Lethal Promise

by Paul Stretton-Stephens

  “Did you guys see where he’s gone, left or right?”

  Fi and Jago looked ahead, scanning the road in front for any clue. There were only a couple of other vehicles on the road up ahead. Then Fi caught sight of the Land Cruiser.

  “TURN LEFT AT THE T-JUNCTION,” she shouted above the roar of the engine and the wind.

  Mikey once again took the bend well, into a residential area. He could see the target now and began gaining on him. The road curved ahead and many side roads led off it, with very little signage. The Land Cruiser continued down a bungalow-lined road. Mikey could see open land either side of the road in front.

  They cleared the residential area and were hitting more open space. The Land Cruiser veered left, with Mikey hot on its tail. It left the road and drove onto a sandy track, then smashed straight through a wooden gate and onto a long, straight track, kicking dust into the air behind. Mikey drove, blind at times, through the thick dust, and Fi and Jago ducked down in the back of the pickup.

  Mikey could just make out that up ahead the road twisted round to the left and within a few hundred metres curved around to the right again. This was the route the Land Cruiser was taking, and Mikey desperately tried to gain ground.

  Then he spied a small track off to the right which, if he’d calculated correctly, would intercept the Land Cruiser. He took the turn. It was more rugged than the sandy track he’d been driving on, but at least he could see and it was in the direction he wanted to go. Fi and Jago stood and held on tight as the vehicle rocked from side to side, still at a fair speed, on the rough ground.

  As Mikey arrived at the top of a rise, he could see the track before him and how it joined the track that the Land Cruiser was on course to join.

  After two minutes Jago called out, “There he is. He’s about a mile from the intersection. Faster, Mikey. We need to be there before him.”

  “Okay, but you two better hold on tight; it will be a bumpy one.”

  Upon reaching the intersection with the main track, Jago and Fi alighted from the vehicle and concealed themselves at either side of the track. Mikey parked the pickup across the middle of the track and joined Fi.

  The Land Cruiser sped around the corner, and upon seeing the pickup, the driver swerved off the track to the left side on the rugged, uneven and in places sandy terrain. The vehicle slowed as he negotiated the change, and at that point Fi and Mikey appeared, weapons at the ready. About a hundred metres ahead of the pickup, the driver re-joined the track to go around the right side of the pickup. Rounds penetrated the Land Cruiser’s body, but it continued onwards.

  As it was leaving the track to go around the pickup, Jago appeared in a standing position. He took aim and fired a short burst into the cab, forcing the driver to drive onto a small but significantly tiered rock formation surrounded by bushes. The vehicle came to a halt, and the driver quickly alighted and fired in Jago’s direction. Jago fired another short burst.

  Fi and Mikey were closing in on the target’s rear right flank. The driver went to ground, then showed his head and fired a couple more shots in Jago’s direction. Jago fired small, short bursts at the driver, pinning him in his position. This allowed Fi and Mikey to advance.

  And then the driver leapt to his feet and scrambled across the rocks and shrubbery. Fi took aim and fired two rounds, hitting the driver. He dropped, rolled over and fired back. He started taking rounds coming from his right, one of which hit him in the leg, and shots coming from directly behind him. Jago, Fi and Mikey closed in from two directions. The driver tried to fire again but was out of ammunition.

  Jago spoke to Fi over the radio. “Give me cover. I’m going in closer.”

  “Will do, Boss,” replied Fi. She said to Mikey, “We’ll hold our ground here and let the boss deal with him.”

  Mikey was about three metres away from Fi and he was standing in the typical two-handed grip position, his eyes and his gun trained on the target. Fi was in a kneeling position with her weapon also trained on the target, who was twenty metres away.

  Jago steadily approached the man. “Throw your weapon towards me. DO IT NOW!”

  The man was screaming in pain and rolling around on the ground.

  “You shot me, you shot me, you bastards, you shot me! Ah, my leg, you shot my leg!” he shouted.

