by M A Comley
Sean reeled off the address and hung up.
Katy let out a large sigh as AJ set off. “Crap, I’m beginning to feel some sympathy with Lorne here. All this flying around is a tad wearing.”
“I wonder how she’s getting on. Don’t envy her in the slightest.”
Katy and AJ parked in the underground car park and took the lift to the seventh floor. They flashed their IDs at the woman on reception, who rang the appropriate office and showed them to a door at the end of a narrow corridor.
“Mr. Perkins, I’m Detective Sergeant Katy Foster, and this is my partner, DS Alan Jackson.”
He stood, shook their hands, and invited them to take a seat. “What’s this concerning, Sergeant?”
“I take it your surprise to see us means that no one has made contact with you as yet.”
The man reclined in his chair, wearing a frown. “I’m not with you. Why would someone be contacting me on police business? To my knowledge, I haven’t done anything unlawful.”
“It’s nothing to do with your business, per se. It is with deep regret, I need to inform you that we have reason to believe your wife and child were abducted a few hours ago.”
The man’s face clouded over, and he catapulted forward in his chair. “What? Where? When? Why?” Agitated, he swept a hand over his face.
“We believe your wife might have been on a shopping trip with your daughter. Is that right?”
“My wife said she was taking my daughter to the dentist. There’s every chance she might have gone shopping afterwards, yes. Oh, Lord, why?”
“That we don’t know until the kidnappers make contact. We’re dealing with a similar case right now, which could be connected. I have to ask if you know a Lance Hardy?”
“Yes, he’s a good friend of mine. I don’t understand. Does he have something to do with my wife’s abduction? Is that what you’re telling me, Sergeant?”
“No, sorry to mislead you. Mr. Hardy’s wife and child have also been kidnapped.”
“Bloody hell. When?”
“Yesterday, we believe. We have experienced officers out in the field, trying to track down the abductors now.”
“What do these bastards want? Have they said? Why haven’t they rung me?”
“We’re still trying to get to grips with the case, Mr. Perkins. They’re demanding a large sum of money from Mr. Hardy. We’re presuming the same thing is going to happen with you.”
“Crap. So what do we do until then? Just sit and wait for the call?”
“Yes, there’s very little we can do. We’ve put out an alert for the car, in the hope we might learn which direction the kidnappers took after the abduction. At this time, that’s all we can do.”
The intercom on his desk tinkled to life. “What is it, Susan?”
“There’s a strange call for you, sir. The caller insisted it was a matter of life or death that he speaks to you at once.”
“Then put him through.”
The phone rang, and Perkins reached for it.
“Can you answer it on speaker phone so we all hear?”
Perkins nodded.
Then Katy advised, “Try and remain calm at all times. There’s every possibility he will set out to goad you. Just restrain yourself from reacting, for your family’s sake.”
“Hello. How can I help you?” Perkins answered the call, forcing brightness into his voice.
“We’ve got your wife and kid. Our demands are that we’re giving you twenty-four hours to come up with ten million.”
“What? But I don’t have that sum of money lying around.” Perkins’s mouth ran away from him before his brain had the chance to engage.
“Not my problem. You either want to see your family again, or you don’t. The choice is yours. Their lives are in your hands. I have a feeling you’ll do what’s necessary to get them returned to you in one piece and unharmed, won’t you?”
Katy urged Perkins to agree with the kidnapper.
“Yes, of course. I’ll do what I have to do to bring my family home. Just tell me what to do.”
“I just have. Get the money together and await further orders.”
“Can I have proof that my family are okay?” Perkins asked, pulling a face at Katy as if doubting he’d said the right thing.
She approved of his question and gave him the thumbs-up.
“Next time. They’re indisposed at present.” The man’s laughter filled the room.
“Don’t hurt them, please. I’ll get you the money; I promise.”
“Thought that might make you see sense. I’ll be in touch soon.”
