It’s a typical November night in London, not raining just a heavy mist covers the air, and Ian Michaels is just crossing Vauxhall Cross to get to his car in a nearby parking lot adjacent to the underground rail. Ian’s head is flooded with his new case at SIS and working for his fanatical step brother Mercer and he isn’t making matters any easier. All he keeps thinking about is the poor destitute teenagers that are disappearing without a trace. Ian’s aware that this case is irrelevant to Mercer; he only assigned it to Ian to keep him occupied.
Ian arrives at his flat and turns into the parking lot shaking his head in disgust and starts talking to himself “How many times do I have to tell this daft landlord about fixing these lights!” Ian pulls under the safety of the last working overhead light and turns his car off. Ian steps out of his car and reaches back in to grab his briefcase, takes a quick look around and closes the car door. He notices the same plumbing van has been sitting there since he left this morning. Ian recalls from his field training ops never to consider anything to be a coincidence and notices the rear of the van to be sitting lower than usual. Ian uses his peripheral vision as he walks into his building to memorize the license plate number. As soon as he enters the building he reaches into his overcoat grabs his phone and proceeds to type the number. Am I just being paranoid? Ian’s thinking to himself but he remembers not to second guess himself, don’t think just react that’s how I was trained. He continues to walk up the staircase trying to recall if the light bulb on the landing was out the night before. He takes a deep breath and reaches into suit and grabs his side arm and slowly clicks back the trigger.
He tries to be quiet but the old staircase has a mind of its own, it seems like every step he takes creates a different creaking noise. Ian remembers to hold his gun down close to his hip similar to an old western quick draw, unlike what’s portrayed in the movies; holding both arms fully extended, this would be a rookie mistake allowing the assailant to take the weapon out of your hands if hiding around a corner.
Ian reaches the top; he pauses to look back down the staircase and then continues down the hallway to his flat. Ian reaches down to turn the doorknob slowly, it’s still locked. He reaches in his pants pocket and grabs his keys and proceeds to quietly put them into the lock and very slowly turns the doorknob. Ian’s thinking to himself, everything looks normal nothing out of place, he walks over to the window and gently pulls back the curtain, the vans gone. Ian sets his gun on his computer desk sits down and powers up his laptop. He signs into the main SIS computer and runs the vans license plate number, while it’s scanning Ian gets up to grab a bottle of bitter. The van belongs to Van Hire Manchester; Ian gets up and starts to talk out loud “Why would a plumbing company be renting a van from Manchester?” Ian walks over to his overcoat looking for his lighter
“Ok what was the name on the side of the van?” Ian lights a cigarette and walks over to the computer desk to grab his beer. He sits down at his kitchen table while trying to recall the plumbing company. Ian takes a swig of his beer and a couple drags off of his smoke, gets up and grabs a piece of paper and a pen, he remembers a memory trick they taught in training; start writing down anything that enters your mind, this should elicit the short term memory. Ian only spends a few seconds writing names down and he recalls the name on the side of the van “The Taylor Group” Ian finishes his cigarette and shoves the butt into the remaining swig left in the beer bottle.
He walks over sits down and starts an online search for “The Taylor Group” on his laptop, There’s only one Taylor group and there out of London.
Ian begins to talk to himself again “So the company’s in London but the van is rented out of Manchester, something’s definitely wrong here” Ian grabs his telephone and programs the number into his phone so that he can ring the company in the morning. Ian gets up and walks to the fridge and grabs another bitter; walks back into his living room and turns on his flat screen and sits down. Ian’s thinking to himself while flipping through the channels
Why would anybody be casing me? I just graduated and started my first assignment, could this be a test? He lights up another cigarette gets up and looks out the window “I bet Mercer is behind this, bollocks! I’m not going to wait until morning to call this plumbing company, that’s what Mercer will expect me to do!” Ian walks over and picks up his phone from the coffee table and rings the plumbing company while thinking to himself, no one will be there at 11:30 but what the heck. “Taylor group may I help you?” Ian’s caught off guard “Ahh yes I was wondering if you will have a van around here again tomorrow, I noticed one here all day and was wondering if they will be here again, I’m having a terrible trouble with a leak underneath my kitchen cupboard” the lady on the phone responds “Sir we have twenty five vans around London, were are you located?” Ian responds “I’m sorry, I live at Gossling way Kennington” she responds “Sir nobody has been out near Kennington, are you sure your calling the right company?” Ian double checks his paper “Yes I’m positive, can you check again?” She responds “Sir I’m positive I’m looking at the computer screen as we speak”
Ian still looking at the piece of paper “Thanks for your time” Ian hangs up the phone. “Ok so I was right! Either Mercer is testing me or I have a serious problem” Ian finishes his beer and goes to bed.
