The Hard Way

by Duncan Brockwell

  It was the first time she’d been in a police car. Miller put the lights and siren on, following the armed vehicles’ lead. She held on tight to Richard’s bag. “Did you find out where they’re keeping my brother?”

  Silence invaded the car.

  “Well?” She didn’t like the quiet, not one bit. “Detective Hayes?”

  The detective turned in her seat, so that she was pretty much facing her. “I’ve got some bad news, Charlotte. The NCA officer informed us this morning that Richard committed suicide in the early hours of this morning. I’m so sorry!”

  No! It couldn’t be! Richard couldn’t be dead. “But I only saw him yesterday. He was fine. I mean, as far as he can be when he was arrested, but he wouldn’t kill himself.”

  “There are those who believe he didn’t commit suicide, though, Mrs Edwards.” Miller stared at her in the mirror. “There are some who believe he was murdered in prison for whatever that thing is you’re holding. Now, I’m not saying they’re right; I’m letting you know it might not be as simple as it first appears.”

  “How did he kill himself?” No way did he off himself, she thought, hugging the bag even tighter. “You said he was in prison at the time.”

  “Yes, a holding prison, a place people go when they’re charged and awaiting trial. He was in a cell there, apparently. He died of asphyxiation. They found his bed sheet rolled up, one end tied around his neck and the other to the door handle. I’m sorry!”

  Charlotte knew her brother. Richard wouldn’t kill himself. She was still numb after the deaths of Colin and Henry. Lifting the bag, she unzipped the main compartment, stared at the white writing: Prototype. “You’d better be worth it. Both my brothers and brother-in-law died for you, whatever you are.”

  She sat in silence all the way back to the station, where the armed police escorted her, Hayes and Miller upstairs to their office. Hayes offered Charlotte a chair in front of a computer. “You want me to put the USB stick in?” She uncapped the metal connector, sliding it in the main terminal.

  There was a crowd behind her, as the computer came to life. With Hayes to her left, Miller to her right, stood behind her were two officers.

  “Oh, Charlotte, this is Inspector Gillan and Detective Sergeant Jackman. They’ve been helping us on this case, so I asked them to be here.”

  Not feeling the need to introduce herself, she said hello, then turned back to the monitor. “There’s a video here, shall I?”

  The video showed her brother talking about test number fifteen. She recognised the woman she saw working on the blue Fiesta, the car her brother got into. The footage was now inside the car, as it left the workshop. She and the police officers watched it to its conclusion. Charlotte was none the wiser as to the significance of the test.

  “What else is on the stick, Charlotte?” Hayes asked.

  The first file she opened was what appeared to be a schematic. Within a minute, she heard murmuring from the officers surrounding her, except she still didn’t understand what it was she was looking at, until it stared her straight in the face.

  “Oh my God! It’s a fucking car battery,” Miller clarified, hands on top of her head, elated. “Do you know what this could do for the environment?”

  Staring from Miller, back to the screen, she read more. “A dual-celled, self-charging car battery. So? What does it mean?” She went to Hayes for clarification.

  “Let’s put it this way, Charlotte, if I’m reading that right, it means your brother’s team have just invented the world’s first self-charging car battery. It means that while one cell is being expelled, the other is charging.”

  “So? What does that mean?” The officers surrounding her were so excited, muttering to one another. Only Hayes gave her the time of day.

  “It means the blue Fiesta in that video will carry on driving forever, the literal battery bunny. It doesn’t need petrol, doesn’t need charging with electricity like electric cars do now; it will outrun everything on the road. Basically, your brother has invented the world’s first carbon-free electric car that doesn’t require topping up, do you get the importance of it now? He’s solved the world’s car crisis with this little invention. In ten to fifteen years’ time, every car on the planet will be fitted with one of these batteries. Petrol, hybrid, diesel, and electric cars of today will be a thing of the past.”

  “He’s done all that?” All she saw was a big ugly black box with a funny-looking thing underneath. “How does it work?”

