by David Carter
“And the other victim?”
“Jane Doe, age: early to mid-teens. Probably of Chinese decent. That’s all I have, I’m sorry.”
“Cause of death?”
“Both were executed; shot between the eyes, then rolled up in plastic and left in a dumpster down an alleyway. The truck driver whose load the bodies were found in at the depot is on his way in to the station to give a statement. Perhaps you can get a gauge as to where the murders may have taken place.”
“That’s a waste of time. If they were executed as you say, then whoever dumped the bodies will have surely dumped them as far away from the crime scene as possible.”
“And while that may be true, detective, I want you to follow up on it anyway.”
Ryan sighed. “Yes, sir.”
“Let me know if you need any assistance, all right? I understand your workload is piling up, somewhat.”
Ryan couldn’t believe the new and improved attitude the commissioner was displaying with him.
“While I appreciate that, sir, I and Detective Gibson have it under control.”
The commissioner acknowledged this, and hung up.
Ryan explained the call to Sandra. And after taking a moment to get her head around the startling news, she said, “Bloody hell. This case is getting out of hand. How about we split up today? We really need to cover more ground.”
“All right. I’ll take the Waste Management Depot and swing by the clubhouse afterwards while you go and dig up some information about our mystery officer in Worthington.”
“Are you sure you want to tackle Blaze and the MC by yourself? It could be extremely dangerous for you to go there.”
“I’ll have to take my chances. I’m sure Blaze will understand when I explain about Eleanor.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Simple: I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Chapter 64
Blaze and Spider waited in the hallway for Danny’s computer geek friend to answer his apartment door. “Sorry for the delay,” he said once he’d removed the chain to let them in.
Once inside, Danny’s friend sat at the computer and activated the screen.
Blaze cut to the chase. “So did you find him?”
“Sort of.”
“What does that mean? Did you find him or not?”
“Well, for starters, I traced Samuel Bowman’s history right up until he went off the grid. He was born and raised in a town called Worthington. He was top of his class right through school and university, which is about the time he did the Houdini act and vanished. Interestingly, I came across a psychology report from when his parents had had him tested as a ten-year-old. He displayed signs of aggression, lack of empathy or remorse, cruelty to animals; in a nutshell, he’s a full blown psychopath.”
“I already knew that. What else have you got?”
He pulled up another document on his computer screen. It was a police report. “Samuel was sexually abused as a child by his grandfather when he stayed with him during the school holidays. According to the report, he would lock him in his basement and show him explicit pornography through magazines and videos, before forcing intercourse on him—which Samuel’s psychologist deemed the main reason for his behavioural issues.”
Blaze shook his head as the sordid memories of his own childhood flooded his mind. Talk about a chip off the old fucking block. “What about pictures, or his current alias?”
“Well, I scanned the photo you gave me and let my computer run a search for a couple of hours, hence my delay in getting back to you. It went through all the country’s criminal records, databases, mental institutions, and came up empty. Then I had a sudden idea; I searched his banking history.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother’s sexual assault file was deemed a cold case years ago, meaning the authorities haven’t made any recent effort to review his old accounts.”
“Did you find something?”
“Actually, I did. It took me a few attempts to locate the bank where he’d held an account before his disappearance, but I eventually I found it, and guess what I discovered?”
“What?”
“That although his account was empty, he never closed it.”
“Why not?”
“Perhaps he forgot, or didn’t feel it was necessary at the time, because, as I said, it had no money in it, or perhaps he didn’t want to risk exposure after the police issued a large reward for any information on his whereabouts.”
“So what are you saying?”
“Well, I went through the transaction history on the account, and there is nothing for thirty-one years until someone recently started making large deposits into it from a secure location, to the point that there’s now over five million dollars in the account, and the bank hasn’t alerted the authorities. What does that tell you?”
Spider answered, “That he’s paying someone off to handle his money and to stay quiet about it.”
“Exactly. It’s quite clever really, as the official record shows Samuel Bowman as deceased, which means no one is going to go digging through the accounts of a dead man.”
“So who’s helping him, then?” Blaze asked.
“His name is Bernard Smith—the manager of the bank in Worthington entrusted with his account. There have been large sums of money transferred from Samuel’s account into Bernard’s over the previous six weeks—to the tune of three-hundred-thousand dollars.”
“So, you think that if we can find this Bernard Smith, we can possibly get a lead on my father?”
Danny’s friend grinned. “You bet your ass you can.”
“All right, so how do we find him?”
“I’m one step ahead of you.” Danny’s friend handed Blaze a print-out with Bernard’s picture and his address in Worthington. “You’ll be pleased to know that Bernard lives alone and has minimal security. Should be a cake walk.”
Blaze thanked him. He and Spider took their leave.
Blaze kickstarted his Harley and roared down the road with a new lease of life. I’m coming for you, Samuel fucking Bowman, he thought.
