The Anglesey Murders Box Set

by Conrad Jones

  ‘I appreciate the chat, Malcolm,’ Alan said. ‘Do you mind if I keep this number, in case I have any more questions?’

  ‘Not all. By all means call me.’

  ‘Thanks Malcolm.’

  The line went dead. Alan had contacted the Liverpool detectives looking for answers but all he had was more questions. Questions and a terrible sick feeling in his guts. The activity discovered at the other sites, proved to him that there was indeed O9A activity on the island. Hudson had affiliates it seemed, lots of them.

  CHAPTER 53

  Sam carried Mathew into the house and put him into the spare room. He checked Llinos’ laptop for what drugs she’d administered to him. There was a flag next to an antibiotic which she’d injected to stop infection. He took what he could find from the surgery and put them on the bedside table next to Mathew. Too many people would be coming and going to the farm looking for Llinos. People turned up out of the blue with their animals sometimes. Leaving Mathew in there was impossible. Her parents had been a minute away from finding him. They wouldn’t be so lucky next time. He walked to the bedroom door and was about to leave when he heard Mathew yawning.

  ‘Hello,’ Mathew said. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Sam.’

  ‘Hello, Sam. Where is Llinos?’

  ‘She’s gone away for a while,’ Sam said.

  ‘Are you her partner?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  ‘Are you the one who brought me here?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Mathew said. ‘I don’t think Llinos wants me to be here. She wasn’t very nice the last time we spoke.’

  ‘It was a shock for her, that’s all.’

  ‘Can you help me to go somewhere else, please?’

  ‘Yes. But not right now. I’ve got some things I need to do and then we’ll talk about where to go.’

  ‘Fabienne will help me,’ Mathew said. His eyes seemed to glaze over. ‘She said we’d be together soon. I’m very tired.’

  ‘We’ll speak to her when you feel better. Go to sleep for now,’ Sam said. Mathew closed his eye and seemed to slip into a deep sleep. Sam watched him and wondered how this broken teenager had caused such mayhem. He appeared so innocent yet there was something in the way he looked at you which belied the evil inside him. It had always been there, Sam knew it had, just as it had in himself. There’d been many times when he’d felt the rage inside him bubbling to the surface. Sometimes he’d kept a lid on it but others he’d allowed himself to lose control and the violence had been spectacular. It had felt good; power and control. Becoming a police officer had seemed the natural path and he’d been successful in the role. He enjoyed the power to arrest and restrain and secretly, he’d thought about taking things much further.

  Mathew was different. He had embraced the darkness within and allowed the evil to take control with no regard for the consequences. Sam wasn’t ready to disregard all that society had instilled in him. Yes, he’d killed but didn’t want to admit that and take the punishment. Prison didn’t appeal. Killing was fine; he’d enjoyed it. The fisherman on the Straits had been a sublime moment; it had been opportune and necessary. Destroying evidence and witnesses was the difference between dying in an eight by four jail cell and living as a free man. He would be hunted, but he was up for the chase. With the help of O9A, he would be more than capable to live life below the radar. Helping Mathew would catapult him into the dark heart of the organisation. If it brought him closer to the inner circle, then it would all be worth it, losing Llinos included.

  From a practical point of view, he needed to move her car. His plan was to drive it to Holyhead and leave it at the station. It would give him time to prepare to leave and would keep her parents off his back for a while. Llinos had taken the train to London many times to attend courses, lectures, and the like. Being a vet was like any other profession, things moved on very quickly and as a freelance practitioner it was her responsibility to keep up with new procedures and ground-breaking new drugs. It would not be out of the ordinary for her to go to the capital for a few days.

  Sam went online, using her laptop. He bought a return ticket and booked four nights in the Kennedy Hotel, right next door to Euston station. It was a fragile plot to cover her disappearance, but it was plausible until it was scrutinised. By the time it came to scrutiny, he would be gone. He finished online and picked up the car keys. It was fifteen miles to Holyhead. If he dropped the car off and took a taxi home, he would be there and back in forty-minutes.

  There was a noise outside, and he froze to listen. He heard a key in the door and sound of the hinges squeaking.

