Cat And Mouse by M. J. Arlidge

Author:M. J. Arlidge [Arlidge, M. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409188537
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2022-06-08T16:00:00+00:00

Day Five

Chapter 72

The vans slid past the barrier, heading speedily on their way. Nestled in the passenger seat, Helen glimpsed the curious expression of the security guard and wondered what he thought they were here for. Illegal immigrants? Drug smuggling? Gun running? He would learn in time that it was nothing so mundane.

The van bucked as it mounted a speed bump, causing an audible groan from the occupants to the rear. Helen glanced in their direction. Jennings, Wilson and McAndrew were visible amongst the clutch of anonymous uniformed officers, the latter nodding purposefully back at her boss, determined, focused, full of anticipation for what was to come. Once again, Helen was reminded of the value of experience – DC McAndrew would keep a cool head if, when, things kicked off.

‘Everyone OK?’

Nods from the panorama of faces.

‘Good. Because we’ll be on in two minutes. ID clearly visible, please, and game faces on.’

As the team fussed with their lanyards, Helen returned her attention to the scene in front of her, peering through the windscreen at the majesty of Southampton Docks. It was one of the busiest ports in Europe, a ceaseless hive of activity and endeavour. Vast warehouses reared up one side, on the other a metallic mountain of stacked containers. In their shadow, one felt tiny and insignificant, but they were positively minuscule next to the awesome bulk of the cargo ships themselves. As they rounded the final corner, emerging onto the docks, the Spirit of Enterprise finally came into view, impressive and intimidating.

It seemed to cast a shadow over everything, blotting out the soft winter sun, arrogant in its size and stature. Looking at it from this lowly vantage point, it seemed miraculous to Helen that such a vast beast could ever be shifted, that there were engines powerful enough to propel this metal hulk across the sea. But travel it had, across the Atlantic, the South China Sea, round the Cape of Good Hope and more besides. It didn’t look new or attractive, but it was battle-hardened, a wily veteran that had faced down adversity many times and come out on top.

Towering above the vast ship was a crane, at the very top of which perched the pilot, carefully picking and depositing the final containers onto the busy deck. Helen shuddered inwardly – couldn’t think of anything worse than being alone up there – then returned her gaze to the boat itself. It was alive with tiny figures, port officials and crew completing the final checks, signing off the paperwork, preparing the Enterprise for her imminent departure. They had arrived not a moment too soon.

Clicking the button on her radio mic, Helen spoke crisply:

‘Right, this is it. Everyone ready?’

There were two other vans, following dutifully in their wake.

‘All ready here,’ Charlie responded.

‘Ready and raring to go,’ DC Reid added happily, overplaying his hand as usual.

‘OK, then,’ Helen replied. ‘We do this quickly, we do this cleanly, but, please, be on your guard. If we can identify a potential suspect, he is to be approached with extreme caution.

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