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

by Adam Nicholls

  ‘What is this place?’ Bill said, falling in behind him.

  ‘Everything Drew said it would be and more. Look.’ He pointed down at the desk. ‘George Cooper is gone, and it looks like he’s armed, too. If we ever find him, I’m pretty sure he will be armed and dangerous.’

  Bill opened his mouth to say something, but a sudden knocking noise interrupted him. It sounded like it had come from… below them?

  Mason switched on the desk lamp and aimed it at the direction of the sound. They waited in silence, listening for it again, but it didn’t repeat. They were just about to give up and return upstairs, when the knocking resumed.

  ‘What is that?’ Bill said.

  ‘Ssh.’ Mason tip-toed forward, gun at the ready, in case he was heading toward another trap. He covered the basement floor slowly, each creaking groan of the floorboards scaring him a little more than the last. When he came to the corner of the room, where two rotting planks aimed upward and crossed each other like clashing swords, Mason peered inside the hole. ‘Oh.’

  ‘What?’

  Mason couldn’t describe the scene. His instincts commanded him, forcing him to holster his Beretta, drop to his knees and rip back the weaker planks. He was beginning to sweat, damp wetting his knees as he tore back plank after plank… until he looked down at three people; two women and a young man.

  ‘What is it?’ Bill asked.

  But Mason was too stunned to articulate it. ‘Get… Get me some help. We have survivors.’

  34

  While Bill and Captain Cox took care of the survivors, Mason stormed into Drew Ackerman’s cell. The guard stood watch while he dove in, ripping Drew from his bed and pinning him against the wall by his throat.

  ‘You could have mentioned the kidnapped victims sooner,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘Any later and they might have died of dehydration. Whose hands would have held their blood?’

  Drew’s eyes widened with shock. But then something else happened… his eyebrows curled into a confused state as he wheezed. ‘What are you talking about?’

  Mason tightened his grip. ‘I’m not in the mood for games. You knew that your little boyfriend had hidden people in the basement, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me?’ Seeing Drew’s face grow purple, he realised he was squeezing too hard. Despite wanting to strangle the life out of him, he loosened his grip… just a little.

  ‘I swear, I didn’t know…’

  ‘Ahh, you’re not worth it.’ Mason let go, watching him drop to his knees and gasp for breath. ‘George Cooper wasn’t in your house. I need to find him, and you need to tell me where.’

  Drew looked blank, his breathing steadying. ‘I’ve no idea.’

  ‘You’re going to have to do better than that.’

  ‘Uh…’ Climbing to his feet slowly, Drew moved to the furthest wall and put his back to it, far away from Mason. ‘We share a credit card. Maybe you can check the details and see if he’s checked into a hotel.’

  ‘Close, but no ciggy. He’s too smart to leave a trail. I need to get ahead of him – to find his friends or family, somewhere he can stay for a while without–’

  Drew’s eyes lit up then. ‘My summerhouse.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I have a summerhouse on the route to Los Angeles.’ He looked excited now, as if he could slowly crawl out of trouble. ‘Yeah, if you head over there, I’m willing to bet you’ll find him.’

  Mason considered his options. ‘What makes you think he won’t be waiting on us? With a trap.’

  ‘He might be. He is crafty. You’ll have to be careful.’

  It seems like a logical risk… As much as Mason wanted to send a team in to deal with it, he had to see this through. If he went back to Diane without having closed the case himself, he would never be able to feel the closure he needed. ‘Where is this place of yours?’

  ‘It’s… It’s difficult to explain.’

  ‘Try.’

  ‘I can’t.’ Drew’s eyes looked cool and calculating, but his legs shook enough to disprove that fake confidence. He gazed deep into Mason’s eyes then, a small glisten of hope revealing itself. ‘But I can show you.’

