Return Fire (Sam Archer ) by Tom Barber Page A

paused.
    ‘Jesus. These guys were clinical.’
    ‘And they abandoned the rifles,’ Archer said. ‘That means they aren’t exactly struggling for cash or concerned about us tracing the weapons.’
    ‘Their cheeks must have touched the stock on each rifle when they aimed,’ Josh said. ‘Could have left samples of DNA.’
    ‘It’s tenuous,’ Fox said, unconvinced. ‘And if so, it could still take weeks to get a result.’
    With their backs to the house, the group all looked around the street, the light fading now the sun was disappearing over the horizon. It was a beautiful sunset, an odd contrast to the events of today, especially as at that moment two paramedics finished loading the last dead SCO19 officer inside the ambulance; once he was in, they slammed the doors and then walked to the front of the vehicle.
    ‘How the hell did you realise what was about to happen?’ Josh asked Archer.
    ‘I knew something was wrong when they said Payan was dead; it seemed almost stage-managed.’
    He glanced at Marquez.
    ‘Then I turned and saw a red dot on your chest, Lisa. Then you, Foxy.’
    ‘And they kept trying, even when we hit the ground,’ Marquez said. ‘Their fire was exclusively aimed at us. Not SCO19, or EOD.
    She paused.
    ‘Just us.’
    ‘Any sign of Alice inside?’ Josh asked Archer.
    Archer shook his head. ‘I couldn’t look thoroughly, but the team in there said no. Just Payan’s corpse.’
    As he spoke, the group became aware of a rattling sound as something was wheeled up the path; turning, they saw two paramedics from the remaining ambulance wheeling a gurney towards the house to collect Payan’s body. Watching them pass and approach the entrance, Josh swore.
    ‘So now two of Vargas’ kidnappers are dead.’
    ‘You think someone betrayed them?’ Fox asked the other three.
    ‘How do you mean?’ Josh asked.
    ‘Used them to kidnap Vargas and then screwed them over? Killed them both then made off with her?’
    ‘If they did that, why go to all this trouble and put themselves at unnecessary risk?’ Marquez said, looking over at the aftermath of the sniper attack. ‘Why not just whack the two guys then disappear? Why come after us?’
    She paused.
    ‘Something about that call Payan made bothered me the moment I heard him start talking.’
    ‘Why? Fox asked.
    ‘His speech didn’t sound right.’
    ‘He’s from Bratislava and a low-life. He’s not going to speak like he lives at Downton Abbey.’
    ‘No, she’s right,’ Archer said, looking at Marquez. ‘I know what she means. I thought that exact same thing. It sounded forced. Stilted.’
    ‘Like he was under duress?’ Josh said.
    Archer nodded. ‘And Stanovich said he couldn’t put his hands up just before the apartment in Brixton blew; we all heard the recording.’
    He paused.
    ‘Someone used them to try to get to us.’
    ‘So now what the hell do we do?’ Fox asked. ‘Wait on the CCTV and hope we can ID the snipers or lift a print from the rifle?’
    ‘There’s another possible lead,’ Marquez said, looking at Archer who nodded.
    ‘Which is?’
    ‘There was a third kidnapper in Spain. Stanovich and Payan were only two of them.’
    ‘How do you know?’
    ‘The lab. Alice busted them up and they bled at the scene before they took her away. Spanish Forensics found four different blood types and took them straight to the lab. Vargas, Stanovich and Payan were three of them.’
    Fox frowned. ‘You said Vargas drew blood from each of them?’
    Archer nodded, noticing his old colleague’s expression.
    ‘Why? You think she didn’t?’
    Fox glanced at the house. ‘I took a quick look inside at Payan’s body before Forensics took over.’
    ‘So?’ Josh said.
    ‘He didn’t have any marks on his face or neck other than the gunshot wound.’
     
    ‘Shit!’ the Middle Eastern man with the broken nose said, hitting the dashboard of the car in frustration. He was listening to a report down the other end of the phone as