by Ed James
‘What about Katerina Raptis?’
‘That’s her surname? I’ve been looking for her but can’t find anything.’
‘Try it with a K.’
‘Oh? Still nothing.’
‘Just try Kat.’
She gasped. ‘Tons of emails . . . Most of it’s stuff about drugs, some about bullying . . . There’s a couple with videos.’
‘Can you open one?’
‘It’s a video of her cat. Same as the other three.’ She paused. ‘Why did Liam need to lie to me about her?’
‘I wish I knew. Can you try Steve Fisher?’
More typing. ‘Nothing.’ Then more. ‘Wait.’
‘What is it?’
‘A video.’ Sex sounds filled the line. ‘Got it. Liam sent him it.’
There we go . . . Liam, you stupid bastard. Sending that video to Steve.
‘Cally, I know it’s upsetting, but I need to find Liam. Can you check his location again?’
She paused. ‘Fine.’ Then it was like she’d disappeared.
‘Hello?’
‘I’ve got something. I think it’s off now, but it says his last location, an hour ago, was in the City?’
‘Here?’ Fenchurch stood on Threadneedle Street, just outside the Bank of England. The old NatWest Tower was glowing in the sky above them. He scanned around again. No sign of Liam. No sign of anyone. ‘Where is he?’
‘You tried calling again?’
Fenchurch got out his mobile and called Liam’s number. The calls were stacking up — that was the eighteenth. Same result, voicemail. ‘Still off.’ He killed it and put the phone away. ‘What’s going on?’
Reed was looking at her own phone. ‘Last time you saw him, he waiting for Cally, but she missed him. Then he’s in the City, a few miles south. Where’s he going?’
Fenchurch stared at his phone again like it could find him.
‘Should we get some units going round Dalston looking for this rave?’
‘Needle in a haystack, Kay. Assuming he went on his own.’ Fenchurch looked around as a bus swept past. ‘Worth getting some of our City mates out?’
‘Maybe.’ Reed put her phone to her ear. ‘Lisa, are you ignoring my texts?’ She paused, listening, then waved a hand at Fenchurch. ‘It’s back on. Lisa, are you tracking it?’ Another pause. ‘WhatsApp last had it in the City. We’re here and—’ She started off towards the car. ‘Why the hell is he there?’
Fenchurch pulled up outside the Bennaceur and got out.
‘Simon.’ Mulholland was pacing around outside, talking to someone on the phone. She waved at them and walked off.
Bridge joined them, carrying her laptop under her arm. ‘Guessing this’ll be more CCTV work?’
‘I promise, Lisa.’ Fenchurch followed her and Reed in. ‘Next case, you’ll get something more interesting.’
‘Believe that when I see it.’
At the security desk, Jim Muscat was messing about on his phone.
Fenchurch stopped Reed. ‘What the hell is he doing here?’
‘Mulholland didn’t charge him, guv. Of course, you’d know that if you’d bothered paying attention to your own case.’
‘Right.’ Fenchurch walked up to the desk. ‘Evening, Jim.’ He held up a photo of Liam. ‘Looking for this man. Seen him?’
Muscat looked at it, then shrugged. Kept his mouth shut.
‘You okay?’
‘What, you think you can just pitch up here and everything’s hunky dory again?’ Muscat laughed, but his eyes were full of fury. ‘You tried to charge me with revenge porn. Illicit taping! It wasn’t even me!’
‘You had footage of a couple having sex on a drive round your neck. What else is it?’
‘I was covering my arse!’ Muscat’s nostrils flared. ‘It’s lucky that Dawn Mulholland got wind of it. Nice to have an old mate help me out.’ He shook his head. ‘Dropped me back in here in time for my bleeding shift. If the pair of clowns who own this place hear about what’s happened, I’ll lose my bloody job. I can’t afford that.’
‘Tell the truth, Jim. You can still hold your head high. Easy to get another job.’
‘Getting this one was hard enough.’
Fenchurch held up his phone again. ‘Look, has he been here?’
‘Not that I’ve seen.’ Muscat yawned. ‘I’m off form. Night in the cells isn’t conducive to a good sleep.’
Fenchurch smiled at him. ‘Sod it. Lisa, can you do your magic?’
‘Out of the way.’ Bridge barged past Muscat and got at the CCTV console. She sat at the machine and whizzed it back. ‘Here we go.’
