‘For you, Barrington and Customs maybe, but nothing’s changed for me. Andrew Gates still wants to know who killed his brother and he expects me to find out.’
This was the perplexing part of all this. Andrew Gates was connected to the drug trafficking and Jason had stumbled upon it. So did Andrew have his brother killed? It was possible but not when you factored in my involvement. Gates wanted me to find Jason’s killer. If he was behind the murder, he had no reason to bring me in. That meant someone had killed Jason without his permission and he was using me to find out who’d crossed the line.
Steve nodded and rewrote Gates’ name on the board.
‘Aidy, what are you playing at?’ Claudia asked. ‘You don’t ’ave Customs’ protection now.’
I wasn’t sure I ever had it in the first place. ‘This case may be dead as far as Barrington’s concerned, but I say it isn’t. We still have plenty to work with. The question is, do you want to be a part of it?’
‘Aidy, I can’t go against orders.’
‘But you want to. You’re a good undercover agent, but you wear your emotions on your sleeve. I can see that you disagree with Barrington. You know there’s more mileage in this one.’
‘Regardless of ’ow I feel, I’m not going to blow my career for you.’
‘You don’t work for Customs. You’re only on loan to them. Are you telling me that you blowing off the British wouldn’t go down well with your bosses in France?’
Claudia grinned.
‘You know you want in,’ Steve said, providing an additional piece of arm twisting.
‘Tell me what you ’ave planned, then I’ll decide whether I’m in or not.’
Lap Thirty-Five
I was having breakfast at home the following morning when Dylan called.
‘You’re not going to believe this.’ He was boiling with excitement.
‘What?’
‘Rags just sent the whole team home until further notice.’
‘Did he say why?’
‘He just said he needed time to follow up on things after the Dutch cops stopped us.’
The wheels were coming off Rags’ world and he was heading for a crash. I wanted to be there when it happened. The best time to hit him was at his weakest.
‘Where is he?’
‘He’s still at the workshop.’
‘OK. I’m coming up.’
‘Wait. I’ve got more. I know who doesn’t have their keys. It’s Nevin.’
Haulk had said that Nevin had taken Jason under his wing. Naturally, Jason would go to him. I wondered how Nevin featured in all this now.
‘Where is he?’
‘I’m following him.’
‘Get him alone. I want to speak to him.’
‘I’ll call you.’
I grabbed my car keys and blew out the door. I got as far as the Honda when Sergeant Lucas pulled up.
‘Is your grandfather around?’
‘No, he’s at work.’
‘OK. Could you let him know we found his van?’
‘Sure. Where’d you find it?’
‘Over by Thorpe Park. Someone stripped it and torched it. It’s a real mess.’
I didn’t like the casual tone Lucas was using. He hadn’t liked that his key piece of evidence had been stolen and to find it obliterated wasn’t going to leave him in a jovial mood. He was gearing up for something.
‘Could I have a word, Aidy?’
‘I have an appointment and I can’t miss it.’
He parked himself at the end of the driveway. The only way out was through him. ‘I wasn’t really asking.’
I circled the car and leaned against the boot. ‘I suppose I have a few minutes.’
Lucas didn’t reach for his handcuffs, so I guessed I was safe for the moment.
‘Thank you, Aidy. I appreciate that.’
I hated police smugness.
‘I’m troubled by this case. I feel that I’m the only one who doesn’t understand what’s going on.’
I really didn’t have time for this. I could see Nevin slipping away. But at least Lucas was finally seeing the cracks in the case.
‘You’re not alone. I’m just as lost.’
Lucas’ mistrustful look said otherwise. ‘I’ll tell you what doesn’t make sense to me. I have a crash site that doesn’t support the statement. I have a piece of critical evidence in the form of your grandfather’s van that goes missing before I can examine it. Care to explain?’
I could, but I had the feeling Lucas didn’t need my help. He seemed to be on the right track.
My mobile burst into life. It was Dylan. I bet he had Nevin. ‘I can’t explain what I don’t know myself. Really, I do have to go.’
I went to leave, but Lucas stepped in front of me to block my path.
‘There’s something going on,’ he said, ‘and I suggest you tell me before I find out.’
My phone rang again. I couldn’t lose Nevin. Not now.
‘Sergeant, I suggest you ask the victim why she was in Egham when she lived all the way over in Harrow.’
Shock spread across Lucas’ face. ‘How do you know that? Have you been in contact with her?’
Oh, crap. I’d screwed up. I could kick myself for my stupidity.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing. Now, you will have to excuse me.’
I pushed by Lucas and got into the car. He kept barking questions at me, but I reversed out before the questions changed into an arrest.
As soon as I was on the road, I called Dylan. He’d caught up with Nevin at an ASDA. Somehow, he was now riding in Dylan’s car. I didn’t ask Dylan how he’d convinced Nevin to ride with him, but Dylan was a foot taller than Nevin and twice as strong. I was nervous now. My friends and I were really sailing close to the wind. I hoped we didn’t end up shipwrecked.
I caught up with them in a field outside of Banbury. I stopped my car behind Dylan’s Subaru. Nevin burst from the car the second I appeared. Dylan climbed out, looking tired. I could only imagine the conversations they’d had.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ Nevin demanded. ‘Why did you have this idiot drag me over here?’
‘You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?’ I said to Dylan.
Dylan held up his hands. ‘Do you see any bruises?’
‘Hey, I’m talking to you!’ Nevin barked at me.
‘I’m sorry for all this. I just wanted to give you these.’
I fished out Nevin’s keys and tossed them at him. He caught them and the colour drained from his face as his indignation turned to fear. He failed to take ownership of his keys. He didn’t pocket them or clutch them in his fist. He just cradled them in both hands.
‘They are yours, aren’t they?’
‘I don’t know what you’re playing at, Aidy, but I don’t like it. How did you get these?’ Nevin’s voice had dropped to a whisper.
‘From Jason. He had them on him when he died.’
The keys fell through Nevin’s hands into the mud at his feet. He stared down at them but made no attempt to retrieve them.
I liked Nevin and I hated squeezing him like this, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed the truth from him. ‘I still need an answer, Barry. Are they your keys?’
‘Answer him, Barry,’ Dylan said. He stood a respectful distance from Nevin, but if he bolted, the two of us had the angles covered.
‘Yes, they are.’
‘Why did Jason have them?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I don’t have time for this, Barry. Seriously, I don’t,’ I said. ‘Know when you’re caught. I have the detective in charge of Jason’s murder crawling all over me. If I tell her who those keys belong to, she’ll leave me alone and come after you. Do you want that?’
Nevin said nothing. I reached for the keys and he stamped a foot over them.
‘Don’t.’
I straightened. ‘Give me one reason why I shouldn’t.’