Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 17:07:39 +0100 (BST)
From: Steve Rose <cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Martin Roberts Investigates/Party Games -9

DISCLAIMER:

This is a story. None of the characters in the story
exist and the events that take place are purely
imaginary.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed me with comments
and told me how much you enjoyed the first 'John'
story. This is the second one and there are more in
the pipeline, although there may be a delay as I'm on
vacation for the next few weeks.

WARNING:

Do not read this story if you are in any way offended
by acts of a homosexual nature.

Do not read this if you are under the legal age for
accessing adult sites.

Always indulge in safe sex.

Chapter 9

Across London in the Hampstead Heath pub, Andy Laurie
was working alone in the bar. It was the quiet period
between the end of the afternoon rush and the after
work early drinkers. Andy, Kenny and Phil each took a
break during this period but were each available if,
for any reason, the pub got suddenly busy. This
particular day, it was very quiet, only a few of the
older regulars had stayed on through the afternoon. In
addition, the odd passer-by had come in, but it was
not really busy and Phil and Kenny were resting. All
this changed dramatically when a stranger walked into
the bar. The newcomer was tall, young, good looking,
blond and was wearing a casual shirt and very tight
jeans that showed a very large bulge at the front and
snugly fitted the young man's shapely buns. The
stranger was carrying a small overnight bag with him
with a strap over his right shoulder.

As soon as he saw him, Andy felt a thrill of
excitement pass through his body and his groin began
to tingle with excitement. Although the young barman
was more than contented with the sexual activity he
was enjoying with his two other colleagues, Andy was
still a young man and he retained a thirst for the
excitement and novelty of casual sex. The stranger
walked up to the bar and Andy stared at the piercing
blue eyes, the long straight nose and the sensuous
lips and nearly missed hearing the man's drink order.
The newcomer ordered a pint of bitter and Andy failed
to respond immediately as he was so wrapped up in
checking out the young man. To his absolute
disappointment, the customer offered the barman the
correct money for the drink and Andy could only watch
as the handsome man walked back towards a vacant table
and sat down, allowing his bag to slip down his arm
and placing it carefully beside the table. Over the
next few minutes, Andy continued to check out the
stranger, but every time he looked across at him he
got caught in the steely blue-eyed gaze of the object
of his desire.

Andy was quite relieved when his stint alone behind
the bar came to an end and Kenny took over. The horny
younger barman whispered to his lover that there was a
real hunk sitting at one of the tables. Kenny grinned
and said to his young partner,

"And I expect you'd like to take him in the back and
have fun with him, wouldn't you, you randy sod?"

Andy nodded and walked slowly into the back of the pub
where he held a similar conversation with his boss,
Phil. The landlord went to the door of the bar and
took a look for himself and then came back to say that
he could understand why Andy was so excited by the
stranger but advised his young employee to get
something to eat and concentrate on his job serving
drinks once the early evening rush began. Andy did as
he was ordered but was delighted and concerned when he
returned to duty and found that the stranger was still
sitting at the table. As soon as Andy entered the bar
area, the stranger looked across and their eyes met
and the barman felt a second wave of excitement pass
through his body, especially when he noticed that the
man was coming back towards the bar. The stranger
spoke again,

"Another pint of bitter, please and can you tell me
whether there is a public telephone in here? My mobile
does not seem to be working and I'm supposed to be
meeting someone here and he hasn't turned up. I
thought I might try to get hold of him."

Andy poured the pint and thought to himself that if
the mystery man's appointment didn't show up then he
would be more than happy to `get hold of' the
stranger, but he said out loud,

"Unfortunately, the phone in here is broken but you
can borrow my mobile to make the call if you want. If
you want privacy, I'm sure the landlord wouldn't mind
if I took you into the back."

The customer smiled warmly at Andy and replied,

"It's not all that private but it is rather noisy in
the bar area, so, if it's not too much trouble, I'd
like to take you up on your offer, thanks."

The young barman smiled back and looked across at Phil
who was serving at the other end of the bar and called
out,

"Is it OK if I take this gentleman through to the back
he needs to make a private phone call?"

Phil nodded and Andy led the stranger through to the
living area and showed him in and then handed him his
mobile phone. As Andy turned to go, the young customer
stopped him and, with a broad smile on his face, stuck
out his hand and said,

"This is silly. My name is Jason, Jason Smart. Please
call me that, all my friends do."

