Preacher Man: 'their blood shall be upon them' (Ted Darling crime series Book 9)

by L M Krier

  ‘It could be a coincidence, sir.’

  ‘I don’t like coincidences, Sergeant. They make me nervous.’

  Chapter Five

  ‘Did you look into other, similar, cases, during this investigation?’

  ‘We didn’t, sir. You know our track record on Humberside isn’t brilliant and I’m not proud of it. It’s not for want of trying by some of us. And please don’t take this as an excuse, or as blame-shifting. But my gaffer at the time – he’s retired now – was after an easy life. His line was that a teenage lad of that age going missing, even if it wasn’t usual, wasn’t necessarily anything sinister. He may just have had enough of being the perfect teen and gone off the rails.’

  ‘But we now know he didn’t, don’t we? Was there never a case review, if this was sitting on the files without result for as long as that?’

  The DS shifted in his seat, looking awkward.

  ‘Things haven’t always been done quite as they should. A few of us did try to make noises, sir, but we were constantly being told about budgets and lack of designated, experienced officers. I’m sure you’ve heard similar arguments. And I’m really not trying to make excuses. I have children of my own. It upset me that we didn’t do better. Especially when we found out what had happened to Robbie. The problem was that we couldn’t talk to him and we had nothing else to go on.’

  Ted picked up his desk phone and buzzed through to Sal in the main office.

  ‘Sal, where are you up to with finding any other similar cases, please? We need that information. I’m praying there aren’t. Two is too many, but let’s check every angle.’

  He’d no sooner put the phone down than it rang again.

  ‘Right, thank you for the heads up.’

  He looked across the desk at DS Groves.

  ‘That was Preston to say that Darren Lee’s mother is on her way. I’ll talk to her here first. I’m anxious not to subject her to seeing the lad in hospital if we can rule out definitely that he’s her son. It wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for her if we got it wrong. They’ll be here in under an hour.

  ‘What I want to do next is to read right through your file looking for similarities and differences. My hierarchy here is a little complex. I’m answerable to our own Superintendent in this station, but also to Detective Superintendent Baker if we pick up a case which takes us out of our own division.

  ‘I’m not promising that we can do any better than your team did, but if there’s any chance that we can make some sort of progress, it would probably be useful for us to share information. Subject to what my bosses and yours say, I would propose that you, or whoever else worked and is still working on your case, might join some of our briefings. We’d also need to bring someone from Preston on board, whoever was handling the disappearance of our victim. I’m not wanting to tread on any toes, and it’s just an idea at the moment.

  ‘I think we’d both agree that whichever of us managed to put their hands on whoever is doing this would be doing an important public service.’

  He stood up as he finished speaking.

  ‘I’d like to thank you again for coming over, and to apologise again for sounding a bit tetchy. I hope between us we may be able to make a bit of progress.’

  After the DS had left, Ted went to speak to Megan Jennings. He wanted her to sit in while he talked to Mrs Lee, once she arrived from Preston. The presence of another woman might be comforting for her. He noticed Megan was looking decidedly peaky, not on her usual form.

  ‘Are you all right, Megan? You don’t look well.’

  ‘Sorry boss. I think it’s Maurice’s cooking. He tries, bless him, but I think having Friday night’s efforts reheated for supper last night was not such a good idea. It was bad enough the first time round. I’ll be fine to be with Mrs Lee, I’m sure.’

  ‘I’ll send the Preston car back and we’ll sort out how to get her home when the time comes. They won’t want one of their cars tied up here on taxi service, I’ve no doubt. They’re also bringing us copies of their full file on Darren Lee’s disappearance. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to collect Mrs Lee from the front desk when she arrives and bring her up to my office, then get the case files brought up here.’

  Ted mentally reproached himself when Megan opened his door and let Mrs Lee enter first. He’d had a mental image of what he was expecting, based on the information from Preston, and he was wrong. He’d been judgemental in his preconceptions, something he hated in others.

