As Jenna nudged the car around the bend, Lena came back into sight and crossed the road ahead of them. Jenna let the engine idle as she hovered at the kerb, far enough back so Lena wouldn’t notice.
Starting to recognise Lena’s body language, Jenna paid close attention as Lena cast a quick glance over each shoulder. ‘Here she goes.’
‘How do you know?’ Ryan bobbed his head between the two front seats to peer out of the front window, his head close to Jenna’s.
She pointed. ‘Watch.’
Lena walked down the pathway to another small two-bedroom house with red roof tiles on the front facia. Smart white venetian blinds covered the windows, kept closed so no one could see inside.
Jenna picked up the radio, pressed the button and spoke into Airwaves. ‘Juliet Alpha 77 to Control.’
‘Control, go ahead.’
Jenna narrowed her eyes to keep a focus on Lena as the woman did another head turn and then knocked on the shiny, white high-gloss door.
‘I'm at number 82 Doseley Way, Mountside with DC Downey in pursuit of a suspect while DS Bennett and DC Ellis are carrying out the warrant on number 33 Doseley Way. I could do with some uniform backup to help me out please. We’re going to need to arrest several suspects and possibly perform more searches for suspicion of drugs on the premises in several houses, by the look of it. Number unknown at present. No blues and twos, silent approach.’
As Jenna gave half her attention to Control, the front door of the small house swung open and Lena lengthened the leads to allow the dogs to greet the woman who stepped into the weak morning sunlight.
With a jolt of recognition, Jenna jerked forward, resting her arms on the steering wheel.
A young emaciated woman, straggly, dull brown hair down past her shoulders, deep-set eyes bruised and red-rimmed, reached out to touch the dogs with a casual lack of interest.
Jenna cast a quick sideways glance at Ryan and lifted her forefinger to point at the woman on the doorstep. ‘That's Marie West. Do you recognise her?’
Ryan leaned forward for a better look and shook his head. ‘No. I don’t think I’ve come across her before.’
‘She’s well known for her habit.’ Jenna huffed out a disgusted sigh. ‘I didn’t know she’d moved to a new house. She must be going up in the world.’ She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as they watched. ‘She used to live in an old squat in Randlay.’
The radio crackled to life.
‘Juliet Alpha 77, this is Sierra Romeo 36. We’ve pulled up three hundred yards behind you. What can we do to assist?’
Thinking on her feet to formulate her plan, Jenna pushed herself upright without taking her gaze from the suspects. ‘Sierra Romeo 36, you take 82 Doseley Way once our dog walker moves out of sight. There’s a known user there, Marie West.’
‘Yep, I know her well.’ The response was fast and unhesitating.
‘Did you know she’d moved to a new house?’
‘No, but we do now.’
‘You’ll have to be quick in there. She’s going to have that little white powder up her nose before you can count to twenty.’
‘We’ve got a handle on it, Sarge.’
Satisfied that they knew what they needed to do, Jenna placed the radio on the centre console without once taking her attention from the smooth exchange that went on as Marie hunkered down to give the large brindle greyhound a fussy greeting.
As Marie came to her feet, she stepped her skinny frame back into the house and closed the door with barely a second glance at the dogs. Lena reached over, gave the greyhound a quick ruffle around the neck with her right hand and slipped the dog a treat. Domino, full attention on the treat, sat with neck stretched up and left paw raised. Lena smiled, slipped her hand under his chin and offered him a treat before giving the remaining two their share. It was her saving grace that she evidently did love dogs.
Lena turned with all four of them and made her way back down the pathway casting quick, furtive glances up and down the street before she turned her back on Jenna’s car and continued along in the same direction as previously. The greyhound bumped shoulder to shoulder with Domino, minus its little baggy on the collar.
Ryan chewed his lip as Domino looked over his shoulder again. ‘She might think she’s checking, but she’s not too observant, is she? Hasn’t she recognised this as the same car that she already passed further down the street?’
Jenna turned the engine back on and nudged the car at a snail’s pace further along the street, ensuring she kept a good distance. Lena may not be the most observant person, but once she did spot them, the game would be over, and Jenna was curious about the destination of the remaining three little baggies. Was she about to discover more known addicts who’d moved into this tight little community?
‘Good for us she doesn’t’.
With a hint of admiration in his voice, Ryan flung himself back in his seat. ‘God, I’ve never seen anything like it. I didn’t know dogs pushed drugs.’ Ryan’s whole body jittered with excitement as his caffeine fix chose now to kick in, Jenna suspected.
‘Neither did I. What a bloody cheek, she’s getting paid full whack for walking dogs that she’s actually using to aid and abet her.’
‘A bit risky, I’d say, to use a police officer’s dog for the job.’ Ryan chuckled. ‘She must have known.’
‘She did, cheeky mare. Fliss made all the arrangements. Lena comes while we’re at work, so I rarely see her. She walks Domino. As far as we knew, everything was fine. She sent photos, images of them, each time she walked him. Bloody hell, she’s a wily one.’ She shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t classify this as an energising walk. Yes, she’s strutting along with them all, but we thought Domino was getting a good off-lead run. I wonder if she takes him elsewhere after the drug drop-off.’
‘She probably wouldn’t have enough time.’
Jenna ran her hand through her hair while they watched and waited. ‘I wonder if I can charge her with fraud too.’ She spoke her thoughts out loud.
‘When can we pick her up, Sarge?’
‘Not yet. Hold your horses, Ryan. We want the full picture.’
She put the car back in gear and crawled it along the kerb until Lena arrived at her next destination.
Jenna reached for her radio. ‘Juliet Alpha 77 to Control, put me through to DI Taylor.’
The connection was instantaneous.
‘DS Morgan, what’s your update?’
‘Sir, I need another team to do a search at number 295 Doseley Way.’
‘They’re already on their way, Jenna.’
‘Don’t let them approach too quickly because our suspect is in transit with the drugs.’
‘Acknowledged.’
As the next door opened, a young man bounced barefoot from his doorway, his arms and legs jerked and twitched in the small myoclonus spasms of someone who had already taken too much cocaine.
Domino wrenched back on his lead and then surged forward, his neck stretched out, his lips pulled back in a snarl. The deep unmistakable Dalmatian bark echoed around the house-lined street as Lena hauled back on his lead.
Jenna gripped the door handle ready to surge out of the car.
The man bolted back into his house whipping his hands away from the imminent threat of being bitten.