The Solace Farm Killings: A Snowdonia Murder Mystery (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Book 7)

by Simon McCleave

  ‘Alpha Foxtrot One. Receiving. Over.’

  ‘Three-six. Can you confirm visual on seven-zero? Over.’ Ruth said. There were a few seconds of silence.

  ‘Alpha Foxtrot One to three-six. That’s a negative. Seven-zero has entered the target building. Over.’ the sniper replied.

  Ruth’s stomach did a somersault. Oh my God. What do you mean she’s gone into the building?

  ‘Three-six to Alpha Foxtrot One. Repeat. Over.’ Ruth said, hoping she had misheard.

  ‘Alpha Foxtrot One. Repeating. Seven-zero entered the target location two minutes ago. Over.’

  ‘Three-six. Received. Out.’

  What the bloody hell is Sian doing?

  Ruth flicked her ciggie away and went inside with her head whirring anxiously.

  I’ve got a horrible feeling about this.

  Drake was sitting in a makeshift incident room on the ground floor. He had already flagged up his concerns about Sian contacting Rachel Ryan.

  He looked up at her as she walked in. ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘She’s gone inside,’ Ruth said.

  ‘What? You’re sure?’ Drake asked.

  ‘Sniper confirmed that she’s gone inside the building.’

  ‘Why? I thought you’d made it clear to stay outside and keep herself safe?’ Drake growled.

  ‘I did, sir. I made that very clear,’ Ruth said, now feeling sick with worry.

  ‘How am I going to explain to the Chief Constable how we now have an unarmed officer somewhere in the farm but we don’t know where?’ Drake said shaking his head. It was rare for him to show any signs that he was rattled. ‘What the hell was she thinking?’

  Although Ruth was agitated, she also felt protective towards Sian.

  ‘She was desperate to get the children out of there safely. And we don’t know that she’s not negotiating that right now. If we can get the kids out of there, and Rachel Ryan and the others into custody without another shot being fired, then that will be a brilliant result.’

  ‘I respect your optimism. And your faith in Sian. But if they decide to take her hostage, that gives them a huge amount of bargaining power. It puts us at a massive disadvantage. Plus the top brass and the media will want to know how we allowed it to happen,’ Drake said.

  Ruth nodded. She knew he had a good point but at that moment they didn’t know the state of play at Solace Farm. Everything they were talking about was supposition.

  Ruth heard the phone ringing – it was someone from Solace Farm making contact. Weighing it up in her mind, she realised that this wasn’t a good thing. Sian had made no contact for nearly fifteen minutes. And now someone from the farm was ringing.

  Striding towards it with growing apprehension, Ruth picked up the phone. ‘DI Ruth Hunter.’

  There were a couple of seconds of silence.

  ‘DI Hunter, it’s Rachel Ryan here,’ said the familiar voice.

  How do I play this? Do I ask about Sian immediately? Do I keep it very vague?

  ‘Hi Rachel. Everything okay up there?’ Ruth asked, trying to keep things upbeat.

  ‘Yes, everything is going very well. We’ve had a visitor,’ Rachel replied.

  ‘Yes, I know ... I think you promised Sian that if she came to see you on her own, you and the others would surrender yourselves peacefully. That’s right, isn’t it?’ Ruth said gently.

  There were a few seconds of silence. Ruth wondered if the line had gone dead.

  ‘I think we got our wires crossed actually. I’m very fond of Sian. I think she and I have a special connection. And if I’m to save her, then she must stay with us up here,’ Rachel said.

  Her words sent a shiver through Ruth, and then she felt herself getting angry.

  ‘Rachel, you do understand that Sian is a police officer? If you decide to hold her against her will, then you are putting yourself, and everyone else at the farm, in a very dangerous situation,’ Ruth said, trying to hide her fury.

  ‘It’s started, Ruth. If only you could see that. And I’m afraid that Sian isn’t coming back. She’s staying here with us.’

  AS SHE CAME TO, SIAN could feel her arms and shoulders in an unnatural position. It was uncomfortable. She tried to come out of the sleep that she had fallen into.