  Hayes moved to a different file. “It looks like they’ve found a way to harness the energy from the wheels, amplify it and store it in the empty cell, like a dynamo. Yeah, that’s what this thing here’s for. It clips under the car, draws energy from the wheels like so. You don’t remember dynamos, do you? The lights that used to work more the harder you cycle? Remember? That was a dynamo, utilising energy from the wheel going around. That’s what this battery is doing, only in a much more sophisticated manner.”

  “And both my brothers are dead because of this?” Charlotte didn’t understand, couldn’t. What was so important?

  The police officers went quiet. She went to Hayes for support.

  “This will piss off a lot of companies,” Gillan said. “Your brother has made a lot of powerful enemies inventing this, Mrs Edwards.”

  “What? Why? It’s just a car battery.”

  “Oh, it’s so much more than that. This mere car battery is going to change the world for the better for everyone. Richard and his team are heroes, don’t you see?”

  “The only problem is petrol and diesel companies are powerful, the owners rich, and they won’t want this seeing the light of day. When their customers hear of a petrol-free or diesel-free car, they’ll bite the owner’s hands off to get one. Just think how much the average driver spends on petrol per year, imagine the saving,” Travis informed her.

  “And you think these petrol companies hired someone to kill my brothers?”

  “We don’t think, Mrs Edwards, we know.” Miller stood. “We have two of the assassins they hired in custody. They tried to kill us last night, after we left you.”

  “Oh God. But that’s good, isn’t it? You caught them.”

  “Unfortunately, they’re not working alone. They’re part of a group of mercenaries paid to eliminate anyone who’s had anything to do with this battery. One of them told us that there are ten more of their colleagues out there, and their superior can order the whole company of thirty-six to join them if they don’t get the results they need.”

  64

  Miller glanced at each of her colleagues in turn. “We need to talk to Marlowe. He has all the answers we need.” She turned to Mrs Edwards. “We need you to stay right here, okay? It’s too dangerous for you out there until we’ve cleared this up.”

  Hayes, Gillan and Travis joined her in walking to the lifts, where they all got on, and off on the interview room floor. Within two minutes, she was in the room with the bound Marlowe, who looked angry. “Right, you’re going to tell us everything.”

  “Not without a deal I’m not.” He turned his head to the side, pretending to be snooty. “Count yourself lucky I haven’t insisted on representation.”

  “If your information’s valuable to us, Mr Marlowe, I guarantee you we’ll give you a deal, okay? But only if it leads to a satisfactory conclusion of this case, meaning that no one in this room dies, do you understand? If one of your colleagues hurts a member of this team, all deals are nullified. Now, tell us why you murdered Colin Fisher, Brandy Reid, and Kurt Austin? Did you choose to kill all three to throw us off track?”

  “I guess that’s the best deal I’m going to get out of you, so I’ll take it.” He moved his hands, rubbing his sore wrists. “You obviously know Colin Fisher was the target, but the colonel thought adding a couple extra bodies would hinder your investigation, which worked to our advantage.”

  “But when you murdered Henry Curtis, we were onto you,” Miller added.

  “The colonel knew y
ou’d end up pointing a finger at Melodi Demirci; her prints were everywhere. It was the way he wanted it. But it was my mistake putting the gun to the back of Curtis’ head. We actually wanted his to appear as a suicide. The colonel wanted us to get rid of everyone with knowledge of the battery before it became public knowledge.”

  Travis frowned. “I get Fisher, being Richard’s brother, but why Curtis? I mean, he might have been married to the younger brother, but why kill him?”

  “Everyone who knew about the battery, detective, and not only did Henry Curtis know about it, he was an investor. He personally gave Richard Fisher a million towards it. That made him a massive target when the big petroleum companies found out about it, I can tell you. When that stupid bitch, Yurika Ishii, went to them about the battery, she started something she couldn’t stop.”

  Hayes folded her arms on the table. “And these petroleum companies, you’re sure they’re your paymasters? They paid your company to eliminate everyone involved?”

