by G D Parker
All of a sudden, the vehicle unlocked. There was a sharp pain in the back of Roberts’s head, and then he was out cold.
With a sudden gasp that whistled as the air travelled up his nose, Roberts awoke. The pain in his head was intense. He tried to rub it, but he couldn’t, and he quickly learned that his hands were tied. He was sitting on a chair, and he tried to move, but whatever was holding him in place was strong and tight. His mouth had an object lodged in it, with tape across.
The room was dim with the smell of dust in the air. Roberts looked around as best he could. From what he could see, it looked to be a room in a house. The wallpaper was dated with brown and orange circles, like a scene from the nineteen seventies, with parts hanging off. The ceiling was of crumbling aertex with a bulb just hanging from its wire. The carpet was a mustard colour with a large dark red stain in the centre – blood, was his initial thought.
Roberts could hear a noise. It was the sound of a locking mechanism, then the door he was facing opened. A broad figure stood, almost filling the doorway, wearing a plain white mask over his face with only holes to see and breathe through. The figure walked over to Roberts and pulled out a blade, pressing it firmly against Roberts’s neck. The person holding the knife trembled, either from fear or from being full of cocaine.
Roberts tried to speak, but he couldn’t, and only a muffled sound came from within him.
The figure then pulled the knife away.
‘Roberts, you need to back off!’ The voice was deep, almost fake, but he recognised it but couldn’t work out where from. ‘You see, we’ve been watching you work, and that work needs to stop. Understand?’
Roberts returned a shake of his head.
‘Well, Roberts, the thing is, if you carry on with these investigations, then that unborn child of yours will never open its eyes. You catching my drift?’ There was a snigger. Whoever was doing this was enjoying taunting him.
Roberts’s eyes widened with fear and immediately filled with tears, not for himself, but for his wife and baby. He tensed to try and break free, but there was no give.
‘Nod if you agree!’ the figure demanded.
Of course, there was nothing more important than his wife and baby, so he nodded.
‘Ahh, that’s a good boy! We’re getting somewhere.’ The figure then took the knife and jabbed it into Roberts’s thigh, causing Roberts to squirm like a trapped rat.
Trying to fight the pain, Roberts screamed, though no real sound could be heard. The figure then removed the knife slowly from his leg, causing even more agony, then pressed it against his neck again.
‘I want to kill you. I’d enjoy killing you.’ Even though there was a mask, Roberts could sense a smile, an enjoyment of this torture.
The masked figure then left the room, locking the door behind him.
Roberts could feel the warm blood soaking his trousers, and a drip could be heard as it trickled from the hem to the floor. He felt weak, with no idea how much blood he was losing and no idea if he would be left in this room to die and rot. He tried to move again, but still nothing.
Fear for his family filled his heart. Flashbacks of Annette’s face lit up the room. She was smiling and happy. All he’d ever wanted was to make her happy. He cried and his body trembled. He tried to scream, but all it did was waste his energy.
Roberts closed his eyes and took his thoughts home. He then thought about the last holiday Annette and himself had been on in the south of Spain. The sun had been warm and radiant, just like his wife. The food and wine was superb. They had spent most of their time walking, laughing and making love. It had been a happy, fruitful time. These cheery thoughts were quickly diminished by the sound of the door opening once again.
‘I’m back!’ the figure announced, wearing the same outfit as before. He was holding a camera. ‘People would pay good money to see this,’ he cackled.
Roberts was pale from the loss of blood in his system. The figure danced around the room. It was exaggerated enjoyment, almost passive aggressive. He waved the knife around, then walked behind Roberts.
Suddenly, the figure slashed open Roberts’s throat, spilling and spraying blood across the room, with a hissing sound. Within seconds Roberts was dead.
BBC Wales Today | Monday 19th March 2018
Latest Headline at 12:00 hours: Detective Constable – Missing.
