Jeffers nodded carefully. Carter sat back and smiled.
“Good boy Darren, I knew we could trust you. Now tell me, why were you following Charles Rathbone?”
Jeffers remained silent until Stone pulled on his arms and whispered into his ear.
“Speak now or I will dislocate your shoulders.”
“OK — OK! It wasn’t my idea, I was told to. I owes this guy money and he told me what to do — OK?”
“I think we deserve more detail Darren, which man? Be specific or my friend will become impatient.”
“Oh man, you don’t understand — he’ll fucking kill me. I can’t tell — I can’t.” Jeffers started to cry.
Carter looked at Stone and pulled a face then he shrugged and gave a short nod. Stone took hold of Darren’s forearm and dug his thumb into the muscle that sits just below the elbow. After finding the pressure point that sits on the nerve, he pressed hard. As if he were being electrocuted, Jeffers instantly started to scream and kick his feet. Stone ignored his desperate struggles and relentlessly continued to grind his thumb down into the nerve for another ten seconds. Jeffers groaned and suddenly vomited a stream of beer and undigested French fries across the floor. Carter looked down at the ashen faced man and spoke without any apparent sympathy.
“That was just a small example of the pain that my friend can cause. Now I will ask you again — who sent you to watch Charles Rathbone?”
Jeffers moaned, coughed, and blew a bubble of snot, before finally he spoke. His voice was a guttural whisper.
“His, his name is Anton Stephens. He takes bets, and loans out money. I owes him large. He made me do it. I had to show his people around and watch the village in case Rathbone showed up. They gave me a cell phone so’s I could call in me reports. That’s all I know, mister — honest to God, that’s all I know.” Jeffers slumped on the floor and started to cry like a baby, he was a broken man.
Stone eased his grip a little and sat back, relaxed but ready to pounce again if needed. Carter carried on with the interrogation.
“Where does this Anton Stephens live? I want to speak with him.”
“I dunno where his gaff is, always he comes to me.”
“How do you contact him, then?”
Jeffers laughed and shook his head.
“You don’t. He and one of his boys do the rounds, like the fish van does, ‘sept his van is a silver Mercedes CLK. They do a different bar every night. Wethersfield is Monday’s. Come back Monday night, he’ll be here.”
“Monday is too long to wait. We need to see him sooner. I don’t suppose you know his registration number?”
“It’s a private plate, something like ‘Ant and Bet’, like those little TV guys, but I don’t know exact like.”
“That’s OK Darren, I believe you,” Carter said softly. “What about the cell phone that they gave you? Where is it?”
“They took it back, told me they would give it me again if there was any more work.”
“Tell me about the people you worked with — what were their names?”
“They didn’t use names.” Jeffers shook his head slightly. “They all had code words, like ‘Alpha’ and ‘Zebra’ — I thought it was silly.”
Carter’s mouth tightened.
“Describe them — what did they look like?”
“I really only met this one guy, I showed him around and he told me what to do. He was like their team leader. I know there wus others but I never met ‘em.”
“What did he look like?”
“Old feller; skinny and tall. He had one of ‘em little beards — you know, on the end of his chin. He wus nice for a posh guy — bit of a toff like. I reckon he wus a famous actor, but I didn’t know his face.”
“What made you think he was an actor?” Stone asked.
“Sometimes he would say words from shows, like famous words — what’s it called?”
“You mean quotes?” Carter asked.
“Yes, quotes like — but posh ones — like from a long time ago. He’d say it, and then say ‘Shakespeare’ or summit like it.”
“Anything else?”
Jeffers shook his head firmly.
“Honest — that’s all I know.”
Carter looked at Stone.
“I think we are done here. Anything you want to ask?”
Stone shook his head then leaned forward to whisper into Darren’s ear.
“Listen very carefully. We’re going to leave now and you’re going to clean up this mess and get on with your sorry excuse for a life. If you’re lucky, you will never see Anton Stephens again, and if you’re really lucky, you’ll never see us again either. However, if I find out that Stephen’s knows we are coming, then we will be back — and you will not enjoy our next visit half as much. So keep your mouth shut! Nod if you understand.”
Jeffers nodded so hard that Stone was worried he would dislocate his neck. Then, almost as swiftly as they had entered, the two men left. Five minutes later, they were parked behind Stones car. Carter broke the silence first.
“Not what I hoped for, but at least we have a solid lead.”
“It seems like Charles’ files were pretty accurate,” Stone said. “This Wrecking Crew works in cells, maintaining separation and making sure that they cannot be traced back to the top. It’s going to be difficult to find these people, unless someone makes a mistake.”
“Well I prefer to remain positive,” Carter said defiantly. “When I was a cop, we had a saying, ‘they have to be lucky all of the time, we only have to get lucky once!’.”
“Hooray to that!” Stone agreed. “Look, it’s been a long day, I think we should both get home and rest up.”
“Agreed,” Carter said sleepily.
“One thing before you go, Ed. I rescued a stray kitten earlier. It’s in my car. I wanted it to go to a good home. Do you think Megan would take it on?”
Ed laughed aloud as the tension of the day suddenly gave way to more mundane matters.
“In a heartbeat Eric, she’ll take it in a heartbeat. Go get it and I’ll take it to her in the morning.”
Stone wrapped the sleeping kitten in one of his sweatshirts and gently placed it on the back seat.
“Thanks, Ed. It’s good to know that’s going to a good and loving home.
“No problem. I’ll give what we’ve learned to Megan so she can get to work on it. It can take a little while to find and analyze the information. Unless something urgent comes up I suggest we meet at her place on Saturday — say around midday?”
“That works for me. Charles’ funeral is on Friday, I wanted to pay my respects. I also need to speak with his lawyer about his estate. There’s a lot to sort out. He didn’t have any relatives so I guess I’ll have to go to his house at some point, to go through all his things and remove any personal stuff.” Stone gave a grimace. “I’ll give the rest to ‘Help for Hero’s’ — I expect that’s what he would have wanted.”
“It’s never easy or quick. After my dad died, it took me weeks to clear his house, and months to sell it. Are you planning to live there?” Carter asked.
Stone shook his head firmly.
“No — I wouldn’t like that, it’s a lovely place, but too big for my needs.”
“You’re going to sell it then?”
“No, I have something else in mind. I’ll tell you later — when all this is over.”
Charles Rathbone’s funeral was held in Finchingfield. It was a suitably somber affair. Despite the relentless drizzle, the funeral was well attended by many people from the local area, a few politicians, and the press. There was also an honor guard from Charles’ old Regiment. Stone kept a low profile throughout, standing at the rear of the packed village church during the service. Outside, he sheltered under his umbrella at a respectful distance as Charles’ coffin was interred in the family plot. Afterwards, he took a slow drive towards the rear of Charles’ farm.