Cold Courage by Pekka Hiltunen

Author:Pekka Hiltunen [Pekka Hiltunen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9781780941820
Publisher: Hesperus Press
Published: 2013-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

The time was just past six when Lia and Paddy saw Vanags closing up. After retrieving the poster stand from the pavement, he carefully turned the key in both locks.

Paddy waited until Vanags had disappeared from the reach of the surveillance camera and then started the car.

‘We’ll give him space to get moving. I’m guessing he’ll make the same rounds again.’

Paddy guessed right. When he turned his dark blue BMW onto the Leyton High Road, they saw Vanags stuck in traffic.

‘Will he recognise your car?’ Lia asked.

‘I’ve used a different one every night. Mari never complains about expenses like that.’

They stayed a good hundred metres back.

‘At this distance, he would have a hard time recognising anyone,’ Paddy explained. ‘When people are far away, we recognise them by their body shape, clothing and hair colour, which is why I’ve been wearing different clothes every night and a hat yesterday. If we follow him tomorrow, you should change your clothes too.’

When they arrived on Vassall Road, Paddy stopped his car a long way from the building Vanags drove up to. They watched while he exited the car, locked the door and entered the block of flats.

‘Now we just wait.’

Lia wondered what Vanags could be doing.

Is he collecting last night’s takings? Is he talking with the manager about the market situation? Is he screwing prostitutes?

The evening was already dark, and Lia noticed that Paddy was watching the whole area using the car mirrors. Whenever someone walked by on the street, Paddy turned his face away.

‘Thinking that sitting here this long wouldn’t attract anyone’s attention would be silly. But we also shouldn’t try to look too inconspicuous. That would just arouse more curiosity,’ Paddy explained. ‘Usually it’s a good idea to get out and walk around for a minute. But I think tonight we can just wait.’

To pass the time, Paddy explained surveillance techniques.

‘It isn’t enough to know where the target is going and what he’s doing when you can see him. That’s just the beginning.’

What was important was figuring out what kind of person your target was. How did he think and make decisions? Did he panic easily? If Lia had to capture him, what would she do? When you learned to recognise things like this, you knew a lot about your target instantly. Surveillance was not just about following people but about being able to predict what they would do.

This all sounded sensible to Lia, but difficult.

I don’t have a clue how a person like Kazis Vanags thinks.

The little tricks Paddy shared impressed Lia, such as avoiding eye contact. People remembered best those with whom they made direct eye contact. Keeping your own expression blank was also surprisingly difficult when you met the eyes of the person you were following. You learned how to avoid eye contact by watching the rhythm of your target’s motion and how often he glanced around.

Paddy laughed when Lia practised avoiding his own eyes. The laughter helped her relax.

They also had time to chat about other things.

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