The Last Big Job (50 page)

‘
This is how it stands.’ Henry was addressing FB and Rupert
Davison, though his eyes continually strayed to the latter. Danny
sat at the back of the office, looking supportive1y at Henry. ‘We
have ascertained by means of the tachograph fitted to the security
van that the robbery took place on Lancaster Services on the M6,
southbound. A search of the car park found blood on the tarmac and
this has since been matched to one of the victims. No witnesses
have yet been found, probably because there was a row of builders’
portacabins outside the services themselves which obscured views
from
the shops across the lorry
park.

‘
At the scene of the shooting at the White Lund industrial
estate in Morecambe, the forensic people - who have worked their
backsides off for us - have matched blood found on two sets of
overalls found there with all four of the dead security guards. We
can be sure, therefore, that the people found dead at the warehouse
are the ones who committed the robbery and murdered the guards.
This is further confirmed by the guns found there, too. Ballistic
matches have been made with the bullets found in the bodies of the
security guards. The owner of the warehouse, a very dodgy importer,
who, incidentally, reported the job, hasn’t been very helpful yet,
but we’re keeping up the pressure on him. He’ll crack, but I don’t
think he was involved directly with the robbery
or
the shooting
afterwards.’

‘
Conclusions so far?’ FB
interrupted.

‘
That the robbers had a falling-out over the division of the
money, and one or
more of them got away
with it.’ Henry took a breath. ‘We’ve had some interesting work
done by the financial and intelligence analysts, which I’ve just
received from
Danny. Don Smith, one of the
dead villains in the warehouse, seems to have been pretty careless
up to a point. We have records of several recent mobile-phone calls
to a number in Tenerife and also spending on his credit card for a
flight to Tenerife from Manchester and back via Lisbon and
Paris.’

‘
Why do you say up to a point?’ FB asked.

‘
Because we haven’t managed to trace his home address yet. The
address for his credit cards and telephones relate to a rented
office in Blackpool, which is scrupulously clean, a shell,’ Henry
explained. ‘What is obvious, therefore, is that a robbery has taken
place, there’s been a fall-out big style between the offenders, an
OK-corral-style gunfight, and the survivors have skedaddled with
the dosh - and these are the people we need to nail.’

FB gave a weary clap. ‘I know that - what I
don’t
know is what
you’re doing about it.’

‘
My best, that’s what.’

‘
Is that going to be good enough?’ FB was tough.

Henry’s mouth tightened. ‘Yes. I’ll catch the bastard or
bastards. The link seems to be Tenerife - which is also the link to
one of the security guards, a guy called Colin Hodge, who visited
the place just a short time before the robbery. We think he was the
inside man. The other link is Billy Crane, who has suddenly
reappeared on the scene. Danny has had him positively identified as
having stayed at the Imperial Hotel on the night of the triple
murder in Blackpool, and leaving via Manchester Airport the day
after, catching a flight to Lisbon, subsequently connecting to
Tenerife. I saw him back in the country’ before the robbery in the
company of Elphick, Thompson and Drozdov junior - three of the four
dead men at the warehouse. The fourth dead man is Don Smith, of
course, long-time associate of Crane’s. And today the fingerprint
people have given me some partial idents lifted from a vehicle -
not enough for court - putting Crane at the warehouse. There are
also some partial prints of his on a pistol found there, which is
the same gun that killed two security guards, Thompson, Elphick and
Drozdov.

‘
Our next step must be to trace and arrest Billy Crane. He’s
the key to all this and he’s got some nooky questions to answer.But
the good bit is - if
we
don’t get to him first - and soon - he’s as dead
as a dodo.’

Later, in the gents’ toilets, Rupert Davison was urinating at
one of the stalls when Henry slotted in next to him.

‘
Henry, how are you doing? You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t
you?’

‘
Like the plague,’ Henry admitted.