Andy shook hands with Jason and said,

"And my name's Andy Laurie. The other barman is Kenny
Watson and the landlord is Phil Lloyd-Williams. I hope
that you will become a regular here, now you know all
our names and also realise how nice we are!"

Jason smiled back and said,

"I think I probably will, at least as long as you
three are serving here. You all seem so nice and made
me feel most welcome. I'm new around here, just down
from the North having got a job in Central London. I'm
supposed to be meeting my boss tonight but maybe I'm
in the wrong place. I'll call him and find out."

Andy started to leave but felt unable to resist
saying,

"I think you're in just the right place and I hope
your boss thinks so too. Even if he doesn't turn up or
he's somewhere else it's getting a bit late to go far
tonight. I hope you'll stay here and have a few drinks
and then head home."

Jason stopped dialling,

"That's the problem. I was supposed to meet my boss
and go with him to my new accommodation. If I don't
catch up with him, I'll have nowhere to stay tonight.
And at the moment he's not answering his phone, I'm in
a bit of a hole."

Andy saw the problem but said,

"Well, maybe so, hang on here a moment, I'll be right
back!"

Andy wasted no time in getting back into the bar and
telling Phil and Kenny what Jason had just told him.
It did not take the randy young barman long to
convince the other two that they should offer the
homeless young man a bed for the night. It was quickly
agreed that Phil and Kenny would sleep in one bedroom
and Andy and Jason could share the room with the two
single beds in it. Andy disappeared to the living
quarters to tell his new-found friend what he and his
friends had agreed. Jason was looking depressed and
worried when Andy returned and said triumphantly,

"It's sorted! You can stay here, provided you don't
mind sharing. Kenny and Phil will take one room and
you and I can have the other. It's single beds, so
that's OK, isn't it?"

Jason grinned backed at Andy and looked suitably
relieved and then said,

"It's fine! I wouldn't have minded if it had been a
double bed. Sharing a bed isn't something I normally
do, but if I had to with you, that would have been
alright!"

Andy bit his lip as a third thrill of excitement
coursed through his body and he imagined what might
have been and what might still happen if he played his
cards right. Trying to sound calmer than he was the
young barman said,

"I better get back to work. Why don't you just leave a
message for your boss and tell him you're fixed up for
tonight and will meet him tomorrow instead. Come
through to the bar when you're ready, your pint will
be waiting for you."

As soon as Andy had disappeared, Jason did as the
young man had suggested and left a message on his new
employer's answering machine. The handsome young man
then walked back through the bar and went back to his
seat having picked up the pint Andy had left on the
bar for him.

The evening seemed to drag on but eventually closing
time came and with the usual amount of cajoling, the
regulars and casual drinkers were persuaded to leave
the pub and go home. This left the staff and Jason in
the now empty bar. Phil suggested that Jason might
like to go through to the living area but the grateful
young man happily offered to help with the clearing up
as a `thank you' for the kindness he had been shown.
With four pairs of hands doing the work the job was
quickly over and when it was finished, Jason picked up
his small bag and walked through to the back of the
pub. Soon, the four men were settled back in the
living quarters and Phil offered everyone a nightcap.

The three friends and sexual partners talked in the
casual way that people who live together often do but
made sure that Jason was not excluded from their
banter. Jason, who was not unaware of the chemistry
between the other three men and had not missed the
casual checking out he had received from the other
three men all evening, happily joined in the
conversation until Phil wearily looked at his watch
and said,

"Well it's getting late and we've all got work
tomorrow, including you, Jason so I think we all ought
to go to bed! I'll check that everywhere is locked and
secure, give our guest and Andy time to get settled in
before we finally turn everything off."

Andy nodded and thanked Phil, as did Jason who again
carefully picked up his bag and followed the young
barman out of the room and towards the bedroom they
were to share. On the way, Andy pointed out the
bathroom and toilet and then showed his handsome
roommate where the towels and other necessities were
kept. Once inside the bedroom the young barman pointed
out that bed that Jason should sleep in and sat down
on the other one. The blond man sat down as well and
started to remove his shoes and socks. Andy did the
same, as this would enable him to have a very good
view of the well-filled crotch of Jason's jeans. The
horny barman could feel his cock begin to stir in his
own tight trousers and wondered how he would be able
to get undressed with a raging hard-on. Even though he
had done so, Jason gave no sign of having noticed that
Andy was still checking him out and proceeded to
continue to get ready for bed. The newcomer peeled off
his shirt and Andy saw that Jason has a ring through
one of his nipples and this made the barman's cock
twitch even harder. Jason grinned at his new friend
and said,

