Ultimatum

Forty-eight

19.28

‘They’re clearing all the airspace above Greater London,’ said Bolt, coming off the radio to Scotland Yard. ‘Apparently it’s a huge inconvenience.’

Tina lit a cigarette and took a much-needed drag as she walked over to where he was standing at the entrance to the lock-ups. ‘It’s a lot better than having a plane shot down.’

‘The problem is, we’ve only got the word of one informant that this missile even exists, and the transport system’s in enough of a mess as it is after what happened earlier.’

‘We know that the guy who collected the weapon came here at around seven o’clock, and that he was driving a black four-wheel-drive, probably a Shogun,’ said Tina, who’d just been talking to the old man who’d seen him. ‘If we can get some footage from any CCTV cameras around here, we can get the registration and track the suspect that way.’

‘I’ve just been on to Control to get them to check all the available footage. Did the witness get any of the number plate?’

Tina shook her head. ‘Nothing. He said the guy wasn’t acting suspiciously so there was no reason for him to check it. We’re lucky he can almost certainly ID the model.’

‘I’ll make sure they know the time we’re looking at. It’ll narrow it down a bit.’

He went back to the car to radio in again, and Tina took another drag on the cigarette. The night was cold and clear and above her head she saw the lights of an approaching plane, less than a thousand feet up. Someone might be aiming the Stinger at it right now, preparing to fire. As she watched, the plane banked sharply and made a sweeping U-turn until it was heading east and away from the centre of the city, and she gave a sigh of relief. It was good to be back at the sharp end of the fight against crime but, as always, it felt like a losing battle. You put down one person, two more appeared to take his place. The key, though, was to keep fighting. That had always been Tina’s philosophy. Never give up. And, even though there’d been times when she’d come close, she never had.

‘I think we might have a break,’ said Bolt, hurrying back over. ‘Control says a black Mitsubishi Shogun passed through the camera at the entrance to Crucifix Lane heading south at six fifty-eight. That’s about three minutes’ drive from here so the timings fit perfectly. They’ve got the Shogun’s registration number so they’re pulling out all the stops to track its route.’

‘That’s got to be our man, Mike, and he’s got to be the one who’s going to be using the missile as well.’

Tina stubbed her cigarette out underfoot and looked at her watch. It had just turned 7.30. Less than half an hour to the terrorists’ deadline.

She took a deep breath. She hated waiting around, especially when time was so short. She just wanted to get out there, chase down the Shogun and its driver. Nicking the bastard before he had a chance to fire his missile. But just because they’d got his registration didn’t mean they were going to get him.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to smoke in Bolt’s car, Tina decided to live dangerously and light another cigarette. The pressure was beginning to get to her. It had been a long and intense day, yet they’d made real progress. Now, with the sky cleared of planes, they’d taken away the terrorists’ targets, and although she knew that would only put off an attack rather than stop one altogether, it was still something.

An armed cop in one of the two ARVs parked a few feet away gave her a disapproving look as she dragged hard on the cigarette, savouring the dirty taste, and she gave him a far harder look back, pleased to see him drop his gaze.

She smiled to herself as she turned away, pacing the row of lock-ups, shivering against the cold.

And that was when she saw it. Over in the distance.

Her heart lurched in shock as the grim and terrifying possibility occurred to her.

The terrorists might not be after a plane at all.