Liam was outside the hotel, hood up, slipping in the front door.
‘This is an hour ago.’
‘So he’s here?’
‘He was here, at least.’
‘Jim, he walked right past you.’
‘I didn’t see him. I was with Nazar for a minute. Bleeding nightmare through there. He can’t get hold of my boy and his whisky’s all smashed.’
‘He’s in custody.’
‘What?’
‘Shouldn’t have been dealing drugs, Jim.’
‘Shit.’ Muscat shut his eyes. ‘Shit.’ He ran off through the front door.
‘Perfect. Now, where do we start looking for Liam?’
‘I’ll look for him leaving, sir.’ Bridge punched the CCTV unit. ‘The system here is very patchy, as you know.’
‘That’s all—’
‘Simon.’ Mulholland was over by the front door. ‘I need a word?’ She motioned through the staff door.
Fenchurch ignored her. ‘Kay, get a team in. We need to go through every room.’
‘Assuming Liam’s here.’
‘Well, if we search everywhere, then we’ll know he’s not.’
‘Guv.’ Reed stomped off, Airwave to her ear.
‘Come on, then.’ Fenchurch followed Mulholland through the staff door.
Sutekh Bennaceur lay on the floor.
Fenchurch raced over to him and reached for a pulse. Still alive.
‘Goddamn animals!’ His eyes were waggling in his head. ‘Goddamn . . .’
Shit — more Blockchain . . .
Chapter Forty-Seven
The foyer was filled with uniform. None of them seemed to know what they were doing. Reed waved her hands around, trying to organise the searches, but nobody was paying attention.
Fenchurch barged through.
The front doors opened. ‘Guys, guys, let me through!’ A paramedic piled in the front door. James Mackay, pushing a gurney. Cracked it off Cheeky’s thigh. Mackay stopped to apologise. ‘Sorry, but you were standing in the way.’
‘James! Through here!’ Fenchurch led them through to the staff room.
Sutekh was still out cold, not that it looked that different to him awake.
Mulholland was kneeling next to him.
Mackay crouched down and pulled his eyelids back. ‘Looks like Blockchain.’
Sutekh grabbed his wrist. ‘Get off, you goddamn poof! Rutting in my goddamn hotel!’
Fenchurch pulled Sutekh’s arms down, pinning him. ‘Thought that stuff was supposed to make you happy?’
‘Some people need more than others.’ Mackay got at his eyes finally. ‘Ah, yeah. This is Blockchain. Can you find it?’
Fenchurch let go of Sutekh and looked around. A coffee mug was on its side, but hardly any had spilled on to the counter. Sutekh had drunk it.
Shit.
Katerina made the coffee. Did she drug him?
Fenchurch put the mug into an evidence bag and showed it to Mackay. ‘What difference would it make if you drank it?’
‘Ecstasy?’ Mackay let go and took it. Sutekh flopped on to the floor, snoring. ‘You’d come up quicker.’
‘Come up?’
‘You know, Si. Don’t joke with me.’ Mackay pulled his fingers up from his feet. ‘You start with a tingle in your toes and it comes up your body.’ He inspected the mug again. ‘Your stomach has to dissolve a pill first. If it’s all d
issolved, it’ll hit your bloodstream straight away. Problem with this stuff is it’s— Hmm. Super-strong MDMA. The effects are going to hit quicker. Ah, shit.’ He tossed the mug back and grabbed his bag. ‘Here, Keith? Keith? We need to sedate him, now!’
‘I’ll get out of your way.’ Fenchurch left them with Mulholland and went back to the foyer. ‘Getting anywhere?’
‘Ground floor done.’ Reed let out a sigh. ‘Top floor half done. Second is underway. Gayle’s floor is still cordoned off.’ She frowned. ‘Is he okay?’
‘Blockchain.’ Fenchurch got out of the way of the gurney. Sutekh just lay there, eyes rolling back in his head.
Fenchurch felt that same gnawing at his gut. He stormed over to Bridge at the security desk. ‘Lisa, have you got the CCTV from earlier?’
‘Here you go.’ Bridge hit the space bar and the screen filled with grainy footage. Liam sloped into reception, hood up. Sutekh was sleeping behind the desk. He jerked himself awake, then slipped away again. Liam disappeared over by the lifts, passing beyond the edge of the frame.
‘So he’s here?’