"When I told you earlier that I would not have minded
sharing a bed with you, I wasn't joking. I'd like to
thank you in some way for your kindness and I don't
have much to offer, but I noticed you looking at my
crotch and checking me out earlier. I also got the
impression that you, Kenny and Phil are more than just
employer and employees. This pub is very close to
Hampstead Heath. Looking at you, I'd say you've spent
a few evenings up there cruising the place and getting
a fair amount of customers! And now, I notice you are
still checking me out and that you can hardly take
your eyes off the nipple ring. Would you like to take
a closer look?"

Andy did not know how to respond but allowed his heart
and cock to lead him and he stood up and moved towards
the other man and he mumbled,

"Yeah, I've been quite few times out there but since
we moved in with Phil, Kenny and I haven't had to go
out so much. However, I'll tell you what, I never met
anyone as good looking as you up there. I'm going to
really enjoy myself and bring you pleasure if you let
me!"

The blond did not reply in words but smiled even more
encouragingly at the horny barman. As Andy leant
forward, Jason went backwards onto the bed and the
young man fell on top of him and began to hungrily
lick the flat chest and to suck the nipples and nipple
ring. This activity made Jason's nipples go rigid and
as Andy continued his oral assault he brought a moan
of pleasure from the recipient of his advances. Andy
breathed in the intoxicating smell of Jason's body and
allowed his tongue to range around the chest and
slowly follow a line of fuzzy blond hair towards the
top of the young man's trousers. The horny youngster
stopped momentarily to lick and suck the area around
Jason's belly button and then Andy attempted to use
his tongue to explore further but could not penetrate
far beyond the waist of Jason's jeans.

Not wanting his friend to stop Jason manoeuvred
himself into a position so that he could release the
catch on his jeans and given Andy better access to
what lay beneath. The now very randy guest also used
the opportunity to remove Andy's shirt, which Jason
pulled quickly over the young barman's head and threw
onto the floor. The momentary break gave the horny
youngster a similar chance to get into a better
position and, still leading with his tongue, Andy
pushed the jeans further and further down until he had
completely uncovered Jason's bulging crotch which was
now covered by some silky underwear. The length and
hardness of Jason's dick was clearly outlined in the
tight underwear and a small wet patch indicated that
the horny blond was more than a little excited by
Andy's oral assault. Andy was turned on by the fact
that the object of his desire was still shrouded from
his view. The horny barman licked the full length of
the rock hard cock from balls to tip through the
increasingly translucent material that covered it
bring further moans of pleasure from Jason. The young
blond was now lying back on the bed and trying
desperately to find a way of releasing Andy's cock
from the confines of his tight trousers that were
bulging and straining with the hardness of Andy's
erection.

Noting that his partner wanted to get access to his
cock, Andy paused for a moment to unzip and release
his trousers and turned slightly so that Jason could
easily pull them down and reveal the throbbing cock.
The young barman quickly resumed the oral exploration
of Jason's crotch. The horny youngster saw several
wispy strands of blond hair sneaking out from the
waistband of Jason's silky underwear and slurped his
tongue over them before moving his lips down to engulf
the well-defined head that was still covered by the
underwear. Andy was convinced from what he could
already taste and feel with his lips and tongue that
his partner was cut. but would not be absolutely
certain until he finally removed the silky covering.
As the young man's lips engulfed his cock head, Jason
moaned and said,

"Fuck!! Yes!!! Suck my cock head through my
underwear!! Lick my piss slit!! Make the silky
material slimy with your saliva and my pre cum!!"

Andy needed no further invitation and did as he was
asked. At the same time, Jason began to move the young
barman's body around so that he could have access to
Andy's tight hole. Using his tongue and then his wet
fingers, Jason showed his partner that he was equally
keen to give pleasure as he prepared Andy's hole for a
good fucking. Feeling the silken tongue and wet
fingers invade his tight love shute, Andy knew that
the moment had come to fully expose the object of his
desire and gently pushed the wet silky underwear down
off Jason's throbbing prick. As soon as the tight
material had released it from its confinement, the
rock hard, arrow headed cut cock sprang up and Andy
felt it slap against the side of his face. Very
gently, the horny barman pushed the cock flat against
his partner's stomach and then licked the complete
length with his tongue and teased the sensitive
underside with his lips and teeth. Working with his
fingers and his tongue to widen and prepare Andy's
hole, Jason moaned quietly as he worked and was
rewarded by the sound of his new lover responding with
sounds of pleasure.

