by MA Comley
‘What? You can’t do that.’ Mills’s eyes widened, and his chin began to wobble as if he were about to burst into tears.
Hero held his hands up in front of him. ‘Look at it from my point of view. What choice do I have? I’ve had two murders in a little over a week on my patch with the same MO. Both victims shot and their cars stolen. I’m doing my darnedest to prevent a third victim being added to these scumbags’ itinerary. Now, am I making myself clear? Or do I have to leave you to stew in the cells for a few hours? Wait until we figure it out on our own? Maybe these guys will think you’ve talked to us and get scared, go after your mum anyway.’
‘No, please. I’ll give you a name.’
Hero’s heart leapt in his chest in anticipation of catching the break he needed. ‘I’m listening… wait, a word of caution. Try fobbing me off with a duff name, and I’ll throw the book at you, right?’
‘Okay, okay, there’s no need to keep threatening me. I don’t know all the facts. It’s just a rumour, so you can’t come knocking on my door if he turns out not to be the guy you’re after.’
Hero sighed and puffed out his cheeks. ‘Get on with it, Jed.’
‘Try Rob Henley. There, can I go now?’
‘Not so fast. Tell me what you know about this geezer first.’
‘Jesus, man. You’re gonna cause me an ulcer if you keep this up.’
‘Stop procrastinating, and spill the beans.’
‘That’s all I know. I was in the nick with him, nasty little shit. I kept my distance inside, saw what he did to someone who crossed him. It wasn’t pretty, man. He got away with it, too. The screws always made sure they weren’t around when he struck.’
‘You got an address for him?’
‘Somewhere in Salford. There’s a surprise for you, eh?’
‘Less of the sarcasm, Jed. Is it Robert Henley?’
‘Yeah, everyone calls him Rob, apart from Psycho Henley behind his back. You’ll be able to trace him from that, I’m sure. Can I go now?’
‘Not just yet. You’ll have to do better than that. I want names of any possible accomplices and hangouts, and then you can go.’
12
Armed with the name of a suspect, Hero ran up the stairs to the incident room two at a time. ‘Listen up, team. We have a name at last. Robert Henley. I need everyone except Jason, working on this. Drop everything else. I want this guy picked up ASAP. He’s a mean fucker by all accounts, so a feasible name to be linked to the two crimes. Jason? Any luck with those cameras yet?’
‘Nothing so far, boss,’ Jason replied, not looking up from his screen, which had a dozen or more images on it.
‘I hate to say this, but try harder, son.’
Jason slid forward in his chair. ‘Yes, boss, I’ll do my best.’
Hero’s enthusiasm wilted. ‘That’s all I can ask.’
‘Sir, before you disappear …’ Sally halted Hero from going into his office.
He returned to her desk. ‘What have you got, Sally?’
‘After putting out an alert on Ross Spalding’s car last week, I’ve just received a call from a backstreet garage in Scotland.’
‘What? The car has turned up there?’
‘So it would appear, boss. It’s been altered, and the chassis number has been changed by one digit – that’s what made the garage owner suspicious. He searched his list for hot cars and rang me right away.’
‘Jesus, did he give a name of the person trying to sell it?’
‘He did. I have it here.’ Sally flipped open her notebook and looked up at him. ‘Graham Murray.’
‘Good work, Sally. The first thing we need to do is organise picking up that car. Ring the local nick, see if they can help us out there. Scratch that – I’m not thinking straight. We’ll need forensics to get involved first. Let me have a word with Susan, see what she suggests and if she’s got a contact up there.’
‘There’s no need to bother her, boss. I can work my magic and get things organised. At least the garage owner won’t be out of pocket. He did a deal with the guy to put the car on display on his forecourt for a week to see if there were any takers.’
‘That’s great to hear. Okay, get on the phone and action that immediately. Let me know the outcome.’
Hero continued on his journey into the office and picked up his phone. He dialled a number and sat back in his chair. ‘Dave, it’s Hero.’