A spokesperson from South Wales Police has informed BBC Wales of the details of missing Anthony Roberts. Married father-to-be went missing on Saturday 17th March.
Anyone who has any information should contact the South Wales Police incident room at once on 02920 101101.
Scientist83: “Looks like I had to do the job for you.”
Anderson: “Was that you? Did you kill him?”
Scientist83: “No comment.”
Anderson: “What’s next?”
Scientist83: “You know the plan.”
Scientist83: **IS NOW OFFLINE**
22
There was outrage at Cardiff Bay Police station. One of their own had gone missing, and it was their duty to have Roberts returned safely. Little did they know, he was already dead.
Valentina’s phone rang, and she answered quickly with aggression. ‘Valentina!’
‘It’s PC Galloway. We’ve found Roberts’s car.’
‘Where?’
‘Milestone Close, not far from his house.’
‘On my way,’ said Valentina.
Valentina used the blues on her unmarked car to get to the location urgently, mainly for her own sanity, as there was no real necessity for them to be used. She pulled up and addressed PC Galloway.
‘Valentina,’ she introduced herself. ‘What do you have on the car?’
‘Nothing out of the norm, I’m afraid, but-,’ Valentina nodded with relief, ‘there are a few spots of blood fifty yards over there on the pavement.’ The constable pointed towards the blood and explained that forensics had already sent a sample off for a DNA profile.
Anxiety and tension increased as Valentina waited for the results. On a positive note, if the DNA came back as a match to Roberts, it would be a lead. However, it was a catch-twenty-two situation, because blood was never a positive sign. Valentina’s gut feeling was that it was Roberts’s blood.
Anderson was cold, shivering as he sat outside Bristol train station posing as a homeless person. He was dirty and had that rank smell of an unwashed human. He had found an abandoned blue sleeping bag, which was his only comfort, even though it stank of urine and God knows what else. He had a used Starbucks cup displayed prominently on the pavement in front of him, in anticipation of a kind gesture from the general public. He was shocked by people’s kindness. If only they knew who he was.
He blended in well within the area. Sadly, there were many homeless people around who regularly approached him. There was one young man in particular, who had sores on his face and a scar stretching from the bottom of his left eye down to his jaw line. His two front teeth were missing, and his breath was noticeably pungent as he spoke.
‘You new round ’ere?’ the homeless man asked, his voice weak.
Anderson looked at him for a moment before speaking.
‘I am, sadly,’ he replied.
‘There’s a group of us not far from here. You can join us.’ The man seemed harmless, but Anderson didn’t want to interact too much with people, seeing as he needed to maintain a low profile.
‘I’m okay, thank you. I won’t be here long.’
‘That’s what they all say,’ the man replied, turning as he spoke.
It started to rain later that day. Anderson stayed put, as there was shelter from the downpour. He sat under the entrance canopy to the train station. He was shivering, so he wrapped the dirty sleeping bag around himself further. At this stage, the smell didn’t bother him too much.
A lady walked past, well dressed and pretty. She looked at Anderson, then did a double take.
Tammy recognised the homeless man by his eyes and the sha
pe of his face. She was certain it was him - She pulled out her phone hurriedly.
‘Valentina,’ the detective answered her phone in no time.
‘It’s Tammy. How are you?’
‘I’m okay, but I need to keep this line free. Is it urgent?’
‘Yes, very! That man you were looking for, the one who lived above Tommy; I think I’ve just seen him.’ There was a pause for a few seconds.
‘Where?’
‘Sat outside Bristol train station,’ Tammy replied.
‘Are you sure it’s him?’
‘I’m one hundred and ten percent certain it’s him. I recognise him from the news release that went out. I took a screen shot of his picture and compared it.’
‘Fantastic! Talk about being in the right place at the right time!’ Valentina exclaimed.
‘What do you want me to do?’ Tammy asked.
‘Nothing. Just keep an eye on him. Act normal, but do not under any circumstances approach him. I repeat do not approach or talk to him,’ Valentina warned.
