Captive

by Jay Nadal

  “It’s not your time yet. Sally and I are hoping that you will stay with us a bit longer so that we can really get to know you. I think it’s really important to get to know someone first. What do you think Sally?”

  A cold, eerie silence haunted the room as his eyes bored down into her, looking through her, and deep down into the depths of her mind and soul.

  “You see, there’s no turning back for you now. You belong to us. The moment you fell for me, was the moment you gave yourself to us, to share and enjoy in your youthful beauty. I’m going to enjoy exploring every inch of you,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m going to start at the top of your head and work my way right down to your toes. When I’m finished with you, you’ll be damaged goods. I’m going to do things to you that you never dreamt possible.”

  Tears erupted from the corners of her eyes as she begged for her safety. “Please…please stop. Please don’t hurt me. I promise I won’t say a word to anyone else if you let me go. I don’t want to…” Her voice choked as she sobbed, spittle bubbled from her mouth. Her eyes were fixed wide in terror beneath a watery film that softened her complexion.

  “Shssh…shssh. There’s no need to get upset. Tears won’t help you now, and your pleas…well…they’re pretty lame,” he said, smiling, as he stroked her face affectionately to calm her. “You’ll be fast asleep and won’t even know that you’ve gone.”

  His words sparked further terror as her skin prickled and shivered with fear. Her body heaved with sobs.

  He smiled as a pool of liquid formed between her legs.

  He pinched her cheeks with one hand and forced her lips to part open ever so slightly. With his other hand, he tipped the contents of the teaspoon into her mouth. He placed a hand over her lips until she had swallowed the white powder. “It’s time to rest,” he said gently.

  50

  Yesterday seemed a blur as Scott scrolled through his emails whilst he had the coffee and croissant that he had picked up on the way to work. The team had worked hard and progressed the case significantly. It had kept Berry off his back, which in itself was a blessing. He wasn’t quite sure if he could have handled any more grief from Berry, or Abby for that matter.

  Scott had taken work home and had sat up until the early hours going through the case files. He’d pulled himself away during the evening to spend a few hours with Cara. The nature of the job meant that holding down a relationship was challenging at the best of times. They had grabbed a fish and chips supper from Wolfies of Hove and had cosied up in front of the TV whilst they watched a movie and enjoyed dinner. It was moments like these that Scott savoured as Cara sprawled out across the sofa and rested her head on his lap. He stroked her hand in the darkness whilst they enjoyed their togetherness. The movie cast light and dark hypnotic shadows that danced on the walls around them as Cara dozed off.

  Overnight, Raj had updated the case files online. He was able to confirm that following his enquiries, Hopper had been to hospitals in Essex and the Royal Sussex in Brighton on numerous occasions to obtain his medication. However, when doctors had wanted to question him further, he’d became agitated and made off before hospital security could attend.

  This information alone suggested that Hopper needed to be found if nothing more than to be eliminated from their enquiries.

  Several other emails caught Scott’s attention. The first was in relation to some discreet enquiries he’d made over in Essex. He’d had a hunch about the way Berry and the Essex team had conducted the enquiry into the disappearance of Sally Anne Martin. Initially, he’d requested a copy of the investigation file. Whilst reviewing the file, Scott had questioned the thoroughness of the procedures followed and the documented findings. To him there were some glaring gaps in the way that the investigation had been managed, and how crucial information hadn’t been recorded.

  His hunch had paid off as he glared at his screen. Shit, he thought.

  He scanned the rest of the emails. Following the release of Hopper’s image to the press, a steady stream of phone calls had come in from members of the public. Sightings of a man matching Hopper’s description were recorded in Hove, Brighton, Shoreham and as far as Hassocks. Most would be dead ends but would need a follow-up by his team.

