Slow Burn (2010)

by Conrad Jones

  “Go on,” Alec had a sick feeling in his stomach. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew that they were on to something.

  “She was dating Shah at the time of the incident. They were all brought in for questioning, and the files were sent to the CPS. They had a hearing and threw it out of the window. No charges were ever filed.”

  “Why not,” Will asked. He grabbed a chair and sat next to the Superintendent.

  “The girl admitted having consensual sex with Malik Shah, earlier that night, but she said that he had drugged her afterwards, and that`s when the others abused her. The problem was that she had previously done sexual favours for them all at some time or another, at Shah`s bequest. The Crown Prosecution didn’t think that it would hold up in court.”

  “That could be what the kidnapper was referring to when he taunted Mamood,” Will turned to Alec.

  “Maybe,” Alec said thoughtfully. “What happened was traumatic for the family, but it was decades ago. I`m not sure it has a bearing on our case, are you?”

  “It could be enough for a motive back then, but I`m not sure about now, Guv.”

  “Have you traced the girl?”

  “She`s dead, Guv, suicide,” Jayne flicked her computer screen. “She was pregnant when she jumped from Runcorn Bridge.”

  “Jesus,” Alec shook his head and the lines around his eyes deepened. “Who`s was the baby?”

  “Have a guess.”

  “Malik Shah,” Alec smiled.

  “Give the man a cigar. According to the hearing notes she refused to have the baby aborted, claiming that it was Shah`s, and that she loved him,” Jayne shook her head incredulous at the thought. “That poor young girl, how desperate must she have been to have jumped off that bridge?”

  “Was there any inquest into the suicide?”

  “Yes, Guv. Malik Shah and his cousin Saj Shah were the last ones to see her alive. They claim that they took her out for a drive in Saj`s Capri, got her stoned, had sex with her and then dropped her off at Runcorn train station. It`s a short walk to the bridge, and no one recalls seeing her walking or jumping, although a lorry driver saw her on the pedestrian strip. At the inquest the turning point was her diary. The last entry in her diary said that she would rather die than be sent to Israel.”

  “Israel?”

  “According to the social worker`s notes, her father planned to send her to extended family over there while she had the child, to save the family any more embarrassment. The judge took that as a sign of intent to commit suicide.”

  “There were no witnesses to prove otherwise?”

  “No, Guv, but this is where it gets really interesting,” Jayne said.

  “Come on, come on,” Alec gestured with his arms. This was serious stuff, but he needed to lighten the mood a little. The information was shocking. Could it be reason enough to investigate further? Not so far, it was too long ago.

  “Sarah had two brothers, Richard and David. They attended the same school as Shah and the others. Richard Bernstein was attacked and badly beaten, the year before Sarah`s rape. He was on the way to school when the attack took place. He was stabbed numerous times, and nearly died.”

  Alec Ramsey didn’t need to hear who was responsible, he already knew who had done it, but was it relevant to their case now?

  “A witness made a statement that he saw a group of Asian teenagers attacking the Bernstein boy, and that they had the same school ties on as him,” Jayne flicked the screen again.

  “Malik Shah and the others?” Will asked.

  “The police didn’t know at the time, but they were the prime suspects, and they were questioned, but the witness withdrew his evidence. The police notes say that his house was vandalised and his dog was set on fire, by a group of Asian teenagers.”

  “They set his dog on fire?”

  “According to the police files, it was the final straw and he withdrew his evidence, game over.”

  “I think our kidnapper was correct, they have always been bad,” Alec frowned. There were plenty of motives for revenge here, but the time lapse was too great for it to be believable.

  “Following the attack, Richard Bernstein couldn’t remember, or he was too scared to tell the police who his attackers were, but when Sarah`s case was thrown out, so was the assault. He eventually blamed Ashwan Pindar for the stabbing. The prosecution felt that Richard may have fingered Ashwan for the assault as a result of his sister`s rape case collapsing.”

  “That is a family that must have a grudge against Shah and his amigos,” Will said. “If it was my sister then I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions”

  “It doesn’t end there,” Jayne held up her hand to stop him jumping in at the deep end. “After Sarah`s death, the older brother David was attacked in the park by Malik Shah`s cousin Saj Shah and two of his friends. They alleged that David had smashed the windscreen of their Capri with a brick.”

  “The Capri that Sarah was in on the night she died?” Will was angry just listening to this. “I`m not surprised.”

  “Yes, they chased Bernstein and there was a fight. Witnesses reported that David Bernstein knocked Saj Shah unconscious to the ground, and was then knocked out himself by another boy. He was with a friend, Nick Cross. When David was knocked out, Cross swung a lead pipe, fracturing one boy`s face, before he turned it on Shah. Shah was still out of it when he fractured his skull and ruptured his brain.”

  The team were silent as they listened to the story unfold. Jayne looked at their faces and she could see the impact that this story was having on them.

  “Cross got a life sentence for murder, and Bernstein was charged with affray.”

  “Where are they now?” Alec asked.

  “We are still checking that out, Guv.”

  “Find them. I want to know where every member of the Bernstein family is and I want to know today.”

