Mason Black (The Complete Collection): 6 Gripping Crime Stories: The Complete Collection + BONUS Story

by Adam Nicholls

  ‘I know one.’

  ‘Yeah? Tell me.’

  ‘What gets wet as it dries?’

  Mason knew the answer, but wanted to see the boy’s face when he felt as though he had bamboozled somebody. ‘A sponge?’

  ‘No.’ Luke laughed, the frown being replaced by a gap-toothed smile. ‘A towel!’

  ‘Ahhhh.’ Mason was smiling now. It surprised him that it wasn’t at all artificial. ‘Very clever, kid. Very clever. So, look, why don’t we go inside and have something to eat? We’ll find some more riddles and relax.’

  Luke looked down. ‘Will you make me go back there?’

  ‘I won’t make you do anything.’

  ‘… Okay.’

  ‘Good boy.’ Mason began to get up off the tiles, reaching out a hand to help Luke over.

  Just then, a tile gave way. It slid down the roof and plummeted to the street down below. Luke lost his balance, clawing and scrambling to regain it. But that only made things worse. More and more tiles slipped out from under him, and he began to fall.

  68

  Bill Harvey thought himself a competent detective. He didn’t quite have the skills that Mason had, but the bare essentials were there. The point was, Bill was a good cop, and that would have to be enough.

  He had been following Ben from the car, but Ben was walking. It made for some difficult tailing, but if Ben should drive anywhere then Bill would need to pursue him. It took around forty minutes before Ben reached his home and went inside.

  What are you up to? Bill sat quietly across the street with the engine shut off. He had hoped that Ben would lead him straight to Wendell. What they would do with that information, they didn’t yet know, but it would be useful to have if anything went wrong.

  A half-hour passed before Ben emerged from the house – fully clothed now – and got into his car. Bill waited until he was a good distance away and then followed him across the city. Sometime later, they stopped in the parking lot of a closed hardware store.

  Bill watched from a distance.

  At first, Ben was just sat in his car. It wasn’t until another car pulled up alongside him that things became a little more hopeful. The other driver – a woman, and probably Alison – got out of the car, and they both talked while sitting on her hood.

  Bill took out his phone and used the zoom function to see a little more clearly. While he was there, he took a couple of snaps, though he was unsure if it was just in case, or a force of habit. He only wished he could hear what they were saying.

  After a few minutes, Ben got in the car with Alison, leaving his own vehicle there. Bill stalked them as closely as he could, driving out of town and towards the woods. Isn’t this where Mason said the cabin is? He hoped so, as it provided a chance to find out exactly what they were up to.

  They were on a dark stretch of road now. It didn’t look good for Bill, whose lights were shining brightly and probably drawing their attention. All the same, he did his best to stay out of sight.

  Soon, the woman sped up, zipping around the road and out of sight.

  Panicking, Bill put his foot down on the pedal and followed. But by the time he reached the bend where he had last seen them, there was no other car in sight. He slowed to a stop, opened the door and stood outside for a better look.

  But there was only a chirping in the trees and the steady moan of his car’s engine. Although he had tried his best, Bill had lost the trail.

  69

  Mason’s hand gripped the boy’s wrist. He was dragged downwards on the roof, more tiles falling to the ground down below them, landing with a smash.

  Luke was screaming madly, his face a cherry red as he begged to be saved.

  The gutter was digging into Mason’s ribs as he used his entire body to keep from falling. ‘Hold on, kid. I’ve got you. You’re all right.’ He used what little strength he had to pull the boy up, but his palm was sweaty, and his arm slid out.

  Mason pulled, his grip loosening, until he could clutch Luke’s shirt in his hand, giving him something to pull him up by. He held him tightly, careful not to let him go. ‘You’re okay.’ Mason looked to the window, where Diane stood with her mouth open, her fingers digging into the white paint of the window frame. ‘Take Diane’s hand.’

