They walked up and down both sides of the street, it was quiet, Trevor was correct, there was no place to hide. They got coffees from a kebab shop, Dave said he would take the first stint, Trevor was to take over at 04:00, this was nothing new to Dave, he had spent plenty of time huddled in cold, cramped spaces for hours at a time, often with no results. The coffee was soon finished, he put his phone on vibrate, he still had a call from the Brigadier to come. He walked up and down the street several times, always looking for movement. By 00:30 it was quiet, he huddled down in a shop doorway, he felt his phone ring at 02:15, pulling it out his pocket, he quickly answered it, “where are you, I read your note, but I thought you would be back by now?” “I’m watching the flat, Trevor is taking over at 04:00, I’ll be back after that, get some sleep, you may be taking over later.” When Trevor took over, Dave had still not heard anything about the Army help. He was stiff, he decided to walk back, it was getting light, Google Maps said it was just over three miles, he would be in by 05:00. “Either myself or Sally will relieve you, I have a meeting at 07:00, I will speak to you later.” Trevor took over where Dave had been, he had his backpack with him, inside would be different outfits he would change into during the day. He dropped his clothes on the floor, his phone rang at 06:00, it wasn’t the Brigadier, it was one of his staff, he was told the Army would be there at 07:00. It wasn’t worth going back to sleep, Sally hadn’t moved, he closed the door of the bathroom and showered and shaved, he wrote another note for Sally, and slipped out the room, he left the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the handle. In the meeting room he laid out the maps and switched on the laptop. Breakfast started at 07:00, he decided the meeting could begin there. Dave spotted the policeman, even though he was wearing a suit, his walk gave it away. He stood up from his chair in reception, “I’m David Stretton, you must be the Area Commander, the walk gives it away, “Richard Sullivan,” “we are waiting for the Army, once he is here we will have breakfast and discuss what I require.” There was no mistaking the Army officer, he was in uniform, “Captain Gordon Cromarty,” once the introductions were done they headed into the restaurant. It was a buffet, they all helped themselves, and sat down, Dave was finished first. “I’ll talk while you eat, interrupt me at any time. First of all, thank you for coming.” He gave enough background information to let them know the seriousness of the situation. “My brief is simple, to apprehend the people involved, if they use firearms, then I will retaliate. I think the exchange will take place somewhere round here. I will explain my plan when we move to the private meeting room.” There was no more talk as they finished breakfast. They each took a coffee with them. He closed and locked the meeting room door, the three sat round one end of the large table. “No doubt you have both looked up my files, the police one will say I’m a taxi driver, the Army one will say I was a sergeant, there will be lots of it you cannot read. Both are true, I also work for the MOD and MI5, I’m good at my job, that’s why I’m here, I will be in charge, I hope you have been told that, when I ask for something to happen, I don’t want to have to repeat myself. The plan is very fluid, depending on a number of factors, I have someone watching their flat now, I was there until 04:00. Let’s look at the maps, I need local knowledge.” There was a red dot on the street map, “this is the flat, as far as I am aware, they don’t have transport, but I could be wrong, the occupants are a man and woman, she is Russian, he is an ex SAS soldier reported missing, presumed dead, he is very much alive. The yacht will be here in the next couple of days, we need to be ready to go instantly.” Looking at the policeman, he asked where a yacht could moor. “Off the yacht club here,” he pointed to a place on the map, “there are also jetty’s across the river in Tayport and Wormit.” He pointed out the two harbours. Dave asked about a harbour much closer, in Broughty Ferry, “no, that one is tidal, at low tide there wouldn’t be enough clearance. It has to be one of these three.” Dave thought for a moment, “It will be the one off the beach, he can see who is approaching, it gives him the advantage.” Looking at the Captain, “sir, I want two fast patrol boats, station them here,” he put his finger below a dock in the harbour, the policeman said that wouldn’t be possible, it was inside the dock area, “it’s a secure port.” “Put the boats here, you won’t have any problem, if there is, use force. Richard, you will make sure the army will have access. The boats fuelled and ready to go, one with an armed crew of four, the other I will use. Their job will be to back me up if necessary. I will also want spotters at all three locations. Richard, I will need armed officers on standby to raid the flat as soon as the job is over. Sir, is there a base nearby we can use?” It was the policeman who answered, “There is a TA base about five minutes from the docks, less with a police escort.” “Good, set it up.” Dave was asked who would be