“This could work,” I said and tucked it away in one of my pockets. “Thanks, Martin.”
“If you need anything else modified, let me know,” Martin said. “That was fun. I always love a project that takes me away from the work I’m actually supposed to be doing.”
Fletcher laughed, and I reached into my back pocket to pull out my wallet where I’d stashed the little baggie with the cigarette.
“In that case, I’ve got something else for you,” I said as I offered the bag to Martin. “Do you think you could try to pull some DNA off this for me?”
Martin took the evidence and held it up to the light so he could study it, curiosity wrinkling his face. “What’s this about?”
“It’s complicated,” I replied cagily. “Please, Martin?”
“Why the hell not?” Martin winked at me and put the cigarette butt away in a drawer where it would be safe. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks. I owe you one,” I said, feeling a little relieved that the bag was no longer burning a hole in my pocket.
Martin waved me off. “Always happy to help.”
“We should get back to it,” Fletcher cut in, eyeing me in a way that said she was desperate to ask what the hell that cigarette butt was, and I nodded in agreement. We turned and left Martin and Benson to their work, or more likely, their argument about the video game boss.
As soon as we were in the lift, Fletcher turned to me and crossed her arms. “What was that about?”
“I think someone was outside my house the other night,” I said. “I just saw their shadow, but the cigarette was still a little warm.”
Fletcher whistled, her eyes going wide. “What are you going to do about it?”
“It’s business as usual,” I said. “If Martin gets a hit off that thing, great, but until then, we need to focus on our current case. I can’t keep jumping back and forth between the two, or I’m going to go crazy.”
“Of course. I’ll drop it,” Fletcher said quickly, and I nodded my thanks.
As soon as the lift doors opened, we threw ourselves into the rest of the preparations for tomorrow’s sting. We checked in with our team and filled them in on the fact that we now knew all three of the robbers would be there, and we went over everyone’s positions to make sure that they would all work out. Dunnel dropped in and, of course, insisted that he be inside with us, keeping watch on Alec and Carmichael.
“I want to have a chat with MacGowan before the concert,” he said, looming over my desk as he stared down at the rough sketch of the theatre.
I swallowed but nodded. Alec was not going to like that, but I didn’t see any way to get Dunnel to back down from his request. Fletcher and I shared a look, and she made a worried face.
“We were going to meet up with him tomorrow,” I said. “He won’t come to the station, but you can join us when we go to the park.”
“Good,” Dunnel replied shortly. “Carry on.”
Fletcher and I decided to take a risk and make another physical pass around the theatre itself, wanting to stand in each of the spots we’d assigned to our team members to be sure they’d actually work out. I also wanted to try to predict any avenues of escape Carmichael might take if he got past us and ran out of the building. It was a busy street, so, unfortunately, there were plenty of places for him to go, too many for us to cover. We’d just have to make sure we never lost sight of him.
At the end of the day, Fletcher and I went out to grab dinner and talk about anything other than the case. We’d been working on it so intensely that we both needed a bit of a break and reset so that we’d be able to come back all the stronger tomorrow.
“Do you want me to come over tonight?” Fletcher asked as we left the restaurant, both of us stuffed full of burgers and pudding.
“No, thanks,” I said, though part of me thought it would be nice to have someone else around. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Try to actually get some sleep tonight,” Fletcher suggested since she knew just how much trouble I’d been having with that lately.
I tipped her a two-fingered salute. “I’ll do my best.”
Fletcher and I parted ways at our cars, and I journeyed back to my flat, stopping on the pavement after I got out of the vehicle to make sure that there were no strange shadows down any of the surrounding alleys. There weren’t, but I found that fact wasn’t actually all that comforting.
Eighteen
At about noon the next day, Fletcher, Dunnel, and I went down to Bellfield Park to meet up with Alec one last time before the sting. We all took the same car, mine, and the entire interior was filled with a very tense silence. Fletcher and I kept glancing at each other in the rearview mirror since Dunnel sat in the shotgun seat, both of us well aware that this was probably going to end badly.
I parked, and the three of us got out of the car. I wanted to tell Dunnel to just be cool, but that wasn’t the sort of thing you could say to your boss, so I kept my mouth shut and followed him apprehensively across the street and into the park. He’d taken the lead despite the fact that he didn’t know where Alec usually hung out when Fletcher and I did.
He still managed to zero in on Alec’s form pretty quickly, marching toward our usual spot with long, swift strides. Alec wasn’t sitting on his bench this time. Instead, he was pacing up and down nearby, hands clenched tightly behind his back as he exuded an air of anxiety.
Alec turned to look at us when we were halfway to him and stopped pacing, standing stock still as he stared at us. He was dressed in black and grey today and stood out against the bright blue sky and the colourful ornamental flower bed behind him. I took Fletcher’s arm and slowed down until we were walking a couple of yards behind Dunnel, leaning in to murmur in her ear.
“Be ready to break it up if this goes south.”
