Nice bright day. Flint, Saeed and Blunt stood with a team of officers just round the corner from Darcy & Darcy's offices on Thorpe Road. The policewoman had felt uncomfortable when her boss looked at her with a sardonic half smile. 'What' she had responded in a manner that made her think of her teenage daughter when she had been found out doing something Flint disapproved of. Blunt's response had been an amused 'nothing'. He then turned to Ahmed who avoided his gaze.
They were distracted by DC Gayde clutching in his hand the Search Warrant for the Accountant's premises. Blunt and his team could see the others laughing behind their hands as Gayde explained what they were going to do. It was hard to take seriously an idiot who donned a white bullet proof vest! He deliberated whether someone had trusted him with leading the raid because they liked the man. Not a chance! If everything went tits up then the front man would carry the can. Gayde the fall guy made a lot more sense. Of course Gayde did not possess the intelligence to work it out.
Off they went, Gayde to the fore. He rang the doorbell and stated that he had a package to deliver. On being buzzed in the whole group of seven police rushed through the door and into the reception area. He thrust the document in front of the young receptionist's face and demanded that she call her boss, Mr Willoughby. 'Tell him it's the police' he smirked.
Blunt strode over and pushed himself between the idiot and the receptionist putting his hand on the receiver. The phrase 'bull in a china shop' a gross understatement when applied to one of Gayde's limited intelligence.
'Just tell him that someone has a special package for him. That will do fine. Now before you do so who are the three most important people after him?'
Relieved at dealing with someone other than Gayde and who was also somewhat avuncular she readily provided the names. And even volunteered to ring them down.
'Thank you very much' Blunt said gently.
Behind him Gayde girned in anger and frustration whilst tapping his feet rapidly on the floor.
'You deal with Willoughby and the others when they come down CONSTABLE' ordered Blunt.
The other did not reply. However, when Willoughby and his three lieutenants entered the reception Gayde sprang into action.
'Mr Willoughby'
'Yes' replied a perplexed Willoughby a small stocky man with a beard that hid a slight facial disfigurement.
'This is a search warrant to for these premises. We believe that you may be involved in organised crime.'
'Wh....Wh....What are you talking about?' stammered the discomfited accountant.
Blunt leaned over to Saeed and Flint and whispered
'Ahmed, get Willoughby and take him to another room, Debbie you get one of the lieutenants and do the same. I will deal with the other one. Get in there now I will sort out this idiot before he does any more damage'
'CONSTABLE. You are doing a great job. I think you and your colleagues are doing a great job. What I think you should now do is interrogate the filing cabinets and the paperwork.'
One of the support team could not suppress a giggle. Once again Gayde girned and his right foot started to involuntarily bounce on the floor. Unfortunately for him Blunt was the senior officer and he had to obey. He determined to register a complaint. If he could bring Internal Affairs down on the prat all the better.
'Constable, before you commence working out how to interrogate the paperwork can you get one of your colleagues to deal with sending the staff home for the day? Maybe this wpc here' Blunt motioned to a neatly attired young woman, the one who had giggled.
Willoughby still with a slight stammer started to object. Blunt silenced him with a curt threat of arrest if he did not comply and help them with their enquiries.
Blunt, Saeed and Flint had discussed the raid before they set out. They had decided that if they found anything of substance they needed to be able to act quickly. They needed to be able to investigate out of the way properties almost immediately. The Russians, if it were indeed the Russians, were not to be alerted, that any raids were about to occur.
The most effective way of standing any chance of achieving these objectives was to isolate Willoughby and his two main employees. They could not be allowed to make any phone calls that may raise the alarm. Risky though it was they also had to detain these three for at least twenty four hours. After that they either had to charge them or to let them go.
Again they decided to forgo another standard procedure in these matters. The computers were not going to be seized and carted off to headquarters. Instead Willoughby and his lieutenants would be interviewed in situ. They would help Blunt and his team to access the files they needed. If they refused they were to be charged with obstructing the police in their enquiries. Again risky but the team were playing for high stakes!
Blunt, Ahmed and Debbie Flint accompanied their respective interviewees to separate offices.
Willoughby was a truculent mixture of nerves and defiance. He could not decide whether to be afraid or angry. Nevertheless both he and Saeed knew that he had something to hide. The only question he had to decide concerned from whom he had the most to fear, the police or the Russians.
Saeed's first question struck at the heart of the matter immediately. He asked Willoughby to point out on the computer the location of the files appertaining to properties and registered businesses. To ensure that no slip of the finger on a 'delete' button could occur Saeed himself sat at the computer, an Amstrad.
Blunt and Flint enacted similar scenes with their interviewees. Only Flint's woman exhibited any signs that she may know what the raid and investigation were all about. The policewoman wondered whether Willoughby and the woman were having an affair. If they were it could provide some sort of leverage over the pair. Not entirely ethical; but then what did ethics have to do with modern day policing! Flint had become increasingly cynical over the last few years.
She threw the question about an affair at the woman; she blushed. 'Bingo' thought a delighted Flint and followed up with the question about whether their respective spouses knew of the affair. The blushes once again informed the policewoman about a direct hit. After that the woman was most accommodating about helping Flint to navigate the files. She even volunteered to copy the pertinent files to disk.
Meanwhile the 'warrant' team were searching through filing cabinets and desks looking for any information regarding registered companies and property management. When someone asked for a little more information as to what they were looking for Gayde's stock answer was 'You'll know when you see it'.
After two hours or so they had a list of potential properties and businesses. None of Darcy and Darcy's senior staff wished to comment on the list or to volunteer any information regarding the list or its contents.
Blunt informed Strumpshaw of the developments and asked if they could have further resources for two things: extra staff to print off all the information and to help with search warrants for the properties chosen to raid. The Chief Constable agreed although Blunt detected concern in his voice. After that call Blunt rang Cushion and asked him to send Leibnitz over to collect the disks.
Ahmed collared Gayde, thrust a printout at him then asked him whether he had found any files yet relating to the list of companies on the printout. He hadn't!
Willoughby opted for silence when questioned on the whereabouts of the paper files. No amount of threats would make him change his mind. Not a surprise really. The police could threaten him with prison BUT the Russians could threaten him with torture and death. And to make matters worse the Russian didn't threaten they made statements of intent.
It was Willoughby's paramour who gave the game away. There was a secret cupboard in a box room full of old files in the basement. Ahmed retrieved the files and passed them and the disks over to Leibnitz when she arrived at Thorpe Road.
Not long after Leibnitz had left Blunt received the phone call from headquarters that a young woman wanted to speak with him. Immediately he heard the name he took an adrenalin hit. Bit by agonising bit they were starting to get information and what he hoped were significant breaks. Hopefully, the momentum would now build.
If he were disappointed with his conversation with the girl Blunt didn't show it. He called Leibnitz and told her what she had to do. .He would meet her back at headquarters a little later.
He explained to Saeed and Flint that they had found the girl. Unfortunately, as to the man, they had no idea. And the girl refused to say anything until she met Blunt. He advised his two colleagues to get Willoughby and his two lieutenants down to the station and into cells. BUT they were to leave as late as possible so as to allow themselves more time for the searches the next day. They were then to trawl through all the information they had. They had to make a decision as to which places they were going to hit.
Saeed brought up the question of The Attic. He considered that they should hit it simultaneous to the chosen properties. Blunt readily agreed. He stressed that they had a twenty four window. When they asked about the search he stated that they probably had what they needed and to just leave the rest to Gayde.
As he left them he threw out a sardonic parting comment concerning budgets being shot to hell.