  “A hundred per cent. But it’s bigger than that. It’s not just the big petroleum; it’s a couple of the global car manufacturers, CEOs of huge corporations. In fact, it’s more like a conglomerate. Think of these companies as the head, and my company as the arm striking Fisher Valves down.”

  “Yurika Ishii, I assume from what you said just now, she made a deal?” Miller saw the nod. “So, she’s what, out of the country now? Living life in the lap of luxury?”

  “At the bottom of the ocean, more like, food for the fish. I didn’t do it, but I know for a fact she’s been weighed down and thrown off a boat in the middle of the sea, along with her boyfriend. The same goes for Nathan Stewart. A couple of my colleagues took care of him. He won’t ever be found either. You see, they want everyone with any knowledge of how to build the battery eliminated.” He leaned forward. “They’re winning, guys. That’s everyone involved dead. Fisher, Parekh, that German bitch, Lang. Nathan Stewart, and Yurika Ishii. The only thing left to do is take the two remaining prototypes. They’ve even taken care of the guy sorting out the paperwork for Fisher’s patent. Hands up, nothing to do with me.”

  “Hang on! You said two prototypes.” Hayes regarded Miller, then went back to Marlowe. “We have one here. Where’s the other one?”

  “The blue Fiesta,” Miller answered before Marlowe could. “It was already fitted with a battery when we were at the workshop. It wasn’t there when we went back, though.”

  Gillan picked up his mobile. “It’s been impounded. There are only two places it could be: Perivale or Charlton. I’ll get onto this. We need that prototype, guys.” He excused himself from the room while he made phone calls.

  “Wait! There’s more,” Marlowe said, desperation in his voice. “I have all the intel you need on the conglomerate safely hidden away. With what I’ve got on a USB stick, you’ll be able to charge all the individuals involved, all the big wigs in these companies. Take me with you when you go to pick up the car from the pound, and we’ll take a detour to get the USB stick.” He continued, “Come on, detectives, I’ve got as much to lose as anyone. I’m trying to save my life, sure, but I’ll also be helping you win the biggest case of your careers.”

  Miller was surprised when Hayes said, “He’s got a point.”

  Hayes continued, “I’ll tell you what, Marlowe, if Inspector Gillan signs it off, you’ve got a deal. You give us the intel we need to arrest these big shots, I’m sure we’ll be eternally grateful. You’ve murdered six people that we know of, you can’t expect freedom, but witness protection is better than prison.”

  “Hell, I wouldn’t expect freedom,” he replied.

  Gillan came back carrying his phone. “The blue Fiesta is safe and well at Perivale Car Pound on Walmgate Road, Greenford. I’ve instructed the sergeant I spoke to there not to let it out of his sight.”

  “Miller and I will collect it, sir. It’s our investigation.”

  “And Mr Marlowe has requested he join us.” Miller stood and stared at their cuffed suspect. “He has a USB stick stashed away somewhere with information we need to prosecute the fat cats in these companies. We’ll be going with a fully armed response unit. He won’t be any trouble, will you, Marlowe? If he is, he knows we’ll have him on his arse so fast his head will spin. Isn’t that right?”

  “Fine. You’ll be travelling with an armed response unit anyway.”

  65

  “You’re not going without me,” Charlotte insisted. “That’s my brother’s legacy, his invention. I’m coming with you.” She picked up the rucksack and put it on her back, threading her arms in the strap holes. She was met by both detectives shaking their heads.

  “What do you think you’re doing? You’re not bringing the battery with you,” Miller barked. “It’s too dangerous; we don’t know what resistance we’re going to be met with, Mrs Edwards. You can come with us, but leave the battery here.”

  The audacity of the woman. “You’re kidding, right? Don’t get me wrong, you two seem genuine enough, but if you think I’m leaving this here, think again. My brother’s been set up by your lot, and the NCA, and don’t say he wasn’t. He was no paedophile. They just wanted to smear him, make him fearful of his life in prison as a nonce, so that when they went in and killed him, they could blame it on suicide. This battery is never leaving my sight.” She shifted the weight of her bag further up her back. “Shall we?”

