Influence (26 page)

Anaura walked around the car to the passenger seat and told Richards to take him to Central District as quickly as possible. Richards replied that if he was going to see Drayson, it was a bad idea and that he needed to cool off first as the trauma of what had just taken place would have been clouding his judgement. Anaura looked at him and then told him to drive. The Mondeo had barely come to a stop in the rear of the Central District Police Station yard before Anaura leapt out and charged towards the rear doors, followed by Richards in hot pursuit who had struggled to get out of the car quickly enough to catch him up.

“Peter, calm down, don't do anything stupid!” Richards said. Anaura did not reply to him or a Response officer who greeted them as they went through the door. Anaura charged up the stairs towards the Command Suite and Drayson's office.

“YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Anaura said as he stormed into the office where

Drayson had stood up after hearing Richards pleading with Anaura to stop. CRACK. Anaura punched Drayson flush in his face sending him reeling over his desk and on to the floor with a crash. Anaura went to hit Drayson again as he attempted to stand up in a daze until Richards grabbed him, desperately trying to stop his powerful friend from hitting the bastard again.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ANAURA, I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR THAT!” Drayson yelled out in anger and he climbed to his feet with a bloodied mouth.

“ME ARRESTED, ME, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GETTING ARRESTED MATE! I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DRAYSON! YOU'LL PAY FOR FOSTER YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!” Anaura bellowed at him whilst being held tight by Richards.

Although shocked that Anaura had managed to link him to Foster, Drayson told him that he would be out of the job by the morning and prosecuted for what he had just done. Anaura went to go for him again but was just about restrained by Richards again.

“YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S IN TROUBLE MATE, COME ON!” Anaura yelled.

“For what? What evidence do you have? None I bet! Wild slanderous accusations, that along with that assault will cost you your job, you stupid bastard.” Drayson said with a smug expression and a huff.

Anaura shook Richards off him and pointed a finger at Drayson whilst shouting how he would end him, to which Drayson laughed and asked how, opening his arms out inviting Anaura to hit him again. Anaura moved forwards to oblige but was restrained and pulled out of the office by Richards who was shouting at him to calm down. As he was ushered along the corridor away from Drayson's office, he shouted back to him that he was going to prison and that he would put him there himself. As they disappeared out of ear shot, Drayon took a deep breath through his anxiety. Anaura may have known everything but he would be able to prove nothing, especially when he would end up being ejected from the Force for assault, Drayson thought to himself. He reached down and picked up his stuff that had been propelled from his desk and placed them back from where they had come. Drayson wished that he had hit Anaura back, however, he knew full well that the satisfaction that would come from Anaura's arrest would be far more pleasing than a mere retaliation punch.

Anaura and Richards climbed into the Mondeo and began heading back to Shoreton in silence. After travelling for about fifteen minutes, Richards asked him whether it had been worth losing his job for, to which Anaura responded that he couldn't have just sat back and watched Drayson get away with it after Foster had died. Richards shook his head and replied that the Scotland Yard superintendent would have got him when he began piecing everything together. But regardless of whether Drayson was caught out or not, Anaura would almost certainly lose his job. Anaura laughed to himself and replied that he would do again a thousand times over; he would rather lose his job than see a dirty copper get away with murder. They pulled up into the rear yard of the station, just as Anaura started to climb out he paused and sat back down.

“Would you have done the same Ian?” He asked.

“Ha, ha! Yeah of course I would have, but I tend to think things through a bit more than you and I know that it would be better to get the evidence first! Go home and see Laura, it's been a shit night, we'll see what we can do about this Foster and Drayson mess tomorrow, including your up and coming arrest!” Richards replied with a smile.

Ten minutes after leaving the station, Anaura pulled up onto his driveway and opened the door as quietly as he possibly could. He walked straight through the hall and into the kitchen where he removed a bottle of red wine from the wine rack and sat down at their large country style wooden kitchen table. As he poured out a large glass, he reflected on how he had never in his whole career had a shift that had been bad enough to make him drink to forget it had ever happened; without a doubt he now had.

“Peter!? You're back early, I thought you would be sleeping in the office because of the O.P.” Laura said as she appeared in her nightie and took a seat in front of him.

Anaura nodded rapidly as the emotions began to well up after seeing her.

“What's the matter? Are you OK?” Laura asked with concern.

He put his knuckles up to his mouth and closed his eyes whilst giving her a nod and trying pulling himself together, although he was always himself in front of Laura; crying had never been his thing. However, a minute later the tears began to flow freely. Laura walked around the table to hug him and asked what had happened to make it such a bad night but he was unable to answer her. After five minutes of continuous crying, he stopped and composed himself.

“Peter? Tell me what's happened? I've never seen you upset about work like this, I'm really worried about you!” Laura said with an expression of deep concern for her husband.

“Where do I start?!” He said with a huff.

“From where ever you want sweetheart!” She replied.

Anaura took a sip of his wine, looked at Laura through his reddened eyes and began telling her what had happened. Laura's concerned expression suddenly turned to sheer horror as he explained what had happened. After hearing the story, she asked how something like that could have happened in the police, and how Foster could have believed what Drayson had told him was real.

“I guess it's just what happens when someone weak and vulnerable is influenced by someone evil and deranged! I wish I could have done more for Foster” Anaura said.

“Everybody is influenced by somebody Peter. And Foster was influenced by Drayson, you couldn't have ever stopped that or helped him.” Laura replied before pouring herself a glass of wine too.

Anaura told Laura that he loved her and she reciprocated, also stating that he would always have her love and support. He smiled back at her before the couple continued to talk through what had happened in the comfort and safety of their home, relationship and a large glass of red wine.

No Winners

Chapter Thirty Six

Drayson switched off his computer after seeing that it had turned one o'clock on his office clock. Although the pain of his swollen lip was bothering him and he still felt a little concerned about how things were going to pan out, he was one hundred percent in a better position than he had been a few months ago. He smiled to himself, the Gang were gone, Foster was gone, and Anaura would soon be gone too; what real evidence could there really be or believed. He cleared his desk and left the office to walk down to his car.

He walked out of the basement doors of the station and towards his car which he had positioned perfectly to drive out of the car park with minimal fuss. He climbed in, started the engine and put his Pink Floyd album on remembering that he had been listening to it the night he had influenced Foster into carrying out his devilish deeds. Drayson looked up to drive away and caught a glimpse of a figure walking his way which he believed was more than likely a response officer finishing a late shift.

BANG, SMASH. Drayson felt as though he had been hit by a freight train as he was violently slammed up against his seat with his brain desperately trying to establish what had just happened through the pain and shock. Drayson struggled to catch his breath as he looked down at his shirt which was becoming saturated from the flowing blood. He looked up through the windscreen to try and see who it was coming towards him, but was unable to due to the now opaque effect of the damaged windscreen. As the shadowy figure drew closer, Drayson tried to muster what little strength he had left to place the car in gear to get away; but he couldn't. The figure appeared at his open car window and as Drayson turned his head to see who his attacker was, the man fired another two shots into the car, causing the darkness of the cabin to illuminate twice with the muzzle flashes of the gun and the quiet car park erupt to life with the ensuing explosive echoes.

“Bradford says hi, bitch!” Poultan hissed as he spat on Drayson's now deceased body and ran off as fast as he could out of the car park and into the darkness of the nearby Kings estate, knowing that when he saw Bradford again he would be made a very, very rich man, and would be able to escape to somewhere hot without an extradition treaty.

Out of breath and well away from the scene, he stopped to call Bradford; but there was no answer..........

The End