by M A Comley
“We can’t have that, can we? I appreciate your willingness to help us.”
“Can’t have dirtbags like him on the loose, not in our county.”
“Nor in ours. Thanks for agreeing to work with me. Keep in touch.”
“Ditto, if you manage to spot him before I do.”
“I’ll get Craig to call you straight away. I’m sensing we’re close to finding this bastard, it would be a shame to let him slip out of our grasp now.”
“It won’t be through anything I’ve done, I assure you. Teamwork is the dreamwork.”
“Let’s hope you’re right about that.” She left the office again and gave Craig DI Lloyd’s direct number. “Call him with any updates, he’ll be checking from his end.” She paused and sipped at the coffee Carla handed her. “I’m inclined to get on the road, just in case.”
Her partner frowned. “Will it be worth it?”
“Why not? We’re aware of which direction he’s heading in.”
“I don’t know, I have my doubts. What if, hear me out here… what if he’s realised we’re onto him and is leading us astray, or worse than that, into a trap?”
Sara sighed. “I know you’re right, but my head is telling me one thing and my heart another. All I keep thinking about is the girls. He’s keeping them somewhere, who’s to say where and what conditions they’re having to endure?”
Carla sipped at her coffee and rolled her eyes. “Logical answer, I suppose. Why isn’t our job ever simple?”
“How many serving police officers ask that question throughout their career?”
“Want to know what I would do?”
“Carla, we work as a team. Bat ideas around, you know you can always speak freely. Go on.”
“Of course it depends on what happens with Will and Marissa, but I would bring the brother in, if he’s at home.”
“And if he’s not?”
“Then we’d be forced to rethink things.”
Sara contemplated her partner’s suggestion for a few seconds, tapping her finger against her cheek as she thought. “That totally makes sense. Bring him in for questioning in the hope he gives up the location. On the flip side, if Harvey finds out we have his brother locked up in a cell, it could send him over the edge. Bearing in mind what he did to Elizabeth and that he probably killed Layla. We know he’s got an evil streak.”
“Hmm… you’re right. I wonder what his intention is with the girls.”
“I haven’t got the foggiest. Elizabeth didn’t hint that he was warped at all, evil yes, but not a sexual deviant, did she?”
“Nope. So near and yet so damn far, still. This case is doing my head in.”
Thirty minutes later, the surveillance team touched base with them. “Go ahead, Will, I have you on speaker.”
“We’re outside Daniel Burrows’ house now, boss. There’s a car in the drive and we keep seeing movement inside.”
“What sort of house is it? By that I mean, could there possibly be a basement to the property?”
“Not from what I can tell. Want me to get out and take a closer look?”
“No, hang fire on that. Craig has managed to spot his brother’s car on the system, he’s in Shropshire. I’ve got our colleagues up there keeping a close eye on him from their end.”
“Sounds promising. If they’ve been working as a pair throughout, it begs the question why they feel the need to split up now.”
“Yeah, that’s the part that concerns me.”
“What about bringing him in for questioning?” Will suggested hesitantly.
“Yeah, Carla said the same. Okay, bring him in. Don’t do it until backup arrives, I’ll organise that for you now.”
“Rightio. We’ll let you know when we’re back at the station.”
Sara ended the call and rang down to the reception area. She instructed the desk sergeant to send a patrol car to Daniel’s address and she explained the reason behind her request. He assured her he would deal with it and send officers who were Taser-trained just in case any aggro kicked off.
She paced the room until she received a text from Will to say they were bringing Daniel in without any resistance.
“He’s on his way,” she conveyed to the rest of the team. “I’m not sure what to expect now, Will said he didn’t put up a fight. Does that sound like an evil kidnapper-cum-murderer to you?”
Carla and the rest of the team all shook their heads.
“I’m nipping to the loo before he gets here. I know, too much information. Hey, guys, sharing is caring, remember that.”
Everyone laughed.
When she came out of the toilet, Carla was waiting for her in the hallway. “Thought I’d give you some privacy in there. Daniel’s here. They’ve taken him to the interview room.”
“Let’s go see what the shit has to say, then.”
Sara was shocked when she opened the door to find Daniel with his head bowed. He was sitting at the table with a duty solicitor by his side. He wasn’t what she expected at all. His clean-shaven appearance and demeanour caught her off-guard for a second. Will and Marissa vacated the chairs opposite him to make way for Sara and Carla. Their colleagues left the room. In the corner stood a burly six-foot male, uniformed officer.
Carla started the interview disc by announcing who they were.
“Hi, Daniel, thanks for agreeing to come in and help us with our enquiries.” Sara started off playing the nice cop.
Daniel shrugged. “No idea why I’m here.”
“Really? And yet, my colleagues said you didn’t resist the invitation to join us.”
“I figured there wouldn’t be much point. What do you want from me?”
Sara opened the manila folder she’d fetched with her. She slid the picture of his brother and Layla Davis in front of him. “Two people in this picture, who are they?”