  CHAPTER 51

  Malik Shah

  Malik Shah was a troubled man. He was past angry, he was livid The men attacking his organisation were skilled and determined, there was no doubt about it. The problem was that he didn’t know who the perpetrators were, or why he was being attacked. The ransom paid for Mamood was peanuts to him, and his enemies would know that. Why didn’t they ask for more? He was the head of the crime family, so why hadn’t they tried to assassinate him? His directors were dead. They had worked together since their school days. Now there was only Ashwan remaining. Could it be Ashwan plotting all this? Was he setting Malik up to take over the business? He didn’t think so. The businesses that they owned would all revert back to the corporation, so he wouldn’t lose financially. The pay and bonus payments that would have been paid to his dead associates would mean his personal income would significantly increase, as would Ashwan`s share, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that someone was picking him off from a distance, and they were doing it well. The ransom drop was the only opportunity they`d had to get near to the enemy, but they had planned it too well for them to get near the pickup. A knock at the door disturbed his thoughts. It would be Malinda. She would take his mind off the chaos for a while. She wasn’t going to enjoy what he had in mind, but he didn’t care. She would do as she was told.

  “You`re late,” he snarled as he opened the door. Malinda stood in the doorway shaking. She always did when she was near Malik, but that was okay. He liked it when women were frightened of him it was so much more fun. “Come in, hurry up.”

  Malinda kept her eyes fixed to the floor. She could never look him in the eye. Her hands were shaking as she put down her handbag. The drug that David Bernstein gave her was hidden in her underwear.

  “Get undressed,” Malik ordered. She looked good. She always did. Her figure was perfect for now, but it would spoil as she aged, especially if the bitch had a few kids. He didn’t care anyway, he`d have her while she looked good. Malinda peeled off her shirt and folded it onto the chair. Her breaths were coming in short gasps and her skin covered in Goosebumps. “What`s the matter with you?”


  “I`m not feeling well,” her voice was shaking too. She wasn’t sure if she could go through with this. What would she do if he caught her? He would kill her for sure. “I`m on my period.” She lied. Sometimes it stopped him, other times it didn’t.

  “Shut up and get undressed, you`re getting what I give you, bleeding or not,” Malik grabbed a handful of her hair. He pulled it hard and yanked her head toward him. She gasped and closed her eyes as he forced his tongue into her mouth. He held her head in a vice like grip and pushed his mouth hard to hers. She gagged unable to breath. “Do you like that?” He pulled her hair harder and sneered in her face. “I said do you like that, you slut?”

  Malinda knew from past experience that the answer was yes. He would get violent if she didn’t. “Yes, I like it.” She felt sick.

  “Take this off,” he slapped her backside hard and pulled at her skirt. Malinda closed her eyes as she unzipped the back. The skirt fell over her hips onto the floor. She stepped out of it and tried to turn away from him, but he held her tight. He slipped his free hand down her back and squeezed her buttocks hard. His fingers made for the middle and he fumbled with her roughly. Malinda was cringing inside as he unclipped her bra. She bit her top lip as he squeezed her nipples painfully hard. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes,” she sighed desperate to get away from there. She wanted to cry, but that turned him on and she needed to slow things down. Her fear was exciting him. “I need the toilet first.”

  “Fucking hell! Hurry up you stupid bitch.” Malik let her hair go. He walked to the dressing table and opened his red wine. Malinda ran into the bathroom wearing only her knickers. She was sick with worry. What if he poured his own wine, what then? She couldn’t let him use her body again, she just could not. Her stomach was knotted with angst and she felt like she would vomit. She looked at herself in the mirror and breathed in deeply. She had to get a grip if she was to break this cycle. David Bernstein offered her a way out of this hellish situation, and she could see no other choice. Her mascara had run and she pulled toilet roll off and wiped it away from her eyes. A few more minutes, that`s all she had to do and she would be free of him forever, David promised. Another deep breath and she was ready to face him for the final time. She reached for the door handle and opened it.

  Malik was naked, sitting on a two-seater couch under the window. He grinned at her as she looked at him. Malik revelled in her discomfort. He grabbed her hand as she walked by, and forced her to touch his erection. She tried to pull away but he wasn’t letting go. Reluctantly she pulled him for what seemed like an age. In reality, it was a minute at most.

  “Get me my wine,” Malik released her. He wanted her mouth around him and he liked to sip his wine while he watched her sucking. Malinda knew the routine well. She hoped that he wouldn’t see her slipping the Flunitrazepam into his drink, and she hoped that it would take effect before she had to go near him with her mouth. Despite being forced to do it more times than she could remember, she didn’t think that she could do it again, not even for a minute. She slipped the vial out of her knickers and snapped off the top. She tipped it into the glass before she poured the wine. A trickle of sweat ran from her hairline across her temple and down her cheek. David told her to let the drug saturate the wine by leaving it a few seconds before giving it to him. Her hands were shaking as she turned to face him.

