CHAIN REACTION an absolutely addictive crime thriller with a huge twist

by Bill Kitson

  ‘I will, Mike, but don’t place too much reliance on them; from what Tom told me, their contents will be sketchy at best.’

  ‘Yes, we’ll probably be better off starting again from scratch.’ Nash sighed. ‘Just when I was congratulating myself that the workload had eased and how well we’ll be able to cope without Clara.’

  ‘How long is it before she’s back?’

  ‘Jack, she’s only been gone three days.’ Nash grinned. ‘Are you missing her already? Of course, when they do get back, I’ll have to sort Daniel out ready for his summer term, assuming he’s fully recovered.’

  ‘How is my little friend Daniel?’ The relief of passing the information to a senior officer had lightened Jack’s mood, somewhat.

  ‘Not so little, anymore.’

  ‘How old is he now? He must be what, eight, nine?’

  ‘Are you nearing retirement, Jack?’

  ‘Why?

  ‘Because Daniel’s nearly eleven years old.’

  ‘Well, that just goes to show how time flies then, doesn’t it? He’ll be a young man before long. Then you’ll really have your hands full — especially if he takes after you.’ Jack couldn’t suppress a laugh.

  ‘You’re probably right. Talk about no rest for the wicked.’

  ‘You’ll manage. Anyway, it’s Lisa I feel sorry for; she has to contend with you and Viv,’ Binns said, with a flash of his old humour.

  Nash gave him a vulgar one-fingered gesture and headed upstairs to his office. His priority was the phone call to Superintendent Fleming that would set the ball rolling.

  Fleming’s reaction was as horrified as Nash’s had been. ‘Let me have the names of the missing women, then leave it to me. I’ll make doubly certain things are dealt with properly at this end, and I’ll also put an urgent alert out to all surrounding forces. Initially, I’ll extend the time to a six-month timescale, but I won’t make any mention of how the women earned their living. This doesn’t sound like coincidence, Mike, and if they have been abducted and harmed, as seems highly likely, we can’t be certain the person responsible concentrated purely on prostitutes. Once I’ve cleared my desk, I’ll join you at Helmsdale, because I want to thank Jack Binns in person. That’s as good police work as what happened at Netherdale was bad.’

  * * *

  Binns had been right, Nash thought as he skim-read the files Jack had just delivered; in fact, the description ‘sketchy’ was an exaggeration. He finished his perusal just as DC Andrews arrived. One glance at her face told Nash that Binns had already warned her what to expect, and her opening words merely confirmed that.

  ‘I was going to say good morning, Mike, but in view of the things I’ve just heard, I reckon that would be highly inappropriate. At first, I thought Jack was pulling some kind of elaborate sick hoax. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.’

  Nash handed her the thin sheaf of papers he’d taken from the files, plus Binns’ report regarding Samantha Frost. ‘The missing women all worked as prostitutes. Susan Farmer vanished sometime during January, Janet Wilson possibly in early March and Samantha Frost approximately ten days ago. Jackie Fleming’s looking into the possibility that there might have been other disappearances in neighbouring areas. Once she’s dealt with that and a problem relating to the mishandling of the reports, she’s coming here so that we can devise a strategy for tackling the problem.’

  He watched as she read the files, noting that it took her no longer than it had taken him, and awaited her comments.

  ‘Have you any ideas, Mike?’ Lisa gestured to the paperwork, what little there was of it, and shrugged helplessly. ‘I mean, where and how do we start? After all this time, it’s going to be a nightmare trying to find anyone willing or able to give us reliable evidence of where and when these women were last seen.’

  ‘My first reaction is to ignore the first two of those files and begin as if we’d only learned about the women vanishing this morning — which, of course, is quite true.’

  ‘OK, so would you like me to set up brand new MISPER files?’