Chapter 65
The waste management truck driver was of no use. Ryan had taken his statement, but in reality he knew that whoever murdered Ellie and the Chinese girl wouldn’t be so stupid as to carefully clean up the bodies, wrap them in clear plastic, and then dump them in proximity to the crime scene. The truck driver’s usual route was in the northern part of Brighton, which meant the bodies could have come from just about anywhere else in the large city; it was a dead end.
It was getting late. Ryan had examined Ellie’s body all afternoon, and subsequently found nothing to assist in finding her killer. He felt his eyes starting to strain, and decided to call it quits for the day and to go confront Blaze and the MC.
He nervously bumped over the kerb as he drove up to the clubhouse. His heart was beating rapidly; he didn’t know how this was going to play out.
Blaze and Spider had not long returned from Woodridge, and were startled as they saw headlights illuminating the driveway. “You expecting company?” Spider asked Blaze.
All the members, except the couch-ridden Danny, meandered outside to see who the mystery visitor was. Blaze was furious when he saw Ryan’s Mitsubishi come into focus. He pulled his Glock from his belt and raised it at Ryan as he stepped out of the car. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded.
Ryan slowly raised his hands. “I’m here on official business,” he replied. “Put the gun away so we can talk.”
“Just spit out whatever it is you need to say, and fuck off. The law holds no authority here.”
“Where’s Danny?” Ryan asked calmly.
“Inside.”
“Good. I have some news for him.”
“You can say whatever’s on your mind in front of all of us.”
“Just shut your whining trap!” Ryan snapped; his patience for Blaze had run dry. “This is really important! I wouldn’t b
e here otherwise!”
Blaze was taken aback. He said, “If you were anybody else I’d pop a round in your fucking kneecap right now.”
“Yeah, well, you can save the trash talk for the next poor sod that comes along. Right now, I’ve got a job to do.” Ryan bravely pushed through the group of scowling bikers and found Danny inside. Blaze and the rest of the MC promptly followed him.
“I’m surprised Blaze didn’t shoot you,” Danny said as Ryan approached. “Why are you here?”
Ryan’s solemn face spoke a thousand words. “I’ve got some news,” he began, “and I’m afraid you won’t like it.”
Danny tensed. “What’s wrong, man?”
He sighed. “It’s about Ellie.”
Danny sat bolt upright, ignoring the pain in his leg. “Where is she? Is she all right? She was meant to come home hours ago. And I can’t get hold of her either; her phone keeps going to voice mail.”
Ryan gently placed his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “I hate to be the one to tell you this…” he closed his eyes and dipped his chin, exhaling through his nose, “…but her body was found in a dumpster late this morning.”
It took Danny a few moments to register what Ryan meant. “You mean—she’s dead?”
Ryan nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I’m so sorry, Danny.”
Danny’s heart cracked into a thousand pieces. For him it was déjà vu: his wife and daughter all over again. Blaze pushed past Ryan and held Danny tight as he wept bitterly.
Eventually Danny pulled his head away from Blaze’s tear-soaked shoulder. He looked up at Ryan through his watery eyes, and said, “How?”
“She was executed: shot between the eyes. A young Chinese girl’s body was found with her, too.” He paused a few moments, then said, “Now I’m aware you aren’t in any state for questioning, but do you know of any reason why this might have happened?”
“No,” he croaked, “she was perfect,” His mind wandered off as a glowing image of Ellie appeared in his thoughts.
“You wouldn’t happen to know of her whereabouts early this morning?” Ryan asked tentatively.
Danny rubbed his eyes. “She went into work to collect her final pay cheque. She said she was coming straight back.”
Blaze’s phone interrupted them. It was Archer. Blaze put his Glock down on the worn, wooden coffee table in front of the couch he and Danny were sitting on and promised Danny he’d be right back. He went outside to answer the call. “I need you for a special delivery,” Archer said.
“You mean a meat delivery, right?”
“Be at the docks three mornings from tomorrow, usual time,” Archer replied firmly.
“Whatever.” Blaze clicked off and went back inside.
“I think I know what happened to Ellie,” Blaze announced as he returned to Danny’s side.
“Really? What?” Ryan replied.
“The same thing that happened to Fish; she must have seen a deal going down at Archer’s nightclub and tried to do something about it. That would explain why one of the girls was killed along with her. Archer or one of his crew must have shot them—to stop them talking.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I just got a call from Archer saying I have to make another one of his special deliveries. Which makes sense if that dead Chinese girl was the last of his merchandise.”
“Really? When will the shipment arrive?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Come on, Blaze, we can sort our differences out later. I need you to turn over that shipment to the authorities.”
“What? And get myself arrested and thrown in jail for the next fifty fucking years? I don’t think so.”
“I need more than just the shipment,” Ryan said tersely. “I want the whole damn operation shut down: Seth Archer, Mr Lombardi, Tyrone Sanchez, and Smugglers Point! And you’re going to give it to me!”
Blaze angrily stood up, face to face with Ryan. “You’ve got some fucking nerve coming here and telling me what to fucking do!” he shouted. “I don’t give a shit about what you want. All I care about right now is Danny!”