Both men were getting very excited and turned on and
Jason reached into his bag and handed Andy a condom
which the barman took and carefully unrolled over the
head and shaft of the beautiful dick that he had been
sucking so lovingly. In one deft movement Andy swung
himself around and hovered for a moment before sliding
his body downward onto the rampant cock that was being
held in position beneath his winking hole. Jason gave
out a slight sigh of pleasure and Andy an equally
delighted moan as the head of the blond man's cock
engaged and entered the love channel. Andy's well
greased and thoroughly prepared hole opened easily and
soon the young barman had slid down so that he was
sitting in Jason's crotch and completely impaled on
the blond man's throbbing dick. Jason reach across and
took Andy's cock in one hand and gently rolled the
foreskin on and off the glans as the young man
wriggled slightly as he got into position to ride up
and down on the rock hard cock inside him. Jason
flexed his cock head and shaft deep inside Andy's love
shute and looked up at the horny young man and said
quietly,

"Fuck that feels so good, Andy!! My prick feels so at
home inside you!! Fuck me long and slow!! Make me
cream the inside of your guts, Andy!!"

Andy smiled down at his new lover and said in reply,

"Yeah, Jason, it feels so good to me too!! I'm going
to give you the ride of your life!! I want to feel you
throb and cum inside me as I shoot my load for you!!"

Wasting no more time, Andy began to slowly raise his
body so that the whole of Jason's shaft emerged from
its dark recess and only the head remained locked
inside the youngster's body. At the top of the up
stroke, Andy paused for a second before lowering
himself again until Jason was fully and deeply inside
him. Slowly and steadily, Andy build up the speed with
which he moved up and down on Jason's rock hard cock
and it was clear that the young blond was beginning to
lose control. Attempting to wank the barman in time
with the up and down thrusts became increasingly
difficult as Jason allowed his body to take over and
Andy could feel the prick deep inside him begin to
harden even more as it prepared to unleash the pent up
ball juice.

Jason began to thrust up to meet Andy's downward
thrusts and the horny barman called out encouragement,

"Oh yes Jason!! Fuck my hole!! I want to feel you cum
inside me!! Go on, baby, Fuck me deep!!"

The blond man found it hard to respond but managed to
grunt,

"Yes, Andy!! I'm going to cum right inside you very
soon!!  Hold it tight!!! feel it throb!!! I'm cum ..
mmm .. ing!!!"

Andy thrust down one last time and gripped Jason's
cock shaft as it throbbed uncontrollably before going
completely still. After a very short pause Jason's cum
shot from his piss slit and Andy could feel the spasms
as each jet thudded out accompanied by a more than
satisfied grunt from Jason. Just as the torrent inside
him was beginning to subside, Andy cock began to shoot
his load and several jets of spunk flew in a great arc
that landed with a loud plop on Jason's naked chest.
Despite his exhaustion, the horny barman could not
help leaning forward as Jason's cock slowly softened
inside him and Andy licked his warm cum from his
partner's chest and nipples. The youngster offered
some of the spunk to his partner who greedily licked
the offered fingers clean and smiled in appreciation
of Andy's great efforts and said,

"Thanks, Andy, that was fantastic!! The best fuck and
the most satisfying cum I've had in years!! You are a
great kid and your jizz tastes really good too!!"

Andy was ready to lay down and sleep but before he did
so he said,

"You have a beautiful prick, Jason!! The best I've had
in a long time!! Having it up inside me felt so
right!! I love Kenny but I still found you the
greatest fuck I've ever experienced!! However long I
live, I'll always remember tonight!! But now I'm
knackered and I need to sleep!!"

"I'm glad you had a good time. Go to sleep now and
soon you'll be refreshed and raring to start the
day!!"

The horny barman grinned weakly and said sleepily,

"Maybe so, but before that I'll be raring to suck you
off again as a breakfast treat!"

"Maybe you will have that chance but go to sleep now
or you won't be up in time in the morning!"