  The woman who came into his office as he stood up to greet her was around forty. Her clothes were neat and clean though not an expensive make. Her hair and make-up had been done with care but not enough expertise to disguise the dark rings under her brown eyes, and the premature wrinkles. He noticed the slight tremor as she took his proffered hand. She looked like what she probably was – an ordinary person trying the only way she knew to get through the heartache of extraordinary circumstances.

  ‘Is it him? Is it my Dal?’ she asked hopefully, as she took the seat Ted offered. He’d found a spare chair and put it next to her for Megan to sit down.

  ‘Dal?’

  ‘It’s what he likes to call himself. His initials, you see. Darren Anderton Lee. Darren Anderton?’

  She looked at Ted as if she thought the name ought to mean something to him.

  ‘He played for Spurs. And England. Dal’s dad was mad about football. He wanted his son to be the same. Used to drag him off to matches, United mostly, until he was old enough to start refusing.’

  Ted had no interest in most team sports, certainly not football. The name meant nothing to him.

  ‘Dal was never interested. He was always a bit, well, girly in his interests, you might say. He’s always wanted to be a fashion designer. His dad blamed me. Said I was too soft with him and he should man up. That’s why we split up, him and me. Dal stayed with me. Is it really him?’

  ‘Mrs Lee, would you please excuse me for just one moment while I make a quick phone call? Megan, can you make a cup of tea for Mrs Lee, please?’

  Ted went out into the main office and called Maurice at the hospital.

  ‘Maurice? Dal. It’s his nickname, it’s what he calls himself. His initials. Is he awake? Could you try it on him, please, and let me know how he reacts. Then I’ll know whether or not to bring Mrs Lee to see him.’

  He heard a noise which he imagined was the phone being put down on the bed, then Maurice’s voice, calm, quiet, soothing.

  ‘Dal? Is that you, bonny lad? Is your name Dal? That’s what you were trying to tell me?’

  A sound like a wail of desolation, then loud, ragged sobbing.

  ‘It’s all right, lad. It’s all right now. Everything’s all right. You’re safe now and your mam’s coming. She’s on her way now. Hush, now, it’s fine.’

  There was a crackle as Maurice picked up the phone.

  ‘I think you got your answer, boss. This is Darren Lee.’

  Megan drove Ted’s official car to the hospital with Mrs Lee sitting stiff and quiet in the front seat and Ted in the back.

  ‘I need to warn you, Mrs Lee, that Darren, if it is him, is very distressed. He’s clearly been through a lot. I have a trained officer sitting with him who’s helped enormously, but it’s possible Darren may not be willing or even able to talk to you. I should prepare you by mentioning too that he’s clearly been living in very poor conditions for some time and the nursing staff might not yet have been able to do much to clean him up.’

  ‘If it is my Dal I won’t care what he looks like. I just want to give him a big hug …’

  Her voice broke. Ted wisely said no more, to give her the time to recover.

  He’d phoned ahead to let Maurice know they were on their way with Mrs Lee. He let Megan lead the way into the room. The young man in the bed seemed to be sleeping. His eyes were closed, his body still, though tense. His hand was again clutching on to Maurice’s.

  Maurice nodded as the others appeared, not wanting to let go, although he
did stop the gentle, quiet murmuring and singing he had been doing.

  Mrs Lee stood transfixed, staring at the wounded body in the bed. Some sort of an attempt had been made to clean him up a bit but there was still a strong fetid smell coming from him.

  ‘Oh Dal. My lovely Dal. Whatever has happened to you?’

  His eyelids twitched at the sound of a familiar voice, then opened fully. His eyes still appeared terrified, panic-stricken. His mother looked towards Maurice, her expression clearly seeking some sign from him that it was all right to approach.

  Maurice got carefully to his feet, allowing the grip on his hand to remain unbroken.

  ‘Your mam’s here now, Dal, lad. Here she is. She’s come to see you.’

