by L M Krier
‘Bradley Allison and Bernadette O’Hanlon, sir. Bernie, she said she likes to be called.’
He knew who Ted was but he hadn’t encountered him in person before. He was impressed by the please.
Ted opened the front passenger door and slid into the seat, taking out his warrant card to show to the young couple in the back seat. The interior light was on so they could see it and he would be able to see them. He liked to look at faces while he was talking to witnesses. They often gave away a lot of useful information.
‘I’m sorry we’ve had to delay you like this, and that we will need to hang on to your car until we’re finished looking for any traces,’ he began, twisting right round in the seat so he could see the two of them clearly while he spoke to them. ‘We’ll also need full statements from each of you, but you can come into the station, perhaps tomorrow, to do that. I’d just like your initial impressions. Please tell me what you saw, what you remember.’
‘I was just scared I was going to hit him. He came out of nowhere. Luckily I wasn’t speeding or I could have killed him.’
The man spoke first. He was clearly still shaken.
‘Can you tell me what he said?’
‘I couldn’t make head nor tail of it. He just kept repeating something about men lying with men and being put to death for it, I think. It freaked me out. He just kept saying it over and over. We couldn’t get him to say anything else. I’ve no idea what any of it meant.’
‘It’s a passage from the Bible. Leviticus, I think,’ his girlfriend put in. ‘I’ve been on social media groups where people argue about whether or not the Bible forbids homosexuality, and that’s the passage which always gets quoted.
‘I don’t know what’s been happening to the poor young man but I know one thing. He looked terrified for his life.’
Chapter Two
Once he’d finished speaking to the couple, Ted went in search of Mike to find out how things were progressing. Although he knew the area well enough, his knowledge didn’t include whether there might be somewhere close to the young man could have come from. He didn’t like to think of some institution or medical facility restraining him in a way to leave marks and injuries, but there were stories of such things happening.
At some point he’d need to check in with one or other of his senior officers, if it looked as if this was a case for him and his team. As if through some psychic connection, his mobile phone announced an incoming call. When he checked the screen he saw it was from one of them, Superintendent Debra Caldwell.
‘Ma’am,’ he answered formally, aware that he was in earshot of one of the uniformed constables. He and the Ice Queen, as she was known, would sometimes lapse into first name terms in the privacy of her office, but never in public.
‘Chief Inspector,’ she replied with similar formality. ‘What can you tell me about this case so far? Is it one for you and your team or is it something Uniform can wrap up?’
‘I’m not sure yet, ma’am. I’d prefer to keep an open mind at this stage, at least until we find a way of identifying the young man involved.’
He told her all the available details so far. He could hear the distaste in her voice as she replied. She had two teenage sons of her own.
‘That poor young man. I don’t like the sound of this, not one bit. Please keep me posted, and let me know what personnel you need to wind it up as quickly as possible.’
These days, it always came down to budget, Ted thought as he ended the call. Constant pressure to up the detection rate, in the face of ceaseless cuts in hours and numbers. It didn’t make his job any easier.
‘Forensics are on their way to check over the car, boss. Do you want anyone else from our team in on it at this stage?’ Mike asked him.
‘If we knew who he was it might help. What did the hospital say?’
‘He’s only just being seen so they couldn’t tell me anything. They said we’d have to call back later.’
‘We could probably do worse than swing by there on our way back, once we pack up here. Who’s on the rota tomorrow?’
‘Jo and Rob are still up in Bolton on that racial assault but they should get that sorted by Monday. I’ve got Maurice and Steve down to work tomorrow, and I can go in as well if we need to pick this one up and start running with it.’
‘I think we might do. I don’t like the possible torture angle at all. If he’s been in some sort of hospital or unit where that’s been going on, we need to get it investigated as soon as possible. If this was a case of kidnap and torture by an individual, or perhaps more than one person, I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.’
‘Boss, just a thought, but what if this isn’t a crime, as such? What if it’s consensual?’
‘Explain.’
‘Well, you do hear sometimes of people doing the most horrendous stuff to one another within a relationship yet if anyone tries to intervene, they’ll side together and say it’s none of anyone else’s business. Maybe this started like that and just got out of hand?’
‘We don’t know the lad’s age yet. If he’s a minor, it can’t be consensual and it is a crime. I’d rather go on that assumption for now, until we have more info. If I have to finish up justifying the hours on my budget, that’s one for me to worry about, not you. You have kids, Mike. Think how you’d feel if it was one of yours.’
‘There’d be a more serious crime if it was. I’d want to kill the bastard who did it, with my bare hands.’
‘Right, so let’s run with it for now, at least until we know who he is and exactly what happened. I want photos of the scene and some video footage. Let’s get the tyre marks checked. If we know at exactly what point the driver started braking, it may give us a better idea of where he first saw the lad. That might help with where he came from, and we’re clutching at any straws available for now.
‘Once forensics are happy they’ve got whatever they can here, get the car recovered and thoroughly tested for any trace of the victim to see if we can ID him that way. See if Uniform can help with any more bodies at this stage for some initial house-to-house. And check if anyone at the station knows this area well, knows where he might have come from. We need someone with detailed local knowledge. Are there any CSOs out here?
