The Badge & the Pen Thrillers

by Roger A Price

  Thirty minutes later, in walked a hurried and harried Sue. She spotted him straight away and headed towards him. Babik checked over her shoulder as she approached, but no one had followed her in. He waited until she was seated, before he spoke. ‘What the fuck happened at the park?’

  ‘I’m really sorry, Cornel, I’d no idea they had followed me there.’

  ‘They hadn’t followed you; they were already there, way ahead of you. My pig radar was going mental.’

  ‘I had to tell them of the meet, but they promised to leave it up to me.’

  ‘But why?’ he said.

  ‘To keep their trust.’

  ‘No, I mean why would they stay away when they want to nick me?’

  ‘Because they know about the hostage. They were scared if they jumped in they would never find out where she is. The plan was for me to find out and then tell them. Finding and releasing her is their number one priority, nicking you is secondary.’

  ‘But how the hell do they know about the hostage?’

  ‘Because I told them, and before you go nuclear, I had to tell them something, to earn their faith.’

  Babik considered her words for a moment before he answered. ‘But they don’t know who?’

  ‘How can they? I don’t know who!’

  He’d forgotten that, but wondered whether, if he had told Sue, she would have passed that little gem on, too. ‘And they have accepted you back into their arms?’

  ‘Totally.’

  ‘So where do they think you are now?’

  ‘Meeting you, of course.’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Vinnie waited until they were both back in Harry’s car before giving him the good news.

  ‘What? Doesn’t she understand a lawful order when she hears one?’ Harry spat.

  ‘I’m sure she does, but she said after what had just gone down in the park, it was too risky, not to go alone,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘Where?’

  ‘She didn’t say, but they must have set it up when she was speaking to him through the hedge.’

  ‘So we have to just wait on her contact. I don’t like it.’

  ‘Nor me.’

  ‘What about the tracker in her phone?’ Harry asked.

  ‘Already checked, and guess what?’

  ‘I don’t need to ask. What happens now?’

  Vinnie asked if there had been any responses to the earlier TV appeal regarding the missing from home, and Harry said he hadn’t heard so they should get back to the incident room and find out. Vinnie agreed, and then remembered that with all the excitements of the last 24 hours, he had still not asked anyone to examine the key that Jody Watson gave him. He suggested they call in at a city centre locksmith’s, on the way to the nick, to see if a professional could throw any light on the key’s purpose. Harry agreed. Then, Vinnie suggested they go and speak with Sadiq; assuming he’d been transported from the prison’s cells to theirs.

  ‘Also agreed, and I think we should be a little more direct with him, now that we have him on home turf.’

  ‘Just what I was thinking,’ Vinnie replied.

  *

  Twenty minutes later, Vinnie climbed back into Harry’s illegally-parked car. ‘Any dramas with the local wardens?’

  ‘No problems. Any luck with the key?’

  ‘Not much. The guy said it was for a mortice type of lock, one with five levers, so it was most likely for an exterior door of some kind, but it could easily be for a cabinet or other such item, including interior stores and the like,’ Vinnie replied.

  ‘So, basically it is a key which fits a lock which could be on anything.’

  Vinnie had to suppress a grin. It was unlike Harry to be sarcastic, the frustration was obviously telling on him. ‘Tell me about it,’ Vinnie said. He certainly empathised — the number of times he had sought the advice of so-called expert witnesses, only to receive wishy-washy evidence with phrases such as ‘could well be’, ‘is similar to’ and ‘probably, but not conclusively’. Useless, and always accompanied by a very clear and precisely-stated bill of substantial proportions.

  ‘Come on, let’s get back to the nick, you can check the incident room and the cells while I have the pleasure of ringing the chief,’ Harry said.

  Two cracks in as many sentences. Perhaps humour was Harry’s new coping mechanism, Vinnie thought.