‘
I’ll tell you what - that Danny Furness has aged well, hasn’t
she? I screwed her, you know?’

‘
Did you really?’ Henry bristled. He began to pee.

‘
Are you still serious about blowing me out over those
interview tapes and the like?’

‘
Is that why you’ve come today, to ask me that?’

‘
I was invited by Mr Fanshaw-Bayley, actually, because I have
a vested interest in this investigation. Two Manchester villains
are dead, plus their Russian pal. You need to keep me sweet so I
can ensure your enquiries around Greater Manchester go
smoothly.’

‘
Are you saying you would obstruct my officers?’

Davison shrugged. ‘I could ensure they did not get the
cooperation they require.’

Henry finished urinating and moved on to the wash-basin. He
turned a tap on to a trickle and put his hands under it. ‘That
sounds like obstructing the course of justice.’

‘
Does, doesn’t it?’ smirked the Superintendent. He finished
and joined Henry by the sinks.

‘
That interview-tapes business - you know you’ll never get
anywhere with it, don’t you? My word against a mere Custody
Officer. I handed the master tapes over to him - which is actually
documented in the custody records of Thompson and Elphick - so I
don’t have a great problem there. As regards the working tapes of
the interviews, losing them is unfortunate, but it won’t get as far
as discipline. Happens all the time to other officers. I’ll
probably get mildly rebuked. I can live with that.’

‘
But you did steal and destroy the masters, didn’t you?’ Henry
said.

Davison placed his hands under the soap dispenser and then
turned on a tap. Henry leaned across and turned it off, coming in
close to Davison, eyeball to eyeball.

‘
You did, didn’t you?’ Henry pushed.

A smile crept over Davison’s face. ‘Of course I
did.’

Henry took a step away. ‘Have you come here to gloat?’ He put
his hands towards the hot air dryer, then changed his mind and went
for the roller towel. ‘To tell me not to bother going for you, is
that it?’

‘
Not to gloat, Henry - just to ensure that you don’t waste
your breath and time on something where you’ll end up with egg on
your face,’ he said confidently.,

‘
What happened to the master tapes?’

Wonderfully, Davison came alongside Henry by the towels and
spoke in a hoarse, but clear whisper. ‘In a busy custody office,
it’s very easy to make things go missing. I went back down a little
later and while the Custody Sergeant was tied up booking in
prisoners, I helped myself. The tapes are kept on a shelf under the
desk until they are collected by the tape librarian, usually the
day after. They are destroyed now.’

And so are you, mate, Henry wanted to tell him, but before he
could make any sort of response, Davison said, ‘It’s a shame our
operation against Thompson and Elphick came to nothing. Unfortunate
they bubbled you as a cop, isn’t it?’

Henry’s eyebrows knitted together. Something in Davison’s tone
of voice triggered off a warning bell in Henry’s head. ‘You sound
like you know something about it?’

Davison uttered a short laugh and moved his wet hands
underneath one of the hot air dryers. Henry stepped in and blocked
his way before he had a chance to turn it on. ‘Did you tip them off
about me?’ he demanded coldly.

Davison and Henry stood face to face for a few tense seconds.
‘What do you think, Henry?’ Davison said without admitting
anything. He shouldered Henry out of the way to get to the machine.
‘I’ve got wet hands.’

Henry drew back, repulsed. He stormed out of the toilets and
went back to the MIR where FB and Danny were waiting for him. He
ripped the miniature tape-recorder out from the small of his back
and shoved it into FB’s hands. ‘Here,’ he said, ‘hang the bastard
out to dry.’

Their lovemaking took place on the deep pile rug in front of
Danny’s living-room gas-fire. It lasted a long time and both
experienced a prolonged, satisfying orgasm, leaving them feeling
tired and mellow. Henry lay on his back, Danny tucked up on her
side next to him, her fingertips tracing lazy circles around his
nipples, chest and stomach.