Andy nodded and slid onto the bed beside Jason who
made room for the tired but happy young man who fell
asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Although not as vigorous in their activity, across the
hallway Phil and Kenny had also enjoyed a contented
and satisfying session of oral sex and had each shot
their jizz into the other's mouth. Like Andy and
Jason, after they had recovered from their orgasms the
older barman and the pub manager had laid back and
gone immediately to sleep.

Of the four people in the pub, three were sound asleep
but Jason had only dozed for a few minutes before he
gently slid off the bed and began to get dressed. In
an effort not to disturb the sleeping Andy, the blond
young man sat on the edge of the other bed as he put
his clothes back on. If for any reason the sleeping
barman did awake, Jason had his excuse all ready but
he did not expect to have to make any explanations and
this is how it turned out.

Picking up his bag and his shoes, Jason carefully
opened the bedroom door and eased himself out into the
hall. Next he checked that there was only the sounds
of sleep coming from the other bedroom before making
his way carefully back through the bar and down into
the cellars. Clicking on a small flashlight, Jason
next checked the diagram he had been given and located
the things that he needed to complete his task. With
the skills he had obtained in his training, the blond
man was quickly able to make the necessary
preparations. Jason lingered in the cellar only long
enough to ensure that his plan had worked and then
made his way back into the bar, disabled the alarm and
let himself carefully and quietly out of the side door
and into the empty street. Walking at a steady pace,
the young man turned the corner and saw the promised
car parked at the side of the road, got in and drove
quickly away.

Forty-five minutes later, a rather drunk passer-by
noticed a strange light coming from the pub that he
was passing and he was then instantaneously sobered by
the sound of splintering glass. The large window in
the front of the pub had been shattered by the heat of
the flames and showered the innocent passer-by with
glass. The sound of the explosion had also brought
other people to life and soon a small crowd had
gathered outside and a few brave souls tried to find a
way into the pub to try to rescue those inside but
were beaten back by the intensity of the heat and
flames. A passing Police Officer took charge and
ordered everyone to stay back and await the imminent
arrival of the local Fire Service. Although the Fire
Crew arrived within minutes of the request for their
assistance being made, the fire was out of control and
all attempts to enter the pub, filled as it was with
toxic fumes and intense fire, proved impossible.
Nevertheless, the flames were brought under control
relatively quickly and Firemen wearing breathing
apparatus were able to enter the building and found,
to none's great surprise, the charred remains of what
looked like three people, who would only be
identifiable from their dental records. Speaking to a
local news reporter, the Chief Fire officer said,

"The fire appears to have started in the cellars and
was probably caused by an electrical fault but we
can't rule out other causes at this point. The people
inside were asleep and quickly overwhelmed by the
toxic fumes from the furniture in the bar. The fire
took hold very quickly and they stood absolutely no
chance of escaping. We are not able to name the
victims as yet because we need to inform members of
their families first. However, I would repeat that, at
first sight this looks like a tragic accident and we
would like to offer our sympathies to anyone that knew
the victims."

Back in Scotland Yard, Martin and his team were
unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded that evening
in Hampstead and were working hard to try to figure
out what it was about the case that Nick Trafford had
been investigating was so important.

As he had indicated, after he had spoken to Tom and
the boys, Martin had spoken to Freddy Eversley, who
was in his usual good humour and sounded pleased to
hear from an old friend. As soon as the Commander's
voice had been recognised, Freddy had boomed back,

"Martin! How good to hear from you!! Excellent news
about you nailing the man who killed Nick Trafford!! I
suppose the case is all wrapped up now, is it?"

"Not quite, Freddy, there are a few loose ends and I
hoped you might help me with one of them," Martin
responded.

Freddy remained cheerful in face of this news but his
voice took on a serious edge,

"I didn't realise you still had work to do! Of course
I'll help, if I can! What is it I can do? Something
cloak and dagger, I hope!"

The Commander could not avoid a slight laugh, but then
became serious,

"Sorry to disappoint you, Freddy, but it's information
I'm after. When he died Nick Trafford was
investigating a case in which Digby Jackson, the
Shadow Home Secretary, led for the prosecution. What
do you know about Mr Jackson?"

There was a short pause before Freddy replied,

"As you know, he and I share the same political views,
or at least we're members of the same political party.
However, I would not say that Digby is the sharpest
knife in the box. What sort of case was it that was
being investigated?"

