The Becket Approval by Falconer Duncan (best big ereader .TXT) 📗

‘He raped a girl who subsequently committed suicide,’ she said. ‘Hence the homicide.’

He nodded. ‘What’s the military side?’

‘Her father is former SAS.’

Jedson sipped his beer while considering her comment.

‘But then, you knew that,’ she added.

He looked at her again, into her eyes as if searching for something. ‘So, where’d you come across this Russian?’

‘It came up in a search I was doing.’

‘The name Milo Krilov just popped up when you were doing a search? Search of what?’

She suddenly felt uncomfortable with his darkened response. ‘I’m going to have to tell you a secret,’ she said in a low voice.

‘Go on.’

‘Could get me in trouble.’

‘You can trust me.’

‘Okay. I will. I was researching the rape and I hit the red wall, restricted access and all that and so I went to Dillon and told him what I was doing and what I’d run into and he checked for himself.’

‘And he told you about Milo Krilov.’

‘Not directly. I was naughty and took a look at his screen when he had his back turned.’

‘And you saw the name, Milo Krilov.’

‘I’d like to know more about him.’

‘Like what?’

‘Why he hasn’t been charged.’

Jedson looked around to ensure no one was within hearing distance. ‘You think I’m pretty stupid, don’t you?’

She felt the serrated edge of his irritation. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You’ve always taken me for a numpty. All those snide comments you make in the office in order to entertain the other idiots. A bit too close, you and Dillon. Thick as thieves, aren’t you?’

Bethan was unbalanced by his aggressive posture.

‘Let me tell you something,’ he said, leaning closer. ‘I’ve always had a thing for you. Something about you always gets me going. No one else does it for me the way you do. I’d tell you anything you want in the right circumstances.’

‘What circumstances would they be?’

He grinned. ‘Ever play strip interrogation? I tell you something, you take a piece of clothing off, and we keep on going. You’ll know everything you need to by the time you’re bollocky buff.’

‘I’ll never be that desperate,’ she said, getting off the stool. ‘Thanks for the drink.’

As she turned to leave he took a hold of her arm. ‘Yes, you run along,’ he said. ‘And I’ll decide whether to report this conversation to my boss or not.’

Bethan pulled her arm away and walked out of the bar.

‘Tiger’s getting away,’ one of Jedson’s colleagues called out to the tune of laughter.

Jedson was too thick skinned to let it bother him. He watched her leave with snake-like eyes.

Chapter 20

Gunnymede sat on a low garden wall in front of a terraced house in a dimly lit residential street in West Winchester. He’d chosen the darkest part, a section not covered by the handful of street-lamps and from where he had line of sight to a specific house along the other side of the street. The number of cars that tightly lined both sides suggested it was a busy neighbourhood although in the hour he’d been there only a couple of pedestrians had gone by.

Gunnymede took a final draw on a cigarette and tossed it. He got to his feet and stretched his legs that had begun to stiffen. He’d been there several hours and the question was how much longer would he give it.

As he sat back down, the front door to the house he’d been watching opened and light filled the small yard. Gunnymede crouched a little to ensure he was out of sight behind a car. The light went out seconds later and a man stepped into view. It looked very much like Krilov. Balding, six foot six, broad and hard to miss. He paused at his gate to look up and down the street. The man had awareness. Gunnymede kept sight of him through the car windows.

Krilov stepped through the gate to a Mercedes SUV, climbed in, started the engine and drove away. Gunnymede had identified the car on an earlier walk past based on the info from Aristotle and stuck a lump of chewing gum onto one of the rear lights. As the car headed away Gunnymede could clearly see the gap in the curved LED strip where the gum covered it.

He climbed onto a powerful motorbike, the pool bike Aristotle had been driving a few days before, pulled on a full-faced helmet, started the throaty engine and eased away from the kerb. Half a minute later he arrived at a busy T junction and searched the tail lights of the cars driving away left and right. The broken line of the LED light stood out and he followed it.

Gunnymede maintained several cars between him and Krilov. It wasn’t long before the Russian turned onto a main road and Gunnymede dropped back even further. Several miles from the city the Russian left the highway onto a country road. Two cars ahead of Gunnymede took the same turn to help maintain his cover.

Another turn onto a less busy road and Gunnymede found himself with nothing between him and the Russian. He slowed down to put himself out of direct line of sight. The road was twisting and Gunnymede could only keep track of the Merc by its headlights reflecting off the countryside.

As Gunnymede came out of a long bend he saw a vehicle turning off the road up ahead. He couldn’t be certain it was the Russian as it passed between trees and climbed a hill. As he drew level with the lane he caught sight of the tail lights a second before they disappeared over a rise. It was the Merc. What’s more, the lane was signposted as a dead end.

Gunnymede drove on for another half mile before pulling off the road under a line of trees and