  ‘That will do for a start, and once they’re in place and logged onto the computer, we need to organize a team to do the legwork, door-to-door, et cetera. We should also check places such as hospitals, clinics and rehab centres, in case any of the women have been admitted or checked in there. Apart from that, all we can hope for is that by some miracle there is CCTV footage that will be useful. I very much doubt it, certainly in the first two instances, because of the time that has elapsed and the uncertainty of the time factor. It would be impossible. Besides, my guess is that any images will have been erased long since. There might just be an outside chance with Samantha Frost, but she was working in Bishopton, and to my recollection, the CCTV coverage there is next to non-existent.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound at all promising.’

  ‘It isn’t, and although standard procedure in MISPER cases is to look for proof of life, sadly I’m of the opinion that in this instance, if there is a common denominator to these disappearances, that would only be holding out false optimism. It would also send a totally incorrect message to family or friends.’

  ‘What about media involvement? You made no mention of getting the press behind the story?’

  ‘One thing at a time, Lisa. Let’s see what Jackie has to tell us from her dialogue with neighbouring forces before we even consider going public. When we do contact the media we need to provide a complete picture of what we suspect we’re dealing with.’

  It was over an hour later when the sound of vehicles entering the car park caused Lisa to glance out of the window. ‘Viv’s arrived,’ she told Nash, ‘and Jackie’s car’s just come in behind his.’

  ‘Sorry I’m late, Mike. Lianne and I have been up half the night. The baby just wouldn’t settle.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that for now, just read these before Jackie comes in.’

  The conversation ceased and the mood changed abruptly when Jackie Fleming entered the room. It was apparent to all three waiting detectives that she wasn’t the bearer of glad tidings.

  ‘I’ve been talking to Jack Binns,’ she explained. ‘If it hadn’t been for his diligence, this matter might have gone undetected for far longer and more vulnerable women put at risk. Sadly, that’s the only piece of positive news I have for you. Following the calls I made to neighbouring forces, I now believe there are five women unaccounted for, five unsolved disappearances — all within the past six months, every one of them involving a woman working in the sex trade.’

  She removed files from her briefcase and placed them on the centre table. ‘Two of these cases have been properly investigated, sadly not by our force, but one each from West Yorkshire and Teesside. Despite the effort and hard work of both forces, they have been unable to come up with a single scrap of evidence, apart from one grainy CCTV image of what looks like a Land Rover-type vehicle. The car was on the edge of a camera shot taken about the time and in the approximate location where Brianna Fairburn was last seen, late in the evening she vanished. The assumption is that the vehicle belonged either to one of Brianna’s punters — or, as I suspect, more likely to her abductor. Unfortunately there is no chance of identifying the exact model of the car from that image, let alone picking up the number plate or any distinguishing features of the driver. There is even less evidence in the other instance, a girl by the name of Tamara Atkinson, known to friends and clients alike as Tammy.’

  Fleming paused for breath before turning to events closer to hand. ‘I’ve been looking into the mishandling of the two earlier MISPER cases reported to Netherdale, and as a result, I’ve placed Civilian Support Officer Harry Johnson under suspension pending a full, formal disciplinary inquiry. Johnson came to Netherdale when he moved from the Midlands and applied to join when we were recruiting civilians. After checking into his background, I now understand the reason for his action, or should I say inaction, in not recording the details. That doesn’t mean that I in any way condone what the inqui
ry might regard as misconduct.’

  ‘Are we allowed to know why he misbehaved or is that sub-judice?’ Nash asked.

  ‘I see no reason not to reveal it — as long as the information stays strictly with those of us in this room. The facts will be presented at the inquiry, so it’s merely a matter of time before they become common knowledge. Johnson had a younger brother. Apparently they were very close. When his brother’s wife died following a long illness, he sought company from the local prostitutes and took up with one on a regular basis. She had a pimp, a nasty piece of work. He’d beaten her up on several occasions, got her hooked on drugs and he then discarded her. The brother felt sorry for her, but at the time he wasn’t aware that she’d contracted HIV. It wasn’t until he showed signs of the illness that Johnson became involved. When it got too much, the brother committed suicide by slashing his wrists, then to make sure it worked, he tied a plastic bag round his head. I cannot think of many more painful or unpleasant ways to die. Johnson found him. It tends to explain why he lacked sympathy and wasn’t interested in making a report.’

