Influence (16 page)

Foster left his flat feeling refocused after the shame of doubting himself had cleared. For some reason he started having flashbacks to when he and O'Keeffe had been in the secret de-brief location toilets and back in the pub near the Old Bailey. He could not recall either situation clearly or understand why he had been having flashbacks of them, however, Foster shrugged his shoulders and walked on with indifference. One thing he did know for sure was that he needed to get back up to West Ording forest soon for some more cocaine, and the next assignment.

The Right Decision?

Chapter Twenty

Sgt Chalmers and King walked into the supervisor's office in Shoreton where Anaura and Richards were discussing Luke Kennedy's movements. Anaura smiled and asked them how things were coming along with Cooper. Chalmers pulled an indifferent expression while King replied that it had all been quiet on the western front apart from following Cooper from his home address to his office on a daily basis over the recent weeks. Although Chalmers mentioned how Cooper had made two unexplained early evening visits to somewhere in Basin Road South in the harbour, where they lost him each time, however he went on to explain that Cooper was a keen fisherman and might have been going there for that purpose. Anaura shook his head and stated that he still believed night surveillance would be worth having, something that both Sergeants disagreed with but replied that they would explore the option when they moved on to life-styling Larry Pearson the following week. The two Sergeants finished and assured him that they would forward all the intelligence that had been acquired on Cooper to him before they returned to the SOCU offices to be updated on the unit's other ongoing operations. As the two men left the room, Anaura glanced at Richards who raised his hands up, implying exasperation. He placed his left elbow onto the desk, dropped his head and began rubbing his cropped hair.

“What do you reckon Ian? Is this Surveillance Malarkey worth having?” He asked Richards.

“I'm not so sure! We seem to have got further with Nash and the Intel guys than we have by following Cooper shopping!” he replied with frustration.

Anaura leant back into his seat deep in contemplation. He looked at the paperwork in front of him. They had a snitch, Kennedy, who was someone worth watching and questioning, but up until that point surveillance had failed to turn up anything decent. He tilted his head back and then lazily dropped it back down again to ask Richards whether he believed that surveillance was still a worthwhile option bearing in mind the risk of the Gang becoming suspicious. Richards looked back at him and replied that the Intel officers were all trained in basic surveillance techniques and setting up observation posts too so they did not really need to have the Surveillance teams. As he put it, the Intel officers would be more than capable enough to find out what, if anything, was happening in Basin Road South. Even more so if they were willing to work nights.

“Right Ian, bollocks, I'm sold! I'm going to call Steiner now to discuss it with him. If we have not got anything of note after weeks of following them, then we are not likely to, it's just not worth the risk. I don't care if it takes an extra six months through using good old fashioned detective work!” Anaura declared.

“Yes Peter! I was hoping you were going to say that, we've got Nash, we're going to get Kennedy and we know something is going down in the harbour; let’s not cock it up with overzealous covert work. And besides we've still got the technical support guys who can assist the Intel guys with fixed surveillance techniques.” Richards happily responded.

Anaura tilted his head forwards and pointed at Richards in agreement. Although he respected the work Surveillance did, nicking the Gang came well before pissing off a few specialist colleagues. This operation called for good old investigative work with officers talking to informants, nicking and influencing the right people; with few stakeouts thrown in for good measure too. Anaura had made up his mind. Richards got up and went outside to speak to Valera and Usher while Anaura called up Steiner, who after listening to what Anaura was proposing with the surveillance teams, didn't sound too enthused with the idea.

“I'm not sure I'm in agreement with you on this one Peter. Have you considered that we could lose a vital source of intelligence from dropping them? I'm really not sure about this.” Steiner said.

“Jason, listen, the Gang aren't doing anything out of place or blatantly illegal so apart from risking them becoming aware that we're following them, what are we getting that makes taking the chance so worthwhile!” Anaura replied.

“Ok Peter, it's your call, your show. If you think we're better off doing it old school then I'll support you but for the record I don't fully agree.” He replied.

“Trust me Jason, you won't regret this!”.

Anaura finished the call and walked out into the office.

“Guys listen up! This is now solely an investigative operation without surveillance! Ian, Naomi, Jennifer, we're going to continue rattling cages under the radar while you guys from Intel are going to start trying to locate where Cooper's been going in harbour and then setting up an Observational Post to keep an eye on him!” Anaura instructed.

The intelligence officers smiled at each other. With the departure of the Surveillance teams they would be getting out on the ground more often and not just stuck behind a desk. However the two female detectives seemed slightly more reserved about the decision.

Anaura walked over to Valera and Usher and asked them why they didn't look a hundred percent comfortable with the decision. The two detectives replied that they wondered whether dropping surveillance would create gaps in the operation and make it more difficult overall, to pin the Gang down to meeting places. Anaura sat down the opposite way around on a swivel chair, leant over it and then spun from side to side. He smiled and told Valera and Usher that ordinarily they would have been right; but then this was no ordinary job, and when Surveillance's results had been less fruitful than hoped for, it was time to focus on the tried and tested methods. Richard nodded his head in agreement. He continued to explain that if they got control of Kennedy, they would get more evidence and intelligence than following them ever could. And besides the Gang had been followed in the past and they had always seemed to know it was happening, instantly ceasing their business activities as a result. It was as though they mysteriously knew about the surveillance operations before the officers on the ground did. It just wasn't worth it. Had Surveillance come up with something solid then he would have kept them rolling. They had not but the detectives had. Valera and Usher indicated to Anaura they were totally with him despite the move being a little unorthodox by modern investigative methods.

