Sally suggested they stop at Tesco’s on the way home, “there is nothing fresh in the house, we need bread, milk, juice and food for meals.” Dave reluctantly agreed, Sally phoned Olivia, her best friend, she said Dave had been ordered back to work on an investigation, they had been in London since Saturday morning. Olivia wanted more information, Sally said she knew she couldn’t say anything. Olivia asked when they could meet up, it was arranged for Wednesday evening.
Dave looked at his watch as he carried the last bag in, 13:15, he hoped to make a start by 14:00. Sally put the food away and made coffee and sandwiches, Dave carried up their cases and put them in the bedroom. His second trip brought up the carrier bags and the laptops. There were sandwiches, coffee and biscuits on the table, as they ate Sally said she felt tired, “would you mind if I had a lie down before I helped you?” “I’m going to make a start on the information you loaded last night, that will keep me busy, I have to write a report on our trip to Dagenham, there is plenty for me to do.”
He felt more at ease working in the bedroom which had been converted into an office, he knew where everything was. Sally had put the information from the wallets and pockets into a spreadsheet. There were only four names, he heard her coming up the stairs, “did you run out of time last night, there are only four names on the spreadsheet?” “No, there was nothing on the fifth person, I checked three times.” Dave tipped out the bag with the phones, wallets and everything else from the pockets. He arranged it by person on the spare desk, sure enough, there was nothing for person five. Dave looked at the driving licences, he recognised one of the two who were in the theatre, the spreadsheet was amended to say he had been in the theatre. The details confirmed he was from Manchester. Dave checked his convictions, theft, theft, armed robbery, attempted murder and rape. Not a nice person, he thought. The other three were from London, checking the addresses, they all came from the same area, their convictions were all for petty crimes, stealing cars, house breaking, assault, one had been convicted of stabbing. Dave checked the images from their driving licences against the pictures he had taken in Dagenham. They all matched, he found the stick with the recording from the theatre, he stopped it when he had a clear headshot, Dave held his phone up beside the screen to compare the two images. He phoned Jane’s number two in MI5, “Howard, it’s Dave Stretton,” he spent a couple of minutes saying how Jane was, he tried to be vague, “Can you contact Essex police, find out if they have identified the one with blonde hair, he’s not on any files, I will send over a couple of images to you, check immigration, ask the police to check where his clothing is from, he may be foreign, Interpol may be able to help, give them the images, email or phone me when you have any news.” He next phoned Taff, there was no answer, he didn’t leave a message, Taff would phone him when he could. He was hungry, he left the office to get some biscuits, he heard Sally crying, in the bedroom she was lying on the bed, he sat on the side and put a hand on her arm. She turned towards him, the crying didn’t stop. Dave said nothing, he guessed what it was, Since Friday night Sally had been too busy to take time to think what she had done, now she was home and felt safe, all that had taken place was now going through her mind. “Dave, it’s horrible, bits from Saturday keep coming into my mind, I can’t shift them, as soon as I try to think of something nice, it’s replaced by a horrible image.” She sat up, putting his arms round her he held her tight. “It happens, there is nothing you can do about it, they will go quite quickly, you’ve been buzzing for the last three days, you’re home and feel safe, the adrenalin has gone, you’re tired, try to sleep, keep trying to think of happy times, you will sleep, remember I will be close by. No more coffees only warm milky drinks if you want one.” He wiped away the tears, “undress and get into bed, don’t lie on the top, do you want me to undress you?” Normally she wouldn’t have hesitated having Dave help her, but this time she shook her head.
He left the door open slightly as he left the room and went downstairs, he was soon back with a packet of digestive biscuits. He started on the report for the Prime Minister, his method was to scribble it down while he thought his way through each part, he would then write it out again, this time more legibly so Sally could read it, he added more information where he thought it was needed, Sally would type it up, they would both go through it, he would make alterations. Eventually the report would be finished, images would then be added, he would do this on his own to avoid Sally seeing them.