Martin provided the required details,

"A rape case, with a black defendant, who claimed he
was elsewhere at the time. He was found guilty and Mr
Jackson claims that there was no doubt about it and
everything was fair and above board in the prosecution
case and the judge was more than fair. I rather took
the view that he was telling the truth, but we haven't
found anything else and can't see what is missing.
I've got my senior team members working on it as we
speak but so far we've drawn a blank. I've rung you in
the hope that you might have heard or remembered
something about the case. I've only got until 5
o'clock tomorrow and then the Commissioner will pull
the plug. If we don't find out what the mystery is by
then, the case will be concluded, but not to my
satisfaction!"

Freddy absorbed the information and then, after a
short pause, said,

"Well, if Digby says it was a fair trial, like you,
I'd be inclined to believe him. As for what else might
be amiss, I can't think of anything off the top of my
head. On the other hand, although I didn't like the
late Mr Trafford, he never struck me as a man who did
things without a reason. Give me the name of the case
and where it was held and I'll see what I can find out
from my contacts. As soon as I have something, I'll
get back to you right away."

"Thanks, Freddy", Martin said, gratefully.

The Commander put the phone down and went off to see
whether any of his colleagues had yet spotted
something that one of the others had missed. Mark,
Mike and Aly were sitting around a desk and reading
copies of the transcript of the trial and making the
occasional note. When they saw Martin approaching, the
three senior officers stopped what they were doing and
waited. It was clear from the expression of all four
faces that very little progress had been made. Mark
reported that they had still found nothing of
significance in the trial papers and Martin informed
his colleagues that Freddy had been sympathetic but
had known nothing that would help.

Several miles to the north, Jason Smart was driving
the car he had been provided with up the M1. The
assassin had hated this assignment far more than any
other he had previously undertaken. The main reason
for this was that Jason had liked all three of his
victims and the prime target, Andy, most of all. The
sexual chemistry had been genuine and, if he could
have avoided killing the three men, no doubt the blond
man would have tried to do so, but in the end he was a
professional and he did the job he was paid for. As it
was the early hours of the morning, the roads were
relatively clear but Jason drove within the speed
limit as he headed towards the North. The car had just
past the exit for the M6 when a huge explosion ripped
through the car destroying it completely and killing
the driver instantly.

Martin was in his office thinking about the possible
reasons for Nick Trafford's interest in the case when
his deputy from the Press and Public Relations Office,
Superintendent Ron Alder, knocked on the door and
said,

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but there's a piece of
news just come in I think you ought to know about.
There's been what appears to be a car bomb explosion
on the M1 somewhere near the M6 interchange. The
Anti-Terrorist Squad has been alerted and is on its
way and we in the Press Office is on stand-by to
handle the media."

The Commander nodded and asked,

"Much damage? Anyone injured or killed?"

"At the moment it just looks like the driver of the
car, sir. It's not clear whether he was the intended
target or was driving a car full of explosives", Ron
Alder replied.

Martin again acknowledged the information and said,

"OK, Ron, thanks. Keep me informed and I'll come along
as and when needed."

Ron Alder disappeared back to his own office but had
hardly been gone more than a few minutes when he was
back. Martin looked up and said,

"More bad news or more of the same?"

The Superintendent looked down and said quietly,

"More, different bad news, sir. There's been a fire in
a pub near Hampstead Heath. It's the pub where that
young man who came forward and gave you the witness
statement about Nick Trafford's murder worked. I'm
sorry, sir, but the reports coming in say that three
people, all believed to be staff from the pub, have
been killed."

Martin suppressed a desire to shout out a few
unrestrained expletives and said quietly,

"Thank you for telling me, Ron. That young man, Andy
Laurie, could hardly have been more than in his early
twenties. What a tragedy! I'll go and tell the others.
Mr Laurie was an important witness and if he is dead,
then a lot of the loose ends die with him! Could you
keep an eye on the car bomb for me for the moment,
although please ask for me if you think I'm needed, in
the meanwhile, I'm going to have to break the bad news
to my colleagues."

Ron acknowledged the request and said,

"Yes, sir, of course. You can rely on me."