  Did I fall asleep? Am I in some kind of armchair? Did I nod off in front of the television? Where the hell am I?

  Someone kissed her eyelid gently. She knew exactly who it was. Ruth was the only person who woke her up by kissing her eyelids and lashes. It was such a lovely way to come into the day.

  Blinking a little, Sian squinted and made out a face in front of her. It was Ruth.

  ‘What am I doing here?’ Sian groaned. She realised that the back of her head throbbed. Then she remembered she had been hit from behind and lost consciousness.

  ‘Don’t worry about that. I’m here to rescue you,’ Ruth said as she untied her hands.

  ‘Where the bloody hell are we?’ Sian asked as she glanced around and tried to focus. It looked like they were in an old-fashioned pub. The décor was all browns and yellows with a worn, red patterned carpet. Framed black and white photos hung on the walls. People were sitting at tables, smoking and drinking. She could smell the beer and cigarettes and it took her back to her childhood when she sat in pubs with her parents.

  ‘How did I get in here?’ Sian asked, starting to feel anxious that she couldn’t remember what had happened to her.

  ‘Will you come on, you bell-end!’ Ruth said with a cheeky grin as she took her hand.

  Someone was waiting for them by the door. A small blonde woman who gripped the brass handle of the main door and pulled it open.

  Ruth roared with laughter. ‘Sarah’s here. She’s come to help me rescue you!’

  The blonde woman turned and Sian realised she was standing directly in front of Sarah.

  Oh my God! How is this happening? I thought she was missing.

  Walking out of the pub door, Sian could feel the cool air of the street outside on her face. As she turned, she realised she was on her own.

  ‘Sian? Sian?’ a woman’s voice repeated.

  Screwing her eyes shut and then opening them, Sian saw a woman’s face coming into focus. She recognised the silver hair and the emerald eyes.

  Rachel Ryan.

  And then everything came pouring back into her memory.

  As her vision sharpened, Sian saw that she was tied to a chair in what looked like an office. The realisation that her bulletproof jacket had been removed, and with it the police radio in its inside pocket, filled her with unease.

  ‘What did you hit me for?’ she asked as she felt a sharp twinge of pain at the base of her skull.

  ‘I didn’t think you would stay here voluntarily,’ Rachel said softly. ‘Would you?’

  ‘No, of course not. You told me you would come with me,’ Sian said, sounding a little child-like.

  Rachel smiled and shook her head in a condescending way. ‘I can’t do that. Don’t you understand? It’s started, Sian. And as God predicted, the lines of battle have been drawn.’

  ‘What does that mean? How is this going to end, Rachel?’ Sian snapped.

  ‘You have a badge for your police force? For North Wales Police?’ Rachel asked.

  What the hell is she talking about now?

  ‘The North Wales Police badge?’ Sian said, now totally lost.

  ‘What is at the top of that badge?’ Rachel asked with an almost excited tone.

  Sian thought for a moment. ‘There is a crown at the top of the badge. I think it’s at the top of every police badge?’

  ‘Exactly. And Revelations tells us that as earth’s history starts to end, and we prepare ourselves for the Second Coming, the forces of evil will be represented by kings. But these kings are false and their authority is corrupt,’ Rachel said.

  This is completely bonkers!

  Sian shook her head as she got frustrated. ‘The North Wales Police force are in fact false kings working for the
devil? Does that sound very likely, Rachel?’

  ‘You might mock me. But Revelations predicts that these kings will come from the east and will “... wage a war against the Lamb of God”,’ Rachel said raising her eyebrow.

  ‘Which is you and everyone at Solace Farm?’ Sian asked.

  ‘Of course! None of this is coincidence, Sian,’ Rachel answered with another broad smile.

  Oh God! There is just no reasoning with this woman!

  ‘It still doesn’t explain how this whole situation will be resolved. You are surrounded by armed police. You have a police officer as a hostage. How do you think this is all going to end?’

