Ed’s task was simple; meet with the kidnappers, deliver the ransom and convey the son and his new wife to safety. On the day of the exchange, using his smart phone, Carter carefully followed the instructions that were being posted onto an internet messaging board. After driving in circles for almost three hours, with two suitcases full of used £50 notes in the trunk of his car, he was eventually directed to a disused factory building near the Felixstowe ferry terminal, in Suffolk.
However, as the exchange got underway, things quickly turned sour. If the kidnapper’s plan had worked, Ed Carter would have died, the money would have vanished, and the Prince’s son would never have been seen again. Luckily, Carter had the experience and foresight to conduct his own investigation. He was expecting trouble and had the sense to hire Eric Stone for backup and protection. Using his own tablet, Stone had watched as the directions were being posted to the messaging board, and using a motorcycle, he had arrived at the factory site a little while ahead of Carter.
Those few minutes gave Stone enough time to see that the kidnappers had laid a trap, and the opportunity to even the odds a little before Carter arrived. In the bloody battle that followed, there were several deaths, but Stone and Carter survived, the Prince’s son was saved and the ransom was returned intact. Out of such shared adversity, close bonds are formed.
Sitting together in the bar, the two men chatted about sports and the weather, until the coffee was served. Then the conversation moved towards the Wrecking Crew. Even though they were the only two customers in the bar, they kept their voices low. Stone began by asking if Carter had read the copied files that he had emailed the previous day.
“Yes, I have, Eric. I’ve also saved copies to a safe location.” Carter gave a deep sigh and tried to wipe the stress from his face with his hands. “I’ve got to tell you — if those files hadn’t come from such a trusted source, I would have been convinced that this was some kind of a sick joke. It’s just about the most extraordinary story I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m still finding the whole thing to be rather surreal,” Stone admitted. “I feel a bit like we’ve just found out that there are space aliens living right under our noses, and the government knew all along. I wouldn’t believe this if it hadn’t come directly from Charles Rathbone.”
There was a shared moment of respectful silence, before Carter spoke again.
“I am sorry for your loss, Eric. I know you two were very close.”
“Thanks, Ed.”
“It’s strange how I never got to meet him. We tried, but the timing was never right.” Carter sat back in his seat. “I think that this country has lost a great man. It’s a death that must be avenged.”
Stone looked directly into those light blue eyes.
“Then you agree — something must be done?”
“Absolutely! The question is what?”
“What do you mean?” Stone asked.
Carter took a thoughtful sip of his coffee. He sighed deeply as he ran his fingers through his thick grey hair, then he sat forward in his chair.
“Obviously this Wrecki—”
He paused and looked around, before continuing is a more hushed tone.
“Obviously this ‘group’ must be stopped. I see three possible ways to achieve this.”
He began counting on his fingers to emphasize his point.
“One — we give this file to the press, and hope to trigger an enquiry. This has some merit because, no matter how good this group’s network is, the story will still get out. On the downside, there is no guarantee that such an outrageous story will actually trigger any action or enquiry, and even if it does, it is unlikely that the people who are responsible for Charles’ death will ever be exposed.”
“I agree,” Stone nodded.
“Two — we give the file directly to the police. Obviously, this would be my first choice; after all, I’m still a cop at heart. There are people I know that we can definitely trust, but then we run into much the same problem. According to the file, these people worked for this government, so we must expect that they will have influence, and protection, at the highest level. If we go to the police, this organisation will get protection, but we probably won’t. The file will undoubtedly disappear and we may end up dead.”
“Again, I agree.” Stone sat forward in his chair. “And point three?”
“Three? Oh, three is obvious. We find these people, we find out who they are, and we — remove — them.”
They sat in silence and sipped their drinks for a minute, before Stone spoke.
“There is another option.”
Carter arched an eyebrow in interest.
“Go on — I’m listening.”
“In his video to me, Charles mentioned that he had been working closely with a woman, an MP. He felt that she was someone who we could trust to help, perhaps we should speak to her first; her name is Valerie Jenkins.”
“Jesus Christ!” Carter hissed and banged his fist on the table, making the coffee cup jump. The barman looked over and glowered darkly.
“What?” Stone sat back in surprise at Carter’s venomous response.
“You don’t know, do you?” Carter asked.
“What? I don’t know what?” Stone asked again.
Carter locked him in a steady gaze.
“It was just on the news as I pulled into the parking lot. Valerie Jenkins is dead. Her body was discovered in her apartment this morning.”
Carter shut his eyes and shook his head.
“Eric, it’s them — they must have got to her. Those bastards!”
Stone stared vacantly into his glass.
“This is crazy Ed, I just got this file, I’ve never met this Valerie Jenkins, and yet I feel responsible. How can that be?”
Carter reached across the table and put his hand on Stones arm.
“Don’t feel bad Eric, it’s not your fault — or mine for that matter. It’s these people; they’re to blame — not us. But now the answer is obvious, we have to do this, we have to stop them.”
Stone slowly pulled his arm away.
“No Ed, not ‘we’, just me. It is too dangerous for you to be involved. Charles was my friend. I owe him a debt of friendship. You don’t need to get in the middle of this. You do not need to risk your life. I’m sorry to drag you away from your office. Thank you for coming — but please leave this to me.”
Carter shook his head and crossed his arms defiantly.
“Sorry, Eric. I am already involved. I am not just walking away and leaving you to do this on your own.”
He held up his hand to stop Stone from speaking.
“And before you say anything else, there is another thing — it’s something I read in the file. Just before I retired, I was investigating a death. It was a young girl, an American student. She was just sixteen or seventeen years old. I always suspected that it was a murder, but the evidence was shaky and there was no apparent motive. Eric, it’s right there in the file — not by name, but I recognize the details. It says that she was having an affair with the Prime Minister’s son, he was married, and she got pregnant. After all that policy claptrap about Family Values, it would have destroyed the government. They killed her Eric — the bastards killed her. Now they are going to pay. I’m in this — like it or not!”
Stone took another sip of his drink and regarded Carter with renewed respect.
“OK, Ed. What do we do next?”
“That’s the most important question really — or rather, what do we do first?”
“How do you mean?” Stone asked.
“Well — as far as we know, this group has no idea that we have this information, or that we are coming after them — correct?”