  ‘Why? They only think she was stealing,’ said Harrogate.

  Lambert couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever heard a junior officer talk that way to Tillman. Even though the man was from another team, he was pushing his luck. It wasn’t the words necessarily, but the way they were spoken.

  ‘Listen, son, you ever speak to me like that again and I’ll drag you outside this van and teach you not to. Understand?’

  Harrogate shrugged his shoulders, whilst Tyler studied his laptop screen pretending he wasn’t there. Tillman was a big man, but he could move fast when needed. Before Lambert knew what was happening, Tillman had Harrogate in a strangle hold.

  ‘You understand now, boy?’

  Harrogate was turning purple. Tyler glanced at Lambert in a pathetic attempt to get him to intervene.

  ‘One of my team is danger and I’ll make a decision as to the jeopardy, do you understand?’

  Harrogate moved his head up and down as much as he was able.

  Tillman let him go, driving his face into the side of the van.

  ‘Right, let’s all calm down,’ said Tyler.

  Tillman sat, his chest heaving in and out, his eyes not leaving Harrogate.

  ‘You’re right, it’s your call Glenn. However, I tend to agree that her cover hasn’t been blown. If we go in now, they’ll know we’ve been staking them and the Croatians won’t show,’ said Tyler.

  ‘They’re not going to show anyway,’ said Lambert.

  The four men sat in the van, muted. Lambert still had his earphones on and was listening to Kennedy talk to her fellow captive. In front of him, he was studying The System. Something was just out of reach. He scanned the pictures of the guests at the Blake household, the Croatian gang members, then switched his attention to the former residents of St Matthew’s. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for; with nothing else to cling onto, he hoped the randomness of the search would result in something.

  ‘We’ll wait,’ said Tillman. ‘But I want our response teams ready. The first word of danger from Kennedy and we’re in.’

  Devl
in called. ‘Sir, Lindsay is in custody. Nottingham Central. By all accounts he’s not happy.’

  ‘Are they going to speak to him?’

  ‘I’ve prepped their team. I’ll be there on conference call to fill in any details.’

  ‘Good work, Devlin. Keep me updated.’

  A picture of Neil Barnes appeared on his screen. Lambert froze the image. ‘Who the hell are you,’ he mouthed. He zoomed in on the image, studying every pixel for a clue. The boy’s hazel eyes, a faint zig zag of blood on the white of his right eye, the slight curve of his lower lip, the freckles on his cheeks and forehead, a slight nick on his left eyebrow. Would any of these characteristics have stayed with him into adulthood?

  ‘I discovered an office full of television screens, that’s how they found us,’ said Kennedy, whispering to her companion. ‘They’ve probably got this room monitored, so be careful what you say.’

  ‘You think they’re listening to us,’ said the girl.

  ‘Probably.’

  ‘Sick bastards. This isn’t on. I’m definitely talking to the agency.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Kennedy. ‘Something weird is going on here. If it didn’t sound crazy, I’d say they were locking everyone in rather than keeping people out.’

  Lambert stopped, pushed his earpiece into his ear and lifted his hand into the air to signal the other officers.

  ‘What do you mean?’ said the girl.

  ‘Think about it. Do you think you’d be able to walk out? They don’t want us working here but they haven’t sent us home. It’s like they don’t want anyone to leave.’

  Lambert heard Kennedy sigh. She was talking directly to him. ‘I don’t think it’s only this house they’re monitoring. I think they’re watching other places as well. I think they know where people are.’

  ‘What?’ said the girl.

  ‘What is she talking about?’ asked Tyler.

  ‘Lambert?’ said Tillman.

  Lambert’s hand was still held in the air. He was staring at the picture of Neil Barnes, trying to reconcile what Kennedy was saying. Could it really be that simple? It was so obvious that he hadn’t considered it before.

  On The System he typed in a name. The name of a man he’d met on two occasions. A picture appeared on the screen. Lambert pinched the screen, zooming in on the man’s left eyebrow. If he hadn’t been looking for it, he wouldn’t have made out the mark. It was the slightest discrepancy, the legacy of a childhood scar.

  ‘We need to stop Blake reaching the house,’ said Lambert.

  Chapter 58

  The van fell silent.

  ‘Now,’ screamed Lambert. ‘Where is he? Pull him over without the lights if possible.’

  ‘What’s this about?’ said Harrogate.

  ‘Just do it,’ said Tillman.

  Tyler nodded at Harrogate. ‘He’s on West End Lane, West Hampstead. We have an unmarked car following him,’ said the DS.

  ‘Get them to head the car off. Use the lights if necessary.’

  ‘Want to tell me what this is about?’ asked Tillman.

  ‘Give me a second,’ said Lambert, who was scrolling through the notes on the man he believed was Neil Barnes. ‘Jesus,’ he said, handing the file to Tillman.

  ‘Will Atkinson? This is Blake’s head of security,’ said Tillman.

  ‘Yes.’ Lambert pressed a button and the screen split. ‘I believe he’s also Neil Barnes. Side by side, the resemblance was more pronounced but Lambert still pointed out the eyebrow scar.’

  ‘How did you make the connection?’

  ‘Something Kennedy said. It all makes sense now. Atkinson joined the forces aged eighteen. No school history. No history at all prior to eighteen from what I’ve seen. He could have easily changed his name at some point.’

  Tillman showed the file to Tyler, who looked nonplussed.

  ‘The focus has changed,’ said Tillman.

  ‘Success,’ said Harrogate. ‘We have the car. What now?’

  ‘Get Blake and his wife here. Glenn, we’re going to need armed response and emergency services in place,’ said Lambert.

