“If you tell me who is behind this?”
“Grigoriev.”
“Not him, the one in Birmingham.”
“Richard Davies.”
He heard the gun and died instantly as the bullet ripped his skull apart.
108
Thursday 16th June 2011
Alison heard both gunshots and was starting to panic. She was in unyielding pain. It was bad but nothing to what the Lithuanian had borne for just a few seconds. The light had slowly been extinguished in her prison just minutes prior to the first shot having sounded and within thirty seconds she heard the second. She couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch dark. ‘Surely someone must have heard the noise? Would they think it was a bird scarer? It sounded like a cannon! They must come.’
The flap at the bottom of the door dropped down and a little light found its way in to the gloom to give some respite against the darkness.
“You ok?”
In a rasping loud lisping shout, “Simon! What’s happening?”
“I’ve just got to finish a few things off out here, and then we’ll go.”
“Let me out now!”
“No. You really do not want to see all this.”
“Let me out now. I don’t want to stay in here a second longer.”
“I’ll open the door, but please stay on the bed till the ambulance gets here. Movement could cause your ribs to puncture a lung or something.”
Simon opened the door and wedged it wide. She looked longingly at the gaping hole.
As her eyes became accustomed slowly to the bright light, she caught sight past him of the body on the floor with very little head left. She fought the urge to puke.
“Jesus Simon. What have you done?”
“I had to stop him.”
“Have you called the Police?”
“What? Of course not. I’m putting him with the others.”
“What others?”
“The one from the other night and the one round the back.”
“Simon, you can’t just keep killing people.”
“They were all for killing you.”
“Oh.”
“Is that all you can say?”
“Sorry.” Then within seconds, “Thank you.”
“Stay there and don’t move till I get back” and with that, he jogged to the outbuilding and set the generator in motion.
Within minutes he was on the phone to John and told him everything was now in hand and that as soon as he could, he’d get Alison to his flat. John said he would be waiting with Carol who had already started to prepare the room. Searching both Lithuanian brothers, he found their mobiles and with their guns, left them all by the entrance to the barn. If Petrovski or Grigoriev should turn up he could get to them and start a gun battle if needed.
The next hour and a half was spent getting the two bodies to the drainage ditch and burying them as best he could and as close to the water line as possible where very few animals were likely to get at them. It was unlikely that the bodies would be found in the foreseeable future. When the team from Kent arrived, they would ensure the place was properly cleaned, and the bodies would be dealt with. Back on her prison bed, Alison was fast asleep.
Simon began cleaning the inside of the outbuilding by wiping every surface he’d touched with an old oily rag he found by the generator. Once he was satisfied, he moved to the barn and checked around the perimeter of the prison making sure nothing could be attributed to him. Lastly, he moved into the prison itself. Simon started wiping down every surface with his oily rag, trying not to wake Alison. There was no way he wanted any of Alison’s or his fingerprints to be found. He’d rub the bed down once she was out.
He knew that a thorough search would reveal DNA, but it was a risk he could not eradicate. Rearranging one of the hoses from the generator and connecting it to the water supply, he hosed down the ground where the blood from the first man’s hand had sprayed. Picking up the bits of the second man’s head in his cloth, he took them twenty yards into the field and shook it out. The scattered remains he hoped would be picked clean by the birds and other animals and finally the insects would clean them up completely. Returning, he hosed down the whole area where the man had fallen. It didn’t worry him so much if any DNA was found as long as it wasn’t his or Alison’s.
Sitting in the passenger seat of the BMW he phoned Bruce, a medic, who was bringing the Mercedes van from Kent which was fully kitted out as an unmarked ambulance. Bruce had been parked waiting for the call in a lay-by on the A27 at the Chichester by pass. The call from Simon spurred him into action. Tuning his Sat Nav, he located the signal from the ‘trembler’ and drove straight to it. Simon was standing by the wattle gate which he opened and signalled the van through. Jumping into the passenger seat, he directed him to the parking area at the front of the barn. Reversing the vehicle to the entrance, they both got out and the tailgate rose at the instigation of a pressed button. A black Gladstone bag sat conveniently in a holder by the door which Bruce grabbed before following Simon into the prison.
Gently waking Alison, Simon introduced her to, and told her Bruce was going to get her out.
“Hi. If I said you look rough, will you be offended?”
She looked at him, “Don’t make me laugh, I know it will hurt.”
“Wait till you see how we are going to get you out.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“I was once. I won’t bore you with when it all went wrong.”
“Please. I don’t care. Just get me out.”
A quick check revealed Alison’s broken ribs and Bruce indicated to Simon to go back to the van.
“She’s going to have to come out carried on a stretcher. Anything with wheels would be problematic and I don’t want to bounce her about. She can’t weigh too much so we can easily manage between us.”
“OK.”
Alison was soon strapped into the ambulance.
Simon cleaned up the remainder of the prison and locked the door before turning the generator off. Collecting the stash from by the entrance to the barn, he put the items into his various pockets. He drove the BMW and soon caught the ambulance up as it neared the wattle gate. Bruce was going so slow that Alison could hardly detect any movement and did not feel one bump on the unmade track. Definitely preferable to her arrival. The two men held the gate for each other to leave and Simon left the BMW where he collected his Lexus. Calling Ian with its details and location, he knew it would never be seen again.
