Stone gave Carter a quizzical look.
“Also… to get to the truth quickly, an insurance investigator might have been inclined to bend a few rules.”
Carter sat forward, suddenly interested.
“You know, you could be right. I don’t think anyone ever talked to any of the insurance investigators.”
Linda pumped a fist.
“She shoots — she scores!”
Stone flipped open the laptop.
“Where do we start?”
Carter closed his eyes and started to scan his encyclopedic memory. Suddenly his eyes popped open and he pointed at Stone.
“Got it! Quite near to the beginning of the file… there was a recycled cardboard business that got burned out. There was a suspicion of arson. The insurance investigator was Helen Anson… or something like that.”
Stone searched, squinting at the screen in silence for a few minutes. The other two waited patiently until Stone leaned forward and tapped the screen with his finger.
“Helen Atkins, Premium Mutual Insurance?”
“That’s her! Do you have any contact details?”
“Nothing in the file.”
“Not to worry.”
Carter gave them a sly smile.
“This is my thing… it won’t take me long to find her.”
Helen Atkins burst into The Fixer’s office without knocking. The Fixer, unaccustomed to such blatant rudeness and disrespect, sat back in his soft leather chair and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Yes, Helen — how may I be of assistance?”
She ignored is cutting sarcasm.
“I’ve just had a message from the answering service on my private line. A private detective by the name of Ed Carter would like to speak to me about an arson investigation I was involved in some years ago.”
“Ed Carter?”
The Fixer sat forward in his chair.
“Which investigation?”
“That cardboard recycling warehouse that Gordon torched. It was my last investigation before I came to work here.”
“Oh… Have you spoken to Carter yet?”
“No, of course not. I’m not a moron, you know!”
She looked away in anger, and began pacing in front of the desk.
“Ok… calm down, this is good. It’s just what I’ve been waiting for.”
She continued to pace.
“Helen! For the love of God would you please sit down?”
She threw herself into the chair and crossed her arms like a grumpy teenager. The Fixer pulled a pad and pen from a drawer and tossed it across the desk.
“Listen carefully and take notes… ”
He leaned forward and gave an evil smile.
“Now this is what I want you to do… ”
FIFTEEN
“Do you think it’s a trap?” Linda asked. She was sitting on the edge of the bed in Ed’s hotel room.
Stone nodded.
“I think it could be. At least we should proceed on that basis.”
“Hope for the best — plan for the worst,” Carter said with a stiff smile.
Linda stood up and immediately sat down again, unsure of how to escape the tension building in the room.
“So what’s the plan?”
Stone took the lead.
“Before we decide on a plan, I think we need to figure out what they’re up to.”
“What do you mean?” Linda asked.
“Well, this Helen Atkins has agreed to meet with Ed and she says that she has some information that she is prepared to share, but she wouldn’t say what it was. In itself that’s suspicious, but at the same time understandable. If she isn’t connected to the Wrecking Crew, and she doesn’t know Ed, then it makes sense for her to be guarded. She’s asked to meet Ed in a very public place — a coffee shop in The Oracle shopping center in Reading. So on the one hand she could be a regular person who is willing to help, but sensibly cautious. Conversely, it could be a trap — but if it is a trap, then it’s a very public place for whatever they have planned.”
“Well, if she’s just a helpful and concerned citizen, then there’s nothing to worry about,” Linda said, “but if she isn’t, then I’m confused about what they are planning to do. It’s a bit public for a killing or a kidnapping.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Stone nodded, “they may be planning to use the cover of a busy shopping mall to have a look at us before they make a move. If they’ve figured out that we’ve dropped off the grid, perhaps they want to follow us after the meeting and then set up an attack. Then again, that location can work to our advantage as well. I’ve got the website here… ”
He pointed at the laptop.
“The Oracle is a big place. The stores and food halls are on three floors, with loads of parking, and multiple exits. They can’t possibly have enough people to cover all eventualities. If we can get there early, we may be able to turn the tables on them.”
Carter sat forward.
“Follow one of them perhaps?”
Stone raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
“Or take someone to one side and ask a few difficult questions. That was my thinking.”
“It’s still pretty risky,” Linda said.
“There’s a risk — I’ll give you that, but I think they chose the location carefully. It’s likely to be near to their base. The Oracle is probably somewhere that they’re familiar with, and we have to assume that they will have access to the CCTV as well. I admit that’s all bad for us, but on the other hand, they won’t be planning to launch an attack in such a busy place — so they may not consider that we will. And that’s gives us a significant advantage.”
Carter looked at Linda who gave a nod of approval.
“Ok, what’s the plan?”
“Do you still have those little two-way radios in the trunk of your car?”
Carter smiled.
“I never leave home without them.”
“Good! Atkins wants to meet at 5pm. It’ll be dark by then. If we leave now and take both cars, we can be there by three. That’ll give us a chance to get our bearings before the light fails.”
Stone turned the laptop so that Carter and Linda could see.
“The map shows two parking lots, so we split up when we get there. Ed, you take a slow walk around the mall and gradually make your way to the coffee bar. It will look like you are being naturally cautious. Meanwhile, I’ll come in from the opposite direction and shadow you from a good distance. It should give me a chance to spot any of their people.”
“And if you do?” Carter asked.
“I’ll use the radio to keep you informed as I go. These are dangerous people Ed, but they’re all mercenaries, and they know the deal. So I plan to assess the situation and react accordingly.”
Although he understood that they were heading into battle, Carter still grimaced at the implication.
“Go on, what’s the plan from there?”
“So… if everything looks ok, go ahead with the interview and get what you can from Helen Atkins. Otherwise, try to get her to reveal the location of the Wrecking Crew and its members. I’ll try and do the same with anyone I encounter.”
“Do you think Atkins will know where the Wrecking Crew operates from?”
Stone pushed back from the desk.
“Let’s hope so. At the end of the day, it’s what we’re after. We can’t take them down unless we can find them. This is our best lead so far.”
“I guess it’s as good a plan as any.”
“Excuse me… ” Linda spoke softly, “I just wondered what I was supposed to be doing during all these heroics.”
Stone sensed her irritation, but he pushed on anyway.
“I think you should stay in the car.”
“Oh, that’ll be nice,” she said, her face tight with repressed anger. “Perhaps you can open the window a little so I don’t suffocate.”