‘They’ve had a walk-in at Avonmouth nick. Character who claims he’s Aeolus.’
‘Ah, the first and almost certainly not the last.’
‘I know boss, but apparently he’s pretty convincing. Hemmings wants us over there pronto, just in case.’
‘All right, Saslow, let me know how you get on.’
Saslow hurried after Willis, who had barely paused and was virtually out of the door. Typical, thought Vogel, not disapprovingly, Willis was always completely focused on the job in hand.
Sonia Baker took a step towards the DI and touched his arm lightly.
‘Mr Vogel, who were those people?’ she asked.
Vogel told her.
‘Then you are probably going to think I’m crazy, Detective Inspector, but I have something to tell you.’
As soon as Sonia Baker left, Vogel picked up his phone to call Saslow and Willis. Then he put it down again.
He had questioned the woman thoroughly and the more he’d questioned her, the clearer it seemed that she was not entirely sure of the quite startling information she had given Vogel. Indeed when the DI had suggested that she make a formal statement on the matter she’d declined at once.
‘I wouldn’t like to do that, not until you have checked it out and tried to discover whether it might be possible or not,’ she said.
She could be letting her imagination run away with her, Vogel told himself.
But he’d seen, many times, how a clever barrister can destroy a witness in a court of law; making someone, who had previously been quite sure of their evidence, seem inept and full of doubt. He’d always thought that sort of lawyer to be too clever by half, and maybe that’s how Vogel himself had just been behaving to Sonia.
On the other hand, Sonia Baker had said that she couldn’t be sure, not absolutely sure, anyway. Then again, Vogel had never been the kind of policeman who would only believe what he wanted to believe. He was a meticulous man, who made sure that he or his team checked and double checked every lead, however obscure. However unlikely. However ridiculous.
And this was ridiculous, surely.
Quite ridiculous.
He should certainly do a little elementary checking before alerting others. He didn’t want to be guilty of a false alarm on a matter of this enormity.
It was always a good idea to check dates and opportunity before wreaking havoc. To at least discover if a possible suspect had a solid alibi, like being aboard an aircraft in the middle of the Atlantic or picked up on CCTV at the other end of the country. He switched on his computer and called up a file, which would give him the information he needed.
Involuntarily, he raised one hand to his lips. It was as he’d feared. He knew his breathing had quickened. So far, everything matched. He was pretty sure of that. But it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be.
He made himself take extra special care. He knew he must be as sure of himself as humanly possible before proceeding. He closed the file and opened another containing the Met’s report on the murder of Timothy Southey in London, sent over by Nobby Clarke’s team.
He needed to double-check that the dates matched.
They did.
Vogel leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. An occasional habit when under stress or in shock. He clasped his hands and rested them on his chin. His palms were clammy.
He told himself it could still be nothing. All of it. On the other hand, he thought, better safe than sorry.
He sucked in a gulp of air, filling his lungs, then he leaned forward and picked up his phone again to call Dawn Saslow.
Aeolus
I knew the net was closing in at last. I suppose it was inevitable. Even so, it was probably a stroke of silly, bad luck that was going to bring me down, rather than any mistakes I had made. The events of the last few minutes had been disturbing; an unlucky coincidence that could destroy me. I might get away with it, yet again, or I could be wrong. It may not have mattered at all. I told myself to stay calm.
I was the one who would have to clean up the mess that Saul left behind in his foolish wish to meet Sonia. But, no matter, I was strong. I was clever. I could handle this. I’d handled everything else, after all. I controlled the winds. I could whip up a hurricane. I was all powerful. These people would never understand me. Never get close to me or be able to guess what I was capable of. They would never get inside my head.
I had always known, I suppose, that I would have to reveal myself one day. Show them who I was. I was proud of what I was capable of. Proud of what I had done right under their foolish noses. In some ways, I wanted it out there. I wanted the world to know who I really was. And there were people in my life I would quite relish bringing down with me too. Smug bastards who thought they were smart but, compared with me, they were stupid.
So it annoyed me immensely that they could now take credit for having brought me down. I had always imagined that I, and only I, would decide how and when to show myself. That I would reveal myself on my own terms, as I pleased and right now I wasn’t ready. Not yet.
I had to remind myself that it still might not happen. Not any of it. They had all repeatedly shown how slow they were. How clumsy their thought processes were. I told myself I was quite likely to continue to get away with it. They could not unmask me. I was Aeolus. I governed the winds. I governed a force that made all the sources of power and energy created by man look as pathetic as they really were.
It was at that moment that the phone rang.
Twenty-Seven
Saslow was mildly surprised at Vogel’s instruction, not least because the DI was overriding a direct order from DCI Hemmings, but she wasn’t in any way alarmed. That’s how it was with policing. People kept changing their minds, particularly senior officers, it seemed to her.
‘I need you and Willis back here sharpish,’ said Vogel. ‘Something urgent has come up.’
‘Right, boss,’ said Saslow. ‘Are you sure you don’t want us to check out the Avonmouth Aeolus first? We’re nearly there.’
‘I said it was urgent,’ snapped Vogel. ‘Please don’t argue with me.’
‘I… I wasn’t, I mean, uh, sorry boss,’ said Saslow, stumbling over her words.
She was surprised and curious. This wasn’t like Vogel. He was almost always measured and quietly spoken.
‘Who’s driving?’ asked Vogel
‘Willis,’ replied the detective constable. She was really curious now.
‘Are you in his car?’
‘Uh yes, it was parked right outside, so…’
‘Of course,’ responded Vogel.
Saslow felt he was making an effort to sound as if everything was fine, when it wasn’t. Whatever he wanted her and Willis for, was something major, no doubt about that.
‘All right, well ask him to turn around soon as he can and get back here, OK?’
‘OK boss, will do,’ said Saslow.
She was aware of Willis glancing at her sideways.
‘What was all that about?’ he asked, turning his attention to the road again.
‘The boss wants us back straight away,’ Saslow told him. ‘Said something urgent has come up.’
‘Did he say what it was?’
‘Nope. Think it’s something big though. He practically bit my head off when I suggested we check out this alleged Aeolus first. After all, it was Hemmings who dispatched us…’
Saslow paused, suddenly aware that Willis had made no effort to find a place to turn around or even to slow down. In fact, he seemed to have speeded up.
‘Come on, John,’ she said. ‘We’d better get back there. The boss is in no mood to be messed about, I can tell you. In any case, I want to know what the hell is going on.’