by Tom Benson
Why had he dressed in his regular working clothes for such a meeting? He sat on the bench, conscious of the perspiration increasing. His breathing was ragged, and his legs ached.
“Don’t turn around,” a deep voice said from the dense bushes behind the wooden bench.
Findlay placed his hands on the bench on either side of him and felt the sweat continuing to ooze from his pores, causing his shirt to feel cold as it stuck to his arms and body. A few people walked past, and Findlay avoided their gazes. This was not a day to be recognised as the outspoken politician.
A grey squirrel climbed down a tree and hopped halfway across the track to sit and wait expectantly for a free snack. The animal squatted onto its hind legs, fluffing and flicking its grey and brown tail as it tilted its head left and right. Tiny eyes stared at the human.
“Fuck off,” Findlay said to the friendly rodent. He had used the ‘F’ word more in the last few days than in the previous few months.
“Listen,” Simpson said. “Don’t take notes. Do as I tell you if you don’t want your little girl to go missing—and do not fuck this up.”
“I’m listening.” Findlay was panting, and he stared straight ahead into the trees, but listened to the voice in the bushes behind him. He recognised the voice, but couldn’t remember from where.
Findlay had to repeat everything twice before leaving to get on with his mission.
.
King’s Park
Glasgow
“Where to—Mrs McGinley?” Freddie said and licked his lips.
“Tug,” McGinley said, addressing the man in the front passenger seat. “What have you told Freddie about today?”
“I’ve told all three drivers what they need to know and no more, Boss,” Tug said. This conversation was a part of the smokescreen, which the chief interrogator himself had planned.
“You can tell Freddie the next part now.” McGinley feigned annoyance.
Tug turned to the driver. “If you check your mirrors, Freddie, you’ll see that the other two cars have arrived. We’re going to play cat and mouse with the coppers.”
“Surely two cars would be enough,” Freddie said. “If coppers were watching the boss, we could use this car and one decoy.”
“Yes, you’re quite right.” McGinley leant forward. “The coppers were fooled the last time, and now we’ve got two bastard cop cars parked along the street.”
“This will work, Boss,” Tug said. “We’ll deceive the coppers, and then we’ll find the bastard who’s deceiving you.”
“Now you know why I pay you so much, Tug,” McGinley said. “I know you enjoy your craft, but you always get results, and results are important to me.” She glanced forward into the rear-view at Freddie’s expression. McGinley eased back into her seat.
“We’re ready to hit the road,” Tug said.
“Let’s go.” McGinley met her temporary driver’s twitching gaze in the rear-view.
.
Central Station
Glasgow
Amy said, “I know you guys don’t like us getting together in a public place, but I’m already on borrowed time today. Eddie is collating all relevant intel he can from informants.”
“Does Sam Griffiths know where you are?” Jake said.
“The Chief knows who I’m meeting, but not where.”
“What’s the latest with the mysterious killer and the gang leaders?” Rachel asked.
“Both Eddie and I are of the opinion we have something serious going on. The murder at the clinic was committed by a big man. Of the many gangland bosses in the north of the city, we’re investigating the death of three of them, but we don’t believe it’s a gangland feud.”
“Why not?” Jake said. “According to television and newspaper reports they were killed by somebody able to get close, and it’s usually family, fellow gangsters or associates.”
“We’ve put out feelers to our snitches across the city, and whoever is behind this has made a slight misjudgement in their planning. This is why Eddie is working back at Pitt Street with what we’ve heard.”
The two BTL associates nodded and waited.
Amy suppressed a smile. “There have been no casualties south of the river, which indicates to us, the person behind the campaign is being controlled, at least in part by Carol McGinley.”
“Mental Mickey McGinley’s widow?” Rachel said.
“Yes,” Amy said. “One other incident captured our attention today, which involved the widow. We’ve had her under surveillance for a while, and a couple of weeks ago by using a decoy car, she ditched the tail we had on her.”
“She’d expect you to put an extra car on the job,” Rachel said.
“We did,” Amy said. “Today, however, three identical cars exited from the end of her long driveway, all silver cars, and all with tinted windows.”
Jake said, “Your guys would have to make a judgement call on which two to follow, and which one to let go—”
“Yes,” Amy interrupted, nodding. “It was a hard decision to make when the team had the three of them, and they drove to the Clyde Tunnel in convoy. In the tunnel, the three silver Fords overtook other cars by crossing the double white lines, and as they travelled through the tunnel they each switched their lights on and off at intervals.”
“Somebody knew what they were doing,” Rachel said. “Did you lose any of them?”
“The whole operation was scuppered. On the exit road from the tunnel our team got within range to observe, but on Crow Road, a van conveniently pulled into the path of one of our covert pursuit vehicles. It created an accident scene which blocked the road in both directions. The guy who was driving the van had been paid to piss us around.”
“No doubt he’ll be represented by McGinley’s bent lawyer?” Jake said.
“We’ve checked out the driver, and he has no criminal record, which means he owed them a favour, he’s being paid handsomely, or his family has been threatened.”
“Hollywood and Pinewood have a lot to answer for,” Rachel said.
