by MA Comley
‘It’s obvious Henley isn’t going to be there when we arrive. I would have put out an urgent alert for him and waited for news to come in.’
‘That could take days, and for your information, I already put out an alert, or didn’t you hear that part back at the station? I refuse to sit on my hands and do nothing.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t hear you action the alert. I was too busy looking into Henley’s background. I just don’t think we should be traipsing out here when Henley would probably be long gone.’
‘Okay, you want to know my reasoning behind this. Here it is: the tunnel didn’t have CCTV, and there were no witnesses. I want to search the area myself, to see what other options are open to us. The man couldn’t have disappeared just like that. The eye in the sky didn’t land, something to do with the terrain around that area. You know me and what my motto is. I’d rather do things myself instead of being let down by others. So, please stop giving me hassle. It just makes my job that much harder.’
‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that I was hassling you. I’ll back off.’
‘Thank you. You’ll get your chance to make the right or wrong decisions in a case when your promotion comes to fruition. Until then, I’m still in charge.’
The rest of the half-hour journey was conducted in a strained silence. The officers had set up a diversion so there was no traffic at the scene, except for three patrol cars. Hero and Julie leapt out of the vehicle and rushed into the cavernous two-lane tunnel. Miranda’s car was parked at an odd angle halfway through the tunnel, and the driver’s door was wide open. Hero produced his ID and asked the young female officer, ‘Has anyone been inside the vehicle?’
‘No, sir. Control told us not to approach the car.’
‘Good. I’m surprised the forensic team hasn’t arrived yet. Any reason why?’
‘The team called, said they were held up in traffic. Their ETA is around fifteen minutes, sir.’
‘Good.’ He left the car and walked the length of the brightly lit tunnel, searching for clues, but found none. There were no doors used by maintenance crews inside the tunnel where Henley could have escaped through, which left only one alternative. Henley must have flagged down a car and either hitched a ride or taken the driver hostage.
Hero marched back through the tunnel. ‘Come on, Sergeant,’ he said, passing Julie. ‘We’ve got work to do.’
The sound of Julie’s heels echoed around the tunnel. It wasn’t until they were both back in the car that either of them spoke again.
‘What did you find?’ Julie asked, buckling up her seatbelt.
‘We need to look farther down the road, see if we can locate any CCTV cameras or anything else of interest, like a shop or garage where he could’ve dropped off the driver of a vehicle he’s likely to have apprehended.’
‘Hmm … I’m with you now.’
They drove another three miles on the winding road until they came to a set of traffic lights with a camera. ‘Call it in, see what Jason can come up with. Ask him to track all the cars that came through the tunnel after the pilot called it in.’
Julie punched in the number and relayed the message to Jason, giving him the location of the camera he should concentrate his efforts on to retrieve the information. She hung up and turned to Hero. ‘He’s on it now, hopes to get back to us soon. So, what now?’
‘We park up and wait until Jason feeds us the information.’
‘What? That could take hours yet.’
Hero looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was already six thirty. He’d had no idea it was so late. ‘Sorry, Julie, this is a must tonight. Why don’t we find a pub, see if we can grab a bite to eat?’
‘Whatever,’ she snapped back at him, totally unimpressed.
Moments later, they entered a Toby Inn, and they both ordered fish and chips. After that, they rang their respective partners to warn them that they would be home late that evening.
When the food appeared, Hero ate half his meal and pushed his plate away. ‘Couldn’t stomach another thing. Not the smartest idea I’ve had today. I see that you’re enjoying it.’
Julie looked up and smiled tautly. ‘It’s okay. Better than having to cook when I get home, whatever time that might be.’
Hero’s mobile rang. ‘Jason, what have you found? Anything?’
‘Yes, boss. I checked and rechecked the footage and came across a small lorry with an open back. When I enhanced the picture, I saw there was a blue tarpaulin in the back. To me, it looked like someone was lying underneath it, but it could’ve been a mound of rubble for all I know.’