with him, “There is another person, however they have been up for twenty four hours and are sleeping.” They spent another hour discussing and going over the plan, notes were being made. As they were finishing, his phone went, he listened to the call, “going on his position, if he is making for the Tay, when do you expect him to arrive?” Dave listened to the reply and thanked the person on the other end. “OK it’s tomorrow, with the speed the yacht is making, he will arrive in the morning, we have twenty four hours, Captain, I want everything in place by late this afternoon, the men to be ready by 18:00, the same goes for you Richard, if there are any problems, I want to know about them immediately, sir, there will be additional equipment for the two of us, can you make sure it comes up with the men, we will collect it this evening. I would like to see the men and give them a briefing, will you give me contact details later, email them or send a text. OK I think that’s it, I will check in at 17:00 to make sure everything is in place.” He walked down to reception with them, they shook hands and were gone. Turning to go up to the room, he saw Sally having breakfast, he made another coffee and joined her. “How much sleep have you had?” “I’m OK,” “no you’re not, you look knackered.” “I’ll get a couple of hours later.” Sally was brought up to date with the latest developments, “Dave, we are running out of clothes,” “go shopping, buy another suitcase, get enough clothes for two more days, we also need black overalls, you know what I mean, boots as well, don’t bother with balaclavas, I’m going back to relieve Trevor, I need him to do a long shift tonight.” Dave cleared the meeting room, when they were alone, Sally hugged him, “when we are done, I want lots of loving, no distractions.” They kissed before going down to reception, Sally asked where the shops were, Dave ordered a taxi. He couldn’t find Trevor, he felt a nudge on his arm, looking round, he saw him with a woman. Dave waited until he was finished, “who was she?” “No idea, I saw her standing about, so I started talking to her, it passed the time.” “Has there been any action?” “The woman came out, went across the road to the little supermarket, she came back with milk, nothing else. The man occasionally looks out the window, but he isn’t scanning, just looking, like he was waiting for someone.” “I’ll take over, be back at 16:00, I think it will start tonight or tomorrow, I want to know everything, however small.” Trevor returned with a coffee for Dave, “see you later.” He leant against a wall looking like he was waiting for someone. As Trevor had said, every so often the man would look out the window. Dave moved places several times, he took his jacket off in case it was noticed. Lunch was bananas from a greengrocer, he said to Trevor on his return about the man looking, he had a coffee in his hand, inside his backpack was a flask and packets of sandwiches. Trevor was going to be there for some time.
Dave took a taxi back to the hotel, he called Jane first, “It’s on for the morning, by this time tomorrow it should be done. I will let you know.” She said for him and Sally to take care. The call to the Brigadier took longer, he confirmed everything Dave wanted would be with the commandos. “David, there has been a development. A Russian trawler is being monitored, it is possibly heading towards Dundee, I will keep you informed, the Captain doesn’t like you, but then I’m not surprised. Take care.” Two calls came in at the same time, he answered the one from the Area Commander, he said a traffic car would be at the TA building from 05:00, Dave thanked him. He rang the missed call, it was the Captain, “everything is in place, the men and the boats are in position.” The shopping was laid out on the bed, “you said to buy a suitcase, I bought enough stuff to put in it.” “Tonight we have to meet the men who we will be working with tomorrow, you might get a bit of ribbing for being a woman, don’t worry about it.” They ate in the hotel before going out. They used their MOD ID’s to get into the building, Dave met the Lieutenant in charge, the men were called into the room, Dave stood on a chair. “I’m not going to spend long on this, I have a lot still to do, tomorrow a yacht is expected, we don’t know where it will stop, that is why we have three spotters, I will speak to them afterwards. Your main job is to back me up. I have no idea how it will work out, decisions will be made as we go along, nobody fires unless they are fired on, then it’s a free for all. I would like prisoners but not at the risk of one of you being shot. Standing beside me is Sally, she will be with us, do not underestimate her, she is a cracking shot and a good fighter. Any derogatory comments are likely to end up with a bullet in your bollocks.” There was a laugh in the room, “treat her like anyone else in the team. That’s about it, we need to be ready to go from 06:00, I need to speak to the spotters and then someone to take us down to the docks, I want to refresh myself with the handling.” He spent some time with the spotters, he pointed out the three possibilities, “I want you there from first light, radio in everything that happens, no matter how trivial.”
