Influence (22 page)

The two men were just about to walk back into the supervisor's office when they were approached by Crane and Taggart who asked for a word. Anaura escorted them inside as Valera and Usher looked on at the Intel officers, waiting for the moment when Crane would tell him what they had done.

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Anaura shouted. Valera looked at the others and whispered “I told you so”.

“How could you be so stupid guys? You may have wanted to help but this was just plain moronic. If you'd been found out, the operation would be over and you'd be facing a disciplinary!” Richards said with frustration. Anaura asked Richards if the day could get any worse, at which point his phone rang.

“Great, it just did!” He said as he saw on the phone's digital display that it was Steiner calling him.

Richards told Crane and Taggart to get out and that he would deal with them later. Anaura answered his phone and was greeted with Steiner yelling at him about what he had said to Drayson. He tried to explain that it was information he needed to share and that Drayson's reaction to it was out of proportion. Steiner replied that Drayson was soon going to be an Assistant Chief and how telling him a far-fetched story about assassinations was never going to end well, let alone mentioning that there was a corrupt officer involved. Steiner then asked why Anaura hadn't told him first to make sure it was something that was worth telling Drayson. When he couldn't provide an answer, Steiner told him to start packing his things as he would be going back to vice that Friday at the behest of Drayson and to consider himself lucky that he hadn't been posted to a response team where he would be working nights for the rest of his career! He then abruptly hung up.

Anaura put the phone down, picked up his mug and launched it at the wall where it smashed to pieces. Crane and Taggart looked at each other outside worrying that they were about to get torn apart like the mug. Richards told him to calm down and that he had meant what he said about them being better off back at vice. Anaura reflected on how, as usual, Command had made him look like a fool because they were too short sighted to think outside the box. He placed his head into his left hand and whacked his desk. Richards, in a calm and collected manner, enquired when he was going to be taken off the case and what he was going to do in the meantime. Anaura looked up at Richards and said “watch me!” before storming into the main office.

“YOU TWO!” He shouted over to Crane and Taggart who looked up in fear.

“GET YOUR ARSES DOWN TO THE WAREHOUSE, SET UP AN OBSERVATION POST!!!! If your security guard is right you've got less than twenty four hours to set up it up. And count yourself lucky that I'm not sticking you on for your good work. Oh and don't tell anybody what you're up to!”

Anaura charged back into the office where Richards asked whether it was worth running it past Steiner first. He paused whilst pulling a 'really' type of expression at Richards, who replied by saying “Yeah you're right! Bollocks let’s do it!” Anaura called his team into a briefing. If he was going down, he was going to try and take the Gang, and if he was lucky, the corrupt copper, down with him.

Watching

Chapter Thirty Two

That night Crane, Taggart, Streeting and Williams arrived at the warehouse on Basin Road South and parked their unmarked Mondeo in the shadowy confines of a nearby building's alleyway, protected from the bright glow of the fluorescent street lights but still providing them with a view of their target. In front of the warehouse gate there was a security officer in a van from the same firm as before. Due to their chosen location for the Observation Post there was no way they would be able to move in until the security officer left, and if necessary they would have to wait there all night.

The hours ticked by but the security van remained. Streeting asked the others whether it was worth trying to covertly move into position. Williams swiftly replied that it wasn't even worth contemplating, if they blew this she knew Anaura would have a severe sense of humour failure. Just as the boredom was starting to seriously affect the morale in the car, the security van's lights switched on and the vehicle began to pull away with its headlights illuminating its path.

“Shit, he's going to see us Streeting! Why didn't you park further up the alley???” Crane suddenly called out.

“I didn't hear you suggesting anywhere else earlier!” Streeting angrily replied.

As the van began to come their way, Taggart and Crane rapidly ducked down in the rear of the Mondeo to hide themselves, followed seconds later by Streeting.

“That's going to be so obvious!” Williams said to Streeting as she grabbed him and started to kiss him passionately in the front seat just as the beam of the security van's headlights shone into their cabin. As the beam illuminated their faces, Williams faked a surprised jerk and began pulling her top about as if hurrying to cover herself up. The security van slowed as it approached the unmarked police vehicle, prompting Taggart in the back to say “he's seen us, hasn't he?” However as the van slowly passed by, the security guard looked at the two embarrassed faces staring back at him and then drove off in frustration when they did not start kissing again.

