Murphy and the surveillance teams, working on a lone radio channel, were blissfully unaware when, at 11:30 a.m., six heavily armed members of the Arabs of KSA group stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington. The gunmen quickly overpowered the armed police officer guarding the embassy and took twenty-six hostages. They demanded the release of Arab prisoners in Khuzestan and their own safe passage out of the United Kingdom.
Cam ran into Murphy’s office.
‘Guv, the shit’s hit the fan. The CO11 commander wants his officers back at the Yard right away.’
‘Why, what’s happened?’
Cam explained about the embassy siege.
Murphy picked up the phone.
‘We’ll see about that — I’m not having a bunch of towel heads ruin my operation.’
It wasn’t long before a solemn-looking Murphy walked into the main office and spoke to Cam.
‘Stand the CO11 officers down and tell them to go back to the Yard.’
‘All of them?’
‘Yes, apart from the CROPS officers. The Anti-Terrorist Squad want as much support as they can get to locate where the KSA cell were staying and anyone connected to them.’
‘What about the guys listening to the phones?’
‘Them as well. They’re going to put listening probes in the embassy walls, so they’ll be needed for that. Tell the rest of the team I want them to come back here for a meeting when the Ripleys get home.’
‘How are we going to man our OPs and carry out surveillance without CO11 support?’
‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’
He went to his office to think.
When she’d finished at the cafe, Jane went to the Co-op in the High Street to speak to Emma Wilson.
‘Are you sure?’ a doubting Emma asked.
‘Yes. I spoke to the PC myself after my colleague told me. Your Uncle Asil was never part of your father’s criminal activities. Some people thought he was and were out for vengeance for what your father had done to them. According to Customs and Excise, his current importation business is genuine and they don’t suspect him of being involved in any criminal activity.’
‘But he still abandoned us to save his own skin.’
‘Maybe he was worried about what might happen to him, or he feared for your and Rachel’s safety if he looked after you. It could be that he put you in the care of St. Cuthbert’s because he felt, at the time, it was the best thing to do.’
‘If he wants forgiveness, I can’t give it to him — not after all these years.’
‘After your mother was seriously assaulted, Asil helped the police to try and find your father. Perhaps his remorse is genuine.’ She handed Emma a bit of paper. ‘This is a contact number for Asil if you want to speak to him.’
She looked at the details, then held the note tightly in her hand.
‘What do you think I should do?’
‘It’s not for me to decide, Emma. We all make mistakes in life and do things we deeply regret. Forgiving your uncle won’t change the past, but it could change your and Rachel’s future, without her ever knowing the truth about your mother’s death.’
‘I’ll speak to him — but it doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him,’ she replied with a tear in her eye.
Jane put her hand on Emma’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze of reassurance, then left.
She got back to the office at 4 p.m. and was shocked when Cam told her about the embassy siege.
‘Was anyone killed?’
‘No, but the terrorists are saying they will shoot hostages if their demands aren’t met. We’ve lost all the CO11 officers.’
‘I bet Murphy’s pissed off.’
‘He was at first, but he knows the Anti-Terrorist Squad’s work always takes precedence. Paul Lawrence called and left a message. He wants you to ring him at the lab,’ Cam told her.
Jane went to her desk, picked up the phone and called him.
‘Did you get anything off the key?’
‘We got a thumb and fingerprint mark, which don’t match any of your suspects.’
Jane felt a sense of relief. ‘Whose was it?’
‘No ident yet, but Fingerprint Bureau are still checking. Division are treating her death as murder, but they don’t think it’s connected to your investigation.’
‘Are they thinking it’s a burglary gone wrong?’
‘Yes, and I’d say that’s a reasonable conclusion under the circumstances.’
She had a thought.
‘Could you get the RUC bureau to check the prints against their files? Just in case there’s a connection to Aidan O’Reilly.’
‘You don’t let things go, do you?’
She smiled. ‘You shouldn’t have taught me so well.’
All the team were in the office by 7 p.m. With the surveillance and intelligence officers having to return to the Yard, the mood was bleak.
Murphy strode out of his office looking positive.
‘For Christ’s sake — you lot look like you let the Ripleys get away with another robbery.’
‘The way things are going it could happen, Guv,’ Bax remarked.
‘Not on my watch they won’t. If all else fails, revert to plan B.’ He held up a piece of paper. ‘We can do this without CO11. It will be harder, but it’s doable.’
‘We’ve lost the firearms officers as well, and the CROPS officers won’t be working the bank holiday weekend. Colonel, you will be driving the gunship with DI Kingston on board and tailing George Ripley. The second gunship will tail Tommy, and be driven by Cam with Stanley on board. Bax and Dabs continue at the Bruce Grove OP and Teflon on GR Motors. We can pick up eyeball on Graham Smith and Carl Winter when they arrive at the garage, but don’t worry about a tail on Winter for now. Tennison, I’m going to have to pull you from the cafe to work in here.’
She wasn’t pleased about it, but knew he had no choice as their numbers had been severely depleted. He did, however, say he would use Kingston’s office and listen in on the phone conversations as they were being recorded, as there were four phones to monitor.
‘Did the intel guys listening to the phones pick up anything interesting today before they went back to the Yard?’ Kingston asked Cam.
‘I had a quick look through their logs. There’s nothing of significance, mostly Maureen Ripley moaning and groaning. She phoned George and gave him a right ear-bashing about playing golf on the Saturday morning before the wedding.’
‘He’s playing golf before his daughter’s wedding? That sounds a bit dodgy,’ Teflon remarked.
Cam picked up the relevant log from his desk and flicked through it.
‘George phoned the golf club straight after Maureen had a go at him to confirm a seven a.m. tee time, Saturday morning, for four people.’
‘I play golf — I can do a tail on Ripley,’ Bax suggested.
‘Shut up,’ Murphy told him, shaking his head.
‘Sounds legit. Does the log say which course it is?’ Kingston asked.
Cam looked at the log. ‘The person who answered the call said, “Royal Epping Forest”.’
‘That’s a private, members-only club. Not cheap either,’ Bax said.
‘Sound like the sort of place Ripley would join to impress people,’ Stanley said.
‘Maybe Camel Hair Coat Man is a member there as well,’ Dabs suggested.
Murphy nodded. ‘Anyone know if there’s anywhere near there we could park an OBO van, or surveillance car, to get a few pictures of George Ripley’s playing partners?’
There was silence and shaking heads.
‘I’ll scout it out first thing in the morning,’ the Colonel said.
‘I don’t need you all on duty Saturday or Sunday, and Monday is the May Day bank holiday, which reduces the pressure on us as no Securicor vans will be making cash deliveries to the banks during the long weekend.’