Mitch crawls onto a fridge freezer, green with slime. This is it. The very top, nowhere left to climb. Gingerly he pushes himself up to standing. A broken, bleeding, soaking man at the top of the world. He looks out at the view. Nothing. Just grey cloud, grey rain and grey mist.
It will be sunnier in Paraguay, and he will find work. Build a business. Something wholesome. Fruit or something. If any of the Colombians want to come and say hello, then that’s fine. He’ll tell them he’s out of the game. They can keep their cocaine, and he’ll keep his bananas. If they grow bananas in Paraguay.
Mitch wipes a brown smear from his Rolex. One p.m. Time to head to Gatwick. He rests his hands on his knees for a moment, recovering from the exertions of his climb, and preparing for his descent. With decent traffic he can –
A pain shoots through Mitch Maxwell’s left arm. He clutches it. He feels the rain pouring down his face, before realizing that it is no longer raining. Mitch slumps onto his knees, then his knees slip from under him on the slime of the freezer. There he lies for a few moments longer, before Mitch Maxwell, at the top of the pile, heart on fire, gasping in pain, filth and greyness all around him, shuts his eyes for the final time.
Ibrahim leans his elbow on the roof of the squad car, and listens to the traffic thunder by in the distance.
Chris and Donna arrived with SIO Jill Regan about fifteen minutes after Joyce and Elizabeth left. Ron just had time to sneak in his full English breakfast, and Ibrahim has rarely seen him look so happy. He is currently on the other side of the car, contentedly patting his stomach through his new jumper, which is actually a wonderful colour on him.
‘What are we calling that? Cerise?’ says Ibrahim.
‘Red,’ says Ron.
The three officers are listening to the recording in the back of their squad car. One by one they emerge. Jill holds up the phone.
‘The other voice on this recording?’ Jill begins. ‘It’s Garth?’
‘It’s unmistakable,’ says Ibrahim.
‘Where is he?’ Chris asks.
‘He got away,’ says Ron. ‘Couldn’t stop him, big lad.’
‘You told us to be here at three,’ says Jill. ‘And this phone starts recording at just before two.’
‘Not my area,’ says Ibrahim. ‘You’d need to talk to Elizabeth.’
‘And where is Elizabeth?’ asks Chris.
‘Back at Coopers Chase,’ says Ibrahim. ‘As far as I know. We’re trying to give her a bit of space at the moment.’
Elizabeth and Joyce are currently being driven home by Mark from Robertsbridge Taxis. It was explained to Mark that the job was fairly time sensitive, and he wouldn’t be able to join Ron for the full English breakfast. He had looked crestfallen, but, at heart, he is a professional.
‘So you and Ron organized this whole thing yourselves?’ says Chris.
‘We are capable men,’ says Ibrahim, as Ron lets out a small belch, and apologizes.
‘To be clear,’ says Jill. ‘You told us to be here at three p.m., and that you’d deliver Nina Mishra, Garth and the box to us. I see Mishra, but I don’t see Garth or the box? You told us to trust you?’
‘I would say this,’ says Ibrahim. ‘In our defence. We have already delivered the heroin to you. And we are now delivering the murderer of Kuldesh Sharma and Samantha Barnes.’
‘Murderess,’ says Ron.
‘It’s just “murderer” these days, Ron,’ says Ibrahim.
‘But the man who probably murdered Luca Buttaci has mysteriously vanished. Maybe murdered Dom Holt too,’ says Jill. ‘And where is the box?’
Ron shrugs.
‘I promise you it’s quicker just to accept it, ma’am,’ says Donna. ‘It honestly saves so much time.’
‘The box will surface, I’m sure,’ says Ibrahim. ‘And, as for Garth, justice will catch up with him one day. But I suspect your superiors will be delighted that two murders have been cleared up and their heroin has been recovered. I suppose you have tested it by now?’
‘Absolutely pure,’ says Chris.
‘And so you will be able to arrest Mitch Maxwell also,’ says Ibrahim.
‘I’d say that’s a result,’ says Ron. He motions over to the Daihatsu, and Bogdan emerges to bring Nina to them.
Jill meets them halfway, reads Nina her rights, cuffs her and leads her to the squad car.
Chris looks at Bogdan. ‘This lot lying to us, I understand. But you must have known you were due here at two?’
‘1.52,’ says Bogdan.
‘But you lied to us anyway?’ Chris continues. ‘You lied to Donna?’
Bogdan looks at Donna.
‘He didn’t lie to me,’ says Donna. ‘I knew too. Garth was the only one Nina would confess to. And without the confession we had nothing. I would have done anything to get her. Kuldesh was the first person who knew Bogdan was in love with me.’
‘I told a guy at the gym too,’ says Bogdan.
‘Don’t spoil it, baby,’ says Donna.
Chris looks at the motley crew in front of him. Ron and Ibrahim, Donna and Bogdan. He shakes his head.
‘And where’s the box?’ he asks.
‘Elizabeth needs it,’ says Ibrahim. ‘I hope that’s enough for you to forgive us?’
