Your Love Is King – Part 10
Tony Stamp lifted the tip of his asp from the ground, hooking it around the material threatening to blow away, lifting it into the air. "Ma'am."
Gina moved over, closing her eyes as she saw the gown blowing in the wind. "He's going to be the death of me." She muttered, taking the gown and placing it in an evidence bag for safe keeping.
"If anyone can find her…" Tony started to say. "It'll be her parents."
"And then what?" Gina sighed. "Whoever it is will have Rebecca, and Smithy and Charlie. What good will that do?"
"Ma'am." Tony sighed.
"You alright back there?" Charlie called over, glancing back behind her as she steadied the car.
"Fine." Smithy glanced around him, blinking. "Where are we going?"
"Mickey's." Charlie pulled up outside Mickey's house, "He won't mind us borrowing the car if he's in hospital…"
"What you gonna do?" Smithy scoffed. "Hotwire it?"
Charlie turned in her seat as she pulled her keys out the ignition, holding up a key.
"…What's that for?" Smithy looked puzzled.
"He hasn't had the locks changed since I moved out," She frowned to herself as she undid the key from the key ring, passing Smithy the car keys. "You drive this one to the multi-storey, I'll go get Mickey's spare keys and follow you, then we can find Becca without them stopping us."
"Proper little Miss Marple." Smithy almost smirked, easing himself out the backseat with Charlie's help.
"You gonna be able to drive?" She asked as Smithy nodded. "Just be careful…" She helped him in the backseat, before running to the front door, letting herself in, reappearing 2 minutes later clutching a set of keys.
"Why do you have a key to Mickey's?" Smithy asked, looking out the window.
"Because I just do." Charlie said authoritively, unlocking the other car. "Haven't got round to giving it back, now move!"
Rebecca's thumb moved to her mouth as she slept, sucking it gently as she rested against Peter's chest, exhausted from the day's happenings, having cried herself to sleep.
Peter gently lowered her onto the pile of blankets in the corner of the room, pulling one over her, before walking to the doorway, watching Tony's hissed conversation with whoever was on the other end of the mobile.
"That's not my problem!" Tony spat, crouching over the can of lager he was holding.
"Boss…" Peter dared to interrupt. "She's asleep now, just got her off…"
Tony scowled, glaring at the man in front of him as he continued to curse down the phone at the unfortunate person on the other end.
Charlie swung the car up to the 5th level, pulling in on one side as she parked behind an empty space, watching as Smithy pulled into it, before getting out to help him. "Take it easy…" She coaxed, pulling him forward as he gritted his teeth, getting to his feet.
"Need to be quick." Smithy muttered through gritted teeth. "CCTV."
Charlie nodded, helping him walk as quick as he could to the car, before settling him back on the back seat. "Don't bleed on the seats." She forced as a joke. "Mickey'd never forgive us." She froze as a mobile started ringing, looking at Smithy.
"…Gina." He frowned, pressing the end call button.
"Hi, this is Smithy, leave a message after the tone and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." Gina closed her eyes and sighed as the answer phone cut in again. "Smithy, it's me. Ring me as soon as you get this." She hung up, looking at Tony.
"Now what…?"
"Now we wait." Gina sighed.
"Flash powder?"
"Same as any firework." Neil nodded, sighing. "Pretty easy to make with a little training…"
"So he's military trained?" Jack wearily rubbed his head.
Neil nodded again. "He definitely has some training, Army, Navy, something with a knowledge of chemicals and explosives."
"Well that narrows it down." Jack muttered.
"Smithy has army background doesn't he?"
"Queens Royal." Jack looked at Neil. "Are you thinking-"
"It certainly gives us something to go on…"
Jack looked thoughtful for a few moments, before picking his phone up, calling an old friend….
"Where are we going?" Charlie sounded almost panicked, turning another corner. "It's getting dark…"
Smithy was about to speak as his phone rang again, moving to turn it off, before stopping and drowning as 'withheld number' flashed on the display. He lifted it to his ear and pressed answer, waiting for the person on the other end to speak first.
"Smithy…"
Smithy's whole body tensed as he instantly placed the voice. "Tony."
Charlie blinked and pulled into the side of the road. "Tony Stamp?" She mouthed, frowning.
Smithy fixed his gaze on the dashboard, his free hand balled into a fist.
"Long time no hear Smithy…"
"Where's my daughter?" Smithy asked, his tone cold, realising beating around the bush would get him nowhere.
"That's no way to talk to an old friend, is it!" Tony smirked, resting his feet on the edge of the desk in front of him.
"If you've harmed so much as one hair on her head, I will kill you."
"Empty threats." Tony mocked with a laugh. "You had your chance Smithy. All you had to do was let them kill me….you couldn't even do that." He sneered.
"What good would that have done?" Smithy finally looked at Charlie, covering her trembling hand with his as she gawped at him, her eyes threatening tears.
"It'd have put an end to this." Tony coughed, watching Peter stood in the doorway. "She's a good kid, can tell she's daddy's little girl though…" He smirked. "Big green eyes, bet you fall for all that butter wouldn't melt crap, don't you…"
"Where. Is. She?"
"Come and get her, Smithy." Tony smirked, "You know where…."
"You're going back some…" Bob Cryer frowned as he paced Jack's office.
"I realise that, Bob." Jack frowned. "But it's all we have to go on…"
Bob looked thoughtful, before nodding. "A case did come up involving a squaddie suspected of trading in drugs and guns. One of Smithy's friends was involved, a Colour Sergeant at the time, tried to spin a line that Smithy had asked him to work undercover, Smithy denied it."
"Do you think there was some truth in it? Could it have lead to this?" Neil asked.
Bob shook his head. "Smithy's a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them."
"So this Colour Sergeant…" Neil frowned.
"Tony Mitchell." Bob nodded.
"I remember." Jack nodded. "He'd been trying to muscle in on the other squaddies sideline, bringing the guns in for some flash suit type. To save his neck, he offered up a pre-arranged meet with the armourer and told the boss man he wanted paying in drugs to get him there. Smithy accompanied Mitchell who lost it and was almost shot. Smithy saved Mitchell."
"And Mitchell is given life in an army jail…"
"Nice." Neil remarked, pursing his lips.
"Later on," Bob frowned. "Smithy was attacked outside a club by some mates of Mitchell's. They saw it as him stitching up Mitchell to save his own skin. Mitchell appealed, using the undercover story and it failed."
"Is Mitchell still inside?" Neil asked, looking between the two men.
"Only one way to find out." Bob looked at Jack, who lifted his phone.