  Jago moved in and calmly but firmly instructed, “Throw your weapon towards me NOW! If you don’t, I’ll shoot you again.”

  The man writhed on the ground, apparently not hearing or just ignoring Jago’s instruction. Jago fired a shot into the ground close to the man, who froze and stared directly at Jago.

  “Are you listening to me now?”

  The man nodded.

  “Good. Toss your weapon over here now, or the next shot will be in your head.”

  The man hastily tossed the pistol over to Jago.

  “I’m bleeding. You’ve got to help me, I’m bleeding, and it’s baking hot out here.”

  “You’ll get help when you’ve answered some questions. Like: what was your involvement in the shooting south of Perth the other day?”

  The man started talking gibberish. Jago glanced at Fi and Mikey, who’d come to stand either side of the man at a short distance, and they both shrugged their shoulders.

  Jago bent down on his haunches. “Look, we can’t help you if you don’t help us. So, give us that answer again so we can understand it.”

  “I had nothing to do with the shooting, honestly. I didn’t know it would happen, I swear.”

  “Okay, let’s say we believe you. What were you doing there?”

  The man looked down at the ground before answering. “I was doing a job for the gang. They chose me because I play a lot of video games and stuff, you see.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’ve got to do better than that.”

  Fi said, “Boss, he’s a time waster. Just shoot him, and let’s go.”

  “No, no, don’t do that,” said the man, gesticulating wildly. “I’ll tell you, I will, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. But I need water – my mouth’s as dry as a dingo’s paw.”

  Mikey tossed him a bottle of water, which he quickly opened and gulped. He paused and stared into space for a few seconds.

  “What’s your name?” asked Jago.

  “Laney, everyone calls me Laney.”

  “Is that your real name?”

  “Hell no. My real name is Fred, or Frederick, Charlane. My old mum used to say it means ‘free man’ in French. I belong to a chapter. We’re called the Deans, and we hang out in Geraldton. We get supplied with stuff. You know …”

  “Yes, guns, drugs and suchlike,” said Jago.

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s right. But, you know, we don’t get it for free. We have to pay someone for it. That’s what normally happens, anyway.”

  “What was different this time, Laney?”

  “One of our suppliers wanted us to do a job for them instead of paying cash. And the job needed someone who has good skills with video games, PlayStation, Nintendo and all that.” He shifted his position and winced in pain. “That’s how I got the job. Can you help me with my leg now? It really hurts, man.”

  “But you haven’t told us what the job was.”

  Laney, who was sweating now, replied, “Oh, that. Look, I had nothing to do with shooting all those people, or those bombs. You have to believe me. I was just there to land a mini drone that looks like a bee on the back of a particular man’s neck. That’s all, nothing more.”

  “You’ve got to be joking,” said Jago. “Why would you need to do that?”

  “To give him a sting. That’s all they told me. They told me they’d be watching to make sure I did good. If you don’t believe me, check my bag in the truck and you’ll find the drone and the mobile handset.”

  Jago made eye contact with Mikey and nodded towards the truck. Mikey set off to recover the drone.

  “And later, what happened then?” asked Jago.

  “Later I got
a call telling me to go steal an ambulance and a paramedic uniform and go to the seniors’ and community centre to collect a body. I didn’t know it would be the same guy that got stung.”

  Laney stopped speaking, withdrawn, possibly realising what he’d done.

  “And?”

  “And they told me to get rid of the body. They told me to cremate it so there’d be no trace of anything. So, I broke into the crematorium in the morning, but I didn’t know what to do; it’s all computerised. I waited for someone to arrive. I stayed close to him all afternoon, until everyone had left, and then I got the old guy to burn the body.”

  “And the old man, what happened to him?”

  “I kept him with me until after midnight and then I let him go, and then the police arrived and shot at me, and I shot back. Then I drove off in the old guy’s truck.” Pain struck Laney and he clutched his leg tighter. “Can I have help with my leg now? It’s bleeding terribly.”