“What made you do that?” Streeting asked Williams with a big smile.

“It worked didn't it? Better than all of us ducking. How obvious would that have been?” She replied with an equally big smile.

Crane abruptly interrupted them and said that as much as he liked police weddings it was about time they got inside the empty building opposite to set up their Observation Post. Streeting drove the car into the car park and the three other officers jumped out and grabbed all the equipment they needed from boot of the Mondeo before running up to the door and breaking the padlock to gain entry. As they moved inside Streeting drove off at speed to park the car near the City Lagoon before making his way back to the building on foot.

Inside the other three got to work setting up the various equipment that ranged from long range cameras and microphones, through to laptops and recording devices. After years of service on the Intelligence Unit and countless attachments to the Technical Support Unit the three of them were now highly proficient in swiftly setting up effective and covert Observation Posts. Fifteen minutes later, Streeting returned and assisted his colleagues who were working in near darkness to prevent bright lights being seen from within the building. If someone saw a flurry of lights coming from inside, they would inevitably think that burglars or squatters were there and call the police or worse, the security firm who guarded the buildings.

After forty minutes the Observation Post was set up and ready to go. The four officers discussed between them who would be paired up and take the first watch. Before anyone could suggest anything Streeting blurted out that he and Williams would take the first shift which drew a huge flirtatious smile from her. Crane and Taggart looked at one another, before Crane remarked that they were there to watch the warehouse and not each other! The two of them told Crane to piss off, feeling incredibly embarrassed on the inside. Taggart interjected that he was tired and was going to try and get some sleep in his lovely police issued sleeping bag with a half inch thick mat beneath it. If there was one thing about an Observation Post it was this; it was never going to be comfortable. Crane followed him after saying night to Streeting and Williams with a wink of inference. The two officers looked at each over whilst desperately trying to hide their coyness and commenting how they had better get started.

No sooner than they had switched the equipment on, they turned to each other and began to speak at the same time. As they both urged the other to go first, Taggart appeared from behind the wall and told them to keep it down and then spoke for Williams by asking Streeting whether he wanted to go out with her sometime, causing Crane to burst out laughing in the background. Streeting told him to go away before turning back to Williams to ask her whether she fancied it. She shyly nodded in response and pulled an extremely pleased expression.

“Now shut up love-birds and do some work!” Taggart joked as he returned to his sleeping bag next to Crane who was still laughing. He got into his sleeping bag and commented how it was about time Streeting and Williams shagged and got it over with, as the suppressed sexual tension was doing his head in.

If You Go Down To The Woods

Chapter Thirty Three

The following morning Peter was sat in the office with Richards wondering whether the Observation Post had been successfully set up. Although he had calmed down somewhat from the day before, Anaura still felt that it had been wrong how he had been treated by Steiner and Drayson, to the point where he was considering pulling Steiner to one side to discuss it a  'little less formally'. The stress of the last couple of months had been bad enough but finding out one of his targets had been murdered and hearing rumours about a corrupt copper had well and truly finished him off. When he got home the night before he explained the situation to Laura which made her reply to him that it was now, more than ever, time to transfer to a less stressful role. Anaura whole heartedly agreed with her and informed Richards the moment he got into the office that he was intending to request a transfer from Vice to a project team at HQ. Richards laughed and told him that he wouldn't last a month dealing with the boring desk bound nerds and that all he needed was a little rest and maybe even a few weeks off. Anaura replied that time would tell but before he even considered putting the request in, he wanted to at least leave the operation in a better position than it had been and if luck was on his side, perhaps find out who the dirty copper was. 

Anaura's phone began ringing. He looked at it and saw that it was Steiner calling and exclaimed to Richards how his day was already set to start off badly. He stood up and shook himself off before answering it.

“Jason, how's it going?” He said, waiting for the grief to begin.

“Peter, I hope you're a little less stressed? Because what I am about to tell you is going send you off the rails if you're not!!” Steiner remarked without answering Anaura's question or greeting him.

“Hello to you too Jason! What's up?” Anaura replied sarcastically.

“Sykes is dead; stabbed to death!”

Anaura legs wobbled, requiring him to quickly take a seat on the edge of his desk to steady himself.

“Are you being serious? What happened???” Anaura asked Steiner as Richards looked up at him with confusion due to his reaction to the call.