Bridge squinted at the footage. ‘I assume he takes the stairs, but they’re not visible on the network either.’
‘Great.’ Fenchurch sat on the desk with a thump and looked across the foyer, rapidly emptying of uniforms now he was there. That gnawing was back. ‘Right, Lisa, you’re with me.’
Fenchurch charged along the corridor and stopped. ‘Shit.’ The crime scene tape was torn, the plastic seal flapping in the breeze.
Where the hell is the breeze coming from?
Fenchurch snapped out his baton and looked behind him. Bridge was snapping hers out too. ‘Slowly, okay?’ He stepped through the tear into the corridor. The door to Gayle’s room was hanging open. ‘Shit.’ He stopped dead.
Liam was strapped to the bed, naked except for his pants. He looked up, his head wobbling. A huge cut in his forehead. Spit dribbled from his mouth, hanging in a chain down to his chin. ‘Si? I love you, man. Love you.’ His eyes waggled.
‘Get those medics back here!’
‘Come on, guys, out of the way!’ Mackay raced over to the bed and dropped his bag at the foot. ‘Oh, in the name of the wee man.’ He hopped up on the bed and started examining Liam.
‘It’s . . . Blockchain.’ Fenchurch stood back. ‘Check his eyes.’
‘They look okay to me, Si.’ Mackay shone a light into his sockets, then up at the wound on his head. ‘I’m more worried about that gash in his head.’
Fenchurch joined him on the bed, following Mackay’s inspection. His eyes were straight now.
Maybe he’s just pissed? Sinking those glasses of beer at that pub . . .
Why the hell is he in here, all tied up? Some weird sex game?
Liam’s eye waggled.
‘There!’
‘I saw it. More Blockchain.’ Mackay went into his bag and pulled out a chunky syringe. He sucked the juice out of a bottle and stabbed the needle into Liam’s left arm. ‘This diazepam will hopefully bring him down before it hits.’
Liam jolted as Mackay injected the drug. He sucked in a deep breath, then breathed rapidly.
‘That’ll do for now.’ Mackay stuffed his gear back in the bag. ‘He’s still slap-dab in the middle of the woods, though, not out of them.’ He shook his head. ‘We’re lucky. It’s just kicking in now. Unlike your man downstairs.’
‘Dr Mulkalwar knows about this.’
‘She’s good. I’ll get her on this.’ Mackay beckoned his mate over. They got Liam between them and walked him away.
‘Si?’ Liam looked round at him from the doorway, eyes rolling. ‘Si?’
‘It’s okay, Liam. You’ll be okay.’
‘Katerina.’
‘What?’
‘She attacked me.’ Liam tried to rub his forehead but missed the wound. ‘She attacked me . . .’ Then Mackay led him out.
Fenchurch slumped on to the bed.
Katerina is the killer.
Chapter Forty-Eight
This is bad.’ Fenchurch skipped down the steps. ‘Why did she kill Gayle? Why has she attacked Sutekh? And Liam? They’re close, so it . . . just doesn’t make any sense.’
Reed’s look showed she had less of an idea than him.
Fenchurch got out his phone, dialling as he walked. ‘Cally? It’s DI Fenchurch.’
‘Have you found him?’ Her voice was trembling.
‘He’s okay, but we think someone’s drugged him.’
‘Oh my God!’
‘He’s in the best hands and we found him quick. He’ll pull through.’
‘Oh.’ Her pause was filled with tears. ‘Who did it?’
Fenchurch stared at Reed as they rounded the corner towards the foyer. ‘We don’t know.’
‘Will you hold them down for me while I stand on their throat?’
‘I won’t get in your way, that’s for sure.’ Fenchurch grabbed the door handle but didn’t open it. ‘He’s on his way to the Royal London.’
‘Okay. Thanks.’ And she was gone.
Fenchurch put his phone away then dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets.
Reed opened the door.
‘Where is she?’ Jocasta Raptis was fighting against Uzma. ‘Where—’ Then she saw Fenchurch and raced over to him. ‘They’re saying my Katerina’s—’
‘Listen to me.’ Fenchurch shared a glare between Jocasta and Uzma. ‘Mrs Raptis, your daughter’s a murder suspect.’
‘Not my Katerina. No.’
‘She’s been handling sensitive information. She’s abducted someone and she’s—’
‘No!’
‘—assaulted another two people, risking their lives.’
‘No!’
