Nine Lives by Tom Barber Read Free Book Online

with glue.
    As the men sat there in silence, there was suddenly a knock on the door.
    The trio froze and looked at each other; they weren’t expecting a guest.
    The knocking continued.
    The guy sitting closest to the shotgun lowered his cards, rising from his chair and taking the weapon from the wall. The other two men separated, one of them grabbed the pistol using an armchair as a screen, as the third man moved to the door. He crept up to it, and peered through the spy-hole, then relaxed instantly and turned to his two companions.
    ‘It’s your brother,’ he said to one of them.
    As they put down the weapons, the man by the door opened it and turned without a greeting, walking back to the table and returning to his cereal.
    The man who’d snatched up the pistol frowned, as his younger brother appeared from the hallway.
    ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he asked.
    The boy didn’t respond, staring at the cocaine on the table.
    ‘ Hey !’ Saqib shouted, grabbing his brother’s attention. ‘I asked you what you’re doing here?’
    The boy looked at him nervously.
    ‘I borrowed something. I thought I should bring it back,’ he said.
    He pulled out the missing Beretta from behind his back, placing it carefully on the armchair.
    The moment Saqib saw it, his eyes blazed with anger.
    ‘ You little shit! Come here! ’ he shouted, lunging at him, trying to grab his coat.
    The boy had been expecting that reaction and already had a head-start. Before Saqib could grab him, he was almost out of the front door. He sprinted outside and ran off down the street, running to the corner and then fleeing out of sight.
    Standing in the doorway, his brother squinted as his eyes adjusted to their first taste of the morning light.
    Across the street, he noticed an old lady standing in her front room, a phone to her ear, watching him. Nosy bitch , he thought.
    He glared at her for a moment, then turned on his heel and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.

FIVE
    Over in Knightsbridge at Farha’s apartment, reinforcements had arrived. Cobb had been in touch with the CID, the Criminal Investigation Department, and they’d sent over a team of detectives who were more than accustomed to searching places like this for clues. Around them, the ARU officers were also still hard at work, examining everything they could find, searching every drawer, every shelf, every inch of the flat. They needed a lead and no one was leaving until they got one.
    Archer was sitting at a desk in the main living room with a view overlooking Hyde Park. He’d found a stack of papers tucked in the top drawer that he was currently rifling through. There were bank statements from a well-financed account with a fake name, receipts from hardware stores. There was even one from NEXT , a woman’s retail store, for a dress. That one seemed a bit bizarre.
    Across the room, Mac appeared in the doorway, finishing a conversation with a detective from the CID. He saw Archer behind the desk and approached him.
    ‘Anything, Arch?’ he asked.
    Archer shook his head. ‘Nothing we can use. Just some old receipts. I guess it counts as evidence, but it’s not telling us where the hell this guy is.’
    Mac nodded as Chalky appeared from one of the bedrooms, overhearing the conversation.
    ‘Maybe he’s coming back?’ he suggested.
    Across the room, Fox shook his head as he examined the contents of a cupboard.
    ‘No bags, Chalk. No clothes to speak of. There’s nothing here. He’s gone.’
    Mac shook his head, cursing with frustration. Fox was right; they were too late to the party. As Mac went to continue, Porter suddenly reappeared in the doorway and interrupted him.
    ‘Mac, I just spoke with Nikki. The Met want us to check out a weapon sighting in the area.’
    Mac snorted, shaking his head.
    ‘No way. We just got here. Tell them to put someone else on it. We’re busy.’
    ‘I tried. They said all the other suitable teams are in the south and east,