  Still sobbing, Luke inched forward and reached out to her. Quickly, Diane took him and pulled him through the window. Mason was still climbing in when he heard her scolding him. ‘Don’t you ever do that again. You’re so young and have so much left to live for.’ She was brushing his hair with her fingers, kneeling in front of the trembling boy.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Mason said, hiding his own shakes. This was the second time in a year that he had almost fallen to his death because of a Wendell. This family needs serious help.

  On the couch, a cell phone rang. It was Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl, singing out merrily. It took Mason a second of recovery to realise that it was Ben’s phone. He had taken it as a means of keeping in touch with Alison.

  ‘Yes?’ said Mason, answering it and moving through to the kitchen.

  ‘It was nice of you to have me followed,’ Alison said sarcastically.

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t want you to get away now.’

  ‘Don’t try anything like that again. Have you forgotten that dear Evelyn is in my possession? Perhaps I should punish her for your betrayal. What do you think of that? Should I cut her, like you cut Marvin?’

  Mason’s pulse quickened. His mouth went dry.

  ‘Does she even need both of her eyes? Or both of her hands?’

  ‘All right, you’ve made your point.’

  ‘Here’s what’s going to happen,’ Alison said, seizing control. ‘I’m going to hang up, and you’re going to stay put until I tell you where to meet. If you call me, Evelyn will die. Trust me on that. If you hurt my son, Evelyn will die. If you act out in any way–’

  ‘I get your point,’ Mason snapped.

  ‘Good. Then I trust you understand who’s in charge here.’

  And just like that, the line went dead.

  70

  It wasn’t long after the phone call that Bill returned with a solemn look on his face. Mason let him in and they went to Evie’s room to share their progress.

  ‘It’s not looking good,’ Bill told him. ‘I got as far as Friar’s Hill, following the road out before I lost them. You say you found a cabin out there?’

  ‘Yes.’ Mason figured that was where they were headed. ‘But we can’t risk another trip. Not with Evie there. Besides, Alison called and said we have to wait for her to get in touch.’

  ‘And you’re going to obey?’

  ‘She was pretty explicit about her instruction.’ Mason went to the window and drew the blind. Now that he looked around the place, he didn’t like the idea that Evie could come home to a messy room. He moved a couple of her stuffed toys and began making her bed.

  ‘And then what? A simple exchange?’ Bill asked, leaning against the wall and stuffing his hands into his pockets. ‘I don’t think it will be that easy, pal.’

  ‘Neither do I.’

  Bill blew out of puffed cheeks, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. ‘We could always put a wire on the kid.’

  Mason stopped fussing. ‘What?’

  ‘I mean, if you handed her son back and had a wire put on him, she might slip up and admit to the murders. It’s risky, but if she says something to prove her guilt before she finds the wire, a police team could sweep in.’

  Mason slumped onto the bed, undoing his work. ‘The police would have to actually be on our side for that to work. It’s all well and good that you can go freely, but I’m a wanted man. Unless…’

  Bill stood up straight. ‘Captain Cox is quite understanding. We could give this a go. Best-case scenario: Alison Wendell slips up and gets taken down. Evie will go free and hopefully unharmed. Your name will be cleared and all will be good.’

  ‘And if it goes horribly wrong?’

  Bill looked down at his fidgeting h
ands. ‘If she mentions what you – what we – did to her brother, then you serve time, Wendell goes free and Evie might not make it. But, buddy, what other options do we have?’

  Mason tried to imagine both scenarios playing out. Only the bad outcome seemed likely, but Bill was right. What could he do, if not that? ‘Go home, Bill. Be with your wife. I’ll need to mull this one over. I’ll be in touch.’

  ‘You gonna be okay?’

  ‘I’ll be fine. Give my love to Christine.’

  Mason closed the door behind him and poured himself a stiff drink.

  71

  Evie was shaking terribly at the gory mess around the room.

  Annabelle, her cellmate and new friend, had put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger. Evie’s ears were still ringing as she looked at the girl’s body, slumped over the table, her chains gone slack.

  ‘Do you see now?’ Lady Luck said, holding her head up by her hair. ‘It’s all about choice. She had a choice – herself or her friend. She chose herself. That’s her loss. Mason also had a choice. He didn’t have to do that to my brother. There were other ways.’