‘We need to find her. Have you any idea where she is?’
‘I don’t know!’ Jocasta looked around, then shut her eyes. ‘This is too much.’ Her eyes opened again, focused on Fenchurch. Then a light bulb went on. ‘She’s run off! You sniffing around, it’s scared her. You’ve frightened her! My baby! My poor baby!’
‘Could she be with her father?’
‘He’s dead! My husband and my son died in a car crash. His drinking killed them! Now I’ve lost her!’
‘Is there anyone else she—’
‘I pushed my husband away. He hated me for being so controlling. I only wanted to love him. That’s why I’m so liberal with Katerina. I just want her to stay with me. I can’t stand losing her!’
‘We need to find her. Is there anyone else she could’ve gone to?’
‘She doesn’t have many friends. Just that teacher. That’s the only one she talked about.’
‘Sergeant.’ Fenchurch took Uzma to the side. ‘What the hell are you doing bringing her here?’
‘Dawn asked me. We thought—’
‘Take her to Leman Street and dig into her story. Okay? Find out if she’s covering for her daughter. And get a bloody lead!’
‘Sir.’ Uzma led Jocasta away. ‘Come on, let’s get you a cup of tea.’
Reed glared at her back. ‘What now, guv?’
‘I thought she’d be here, Kay. Thought she’d have . . . I don’t know, left a trace? Something. But she’s left Liam and Sutekh to die, and she’s run off.’
‘We need to retrace her steps, guv.’ Reed walked over to the desk. ‘Lisa, have you got anything?’
‘Something.’ Bridge tapped at her laptop and swivelled the screen round. ‘This is what little CCTV we’ve got of her.’ The screen showed Katerina sneaking down a corridor. Bridge thumbed at the screen. ‘This is near Gayle’s hotel room.’
Fenchurch stared at the image, Katerina looking lost and alone, more victim than criminal. ‘This is good.’
Bridge bit her lip. ‘Problem is, I can’t find her leaving.’
‘So she’s still in the hotel?’
‘Maybe.’ Bridge flicked to some other footage. Katerina walked in the front door, smiling at Sutekh behind the desk. Then he started shouting at he
r, waving his hands in the air. Ran them down her arms and cupped her breasts. She jerked away from him and slouched off to the staff room. Then he fell asleep.
Bridge wound it on and Katerina came out, minus her heavy coat. Another argument with Sutekh and she retreated back through the door. Then Fenchurch and Reed appeared, waking up Sutekh. They went through to the office and Sutekh sat sipping coffee until he had another nap, until Fenchurch and Reed left.
Then nothing, just Sutekh snoozing in an empty foyer until Liam appeared forty minutes later. Katerina followed him upstairs. The video remained static until Jim Muscat limped in, looking shifty as he sat behind the desk like he’d been there all day.
‘This is the back door.’ The screen showed the Vine Street exit, everyone walking and smoking in superfast speed. Nobody came in or out. ‘I’m thinking she’s still here, but I don’t know where.’
‘She’s just vanished into thin air. Great.’ Fenchurch wanted to collapse. ‘Have you got anywhere with her computer?’
Bridge leaned back, arms folded. ‘Hasn’t DS Ashkani told you?’
Fenchurch sighed. ‘Told me what?’
‘The photos.’ Reed went to a file filled with images of Gayle Fisher.
In school, marking in the staff room. Talking in a class. Jogging in the playing fields. In the street, walking with her headphones on. Walking with Steve. Jogging again. Talking to her batty old neighbour.
In her house, watching a film. Cooking. Ironing.
Upstairs, taking her bra off as she got ready for bed.
Upstairs, having sex with Steve.
Stills from the sex video with Elliot.
Fenchurch pinched his nose. ‘She was obsessed with Gayle.’
‘I’ve found poems and stories. Weird shit. They’re all about Katerina having sex with Gayle. Dildos, strap-ons, burning each other with candles. Cutting her, drinking her blood. Writing on her skin with a Stanley knife. Then one about killing her. Wrote it just after she got the video.’
Fenchurch got up and started pacing. ‘I’ve had people going round every room in this place. You’ve covered the doors. Where the hell is she?’
‘Wait.’ Bridge frowned as she hammered the keyboard. She pulled up some more video. ‘Have a look at this.’
The screen showed a corridor, a kitchen porter leaning against a wall, sucking on a vape stick, watching something on his phone.