She nodded, and I let her go, picking up our pace so we could catch up with Dunnel before he noticed we’d fallen behind. Dunnel stopped on the opposite side of the bench from Alec, the wood providing a barrier between them so at least they wouldn’t be able to try to strangle each other unless they leapt over it. Alec crossed his arms and stared at Dunnel from beneath the brim of his cap. He was considerably smaller than our chief, but he still managed to muster up the same sort of presence, squaring his shoulders and puffing his chest out just slightly. Fletcher and I stepped up so that we stood to one side of Dunnel. His expression was cold as he met Alec’s gaze, and his face had gone hard and craggy. The two of them stared at each other for a solid minute before anyone spoke, and I was pretty sure neither of them breathed in that entire time.
“So you’re the thief,” Dunnel said finally, and I found myself holding my breath as I waited to see what sparks would fly.
“And you’re the police chief,” Alec replied.
Dunnel nodded. “I am. I could arrest you right now, you know. You still have a warrant out for your arrest after you escaped from the holding cell.”
“I’m well aware,” Alec said. He gave a blasé shrug, but I could still tell that fact terrified the hell out of him. “But if you do that, you won’t be able to catch Carmichael tonight.”
Dunnel blinked once, like a snake sizing up its prey. “I’m sure we could find another way.”
I wanted to pipe up and say that I’d really rather we didn’t, but I kept my mouth shut because the two of them needed to sort it out between them and come to some kind of accord without interference.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Alec said. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, and he relaxed his stance as if trying to prove that he wouldn’t let Dunnel rattle him. “Is that a chance you want to take, though? What happens if Carmichael and the killer get away? Then that’s on you, mate.”
For a second, it looked like Dunnel had swallowed his tongue, his cheeks flaming red as his whole face contorted. Fletcher and I tensed, ready to jump in and, well, I wasn’t entirely sure. It wasn’t like we could interfere with our boss if he really wanted to arrest Alec, not unless we
wanted to risk our jobs, but we could at least try to stop them from coming to blows. Dunnel took a deep breath and forced his colour down.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, his voice almost icily calm in a way that worried me far more than his rising colour had.
“I owe MacBain here a favour,” Alec said, but Dunnel gave him a flat look, telling him that wasn’t enough. Alec swallowed, his throat bobbing, then he shrugged and steeled his expression. “Thieves killing people on jobs give the rest of us bad names. Maybe I want to get justice for this Crane guy. Maybe I just want to prove to my son that I might be a criminal, but I’m not a bad guy.” He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Maybe I like MacBain just a little bit and want to help him out.”
His gaze flicked toward me, and I nodded to him, keeping my mouth shut even though I was tempted to make a quip about him liking me. There were certain times when a piss-take just wasn’t the right move, and this was one of them.
Alec returned his eyes to Dunnel’s face and poked his chin out as if daring Dunnel to contradict any of the reasons he’d just given. Dunnel weighed his words, leaning back on his heels with his arms crossed as he tapped one finger against the opposite bicep.
“Being a criminal is basically the definition of being a bad guy,” he said.
“Agree to disagree,” Alec answered.
“When this is over…” Dunnel began.
“You’ll try to arrest me. Yeah, I get it,” Alec interrupted, stressing the word ‘try,’ though he at least had the sense not to glance at me while he did.
Dunnel bristled at the interruption, but then he shook it off and nodded. “Then we’re on the same page.”
“I guess we are,” Alec said. He took a couple of steps forward and stuck out his hand, holding it over the bench that sat between him and Dunnel. Dunnel stared at it for a few seconds before he stepped forward and clasped hands with Alec. Both of them were clearly trying to out-squeeze each other, the tendons running along their fingers straining with the effort.
I clapped my hands and moved forward until I was standing right by the bench, drawing Alec’s and Dunnel’s attention off each other and onto me.
“Great. Glad we got that sorted,” I said. “We’re all good, yes?”
“For now,” Dunnel said, releasing Alec’s hand and stepping back.
“Wonderful.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out Martin’s modified wire. I held it out to him, but he immediately reared away from it, frustration flashing across his face. “Yes, I know you said no wire,” I told him. “But Martin built this especially to be far less noticeable. You can rip the end seam out of your jacket and string it up the inside. I doubt Carmichael would be able to find it even if he looked.”
“And if he does find it?” Alec snapped. “Then I really am through. No matter how your little operation goes.”
“Look, we need to hear what’s going on between you,” I said, shaking the wire a little as if that might somehow entreat Alec to take it. “That way, we can gauge the best moment to move in and keep track of what Carmichael says about the money.”
“You will wear the wire,” Dunnel ordered, and I fought back the urge to shush him because he wasn’t helping matters.
“Please, Alec?” Fletcher asked from my side, spreading her hands out entreatingly. “We need you to do this.”
Alec muttered several choice curse words under his breath, but he reached out and snatched the wire from my hand, stuffing it in his pocket as quickly as he could, like he couldn’t bear the feel of it against his skin.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But I want it on the record that I don’t like it.”
“I think the record is mostly made up of things you don’t like at this point,” I said and grinned, although Alec just scowled at me. “Come on. I thought you liked me now.”
“Don’t make me regret saying that,” Alec replied, his eyes narrowed.