‘Hello again, mate. Unusual to hear from you twice in one day. Everything all right?’
‘We picked up that Jed Mills. He swears he’s not involved but did offer a name. Does Rob Henley ring any bells with you?’
Dave whistled, almost deafening Hero. ‘Jesus, yeah. He’s a nasty bastard. Why the bloody hell didn’t I think of him? Sorry, mate, damn stupid of me not to give you his name sooner. To be honest, I thought he was still tucked up in one of her Maj’s finest establishments. I can ring one of my informants and get back to you later.’
‘That’d be great. Apparently, Jed Mills served time with him, said virtually the same as you, that he’s a nasty piece of work. Can you also ask your contacts if they can give us some names of who he hangs around with? Jed gave me one name and possible hangouts, but I’d like to be armed with more before I swoop and make an arse of myself. You know what these guys are like. They’ve got the best solicitors tucked up in their back pockets, and I need some solid proof before I go after the little shit.’
‘Leave it with me, Hero. Glad things are coming together for you at last. By the way, I’ve put feelers out concerning the car that was stolen this morning. Nothing to report so far.’
‘Keep trying, Dave.’
‘Goes without saying. Speak later.’
Hero ended the call and looked up to see Sally poking her head around the door. ‘All arranged, boss. Forensics are on their way over there now to tow the car away.’
‘That’s all well and good, but what if this Murray returns to the garage during the week and spots his car missing?’
Sally bit her lip. ‘Sorry, sir, didn’t think of that. Maybe I can ask the garage owner to tell Murray that someone was trialling the car for a week. Would that be feasible? Do garages do that sort of thing?’
‘Good girl, that should do it.’
Sally disappeared again, then Hero picked up the phone and rang DCI Cranwell to apprise him of the situation.
‘Nelson, it’s about time you called me with an update. How are things progressing?’ Cranwell’s severe tone always got Hero’s back up. There were times when he purposely sat on information just to wind him up. He pondered whether today should be one of those instances.
‘So-so at the moment, sir. We’ve uncovered some vital information, but we’re being careful about how we proceed at the moment.’
‘May I ask why?’
‘Just being extra cautious in light of what happened this morning, sir.’ Hero nearly bit his tongue in half. In his haste, he’d forgotten to update Cranwell on the second murder.’
‘What are you wittering on about? Hang on … don’t tell me that murder this morning, that I heard about via the news on the radio, is connected to the first case, this Spalding fella?’
‘Sorry, sir. I know I should have contacted you, but—’
‘I don’t want your apologies, Inspector. I specifically told you to keep me informed, and you’ve gone out of your way to not do that. May I ask why?’
‘Just the timing, sir. I’m not trying to make excuses, but things have been manic right from the word go, and what with my parents both being admitted to hospital, I suppose my head really isn’t—’
‘Right, if you’re saying you can’t cope with your role as inspector in the Major Incident Team, then maybe you should consider standing aside temporarily.’
What the fuck! You insensitive bastard. No words of sympathy for my parents? You really are an absolute prick. ‘Forget I mentioned it, sir. I’m dealing with my parents’ issues, but it is not clouding my judgement in any way at work.’
‘Glad to hear that. There are plenty of candidates lining up for inspector jobs within the force. Your partner, for instance.’
The DCI’s jab knocked the wind out of Hero. He was at a loss how to reply without saying the wrong thing that could end up getting him fired. Instead, he swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and said, ‘I’ll be sure to keep you better informed going forward, sir. I must get on. We’re hoping to pick up a suspect soon.’
‘Do that. If you need my help with anything for goodness’ sake ask, Inspector. I don’t want to hear that your work is suffering, do you hear me?’
‘Yes, sir. You have my word.’ Hero hung up and sat back in his chair and aimed a two-finger salute at the phone. I’ll show you I’m still capable of doing my job! He leapt to his feet and rejoined his team. ‘Okay, guys. I’m not going to let things lie there. I know the other scallies are being questioned at the moment. Let’s see if they come up with the same name as Mills did. The DCI is already on my back on this one, so we’ve got to up our game.’
