Night In London (Night Series Book 2)

by Casey Christie

  “Captain Michael Night of the Norwood Police?”

  “Yes, damn it. Who are you?”

  “It’s Blackie… Blackie Swart, Michael.”

  Night put his hand on the General’s shoulder to get his attention and then pointed to his mobile phone at his ear.

  “Blackie Swart, what the hell do you want and how did you get my number?”

  “I wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with killing those cops today, Michael. I had nothing to do with it, I wasn’t even there!”

  Night’s former Army Commando Unit Commander sounded extremely nervous and paranoid. His voice breathless and panicked.

  “So it wasn’t you and your crew then?”

  “It wasn’t me Michael… but it was my men, or the men I used to command. I need you to know that it wasn’t me, I would never have done that no matter how desperate, isolated and used I felt. I would never have killed those cops like that or even the rent-a-cops! I need you all to know that before you go to war with me.”

  ‘Then hand yourself in, come to Norwood Police Station now and hand yourself over to me in person. You could stop a lot of bloodshed, Blackie, you know what will happen if hundreds of police officers march into Alex.”

  “Never, I’ll never go to jail, in this bloody country? Are you mad?! In fact I’m leaving, I’m leaving South Africa for good tonight and you’ll never see me again, I’ll never set another foot on this cursed land.”

  “Then why call me, Blackie?”

  “Because I wanted you to know that it wasn’t me, that I was not there… and… and for old time sake… I wanted to warn you…”

  “Warn me? About what?”

  “It was meant to be you we killed, they killed, you and your crew, Michael Night. Even my men under different command would not normally kill policemen if they didn’t absolutely have to. But we were offered a huge amount of money to get rid of you, Michael. I said no but they couldn’t refuse, they didn’t want to refuse, they wanted the money. So we parted ways.”

  “Then why didn’t you call me sooner, Blackie, we could have avoided all of this?!”

  “I tried, Michael! I have been trying to get your number since yesterday but the contact at Norwood only sent me your number less than an hour ago.”

  “Who, who is your contact here?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never known.. but it’s someone high up, Michael. Some high ranking fucker that’s playing big games there. But you’re asking the wrong question, Michael?”

  “Then tell me who it is that wanted me dead, who would pay to have a simple police officer killed?”

  Blackie Swart laughed without mirth.

  “A simple police officer? That’s not what you are, Night. Not anymore. But it doesn’t matter I don’t know who it was. I only spoke to him over the phone while he sent in some hired thugs to make us the offer. All I can tell you is that he has an English accent.”

  Night was silent for longer than he had wanted to be and had shot the General a much more inquisitorial look than he had intended.

  “I know, right, a lot to take in, hey Michael, my old boy. Look I don’t know what games you are up to and I don’t really care. All I care about is that you and the South African Police know that I had nothing to do with those cop killings. And that my former back stabbing crew get what’s coming to them. I have to go now, you’ll never see me again. And say hello to the boys for me as you put a bullet in each of their bastard brains. Check your phone, I’ll send you their location via SMS after I end this call. They’re not in Alex, they never were, you fools!”

  Blackie Swart ended the call.

  “Blackie Swart, is that the man you told me about, your former commander now CIT robber?”

  “Correct. And he swears he had nothing to do with the killings today. He says he wasn’t even there and claims that their actual target was me and my men..”

  The General slowly shook his head and his eyes narrowed in anger and thought.

  “Anything else?”

  “He claims that they were offered a large amount of money to kill us. He said he’s leaving the country and that the gang are not in Alex, that they never were. He said he’s going to text me their location.”

  Night’s phone lit up and beeped as an incoming message was received. He looked down at the screen and read the text:

  840 10th street, Orange Grove. 14 men. Kill them all.

  “I’ve got the address.”

  “I’ll have that phone call and text message traced so that at the very least we will have his location.”

  “Getting a warrant for that information will takes hours and even longer to get the networks to actually give you the phone’s position?”

  The General tapped the side of his disfigured nose, another casualty from the General’s time spent as a professional boxer in his youth.

  “Ah, Michael. But I have someone, who sometimes does some work for me, that works for the network… why do you think I’ve made sure that we’re all with MTN?”

  Night shook his head slowly from side to side.

  “So now I find that you’ve had my phone under surveillance this entire time?”

  “Not under surveillance, Mike. I’m not actively monitoring it. I’ve just made sure that I, or rather that we, have a way of doing things such as this when needed. Now come with me Mike, Captain Mbuyo is in Lembedi’s office at the moment and they’ll both need this information.”

  The two officers knocked on the station commander’s door and were swiftly welcomed in by Captain Mbuyo who expeditiously saluted the General and nodded a greeting to Night.

  “No need to stand, Colonel, this won’t take long. Captain, were you able to extract an address from your suspect?”

