Soft Target (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) (14 page)

“
The SIG?
”
Howard said. 
“
Not bad, but I prefer
something a little more robust.
”

Sarah blew a raspberry with
her cheeks. 
“
If you pick up a Desert Eagle or a Magnum, I
’
m
going to assume you have a tiny penis.
”

Howard smirked.  He picked up
a two-tone, silver handgun that was not a great deal bigger than her SIG, but
unlike the stainless steel of her weapon, Howard
’
s
gun was a mix of what looked like Aluminium and polymer. 
“
Ruger P95 Double Action,
”
he explained. 
“
Just feels good.
”

“
I was the same way picking my vibrator,
”
said
Sarah. 
“
I liked the cocking action of the Bushmaster 3000.
”

Howard blushed.  Sarah
betrayed her deadpan exterior and let a chuckle slip out.  Howard had such a
stick up his arse, that it was too much fun rattling his cage.  Somewhere deep
inside, this guy with the jutting chin and perfectly shaved sideburns was just
dying to let loose and enjoy himself.  

Howard put on his grey woollen
jacket and immediately it began to ring.  He pulled out his mob-sat and looked
at Sarah. 
“
Palu just sent us the Foster
’
s
address.  You ready to head out?
”

Sarah grabbed a waist holster
and nodded. 
“
Are we meeting Mandy up top?
”

“
Yeah.  You
’
ll rarely find him anyplace else.
”

Sarah thought about how Mandy
had carried her through the Earthworm, and how concerned he had looked.  It was
a strange turn of events, considering how the giant had barely even grunted at
her until then. 
“
You know,
”
she said,
“
you
’
re going to have to tell me how he made that helicopter disappear
yesterday.  I don
’
t imagine he left it in the middle of the field.
”

“
And you
’
d be right,
”
said Howard. 
“
I
’
m sure Mandy will let you in on the secret if you ask him about it.
”

“
He does talk, then?
”

“
Sometimes.
”

“
What
’
s his story?  How is he such a good pilot?  I don
’
t think he
’
s ex RAF.
”

“
He
’
s not,
”
said Howard. 
“
He
’
s never been in any of the forces.  He
’
s
a civilian.  Paid for flight lessons himself.  He was married once, but you
’
ll have to ask him about that.
”

Sarah said no more as they
headed up the same staircase they
’
d used before, the on
that exited into the derelict farm.

Night had long fallen and the
abandoned sheds and agricultural equipment seemed even more haunting now.  Gaps
in the crumbling brickwork whistled as a ghostly breeze passed through them and
owls hooted in the rotten eaves of the old buildings.  Sarah hugged herself and
shivered, despite it not feeling that cold.

They hurried to the warehouse
where, sure enough, Mandy was waiting for them.  The Range Rovers were parked
near the back of the shed now.  One of them was pockmarked with bullet holes. 
“
Best take one of the saloons,
”
Howard
said. 
“
If Ashley Foster warned her parents about us, they might be on the
lookout for Range Rovers.
”

Mandy grunted at them and
fumbled in the pockets of his cargo pants, pulling out the correct set of
keys.  They unlocked a 2010 Jaguar XFR.  Nothing too flashy, but far more
luxurious than what Sarah was used to riding in.  Before the MCU started
falling into disrepair, it
’
d obviously been given money to burn.

Mandy held open the Jaguar
’
s rear door for Sarah.  She considered asking to drive, but knew she
couldn
’
t shove Mandy aside like she had Bradley.

Howard sat up front.  Sarah
didn
’
t like being dumped in the back, but for once she didn
’
t complain.  Her shoulder was throbbing and her head had been fuzzy
ever since waking.  While she still had her wits about her, it took a concerted
effort not to keel over and start panting.    She hoped she could have a short
rest on the drive to their destination. 

The address Palu had given
them was back in Oxford.  Mandy started the engine and headed into the fields. 
Every jolt from the saloon
’
s suspension caused the pain in Sarah
’
s
shoulder to flair.  She hid it best she could. 

“
Do the parents know we
’
re coming?
”
she asked.

“
No,
”
Howard said. 
“
Unless Ashley warned
them.  We
’
ll take things cautiously.  Mattock will be in the area, ready to
provide backup if needed.
”

Sarah swallowed. 
“
The SAS guy?
”

Howard nodded. 
“
Bradley must have told you about him.  He
’
s
a good guy to have in a pinch, no nonsense.  You should like him.
”

I doubt it. 
“
So, what type of background do the parents have?  Any extreme
political views?
”

“
Both are conservatives, but we
’
ll
try not to hold that against them.
”

Mandy snorted in the driver
’
s seat.