  The look of horror on the faces of her listeners was sufficient reassurance that the story would remain secret, so Fleming immediately changed the subject and suggested they examine the MISPER files together. ‘Now we have a fuller picture, we might be able to plan a coherent strategy for dealing with this case.’

  ‘I agree in principle, Jackie. But before we do that, I think it would be advisable to set about back-filling those two mishandled cases, plus the most recent one that led Jack to his splendid deduction. That way, we might find something pertinent which we’d otherwise overlook. That will mean door-to-door enquiries, plus all the usual contact channels, friends and family, neighbours, co-workers and even, if possible, punters. After we’ve compiled as complete a range of information as possible, the comparison will be more meaningful — and following that, we might consider alerting the media, which in turn will help make others involved in the sex trade aware of the potential danger.’

  ‘Good thinking, Mike. How do you want to play it?’

  Nash smiled ruefully, ‘I assume that means you’re putting me in charge of the investigation?’

  Fleming nodded her agreement.

  ‘I think we should take one case each and concentrate on amassing as much data as possible. I’d say one detective assisted by two uniformed officers ought to be able to gather all the available facts within a couple of days. Once we have them, we can decide which facts might be relevant or potentially useful.’

  ‘Good enough, I’ll see to allocating the uniforms and get them to report to you. When do you want to make a start?’

  ‘As soon as they report here. Lisa, will you take the Susan Farmer file, and Viv, concentrate on Janet Wilson? I’ll handle the Samantha Frost investigation. We’re going to focus our attention on those groups I’ve already listed during the day, and this evening we’ll need to seek out and interview other sex workers. If we’re able to get some of those girls to open up about their punters, we might be able to discover if they’ve been approached by anyone they felt scared by — or by anyone driving a Land Rover.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  Having approved Nash’s enquiry guidelines, Fleming got on the phone and spoke to the uniform branch inspector at Netherdale. ‘When the two o’clock shift starts, I want three patrol cars, each manned with two officers, to report to Helmsdale as soon as possible. With the exception of a major incident or serious RTA, those officers must be available to Detective Inspector Nash, and warn them they will be working late. Yes, I am authorizing overtime.’ Fleming shook her head in exasperation. ‘And if they’re needed, I want the same officers detailed tomorrow.’ She listened for a moment. ‘Well it isn’t their day off now! Do you understand? Sergeant Binns will monitor their activity during the day and later the overnight duty officer at Netherdale will liaise with Inspector Nash, DC Andrews, and DC Pearce.’

  It was obvious that the inspector had raised one or two objections from Fleming’s response, which was pithy and direct. ‘We’re investigating five linked disappearances of vulnerable young women who might have been the victims of malicious activity, possibly as grave as homicide — and in answer to your other query, yes, this does have to do with the reason I’ve placed CSO Harry Johnson under suspension. I did so with the agreement of the chief constable. I’ll brief you on that when I return, which will be very shortly.’

  She put the receiver down carefully and then looked at the trio of detectives. ‘I’m afraid our colleague at Netherdale needs to be put straight about his lack of oversight of the men under his command. That situation with Johnson should never have been allowed to happen. However, that’s for the chief to deal with. As far as you’re concerned, the assistance you require will be available within the hour.’

  ‘In that case, we’d better grab something to eat and drink, because we’re going to be working late — very late. I’ll go for some sandwiches and biscuits, while you two ring home and warn your partners not to expect you until possibly the early hours.’

  ‘What about you?’ Fleming said without thinking. She cursed her tactlessness as she saw the shadow that crossed Nash’s face.

  ‘I’m afraid there’s nobody at home for me to ring. Daniel’s away with Clara and David.’