The first call back was Taff, Dave asked if he had found anything when he went through the pockets of the body with blonde hair. Taff thought for a moment, “all he had was about £100, there were no cards or anything else, why?” “I can’t identify him, did the others have much.” “The guy with the beard had around a grand, the others didn’t.” Dave thanked him and hung up. He returned to scribbling the report. He was rewriting when Howard called. “Some of his clothes are Spanish, his shoes were made in Holland, the police haven’t identified him, I’m waiting to hear from Interpol and immigration.” “He doesn’t look Spanish, possibly Dutch, can you send over the image to the police there.” “I’m not sure, I’ve never had to do that before.” “Speak to your counterpart in MI6 or someone in the Foreign Office, if you don’t have any luck, let me know.” He went to check on Sally before he carried on, she was sleeping, he closed the curtains to darken the room. He finished writing the report, he moved on to the phones, there were five, fortunately they were all Android, he would be able to retrieve anything that was on the phone, he found chargers to power them up, one he connected to the laptop, he went downstairs to find more biscuits and to make a cup of coffee. When he was back in the office, he used software to bypass logging into the phones, he was looking for the one which was used to film Jane. A name was written on a label then stuck on the back of the phone, he picked the three most battered ones first, they corresponded to the three from London. He had a choice of two, he picked the more expensive looking one. Something made him look up, Sally was standing in the doorway, she was naked, “I want you to come to bed, will you be long?” “I’ll finish very soon, do you want me to bring you some food?” “No, just a drink.” She left and returned to the bedroom. Dave was right, he had chosen the correct phone, he found the video, he didn’t watch it, he knew if he started investigating he would be there all night. Leaving the phone on charge, he went downstairs, made Sally a drink, ate sliced ham directly from the packet in the fridge then went upstairs. It didn’t take him long to be next to Sally, she wanted him to hold her, she fell asleep with his arm round her, he carefully moved to be more comfortable.
He was woken in the morning by the sound of his phone ringing, he had left it in the office, slipping out the bed, he reached it before Sally woke. “We’ve found your man, he is Dutch, Piet Houtkooper, his file is on it’s way to us, I will send it over as soon as we have it.” Howard sounded jubilant, Dave thanked him, he looked at the clock, it was 08:25. Sally was still sleeping, he wrapped a towel round himself and went to make breakfast, he decided to let Sally sleep for as long as she wanted. Sitting in the office with the towel round him, he started where he had finished the previous evening. The name was important, however he thought the contents of the phone would be more interesting. Dave wondered if the conversations on the phone would be in Dutch, he hoped not, it would mean a load of time spent translating. Some were, but most were in English. Nearly all of the messages were on Telegram, a more secure alternative to WhatsApp. He read through the last few, they related to the kidnap, he was being given instructions. The thread went back almost a year, from the initial contact, through the agreed price, right up to the date the kidnapping was to be carried out. He had been given a contact in the UK, this was the owner of the other phone, the man from Manchester who now had a name, Frank Pell. Next he looked at the message between these two, there weren’t many, they concerned his arrival and where he would be staying. Piet Houtkooper was to be picked up from Harwich on Thursday and taken back on Sunday evening. Dave thought they got to Jane just in time, was she to be left as Sally found her, or was she to be killed, at the moment, he didn’t know. He heard movement from the bedroom, Sally was sitting on the edge of the bed, “I’ve been sleeping for ages,” “How do you feel,” “better than I did yesterday, I’m starving. I had horrible dreams during the night, this morning they were better,” she blushed as she thought about them, “you were a gladiator and I was your slave. I want to shower, have something to eat, then I will join you, have you made progress?” Dave said where he had got to, “I’m waiting on a file from Howard, I think I will ring him, I need him to find more information.” When he was speaking to him, Dave asked if he wanted to delegate the work to one of his own staff, “that would be easier, I pass your requests onto them anyway, I’ll put you through.” His first request was for the file from The Netherlands police to be sent over to him. He then asked for them to contact Essex police, “there is probably a small hotel in the Dagenham area where the occupants of two rooms haven’t returned, I want the hotel found, the rooms sealed off, no one to enter until I am there.” He looked at Frank Pell’s phone, listed under the contacts was The Flowers Hotel, Dagenham. He rang back to MI5, “Tell the police it’s the Flowers Hotel, say I am leaving now and to expect me in two and a half hours.” He shouted to Sally who was downstairs, “I’m going out, do you have a minute?” She came upstairs holding a slice of toast. “I have to go to Dagenham, I have located the hotel, I will be back before Olivia comes round. Would you type up the report please while I’m gone.” With a brief kiss, he grabbed his backpack and