Chapter 28

Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire.

The sun was just setting on the horizon, when a white Honda Accord pulled up to camp gate.

The private stepped forward to inspect the driver’s M.O.D. pass. He carefully looked at it although he knew the holder, Colour Sargeant, Lee Steel well enough. This guy he knew did everything by the book. He thought the Colour Sargeant looked to be in a good mood, so he now chanced his luck by asking. “Okay Sarge, you are back early, did you miss us?’

Lee smiled before answering as he drove off, “Like a hole in the head, son.”

Once in his room Lee quickly packed away his gear, before he changed into a Nike track suit and trainers, then after slipping a small pair of field glasses into his pocket he jogged across the parade ground and out of the gate nodding to the sentry once more.

The sentry once he was out of ear shot called across to his mate, who stood stamping his feet against the cold. “He is bloody keen that one, I cannot wait to finish guard duty and get in that lovely warm bed, but him he goes on a run. P.T.I.s, if you ask me, are all fucking lunatics.”

Lee now ran at an easy pace out across the heathland that surrounded the little village of Whittington, he then crossed to the north of Lichfield before running on towards the village of Burntwood. Here he stopped in the shelter of an old Oak tree, after which he pulled out a penlight torch and a paper map which he studied. A farmhouse was ringed in biro, he looked through his field glasses then finding the spot he wanted, he ran on.

‘Cold Ash farm’ was the name on the rotting wooden fence that surrounded what at some time must have been a working farm. But now all that was left was an old red brick farmhouse in front of which there was a yard. He moved his gaze over to the left to see a barn of some sort that looked as if it was now used to store odds and ends.

He looked around but no other house or building was anywhere in sight, so he crept almost up to the fence. Suddenly the farmhouse door opened as a collie dog ran out followed by a man. Lee ducked down watching between the rotting planks of the fence, as the dog growled. The man, then stopped to look around him, before cursing the dog whom he pushed into the back doors of an old Bedford van in which he drove off.

Lee waited until he saw the van drive out of sight before he entered the yard, looking all around as he did so. Once inside the barn he found there some old furniture including a stout table and some old tyres. He spent around ten minutes taking note of everything he saw. When at last he was satisfied, he left the farm and jogged back in the direction that he had come. 45 minutes later he was back on camp having a hot shower before he made his way to the Sergeant’s mess.

The following night, this being the first day of November meant that by six o-clock it was already dark, and on this night, it was also raining heavily.

Lee carefully wrapped the large piece of steak in a plastic bag. He then took the hypodermic syringe that he had injected the meat with and after breaking it into pieces he wrapped it in toilet paper and flushed it down the toilet. A length of nylon rope neatly coiled together with the steak he then placed into a small rucksack. After this he ran out of the camp once more causing the sentries to shake their heads as he retraced the route that he had taken the night before. The rain stung his eyes as he ran, but his heart rate stayed the same. He was so fit this was like a jog in the park to him.

Once more he found his way to the fence of Cold Ash farm. Here he waited as he looked with his field glasses towards the farmhouse door. Suddenly as he knelt on the wet grass his mind went back to a night not unlike this one, where using these same field glasses he was waiting in a dripping hedgerow in Bosnia for a Serb terrorist group to attack a Muslim village.

Unfortunately for the Serbs they did not know they were walking into a trap, as about 20 Serbs all armed with A.K. 47 assault rifles plus an old Russian armoured car moved silently along a shallow valley leading towards the village. They at this point had no idea that they were surrounded. Two things then happened almost simultaneously - firstly a star flare exploded above the advancing Serbs, who now in a panic opened fire with their A.K.s, but not seeing any targets they just fired indescribably realising they were about to be attacked. This fact was now confirmed as a British Army Milan antitank missile hit the old Russian armoured car turning it in just one second, into a flaming ball of scrap metal, two M.P.M.G.s which had been positioned to create a crossfire quickly turned the Serb patrol in urgent need of either a funeral parlour or the nearest trauma hospital.

The farmhouse door now suddenly opened bringing Lee back to the present day. As he raised the glasses to his eyes, he saw that the dog had run out, after which the door was closed leaving the dog outside on its own to do his business.

Lee rattled the fence. Immediately the dog looked up then ran growling towards him.