  What caught Scott’s interest was several students had reported seeing a man matching Hopper’s description on Stony Mere Way adjacent to the A27 Lewis Road, and close to Sussex University. This was vital information because of the proximity to the university. Scott knew the road well. It was used as the main access road for students, and ran parallel to the busy dual carriageway. He forwarded the reports on to Raj and requested that he follow them up to gain further information and if possible more detailed descriptions of the man.

  The optimism rose in Scott as further reports came in that could help find the whereabouts of Hopper, as well as locate the missing student, Sam Tearl.

  One particular report piqued Scott’s interest. It was from a letting agent. He decided to call the agent himself.

  A well-spoken gentleman answered on the third ring. “Good morning, PPS Lettings, Dev Patel speaking, how can I help?”

  “Mr Patel, this is Detective Inspector Baker from Brighton CID. I’m following up on call that you made to us about our press appeal. I understand that you believe you recognised the person in the picture?”

  There was a slight hesitation before Dev Patel spoke. “I’m not going to get into trouble, am I? Because of what I’m telling you?” he said, stumbling over the words.

  “It depends on what you’re going to say, Mr Patel, however, I can assure you that anything you do say to me will be treated in the strictest confidence. Provided that you haven’t broken the law and committed an offence, I can’t see any problems.”

  “Okay, okay,” he replied rapidly. “That fella in the picture looks familiar but he used a different name. He said his name was Tom Atkins, not Brian Hopper. But if I’m honest, he looks exactly like your man.”

  “And where did you see him?” Scott asked, as he scribbled ‘Tom Atkins’ on his notepad and circled it a few times.

  “He rented an industrial unit a couple weeks back. To be honest, we’ve got a fair few of them available, and they just sit idle and have done for the past two years. If they’re abandoned, there are more chances of them being vandalised and broken into. And of course, we’re not making money if they sit idle. Anyway, he said he needed to store some stuff there because he was moving, and wanted to pay in cash, with no questions asked.”

  “And as far as you’re concerned, he’s still using it?”

  “As far as I know, Inspector. I gave him a set of keys, and I haven’t had them back. So I can only assume that, yes, he is using it.”

  Scott thanked Mr Patel and grabbed the address of the unit before hanging up.

  Scott’s stomach turned and twisted with excitement. He had a good feeling about that lead and had just got up to brief the rest of the team when DCI Berry walked in. They exchanged a silent stare. Coldness lit her eyes as they bore into him. The long silence between them seemed as much a battle of wills as it was who had the stronger determination to stand their ground.

  “It’s still not too late to change your mind, Scott. I think we could be good together, and it could open up a lot of doors for you. I could put in a good word for you, and you could have Harvey’s job. And you could put in a good word for me, and I could go after Meadows’s job. Between you and me, I’ve heard that Meadows is eyeing up a role at HQ.”

  Scott grinned. He felt more self-assured than he had done in days. Perhaps it was the pep talk with Abby, or the call he’d just had that ignited a fire in his belly. “It’s always about you, isn’t it? You’re not worried about the case, or me. It’s just about where you’re headed and how fast you can get there. You’ve charmed Meadows, and now you want to stab him in the back. And me? I’m just collateral damage. You used me once, and I was young and naïve enough to fall for it. But trust me; you have a lot more to lose tha
n me if you decide to kick off.”

  Berry narrowed her eyes unsure as to whether Scott had the balls to seriously challenge her. “As I said before, Scott, who are they going to believe? A DI who is on the edge of losing it or a DCI?”

  “With all due respect, Ma’am, you’ve fucked up, and I’m just biding my time.”

  “You haven’t got the balls,” she hissed.

  “Try me,” Scott replied as he breezed past her towards the incident board.

  51

  With a nervous energy coursing through his veins like a torrent in full flow, Scott raced to the incident board. “Listen up, team. Following the press release on Hopper, we’ve had a very promising lead.”

  The team shuffled their chairs to face the board, a mix of curiosity and excitement lighting their faces.