The man hung up, and Perkins pressed the button on the phone, silencing the dial tone. His hand swept through his hair. “My God, where am I supposed to lay my hands on that sort of money? Does this man understand what a dismal financial climate we’re entrenched in right now? Does Lance have the funds to honour their demands?”
Katy nodded. “That’s our understanding, yes. What about the bank? Will they give you a loan?”
“Of ten million? Are you mad? Sorry, no offence, but Christ, I went to them cap in hand only last month for five hundred grand, and they laughed at me.” He shook his head in despair. “Twenty-four hours to get my hands on that kind of money—that’s simply impossible.”
“You need to try. I’m sorry; I’m just stating the facts. What about family members? Can they help out with a personal loan maybe?”
“No. I’m the only one in our family with any hint of wealth. If only I hadn’t invested heavily in the stock market before it collapsed. Please, Sergeant, I need my family back, unharmed if that’s at all possible. They’re the air that I breathe. I’ll be totally lost without them.” He glanced sideways at the framed photo of his wife and daughter sitting next to the phone on his desk.
“I understand. We’re doing our best to track these kidnappers down. However, they’re not making it easy for us. Can you think of anyone, either businesswise or personally, who is carrying a huge grudge that would drive them to do this to you? Is there a transaction you’ve made recently that could have pissed someone off?”
“No, nothing. Business has been slow for weeks, months even. What about Lance? Could he suggest a culprit?”
“He had an inkling, which we followed up on, only to receive a negative result.”
“So, where do we go from here?”
“We’re going back to the station now, to continue our investigation, and I’d advise you ringing around associates, friends, and other banks to try and find the funds to satisfy the greed of the kidnappers.” Katy handed him a card, then she and AJ rose from their seats and shook Perkins’s hand.
“That’s it? You’re ostensibly telling me to stomp up the money and deal with it?” His anger suddenly emerged and caused his voice to tremble.
“I’m sorry. That’s the way it has to be. Gone are the days when the Met can come up with the cash in an instant to bail families out. We’re under strict financial constraints, too, unfortunately.”
He inhaled a long breath and shrugged. “I apologise for my outburst.”
“There’s no need. We’ll stay in touch, Mr. Perkins. Please bear in mind we have extremely experienced officers working on both cases, yours and Mr. Hardy’s.”
“Thank you. I’ll ring you if I manage to lay my hands on the money.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
During the course of the drive and totally fed-up with travelling back and forth on the same roads, Lorne bolted down her sandwich, unsure when or where her next meal would pass her lips. She regretted her actions soon after when some of her lunch refused to settle in her stomach and lodged itself in her windpipe. She pulled into the car park and twisted the cap off the bottle of water. She took a gulp, trying to shift the tenacious lump in the throat.
Soon after she went in search of pod fourteen of the London Eye. She had visited the tourist attraction on numerous occasions with either Charlie or her father. However, she sensed this expedition might hamper any enjo
yment of returning in the future.
“Hello, madame. Just the one ticket, is it?”
Lorne nodded and handed over her credit card, hopeful the Met would reimburse her later. “Thanks.” She leaned in and told the man in the ticket office, “I’m with the Met police, working a huge sensitive case at the moment.”
He raised an eyebrow as if he thought she was pulling a fast one to avoid paying. “Okay.”
“No, seriously, I am.” She showed him her warrant card, and that appeared to appease him. “I’ve been given clear instructions to get a ride on pod fourteen. Can you arrange that for me?”
The man cast his gaze up to the ride. “That pod isn’t going to be available for at least fifteen minutes. Will that suit you?”
Lorne hitched up her right shoulder and tutted. “It’ll have to be okay.”
