police are on their way. Anderson Drive flashed by the car's windows, the city's lights glowing in the indigo night. Logan kept his foot flat to the floor, following in the wake of blaring sirens and flashing lights. Sitting in the passenger seat, Faulds turned the radio up. 'Alpha Mike Three, this is Alpha Sixteen, what's your ETA, over?' 'Just coming up to the roundabout onto Provost Frazer Drive so about--' the sound of a horn blaring in the background.'-- Jesus! LEARN TO DRIVE YOU WANKER! Did you see that? Get the bastard's number plate ...' 'Still waiting on that ETA, Alpha Mike Three.' 'Oh, right. Five, six minutes tops.' 'OK,' said Faulds, as they flew through a set of red traffic lights,'who's had firearms training?' Steel shouted through from the back seat. 'Don't look at me.' 'Alec?' The cameraman shrugged. 'Not the sort of thing they do in the BBC.' 'Logan?' 'Last Christmas, but I've never been on an actual--' 'Good enough for me.' He picked up the radio handset. 'Control, this is Chief Constable Mark Faulds. Tell the Senior Firearms Officer he's to stay put till I get there.' 'But, sir--' 'I've handled dozens of these situations before. You don't get to be Chief Constable by hiding under a desk.' There was some muffled conversation, and then the voice on the other end said,'Yes, sir.' Faulds winked at Logan. 'You and I are going to be in at the kill.' That was what Logan was afraid of.
Springhill Crescent was a strange conglomeration of semidetached houses, some were harled, but others were clad in dark brown wood, looking like something out of a Norwegian housing estate. Number sixty-two was the left-hand side of a pair, its exterior in need of a good coat of creosote. The upstairs lights were on, glowing in the cold night. Logan ducked back behind a people carrier two doors down. 'Are you sure about this?' Faulds grinned. 'You ready?' 'How the hell did you talk them into it?' 'Rank has its privileges.' Faulds ejected the magazine from his borrowed Heckler and Koch MP5 automatic machine pistol, checked the load, and slapped it back into place. Then did the same with his Glock 9mm. He