  ‘Llinos! It’s your mum and dad,’ Wendy shouted. ‘Are you okay, love?’

  CHAPTER 54

  Kim put her coat on and checked her watch. It was getting on for nine o’clock and time to get something to eat and drink. Alan was waiting downstairs in the old library car park. She made her way out of the Holyhead station, said goodnight to the desk sergeant and got into his BMW. They kissed briefly.

  ‘What do want to eat?’ Alan asked.

  ‘Street food,’ she said. ‘I want tom kha gai soup and spare-ribs.’

  ‘Urban Tiger on the high street?’

  ‘Perfect,’ she said. ‘I remember when it was the Welsh Fusilier and me and my friends used to go in there and drink red witches before going to the Cliff Hotel or the Beachcomber.’

  ‘You’re going back some there.’

  ‘Do you remember the Cliff bus?’

  ‘Of course, I do. Jim Ashcroft used to drive it. I had a girlfriend who lived in Llangefini and I used to stay on the bus and take her home along with all the other guys who had pulled a girl from the island and then Jim would drop everyone off in Holyhead.’

  ‘Snogging on the backseat?’

  ‘Something like that.’ Alan laughed. ‘How did it go today?’

  ‘Everyone has been spoken to, except Sam Strydhorst. He’s not answering his phone and he’s not returning calls. John Deans has left half a dozen messages but there’s been no reply. He’s worried about it.’

  ‘That’s concerning,’ Alan said. ‘That sets my alarm bells ringing.’

  ‘It’s out of character, apparently. John said he’s going to call at his home when he’s finished his shift. He said it’s on his way home.’

  ‘Really. Where does he live?’

  ‘He lives on a farm with his partner near Aberffraw.’

  ‘Did he say if he’s going alone?’

  ‘No.’

  They were quiet for a few minutes. Alan turned onto Market Street and pulled up outside the converted pub which had become a restaurant. He scratched at the growth on his forehead.

  ‘I know we’ve finished work,’ he said.

  ‘But?’

  ‘He lives on a farm,’ Alan said, ‘It would be the ideal place to hide a fugitive. Do me a favour, give me John’s number.’

  ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘I want know a bit more about the farm and who his partner is.’

  CHAPTER 55

  Joss finished welding the floorplan and drove the transit out of the unit. He jumped out and locked up, checking the street for any unwanted onlookers. It was quiet apart from the flats across the road. Two of them were lit up with flashing lights; loud music was blaring from the windows. A scantily clad girl waved at him and blew a kiss. He chuckled to himself as he drove through Morrawelon towards town. The bottom of Richmond Hill was gridlocked with ferry traffic. Holyhead bridge was never designed to take so much traffic. The area around the Edinburgh Castle pub was a nightmare every time a ferry docked. The huge lorries which came from Ireland struggled to manoeuvre through the traffic lights and over the bridge to the expressway. The traffic was a good place to blend in, but he was nervous all the same. He drove down London Road to avoid the blockage on the bridge and went past Tesco and Morrisons and joined the A55 from the slip road. There was ferry traffic in both lanes, and it was moving slowly but th
ere was no way to overtake. He could see red taillights snaking across the island into the distance. This would be a slow journey but there was no rush. His passengers had all the time in the world.

  ***

  April was grey; she hadn’t moved for hours. Only the shallow rise and fall of her chest gave any indication she was still alive. The surgeons had been to see Casey and her parents. They needed to take her for a scan to see where she was leaking. As fast as they were putting fluids into her, they seemed to be coming out, filling the abdominal cavity with fluid. The chance of sepsis increased with every minute.

  ‘We need to take her now and if we find the leak, we’ll be rushing her straight in,’ the specialist said. ‘You must understand that she might not be coming back.’

  It wasn’t a tough decision to make. Either she had surgery, or she would contract sepsis and die. They said what they had to say and sat in silence while they waited, each of them praying in their own way that April would make it, for her own sake and the sake of her children.

