Lasser thought for a moment and then reluctantly nodded. 'Possible I suppose.'
'Back then you couldn't jump on a computer to get the details you needed, there was no Roger to ring knowing he would get what you needed within a matter of minutes. Everything was done either on the phone or you had to get in the car to make your enquiries, it's hard now, but it must have been even worse back then.'
'You think that when he'd retired and had some spare time, he started to look at the cases he had never managed to solve?'
Bannister glanced at him and nodded. 'I know I would.'
Lasser opened his mouth and then suddenly closed it as he realised that Bannister was right. Every copper had cases where the perpetrator had gone unpunished, and he could understand how they could peck at your head at the best of times, but usually they were on the back burner as you tried to solve the latest crime that fell onto your desk.
'What do you think?' Bannister asked.
'I think you could well be right, some people when they retire might be happy working in the garden or spend their days fishing, but I can see a copper starting to go back over old cases.'
'OK, we agree on that, and we also know that somewhere along the line Ross must have confided in someone, someone he trusted,' he paused, 'trouble is it looks as if he could have confided in the wrong person.'
'You mean the killer, don't you?'
'Well, look how he ended up, crushed against the tunnel wall, and he had not gone there alone that much is obvious.'
Suddenly, the entrance to the station appeared, and Bannister pulled through the gates, parking up on the left.
'If we can find out who killed Ross, then it could help us get Morgan Pence back.'
Lifting the handbrake, Bannister sighed. 'The clock is ticking, and the truth is we have no idea who Ross confided in and…'
'Hang on, think about this.'
'I am thinking about it,' Bannister said as he unclipped the seat belt.
'OK then, we know Ross had been a copper for a long time, and if he was anything like us lot then any friends he had would have been in the force, so if you were going to tell someone your suspicions then it makes sense that it would be someone who would understand how the force operates,' he paused, 'it would be someone you trusted.'
Bannister's narrowed eyes widened slightly. 'You think it's a fucking copper, don't you?'
Lasser paused for a moment before answering. 'It would make sense, you already said yourself that you can understand why Ross would be fixated with the unsolved cases.'
'Go on.'
'Well, say you were retired and looking into one of our own unsolved crimes and you came across some new information, then who would you ring?' Lasser asked.
Bannister stared at Lasser, and then his shoulders slumped slightly. 'You or Odette,' he admitted.
'And I would be the same, perhaps that's exactly what Ross did without knowing he was signing his own death sentence.'
The DCI pushed the door open. 'Come on, we need to look into this, and we need to do it fast.'
Seconds later they were out of the car and dashing towards the entrance, the wind and rain whipping into their stark faces.
88
When the email popped onto the screen, the man licked his lips, he had spent the afternoon shrouded in dread. Moving the arrow over to the envelope he tapped it open just as his phone rang, ignoring it he read the words quickly, his heart beating hard in his chest, and then the whoosh of relief shot from his open mouth.
The phone continued to ring but still he ignored it as he read through the message again.
'Last chance. You still have the girl, I assume? You know how Rowbottom died on the roof of the old mill? She was victim number three, you failed with the second killing, but redemption awaits if you manage to complete this task. She died at sixteen hundred, I took the eyes for fun and to confuse the idiots. Are you up to this, if not then say now, I will not tolerate another failure? Can you follow the order, can you complete the task?'
The man started to shake, he had been offered another chance, another way to prove that he had what it took to kill the girl who was gagged and taped in the brick building. He waited for a few moments, unaware that the phone had stopped ringing, then it pinged as a text came through, but he ignored it as he tapped out the simple reply to the email.
'Thank you, I will not fail you, I promise.'
Reading the words three times he sent the message and waited for a reply.
Seconds later, the envelope reappeared. 'You'd better not or you will never hear from me again.'
Closing his eyes, the man said a silent prayer that everything would go according to plan.
89
Hannah sat in the car, head bowed as more tears slipped from her eyes. In any other situation the news given to her by the doctor would have filled her with a massive sense of relief.
The surgery had gone well, the clot had been removed and the surgeon had said he was quietly confident that James would make a full recovery.
She had sat by the side of the bed, her husband still looked haggard but at least now there was a hint of colour in his cheeks, a sign of life in the pallid skin. Twice his eyes had fluttered open, the second time he had even managed to smile at her before drifting back into the medically induced sleep.
That was when she had left the room, too fearful to stay in case he came round completely and asked where Morgan was. The thought had been too terrifying to comprehend so now she sat in the car and tried to calm her nerves, but nothing seemed to work, even the wonderful news about James couldn't remove the terror about her missing daughter.
The police officer named Sally had offered to come to the hospital with her, but she had refused, saying she needed to be alone. Now she felt that weight of being alone and wished she had someone here right now that she could talk to.
The truth was she didn't know what to do, the thought of going home to an empty house filled her with dread, yet she knew she couldn't continue to sit here, trapped, stifled, smothered with terror.
