MURDER BY SUICIDE

by S FEATES

  Derek had been awoken by the faint whiff of smoke, he thought that something was burning in the kitchen. Maybe he had forgotten to turn off the oven. He got up to check, just as he did he heard Sylvie scream. He ran to the lounge door and pulled it open, he was met by a wall of flame and the extra rush of air from the open door caused a blow back that threw him across the room. As he recovered from the blast he realised that there was no way of getting to the bedroom where Sylvie was trapped and still screaming for help. The lounge was now already ablaze and the only chance of escape was out the window. He opened the large window and looked out into the night. He was four storeys up and it was a long drop to the ground. There were however several tall trees at the back of the block and they were quite close. Taking his life in his hands and dressed only in a pair of pyjama bottoms Derek jumped out of the window aiming to let the trees break his fall. The gamble almost worked and he crashed down through the branches, snapping and breaking them as he went, they managed to slow his descent but not enough to prevent injury. Derek hit the ground hard enough to break bone. When the paramedics found him he had sustained numerous cuts, bruises and burns along with a fractured skull, broken ribs and legs, a broken arm and his spleen was ruptured. It would be a miracle if he survived the fall.

  Gregor had taken the can of petrol, rags, matches and other equipment from the trunk and made his way quietly up the stairs to the top floor. There was only one front door on the top level so there would be no mistake. Taking out a tube of superglue he squirted a large amount into the Yale lock to make sure the door wouldn't open then he gently lifted the letterbox and poked a short length of rubber hose through. He attached a funnel and then proceeded to carefully pour the petrol through the funnel down the hose and into the hallway inside the apartment. Once the can was nearly empty he poured the rest onto the rags and stuffed one end through the letterbox leaving a good length hanging down outside. Moving quickly and quietly he gathered together all the paraphernalia and took them back down to the car. Once it was all back in the trunk he shut it and ran back up to the penthouse. Nothing had been disturbed and so he took out the matches and struck one, when it was burning brightly he touched it to the end of the petrol soaked rag and then he ran as fast as he could and he didn't stop running until he was at least a mile down the road. It was from this point that he witnessed the four fire engines and two ambulances rush past and from where he called Howard for a lift back to Richmond.

  SEVEN LIVES AND MANY MORE LIES

  31

  ''Mr Nevsky, Williams has been dealt with......Yes I'm sure, both are........ok, I will keep my eyes on Black and await further instructions, goodbye.''

  Gregor had called to confirm the deaths of Derek and Sylvie, he was convinced that nobody could have survived that inferno.

  While Gregor was talking on the phone to Viktor Williams was fighting for his life in hospital. The body of Sylvie Braxton had been removed from the gutted apartment, she had been pronounced dead at the scene. Mercifully, smoke inhalation had been the most likely cause of death the Chief Fire Officer told the police, not that he was an expert but he had seen enough victims of fire to form an opinion, the severe burns were likely inflicted post-mortem. The apartment block had been evacuated and was now a crime scene. There was evidence that the fire had been started deliberately and the police were questioning the residents before they were allowed to go to the temporary accommodation that had been arranged.

  The investigation into the fire discovered an unaccounted for car parked in the underground garage, an Audi Quattro. None of the residents claimed it as theirs but one man said that a former resident had owned one just like it but unfortunately he didn't know his name. On opening the trunk the police found the incriminating evidence left there by Gregor. The hunt was now on to find the owner of the Audi.

  The phone was ringing and still half asleep I dragged myself out of bed to find it and answer it. It had been a rough and restless night and I had overslept. I looked at the clock and it said 10.45, luckily it was Sunday so it didn't matter.

  ''Hello,'' I mumbled into the phone, ''Kev, what the fuck! Slow down mate you're not making sense.''

  Kevin Grimes sounded stressed, he was rambling on about his dad's car and something about the police. I asked him to stop, take a deep breath and start again.

  ''I've had the Old Bill round this morning, they were looking for my old man said he was a suspect in a murder investigation. I ask you, they should know he's been banged up for years so how can he be out committing murder. They wanted to know about his car, the Audi, said it was parked at some apartment block in Brentwood and did I know anything about it. I ain't got a clue what's happening.''

  I was struggling to take it all in, the Audi was parked here out the back not in Brentwood.

  ''The car is here with me Kev! I can see it from me window.'' I crossed the room and looked out into the back yard to confirm it. The Audi was gone. ''Fuck me! The car ain't here it's been nicked, what's going on.'' I thought someone must be having a laugh. Murder, Brentwood, Kev's dad, surely it's a wind up.

  ''I don't know what's occurring mate. I told the coppers that the car had been stolen off my forecourt in the early hours and that I hadn't had time to call it in. I don't think they believed me though, said that if I was perverting the course of Justice then I would be in deep shit and they would be back. I thought I would buy some time until I checked with you.'' He was terrified at the thought of going to prison, he might be banged up with his old man..

  ''You did right Kev. There has to be a logical explanation, I'll ring Sylvie and see what's going on it must be her apartment they're talking about. Sit tight mate and I will get back to you. Thanks for putting yourself in the shit for me, I won't forget it.''

