The Debt Collectors War

Chapter 38

Once they had a name, Ellie knew the rest would be easy. This was how it was, how it always worked. They asked one person for a name, and then they found another person. And then they kept doing that until they found someone interesting, someone useful, or the person they were actually trying to find.

They drove to the address the boy had given them and stopped in the street outside. Joe sat there, and seemed to be waiting for instructions. Ellie looked at Sameh.

“So, same as usual?” Sameh said, sounding slightly bored.

Ellie nodded. “Except you don’t have armor, or a decent weapon, or any hope of quick medevac, but yep, the same as usual otherwise.”

Ellie meant be careful, and only wanted to remind Sameh. Sameh just looked at Ellie for a moment, then she leaned forward, and kissed Ellie, and grinned.

“Be careful,” Ellie said.

“I will.”

“Okay,” Ellie said, and glanced around. “Have we got everything?”

“Of course,” Sameh said.

“Cable ties?”

Sameh showed her. They were on a quick-release clip on her belt, like law-enforcement used.

“Tape?” Ellie said. In case the target started shouting.

Sameh nodded.

“And remember you don’t have proper armour on,” Ellie said, still worrying a little.

“I’m remembering.”

“Just do. Please. There’s probably weapons in there.”

“Yep,” Sameh said. “Of course. Like everywhere. And which won’t matter because we’re getting them outside.”

“Yeah,” Ellie said, still worried. “But just in case.”

“Same as usual,” Sameh said. “Remember?”

Ellie nodded.

There was a way they’d always done this, when they were grabbing someone from their home. Someone to interrogate, or to beat for a while as a warning that they, or their friends, or group, or town, should stop making trouble. Barging into houses got you killed. Looking harmless, and knocking on doors, and asking politely, getting people to come outside, that kept everyone alive.

Ellie and Sameh had always been a good grab-team because they knew how to do that. They were good at it, convincing at it. They looked harmless at first glance.

“Are there couriers here?” Ellie said to Joe.

That was they way they’d always done this in the MidEast. Pretending to be a courier, with something over here, in the car, so people came outside to see what it was they had.

“Couriers?” Joe said.

“Yeah, like delivery couriers. With parcels, you know.”

“Oh,” Joe said. “Yeah, of course.”

“Do they have uniforms? And are their vans marked?”

Joe thought. “Not always,” he said. “No.”

Ellie grinned. “Good,” she said. She looked back at Sameh. “So couriers, then?”

“I heard.”

“I’d better knock,” Ellie said. “I look local now.”

“No shit,” Sameh said.

“I will,” Joe said. “I’ll knock.”

“No,” Ellie said to him quickly. “You stay back, let us do this our way.”

Joe hesitated. He had a problem with that, but didn’t want to say. Ellie could tell from his face.

“What’s wrong?” she said.

“You don’t sound local here, that’s all. You sound Australian.”

“But will they actually know?”

Joe didn’t seem to understand.

“Aren’t there people from all over here?” Ellie said. “How do they know I’m not from Texas or something.”

“You sound Australian.”

“But how do they know that’s different to Texas.”

“We still have TV here…” Joe said, a little uncertainly, as if he wasn’t completely sure if Ellie was serious.

Ellie was serious, but she hadn’t thought of that.

“Oh yeah,” she said.

“I should knock,” Joe said.

“No,” Ellie said. “You’re not going to the door. You’re not paid for that, and we don’t want you getting in our way, either.”

“I ought to go.”

“No,” Ellie said. “You’re a guide, not a grab-team. Stay put.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do. Stay there.”

Joe shrugged, and then nodded.

“Okay,” Ellie said, and then sat there, thinking it all through, making sure she knew what she was going to do, and that she had a plan. She looked around. She thought. “Has this car got child locks?” she said to Joe.

Joe looked at her, and seemed confused.

“After we grab the guy,” Ellie said. “So he can’t just jump out.”

“Oh yeah,” Joe said. He looked at the buttons on the dashboard, and then those on the driver’s door. He pushed one, and there was a click from inside the doors. “Yeah it does,” he said.

Sameh pulled on her door handle and it didn’t open. Joe glanced back and then unlocked the doors again.

“Lock them again once we’re out,” Ellie said, and Joe nodded.

Ellie looked back at Sameh, and decided they were ready.

“We’re going?” Sameh said, probably impatient, now something was about to happen.

“I think so,” Ellie said.

“So let’s go.”

“I’m going,” Ellie said.

“So go,” Sameh said.

“Okay,” Ellie said, and got out the car. Sameh grinned, suddenly happy, and climbed out after her.

They walked up to the house’s front door. The separated at the bottom of the front steps. Sameh went one side, and stood next to a shrub, and under a tree, out of the clear line of sight of the door. Not out of sight of the front windows, but they had closed curtains, and no-one was peering out.

Ellie glanced over, and made sure Sameh was in place, then she went up the steps, and thumped on the door. She knocked loudly, and called out, “Hey, is anyone home?”