‘How are we supposed to do that, boss?’ Julie asked, tapping the side of her face with a pencil.
‘We’ve got the information now. All we have to do is use it to track these bastards down, Shaw. Simple, right?’
‘If it were that simple, we would have tracked down this guy and his associate last week, after the first murder.’
‘Very perceptive of you. However, I’m unclear what your point is.’
Julie sighed. ‘To me, if we trace the cars – we’ve got one already – then surely we’ll catch the offenders.’
‘Yes, that much is obvious. So, how do we trace the cars if not through the ANPR cameras … wait, I see what you’re suggesting now. GPS tracking devices in the cars, am I right?’
A glimmer of a smile broke out on Julie’s face. ‘Exactly. The victims were both rich and savvy, yes? That should have been the first thing they ensured their cars had. Made sure their vehicles were easily traceable.’
Jason cleared his throat. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but I already looked into that and drew a blank. Apparently, neither Ross nor Miranda appeared that bothered about their cars being stolen.’
Hero threw his arms out to the side and slapped them against his thighs. ‘Okay, that’s put paid to that then. Back to being frustrated, only not so much now we have discovered one of the cars and have a possible name of a suspect or two. Keep digging, team. I’m going back downstairs to the interviewees to turn the screw a little.’
He poked his head into each of the two rooms and requested that each of the officers interviewing the suspects join him in the corridor. To his disappointment, the two men they were questioning hadn’t revealed any further names. Hero told the officers to let the men go but to instruct them that if they heard anything on the grapevine they are to get in touch with him straight away.
Hero ascended the stairs once more, his shoulders slumped. When he heard the excitement of his team, he immediately upped his pace and barged through the door. ‘What is it?’
Jason pointed at his screen. ‘I’ve managed to locate Miranda’s car.’
Hero almost tripped over a nearby chair in his haste to get to the young officer. ‘Where? Is it stationary?’
‘It was. The driver stopped off at a row of shops in Bury. I just caught sight of him. Looks like Henley, sir,’ Jason stated, holding up Henley’s mugshot.
‘That’s great news. This means he’s been hiding out somewhere for the past few hours. I wonder where that was. Where’s he heading now?’
‘My guesstimate would be for the M6, if his ultimate location is likely to be Glasgow.’
‘I’d say you’re right. Let’s get on to the motorway police patrolling that area and see if they can prevent him from achieving his goal.’
‘Doing it now, sir.’
Julie waved at Hero. He marched over to her desk and perched on the one next to hers. ‘What have you got?’
‘Sally and I have been focusing our efforts on delving into Henley and Murray’s backgrounds.’
‘Okay, and what have you found out?’
‘Mills was right. Henley is a very nasty character. Tends to strike people down if they cross him. He was banged up on a manslaughter charge, but his solicitor eventually got him off on appeal. Something to do with a witness statement being false. They made out that the witness had a grudge against him and that he planted evidence at the scene to bring Henley down. It put the whole case into question when the witness, under caution, admitted he had planted evidence on another criminal who was later banged up and released.’
‘Okay, we need to make sure we cross all the Ts on this one. Otherwise, Henley and his smartarse solicitor could turn the tables on us.’
‘Here’s the interesting part: once Henley was released from prison, he went in search of the witness. That’s the assumption, anyway. The witness hasn’t been seen since that day.’
‘Great. That might explain why only one out of the three petty criminals we pulled in for questioning were prepared to dish the dirt on him. The others were too scared. What about Murray? Any idea how they teamed up?’
‘I’m not sure if they actually know each other. As far as I can tell, we have a Lee Murray on our patch. When I checked him out, I found out he’s the brother of Graham Murray.’
‘The guy trying to sell Ross Spalding’s car to the garage owner in Glasgow?’
‘That’s the one. Graham Murray is a mechanic in Glasgow.’