  ‘You’re sick.’ Evie felt ready to throw up. She tried not to make eye contact with the other girls at the table, who were breaking down into tears of their own.

  There was a man in the room, too, but he didn’t seem to be a prisoner. He was wearing suit pants and a nicely ironed blue shirt. All he did was sit still, watching, not uttering a word.

  ‘I’m sick?’ Lady shoved her against the wall, clamping Evie’s jaw in a vice-like grip. ‘It’s your brother who’s sick. The things he did to poor Marvin… You should understand, Mason is a worthless sack of shit.’

  Evie struggled against her tight palm. ‘He still caught your brother, though.’

  The other hand came out like a whip, lashing at her head, smacking it back towards the wall. Thump. ‘Why are your family so self-important? What is so hard to understand?’

  Her words were becoming a jumble – slurred and echoing. Evie’s head was throbbing, her stomach felt like it was folding inward. She wanted to heave, crawl into bed and sleep until all of this was over. Somehow, she knew that it wasn’t an option.

  Finally, Lady let go and made her way out of the room. ‘I have somewhere else to be. Take her back to her cell,’ she said to the man. ‘Clean up this mess and then get ready for the next lot.’

  As he rose from the chair, Evie’s knees went weak. She crashed to the ground, crying. And even with her eyes closed, all she could see was the body of her new friend – her eyes still wide with shock at the bullet in her skull.

  72

  First thing in the morning, after Alison Wendell had made her call, Bill waited at the basketball courts with a steaming coffee in hand. Even as he watched the players, uninterested, he could feel the countdown above his head.

  ‘What’s this about?’ a woman’s voice came at his side.

  He turned to see Captain Cox. She was smartly dressed, as usual, and had sunglasses hiding her eyes. ‘I know a few things about these murders.’

  ‘Lady Luck?’

  ‘Yes. Will you hear me out?’

  Cox removed her glasses and cleaned them on her blouse. ‘Make it quick.’

  Bill took a deep breath. ‘I know who she is.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Listen, she’s Marvin Wendell’s sister. We don’t know what she wants with Mason, but he’s clearly the target. And if you give him a chance to prove this, I’m sure he’ll come in quietly.’ Bill knew that this whole plan was jeopardising his own freedom. After all, he’d had a pretty big hand in ditching Marvin’s body. But this situation needed clearing, and he would do it even if it killed him.

  Captain Cox slid her glasses back on and pushed them up her nose. She exhaled slowly and said, ‘Detective, Mason Black has avoided custody. He’s a suspect, as far as I’m concerned. Anything he has to say can go on the record.’

  Bill looked down at his shoes. ‘I was afraid you’d say that.’ He waved a hand above his head. A car came from nowhere and pulled up alongside them. Bill took out his sidearm and aimed it at the captain. ‘Get in the car, Leanne.’

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’

  ‘Just do it.’

  Reluctantly, the captain climbed in. She must have seen Mason in the driver’s seat then, as she shouted, ‘Oh, for God’s sake.’

  Bill got in beside her and closed the door.

  None of them said a word until they parked down a quiet street. There was nothing but abandoned buildings down here – likely homes for squatters. It was ideal – nobody around here would be keeping an eye on them.

  ‘So, what now?’ Cox said grumpily. ‘I’m a hostage?’

  Mason shut off the engine and turned in his seat. ‘You’re not a hostage. I need to talk with you, and then you’re free to go. But you need to hear me out.’

  Cox sighed. ‘I’m listening.’

  ‘I’m an innocent man,’ Mason began. ‘This Lady Luck – Alison Wendell – has my sister. She’s been gone for a few days now. But I have Wendell’s son. All I want is–’

  ‘Wait. What?’

  ‘You heard me. I’ve been summoned to make an exchange this afternoon. I want to put a wire on the boy. With any luck, she’ll be open to confess her sins, giving you a chance to move in, and thus, clearing my name.’