  ***

  Sam came to the top of the stairs and looked down at his in-laws. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Exhaustion made every limb feel like lead. He was physically and emotionally drained. The last thing he needed now was them. He’d done everything he could to keep them from the truth. Now the truth was dangerously close to being uncovered. His sanity was dangling from a thread. He walked slowly down the stairs.

  ‘Llinos,’ Wendy shouted. ‘Are you up there, love?’

  ‘She’s fast asleep,’ Sam said, sighing. ‘I asked you to go home and leave her in peace until she was ready to call you. Why couldn’t you respect our wishes?’

  ‘She didn’t send that text to me. I’m not stupid.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘It was all in capitals and she never ends a message with an L. She didn’t send it.’

  ‘She asked me to send it because she was exhausted. Please respect our wishes and go home.’

  ‘I will not. Because they’re not my daughter’s wishes,’ Wendy snapped. ‘Where is she?’ She tried to push past Sam, but he blocked the stairs. ‘Llinos,’ she shouted. ‘Are you all right, love?’

  ‘She can’t hear you,’ Sam said.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘She’s taken a tranquiliser and gone to sleep,’ Sam said. ‘It’s been a very traumatic day for us.’

  ‘Traumatic?’ Wendy said. ‘What are you talking about?’ She tried to push past him again, but he blocked the way. ‘Move out of my way, right now. I want to see my daughter.’

  ‘She’s sleeping.’

  ‘I’ve never known Llinos to take a tranquiliser in her life. You’re lying to me.’

  ‘No. I’m not.’

  ‘I want to see her, right now.’

  ‘She doesn’t want to see you,’ Sam said. ‘She’s very upset at the moment.’

  ‘Upset about what?’

  ‘It’s a private matter.’

  ‘Private? We’re her parents.’

  ‘What’s wrong with her,’ Gwillam asked. He was calmer than his wife.

  ‘She didn’t want you to know.’

  ‘Know what?’

  ‘Okay, okay.’ Sam rolled his eyes. ‘She thought she was pregnant, but she started bleeding this afternoon,’ Sam lied. ‘It’s knocked her sideways and she just wants to be alone hence, she’s taken a tranquiliser and gone to bed.’

  ‘Oh, my Lord,’ Wendy said, covering her mouth with her hands. ‘You let me see her.’ She pounded at his chest with her fists. It was like a child beating an oak tree. ‘She needs her mum. Move.’

  ‘You’re not going up those stairs, Wendy. Not today. Not until she’s ready to talk to you,’ Sam said. He looked at Gwillam. ‘Surely you see why she didn’t want to see anyone?’

  ‘She didn’t say anything about being pregnant,’ Gwillam said.

  ‘We weren’t sure she was actually pregnant. She wanted to keep it to ourselves until she’d seen the doctor,’ Sam said. ‘I’m sorry I lied to you about the dog, but she didn’t want to have any fuss. She just wanted to rest and go to sleep.’

  ‘Has she seen the doctor?’ Wendy asked.

  ‘No. She doesn’t need a doctor. She just needs sleep.’

  ‘I’m not leaving here until I’ve spoken to her,’ Wendy said, folding her arms across her chest.

  ‘You’re not going to wake her up, Wendy,’ Sam said. ‘I won’t allow you to upset her; she needs sleep.’

  ‘I think we should probably leave it until tomorrow,’ Gwillam said, holding his wife around the shoulders. She started crying, her head on his chest. ‘How is she?’ he asked.

  ‘She’s fine physically but mentally, she’s had a kick in the teeth. I’m sure she’ll be fine; she just needs rest.’ Gwillam nodded his head that he understood.

  ‘Shall I get you a glass of water?’ Sam asked Wendy.

  Sam was about to move away from the stairs when Mathew shouted him.

  ‘Sam!’ he shouted from the bedroom. The in-laws looked stunned and confused. ‘I need more morphine.’ His voice sounded slurred. ‘Where’s the fucking morphine?’

  Gwillam was about to speak when Sam punched him in the face. Gwillam dropped to the floor in a heap. Wendy started screaming but Sam covered her mouth with his hand. Holding her chin tightly. He held her around the waist and snapped her neck sideways, hard and fast. Her spinal cord was severed, and she went limp immediately. He let her fall to the floor. Sam grabbed Gwillam by the feet and dragged him into the kitchen. He had absolutely no choice now but to silence them for good.