‘Well, if we haven’t got anything else to go on, it sounds good to me. Do we know who the vehicle is registered to?’
‘Yes, I have the name of the company. I took the liberty of placing a call to the firm, sir, but it went into answerphone.’
‘What about the address? Is it in this area?’
‘Yes, it’s on the Manford Industrial Estate, off Letchworth Road. Croft Roofing you want, boss.’
‘Brilliant! Okay, we’re inputting the information into the satnav now. Is everyone still there?’
‘Yes, sir, we all said we’d stay behind until you returned.’
‘Thank the team for me. We’ll see if we can track down the owner and go from there.’ Hero hung up just as Julie was finishing her last mouthful. ‘Are you ready?’
Julie gulped down her orange juice and wiped her mouth on her serviette. ‘I’m ready.’
En route to the industrial estate, Hero filled her in on the conversation he’d had with Jason. Croft Roofing was one of the first units on the left as they pulled into Letchworth Road.
‘Stay here. I’ll have a quick look around.’ Hero approached the unit. There was a notice on the door, giving the firm’s opening times and an outside-hours number to call. He punched in the number, and the call went through to an answering service. He left a message. ‘Hello there. This is DI Nelson of the Greater Manchester Police. If you can contact me urgently, I’d appreciate it. It could be a matter of life or death for one of your employees.’ He reeled off his mobile number and returned to the car. Just as he reached for the door handle, his mobile rang. Leaning against the car, he answered it, ‘Hello, DI Nelson here.’
‘You just called regarding a possible threat to one of my employees. What’s this about?’
‘Sorry, is this Mr. Croft?’
‘Yes, what’s going on?’ the man demanded, sounding a little irate.
‘I’m sorry, Mr. Croft. We’re on the lookout for a criminal in the area. We believe he may have used one of your vehicles to escape the police helicopter approximately an hour and a half ago.’
‘Where? As far as I know all my vehicles are locked up in the yard for the night.’
‘They are? Did any of your drivers discuss with you about being pulled over by anyone in a nearby tunnel?’
‘No, nothing.’
‘How strange. How many men did you have working a shift today?’
‘Six lorries went out, and six came back. Are you sure you have the right company, Inspector?’
‘Obviously not. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.’
He ended the call, opened the car door, and flopped into the driver’s seat. ‘Shit! That was the owner of the company. He said that all his men returned the vehicles intact, with no one stating they had encountered anyone in the tunnel. Looks like a wild-goose chase. What the hell is going on? Henley must be somewhere.’
‘Damn. Let me get on to Jason again and see what else he can come up with.’
Julie put the call on speakerphone, and they could both hear the frustration and dejection in Jason’s voice after Julie filled him in.
‘Damn, sorry, boss. I thought we were onto a winner there. I’ll see what else I can find.’
‘Jas, look at the other cars which came out of the tunnel. Specifically look for one with two people sitting up front. He would have probably pulled the gun on someone, ordered them to pull over, and jumpe
d in the passenger seat.’
‘Okay, sir. Give me ten minutes.’
The time passed by slower than a feather dropping off an eagle circling Mount Everest. Julie’s phone rang a few minutes later. ‘Yes, Jason, what do you have?’
‘I think I’ve located a possible vehicle. Sally has looked up the address. It’s registered to a Miss Carolyn Timberlake of Thirty-seven Watkins Close.’
‘Brilliant, we’ll shoot over there now, see if the car is at the address. Do me a favour and put SO19 on standby. Tell them he’s armed and dangerous.’
‘Yes, boss.’
Hero hung up and sped off, his stomach churning. At the end of the road, Julie pointed out the car and house they were interested in. Hero parked behind a van in the adjoining road and placed the call to SO19, giving the commanding officer their location. Hero was ordered to remain vigilant and told an Armed Response Team would be with him within twenty minutes.
‘That’s going to seem like a bloody eternity,’ Julie complained.
‘It is what it is, Shaw.’ By that time, at almost nine o’clock, the night was drawing in around them. ‘It’s going to be dark soon. It should make it easier for SO19 to get in there and surprise him.’
