They blinked at her with surprise.
“Well,” Jason began slowly. “I did sleep with a woman who liked me to make dolphin noises.”
“Dolphin noises?” exclaimed Kevin.
“Yeah and she liked me to flap my arms, like fins.”
“That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I’ve got to admit, it wasn’t sexy.”
“You won’t believe how relieved we are to hear you say that,” smiled Caleb.
“I don’t mean strange weird,” said Faith. “I mean strange as in stranger, anyone unknown.”
“Yeah, loads,” said Jason proudly. “But I don’t remember their names.”
“Did you sleep with any of them in the last two days?”
“No, there hasn’t been time for that.”
“How about you Kev?”
“No, me neither. Like Jason said, there hasn’t been time. Why are you asking?”
Faith left it to Vance to explain.
“We think someone planted a tracking device on one of us,” he said. “That’s how the firefighters knew we were back at Faith’s flat and when me and Caleb were in the lift.”
“So why are you asking if me and Kev slept with anyone?” said Jason. “How could they have planted a tracking device on you?”
“We need to make sure no strangers have been allowed access to our homes or vehicles. If they haven’t, that means it’s someone we know.”
“And for all we know,” said Faith. “We’re still carrying them.”
“Oh shit,” said Jason.
“Indeed. We need you to get your new little gadget.”
“It’s back at Mum’s.”
“Then let’s go.”
They drove to Rose’s house, all of them piling into the tiny front room. They waited for Jason to retrieve his new gadget from his bedroom. He returned downstairs with a small black handheld device.
“So, who’s going first?” he said.
“I will,” said Faith.
He ran the scanner up and down her but found nothing. Next he checked Vance and then Kevin and still nothing. When he scanned Caleb however, it started to beep.
“That doesn’t sound good,” said Caleb.
“Take off your jacket,” Jason told him.
He obeyed and tossed it aside. When he scanned him again, it didn’t beep.
“I guess that means it’s in the jacket,” said Jason.
“You don’t sound too sure,” said Vance. “And you regularly check the office at Pulse with that thing.”
“Because this is the first time it’s ever found anything,” he replied, running the device over the coat. It was only when he checked the hem that it started beeping again. “I think something’s been sewn into it.”
Vance fetched a knife from the kitchen and snatched up the coat.
“I liked that coat too,” sighed Caleb, cringing when his brother started hacking at the lining.
Vance pulled an object out of the hem no bigger than a sim card. “It had been sewn into the lining. Judging by the messy stitching, it was a rush job.” He snapped it in two before tossing it to the floor and stomping on it for good measure.
“Who the hell had the chance to do that?” said Faith.
“I’ve no idea,” said a stunned Caleb. “Even though it was a rush job it would still have taken some time.”
“Have you left your coat anywhere lately?” said Faith.
“I’ve worn it to the clubs and pub and around town but not long enough for someone to sew something into it.”
“Someone could have done it at one of the clubs,” said Faith.
“But I keep it locked in the office and no, I’ve not taken any women into the office. I wouldn’t do that.”
Faith’s mind once again drifted to what she’d got up to with Matthew in the office at Eclectic and she shoved the distracting thought aside. “Whoever did this is working with Ben and the others and it’s someone we know. A stranger couldn’t have done it. If it had been slipped into a pocket it would be a different matter but this needed time and access.”
“Oh shit,” said Caleb. “I wore that coat to the safehouse.”
They all looked at each other in shock before rushing for the door, Jason and Kevin almost falling over each other in their haste.
They sped back to the safehouse, ran up to the flat and burst inside.
“Mum,” yelled Caleb, leaping over an excited Monty when he ran up to him. “Abi?”
He burst into one of the bedrooms and came to a halt. “Oh God, I’m sorry,” he exclaimed before rushing out of the room and closing the door.
“What’s wrong?” Faith asked him.
“Michael and Abi are both, err, naked.”
The bedroom door was yanked open by a furious Abi wrapped in a sheet. “Caleb, what the hell do you think you’re doing you pervert?”
“I was making sure you were okay,” he retorted.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Someone put a tracking device in my coat.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Why didn’t you notice before?”
“Because it was sewn into the lining. We only just found it.”
“We need to move,” said Faith. “Right now.”
Abi grunted with annoyance and rolled her eyes before stomping into the bedroom and slamming the door shut.
“What on earth is going on?” demanded Rose, exiting her bedroom wrapped in her dressing gown, followed by Kevin and Vance, who had woken her up.
“You need to pack Mum,” said Faith. “We have to move.”
“’Why? Where to?”
“This flat has been compromised. I’ve got another place we can stay.”
“But…it’s the middle of the night.”
“I know Mum,” she replied, attempting to keep her temper. “We’re all feeling it but we’ve no choice. Now please get packed quickly. We have to go.”
They had everything packed within half an hour, Rose grumbling the entire time. Abi cast her twin black looks while she comforted an agitated Monty. They got into Jason and Kevin’s cars and Faith sat up front with Jason and directed him to a