Sarah frowned. 
“
Don
’
t you take orders from our conservative Prime Minister?
”

“
Yes,
”
Howard said,
“
until the next one
comes to power.  Tell you the truth, I don
’
t
see much difference between any of the parties anymore.  They used to stand for
something, but it
’
s all just a muddle now.
”

“
There
’
s something we can agree on,
”
Sarah
said. 

It took them ten minutes to
enter the main roads.  The Jaguar wasn
’
t built for
off-roading as well as the Range Rovers.  Sarah clenched her jaw and thought
about what she was going to do when she got hold of the people responsible for
the attacks.  The SIG attached to her belt was digging into her hip and worried
about how much she liked the feel of it.  She wanted to kill them all.  She
looked like a monster, so she saw little reason not to act like one.  She wasn
’
t going to be the only one with scars when this was all over.

W
hen they reached the
Foster
’
s home, it was 4.30AM.  The sky had turned a light shade of blue as
the sun prepared to make its return.  There was a chill to the air that made
Sarah wonder if it was the weather or the fact that she was a few pints short
of blood. 

Howard and Mandy had been
silent the whole journey, and both seemed tired.  She wondered how she looked
herself.

The houses leading up to the
Foster
’
s address were a mixture of detached and semi-detached properties,
with short lawns and well-kept bushes.  Mandy pulled up outside of a
double-fronted family home and blocked the property
’
s
driveway.  A sleek black Audi sat in front of the house next to a Mini Cooper. 
Both cars looked new.

Sarah pressed her forehead
against the rear window and squinted. 
“
Doesn
’
t exactly look like Ashley had a troubled upbringing.
”

Howard shrugged. 
“
Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors.  You ready?
”

“
What
’
s the plan?  Do we have fake Police badges or something?
”

“
You
’
ve been watching too many movies.  We don
’
t
have specific identification, but most people don
’
t
tend to ask.  Just speak with authority and people will do what you say.  If we
need to, we can have Palu arrange for the local police to support us, but that
’
s not how we want to do this.
”

“
Okay, I
’
ll follow your lead.
” 
Sarah pulled open her door and stepped onto the
driveway.

“
I
’
ll take point,
”
Howard said.

Sarah didn
’
t argue.  In the state she was in, she wasn
’
t
sure she could take charge even if she wanted to.  They strolled up the
driveway and approached the front door.  A wall lantern switched on as they
neared.  Howard rang the bell.  He rang it twice more before the hallway light
finally came on.

The front door opened and they were met by a
bleary-eyed man in his fifties.  He was fully-dressed, despite the hour.  “Have
you found her?”
he asked them

Howard frowned. 
“
I
’
m sorry?
”

The man looked at them like
they were idiots. 
“
My daughter, Ashley.  Have you found her?  You
’
re the police, I take it?
”

“
No, we
’
re not the police.  We
’
re special
investigators for the Home Office.
”

Mr Foster nodded. 
“
Oh, well, the police came by earlier.  They said our daughter was
involved in a kidnapping.
”

“
That
’
s right,
”
Howard said. 
“
A Dr Cartwright was involved.  Do you know him?
”

Mr Foster shook his head.

“
We
’
d like to come in for a chat, if that
’
s
okay,
”
said Howard. 
“
We
’
d very much like to locate your daughter, as I
’
m sure you would.
”

“
Yes, please, of course.
”
  Mr Foster stood
aside and allowed them into the hallway.  His wife was coming down the stairs
as they entered.  She was wearing a dressing gown and rubbing at her eyes.  Sarah
noted the woman
’
s eye make-up.

Howard nodded to the woman. 
“
Ma
’
am.
”

“
They
’
ve come about Ashley,
”
Mr Foster told his
wife.

Her eyes lit up. 
“
Oh, yes, of course.  Come into the kitchen, I
’
ll put some tea on.
”

They all headed down the
hallway and entered into a kitchen at the back of the house.  The floor was a
deep brown wood and the units were solid oak.  Granite work surfaces and an
expansive centre island completed the extravagant look, making it clear that the
Foster family were doing alright for themselves.

“
You have a lovely home,
”
said Sarah.

“
Thank you,
”
Mrs Foster said.  She glanced at Sarah and struggled to look away.

“
You
’
re looking at my scars?
”

“
Sorry.
”

“
It
’
s alright.  I served in Afghanistan.  I left part of me still over
there.
”

“
Sorry.
”

“
Don
’
t be.  I
’
m here to talk about your daughter, not my troubles.
”

“
I hope you don
’
t mind us waking you so early, Mr and Mrs Foster,
”
Howard said.