  Maurice nodded to her to move closer. He took her hand in his large spare one and gently laid it over his where Dal was clinging to it.

  The boy turned his head towards her, unfocused eyes flooding with tears, sobs wracking the emaciated body.

  ‘Dal,’ was all he managed to articulate.

  ‘Yes, my darling boy. Yes, Dal. You’re safe now. Your mum’s here.’

  Megan was dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose as she and Ted walked back to the car. They’d arranged with the hospital that Mrs Lee would stay there for the time being. Megan had offered to get her a few basic toiletries and essentials and drop them off when she went back to collect Maurice at the end of their shift. The two of them were spending a lot more time in each other’s company and things seemed to be going well between them.

  ‘Sorry, boss, you must think I’m a right soppy thing but that really got to me. I couldn’t help thinking how I would feel if anything like that ever happened to my son Felix.’

  Now that they had a positive ID on their victim, Ted could start to take the case forward. He’d need to talk in detail to Jim Baker and the Super, to see what involvement with other forces there would be and who would be leading the enquiry. He’d called them both to ask for an early morning meeting the following day, Monday, before he briefed his team.

  Once he was back from the hospital he got his first chance to discuss with Mike, Sal and Megan the coincidence of the number six which had shown up from his earlier talks with the Humberside DS. It sounded even more far-fetched when he said it aloud in a team briefing, but it was something they couldn’t overlook.

  ‘I’ll need someone to go over the full file from Preston on their handling of Darren’s disappearance and give me a detailed summing up of the main points until I get chance to read it myself. And let’s start up a proper board, now we have his name.’

  Sal had his head down, reading through the notes on his desk. Then he looked up and spoke.

  ‘Boss, I was just going to say, there was another one. Further back. The first we know of so far. I got the details shortly before you got back. In Lincolnshire. Exactly the same thing. Another young lad disappeared, after a night out in Gainsborough. Tim Phillips. He was found wandering in a lane near to Market Rasen. And yes, I just checked, following on from what you were saying. He was missing for exactly six months and Robbie Mitchell, from Humberside, disappeared six months to the day from when Tim Phillips was found.’

  ‘So now we have five lots of six. A total of thirty. Tim Phillips, missing for six months, then a six-month break. Robbie Mitchell, missing for six months then another break of six months. Then Darren missing for six months. What does that mean? Is there some significance to five times six? Or does that mean there are more to uncover and we’ve just not found them yet?’

  Trev had been out all day with friends, getting in not long before Ted. He was all too familiar with being left on his own because of Ted’s job and had learnt to deal with it. He was the gregarious one of the two, always wanting company when Ted wasn’t around. Ted was more solitary by nature but he didn’t expect Trev to sit around alone waiting for him. Their long-standing relationship was based on trust and understanding. It was almost certainly why it had lasted a lot longer than that of many coppers Ted knew.

  ‘Just as well I bought plenty yesterday. I’ve not had time to make anything so it’s reheated leftovers, I’m afraid. Is that all right?’

  ‘Perfect. Anything. As long as it’s safe. Poor Megan was looking green today after eating Maurice’s leftovers.’

  Trev laughed. ‘That sounds gruesome. I imagine you mean leftover food Maurice had cooked? It won’t take long, if you want to change first.’

  ‘I will do, thanks. You know how much I hate wearing a suit, especially at the weekend. How was your day? What did you get up to?’

  ‘Went out with a bunch of bikers to get drunk, stoned and have free love in the park.’

  ‘I am listening, you don’t have to test me to check.’

  Trev laughed again. ‘How do you know it’s not true? And I know what you’re like when you’re on a case. I’m lucky to get half of your attention. I hope you’re making progress, though?’

  ‘We’re just starting out and it’s going to be a tough one. I need to sort out the logistics of it first with Jim and the Ice Queen as it involves other forces. I can’t promise being much company while it lasts. And remember I’ve got that big trial coming up too. Our teenage serial killer. I’m called as a witness so I’m going to be stuck in court until I’ve given my evidence.’

