Vanished

Chapter 26

Maggie peeled the burnt cheese from the top of the cottage pie in one big strip, then sprinkled more grated cheese on top of the potato and started the process again. She set an alarm on Jack’s mobile for fifteen minutes and headed upstairs, leaving Jack and Ridley to talk in private.

Ridley stood in the middle of the lounge holding a large gift-wrapped box with a white envelope sellotaped to the side. He placed it amongst the other gifts as Jack brought two glasses and a bottle of whisky through from the kitchen.

‘Sorry to disturb your evening. I need to explain a few things. Such as why I pulled the rug out from under you earlier.’ Jack indicated that Ridley should sit down. Ridley sipped his whisky. It was so smooth and warming, that he couldn’t help but take two more sips before continuing.

‘The Drug Squad has been joined by the National Crime Agency. They have covert ops tracking a haulage firm from the Netherlands to Ireland via the UK. With the help of informants along the entire route, the NCA, slowly but surely, is tracking drug labs on an industrial scale. Their biggest single haul being twenty-seven arrests in Northumberland, confiscating twenty blocks of cocaine and 380 blocks of cannabis travelling from Holland to Ireland. SOCA’s involved, too, mainly monitoring the M6. They’re working towards a massive swoop but so far the only arrests they’ve made are some lower-strata dealers and distributors. That’s the way it always goes. They believe the kingpin is a man originally from Leeds. He’s been seen at a large property in Spain, but that gave them nothing they could use. He’s smart. Uses a different burner phone each day. And none of the low-level gang members will give him up: they either don’t know who he is or are too scared to say. The NCA even has one of his accountants, and they normally turn pretty quickly, but this one’s practically mute. Two days ago, they got a tip-off from a woman that he might be hiding in Lithuania. She’s now in a safe house somewhere on the south coast.’

Jack whistled. ‘Wow. And this smuggling operation — worthy of the National Crime Agency and the Serious Organised Crime Agency — is using Avril’s home as one of their bases?’

‘Just as Josh said they would be.’ Ridley emptied his glass. ‘They utilise small-scale bolt-holes across the UK and Europe. Usually homes, and often occupied. It’s a sort of cuckooing approach. They’re basically hideouts from where they can still do business.’ Ridley sat forwards in his seat and let his empty glass dangle from his fingertips. ‘Some of the gang already caught are hired muscle — even hired guns. Steve Lewis thinks our killers are amongst them.’

‘Then we should be the ones to interview them, sir.’

Ridley shook his head. ‘They’re connected to his drugs case. He’ll only pass them across to us when he’s finished with them.’

Jack gave a long, heavy sigh. ‘Sir... do they think Adam Border is their kingpin?’

Ridley shrugged. ‘That conversation is above my pay grade.’ He swung his empty glass, unsubtly drawing Jack’s eye. Jack emptied his own glass, then refilled both. ‘I did remind them that we have an established connection between Avril, Adam and Leeds, but... the thing Steve keeps coming back to about Adam Border is that he’s an art student turned gardener. Can he really be the brains behind an international drug cartel?’ Jack smiled his answer: anyone can be anything. ‘Steve Lewis told me all of this in a FYEO meeting yesterday. He told me to tell my team nothing, except to ask before they do anything in case they inadvertently tip off the wrong people. But you? You, he told me to send home for a week. Because you never ask before you do anything. If we tread on their toes or tip anyone off or do anything to compromise their investigation, we’re both gone.’ Jack put the fresh glass of whisky into Ridley’s waiting hand. ‘One place I’m asking you not to tread, is Ireland. Not now it’s been identified as the destination of a multimillion-Euro drugs haul. That is an order, Jack.’

Ridley sipped his drink and sat back.

‘So... what do I say in this best man’s speech?’