by Jack Probyn
‘Are you sure?’ Elizabeth asked. She set Maisie down on the kitchen counter. ‘He didn’t come home last night. But he texted a while ago to say he was still at work. Has anything happened to him?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘He’s perfectly safe. But I just wanted to pop by because…’ He hesitated for effect. ‘This isn’t easy for me to say, Elizabeth…’
‘What? What is it?’
‘There’s something you need to know about Jake.’
‘Tell me.’
Liam let go of Ellie’s hair. ‘How have you two been recently?’
‘Fine. Why?’ Elizabeth replied, instantly getting her back up.
‘At work, he’s mentioned a couple of times that you two have been struggling… financially.’
‘He did what?’
‘He’s only told me. Nobody else in the office knows. I think he was quite ashamed of it. But he said that he’d been looking into methods of trying to pay off some of your debts.’
‘Yeah,’ Elizabeth said sharply. ‘I found him looking at gambling sites the other night.’
Liam pursed his lips and shook his head. ‘I’m not talking about gambling sites, Elizabeth. The other day I found something in his drawer.’ He paused. ‘A large sum of money. I think there was about ten thousand in there. Maybe more.’
He took out his phone, scrolled to the photo he’d taken of the money and showed it to her. ‘I questioned him on it, but he didn’t tell me where he got it from. I think… I’m worried he might be doing something dodgy. Something he shouldn’t be. There’s a lot of corruption in our job. They’re lured in by the money. Most of it’s just turning a blind eye to drug deals and things like that. But I wanted to make sure you knew about it before I took it further – higher up the chain.’
‘You can’t!’ Elizabeth snapped, struggling to tear her eyes away from the photo.
‘I have to, Elizabeth. This is a professional conduct matter. He’s broken several regulations, not to mention the law.’
Elizabeth took a step back, bashing into the kitchen counter behind her. Her fingers began trembling as the shock set in. That was the first couple of jabs. Now it was time for the right hook. The finisher.
‘There’s something else as well.’
‘More?’
‘Unfortunately.’ He paused again, building the suspense. ‘Has Jake ever mentioned Charlotte’s name to you before?’
Elizabeth shook her head, her eyes wide with fear.
‘She’s new to our team,’ he continued. ‘She’s been with us for a few months now. Just over half a year. They spend a lot of time in the office together. Going for lunches. Coffees. Chatting. Laughing. Giggling. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but then… the other night…’ He cleared his throat as he picked up the camera. ‘The other night I saw them together in the pub. I had my camera in my car and… I’ll let you scroll through them.’
Liam nudged the camera towards Elizabeth. At first, she didn’t touch it – simply glared at it, as if willing it to self-destruct with her mind. But then, as the tears started to well in her eyes again, she took the camera and held it, her wrist shaking. Liam watched as she scrolled through the photos of Jake and Charlotte at The Head of the House. Before leaving the flat, he’d placed all the relevant images on a new memory card and slotted it in the device. The last image was the money shot – the shot that he’d been fortunate enough to capture.
‘Oh my God,’ Elizabeth said as she clicked to the final image. She set the camera down and wiped away her tears. Maisie, who was still perched on the edge of the counter, asked what was wrong. Elizabeth didn’t reply.
‘I’m sorry, Liz,’ Liam said after a while. ‘I haven’t shown these images to anyone else, but I thought you should know. I’ll leave this here for you.’ Liam tapped on the device and then made to leave.
As he opened the door, he stopped on the half turn. ‘I know it’s not much of a consolation,’ he added, ‘but I want you to know that I’m always here for you if you need me.’
Liam opened the door, stepped into the street and started towards his car, a smile growing on his face. It was done. Dusted. Everything Jake held dear to him was about to come crumbling down. And Liam was going to be there when it happened.
As he climbed into the car, his mobile rang. ‘Yes?’ he answered.
‘You’ve got an issue. You need to get down to Drew’s house now.’
His smile didn’t last long.