  ‘I…’ Mason could run this by Captain Cox, but it could take hours to get a warrant. What else could have gone wrong for him, though? He had already acted against her wishes and was – at best – facing a suspension. Although maybe it wouldn’t be too bad, he thought. Spending more time with Diane could help improve their relationship, even if it did come at the cost of his job. He had to try.

  Knowing the risk, Mason popped his head out of the cell and beckoned the guard. ‘Psst. Remember that time I caught you with a joint and let it slip? Remember how I gave you an informal warning and let you go home to your kids?’

  The guard – a thin, little weasel-like man, rolled his eyes. He seemed to have a rough idea of what was coming, but Mason was sure that wouldn’t cushion the blow. ‘What do you need?’

  Mason smiled thinly. ‘Just turn your back for five minutes, while I get Mr Ackerman out of here.’

  35

  If that pathetic excuse for a man gave him up, it would come as no surprise to George. He had known Drew long enough to understand that he was weaker than most people. And hell, that was probably what George had found attractive in him. A weaker man was a suggestible man, and if played right, would do anything asked of him.

  The summerhouse was a perfect place to take a stand, too. All he would have to do here is lay the traps and wait it out. If the police really were coming, it was better to cause a scene – go out with all guns blazing. Luckily for him, he was well-versed in this sort of thing.

  With a certain satisfaction, George hooked on the remaining ring of wire. He plucked at it, double- and triple-checking that it was properly secured. Pleased with the result, he settled into the armchair by the back door, the pistol laid in his lap.

  It was only a matter of time now, but he felt prepared for anything and anyone. After he disposed of the cops, he should be granted a little extra time to head across the country. Where, exactly, he had no idea. What little cash he had would only last a week or two, but it wasn’t all bad…

  After all, he was heading for a whole new playground.

  36

  The summerhouse loomed on the horizon. A dark, haunting, desolate-looking place in the middle of nowhere. When Mason got out of the car, the only thing he could hear was the passing of cars further down the hill. There were no lights on inside, but he hadn’t expected that – he had only expected danger, which was why he had talked Bill into coming along.

  ‘Stay put,’ Mason said, leaning into the car.

  ‘You serious?’ said Drew, who sat in the back, looking nothing short of terrified.

  ‘As a heart-attack.’ He shut the door and with Bill close behind him, crept around the side of the building. The front door would have been too obvious, probably the quickest way to get themselves killed.

  ‘Look,’ Bill whispered, pointing up at a shoulder-height open window.

  Mason wanted to take the chance, but George had probably done that on purpose. Whatever waited on the other side of that glass couldn’t have been a warm welcome.

  But they had no choice.

  Bill gave him a boost. Mason turned and helped lift him inside, where it smelled of damp and a cold, eerie feeling set into the air. Chills swamped his skin, raising up goosebumps all over. It made him cautious enough to draw his gun.

  ‘This way?’ Bill put one foot in front of the other, making his way down the corridor.

  Mason looked up the stairs to his left, which didn’t look all too inviting. The only other way to go was in the same direction as Bill, who marched on ahead with his gun still in its holster. He looked as though he would get into trouble, walk right into a–

  ‘Stop!’

  It was only by chance that he saw it.

  Glistening in the moonlight, a silver wire spread from wall to wall, right in front of Bill.

  Bill f
roze and turned. His mortified expression only barely visible in the shadows.

  ‘There,’ Mason pointed a finger and caught up to him. ‘Whatever you do, be careful where you tread.’ He had no desire to die tonight, but took the lead with a cautious eye. His finger wrapped firmly around the gun’s trigger as he made his way through the corridor.

  Just then, a door creaked on the other side of the house. A long, uninviting whining sound that led to a slam. Mason looked to Bill in silence, waiting for sounds of more movement, or some other indication of where George Cooper might be hiding.

  Then a gunshot, loud and clear.

  It had come from outside. Mason froze as he processed his thoughts. It then occurred to him that they had left Drew Ackerman outside. Where they had thought they were being safe, they had only put Drew closer to the immediate danger.