  Once they’d eaten their lunch, the detectives went down to reception, where the uniform officers assigned to them were assembled. It was obvious from the discussion Nash overheard as they entered that the men had no idea what the task ahead of them was, so he began by explaining what was required. He watched as the other teams set off, then turned to the men allocated to him. He smiled as he recognized the officers from the incident at Lilac Farm. ‘Right, guys, we’re off to Bishopton. A prostitute by the name of Samantha Frost went missing about ten days ago. We need to find out all we can about the circumstances surrounding the event.’

  ‘Are the others involved in the same investigation?’

  ‘Yes and no. They’re looking into two linked disappearances, those of Susan Farmer and Janet Wilson.’

  ‘You think all three are connected?’

  ‘We do, plus one from West Yorkshire and one from Teesside.’

  The officer whistled with surprise, but his colleague focussed on one name, the subject of their inquiry. ‘I know Samantha Frost,’ he told Nash, ‘I arrested her a few years ago for soliciting. She’s a bit past her best now, mostly because she’s a user.’

  ‘Do you know Bishopton well?’ Nash asked as they got into the patrol car.

  ‘I do. I worked out of the old station there before it closed.’

  ‘What about other working girls? We’ll need to talk to as many as we can find to try and get more background info.’

  ‘There are three others that I know of, but there may be one or two more that I don’t, especially if they’ve started on the game since I was transferred.’

  ‘Now that’s given me a thought,’ Nash said. He took his mobile out and phoned Binns. ‘Jack, will you contact Viv and Lisa? Ask them to check into the possibility of any prostitutes who might have disappeared and not been reported missing. Asking the other girls about anyone who hasn’t been seen on their usual patch might be the best way to pick up such information. Just to be on the safe side, get Maureen Riley or Tom Pratt to check on the computer. I need a list of any girls convicted or charged with soliciting in our area in the past five years, and I want someone to check on the welfare of every one of them. I appreciate it might prolong our task, but it’s necessary, I’m afraid.’

  Nash thanked the uniformed officer. ‘I might not have thought of that without our discussion. Shows how easy it is to miss something that could prove vital.’

  * * *

  It wasn’t until late the following morning that the detectives re-convened at Helmsdale. All three had been working until well after midnight. Nash had advised the officers they would not be needed any further, and hoped they enjoyed their shift break. Both Andrews
and Pearce had eagerly accepted Nash’s suggestion not to come in early, but when they arrived their boss was already at the station.

  ‘I just saw Mike’s car. How long has he been here?’ Viv asked Binns as he and Lisa entered reception.

  Binns shrugged. ‘No idea, he could have slept here for all I know. He was already in his office when I arrived.’

  The de-briefing session lasted until early afternoon, extended partly by the need to sift through the information Tom Pratt had faxed through from Netherdale. It was the list Nash had asked for, compiled from the women charged with soliciting. Together, Nash, Lisa, and Viv ticked off names against those prostitutes they’d managed to interview. At the end of the process there were only three outstanding. Nash phoned the details to Jackie Fleming, who promised to get an officer to visit the addresses at once.

  Having finished that task, they next compared notes on the previous day’s inquiries. ‘Did you get anything useful, Viv?’ Nash asked.

  ‘Apart from the offer of a blow job and a freebie, you mean?’ Pearce grinned.

  ‘Yes, I think we can ignore them. I had a similar invitation. Entertaining, but not exactly useful.’

  ‘You two are lucky, all I got was a load of abuse and being told by one girl “I don’t do lessies, love, grow yourself a dick and come back then”. A real charmer, she was. Mind you, the attitude changed sharply when I told them who I was and why I was asking, but no joy with anything really helpful.’

  ‘One of the girls I spoke to mentioned a punter with a Land Rover Discovery,’ Viv chipped in, ‘but all I could get from her was a vague description, the name Eddie and the fact that he paid well and just wanted straightforward sex, no weird frills, as she put it. Oh, and one other thing, she said he’d been circumcised. I thanked her for that, but pointed out that I didn’t think we could get a suspect to drop his trousers for an identification parade.’