‘In the first robbery the camera surveillance system was disabled with a paint-spray. In the other two the video tape was taken from the recorder.
‘In each case, the strong-room has been open or available, never locked on a time-switch. Some banks have very helpful notices advising robbers that safes can only be opened by two members of staff. I’m not quite sure what that achieves, other than it puts two people in added danger, rather than one.
‘In each case the means of escape has been efficient and appropriate to the surroundings. For example, in Dalkeith they simply used the public car park across from the bank. In George Street, they stole a taxi and left it parked outside the building society with its hazard lights flashing. In Colinton, the target bank has its own car park. They drove into that just like ordinary customers.’
He looked at his colleagues. ‘Am I convincing you?’ From around the table came an assortment of grunts, and nodded heads.
‘That’s good. Now let’s look a bit further. Each of these robberies has been very carefully planned, and every one has gone like clockwork. So who’s been doing the planning? Is it one of the team? More than that, has it been the same team every time?’
Martin smiled. ‘We know the answer to that one, since Nathan Bennett was nicked on the first raid, three months ago. The second and third raids have both taken place within the last seven days, still with three men in the team, so there’s been someone on hand to take his place.
‘Now let’s take up Dan’s point. He said that the physical descriptions from the two robberies on his patch didn’t tally. That’s true. To back that up, we do have a fragment of video footage from the first hold-up, taken before the system was disabled. I’ve had a good look at it, and I’ve compared the guys it shows with the witness statements from the other two crimes.
‘In the first robbery, the tape shows a tall curly-haired man, who appears to be left-handed. That tallies with descriptions given after the third robbery, but not the second. The third man on the Dalkeith job was stocky and bald. That matches a witness statement from the second crime, but not the third.
‘From that it seems that the teams were definitely different every time, and that no individual was involved in all three crimes. Going by the statements and the tape, that is. Counting Bennett, it looks as if we’re dealing with a group of at least five gunmen.’
He paused and took a deep breath, allowing his colleagues to consider what he had said.
‘This is what I think,’ he went on, breaking, finally, the silence which hung over the table. ‘These three robberies were all planned by the same man. However, I don’t believe it likely that he took part in them himself.
‘Remember the money that was recovered when Brian arrested Nathan Bennett? It was one sixth of the total stolen. Three men in each team, each playing an equal part, yet the split is half to them, and half going somewhere else. Even if the guys on the substitute’s Bench are getting a share too, that still leaves someone else.’
‘Could there be more than five in the team?’ asked Pringle.
‘Unlikely, or we’d have seen more than that by now, and I think, the second and third robberies would have followed more quickly. One possibility is that the ring-leader took some time to find a replacement for Nathan Bennett, and maybe to train him as well. Another is that after the balls-up on the first raid, he had another look at his planning. A third is that he held off until he was sure that Bennett wasn’t going to shop anyone.’
He looked at Maggie Rose. ‘If you had that sort of set-up, if you were identifying and planning each job would you risk it all by taking part in the robbery?’
The Chief Inspector shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t see the need,’ she replied. ‘What you’re saying then, sir, is that we’re dealing with a logistics man who has a squad of robbers, interchangeable and well trained in what they do. Maybe there were only three at the time of the first raid. Maybe they learned from Bennett being nicked, and recruited two new men.
‘Certainly it means now that if we do get lucky and lift one of the team, as we did with Bennett, the damage isn’t fatal, and the operation can proceed. Even if we get super-lucky and catch the whole team, there’s still one trained man left, and the Boss.’
‘That’s right, Mags,’ Martin agreed. ‘Does that remind you of anyone?’
‘Jackie Charles,’ she shot back at once, ‘but he’s in the jail, and his associates are either dead or doing time with him.’
‘Exactly,’ said the Head of CID. ‘Jackie Charles
He looked along the table once more. ‘Anyone disagree with that? Come on, don’t be afraid to say if you think I’m going over the top.’ Detectives shuffled uneasily in their seats, and glanced from one to the other. Andy Martin knew that there were those among them who were jealous of his rapid promotion, and that he had given them a chance to undermine him.
Eventually, as was usually the case, Dan Pringle, the senior man among the Divisional heads, elected himself spokesman. ‘I’d say that we’ve got no choice but to proceed on the basis that your reading is correct, sir. The problem is, how do we proceed?’
The Chief Superintendent nodded acknowledgement of the point. ‘Remember what we did when the Boss was stabbed,’ he fired back, ‘and we were after the drug dealer whose people did it?’ Without waiting for a response, he answered his own question. ‘We crapped on this whole city from a great height until we got what we wanted. We raided the saunas, hassled the money-lenders, picked up even the meanest pill-pushers: we more or less pulled people in for farting in the street.
‘Well, we’re going to do the same thing again now. I want you all to crack down as hard as you can on every source of criminal intelligence in your areas. Lean on everybody, even your most private sources.
‘Ask everyone what they know about these robberies. Ask them if they know of anyone in their circles who’s been spending too much money lately. I want a name, any bloody name, as long as it leads to an arrest. Just one will be enough, for starters at least. I don’t believe that we’ll pick up this whole squad in one go.
‘Of course it would be great if we were given a lead to a robbery that’s still in the planning stage, but don’t let’s harbour too many hopes of that. These crimes have been too well put together for there to have been any leaks.’
Martin paused, and smiled. ‘So go forth from here, all of you, pound your mean streets and see what news they yield.
‘Those of you who haven’t had robberies on your patch should identify likely targets. I’m having a meeting this morning with all the banks’ security people, but I’d like your input on that too as quickly as possible. Let’s never forget that the first job of the police is the protection of people and property.
‘I want everyone fully committed to this. Even you, John.’
His bright eyes flashed along the line of detectives to Superintendent John McGrigor, CID Commander in the Borders Division. ‘We can’t afford to assume that these people will stick to urban areas.You might say that there’s nothing on your patch worth stealing, but even so, I’d like you to have a word with all the bank managers in your area. Don’t scare them shitless, but put them on alert, and make sure that they let you know whenever they’re holding unusually large sums of money.’
McGrigor, a big, beefy, red-faced countryman, nodded. ‘Will do, sir. This is the time of year when there tends to be more cash sloshin’ aboot down there. The hotels are full, and the fruit farmers are selling off their produce. Can I ask one thing, though?’
‘Sure.’
‘Well,’ the bulky detective began, ‘you said we were needing a name. Surely we’ve already got one; this boy Bennett. Can we no’ get anything out of him?’
Martin glanced at Superintendent Mackie, who leaned forward, looking down the table at his colleague. ‘Bennett’s pleading Not Guilty, John. His defence is that he dropped his credit card in the bank earlier, and that the money we found on him came from gambling. On-course bookies, he says, and of course he can’t remember who they were.’
‘That’s a pile o’ shite,’ said McGrigor. ‘Sorry Mags,’ he added.
‘Don’t fucking mention it,’ DCI Rose said quietly. Even the studious Brian Mackie laughed at her reproof, knowing how much his deputy disliked being patronised in any way by male colleagues.
‘I know that, John,’ he went on, ‘but that’s his story. I’ve interrogated him for hours, so has Maggie, so have
