The coach bomber, p.13
The Coach Bomber, page 13
‘Back up on the chair, do your job,’ said Macleod. He didn’t wait for an answer, instead letting Clarissa encourage the young man back up onto his high seat.
As Macleod approached the sauna, a large man stepped across his path, but Macleod feinted to go to one side, then to the other, and walked past him. As he made his way further, two men stood side by side, offering no way around them. Macleod stopped and looked up at them. Behind him, he heard a splash as someone entered the water. A few seconds later, Clarissa Urquhart stepped in front of him.
‘If you don’t mind, lads, the Inspector needs to see your boss.’
‘But the boss doesn’t want to see him. I think he should retire.’
‘I don’t think you understand,’ said Clarissa. ‘My boss wants to see your boss. You need to stand aside. I will then stand aside and they can talk.’
Macleod, while anxious to get to Declan O’Malley, was enjoying himself, watching his newest officer handle the pair.
‘I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,’ said the largest of the two men. He put his arm forward, looking to push Clarissa back. She moved to one side, slapped one half of a pair of cuffs on the man before reaching and grabbing the other man’s wrist. Before they knew what was happening, she’d cuffed the two of them together.
‘Step aside,’ she said.
The two men now both tried to get her. As they moved forward, she stomped hard on the foot of one man, then the other, causing them to wince. She then pushed with all her might up into the rib cage of one of the men who stumbled, then tumbled into the swimming pool, taking the other man with him. Macleod wiped down some of the water that had splashed onto his trousers.
‘Don’t leave those cuffs in there,’ said Macleod, ‘I’m not sure what chlorine does to them.’ Then he opened the door to the sauna before any other men from O’Malley’s crew could reach him.
Inside the sauna were three men. One probably close to his seventies, with grey hair parted on one side, sitting with just a white towel on. From the photo fits given to him back at the station, Macleod knew this was O’Malley. The two either side of him were his protection. When they stood up, Macleod held up his hands.
‘Don’t. My name is Detective Inspector Macleod, and somebody put a bomb on a coach.’
The two men either side of O’Malley went to stand, but he raised his own hands. ‘A delight to see you, Inspector. What can I be doing for you?’
Macleod noted that behind him, Clarissa was now standing in the doorway, and he saw the eyes of the two bodyguards watching her.
‘The coach was blown up with Semtex, Irish manufacturer. Definite link,’ said Macleod. ‘Also took out Eamon McGinty, nasty man. Very nasty. He caused a thorn in a lot of people’s sides. Rising star of Mr. Devine.’
Declan O’Malley showed absolutely no shock or surprise. He sat back nonchalantly, allowing the sweat rolling down the side of his face to drip onto his body.
‘What do you take me for, Inspector? I don’t do stuff like that. I don’t blow people up. A lot of people on that coach. If I’m honest, Eamon McGinty, good riddance. Like you said, nasty boy. Kind of people Devine would use. He’s got no class. You know that. They say the Irish are extra wild. You say we’re reckless. I’m not that reckless. If I had a problem with McGinty, there’s no way I’d have taken out a whole bus. Sounds more like a terrorist event.’
Macleod nodded. ‘That’s what we thought, but nobody’s claimed.’
‘No point being a terrorist and not telling people why you’re doing it, and there’s no way it was me either.’
‘Why?’ asked Macleod.
Declan O’Malley stood up, his towel barely hanging off his hips. ‘Andy, Tommy, kindly step outside with the good lady at the door. I think the adults need to talk together.’ Macleod turned around and looked at Clarissa, giving her a nod. When the sauna door closed behind him, Macleod sat down, aware that there was a condensation running onto his trousers. He reached up, unbuttoned his shirt, pulled his tie out slightly.
‘If you want, I can get you a towel. It’d be much easier.’
‘I’m not here for a social visit,’ said Macleod. ‘If you were responsible for this bomb, I am coming for you.’
