The Swap Skills Killer

by Diana Launt

  Detective Sergeant Oliver Blackwell shouted for quiet, as he had to make an announcement. “Firstly, we want to thank you for nailing our killer, and closing a fifteen-year-old case, even though you had a little help from me, you and Amelia have done all the donkey work. How is Amelia by the way, we hope she is on the mend?”

  “Amelia, is feeling much better, in fact she wants to come back to work in a couple of weeks. My mother insisted that she stays at our house when she comes out of hospital.”

  Clapping and woo hoops from around the room.

  “I do realize your family have gone through a very bad time Jake, and I think you ought to have a couple of weeks off as sick leave to recuperate, after all you lost Penny and I think you ought to spend some time with Jeremy,” Oliver said.

  The team showed their appreciation by clapping and cheering Jake, yet again.

  “Well, don’t you think that we ought to take into consideration that he said he didn’t kill the Caroline Hardy and that he just came back primarily to seek revenge on our family,” Jake responded.

  “Well we won’t know that unless another body turns up with the same MO.” Oliver pointed out.

  “She just happened by chance, he said. Well, let’s hope he was kidding us,” Jake said.

  “Right, are we all listening. Come on lads get them arses on chairs. It’s important we look at the storyboard. Oliver run us through that please.” Farmer said.

  “Well, to start with we’ve had several people ring in on the Gemma Fletcher Abduction. A John Green has come up three times. Been inside for rape and assault. A bit of a drop out, does a lot of temping work. Still not turned up at the cabin, done a runner we think. Last known address in Bakewell, Derbyshire, not at that address either, but were onto him.” Oliver said.

  “Sounds like he’s our man” Douglas said.

  “Yes, come on Jake, you heard what the Guv says, I think you ought to get some time out to sit in the garden and relax,” said WPC Haddon.

  “Okay, but I want you to drop me off at my brother Jeremy’s; I think it is about time I made my peace. It’s okay I will direct you,” Jake said.

  Jake was hoping that Jeremy was in, he had not forewarned him he was coming, and he was hoping that there would be no animosity because he had turned up unexpected.

  Jake wrapped on the door, and shouted, “It’s only me Jake.”

  Jeremy opened the door, looking dishevelled as if he just got out of bed.

  “Sorry about the state of me but I fell asleep on the sofa reading a book, not been sleeping too well,” Jeremy said.

  “I can imagine mate, have you been watching the TV,” Jake said.

  “No Jake, I don’t seem to be able to cope with all the press coverage about the killings.”

  “Well, just to let you know, we got him, he’s dead,” Jake said.

  “No way, yelled Jeremy, whooping round the room. “Thanks mate, how did you get him and what happened,” Jeremy said.

  “Never mind that. Come on slap a bit of water on your face and comb your hair, let’s go to the pub for a pint and I’ll tell you all about it. We can get our diaries out and write in some family get together and barbecues, weather permitting,” Jake said giving him a brotherly punch in the back, like old times.

  “Don’t you worry yourself about Penny’s funeral next week, I will be right there beside you, I have the next fortnight off, we will celebrate Penny’s life, and we will go out and buy a nice bench to plant in the garden, where you can sit and talk to her like I do with Emily. We will plant a lovely Cherry Tree and Apple tree and you will be able to sit there and smell the blossoms, and eat the fruit and remember her,” Jake said.

  “Thank you for your support Jake, I wouldn’t have thought about that, a bench will be lovely to remember her by and she loved the trees in bloom, so a cherry and apple tree would be great. Do you think we will have time after the funeral to go round the garden centres?”

  “Yes, what about if we go to that big garden centre on the way to Skegness, it’s got a lovely restaurant there too, and we could perhaps get a meal afterwards,” Jeremy said.

  “What about mum and dad, do you think they might want to come too? We could always take the small trailer that I have on the back to carry the bench and trees. That sounds grand Jake; I’ll go and freshen up a bit, and we can go down the pub. Fancy a curry after?”