  “Okay, we’ll give you some help, but first you’ve got to help us. Reports say someone used a hand grenade or something similar to destroy the ambulance. What did you use?”

  “They gave me three grenades and told me to use them if I needed to create a diversion or get out of a bad situation. I used one on the ambulance.”

  “And the other two, where are they now?”

  “They’re in the bag with the drone I told you about.”

  Jago called out, “Mikey, don’t open the drone kit, and be careful: there are a couple of grenades in there too.”

  Mikey froze for a moment to let the message sink in. Meanwhile, Fi and Jago continued to train their weapons on the wounded man. Both were still a good five metres away from him and there was good reason to keep their distance.

  “While my friend checks your truck, I want you to empty your pockets and then lie down with your arms extended above your head and roll over onto your stomach.”

  Laney looked surprised at the request, but obeyed, amid cries of pain. He took out a lighter, some cigarettes, some loose change and a mobile phone.

  When Laney was in position on his stomach, Jago said, “Now slowly reach behind and lift your shirt to show us that there’s nothing there.”

  Laney obeyed without question.

  “Okay, now roll back over and do the same.”

  Laney once again complied with Jago’s instruction.

  “Right, take off your waistcoat and toss it to one side.”

  Laney struggled to sit up, but eventually removed the heavy denim waistcoat emblazoned with his chapter’s colours. He tossed it on the ground.

  “Okay, Laney, I’m coming over now. But before we can help you, I will have to search you. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I understand. Just hurry, will you.”

  “Okay, I’m coming over now. If you make a move, my colleague here will shoot you again. Are we clear?” asked Jago

  “I’m not moving a muscle. Twice is enough for anyone.”

  “Okay, now we understand each other, sit up with your palms open.”

  Jago slung his weapon on his back and slowly walked over to Laney, ensuring that Laney remained in Fi’s line of fire.

  Jago knelt down on one knee and proceeded to methodically search Laney. He checked his abundant hair, behind his ears and then the collar of his checked shirt. He ran his fingers along every part of Laney’s torso. He checked his waistband and removed his belt. He felt down the legs, then the boot tops and finally the boots, before pulling out his knife from its Cordura sheath.

  Laney looked shocked. “Hey, man, don’t cut me.”

  “I’m not going to cut you. I need to remove the clothing around your wounds and cut your bootlaces. But first I’ll cuff you.”

  Jago sliced off Laney’s blood-soaked jeans, took out a couple of dressings from his combat rig and applied them to the wounds.

  Mikey returned. “The bag is there all right. It’s open, and I can see two grenades inside and a small black bag.”

  “Can you call the TRG to come and collect Laney? We’ll need an ETA.”

  “Right, I’m on it,” replied Mikey, grabbing his mobile and walking off into the rough for higher ground.

  As Jago finished applying the bandages over the dressings he asked Laney, “What was the next part of the plan? Who were you going to meet?”

  “I had a message to go to Hertz Car Rental at Geraldton Airport at seven p.m. and hand over the mini drone and its control panel. They told me to be there at six fifty-five and to wait for further instructions.”

  “Who do you get your messages from, your chapter?”

  “I got told by Red; he’s our chapter leader. And he’s gonna kill me for getting caught.”

  “Don’t worry, Laney, they’re not going to get you where you’re going.”

  “Do you wanna bet? Last year, they banged up one of our guys. He’d taken gear from the chapter and they had him done in whilst he was inside. Whichever way you look at it, I’m done for.”

  “Laney, who gives you these instructions?”

  “Like I said, Red did first off, and then I got these messages on the phone. At first I thought it was Red, and then I thought it couldn’t be because of the words being used.”

  “So, you’re going to meet someone. Have they ever seen you?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

  “No reason. Will your chapter mates be there?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. I’m supposed to be meeting them later on at the chapter club over on Andersen Street.”

  Jago beckoned Mikey. “Let’s move him over into the shade.”

