Green Light (Sam Archer 7) by Tom Barber Page A

peered each way down the corridor,
making sure it was empty. Satisfied, she walked towards her
apartment and reached into her bag for the key, wanting to get
inside quickly.
    Then she
suddenly paused and looked down the empty corridor.
    She
could have sworn she heard the stairs creak.
    She
stayed where she was, her key in her hand, listening. The apartment
building was quiet. She waited a few moments but still couldn’t
hear anything.
    It must
have been her imagination.
    But as
she was about to insert the key in the lock, she spotted something
else.
    Resting
on the floor by her feet.

    The East Village 13 th Precinct was on
21 st Street, just around the corner from Karen Casey’s place, so
Josh and Marquez were there in ninety seconds or so. They’d already
entered the building and were now confronting the desk sergeant,
who although being co-operative was struggling to understand what
they were saying.
    ‘ Just hold on,’ he said. ‘Start again. What’s
wrong?’
    ‘ A member of our team was arrested two nights ago by officers
from this Precinct. We want him released right now.’
    ‘ I just told you I don’t work nights. Let me check the system.’
Tapping some keys, he clicked into the computer. ‘What’s his
name?’
    ‘ Sam Archer. He’s a 3 rd Grade detective with the
Counter-Terrorism Bureau.’
    He typed
it in, then nodded. ‘He was booked in on Friday night. Says he
accessed confidential police files whilst on suspension and
harassed a family member of the victim. Orders here are to keep him
locked up until his suspension hearing at Police Plaza tomorrow
morning.’
    ‘ We want him released right now.’
    ‘ On whose orders; yours? Get out of here.’
    ‘ Maybe we should call Lieutenant-General Franklin and tell him
what happened?’ Josh said.
    ‘ That’s a bold threat.’
    ‘ He likes Archer. A hell of a lot more than he’ll like
you.’
    Looking
at them and realising they weren’t kidding, the desk Sergeant
hesitated then made a decision. He checked the system
again.
    ‘ As it happens, your man’s not here anymore.’
    ‘ Was he released?’ Marquez asked.
    ‘ No. There wasn’t enough space here so they shipped him uptown
‘til his court date tomorrow. You need to take it up with
them.’
    ‘ Where uptown?’
    The man
paused, not quite able to make eye contact with Josh and
Marquez.
    ‘ Rikers Island.’

    Already
inside April Evans’ apartment, one of the figures in white overalls
and a baseball cap stood waiting with a chloroform-soaked rag in
his right hand, ready to pull the bitch in the second she stepped
through the door.
    He’d
heard the shitty old wood creaking as someone climbed the stairs
and had just received a text telling him the girl was on her way
up.
    But the
door didn’t open. Perhaps she’d stopped to talk to a neighbour or
something.
    The man
waited.
    A few
moments later, getting impatient and not hearing any voices, he
eased the door open and looked outside.
    The
corridor was empty.
    Looking
to his right he saw his companion suddenly appear from the stairs,
having come up from the van.
    ‘ Where the hell is she?’ he asked.
    The
other figure stopped.
    ‘ I thought you already had her?’

    ‘ You sent him to Rikers? ’ Josh said
incredulously, leaning over the desk. ‘A police detective? Are you
kidding me?’
    ‘ I didn’t, the last shift did. And it says here he’s suspended
so technically right now he ain’t a detective. He’s booked in ‘til
his hearing tomorrow morning.’
    He
looked at them and shrugged.
    ‘ Sorry. Nothing I can do.’
    Without
wasting another second, the two Counter-Terrorism Bureau detectives
turned and ran outside to their car and climbed inside. Slamming
his door, Josh fired the engine and took off down the street as
Marquez pulled her cell phone to call the prison. Although they now
knew where he was, both of them were now infinitely more concerned
about Archer’s safety than they’d been a minute ago.
    He was
locked