‘Doubt it, boss, not many left anywhere. I’ll see if I can trace any, or even any former ones.’
Police Community Support Officers had always been a vital source of local knowledge. Budgetary cuts had seen their numbers drastically reduced.
‘If you’ve got shoe covers and gloves in the car, I might just have a poke about myself, before forensics get here. Can you also sort out someone to take the driver and his girlfriend home, too. No point them hanging around; they don’t seem to be involved.’
Ted slipped covers over his shoes and put on gloves. He didn’t intend to trample over a potential crime scene but he wanted to have a look around for himself to see if he could get some idea of where the young man had come from. From what he’d been told about the state he was in, he didn’t see how he could have walked far.
‘Oh, and Mike, I doubt there’s any CCTV near here but can you check, please? Just in case he was dumped nearby from a vehicle and we may get lucky enough to have some footage of it.’
It was a long shot that Ted would spot anything which the forensic team didn’t. But he was a hands-on copper. Always had been. Even though he trusted his team, he still liked to have eyes on a scene himself. It often gave him ideas at a tangent. The dreaded ‘thinking outside the box’ phrase which he disliked so much.
He was busy thinking about Mike’s earlier suggestions. He knew, of course, that there were relationships based on pain and fear, although he couldn’t comprehend them. The mere idea that anyone could willingly inflict harm on someone they professed to care for was beyond him.
He was interrupted by another phone call. Even if the caller ID hadn’t been displayed, he would have recognised the hesitant, quiet voice of the local newspaper reporter.
/> ‘Erm, Chief Inspector?’
‘Hello, Penny. What can I do for you?’
‘I heard you’d been called out to an incident. I wondered if you could tell me a bit about it?’
Like her predecessor, she clearly had her contacts who tipped her off about anything happening within her circulation area. She hadn’t been with the paper for long. Just long enough to know that she was unlikely to get anything out of Ted, unless it suited his agenda. He gave her full marks for her determination in always trying.
‘Nothing at all at the moment, I’m afraid, Penny. With a bit of luck I might be able to let you have a statement in the morning. And I promise I will do so, as soon as there’s anything I can release.’
‘Erm, I’ve been told it’s an escaped psychiatric patient wandering about naked. Can you confirm that, please?’
Ted fervently wished he knew who the mole was who was leaking such detailed information to the press. He’d have a few choice words to say to them.
‘I can’t confirm or deny anything at this stage, Penny, and I think you probably know that I’m not going to, certainly not without authority. As I said, I will let you know as soon as I have anything but for now, I need to get on. Thanks for your call.’
It was getting late when Ted called time for him and Mike at the scene and stood down most of the officers from Uniform. To date they’d found nothing of any great use. He got everyone together for a few words of encouragement before they dispersed. He was always keen to make sure officers felt valued for their efforts, even if they hadn’t produced the results they wanted. He found they tended to work better for him that way.
He doubted they’d learn anything from a visit to the hospital but he felt they at least needed to try. Mike had been on the phone non-stop since their arrival but they were still no further forward in finding out who the young man was. There was an outside chance that he might have been able to say something coherent at the hospital, but Ted wasn’t holding his breath for a miracle on that score.
Even at that hour of the evening, the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department was packed, clearly stretched to its limits. Ted wondered how the front-line staff managed to stay civil when so many people he could see seemed to be the worse for drink. He’d long since stopped drinking altogether and he found it had reduced his tolerance to those who clearly couldn’t control their intake, or their behaviour on the wrong side of it.
He and Mike went to the reception desk, showing their ID, and Ted asked if it would be possible to speak to someone about the person who’d been brought in earlier.
The young woman on duty studied her computer before replying.
‘It was Mr Khan who saw him. I’ll try to see if he’s free to talk to you but as you can see, we are busy and I can’t promise how soon it’ll be.’
‘I understand that, of course, but we are anxious to identify the young man as soon as possible. We can’t go much further with our enquiries until we do. We won’t take up much of his time, we just need a few words as soon as possible.’
‘If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll see what I can do for you.’
There wasn’t anywhere left to sit. Neither of them felt much like doing so anyway. They moved away from the desk and stood, waiting patiently, in the limited space left.
Eventually a man came into the reception area, spoke to the person on the desk, who nodded towards Ted and Mike. The doctor came over to them.
‘I’m Mr Khan, the A&E consultant on duty tonight. Sorry to have kept you waiting but, as you can see, we are very busy. I can’t give you long, but if you come with me we can find a quiet office and I’ll tell you what I know which isn’t, unfortunately, very much at this stage.’
‘Would it be possible for us to see him? Perhaps try talking to him?’ Ted asked.
‘Not at all, I’m afraid,’ he replied, opening a door and standing aside to let them go first into a small room. ‘He was extremely agitated, so we’ve had to sedate him before finding him a bed in a side room. With luck, he’ll sleep for several hours now. He was severely dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia, so we have him on a drip and we’re slowly raising his body temperature.’