  The two men lifted Laney and supported him from either side until they reached a shady area. Mikey left him with the bottle of water.

  Out of Laney’s earshot, Jago asked, “How long before the TRG arrive?”

  “They’ve given an ETA of one and a half hours, so we’ve arranged for the local police to come out and guard Laney until they get here.”

  “Good thinking. From what Laney tells us, there may be a chance of us reaching a decision-maker, but it pretty much relies on you, Mikey.”

  “Me? Why me? What scheme have you been hatching while I’ve been on the phone?”

  Mikey looked at Fi, who was half-watching Laney. Not that he was going anywhere in his state.

  “It’s no good looking at me, Mikey. I don’t know what the boss is thinking any more than you do,” said Fi.

  “Let’s get everything ready for when the local police come and then we can shoot off straight away. Oh, and Mikey, can you get that bag out of Laney’s truck?”

  “I thought you said not to touch it?” said Mikey.

  “I did, but I think we’ll need it now. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it en route, after we’ve dropped off the truck we borrowed.”

  The team gathered their kit ready for a speedy departure upon the arrival of the local police.

  Chapter 16

  “Fi, how far is it to the airport from here?”

  “It’ll be about a thirty-minute ride.”

  “That’s good. It gives us a couple of hours to prepare and get some scran.”

  “Scran, what’s scran?” asked Mikey discreetly.

  “It’s bootneck for food – you know, feed,” said Fi.

  “Okay, so it’s food. But what’s a bootneck?”

  “That’s the nickname for the British Royal Marines.”

  “Ah, I see. Can you tell me what you have in store for me now?”

  Once they’d settled in the helicopter, Jago turned to look at Mikey. “Mikey, you are going to be Laney.”

  “But I’m nothing like Laney.”

  “But they don’t know that. They’ve never seen him up close and personal. And before you say anything, we can get you some clothes, old, dirty clothes, and I’ve taken the liberty of bringing his waistcoat and patches with us.”

  “Really, I don’t know. They’ll never buy it.”

  “Why not? They really don’t know what he lo
oks like. We’ll get you some scruffy jeans and you can use his belt, which I brought along too. We’ll get you a well-worn checked shirt and you can wear his waistcoat on top. And I think you need some old, battered boots and a baseball cap. That’s it, you’ll look great. Fi can’t do it, for obvious reasons, and neither can I, in case I have to speak. So, you, my fine young Australian friend, are the perfect candidate for the job. Let’s get that scran and then we’re going shopping.”

  ***

  The pilots had plotted a course to a bar and grill close to the main freeway. Jago, Fi and Mikey ordered their food and drinks. After a few minutes Jago left his seat and went over to talk to some men at the bar. From Fi and Mikey’s position it looked like he was handing somebody money. Jago returned to his seat. The food arrived twenty minutes later, followed by a man who appeared at the side of the table. He was about Mikey’s height and build, and he handed Jago a pair of old jeans, a well-worn shirt and some boots that had never seen polish.

  “There you go, mate, just as requested.”

  Jago stood, took the gear from the man and shook his hand.

  “That’s brilliant. Nice doing business with you.”

  As the man made his way back to his friends at the bar, Jago handed the clothing to Mikey. “There you go. Consider our shopping all done.”

  Mikey looked at Jago incredulously. “You mean you want me to wear these? They stink! They absolutely reek.”

  “That’s the idea, Mikey. Authenticity is the name of the game. It’s a good thing you haven’t shaved today; it makes you look more unkempt.”

  Jago reached into his pocket. “This is Laney’s mobile; you’ll need this. You must use yours to communicate with us, and depending on what their instructions are, you might have to ditch yours before you move forward. We’ll be close by, though, so don’t worry. Make sure you take the bag, but leave the contents in the lockable kit in the chopper.”

  “But what happens when they appear, what then?”

  “That very much depends upon them: who they are and how they present themselves. It’s a fluid situation; we’ll just have to play it by ear. Are you okay with that?”