Danger by Association: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 3

by Heather Burnside

  So, having finally decided there was nothing else she could do tonight, Raeni poured herself a small measure of her best Jamaican rum. She’d kept it for years and had it hidden away for special occasions. Well, tonight might not be a special occasion, but it was definitely one of those times when a little drop of rum wouldn’t go amiss. When she’d finished her rum, she took herself off to bed, but despite the rum she had a troubled night’s sleep.

  Chapter 23

  Friday 21st June 1996 – Around Midnight

  “Right, I’m taking no chances. This time I’m going in on my own,” said John.

  They were sitting in the car a few houses away from 11 Hitchin Street, Kyle Palmer’s address.

  “No you’re bloody not!” said Rita. “How on earth do you think you’ll manage on your own?”

  “I’m professionally trained, remember. What d’you think I spent all those years doing in the army? Not to mention my police training. No offence, but after what happened at that school, you two could be a bit of a liability.”

  Rita scowled.

  “Trust me, I know what I’m doing. Don’t forget, I’ll have the element of surprise on my side,” he said.

  Eventually, she agreed to let John do the job alone, but she took a lot of persuading from both John and Yansis.

  John located the house. He didn’t want to risk entry from the front; there was no cover. The garden was devoid of shrubbery, just a trampled down patchwork of weeds, and tufts of grass that had perhaps once been a lawn. So he sneaked round the back where he would be out of view. He carried out a quick recce.

  There was no easy way to get in at ground level, but an upstairs window was slightly open. It was situated above the back door, which had a canopy. He could reach the window if he stood on top of the canopy. But first, he needed to climb onto the canopy. He looked around for something he could use.

  John spotted a battered old set of garden furniture. The table and chairs had all seen better days, but perhaps they would be good enough for the job. He fetched a chair over to the house, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Yes, it would reach. Just about.

  John stepped onto the chair with one foot at first, to test it against his weight. It seemed OK. He scouted round to make sure nobody was watching him. All was quiet.

  He clambered on top of the chair. Full of trepidation, he reached towards the canopy. Bearing down, John launched his body upwards, springing off his legs and tugging with his arms simultaneously. The force was too much. He felt the chair give way beneath him before it let out a resounding crash. With the edge of the canopy at chest level, he propelled his body forwards and climbed onto it.

  Below he could hear voices. They were over the other side of the house. He crouched down low, hoping that no one would look out of the bedroom windows. After a few moments; silence.

  Thankfully, the canopy would have obscured him from view if anybody peered through the downstairs windows. And the back door was far enough away to prevent the chair from being spotted. It would have remained tucked in the shadows under the darkness of night. Fortunately, nobody seemed to have noticed that the garden furniture was a chair short.

  When John felt it was safe to do so, he pushed the window open further and climbed inside. It was still dark in the small bedroom but someone had left the door ajar, and he could see light in the distance. He made his way to the bedroom door.

  The light was coming from a room at the other end of the landing. He could overhear a couple having a heated discussion. Putting his training to good practice, he checked the other rooms first. He didn’t want any surprises. They were clear.

  He approached the final bedroom, tiptoeing across the landing. A man stepped into view. But John was ready. He drew his gun.

  “Don’t move! Just tell me what I need to know, and you won’t get hurt,” said John.

  The man stayed still, apart from a sideways nod. John assumed it was directed at the other person in the room. It was a signal. But he didn’t know that.

  “How many of you are there?” asked John.

  “Just me and my girlfriend.”

  “Step out and you won’t get hurt,” called John.

  He waited. Several seconds passed. He called again. She still didn’t come out.

  “It’s OK, I won’t hurt you.”

  He glanced to the side, noting the position of the stairwell. If she wouldn’t come out, he’d have to go in. He stepped forward, positioning himself between the room door and the stairs. An unwise move, taken under duress.

  “Come out!” he repeated.

  Finally, the woman appeared.

  While he was focusing his attention on the couple, two men shot up the stairs. They’d been expecting company since Raeni had inadvertently tipped them off. Once they received the warning call from the upstairs bedroom, they were quick to respond.

  John was surrounded.

  ***

  Friday 21st June 1996 – Just before Midnight - Daniel

  Although it was June, the nights were cold, and Daniel’s cough was getting worse. Six nights in a dank cellar, with only a threadbare blanket to cover him, were taking their toll on his asthma. And he didn’t have his inhalers.

  It was just past midnight and, despite the chill of the cellar, Daniel was burning up. The largest wound on his arm had become infected. He was crying from the constant pain and his distress at the sight of the swollen, festering mass. His cries had now become a repetitive sob, interrupted by frequent coughing and wheezing.

  He couldn’t sleep. The combination of pain, distress and fear was keeping him awake. Convinced that all sorts of evil beings would come for him once he nodded off, Daniel sat on the mattress with his back to the wall, clutching the blanket for comfort.

  When he heard the door opening, Daniel’s head jerked back, startled, his eyes wide open and staring. He wasn’t used to night visitors.

  It was the woman. Daniel’s shoulders relaxed, relieved that at least it wasn’t the man. She walked over to him and surprised him by laying her hand across his forehead. Just like his mummy did when he was ill.