He stared at the photo, long and hard, and then his gaze drifted up to meet hers. “My twin and I think her name is Layla.”
“You mean, was Layla. You’re aware that she’s dead, aren’t you?”
He fidgeted in his chair and ran a hand through his short brown hair. “Yeah, I am. I had nothing to do with that, so don’t even try pinning it on me.”
“Explain that statement, if you will?”
He paused, chewed his lip a few times and shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t? Were you there?”
“Sort of.”
“Come on, Daniel, you’re going to have to give me more than that.”
He hesitated, fiddled with his hands for a moment and then admitted, “I was there, but I didn’t realise what was going on. I’m not going to take the—”
“Fall? Is that what you were about to say? Just like Layla fell from the plane you and your brother own?”
His eyes widened in shock. “You know?”
“Of course we do. Why? Why throw her from the plane?”
“I didn’t. I was too busy flying the damn thing at the time.”
“How can you continue to fly with the door open?”
“With difficulty, that’s how. He went too far this time. We’ve barely spoken since.”
“You’re referring to Harvey?”
“Yes.”
“Why aren’t you talking?”
“I’ve just told you why, because of that incident.”
“You didn’t want to kill her?”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t in the plan, no.”
“What plan would that be?” Daniel fell silent, as if he realised he’d said too much already. Sara decided to ask a different question with the intention of returning to that particular one later. “Where were you travelling to, and for what reason?”
“Shropshire.”
“The reason behind your flight?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Back to the ‘I won’t tell you’ statement. Why, Daniel? Why are you persisting in not telling us the facts? We’re onto what you and your brother have been
up to, it’s only a matter of time before we find Harvey and the girls. We’re aware that you landed at an airfield close to Church Stretton.”
His bowed head shot up. Sara fixed gazes with him. “You know? How?”
Sara laughed. “Apart from being a shit-hot detective, I have ways of seeking the truth. We’re closing in on your brother. We have teams in Hereford, heading to Shropshire now to join our colleagues there. We’ve also dispatched an Armed Response Team. You could save us a lot of trouble and help your brother out by giving us the location where the girls are being kept.”
He turned his head to the side a little and stared at the corner of the room. “I can’t… he’d kill me if he found out.”
“And who’s likely to tell him? I won’t, I swear to you. Save us all a lot of hassle, Daniel, tell us where he’s hiding the girls.” Daniel scratched his head, as if he was mulling over what to do for the best. Sara sensed he was on the verge of cracking. “The girls, none of them deserved this, or did they, Daniel?”
“No. I said the same, but Harvey insisted we were doing the right thing.”
“In what respect? What’s happened to the girls?”
He squeezed his forehead with his shaking hand. “He’s gone too far. I never wanted to be involved. He persuaded me it was in our best interest.”
“Best interest? Are we talking financially here?”
He nodded and Sara’s gut clenched. “He’s going to sell them?”
Daniel remained silent, his gaze flicking between Sara, Carla and the duty solicitor.
“Daniel?” Sara urged.
“Yes. I said I didn’t want any part of it. He warned me what would happen if I backed out.”
“Which was what?”
“Our parents know nothing about this. He threatened to tell them. If they found out what we were up to, they would cut us off completely.”
“But they’re wealthy, aren’t they? Why does Harvey need the money if your family is rich?”
“It’s not like that. Mother and Father insisted that we should make our own way in this world. Harvey rejected that idea. He wants money, lots of it, without having to earn it.”
“But you run a business together. You’re financial experts, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Have you seen the state of the markets lately? The pandemic caused people to be more cautious with their money. Not only that, many of them lost their jobs. That’s had a devastating effect on our business.”
Sara fell back in her seat. “You’re kidding me? You’re struggling for money, so you decided to kidnap some girls to sell them to the highest bidder?”
His hand shook and he wiped it across his face. “Yes, I suppose you could put it like that. I didn’t want to get involved.”
“But you flew the plane, in my opinion, you’re a hundred percent involved in this scheme.”
“I’m not. We’ve fallen out. I’ve told him I want nothing more to do with him.”
“If that’s the case, tell us where he is, Daniel. If you have any conscience at all, which by the sounds of it, you have. For God’s sake, give us the location. Or is it too late?”
“No. The handover isn’t going to take place for a few days. Saying that, Harvey could possibly alter the arrangements.”
“Tell us where the property is. Please consider the women, they didn’t ask to be involved in this. You think it’s right to rob someone so young of their freedom? Do you have any idea what these girls will be subjected to if they’re sold?”
He gasped and shook his head. “I never really thought about the consequences until yesterday. Please, I’m not to blame for this, he is.”
“Help us! Before it’s too late.”
He covered his face with his hands and sobbed.
Sara snatched a quick glance at Carla who nodded, urging her not to give up.
Banging her fist on the table, Sara shouted, “If you have an ounce of decency left in your body, you’ll tell us where those girls are before Harvey gets the chance to move them. He’s on his way there by car now, with yet another girl. For Christ’s sake, do the right thing, Daniel. Save those girls from a life of torture and grief.”