  Malik was right behind her when she turned. Her eyes widened in shock and she gasped in surprise. She put her hand to her mouth. He took the wine glass from her hand and held it under his nose. He sniffed the red liquid and stared into her eyes. A sneer crossed his lips.

  “This is my favourite wine,” he whispered as he grabbed her hair again. “Smell it.” He pushed the glass to her face. Melinda closed her eyes and sniffed at it. It smelled like red wine to her, nothing else. She prayed that he thought the same. Had he seen her put the drug into his drink? Was he standing behind her watching as she did it? If he was then she was as good as dead. “Taste it.” He put it to her lips.

  “No.” She tried to be assertive. “You know I don`t drink at all.”

  “Oh, yes, I forgot,” he answered sarcastically. “Melinda the little angel.” Malik took a swallow of the wine and then forced his lips onto hers. He twisted her hair around his hand and pulled it painfully. Melinda knew what was coming next. He would push her head down. She felt her stomach turning at the thought. How could she stop this? In her mind she wanted David to kick the door in and rescue her, but that wasn`t going to happen. She was on her own with the beast that had stolen her innocence time after time, after time, and relished every minute of it. He took another long swallow and grinned. Malinda put her hand down and gently stroked him. She smiled at him and squeezed it harder, trying to pleasure him while the drug took effect, and she pushed the glass to his mouth playfully. He tipped back his head and emptied it in one mouthful.

  Malik felt strange. The anticipation of the sex that was to come always made him high. Melinda seemed to be compliant, which was unusual. She was stroking him without being told to, and that was giving him a rush, but something was wrong. His head felt numb for a moment, as if everything had stopped in time. When it restarted, it was in slow motion. The sex was his priority, and he wanted her to kneel down in front of him.

  “Aaah,” Malik tried to speak, but it came out as a sound. It was an incoherent gurgle. It came as a surprise to him that he couldn’t speak. He could see Malinda look at his eyes, as if she was aware that something was wrong. She studied his face with interest. His muscles felt weak and they tingled. He wanted to move but he couldn’t. His eyes were open, but the world seemed to elongate as he looked around. A wardrobe throbbed like a giant heart against the wall, growing bigger and then smaller with every beat. Melinda pushed him backward slowly toward the bed. Somewhere in his mind, he thought she was going to have sex with him, but another part of his brain screamed that something was very wrong. In his peripheral vision, he could see the bed behind him. It seemed to be creeping up on him. He tried to speak again, but his jaw wouldn’t respond to his brain`s commands. His tongue seemed floppy and useless. Melinda was smiling now, and a look of contempt came over her face. She looked at him with a hatred in her eyes that he couldn’t understand right now. How dare she look at him like that, the bitch? He would make her suffer for that, if he could move his muscles, but he was immobile. What was going on?

  “You bastard!” Melinda slapped him across the face. His lip split and a trickle of blood dribbled at the corner of his mouth. He felt the slap, and he felt the pain, but he couldn’t respond. A part of his brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening to him, but another section knew exactly what was going on. She had drugged him. Something was in the wine. The bitch had drugged him. She was dead, her family were dead, and he would crucify them all to a telegraph pole. Melinda pushed him hard, and he flew backwards onto the bed. His muscles had no density to them and he felt like he was made from jelly. Melinda kneeled over him and punched him in the nose. He saw the punch coming but he couldn’t move out of the way. His eyes watered with the pain and he could feel his blood running down the back of his throat, but he couldn’t move. She moved out of his field of vision, but he could hear her dressing, and he could hear her breathing. Her breathing sounded like wind blowing through an alleyway, almost a whistle. Sound became exaggerated as the drug took hold of his mind. When the drug wore off, he would slit her throat.

  It was a strange feeling being aware of what was happening, but not being able to do anything about it. `Rohypnol,` his mind screamed. She has tipped you Rohypnol. How many times have you used that drug yourself? How many woman have you raped and abused using that drug? Their faces flashed through his mind, teenagers mostly, frightened confused expressions and tears, lots of tears. How many young lives did you shatter using Rohypnol? He`d lost count. One of them killed herself, the stupid Jewish slut, Bernstein. They all had her while the same drug that immobilised you now, paralysed her. Melinda had give
n him the date rape drug that was for sure. His mind now asked the question why. Why would the bitch drug him? It was then that he felt real fear.

  “It`s done, he`s on the bed,” he heard Melinda`s voice. She was calling someone on the telephone, but who? Was she talking to the people that paid her to drug him? Could it be her father? What about the men that had killed the others? Whatever the answer was, it wasn’t good. He heard her talking and tried to make sense of it. “Shall I call them now?”

  “Hello reception, I need an ambulance to room thirty-nine please, it`s an emergency,” she made another call to reception. Why drug him then call an ambulance? What was she doing? The room was spinning, but he could sense that she was still there. Time seemed to warp. He didn’t know how long he`d been on his back when a knock on the door came.

  “Tell me what happened?” A voice said.

  “Thanks for getting here so quickly, I`ve only just placed the call,” the manager looked nervous. The idea of losing a customer on site had him in a panic. It was his first posting as a hotel manager, and he didn’t want any major incidents to mar his record.