seat of the other. Rentners sat in the front passenger seat while the fourth member of the group drove.
'Where are we heading?' asked Yokes, who on this particular occasion was acting as the senior of the two of them.
'Just for a little drive,' growled their host, with that same devilish little half-smile which was not designed to make the recipient feel any better. 'Sit back and relax.'
And with that, he pressed a button and a tinted partition came down, making further communication impossible. The two SO10 men glanced at each other, but remained calm. In the end, Frank Rentners was a businessman and they were potential customers with some serious money to spend, so neither of them expected any real problems. They'd done this sort of thing plenty of times before.
They drove through the streets of south London for close to three-quarters of an hour, losing the other car in the process. The driver kept to the quieter roads, occasionally doubling back on himself until eventually they were into the suburbs. They passed through Orpington, crossed the M25 at Swanley, and continued in a south-easterly direction. There was still no sign of the other car, and Stegs wondered whether they were going to see Brewster again that day, and whether the SO11 men were also on their tail.
An hour and five minutes into the journey by Stegs's watch, they suddenly pulled off the road they were travelling on and drove up a dirt track through woods until they came to a modern
two-storey red-brick house set back on its own behind a small, neatly trimmed garden. The other Merc was already there, parked up on the driveway, along with a red Golf. They pulled up behind the Merc and the driver cut the engine.
Rentners got out along with the driver, and beckoned them to do the same. 'Are you hungry?' he asked, when they were standing on the driveway.
It was one o'clock in the afternoon and they both said they were, so Rentners, his smile a little more welcoming now, ushered them towards the house. Stegs noticed that he had his own key which he used to let them in, and he wondered briefly if this property was in Rentners' name.
The interior was surprisingly sparse. There were no pictures or ornaments in the hallway, and the unfashionable black carpet looked cheap. Rentners led them through to a large dining room that looked out on to trees. A large table took up most of the room and it was laid for seven people. Two bottles of Ty Nant mineral water were in the middle of the table along with a bottle each of red and white wine. Even eighteen months on, Stegs Jenner remembered all these little details. He remembered everything about that day.
Brewster was already sitting down at the table along with the other two. He greeted them with a slightly confused smile, as if he too" wasn't a hundred per cent sure what was going on. Stegs and Yokes took seats opposite him.
'Help yourselves to drinks,' said Rentners, and disappeared out of the room.
Stegs helped himself to a glass of red. He wouldn't have drunk on duty normally but it was Chateauneuf du Pape. Whatever else could be said of Rentners, he had good taste in wine. Yokes shot him a sideways glare and poured himself some water.
this is very nice,' said Stegs, not really meaning it at all.
It wasn't nice. It was weird. He'd been working with SO40 a long time, and no-one had ever fed him at a first meeting.
'It is, isn't it?' said Brewster, an excruciatingly ingratiating smile on his face as he looked around. Stegs thought then that he really didn't like Brewster. He had the furtive air of a child molester.
Nobody else spoke.
A few minutes later, Rentners returned carrying a huge pot. A big, blonde-haired woman in a kitchen apron came in behind him. She was carrying bowls which she put down in front of everyone without speaking. Stegs thanked her but she ignored him, not even looking his way.
'Spaghetti al araba,' said Rentners, who must have thought he was John Gotti or Tony Soprano, lifting the lid off the
'Where are we heading?' asked Yokes, who on this particular occasion was acting as the senior of the two of them.
'Just for a little drive,' growled their host, with that same devilish little half-smile which was not designed to make the recipient feel any better. 'Sit back and relax.'
And with that, he pressed a button and a tinted partition came down, making further communication impossible. The two SO10 men glanced at each other, but remained calm. In the end, Frank Rentners was a businessman and they were potential customers with some serious money to spend, so neither of them expected any real problems. They'd done this sort of thing plenty of times before.
They drove through the streets of south London for close to three-quarters of an hour, losing the other car in the process. The driver kept to the quieter roads, occasionally doubling back on himself until eventually they were into the suburbs. They passed through Orpington, crossed the M25 at Swanley, and continued in a south-easterly direction. There was still no sign of the other car, and Stegs wondered whether they were going to see Brewster again that day, and whether the SO11 men were also on their tail.
An hour and five minutes into the journey by Stegs's watch, they suddenly pulled off the road they were travelling on and drove up a dirt track through woods until they came to a modern
two-storey red-brick house set back on its own behind a small, neatly trimmed garden. The other Merc was already there, parked up on the driveway, along with a red Golf. They pulled up behind the Merc and the driver cut the engine.
Rentners got out along with the driver, and beckoned them to do the same. 'Are you hungry?' he asked, when they were standing on the driveway.
It was one o'clock in the afternoon and they both said they were, so Rentners, his smile a little more welcoming now, ushered them towards the house. Stegs noticed that he had his own key which he used to let them in, and he wondered briefly if this property was in Rentners' name.
The interior was surprisingly sparse. There were no pictures or ornaments in the hallway, and the unfashionable black carpet looked cheap. Rentners led them through to a large dining room that looked out on to trees. A large table took up most of the room and it was laid for seven people. Two bottles of Ty Nant mineral water were in the middle of the table along with a bottle each of red and white wine. Even eighteen months on, Stegs Jenner remembered all these little details. He remembered everything about that day.
Brewster was already sitting down at the table along with the other two. He greeted them with a slightly confused smile, as if he too" wasn't a hundred per cent sure what was going on. Stegs and Yokes took seats opposite him.
'Help yourselves to drinks,' said Rentners, and disappeared out of the room.
Stegs helped himself to a glass of red. He wouldn't have drunk on duty normally but it was Chateauneuf du Pape. Whatever else could be said of Rentners, he had good taste in wine. Yokes shot him a sideways glare and poured himself some water.
this is very nice,' said Stegs, not really meaning it at all.
It wasn't nice. It was weird. He'd been working with SO40 a long time, and no-one had ever fed him at a first meeting.
'It is, isn't it?' said Brewster, an excruciatingly ingratiating smile on his face as he looked around. Stegs thought then that he really didn't like Brewster. He had the furtive air of a child molester.
Nobody else spoke.
A few minutes later, Rentners returned carrying a huge pot. A big, blonde-haired woman in a kitchen apron came in behind him. She was carrying bowls which she put down in front of everyone without speaking. Stegs thanked her but she ignored him, not even looking his way.
'Spaghetti al araba,' said Rentners, who must have thought he was John Gotti or Tony Soprano, lifting the lid off the
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