CHAPTER 92
TALK
Drew’s car was still parked on the driveway of his detached house in Chigwell and didn’t look as though it had moved at all; in the night, there had been light rainfall, and there was a clear patch of pavement beneath Drew’s car. It was just after eight, and there was no excuse for Drew to be late for work, even if the lazy son of a bitch was nursing a hangover or something.
Jake bent his knees and peered through the letterbox. Morning light from the kitchen flooded into the hallway, illuminating the solid wood flooring and the bottom of the staircase. Jake squinted, hoping it would give him a better view.
Something caught his attention. An obstruction in the door frame. A leg and a dangling arm.
Fuck sake. He’s wasted.
Jake tried knocking on the door until his knuckles hurt, but it was no use. Drew didn’t stir.
‘Oi!’ he yelled through the letterbox. ‘Drew! Wake up – it’s Jake!’
Still nothing.
Jake sighed heavily and moved round the side of the house, searching for an entry point. He found it in the form of a small side gate that led to the garden. It was ajar. Jake had only been to Drew’s house on two previous occasions – to celebrate Drew’s fifteenth anniversary in the service, and for a premature Christmas team outing. On both instances, there’d been no mention of Drew’s wife; nor had there been any sign of her. And, also on both instances, Drew had instructed them to enter the property round the side. So it didn’t strike him as odd that the gate was ajar. Perhaps a minor mistake, a lapse in judgment. The alcohol making Drew forget.
Jake ambled along the side of the house, made a left turn and stopped by the utility room. He slowly opened the door, his suspicions growing the nearer he got. The hinges squeaked and screamed at him as he teased the door wider.
‘Drew?’
Silence.
‘Drew?’
Still nothing.
Jake crossed the threshold into the property and tensed, preparing for something – or someone – to jump out at him covered in blood, rabid. He’d been watching too many late-night films while the girls were asleep.
The utility room was empty, but the smell of washing detergent and conditioner lingered in the air. There was a full load in the washing machine, presumably left over from the night before. Jake walked to the end of the room and made a right turn.
Then he froze.
On the wall was a spray of blood, crimson droplets running down the paint. Some had coagulated and dried and were beginning to crust over in the morning sun, while the puddle on the floor was thick and a darker shade of red.
‘Drew…’ Jake’s voice was nothing but a whisper.
The sight in front of him made him want to be sick. A large hole had been blown out of Drew’s bloody, disfigured head, and there were bits of bone and brain matter running down the back of his neck and into his blazer. His hair was matted and dampened by the blood.
Jake retched. He opened his mouth to breathe, but it only aggravated the sensation.
He threw his hand to his mouth and sprinted out of the house. Feeling disorientated and nauseous, he staggered into the door frame of the utility room and froze solid as he stared out of the doorway. Somebody was blocking his way. His heart leapt into his mouth, and he swallowed the mouthful of vomit that had risen through his throat.
‘You’re not going anywhere just yet, Jake,’ Liam said, pointing a gun at him. ‘We need to talk.’
CHAPTER 93
THE CONFESSION
&n
bsp; Jake’s throat tightened; he was petrified. Looking directly at the man who had put one colleague in a coma and shot another in the head in cold blood.
This is it. This is how I’m going to die.
Jake spoke, hoping he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt. ‘What… what’re you doing here, Liam?’
‘I’ve come to return this.’ Liam wiggled the Glock 17 in the air.
‘Is that what you used to kill Drew?’
‘He used it on himself.’
‘Don’t lie to me. Just tell me the truth. Is that what you used to kill Drew with?’
‘Yes,’ Liam said defiantly, like he didn’t care about the ramifications of his actions. ‘Drew was becoming a problem for us all.’
‘A problem for who?’
‘For me. Georgiy. Our mutual employer—’
‘What are you talking about, Liam. Who’s Georgiy? Who’s your mutual employer?’