  It was a short drive back to Preston’s central police station on Lancaster Road North, just out of the city centre. Vinnie stopped in the incident room as Harry continued into their SIOs’ office. Nothing of note had come in from the TV appeal, and there had been no missing from homes reported at all in the last 24 hours. Vinnie called the custody suite, before joining Harry in their office.

  ‘The chief is far from impressed,’ Harry stated.

  ‘At this rate, we will no longer be his favourites,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘Not funny, Vinnie. He’s not convinced that Grady is on our side.’

  ‘Well, to be frank, neither are we.’

  ‘I told him that, and he said he was going off line to ring the Director General of the National Crime Agency, to get to the bottom of who Susan Grady really is.’

  ‘That would be good, help us evaluate her better,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘And it brought my conversation with him to a premature conclusion — for now.’

  ‘Not all bad news, then,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘How’d you get on?’

  ‘My bad news is that we still have had no MFHs reported either locally, or from the TV appeal,’ Vinnie told him.

  ‘We need to widen the search.’

  ‘Already actioned that,’ Vinnie said, before adding, ‘but the good news is that custody staff are just in the process of booking in Mohammed Sadiq.’

  ‘Excellent, let’s go and see what he has to say now.’

  Vinnie nodded and followed Harry out of the office.

  *

  ‘You boys don’t hang about, you’re making me feel almost wanted,’ Sadiq said, as Vinnie stood back while the jailor unlocked the heavy steel door on Sadiq’s police cell. Vinnie ignored the comment and told him to come with them.

  They entered an interview room within the custody suite’s main reception area. The room was half-glazed on all sides, including the door. Inside, Vinnie could see Harry waiting on one side of a steel desk. Once inside, Sadiq took up his position on the far side of the desk and Vinnie shut the door, closing out all the noise from the cell corridors. How the custody staff put up with the constant shouting and swearing coming from the cells, only broken by the occasional kicking of the steel doors, was beyond him. Fortunately, it was a job he’d never had to do.

  ‘Ok, Mohammed, you can cut the fake bonhomie,’Vinnie said, as he took his seat next to Harry.

  ‘Who said it’s fake? Any time away from that prison is a bonus, and you didn’t waste any time in coming to see me, I’ve only just been banged up.’

  ‘You’ve changed your demeanour since we last saw you,’ Vinnie added.

  ‘Look, I’m sorry about that, but what with you two coming to see me for a second time so soon after your first visit it had set the bullshit telegraph on fire. I had to play it the way I did, hoping you’d see it for what it was, and you did, thankfully.’

  ‘The screw bent?’ Harry asked.

  ‘As a screw,’ Mohammed said, adding, ‘but it worked a treat and got back to the right ears — those of people with influence.’

  ‘So all good now?’ Vinnie asked, noting that he had dropped the ‘innit’ affectation.

  ‘I only wished that was my only drama.’

  ‘Go on,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘Look guys, I’m not messing you around, nor am I trying to give you rubbish just to get a reduced.’

  ‘Really?’ Harry asked.

  ‘It may have started out a bit that way, but things have changed.’

  ‘How so?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘It’s got personal.’

  ‘Look Mohammed, we are unde
r a bit of pressure here, time-wise,’ Harry said.

  ‘More than you think,’ Sadiq said, and then added. ‘I’ll give you Babik. I’ll even consider turning Queen’s.’

  This surprised Vinnie, passing intelligence against a man like Babik was serious enough, but offering to give evidence in court was something else altogether. He wondered if they were being played again, and said, ‘That’s a mighty big carrot you are dangling.’

  ‘And I’ll tell you about his bent cop friend, her name is Susan Grady,’ Sadiq said, before sitting back in his chair. The triumphant look on his face was only temporarily interrupted by a grimace as he scraped his aluminium chair along the floor.

  Vinnie glanced at Harry, before turning back to face Sadiq.

  ‘I must say, you don’t look as shocked as I would have expected,’ Sadiq said.

  ‘And you’ll give Queen’s evidence against her too?’ Harry asked.

  ‘No problem.’

