Blindside (28 page)

‘So what’s the story?’

‘Well they’re still no closer to knowing if their investigations are on the same thing. The cops and the Feds, I mean. Maybe this guy who’s coming in will clear it up.’

‘Why is he here?’

‘Who knows? Guilty conscience.’

‘What did you find out?’

‘I don’t know if I can tell you.’

Logan frowned. Cahill played it straight but couldn’t hold it together long enough to be convincing.

‘Screw that. I didn’t sign anything in there.’

‘You always were trustworthy.’

‘This guy Horn and his sergeant, Seth Raines, apparently got caught up in an ambush over in Afghanistan a while back. Horn got injured real bad. Lost his legs. Almost died in hospital.’

‘And how do we get from there to here?’

‘Seems Raines wasn’t happy at Horn’s treatment when they got him to hospital back here. Bottom line, this Raines guy went postal.’

‘They still don’t know if it’s drugs, though?’

‘Right.’

Logan sat down again. Cahill stretched his arms above his head, joints popping as he did it.

‘They were all in the ambush?’ Logan asked. ‘The other soldiers who dropped off the radar?’

‘Don’t think so. But there was a Brit caught up in the thing.’

Logan stared at Cahill.

‘What?’ Cahill asked.

‘I don’t know. Maybe nothing.’

‘Spit it out.’

‘It’s Becky. I mean, she’s been pulled into some drug squad operation back home.’

‘I’m not following.’

‘I don’t know if I am either.’

Cahill frowned.

‘Listen,’ Logan said. ‘Becky told me about this the other day and it was in my head when Hunter was going over his investigation earlier. But it didn’t mean anything at the time. But then Becky said tonight that she got information about soldiers being involved in her thing.’

‘So?’

‘I’m not making myself clear. She got pulled into the drug squad case like Hunter did. Unexplained overdose deaths in suspicious circumstances.’

Cahill rubbed at his eyes.

‘What was the soldier’s name?’ Logan asked. ‘The British one.’

Cahill closed his eyes, thinking.

‘Johnson,’ he said. ‘Andy Johnson.’

‘He’s one of them. I mean, in Becky’s case. Or at least he was.’

‘Was?’

‘He’s dead. Murdered.’

The door to reception opened again and Webb came in with Grange. They came over to where Cahill was sitting.

‘We’re going to speak to Horn alone,’ Grange said.

Cahill looked at Webb who nodded.

Cahill was half inclined to have a fight with Grange and Webb because, well, just because he enjoyed it and it would wind Grange up. But he was sick at the thought of what appeared to be happening. He couldn’t quite comprehend how soldiers, people like him, could start up some sort of drug operation that spanned the Atlantic.

But if there was one thing he had learned over the last few years it was that human beings are capable of anything in extreme circumstances.

‘We need to speak to Becky about this now,’ Logan said after the others had left.

2

Randall Webb and Cooper Grange sat patiently at the table in the conference room while Ruiz helped Matt Horn into a seat. When Horn was settled, Webb nodded at Ruiz who went out of the room but left the door open. Hunter and Collins came into the room, closed the door and sat at one end of the table. Horn looked at them until Webb spoke, introducing everyone at the table.

Horn said nothing.

‘What can we do for you, Mr Horn?’ Webb asked.

Horn shifted in his seat and grimaced. He looked at Hunter and Collins.

‘Shouldn’t you, like, read me my rights or something?’

‘Why would we do that?’ Grange said.

‘I don’t know. Isn’t that how it’s done?’

‘Why don’t you tell us your story and we’ll see where we go from there,’ Webb told him.

Horn shifted again. Everyone waited for him.

‘I killed those men. The drug addicts. It was me.’

Some opening gambit.

Webb leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table.

‘Why don’t you start at the beginning, Mr Horn. I find that usually helps.’

‘How far back do you want me to go?’

‘That depends. When did it start?’

‘In Afghanistan.’

His voice wavered, phlegm at the back of his throat.

‘I lost my legs there.’ He looked down and rubbed his thighs.

‘You were ambushed?’

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Webb. ‘You know about that?’

‘Yes. Is that where it started?’

‘I suppose it is. If we hadn’t been caught up in that …’

‘Tell us about it,’ Webb said.

