The Swap Skills Killer

by Diana Launt

  Harry opened the door scowling.

  “Hello I wonder if you could help me. I’ve broken down on the dirt track road and I need to ring my husband and the garage but I’ve just noticed my mobile is flat. You don’t have a telephone I could use please; it will not take more than a few minutes. It’s just that it’s getting dark, and I don’t want to be stuck out here on a country lane at this time of night,” Amelia said.

  “Yes, come right in, the phone is on the side table over there. Do you want a cup of tea whilst you are waiting? I was just about to make myself one,” Harry said.

  “Yes please if it’s not too much trouble, I’m a bit cold and don’t have a coat with me. I didn’t expect to break down, and it has turned quite cold. I couldn’t use your toilet, I’m bursting, and I should have gone before I came out of the office?” Amelia gushed.

  “Sure upstairs, second right,” Harry pointed.

  When she got upstairs, she messaged Jake as quickly as she could.

  Jake

  It is definitely our man, there is a green pick-up truck parked. It’s hard to see because it’s getting dark outside, but to the left of the farmhouse is a huge barn where I think Maria might be. I have come upstairs; two rooms on the left of the corridor and the bedroom doors are open and no one’s upstairs, toilets and main bedroom on right. You walk in through the front door into a hall, kitchen on the right, two doors on the left, one looks like a lounge and the other closed but probably the dining room. Do not text me back or he will hear the beep and I told him the battery is dead. Will be back out shortly when I have used the phone to ring my husband and the garage, he thinks. You will receive the fake calls to your mobile.

  Love Amelia

  She flushed the toilet and came down the stairs. There was a cup of tea and two Rich Tea biscuits on the hallstand where the telephone was. She pulled out the chair, snatched her small address book out of the handbag as if she was looking for numbers and asked for his address so that her husband could come to pick her up. She took a sip of her tea and dialled the numbers and firstly pretended to talk to her husband, but was talking to Jake, and then rang the garage, but she said that no one was there and it had gone to answer phone and she left a message.

  He asked her whether she wanted to sit in the lounge and to bring her tea with her whilst they waited for her husband. They proceeded through the lounge where there was a wood burner with a whole log burning. It was giving off the feeling of a cosy warm lounge, but she felt cold, trembling inside.

  He leaned over looking at her and wondering where he had seen her before, but guessed he had probably just seen her around town. He held up a little crystal tray of aniseed rock and offered her one. He saw her looking at the little sweet dish and saw a frown cross her face. She had remembered what Jake said about his sister in law Penny at the morgue trying to give him a message, offering him a sweet out of a glass dish, and the strong smell of spices. In the dish was aniseed rock. She was trying to tell him the man who killed her smelled of aniseed.

  At that point, Harry remembered where he had seen her, in Skegness on the bench with Hammond’s son who he had seen at the Forum. Harry fancied his chances with her, furthermore she was trying to trap him, and he had caught her by her foolishness. He had to be quick, they would be waiting for her to come back and when she didn’t they would be on him like a ton of bricks.

  He should kill them now, then take the pick up and go across the fields out on to the main road on the other side of the farm. Of course, he would not get the pleasure of torturing them or the rape afterwards. He couldn’t just flee and leave them, as he had to make the Hammonds pay. He realized that he would still get pleasure; the thought of them suffering because they had lost their mother would please him.

  He would start again, in some other place; give himself a new name, new life. Perhaps he ought to get married again, whilst he was still young enough.

  CHAPTER 43

  Jake was in agony looking at his watch, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, now twenty minutes. It was too long and his heart was pummelling his chest. He was worried because Amelia should have been back by now he reckoned, he told her not to take any chances. It was time to push forward and go in.

  They ran across the fields to the back of the farm, and crept along the grass, two of the uniforms to the back of the house, and Jake and Oliver to the back of the barn. Frank had gone off on his own in a tangent and would not listen to what anyone had to say, he had to get to Maria, and God help Harry if he got to him before anyone else.