He slumped back in his chair and whispered, “Give me a pen and paper.”
Carla pushed her notebook in front of him and he scribbled down the address. Sara snatched it, raced out of the room and took the stairs two at a time. “I’ve got it. Craig, get DI Lloyd on the phone for me.”
Craig sprang into action, and within seconds, he handed the phone to her. “Hi, it’s DI Ramsey in Hereford. I’ve got a possible address.”
“Only possible? How accurate do you think it is?”
“His brother gave it to me. He’s emotionally wrought and full of guilt, I get the impression he’s trying to do the right thing. Apparently, he’s fallen out with his brother. The girls are being held until a rendezvous can take place, it’s due soon. We have to get to them quickly. I’m going to get on the road now. I’ll meet you at the location. Do you have the clout to arrange an ART?”
“Of course. Okay, I’ll sort things out at this end and meet you at the location on one proviso.”
“What’s that?”
“We make the arrest.”
“No way. My team and I have done all the legwork on this, no way!”
He laughed. “Okay, I was pulling your leg. The bastard is all yours. I’ll action everything as soon as I hang up. What’s the address?”
Sara gave him the details, he confirmed he knew the location, which was pretty remote, and hung up.
She then patted Craig on the shoulder. “Come with me. We’ll leave Carla to deal with Daniel.”
“Cool. I mean, that’s great, boss. Want me to drive?”
“Insinuating you’ll get us there quicker?”
“I happen to enjoy driving in the dark, not many women I know feel the same way.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’ll teach you to assume. I’m fine in the dark. However, I am going to take you up on your offer. We’ll go in my car. Jill, can you let Carla know?”
“I’ll do it now. Good luck with your mission. I hope you catch the fucker.”
They tore down the stairs and out to the car. She pressed the key fob, then threw the keys to Craig. He adjusted the seat after catching his knee on the steering wheel. “If you don’t mind me saying, boss, you’re a short arse.”
“Bloody cheek. Good things come in small packages, didn’t your mother ever tell you that?”
He laughed. “I’ll take your word for it and hope my knee heals swiftly.”
“Stop whingeing. Go, Craig. We need to get there, fast. I hate to miss out on any action when an arrest is made.”
“I hope we’re not too late. He’s got a couple of hours’ head start on us.”
“All the more reason to use the siren.”
He grinned and flicked the switch once they joined the main road.
Sara watched the satnav clock count down. “Another ten minutes.”
“I hope the others haven’t got the jump on us.”
“I told Lloyd to hold back until we got there.”
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One. “The road must be around here somewhere,” Craig grumbled.
Peering into the darkness, Sara caught sight of something. “Wait, what’s that? Is it an interior light I can see?”
They drove closer and it soon became apparent that there were three vehicles waiting at the side of the road.
Craig drew up in front of the first one, and Sara leapt out of the car. Craig switched off the engine and followed her.
“Ray Lloyd?”
“DI Ramsey?”
She recognised his voice, smiled and shook his hand. “Have you been here long?”
“Around thirty minutes, not too long. You made good time.”
“Thanks to my spee
dy colleague. What about the ART? Did you manage to get one assigned?”
“They should be here soon. They’re around five minutes away, last time I spoke to the commanding officer.”
“Good. I take it the house is up this lane?”
“That’s right. I sent one of my lads up there to have a recce. His car is up there, we matched up the details to what you gave me to be sure.”
“Excellent news. I hope he hasn’t got wind of us being here. I fear what might happen to the girls if he gets stressed.”
“That’s why we need to leave it to the ART. Do you know if he’s armed?”
“Damn, no. I forgot to ask his brother. I think we should presume he is.”
“Good thinking. Did his brother say what their motive is behind the abductions?”
“Yeah, primarily to sell the girls for money as their business has suffered during the pandemic.”
“What the fuck? I’ve heard it all now. Sick bastards.”
“Yep. Is this them?” Sara pointed at an approaching vehicle.
“Looks like it to me.”
Sara and Ray marched over to the vehicle. The commanding officer held a hand up, preventing them from getting any closer until he’d relayed certain orders to his team. Then he addressed them. “Who’s in charge here?”
“It’s my patch, DI Ray Lloyd, but DI Ramsey needs to make the arrest as the suspect is from Hereford.”
“Okay. Well, I’m taking over control for now. Where do we stand on the suspect? Is he armed?”
“We’re not sure,” Sara replied. “Ray’s colleague has confirmed the suspect is at the residence. We need to be cautious, there are at least three girls inside the house, that we’re aware of.”
“We’ll go in as rapidly and as efficiently as we can. We’re not in the habit of putting innocent people at risk. How many are we looking at? One male or possibly more?”
“That’s correct, one male. I have a picture of him if that will help?”
“It will.”
Sara dug out her phone and enlarged the photo she’d snapped of Harvey with Layla. “He killed this woman, she’s the only one, we believe at this point.”
“Okay, then my guys need to be aware that we’re dealing with a highly dangerous individual.”