“Don’t make me use it,” she shouted.
Even Katy flinched at the aggression in Charlie’s tone. She joined her partner and grabbed hold of Aaron’s arm. “Sit down, don’t make me slap the cuffs on you.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
“Enlighten us.” Katy led the man back to the table.
He shook his head, the momentum increasing as he appeared to be battling his conscience.
“Tell us, help us to understand what’s going on, Aaron.”
His gaze dropped to his wringing hands. “I can’t, they’ll…”
“Who will do what, Aaron? Come on, tell us, we can help.”
“No police. They warned me not to contact you.”
“Who did? The gang?”
He glanced up, pinning Katy with his vivid green eyes. “They’re dangerous.”
“I don’t doubt that. What are they up to? We know it’s something big, what we haven’t managed to figure out yet is what they have over you.”
He turned to look at the wall, and then his gaze rose to the ceiling. “I can’t risk it.”
“Risk what? What type of hold have they got over you?”
“It should be over soon. The next few hours and…”
“What should be? The cars, where are they heading, Aaron?”
“I can’t tell you…they’ll…”
Katy sighed as things slotted into place. “It’s your wife, isn’t it? They have her, don’t they?”
He nodded. Katy sensed that if he said the words out loud, he’d possibly put another nail in her coffin.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Look, if you work with us, we can help you and your wife out of this predicament.”
“I can’t, they warned me what would happen if I blabbed. Don’t force me to do this. I love my wife. By keeping quiet I’ll be saving her life. If I tell you everything, well…they’ll find out and kill her. I couldn’t live with knowing that I caused her death.”
“There are ways we can help without putting your wife in danger, Aaron. Work with us, please?”
“I can’t. Anyway, it’ll all be over tonight.”
“Why? I repeat, where are the cars heading?”
“Abroad. To Saudi Arabia.”
“Do you know how they’re being shifted?”
“By boat. No, I’ve said enough already.”
“You haven’t, give us more. Come on, you really think these ruthless men are going to live up to the promise they’ve made to you once the transfer has gone through?”
“They wouldn’t…they can’t go back on their word. I’ve done everything that was asked of me.”
“Aaron, I’m not sure if you’re aware of what this gang has carried out this week in order to obtain the cars, so I’d like to let you in on that.”
He shook his head.
“To date, they have killed five members of the public and two police officers. Does that sound like people you can put your trust in?”
“Shit! I didn’t know. Those people died because of what I did. I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“If the work you did was done under duress then we can help you if the case goes to court.”
“I can’t be held responsible, can I?”
“If you see the light, as they say, then we can have a word with the Crown Prosecution Service, tell them you were forced to give the gang the information, but only if you help us.”
“I’ll do anything—not for my benefit, no, I couldn’t give a toss what happens to me, but Lorraine needs to be rescued. Can you do that?”
“If you provide us with the information, then yes, we’ll do our very best to rescue her and to help you in the process. What do you know?”
He swallowed hard. “Everything is in place now. All the cars are due to be delivered overnight.”
“Where are they leaving from? What time?”
“You have to understand that they haven’t divulged the information to me. I overheard one of the goons when I went to see the top man.”
“Wait. You know who is running the operation?”
“Yes. Robert Anderton. I don’t know much else about him, sorry. Only that he’s ruthless when crossed.”
“And you’ve been to his house? Place of work? Which?”
“A warehouse the gang use. Yes, I was taken there by one of his heavies.”
“Can you tell us where that is?”
“No, they blindfolded me, didn’t want to run the risk of me calling the police, I suppose.”
“That’s a shame. You’ve got no idea where that is? While you were there, perhaps you saw a local landmark that would help us identify the area.”
“I don’t recall. They didn’t take the blindfold off until I was inside the building then secured it in place when they returned me to the car.”
“So, let’s run through the part you played in this scheme. How did they make contact with you?”
“I’m not sure. I think it was through a friend of a friend. They picked me up last week. Offered me a six-figure sum which I turned down. On Saturday, I went out fishing with a friend, and when I came home I found a note saying they’d taken Lorraine and to contact them ASAP if I wanted her back. I rang the number they gave me, and they insisted either I work with them or I say goodbye to Lorraine. What could I do but accept? I said I would, providing they didn’t harm her.”
“Did they give you proof of life?”
“Are you asking if they’ve delivered a finger or something? Then no, they haven’t.”
“Not really. Have you spoken to her since she disappeared? Have you had anything along those lines to tell you that she’s still alive?”
“No. I suppose I just took their word for it. Was I wrong to do that? What if they’ve hurt her…or worse still…what if she’s…?”
“Don’t think about that for now.”
“It’s hard not to, I’ve hardly slept all week. I’ve thought about nothing else. Shit, and now you’re telling me these thugs have killed the owners of the cars I’ve helped them to steal? Fucking hell, what a mess. I don’t see a way