  “We’ve had a possible sighting of Brian Hopper, and more importantly, the sighting could lead us to find the whereabouts of Sam Tearl. A letting agent called in last night. He’s fairly certain that a man matching the description of Brian Hopper rented a commercial unit in Lancing from him for cash, no questions asked. That would make sense as the unit isn’t too far from where the bodies of Hailey and Rebecca were discovered. What’s more interesting, is that this commercial unit used in the past to house an engineering firm that serviced outboard motors for yachts and speedboats.”

  “If that’s the case, that would tie in with the oil traces found on the heels of Hailey and Rebecca. What’s also encouraging, is that several students noticed a man matching Hopper’s description standing in Stony Mere Way on the day that Sam went missing.”

  With excitement in his voice, Scott continued to relate what Raj had discovered about Hopper’s visits to the hospitals. “This could be our man. In fact, I’m certain he’s our man,” Scott added as he glanced towards the back of the room where Berry sat stony-faced and sombre.

  Mike interrupted. “Guv, we’ve been scouring the CCTV footage on the night of Rebecca’s disappearance. And we’ve finally managed to spot a car pulling out of King Place and turning right up North Street. It was too dark to get any clear visual on the driver, and the image is quite grainy. I’ve checked and nothing was picked up on ANPR anywhere either, so we can only track the car as far as Dyke Road. After that, we can’t confirm the direction the car travelled in, but it looks like they wanted to steer clear of the cameras. It’s a Ford Mondeo. One of the students saw a blue car parked in Stony Mere Way not far from where they saw the man matching Hopper’s description. Could it be the same car?”

  “Excellent, great work, Mike. That lends more weight to my hunch that this is our man.”

  There was a general consensus amongst the team who nodded in agreement. “What’s the next step, Guv?” Helen asked.

  “I’ve already had uniform do a drive-by. There’s no sign of his car, and the shutters are down. That’s not to say he’s not inside. Clearly, I don’t want them banging the door down and scaring him off. So I’ve instructed them to maintain observation from a discreet distance. I don’t want to pussyfoot around, so we need to head down there now, and go in hard and quick.”

  Mike was already out of his chair and grabbing his stab vest before Scott had finished briefing the team, much to the amusement of others. Whenever there was a bit of action, Mike’s army days kicked in, and he would be at the front of the line.

  “Hold on, Mike. I need you to arrange for the tactical entry team to follow us down in convoy with a dog unit. Our aim is twofold. Once the tactical team have gained entry for us, firstly, we need to locate Hopper and isolate him. Secondly, we need to look for Sam Tearl. There’s no guarantee that she is being held there, because this may not be the only unit he has, but he hasn’t rented any others that we’re aware of. However, the chances are that wherever Hopper is, Sam Tearl will be.”

  Scott looked around at his team. The last time they had been out in an operation, they had lost one of their own. As he scanned their excited faces, he couldn’t help but feel responsible for Sian’s loss, and for the safety of the eager faces staring back at him. “Now I don’t need to remind you about the importance of putting your safety first. We stay in pairs. Under no circumstances do we split up. Hopper is dangerous. He is suspected of killing two lone women and abducting a third. He also has mental health issues, and as far as we can gather, has not been taking his prescribed medication. That would suggest that there is a strong possibility that when we discover him, he may be unstable.”

  “I’ve spoken to the police doctor, and she’s informed me that someone displaying those types of mental health issues can appear very calm and rational. But they have a tendency to flip from the slightest of triggers. Those triggers can vary from person to person. So when we find him, you need to approach with caution. Equally, he could be completely unhinged and just come at us with a weapon. So please remain vigilant. Mike and Abby will both go armed with tasers, and will only use them as a last resort, understand?”

  They both nodded, Mike more reluctantly than Abby.

  “Any questions?” A collective silence from the team suggested that they were all ready to go. With that, a frenzied flurry of bodies flew around their desks as they grabbed phones, stab vests, utility belts and batons.

