Screen of Deceit Read Free Page B

‘As well as can be with a slug in my leg.’ Rik shivered and Henry recognized the onset of shock. He had been going to tell Rik was what going to happen now, but he decided Rik probably wasn’t all that interested.
    He stood up and spoke into his radio.
    The dog patrol arrived seconds after the ambulance had departed with Rik in the back of it. The whole wet street was now alive with cops and their cars, with Henry, now sporting a hi-viz yellow jacket, directing everything.
    Lancon Albert looked greedily up at Henry, his eyes shining like diamonds in the dark, his big teeth very apparent, his long, sloppy tongue drooping out, hot breath making steam.
    Henry was glad that his handler, a squat, tough-looking copper called Craig, was holding tight on to the German Shepherd’s leash because Albert obviously wanted to get working, all the movement and flashing lights obviously exciting him. He wanted to sink his teeth into something.
    â€˜He ducked into the Judas gate,’ Henry was telling Craig and Albert. ‘He didn’t come back out and no one followed him. As far as I know there’s no other exit … it’s an old warehouse, partially falling down …’
    â€˜Yeah, I know it,’ Craig said. ‘I searched for a missing kid in it about a month ago.’
    â€˜This is no missing kid … it’s a guy with a gun who just shot a cop.’
    Craig nodded and gave Henry a look which said, ‘Tell me something I don’t know.’
    â€˜I’ll kit Albert up, then send him in to play. It’s what he does best, isn’t it, pal?’ He ruffled the dog’s head and Henry thought he heard the canine reply, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ The pair headed back to the dog van.
    Henry read his mental check list again: the warehouse was surrounded, tick; four armed cops were on the plot, tick; the dog was about to be let loose, tick; Rik should be at the hospital by now, tick; senior officers had been informed, tick; the Lexus was being taken care of, tick. All bases covered.
    Craig returned with Albert, who looked like a
Star Wars
extra, now wearing doggie body armour and a small camera on his head, known as a FIDO cam – an acronym for Firearms Incidents Dangerous Operation – which could transmit pictures and also allowed the handler to speak to the dog as it was running free as it searched.
    Craig handed Henry a mini-monitor that was already getting pictures from the dog’s point of view.
    Craig patted his thigh and said, ‘C’mon, Bert, let’s go play,’ to his eager partner. Man and dog stepped through the gate into the warehouse yard.
    Henry heard Craig’s shouted warning which was repeated three times before the further warning that the dog was being let off the leash. Henry went to sit back in the Astra out of the rain, but the truth was he could not have been any wetter. The rain had been relentless.
    He settled back to watch Albert’s progress through the dark, dangerous corridors and rooms of the old warehouse.
    It was a bouncy, jarring ride on the dog’s head, reminding Henry of the camera work on some US TV cop shows, but the image transmitted by the tiny camera was clear, despite the lack of light.
    Albert worked his way diligently through the building.
    Then suddenly he became still.
    Henry found himself tensing up. Had the dog found someone?
    The dog moved slowly. Was he now stalking someone?
    Henry was transfixed by it. His knuckles were white as he gripped the monitor.
    Then there was a sudden rush.
    Two bright flashes.
    Henry heard two bangs from inside the building. Gunshots.
    His insides churned as he watched the blurred images on the screen.
    Albert had found the gunman – but had he been shot?
    The images kept moving – and then Henry watched in amazement as the screen showed the figure of a man getting larger and larger as Albert rushed at him, then leapt.
    Henry saw the man’s face, abject terror