I just continued to grin at him. Alec refused to acknowledge me and turned away with a slight huff, crossing his arms once again.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, speaking more to Fletcher than to me. “Don’t acknowledge me once we’re there. I don’t want my cover blown.”
“We can even fake arrest you at the end of the night if you want,” Fletcher suggested. “That way, if word gets out, people won’t think you were working with us.”
“Fake arrest?” Dunnel demanded, turning a glower toward Fletcher and me.
“Anyway, we should all get going,” I said quickly before Dunnel could rip into us for that one. “Big night tonight. We need to make sure we’re ready.”
“Try not to look too much like police,” Alec reminded us as he smirked. “Maybe ditch the unmistakable trench coat, huh, MacBain?”
I put my hands to the front of the overcoat in mock affront. “Excuse me? This overcoat is classy as hell!” He was right though, Carmichael had seen me in this coat.
Alec and Fletcher shared an amused look and rolled their eyes at each other while Dunnel scowled like a thundercloud on my other side, no doubt still waiting for his chance to demand what we’d meant by ‘fake arrest.’
“I’m off,” Alec said. “I’ll catch you all tonight.”
He tipped his hat farewell to us, then tucked his hands deep into the pockets of his peacoat as he walked off, whistling as if he hadn’t a single care in the world.
“Fake arrest?” Dunnel repeated, spearing Fletcher with a dark look.
She shrugged, spreading her hands out to the side. “Come on, Chief. We can’t arrest him after all he’s done to help us. It wouldn’t be right.”
“But it is the law,” Dunnel reminded her.
“How about we talk about this later?” I interrupted, sliding in between the two of them as if that might somehow calm either of them down. “We’ve still got a lot to do today, remember?”
“Fine, but this conversation isn’t over,” Dunnel warned, pointing a finger in Fletcher’s direction. “And if I learn that MacGowan got away because of something you did…” He trailed off and didn’t finish the threat. He didn’t really need to. Fletcher got the message loud and clear, her face paling slightly as she nodded. She glanced at me, but I couldn’t give her a nod of support with Dunnel watching both of us so closely.
We returned to the car then drove back to the station, the silence even more oppressive than it had been the first time around. I really, really hoped Dunnel wasn’t going to press the issue of us arresting Alec or that he might change his mind, but I knew neither of those things was likely to happen. Dunnel had a very black and white view of the law and all its trappings. To him, Alec was a thief and a criminal, and he deserved to be treated as such, no matter what else he’d done. Unfortunately, I also knew that I was going to one hundred per cent help Alec slip away, whatever the cost was to myself. It was the right thing to do, and I couldn’t do otherwise.
We arrived at the station and spent the next few hours finishing up our last preparations for the night’s operation. I could tell that Fletcher really wanted to talk to me about Alec, but I shook my head at her every time she looked like she was about to bring it up. We couldn’t talk about it there and then, not when Dunnel might walk in on us at any second.
When five o’clock rolled around, we left the station to go and get ready for the eight p.m. concert, waving goodbye to the team one last time since we wouldn’t see them until the event.
“What are we going to do about Dunnel and Alec?” Fletcher finally asked me in a low voice as we walked towards our cars.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was listening in, but we had the car park to ourselves. “We’re not going to let Dunnel arrest Alec, that’s for sure.”
Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief and put a hand to her chest. “Good. Good. I know we shouldn’t go against his orders, but Alec doesn’t deserve that, right?”
“No, he doesn’t,” I agreed. “We’ll just have to be smart about it, though. We can’t get ourselves in trouble, too
.”
Fletcher nodded. “I’m just glad we’re on the same page.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I promised just as we reached our cars, parked side by side at the back of the lot. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Try not to interact with me too much. We’ll be less recognisable apart.”
Fletcher gave me a little salute of acknowledgement, then we climbed into our cars. I let her pull out first, peeling away like she was on fire, then I followed at a slightly more sedate pace. I ordered a pizza as I drove, calling the shop rather than using their online system since I couldn’t exactly scroll through everything while I was driving, and I asked for delivery, hoping it would be there when I got home.
It wasn’t, of course, and I took a few seconds to search the street for signs of spying before I went inside my flat to decide what clothes to wear to the concert. I needed to make sure I didn’t look like a cop, as Alec kept reminding me, but I wasn’t entirely sure if that had something to do with my actual clothes or my general face. I lay a bunch of options out on my bed, but just as I was standing back to examine them, the doorbell rang, and I had to go answer it, paying the delivery guy in cash and making sure to give him a large tip. I watched out the door with the pizza box in hand as he went back to his beat-up car, my eyes roving over the street once more as I assured myself that no one was watching.
I took the pizza back to my bedroom and set it down on the side table, selecting a slice to munch on as I went back to staring at my clothing. I eventually decided on dark trousers, one of my looser cut pairs so I’d be able to run around and fight in them if need be, and a grey button-up that I would leave open over a plain black t-shirt. It was a casual, unassuming outfit perfect for a concert that would also hopefully help me blend in with the dim lighting.
Fatal Transaction: A DCI MacBain Scottish Crime Thriller Page 27