  ‘Go!’ Bill cried.

  Mason turned fast, running down the corridor. On his route, he saw another wire and leapt over it, careful not to take a nasty shock from whatever trap might have been waiting for him. He got to the front door, threw it open and dashed outside.

  Oh, no.

  By the car, Drew lay on the ground clutching his stomach. A dark patch of blood oozed through his shirt, soaking his fingers. He moved, but only in tiny twitches. The weapon was nowhere in sight, but the outline of a man in the distance drew Mason’s attention.

  ‘See to Drew,’ he said, checking his gun. It was becoming a bad habit of his, but Mason ran into the trees, following the figure into blanketed darkness. If the woods were anything like the house, Mason was vulnerable to the strategy of a very dangerous man. But he had no choice. It was time to catch this guy, or die trying.

  37

  The twigs and branches reached out, scratching Mason’s legs as he ran. He endured the pain – his mind and body focused on stopping George Cooper, so it would take more than a few scathes to stop him.

  The trees bled out into a clearing, where a wire fence stretched as far as the eye could see. A spotlight shone overhead, illuminating the fence and the construction site on the other side of it. It would have been impossible to climb, and with his back to Mason, it looked as though George knew it too.

  ‘What,’ Mason said, raising his Beretta, ‘no exit strategy?’

  George slowly turned to face him, a surprising grimace on his face. ‘Oh no, I have an exit.’ Fast as lightning, he lifted a pistol and aimed it at his own head. ‘Is this what you want? I mean, if I don’t do it then you will, right?’

  As much as Mason wanted to see this man blow his own head off, there was no way it would sit well on his own conscience. Not after what he had done to the Lullaby Killer all those years ago. He had been trying to straighten out his path, but it was harder than it had first seemed. ‘You don’t have to do this, George.’

  ‘No?’ George sneered.

  ‘Honestly, prison straightens out a lot of people. I’ve seen it transform people.’ Mason stepped a little closer, lowering his voice to a calmer tone. ‘It’s not like you see in the movies. They have people there who can help you. But you’ll have to put the gun down and come with me, okay?’

  There was no movement from George at all. The gun remained pressed against his head, only now there was a shimmering tear to accompany his sad voice. With his head cocked to the side, he spoke as if somebody stood next to him. ‘Really? But he’s a cop.’

  Mason shook his head in confusion. He wondered from what paranoid delusions this man suffered. Nothing about him seemed safe. ‘Cooper, are you feeling all right?’

  George turned back to him then, his eyes lighting up as if noticing him for the first time. ‘Oh, you don’t understand, do you?’

  ‘No… but I want to.’

  George shook his head. ‘Have you ever been betrayed?’

  ‘Of… Of course,’ Mason said, pushing the image of Sandra from his mind.

  ‘The last one… My wife left me, you know. Twice a week she went to that goddamn book club. I had never seen her read, so naturally I found it suspicious. After six months, I followed her to that place and peered through the open window.’

  Mason listened in silence. Whichever way this ended, he wanted to know why it had begun in the first place.

  Slowly, George lowered the gun. It was as if he were forgetting he held it. ‘There he was, with his hand on her knee, nuzzling into her neck. She didn’t protest it either. She was laughing, detective – laughing. And in her hand, a book by–’

  ‘Drew Ackerman.’

  George wiped his eye with a sleeve. ‘I met him by chance only a few weeks later and fell for him immediately.’ He stared as if he was looking right through Mason, like a deadly memory was coming back to haunt him. And then his voice grew into something deeper, louder, more aggressive. ‘And now he has stabbed me in the back!’

  The gun came up in a flash. Time seemed to slow down as it went straight to George’s temple, and his finger began to squeeze around the trigger.

  ‘Don’t!’ It was all Mason could think to say, but it was too late.

  A bright flash erupted around them, and it died out as fast as it had appeared. George slumped to the ground, reduced to nothing more than the body of a broken man. Mason felt a small pang of sympathy for him. Crazy though he may have been, he had been betrayed by everyone he had ever loved.