  Captain Mbuyo looked torn, first at General Arosi and then at the sitting Colonel Lembedi. Both commanders outranked him and he was standing in the Colonel’s office in the Colonel’s station but General Arosi was the Johannesburg area commander and a General. Moments earlier Colonel Lembedi had just ordered him not to divulge the address to anyone, this after being ordered by the National Police Commissioner himself to take orders regarding this special operation from no one but Colonel Lembedi. He was in what some police officers in the quasi-military police structure that was the South African Police Force, referred to as a Command-Fuck-Sandwich. Finally Captain Mbuyo let his eyes settle on Captain Night – a friendly rank in a situation like this and Night seemed to pick up instantly what food the STF Captain was currently choking on.

  Night laughed causing both the General and the Colonel to look at him incredulously.

  “What’s the joke, Mike?” asked Arosi.

  “Have you been a General for so long that you can no longer see a CFS when one of your subordinates is eating one?”

  A look of comprehension lit up the General’s eyes.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “See what? What did you just say, Captain Night?”

  “Colonel Lembedi, I have just received a possible address for the gang that killed our police officers today and I wanted to verify that address with the Captain here before we move on it - we, I, just wanted to know if he was able to get a location from his suspect?”

  “I am sure you do, Captain Night, and I find it admirable that you would want to assist the Captain here in taking down and bringing to justice the men who so brutally killed our friends and colleagues. Unfortunately that is not going to happen. Captain Mbuyo and his Special Task Force men, alone, will follow up any information that the Captain may have acquired from his suspect, the rest of us are going into Alex as ordered by the National Commissioner.”

  Night now looked directly at his counterpart.

  “So the address isn’t in Alex?”

  The Special Task Force Commander didn’t speak but rather almost imperceptibly nodded his head.

  “Orange Grove?”

  Again, another almost indiscernible nod.

  “Captain! You will stand down on the matter as I
have just said General…”

  At the moment there was a sharp knock on the door and without waiting for a response the National Police Commissioner opened it, entered and then closed the door behind him.

  All officers bar General Arosi quickly stood to attention and saluted the most senior man in the South African Police Force – The tenth largest police service on earth with just under 200 000 active duty personnel.

  “Thank you, at ease.”

  The Commissioner turned on Arosi and embraced him in a huge bear hug. Both men then vigorously thumped each other affectionately on the back.

  “Damn good to see you, brother! Tonight we dine in Alex!”

  The General then quickly turned his attention to the still-at-attention Colonel.

  “For God’s sake, Colonel. Be at ease and tell me why you were shouting?”

  The Colonel relaxed, slightly, and pulled at her uniform, straightening it.

  “I was just explaining to Captain Night that it is not required of him to help track down the suspects that killed our colleagues today and that Captain Mbuyo and his STF men will take the lead on that, the rest of us will be going into Alexandra as per your instruction.”

  “Captain Night, what information do you have?”

  “An address, General. Of where the gang are in hiding, even now, as we speak.”

  “And you trust this intelligence as being real, authentic and actionable?”

  “I do, General.”

  “Let me see?”

  Night took out his phone brought up the message and handed the National Police Commissioner his cellular.

  The General studied the text message just long enough to read it before handing Night back the phone.

  “Seems your informant wants those men dead. Though I suppose I would too if I were Blackie… It is indeed the same address that Captain Mbuyo obtained from his suspect. I take it you and your men would want in on the operation?”

  “Yes, General. Just myself and my Sergeant and of course the Warrant but he is actually STF, under Mbuyo’s command.”

  “So what the hell is he doing here, stationed at Norwood?”

  “Remember, he’s the officer I told you about, he’s proved to be a very useful asset to me and he’s helping train the Norwood recruits” said Arosi with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh, yes, I see, fine. Well Captain Night the call will have to be made by Captain Mbuyo himself though I would recommend he takes you up on the offer as your information, which I think we can all regard as bona fide, mentions 14 men while, if I am not mistaken, Captain Mbuyo’s suspect made mention of only 9 men, Sello?”

  Captain Mbuyo eyed Night warily before answering. Colonel Lembedi was seething as she watched the conversation continue as though she were not in the room.

  “Three more men will help, although I must admit I was going to order Kalahari to join us anyway, but two extra veteran shooters will help, particularly as my team only numbers ten including myself. 13 vs. 14 is better, but know this, Captain, and I say this with the utmost respect for your experience and your training, you and your man, I take it it’s that giant Sergeant of yours?”

  ‘It is.”

  “Will not be allowed in my stack. Understand?”

  “Understood.”

  “But we’ll need you and I’m sure you’ll prove invaluable as I assume you know the area as well as you know your former unit’s tactics?”

  “Like the back of my hand, I’ve actually been in that very property before. And yes I know their weakness and it’s a big one.”

  “Good, then General, may we depart? We’ll want to get in position before the Special moves towards Alex?”

  “Go for it. We… however” -- the General indicated Arosi and Lembedi -- “still have a lot of planning to do.”

  “Excuse me, General, and with the greatest of respect, but then why are you still going into Alex?”

  “It seems that news of our operation into Alexandra has spread to the township itself and every criminal from the top down now knows we’re going in.”

  The Police Commissioner then scanned the room looking at each officer in turn and paused a little longer on General Arosi where Night swore he noticed a minuscule smile briefly flash.