  “Here, take this,” she said, holding out some medicine on a spoon.

  Daniel did as he was told. The sweet syrupy medicine was the best thing he had tasted since he arrived. It reminded him of home, and he cried fresh tears.

  “Right, now drink some of this,” instructed the woman.

  She held out a glass of liquid. To Daniel it looked tempting, bringing a beautiful amber glow to his sombre surroundings. But as soon as it hit his throat, it burnt, making him shriek.

  The woman tutted, and pulled the glass of brandy away. Unused to dealing with children, she foolishly thought it might ease his chest. Instead of easing his cough, though, it made him cough more.

  While Daniel was still recovering from the shock of the fiery liquid, the woman disappeared from the cellar. She left Daniel alone once more. Vulnerable and afraid.

  Chapter 24

  Saturday 22nd June 1996 – Past Midnight

  After John left them, Rita waited until he was out of earshot before making a move.

  “What are you doing?” asked Yansis as she got out of the car. “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t follow him.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep to our word. I just want to watch him go in; make sure he’s got the right house.”

  She watched John walk round to the rear of the house, keeping quiet so he wouldn’t know she was there. Although she wouldn’t follow him, she needed to do something. And perhaps seeing him enter the property was the next best thing. Unable to spot anything else, she returned to the car after a couple of minutes.

  They waited. Time seemed to drag, and Rita was becoming concerned. She was fidgety. Not knowing what to do with her hands, she shoved them inside her jacket pockets, and nervously fiddled with the contents.

  “He’s been gone for ages,” she said. “I wonder what the bloody hell he’s doing in there!”

  “Rita, I’ve told you, Jo
hn knows what he’s doing. Just be patient. He will be back soon.”

  “No, sod it! I’ve waited long enough. I’m going in. Are you coming?”

  “No, wait.”

  “No! I can’t wait any longer. Anything could be happening. He could be in trouble while we’re sat out here doing piss all about it.”

  Rita had already opened the car door and stepped onto the kerb.

  “Wait, I will come with you,” said Yansis. “If you will not listen to me then I cannot let you do this on your own. But calm down first, Rita. We need to be careful.”

  Panic seized her at the prospect of what they were about to do, and she stepped back into the car. “Yeah, you’re right … we need to think about this.”

  She quietly pulled the door shut. “OK, we know John went in around the back, so I think we should go in the front way. If they’ve found John, they won’t be expecting someone else to come in through a different entrance.”

  “And how do we get inside?”

  “Have you got any credit cards on you?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Let me borrow one and I’ll show you.”

  Yansis paused, a look of disapproval on his face.

  “OK, you can either lend me the card and we’ll do it the quiet way, or else I’ll have to smash a window.”

  He sighed and withdrew a card from his wallet, then handed it over to Rita. She took the card and pushed it inside her voluminous jacket pocket before they set off. “Right, come on. Let’s go.”

  Checking there was no one watching, they entered the garden and approached the front door. Rita slipped the card into the tiny gap between door and jamb, and slid it up and down until she located the lock. Then she withdrew the card and reinserted it against the lock, hoping it was the type that would give under the pressure. It took a few attempts before she succeeded.

  She turned to look at Yansis, and thrust the card back into her pocket. Then she pushed the door open and they both stepped inside. It was quiet. They sidled up to the front room where the door was wide open. Rita peered inside. There didn’t seem to be anyone around. She soon realised where everyone was when she heard voices from upstairs.

  “Who the fuck are you?” a man shouted to someone upstairs. She guessed they had found John.

  Instinct took over. Rita raced upstairs. She quickly took in the scene. Two men at the top of the stairs, their backs to her. Guns aimed at John. Behind John, another man. And a woman. John, surrounded. His gun drawn but unused.

  Without pausing, Rita withdrew the gun she had concealed in her jacket pocket. She pointed it into the back of the man nearest to her. “Don’t fuckin’ move!” she ordered. “Or you’re a gonner.”

  She noticed the look of surprise on her brother’s face before she continued. “Right, now drop your guns.”

  The men hesitated.

  “I said drop your fuckin’ guns!” she shouted, jabbing the gun hard into the man’s back.

  They both responded to the threat, placing their guns on the ground.

  “Right, now step aside. I want you in that room with them two.” Without addressing John by name, she looked at him, and added, “And you step back, out of the way.”

  The men did as they were instructed and, once they were clear of the landing, John told Yansis to grab the men’s guns while he and Rita covered him.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” said John. “You two go first.”

  Moving to the top of the stairs, he descended them backwards so he could keep the enemy in his sights. Once they were outside, they ran to the car.

  “Quick, Yansis, but stay within the limits!” said John. “We don’t want to attract any police attention, but we need to get away from here as soon as possible … Shit! That was a close call.”

  “I knew we should have gone in with you!” said Rita.

  “They took me by surprise, but thanks Reet. You really got me out of the shit there. When did you learn to handle a gun, anyway?”

  “I didn’t, but I wasn’t gonna bloody tell them that, was I?”

  “Where did you get it?” asked Yansis.

