Hartmann: Malicious Rules (Hartmann thriller series Book 1)

by Helen L Lowe

  ‘Where’s Sam, John?’

  Erikson didn’t respond.

  Julian used the cattle-prod on his right thigh and held it there for two seconds.

  Erikson yelled and his whole body shuddered.

  ‘What have you done with Sam?’ Julian prodded his left thigh.

  Erikson screamed and the jolt made him swing on the bar. ‘I haven’t done anything with him.’

  ‘Where is he?’ Julian shoved the prod on his stomach.

  Erikson cried out and squirmed on the bar. ‘I’m telling you the truth - I haven’t seen him since the middle of February - I was only teasing you when I said he was here.’

  Julian believed him and he was furious that Erikson had played him along using threats against Sam to torment him. He had to accept that John didn’t know where Sam was but now that the bastard was strung up, he decided to get some information out of him that would put him away for a very long time.

  ‘What happened to David Woods?’

  ‘Nothing - I had nothing to do with him going missing.’

  Julian aimed the prod at his balls. ‘What happened to Woods?’

  ‘I’m telling you the truth - I don’t know where he is.’

  The cattle prod only had to come within an inch of Erikson’s balls again to get him talking.

  ‘It was the plastic bag.’

  ‘What plastic bag?’

  ‘It was over Dave’s head and when we rehearsed it everything went fine.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘When they did the shoot – I wasn’t here – I was caught up at the gym and told Pete to go ahead without me. They used the bag like we’d rehearsed while he was being fucked – but it went wrong. Pete said they thought Dave was acting up for the cameras - and by the time they realised something was wrong, it was too late.’

  ‘They killed him?’

  ‘They didn’t mean to - he panicked and I guess he didn’t control his breathing. It was an accident.’

  ‘Where is he now?’

  Erikson said nothing.

  Julian held up the cattle prod. ‘Don’t think for one minute that I won’t fry your dick. Where’s his body?’

  ‘One day I’m going to kill you for this.’

  Julian shrugged and rammed the prod on his balls.

  He screamed and jolted violently.

  Julian had to wait to be heard. ‘Where is he?’

  ‘He’s in the fucking freezer.’

  Julian dropped his hands down by his side; a sudden wave of exhaustion making his head spin. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see Chase and a half a dozen uniformed police officers, all of them grinning and stifling laughter.

  ‘You can stop filming now,’ Chase said. He gave instructions to his men to get Erikson down, and walked over to Julian who was turning the cameras off and taking out the reels of film.

  Chase held out his hand. ‘Thank you. That’s going to be very useful.’ He looked over to Erikson as he was being lowered to the floor. ‘You do realize what you’ve done is against the law - “grievous bodily harm” is what we call it.’

  ‘Are you going to arrest me?’

  ‘I don’t think we’ll have room in the cells. Besides, after what Erikson did to you, I’m sure a good solicitor would be able to get any charges made against you dropped before it went to court.’

  Julian glanced over to the sofa where two policemen were trying to wake Erikson’s men. ‘The boy in the cage will need to be hospitalised, and until the drug wears off the men might need some medical attention as well.’

  ‘As do you.’

  ‘It’s just a few cuts, I’ll be fine.’

  Chase took a second look at his back and shook his head. ‘I’m going to have to overrule you on this - you go to hospital or I arrest you – it’s your choice.’

  CHAPTER 35

  Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton

  10 a.m. Friday 31 March

  Julian was taken to the nearest hospital and admitted to a surgical unit. He was in a side room due to the risk of infection, lying on his left side with dressings covering his back and on his chest, one long dressing covering the cut from the last lash. He had an intravenous drip in his right arm. They did the suturing in theatre under anaesthetic and he had assumed he could go home when the anaesthetic wore off but the consultant, Mr Peterson, had other ideas.

  ‘I’m not happy about discharging you. With the high risk of infection, IV antibiotics are the quickest and most effective treatment, and until those wounds start healing and the stitches have come out, you’re not out of the woods.’ He turned to the Ward Sister standing beside him. ‘Do we have the blood results back yet?’