Lee threw the piece of meat that he had treated towards the dog, who stopped before he cautiously sniffed at this. After what then seemed an age, he finally started to eat the meat. Five minutes later he saw that the dog had flopped to the ground. Lee now climbed the rickety fence then walked across the yard to pick up the dog, before carrying it inside the barn where he lay him down on some old sacking, he stroked the dog’s head saying, “You will be fine boy, have a nice sleep.”

He now moved the old table towards the centre of the barn so that it stood directly beneath an overhead steel girder. Climbing nimbly up on to the table he then fastened one end of the rope to this, while the other end he made into a loop with a slip knot. He now left the barn and walked across to the farmhouse door knocking on this just the once.

When the door eventually opened a somewhat bedraggled Sid appeared who then muttered,

“What the fuck do you want?”

Lee now as he pointed towards the barn said, “Your dog has been hurt. I think perhaps someone ran him over. I found him down the lane, so I have put him in your barn.”

Sid being a suspicious man by nature looked in two minds as to whether to believe him, as he now walked cautiously towards the barn. Once there he reached inside and switched on a dim 40-watt bulb. At first Sid was concerned looking down at his dog, but then he noticed the table had been moved, looking up above this he now saw a length of rope. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Lee had during his time in the armed forces had done six months with special forces in Northern Ireland during the troubles. So, he was quite used to this type of reaction. He now pointed up towards the rope, before saying, “That is there especially for you, Sid.”

Then in one fluid movement he chopped Sid behind his left ear, who collapsed in a heap onto the barn floor. Lee now took from his rucksack two ladies’ nylon stockings and with one of them he bound Sid’s arms behind his back before he then repeated this with his legs.

Sid was not a small man weighing in at well over twelve stone, so it took Lee all his strength to lift him up on to the table, where he then supported him upright so that he could slip the noose of the rope around his neck. Having done that, he then waited. Looking at his watch he knew he would not have to wait longer than just a few minutes.

Sid whose eyes now suddenly opened, tried to move but found that he was both gagged and tied. Looking furtively around him, he now also realised that he was being held up on top of the table, and the only thing that now prevented him from falling was the vice like grip that Lee held him in. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, as a cold feeling of pure terror took hold of him and he found it impossible to take this all in.

Suddenly a voice sounded in his ear calling out his name, “Sid, can you hear me, if you can nod your head, that’s a good boy.”

“Now firstly let me assure you that your dog will be fine as he is only drugged so do not worry about him. Secondly, I now think it is time for me to introduce myself.

My name is Lee Steel, and although you do not know me, you do I think, however, know my dad, Danny Steel and my Uncle Tom. Now they tell me that you have been a very naughty boy, by letting it be known that you will tell of some secret that could, if it came out, land them both in the nick. This I understand will happen when their friend Mazza throws a double six and passes away. If, that is, they then do not pay you a substantial sum of money?”

By this time Sid having by now gathered why he found himself in this, to say the least awkward position was shaking and trying to speak, but the gag in his mouth prevented him.

Lee now patted him on the shoulder. “I know, I know Sidney that you are now truly very sorry, but I am afraid it is too late for all that, old son.”

At this point Sid’s bladder emptied as he violently shook his head from side to side. The sharp acrid smell of urine combined with the steam from this filled the cold night air inside the barn. Lee now pulled the gag from around Sid’s mouth after warning him not to shout out or that would definitely be the end. “If I was to say let you live, and I do say ‘if’, how would I know that you will never say a word in the future about, let us just say their secret from the past, that would result in all of us that is including me receiving a visit from the long arm of the law?”

Sid stuttered at first in trying to find the right words. “I promise by all in God’s name, that I will never say a word about anything concerning Danny or your uncle ever again.”

Lee now removed the noose leaving Sid standing shaking on the table. He then jumped from the table before proceeding to pack the rope back into his rucksack. After this he looked up at Sid who still stood shivering uncontrollably before saying, “My friend, you will be pleased to know that I have decided to let you live. But I warn you, do not give me cause to have to pay you a visit again. Because if you speak another word of this to anyone, I shall one lonely night shoot you when you least expect it, do you understand?”

Sid nodded then followed this with a feeble, “Yes.”