“To be fair,” Jake said, “the movie-makers take a lot of their ideas from reality.”
“Well,” Amy said, “this situation is real, and I have a feeling the stakes are high.”
An ambulance stopped at the main entrance of the station, and the sound of the two-tone sirens echoed into the cavernous station concourse. The conversation was a temporary casualty. Two paramedics dressed in green overalls ran past. One was carrying a large shoulder bag, and the other, a folded stretcher.
Jake turned from watching the sprinting medics. “Now there is a professional attitude to a job.”
The two women nodded, and the three friends got back to the task at hand.
Rachel said, “We got a brief from Max earlier. One of his contacts has suggested an alliance of some kind might be on the cards. The contact talked about an unknown bloke turning up at pubs and clubs to have a quiet word with the principal local criminals.”
“Did Max’s contact give a description?”
“A big guy with two different coloured eyes.”
“Oh, shit,” Amy said.
Jake nodded. “We’re hoping we don’t get an alliance forming.”
Amy’s mobile buzzed. “I’m sorry. Excuse me, guys.” She held her phone to her ear. “Go on Eddie.” Amy’s took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Thanks, Eddie. I’ll tell them. Ciao.”
16. Hide and Seek
.
Dumbarton
Twenty miles west of Glasgow
By the time the primary vehicle had travelled five miles west of Glasgow, the two cars which had been used in the deception had long ago turned off. The drivers were briefed to create further confusion. The drivers were to call in their locations, and they’d be picked up by one of McGinley’s team. Both silver cars would be torched for good measure.
Tug said, “Right, Freddie. As we drive through Dumbarton on the main road, there is a mini-roundabout near a large shopping centre. You can s
ee it up ahead. Take a left and go into the car park.”
“It looks busy,” Freddie said. “We might not find a space.”
“You pull into the car park mate, and I’ll worry about the space issue.”
Two minutes later, the silver car turned into the car park, which was filled close to capacity.
“Over to the left,” Tug said. “You see the guy with the denim jacket next to the black Merc?”
“I see him, but there are no spaces—”
“Go around there and pull up a little short of the Merc,”
As the silver Mondeo crawled slowly around towards the Mercedes, the man in denim jumped in and reversed the big car out and blocked others from reaching the vacated space. A driver pulled up behind the Merc and sounded his horn. The Merc driver ignored him.
“Problem solved,” Tug said.
Freddie eased the Mondeo into the parking space and cut the engine.
“Now you get into the back of the Merc with the boss,” Tug said.
Freddie and McGinley climbed into the back of the black Mercedes.
“No problems Zak?” McGinley said as they set off, leaving Tug with the other car.
“No problems, Boss,” the denim-clad driver said. He drove out of the car park and continued in a northwesterly direction.
“Isn’t this cosy, Freddie?” McGinley said to the man beside her in the back.
“It is Mrs McGinley, but I could do with a visit—you know?”
“I’m sure Zak will find somewhere en route to let you relieve yourself. In the meantime, we’ll have a wee chat, because I don’t know a lot about you.”
.
Central Station
Glasgow
Amy said, “Eddie’s call has given us an unexpected and strange twist.” She waited while a group of tourists moved away from nearby. “One of our Members of the Scottish Parliament, Gregor Findlay has been pulled in for speeding and dangerous driving.”
Rachel and Jake both shook their heads, confused by the information.
“Mr Findlay MSP, is presently being questioned at the station in Pitt Street.” Amy took a deep breath. “He’s apparently dressed in his usual smart clothes, but looks as if he’s run a marathon, and his nerves are shot to bollocks. He isn’t prepared to give specifics, but he’s admitted knowing something about the recent killing of the Mental Riders.”
“We’ll have to leave it with you guys for now,” Jake said. “We can’t afford to pass it on to Max, or he’ll rip this guy to pieces.”
“I’m sorry it’s not much,” Amy said. “As you heard, I’ve suggested only Eddie and I will be involved in the questioning. If we get anything worthwhile, I’ll give you a bell.”
“Thanks,” Jake said.
“I’ll let you know if anything else comes up regarding McGinley,” Amy said. “From what you’ve found out, I think we have to consider a worst case scenario.”
“We could have an alliance of two of our three known psychopaths?” Jake said.
Amy nodded. “You two take care.” She turned and made her way through the crowded railway station.
.
BTL Enterprises
Glasgow
Eva said, “The information from Max’s sources has been confirmed. I made a few enquiries in Maryhill and Bearsden. The person everybody remembered was a big guy, with two different coloured eyes.”
“Likewise for Shettleston and Easterhouse,” Ian said.
“You did well to get information in Easterhouse,” Rachel said.
“My most accurate description came from a young thug who is recovering in the Western Infirmary.”
“I’m surprised any of them talked, even if they’d been beaten up,” Jake said.
“This guy is still in a state of trauma,” Ian said. “I introduced myself as a sexual abuse counsellor.”
Jake raised an eyebrow.
Ian said, “Apparently the big guy tackled two of these lads on the landing in the early hours of the morning. The two young thugs had been sitting around for hours and were knackered. The attacker took the knife from one of them and stuck it into the owner.”