Sally looked at the two boats, inside they were basic, she was offered a buoyancy aid, she shook her head. Dave was shown the controls. Sally sat behind him, he fired up the engine, untied the rope and moved out into the river, he could feel Sally gripping him. Opening up the throttle, the boat roared away, Sally gripped even tighter, if Dave could have seen her face, he would have seen a broad grin. He slowed down, stood up from the controls and said for Sally to move forward. “Push that lever forward and we go faster, pull it back and we go slower, give it a try.” She pushed the lever slowly the boat moved off, she steered with one hand and held the lever with the other, within half an hour she had it, she never stopped smiling, she pulled up adjacent to the other boat, Dave said for it to be refuelled, there were two soldiers spending the night guarding them, they would do it. They were dropped off at the hotel, looking at his phone he saw Trevor had called. In the room he called him back. “There’s a load of weapons gone into the flat, plus two more men.” Dave asked how he knew. “A car pulled up, the door opened, the curtain twitcher helped carry in black canvas bags, I know what weapons look like, even in a bag, you can just tell. One new man went upstairs, the other went off in the car and returned a few minutes later, all four are up there, the lights are on.” Dave thanked him and said to ring in anything else, no matter what time it was. He set the alarm for 04:00, he lay in bed going over every possible scenario, before drifting off into a restless sleep. Dave suddenly woke, looking at his phone he saw it was 03:15, slipping out the bed, he went into the bathroom closing the door, he called Trevor. “Fucking Hell, do you ever sleep?” “I’ve overlooked something, when they leave in the car, I want you to follow them. Is it all quiet just now?” “The lights have been out for hours.” “Find something to put against the door, so you will know if it has been opened, get your car and park it further along the street, when they leave, follow them, I want an open line, it will be either Sally or myself on the other end. Jam a piece of paper in the door, let me know if it has moved when you return. Do it now.” Returning to bed, he closed his eyes, but didn’t sleep again.
Dave was out of bed the moment the alarm went off, Sally took longer, showered, and dressed, Sally had bought black trousers and jumpers, she hadn’t been able to find overalls. He made coffee as Sally got ready, in his backpack, he put their Glocks, weapons should be waiting for them, however he didn’t want to leave them in the hotel. In reception, he asked the night porter to call a taxi. On the way, he stopped at a garage, he wanted chocolate and biscuits. There was a smell of bacon as they entered the room where the men were gathered, bacon rolls were for breakfast. Dave found the Lieutenant, he was handed a kit bag. Sally was being chatted to by the men, she was being teased. Dave was handed a paper plate with two rolls, a mug of coffee was put on a table beside. Talking to the officer, he asked if the spotters were in place, “yes, they radioed in half an hour ago.” Opening the kit bag, he took out two Kevlar vests, he passed one to Sally, he found a green canvas waistcoat with multiple pockets, she strapped on the bullet proof vest before pulling on the waistcoat, Dave altered it at the back to be a snug fit. Next she was handed two Glocks and five empty magazines, she emptied the bag looking for the shells, she was watched as she filled the magazines, put a full one in each of the Glocks and the three spare in one of the pockets. Dave was doing the same, but no one watched him. Sally left the loaded guns on a table within easy reach. She was handed an eight inch knife in a sheath, it was pulled out and pushed back in a couple of times to check how easy it was to remove. In the backpack was black duct tape. She strapped the knife to the side of her right leg, near to the top, she again tried pulling it out, she was pleased with the result. The Glocks were then put in a pocket on each side of the waistcoat, she flexed her arms to make sure she could move freely, happy with the way it was, she took off the waistcoat, hanging it on the back of a chair. This was the boring part, sitting waiting, Dave