Mrs Foster smiled. 
“
Please, call us Leanne and Paul.  We just want to know our daughter
is safe.
”

“
Okay,
”
Howard said, taking a seat. 
“
Leanne,
Paul, what do you know about what
’
s happened?  Are you
certain you don
’
t know Dr Cartwright?
”

Leanne set two mugs of
steaming tea on the counter and sat opposite Howard. 
“
I don
’
t know anything,
”
she said. 
“
Ashley went to work
this morning as normal.  Next thing we know, the police are contacting us, claiming
our daughter is wanted in connection with a kidnapping and possible shooting. 
They wouldn
’
t tell us anything else.  It
’
s
insane.
”

Paul hugged his wife. 
“
I
’
m sure everything will work out, sweetheart.  None of this makes any
sense.  There has to be an explanation.
”

Howard smiled, then waited a
while until the couple composed themselves. 
“
Can
you tell us about your daughter?  Has she had any sort of problems lately that
you know about?
”

“
No.  Ashley wouldn
’
t hurt a fly.
”

Sarah folded her arms and felt
her shoulder throb. 
Yeah right.

“
She hasn
’
t been in therapy?
”
Howard enquired.
 “O
r in any kind of trouble with the courts?  Sorry for having to ask
such questions.
”

Paul frowned. 
“
No, she
’
s had no problems at all.  She
’
s
just a normal teenage girl?  What do you think my daughter has done exactly? 
What the police are saying about her must be a mistake.  She would never kidnap
anyone, she
’
s just a girl.
”

“
You
’
re right,
”
Sarah said. 
“
She didn
’
t kidnap anybody.  She helped a man escape; a man connected to the
recent bombings.
”

The faces of each parent
dropped.  Eventually, it was Leanne who spoke. 
“
There
’
s no way our daughter could be involved in that.  No way.  Who are
you people?  If you
’
re not the police
…
”

Howard sipped his tea and
allowed a silence to settle over the room, before he finally decided to speak. 
“
We work for an agency committed to stopping terrorist threats
against this nation.  Your daughter is involved with a man linked to the recent
bombings.
”

Paul rubbed at his eyes. 
“
Our daughter is innocent.  I don
’
t
know what she
’
s mixed up in, but she
’
s a sweet girl.
”

“
I believe you,
”
Howard said. 
“
She
’
s too young to have done anything so wrong.  I believe she
’
s gotten mixed up in something she doesn
’
t
understand.  All I want is to find her and help her.  To do that I need to know
all I can about her.  Has she been acting strange lately?  Acting out of
character?
”

Paul shook his head, but
Leanne nodded.
 “
She
’
s been out a lot lately.  I assumed she was seeing somebody.
” 
Her eyes suddenly went wide as if something had occurred to her. 
“
Maybe that
’
s it?  Maybe this psychiatrist, Dr Cartwright, has seduced our daughter
and gotten her involved in something.  Headshrinks know all kinds of ways to
manipulate a person, don
’
t they?  It makes perfect sense.
”

Howard exchange a knowing
glance with Sarah. 
“
Perhaps you
’
re right,
”
he said. 
“
Do you have any idea where Ashley could be?  The slightest guess.
”

“
No idea,
”
Leanne said.

Howard looked at Paul. 
“
Me either,
”
the man said. 
“
I don
’
t know where Ashley likes to go, other than work.
”

“
Do you know who her boss is?
”
Howard
asked.

Paul shook his head. 
“
I
’
ve met the woman once or twice, when I
’
ve
stopped by the newsagent.  Asian lady, has an accent.  Whenever I see her she
’
s all covered up, in those dresses they wear.  You know?
”

Howard nodded. 
“
We
’
re trying to track her down.  Does Aziza Hamidi sound familiar?
”

“
All I know is that my daughter refers to her as
‘
Zee.
’”

“
Thank you,
”
Howard said. 
“
Is there anything
else you can think of that might help us locate your daughter?  Any friends she
likes to visit, some place she might go if she were in trouble?
”

“
She
’
d come here,
”
Leanne spluttered. 
“
This
is her home.
”

Howard looked at Sarah. 
“
Anything you
’
d like to add, Sarah?
”

“
Just two things, really.  The first question I have for Leanne and
Paul is: why have you not asked what we know about your daughter?  The normal
reaction to have when we arrived would be to ask if we knew anything at all
about Ashley; whether or not she
’
s safe, if there
’
ve been any sightings of her.  A parent should want to know
everything they can about the situation, but the two of you have hardly asked
anything.  Your only concern has been telling us that your daughter is
innocent.  Neither of you have made eye-contact with one another either, which
suggests you both have a story and are sticking to it.  Usually people glance
at one another for visual cues, but you both seem to be on the same page about
this.