‘But something tells you I’m not, doesn’t it?’ said O’Malley. ‘I’ve heard of you. I’ve seen the reports. You’re a smart cookie. You’ll get your person. You fear Macleod, that’s what they said, fear you. Well, I don’t fear you, Inspector, because I have nothing to fear. I did not touch that coach, and Semtex, I have no need of it.’
‘What about your dealings with Devine? You’re not denying you haven’t had any.’
‘Fisticuffs, bit of rough and tumble. That’s it. It’s never got to the point of killing anyone. A few guys might have had the odd broken arm, got a good seeing to, and that’s it.’
‘Does the name Maggie Brown mean anything to you?’ asked Macleod.
‘Of course,’ said O’Malley. ‘Lovely-looking woman. Sad though to keep her away like that in a flat.’
‘Maggie Brown’s dead. Frank Egg is dead. You can see, sitting here, why it makes sense to me. Maggie Brown had a visit from some of your people.’
‘Of course, Inspector. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Little bit of gang warfare, little bit of tit for tat. It doesn’t do any good. Frank Egg is not one of my crew. Worked with me but not one of my crew. That was Devine. You can be sure of it, Macleod, but he’s not come for me. He’s not sure about the bombing either. He’s looking at his own people. He’s worried. He’s worried he’s got an internal problem. That’s why it’s Frank Egg. Frank Egg was taken out because he belongs to nobody but he’s given me a message. Do you understand? He said, ‘If it is you, I’m coming,’ but he’s got to sort house first.’
‘So, what? You didn’t go near Maggie Brown?’
‘No,’ said O’Malley. ‘Maggie Brown has a long history with people like Mr. Devine and myself. Maggie used to be with me. I threw Maggie out when she started seeing Devine, but I wouldn’t kill her, a lovely lass but a daft one. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have her back. Too much of a liability, but Devine liked that about her, a dolly bird on the side. But maybe she knew something. Maybe they’re clearing house. You tell me, Inspector.’
Macleod stood up, walked to the door, but then turned back. He stared at O’Malley, then made his way forward again. ‘You’d better be right because if this escalates, I’m coming for you all.’
‘Inspector, understand, business is good. I have no need to establish more territory. Any tit for tat is bad for business.’ Macleod nodded and walked out of the sauna to find Clarissa standing with four men around her. Two of them were dripping wet and still handcuffed together.
Macleod heard Declan O’Malley open the sauna door behind him.
‘If you don’t mind, Inspector, can we get the handcuffs off those two?’
Macleod nodded, ‘Indeed. Maybe you need to teach them a few more manners. They thought they were going to handle a lady.’ Macleod saw O’Malley stare at Clarissa who gave him a hard stare back.
‘That’s no lady,’ said O’Malley; ‘that’s an outright tiger,’ and he burst out laughing. When Clarissa took the key for her cuffs and undid them, O’Malley came forward still dressed in his towel and stood beside her. ‘My apologies, ma’am. A little bit overprotective, some of my boys. You two, escort this delightful woman and her boss to the door.’
Clarissa was a conundrum to Macleod. She was a rank too high to be working under Hope and in many ways, Macleod believed she was a perfect teacher for her. Clarissa could breach that line where you had to force an issue, but she never got caught on the wrong side. Hope would need to know these things. But she could also teach Hope how to play a man, not sexually, but by reaching those parts of him that feel endearment beyond a sexual response. These parts instilled a loyalty that was often undeserved and hard for the man to ignore. Macleod never knew how women did that. And Clarissa did it well. Classy if exuberant, like her car.
Macleod started to move off, but as he was about leave the poolside, he heard a shout from O’Malley.
‘Internal, Macleod, trust me.’
Chapter 17
Hope McGrath was sitting in a car racing towards Wick. She had waited out on the A9 while a member from the drug squad down in Glasgow had driven up along with several vans from his team towards Wick, stopping on the way to give Hope a lift. Once in the car, she was briefed on how they were following a fishing boat, which was about to come into Wick Harbour. They believed there to be Semtex on board, and from a similar batch to that which caused the explosion on the coach. The sergeant driving the car was quite enamoured with having Hope on board and talked incessantly all the way to Wick. Hope could smell the egg sandwich on his breath and wondered if it would be impolite to pop to a shop for some mints and then offer them to him.