“What about the lad’s companion?”
A smile crept over Ian’s lips, and he gave a light cough before continuing. “The other young fella pulled an automatic, but the big guy took it from him, pulled his trousers down, and thrust the barrel up the owner’s arse. The man whom we suspect is Simpson, went on upstairs and shot Barry the Bastard, and another thug who had a gun.”
“From what we’ve seen in the media there have been six deaths of high-ranking gangsters inside two weeks,” Jake said. “It’s beginning to look to me like an ultimatum is being offered.”
Eva nodded. “The gang leaders on the north side of the river are being made an offer they can’t refuse—”
Ian’s phone vibrated, and danced on the conference table. “At last, I’ve got a text from Freddie.” Ian picked up his phone and squinted as he read the message. “Inverawe X.”
“Spell it, please,” Rachel said. She pressed the switch for the projector and pulled her laptop forward.
Ian said, “India, November, Victor, Echo ....” He spelt out the place name using the phonetic alphabet and paused for a moment. “This is not good.”
“What’s wrong?” Eva said.
“The use of an X in a message means he might have been compromised.” Ian looked around at his colleagues’ faces. “I have a feeling Freddie has ditched his phone.”
Jake said, “I’ve activated Freddie’s beacon. We’ve got twenty-four hours to locate his phone using the signal.”
Rachel stopped typing and hit the Enter key on her laptop. She turned and nodded toward the large projector screen where a map of the Argyll and Bute region appeared.
“Inverawe,” Rachel said. “It might not have many houses. It looks like an area of woodland situated on the south coast of Loch Etive.” She changed the view from relief map to satellite view and zoomed in.
“Work from left to right along the coast in the Inverawe area,” Jake said. “There are a few buildings and not many tracks. Call out if you see anything, guys.”
“Stop there,” Ian said. “Go north along the minor track. What’s the square shape situated near the coastline?”
Rachel zoomed in again. “A castle, or maybe a ruin.”
“Why do you think it’s a ruin?” Eva said.
Rachel zoomed in closer. “You can make out a shadow where a roof should be.”
“Well spotted Ian,” Jake said. “Okay, Rachel. Follow the same track, but come back to it and see where it enters the woodland.”
“Got it,” Rachel said. “The main road passes a camping site, before crossing a river, and the track is a short distance from the main road. It might not be easily seen from a vehicle. How are we doing for coordinates on the phone?”
Jake stood up and turned to check the giant relief map of Scotland on the main wall. He rapidly checked the grid lines and pressed a forefinger to the location. “Is the campsite on the left side of the road, Rachel?”
“Yes, what do you think?”
“It’s only a guess, but maybe Freddie had an excuse to go in there.”
“Maybe somebody else had to go in there, and Freddie took his chance?” Ian said.
Eva said, “I wonder why he hasn’t been in touch until this message?”
“It could be he’s been kept occupied or made to work in close cooperation with somebody,” Ian said. “He wouldn’t have been able to use his phone, and he’s been waiting for an opportunity.”
“There are several possibilities,” Jake said. “I’d agree with Ian. It looks like Freddie has been kept on a short leash, and the X in the message confirms it for me.”
Eva said, “When are you two meeting up with Max again?”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Jake said.
“I’ve got a suggestion,” Rachel said. “How about me checking out the location of Freddie’s phone, and afterwards, if necessary I
can stay out overnight. I’ll be able to cover more ground with my bike?”
“Sounds good,” Jake said and turned to Ian and Eva. “Agreed guys?”
“Yeah,” Ian said. “If Rachel goes off after Freddie’s phone tonight, and you will have the meeting scheduled with Max tomorrow, it will leave us two free for anything else.”
“Okay,” Jake said. “Let’s get an initial confirmation of Freddie’s phone, and Rachel can prepare what she wants to pack.”
.
Inverawe
The Mercedes left the main road and drove into the woodland. When they arrived at the barrier, they stopped.
Zak said. “Are we waiting here for a key?”
“Yes, Zak,” McGinley said. “We’re nearly there. Freddie and I would have been pissing in the woods if I didn’t remember the campsite near the main road.” She gave a short laugh.
Neither Zak nor Freddie reacted.
McGinley said, “A new associate of mine will be along shortly, and he’s got keys to get us through the barriers.” She turned to Freddie. “You’re not very talkative.”
“I only talk when it’s necessary,” Freddie said and glanced at her before turning to look out at the forestry.
McGinley caught Zak’s gaze in the rear-view and nodded slowly. “Well, I hope we’re able to loosen your tongue while we’re out here, eh?” She nudged Freddie and laughed again, a short, mirthless sound.
A white BMW pulled up next to the Mercedes. Simpson got out of the driver’s door and went to the barrier without glancing at the occupants of the black car. Tug was the passenger in the back of the BMW. He’d been picked up from Dumbarton. In the front passenger seat, another man turned and stared at Freddie.
“Hi,” McGinley muttered as she waved at Renton. The red-haired man was staring wide-eyed at McGinley’s companion and almost didn’t notice the woman waving. McGinley saw Freddie’s head shake almost imperceptibly but almost wasn’t good enough.