“And while I appreciate that, I am sick and tired of cleaning up the collateral damage that stems from your bloody ignorance! Grow some goddamn balls and either help me stomp out these scumbags for good, or take Zoe and get the hell out from Brighton before you lose everything! Because I swear to God that if you don’t take my advice, you’ll either wind up in prison or in a body bag along with the rest of your so-called family!”
Blaze’s emotions boiled over. How dare you talk about my family like that! He took an angry swing at Ryan’s face and clobbered his jaw. Ryan raised his arms to block the further blows hurled in his direction.
Suddenly a gun shot went off.
Everyone threw themselves to the ground and ducked for cover.
Blaze looked up from the floor to see his Glock fall from Danny’s mouth. His body was limp, blood spattered the wall behind him; he’d ended his nightmare. “No! Danny! What have you done!” Blaze anxiously got up, and cradled Danny in his arms. “Everybody out!” Blaze screamed; he started weeping uncontrollably. Nobody moved, they were still in shock from the bloody mess. “I said get the fuck out!” Blaze screamed again; he held Danny tighter.
Everybody slowly filed outside.
“I’m sorry, Danny boy,” Blaze whispered, his eyes weeping. “I love you, man,” he sniffled. “Go be at peace with your wife and daughter and Ellie,” he said while slowly rocking back and forth in the eerie silence. He felt as if someone had ripped his heart out with a pitch fork.
Ryan startled him, touching him gently on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Blaze,” he said. “I know how much Danny meant to you. Is there anything I can do?”
Blaze looked away as he swallowed his pride, and replied, “You were right; there will only be more bloodshed if we don’t stop Archer and the Lombardis. I’ll do what you asked.”
“And that is…?”
“I’ll give you what you want. I’ll give you the whole fucking operation. I’ll even talk to the commissioner and give him the necessary details. But only on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You tell the commissioner that everyone in the MC walks. We just disappear and go about our lives—and I get to have some ‘alone time’ with Archer when the dust settles. I want to make fucking spaghetti out of that piece of shit.”
Ryan exhaled heavily through his nose. “Look, I can’t make any promises to that, as he wants every last one of you put away, especially you, Blaze. But I’ll see what I can do.” He paused, then said, “And in the spirit of give and take, there is something I need from you.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Blaze glared at him.
“Oh, I think this is something you will enjoy given the circumstances. It will help with your grieving.”
Blaze was confused. “Go on.”
“How would you like interrogate a suspect for me?”
“Who is it?”
“Luther Sutherland; one of the men who abused the girls found with Fish’s body.”
Blaze’s grief slowly faded to a sadistic anticipation. “Give me some time with Danny,” he replied, “then I’ll go fetch my toolbox.”
Chapter 66
“That’s the place,” Ryan said to Blaze. They were looking at Luther Sutherland’s home from the side of the road. It was an old, red brick church that Luther had purchased and converted to live in. “According to the article I found on Google, the church had a cellar used for storage. May I suggest you conduct your ‘questioning’ down there if it still exists?”
“All right. But what happens if he doesn’t talk? I need to know that you’re prepared to let me go crazy on this fucker; I’d argue he doesn’t deserve to live at all.”
Ryan sighed. “I might regret saying this, but I’m desperate, so I’ll allow anything short of killing him.”
“Anything?” he asked doubtfully.
“Any
thing,” Ryan assured him.
Blaze got out of the car carrying his large, alloy toolbox. He was wearing blue overalls and work boots. This is for you, Danny boy, he thought. He walked up to the large oak doors and banged one of the brass door knockers.
Moments later, a petite, Indian lady dressed in a black dress and a white apron answered the door.
“Good evening, ma’am, I’m here to fix the blocked toilet,” Blaze said confidently.
“I’m sorry, you must have the wrong address,” the lady replied in perfect English.
“This is the Sutherland residence?” Blaze asked.
“Yes, it is.” Her deep brown eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Perhaps Mr Sutherland called you without informing me.”
“Well, he said something about the upstairs toilet?”
“Ah, his personal quarters. In fact, he is up there right now with a guest,” she said quietly.
Blaze noticed her blush. “A guest?” he asked innocently.
“A lady friend.” She looked embarrassed.
“Oh, I see. I’ll go let him know I’m here; he’s expecting me.” Blaze headed across the extensive living space to the stairwell.
“No!” the maid cried out. “You mustn’t go up there till he comes down! That’s his most important rule!” she said frantically.
Blaze pulled out an item from his toolbox and held it up for her to see. His face didn’t budge as he said, “And me and this giant wrench don’t give a flying fuck.”
Blaze heard a loud grunting coming from a room at the top of the stairs. He kicked the door to the bedroom open. Luther’s naked, hairy back and sagging buttocks clouded his vision. Luther’s obese body jumped in shock from the sudden crash behind him. Blaze stood there, anger brooding from his face, while Luther’s bed creaked and groaned from the weight of him rolling off the poor girl lying beneath him. She was tied to the bedposts. Her mouth was gagged with a white cloth. She had tears streaming down her face.
“What is the meaning of this! Get out of my house!” Luther shouted.