Page 86 of One Left Alive
‘What would he want with one of those? Have you seen where he lives?’
‘No, I haven’t. But I think we need to search it. He’s hiding something, it’s obvious, and maybe this is where he’s keeping it.’
‘What if it isn’t? He might have a porn stash there for all we know given his liking for sex in public places; God knows what else he gets up to in his spare time.’
‘Sir, staff at the newspaper said that Jamie Stone had a file of the newspaper cuttings relating to the O’Brien murders. They are nowhere to be found and we think his killer has taken them. There must have been something in them that might incriminate him. If nothing else Barker breached his police bail: he was warned not to leave his house after 20.00hours.’
The DCI drummed his fingers on the top of his desk, then opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of Gaviscon. Unscrewing the cap, he drank it straight from the bottle and grimaced.
‘Leave it with me, get the search team assembled. I’ll get the warrant; I never liked the self-serving prick anyway.’
Ben grinned. ‘Thank you.’
‘How’s the rookie getting on? Do you think we’ve pushed her further than we should?’
‘Morgan is brilliant; she’s an asset to the team. It was a wise decision. We wouldn’t be where we are now if it weren’t for her instincts and dedication. I want to put her on the detective course ASAP and make her a permanent part of the team.’
‘Wow, that’s some strong praise from you, Ben. Good, I’m glad.’
Ben left him making the phone calls to get the warrant they needed. He would have Barker back in custody within hours, hopefully. This time he wouldn’t be leaving so soon.
Three hours later they were good to go; an arrest team was assembled to go to Barker’s home address comprising Ben, Amy and two armed Taskforce officers. Morgan was to lead the search team to the lock-up and oversee the search. The briefing room was alive with electricity; adrenalin and nerves were running high. There was a lot at stake here: they needed Barker in cuffs, but first of all they needed the lock-up searched for any evidence. Anything found would give them the grounds to arrest him again. They would be waiting for the go-ahead from Morgan. Before they split off into their two respective teams, the DCI called Ben to one side.
‘You’re sure the rookie can handle this much responsibility on her own?’
‘Morgan, she has a name. And yes, I think she is more than capable, and she’s not on her own; Al and the rest of the team will be with her.’
‘I suppose so.’
Morgan was watching. He could tell she was worried and he smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up. She smiled back and he felt better.
They were going to park up along the quiet country lane where Barker’s house was. The two Taser-trained officers were going to go up to the house and do a bit of a recce. Once they had the all-clear they’d go in. Ben was looking forward to seeing his face when he realised he was up shit creek.
Amy whispered to him, ‘What if there’s nothing in the lock-up? You have thought about that, haven’t you? For all we know he’s leading us on a wild goose chase to piss us off for yesterday.’
‘He didn’t know Morgan was in the takeaway, though, did he? And we had no car following him. It doesn’t matter. He’s up to something. If there’s nothing inside then I’ll take the flak for it.’
‘I hope you’re right, boss. I like working for you. It would really spoil my life if you got suspended.’
He laughed. ‘And mine. I’m just beginning to enjoy working with you.’
She elbowed him in the side. ‘Arsehole.’
Morgan followed the search team out to their waiting van and he found himself wishing he was going with her, but it was safer for her to go to the lock-up. He was sure of it; he wanted her as far away from Barker as possible, especially after the way he behaved yesterday. The man was becoming unhinged.
* * *
The Honey Pot estate was eerily calm. Morgan sat in the front of the van directing the driver where to go. He stopped at the entrance to the lock-ups and blocked the narrow entrance road so no one could drive in or out. There was no sign of Barker; there was no sign of anyone. She pointed to the door and within a couple of minutes two officers dressed from head to toe in black had used a pair of bolt cutters to cut the thick, padlocked chain off the front of it. The door still didn’t move. Another two took over, using the big red battering ram to break the lock. Four huge whacks and the shiny new door was bent beyond repair.
It lifted three quarters of the way up and jammed. The two officers scrambled underneath it into the darkness. They shone their lights around. Inside was a car under a protective cover, and there were various boxes stacked up. They went outside and gave Morgan a thumbs up. Dressed in protective clothing, she and Al ducked under the door. A pull string dangled down and Al tugged it, filling the space with bright, white light.
Morgan walked to the car, lifting the cover and saw a small black sports car.
Al whistled. ‘Nice car, that’s an MG Classic from the seventies. Doesn’t look like it’s been used since then either. It’s immaculate; the paintwork is pristine. It must be worth a bit, that. I wonder why he’s keeping it here and not at home. I’m amazed it hasn’t been stolen.’
Morgan phoned Ben, who answered on the first ring. ‘There’s an MG sports car in here, from the seventies.’ She peered inside the windows at it. ‘Al’s doing a PNC now.’
They all paused as the control room operator gave the results.
