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‘What, apart from all the murdering?’ said Ross.
‘What I mean is he hasn’t come to this by the traditional criminal route, has he? Normal upbringing, military service, no criminal convictions, he’s never even been arrested,’ said Max.
‘There’s another option,’ said Janie.
‘What?’
‘Encrypted phone. They cost a fortune. Like thousands. Maybe he doesn’t care much about the data, as switching as often as he does, it’s complicated to interpret, and cell sites are only of limited value. The big benefit of an encrypted phone is that if we get our hands on it, even Barney couldn’t crack it, right?’
‘Fair point. What does his cell site suggest?’ asked Max, looking across at Norma.
‘It’s complex, but it is of value. We’ll need to share this with the MIT team soon. It puts him close to the prisons on a few occasions, and he does hit a cell mast heading south around the border that may tie in with the murder of Mitch in Newcastle, but the phone seemed to be offline around the timeframe for the murder. It’ll take ages for me to sort this though, if I’m to check all the numbers called. I’ve just got one back for a number he communicated with that was cell-siting in Newcastle, but that was only yesterday. I wonder who that was.’
‘Say that again?’ said Ross, looking up from his computer.
‘Droopy communicated with a number that cell-sited in Newcastle yesterday, so can’t be connected to Mitch’s murder.’
‘What cell site did he hit?’
‘One at the ferry terminal.’
Ross’s mouth gaped open, his eyes wide. ‘There was a murder at the ferry terminal last night. I saw it on the news this morning. Axe in the head, which made me sit up and listen because of the corrupt cop case in London in the 1980s.’
‘Could it be connected to this case?’ said Max.
‘I’ll make a call. There was a MIT team number on the TV, it’ll be a direct line.’
‘I have it here on screen,’ said Norma, and read it out. Ross picked up the phone and dialled.
‘Christ, this job gets more and more convoluted. Any news from the MIT?’ said Max.
‘Nowhere fast is what their analyst is telling me. No witnesses, nothing on the car that tried to spring Davie and no trace of the sniper who left the fag butt,’ said Norma.
Ross was speaking quietly on the phone, having clearly got straight through to the right person and was talking amiably to whoever was on the other end. He clamped his hand over the handset. ‘Apparentlya French bloke called Davide Arbon got an axe in the heid right by a shite hotel by the ferry terminal. No suspects and no witnesses.’
‘How’d they ID him?’
‘Passport in his pocket allegedly, which has been examined and is forged. Dodgy photo, it seems. They’re waiting for his DNA to come back, no trace on fingerprints, so far. They’re sending a photo of the passport, and of a distinctive tattoo, it’ll be here anytime. In fact, here it is.’ Ross clicked on an email that had popped up in his inbox. There was a photograph of a biodata page of a passport, of a clean-shaven man staring blankly at the camera. His hair was neatly shorn, and he was smartly dressed. The name read Davide Arbon.
The next photo was of a pale forearm, which bore a tattoo of a winged arm clutching a dagger. Ross and Max looked at each other, eyebrows raised.
‘This is the sniper. Almost certain that’s him,’ said Max.
‘How can you be so sure?’ said Norma.
‘That tattoo is the badge of the second parachute battalion of the French Foreign Legion. That’s Kyle Ellis, he was the sniper that killed Davie Hardie and Leo Hamilton, the DNA will confirm it.’ Ross spoke into the phone.
‘Shit. We’d better tell Miles Wakefield, Ross,’ said Max.
‘Aye, I’d best, but you and Janie get heading north. I think there’ll be some shite coming our way, I saw Miles a while ago going to the DCC’s office. I want you up there getting on with it. The sooner we have Frankie debriefed, the better. Is he there, yet?’
‘No but getting closer. They did much of the journey on a blue-light run. Last I heard they were expecting to get there in an hour. Shall I get onto the lawyer and get her making her way? She’s just waiting for the word,’ said Janie.
‘Aye, get on with it, and get going. I’ve a nasty feeling this is going to get political very quickly and there’s only so much the Chief can do.’
Max and Janie stood up, and hoisted their heavy bags.
‘And guys?’ said Ross.
