Angel pursed his lips. He wondered why Eddie Glazer should be volunteering information so freely. Hard nuts like him never gave information away for nothing.
Ox handed Gawber’s wallet, badge and ID to Eddie. He rummaged through the wallet, read the ID and said, ‘Just another rubbish copper. A bleeding sergeant!’
He angrily threw the wallet, badge and ID into the straw.
Angel’s lips tightened back against his teeth. ‘What have you done to him?’ he said, nodding towards Spencer. ‘He doesn’t look well.’
‘He’ll be all right,’ Eddie said. ‘Just getting over a hangover, that’s all,’ he added with a grin.
Angel turned away. Eddie’s breath smelled. Angel thought he should see a dentist urgently for a scale and polish.
‘What’s he doing tied up?’ Angel said.
‘He’s a murderer. I’ve told you.’
Angel pursed his lips.
‘Does anybody else know you’re here, copper?’
The barrel of the Walther was getting ever nearer; Glazer was waving the gun about like a kid with a flag at a coronation. Angel’s mind was wonderfully concentrated. He knew he could be dead in a second.
‘Of course,’ he said evenly. That was the only reply he could have given. Those few words might help save their lives.
Eddie snarled. It wasn’t the reply he wanted to hear.
‘I don’t believe you,’ he said. ‘You’re just a frigging liar. Say anything to save your skin.’
‘Why did I have a phone in my hand then, Eddie? Did you think I was ordering custard?’ Angel said.
‘Custard?’ Eddie bawled. ‘What yer frigging on about?’
‘To go with the rhubarb,’ Angel said.
Eddie Glazer’s face tightened. He was thinking about what to say.
Ox sighed loudly and growled. ‘Come on. What we going to do with them, Eddie,’ he said gruffly.
‘Yeah. We’re wasting time. We need to get way from here, now,’ Tony yelled.
‘I’m for clearing out,’ Ox growled.
‘We gotta get away from here, Eddie,’ Oona wailed and grabbed his arm.
‘Shut up or I’ll belt you one,’ he snarled and pulled away from her. He pulled a face like a man who remembered the taste of prison hootch. He ran a hand through his greasy hair and swivelled angrily round to face them. ‘All right!’ he bawled. ‘All right!’ Then he added quickly: ‘Oona bring the Merc round to the front. Ox and Kenny, tie these coppers up. Make it good. Tony, stay with them. Keep your gun on them. Then come back to the house. We’ll take just the money and the ammo. Leave everything else. Right, now, all of you, move it!’
Eddie and Oona ran out of the barn.
Tony stood by the open door pointing his gun straight ahead at Angel and Gawber. Ox snatched some pieces of rope from a few lengths hanging from a big hook screwed onto the barn side, no doubt used to tether animals in the past. He tossed a length over to Kenny and they both began tying the wrists of Angel and Gawber around the wooden support posts. They did it roughly, quickly, silently and efficiently. Then they ran out of the barn towards the house. Tony stuffed the gun in his waist band and dashed over to Angel. He went round the back of the post, looked at the fastening and then checked the tightness. He moved over to the next post and checked Gawber, then Spencer in the same way. He seemed satisfied. He took one quick look round, then dashed out of the barn, unhooked the door and closed it.
There was easily enough light from under the door for Angel to see Gawber tied to a post about ten feet away and Spencer, still with his head dropped, another ten feet further away in a line down the middle of the barn.
‘What now?’ Gawber said.
‘Can you get out of it, Ron?’ Angel said.
They wriggled and struggled briefly, their faces perspiring and getting redder and redder, but their captors had made a secure job.
‘No, sir. What do think will happen now?’
‘If Waldo White hasn’t got lost, the FSU should be here anytime.’
A car door slammed.
‘Is that them?’
‘Too quiet. It’ll be Glazer’s car, the Mercedes.’
‘They’re going to get away, sir.’
Angel knew he was right, and he was not in a position to stop them. It would be quite dreadful allowing that armed mob back on the streets again. But he was thankful that the gang had left them unharmed. It was really not Glazer’s style. Angel had expected to be shot or tortured or knocked about. As it was, he hoped White would find them, let it not be long.
The barn door suddenly opened. It was Eddie Glazer. He had a wild expression on his face, which was also shining with perspiration. He was carrying what looked like a glass bottle. It had a small trail of cloth hanging out of the neck.
‘I’ll teach you coppers not to come looking for me,’ he yelled, his eyes flashing. ‘But you’ll never do it again!’
Angel could now see what he had in his hand.
It was a Molotov cocktaiclass="underline" a bottle of petrol with a soaked wick hanging out of it. Ignited and thrown into the barn amid all the dry straw, it would create a colossal blaze.
Angel’s heart sank.
Glazer plunged his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a lighter and began to light the wick.
Angel swallowed hard. ‘Don’t be a fool, Glazer,’ he yelled. ‘If you kill us, you’ll be on the run for murder again! And when you’re caught, you’ll die in prison!’
Glazer wasn’t listening.
The cloth wick caught fire.
Angel heard a woman’s voice yelclass="underline" ‘Come on, Eddie.’
Glazer swung his arm back and then lobbed it beyond Spencer among the big pile of straw at the back of the barn.
The bottle exploded, the petrol spread and the vapour ignited creating a loud explosive whoop. The flames took hold of the petrol soaked straw and were instantly three feet high.
Glazer grinned like a devil and disappeared out of sight.
Angel looked across at Gawber who was as alarmed as he was. He saw Spencer suddenly waken up, observe the wall of flames advancing towards him. His eyes flashed as his body thrashed about the post and he cried out for help.
The ferocity of the blaze made a loud humming noise as the fire turned the straw into glowing white and yellow flames. The flames tracked along the barn floor and then roared upwards. Loose bits of straw danced around the parched barn floor around Angel’s feet, caught in the undercurrent of air sucked in by the colossal heat behind him.
Angel struggled to get free of the rope but it was to no avail. He looked at Spencer who was nearest to the flames and tugged harder at the rope. He felt the surge of fresh air pass by him into the far end of the barn drawn in to replace the oxygen already consumed by the fire.
He fought the ropes that tied his hands. It was useless. His wrists grew sore and tired. His face burned and his eyes smarted as the heat built up.
Gawber looked across at him. He began to cough. The fumes were getting to his chest. Angel wanted to call across and say something encouraging and comforting, but he couldn’t spit the words out.
The roar of the blaze was so close and loud as to cut out all other sound.
Angel thought of Mary. He might never see her on this earth again. He felt angry and exhausted, but there was nothing else he could do. He began to cough. He felt dizzy and his breathing was becoming difficult. His chest hurt. His throat was sore and dry. He closed his eyes. There was no more pain. He felt nothing. He began to hallucinate. He imagined that his hands had come loose from behind his back and that he was being dragged out of the barn by two men, one each side. His own legs began to work and with their support, he stumbled forward. He opened his eyes and he could see a gravel drive and two men in police riot gear, one each side of him. They were holding onto him by his arms. He was alive. He tried to speak. Instead he croaked. He tried to swallow. His throat was burning. He heard voices.