Demolition by Nick Oldham

Author:Nick Oldham
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781448306961
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2022-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

TEN

‘Well, the fact is I didn’t expect to be kidnapped, held at gunpoint, told to get into my car, have a gun shoved into my face and be told to drive!’ The last word was emphasized on a rising inflection.

Henry got a grip of his brittle emotions, counted to ten, then said, ‘So, yes, I’m making a claim. I am insured for business purposes and specifically for police business, and I require a courtesy car pretty damn quick. Get back to me on my mobile number when it’s sorted.’

He slammed the phone down on the poor insurance agent at the other end of the line in the vain but passing hope that the guy’s – he had to be called Scott, didn’t he? – eardrum had burst.

Then he sighed and looked across the desk at Blackstone, who was, as usual, observing him with quivering lips, trying not to laugh out loud. Henry thought she was taking having been shot at far too well.

So he told her that.

‘Still here, still in one piece, so can’t complain too much,’ she said philosophically.

‘You really are a mystery to me,’ Henry admitted with admiration.

They were sitting in a small office at Blackpool police station, which is where the snarling alley cat that was Sue Daggert had been brought and locked up. They were waiting for someone from the NCA to update them – and give them a chance to interview Daggert before they whisked her away to London. In that hiatus, Henry had taken the opportunity to phone his insurance company and get the ball rolling as regards his now undriveable and probably irreparable car. It hadn’t been an easy conversation with Scott and it frustrated him to infinity.

As the office door opened, Henry’s and Blackstone’s heads swivelled to see Detective Superintendent Catherine Evans from the NCA enter. She was still wearing the ballistic vest from the operation she’d been running and into which Henry and Blackstone had unwittingly stumbled.

She perched on the edge of the table. ‘If nothing else, we’ve got her for attempted murder and kidnapping,’ Evans said. ‘All grist to the mill. What were you two doing there?’

Between them, they explained. Henry then asked Evans why the NCA was running an op on Daggert.

‘You probably know that hubby, Jack Daggert, was arrested in Birmingham a few months ago for importing and supplying a huge quantity of Class A drugs, probably destined for the north-west. He was caught bang to rights, and we seized a substantial amount of drugs and cash. It just seemed prudent to run a follow-up on Mrs D, who we assumed would be carrying on the family business after a period of keeping her head down … and she was, naughty little missus, which is why we stepped in.

‘A substantial amount of cash and drugs have been found in the hairdressers’ unit since her arrest. We think someone tipped her off about our op, which panicked her into taking a potshot or two at you, DS Blackstone, and getting you to drive her away at gunpoint, Henry.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.