  ‘What do you think he has in mind?’

  ‘I think he planned to kill Blake’s family tonight. It’s thirty years to the day Elaine Jacobson’s body was found. I believe he was waiting for Blake to arrive, and he was going to start killing. Kennedy says the place is like a fortress. He wants everyone to watch.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘Now, we get everyone in place and wait.’

  Lambert stepped out of the van, surprised by the light covering of fog over the common. He still had one earphone in and was listening to Kennedy.

  ‘How many screens were there?’ asked Kennedy’s companion in his ear.

  Tillman and Tyler had followed him outside the van and were both on their phones arranging their teams. Harrogate was still inside, no doubt smarting from the change of plans.

  ‘At least thirty. It wasn’t just this house though. I saw some other images,’ said Kennedy.

  ‘Really, like what?

  ‘A police station I know, a house in Beckenham.’

  ‘Beckenham. How would you know that?’

  ‘I have a friend who used to live there.’

  Lambert was already dialling Sarah May. ‘Sarah, we’ve identified the Watcher. I think he may have the house under surveillance. I’m sending a team over to the house. Don’t tell me where you are in case the call is being monitored but is everything okay?’

  ‘Yes, everything fine here. Sophie and Jane are safe.’

  ‘You’ve read this guy’s background?’ said Tillman, once he’d hung up.

  ‘Impressive, isn’t it?’

  ‘Initially an explosions expert, latterly head of surveillance.’

  ‘Doesn’t exactly bode well,’ said Lambert.

  Atkinson had left the army ten years ago and formed his own security firm. From what Lambert could discover he’d been working for Blake for the last five years, after the mysterious disappearance of his existing head of security. Lambert marvelled at the level of planning Atkinson must have put into the project: securing the position as head of security and waiting all these years to enact his revenge, on the anniversary of Elaine Jacobson’s death.

  ‘Blake should be here in five minutes,’ said Harrogate, stepping out of the van.

  ‘We’re positioning teams near the house,’ said Tillman.

  ‘Keep them out of sight,’ said Lambert. ‘He’s capable of anything.’

  ‘You think his team know what he has planned?’ asked Tillman, taking him aside.

  ‘They were all in the forces with him. Most have been working for him for ten years. They’ll do what they’re told. I’m sure there is a pay-off involved.’

  In the distance, Lambert heard the screech of tyres as an unmarked car approached. It pulled up outside the van, two plain clothes officers leaving the car.

  ‘Mr and Mrs Blake are in the back, sir,’ said one of the men to Tyler.

  Lambert interjected. ‘Have you told them why you stopped them?’

  ‘No. And they’re not pleased.’

  ‘Let them out.’

  Blake edged out of the car, holding his hand out for his wife. ‘I might have fucking known,’ he said, on seeing Lambert.

  ‘Mr Blake. Mrs Blake. Chief Superintendent Tillman and Chief Superintendent Tyler,’ said Lambert, refusing to introduce Harrogate.

  ‘Jesus, I’m honoured. You’ve got the big guns out to stop me attending my own surprise party. Wonderful. You don’t half hold a grudge, Lambert.’

  ‘This has nothing to do with a grudge. You need to follow me into the van. I need to show you something.’

  Tyler and Harrogate wanted to follow them inside the van, but Lambert knew emotions would be running high. He could sense the pent up anger in both men. Being alone in the cramped confines of the van would be one step too far. All it would take would be the mention of Sawyer, and either would be liable to pounce. ‘Sir, I think it best if
I speak to Mr Blake alone,’ he said, giving Tyler the option.

  Tyler was taking in short breaths through his nose, his gaze stuck on Blake. ‘We’ll speak later,’ he said to the man.

  ‘Christ, what’s his problem?’ asked Blake once they were inside the van.

  Lambert could still hear Kennedy in his left ear though she wasn’t saying much save for the odd comment to her companion. He opened the iPad and showed Blake a picture of Will Atkinson.

  ‘Yes. I know my own head of security.’

  Lambert scrolled through to an image of Neil Barnes. ‘Atkinson as a boy.’

  Blake shrugged. ‘I haven’t got time for this, Lambert. I’ve a party to attend. Now if you don’t mind.’

  Lambert held Blake’s shoulder and pushed down hard. It was only then he felt how insubstantial the man was. His suit was padded, the body beneath almost skeletal, devoid of muscle. ‘I don’t think your paths ever crossed, but Atkinson was known as Neil Barnes then. He was a boy of ten. He lived at St Matthew’s. You know St Matthew’s, don’t you Curtis?’

  ‘What is this?’ said Blake.

  ‘Neil Barnes was friends with Elaine Jacobson. You remember her, don’t you?’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘I’m not looking for a confession, Blake. I know you used to run the girls from that home. I may not be able to prove it but I know you did it. Will Atkinson knows it as well. All those years ago he went to people for some help, help to stop you. DI Lennox, Laura Dempsey, Eustace Sackville, all authority figures who failed him. You know what he did to all those people, Blake?’

  Blake began to shake, the colour drained from his face. His skin was almost translucent, the whites of his eyes clouded over in blood. ‘The Watcher?’

  ‘He has your house locked down. His team have every exit secured. Are they armed, Blake?’

  ‘Jesus, the children.’

  ‘Will they be armed, Curtis?’

  ‘Yes they’ll be fucking armed, of course they’re armed.’

  ‘Will they follow Atkinson?’

  A look of fight had returned to Blake’s features. ‘I knew it was a mistake. We did our checks on him and the team. Exemplary record, but I knew it was a risk. He has the children?’