Silent Night - By Tom Barber Page 0,81

a secluded location to unpack the crystals that had coagulated on the equipment inside. Also, the cooking process released strong toxic fumes that were easily noticeable in a residential area, so putting the lab on the road was a way of avoiding detection. And once the process was finished and the crystallised meth scraped up and bagged, all the toxic shit that was left could be dumped by the roadside or on abandoned ground like this. The interior of the caravans would be coated with a highly poisonous residue, endangering anyone who passed by within a certain radius. He knew that these assholes would leave the caravans here once they moved on, someone else’s problem to deal with.

Not tonight, he thought.

Hendricks watched as a man stepped out of the middle caravan, closing the door behind him. He pulled off his protective face mask, revealing a severe face and a beard. The process of cooking the drug was also extremely dangerous. The chemicals used to cultivate the methamphetamine were poisonous, unstable and flammable and propane was required for the process. Consequently there was a substantial red tank of the stuff beside each caravan. Given the mixing of certain liquids that went on inside these vans, the possibility of an explosion was high. It could happen at any moment. Pulling his cell and keeping the display hidden behind the rock, Hendricks scrolled through his phone book and found the number for HAZMAT. There needed to be a clean-up crew on stand-by. Virus or no virus, Hendricks didn’t want his people going anywhere near the meth trucks before they were secured.

He pushed the call button and put the phone to his ear, looking down on the estate through his binoculars and feeling his anger rise.

Archer opened his eyes.

He was lying down. He realised he wasn’t in the freezer anymore. His joints felt sore, but he didn’t feel cold. He felt warm.

Am I dead?

He was lying on his back, looking up at a white ceiling. He was warm. Very warm. He realised he was wrapped in what felt like three thick blankets. He grunted and sat up. He wasn’t dead. He was in an ambulance, outside on street level. The back doors were open to the sidewalk, and he could see police and HAZMAT teams outside on Amsterdam, the lights on their vehicles flashing in the night.

Amongst the crowd, he saw Josh. His partner saw him sit up and ran over.

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked, arriving by the ambulance.

‘Like a popsicle. Did you secure the room?’

‘CRT are up there now. They quarantined the entire building. They had to stabilise the lab and purify the air before they pulled you out. You guys got seriously lucky. It was close. A few minutes more and you’d be dead.’

Archer nodded. He had a pounding headache. ‘Where’s the doc?’

Josh pointed and Archer saw Maddy wrapped up in thick blankets in a second ambulance ten yards away. It seemed she’d woken up before he had. She was talking with a medic standing in front of her. She sensed him make eye contact and looked over.

For the first time since they’d met she smiled at him. He smiled back.

‘What the hell happened?’ Josh asked.

Archer rubbed his head. ‘We went into the lab. Someone had placed an electronic bug on the cabinet and taken the bio suits. We triggered the countdown when Maddy entered the keypad code and the doors locked behind us. If it wasn’t for the freezer, we’d be dead.’

‘Someone was trying to kill you.’

‘Not me,’ Archer said, nodding at Maddy. ‘Her.’

Josh went to speak, but spotted Shepherd walk out of the building. He saw them at the ambulance and walked over swiftly, arriving outside the doors.

‘You’re awake,’ he said to Archer. ‘Good. Are you OK?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I heard what happened.’ He looked over his shoulder at Maddy. ‘Someone wants her in a coffin.’

‘Where’s Dr Kruger sir?’ Josh asked.

‘I just called him. He’s on his way down here. Until this is over, both he and the woman stay with us at all times.’

‘Where’s Marquez?’

‘She’s inside, talking with the guard who was manning the desk.’

Rubbing his chest, Archer was starting to feel better. The headache was beginning to pass. Swinging his legs off the bed, he struggled to his feet, shrugging off the blankets. Josh grabbed his shoulder as he swayed.

‘Take your time,’ he said.

‘We don’t have time.’

‘Who came in this evening?’ Marquez asked the reception security guard.

The man shrugged. ‘Anyone who works here has a key-card. They can come