  Perhaps the thought of his struggle with Sandra was what had put him in an odd mood. Mason ignored it and, with misery suddenly spreading through his heart, turned and ran back to the car. He could only hope that Drew Ackerman was still alive.

  38

  For the second time in two long, grueling days, Mason took the stand in front of the press. Camera flashes hurt his eyes and each reporter waited in silence for him to say something. It felt like he was on trial himself, or perhaps that was just in his head.

  ‘Today,’ he said, ‘I am not prepared to answer any questions. However, I will explain things as they currently stand, and we will be holding another event to reveal further details in due course.’

  There was a mumble and a groan in the crowd, but their grumbling wouldn’t change his mind.

  ‘The true killer was a man named George Cooper from Denver. Although no official diagnosis was made, it is believed that the man was mentally ill. In spite of the circumstances, it pains me to say that Mr Cooper took his own life in the late hours of last night.

  ‘Crime author Drew Ackerman was also involved. He has confessed to a number of the murders, but it is important to note that he took a vital role in stopping Mr Cooper, with whom he had been romantically involved. The San Francisco Police Department would appreciate it if you take that into consideration before tarnishing Mr Ackerman’s name.’

  A slutty-looking reporter on the front row rolled her eyes, deliberately grunting loud enough for everyone to hear. Mason couldn’t help but think of her as a brat, and wondered if her daddy might have had a big hand in getting her the newspaper job.

  Nonetheless, he shook his head and went on.

  ‘If the jury sees fit, Mr Ackerman will be receiving time off his sentence before being entered into a rehab program. It is important to note that the lives he took were – in part – due to a violent and hostile domestic relationship. He is very much a victim like those who were killed in this tragic case.

  ‘As ever, our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the victims, and we hope that you can now rest with closure on your loss. Thank you for your time.’

  Before the camera flashes could pick up again, Mason headed off stage and left complaining journalists behind him. Nobody was ever satisfied at these events, but he was slowly getting used to being labelled the bad guy, even if just for being the messenger.

  ‘You did good,’ Bill said, shaking his hand backstage. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’

  Mason stopped. ‘I need to go to the hospital, actually.’

  ‘Why? Is everything okay?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Mason said, laughing at the ser
ious expression on Bill’s face. ‘Although I do appreciate the concern. I just need to speak to Drew about a few things. Make sure he’s okay and get a couple of last-minute details.’

  ‘You’re still defending that piece of shit?’

  Mason looked sharply at him.

  ‘Sorry. Look, I’ll see you back at home.’

  As soon as Bill left the building, Mason checked his cell phone. A missed call from Diane was all that he had wanted to see, and thank god she had tried to get in contact with him. After a quick trip to the hospital, he would be ready to pick her up, and maybe – just maybe – consider an early retirement.

  39

  Mason found Drew Ackerman handcuffed to the hospital bed with pale skin and dark eyes, his body slumped lifelessly across the bed. Mason thought that he looked like a vampire from one of those old fifties movies.

  ‘How you holding up?’

  Drew shifted his head and looked down with half a smile. ‘I’ve seen better days. But I heard you stopped George.’ Making a noise with his mouth, he rested his head and looked up at the ceiling. ‘Is it true?’

  It wasn’t the kind of news that he had wanted to deliver, but he supposed it was better coming from him. ‘It’s true. George took his own life. I’m sorry.’

  Silence stole over them both. No other people were inside the room, but Mason could hear children playing across the street. If he were to ever be in hospital again, a room like this wouldn’t be the worst part of it. ‘He said he loved you, you know. Those were his last words.’

  Drew met his eyes. ‘No, he didn’t. But thank you for saying that.’

  There’s no getting past this man.

  ‘I think… I think he hasn’t loved since Linda.’

  ‘Who’s Linda? The book club girl?’