Hunting for Crows by Iain Cameron Read Free Book Online Page B

and after a few minutes, PC Davis lined three Chinese people against the wall, cuffed and ready to be escorted out to the van. He couldn’t see Walters and hoped she wasn’t sampling the merchandise as she was hard enough to handle when a new boyfriend appeared in her life without the complication of exotic stimulants.
    Henderson walked towards the suspects when a ruddy faced-man walked into the warehouse and approached him. ‘What the hell’s going on here?’ he asked. ‘What are you people doing in my warehouse?’
    If this new arrival experienced surprise at the array of electrical expertise and the large-scale replica of the Malaysian rainforest, he didn’t show it. Tut, tut, his first mistake.
    ‘Who are you?’ Henderson asked.
    ‘I’m Tristan Hunt, I own this place. Who are you?’
    ‘Good morning, Mr Hunt. I am DI Henderson, Surrey and Sussex Police and I have a warrant to search these premises.’ He flashed his ID card and the search warrant, but Hunt knew well enough what was going on and didn’t need to look too closely.
    ‘What the hell are you looking for?’
    ‘I don’t know if you are aware, Mr Hunt, but your warehouse is being used to grow illegal substances. Due to the high levels of electricity needed to power all this,’ he said spreading an arm in a semi-circle, ‘your tenants are also by-passing the electricity meter. A foolhardy and dangerous thing to do and another serious offence they are guilty of committing.’
    ‘What do you mean, illegal substances! They told me they were growing a herbal remedy widely seen in China and sold by health shops all over the world to treat rheumatism. My mother has severe symptoms from the condition and I tried some of it on her and it works. So how can it be illegal?’
    ‘Don’t give me your lame excuses. You’re a cereal farmer. Most farmers I know can tell the variety of corn or wheat just by looking at it. You’re not trying to tell me you didn’t know what these plants were, or if you didn’t, looked them up on the web or in one of your seed catalogues.’
    ‘No, I did not.’
    Just then, Henderson heard a shout coming from the small office at the back. The door flew open and a Chinese guy appeared. He ran, and moments later a raid officer emerged from the same door and chased him, blood running down his face.
    ‘Stop that man!’ the officer shouted.
    Henderson set off after the fleeing man and on passing DS Walters coming towards him, said, ‘Carol, read Hunt his rights, he’s coming with us.’
    Outside, Henderson caught up with PC Davis. ‘I didn’t see which way he went,’ Henderson said.
    ‘Me neither.’
    ‘You go that way,’ he said, indicating the back of the building, ‘and I’ll go this way.’
    ‘Ok.’
    Henderson ran in the direction of the three small, dirty vans, figuring the guy might be heading there to try to make a getaway in one of the vehicles rather than attempt to run across fields at the back of the warehouse. He stood back from the vehicles and bent down to look underneath. There and unmoving, he spotted a pair of legs.
    He waited a few moments until PC Davis arrived at the far side of the warehouse and held his hand up to stop him running. Henderson pointed to the vans and mouthed, ‘he’s in there.’
    Davis nodded in response and as quietly as possible made his way towards them.
    The guy was crouched down between the first and second vans and when Henderson appeared in his vision, he turned to run the other way but ran into the bulky form of PC Davis.
    The guy ran at Henderson, Kamikaze style, wielding a rock. Henderson flinched when he swung it towards him, his head missing direct contact with the stone but it still caught the side of his face. It stung like crazy but he didn’t move from his position and the guy, half the height of the DI, barrelled into him in an attempt to get past.
    Henderson grabbed him but it was like trying to bag a wildcat as he threshed about, all arms and legs while