109
Thursday 16th June 2011
When the ambulance got to John’s block of flats, Bruce found him walking about between the visitors parking area and the road. Simon had arrived at the same time but parked in West Street. Alison was fast asleep again and Bruce, at John’s direction, parked directly outside the entrance to the foyer. No one noticed her being carried on a stretcher into the entrance and up to the spare bedroom in John’s flat. After a quick chat to Carol, Bruce was soon gone again in the ambulance heading back to Kent where it was in use daily with the disabled veterans.
Carol took one look at her discoloured thumb and putting Alison’s arm under hers gripped the thumb and gave it a sharp yank. Alison woke and yelped in pain as the thumb was returned to its normal position. The throbbing which had been getting progressively worse over the day seemed to stop directly. Soon Carol was using Alison as a pin cushion sticking a needle into the base of her thumb and then into each arm. She ordered John to fetch water and when he returned with it, she put a tablet into the glass that began effervescing. Alison gagged as the water was poured into her mouth as she lay flat on the bed.
“Hope you have a bucket handy, I reckon she’ll throw up in about three minutes.”
John ran from the room to find his cleaning bucket.
Simon, who was sitting on a side chair watching the goings on said to Carol, “She was punched in the side of her head, had a knee stamped on and kicked in her ribs.”
“Why do they always kick pe
ople in their ribs?”
“Easiest place I suppose.”
Carol checked Alison’s ribs, “I think some are broken, but without an x-ray I can’t be sure how many. I’ll sort something out for that to happen.”
She looked in Alison’s mouth after telling Simon to hold it open while she had her fingers inside. Having been bitten before, she took precautions. Carol took hold of a very loose rear top molar and found it practically came out without any effort from her. The tooth next to it also followed. Alison’s face was contorted in agony.
Carol saw Alison looking at her with hate in her eyes.
“Shan’t be much longer, then you will feel much better.”
Alison was desperate to speak but seemed unable to get anything out except some grunting.
“We’ll sort out a dentist later.”
Simon noticed Alison was now looking at him with vicious eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that. I got you out didn’t I?”
Another short burst of grunting.
“Let’s see her knee” and she started to take off Alison’s chinos.
“Better idea. Pass those big scissors.” Simon handed the big scissors from the huge bag of Carol’s that she was picking things out of. She cut up from the ankle just past the knee.
After a cursory examination, “That one’s ok” and she cut up the second leg. “That feels ok. Next time she’s awake and talking coherently, we need to know which knee it was.”
John came puffing back into the room with a brown plastic bucket.
“Looks like she won’t need that now.”
He still put the bucket next to the head of the bed.
“Right gentlemen, please leave the room while I put this lady to bed.”
Both John and Simon retired to the kitchen and Simon had the first decent hot drink he could remember in about three days. He briefed John as to ‘Grigoriev’ and Richard Davies but failed to mention the three bodies. John knew something had happened but did not want to know any details if Simon chose not to tell him. Carol joined them and informed John she would be spending a few nights there to make sure Alison was alright.
“I’ll go to Alison’s flat. I can stay there.”
Carol looked astounded and said, “There’s the other spare bedroom here. I’m in the master bedroom with the master.”
John looked around for something to focus on.
“If that’s alright.”
“I would suggest you have a shower though as soon as possible, you actually smell quite strongly.”
Simon stripped off his clothes which John took and threw all together into his washing machine. He didn’t bother with the shower, he went straight for the bath. Letting the hot water lap over and around his body caused him to drift off a little and close his eyes. He was in there for nearly an hour topping up the water regularly and using up a whole new bottle of John’s favourite Radox. Several times, he was on the verge of falling asleep. John provided him with an old but clean pair of jogging pants that were way too small for him and appeared never to have been used much, if at all. They were a little too big for Simon, but they sufficed. Once dry, he moved back to the kitchen where pleasant smells were being created. Carol was cooking a lasagne with additional vegetables and saw his torso as he entered.
Rhetorically she said, “Why can’t John look after his body like that?”
As they ate, Simon, who had not been formally introduced to Carol, told her who he was as it was patently obvious John was going to say nothing. Between mouthfuls, he told her he was ex-military and had been looking after Alison and watching over her as she had been held prisoner. Mentioning nothing about the three corpses and their sudden departure from life, he explained that Alison could not be rescued until certain criteria could be established. Unfortunately, it appeared that it may all have been in vain.
She in turn explained that she had once been an army doctor and had worked in the field of various war zones. That was why she was quite happy looking after someone away from an actual hospital. Having met John originally in Ireland, she knew not to ask questions of him, and was happy to renew their acquaintance when she moved to Sussex.
John said absolutely nothing.
At the meal’s conclusion, Simon asked, “How’s Alison?”
“She’ll sleep for at least a day or two. What I gave her would knock out an elephant. I will arrange for x-rays later and John can organise the dentist.”
