Third Eye - DS Lasser Series 25 (2021)

by Robin Roughley

  Lasser looked at him in surprise. 'I was just thinking the same thing.'

  'I could say that great minds think alike, but you don't have one,' the DCI grinned thinly before heading for the next flight of stone steps.

  'Perhaps he told Norma that it was a great view from the roof,' Lasser suggested as they trudged upwards.

  'Tricked the poor girl? That makes a kind of sense.'

  'OK, but how did he know about the place, how did he know you could even get up onto the roof?'

  'I can feel a conspiracy theory in the making,' Bannister said from the corner of his mouth.

  'No conspiracy, just basic police work.'

  'Basic police work that didn't seem to exist back in the seventies,' Bannister spat.

  'Perhaps we should look into the Ross character?'

  'What's the point, with the way Odette described him he was of the same mould as Black, fucking lazy with a stinking attitude to others, and besides Roger told us the guy was dead, so it would be another useless waste of time?'

  'But he could have been in charge of the other murders, the ones we're looking at.'

  'Even if he was, then it makes no difference, he's long gone.'

  Reaching the next floor, they stopped for a moment to take final pulls on their cigarettes before moving over to a small metal door set back in the wall. Grabbing the handle, Bannister snatched it open, rusted hinges shrieked revealing a narrow passage that ran upwards in a series of spirals.

  'I'll go first,' he said, Lasser followed, their boots sounding out a metallic ringing as they climbed.

  Seconds later they reached the roof, the door to the open space was missing, and they felt the rain falling onto their head and shoulders.

  Some of the bricks were missing from the wall that acted as a barrier to the drop far below, they both stood and looked out over the town from their high vantage point.

  The lead beneath their feet was pooled with water as they made their way around the roof, finally coming to the place where Norma Rowbottom had died all those years ago.

  Lasser felt the sadness build inside as he looked down at the nondescript patch of grey lead.

  'Yeah, she had no idea what was going to happen,' Bannister mumbled as he pictured the struggle that must have taken place here, ending in the death of a young woman, a woman whose life had been ended by a killer who had never been caught. The question was, had the same killer been responsible for the death of Ethel Brab and the other women who had died along with the disappearance of Penny Salter?

  Lasser looked out over the town, making sure he kept out of sight, he could see the church, some other notable landmarks and even the railway bridge that spanned the bottom of Market Street, lights speckled here and there in the growing darkness.

  'I can see the killer telling her that it was a great view from up here, maybe he tried it on, and she struggled, or he had every intention of killing her in the first place, but I just hate the thought that the bastard never paid for what he did,' Lasser said.

  Bannister looked at him, he could see the fury in his dark eyes, and he felt exactly the same way, then he shook his head and thrust the hood back, letting the rain fall onto his face as he tilted his head to the darkness above.

  'Like I said, it's the here and now that counts, Sergeant, Clara Bell is the one that matters, and we have to be ready if the prick shows his face.'

  Lasser felt the focus of his anger shift as he thought about Julie Rawlins and Clara Bell, the nurse had been murdered, and they knew that whoever had taken Clara was also responsible for the death of Scott Clark, they just didn't know if it was the same person responsible for both acts of violence.

  Inside, he could feel the uncertainty trying to reassert itself, they could be here for nothing, the whole thing could prove to be a waste of time, and Clara Bell would die somewhere else whilst they were here twiddling their thumbs waiting for a killer who would never show.

  'Come on, it's no use waiting up here,' Bannister said.

  Lasser could hear the nervous edge to his voice, and he knew that once again the DCI was thinking the same thing he was.

  The thought of Clara Bell dying and not being able to stop it was hard to bear as they made their way back down the spiral staircase in silence, both lost in their own grim thoughts.

  68

  The man looked down at the two of them sprawled on the hall floor, mother and daughter. He could feel the thrill shivering over his skin. At his back, the wind and rain lashed at the front door as he pulled the roll of tape from his pocket before kneeling by the mother's side, the tape making that strange screeching sound as he wrapped it around her wrists and ankles before ripping off six inches that he stretched over her mouth before turning his attention to the girl.

  Half a minute later they were both tied and gagged, he patted Hannah's pocket and pulled out the car keys, his smile widening in satisfaction as he moved to one side before scooping the girl into his arms and hoisting her over his shoulder.

  Taking a final look around the hallway, he opened the door and stepped out into the foul weather, making sure he closed the door as he hurried down to the car parked in front of the garage.

  Opening the back door, he thrust her inside before getting behind the wheel, he could feel the urgency forcing him to fumble the key into the ignition, then he flicked on the lights and glanced into the back seat before reversing off the drive, the smile spreading across his face as he made his way back to the main road.

  'I've done it,' he whispered as he got his foot down.

  69

  'Ross was in charge of at least three of the murders,' Odette said as she looked up at Roger.

  He was sitting opposite, his face thoughtful as he glanced across the desk.

  'Are you sure?' he asked before easing back in the swivel chair.

  'Positive, he was the officer in charge of the Ethel Brab murder, also the Norma Rowbottom killing, and he was also in charge of the Susan Hope case in seventy-seven,' Odette explained as she once more checked the information on the screen.