The man issued her a ticket and pointed out where she should stand next. Once she had joined the queue, Lorne pretended to be reading one of the ride’s brochures she had picked up during her conversation and sneakily began looking around her. Her suspicions were drawn to anyone in the milling crowd who glanced her way as if they were watching her. Then her heart started to race. For the briefest of seconds, she saw a wisp of black, a man’s jacket disappear behind a nearby wooden hut. Her eyes remained trained to that spot for the next five minutes, but when nobody reappeared, she put the incident down to her overactive imagination and tired eyes playing a trick on her.
Finally, the attendant gave her the go-ahead to climb aboard the recently vacated pod. She was amongst ten other passengers, mostly Japanese tourists, who shuffled into the capsule. As the oversized Ferris wheel began its agonisingly slow journey, Lorne moved to the front of the pod, and her gaze sought out the hut that had held her interest moments before. A relieved smile touched her lips when she recognised the figures of her husband and his colleague, Joe. Thank God, I’ll be safe with them both close by.
Thoughts of being at home with Charlie and Tony, enjoying one of their renowned family barbecues, were quickly brushed aside, however, when her mobile rang. “Hello.”
“You made it then, Simpkins. By the end of this trip, I want you to note down five locations in your eye-line which are visited daily by at least a thousand people.”
“What? Is this some kind of joke? What does that have to do with releasing the family?”
“Are you questioning me, again?”
“No. Sorry, I don’t mean to, but come on—”
“And FYI, you now have two families on your conscience, Mrs. Super Copper Extraordinaire.”
He hung up, leaving her feeling frustrated. She took out the notebook and pen she always carried in her jacket pocket and began scribbling down the tourist locations he’d hinted at. She didn’t really need to have the sites in her eye-line—she was a Londoner born and bred, and that came with an inbuilt knowledge of places to avoid in the peak season. When she had completed her task, she revisited her conversation with Katy about the new family and a possible connection. She nodded to herself. So he’s upped the ante. But will he stop at two families?
She withdrew Sean’s phone from her pocket and dialled the incident room.
Sean picked up after only two rings. “Are you all right, Lorne?”
“I’m fine. Look, I’m just checking in. He’s given me a mind-numbing task to keep me amused during my trip. I’m guessing he’ll ring back once his cohort informs him that I’m nearing the end of my trip. He’s just admitted that they’re holding two families hostage now, so I wanted to tell Katy that she was right in her line of thinking.”
“That’s good to know. She’s just rung. I’m expecting her back any moment. Any sign of Tony and Joe yet?”
“Yeah, I’ve spotted them. I just hope my tail hasn’t got wind of them being close by. Any news on the press conference yet? Airing that is either going to blow these cases wide open or cause irreparable damage.”
“I agree. It’s all in hand. Scheduled to go out live in a few hours. Don’t laugh, but I’ve volunteered to go before the cameras.”
Lorne laughed in spite of his warning. “Sorry. Ugh... are you all right with that?”
“My stomach is somersaulting itself into knots right now. If Katy comes back in time, I might try and persuade her to do it instead.”
“If she’s not feeling sick, then I would definitely encourage her to take up the reins of that one.” Lorne covered the mouthpiece with her cupped hand and whispered, “What about the money side of things? Can either of the families afford to meet the gang’s ransom demands?”
“Hardy is begging and borrowing as we speak, but Katy doesn’t hold out much hope of Perkins coming up with the money.”
“Can the Met help out at all, Sean?”
“Once upon a time, I would have said yes without hesitation, but you know as well as I do how much the budget cuts have affected the force.”
“Do me a favour, ask the super? See if we can bend the rules slightly on this one or at least find part of what is expected.”
“That’s all very well asking that, Lorne, but what happens if the kidnappers abduct yet another family and then another? What are we supposed to do then?”
“Please ask Anne just this once, for me?”
“Like I have a choice!” he grumbled.
She blew him a kiss down the line. He responded by ending the call. She could feel her cheeks warm as she took in the amazing view once more. The anxieties of the day subsided during the ride but materialised once more when Warrior made contact with her again near the end of the pod’s cycle.
“Got them, Simpkins?”
