Malenkov’s four men arrived at 10:00pm that evening and quietly explored the area, before moving closer to the house. Downstairs lights were on and when they went off, the hall and landing remained lit. At 11:40pm, the second car arrived, having given Malenkov the all clear.
Malenkov’s men closed in and quietly entered the unlocked front and rear doors simultaneously. No one was there, just a note propped up on the kitchen table. It read, “I did ask you to come alone.”
Malenkov screwed up the note, threw it to the ground as he stormed out, and returned to his car. The street was deserted, except for the quietly shuffling figure of a tramp in a hoody and camel coat, passing the parked cars. No one spoke for the whole hour it took to get back home.
Max had anticipated Mr. Big would bring a team, and had no intention of being at home when they called. The house was a convenient property up for sale. It was just a simple matter of a viewing with the estate agent, unlatching a ground floor window and entering unseen that afternoon. A time switch connected to table lamps created the illusion of someone at home. When the eight men had entered the house, Max had fitted the phone tracker to the second car. He rightly assumed the first team would check the coast was clear for the boss in the second car.
Star was waiting in the shadows in the BMW and Max hurried to Bill’s scooter to follow the two cars to Mr. Big’s home. Two independent followers and a tracker was Max’s way of working, leaving nothing to chance.