Chapter 25

 

Milton was not going to take any chances this time. He could not possibly fail. This was the last chance saloon for the whole operation. England was relying on him to come up with the goods and there was no way he was going to mess it up now.

Milton arrived in Lenny’s room wired up so that every single word, every cough, could be taped and used as part of his growing portfolio of evidence. He took a seat with Lenny, who had already prepared his suite to host the mini-gathering. He had cleared a decent-sized area next to his bed so that everyone could get a close look at what was to be placed on the coffee table in the middle.

“I want you to be my Number 2 on this, Milton,” Lenny said. “I’m going to need a strong deputy and I trust you more than the others.”

The vote of confidence warmed Milton because it confirmed that his cover was still well and truly intact. He had wrestled with his own conscience in the week running up to the departure. These men had become his friends but he was now going to have to let go.

The men all arrived within a few minutes and were anxious to learn of their roles. They were like school kids waiting to find out about a field trip.

“So come on, Lenny, don’t be shy, what’s the plan?” asked one.

Lenny unzipped a leather document case and pulled out several papers. He then opened up a map of the city of Munich on the coffee table as the men gathered around. On it areas had been marked in thick black ink where their Hit Squad would first gather and then later ‘engage’ the enemy. It was as precise and clinical as the previous sortie, but with double the men this was going to be some finale for Jacks.

There was going to be a war on the streets of Munich on a scale never seen before in peace time and Lenny described it as glorious and implementing Jacks’s vision. The men were all visibly excited as they took their notes and retreated to their individual rooms to memorise the timetable. The layout of the city was already well known to them through the classroom sessions back in Dubai. All they needed to do now was to remember where to be and at what time. It was so simple even an idiot could be a part of it, let alone trained military men.

But Jacks’s confidence in his plans meant that there was never a Plan B and Milton was sure that if they could ground the chopper and cut off the Hit Squads before they reached their targets then it would be game over. He knew where his Hit Squad was going to strike, but he could only predict that the others would hit the same square at roughly the same time from different directions. All entries into that square had to be policed heavily.

“You happy with all that?” Lenny asked Milton as he crumpled the map into a ball. “It’s going to be one hell of a day, so I suggest you get some rest, mate.”

Milton saw his chance to seize some more vital evidence. The paperwork was always burned after the briefings, so Milton offered a hand to take the paper ball off Lenny.

To his surprise, the burly hard man handed it to him.

“When you burn it, make sure you do it on the balcony because otherwise it will set off the fire alarm,” he warned. “Here, mate, take these with you too.”

To his amazement, Lenny handed Milton all the paperwork before he slipped off his shoes and lay across his king-size bed.

“And shut the door will you on the way out.”

Milton now had everything: the bank statements linking Expatriatedotcom to Germany; the tapes of them discussing how the raid was going to work in Munich; and now the written plans too. What he didn’t have was information about where the other men would be. Munich was a huge city and they could be anywhere. They were still going to have to let the violence start and then make the arrests at the right time. It was going to be a risk but it was surely going to work.

Within an hour of the briefing, Milton met with Waite some distance from the hotel to relay everything in person to his second-in-command. There were to be no hiccups this time. Waite was in awe of his boss as he described when, where and how the raids were going to take place. He handed over all of the evidence and wished his colleague luck.

Milton’s healing cut was also a war wound for Waite to admire. It was the first time that the two had seen each other for nearly two months, but they withheld the pleasantries and the general chit-chat.

“Just do not let me down, Waite,” was all Milton could think of as he turned and headed back to his hotel.

Waite had 24 hours to ensure that the English police’s anti-hooliganism squads could prepare themselves, and thankfully their German counterparts were well on their side too. After the fallout from the French game, they had no choice. A half-hearted German police operation would not be looked upon favourably by the footballing powers when announcing where the 2006 World Cup would be held.

Milton returned to the hotel in good time to join the others for an evening meal and then retired to his room to go through everything over and over again. He could not afford to overlook a single detail … it could not only cost him his job but also his life.