The last couple of weeks had thankfully been rather uneventful. The sky was darker, the rain falling harder and it seemed that not even the most devoted anarchists could be bothered to protest or terrorise on behalf of their beliefs when there was such a great possibility of getting pneumonia as a result of merely stepping outside. Umbrellas once again became necessities, the central heating was back to full blast and even on a tube filled with red-nosed commuters packed as tightly as sardines there was still a chill in the air that stuck adamantly to the bones of every weary London traveller.
Nevertheless, a handful of troublemakers were intent on dragging some spies out into the cold to prevent their skirmishes. Adam had, of course, chosen Zaf as his unlucky companion to complete a low-key surveillance mission on a dodgy handgun enthusiast who had recently got himself onto their radar by breaking into a police station after a nationwide gun amnesty and stealing some of the weapons for himself. These allegations were yet to be proven and so they had to tread carefully as to avoid stirring up a fuss as the man had some sort of link to a government figure - Harry hadn't elaborated, but expressly told the pair to keep surveillance subtle and interference to a minimal.
The beginning of November was making itself known: street sellers added jacket potatoes to their menus and back garden firework shows were peppered throughout the month with only a handful of individuals seemingly aware that Bonfire Night (and therefore fireworks) was specifically designated to the 5th of November and not just any dark day that took their fancy. However, there was a firework show that their suspect, Andrew Lockwood, was attending on the first weekend of November and so Adam and Zaf were to join him for the evening – of course, without him knowing they were doing so.
The drive out to the park at which the display was happening had already consumed over an hour of their evening and Adam watched in amusement as a thoroughly disgruntled Zaf stepped out of his car straight into a muddy patch of ground, having not bothered to change out of his favourite trainers despite Adam's warning that this particular part of the country was renowned for its rainy spells and consequently sodden outdoor flooring. The night was cold and clear with a sprinkling of stars dotted across the darkened ceiling and a round orb of silver moon glowing down at the hoards of locals streaming into the park. The trek they took weaved through ambiguous paths littered with clusters of fallen leaves drenched by previous rain and disintegrated under many a foot, up a steep hill and towards the source of lights and sound. A stage had been set up, a band chanting a song to the crowds whilst the bass resonated through speakers. Several food stalls gave out delicious smells and attracted crowds of jostling, hungry people, digging in pockets with icy fingers for change. A bonfire sat in the middle of the gathering of what must have been nearly two thousand people, many watching the flames flicker and dance about the towering wood and a couple of children, carefully supervised, dunking skewered marshmallows into the fire and watching in delight as the skin puckered and bubbled, leaving a sugary and crispy lump from which they took tentative nibbles.
Adam made all of these observations as he and Zaf wandered around the perimeter of the park area sectioned off for the event in order to establish their surroundings. Locating their target in crowds this dense and excitable would be no easy task and Adam knew the importance of not being detected if they were fortunate enough to even find Lockwood. He rubbed his hands together in an attempt to combat the chill, wishing he'd listened to Fiona's advice of bringing gloves.
"Any joy?" Adam asked as they passed the hot dog stand for the third time, the pair of them scanning the faces of every person that walked past.
"Nope. But I think buying a hot dog will provide some joy for my famished and freezing state," Zaf commented, a coaxing edge to his tone.
Adam smirked. "If you can afford to dig into the pitiful salary of a civil servant in order to eat a piece of overpriced, processed meat smothered in sauce, then feel free. I'm gonna check by the stage again."
Adam sauntered away, leaving Zaf in a ridiculously long queue of similarly hungry people. He too felt a little tempted to opt for a snack but knew his focus had to be on finding this guy – Zaf could have the fun this time.
The crowds began to shift and murmur, impatient for the fireworks to begin, and when they eventually graced the skies Adam had to admit that it was a rather impressive display. Rockets shrieked into the air like birds, wings alight with burning golden feathers before erupting into a million shards of confetti raining down from the sky in glorious, vivid shades of scarlet, emerald and lilac. Some drifted like shooting stars, a burst of brightness against the navy blanket of night, crackling and hissing into shimmering flakes that dissolved instantly in the darkness. Each new explosion was loud enough that Adam could feel the impact resonate through the ground and into his toes. It must have been at least twenty minutes of various combinations of fireworks but the whole affair seemed to go rather quickly, and Adam was a little glad of it – his opinion was that once you've seen the first firework you've seen them all, and anyway the sound felt a little too much like a gunshot to be particularly enjoyable.
The crowds applauded the skies, hooting their approval as the village mayor expressed his thanks to the council via the loudspeaker. Smoke billowed through the air like a delicate dusting of icing sugar. However, an entirely different and chilling sound had fully grasped Adam's attention.
A scream, piercing and terrified. Shouts of confusion echoed through the park. Adam pushed through clusters of people to try and reach the source of the tumult before suddenly becoming aware of the fact he'd just thought to himself.
Fireworks sound a lot like gunshots - what better time for a gun-wielding maniac to strike?
There were too many people for Adam to reach any answers immediately so he proceeded to ring Zaf as he continued to try and move through the bustling masses of people.