‘I wouldn’t bank on that. This guy has been anything but an idiot so far.’
Hero nodded. A nervous twitch ticked rhythmically at the corner of his eye as he studied the house. There was one light on at the front of the house – the living room, he assumed.
‘Can I make a suggestion, sir?’
‘Of course. What?’
‘Do you think you should pick up Lee Murray? Just in case Henley tries to contact him and use him in some way.’
‘Good point. Ring the station and organise that, will you?’
Jason answered the call and immediately issued instructions for a patrol car to pick up the youngster. Within ten minutes, they heard back from Jason that Lee Murray wasn’t at his address. Hero slammed his fist onto the steering wheel. ‘Is he here?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ Julie nibbled on her lip.
When a van pulled up behind them, Hero exited the car and introduced himself to the SO19 leading officer. ‘DI Hero Nelson. As far as we know, our guy, a Rob Henley, has a woman hostage inside the house. We have no way of knowing if she’s alone or has any other family members with her.’
‘Inspector Thorpe. I’m in charge of this motley crew. Thanks for the heads-up. We’ll try and talk the guy around first. If that fails, I will be sending my men in there. I just want you to be aware of that. Any idea what kind of weapons are inside the house?’
‘No idea. He’s used different weapons to kill three people so far. I would advise not taking this man lightly, Inspector. Who knows what kind of arsenal he has at his disposal?’
‘There’s no need to tell me my job, Inspector. I’ll do whatever is necessary to disarm the man swiftly and to rescue the hostage. I’d ask you and your partner to return to your vehicle and stay there. Leave everything to me and my team from here.’
‘You’ve got it.’ He returned to the car and watched the team of six heavily protected, armed police gather around to obtain their instructions. Soon after several officers moved into position, close to the house, but not too close, while another two approached the neighbours’ houses and evacuated the families. Hero was bored of sitting on his hands, doing nothing, so he hopped out and offered to look after the neighbours while the two team members joined the rest of their team.
The inspector spoke through a megaphone and requested that Henley should give himself up. It came with a warning that he was surrounded by armed police.
Henley opened the window in the lounge and called out, ‘Either you back off, or I’ll put a bullet in her fucking head, just like that copper I saw to earlier.’
‘It’s not going to happen, Henley. I’m giving you five minutes to contemplate your actions. After that—’
‘Bollocks. You’re forgetting who has the upper hand here. Either you back off, or I will kill her.’ He moved away from the window and returned with the woman, who was sobbing uncontrollably, with the muzzle of a gun shoved up against her temple.
‘All right. You’ve made your point. Why don’t you release the woman, and we’ll talk things over?’
‘It ain’t gonna happen, dipshit! I’m in control here. Either you give me a safe passage out of here, or the woman’s life ends right here and now.’
‘Don’t do anything rash. Hurt her, and we’ll storm the place.’
Henley replied by shoving the woman away from him and slamming the window shut. Hero heard the woman scream inside the house. The inspector spoke into his mic, and the team moved in.
Hero watched the proceedings with his heart shifting towards his throat. The armed team hit the house, shouting for Henley to drop his weapon and to lie on the ground. That was before the gunfire broke out. The whole house lit up. Hero ordered the neighbours to move farther back and asked Julie to take care of them. Then he rushed over to the inspector of SO19 for an update. ‘What the hell? This wasn’t supposed to go down like this.’
‘You get a feel for what’s going to happen, and I felt this guy was teetering on the edge, so I made the call.’
The pair of them watched in silence as things died down inside the house and the team came out the front door one by one.
‘I need to know what’s going on,’ Hero said urgently.
‘Wait until my men give the all-clear, and we’ll go in there together.’
The call came a few seconds later.
Hero followed Inspector Thorpe into the house, where they found the woman sitting on the couch, holding a small bloodstained towel to her head. She was staring at Henley, who was lying on her living room floor, riddled with SO19 bullets and bleeding out.
‘Cover the body,’ Inspector Thorpe instructed a female officer.
