Condemned, R.C. Bridgestock [most romantic novels TXT] 📗

Tim pulled a face. ‘The mobile stop of a motorbike isn’t easy in an intercepted road block, and the last thing we want is a game of cat-and-mouse on a public road, but, don’t worry, that’s my domain. Inspector Steve Reynolds from North Yorkshire and I will plan for every scenario. What do we say, fail to plan, plan to fail, it was one of Detective Inspector Jack Dylan’s favourite sayings,’ said Tim. ‘He was our boss, back in the day. Have you two met?’

‘No, but his reputation of being a hard-nosed detective precedes him.’ Charley grimaced.

‘Hard, but fair. He’s saved my skin on a number of times,’ he replied as a knock came at the door, and Charley sat back in her chair, nodding her thanks to Tattie for the coffee and biscuits she’d brought in on a tray.

‘Do you know what would be music to my ears right now?’ Tim said when she’d gone. ‘Confirmation of a time of day when the pair use a particular route to a known destination.’

‘They known to carry weapons. So it’s highly likely they’ll be in possession of firearms when they’re stopped,’ said Charley. She picked up the plate and offered him a biscuit. Tim accepted one and bit into it with pleasure.

‘What a treat,’ he said. ‘Homemade cookies?’

Charley nodded. ‘You’re privileged,’ she said, ‘and lucky that DC Wilkie Connor is out with DS Mike Blake, otherwise they’d normally be long gone by this time of day.’

Tim sat back in his chair, smiled and looked nostalgic for a moment. ‘Wilkie Connor. That name’s a blast from the past; he was one of the best firearms officers that I’ve ever worked alongside.’

Charley was genuinely surprised. ‘He was?’

‘He certainly was. Highly commended by the Chief Constable and judges alike for his bravery was Wilkie.’ Tim frowned, and sighed. ‘It was a sad day for us when he had to step down from our team, but his wife’s needs had to come first.’

A slight tap on the door announced the arrival of Tattie again. Charley cocked her head inquisitively at the administrator, who leaned over the desk to pass her the morning mail. Seeing that the plate was empty, she picked it up to take it away. Tim took her hand as she passed him on her way to the door. She looked down at him, and smiled. ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere?’ he said.

Tattie’s smile was broad. Tim continued, ‘May I say those cookies are the best I’ve ever tasted. Are you married?’

It seemed for a moment, that the administrator was struck dumb. Her eyes met Charley’s, who was incredulous of what she had just heard, and waited with bated breath for Tattie’s response. A blush rose in Tattie’s cheeks, and she raised her hand to pat her nest of frizzy hair. Her slightly parted lips showed her recently applied lipstick smeared on her buck teeth. She giggled at Tim. ‘Visit again,’ she said, ‘and I’ll bake another batch, just for you.’ Tim jumped up and opened the door for her in a gentlemanly way.

Charley shook her head, a smile not far from her lips when Tim sat back down. ‘You are incorrigible,’ she said. ‘God help those who had the job of supervising you when you and Wilkie worked together.’

Tim winked an eye. He leaned forward as if to share a secret. ‘Back in the old days, Wilkie and I never wrote a single statement, because the lovely admin ladies were more than happy to write statements up from our notebooks,’ he chuckled. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘They sure were the good old days.’

Charley moaned, ‘Well if that smile was anything to go by, you’ve made her day.’

Tim’s interest turned to the morning mail. ‘Anything of interest that I should know about?’

Charley thumbed through the papers in front of her. She shook her head. ‘Nothing of great interest to either of us. Just the ivory tower sending out more Home Office guidelines.’

For a moment Tim was silent. ‘It’s unlikely that the Dixons will give themselves up easily, especially if they have weapons, and/or drugs with them.’

‘The background we have on them both is firearms-related,’ Charley said solemnly. ‘Although they have discharged firearms we have no intel that they have fired directly at anyone. However, they do need to be neutralised as quickly as possible.’

‘Don’t worry. The armed team will deal with whatever arises on the day. If they put up any resistance, they won’t mess about. The safety of the public and the team is of paramount importance. You understand what I’m saying?’

Charley nodded her head.

‘Am I right in thinking that the Dixons don’t know we’re onto them yet?’

‘There’s nothing to suggest they’re spooked, but, you know as well as I do that as soon as they get a whiff of a copper, they’ll be off like a shot.’

‘How much time do I have?’

Charley puckered her lips. ‘We know from a Mr Sean Dean on the site, that the couple regularly go away for a couple of days at a time, and apparently they left yesterday, mid-morning. What their intended destination is, or what they are doing there, and for how long, we have no idea.’

Charley followed Tim to the office door, to see a wink and a wave pass between him and Tattie.

‘Aww… What a lovely man,’ Tattie smiled across at Charley, from her desk next to the window. Then her smile turned to a frown. ‘I wish this lot ’ere were as appreciative.’

Charley turned and put her hands together in silent prayer. Thank you, God! The last thing I needed was a complaint bordering on sexual harassment from her.

Charley could feel her adrenaline building as her thoughts switched back to the case. Taking any armed criminal off the streets was a result, but the Dixons’ arrest would make decent inroads into the murder of Faisal Hussain.

With the hope that the Dixons would soon be in the traps, Charley was adamant that the operational plan would be completed soon, and