  CHAPTER 56

  Alan called his counterpart from Caernarfon. John Deans had been in the force a year longer than he had. They’d climbed the ranks together and although they weren’t best friends, they were friendly on a professional level. He called his mobile number to talk about Sam Strydhorst.

  ‘Hello, Alan,’ John said. ‘I’ve spoken to your DS several times today. I’m concerned Sam hasn’t returned my calls. It’s not like him to call in sick at all and the fact he isn’t answering my messages worries me.’

  ‘Me too,’ Alan agreed. ‘What type of farm does he live on?’

  ‘It’s no longer a working farm,’ John said. ‘It was left to his partner, Llinos by her grandfather. She’s a vet and runs a surgery from there.’

  ‘A vet?’ Alan said. His nerves began jangle. ‘My spider senses are tingling, John. Hudson would have needed immediate medical attention. We know he didn’t go Ysbyty Gwynedd or the other North Wales hospitals, so he’s either dead or being treated by someone with medical knowledge.’

  ‘I agree.’ John paused. ‘Listen, I was going to call there on my way home but the more I thought about it, the more I think we should call there with back-up. I know Sam has a shotgun licence. He does a lot of clay pigeon shooting. If he’s involved with Hudson, things could get messy.’

  ‘What do you want to do?’

  ‘I’m waiting for a warrant. The chief super has given me a green light. We’ll have to run the op from here, Alan, and I need you to keep it under your hat until we’ve landed. We don’t want any radio chatter in case he’s listening.’

  ‘Okay. Good luck. Keep me in the loop.’

  ‘Will do. I’ll call you later.’

  ***

  Sam carried his in-laws from the farmhouse into the surgery one at a time. Wendy was heavier than she looked. She’d always had a fat arse since he’d known Llinos and it bothered him. His father had told him to look at the mother to see what the daughter would look like when she was older. Llinos had kept herself in shape. Thinking about her in such context felt strange. There was an emptiness inside him where she’d been. It felt like it was filling up with despair. He thought he could deflect her parents long enough for them to fashion an escape plan, but they’d been persistent. Persistent is what made them dead. He put Gwillam into the incinerator first and then went back for Wendy, but he forgot to press the ignition.

  His phone
buzzed for the umpteenth time that day. It was his voicemail letting him know he had messages. His call log showed a string of missed calls from John Deans. He listened to the messages. They were increasingly more concerned; his boss was losing his cool, which he rarely did. The last one intimated he was going to call on his way home when he finished his shift. Sam closed his eyes and screamed at the stars. All he needed was one night. Just one night and they could’ve been away from the island in the protection of the Niners. He carried Wendy inside and put her on the trolley. He ignited the burners and Gwillam began to burn. It would take at least forty-minutes before he could put Wendy in and another forty to clear the ashes in between. Gwillam had been a big man; there would be a lot of ash and the ash would block the burners unless it was cleared before Wendy went in. He didn’t have the time or the inclination to wait. They had to go, and they had to go now.

  ***

  The operation to search the farm had been given a green light and preparation was well underway. A full risk assessment had been done and because Sam has shotguns, armed units had been dispatched. The units were in a convoy of three Mitsubishi Shoguns. One was tasked to block the driveway; one was to secure the perimeter and the third unit was to go inside. Uniformed officers and detectives from Caernarfon would carry out the follow-up search of the farm and surrounding land. John Deans was hoping it was all just a coincidence and Sam had lost his phone and had the shits but there was also the niggling doubt that police detectives have. That’s what made them detectives. He had to trust his gut instinct that something was wrong.

  The evidence at the crime scene was unequivocal; a police officer had aided the fugitive. All officers at the farmhouse had been cleared, except Sam Strydhorst. There were no issues obtaining the warrant. The search for Mathew Hudson had put a massive strain on the force. If they could trap him in his hiding place it would take the pressure off. They sped across the Britannia bridge and the police officers at the checkpoints waved them through; another, twenty-minutes would see them at the farm in Aberffraw.