left. It was 13:00 when he pulled up at the hotel, he saw two police cars parked outside. There was a policeman blocking the way into the small hotel. Once he had produced his MI5 ID, he was allowed inside, a detective was sitting on a sofa in reception reading a newspaper. Putting it down he asked Dave if he was here to look at the rooms. “Yes, has anyone been in?” “The owner and a chambermaid, she reported on Sunday saying the beds in two of the rooms hadn’t been slept in. The owner went up to see, as the hotel isn’t busy, she left them hoping they would return and pay for the extra nights, she said she was going to report it to the police tomorrow if they didn’t return.” “OK, lead the way.” Dave was led up onto the first floor, a policewoman was sitting on a chair in the corridor. “This room and the one next door. The owner thinks one might be a foreigner.” In the room Dave looked round, there was an open suitcase on a stand, he took out each item from the case, shook it then dropped it on the floor. In the wardrobe was a jacket and a pair of trousers, there was nothing in the pockets, this was obviously Frank Pell’s room. In the bathroom, he opened the toilet bag, he took out each item, dropping it in the sink once it had been examined. The detective had followed him, watching everything Dave did. With a final check under the bed, he left the room. He had said nothing. Next door the room was much more interesting, as well as a suitcase, there was a briefcase, Dave carefully examined it, he looked at the locks, the detective was curious and was about to ask what he was looking at, before he could open his mouth Dave asked him to find a ‘Stanley’ knife. While he was waiting he went through the suitcase, the clothes inside were from all over Europe, quality brands, he thought to himself. There were traces of blonde hair on a jumper, this was definitely the room occupied by the Dutchman. He was handed the knife, Dave picked up the case again, this time he sniffed where the locks were. The detective watched him as he put the case on the floor then sat on the bed, the case between his legs, he looked at the locks again before gently rocking it between his legs. He laid the case flat on the floor with the bottom facing upwards, taking off his jacket, he knelt down on the floor. The leather facing on the case was carefully cut away to reveal the hardboard bottom, he scored a line roughly six inches back from the locks. Carefully the knife was used to cut the hardboard near the hinges, it took nearly fifteen minutes to cut the complete length, the sides were next, the closer he got to the line he first scored, the more careful he was. He ordered the detective to leave the room and take the policewoman to the end of the corridor. Dave took out his keys, he used one to lever up the cut hardboard, the torch on his phone lit up the inside of the case, “detective,” he waited for him to come to the door, “bring me two forks and call bomb disposal, the briefcase is booby trapped.” He returned with the forks, “they will be here in thirty minutes.” Dave propped open the cut he had made, it allowed him to retrieve whatever was inside, he found five passports, around 1000euros, there was more, he carefully cut open the pockets inside, took out the paperwork, there was also two USB sticks and a wallet which he slipped into his pocket. While waiting for the bomb disposal unit, he checked the bathroom, there was nothing of any interest. He returned to the case, he felt round the lining to see if there was anything hidden. There was nothing. An Army officer was now standing at the bedroom door, Dave asked the detective to leave. “There is an explosive wired up to the lock of the case, open it the wrong way and …” Dave didn’t need to say any more. “How do you know?” “I’ve seen them before, I cut the bottom out as I wanted the contents intact, it’s over to you now.” The officer was considering whether it was safe to carry it outside or if it should be done in the bedroom, he opted for the room. Dave picked up the contents and left him to it. In reception, he asked for coffee, “what are you doing with the contents of the briefcase?” “If you get a couple of evidence bags, we will bag it up.” He handed over the money for the detective to count, the passports and paperwork, he put in the other bag, this one he kept. “That’s evidence, it has to be logged and kept by the police, especially if it is to do with the shootings on Saturday night.” “You don’t think I drove for two and a half hours, opened a booby trapped briefcase for me to hand you the contents, if I hadn’t been here, whoever opened the case would be dead. Check with your boss if you have to, but this bag is going with me.” Dave drunk his coffee while a phone call was made. “My Chief Inspector says I have to keep you and the bag here until he has authorisation.” Dave looked at his watch and did a quick calculation. You have twenty five minutes, I have friends coming round for dinner tonight, I don’t want to be late.” With ten minutes to spare, another police car arrived, a Detective Chief Inspector came into the hotel, the detective on seeing him immediately stood up, Dave didn’t move. “Are you David Stretton?” Dave nodded, “the mention of your name makes things happen quickly, you are free to go with your bag of whatever you have. I’ve been asked, if you find anything that would be helpful to us, to pass on the information.” “Of course, I will email the Chief Constable if there is anything.” Dave thanked the detective, said goodbye to them both and was on his way.