‘Okay, I can do that. I’ll hang back and act normal.’
‘I mean it, Tammy! This man is seriously dangerous. Don’t go near him, and make sure you call me if he starts moving. I’ll send a unit ASAP.’
Instantly, Tammy felt on edge. What have I got myself into? she asked herself. She felt she had a duty of care. After all, she did feel partially responsible for the murders, due to her mistake on the encryption.
Tammy waited and hovered twenty yards from Anderson, pretending to scroll through her phone. It was intense as she kept looking over at him as discreetly as possible. He then clocked her beady eye watching him, and Tammy’s heart skipped a beat, but he then looked away.
Look at him less, she thought to herself, trying not to be so obvious. When she looked up a minute or two later, Anderson was gone. She panicked and started to move quickly towards the area where he had been. There was a small dry patch on the pavement from where he had been sitting. She made a random guess as to which direction he had moved in and went on the hunt.
Tammy went down the next street, which became more residential. As she passed an alley, someone aggressively pulled her in. A hand was pressed firmly over her mouth, making it hard for her to breathe, so it was pointless trying to scream out. With the other hand, they pulled her body into theirs.
‘Who the fuck are you?’ he whispered angrily in her ear, whilst looking around, making sure no one had spotted them.
‘N,no one! Get off me!’ Tammy struggled.
Anderson wasn’t that strong, and she managed to break free from his grip, instantly making a run for it. He made chase, his sleeping bag flung over his shoulder as he sprinted after her.
Tammy’s heels were slowing her down, and Anderson was gaining fast. She headed back towards the train station, knowing it was a densely populated area. She looked behind her, and he was still on her tail, red faced and angry. Seconds later, a black car pulled up beside Anderson. Two men scrambled out, grabbing him, then putting him on the ground. There was a fumble, with Anderson putting up a feeble fight. The police had arrived.
Tammy sighed with relief when Valentina pulled up ten minutes later. She must have had her pedal to the metal.
Valentina marched towards Tammy.
‘I told you to hold back and not to go near him!’ she said angrily.
Wow, does this strong character of a woman care? Tammy thought as she smiled sheepishly.
‘Stop smiling! He could have killed you and probably would have.’
‘Sorry, but he started to move, so I followed.’
‘That was foolish, but,’ Valentina started back tracking, ‘I am also grateful. Thank you, Tammy.’ She gently shook her hand. ‘Do you need any assistance or anything?’
‘No, I’m fine, thank you.’
‘Okay, well, let’s grab some lunch in a few days,’ Valentina suggested. ‘My treat okay! I’ll be in touch.’
Back at Cardiff Bay station, little courtesy was shown towards Anderson. He was the prime suspect in this whole case, and Valentina was relieved to have him in custody. They now only had twenty-four hours to charge him.
No time was wasted. Anderson was provided with the duty lawyer, and they went into the interrogation room, where Anderson was pushed for a confession.
‘Can you explain why you were posing as a homeless person?’ asked Valentina.
‘I was hiding,’ Anderson replied.
‘From who?’
‘You, him, everyone.’ Anderson had a defeated look in his eyes.
Valentina picked up on this and used it to her advantage.
‘Him?’ she questioned.
‘I can’t say. I honestly don’t know who he is.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Valentina.
Anderson dipped his head, looking down at his feet. His left knee was shuddering. It was clear he was uncomfortable.
‘I don’t know who he is. He gives me orders, and I do what I’m asked!’ Anderson was still not making eye contact.
‘You’re not making any sense! Start from the beginning. When did you meet him?’ Valentina enquired.
‘Online on the Dark Net. I was promoting a small service. I had no idea it would lead to this.’
‘What service was that?’
‘I can’t say. It’s illegal,’ Anderson stated.
‘Look, the more honest you are now, the more lenient the prosecution will be with you,’ Valentina advised.