  “Courtesy of Jamal. I’m surprised he didn’t recognise it. That’s if he was one of the men in the house.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I lifted it from Raeni’s house when we searched his bedroom. I had a feeling it might come in handy.”

  “I’m surprised I didn’t see it on you,” said John.

  “That’s because I waited till you were out of the car before I took it from under the seat. That’s why I sat in the back, so Yansis wouldn’t know either. I tell you what, these bloody big pockets come in handy. Yansis didn’t have a clue what I was hiding in them.”

  Despite Rita’s bravado, the shock of what she had just done was beginning to register. “Jesus, my bleedin’ hands are trembling. I’m shaking like a leaf!”

  “I’m not surprised,” said John. “After what you’ve just done.”

  When they were safely out of the area, they parked the car to discuss their situation.

  “What next, John?” asked Rita.

  “I don’t know. We can’t go back there again. They’ll be ready for us. We still don’t know whether Jamal’s got Daniel; I didn’t get a chance to search the house. I think we’ve come to the end of the road. I’m sorry Reet, but I’ll have to report it. Let me sleep on it tonight, but I’m on the night shift tomorrow so I’ll go and see Smithson when I get in.”

  Rita didn’t argue. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  Chapter 25

  Saturday 22nd June 1996 - Daytime

  The day after they broke into the house where Jamal was staying, Rita was in a quandary. She had hoped to bring Daniel back home with them, but hadn’t succeeded. She wished they could have searched the entire property, and cursed their bad luck at how things had turned out.

  Unfortunately, Jamal now knew they were onto him. So, even if Daniel had been at the house, chances were that Jamal would get him out of there before the police got involved.

  Rita therefore felt she couldn’t wait around to find out what the outcome would be once John reported Raeni’s suspicions at work that evening. There must be something else she could do. And there was still a chance Jamal didn’t have Daniel. Maybe it was the paedophile all along. Perhaps John was wrong about him. Just because he hadn’t admitted anything to John, didn’t mean he was innocent.

  “I’m going to ring our John,” she said to Yansis, who was sitting beside her in Julie’s living room. “I’ll see if he’ll give me the address of that paedophile.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because we don’t know whether it’s Jamal. We’ve just been assuming that based on what Raeni’s told us. It might be the paedophile.”

  “Oh, and you think you can go running round there … It’s ridiculous, Rita. He didn’t tell John anything, and he won’t tell you either.”

  “He might, if I take a different approach. Beating him up hasn’t got us anywhere so maybe if we appeal to his conscience, let him see what we’re going through. Maybe that’ll make the difference.”

  “No, I don’t think …”

  But she was already making the call.

  John thought the same as Yansis, and he refused to give her the address. “Those types of people don’t have a conscience, Rita. How do you think they do the things they do?”

  “Well at least let me try. Come on, John. Where does he live? I know he’s local because you said so. That means he must live somewhere near the hospital.”

  “No, it won’t do any good. Daniel isn’t there anyway. I searched the place from top to bottom.”

  “But what if he’s got him somewhere else?”

  “He wouldn’t tell you. And you running round there won’t help matters.”

  “Oh, so you can do your Rambo impersonation, but I can’t do piss all? Is that it? He’s my fuckin’ son, for Christ’s sake!” she shouted down the phone before Yansis s
natched it from her and terminated the call.

  “Bastards!” she yelled then stomped outside to have a cigarette.

  Fortunately, Julie’s children were staying with their grandparents, but the sound of Rita’s shouting brought Julie out of the kitchen. She followed Rita into the garden to see what the problem was.

  Julie found Rita taking furious drags of her cigarette. Her body language summed up how she was feeling; jittery, her right hand gripping the cigarette, her left clasped tightly to her hip, and her face stern.

  “You alright Reet?” asked Julie, placing her hand on the small of Rita’s back.

  Rita exhaled slowly before replying. “I’m sorry, Jules. I didn’t mean to shout and carry on with myself. I suppose I’d best apologise to Yansis too. It’s just that this whole bleedin’ thing is really getting to me. I wish I knew where Daniel was. I feel so fuckin’ useless.”

  “Don’t worry, I understand. It’s only to be expected. Stop beating yourself up. The police might still discover something. They could still bring Daniel back, safe and sound.”

  “Aye, and pigs might bleedin’ fly!”

  For several seconds neither of them spoke, and Julie gazed around awkwardly while Rita puffed on her cigarette. Then Rita said, “It’s alright Julie, you go back to what you were doing. I’ll be OK. I’ll just finish this cig.”

  Rita was reluctant to discuss things any further with Julie who was unaware of everything that had been happening. She was worried that she might let something slip about the visit to Moss Side when Julie had believed they were round at John’s house. Worse still, she might let it slip about John attacking the paedophile. Rita wished she hadn’t got so worked up, and hoped that Julie hadn’t overheard anything she and Yansis had discussed.

  “OK, as long as you’re alright,” said Julie.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Once she was left alone again, Rita couldn’t settle. She had to do something. But what? She wished she could find this damn paedophile herself. She finished her cigarette and went inside to say sorry to Yansis.