  It was quiet and dark. They peered through the barn windows, heard, and saw nothing, but Jake looked at where the hay was set aside, saw a large trap door in the floor, and pointed it out to DSupt. Blackwell.

  “If she’s here Oliver, and not in the house like Amelia says she has got to be down there, I’m going to smash this window and get in. He dragged his jacket off and covered the glass so as not to cut himself and muffle the shattering of glass. He could not get through so he had to pull part of the rotting frame away too. He climbed in and plummeted to the floor, Oliver followed him in a bit more gracefully. They darted straight to the hatch, but it had a large thick bolt across it with a clasp and lock.

  “Frigging hell there’s a lock on it, look round Oliver see if you can see any bolt cutters or anything that we can force the lock with, crow bar, large screw driver.’’ He shone the torch around the barn looking for anything that would break the lock apart. They heard a whimper coming from the hatch, and were sure that Maria was down there.

  “Mum is that you down there? Are you okay love? There’s a huge lock on the door so we have to find something to break it open.”

  “Yes, it’s me Jake, I’m okay darling, don’t worry I’m just a bit bruised where he knocked me out. You be careful, I think he has someone else next door. I heard a woman screaming, go and see whether she is alright, I’m OK.”

  At that point, Frank clumsily smashed his way through the barn door.

  “Dad, for fucks sake, what did you do that for? Harry is definitely going to know that we are here now, it has been a waste of time us creeping about. You go and help Oliver to find something to open the lock on the hatch because mum is down there. Don’t get yourself worked up because she’s OK. I’ve spoken to her and she says she has a few bruises. You can go down there, no way am going down there, it’s probably full of rodents and other creepy crawlies. Mum heard a woman scream so I’m going next door to see whether Amelia is okay.”

  “You take care son, and don’t go taking risks beyond the call of duty.”

  “Listen to yourself, ‘Dirty Harry’.”

  Oliver followed Jake out of the barn, they lowered their heads to creep past the window and got to the door and barged in.

  When they were in the house, they ran along the hall, glanced as they crept past the kitchen. They ran straight into the lounge and what they saw devastated them. Amelia was on the floor, her blood splattered everywhere. Jake’s heart dropped as he bent over her and checked her pulse, she was still alive but she had be stabbed several times.

  She had given him a good fight and she had defensive wounds on her hands, and arms. She opened her eyes and with a feeble voice came out with, “I’m okay Jake, get after him. He’s somewhere in the house because he knows you are out there waiting, and I’ve not heard the back door shutting so he is still in the house,” Amelia said.

  With tears in his eyes he lamented “Hang in there girl, and don’t you go dying on me. I’ve taken a liking to you now and don’t want another partner, you mean far too much to me.”

  “Hey you don’t get maudlin on me, I’m a biker girl, and you can’t pop us off that easy, go get him Jake and be careful, I’m getting a bit fond of you too?”

  Oliver chuckled to himself, signalled for a paramedic urgently, and crouched down with Amelia, holding her in his arms until the paramedics took over.

  Jake held his gun out sweeping left to right, carefully stalked after the killer to cat
ch him before Frank ‘Dirty Harry’ Hammond got to him. What would Frank do to him if he got to him first?

  Suddenly, the lights went out, and it was pitch black. Harry must have flicked the fuse switch so that he had the benefit of knowing his whereabouts and plundered Jake into the darkness, but he had his torch at the ready.

  Harry was hiding in pantry, where the fuse box was, hoping to jump out and get them, but he could hear someone clambering about upstairs. He wished that he had grabbed a couple of aniseed rocks out of the glass dish after he’d stabbed the copper’s bitch, he was getting a bit of a dry throat and needed his aniseed fix. Then he remembered he had some bottles of lemonade stored to make himself a shandy, so opened one up and took a swig to quench his thirst.

  Harry sat on the lower pantry shelf mulling things over. His shoulder was killing as he only had time to plaster thick wadding across it after throwing Maria down the hatch. He had to think what was best. He could not make a run for the Jeep because it was dangerous until the coast was clear, and he did not want to place himself in jeopardy. He did not think he could get away with it now because there was an ambulance outside too.

