In Manticorps’ operations room, Victor’s team stared at an electronic map of Edinburgh and the surrounding area, covering the entire wall.
“We’re getting nowhere.” Victor thumped the table. “It’s like those brats faded into thin air. Unless they do something stupid, we’ve no chance of finding them.”
“They may have already done it.” Markus stopped studying the computer screen and spun round in his swivel chair. He was wearing a T-shirt that read ‘BITE ME’ in neon-green letters. “There was a breakout today in Sunnyside Maximum Security Facility.”
“What has that got to do with our mission?”
“A teenager helped two inmates escape,” Markus answered. “The prison cameras were down and their records have been electronically wiped, but the description given by the authorities exactly fits the girl we are looking for.” He scrolled down the screen. “They escaped in a yellow van. It is the wrong colour, but appears to be the same make and model as the Manticorps surveillance vehicle the kiddies and Mrs Ray stole.”
“It’s been resprayed and the plates changed,” Victor guessed. “Which direction was it heading?”
“I do not know. All CCTV cameras in the area shut down at the same time. Stayed that way for half an hour.”
“That’ll be Frankie’s doing.” Victor jumped up and went to the map. “Show me the area where they stopped working.”
“Easy peasy.” A dozen locales turned red.
Hill joined them. “The fugitives will have taken the motorway and merged with its traffic. Then they’ll turn off onto some quiet country lane.”
“How do you know?” Victor asked.
“It’s what I’d do.” He traced the roads with calloused fingers. “Markus? Ignore the CCTV. Which speed cameras on the M7 stopped functioning around that time and which didn’t?”
A line of black dots appeared, followed by green ones.
“That means they got off the motorway somewhere around here.” Hill’s finger moved to the edge of the green spots. “Probably this road.”
“They’re going north,” Victor said. “But how far?”
“They’ll have altered course after leaving the highway,” Hill said. “A line of surveillance equipment malfunctioning is an easy trail, so it’s bound to be a ruse. They’ll change direction as soon as they’re away from anywhere normal surveillance can cover.”
“You boys and your toys.” Candy-Anne leaned back in a chair and closed her eyes. “Wake me if you get a proper result.”
“They didn’t double back towards the city. The suburbs are too populated and they wouldn’t want to risk being spotted.” Hill pursed his lips. “I’d say they turned east or west.”
“There’s no turn-off going west,” Victor pointed out.
“East it is then. Most likely on this lane.” Hill smiled to himself. “But they won’t travel more than twenty or thirty miles.”
“Why not?”
“The longer they’re in the vehicle, the more chance of being noticed by a police helicopter.” He tapped the map. “They’ve got a safe house somewhere around here.”
“Still a big area,” Victor snorted. “They could be in any village or farmhouse.”
“It’ll be an isolated building,” Hill continued. “Villages are close-knit communities. Soon get suspicious of a couple of kids moving in with no sign of their parents. But it’ll be near a village. Out in the sticks there would be no internet connection for Frankie to use.”
“Getting interesting.” Candy-Anne opened one eye.
“I am checking which villages in the region have good broadband.” Markus hit the keyboard and eight blue lights sprang to life on the map. “Kirknewton, Balerno, East Calder, West Calder, Polbeth, Bellbowrie, Stoneyburn and Tarbrax.”
“That’s still a lot of ground to cover.” Victor folded his arms. “It’ll take a while to scope them all out.”
“Let me try something.” Markus began to type again. “I will enter these names and see if I can come up with any anomalies.” He coughed disdainfully. “Frankie is not the only one who can use algorithms.”
Victor and Hill leaned over his shoulder, bristling with impatience.
“Ha! I have a radio recording from a taxi operator talking to his controller,” Markus said triumphantly. “Some fellow got picked up from a petrol station on the same road as the van was travelling. The cab driver was laughing about him wanting to go to Bellbowrie but not seeming to know the address.”
“So, he’s drunk or an idiot,” Victor’s exasperation was obvious. “Doesn’t mean anything.”
“It is still worth a try.” Markus bent over the keyboard. “The petrol station has a security camera that I am now accessing. It won’t cover the road but it may spot something.”
A grainy image appeared of a man walking onto the forecourt, throwing something in a bin and making a call.
“See. Where is his car?”
“It must have broken down.” Victor slapped his head. “Stop wasting our time.”
“Prepare to eat your words.” Markus froze the frame on the man’s face. “Take a good look.”
Candy-Anne opened her other eye. “Handsome chap.”
“Now. Here is a mug shot of one of the escaped prisoners.” An image came up on the screen. “Scotty Primo.”
“It’s the same guy!” Victor grinned.
“My guess is the kids ditched him and he was not pleased about it,” Markus said smugly. “He figured out roughly where they were going and followed.”
“Get transport ready,” Victor commanded. “We’re heading for Bellbowrie.”
“Why would they dump Primo in the middle of nowhere?” Candy-Anne asked. “After going to all the trouble to break him out?”
“Perhaps they needed him to help free the other prisoner,” Markus suggested. “The one they really wanted. They got rid of the dead weight once he had served his purpose.”
“Who’s the other inmate?”
“Tadeusz Tietze,” the hacker announced. “Better known as the White Spider.”
Victor picked up the intercom on his desk. “Mrs Magdalene? We’ve found them.”
“Excellent.” The vice president’s voice crackled back. “What do you need?”
“I want four vehicles to accompany us. Twenty men. Heavily armed.”
“Isn’t that overkill?” Candy-Anne looked at Victor quizzically. “We’re up against two children. Even if this White Spider is with them, it shouldn’t be a major setback.”
“Twenty men, heavily armed,” Victor repeated. “The best you have.”
“I’ve been waiting for your call. I’ll have them ready in ten minutes.”
“I agree with Candy-Anne,” Hill said warily. “Do you know something about the White Spider we don’t?”
“No harm in being cautious.” Victor put his hands behind his back, so his companions couldn’t see them shaking. “If they have a stone-cold killer with them, it’s best to be prepared.”
His team could see the logic in that.
“We’ll come in over the fields in case the road leading to the safe house is trip-wired.” Victor checked his pistol. “Fetch that nasty big doggie and let’s move out.”