Liam ignored the question. ‘Drew was a burden, and I was fed up cleaning his mess. Now the only thing I have to clean up is his actual mess.’ Liam pointed to the pool of dense blood that had formed by the skirting board.
‘I can’t let you do that. I can’t let you do anything else. You’ve hurt too many people.’ Jake reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone and started to call Charlotte.
Liam waggled the gun. ‘Please don’t do that. I said we need to talk.’ He sighed. ‘I have a confession to make, Jake.’
Jake kept the phone pressed against his ear. On the other end, Charlotte answered. Confused by the silence, she called his name.
‘Then let’s talk,’ Jake said, using his thumb to turn down the volume of Charlotte’s voice.
Liam reached out his other hand. ‘Give me the phone.’
‘I’m not going to do that, Liam.’
‘How much more is it going to take for you to do as I say, Jake? Give me the phone.’
In his ear, Jake heard Charlotte instruct him that she understood he was under distress, that she was going to help him. With all the Queen’s horses and all the Queen’s men.
That was all he needed to hear.
‘OK, OK,’ Jake said, lowering the device from his face. ‘Fine. You can have it. It’s all yours.’
Jake disconnected the call and lobbed it to Liam. The phone was suspended for what felt like an abnormally long moment, but eventually, Liam caught it, threw it to the ground and stamped on it. Glass smashed and scattered across the tiled flooring.
‘You’ll be able to buy a new one no doubt… with the special delivery I left in your drawer.’
‘That was you?’
‘Nothing like a little bit of blackmail. You know, I really wanted to believe that you were onside. When Drew told me, I was overjoyed. Ecstatic even. But then I realised that was never going to happen. You were never going to turn bent. So I had to make it look like you were. All it will take is a tip-off to the DPS and they’ll have you for corruption, money laundering, handling stolen goods, misconduct in a public office and anything else they can chuck at you.’
‘You would never have been able to make it stick,’ Jake protested.
‘Of course I would. When you add it to the fact that you’re in debt, that you’re struggling financially and that your details have been on the Dark Web – I could have made anything stick. And if that wasn’t the cherry on the cake, then this was.’ Liam reached into his pocket and produced his mobile. He unlocked the device, loaded an image and showed it to Jake.
Jake stepped forward for a better look. He froze as soon as he realised what he was looking at. It was an image of his family – Elizabeth and the girls in the park, sitting on a bench. Relaxing. Enjoying themselves.
Liam swiped to the next image. This time it was of a man and Elizabeth frozen together, exchanging something.
‘What is this?’ Jake asked.
‘Nothing alarming,’ Liam began. ‘I was watching them yesterday, and Elizabeth dropped something. This man helped her pick it up. Entirely innocuous. But to someone who doesn’t know the context… this looks like a drug deal of some description. Or maybe she’s a sex worker taking a payment from her next client. Imagine that: a police officer deep in debt, using proceeds from organised crime not to pay off the debt but to fuel his wife’s drug habit. Ouch. It doesn’t make for good reading, does it? And I’m sure my friends in the media could make it look even worse than it really is. People will believe anything they read nowadays.’
Jake’s chest rose and fell heavily, his body seething with anger. Liam was a much more malignant, manipulative and calculating individual than Jake had even imagined – and ever given him credit for.
‘I went to see her this morning as well, your gorgeous wife. She really is beautiful. I still can’t work out how you’ve managed to pull that one out of the bag,’ Liam said. ‘No one can.’
‘What did you do?’ Jake asked through gritted teeth.
‘Just showed her a couple of photos. Told her about the money in your drawer. She was wondering where you got to the other night – when you were really late, having drinks with Charlotte…’
At the mention of Charlotte’s name, Jake’s lips parted.
‘Yeah, I know about that,’ Liam continued. ‘I was there. I was going to have a couple of drinks, treat myself. But when I saw you two, I realised you’d given me an even bigger treat. Although, I don’t think Elizabeth appreciated seeing the photos I managed to get of you both. Charlotte’s quite hands-on, isn’t she? Very touchy-feely. Why did you have to get her involved, Jake? I never thought you had it in you to roll over and grass on your mates. Who’s she working for? The DPS? The IPCC? We looked out for you. Took you in. You don’t know how many times we saved you. Somebody wanted you dead. Somebody still does. You’re alive because of me.’