‘Can you tell us anything at all which may help us to identify him, please? Could you estimate his age, for instance?’
The consultant’s tone, when he replied, was patient and polite, which stopped his words from sounding patronising.
‘I’m sorry, Inspector, but he’s not a horse. We can’t just look at his teeth and tell you how old he is If I had to guess, I would say mid to late teens. But because of his physical condition, especially because of the fact that he is clearly seriously underweight for his height, it’s really very hard to tell with any accuracy.’
Ted wasn’t one to correct him on using the wrong rank, although he suspected that it might have been different had he called the consultant Dr Khan instead of Mr Khan.
‘Thank you, that’s helpful. And what can you tell me about his injuries at this stage please?’
‘Disturbing, in a word. Their cause is your department, not mine, but I can list what we’ve found so far, and I don’t think it is yet an exhaustive list. There are numerous burns, some second degree. Some look like cigarette burns, others appear to be chemical. Some I’m not sure about, they’re not something I’ve seen before. Larger, round, almost like from where something like an electrode has been placed against the skin. There are some in and around his mouth which appear indicative of ingesting some sort of corrosive liquid. They’re possibly the most concerning at this stage as we don’t yet know what we’re dealing with, nor its potential level of toxicity.’
‘What about drugs or alcohol?’
‘We’ve done a tox screen as routine, but we won’t have the results immediately. In addition to everything else, he has marks around his wrists and ankles which appear to indicate that he’s been tied up for prolonged periods of time.’
‘Has he said anything? Anything at all which might help us to find out who he is or where he’s from?’
‘He was talking non-stop until we sedated him, clearly very agitated. He just kept repeating a few phrases. Something about men lying with men and being put to death for it. I assume it’s something biblical but I don’t know it. I can tell you it’s not from the Koran, though.’
‘Thank you, Mr Khan, you’ve been helpful, and I appreciate you sparing us the time. One more thing. What are his chances, would you say? Is his life in any danger?’
‘Clearly, without the benefit of the toxicology results, and not knowing what he might have ingested, I can only give the most guarded of responses. The official line would be something like, at the present moment I do not believe his life is in danger, if that helps you at all?’
‘It does, thank you. Just before I let you go, I’d like to send an officer to sit with him, hopefully someone to be there by the time he wakes up.’
Seeing that the consultant was about to raise an objection, Ted hurried on.
‘This would be a specialist officer, a parent himself, someone extremely good at talking to victims of crime. Someone to whom they are often happy to talk, even before they might open up to their family or friends.’
‘All right, but they must be prepared to leave immediately if my patient shows any sign of being distressed, or if asked to do so by a member of stuff.’
As Ted and Mike walked back across the car park, the DS turned and asked, ‘Maurice, boss?’
‘Maurice indeed. Can you think of anyone better?’
Midnight had passed by the time Mike dropped Ted off at the end of his short road and he walked down to his house. He could hear the television on when he let himself in. It was on a French news channel, he saw when he went into the living room. Trev was still sprawled on the sofa buried under cats, much as Ted had left him, but had nodded off.
Ted bent over to kiss him on the top of his black curls. His partner stirred, opening sleepy blue eyes, then stretched his long, lithe f
rame with the same feline grace as his companions.
‘Hey, you. How did it go? Did you catch the bad guys?’
‘I’m just going to make myself a cuppa then I’ll tell you about it. As much as I can. Do you want anything?’
‘No thanks, I have wine.’
Trev reached out a languid arm to pick up a half-full glass of red as Ted headed for the kitchen, automatically picking up the trail of detritus Trev invariably left behind him. Trev was an excellent cook and could iron shirts as well as a professional valet. He kept the house immaculately clean, but he lived in a permanent state of disorder. They’d eaten together before Ted had been called out but Trev had clearly fancied a snack and more than one mug of tea.
Ted retrieved a plate covered in cake crumbs from the floor, a dirty knife from the kitchen table and three abandoned mugs, some still with cold tea in them, strong enough to stain the china with tannin. Another dirty wine glass had made it as far as the work surface next to the sink. Somehow Trev had never mastered the art of rinsing anything, far less of putting it into the dishwasher.
Ted returned with a mug of green tea, bending over the sofa where a small black cat was occupying his usual place.
‘Barcelona, my love, would you mind budging up a bit so I can sit down, please? It’s been a long day.’
Trev smiled fondly as he picked the cat up and added it to the pile of those already occupying his own chest and lap. He wondered, as he often did, what Ted’s team would think if they could hear how soppy their exacting boss was in the sanctuary of his own home.
Ted sank down into the vacant space with a grateful sigh and stretched his legs out in front of him on the footrest.
‘Tough one?’
‘Nasty one, though not a murder. At least, hopefully not, although the victim isn’t out of the woods yet. You know I can’t tell you much, and I don’t know that much yet. But a young man found wandering naked, spouting biblical phrases and covered in burns and other wounds. It looks as if he may have been held prisoner somewhere and possibly tortured.’