‘It was Seth and Andy. Until Andy got killed. But mainly Seth. He lost it after I got sick.’

‘Andy?’ Grange asked.

‘Andy Johnson.’

Grange flipped through the file in front of him on the table.

‘The Scottish RMP corporal?’

‘Yes. He wasn’t the same after he got shot. Losing part of your skull will do that.’

‘I’m not following,’ Webb said. ‘Johnson is dead now?’

Horn nodded.

‘Take it back a step and tell us what’s going on,’ Webb said.

‘I needed money for treatment and Seth didn’t have it. Andy had been back in Afghanistan working private security after the army discharged him. He made some contacts over there – through another soldier, guy called Jack Butler. Drug contacts. Heroin. Saw a way to make some money. Seth told him no the first time he mentioned it. But he got so desperate, so angry at everyone and everything, that he would have done anything.’

‘For you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

Horn cleared his throat.

‘He had a son. He died when he was real young and Seth split from his wife after it. I don’t think he ever recovered from it. He saw me as a replacement.’

‘He told you that.’

‘Not in so many words.’

‘Which is why you getting sick …’

‘I nearly died. Technically I was dead for a minute or so before they revived me.’

Webb sat back again, looked over at Hunter.

‘You have any questions, Detective?’

Horn looked at Hunter.

‘You said that you killed them,’ Hunter said. ‘What did you mean by that?’

‘I’m a chemist. I came up with the idea of mixing the heroin and fentanyl. I wanted to be useful. Didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Seth and Andy. That’s not a good place to be.’

‘But you didn’t get it right.’

‘Actually I did. I knew what I was doing.’

Hunter frowned.

‘I don’t understand. If you got it right, why are people dying?’

‘I changed it. Didn’t tell Seth.’

‘You wanted people to die?’

‘Yes.’

Horn showed no emotion now. As though he had stamped it down to where he couldn’t feel it any longer.

‘Why?’

‘So that it would stop. So that we would get caught.’

‘Why did you want to get caught?’

‘The Mexicans.’

Hunter was starting to see it all fit together now.

‘They were going to take you out,’ Hunter said. ‘For muscling in on their trade?’

Horn smiled, but not like it was funny.

‘No, not like that. They wanted to buy us out. It appealed to them mainly because they would have a manufacturing facility right here inside the US border. They wanted to flood the market.’

‘Would certainly avoid the need to get the product across the border.’

‘Exactly. And they were soldiers too. Or at least the guy we dealt with was.’

‘Brothers in arms crap,’ Grange said.

Horn shrugged.

‘This is still my country and I couldn’t sit by and let it happen.’

‘One thing I don’t understand,’ Hunter said. ‘Where does Johnson fit into this?’

Horn made a face like he thought it was a dumb question.

‘He ran the UK operation. Or at least he did before Seth found out he was taking half the profits for himself. Seth told Butler to kill him.’

Webb looked at Hunter who put his palms up indicating he was done asking questions for now.

‘So, Matt,’ Webb said. ‘What was this all about? I mean, why raising all this money? Are you planning to attack your own country?’

Horn frowned and shook his head.

‘Is that what you think?’

He laughed.

‘What?’ Grange asked.

‘It started off because we were all broke and desperate. After that, they got used to the money. That’s all it was. That’s why they’re selling out to the Mexicans. We’re getting five million dollars in cash.’

‘This is all just about money?’

‘Is there anything else?’

Grange sat back in his seat looking disgusted.

‘So, Matt, what is it that you want from us?’ Webb asked.

Always the pragmatist.

‘To stop it. All of it. I thought I said that already.’

‘But you want a deal. Immunity. For helping us. Am I right?’

‘Whatever. I don’t care any more what happens to me. Just stop it.’

‘How do we do that?’

‘I’m meeting Seth tomorrow morning in town for breakfast. I’ll tell you where and when and you can pick him up with minimum fuss. And I’ll tell you who the others are and where we make the stuff. It’s up in the mountains.’

‘You’ll give us everything?’

‘Sure. I mean, if you want it.’

There was a knock at the door. Grange stood and pulled it open. Cahill was there with Logan.