  CHAPTER 45

  Jake realised that he was proud to be a Detective Chief Inspector, that life was tough as a copper and would always be the same. He had taken some rough knocks recently but it was all about getting back up again, and if you could do that, it would make you a better person.

  Jake was happy to stay a DCI and was not up for any promotion yet, he needed to spend more time with his family, making amends with his brother who needs his support now to get over the death of Penny. Oliver Blackwell kept hinting to him that he was retiring the following year and that he would like Jake to apply for the position, but Jake had other things on his mind now, namely Amelia Saunders.

  He knew deep down that this experience had changed his life, and he was a better person for it. He nearly lost his dad again, but Frank was determined to get the killer the second time around and would let no one stop him in his quest, even if it put his life in jeopardy. He had faced his fears, climbed down into a cellar full of rodents that was a feat in itself, never mind facing a serial killer.

  Jeremy still felt that it was his fault that Penny died with his penny pinching ways, if he had said go ahead and get the tiling work done she wouldn’t have chosen to go for the swap site. Jake thought that Jeremy ought to go for help to get those demons out of his head.

  Nevertheless, after they had enjoyed a night out together, had a few beers, a few tots of the good stuff and a blazing hot curry and watched two videos back a Jeremy’s house they were best of friends. The entire previous few years discontentment were behind them and they were looking forward to the next night out.

  Both his mum and dad were looking forward to a long and happy retirement, and his mum thinks of his dad as her hero, but as they say once a police officer always a police officer. They had to get through the next obstacle of Penny’s funeral but he had promised her that after nearly losing her, it brought the reality to him of how much he loved her and he wanted them to renew their vows and go on second honeymoon.

  Rachel was like a new woman, she had enrolled on a Leadership & Management Course. She had been on a trip to London and bought herself a trendy new wardrobe of clothes, and met a man at the theatre that took her mother and herself out for a delightful meal the next evening, and he had given her his business card and asked to keep in touch. Therefore, we don’t know whether he was her tall, dark handsome stranger, but he is half-Italian, so things are looking promising.

  A week later

  Jake sat watching his family all together in the garden having the time of their lives. The patio was all lit up with little jam jars hung in the trees, with sweet smelling candles, glowing in the moonlight. The idea was one of Emily’s off the top of her head kind of things, so he kept to renewing the candles and jars.

  The smell of meat cooking on the hot coals was wonderful, the different spices, coatings and rubs, and veggies grilling made his mouth water.

  He was dragged away from the smell of food when he heard the jingle, jingle, jingle, in the breeze of the delicate glass butterfly wind chimes that Emily had painted a few years ago, which now needed re-painting. He would have to enter it on his ‘to do’ jobs list as Emily loved those butterflies.

  The subtle jingle of the wind chimes made him turn his head towards the sound and for a fleeting moment, he had the notion he saw Emily. She was lounging on the bench under the Cherry Tree, her favourite relaxation spot in the garden.

  The wind was whispering through the trees, blowing little pink petals of cherry blossom down onto her hair, reminding him of the confetti thrown at them on their wedding day, which kept sticking to their lips when they kissed
. He clearly remembered the words she whispered in his ears.

  Always remember Jake my precious love, whatever happens in life, the hardships we endure, we will face together, and I will always be here for you. I will love you eternally.

  She looked happy now, no pain in her face, no worries in her eyes, if anything she looked more beautiful than ever.

  She sat there smiling across at him huddled with Amelia. He smiled back at her; a tear rolled down his cheeks and fell onto Amelia’s hand. Amelia glanced up at him, cupped his face, and said, “It’s wonderful to see all your family together at last. You are happy aren’t you Jake, those are tears of joy?”

  He looked across the garden and Emily lifted her hand in a wave, and as she waved, she blew a kiss. Then she was gone. He guessed this was her way of telling him it was time to move on.

  He turned to Amelia and kissed her on the top of her head, tousling her beautiful auburn hair and replied “I have never been happier” followed by “It is wonderful to see my family all together enjoying fabulous food, good company, and a few drinks, and I’m so happy that Jeremy and I have overcome our differences. We need each other more than ever now to get through this terrible tragedy and I will give him all the support he needs from now on.”