“His decomposing body was found a couple of hours ago in a wooded area near to Devils Valley. His car had been left there for a couple of weeks but it hadn't been reported stolen. Well this morning a dog walker stumbled across a horrendous smell as they were walking past the wood, and well, they found him!” Steiner said.

“Does Drayson know yet? I don't believe this!” Anaura exclaimed.

“No not yet, I just tried calling him. I'm sorry Peter, I shouldn't have ignored what you were saying at Pearson's house. This can't be a coincidence can it? Two members of the Gang found murdered! Oh and wait it gets worse! A couple of weeks ago a member of the public, otherwise known as a dogger, who was parked up near the Valley called in saying that they had seen a male running through a nearby field and that he had got into a dark coloured Ford Fiesta with a number plate similar to X237 KNV. Well, we couldn't find a match for that but after conducting a ANPR camera check of the east and westbound carriageway near to the Valley, we did manage to find a dark blue Fiesta travelling towards the City's slip-road a couple of of hours before the call! We should have paid more attention to Syke's abandoned car.............” Steiner said.

“Forget all that for the moment Jason, what about the Fiesta?” Anaura blurted out with impatience.

“Ok; it was registered to Anthony Foster, formally PC Anthony Foster of the City's Tactical firearms unit. The same Anthony Foster who is currently wanted for assaulting a man outside a pub in West Ording!”

“Jesus Christ Jason, are you shitting me? Has anyone located Foster yet? Do you think he's the one working for the Gang?”

“I don't know, he could be! But I know one thing, I've now got the pathologist's report and it states that Pearson had five holes in him, two of which were in his chest in a tight group and the other three likewise in his abdomen. You're right it definitely wasn't a burglar at Pearson's, it was someone trained, someone like Foster. I think he could be our man Peter. There's two murders, his number plate is similar to the one provided from the Valley, and we're now looking for someone trained in firearms for Pearson's murder. We need to find Foster fast!” Steiner urged Anaura.

“Right, I need the crime report for the assault, any witnesses and Foster's personnel file now. Does Drayson know yet?” Anaura said.

“I don't know, I'll call him. I'll email you the crime report now and see if I can get his personnel file quick time. I almost forgot to tell you; Forster was medically retired for mental health issues!” Steiner said.

“If Foster's suffering from mental health issues too it could be why he's going after the Gang! I'll call Drayson, you sort out Foster's file.” Anaura replied before finishing the call.

Anaura looked towards Richards and started to explain what was happening before he was stopped mid-sentence by him. Richards interjected and asked Anaura whether he believed that Foster could really be the corrupt copper they were looking for as it did not make sense. Anaura paused and asked why to which Richards replied that as a firearms officer he wouldn't have had much to do with the Gang, plus Poultan never mentioned that the officer was retired.

“What are you saying then Ian, that we've got two corrupt coppers or we're off the mark with Foster; which?” Anaura enquired with confusion.

“Listen, I'm not disputing that Foster's the killer. However the rest of it doesn't match up does it? When would Foster have had a chance to meet the Gang? He wouldn't know about any drugs related operations unless they involved firearms or their competition, which in other words means that he would have nothing to offer them!” Richards hypothesised.

“Alright, if he's not our bent copper, then explain to me why Foster would just decide to kill the most serious criminals in the City? And please don't tell me because of his mental health, you know it doesn't work like that!”

“I don't know. But Op Barrier and Marriot's death must have really screwed him up. Maybe he believes that by taking out the worst trash in the City he's doing righteous work and protecting people! Either way I can't see what value he would be to the Gang, he may know about terrorists and bank robbers but he doesn't know about unarmed drug dealers!” Richards surmised.

Anaura pondered what Richards had said, as usual he wouldn't just pass his opinion out of hand. After a few minutes of silence, Richards asked him if he was going to say anything, Anaura looked up and said that they needed to get over to West Ording to talk to the witnesses at the Cliffe pub. Richards replied that it wouldn't go down well with Drayson, it was after all his murder case. He smiled at Richards and remarked, with a pleased expression on his face, that the man Foster had assaulted outside the pub wasn't dead; an assault was not a murder case, so it was none of Drayson's business.