‘But I’ve been breaking the law!’
Valentina leaned forwards, looking him straight in his eyes.
‘Just fucking tell me!’
Anderson looked scared.
‘It was just hacking software, that’s all. Then I was approached by someone who asked me to build him software to hack mobile phones through the networks.’ He took a breath. ‘So, I did. Then I was able to hack into people’s minds through their mobiles and make them do things.’ He sat back and folded his arms. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Did you have anything to do with DC Roberts?’ Valentina asked.
Anderson looked up at her guiltily.
‘I was instructed to, but he beat me to it.’
‘He?’ Valentina asked, trying hard to keep her anger at bay now, being emotionally attached to the case with the disappearance of Roberts.
‘Yes, the person who’s been instructing me to carry out the jobs. He told me to kill Roberts, but I couldn’t. He then threatened to kill me, but instead killed Roberts himself. He needed me alive, despite his threats.’
‘Where is he?’ Valentina demanded.
‘I have no idea!’
‘Who is this he? Give me names, anything!’
‘Scientist83.’ Anderson turned white and threw up over the desk. The smell was putrid, causing Valentina to suspend the interview.
In her office, Valentina got on the phone to Tammy.
‘Scientist83, does that mean anything to you?’ she asked.
‘No, what’s this about?’ replied Tammy.
‘The McGregor case. We believe it’s all linked. Anderson said-’ Valentina stopped herself, then whispered, ‘I shouldn’t be telling you this.’ She then picked up her voice. ‘Anderson told us that someone by the name-tag Scientist83 had been tasking him to carry out various jobs via the Dark Net.’
‘I don’t know if I should get any more involved. I’m in way over my head, and the other day spooked me.’
‘Tammy, I really need your help!’
‘Don’t you have a department within the force for this type of stuff?’
‘I do, yes, but if I’m honest, they’re not as good as you. I know you can track this down.’ There was a long pause. ‘Are you still there, Tammy?’
‘Sorry, I am. Just thinking. I’m just not trained for this,’ Tammy responded.
‘Tammy, people have died! I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need you. I promise to not let you come to any harm.’
Again, there was a long pause followed by a sigh.
‘Okay, I’ll do it for you, but please don’t use my name in any statements or in court. Is that okay?’
Tammy could hear the change from desperation to excitement in Valentina’s voice.
‘Thank you, Tammy. I really, really appreciate it!’
‘Please, just don’t make me regret helping you.’
‘I won’t!’ The call ended, and Valentina sat back in her office chair, feeling an element of excitement. She had confidence in Tammy.
Tammy got to work straight away, hunting for Scientist83, trying to discover what connection this person had to Anderson, and so forth. The Dark Net wasn’t a place most people would like to visit. Tammy knew all about it due to the capacity of her work, but she had never jumped into the dreaded online darkness. The Dark Net was a routed allocated IP space that didn’t run any services. It was a place to access illegal sites and services.
She set up a virtual private network to protect her identity on the internet, then downloaded a Tor browser that would find the illegal sites, because Google just wouldn’t cut it. Tammy was then able to explore the dark depths of the internet. There were things on there that were beyond her imagination; things that shocked her to the core.
However, it was still like searching for a needle in a haystack. She needed more information, so she made a call back to Valentina.
‘Valentina!’ The detective’s voice was abrupt.
‘It’s me; Tammy. You okay?’
‘Could be better! How can I help you, love?’
‘I need more information. I’m on the Dark Net, but I’ve hit a brick wall.’
‘Okay, what information do you need?’ Valentina asked.
‘The chat site Anderson was on, and if possible, his computer equipment. Any IP addresses link to him?’
There was a pause.
‘This could get me into a lot of trouble, but I’m happy to cut corners in order to track down who is responsible.’ The call ended with Valentina agreeing to ship the computer equipment over to Tammy, a dodgy but “worth the risk” scenario.