Hero crossed the room and urged the woman to stand. He wanted her out of the house, away from the crazy man who had abducted her and held her hostage in her own home. Miss Timberlake let him guide her out of the lounge and into the street, where she began to tremble in his arms. He cocked his ear to hear the distant sound of sirens and breathed a relieved sigh when he saw an ambulance pull into the road. ‘Come on, Miss, these guys will take care of you.’
A female paramedic rushed forward with a foil blanket. Hero mouthed that he thought Miss Timberlake was in shock. ‘Please take care of her. She’s been through a horrendous ordeal.’
Miss Timberlake clutched Hero’s arm and said quietly, ‘He rang someone.’
Hero frowned. ‘He did? Did you hear him mention a name?’
At first, she shook her head, then her eyes widened as she remembered. ‘I think it was Mitchel.’
‘Excellent. Go with the paramedics. I’ll either drop by and see you in the morning or send one of my team to go through a statement with you, if that’s all right?’
‘Yes. Okay, if you’re sure whoever he called won’t come after me.’
‘They won’t. I’ll make sure of that.’ He patted her forearm then spoke to the paramedic. ‘Take care of her,’ he said a second time, knowing how valuable her statement was going to prove to be.
‘She’s in safe hands now, sir,’ the paramedic assured him.
Hero drifted back to listen to what Inspector Thorpe’s men had to say about the exercise. Apparently, Henley had his arm around Miss Timberlake’s throat when the team swept into the living room. He shot her in the head, but at the same time, one of the SO19 officers fired a shot into Henley’s arm, trying to disarm him. Henley’s shot ended up grazing Miss Timberlake’s temple. Henley pushed the woman away, and that was when the team opened fire on him. Some might say it was overkill, but Hero praised the team’s actions. The outcome could have been so different had Henley’s aim not been foiled by the quick-thinking officer who’d taken that first shot.
He thanked the SO19 inspector and his team for their cooperation and returned to his car. Be
fore putting the key in the ignition, he placed a call, under Julie’s watchful eye, to the police station in Glasgow. The control room patched him through to CID.
‘DI Silverdale,’ the officer said abruptly, as if he were being harassed.
‘Hi, I’m DI Nelson from the Murder Investigation Team with the Greater Manchester Police. Sorry to ring so late, but I’m hoping that you can help me out.’
The man’s tone seemed more relaxed when he replied, ‘Okay, mate. I’ll do my best. What do you need?’
Hero briefly told the inspector all about what had gone on regarding the case and Murray’s involvement north of the border, and how things had panned out with the Henley situation moments earlier.
‘Bloody hell. I know this Murray. I wouldn’t have said that he was into anything as dodgy as stealing cars and tampering with them. Just goes to show what people will get up to if the money is good.’
‘Exactly. We’re not sure how he and his brother, Lee, got involved with Henley, but with him now off the scene, my take is that these guys will panic.’
‘I’m inclined to agree with you. You want me to pick him up, bring him in for questioning, or arrest him for being involved with this operation?’
‘We need to get more on the operation and who the real players are before we can arrest the Murrays. Could you pick him up for questioning? His brother is on the run at this end. I figure that he’ll try and make his way up to his brother soon enough. Would it be possible to put some surveillance on Graham’s residence and pick Lee Murray up if he turns up there?’
‘Sure, leave it with me. Well done on bringing the gang leader down, by the way. One less shit roaming the streets, causing grief. That’s always a plus to end the day on.’
‘Thanks. We’ve yet to learn the ins and outs of the case, so the quicker we can pick the Murray brothers up, the better. I don’t need to tell you to be careful. There’s a chance that the brothers are armed up to the hilt.’
‘No worries. We’ll take that onboard. I’ll ring you after I’ve questioned him and if Lee Murray decides to show his face in our neck of the woods.’
Hero ended the call and sighed. ‘Let’s call it a day, Julie. I feel like I’ve covered a forty-eight-hour shift within twelve hours. So much for kissing my kids goodnight.’