Nothing Ventured

The door behind him opened a second time and he turned round to see Jackie, holding a carrier bag.

‘Seen anything worth reporting?’ she asked, as she stared at a plate of biscuit crumbs.

‘Carter left the house to go into his shed, and spent an hour there. I think he was working on something, but I couldn’t make out what it was.’

‘Then it will be our job to find out tomorrow. I’ve briefed the local intelligence officer on what we’re up to. Good lad, if a little sensitive about the Met straying onto his patch without warning. He’s well aware of Carter’s past record – in fact, he’s a pro now. But to date he’s given him no trouble. A model citizen in fact. He does a bit of engraving for one or two of the local schools and sports clubs, although he claims he’s retired.’

‘“Criminals never retire”,’ said William, ‘“they just get more cunning.”’

‘The Hawk?’

‘No, Fred Yates. So, are you going to take over up here, while I go down and have a closer look?’

‘Sure. If Carter comes out of the house, follow him. But if he drops into his local, don’t join him. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.’

‘And when do you want me to come back?’

‘Around midnight, then you can catch some sleep while I do the night shift. I left some sandwiches in the car for you, but now I wish I’d eaten them,’ said Jackie, once again glaring at the biscuit crumbs.

‘Sorry,’ said William. ‘I’m sure there must be something in the fridge.’

‘Which will only be added to our bill, and I don’t have to remind you, detective constable, that we’re not on holiday.’

William slipped out of the room, drove back into town and parked between two cars on the far side of Mulberry Avenue, from where he had a clear view of the house. Just after eleven, he saw the light on the ground floor go off and moments later an upstairs light was switched on. Twenty minutes later the house was in complete darkness.

He took his time munching the sandwiches, feeling more guilty with every bite. Fearing he would fall asleep, he tried various ways of staying awake, including reciting Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur, singing ‘Nessun Dorma’ out of tune, and recalling the top ten Test batting averages of all time – Bradman 99.94, Pollock 60.97, Headley . . .

At midnight, he drove back to the hotel to find Jackie already up and ready to take his place.

‘Anything of interest?’ she asked.

‘He watched television, had supper, watched some more TV, and went upstairs to bed just after eleven. Twenty minutes later the lights went out.’

‘It doesn’t get much better than that,’ said Jackie. ‘And the midnight shift is by far the worst one. It’s so easy to fall asleep, and if you do, you can be sure that Volvo won’t be in the drive when you wake up.’

‘Doing nothing is exhausting,’ said William as he handed over the car keys.

‘You’ll be on the midnight shift tomorrow, so make sure you get a good night’s sleep,’ were Jackie’s final words before leaving.

William got undressed, took a shower and climbed into a warm bed. It made him think about Beth. Hell, he hadn’t called her, and now it was too late. Moments later he was fast asleep.

15

WILLIAM WOKE JUST after seven the next morning, took a shower, shaved and was dressed by the time Jackie returned following her night vigil. They sat in the bay window enjoying a large breakfast of bacon and eggs, while still keeping an eye on the house. Carter didn’t come downstairs until after nine, and they had no way of knowing what he had for breakfast, as his kitchen was at the back of the house.

‘So what now?’

‘We’ll return to Mulberry Avenue and hope he leaves the house at some point. If it’s by car, we’ll follow him. If it’s on foot, I’ll stay in the car while you try to find out what he’s been up to in that shed. Perhaps it’s totally innocent, but Lamont will still want to know.’

Twenty minutes later they were parked on the other side of the road from Carter’s house, some thirty yards from his front gate, their eyes never leaving the front door.

‘This is pointless,’ said William after another futile hour spent discussing everything from Princess Diana’s proposed visit to Scotland Yard, to who would be the next commissioner.

‘Is the Hawk in with a chance?’ asked William.

‘Not this time round,’ said Jackie. ‘But possibly at some time in the future, although he has his enemies.’

Another hour slunk by, before William said, ‘What happened to that guy who was with you when I first saw the copy of—’