He was home before 18:00, Sally was sitting with a coffee, “was it worth it?” “I have five passports, a wallet and two sticks plus some paperwork in Dutch. What’s been organised for tonight?” “Both Olivia and Michael are coming round,” “good, I’ll go to the pub with Michael if you don’t mind. Are we eating first or when they arrive?” “Now, I’m about to start.” Dave took a cold can of lager from the fridge, they shared the can as she cooked dinner. “I’ve typed up the report, bits of it doesn’t make sense, will you be here tomorrow, I want to go over it again. It felt strange reading about something I had been a part of, I cried a couple of times, especially where you have written about Jane.” “Yes, we will go over it in the morning, I have to take it with me on Friday, do you want to come?” “Would you mind if I didn’t, I have loads to do here and no doubt you will want me working for you.” “No, it’s OK, I will be busy, I want to stop at Chequers, see the Brigadier and meet with the Prime Minister at 14:00. It is going to be a hectic day. He took another lager upstairs as he went to shower and change, Sally followed him, she waited until he was in the shower. Undressing, she lay on the bed waiting for him to come out. “Dave, come here,” he joined her on the bed. There was only five minutes before Olivia and Michael were due when he got up from the bed. He hastily dressed, he was going down the stairs buttoning up his shirt when the bell rang. Opening the door, before kissing him, Olivia asked if they had interrupted anything. “No, I’ve just come back from Dagenham, I was changing.” Olivia walked into the living room, “where’s Sally?” “She was going into the bathroom as I came downstairs. She won’t be long.” “This time Olivia looked at Dave and said nothing. He offered them both drinks, Olivia wanted wine, there was a bottle in the fridge, he opened it, poured out two glasses and carried them through, Sally was now talking to them both. He returned to the kitchen for two lagers. Much of the conversation was to do with their holiday being curtailed, he had already spoken to Sally warning her not to say too much. Dave and Michael stayed until they had finished their drinks. They left to walk to the pub, on the way, there wasn’t much conversation other than about the holiday. Michael knew Dave was involved with the security services, his father had worked in intelligence gathering. He had spoken to Dave before about the stress of the job, he had offered to help if he ever found it getting on top of him, Dave had thanked him for the offer. They sat in the pub garden away from everyone else, “It must have been serious for them to bring you back from Greece.” Dave nodded, “You said you were in Dagenham today, was it in connection with the shootings on Saturday night?” “Michael, please don’t ask, I suspect Olivia is asking Sally the same question. All I will say, it was a very serious problem that has now been resolved.” Dave wanted to talk about normal topics, he asked about Michael’s business, he enjoyed listening to the tales of the knitwear trade in Leicester. Michael rented out sewing machines at short notice for companies which needed to expand their manufacturing quickly but without buying new equipment. He did well at it, he and Olivia had a good lifestyle. Michael’s stories made him laugh, it was 22:30 before they knew it, it was now dark and cooler, Dave was much happier as they walked back, before they went into the house he thanked Michael for coming, “You talk about normal life, it brings me back to reality, all too often I am wrapped up in what I am doing. Thank you.” Inside Sally and Olivia were still talking, Dave made coffees for them all, it was midnight before Dave and Sally were on their own. “How much did you tell Olivia?” “Nothing, I said there was not much to it.” “Michael asked if I was involved in the shooting on Saturday night. I said for him not to ask.” Sally suggested they go back upstairs and continue where they left off earlier.
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