Abel, others in frantic search for killer of star witness

14 Mar Abel, others in frantic search for killer of star witness

Within thirty minutes of the gruesome discovery, the late Martin Pinch’s suite of offices were transformed into a crime scene. Experts kneeled all around the room, collecting pieces of evidence. Abel stood off to the side watching and wondering if Pinch’s death would bring the corruption investigation to a halt. But Clarke seemed incredibly chipper. He moved from tech to tech, instructing them and asking questions and issuing orders in an upbeat manner.

Abel approached him. “You’re pretty happy for a guy whose star witness just died.”

Clarke smiled at Abel. “We just got a huge break, Peter. True, they managed to eliminate this path to their door, but they’ve created a virtual highway.”

Abel frowned. What on earth could the inspector mean?

“This just became a capital murder case. Before, it was money laundering. Purely white collar, low profile. The people we’re hunting have diplomatic passports, which meant the Nigerian government was being only marginally cooperative. They might have wanted to help, but waiving diplomatic immunity is a slippery slope. Even in a capital murder case, immunity is in play, but historically the severity of the crime has trumped international squeamishness. And, what’s more, the government and the courts will be with us. I can get a judge to sign warrants where nobody would cooperate before.”

Abel had not considered this. “But warrants for whom and about what?”

Clarke smiled like a pleased child. “We’ve been trying to tap certain phones and access certain phone records. Now we’ll get those warrants.”

“Whose phones?”

“Well, Millie Tiko, say.”

Abel almost choked; he was so surprised to hear her name. “Millie? She’s here in London?”

“Been for quite awhile now. She’s living in one of those houses Pinch bought. We’ve been trying to trace her activities.  Now with a warrant, we can find out who she’s talking to.”

Abel tried to process the information. Could the Millie he knew have played a willing role in something like this?

“Do you think she was involved?” he said.

Clarke rubbed the back of his neck. “Bloody likely. I take it you know the woman?”

“Yes. And I’d be surprised if she had anything to do with it, or even knew of it ahead of time.”

“Why?” Clarke asked, interested.

“She’s too nice.”

Clarke laughed and slapped Abel on the back affectionately. “My dear boy, you’ve just defined the difference between newspaper people and cops. You have to retain some idealism to do your job, to feel like you can make a difference; whereas, we have to lose all idealism to do ours. In my experience, anyone is capable of anything.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“She’s married to this bloke, Timo Tiko, and he’s robbing from helpless, starving people. She is an obvious benefactor of his criminal activity. How innocent can she be?”

The question haunted Abel. He realized in that instant how much he actually liked Millie, and he hoped she wasn’t involved, even if it made it harder to catch whoever committed these killings.

As Abel stared off, something caught his eye. He grabbed Clarke’s arm. “Look.”

Clarke turned and looked to where Abel was pointing. It was a spot above a large painting. There was something dark on the wall just above the frame. Clarke tapped one of his men on the shoulder. “Take a look behind that painting, sergeant.”

Abel watched as the policeman took down the painting. Above the line of the top of the frame they discovered a small lens for a fibre-optic camera and a smaller microphone. “Hello,” one of them said.

After fifteen minutes of tearing out the wall, the police found the system and quickly figured out it worked on a motion-sound trigger. Whenever anyone moved around or spoke, the camera began recording and the sound system activated. The murders would be on the flashcard.

 

á   á   á   á   á

 

Later that afternoon, Abel and Clarke sat in his office watching the murders on a computer. There were two men, both wearing masks and gloves. The crime was short, brutal and thoroughly professional. One man led the secretary, shaking and terrified, into Pinch’s office. The other followed behind. Both carried Glocks equipped with silencers.

When Pinch saw the men, he rose from behind his desk and came around, demanding to know what it was about. He died without getting an answer. The secretary opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. And before she could take a breath, she too, was dead. The men turned and left without speaking to one another.

“We’ll enhance these images, but those guys are pros. We won’t be able to identify them. Every inch of skin was covered. I couldn’t tell you what race they are.”