  Vinnie couldn’t understand the change in Sadiq that had occurred since they first met, he had gone from a frightened-looking man chasing the best deal he dare, to something else. Anger. Something had motivated him. But he could see one problem, and voiced it. ‘Look, I’ve got to be honest with you, giving us some intel on which we can quickly act, and then inform the judge of its merit prior to you being sentenced is one thing.’

  ‘But?’ Sadiq asked.

  ‘But, giving evidence in any future proceedings many months down the road will obviously take place long after you have been sentenced,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘So I wouldn’t get any benefit?’

  Vinnie exchanged glances with Harry. Should he have been so up front with Sadiq? He knew when they first met that Sadiq was no idiot; he would have worked it out for himself, in five minutes or five hours. Vinnie hadn’t wanted to be caught in a lie that would ultimately backfire regarding Babik and Grady — particularly if Grady was bent.

  ‘Can’t you tell the judge what I’m offering, before he sentences me?’

  ‘We can go one better, Mohammed, if you give us a signed written witness statement detailing all you know about Babik and Grady, we can show it to the judge,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘Will he take any account of it?’

  ‘He will, but not as much as if you had actually given evidence, and I know it will not be your fault that you haven’t,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘Look, I’m not over-fussed. Any reduction will be a blessing, but I’ll help you nail those bastards if you can do me a favour, and it’s an urgent one.’

  ‘Well, we have an urgent question to ask you first, and if you can help us on this, then not only will we consider your favour, seriously, but if your answer to our question helps us, then we will have something tangible to give your sentencing judge which should have a significant impact on your outcome,’ Vinnie said.

  ‘You first, then,’ Sadiq said.

  ‘Babik has kidnapped someone. All we know is that it’s a female, and she represents some kind of insurance. Although we don’t think she is under any immediate threat, things can change. Have you any idea who she is, or where Babik might take her?’ Vinnie said.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Babik was glad Susan had come through, she was a serious asset and he hoped they could get more personal at some stage, down the line, when immediate business had been taken care of. Plus, having her on board again would take some of the grief from his shoulders, which he was starting to feel; from one individual in particular. He also had a plan for Susan; he needed to be able to put her back into the cops. They left the pub by taxi and were dropped off around the corner from a row of lock-ups in the Frenchwood area, south of the city centre. Not a million miles from where he’d surfaced from the river. He toyed with the idea of going to the lock-up alone first, but knew Susan was aware of it, so he took her with him. Babik needed to convince himself of her loyalty before he wandered into a further ambush. He kept her close. Human shield if needed, but no one approached them.

  Inside the garage was an old, nondescript, 10-year-old blue Vauxhall saloon. Bonehead used to drive it around the block once a week to keep it ticking over; it was his emergency set of wheels. No one had ever seen him in it and it was registered to a local scrapyard mate of Bonehead’s. And now that he was gone, the trail ended. Clean wheels; a rarity.

  Once away from the garage, he told Susan where they were going, it was another emergency asset, but this time it was an address. One that even Susan wasn’t aware of. It was an end terrace at the close of a short cul-de-sac off London Road in Walton–le-Dale, just south of the River Ribble. It was next door to a boarded-up address and opposite a further two boarded-up houses of the same appearance. It wasn’t just the cops who had safe houses.

  It only took five minutes to drive there and once inside — via the back door — Babik nodded at the large, middle-aged man with a prison inmate’s complexion seated in the kitchen. Another emergency asset that Susan knew nothing of. Babik introduced Susan without explanation or informing her of Bob’s name. Then asked, ‘How’s she been?’

  ‘Fed, watered and re-gagged. No dramas, boss,’ Bob answered.

  ‘Watch out the back while we have a chat. Susan, follow me,’ he said.

  In the upstairs bedroom he had to wait for a couple of seconds, for his eyes to attune to the darkness. Cardboard covered the window and he had no intention of turning the electric light on. Laid on a filthy mattress on the floor was the woman. Her hands were tied in front on her and her ankles were also tied, but with some slack. Bob was all heart.