  ‘Just as long as I have your full attention and total slavish devotion when you do manage to get home. Go. Get changed. This won’t be long.’

  As Ted obediently headed for the stairs, he called after him, ‘And phone your mother. I was speaking to her earlier and she said you haven’t phoned her.’

  ‘Six six six and devil worship? Seriously, Ted?’ Detective Superintendent Jim Baker was clearly sceptical once Ted had finished outlining to him and his own Super the information they had so far.

  They were in the Ice Queen’s office, enjoying her freshly-brewed coffee, as Ted brought them up to speed on the case in their own area and the possible links to others.

  ‘It’s too much of a coincidence to ignore, having three cases to date where the intervals are exactly six months to the day in each case.’

  ‘I agree that it appears to be too strong not to have some sort of significance. So are you suggesting a pooling of resources with the other forces involved?’ Superintendent Debra Caldwell asked.

  ‘If it’s the same person carrying out these attacks that would surely make sense. The Humberside victim sadly died so that trail has gone cold. I don’t yet know anything about the Lincolnshire one until I get the files. I’ll send someone over there to find out more. So far, we’ve not been able to question Darren Lee about what happened to him, although we do now have a positive ID on him. I’m hopeful that between Maurice and Darren’s mother, we may get something there.’

  ‘This is an assault, albeit a serious one. Is it something which Uniform could wrap up, with just a couple of your team to steer the enquiry?’

  ‘It’s more than an assault, Jim, it’s systematic torture over a prolonged period of time. On possibly more than one occasion. Surely that comes within my team’s Serious and Serial remit? Even though not all the related crimes took place within our force area.’

  ‘You’ve got the serial killer case coming up in court. That’s going to tie you up for quite some time, in all probability. I just don’t want you stretching yourself too thin.’

  ‘Jo and Rob will be back tomorrow, that puts us back up to full strength. This is something we should be able to get somewhere with, and if we can bring someone in, it’s a good result.’

  Ted was far too astute to miss the look which passed between his two senior officers when he mentioned team numbers. He looked suspiciously from one to the other.

  ‘What’s going on? What do you two know about that I don’t?’

  The Ice Queen replied so quickly it only served to make him more suspicious.

  ‘Absolutely nothing at all. Nothing concrete. But you know full well that Superintendent Baker and I are constantly coming under pressu
re over staffing levels and making best use of all available resources.’

  ‘So we have some sick pervert kidnapping and torturing young men and leaving them too damaged to tell anyone what’s happened to them and we can’t do anything about it as we don’t have enough officers for the case?’

  ‘Wind your neck in, Ted,’ Jim Baker told him. ‘There’s nothing definite yet. Just that we need to be even more careful than usual about what resources are used and where. I would suggest that you go over the files from Humberside and Lincolnshire, then get someone from Preston to come here for a discussion on theirs. Then we’ll review what we’ve got and what resources we need to throw at it.’

  ‘I would just remind you, Chief Inspector, that as well as your big court case coming up, there’s also the matter of ADRs to be carried out before too much longer.’

  Ted groaned inwardly. As far as he was concerned Annual Development Reviews were yet another exercise in box-ticking. He spent enough time with his team to know which members were doing their jobs correctly and if they were happy in their work.

  He’d do his inspector, Jo Rodriguez’s review himself, but hopefully Jo could do most of the others and just let Ted look over the results to make sure all was well. He knew it had to be done but between the ADRs and his court appearance, he was worried he wouldn’t have as much time as he wanted to work on this case.

  He badly wanted to get his hands on whoever was carrying out such acts on young men, and soon. If the number theory was correct, they may have up to six months before the attacker struck again. Unless whatever was motivating them escalated and prompted them to act again sooner.

  Chapter Six

  All the team members were in on time when Ted went back upstairs to brief them. Those who’d worked the weekend would claw back some hours in the week, if it was possible. Maurice had come in to report before going back to the hospital.