"I know I can, Ron", Martin said quietly and followed
the Superintendent to the door of the Office from
where the Commander made eye contact with Mark
Jamieson and signalled to him that he wanted him and
the other two officers to join him for a conference.
The three senior officers filed into the Martin's
office hoping that the flurry of activity had heralded
some kind of a breakthrough, but one look at the
Commander's grim expression indicated that what they
were about to be told was not good news. After
indicating that the three colleagues should sit down,
Martin then told them about the fire in Hampstead and
the death of Andy Laurie and his two workmates. As the
next most senior officer in the room it fell to Mark
to make the first comment in reaction to what the
Commander had just told them. Undoubtedly reflecting
the feelings of his other two colleagues, the
Superintendent said in a solemn voice

"What a waste of a life! That young barman struck me
as a really honest and caring person. I suppose it was
an accident?"

Martin looked back at the other three sitting around
the table and said gravely,

"It would appear to be an electrical fault in the
cellar, according to the initial reports of the fire
officer. The fire took hold and the pub employees who
were asleep at the time were overwhelmed by the toxic
fumes from the bar furniture and then the intensity of
the fire prevented an early rescue. We have to accept
that, Mark, but I can't help feeling that like several
other things in this case, this event has been a
remarkable coincidence and robbed us of a star witness
if we ever managed to get to the people who wanted to
have Nick Trafford killed. You'll think me paranoid
but I can't help wondering whether there's any
connection between the fire and the car bomb. The news
of the two events coming so close together made me
think that they might be somehow connected."

The Commander was surprised that his colleagues did
not start immediately to protest against his last
statement and was even more shocked when Aly Young a
spoke up,

"Stranger things have happened, sir, but isn't the
timing against us on this one? The fire was reported
after the car bomb. Could the driver have got to the
place where his car exploded in the time?"

Mike Rickwood was next to say something,

"The fire could have smouldered for a while before
taking hold. If the guy was a professional he could
have set everything up so that he had time to get away
from the scene long before the pub was properly
ablaze. I reckon that in the middle of the night and
not going too fast he could easily have got that far
on the motorway."

Mark joined in the discussion at this point,

"Yes but how did he get into the pub in the first
place? Furthermore, even if he did what you said he
would run a great risk that his victims might wake up
and discover the fire."

Martin had listened to the discussion between his most
trusted officers and then intervened,

"Getting into the pub would not be too difficult. He
could have hidden somewhere and waited until it was
safe to come out or he might somehow have managed to
wangle himself into their confidence and been invited
to stay. On the other hand, I agree with Mark that
there was a risk that his plan would not work but the
people in the pub would have been tired after a long
day in the pub. Alternatively he might have managed to
overpower them in some way so that they could not
respond even if they smelt the smoke. But all this is
speculation and we have no real evidence other than
our gut feelings. One thing we can do is find out a
little bit more about this car bomb. I'll go to the
Press and Public relations office and see if Ron has
any more news. In the meantime I suggest you grab a
break and take a nap, it's too late to go home now but
you might get some rest. I'll wake you if there's any
news."

Martin followed his colleagues out of the office and
walked over to find Ron Alder. The Commander's
hard-working deputy was in his office when Martin
walked in and asked,

"Any further developments on the car bomb?"

"Not really, sir. The Anti-Terrorism squad is there at
the moment and they say there is hardly anything to
identify either the car or the driver. They have a
partial index plate number and that seems to match the
number of a car stolen in East London early yesterday
afternoon. As for the driver, I understand that they
are running tests now in the hope of being able to
make an identification."

"Thanks, Ron", Martin said, trying hard to conceal his
disappointment, "Keep me informed of developments."

The news that the car had been stolen both helped and
hindered Martin's half-formed theory of a link between
the pub fire and the car explosion. It helped in that
the assassin if that was what he was would hardly have
used a car from which he or she might be traced. It
hindered in that stolen cars were the preferred method
of people who planted car bombs. Nevertheless, the
Commander decided that the line of enquiry was worth
pursuing if only in a low-key way. Returning to his
office, Martin gently aroused Mark and indicated that
he wanted his most trusted friend to follow him. So as
not to disturb the other two officers who were still
asleep, the Commander waited until he was out of
earshot and then asked the Superintendent to use his
contacts to see if he could find out more about the
car explosion and to report back anything significant.
Martin said that he would try to make contact with
special branch but rather doubted that they would be
very willing to pass on anything to him. Mark happily
agreed to do so but expressed his doubts that he would
get any further than his friend would do.