  ‘Not yet, Sir - and it will take several days for the toxicology results.’

  Peterson gave Julian a hard stare. ‘Your risk of septicaemia from that heroin injection you described is another reason to stick with the IV antibiotics for a good five days at least - and how would you change your dressings on your back? Sister tells me there’s a considerable amount of oozing from the wounds.’ He stopped, seeming pleased with his side of the argument.

  ‘I could come to outpatients daily to have the dressings changed and IV antibiotics via a cannula left in situ.’

  Peterson’s lips set in a thin line. ‘If you want to leave I can’t stop you. Every patient has a right to discharge themselves against medical advice. Though I’ll be disappointed if you do and quite frankly, I’m surprised that as a doctor you haven’t got more sense.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, it’s your call. I have other patients to see.’

  Julian was left smarting from Peterson’s cutting remark but the sight of Lizzie soothed his bruised ego. She smiled so beautifully at him, Julian thought his heart would burst. She leant towards him to kiss him on the cheek but he quickly moved his head so their lips touched.

  ‘I’ve been so worried about you.’

  ‘I’m fine - just a bit sore.’ He was lying. The pain from his back was at times so bad he needed an opiate painkiller. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t find Sam.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, you did everything you could, and if this man Erikson is the Thames Butcher and he’s telling the truth about not having Sam, then there is no reason why Sam shouldn’t be safe. We may not know where he is but I think it’s only a matter of time before he contacts us.’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure you’re right.’ Julian didn’t want to tell her that he doubted Erikson was the Thames Butcher. If she had managed to get her head in a calmer place, he wasn’t going to be the one to disillusion her. ‘When do you have to go back to Portsmouth?’

  ‘Not for another three weeks - plenty of time.’

  He smiled to hide his emotions. The thought of not finding Sam and of her going back to Portsmouth leaving him on his own, was unbearable.

  A pretty Staff Nurse, who had been particularly attentive to his needs, opened the door. ‘You have another visitor - only ten minutes left for visiting though.’ She stood aside for Charlotte to enter.

  Lizzie stood up and looked from Charlotte to Julian. He was temporarily struck dumb while he tried to think of a way to introduce them.

  ‘Charlotte, this is Lizzie, Sam’s mother - Lizzie, this is Charlotte, a reporter who has been helping me search for Sam . . .’ and given me lessons in SM.

  The women smiled stiffly and shook hands.

  ‘It was kind of you to help,’ Lizzie said.

  ‘Not at all - I wish we’d found him.’

  ‘Charlotte’s been working on the Thames murders,’ Julian said. ‘Congratulations on getting onto the front page, by the way.’

  ‘I’m so pleased they’ve caught him,’ Lizzie said.

  Julian caught Charlotte’s eye and held her in a meaningful look.

  Lizzie stood up. ‘I’m going to go now - leave you two to talk.’ She leant towards him but this time held his head still while she kissed him on the cheek. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow.’

  Charlotte sat down on Lizzie’s empty chair. ‘She’s nice
and very attractive - I’m presuming from the look you gave me that you don’t want her to know that Erikson is unlikely to be the Thames Butcher.’

  ‘Yes - she’s been under a lot of stress over the last few weeks and until it has been confirmed that he isn’t the serial killer, I don’t see the point of upsetting her.’ He tried to adjust his position in the bed but a jolt of pain made him take a deep breath.

  ‘Are the wounds very painful?’

  ‘It’s not too bad as long as I don’t move.’

  ‘Perhaps now you’ll appreciate how kind I was during our little venture into SM.’

  ‘What we - what you did bore no resemblance to what Erikson did to me.’

  ‘It must have had some similarities - were you restrained?’

  Julian gave her an icy stare.

  ‘I’ll take that as a yes. Were you naked?’ She waited for a response. ‘Another yes - did he make you say things - call him “Sir” - beg for mercy?’

  He shook his head. ‘You’re unbelievable.’

  She smiled. ‘Why - because I say it like it is?’

  ‘No - because you go too far, you overstep the mark.’

  A bell rang from the ward.