  I hung up and paced the room as I dialled Sylvie's number. There was no answer, just a message saying the number was unobtainable. I hadn't bothered to change the logbook on the Audi so that must be why they thought Kev's dad was still the owner. How did the car end up in Brentwood and who stole it. The only name I could think of was Howard.

  I got dressed and rushed downstairs, Howard wasn't in so I went out to where the Audi should have been parked to make sure I wasn't dreaming but it still wasn't there. I had looked for the keys and couldn't find them so it made sense that it was an inside job. Perhaps Howard had borrowed the car because of an emergency in Brentwood. Sylvie's number was still unobtainable and that added to my theory. I walked out into the main street and looked up and down the road to see if the car was parked there, it wasn't but someone else was. Just down the road behind a red Fiat was a black Chrysler and as I glanced at it the driver ducked down out of sight. He wasn't quick enough and I still recognised the blonde hair and rugged features, it was the Russian heavy from Nevsky's office. I pretended that I hadn't seen him and walked back into Rest Assured and ran upstairs. I peeked out from behind the curtains and watched as Blondie straightened up and started reading a newspaper. What was he doing here? It was all getting a bit weird and I needed to talk to Howard.

  Dmitry was annoyed, he was annoyed with Viktor, he was annoyed that his trip to Russia had been cut short and he was annoyed that he now found himself on the Gulfstream heading for Farnborough. The call from Gregor had left him with no choice, after all he had instructed him to call should things get out of control in London. It sounded like Viktor was waging a one man war and it would be very bad for business, he was the only person that Viktor would listen to so there was no choice. The only good news was that his wife had decided to stay on in Russia. Dmitry said he would send the jet back for her when she was ready.

  I managed to get hold of Howard, he was on the other side of town and he said he wouldn't be back for at least three hours. It was pointless saying too much over the phone so I decided to wait until he returned. There was one thing I knew I could do though and that was ask Blondie a few questions. I made a decision and retrieved the stun gun from the safe.

  32

  T
ucking the stun gun into the waistband of my trousers and covering it with my jacket I walked out the back door and keeping out of sight of the Chrysler I circumnavigated it so that I could creep up behind unseen. Once I was in position I checked to make sure nobody was about and then I walked quickly up to the driver's door and knocked on the window. Blondie was taken by surprise and his reaction was to open the window to address the person knocking. I was quicker than him and I grabbed the stun gun and thrust it hard at his chest pulling the trigger at the same time. Blondie was a big man and it took all my strength to hold the gun in position while he tried to wrestle it free. The instructions had said that the larger the area of impact the more effective the stun gun would be, the big man's chest was enormous and the ideal target but I had to make sure that he got a good long burst to disable him. I was winning the encounter and the shock was starting to slow Blondie down, he stopped struggling with the gun and began clutching at his chest. His eyes were rolling in their sockets and his breathing was becoming laboured. I didn't care I just held on tight, I wanted him out for the count. Eventually he stopped moving altogether and slumped forward. There was still nobody about so I opened the door and pushed him across into the passenger seat, he was a big awkward brute and it took all my depleted strength to do it. I got behind the wheel and drove the Chrysler round to the back of the funeral parlour and parked it in the space where the Audi had been. I now needed to get a gurney and drag Blondie onto it and pull it into the cold store so that I could tie him up and interrogate him. Luckily, it being Sunday, Grace wasn't in today so I had all the privacy I needed.

  Sweating from the exertion I dragged Blondie out of the car and manhandled him onto the steel gurney, he was a dead weight and there was a lot of him to lift. Eventually I had him where I wanted and I secured him to the gurney with leather straps, he wasn't going anywhere.

  Once inside the cold store I locked all the doors and after a quick breather and a drink of water I attempted to revive the Russian. There was a bottle of smelling salts that we kept for the odd occasions when distressed relatives fainted while viewing their loved ones, I got the small bottle from the drawer in the viewing room and went back to Blondie. He was still out for the count. I took the top off the bottle and waved the strong smelling vapour under his nose, there was no reaction. I tried again and this time held it nearer, still nothing. Odd I thought, this stuff should wake a horse let alone a large man. I checked his vital signs, there was no pulse and his eyes had rolled up into the sockets. I was concerned now and found a mirror which I held in front of his open mouth, there was no misting on it from his breath. Blondie was dead.

  Gregor was a bodybuilder, he was obsessed with his image and his second home was the gym. He would be in the gym every day pumping iron and working out on the other equipment. To aid his desire for the perfect body he took anabolic steroids, he had been on them for a long time, too long in fact. He had been warned by his personal trainer about his abuse of the steroids and all the warnings about the side effects fell on deaf ears. Even the effects that Gregor could see for himself made no difference, he wasn't concerned that his balls had shrunk and that he had developed breasts, it was part of the price for perfection. The trainer gave up telling Gregor, it wasn't worth the grief especially the abuse he was starting to get from the increasingly irritable and paranoid Russian. The threats of violence didn't help either. What Gregor couldn't see was the damage that the steroids were doing internally, his liver and kidneys were in danger of failure and his heart was already enlarged. His blood pressure was through the roof and he was a heart attack or stroke waiting to happen. The last thing Gregor's body needed was a stun gun hitting him with a large electrical charge. The big man's heart surrendered and shut down taking his life with it.

  ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'' I threw the smelling salts across the room. ''How am I going to find out what you were doing now!'' I shouted at the corpse.

  I was consumed with rage and in frustration I punched the dead Russian repeatedly, venting my feelings but wasting my time and energy too. When I eventually calmed down I realised that I had a bigger problem on my hands, what was I going to do with the body. This wouldn't sit well with the Nevsky's I had killed one of their people and unlike Blondie they wouldn't take it lying down.

  I didn't bother stripping Blondie, I took his gun and put it in the safe with the stun gun, I pulled out the largest coffin we had in stock and carried it into the cold store, I measured it against the dead man. It would be a tight fit and I would need to remove the lining but it would serve the purpose. I stripped the coffin bare and pulled Blondie into it, secured the lid and pushed it into the refrigerated room where the bodies were stored. I cleaned up and then went to move the Chrysler.

  I dumped the car a few miles away and after cleaning the inside for fingerprints I caught a bus back to the funeral parlour. All I had to do now was wait for Howard, he had questions to answer and I was going nowhere until he did.

  33

  Howard was driving back from central London he had been to Farnborough airport to pick up Dmitry Nevsky. Nevsky had rung him and ordered him to meet his plane when he landed and take him straight to the office. On the way back Dmitry quizzed Howard about what was happening and why Viktor was acting so stupid. Howard filled in the details.

  ''Viktor has it in his head that he wants Williams dead before you return. I have no idea why, the situation was under control Williams was no threat once Nolan was eliminated. I think there is a much deeper reason behind Viktor's behaviour, perhaps he is trying to prove a point to you. I don't know.''

  Howard knew what had happened in Brentwood and the arson attack by Gregor but he wasn't telling Dmitry, yet.

  ''Where is Gregor? I have not been able to contact him since I landed.'' Dmitry was uneasy and agitated. ''My brother is crazy! I give him every chance to prove himself and he always lets me down and I have to clear up the shit! Well no more I will have it out with him for sure. His petty jealousies are going to bring unwanted attention and then we will all pay my friend.'' He slammed his fist down hard onto the dashboard making Howard jump. ''All this because of a stupid fucking cat!''

  ''Calm down Dmitry, you will have a coronary if you're not careful. I am sure it will be alright once you speak with Viktor.'' Even Howard knew better than to admonish Dmitry for swearing.

  ''I want a meeting tomorrow Howard. You, me, Mr Black and Viktor in my office at noon. I am going to send Viktor back to Russia for a few days while I sort this mess, he can come back with my wife when she returns.''

  Howard nodded his agreement and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

  Ex-Detective Inspector Mike Jackson was sitting in the office he shared with Derek Williams, he was still in shock from hearing about the attack on his friend and colleague. Jackson had not long joined Williams in business although they had know each other a long, long time. The two men had started out together as young constables in the Metropolitan Police.

  That all seemed a world away now, his friend was fighting for his life and he was sitting there wondering what to do. Williams had recently spoken with Jackson over his concerns regarding some Russian gangsters that he had inadvertently stumbled across while doing some investigative work for a client. Williams was worried he had made himself a target, Jackson knew that it must be serious as it took something exceptional to frighten his friend. Williams had gone as far as leaving an A4 manilla envelope with Jackson with the instruction that should anything suspicious happen to him he must hand it to the police immediately. Jackson didn't know what was in it but he knew he must now deliver the envelope as directed.

  Jackson rang a private number and spoke with a senior, high ranking police officer whom he trusted and arranged a meet so he could pass on the envelope. Unbeknown to Jackson the envelope contained enough evidence to put the Nevsky brothers out of business for good. Williams had investigated the Nevsky's background in greater detail and had come up with a mine of information relating to their crim
inal enterprise. He decided that he needed backup in case they came for him, his family and friends out of revenge.

  Howard pulled into the rear of Rest Assured and parked the Viano. He went inside to face Steve who sounded pretty pissed off on the phone. Maybe he had heard about the Brentwood fire on the news.

  ''Hi Howard, you took your time!'' I was on the offensive straight away. ''What do you know about the theft of my car and why was Nevsky's attack dog watching me, sitting out there in his car in the street?''

  The past tense was not lost on Howard, where was Gregor now then. It was time to come clean with Steve, he deserved to know the truth, or as much as Howard was willing to divulge.

  ''I have just picked up a very irritated Dmitry from the airport, while in Russia he had a call from Gregor 'the attack dog' as you put it. Gregor has concerns about Viktor and the way he is acting so he felt it was his duty to inform on him to his boss. Unfortunately Gregor is between a rock and a hard place where the brothers are concerned, he has to take orders from both.''

  ''Not anymore he doesn't!'' I interrupted.

  ''What do you mean not anymore? What have you done?'' Howard felt a cold chill run down his spine. He hoped that Gregor was alive and well or this would complicate things further.

  ''The attack dog is dead, look.'' I turned and Howard followed me into the cold store.