Vanished Beneath: DS Lasser six (The Lasser series Book 6)

by Robin Roughley

  When she replied it was in hushed tones. 'I'm with Emma; we're at her dad's place.'

  'Oh right, how is he?' he asked as he opened a cupboard door and lifted the bottle of Vimto onto the work surface.

  'Not good, the McMillan nurse is here.'

  Lasser frowned. 'Jesus, I didn't think it had got to that stage?'

  'Neither did we but Emma was talking to the nurse and she seems to think the cancer is reaching the final stages.'

  Lasser looked through the kitchen window at the towering grass and the flowerbeds littered with weeds. 'And how is she bearing up?'

  'You can imagine after the last few days she's distraught.'

  Lasser sighed and loosened his tie. 'Right, well is there anything I can do?'

  'Not really but the thing is Emma doesn't want to leave him.'

  Lasser unscrewed the lid from the bottle. 'That's understandable.'

  'And she's asked if I'll stay with her, it's just for one night I'd be home in the morning.'

  'No problem, sweetheart, and you're sure I can't bring you anything?'

  'Positive, like I said it's all about pain relief now and all we're doing is drinking gallons of tea and talking.'

  'Well listen give Emma my love and tell her she's welcome back here anytime.'

  'Thanks, I know she'll appreciate that, now I'd better go.'

  'OK, but if you need anything then just give me a shout and I can be over there in ten.'

  'Thanks. Oh by the way, I left you a salad in the fridge, I mean, it's not deep fried so I don't expect you to eat it all.'

  'Very funny.'

  'I love you, Lasser.'

  'Ditto,' he said and then she was gone.

  'Is everything alright?' Odette asked.

  Lasser sloshed some of the juice into a glass before filling it with cold water, when he turned; she was looking at him in concern.

  Placing the glass on the table, he explained about Emma and her father.

  'And she's the one you went into the water to save?'

  'Yeah, but it looks as if her bad luck hasn't finished yet.'

  Odette took a sip from the glass. 'Poor woman.'

  Lasser pulled out his cigarettes and lit one. 'Med and Emma go way back, childhood mates.'

  'Is that why you dived in to save her because she was Medea's best friend?'

  'I'd like to say no, but who knows, I mean, it isn't something I'd want to do again in a hurry.'

  'I can imagine.'

  'Right, do you like salad?'

  'I don't care what it is, I'm starving.'

  Lasser leapt up and tossed the cigarette into the sink before yanking open the fridge door, he grinned when he saw the two plates covered in cling film.

  Lifting them out, he pulled off the wrapping and plonked them on the table. 'Now do you need a knife and fork?'

  'Unless you expect me to eat the coleslaw with my bare hands?'

  'Oh yeah sorry,' he said before opening a drawer and dragging out the cutlery.

  'So what about the Mellor brothers, what's your take on them?'

  Lasser slid back into the chair. 'Local scumbags trying to break into the big time, Boris is the thick one, more muscle than brains.'

  Odette popped a cherry tomato into her mouth. 'What about the other one?'

  'Norvil's the one to watch, a slimy sod - he's the one pushing for world domination.'

  'But Sharon Cliff was dumped outside the gates to their yard wasn't she?'

  Lasser placed his elbows on the table. 'Yeah, that's what makes us think that someone has a vendetta against them.'

  'Do you think they're on the killers list?'

  Lasser pondered for a moment. 'If you really think about it, then the whole thing is bloody weird.'

  'You mean getting someone else to do the actual killing?'

  'Yeah, why would someone do that?'

  Odette speared half a boiled egg onto her fork. 'Well if you can trap someone into thinking this is simply a business opportunity then why not use them, I mean, it takes the heat off the real killer.'

  'Yeah well, Elliot was as thick as pig shit so I can imagine him not realising it was a trap before it was too late.'

  Odette nibbled at the egg the ponytail curled around her shoulder. 'And now the killer’s got someone else on the payroll.'

  'That's the problem with this town, there are too many idiots ready to grab the cash without thinking of the consequences.'

  'Off course there could be another reason the killer uses someone else.'