The alarm goes off, its 5:30 in the morning Ian looks at the clock and is contemplating hitting the snooze but chooses to get up instead. He staggers out of bed walks into the family room to light a cigarette, takes a glance out the window and says sarcastically “Another beautiful day in London! Well the van isn’t there, maybe it’s not Mercer”
Ian gets in his car and drives to SIS but on his way he notices the same plumbing van pass him going towards his flat. He makes sure not to look directly at the driver but as the van passes Ian double checks the license plate number in his side mirror. He remembers that the license plate numbers are the same “Should I mention something to Mercer or just play stupid?”
Ian arrives at the parking garage and waves to Johnny to open the gate, well what do you know Johnny’s on time today! Ian’s used to pulling into the parking garage and grabbing the ticket to open the gate. Johnny is a good Irish kid working his way through college but likes to drink a little too much and is usually late to work. Ian Rolls down his passenger window to talk to Johnny
“Johnny boy! Looking might chipper this lovely morning” Johnny opens the dirty window of his guard shack so he can get a better view, in his strong Irish accent replies “Hey Mr. Michaels, yea decided to stay out of the pub the boss said if I was late one more time he was going to have to let me go, can you believe that wanker!” Ian laughing “Well Johnny he has given you numerous warnings!” Johnny smiles “Mr. Michaels you still gonna put in a good word for me at SIS aren’t ya?” Ian just smiles then drives away.
Ian gets into the office and sits at his desk and just as soon as he leans down to pull his files out of his briefcase he feels a hand on his shoulder.
“Making any progress on the case?” Ian turns around, it’s Mercer.
“Yes sir I have a few leads” Ian stands up to face Mercer. “That’s great kid; I hope you’re following protocol” Ian sits back down “Of course sir I learned from the best!” Mercer smiling “Get your nose out of my bum, I want to see some leads by the end of the day” Ian turns his head back to look up at Mercer “ Yes sir, I’ll be in your office before days end” Mercer was already walking away before Ian had a chance to finish his sentence.
Mercer is Ian’s step brother and served in British army Special Forces the 22 SAS Regiment Mobility troop and specialized in desert warfare.
Mercer was always the first in everything and Ian looked up to his big brother and tried to follow in his footprints. Ian picks up the phone to call Ethan one of his contacts that he pays under the table.
“Ethan its Ian, any news on the missing teenagers?” Ethan replies “Oh hello mother yea I??
?m very well thank you!” Then whispers, “I told you not to call me during the day!” Ian replies sarcastically “You wouldn’t even have a phone to answer if it wasn’t for me now would you Ethan!” Ethan ducts into an alley “Don’t you think people might wonder what a homeless man is doing with a cell phone?” Ian replies “Fine fine relax Ethan, just call me back before five or I’ll find you and take back my phone!” Ian Hangs up the phone grabs his brief case and heads out of the office. As he’s walking out he looks into Mercers glass office and Mercer looks right at him and points at his watch. I’ve passed every test, always finished at the top of my class and he still treats me like his little brother. The only way to get him off my back is to solve this case as quickly as possible. Mercer hasn’t been the same since his partner Hunter went rogue two years ago in Russia, he still doesn’t know if he’s even alive, those two were like brothers.
Time to take a drive to the Borough of Hackney I know I’ll find some answers there.