preferred payment in cash.
Powell drove into Brighton and returned the hire car. His neighbours had seen his new Audi and when the police came calling, the nosiest of them would be able to give a description. He didn’t want the police tracing the car through cameras, all the way up the motorway to the airport.
In any event, the police would soon be combing all the hire car companies in Brighton, checking if someone called Powell had hired a car. He knew all hire cars contain a tracker so they can always be located. He didn’t have a driving license in his false name, only a passport and you couldn’t hire a car without a driving license so he would have to rely on public transport.
Powell had switched off his mobile phone at home and removed the battery so it couldn’t be traced. As he walked towards the station, he stopped in the shopping centre to purchase a cheap, pay-as-you-go phone, giving a false name and address.
Next, he visited a branch of his bank and took five hundred pounds out in cash, which was the maximum allowed in one day. He hoped it would suffice for about a week of living expenses. The police would trace the withdrawal but the central location of his bank branch would give no immediate clue about which direction he was headed.
Finally, he visited an outdoor clothes shop and purchased two items. He put the black hoody on first and then covered it with a large yellow, waterproof jacket with a hood. It was intended for sailing but its bright colour would suit his purpose. Satisfied with what he was wearing, he walked the five minutes to the station.
His face was obscured from the station cameras until he purchased a ticket from a machine, where he allowed the hood to slip. He bought a ticket to London and looked up to check the time on the large station clock, exposing his face for long enough to ensure, he could be identified when the police came to check the cameras.
He walked to the station toilets and went into a cubicle, where he removed the yellow jacket. He knew there would be no cameras inside the toilets. He exited the cubicle and stood at a basin, in front of the mirror, pretending to wash his hands. He had only to wait five minutes for a young man of the right stature to enter.
Powell quickly struck up a conversation and learned the youngster had just arrived to visit a friend and was headed into town. He was planning to stay for a couple of days. Powell explained, he needed help. He thought he was being followed by a private detective, hired by his wife, to discover if he was having an affair.
The youngster was suspicious at first but gladly accepted the brand new gift and promised to wear it for at least the next hour with the hood up. Powell gave him fifty pounds in cash to cement the deal further. The youngster went off with a large smile and Powell could observe from inside the toilet, as the youngster kept his word and headed in the direction of town wearing the bright yellow jacket.
Powell waited ten minutes in the cubicle before zipping the black hoody to the top and making sure in the mirror, the hood part was indeed covering his face. He exited the toilets behind a couple of other people and walked towards the platforms at a normal pace, with his face looking downwards. His intention was to keep the police looking in the wrong direction. Hopefully, they would think he was still in Brighton.
Powell boarded the Gatwick express train and thirty five minutes later was at the airport. He walked to a desk in the arrivals hall, which helped people arriving to find accommodation. He explained his predicament to the woman behind the desk. He needed somewhere to stay locally but not too expensive. She smiled and handed him a list of cheap hotels.
It took only two calls to find a vacant room. He checked it was okay to pay by cash and that WIFI was available. He received a positive response. Normally, he would have done his hotel research on the internet but his new phone wasn’t a
Powell drove into Brighton and returned the hire car. His neighbours had seen his new Audi and when the police came calling, the nosiest of them would be able to give a description. He didn’t want the police tracing the car through cameras, all the way up the motorway to the airport.
In any event, the police would soon be combing all the hire car companies in Brighton, checking if someone called Powell had hired a car. He knew all hire cars contain a tracker so they can always be located. He didn’t have a driving license in his false name, only a passport and you couldn’t hire a car without a driving license so he would have to rely on public transport.
Powell had switched off his mobile phone at home and removed the battery so it couldn’t be traced. As he walked towards the station, he stopped in the shopping centre to purchase a cheap, pay-as-you-go phone, giving a false name and address.
Next, he visited a branch of his bank and took five hundred pounds out in cash, which was the maximum allowed in one day. He hoped it would suffice for about a week of living expenses. The police would trace the withdrawal but the central location of his bank branch would give no immediate clue about which direction he was headed.
Finally, he visited an outdoor clothes shop and purchased two items. He put the black hoody on first and then covered it with a large yellow, waterproof jacket with a hood. It was intended for sailing but its bright colour would suit his purpose. Satisfied with what he was wearing, he walked the five minutes to the station.
His face was obscured from the station cameras until he purchased a ticket from a machine, where he allowed the hood to slip. He bought a ticket to London and looked up to check the time on the large station clock, exposing his face for long enough to ensure, he could be identified when the police came to check the cameras.
He walked to the station toilets and went into a cubicle, where he removed the yellow jacket. He knew there would be no cameras inside the toilets. He exited the cubicle and stood at a basin, in front of the mirror, pretending to wash his hands. He had only to wait five minutes for a young man of the right stature to enter.
Powell quickly struck up a conversation and learned the youngster had just arrived to visit a friend and was headed into town. He was planning to stay for a couple of days. Powell explained, he needed help. He thought he was being followed by a private detective, hired by his wife, to discover if he was having an affair.
The youngster was suspicious at first but gladly accepted the brand new gift and promised to wear it for at least the next hour with the hood up. Powell gave him fifty pounds in cash to cement the deal further. The youngster went off with a large smile and Powell could observe from inside the toilet, as the youngster kept his word and headed in the direction of town wearing the bright yellow jacket.
Powell waited ten minutes in the cubicle before zipping the black hoody to the top and making sure in the mirror, the hood part was indeed covering his face. He exited the toilets behind a couple of other people and walked towards the platforms at a normal pace, with his face looking downwards. His intention was to keep the police looking in the wrong direction. Hopefully, they would think he was still in Brighton.
Powell boarded the Gatwick express train and thirty five minutes later was at the airport. He walked to a desk in the arrivals hall, which helped people arriving to find accommodation. He explained his predicament to the woman behind the desk. He needed somewhere to stay locally but not too expensive. She smiled and handed him a list of cheap hotels.
It took only two calls to find a vacant room. He checked it was okay to pay by cash and that WIFI was available. He received a positive response. Normally, he would have done his hotel research on the internet but his new phone wasn’t a
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