  Lasser lifted the lettuce with his fork and smiled when he spotted the slice of ham hidden beneath. 'Another reason?' he mumbled as he took a bite.

  'Well let's look at the facts, we have Crank and Sheldon and the unidentified girl.'

  'Yeah.'

  'Then there’s Sarah Clark and Sharon Cliff.'

  'Sounds like a double act, the Cliff and Clark show!'

  Odette gave him a crooked smile. 'Now it makes sense to use someone else if you knew these people would recognise your face.'

  'But we already know all this.'

  'But what if there was another reason?'

  Lasser raised an eyebrow. 'Come on, Odette, the suspense is killing me.'

  'What if the killer uses a third party because they can't physically do the actual killing?'

  Lasser's fork clattered onto the plate. 'A woman!'

  Odette took a sip from her glass, her eyes watching Lasser over the rim. 'I mean, you'd have to be pretty strong to drag a body from the back of a van and then carry it to the water.'

  'Bloody hell you're right. They can't manage the heavy stuff that's the real reason they get the monkeys involved.'

  'You think it makes sense?' She asked.

  'Yeah, yeah it makes perfect sense. We've been looking at this wrong, OK, it helps the killer to remain hidden, and I can guarantee that Elliot would have had no idea who he was working for, it's probably the same with Elliot version two. But that's just a by-product; the killer remains hidden because they don't have the strength to risk doing it themselves.'

  'Do you think Bannister will buy it?'

  'Oh he'll rant and rave like he always does, but when the dust settles he'll see it makes sense.'

  'What about the girl who was with Hancock in the Vic?'

  Lasser nodded slowly. 'Yeah, it puts a whole new spin on things. We know she had a run in with Cliff and Clark so perhaps she's a candidate.'

  'But Bannister will point to the fact that it was Hancock who pulled her out of there so why should she add him to the list?'

  'Yeah well, relationships change, besides, there are plenty of men in this town who treat women like shit, even if they have saved them from getting bottled.'

  'So we need to find out who she is?'

  'Easier said than done with Hancock gone.'

  'Well maybe he had friends who could give us a name?'

  'We'll find out where he lives tomorrow and have a word with the neighbours.'

  'Don't forget we're going to Frodsham's in the morning.'

  'Right, it looks like we have a busy day.'

  Odette drained the glass and held it out. 'More please.'

  'It's a good job we're not supping beer.'

  She smiled widely. 'I can drink you under the table any time pal.'

  Lasser believed her.

  103

  Hag fold estate was stuck out in the middle of nowhere, made up of council houses with a small parade of shops in the middle; the place was a dumping ground for bag heads and people who had spent a lifetime eking out a living on benefits.

  Normally, it was the type of place people avoided, especially after dark. Gangs of youths hung around on street corners like feral rats, girls chewed continuously on sticks of gum, the boys smoking and swearing.

  Dave Pitt had no such concerns, pulling up to the kerb he climbed out and sniffed the air like some primordial beast on the hunt. Half a dozen lads turned and watched him through narrowed suspicious eyes, a solitary girl sat
on a garden wall, her skinny midriff on display the heels of her trainers beating a steady tattoo against the bricks.

  'Alright lads, I'm looking for someone called Kylie Frodsham so can any of you lot help me?'

  The group all seemed to shuffle their feet as if connected telepathically.

  Pitt turned to the girl. 'What about you sweetheart can you help me out, do you know where she lives?'

  Her mouth continued to chew at the gum and then she lifted her narrow shoulders and gave a shrug.

  Pitt sighed. 'So no one can point me in the right direction?'

  'What's it worth?' one of the lad's asked his face shadowed by a black hoodie.

  Pitt slid a tenner from his pocket and held it out. The boy looked at the note and snorted.

  'It'll cost you more than that pal,' he grinned. 'Fucking pocket money.'

  Pitt could feel the familiar thrum of anger welling inside, taking a deep breath he dragged out another tenner. 'Now come on stop fucking about and tell me where she lives?'

  'Add another and I'll consider it.'

  Someone sniggered and the group of lads seemed to shuffle closer together.