  He was thinking about giving himself up but did not fancy the time in Jail, the thin mattresses, starched cotton sheets, and the coarse wool blankets came to mind. He had killed the Hammond boy’s girlfriend so he would be ready to hunt him down like an animal and he was sure it was Hammond clomping about upstairs.

  Well, in for a penny in for a pound, if he were going down he would take another Hammond with him. He would wait to hear him in the kitchen, peep through the door, and creep out and stab him in the back with the carving knife he had taken out of the knife block; he would not see it coming. When he gets as far as the kitchen, he will think that he had long gone anyway so that would assist him complete this task.

  Jake searched upstairs, in all the wardrobes, airing cupboard, that was racks full of rolled up towels. Jake checked under the beds and decided that he was not hiding upstairs and started to walk downstairs at the same time as his dad lurched through the front door.

  Frank came stumbling through the door holding his head. “Is he here then Jake or has he legged it? Your mum is okay, she has gone off in the ambulance with Amelia, and they are going to check her over.”

  “Shush dad and get back outside, Amelia thinks that he is still in the house. Do not go in there dad, that’s the only place I’ve not checked. Dad… He flipped the safety off his gun as his dad took no notice as usual and stormed into the kitchen.”

  Jake yelled aloud “Dad what did I tell you, that’s the only place I haven’t checked, get back here now, it’s not safe till I’ve checked in there…!”

  Frank ranted and raged. “Where is he Jake? Let me at the bloody psychopath. You should see the state of your mother’s face, black and blue it is. He must be in the house somewhere as I’ve searched everywhere outside in case he decides to do a runner like last time.”

  At that point, Harry shot from out of the pantry, knife at the ready, throwing himself at Frank who had his back to the pantry door. He pointed the knife-edge to Frank’s throat thinking he could get out of there with a hostage situation and head for the pick-up.

  “So we meet again Frank, you won’t keep your schnozzle out of things, like a pig sniffing out truffles aren’t you. Well you’ve done it once too often now you obnoxious man, you’re my next victim.” Harry boasted.

  Frank vented. “You are nothing but an evil bastard preying on women, a total psychopath. Well, we’ve got you this time you loser; you are not going to get away this time around.”

  Harry held the knife deeper into Frank’s throat and it started to bleed, blood running down his neck onto his jacket, then he started to taunt them.

  “I am not going back to prison, and I’m not going to trial to get me a life sentence, so if I’m going to die now you are coming with me Frank, it is your time old boy. Now you are close to death what are you feeling? Are you thinking of your wife and daughter, the grandchildren that you are never going to see,” Harry jeered.

  Jake stiffened. “Bloody Hell, you are one sick bastard,”

  “Never mind, you will soon be with your beloved daughter in law, and she will be able to tell you how I made her suffer. She had backbone, and was defiant right up to the end. Her skin was so soft and tender to the touch, she was sensational, even when she was dead, and I had my pleasure. I craved for her body. It was thrilling to lick the blood off her breasts, she looked like she was sleeping, so innocent yet exposed to my tawdry behaviour,” Harry mocked.

  Jake by this time was fuming, he was trying to stay calm to try and negotiate his dad’s release from this maniac but it did not take much to rile him, and he could feel the uncontrollable anger building up inside, as he listened to Harry’s depraved words. He was ready for Harry now. Bring it on he thought.

  Jake stepped forward and snapped. “Stop that bullshit. Look Harry, or whatever your bloody real name is, let my father go or I will have to kill you, and I don’t want to do that even though you deserve it. See us coppers like to negotiate with the killer, bring them in but if I have to kill you I will do so without any hesitation, so you had better give yourself up, you have nowhere to run or hide. It’s not like last time you were in this situation. We have all the exits covered, armed police everywhere and you won’t get away this time, so drop the knife and release Frank.”

  “No. I haven’t finished yet. I just want to put things right. I have some information I want to share with you that you’re going to find mind blowing. I think I owe it to you for taking your dad away from you, a bit of something in return,” Harry replied.

