Blindside - By Gj Moffat Page 0,13

Warren said. ‘We need to look at the budget first, though.’

Irvine felt a little lost, decided to ask some basic questions.

‘For my benefit, can you say a little more about the drugs?’

Warren looked at DI Fraser.

‘Of course,’ Fraser said as he stood, stretching above Thomson. ‘Fentanyl is not something that you hear much about but, in fact, it’s actually more potent than heroin. It’s similar in that it’s an opiate …’

‘What does that mean exactly?’ Irvine asked.

‘Okay, an opiate is a drug that affects the central nervous system and also breathing. Slows everything down. It’s used to manage pain, like in cancer patients.’

‘I thought they used morphine for that?’

‘Also an opiate. The effects of fentanyl are a little different from heroin. The high is not as pronounced and it also doesn’t last as long. So, because of the shortened period of the high, it can be even more addictive.’

‘Combine the two to get the best of both, so to speak?’

Fraser smiled and nodded.

‘Exactly.’

Irvine took a pen from her jacket pocket and scribbled notes on the back of one of the post-mortem extracts.

‘But why the deaths?’ someone else asked.

‘We think that whoever is supplying this hasn’t quite got the mix right yet. Which explains the different levels found in the first three victims. You see, the negative effect fentanyl has on the respiratory system is much more pronounced than with heroin and so if it’s sold as heroin to a user, he can OD on it without knowing. Basically, it stops him breathing.’

Irvine wrote some more. At the top of the page she wrote the operation name, looked up at Fraser.

‘Why Operation Red Square?’ she asked.

‘There are stories out there that the Russians used a fentanyl-heroin derivative against some terrorists, kidnappers, in Moscow a while back.’

‘You think these guys are Russian?’

‘We don’t know. Haven’t ruled anything out as yet.’

Warren stood, taking control of the meeting.

‘This fourth death is the one we want to focus on for now. Young girl found like that will get lots of ink in the press. Let’s see if we can get any better leads on it than we have from the others. I’ve asked for CID input not just because the deaths are unlawful, but also to give us a different perspective on the investigation.’

He looked at Irvine.

‘If you and DS Armstrong could wait behind after we break up, DC Irvine, we’ll take you through how we want to do this.’

Irvine nodded, feeling a little surge of excitement now – the buzz of the job.

13

When the meeting finished, Irvine and Armstrong waited while the room cleared, then went to the front of the room.

Warren came around the table and stood in front of them, leaning back against the table edge.

‘Now you know what we’re dealing with,’ Warren said to Irvine. ‘Kenny’s been immersed in this for a while and doesn’t think that we’re going to get anywhere by focusing on our usual sources.’

‘We won’t,’ Armstrong said.

Warren smiled, like a parent dealing with an irascible child. Irvine wondered if there was tension in the relationship between the two men.

‘My view’, Warren said, ‘is that we need to look at this from all angles. Leave no stone unturned, if you know what I mean.’

Irvine didn’t want to get stuck on the wrong side of a fight.

‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked.

‘I want Kenny to brief you on the local drugs scene, the supply chain and the like. Give you a feel for what we’re dealing with. Then he’ll take you on a tour of the earlier crime scenes. How does that sound?’

‘Fine by me.’

‘Good,’ Warren said, straightening up.

Warren left the room and Irvine followed Armstrong to the table where the coffee was, picking up a shortbread biscuit and taking a bite.

‘You don’t like the DG?’ Irvine asked.

Armstrong looked sideways at her.

‘He’s all right for a boss. I mean he’s a purist, you know. A bad bastard, if you’re a criminal. And he didn’t take the DG job for political reasons.’

Irvine had always assumed a job like DG of the SCDEA was a way to make a career splash. A politician’s job, not a real cop.

‘Why, then?’

‘Because he wants to do something about the shit that flows through this country. The drugs, I mean. He’s about as straight a cop as you’ll find anywhere.’

‘How did this thing start?’

‘I flagged it up to my syndicate leader, DI Fraser, and from there it went up the chain fast. The DG likes to keep his hand in on operational