Selecting reverse, she backed out of the space and drove over to the exit before pulling onto the main road, clueless about what she could do to help Morgan, the feeling of terrible impotence growing inside, convinced that the next time the police contacted her it would be to tell her that her daughter was dead. As she drove, more tears came until the road was seen in a kaleidoscope of segmented greys and black, in a world bleached of colour.
90
Odette sat opposite Creet, Carole by her side keeping quiet as Odette answered the questions, her hands folded in her lap, her face unreadable.
'I freely admit tempers were somewhat frayed, but the truth is the body of a woman had been found in the bedroom, bludgeoned to death and then nailed to the fireplace, so everyone was feeling shocked to the core about what had happened.'
'Everyone apart from PC Black?' Creet asked.
'I have no idea how it affected Steven, I just know that I was frustrated that he had made no effort to try and apprehend the killer.'
'PC Black claims that PC Rourke vomited through the window,' Creet paused, 'deliberately knowing that he was standing below.'
'Shaun was sick, that much is true, though there is no way he would have done it deliberately knowing Black was standing below, and as far as I am concerned, he should still have given chase,' she paused, 'the truth is that Steven Black has always been the same. I dare say he will claim otherwise but when you work within any team you need to not only be able to rely on others for your own safety, but you need to know that when they are asked to do a job then they will do it.'
'And you're saying that Black isn't like that?'
Odette thought long and hard before answering. 'We've had a lot of serious crime take place in this town, and our rate for solving those cases is high, and that is done through teamwork, but you need to be able to trust those you work with, and you cannot do that with Black.'
'Can you give me any examples?'
'I can tell you that he once almost caused the death of a fellow officer,' she said without hesitation.
Behind the small round glasses, Creet's eyes widened slightly. 'Could you explain that comment, please?'
'Why don't you get PC John Spenner here now and let him explain?' she fired back.
Carole glanced sideways, seeing the anger in Odette's eyes.
'Well, considering you are the one that mentioned it, I'd sooner hear it from you.'
Taking a deep breath, Odette started to talk, telling Creet about the time when the team had been hunting a psychopath named Flynn, Spenner had chased the killer under the bridge in the centre of town, Black had deliberately hung back, the killer had turned and attacked Spenner with a breadknife leaving him with a long gash in his throat and Black found him collapsed against the wall fighting for his life.'
'And how long ago did this happen?' Creet asked as he eased back in the chair, seemingly unmoved by Odette words.
'Six years ago.'
'Before your time then?'
'Yes, but what difference does that make?'
'Well, the difference is you heard it secondhand, you weren't there when it happened.'
'Spenner doesn't lie and neither does Lasser,' she snapped.
At her side, Carole sighed lightly, and Odette flicked her a glance. 'I'm sorry, Carole, but that's what happened, Black was lazy and Spenner almost died.'
Carole said nothing as she turned to face Creet again.
'Do you have any personal examples, Odette?' he asked.
'It's every single thing he does, like I said he cannot be trusted. I mean, if you know that there's a chance that a member of your team could miss a vital bit of evidence, what would you do?'
Creet looked at her, he could see the desperation in her eyes and the determination, the belief that Black was not to be trusted. 'Well, hopefully people learn from their mistakes.'
Odette didn't flinch as she replied. 'Forgive me for saying this but you are here looking at complaints made by one man, but out there in the real world, mistakes can cost lives. The job that you do doesn't have that pressure, you are looking at things with hindsight, we don't have that luxury.'
Creet smiled and nodded. 'You're right of course, you do have a high-pressure job, and I understand fully how you need to be able to trust those you work with, but that doesn't mean we can simply ignore PC Black's complaints.'
'I'm not asking you to, but you asked me for my opinion, and I've given it to you.'
'And I appreciate it,' he paused, 'now this question is not an easy one to ask or answer.'
'That sounds ominous,' Carole said, suddenly looking wary.
Creet fleetingly looked at her before turning his attention back to Odette.
'Have you ever hit PC Black or did you witness a fellow officer strike him at any point?'
Odette felt her anger increase at the accusation, suddenly her dislike for Black escalated.
'DI Noble, can you answer the question please?' Creet asked.
'I have never laid a finger on PC Black, and I have never witnessed a fellow officer hit him either.'
Easing forward, Creet placed his hands flat on the desk. 'A few weeks ago, Black claims that Sergeant Lasser hit him and knocked him onto his back in the snow, he said the assault took place on Library Street in the centre of town.'
Suddenly, Odette was transported back to the midwinter night, the snow had been thick on the ground and they had been trying to hunt down the individual who had snatched an eight-month-old baby girl from the back of a car as her mother loaded the shopping into the boot. The clock had been ticking and the tension had been palpable, then they had come across Spenner standing ankle deep in the snow, PC Black still sitting in the car.
Lasser had asked why he was standing there, Spenner had explained that Black had been farting and the interior of the car was too unbearable to sit in. So, Lasser had opened the car door and Spenner had been right, the stench had been disgusting.
Then Lasser had demanded that Black get out of the car and stand in the street, things had escalated, and as usual Black had whinged that he was being bullied and he was going to put in an official complaint, Lasser had gone storming over and Black had ended up on his arse in the soft snow.
