The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 David Carter (autobiographies to read txt) 📖

‘There are double doors into the assembly plant and accommodation block,’ said Jun. ‘Always locked.’

‘We couldn’t get in there,’ said Hector.

‘The guy said they’d sold that part of the building,’ said Gibbons.

‘So how do we gain access?’ asked Walter.

‘Brinton and Pryce have keys,’ said Jun.

‘What about the other two guys?’ asked Walter.

‘Don’t know their names, they’re always floating about, not nice men, and dangerous, that’s my guess,’ said Jun.

‘Description?’ asked Karen.

And Jun reeled off incredibly accurate descriptions, as if she had been studying their faces and bodies and clothes for an hour, and Walter immediately realised they were the same blokes as described by Lizzy Morgan, the same guys who took Jessica Stone from his house, the same men who probably shot and killed Sergeant Stevie Cliffe, in Walter’s front room, and if that didn’t sound like danger, Walter didn’t know what did.

‘Here’s how we play it,’ he said. ‘They won’t be expecting us, so we simply open the door and breeze in. Hector and Gibbons, you take the guy on reception. Put your hand over his mouth and get him out of there quick and quiet, and back to the car. One of you come back in when you’ve accomplished that. Karen and I will take Brinton’s room. Jan and Jen, check out Pryce’s room at the far end. We are looking for keys to gain access to the main warehouse, and don’t forget, we are looking for Jessica Stone too, or any evidence that she was there, and keep your wits about you, keep an eye out for the two guys whose names we don’t know. They are very dangerous. Any questions?’

Jun said, ‘Me?’

‘Stay behind Karen and I. You can open up the main building once we’ve secured the place and located the keys.’

Jun nodded; pleased to be involved, though it felt really strange going back inside that terrible place.

‘Anything else?’ asked Walter. ‘Any questions?’

Everyone shook heads.

‘Remember,’ said Walter, ‘you do not discharge your weapon unless your life, or someone else’s life, is in danger. Understand?’

Karen and Jenny nodded.

Jenny’s mouth was dry.

Karen licked her light lipstick.

Jun was impressed with the team.

Hector was up for a fight.

Gibbons thought Jun had a cute butt.

‘Come on,’ said Walter, and the mixed up bunch of seven moved toward the unit next door, and the main entrance, Walter in the centre, leading the way like the leader of a skein of excited geese.

He pulled the doors open, stepped inside, and the others followed him in.

The young guy was on reception. He was busy, engrossed in that day’s newspaper Sudoku quiz. He glanced up. A big black man staring back, pretty blonde at his side, two guys he’d seen earlier, coppers, they had said, two other strangers, and one of the fucking units too! What the hell? But before he could say or do anything, Hector was behind the counter, hand over the guy’s mouth, one hand forcing the guy’s arm up his back, and pulling him out and pushing him toward the doors and leading him outside, and as he took him out he said, ‘Stay with Guv, Gibbo, I can handle this guy,’ and then he was gone, as if he had never been there.

Hector was stronger than he looked, and was improving too, and Walter wasn’t the only one to notice that. Six officers remaining, three with guns drawn. Softly down the corridor. No one in the boardroom, the door was wide open; shiny table, framed certificate and seal on the walls, Institute of Modern Slavery, Walter imagined. The accounts office door was closed. ‘Check that out, Gibbons,’ whispered Walter, and they left him behind, as he carefully opened the door and peered in. No one inside; no accounts people working hard, totting up figures of hate, no bookkeeping being done that day.

Past the stationery room, the first room that Jun had been locked inside with Fenfang and Shu. Gibbons was back, Walter pointed to the door. Gibbons carefully opened up.

Next, it was Brinton’s room, Walter and Karen led with their guns, shared a look, Jun right behind, not wanting to miss a thing, the door was wide open and they could hear someone inside, breathing, definitely a man, because a man’s breathing is quite different to a woman’s, strange, but true. Walter nodded at Karen, good to go, and they walked smartly into the room, Jan and Jenny passing behind to check out Pryce’s room.

‘Stay quite still!’ ordered Walter.

Brinton yelled, ‘What the fuck!’ and his right hand automatically went out and reached toward the desk drawer.

Karen jumped into the centre of the room. Adopted textbook firing pose, feet apart, slightly crouched, both hands on the Heckler & Koch, pointing straight at Brinton’s head.

‘I would not recommend that!’ she said, and something inside him told him she would fire if necessary.

He relaxed his hand.

Jenny yelled through the open door, ‘Pryce’s office is clear!’

‘Where’s Mr Pryce?’ asked Karen.

‘Don’t know who you are talking about.’

‘Where are the keys?’ demanded Walter, closing on Brinton.

‘What keys?’

‘Don’t bugger about! The keys to the main plant.’

‘At reception.’

‘They are not!’ barked Walter.

‘I’ll check, Guv,’ said Jan, and he ran back down the corridor.

Acting Inspector Jun Woo of the Hong Kong Police Force strolled into Brinton’s view.

‘You!’ he said, focusing his steady eyes on her.

‘No, it’s Woo, actually,’ said Walter. ‘Inspector Woo to you, from the Hong Kong Police Force, and you’re nicked.’

Brinton glared at Jun, all hate, ‘How the hell did you get here, with them?’

‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ said Jun. ‘But you never will.’

Brinton looked downcast, defeated, but it was all an act. Play defeated, play dead, creatures have been doing that since evolution began, then strike. Lulls the opposition every time. He glanced at the blonde, she wasn’t in quite the same position, wasn’t quite as alert, wasn’t quite as ready. He glanced at the close-up black guy without appearing to do so, the guy’s hand, his firing hand was pointing down, he looked like