After Mark had left, Martin slumped back into his
chair and although he could not entirely stop his mind
from whirring around did eventually fall fitfully
asleep. The Commander's rest period did not last long
and he was jolted awake by the ringing of the
telephone. Sleepily, Martin answered the call in a
rather fuzzy mumble,

"Roberts"

"Good morning, Commander", the voice of the
Commissioner came strongly through the receiver, "I
hope you haven't been up all night on a wild goose
chase. I heard about the pub burning down and the
death of your witness. It seems as though it was
accident. I'm more concerned with this potential
terrorist bomber who blew up on the motorway. I know
you are aware of it. I think we ought to have an early
press conference along the usual lines of warning the
public to be vigilant but not to panic. I'd like to
catch the early morning radio and television breakfast
programmes. Will you set it up for me, please?"

Martin had snapped to wide awake when he recognised
the voice on the other end of the line and answered
more crisply,

"Of course I will, sir. I'll contact the networks and
get back to you with a time. Do you want to do the
interviews from here or from your home, sir?"

The Commissioner responded at once,

"I'm on my way in as we speak, Martin, so I'll do them
at the Yard. Call me back once you have it all
arranged."

Martin called Ron in the Press office and between them
they set up the arrangements for the Commissioner's
broadcasts. This meant that Martin was able to report
back what had been agreed before Sir Thomas had
arrived at his office. Shortly after the Commissioner
had arrived, he was ready for the first of several
live interviews and presented his message skilfully
and well. As he completed his final question and
answer session, Sir Thomas walked out with Martin and
said quietly as they left the room,

"Despite this distraction, I still ant your final
report on the Nick Trafford case by five o'clock this
afternoon."

Martin smiled to himself and then said,

"You will, sir, I promise you that."

Martin wasted no time in getting back to his own
department and found that his three most senior
officers were back at work even though there was
little progress to report. The Commander knew that
there really was very little time left and the chances
of a breakthrough were not very high. Martin had
hardly sat down when the telephone rang and, again, it
was the Commissioner, who asked to see the senior
officer straight away. The Commander got up and
trudged back towards Sir Thomas' office, through the
reception area and knocked on the door. The
Commissioner immediately invited Martin in and said
with unaccustomed warmth,

"Come in, Martin, sorry to drag you up here again so
soon but I wanted to tell you in person. You know how
sensitive the government is about terrorism and
terrorist related incidents, well the Press Office at
Number 10 has just been on and they intend to take
over handling this car explosion business. They will
work with the Anti-Terrorism Squad and myself to some
extent but they see no reason for Scotland Yard to
duplicate their work."

Martin looked slightly puzzled and said,

"I think I understand the logic, but are Number 10
upset by what I and Superintendent Alder did in
arranging your interviews this morning?"

Sir Thomas looked genuinely concerned at Martin's
interpretation of events and said reassuringly,

"No, no, not at all. They were full of praise for the
efficiency of the operation and the message we put
out, but it is a politically sensitive issue and the
Government wants to handle it in its own way. I would
have thought you would have welcomed that as it will
give you more time to conclude your investigation and
report on the murder of Nick Trafford!"

"Yes, I suppose it will, sir", Martin said cautiously.
The Commander was uncertain whether to explain to the
Commissioner his gut reaction to the news of the pub
fire and the car explosion but decided that at this
point he would remain silent. Sir Thomas continued
smiling as he rose to signify that the purpose of the
meeting had been achieved. Martin got up rather
wearily and once again returned to his office. As he
arrived, the Commander glanced across at the three
senior investigators and realised that they were still
working hard on the case trying to follow up leads.
Martin's next task was to break the news to Ron Alder
what had been decided. The Commander knew that his
deputy would be bitterly disappointed as Ron had been
desperate to contribute in some way to the wider
investigation of Nick Trafford's murder and now even
that would most likely be taken away from him. The
Superintendent was, however, philosophical and took
the news well telling Martin,

"I fully understand, sir, but I'll still keep my ear
to the ground. I know some of the press men over at
Number 10 and they will keep me informed if the driver
is identified and I'll pass it on to you."

Martin smiled and said,

"Thanks, Ron. I think we'll need more than just a name
if we are to resolve this case by the deadline, but
you never know, stranger things have happened!"

As Martin left the Press Office, he was unaware that
the next few hours were going to produce even more
dramatic information than he could have possibly
imagined.

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