“There is one thing I need to do at Alison’s flat before I can come back and sleep.”
110
Thursday 16th June 2011
Parking his Lexus in the Nuffield hospital’s car park, he jogged directly to Alison’s flat meeting Hannibal as he climbed the stairs where they both evaded the cotton trap and went inside. Simon opened a tin of cat food dropping it directly into Hannibal’s bowl which was still where he’d left it previously. The cat seemed indifferent to the food picking at it apparently not very hungry. ‘Typical’ thought Simon, ‘Cat’s find food anywhere and never go hungry.’ He gathered some clothes that he selected from Alison’s bedroom and put them into a rucksack he found at the bottom of her wardrobe. Then he settled down to wait.
Hannibal joined him on the settee. Simon had left the front door slightly ajar as he dozed waiting for the visitor. It was 11.30pm when he heard slight puffing and panting coming up the stairs. As it reached the top, the puffing and panting stopped.
“There is a gun pointing at your back and one at your chest. Please put your gun away and come into the lounge.”
Petrovski stood at the open door with his gun in his hand. He knew that if true, he could already have been dead. He wasn’t that stupid an oaf!
Standing at the door, he considered his options. All of them seemed to end up with him being dead. No choice. He put his gun back into his shoulder holster and pushing the door fully open, he walked towards the lounge. Simon was standing by the kitchen door.
“I’m just making a cup of tea. Do you want one?”
Petrovski was puzzled and heard himself say, “Yes.”
He watched Simon put tea bags into two mugs, “Milk and sugar?”
“Yes,” then “one.”
Simon completed the tea and handing a mug to Petrovski and taking his own, turned his back as he walked into the lounge. Petrovski followed totally perplexed.
“Have a seat Petrovski we have some things to discuss.”
They sat facing each other.
“The reason you aren’t dead is because of a bottle of water.”
“I don’t understand?”
“I have been at the barn from the first day the two Lithuanians took the lady there. I have watched the comings and goings every day and visited her every night. I had to kill your night watcher Dimitri, and I saw you bury him. The two, who I presume were brothers, are now lying next to him in the same drainage ditch. I saw ‘Grigoriev’ go into her cell and heard her screams as did you. I watched the fruitless search that you all mounted looking for me. But you had compassion Petrovski, and left her a bottle of water.”
Petrovski drank from his mug.
“Grigoriev should not have hit a defenceless woman.”
“You gave her a chance, and that is what I am offering you.”
Hannibal, who had slunk into the corner of the room when the two men had entered and had sat watching, now started to feel confident and walked back to the settee and jumped up to sit next to Simon who casually stroked him.
“Who are you?”
“I am your worst nightmare. I kill people” and Simon sipped his tea.
“You led me to Crawley. Why bother?”
“To try to convince Grigoriev that I was no one to worry about.”
“You know he suspected you from the first day he saw you here?”
“Yes. I presume he was once with the KGB.”
“He is not a very nice person.”
“Down to business Petrovski. I know where and what I will be doing in the near f
uture. If our paths cross again, I will not be so amicable. May I make a few suggestions? Do not go anywhere near Birmingham or Richard Davies. Do not bother contacting Grigoriev again; he will think you are dead. Leave your car with the keys in it where it is now and dump your phone. There is £5000 in this envelope. Go back home to Russia.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Like I said, a bottle of water.”
“I could just shoot you.”
“You would be dead as soon as you tried to leave. A friend is outside with clear line of sight on the front door and he has never missed.”
Petrovski drained his tea.
“The tea tastes better in Russia.”
“I will signal him before you leave.”
Petrovski looked at the money in the envelope, and then put it in his pocket.
“No one will be looking for you Petrovski. Go home to your family.”
Simon opened the front door, and waved to his imaginary friend.
“You’re safe to go.”
He watched from the front door as Petrovski strode back to the Audi, put the keys in the ignition and walked off out of sight with no backward glance. Shutting the front door, he returned to the settee where he found Hannibal sniffing Petrovski’s discarded phone.
111
Thursday 16th June 2011
to
Friday 17th June 2011
Simon scrolled through the directory on the phone and saw various numbers for the unfortunate deceased. He had kept the mobile phones from the Lithuanian brothers, but neither had the numbers he wanted. They were cheap untraceable pay as you go phones which only had Grigoriev’s, Petrovski’s, Dimitri’s and each other’s numbers stored and that was all. No calls were recorded to any other number.
Petrovski’s phone on the other hand was a gold mine for Simon. It had a few additional numbers which were what he needed. There was a number stored under ‘RD PA’ and one for ‘Sol Yusuf’. Other numbers stored appeared to relate to personal contacts in Russia which Petrovski called infrequently.
Putting the phone into the rucksack, Simon looked for Hannibal. The cat seemed to know he was going to be ejected once again from the flat, and had taken refuge on Alison’s bed. Picking him up, he opened the door and put him out, and then followed him down the stairs having shut and locked the front door firmly behind him. Petrovski had broken the cotton on his way out and it seemed pointless for Simon to replace it. He went to the Audi and got in. It was a basic hire car which was good enough for what he wanted.
An Urgent Murder Page 35