“And you think that this ‘Catherine Dama’ is her?”
Becka smiled triumphantly.
“Catherine is sometimes shortened to ‘Cat’ and ‘Dama’ is Polish for ‘Lady’. So yes — I think that Cat Lady is really Megan Smith.”
“And if it is… ”
“Then we’re in a shitload of trouble,” she said with cold finality.
The Fixer pushed his chair back, indicating that the meeting was over.
“Thank you, Becka — good work again. It’s a pity some others aren’t as diligent as you are. Perhaps I need to light a fire under someone’s butt.”
He treated Becka to a rare smile and then he checked his watch.
“Talking of which, Gordon should be here by now. Can you ask him to come in, please?”
They met Ed in a superstore parking lot in the center of Aylesbury. Stone realized that they were less than a mile from Second Chances’ office. Ed immediately hugged them both and said how pleased he was that they were safe. Although the weather was unseasonably mild, they sat in Ed’s car so they could talk in comparative privacy. He could barely contain his excitement when he told them that Megan had managed to recover some files from one of the USB sticks Linda took from Second Chances.
“Although the recovery was only partially successful, it’s clear that the file was instructions for the Wrecking Crew to stop a planning application in Reading.”
Although he was obviously tired, his eyes were bright with excitement.
“Megan discovered that the parking tickets were all for this superstore, and that the unpaid parking fines were for cars illegally parked in Tring road. That’s just around the corner.”
“I know it must mean something Ed, but what’s the significance?” Linda asked.
“I think there has to be a ‘dead drop’ in the area. Somewhere accessible where prospective Wrecking Crew clients can covertly leave instructions and payments.”
Stone nodded.
“Of course! That’s how they maintain a physical separation between clients, the people from Second Chances, and the Wrecking Crew.”
Ed turned to look at Linda.
“You found two very positive leads when you searched the office — USB sticks and parking tickets. I think that they arrange for the client to leave instructions on a USB stick and hide it somewhere near here. Then later, someone from the Wrecking Crew comes by and picks it up.”
Stone sighed and rubbed his chin.
“That’s great news Ed, but how does it help us now? We could stake out the place, but we have no idea who we’re looking for.”
“You’re right, I agree. It could be anyone. It could be that woman with the stroller, or that man wearing a baseball cap or… anyone. We just need to get lucky.”
“So what’s the plan?” Linda asked.
Ed went into full police mode as he started his stakeout instructions.
“Well, we know from the time stamp on the parking tickets, the exchanges all happened between 1 and 3pm. It’s 12.45 now, so with luck someone could be here at any time in the next two hours. It’s unlikely that we’ll spot the client, but look out for someone who looks anxious, or out of place. They may be furtively looking around, or nervously clutching a package — particularly if they’re making the payoff. We have a much better chance of spotting the person that’s picking up the USB stick. That’s the guy, or girl, we want.”
“So how do we spot them?” Stone asked.
“If you could have asked Charles, he would have said you need to look out for the absence of the normal or the presence of the abnormal. In Afghanistan, the insurgence would mark a hidden IED with a red rag tied to a lamppost, or a bright yellow milk plastic carton. It is the sort of thing that you could walk past every day and not notice, but once you have your eye in, it can be obvious.
“Today you need to ask yourself why someone would have an umbrella up when it isn’t raining, or wear sunglasses at twilight. Perhaps you’ll notice someone carrying a rolled up newspaper, or still wearing a coat on such a warm day. If you can open your mind to see — I mean really see — what you are looking at, then spotting our guy might be a possibility.”
“Ok, I get the idea,” Linda said, warming to the task, “so if we see something, then what do we do?”
“Good question. Here’s the plan. I’ll stay here in the parking lot, and I want you guys to park in Tring road. If anyone sees something, then we call each other on the cell phone, and begin to follow the suspect. If you see a car, get the registration number, if they are on foot get a good description. Better yet, try to take photographs using the phone. After that, we’ll have to improvise. Ok — any questions?”
He waited a moment, there were none.
“Right, let’s get to it.”
Linda and Stone parked near to a wine store in Tring road. They were about two-hundred yards from the superstore. Although the parking was strictly for residents only, there were several empty spaces, so they chose one in a central location. Technically, they were parked illegally, but they decided that they could always move if a parking enforcement office came along. From their position, they had a good view along the road. Looking forward, they had a clear line of sight to the cemetery gates on the left side, and opposite, they could see the bus stop. To watch the road behind, they took turns using the mirrors.
Nothing happened for the first ninety minutes. They waited. Stone was good at waiting. As a part of his martial arts training, he had learned meditation. He could sit very still for hours, relaxing every muscle in his body so that his heartbeat slowed and his breathing became deep and unhurried, as he sought his calm center. At the same time, his concentration would sharpen to the point that he was aware of every sound and movement. He tried to put himself into the same state now, but he soon found that there were too many distractions.
There was a steady stream of foot traffic, moving between the stores and the houses. The bus stop was busy, with a bus passing every fifteen minutes. Taking Carter’s instructions to heart, they soon became quite adept at identifying those people that they could safely disregard. Normal people, acting normally, soon became easy to spot and ignore.
They had two false alarms in quick succession. Linda pointed out a woman who was still standing at the bus stop, even after three buses had passed. In the end, it turned out that she was waiting for her lover, who was stuck in traffic. A little later, Stone saw a middle-aged guy with an empty shopping bag. The man looked everywhere, except for where he was going. They were about to call Carter, when the man tried a car door. He tried a second, and finally a third, before he found one that was unlocked. He helped himself to a woman’s handbag, which disappeared into his shopping bag as he walked swiftly away. They both felt bad about not being able to report the offence to the police.
Just before two, Linda suddenly came to attention in her seat.
“There’s our guy.”
She nudged Stone with her elbow.
“The guy in the green jacket.”
“Where?”
“There, on the left. Tall guy with white hair, and a little beard. Do you see him?”
Stone leaned forward, scanning the faces, until he spotted the man Linda had described. He was standing just outside the gate of the cemetery. As they watched, he crossed the road and began walking forlornly towards their car. He was holding a bunch of flowers.
“Oh yes, I see him… he looks sad.”