The two detectives stood up, grabbed their suit jackets and walked out into the main office. Anaura approached Usher and Valera and asked them to look into all the intelligence logs they could find relating to the Gang, Usher replied that they had already done so at the start of the operation and that it was all documented in the case file. Anaura shook his head and smiled at her before saying that he wanted to know where the Gang had gone to school, the roads they lived in as kids; anything other than their criminal history. He then told them to keep it to themselves and stated that he and Richards would be back within a few hours after an errand.

As the two men left the office, Richards asked Anaura whether he thought the pub would be open as it was only eleven o'clock in the morning. Anaura replied that it probably wasn't; but with a pub like that, it was bound to be open at twelve for the locals to begin their day's drinking. After getting into the car, Richards asked whether they should tell Steiner, Anaura's expression said it all; NO!

At twelve pm, the doors of the Cliffe pub opened in preparation for receiving its first patrons of the day. Anaura and Richards walked in before the landlord had time to return to the bar, prompting him to comment that the two men were a bit keen. Richards sat down at the bar and identified himself and Anaura, to which the barman jokingly remarked that they obviously weren't there for a beer but had a good idea what they were going to ask him.

“Let me guess, you're here to talk about Anthony again? I've already given a statement to some other officers about him beating up poor Tony and smashing my bloody window! I have nothing else to say about it really!” The burly landlord said.

“I'm sure you have, but we're not here to discuss the assault, we're here to discuss how long Anthony's been drinking here and who he drinks with.” Richards said.

“Well that's going to be easy! Anthony's a bit of a loner, only talks to himself if you know what I mean? He's a bit of a nutter” The Landlord explained.

“So you've never seen him sitting or talking with anyone? Do you know anything else about him?” Richards asked.

“Nah that's it, I'm afraid officers. He only talks when he's asking for a pint!” He answered.

Richards looked at Anaura who responded by tilting his head to signal to him that they should leave. Richards thanked the landlord for his help and got up. As they walked out, Anaura cited that they would have to look at the crime report to see if there was anything else of note as this had been a wasted trip.

“Wait a minute officers! There was one bloke I saw Anthony chatting to a couple of months back. He was a fairly tall guy in his forties, with a bit of a sly, ratty face and short dark hair. He was a bit of a wide boy too with a slight Londoner twang. The two of them spoke for about an hour, maybe less, I can't remember. I don't know what they were talking about but Anthony seemed pretty excited after the other bloke left. Other than that I really can't tell you anything more, sorry.”

The two detectives thanked him and walked out of the pub to head back to their car. As they walked Anuara asked Richards whether it sounded like anyone they knew or if it could have been the Gang's copper. Richards replied that he didn't and that there was no reason at this stage to believe it was anyone other than a friend of his. He then remarked that in the worst case scenario, it could have been a member of the Gang visiting him, the man was after all  not far off their age, however he reiterated that he still did not believe Foster was with the Gang. Anaura pressed the key fob to unlock the Focus and went to climb in before he paused and leant on the roof of the car with his problem solving mind desperately searching for answers. He looked up at Richards who was asking him if everything was OK. Anaura gently and repeatedly banged the roof of the car with the bottom of his clenched fist, attempting to jolt his mind into life.

“You're right Ian, Foster's not our dodgy copper. Think about it, would the Gang use someone like Foster who's suffering from a mental illness to work for them? And think back to what Poultan said............the Gang gave the all clear for Kennedy to start dealing again; hardly what you would do with a mentally ill associate running around with all your secrets. You're right none of it makes sense!” Anaura postulated.

“Do you reckon the unknown man in the pub is our guy? If he was, how the hell are we going to find him? It was hardly a decent description; how many coppers are tall, have dark hair and are in their forties.......hundreds!” Richards commented.

“For the moment we need to concentrate on finding Foster. Let's go and see if he's home shall we?”

“Shouldn't we request firearms support first, Peter?”

“No! If we ask for firearms support then we'll have to tell the unit he's a murder suspect which would mean all hell would break loose! If we go to his place with minimal fuss, it won't spook him and might make him easier to talk to. Remember he's already had district officers banging on his door for the assault complaint so he's bound to be on his toes! I want a chance to talk before anyone else gets to him!” Anaura replied. 

The two men got into the car and drove off towards Shakespearean Road, less than quarter of a mile away from the pub. If they could arrest Foster without antagonising him like the Firearms Unit or response officers would, they might just be able to learn who the Gang's inside man was.