Abel turned to Clarke, shaken by what he had just seen. “What’s next?”

“I’m getting a warrant. As soon as I do, I want you to meet Millie. We’ll arrange it somehow. And you’ll be wearing a wire.”

Abel sank back in his chair. He knew it was the only sensible next step, but it bothered him. He was supposed to be reporting on the story, not participating in it.  He said so much to Clarke.

“You can report all you want later. Right now, Peter, you’re an operative for us.”

“I never meant to get in this position.”

“You got into this position the minute you were kidnapped. You became part of the story. Just accept it and enjoy the ride. You’re about to get an inside look at how we bring down the bad guys.”

Abel didn’t feel so lucky. And he didn’t want to discover that Millie was every bit as ruthless as her husband.

 

á   á   á   á   á

 

The next day, Abel was waiting outside the Nigerian Embassy on Northumbeland Avenue, all wired up. He was amazed at how advanced the technology had become. The microphone was contained in a common wristwatch. As Abel waited, he thought, if they can create a camera that can read a license plate from space, it was no big deal to put a microphone in an Omega.

Clarke and his men kept vigil in a van parked around the corner, listening to every word. Abel’s plain clothes bodyguards were hanging around window shopping or reading the paper. Abel had his cover story: He had been told by Chief Benson about Millie being in London, and since he was there, he wanted to see her. He figured she’d be at the Nigerian Embassy, so he waited hoping to find her there. In reality, the police had her under surveillance and knew she left her palatial home and visited the embassy every morning, checking for mail that came in the diplomatic pouch and sending correspondence back in the same manner.

Millie emerged after Abel had been at his post about half an hour. She was dressed for a warm spring day, her flowered dress accenting her natural beauty and her wonderful figure. It made Abel’s heart skip a beat. Or maybe he was just terrified, acting a spy’s role. He couldn’t tell.

Abel moved beside her. “Millie.”

It was all he could say; he was so short of breath from nerves and excitement. She glanced over and her expression registered surprise. “Peter, my God. I didn’t know you were in London.”

Lie number one. All of Nigeria knew he was in London. He let it pass.

“I’ve been here a couple of weeks. Recovering.”

Millie looked at Abel in question. “Recovering? From what?”

Lie number two.

“I thought you knew. I was kidnapped and held in the desert. Somebody wanted me dead, Millie.”

“My god, who would want to do such a thing, Peter?”

Abel felt she was acting, but he had no real proof. “I think maybe your husband. Or Governor Huud.  Or both.”

Millie’s eyes narrowed. “Look, I told you. Tiko isn’t like that. He’s certainly no killer.”

“Do you know Martin Pinch?”

Abel could tell immediately that she did. She shook her head. “No.”

“Yes, you do. You’re staying in the house his company bought.”

Millie looked at Abel and he could see she was trying to decide how to play this. “Alright,” she finally admitted. “I do know him. But it’s really none of your business.”

“Did you know he was murdered yesterday morning?”

Millie looked off and Abel felt ill. She did know, but he knew she’d deny it. “How awful.”

Good dodge, Abel thought. Neither a denial nor an admission. “I think Tiko had him murdered.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Peter. He has business dealings with the man. That’s all.”

“That’s not all, Millie. Pinch was about to give testimony against Timo and Huud. His evidence would have put them in jail for stealing money from the government and using it to buy real estate and God knows what else here in London. Pinch laundered their money. The police had him dead to rights and were about to arrest the bastard. Except Timo got there first. I have the murder on tape. Want to see it? They killed an innocent secretary, too. She had a husband and two kids.”

Millie grew agitated. She broke out in a sweat, her eyes grew teary. She pushed past Abel and moved off. “I have to go. I won’t listen to any more lies.”

Abel tried to follow her but she turned on him. “Let me be, Peter. Please. Please stay away.”

Millie moved off. Abel watched her go.

 

á   á   á   á   á

 

Later, Abel sat with Clarke in his office as they waited for Millie to make a phone call. “You did well, Peter. You pushed her just far enough. She’ll call her husband. And either she’ll reveal that she’s part of the killings, or she’ll show she’s innocent. Either way, we can use her.”