‘Damn, why is all this taking place a couple of hundred miles away? Don’t answer that, it was a rhetorical question.’ Hero began to pace the floor, wondering if it would be better if he headed north to Glasgow. The one thing preventing him from doing that was his parents’ situation. However, Cranwell’s final warning rattled around his head. ‘I don’t want to hear your work is suffering, Inspector.’
‘Can I make a suggestion, boss?’
‘Yes, Sally, go ahead.’
‘Bearing in mind what Henley has done before to worm out of a sentence, we should firm things up as much as possible. Why don’t I print out Henley’s and this Lee Murray’s photos and shoot over to Helena Lancaster, see if she can ID them as the men she saw in the red Toyota?’
Hero rubbed at his chin. ‘Ah, yes, the teenage witness. Good call, Sally. You get over there.’ He looked up at the clock on the wall. Three o’clock was fast approaching. ‘She should be home from school by the time you arrive. Might be an idea to call her mother first, see if it’s convenient to drop round there.’
‘Here we go, boss!’ Jason shouted excitedly.
Hero changed direction again and came to a standstill alongside Jason. ‘What do we have?’
‘We’ve got a motorway patrol officer giving chase, sir.’ He pulled up a map of the area, and they listened in on the radio communication between the patrol officer and his control team.
‘Keep listening. I’m going to summon up help from the eye in the sky. The helicopter will be able to track the vehicle better, just in case Henley gives this officer the slip.’
Hero placed the call, only to be told that the helicopter had already been dispatched moments earlier. Satisfied, Hero continued to listen to the events as they unfolded.
When Henley turned down a winding country lane, the officer in pursuit asked whether he should continue the chase down the narrow road. The control centre gave him the go-ahead, saying the road was clear of oncoming vehicles. The helicopter was surveying the scene and relaying information about the road ahead, which remained clear.
Suddenly, the patrol officer said that Henley’s vehicle had entered a field and was going over rough terrain, towards a wooded area. The helicopter pilot confirmed the woodland area was quite dense and covered a large expanse.
‘Crap, that doesn’t bode well,’ Hero said to no one in particular.
‘I’m approaching the woods now, still chasing the vehicle. The driver has not – I repeat not – abandoned the car. Not sure how I’ll fare or if
I’ll lose contact once I’m inside the forest,’ the driver stated.
The team gathered around as the minutes dragged by. The driver still hadn’t contacted control. The pilot kept everyone up to date until finally, Miranda Jackson’s car came into view and tore across the fields once more, faster than a speeding bullet. ‘Guys, there is no sign of Romeo 10. I repeat, no sign of Romeo 10. Do you want me to give chase to the vehicle, or land?’
The control room issued instructions for the pilot to remain with the vehicle. Hero eyed Jason with concern. ‘What the hell happened to our guy?’
Jason shrugged and shook his head. ‘I can only imagine, sir.’
13
The news devastated the whole team when it filtered back to them. The reason the patrol vehicle hadn’t emerged from the trees was because the officer had been shot in the head after his car had hit a tree. Hero was incensed when he heard the news. The officer was the third person in ten days that Henley had put in the mortuary.
The helicopter had tracked Miranda Jackson’s car to a tunnel, but the vehicle hadn’t emerged along with the other traffic. The pilot called it in and asked for assistance from patrol officers on the ground.
‘Julie, grab your coat. We should get over there, to the tunnel.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, really. Time’s marching on.’ During the drive, he could hear Julie constantly sighing. ‘Okay, spit it out. I know when something is stirring in that brain of yours.’
‘I just think we’re wasting our time going out to the scene. We know he’s not going to be there.’
‘Granted. But I’d like to get an idea of what we’re dealing with first-hand, if that’s all right with you.’
Julie turned to look out the window and mumbled, ‘Whatever, it’s not what I would do.’
Hero bit down on his tongue, but her snide remark lingered in his mind for several minutes. Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer. ‘All right then, how would you play this, if you were in my shoes?’