asked if everyone knew what they were doing, two policemen who would be driving the escort cars came in, they had coffee and rolls, one asked what was taking place, there was no answer. Headsets were passed round, each one was checked, “there is to be no conversation unless it is to report something, I will be giving the orders, do not ask stupid questions, as soon as there is movement I will give out the final plan, however it is likely to change at very short notice.” One of the men went over to Sally, he offered her a helmet, she took it, felt the weight and said no, she did ask for a green snood to stop her hair from blowing about, there was a laugh from those nearby. Dave was asked about his past, Sally was amazed at how open he was, he explained later, he was amongst people who understood. The talk was about how different the Commando training was compared to the SAS, there was friendly rivalry about who had to endure the worse conditions. Suddenly there were voices on the radio, a yacht had been seen passing the castle. It had been reported from the spotter at the yacht club and the one in Tayport. Dave phoned Trevor, “nothing to report here, except the window twitcher, he’s very nervous.” He then called the Brigadier and Jane Goodley, he said it wouldn’t be long now. Turning to the room he said as soon as the yacht had moored or tied up, they would move down to the harbour. Thirty minutes later, the radio message said the yacht had dropped anchor around five hundred metres off the yacht club, he was close to several other moored but unoccupied boats. “OK let’s go,” there was a scraping of chairs, there was no talking, each person knew what they were doing. “Keep listening on the radio, give me updates over the headphones.” He heard the message as they entered the docks, ‘one on deck, making a call’. Dave said for the spotters in Tayport and Wormit to remain in place. His phone was ringing, “One left in a hurry.” “Get in your car ready to move, phone me back.” The boats were started up and left idling, a map was spread out on the ground. Dave wondered out loud, “how are they to get out to the yacht, unless he will use the dinghy to come ashore,” he discounted that idea, it would be too dangerous for Thomas Grassington, the odds wouldn’t be in his favour. Another radio message said he had a handgun. Dave was beginning to think he had missed something when his phone rang, “The guns are back in the car, separate bags plus two suitcases, four in the car, heading towards Dundee.” “Keep on the line Sally will relay your updates.” He returned to the map, “they are heading towards Dundee, so it won’t be the dinghy.” He called across the two policemen, “where can someone pick up a boat from?” “This one has a gate across it, so not there, they could have one further up towards Perth, but there isn’t a harbour.” “Dave, they are crossing the river.” “What about the other side?” “There is a marina in Tayport and a smaller one in Wormit.” “Sally, ask what car it is and the registration number.” “It’s a white BMW X5,” she gave him the registration number. “Pass the details on to the spotters, I want immediate notification of a sighting.” He moved away, unwrapped a Mars bar and ate it, he didn’t know why he did, it wasn’t one of his favourites. “They have turned left at the end of the bridge, Trevor says the sign is for Tayport.” “Tell the spotter to be ready.” Messages were now being relayed to Dave from Trevor and the radio operator, “Tell Trevor as soon as he sees the marina to pull back and wait.” Two minutes later the spotter was on the radio, “car, identified, four up, woman, three men. Backed up to near a pontoon, four out, tailgate open, two suitcases, four black hessian bags and a white duffle bag. Car locked, heading towards a boat. Large power boat, twin outboards, looks fast. Covers off, four on board, engine started, moving slowly out from berth.” “OK, here we go, be careful and good luck, listen to my instructions. We will move slowly out into the river. Sit either side of the middle, Lieutenant, I want an Apache gunship in the air, if we are outrun, I don’t want it to meet up with the Russian trawler.” “I don’t have the authority to do that.” “Contact the Captain, tell him I am demanding it.”
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