  She stood up. ‘Saved by the bell - I’m guessing that’s the end of visiting.’ She leant on the bed towards him. ‘Can I kiss you?’

  ‘Since when did you start asking permission to do anything?’

  She brought her lips close to his. ‘You look so vulnerable in that bed – it brings out my dominant side.’

  She kissed him in a way that reminded him of the time he was handcuffed to her bed, and was still kissing him when Julian sensed they were not alone and opened his eyes to see the Ward Sister standing in the doorway.

  ‘I think I’ve found the cause of your raised temperature, Dr Hartmann.’

  Charlotte pulled away from him and straightened up.

  ‘Visiting is over for today - your young lady will have to come back tomorrow.’

  He was amused to see Charlotte’s red face as she left the room but Sister’s stern expression persuaded him not to smile.

  She fussed around him, checking his dressings and the drip. ‘I’m not sure Mr Peterson would approve of your girlfriend being so amorous. He said you were to rest and have no unnecessary excitement.’

  He felt himself blush under her scrutiny but despite her display of strictness there was a twinkle in her eye.

  ‘Though it looked to me like you didn’t have a say in the matter - she’s a pretty girl but a bit too feisty perhaps - the man who takes her on won’t have an easy ride.’

  ‘Yes - I think you may be right, Sister.’

  * * *

  He slept for the rest of the afternoon and was woken up by a nurse carrying a tray of food. She helped him sit up, and he looked at the colourless food in front of him.

  ‘It’s macaroni cheese in case you’re wondering,’ she said.

  ‘Of course it is, silly of me not to recognise it,’ he pushed it around on the plate with a fork. ‘Is there an alternative?’

  ‘Limp salad or overdone cod fillets – believe me, this was the best choice.’ She stopped at the door and turned back. ‘It’s semolina for desert but I can get hold of some cheese and crackers if you’d prefer?’

  ‘Yes, please – thank you.’ He hardly ate any of the flavourless macaroni but he enjoyed the cheese and biscuits. What he really wanted was more sleep. He was just drifting off when he was woken by the door opening and Joe walked in.

  ‘Sorry, did I wake you?’

  ‘How did you know I was here?’ Julian said, as he struggled to sit up. ‘I was going to ring you.’

  ‘You were on the news – they said you assisted police in capturing the prime suspect for the Thames Butcher murders – they said you were recovering in this hospital.’ Joe brought a chair nearer the bed and sat down. ‘They also said Erikson was a drug dealer.’

  ‘Yes, so it turned out but I think DCI Chase was surprised when we saw the heroin that Erikson’s men were weighing and packaging in the kitchen.’

  ‘Do they really think Erikson is the Thames Butcher?’

  ‘They seem to but I’m not convinced. He’s a nasty piece of work but I don’t see him as a serial killer.’

  ‘No luck with Sam, then.’

  Julian shook his head and there was a heavy silence.

  ‘Well, come on – tell me what happened. The reporters only said that you assisted the police but they mentioned the arrest was made in a film studio.’

  Julian took a deep breath before he began. He told him about Erikson drugging him and injecting him with heroin, about the film, the flogging and the cattle prod, and when he had finished Joe looked shocked.

  ‘Shit – you’ve been through hell - have they been able to patch you up ok?’

  ‘They sutured the deeper wounds and I’m on IV antibiotics. I was hoping I could be discharged today but the consultant won’t agree.’

  ‘Who is it?’

  ‘Peterson – do you know him?’

  ‘Not personally but I’ve heard rumours that he runs a tight ship.’

  There was a knock on the door and Lizzie walked in.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t know you had a visitor.’

  Joe looked at his watch. ‘I need to buzz-off anyway – I’m on-call tonight.’ He stood up.

  ‘Lizzie, this is Joe, we’ve been friends since our medical student days. Joe, meet Lizzie, we’ve been friends even longer.’

  They shook hands and Joe gestured for her to take his empty chair.