  'My God, if he had the same attitude as when he looked into the disappearance of Penny Salter then it's no wonder the killer was never caught.'

  'He retired in seventy-nine,' Odette finished just as the door opened and Carole walked into the room.

  'How's it going?' she asked as she crossed the room and sat down.

  Odette filled her in on their visit to see Joan Salter, and the way that the family had been treated by Detective Ross.

  'So, they had useless officers even back then,' she commented with a sigh before taking a deep breath. 'Talking of useless officers, I've just had an email from Commissioner Baxter in Manchester.'

  'I take it Black has gone ahead with his complaints then?' Odette asked as she eased back slightly.

  'Oh yes,' Carole said with disgust shining in her eyes. 'He cut out the middleman and went straight to Professional Standards, you and Doc Shannon are mentioned but he wasn't satisfied with that, he said he's been subjected to systematic bullying by other senior officers over a prolonged period of time.'

  'Let me guess, Lasser and Bannister?' Odette asked.

  Carole nodded. 'He also mentioned Shaun Rourke, he claims he was reckless by entering Dove Cottage and then he – Black – was made to feel as if he was the one at fault. I managed to explain what had happened, Baxter was fine with that, but he says that all accusations will have to be looked at and, to be honest, it's out of his hands now.'

  'As long as it's not another Ryan then I have no problem with anyone asking me questions,' she replied.

  Carole pulled a face of disgust at the mention of Ryan's name, a high-ranking officer who had hated Lasser and tried to end not only his career but his life. In the end they had uncovered the corruption that Ryan had been involved in, but for a while he had almost got his way and seen them all sacked. An image of her and Bannister dashing across the snow-covered garden flashed into her mind, and then the pain in the back of her legs
from the shotgun blast, she knew she owed her life to Alan Bannister who had attacked the gunman – sent by Ryan – leaving him bleeding and unconscious in the snow.

  'I get that, Odette, you've always been able to control your emotions when you need to, but it's Lasser and especially Bannister that I'm concerned about. You know what they're like at the best of times, but Alan has been under a lot of stress lately, the last thing he needs is someone from the PS asking him questions about his conduct, especially where Black is concerned.'

  Roger looked from one to the other, he could see the tension in their faces and then Carole sighed.

  'Truth is there's nothing any of us can do about it apart from warn them both, but whoever Baxter sends over they will want a word with them over the accusations.'

  'Do we have any idea what we are actually being accused of?' she asked.

  Carole shook her head slowly. 'I didn't ask, Baxter is a good man, but he sticks to the rules and he would have told me nothing, so I didn't see the point in pushing him on the issue.'

  Odette nodded in understanding, and then stifled a yawn. 'Bannister and Lasser are in position at the mill so perhaps now might not be the best time to let them know about this.'

  Carole rolled her eyes. 'Especially not with Black there as well.'

  'He's there with them?' Roger asked in surprise.

  Carole looked pained for a moment before replying. 'I simply don't trust the man, if we'd had him in here looking for evidence then he could miss something, and we can't afford that so I thought it best to put him somewhere where they could keep an eye on him.'

  Odette thought for a moment and then she sighed. 'Like I said, it's better to tell them tomorrow about all this.'

  Rising to her feet, Carole glanced at the rain-lashed window and then checked her watch. 'I'm going to stay in case the killer turns up at the mill, but I want you two to get home.'

  'But we're still looking into the cases,' Roger said.

  'You've been here long enough, what you do in your down time is up to you, but I want you away from the station.'

  Odette yawned again before powering off the computer as Carole turned and left the room.

  'Come on, she's right, we need some rest.'

  'But what about Lasser and the boss?'

  'Believe me, those two can take care of themselves, and we can't go to the mill now it could compromise the whole situation.'

  'I guess so,' Roger said reluctantly as he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and slipped it on.

  Odette clicked off the office light as they left.

  70

  Bannister glanced at his watch, the tension mounting as it showed half-past five, if the killer was the same one who had murdered Julie Rawlins, and he was working to the same list of victims as they were, then he should have been here by now.

  Closing his eyes for a couple of seconds, he felt the despair waiting to swoop in, all this could be completely wrong, and the earlier sense of hope was starting to fade, and the feeling that they were making a massive mistake began to take its place.

  Glancing across the large space, he saw Lasser by the window opposite, keeping his eye on another entrance to the building. With a sigh, he turned back to the view down into the courtyard and the bushes that grew close to the wall. Narrowing his eyes, he searched for Black but there was no sign of the man, and the thought began to simmer inside that the prick wasn't even in the bushes, he was back in the car having chosen to ignore his orders.

  The notion grew, and along with it the anger escalated until he was fuming as he continued to search the bushes, his eyes raking back and forth in the hope of seeing a flicker of movement.

  Checking his watch, he sighed again as he realised five more minutes had ticked into infinity.

  They had no idea how the killer of Norma Rowbottom had arrived at the mill all those years ago, perhaps they had simply walked here, or he had brought her in his car, but what he did know was that it would have taken the killer a good fifteen minutes to get to the roof, which meant if the copycat killer was out there then he should have arrived by now.