  Scott could sense the anticipation and buzz that the team felt. The energy in the room pulsated and quickened as they raced out of the door.

  Berry held back and grabbed Scott’s arm as he was about to pass. “Scott, as the senior officer here, you should have consulted me with regards to what you had planned next. I’ll come with you and take over when we arrive on location.”

  Scott levelled his eyes as he glanced at her grip around his arm. He wasn’t going to take any more shit. He brought his eyes level with hers. “With all due respect, Ma’am, I’m the SIO here, and this is my patch. If you’ve got a problem with it, then you’re more than welcome to take it up with Meadows. Tag along if you want to, but you’re not running this operation.”

  52

  He knelt by the cold steel box and gripped the sides as he peered in. He admired her beauty once again. Curled up in the foetal position, she looked so young, delicate and adoringly sweet. How could anyone find her unattractive? he thought. How could anyone hurt such a delicate and stunning beauty? he questioned.

  Her skin felt soft to touch as he ran his finger down her arm. He tingled with excitement as he connected once again. “Sally was just saying that she thought you were a keeper. You know, I think she likes you more than the other two. Sadly, it looks like they found me quicker than I thought. It was only a matter of time, but it’s interrupted our chances of being happy.”

  His eyes twitched as a cold shiver raced down his spine. Perhaps she had led them here? Perhaps I haven’t been as careful as I’d hoped? Whatever the reason, he knew that they were coming for him. He would have his time again. He could wait for another time where he could start again in a different part of the country where no one knew him.

  Somewhere remote. Maybe a farmhouse, or an outbuilding where I wouldn’t be disturbed. Wales? Scotland?

  As he stood, he stretched his back to relieve the tightness before glancing over his shoulder at the shuttering. “I’ll be back, my lovely, with my final present for you,” he said as he headed off towards the stairs that led to the basement.

  53

  Pedestrians paused and tourists hungrily snapped photographs as the convoy of four police vehicles screamed through the Old Steine and out on to the Kingsway. Cars frantically parted, as the dog unit led the charge, followed by two CID pool cars, and the tactical entry team at the rear in a people carrier. Their sirens wailed, the sound echoed and bounced off the tall buildings around them, amplifying the noise further.

  Scott, Abby and DCI Berry trailed in the first pool car, with Mike, Raj and Helen following up in the second. The cars weaved in and out of the traffic, as they raced along the seafront. Buses, coaches and red lights were no barriers to their rapid transition into Shoreham.

 
“Do you reckon he’s in there?” Abby asked as she gripped the door handle and listened into the comms being relayed by the observation vehicle.

  Scott grimaced. Travelling at such speed and in such close proximity to the vehicles in front and behind, he had little opportunity to glance across at Abby. “I hope so. It’s a gamble, but equally, we didn’t have time to set up an obs, especially if Sam Tearl is in there. If he got wind of us snooping around, he could have gone long before we got there. Hopefully, we’ve got the element of surprise so we can nick him.”

  The vehicles killed their sirens and lights long before they travelled down Marlborough Road in Lancing. The observation vehicle identified the exact unit as the four vehicles pulled up outside. Doors were opened and closed quietly as a dozen officers gathered outside the shuttering.

  Berry for a change had done as she was told, she held back by the cars as an observer.

  The first officers on the scene had confirmed that apart from the shuttering to the front, there was also a side access door. Scott instructed Mike and Helen together with two uniformed officers from the entry team to go in via the side door.

  With all officers in position, they fell silent. Everyone waited on Scott’s command. He leant his ear against the shuttering to see if he could hear anything, but all appeared quiet. He checked his watch and counted down from five to one silently before he gave the tactical entry team the nod to go, go, go.

  The chunky padlock offered little resistance for the large bolt croppers. With a swift snap, it was easily discarded, and within seconds, the shuttering was rolled up flooding the dark interior with brilliant sunshine.