  ‘Mason, that’s ridiculous.’ Cox removed her sunglasses once more and rubbed her eyes. ‘You’re a prime suspect in a murder case. You think you can take the police captain into your car and beg for a second chance?’

  Mason shifted in his seat. ‘You know me, Captain. How many years did we work together?’ He groaned, holding his temples. ‘Look, I’m going to come in quietly either way. What I wanted was the opportunity to serve justice.’

  ‘And what makes you think she’ll tell her son about it?’

  ‘She won’t.’ Mason swapped a glance with Bill. ‘She’ll be gloating to me.’

  ‘To you?’

  ‘It’s likely that it won’t be a simple exchange. This whole thing is about me, for whatever reason. She’ll take me with her, and I can weed a confession out of her.’

  Captain Cox huffed, fidgeting with her hands. She eventually looked up. ‘And what if you don’t get that confession? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with you after she has her son back?’

  ‘Then I’ll turn myself in. You have my word.’

  Cox snickered, rolling her eyes. ‘Jesus Christ.’

  Mason got out of the car and walked around to her door. Opening it, he stood back and allowed her to exit the vehicle. ‘So, what’s it going to be?’

  73

  Mason sat in the room adjacent to his old office. Policemen surrounded him, each with their own individual roles. Captain Cox, however, sat across the desk doing nothing but looking at him sceptically, her arms folded.

  ‘The kid is here.’ Mason finished scribbling down Evie’s address and slid the paper across the desk. ‘You’ll meet a lady called Diane. Explain the situation and then leave her alone. She has no idea what’s happening and is just doing me a favour.’

  ‘If you say so.’ Cox took the paper and handed it to an officer, mumbling instructions to him. He left the room instantly. ‘Mason, here is a form of agreement. It states that you have twelve supervised hours to come back with proof. Any attempt to run will be interpreted as a confession of guilt. If you fail to meet the terms within the given time, you will be put on trial. Is that understood?’

  Mason signed at the bottom. ‘Absolutely.’ He was getting nervous now, but wasn’t prepared to show it. There was always a chance that Alison would find the wire, leaving him in the middle of the danger zone with no escape rope. But if it meant getting Evie back safely – no matter how slim a chance – he would take it.

  ‘Stand, please,’ said an officer from behind.

  Knowing the drill, Mason stood and removed his jacket and shirt. He placed them on the back of the seat and stood with hi
s arms held out like wings. The officer worked around him, securing the wire to his chest with tape. It wasn’t until they were eye-to-eye that Mason saw it was the man he had pulled from the car wreck.

  ‘How’s the head?’ It was bruised – would probably scar, too.

  ‘It hurts like hell. But my wife isn’t a widow because of you. When this is all over, if you’re not locked up, I’d like to buy you a drink to say thanks.’

  Mason smiled. ‘I might just take you up on that.’

  The wire was secured and Captain Cox stood. ‘Everybody leave us alone for a moment.’ Her voice had always carried such authority. It was no wonder she had come so far in her career, and so quickly.

  When they were alone, Mason put his clothes back on.

  ‘You ready for this?’ Cox asked.

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘Well, you’d better be. If anything goes wrong, it’s not just your head on the line.’

  ‘You didn’t need to tell me,’ Mason said, sitting back down. ‘This whole thing is erupting around me. Suddenly, I’m responsible for all these people. Evie, the kid… any potential future victims of this psycho bitch. I don’t know if I can–’

  ‘You’re a good man, Mason. Remember that.’

  Mason met her eyes. ‘Does that mean you believe me? That I’m innocent?’

  Captain Cox just stared, saying nothing.

  They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Bill poked his head through. ‘Sorry to barge in. Uh… Mason, your daughter is outside.’

  ‘What?’ Mason stood up so fast that his chair went flying backwards. ‘Why?’

  ‘She wouldn’t say, but she’s shaken up pretty bad.’

  Mason looked to Cox, who nodded her permission to leave, and then he ran out of the room as fast as he could.

  74

  Mason came into the main hall of the police station, where Amy was standing against the wall in tears. ‘I’ll take it from here,’ he said to the surrounding officers, who had been trying to comfort her.