  ‘You didn’t tell me you had such beautiful friends,’ Joe said, ‘makes me wonder what else you haven’t told me. Anyway - I have to dash.’ At the door, he stopped and turned to look at them. ‘Why do I feel like I’ve interrupted a lover’s tryst?’

  ‘It’s just your overactive imagination, I expect.’ Julian said. ‘I’ll let you know when I’ve escaped and we can play some chess over a drink. Have you improved since your student days - I remember you trying to flush your queen down the toilet after one of our games.’

  Joe grinned. ‘Actually, I have. So don’t think it will be a walk-over.’

  CHAPTER 36

  Julian was visited most days by both Lizzie and Charlotte but they managed to avoid walking into each other by coming to a mutual agreement that Lizzie would visit in the afternoons and Charlotte in the evenings. The arrangement worked well until Friday 7 April, the day Julian was being discharged. He had packed up his belongings, ate what he could of his lunch and read a paper while he waited for Lizzie to arrive. She was giving him a lift home. At 2 p.m. she still hadn’t arrived and people streamed past Julian’s door for afternoon visiting. He was just thinking of ringing Charlotte when she walked in.

  She looked at his belongings packed and lined up on the bare mattress. ‘I thought I would pop in this afternoon in case you were discharged. So the Consultant gave in at last.’

  ‘Yes, thank God.’

  ‘Can I give you a lift home?’

  He stood up to move some bags on the bed to make a space for her to sit. ‘That’s kind of you but Lizzie’s collecting me.’

  Her smile faded and she remained standing. ‘Yes, of course - I can’t really compete with her.’

  ‘It’s not a matter of competing - it’s already arranged, that’s all.’ He saw her whole demeanour change. ‘Charlotte, please try and understand - I’ve only got a short time to see her before she goes back home.’

  ‘And then what happens?’

  He hesitated, unsure of what she meant and it gave Charlotte a chance to continue with her harsh appraisal.

  ‘I can’t work out if you’re a blatant liar or just too stupid to recognise when you’re being manipulated. It doesn’t matter where she is - you’ll still love her and I bet you’ll be ready and willing to drop to your knees whenever she clicks her fingers.’

  ‘I’m sorry if you’re upset but I shouldn’t have to defend myself for . . .’

  ‘For what
- for using me as a convenient stopgap whenever you can’t have her?’

  ‘Charlotte, I’m very fond of you . . .’

  ‘Fond?’

  ‘I’m sorry - I did tell you more than once that I’m not a free agent.’ He saw a movement behind Charlotte; Lizzie was standing in the doorway.

  Charlotte’s eyes flashed. ‘Yes, I remember - and there was me thinking you had a fetish and liked saying that as a quirky preamble to fucking me senseless.’ She pointed a finger at him. ‘No one uses me like that and then just walks out of my life.’

  ‘Charlotte, you need to calm down.’

  ‘Don’t tell me to calm down, you bastard.’ She slapped him hard twice, once on each cheek.

  ‘Am I interrupting something?’

  Charlotte turned around to see Lizzie and looked back at Julian. ‘Goodbye, Julian and if things change and you think of coming back to me just remember our little bondage session, next time I won’t be so lenient.’

  Lizzie stood aside for Charlotte to leave and an awkward silence filled the room. Julian, red faced and not just from the slaps, wished a hole would open up in the floor. He kept his back towards Lizzie and started picking up his bags.

  Are you ok?’ she asked.

  ‘Terrific.’

  ‘My car is parked in the visitors’ bay,’ she said, as she took a couple of bags off him.

  In the car, Lizzie didn’t speak and the drive through the London traffic was done in silence. When she parked outside Sussex House, she turned towards him. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about.’ He glanced at the windows of the house and saw the net curtains in the downstairs living room twitch.

  ‘I’m guessing you have or had a relationship with her.’

  ‘It was a short relationship - nothing serious.’

  ‘She didn’t seem to think so.’ She smiled. ‘You know, I’m not a prude but Charlotte certainly has an interesting turn of phrase when describing your relationship. I’m fascinated to know what went on during the bondage session.’

  He swore under his breath and opened the door to get out. ‘I can’t invite you in, Harriet has seen us.’