“Yes. You want me to tell you the locations now?”
“Just one.”
Lorne frowned. Not knowing in which direction the conversation was going in annoyed her. “The Victoria and Albert Museum. How’s that? Do I win?”
“Cut the shit, wise mouth. That’s going to be your next destination.” He paused for a moment then issued her the obligatory time limit as if he were working out the route and how long it would take her to get there. “You’ve got an hour from the time you get off the pod. Got that?”
“Jesus! I’ll never make it.”
“I can’t hear you! Lame excuses don’t wash with me, lady. Get your effing arse into gear and move it.”
Lorne placed her mobile in her jacket pocket as the pod shuddered to a halt. She apologised to the other tourists as she brushed past them to get out of the door first. She ran back to the car and started the engine then fished out Sean’s mobile and rang the station again. “I’m en route to the V&A. Can’t chat; I’m against a stiff time limit. Let Tony know.” She hung up without giving Sean the chance to reply.
***
Warrior was fully prepared for the new arrivals when Johnny and Spike unloaded the petrified woman and her child from the car. “Any trouble?”
“Not really. They tried to resist, but a few well-placed slaps seemed to do the trick in keeping them quiet,” Johnny informed him with a laugh.
“Shit happens, eh? The boss said not to touch them. But then he’s not the one having to deal with the bollocks they’re dishing out, is he?” Warrior said.
The two goons grumbled their agreement, and each grabbed one of the hostages by the arm and guided them roughly towards the back door of the house. The teenager had other ideas, though, and when the opportunity opened up, she slipped out of her guard’s grasp and ran across the yard, screaming. She didn’t get very far, though, before her guard recaptured her and hauled her back to stand alongside her mother.
Warrior glared at the child, slapped her face hard, and warned them both, “Any more shit like that, and someone is going to get seriously hurt. Am I making myself clear?”
The tearful mother reached for her daughter’s hand and squeezed it. “I promise, neither Kerry nor I will give you any more trouble. Please, don’t harm us.”
Warrior moved to within five inches of the girl’s face. “Keep her in line, and that might
just happen. Got that, Kerry?” The teenager held her head down and angled it away from him. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. “Answer me, or I’ll set the boys on you, and believe me, they can be savages once I give them the green light.”
“I understand. I’m sorry.” The girl’s quivering voice came out as an apologetic whisper.
Warrior relinquished his grip and led the party into the house. He stopped halfway along the dimly lit hallway and opened a cupboard door under the stairs. Johnny pushed the mother towards him, and Warrior ordered her to get into the cupboard. The woman sensibly did so without causing any hassle. Warrior had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case with the feisty teenager, so once he’d shut the door on the mother, he withdraw a length of rope from his pocket and wrapped it around the girl’s wrists while the other two men held her tightly. “Just in case you think about going back on your word.”
“I won’t. Ouch... that’s hurting me,” she cried out.
Warrior’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up, bitch.” He opened a smaller door and thrust the girl inside the dark area then slammed the door on her noisy objections. “Hey, Momma, you better have another word with your daughter when we’re gone. I don’t think she’s quite got the message yet. If I return in thirty minutes and hear her utter one single word, I will have no hesitation in following through on my threat. Is that clear?”
“Yes, I’ll talk to her,” the mother’s distant, shaking voice replied.
Warrior and his two associates walked back into the kitchen and were immediately confronted by the crying baby. “Jesus! This is bloody never ending. Now the damn kid is hungry.”
Johnny sniggered. “How do you know that? It could have just shat its nappy.”
“Don’t ask. I think by the time we get out of here, I’ll be some kind of bloody expert on babies.” He shuddered. “The thought appals me. Why do people have ’em? Especially when there’s the possibility of them turning out to be like you guys!” Warrior laughed at the offended looks on the other men’s faces. “Johnny, go and get the other woman. You guys can get a thrill out of her feeding the kid.”