‘
Before we were rudely interrupted by FB
,
you were going to say something to
me - remember?’

He took a deep breath. ‘The only reason I took that under
cover job was to get away from you.’

‘
Me - why?’

‘
All that stuff we went through with Jack Sands, all the time
I spent with you. . . I was falling in love with you, Danny. It was
doing my skull in. Life at home was getting unbearable because all
I could think of was you and wanting to be with you - even though
we hadn’t actually done anything like this.’ He indicated their
nakedness. ‘I took the U/C
job to get away
from it all, take a break, get things into perspective. I thought
I’d find it was just a silly infatuation, that I was just kidding
myself. Wrong! All I could do was think about you - and when I got
the chance to come home, what happens? Before going home to Kate, I
go into Blackpool nick and see you instead.’

‘
And ask me how to win your wife back - and I suggested
shagging her! I really wanted you to shag me.’

He laughed a little. ‘I needed to be sure how I felt about
you. I’ve done some crackpot things in my life with other women,
Danny, on the pretence of being in love, but I wasn’t. I was just
having my ego fuelled. You are different.’ He paused. ‘I love you.’
He waited for a reply.

‘
This could get very complicated,’ Danny said cautiously, but
feeling wonderful having heard Henry say the words.

‘
Don’t I know it.’

‘
And unpleasant.’

‘
Yep.’

‘
And costly.’

‘
Oh don’t, now you’re digging a knife into me.’

‘
And people will get hurt.’

‘
I know.’

‘
And we will suffer professionally.’

‘
Yeah.’ He pushed himself up on to one elbow and faced her.
‘You’re talking future tense.’

‘
Yes ... all those things will happen. If you want to go for
it, then so do I because I love you very much, Henry. I’ve fancied
you for years and now I want you for ever, whatever it costs. I
love you.’

Henry touched her cheek. They kissed tenderly.

‘
You will have a lot of difficult things to do, Henry, but I
promise you I’ll be here for you, however tough it gets. I won’t
let you down.’

His pager rang out shrilly from the settee where his trousers
had been dumped. He rolled away, glancing at his watch as he did so
- it was 10 p.m. - and checked the message. He picked up Danny’s
phone and called Control Room, talked to the Duty Inspector, lying
back as he conversed. Danny sensuously rubbed her breasts along his
rib cage. ‘Thanks,’ he said and hung up. ‘Interesting ... we need
to get back in. There’s been a development.
Crimestoppers
have had a call from a
male who says he has urgent information about the M6 robbery and
that he wants to speak to me - now.’

They dressed quickly and were out of the house minutes later,
jumping into their respective cars. Before setting off, Henry leapt
out of his and trotted round to Danny in her unrepaired MX-5.
‘Sorry about this,’ he said awkwardly, ‘but I should just phone
Kate and let her know.’

‘
Sure.’ She gave him her house keys and waited while he went
back in and made the call. ‘Did you dial 141 before dialling your
number - you know, so my number is untraceable?’ Danny asked when
he gave her the keys back.

‘
No. Oh, shit - no, it’ll be all right.’

Chapter Twenty

‘
Don’t get upset.’ Henry attempted to calm Danny. ‘This guy
could be our key to cracking this job.’

‘
And he’s also the one who attacked me on the beach in Los
Cristianos,’ Danny spluttered angrily. Her wild eyes glared at
Henry. ‘He indecently assaulted me. He would have raped me if I
hadn’t kicked six shades out
of
him.’

‘
Danny, please,’ Henry cooed. ‘I think I know how you’re
feeling.’

‘
How the hell could you..?’ she started to demand. Her voice
trailed off and she wound her neck in with a remorseful,
‘Sorry.’

‘
Forget it.’

‘
It’s just I’m so tired. There’s so much gone on
recently.’

‘
Forget it,’ he said again. ‘Let’s just hear what he has to
say and if it’s all crap, then we’ll beat him up together, shall
we?’