While his personal hygiene may not have been the best, the sergeant certainly came through with the goods as Hope sat on the harbour side at Wick watching the team storm the boat as soon as it had tied up. Those on board were taken to Wick Police Station and held in the cells while the Glasgow team organised themselves for the subsequent interviews and set up forensic information-gathering around the boat. While the team were getting ready for the interviews, Hope stepped out and found a place to eat. She wondered when next she’d be able to feed her famished stomach. It was still a two-hour drive back to Inverness, and more importantly, back to her vehicle. She wasn’t sure when the Glasgow team would be making that trip. As she sat sipping lemonade, her mobile rang, and she picked it up to see the inspector was on the other end of the line.
‘Hope, got some information for you. I spoke to O’Malley. He’s saying he’s not involved at all. He’s not even being coy about it, very straightforward, and he makes a lot of sense. I checked with drugs division and his business is good. He doesn’t need a lot of territory. Seems quite happy with what he’s got. He’s old in the tooth as well. Probably a bit wiser than Devine. Certainly doesn’t seem the type to start a gang war. He’s also disclaiming any idea that he would use Semtex. We checked his history. I can’t see any public injury. Everything he’s done, he’s done to rivals. Everything he’s suspected of has the trademark that the public seem to be kept well out of the way. He’s keen not to draw too much attention to himself.’
‘That old thing, as long as they keep fighting amongst themselves, nobody’s that worried. That what you’re on about?’ asked Hope.
‘Exactly. He doesn’t leave bodies out in the open. They get buried, the ones he’s suspected of killing. Other people have disappeared. He might be a nasty piece of work, but he’s a sharp one and he understands public perception and how quick heat can be applied to his operation. Doesn’t seem to need to be as brash as Devine. In fact, he dressed a couple of his people down in front of Clarissa.’
‘Dressed them down in front of Clarissa?’ said Hope, surprised. ‘What did she do to them?’
‘She threw them in the pool, Hope. I told you she could handle herself. She doesn’t mess about.’
‘Were they big guys?’ asked Hope.
‘Proper big guys. She’s old school. She fights dirty. She’s not like you with your hand-to-hand techniques. Stomped on their bare feet, handcuffed them, shoved them in the pool. Quick, nasty, effective.’
‘Okay, Seoras, but you didn’t ring me just to tell me that.’
‘No, what’s your update?’
Hope explained the situation, and she could hear the silence as Macleod was thinking.
‘You’ll not be in the interview but stay close to it. Make sure they ask about who that Semtex is going to. I need to know O’Malley’s not involved. He might be playing me for the fool. If he is, he’s doing it darn well. Find out where it went and don’t be afraid to jump in if you have to.’
‘That’s understood,’ said Hope. ‘Anything else?’
‘It’s McGinty’s funeral tomorrow. What’s your status? Are you going to be down here for it? Might be handy having everyone around. I have a feeling we could get busy soon.’
‘I don’t know how long it’s going to take, Seoras. I’ll get the information from up here, make sure I’ve closed off everything that we need, and then I’ll get the first bus, train, or whatever back down.’
‘Understood,’ said Macleod. ‘We’re a little bit behind the drag curve here, and I don’t like it. I’m missing something. O’Malley said it was an interior job. We know that McGinty caused issues. We know McGinty was a nasty boy, but Devine was happy with him. It’s not an easy situation to sort out for anybody further down the chain. Also, an extreme solution to the problem. Were they planting a bomb to give us cover, to make it look like there was somebody else?’
‘However it’s done, it’s done it well,’ said Hope. ‘We don’t seem to be able to trace it to anyone.’
‘Until now. Get on that Semtex; find out who it went through. That’s going to be our link.’
‘Will do, Seoras. Keep safe. By the sounds of it, things are going to heat up.’
Macleod laughed. ‘Don’t worry. I’ve got the Urquhart protecting me.’