  Rachel snorted as if Sian were a child who didn’t understand something extraordinarily simple. ‘It ends with a final battle. Our Lord Jesus will not appear until the forces of good and evil are locked in a mortal battle. And as the instruments of evil perish, they will live for eternity in a fiery hell. That is what your friends down the road have in store for them. As we, the chosen few of the Lord’s flock, perish, we will be granted eternal life and taken away to our salvation.’ Rachel looked at Sian directly in the eyes and then smiled. ‘You know what’s amazing, Sian? You’re coming with us on our journey.’

  CHAPTER 25

  THE SURVEILLANCE COTTAGE at the end of the road was now a hive of activity. Ruth sipped the last of her coffee as another armed response vehicle arrived – she had counted six. That meant close to forty AROs were now on site. Most of the firearms officers were in their vehicles or sitting on some fallen trees about two hundred yards away.

  Ruth saw Drake approaching. ‘We’ve had a phone call from Whitehall. The Home Secretary is now monitoring the situation.’

  ‘Whatever that actually means,’ Ruth grumbled, as she looked up the road towards Solace Farm and wondered what had happened to Sian. What was she going through?

  ‘We’ll get her back, Ruth. Don’t worry,’ Drake said with a nod.

  ‘The problem is boss, I don’t know what they want. We’re dealing with religious crackpots who believe that the Second Coming of Jesus is about to happen, and that they’re going to magically whizz off to heaven with him. How the hell do you negotiate with someone like that?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘They must want something. Otherwise why take Sian hostage?’ Drake said, thinking out loud.

  ‘I’ve got a horrible feeling that Rachel Ryan thinks she is going to save Sian,’ Ruth said.

  ‘If we can’t negotiate with them, then we only have one option,’ Drake said grimly as he looked over to the AROs.

  Ruth knew that sending in armed officers might be the only solution to getting Sian back. However, she also knew that would put Sian in a huge amount of danger. In addition, there were a significant number of children at the farm. It didn’t bear thinking about.

  From inside the cottage the phone began to ring.

  Drake shot Ruth a look and she turned and ran inside. Thundering into the makeshift incident room, she headed for the phone.

  ‘Let me answer it!’ Ruth yelled as she snatched the phone frantically. ‘DI Hunter.’

  ‘Hello again Ruth,’ Rachel said.

  Ruth took a moment to compose herself.

  ‘I need to talk to you about how we can resolve this situation peacefully,’ Ruth said.

  ‘There is only one way that this can end, Ruth. If you knew your Bible a little better, you’d be able to tell me what it says in Revelations. But I expect you weren’t paying attention in class. Have you seen the film Joan of Arc?’ Rachel asked.

  The question threw Ruth off guard for a second – What the hell is she asking me about that for?

  ‘Erm, I don’t think I have,’ Ruth said.

  ‘You should. It’s a hell of a film. The original with Ingrid Bergman. What a beautiful woman she was. Swedish, I believe ... and you know what happens in that film?’ Rachel asked.

  Ruth wracked her brains but she couldn’t remember much about Joan of Arc except she was French and some kind of martyr.

  ‘I don’t,’ Ruth said.

  ‘Joan of Arc was a young girl. She had a vision and a prophecy to drive the English from her land. When the French King heard of her divine message, he put her at the head of his army. A Christian army. Under her inspirational leadership, the army began to win incredible victories against all the odds. However, she was captured by the English and charged with heresy. Her claims to have spoken to God were seen as evil. She was found guilty and burnt to death as she clung onto a crucifix, but you know what the irony of all this was?’ Rachel asked.

  Ruth waited for a second. She wasn’t sure if Rachel was actually waiting for her to answer. ‘Erm, no, I don’t.’

  ‘Hundreds of years later, they realised she had been telling the truth. She had spoken to God. They even made her a Saint. They had judged her and they were wrong.’

  Ruth assumed that Rachel’s rendering of the story of Joan of Arc was somehow as a parallel to her own life. Ruth didn’t like to point out that she had now remembered that some thought Joan of Arc was an insane narcissist.

  ‘I’ll remember to go watch the film,’ Ruth said dryly. ‘How are you doing for food and water in there?’

  There was a moment of silence.