Abel rejected the inspector’s cool objective view of the woman. She was no more to him than a tool, a means to an end. The man has many wives, you know? He didn’t care how much she was suffering or would suffer. And what of Millie’s children, who were here in London with her?

“Look, if she’s in on this, she’s got her kids with her. What happens to them?”

Clarke looked at Abel, surprised. “I don’t know, never occurred to me. I guess we deliver them to the EFCC. Let them sort it out.” Clarke smiled at Abel. “Thought you were tougher than this, Peter.”

“So many people get hurt.”

“Yes, they do. And if they could have, they would have killed you. She might be in on it. Don’t feel too sorry for her.”

“I feel for her kids.”

“Collateral damage. Brutal, but necessary.”

“That’s all they are to you?”

“You want me to do the job or not? Because if you do, then yes, that’s what they have to be. Otherwise, feelings cloud judgement and that leads to mistakes and then, well, sometimes people die.”

Abel understood, but it still bothered him. He was glad he wasn’t a cop. Suddenly they were alerted that Millie was dialling a number in Nigeria. They donned their headsets and listened.

“Timo. It’s me.”

“Millie! I was hoping you’d call. I miss you and the kids. When are you coming home?”

“I don’t know. We’re enjoying the cooler weather. It’s so nice here this time of year. Timo, I ran into Peter Abel.”

“I heard he was in London.”

“He told me Martin Pinch was murdered yesterday.”

There was a long pause. “That’s terrible.”

“He said you were behind it.”

“Please, Millie, we’ve talked about these wild accusations before. I told you. I am struggling with corrupt forces, and eventually I will overcome them. But murder? Please.”

“He said Pinch was going to testify against you, your Rika and Huud. About money laundering.”

“Rumours. The man is a muckraker, my dear. He makes his living throwing dirt at people like me.”

“Then why was Pinch killed?”

“I have no idea. Maybe a burglar. Or maybe he had enemies.”

“Why was Peter Abel held captive in the desert, Timo?”

Again, another long pause. “What makes you think I had anything to do with that?”

“Because I was told that you did.”

“By Abel?”

“No, by others. I won’t name names. But I believe you wanted him out of the way.”

“If I did, he earned that. What I’d like to know, Millie, is how he got away. I heard someone rescued him. Would you know anything about that?”

“No.”

“I’m protecting you, Millie, from certain people who believe you helped Abel. I hope that’s not true, because you put me in a very bad position. Look, come home and we can talk about all this. Really, Millie, you think so badly of your own husband. When are you coming?”

“Not for awhile, Timo. I think it’s better for me and the children here. You’ve provided such a nice house for us.”

“That house belongs to friends. It’s not mine.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Please hug the children. Tell them their father misses them.”

With that, they hung up. Clarke turned to Abel.

“He’s smart, that one. He must have suspected.”

“But she didn’t know about Pinch’s murder. Isn’t that obvious?” Abel was vastly relieved.

“Yes. She seems innocent of that.”

“Do you think she had something to do with my rescue?”

Clarke picked up a file and handed it to Abel. “Phone calls she made. We got the records this morning. She called Chief Benson in Nigeria the day before he found you in that safe house.”

Abel stared at the page. “So, I’d be dead if it weren’t for her?”

“Yes. And the wrong people suspect she was your benefactor. She’s in danger, even here.”

“Then we should give her protection like you’re doing for me.”

“If she cooperates she’ll get protection. If not…”

“You can’t be serious,” Abel said.

“It’s how the game is played. And you can help us. Help us convince her to tell us everything.”

“What makes you think she knows anything else?” Abel asked.

“She does. She knew enough to get you out of that hell hole. She knows enough to put Tiko and Huud away. It’s why she needs protection.”

“Then let’s move before something happens to her.”

“No. I want to see what else these taps will bring. We wait. A few days.”

But Abel had already determined that since he owed Millie his life, he would see that she got protection, even if he had to provide it himself. After all, where he went, his own bodyguards followed.