McGrath smiled as she closed down the phone call. Rising from her table and leaving some cash, she made her way back to the police station where she found that the temporary room set aside for the Glasgow drugs team was awash with activity. Hope ascertained they were about to start interviewing and asked if she could listen in. It was just professional courtesy because otherwise, why was she there? There were five men on board the fishing vessel and all five had to be interviewed.
The first was the master of the vessel, a grizzly old man who said nothing. The next three were younger men. Hope watched her counterparts offer them all sorts of deals to try and get the men to talk. They wanted to know the chain, where the Semtex was coming from. There were also a number of drug packets on board, and much of the afternoon was spent asking where they had come from. By eight o’clock that night, Hope had had enough. It had been a long day, and she was struggling to focus. As the last interviewee came in, she looked at the man before her and wondered had he even begun to shave. He must’ve been seventeen, maybe eighteen at the most. Then again, there was nobody with him, so he must’ve been older than he looked. The man refused a lawyer and as Hope continued to watch, she found him babbling about his girlfriend and the trouble she was going to be in because they had got caught with the shipment.
The sergeant who had driven Hope up that day was running the interview, and almost immediately jumped all over the man. He was agreeing that the man’s life could be in danger and offering cooperation as a way out. Clearly, the man didn’t trust having a lawyer in either. Hope listened as, over the next thirty minutes, her counterpart managed to secure a deal with the man. He then started spilling the beans.
The fishing boat had been operating in the area for quite a while. On the back of it was stored several drug packages to be dropped off at various harbours around the North Coast. They were also carrying an amount of Semtex for delivery to specified customers. Hope listened as the young man detailed the manifest as they arrived at each port, what had been taken on, and what had been taken off. It was only when he talked about the Semtex being removed in the Banff area, a town east of Inverness, that Hope’s ears pricked up. She knocked on the interview door, strode in and asked the sergeant if she could ask a few questions. She saw the young man look at her suspiciously.
‘Of course,’ said the other sergeant. ‘This is DS Hope McGrath,’ he explained to the young man. ‘She’s particularly interested in the Semtex, and what happened to it.’
‘You said you dropped it off in Banff. How?’ asked Hope.
‘There was a man waiting there,’ said the man. ‘It went in a crate load of fish.’
‘Did you recognise him?’
‘No, I didn’t. I haven’t been doing this for long.’
With the deal he negotiated, Hope believed him, but she continued to press. ‘Who did you give it to? What did he look like?’
‘He was wearing a cap with a hoodie over it. I couldn’t see much from the boat from where I was.’
Hope’s heart sank, but she continued to press. ‘What can you tell me about him? What did he look like?’
‘Well-built, medium.’
‘That’s nothing. You’re just describing the average person. Come on. What did you see? Colour of the cap?’
‘Black,’ said the man.
‘The hoodie?’
‘Dark blue.’
‘Any other features?’ asked Hope, aware that she was now leaning on both her hands, poised over the table at the man, her red ponytail flopping down the side of her shoulder.
‘I don’t know who he was,’ said the man. ‘He just came and picked up the stuff.’
Hope thought for a moment then asked, ‘Did any of the others say anything about him, give you any name?’
The man looked rather sheepish.
‘What did they say?’ asked Hope. ‘Tell me what they said. You made a deal here. A deal can easily be taken back off the table.’ Beside her, the sergeant looked nervous. Hope ignored him, continuing, ‘Tell me what you know. Did they say anything else about him?’
‘They said to me,’ said the young man, ‘that he was one of Devine’s, whoever he is.’
Hope stood up, turned her back, and started walking around the room. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked. ‘Are you sure he said Devine?’
‘Yes, he said Devine. Who the hell’s Devine?’
‘Did they mention an O’Malley at all?’
‘No. Never an O’Malley. It was just Devine, and it was once as we were going away. The master didn’t look very happy about him saying it either. Said we don’t talk about customers. I think they only knew about him by name, because they had to give it to someone.’
The name’s out there, so everybody keeps their mouth shut, thought Hope. Everybody knows that Devine will come for you if you snitch on him. She looked across at the man behind the table, who she believed was in a world of trouble.