“There is a reason I'm a DI you know!” he said, poking fun at their concerns about his choices.

He would never take offence to his staff speaking their minds or expressing their concerns. He may have been the boss but he wasn't above making poor decisions from time to time. And if they still didn't like something after a discussion, then it was perhaps something he needed to reconsider as well. Anaura rubbed his hands together and called everyone into the briefing room.

“Right we're stepping up our activities! Firstly I want you intelligence guys to watch Basin Road South in pairs from five o'clock in the evening until one am in the morning until you ascertain where Cooper and maybe the others are going. My lot, we're going to start moving in on Kennedy hard, it's been over two weeks since Nash grassed him up and we've hardly made any huge leaps forward! It's time for us to go to his address and wait for him or one of his associates to slip up, let's make something happen!”

The officers acknowledged him with enthusiasm and then left the room, leaving Richards and Anaura behind.

“Peter, do you ever get that sinking feeling where you not sure if something is going to work out.” Richards enquired.

“What, like this Operation Ian?”

“Yeah.” Richards replied.

“Every bloody day mate! That's why I've decided on being more direct, more purposeful. I know deep down this is our only shot at this, and I would rather have a good crack at it and fail, than sit around for months and months waiting and wishing for something solid to materialise. We need to clamp down on these bastards asap!” Anaura said.

“I agree Peter, I do, but just a friendly bit of advice mate. Don't go steaming in headstrong to prove a point, we still need to tread carefully with these guys.”

Anaura listened and digested what his long-time friend and colleague had just said to him, Richards was right, he was going to have to calm things down a bit to limit cock ups. Anaura winked at him and asked him if he wanted a brew to which Richards replied “Does a bear shit in the woods?”

He left the briefing room and told Richards that he would meet him back in their office. As he reached the main office door he was met by a smart suited man entering the room, “Bloody locks again!” He muttered to himself.

“DI Anaura I take it?” The suit wearing middle aged man asked in an extremely well-spoken voice.

“Yes, and you are?” He replied.

“Well I'm a Superintendent, so you can call me sir!” The man arrogantly replied.

Anaura had never seen this Superintendent before but was more concerned with how he had gained access to the office and enquired how he had got in. The Superintendent replied that he used his pass before changing the subject and asking Anaura if they could have a private word together. Still suspicious of the man, Anaura agreed and asked him to accompany him out to the kitchen where he was going to make drinks.

“So what can I do for you sir?” Anaura asked in an inquisitive tone of voice as he leant up against the kitchen worktop.

The Superintendent brushed some crumbs off of a chair and sat down before making strong eye contact with Anaura and asking,“Do you know Chief Superintendent Drayson, Detective Inspector?”

“I know him, why's that sir, and please call me Peter” Anaura responded with more confusion, it was the last thing he thought he would be discussing with the unknown command officer.

“If you don't mind, Peter, I'll ask the questions.”

“Alright” Anaura replied with annoyance.

“Have you heard any rumours about him or his methods?” The Superintendent asked.

“Well, personally I'm not that big a fan, and I've always wondered how he managed to lock up all the big hitters in the City in such quick time. But hey, I guess some people are just lucky sir!” Anaura said.

“Quite. Anything else? Was he ever successful in getting close to, say, the Gang during his tenure as the head of Serious and Organised crime?”

“No, no one's ever got close to the Gang, especially Drayson. He just never seemed to be able to make a case against them, probably why no one bothers anymore.” Anaura replied beginning to wonder where this conversation was heading and trying to cover up that Op Spear was taking place.

“Right, I must go. I wonder whether you could do me a favour? Could you listen out for any gossip or info on Drayson without telling anyone else?” The superintendent asked.

“Yeah sure, although I don't really know what you're expecting to learn?”

The unknown superintendent stood up from the seat, smiled at Anaura and passed him a Scotland Yard business card with a mobile number and nothing else while requesting that Anaura immediately relay anything he might hear about Drayson back to him. The Superintendent started to walk out of the kitchen.

“Sorry sir, I didn't catch your name!” Anaura called out.

“That's because I didn't tell you Inspector” he responded arrogantly.

Anaura ran to the kitchen door and asked the Superintendent why he had asked him to have an ear to the ground about Drayson.

“Why not you? Who knows, maybe something will come up as you follow the same leads; or not?” The Superintendent said as he walked out of the rear entrance without even looking back at Anaura.

Anaura looked down at the card he had been given and tapped it on his palm as he walked back into the supervisor's office and sat down with Richards who asked him who the suited man was. Anaura replied that even after speaking to him for fifteen minutes, he still wasn't sure of his identity himself, other than that he was a superintendent. He asked Richards to keep what he was about to say to him secret.

“That Superintendent has just asked me to keep an eye on Drayson and I haven't got a clue why!” Anaura told Richards with utter confusion.

Anaura had never liked Drayson but he was popular with the Chief and other commanding officers, so why would a Superintendent from London be interested in him he wondered. In the end, he didn't really care, even less so when the person asking him had been such an obnoxious former public school boy type, and especially when he hadn't been polite enough to tell him his name. Besides, the most likely scenario was that Drayson was being investigated by an outside agency to ensure that he was suitable enough to be promoted to such a high rank. This was not uncommon for roles or positions where a higher level of vetting was required, the investigators would literally try to learn everything about the officer's career and their personal life, even if it meant asking people who did not like them as well. Richards reflected his theory, citing that it was best to let them get on with it as they had bigger fish to fry.