  Gillan walked towards her, carrying his mobile. Charlotte was ready to go, but it seemed they were waiting on something, or someone.

  Hayes stood from her chair. “What’s the plan, sir? Are we taking the battery out of the car, or driving the Fiesta back here? What do you need us to do?”

  “I’ve just spoken to the Superintendent, who’s agreed for us to drive the Fiesta from Perivale to Charlton. We have a safe space to store it there until we can set up a press conference. This conglomerate doesn’t want to go public, so we’ll keep the Fiesta under armed guard until it does. As soon as the journalists get a whiff of this, the conglomerate’s failed. There’ll be no need for the mercenaries to hang around after that.”

  “You underestimate the colonel at your own risk, Inspector.”

  Charlotte hadn’t noticed the black sergeant walk over with a handsome man in cuffs. “Who the hell’s this?”

  “The only way to ensure against reprisals is with my USB stick. I have intel on everyone, including the colonel.”

  She glared at Hayes. “Who’s he?” It didn’t take her long to work it out. “Oh my God! This is one of them, isn’t it? You said you had two in custody? You’re one of the animals who murdered my baby brother, aren’t you?” She felt nauseous.

  “Hey, I didn’t enjoy it, if that makes a difference.” Marlowe raised his cuffed hands. “It was just business.”

  Through an angry red haze, Charlotte launched herself at him, clawing at his eyes. “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

  Detective Miller pulled her off him so easily Charlotte was shocked at the Amazonian’s strength. Since their first meeting, Charlotte had been impressed by her. Everything about Miller screamed strong and independent, both of which she aspired to be. “Stay away from me, you hear? Or I will hurt you.” The acid in her voice shocked everyone.

  “Right, Mrs Edwards will go with Hayes and Miller. Marlowe, you can sit in the back of one the armed response units.” Gillan nodded.

  “Be careful, guys,” Travis added. “Any sign of trouble, leave the car, get yourselves back here safely.”

  Charlotte saw the nervous smile on Miller’s face.

  “Relax, we have backup. Before you know it the blue Fiesta will be safe at Charlton Car Pound.”

  When Hayes called everyone together, Miller said she would be down in a couple of minutes, so Charlotte went downstairs with Hayes and the bastard who’d killed her brother, who had cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He wasn’t going anywhere fast. When they descended in the lift, she daydreamed about kicking him down the stairs, or better yet, dropping h
im down the empty shaft. “Why is he here with us?”

  “I’ll explain on the way, okay? For now, though, let’s focus on getting to the pound. The only thing that matters is making sure that car’s safe.”

  66

  Miller watched Hayes take Mrs Edwards and Marlowe out of the office, then took out her mobile. It was already five o’clock, and she’d not heard any whispers about Luke’s unit being suspended yet, which was odd in itself, because cops loved gossip. She couldn’t understand it. The IOPC would act on the information Luke gave them immediately; it certainly wasn’t a complaint they would sit on. “Damn it, Luke, answer!” she muttered.

  His phone went to voicemail after five rings. “Where the bloody hell are you?”

  “Miller, are you going, or what?” Gillan gestured the doors.

  “On my way, sir,” she shouted, putting her mobile in her jacket pocket and heading for the doors. At the lift, she hit the button, then decided to take the stairs instead, which she did, two at a time until she arrived at the fire exit.

  Coming from the rear of the building, she surprised Hayes, opened the passenger door and sat down, clipping her belt in place.

  “All set?” Hayes switched on the engine of their Peugeot.

  She turned and regarded Mrs Edwards, before going back to her partner. “There’s something I need to tell you, but it’ll wait until later.”

  “Don’t mind me; I’m not listening.” Their passenger put earphones in.

  With an armed response vehicle in front of them, and one behind, Hayes took them on the road to Perivale Car Pound. The officers in front didn’t turn their lights or sirens on, so her partner didn’t either. Hearing Mrs Edwards’ music blaring out of her headphones, Miller checked she wasn’t listening. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. How could she say it?