  Dave Pitt pushed the money back into his pocket and took a step forward.

  'Whoa, pal what do you think you're doing?' the hoodie asked in surprise.

  Pitt scattered them like pins at a bowling alley then he snatched the leader and slammed his head forward, his wide bony forehead cracked into the boy's nose, bones crunched and then Pitt picked him up and tossed him over the wall into a weed festooned flowerbed.

  All five of his counterparts looked on in disbelief their mouths hanging wide.

  The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled down at the boy as he lay clutching his nose and whimpering like a whipped dog.

  A nanosecond later, the group took off down the road, and vanished around the corner.

  Pitt sighed that was one of the drawbacks with being so big, running wasn't an option.

  The girl flicked herself off the wall and walked towards him. 'I know where she lives,' she said as she stood in his hulking shadow.

  'Go on?'

  She twitched her head to the right. 'Third opening on the left, Shelly Street number sixteen, but it won't do you any good.'

  Pitt frowned down at her. 'What d'ya mean?'

  'Kylie don't live there anymore.'

  Dave could feel the aggravation building. 'Any idea where she moved to?'

  'She ain't moved anywhere, she's in the nut house,' a bubble of gum suddenly inflated from her mouth and then popped.

  'What happened?'

  'Someone said she took some bad shit and it sent her around the bend,' she screwed a finger into her temple and twisted it back and forth.

  'So she's in rehab?'

  'More like a life support machine.'

  Pitt sighed as another avenue led to yet another dead end. 'Tell me when did all this happen?'

  Another shrug, another bubble of gum popped. 'Three weeks ago, maybe a little less.'

  'And do you know if she had a fella living with her?'

  'Not sure, I mean, there was this one bloke, skinny with black hair, I saw him leaving the house a couple of times, but I don't think he was living there.'

  'You think he was her dealer?'

  'Well he looked the type.'

  ‘Elliot.’ Dave Pitt thought as he pulled the twenty quid from his pocket just as the boys head appeared over the garden wall.

  'You moke my mose,' he said in a nasal drawl.

  'And if you don't disappear it'll be your neck next time,' Pitt snarled.

  The head vanished sharpish and the girl smiled.

  'Cool,' she said as she plucked the money from his fingers.

  Pitt turned back towards the car.

  'Oh there is one more thing.'

  He turned and sighed, 'What?'

  'I mean, I don't know if Kylie will make it or not, but you could always ask her sister.'

  'Sister?'

  'Yeah, ever since Kylie went in the ozzie she's been staying at the house, you know so she can visit her easier.'

  Dave Pitt grinned. 'Yeah thanks for that sweetheart I might nip round now and have a quick word.'

  'Bit late for knocking on her door isn't it?'

  Grabbing the door handle, he looked at the girl over the roof of the car. 'Don't worry she'll be glad to see me.'

  'But you didn't know she existed until I told you.'

  Pitt didn't bother with a reply, sliding behind the wheel he set off, third on the left, Shelly Street.

  104

  When Medea saw the woman asleep of the sofa, she took a step back in surprise.

  'Oh,' she said aloud and blinked in confusion.

  When she looked again the woman was watching her with pale green eyes, the duvet tucked tight around her chin.

  One hand appeared and she gave a small wave. 'Hi.'

  When Medea heard Lasser thumping down the stairs she turned and watched as he mooched along the hallway.

  'Morning Med, how did it go last night?'

  'Er fine, I just nipped home to grab a few things.'

  Lasser moved into the room and kissed her on the lips, when he saw Odette's head poking out from the duvet he grinned. 'Oh yeah, Medea this is my new boss.'

  Medea turned as the woman threw back the duvet and pushed herself upright.

  'New boss?'

  'I'm sorry about this, my names Odette,' she said thrusting out a hand.

  Medea gave it a quick shake before turning back to Lasser with eyebrow raised.

  'We have an early start and Odette's been staying at the Oak in town, so I asked her here, I mean, you know what that place is like, the foods crap and I'm sure they have bed bugs.'

  Medea shook her head before turning back to the woman who was rubbing sleep from her eyes. 'Pleased to meet you Odette,' she said with a smile.