  “So, now we’re committed, there’s no turning back and from what my sources and eyes-on tell me, most of the criminal underworld has taken the hint and has or shortly will be leaving for the night or will be crawling into a hole for the duration. We’ll go into Alex for a couple of hours and make a couple hundred minor arrests, and perhaps a few significant ones and then saturate the rest of Johannesburg with our troops. We’ll give the media a good show!”

  “Commissioner, may I say something?”

  “Colonel, of course?”

  “Before Night goes I would like him to say some words of encouragement to my Norwood men… he’s our leading Crime Prevention Commander after all.”

  Night saw the sense in his commander’s words and nodded his agreement.

  “No, Colonel. Now is not the time for speeches, particularly from Captain Night. Seems he’s become quite an item of interest to a number of people, so if he were to say some encouraging words at the front of the parade this would only highlight his disappearance later. Better he just moves out quietly and inconspicuously now with our STF men… Dismissed, gentlemen. And Amos, you, me and the Colonel need to finalise our planning for this operation. We have just on twenty minutes left before we stand our special on parade.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Night stood at the front of the station with Shaka and student constable Dlamini. The two men had been asked to wait for Captain Mbuyo with their unmarked Subaru Imprezas while he prepared his officers in the station’s briefing room. Student constable Dlamini had been posted to the charge office and was currently on a ‘break.’ Kalahari had joined his team and apologised profusely to Night for Captain Mbuyo not allowing them into their briefing. Night told the Warrant Officer that he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. That he respected the Captain for taking his Operational Security so seriously. In fact it made Night trust the Captain even more.

  “So everyone else is going into Alex and you and the tree and the Special Task Force Storm Trooper Most Elite Commandos are going after the gang that killed our brothers and sister?”

  “That’s about right, Steven. And just remind me again what will happen to you if you breathe a word of this to anyone before the sun rises?”

  “The tree will remove my tongue with his bloody big knife and make me eat it?”

  “Correct, Steven.”

  “You know I would never say anything even if Sergeant Shaka wasn’t going to cut my tongue out if I did, right, Cappy?”

  Night looked into the young man’s eyes and once more found absolutely no reason to doubt the student. He may be a wise arse but he certainly wasn’t a spy or a gossip whore.

  “Yes, I know, we both know that, besides we needed someone here to know what we’re up to in case it goes pear shaped. Remember to keep the radio I gave you on, and just before we go in I will text you the frequency. Then just monitor all traffic on it and record it with your mobile, got it?”

  “Got it, Cappy. But may I ask a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Cappy, why are you going in with just the STF guys, I mean why not take a much bigger force – there are hundreds of officers here tonight?”

  “This is what special forces are for. This kind of operation is the very reason special forces around the world are formed. If we just went in with a lot of less highly trained men it could easily turn in to a massive cluster fuck. In fact the odds favour us more this way. As long as we keep the element of surprise on our side.”

  The officers’ attention was drawn to the entrance to the police station as a rather round Warrant Officer poked his head through the door and shouted for the young student.

  “Dlamini, get your skinny backside back in here, I’ve got three accident reports that nee
d to be filled in.”

  “Fat egghead, hold your rolls! I’m talking to the General or can’t your little eyes see that!”

  The Warrant Officer looked at the Captain and then at the Sergeant and shook his head at the strange young man.

  “He’ll be with you in just a second, Slim, I’m just briefing him on something.”

  “Okay, Cappy, just give him a klap for me, hey, he can’t talk to me like that..”

  Before Night could oblige Sergeant Shaka slapped the cocky constable around the back of his head causing the student to involuntarily duck down from the impact.

  “Thanks, Zulu! Steven, seriously you can’t talk to your superiors like that. In fact I don’t really understand how you get away with it?”

  Dlamini grinned broadly and was about to explain when the Special Task Force members started to file out of the station.

  “Ok, back to the Charge Officer with you, we’ll see you later.”

  “Cheers, Cappy, cheers, Sarge. And good luck guys!”

  Norwood Police Station Gymnasium

  Captains Mbuyo and Night stood at the base of an empty boxing ring, a large white board at their backs. The large exercise area was lit by a single lamp hanging low from the high ceiling. The remaining Special Task Force members along with Sergeant Shaka stood in a loose group facing their two Captains.

  “All right, gents, this won’t take long. In fact it has to be quick as I want us to be in position before the special moves its massive convoy down Louis Botha towards Alexandra. Seeing that should put our target’s minds at rest. Now, if you don’t know him already this is Captain Night, the local ground commander, and he’ll quickly give us an overview of our target property and our suspects, which as I explained in our private briefing only minutes ago, are highly trained Former Army Commandos, but apparently they have a weakness, Captain…”

  Before Night spoke he took one last opportunity to assess the men standing before him. He noticed with interest that all of the camouflage-uniformed men of the STF in front of him looked keen, calm, focused and deadly serious. There was no macho man-play, crude jokes, giggles or smiles. These men knew what they were here to do and had probably done it many times before and they knew full well that there was no glory or prize in what needed to be done.