‘Uh, there’s a detective in Scotland that you guys might want to talk to,’ Cahill said.

3

Detective Superintendent Liam Moore was a creature of habit. He liked being a Super. It meant that he didn’t have to do the legwork any longer. He could work a solid nine to six most days and leave the late nights to his team. He’d put his shift in when he was younger. He was respected and maybe a little feared. Fear was a good thing for a boss to instil in his team.

Which is why when his wife shook him awake in the middle of the night and stuck the phone on his ear he was not happy. He was less happy when he heard DC Irvine’s voice.

She was such a hard charger. Which was good. And bad.

Bad like now.

‘Sir, I’m sorry to wake you but—’

‘Get to the point.’

‘I have a situation with this drug case.’

A situation
. This didn’t sound good. Not one little bit.

‘The thing is, the stuff here looks like it might be the other end of a bigger operation. Run out of Colorado.’

‘The Colorado in America?’

‘Yes.’

‘How did this come up?’

‘It’s kind of a long story.’

‘Can’t you just tell me?’

‘The FBI are involved.’

Moore sat up in bed, pulling the covers off his wife and causing her to grunt at him.

‘Have you spoken to the SCDEA about this?’

‘No. I only just found out.’

Moore looked at the clock by his bed. Whatever time it was, and he wasn’t quite sure, it was too early.

‘The FBI are meeting about it right now.’

‘How do you know this?’

‘Uh …’

Moore waited.

‘That’s part of the long story, sir.’

‘Becky, just tell me, okay? I’m going to find out eventually.’

She told him.

‘We’re not doing anything about this right now,’ he said when she finished.

‘Sir?’

‘It’s the middle of the night and it sounds like the Yanks have their end of things under control.’

‘What about ours?’

‘We can do it better in the morning. I mean, the real morning. When normal people are awake.’

‘Shouldn’t we at least make contact with the FBI? I mean, like, now.’

‘No. I want the SCDEA on board first.’

‘But—’

‘No. Meet me at the office at seven-thirty. Then we’ll work out what to do.’

He didn’t wait for a reply.

4

Cooper Grange glared at Logan and came back to his seat, Logan thinking:
What did I do?

‘Have you been holding back any other information?’ Grange asked Cahill.

‘Were you not listening?’ Logan replied. ‘We only just found out.’

‘That’s what you say.’

‘What? You think there’s some conspiracy of silence?’

Grange leaned forward to speak again but Webb held up a hand, cutting him off.

‘The important thing,’ Webb said, ‘is that we have the information now. We’ve got an opportunity to break up an international operation so we need to make sure we’re all on the same page as to where we go from here. If one of us goes too soon it might tip them off.’

Logan nodded.

‘Can you call over there now?’ Webb asked. ‘So we can make some kind of contact.’

Logan picked up his mobile to dial.

‘No,’ Webb said, pushing the conference phone on the table over to Logan. ‘Use that. The speaker will be much better than on your cell.’

‘Hello?’ Irvine’s voice sounded hesitant when she answered the call.

‘Becky, it’s me again,’ Logan said.

‘Hi, listen—’

‘I’m with the police and FBI agents here in Denver.’

‘Detective Irvine, this is Special Agent Randall Webb of the FBI. I head up the Denver field office.’

‘What can I do for you, Agent Webb?’

‘Mr Finch has explained the connection between our investigations and I thought it would be appropriate if we co-ordinated our activities.’

‘I agree. But the drug investigation isn’t my thing. I mean, I’m just helping out over here.’

‘I see. What do you suggest, then?’

‘I’m going to head into the office now. My boss, Liam Moore, wants me to brief him and then we’ll talk to the SCDEA. The drug squad.’

‘I should probably speak with Detective Moore.’

‘Detective Superintendent. Yes.’

Webb looked at his watch.

‘It’s early for you, Detective Irvine. When should we arrange to speak?’

‘If it’s early for me, it’s late for you.’

‘We work as long as we have to. As I’m sure you do.’

‘Of course. I’m going to get ready and go see my boss. Can I speak to him first and call you back to set something up? We need the SCDEA to be in on the call as well.’

‘Of course. We’ve got, ah, other things to occupy ourselves with in the meantime. Speak soon, Detective.’