  “I am so happy for you. No one deserves to be happier than you do. You have had so much to deal with these past few years and now I know your time has come to be happy again,” Amelia said.

  “I think it is time for me to move on with my life too Amelia because I know we have something special, and Emily would want us to be happy,” Jake said.

  He took Amelia by the hand and led her across the lawn to Emily’s bench and he could feel her presence but knew that she was happy with the angels.

  “Do you think it might be time to move our relationship on a little Amelia, perhaps you could have another meal at my house, a couple of bottles of wine. I do a mean chicken korma, so I am told, and I’m sure I could arrange a stop-over if you like?”

  “Now calm down a bit tiger, don’t you think you’ve had enough excitement to last you a lifetime as it is, and anyway do you really want a woman with all these scars?”

  “Those scars will fade in time, just the same as stretch marks do when you have babies, and besides scars don’t bother me, I have a few myself. Our lifetime is just beginning sweetheart, and I’m sure we are going to get plenty of excitement, and not only from catching the next serial killer.”

  At that point, his phone vibrated in his trouser pocket, he cursed several times as he wrenched it out.

  “DCI Hammond here.”

  “Jake, its Oliver Blackwell here, I hate to interrupt your rest time to tell you this but we’ve got another body, same MO as the others. I think Harry Mason was telling the truth.”

  “Do you know Oliver; I have been having visions over the week about the fairground, you know the full works, colour, lights, fair rides, giggling children, hot dogs even. I have been mulling this over since Harry the Swap Skills Killer mentioned it. This Jon Green, Jonathan Green or whatever his name is, the abductor of Gemma. I have a strong hunch that he is our Copycat Killer that Harry mentioned. I was going to pop into the nick today to tell you. I think we will find him working the fair. Harry Mason mentioned a man that goes by the nickname ‘John Boy’. He and John Green could be the same person. He will be on the dodgems or one of the fair rides. Go see whether there is anyone works there that goes by the name of ‘John Boy.” I think we have to bring him in, too much of a coincidence. He is our Copy Cat; I have a strong feeling that I cannot shift. Wasn’t Gemma Fletcher a lucky girl?”

  “Yes, you may have saved her life. Enjoy the rest of your holiday Jake.”

  “What! Count me in, he’s out on bail pending further investigation don’t forget, we have to catch him!”

  The End

  Read more about the Hammond Family and Amelia Saunders in Book 2 of the Jake Hammond Series coming soon.

  Also two Christmas short stories out now.

  Mistletoe & Folly

  A Christmas to Remember.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for spending the time to read this book. If you liked this book, please take the time to leave a comment on kindle publishing. The big boys in this business do not have to rely on people leaving comments but the new authors need all the help they can get.

  Thank you.

  Diana

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  When Diana is not at her desk writing free management and secretarial materials, books, or blogging, you will find her in her garden pottering around, or in the kitchen baking for family and friends.

  When in Spain she is famous for her Yorkshire home cooking, many recipes passed through the family for generations. Therefore, sometime in the future, there will be a Cook Book in the making.

  She loves walking in the peace and quiet in the countryside with her dogs when on campo in Catalonia, where the inspiration for writing comes from, along with her vivid imagination of course.

  Diana is Yorkshire born and bred, originally from Sheffield, and has worked on multi-million pound projects in transport in the Sheffield, South Rotherham and the Barnsley area, where most of her family live. She has spent more than thirty years on holiday in Lincolnshire and many ideas for characters in her books come from time spent in the coastal towns watching and observing the way folk go about their daily lives. She has four grown up children and is very proud of their own achievements in life.

  Diana has always liked writing and her first prize for writing was a book token whilst in secondary school for her take on War of the Worlds.

  Diana has worked in Health and Social Care for many years in the Government Sector and Voluntary Sector, with Children & Young People and Older Persons.

  She has been very successful in professional writing for Funding Applications, Service Level Agreements and Tenders for Work as well as working alongside consultants on research and development Pan-European Projects for the European Commission. Diana is a Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.