  Wiping the beads of sweat from his brow, he felt the cold wind blowing through the glassless window, the rain peppering his face as he prayed to see something, anything, below.

  As he crouched in the darkness, he thought about Suzanne and the girls, in the past whenever he had felt like this, he had known that at the end of the day he would go home, they would be waiting for him and the mere fact that they were there would ease his mind. Yet now the house was empty, his wife dead and the girls were out there making their way in life.

  In the courtyard, the wind swirled with the rain and he thought about heading back to the house alone, the empty space that seemed to echo with memories from the past, the laughter and general noise that took place when the house had been full of his family, a family that was now fragmented, and the pain he felt was deep and everlasting.

  The plan had been that once the girls had flown the nest then he would have eased back at work to spend quality time with the woman he loved, though now that would never happen, and his world was a cold and barren place.

  He had agreed to go and stay on the boat that belonged to Jackie's friend, but perhaps he was just running away from the truth, hiding from the fear. Then he winced and gasped as he realised his teeth had been clamped together so hard that the muscles in his jaw ached. Blinking rapidly, he quickly glanced at his watch, and suddenly he knew that the killer wouldn't be coming here to this derelict town centre mill. This time his gasp morphed into a groan and he felt the despair press down on his shoulders, a crushing weight from which there was no escape.

  71

  Hannah Pence opened her eyes and instantly started to struggle, ignoring the pain in her head she twisted onto her side, her eyes darting left and right, but there was no sign of her daughter, no sign of Morgan. The fear she felt inside turned into instant terror, whoever had attacked her had taped her hands and legs and placed some kind of tape across her mouth.

  For a few seconds, her vision blurred, she thought she was going to pass out again as the pain in her head increased, her chest rose and fell as she desperately tried to keep the darkness at bay. Gradually, she refocused and started to squirm her way towards the front door using her right shoulder and hip to move her slowly over the laminate flooring.

  She was six feet from the door when she heard the tap on the woodwork, suddenly she knew that it was Elle, Morgan had rung her from the car, and she must have arranged for Elle Rose to come over for the evening.

  Then the thought that Elle might only try for a couple of minutes before turning and walking away pierced Hannah's mind and she redoubled her effort the reach the door. When the knock came again, she bucked her legs out, her feet hitting the door hard, she did it again and again, her legs flexing before kicking out until the sound of her feet hitting the wooden door was almost a continuous barrage of sound that echoed along the hallway.

  Nostrils flared, she tried to keep up the pace, but her muscles screamed in protest and her lungs tightened with the effort until eventually her head fell to the side, the tears leaking from her eyes her body drenched with the cold sweat of fear.

  Silence fell and Hannah felt the desperation take hold of her heart and mind, but then she heard the familiar sound of the letterbox flap opening.

  She heard Elle gasp, the flap snapped shut and seconds later, she heard Elle shouting.

  'Mum, come quick!' she screamed out the words in fear.

  Hannah felt her body shudder as she slipped away into the waiting darkness.

  72

  'We've fucked up,' Lasser said as the wind continued to blow through the mill, the bushes outside thrashing in the gusts.

  They were standing against the wall, each smoking a cigarette, the atmosphere between them was one of defeat and despair.

  Tilting his head, Bannister glared up into the darkness. 'Christ what a mess, I mean, it's obvious whoever the bastard is t
hat he isn't working to the same list that we are, while we've been sat here like a couple of cardboard cutouts, he could be out there ending Clara Bell's life.'

  Lasser blew the smoke out on a shivering sigh. 'What makes it worse is the possibility that the killer of Julie Rawlins and the bastard who took Clara are not even the same person.'

  Bannister stared at the glowing tip of the cigarette before flicking it through the hole in the wall, the red end instantly being extinguished by the wind and rain.

  'Shaun and Sally are on the night shift, I'll get them over here to keep an eye on the place.'

  Lasser nodded before looking out into the darkness, when his phone rang, he fished it from his pocket, seeing Odette's name flashing up at him he answered as he took another quick drag on the cigarette.

  'All right, Odette, no luck here, we're going to…'

  'Another girl has been taken,' Odette broke in, her voice clipped with tension.

  Lasser closed his eyes at the news. 'When and where?' he asked.

  Bannister was in the process of calling Shaun Rourke, but he stopped as he heard the sound of dread in Lasser's voice.

  'What's happened?' he demanded.

  Glancing at him, Lasser tapped the speaker icon and Odette's voice came through loud and clear. 'I'm heading over there now; Scott Clark was going out with a girl called Morgan Pence…'

  'Yeah, her father had some kind of fit,' Bannister interrupted.

  'Well, a little over an hour ago Morgan and her mother arrived back at their home after spending the day at the hospital, as far as I can gather someone was waiting for them. The mother was clubbed to the ground and passed out; she was found on the hallway floor by a friend of her daughter but there's no sign of Morgan Pence.'

  Bannister dragged a hand down his face at the news, Lasser felt the anger rage inside, while they had been here waiting for the killer to show, someone had been attacking the mother and now it seemed that her daughter had been taken just like Clara Bell.