  “Bloody Hell what are you on about,” Jake said angrily.

  “You see, you were right I came back to Horncastle to seek revenge on the Hammonds here, for Frank encroaching on my life. I had to flee and give it all up, leave a house and life I had settled down to, making myself comfortable for when my wife passed on in the palliative care unit. I had a new life, a small bungalow with a bit of land I rented, and this blundering idiot wrenched it all away,” Harry said.

  “Oh what a bloody shame.” Frank said.

  Harry started giggling. “You just don’t see do you? I killed the Hammond woman and Mr Slap Head Reggie Brown, only because he got my goat and was nothing more than a dick head. I did not kill the other woman, Caroline Hardy, as the Press said, although it would be nice to take the triumph and glory for another slaying. I didn’t do it, but I know the man that did.”

  “Bloody Hell. What do you mean you know the man that did?” Jake said.

  “It happened by chance. When I was doing my rounds in Skegness, I came across him at the funfair; he works there, goes by the name of ‘John Boy’ so the younger lads were calling him. I have watched him take a woman, followed him home with them, and seen him go to my dumpsite to dump her. You have a copycat killer,” Harry enlightened him.

  At that point, he gave a demented laugh, and viciously grabbed Frank tighter and moved the knife to one side of Frank’s throat ready to slice into it.

  Jake saw the fear in his dad’s eyes, saw a tear roll down his cheek, as he knew he was about to die any second now if he did not kill Harry.

  Jake fixed his gaze on Harry, looked him straight in the eyes and without a second thought shot him straight in the head. Death came instantly, he fell backwards and slid down the pantry door, the same time as the blood and brains splattered against it.

  His dad stumbled forward, grabbed Jake in a bear hug, and held onto him for support and would not let him go. He was so relieved that it was over, vowing to himself that he would never get himself into this situation again. He was getting far too old to be gadding about like this. From now on, he decided he would leave it to the Local Constabulary.

  “Bloody Hell. Do you think he was telling the truth?” Jake said.

  “Don’t know Jake, MO same but it could be a copycat as it was in the news. Sometimes they do like to confess their sins w
hen they know they are about to die,” Frank said.

  “God, I hope he was having a last laugh on us and joking.” Jake said.

  “Sorry son, to have plunged you into this situation, but you know what I’m like. Once I get it into my head to do something nothing can stop me. It’s just that I was so incensed what he has dragged our family through, I just had to get him myself,” Frank said.

  “Tell me about it, I don’t know how mother has coped with you all these years; I know where I get my stubbornness from now,” Jake said.

  “Yes, remind me after all this is over and we’ve placed Penny’s funeral behind us, to go out and buy your mother an eternity ring, she deserves one for sticking by me all these years. I might even get the vicar to renew our vows and have a bit of a second honeymoon in Paris or perhaps somewhere exotic.” Frank said.

  “Oh dad, I didn’t know you had any romance left in you. You will have to treat her a bit special after all she has gone through. She has had it tough and will have to rest to get over this, and we have Penny’s funeral to contend with and that will bring it all back.” Jake said.

  “Don’t worry dad, I will have no guilt, he’s had that coming for a long time for what he did to Penny, and nearly killed Amelia too, and has pummelled half of the family on the head. I will have immense pleasure in telling Jeremy that I killed him. Come on dad let us take you to the hospital and get you checked out; we don’t want you to get any more damage to your head. God forbid, you are already as silly as a sack of lights, no common sense when it comes to being sensible at your age. Leave Oliver and the gang to sort this lot out,” Jake said rushing out of the door.

  CHAPTER 44

  It was a glorious spring day as Jake sauntered from his car into the nick. It was his favourite time of the year, he loved to see the trees budding and soon he would look forward to the colours of all the spring flowers that Emily planted popping their heads through the soil in the hanging baskets and the different bushes flowering. As he stepped through the door of the nick, there were sudden roars of applause from his colleagues.