  Babik ripped the gaffer tape from her mouth and the woman yelped, before spitting, ‘Bastard!’

  ‘It’s the least painful way of removing the tape, believe me,’ he said. He realised that Susan was standing, almost hiding, behind him. He wasn’t sure what she thought he was about to do. ‘Look, it’s not personal. Just a bit of insurance.’

  ‘Well, it certainly feels personal; you’ve kept me for days without any explanation. You’ve moved me twice, and for what?’ she said. ‘What on God’s earth have I done to you?’

  ‘Like I say, it’s just insurance, and as soon as I can release you, believe me, I will.’

  ‘Insurance? What does that even mean?’ But before he could answer, she carried on. ‘Who’s that behind you? Oh God, I saw her at the first house. That’s it, you’ve come to kill me, I’ve seen your faces, look please—’

  ‘Stop! No one is going to kill anyone. Once we know that everything is sweet you will be released. And we are almost there,’ Babik said.

  ‘Please, I don’t understand.’

  ‘Listen Mrs Sadiq, we just need to know that your husband is keeping his mouth shut and all will be fine.’ Babik could see a look of genuine surprise on the woman’s face. ‘What, you believed his bullshit that he was just helping an old friend with some house stuff? That he would never have got involved with such business normally, that it was a one off?’ Babik enjoyed seeing her eyes widen even more.

  ‘But…’ she started to say something, but didn’t finish.

  ‘You still thought he worked at a cousin’s jeans factory, didn’t you?’

  The woman nodded.

  ‘He worked for me, and he’s helped traffic many people, mainly women, into the UK. He’s not the man you think he is. Now as soon as he’s been sentenced, I’ll know whether he’s kept his mouth shut or not, and as long as he does, you’ll be free to go.’

  ‘How will you know?’ she asked.

  ‘A legal friend of mine has told me what sentence he expects your husband to receive, plus I have plenty of friends on the inside.’

  ‘How do you know I won’t tell?’ the woman asked.

  Babik thought it was a dangerous question to ask, almost foolish, then he saw the fear in her eyes and realised that the question had been instinctive. ‘He knows that I can get to you whenever I want, so as long as he does his time with no problems, you will be safe. More than that, I’ll make sure you are taken care of. But rem
ember, I can get to either of you at any time I choose.’

  ‘I don’t want your money. Anyhow, how can he know that you have me here?’

  ‘Suit yourself, but trust me, he’ll know, if he doesn’t already. Now, I have told you all this so that you can behave. You know in a day or two, you will be free and unharmed once your husband has been sentenced. Like I said, it’s not personal, you are just insurance.’

  ‘But if he doesn’t know I’m here, how can you be so sure he has not already said something?’

  Another stupid question, Babik thought, before he answered. ‘He was certainly considering it, which is why you’re here, but you’ll be glad to know he saw the light.’

  ‘How can you know?’ she repeated.

  Babik wondered how many more stupid questions she was going to ask. It was as well for her that he’d already decided not to harm her. He sighed before responding. ‘Because I know he eventually told the cops to get lost before he could have possibly known about you. All bodes well, so relax. Just so long as hubby doesn’t have a further change of heart.’

  Babik turned to leave. He knew the last remark was a bit cruel, but it wouldn’t hurt to leave a little fear in Mrs Sadiq’s heart.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  ‘Looks like we want the same thing,’ Mohammed Sadiq said.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘The woman you are seeking is called Amal, in her late thirties and comes from Preston.’

  ‘How do you know this?’ Vinnie said, as his concern grew.

  ‘Her second name is Sadiq. She’s my wife.’

  Vinnie hadn’t seen that coming. He was starting to understand Sadiq’s change of attitude. ‘But why?’ he asked. Then Sadiq told them. Told them in abridged form what he used to do for Babik — he certainly knew enough to bury him — and that he’d been told she would be released unharmed if he kept his mouth shut.