The Boudicca Parchments

Chapter 36

“He was telling the truth after all.”

DCI Vincent was briefing Sergeant Connor and the rest of the core team about the phone company records in a corner of the Incident Room

“Do we know the contents? Or just the fact that they were in contact?”

“We’ve got the actual messages. Everything was exactly the way he said, practically verbatim. His recollection was pretty damn good.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t kill Costa. They could’ve had an argument. Costa might have changed his mind.

“Could have, might have… that’s all just speculation. The evidence checks out. As to what went down there. We know that Klein was telling us the truth about the build up to the final events. Why should we doubt his word about what happened when he got there?”

“‘Cause it doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone else try to kill them? And why by fire? And what about the tip-off about Klein siphoning off petrol?”

The Chief Inspector smiled.

“Oh yes, the famous anonymous tip-off.”

“Anons are frequently reliable. And the caller didn’t even ask for a reward.”

“That’s what makes it unreliable.”

“Why?”

The DCI smiled at his sergeant’s naivety.

“Look at it this way Joe, if you were an ordinary citizen and you saw the chance to help the police catch a criminal and make some money for yourself at the same time, wouldn’t you do so?”

“That’s why I became a copper sir,” said Connor, smiling.

Vincent smiled back at the sergeant’s smart-Alec reply.

“Okay but you know what I mean. The reward can be paid anonymously. People often call Crimestoppers for precisely that reason. But this one didn’t bother about the reward… like maybe he had some other agenda.”

“Isn’t that also speculation sir?”

“It is. But let’s just call it informed speculation. I mean an anonymous tip-off is only useful if it leads us to some real solid evidence or to investigate some one so that we find the real solid evidence. But in this case, the only evidence we have left — that incriminates Klein — is the anonymous tip-off itself. That’s about it.”

“Have we got the test results back about the quantity of petrol in the tank and the fuel consumption estimates?”

“We’ve got the results, but the margin of error’s too big.”

“But what’s the bottom line?”

“The bottom line is that he probably didn’t siphon off petrol from the tank. So even that’s a point in his favour.”

“And what about the escape?”

“Based on what the surviving guard said, it wasn’t so much an escape as an attempt to kill him.”

“But what about the man on the motorbike sir? I mean he didn’t force Klein to get on the back and ride pillion. Klein made that choice.”

“That’s the hangnail in this whole scenario. There seems to be a third force at work here — or maybe even a fourth force. I’m losing count.”

“Well whoever it was, was pretty ruthless. I mean he took out those two gunmen without a moment’s hesitation.”

“Yes, but that’s the thing sergeant, he only killed what might be called the guilty. He didn’t touch the innocent.”

“Maybe he was trying to silence them?”

“That makes no sense.”

“Why not? Maybe he set the whole thing up. He was using them to spring Klein and then when they’d done their work, he silenced them.”

“But if the plan was to spring Klein, then why did the man dressed like a Hassidic Jew aim his gun at Klein, like he was trying to kill him?”

“Maybe he wasn’t aiming it at Klein sir. Maybe he was trying to kill the third guard.”

“Then why didn’t the man on the bike let him?”

Connor thought about this for a few seconds.

“Cause he panicked?”

“And why did the man on the motorbike let the big man live if he was trying to silence him? Why not shoot him too, if the aim was to silence him and not merely stop him?”

“That’s a good question. But he did send him flying when he rammed him with his motorbike. And his principle aim by that stage did seem to be to get Klein out of there.”

“Exactly. Whereas the others looked like they were trying to kill Klein.”

Connor backed down, deflated.

“So you don’t think they were on the same team sir?”

“No sergeant. I think we’re dealing with two separate forces here: one trying to kill Daniel Klein and the other trying to keep him alive.”

At that moment, a member of the team manning the phones waved to get the DCI’s attention.

“What is it?” asked Vincent.

“It’s a call from the Met. There’s been an attack on a woman called Julia Sasson and her children… by a man dressed as a Hassidic Jew.”

“And?” the DCI murmured, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Well it was also foiled by a man on a motorbike… who then drove off.”

“Let me speak.”

He strode across the room and grabbed the phone.

“DCI Vincent.”

“Hallo, this is DI Wilson, Met Area 2, Colindale. I suppose you got all that?”

“Yes, but what sort of attack was it And who was the victim?”

“Well we’re still gathering evidence and getting down the details, but it may have been an abduction attempt on the daughter of a woman called Julia Sasson.”

“And what do we know about this Julia Sasson?”

“Well that’s the interesting thing. She’s the sister of Daniel Klein.”