'Lasser never touched him, I can vouch for that and no doubt so will John Spenner, Black lost his balance and fell back.'
Creet tilted his head slightly. 'Black said he went down when hit, and he also claims that Lasser told him that if he tried to get up then he would hit him again and Black would need dental surgery.'
Odette clasped her hands together to stop them forming fists, the anger reaching boiling point as she realised the full extent of Black's lies.
'Lasser did not lay a finger on him and I most certainly never heard any threats or mention of a dentist.'
'Can you explain why Black was forced from the car and told to stand in the street in sub-zero temperatures?'
'You make it sound as if he was dragged from the vehicle,' she paused, 'the truth is Spenner had got out of the car because he was having to work a shift with Black breaking wind continually and when we opened the car door the smell was rank, so he was asked to get out of the car and the door was left open to let out the smell. Now if you think it's acceptable for Spenner to have to put up with that, then I think you're wrong, but that's the kind of man Black is, he's basically untrustworthy, a liar and disgusting.'
When Creet nodded, Odette felt the flicker of surprise through the anger.
'Right, I think I've heard enough, Odette, and thank you for your time.'
'Is that it?' Carole asked.
Creet checked his watch and nodded. 'I'll be back to see DCI Bannister and Lasser but of course I'll work around you and the team, so if they are unavailable then I completely understand.'
'And what about Black?' Carole asked.
'I will need to speak to him tomorrow if that's possible?'
'He's rostered on at ten in the morning, but I can always ask him to stay here if that suits you?'
This time Creet beamed. 'That would be fine and much appreciated,' he said before looking at Odette. 'Thanks for your honesty, DI Noble, it makes my job easier when people are willing to talk openly with me.'
'Everything I said is the truth.'
'I don't doubt it,' he finished before heading for the door. 'Hopefully, all this can be cleared up ASAP,' he said before exiting the room.
Carole looked at Odette, feeling some of the tension leave her.
'He seemed normal,' Odette said.
'He said he was fair in all the cases he oversees.'
'And do you believe him?'
Carole thought for a moment her face pensive, and then she nodded. 'Actually, I do,' she replied as Creet hurried past the window, raising a hand as he vanished into the darkness.
91
'Jesus, look how many were on the force back then,' Bannister said as he looked at the long list of names on the screen.
Roger eased back in the chair. 'Bit different to the team we have,' he agreed.
Lasser hovered over by the window, when he saw the tall slender man hurry to his car and get in, he turned away, and then the office door opened, and Odette and Carole came into the room.
'How did it go?' Bannister asked as he stood up.
'It went well,' Odette admitted. 'Creet seems reasonable enough.'
'What did he ask you?'
'Come on, Alan, you know she can't answer any questions, not while the case is ongoing,' Carole said before Odette could reply.
'Bloody ''case'', it's pathetic, Black should be kicked out on his arse for this, wasting time and trying to stab his colleagues in the back,' he growled.
'Well, Creet would like a word with both you and Lasser and…'
'Yes well, he'll have to wait we don't have the time to be buggering about with this nonsense.'
Carole sighed. 'He's well aware of that and he said that he will work around the pair of
you.'
'He did?' Bannister asked in surprise.
'Like I said, Creet seems like a reasonable guy,' Odette repeated.
The DCI's scowl grew deeper.
'Anyway, what are you two doing back, I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow?' Carole asked.
'We think we might be onto something,' Lasser said folding his arms.
Carole's eyes widened slightly. 'Let's hear it?'
Lasser started to explain about their suspicions regarding Detective Ross and why he died at the entrance to the woods. Occasionally Bannister would interject, and Odette listened with a mounting sense of shock as she made the links.
'You're saying that Ross could have confided in a fellow officer, aren't you?' Carole asked.
'We talked about this,' Bannister said as he sat back down by Roger's side. 'When I look around this room, I see more than work colleagues, I see friends, and the truth is none of us have many friends outside of work so it would make sense for Ross to confide in someone he thought he could trust.'
'But when we went to see Joan Salter, she said that Ross was more than useless, he made a token effort to find her daughter and then never bothered with any follow up,' Odette said.
'We thought the same thing,' Bannister said. 'Though there's also the possibility that Ross simply didn't have the time or resources to delve deeper, perhaps he was busy chasing the killer of Ethel Brab, and then Norma Rowbottom was found on the roof of the mill, and that took place on the same day that Penny Salter vanished.'
Lasser watched the change on Odette's face as she followed his train of thought.
'OK, but why didn't Ross look into things closer when he had the chance?' Carole asked.
'When do we ever get the chance to go back and look at the cases we didn't manage to solve?' Bannister asked as he raised an eyebrow.
'So, when he retired that's when he started to look at the unsolved murders,' Odette said with a sigh.
'That's what we think,' Lasser walked over to stand at the back of Roger's chair. 'We have a list of over forty officers who were serving here at the time Ethel Brab was murdered in seventy-one.'
Third Eye - DS Lasser Series 25 (2021) Page 30