Liam hesitated a moment to catch his breath. ‘I didn’t stay around long enough to find out what Elizabeth thought of it all. But she’s still got the photos as evidence, so I expect she’ll be staring at them all day, plotting some sort of revenge, working out what she’s going to do with the kids, her belongings. Who knows? She might be packing her bags as we speak. But that’s conjecture. I mean, she’s your wife. You know her better than anyone.’
Jake’s mind raced with myriad thoughts. He didn’t know where to begin. He should have been thinking about his wife and the damage Liam had done to their relationship. But he wasn’t – couldn’t. Not when there were bigger questions that needed answering.
‘Who wants me dead?’
‘The Cabal,’ Liam replied. ‘You’ve heard that name by now. In fact, I know you have.’
Jake looked at Liam, stunned. ‘I thought you were The Cabal.’
Liam chuckled. ‘What gave you that impression?’
‘Michael Cipriano. He said the only person he ever knew, the only one who dealt with him and The Crimsons used to call him a good egg. I thought…’
‘Afraid not, kid. I just helped form The Crimsons. I was the one who discovered them… on behalf of The Cabal. Made them who they were, helped them evade justice for so long. But as for The Cabal… it’s bigger than you can imagine. And, by the way, they still want your head.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we want you to back the fuck off and let us carry on with what we’re doing. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that you don’t know about. Lots of facets to this organisation. We’ve got a lot of money still left to make in this business and The Cabal doesn’t want it ruined by you.’
‘How have you saved me then?’
‘Aren’t you listening? The Cabal wanted you dead. I said no.’
‘Did he want Garrison and Drew dead too?’
‘Garrison and Drew were different,’ Liam replied. ‘They’d spent years fucking things up. It only reached a head after Danny died.’
‘How?’
‘Garrison was getting too big for his boots. Going behind my back. Telling The Cabal about every cock-up I made. I think he wanted some extra brownie poi
nts before he retired.’
‘So you tried to kill him?’
Liam held his hands up in mock surrender. ‘I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t touch any of it. I just orchestrated it. Drew and Georgiy simply followed my orders.’
‘Who’s Georgiy?’
No response.
‘Is Georgiy The Farmer, Liam?’
Still no response. Jake tried a different angle. ‘How did it happen?’ he asked. ‘What happened to Garrison?’
‘There are only two people who can tell you that. One of ’em’s dead on the other side of this wall.’
‘And the other’s Georgiy…’
‘If you can find him. He has a habit of not wanting to be found.’
‘He can’t run forever.’
‘The Cabal’s been doing it ever since this whole thing started. Nobody knows who they are or where the fuck they are. Not even me. And you think Georgiy can’t do the same?’
‘You can tell me where he is,’ Jake bargained.
‘My head will be on a stick next if I do that.’
‘Who else works for him? Where are they?’
Liam wiped his forehead free from sweat using the back of his sleeve. In that split second, while Liam’s concentration was broken, Jake contemplated lunging at the man and detaining him, but by the time he’d decided upon it, Liam’s focus was back on him.
Jake moved the conversation along. He wanted to find out all he could before Charlotte arrived. There was no knowing how much Liam would share in a police environment.
‘What about Drew?’ he asked. ‘Why did he deserve to die?’
‘Drew was a mistake, a wrong’un. He should’ve never been a part of this team. He should’ve never been a police officer. He couldn’t do anything right. I know you found the cigarettes, and I know you found out about the rape allegation. And the bloody son of a bitch thought he could leave the country without me knowing, or thinking I wouldn’t ever find out. He was a liability.’
‘A liability you couldn’t afford?’
‘Precisely,’ Liam said, dipping his head.