"Where are you?" Adam asked, weaving through a bunch of children waving sparklers a little too enthusiastically than normal health and safety regulations would endorse.
"Close to the stage. I heard the scream," Zaf reported, the reply muffled by the sounds of people talking and laughing in the background. "Do you think it's Lockwood?"
"Must be," answered Adam, pushing through a queue for the portaloos and attracting several looks of annoyance as he did so. Just ahead, he could make out a larger group of people than a general socialising group would admit with several of them holding up flashlights. Adam made his way towards the commotion and assessed the situation.
"I'll call an ambulance," he said out loud, ending the call to Zaf and punching in the three nines before somebody stopped him.
"No need. An ambulance team are on site," an elderly lady told him, gesturing to the paramedics approaching with first aid bags slung over their shoulders.
"Everyone stand back, please," one of them announced, trying to dispel the bustling audience that had gathered at the scene. A couple were obviously panicked and several had already scarpered, but thankfully the majority of those who had heard the screaming must have assumed it was a child messing around or a raucous drunk vying for attention.
The wound looked bad, but Adam knew from experience that the victim was unlikely to be in danger of sufficient blood loss. She was propped up against the side of a candyfloss stall, gripping her right shoulder, teeth chattering against the cold. The darkness disallowed any spectators to witness the full extent of the crimson mass seeping through her coat, which was a relief as a scare in a crowd this huge could end in disaster.
Adam showed his ID to the nearest paramedic and knelt down beside the woman.
"Who did this to you?" he asked.
"Annoyed ex. Bit of a psycho. No wonder I broke up with him." She croaked a laugh before remembering the recent bullet wound, her face creasing suddenly in agony.
"What's his name?" Adam insisted.
"Andy Lockwood."
Zaf appeared by their side, a flashlight clasped in one hand. "Are you okay?"
"Wonderful, thanks," the woman managed to mutter good-heartedly as a paramedic helped her to her feet. Zaf smiled a little in return but Adam could sense his anxiety – if Lockwood had failed to kill his ex girlfriend, how long would it be before he returned to try again?
"What are our options?" Zaf asked as they watched the woman being carefully navigated away.
"Evacuation would be a nightmare, and hardly under the umbrella of subtle surveillance," commented Adam. "Now that hurting the ex again is out of the question, if I were him I'd scarper."
"We'll take a main exit each," Zaf suggested. "And just hope he doesn't take an unconventional route."
Adam nodded – it was their best option – but felt uncertainties rattling around in his head. There were only two of them, and nearly two thousand people making up the crowds – they hadn't spotted Lockwood once in the whole time they were here and were unlikely to do so now. Would he blend in with the masses and take one of the regular exits, or panic and try to escape through the surrounding fields? It was impossible to tell, and Adam would not be satisfied with letting this man escape his actions.
He was just about to tell Zaf to head to the northern exit when a voice interrupted him.
"Is this who you're looking for, gentlemen?" A policeman presented a thoroughly agitated-looking Andrew Lockwood, struggling against the superior strength of his captor. His face was rugged and angry, blood smeared on his jeans and dyed on his hands.
"It is indeed," confirmed Adam triumphantly, giving the nod for the policeman to click handcuffs around Lockwood's wrists.
"How'd you get him?" Zaf asked in disbelief.
"The burger seller was a witness to the shooting – he called me over when this fellow tried to buy a burger straight after committing the crime," informed the policeman, efficiently and discreetly removing Lockwood from their sight and into a police car.
"I think we owe this burger seller a thank you, don't you?" Adam said to Zaf, who grinned widely in return.
"Hallelujah. I got to the front of the queue and they'd run out of bloody hotdogs."
Adam chuckled, leading the way towards the large burger stall and the various scents that accompanied it and taking a seat at a table. A large menu above the van painted in garish colours and surrounded by neon lights showed the various meal options, all of which were overpriced in such a busy environment. Adam scrabbled in his pocket for change without success, about to break the news to Zaf when someone plunked two burgers hidden in rolls and decorated with a generous splodge of ketchup before them.
"On the house," a familiar voice said.
Zaf stared in wide-eyed disbelief whereas Adam laughed. "Thought you wanted to steer well clear of this op?"
"Did I ever tell you about the time I worked at a burger bar to keep tabs on gang crime in Brixton? Not the shining highlight of my career in espionage, I have to say." Harry peeled a rather unflattering cap adorned with a goofy cartoon burger from his head and plonked himself down at the rickety plastic table assembled on the grass, glaring at the burger propped in front of him.
"And the finest moment of your career must be eating burgers with your colleagues on a freezing night after just halting a deranged gunman, surely?" Zaf commented, taking a huge bite of the burger gleefully.
"How did you guess, Zaf?" Harry's voice dripped sarcasm. "I definitely would not rather be at home in the warm, eating a far more appealing meal." He eyed the burger before him disapprovingly.
"We stopped Andrew Lockwood, Harry. Won't that at least make you raise a cheer?" Adam asked innocently.
"When I see your report for this operation on my desk bright and early tomorrow morning, I might even smile."
...
A/N: A little detour from my story 'Four Walls'. Thank you for reading – please leave a review!