Driving into Darkness (DI Angus Henderson 2) by Iain Cameron

saying the villains fired two warning shots into the ceiling and the women were hit by flying debris from the ceiling tiles doesn’t sound half as exciting.’
    ‘That’s what I thought.’
    ‘I’ve spoken to one or two narks I know and they tell me Billy Francis was involved. I have to admit, it’s the sort of thing he would do, you know, rob a building society all tooled up, so a couple of hours ago I brought Francis in and I’ve been questioning him for most of the morning. He kept telling me it wasn’t him and couple of minutes ago we managed to check out his alibi and it does stack up.’
    ‘No easy solutions then?’
    ‘Nope, but he gave me some other names.’
    ‘Like who?’
    ‘A pair of South London villains; Sol Higson and Les Stephen. They moved to Brighton a few months back and started right where they left off in Croydon, robbing sub-post offices and building societies.’
    ‘Record?’
    ‘As long as your arm.’
    He passed some papers across to him, a printout of their criminal records. He looked through it with a jaundiced eye, career criminals who had never held down a ‘normal’ job in their lives. On an application form to join whatever club they fancied, they would be forced to put ‘armed robber’ in the ‘occupation’ field and their address as one of Her Majesty’s penal institutions, as they both had been inside Pentonville and Wandsworth so many times, these places would feel more like home than Croydon or Lambeth.
    ‘My first question is, why would Billy Francis give these two up? I know there’s no such thing as honour among thieves but isn’t he a bit scared one of them coming after him and sticking him with a blade? They’ve got form for doing violence as well as everything else.’
    ‘I know and I did ask him, but I get the impression it’s a risk he’s willing to take if there’s a chance we can take these boys off his patch.’
    ‘It sounds like he wants us to do his dirty work for him.’
    ‘In a way, you’re right but if it gives us the opportunity to nick a couple of nasty villains, what do we care?’
    ‘I hear what you’re saying but as long as this isn’t a wild goose chase or even worse, and I want you to be wary of this, some kind of trap.’
    Hobbs tried to say something but Henderson held up a hand to stop him. ‘Don’t laugh it off Gerry. Billy Francis is a mean son of a bitch who doesn’t have a good word to say about anybody and might be harbouring a grudge against you or me, or the police in general. I for one wouldn’t put it past him. All I’m saying is you need to be careful.’
    ‘Ok boss, point made.’
    ‘Good, I’m pleased to hear it. So what’s the plan?’

ELEVEN
     
     
     
     
    The patrol car came to a halt at the junction of Tivoli Crescent and Dyke Road. There was a time, not so long ago, when motorists would give way to one of their Day-Glo painted patrol cars but unless the blue light was flashing and they were burning rubber, they had no chance, and he could be driving his wife’s Nissan Micra for all the notice anyone took.
    ‘What do you think, Tommo?’ PC Longman said as he prodded and picked at a red spot on the back of his wrist.
    ‘What do I think about what?’
    ‘D’ya think this missing guy, David Young’s done a bunk with all the money from the safe or somebody’s kidnapped him?’
    ‘It wouldn’t be the first time a senior executive in a company like Markham has scarpered without so much as a by-your-leave, but I wouldn’t shout too much about the second one in the canteen if I were you lad, unless you want to look a right prat. This is Hove, not Houston.’
    ‘Ah right boss, sorry.’
    ‘I’m no expert in this area,’ Rogerson said, ‘but if our Mr Young has been dipping his mitts into the Markham till, he’ll have scarpered off like a virgin on a stag night at the first whiff of an audit.’
    ‘I’ve been giving this a bit of thought myself, like,’ Longman said. He paused as if trying to