  ‘We have enough,’ Rachel said. ‘You forget that we’ve been preparing for this moment for years, Ruth.’

  ‘Okay, well you need to let me know if you need anything in there. Especially if it’s for the children.’

  ‘I’m surprised you haven’t asked me to release the children from the farm yet,’ Rachel said.

  It had certainly been one of the requests that Ruth would have made if she and Rachel had begun to negotiate. However, she wasn’t sure why Rachel was now flagging this up.

  ‘I didn’t know that was a possibility,’ Ruth said trying to tread carefully. ‘What made you say that?’ She was trying to buy time to work out what Rachel’s agenda was.

  ‘I think that releasing some of the younger children might be a good idea. We have two boys with asthma. I’d like you to look after them for me,’ Rachel said.

  Although Ruth felt lifted by this breakthrough, it had happened too easily for her liking. Something didn’t feel right about how effortlessly Rachel had agreed to some children coming out with nothing in return. That’s not how these things worked.

  ‘Yes, of course. I could send some officers up there in about an hour?’ Ruth suggested.

  ‘An hour. That sounds good. And I don’t need to remind you that if you try anything, we have your friend Sian here,’ Rachel said.

  Ruth was more than aware of that.

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Rachel went striding into the dining room. The television was showing the BBC Breakfast news and the Solace Farm siege was now a main feature.

  Looking over at the screen, she could see that the cameras were showing live footage of the farm, with a red Breaking News banner beneath. The pieces of her plan were falling together perfectly.

  She beckoned Simon over. ‘I need you to dig out one of our mobile phones and contact the BBC News. Tell one of the producers that you are calling directly from Solace Farm, and that in forty-five minutes I will speak to them live if they have any questions.’

  Simon nodded and scuttled away.

  ‘Can we turn that down please?’ Rachel said in a loud voice.

  As the volume of the television subsided, she looked out at the members of The Family with growing warmth and pride. It was coming, and they were going to be at the epicentre of the greatest event in world history in two thousand years. The enormity of what they were doing both frightened and excited her.

  ‘Over these past few years, I know that you have looked to me to be your leader. To pass on the message of God that he has ordained be passed to me as one of his prophets. It is not something that I have ever taken lightly. It is an honour and a holy blessing.’ She waited for a moment. ‘And God has instructed me that we must protect ourselves while we wait for his only son to be bestowed upon us. Which
he will be any time now.’

  Rachel walked powerfully across the room and pointed out of the window. ‘But early this morning, God came to me. He told me that the armies from the east are coming for us. They will be here soon. So I want us to gather our weapons, and when these agents of the devil arrive to challenge the Lord, we must fight them. We must fire upon those who would try to destroy us, and our beloved Lord. I looked at the Bible as I prayed this morning and you know what I read? ‘You shall not fear them for no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed. For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight against your enemies. To give you victory.’

  RUTH WAS SITTING IN the back of an ARV as it drove slowly away from the cottage and up the road to Solace Farm. Inside the vehicle were four heavily-armed AROs in full combat equipment – they weren’t going to take any risks after last time.

  As the BMW hit potholes and began to bounce, Ruth reached up and held on to the leather strap that hung from the car roof to keep her balance. The Kevlar bulletproof vest felt heavy and restrictive, and it dug painfully into her armpits. She thought of all the uncomfortable hours she had worn one of these bloody vests and how it had never received as much as a scratch!

  Even at my age, there can always be a first time, she thought.

  The inside of the ARV was silent except for the crackle and a voice on the radio.

  The vehicle smelled of gun oil, male sweat, and coffee.

  Ruth could feel the adrenaline surging through her body. It was making her feel both agitated and highly alert.

  Looking over at the ARO next to her, she got a waft of his chewing gum as he stared at the floor, readying himself for the operation.

  She looked back to the road behind.

  Two more ARV BMWs were following with just an armed driver in each. They were there to ferry the children away. Ruth had arranged for two local doctors to be available to check their health. Social Services were also on their way and would be responsible for the children’s care within the local authority until the siege was over. At the moment, Ruth had no idea whether that would be hours, days, or weeks.