  'I hope you don't think I was imposing but we got talking about a case and then it got late and he said it would be fine if I slept on the sofa.'

  'Honestly it's not a problem. Now do you two want a coffee?'

  'It's alright I'll put the kettle on,' Lasser said as he headed back out of the room.

  'So how's your friend doing?'

  For a moment, Medea looked surprised. 'I think the term is as well as can be expected.'

  'It's hard when someone's ill like that.'

  Medea sighed and flopped down into the bouncy chair. 'Yeah, well Emma was fragile before she found out about her father.'

  'The incident with the car in the water?'

  'Honestly, that man can't keep anything to himself.'

  'Oh, he didn't tell me, it was Bannister, in fact it's all around the station.'

  Medea unbuttoned her coat and eased back with a sigh. 'So I hope you're getting the chance to boss him around a bit?'

  Lasser stuck his head around the door frame. 'I forgot to ask, do you take sugar Odette?'

  'Just one thanks.'

  He nodded before disappearing again.

  'I take it you're not from around here?' Medea asked.

  'No I work over in Manchester I've just been drafted in for a few days to help with the case.'

  Tuneless whistling drifted in from the kitchen and Medea winced. 'You see what I have to put up with.'

  Odette nodded, 'Sooner you than me, Medea.'

  Medea smiled warmly.

  105

  The floor of the makeshift office groaned under Dave Pitt's considerable weight.

  Norvil Mellor listened as he explained about calling on Nick Shaw and then heading out to Kylie Frodsham's house.

  'And you're sure this bird wasn't in?'

  Pitt nodded. 'Place was in darkness Norv, but I'm gonna call back this afternoon, I mean, the skank said she spends most of her time at the hospital visiting her sister.'

  'And you think this Kylie was seeing Elliot?'

  'Yeah, and don't forget Shaw said this bird had a shit load of money in her bag, so if it is the same woman then
where did she get it from?'

  The scrap man sparked up a cigarette. 'Right, make sure you catch up with her Dave I want this fucking sorted.'

  'No problem.'

  Opening the desk drawer Norvil plucked out a brown envelope and skimmed it across the room, Pitt caught it in his huge fist.

  'There's five in there and another ten if you can find where the missing gear is.'

  Pitt didn't bother opening the package instead he slipped it into the inside pocket of his black leather jacket. 'Don't worry Norv leave it with me mate.'

  'Don't let me down Dave.'

  The big man spread his arms wide. 'When have I ever let you down?'

  Norvil took a huge pull on the cigarette before blowing the smoke across the room on a sigh.

  'Anyway, where's Boz this morning?' Pitt asked.

  'Fuck knows I've been trying to get the bastard on the blower but he's probably shacked up with some bint.'

  Pitt grinned. 'Yeah he likes the good times does Boz.'

  Norvil pushed himself up from the swivel chair. 'Yeah, well if I don't find that gear then Boz's good times will be well and truly over.'

  For the first time Pitt frowned. 'Come on Norv things can't be that bad.'

  Dropping the stump onto the filthy floor Norvil grimaced. 'Believe me Dave you don't know the half of it. Now come on get a bloody move on and get this sorted.'

  Pitt left without uttering a word.

  Norvil watched from the doorway as the JCB went trundling past, a plume of dust rose into the air and Dave Pitt shook a fist at the driver before disappearing in the cloud.

  As it cleared Norvil sighed, Pitt was dragging the driver from the cab with one meaty hand.

  'This is a new fucking jacket you daft twat!' he bellowed.

  Norvil Mellor closed the door quietly before lifting out his phone.

  'It has not been possible...'

  With a snarl, he stabbed at the screen before flopping back into the chair.

  'Come on Boris where the fuck are you?' he hissed.

  Outside he heard someone yelp as Pitt went to work.

  106

  'Right I want this bugger found!' Bannister shouted and the room fell into an uneasy silence.

  One or two in the room threw sidelong glances at Odette sitting in the front row.

  'Now we can't be sure but we think he's the man with the needle, so get out there and show his mug around town, someone knows who he is and I want a name by the end of the day.'