Richard Franklin told his son about the phone call with Hembury and the request for a meet with both of them.

John flew into a sudden rage. “Jesus, Dad, why the hell did you agree to meet him?”

“I felt I needed to stall him. I promise you in a few hours’ time he will no longer be a problem and the potential threat to our family will be eliminated. Both he and Vargas are lone wolves, and I’m convinced no one else knows about the box. John, I still want you to be at the house with me tomorrow, just in case Hembury made a diary note about the meeting and his department sends someone else in his place once they realise he is missing. If no one shows, we can celebrate the passing of the final hurdle.”

John seemed irritated by his father’s request. “That sounds highly unlikely to me. If Hembury is out of the loop, no one is going to show.”

“John, I agree, but let’s just be prepared for all eventualities. I’ve got the Cessna here, so I suggest we leave at seven in the morning.”

“Dad, I’m not sure you’ve factored everything in. The shit is going to hit the fan in LA when a police lieutenant gets taken out.”

Richard leaned across and put his arm around his son’s shoulder. “John, don’t worry, no one will ever know he was murdered. Thanks to my friend on the Dark Web, he will just magically disappear.”

The black Jeep Cherokee passed Santa Monica Pier, turned north onto Sunset Boulevard and headed towards West Hollywood. Wicks sat in the passenger seat next to his cousin, balancing a small insulated thermal cool box on his lap. Resting on the dashboard in front of him was an unopened pack of 3mm Luer lock syringes, his weapon of choice. It was by far his favourite as it offered a secure connection with the needle which needed to be twisted and locked into position to prevent it accidentally slipping off. Next to the syringes lay the deadliest part of his kit, a small pack of stainless-steel gauge needles.

His cousin, Wes, glanced at the sat nav read-out on his iPhone, which was mounted to a sucker on the windscreen.

“We’re about twenty minutes away from the location, so should be there by three forty-five.”

“That’s good, Wes. When we get there, we’ll do a little recce and find a place to park up where we have clear eyes on the apartment block.”

“Cool, Aaron. Who is the mark this time?”

“Trust me, cuz, you really don’t want to know.”