‘Larry, the venue for the meeting with Cojocaru and Marcus Hearne and his colleagues?’ Goddard asked.
‘Colleagues? A generous term.’
‘Compared to what we’ve got now, they’re almost gentlemen.’
‘Hearne hasn’t got the venue yet. He’s on the way, diverting here and there. He reckons it’s a farce, but then he’s not a patient man.’
‘What would Ivanov say if he knew about it?’
‘The Russians hate the Romanians, and they’ll not take commands from Cojocaru.’
‘Bridget, follow up with Larry. Once he’s got the venue, attempt to set up the best surveillance we can,’ Isaac said.
‘Isn’t that a job for Serious and Organised Crime?’
‘We’re working together on this.’
‘I’m meeting with Davies,’ Goddard said. ‘The man wants answers.’
‘We’ve not given him much.’
‘I’ll keep him off our backs for now. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the team’s handling the case well. Mind you, I’d rather meet with Cojocaru. At least the man wants to negotiate. With Commissioner Davies, it’s a one-way decision-making process.’
‘The best of luck,’ Isaac said.
‘Don’t worry about me. The worst he can do is throw me out on my ear. You’re messing with people who kill.’
‘We’ll be careful,’ Wendy said.
Chapter 16
Marcus Hearne never made the expected phone call about where the meeting was to be held. Larry was at the crime scene within forty minutes of receiving the notification.
‘It’s a messy killing,’ Gordon Windsor said. He was standing to one side of the ditch, looking down at two of his team in the water. The body was face down, although its wallet had floated to the surface, a driving licence providing identification. ‘What do you know about him?’
‘Marcus Hearne, gang leader, someone I used to meet with from time to time,’ Larry said.
‘You pick your friends well.’
‘We needed Hearne,’ Larry said.
‘That’s why he’s dead.’
‘It makes no sense.’
‘Is this to do with Briganti’s?’
‘Yes.’
Larry could see no more to be gained at the murder scene. He drove back to Challis Street. He was not in a good mood.
The first person he saw on his arrival at the police station, the obnoxious and unwelcome Superintendent Caddick. ‘Bad day,’ the man said.
‘Not the best. What are you doing here?’
‘What are you doing here, sir,’ Caddick replied. Larry could see that the man hadn’t changed: overly impressed with his own importance, incompetent without equal. The man was a walking disaster, and he was in Challis Street.
‘Are you coming back, sir?’ Larry said, adding emphasis on the ‘sir’. It was close to impertinence, but he didn’t care, and if Caddick wanted to write a report about his attitude, then that was fine. Larry walked away and left Caddick standing where he was.
In Homicide, the welcome face of Isaac in his office.
‘Caddick’s downstairs,’ Larry said.
‘He’s been in here. I gave him his marching orders. If the man wants to make something of it, that’s up to him. Marcus Hearne?’
‘Dead, one bullet.’
‘No idea where Cojocaru is?’
‘The general area, but it doesn’t help us.’
‘Stanislav Ivanov landed in his private jet ninety minutes ago,’ Isaac said.
‘To attend the meeting?’
‘We don’t think so. He’s at his house in Bayswater. We’ve got people staking it out.’
‘Is he on his own?’
‘A couple of women, they looked expensive. And then there are some bodyguards.’
‘Armed?’
‘Not on arrival.’
‘It’s all coming to us,’ Larry said. ‘And Caddick?’
‘He’s just sticking his nose in. The man’s come to gloat. He’ll wait until we’ve got the case almost solved. Then he’ll be back to take my seat or DCS Goddard’s.’
‘We’d better solve it sooner than later,’ Larry said.
‘Marcus Hearne, what did you expect him to tell you?’
‘If Cojocaru had offered him a sweetener, he might have told me nothing.’
***
The revelation, coming later in the day, was a shock. So much so that Larry had taken the first flight to Ireland. Upon landing, Annie O’Carroll had been there to welcome him. To see her there, a half-smile on her face, lifted the dark mood that he had carried all day.
‘You’ve cracked it?’ Larry said.
‘One of them. I’ve booked you into the same hotel as before.’
‘Not sure if I can stay. The situation in London is fluid. Ivanov’s in the country, and Cojocaru’s missing, as are three of the West Indian gang bosses. There’s a palpable tension on the streets. No one wants to be caught in the action if anything happens.’
‘Is that likely?’
‘People panic, especially when they are being fed rumours from opposing sides. But if Ivanov has had Cojocaru and the others killed, then who knows?’
The two police officers drove in silence; Larry took the opportunity to close his eyes for a few minutes.
Inside the house they had driven to Sheila Gaffney sat silently in one corner of the room. ‘I’m sorry about this,’ she said.
‘Why didn’t you tell us before?’ Larry said.
‘I was upset over Seamus’s death. I did love him, but he was away for so long each time. I had hoped he would have come back to live with us, and when he said that he would, I told Ryan that it was over.’
‘How long had you been having an affair
