The Killing Moon

by Michael Robinson

  It was a complete circus, added to the fact that Rob Foster's consultant, Dr Charlotte Beaumont, was also recently in the news because her daughter had been kidnapped in Kenya, and both Rob Foster and Dr Beaumont's pictures were spread all over the news stream as if to imply some sick connection.

  The media vultures were constantly parked outside of the secure hospital. It wasn't long before DI Denman contacted her local counterparts in Humberside Police, to find out what was the meat and bones of what was happening in Hull. It was almost as if something didn't add up, but she could not place her finger on it at that stage.

  As for DI Denman's case load, the Beaumont case had been given top priority; however, the information coming out of Kenya was sketchy, and nonchalant to say the least. It was almost as if the Kenyan authorities didn't have a clue, or were not particularly bothered, other than securing the tourist money that came in regularly. Therefore, the Kenyan hierarchy continued to play it down, reiterating that events like this were very rare. This made DI Denman's work even more taxing.

  It wasn't long before DCI Steve Johnson had also picked up on the story circulating in the media. He quickly realised the connection. Not that he was bothered about Charlotte Beaumont's daughter or Rob Foster being on the run, what he was interested in though was the ten-thousand-pound reward that the Grant family had offered on Facebook. Johnson knew full well not only would he inherit the money if he arrested Rob, but his career prospects would significantly improve. Maybe he would even get a book publishing deal. Johnson could almost count the noughts on the end of his bank balance.

  However, he had a problem. The problem was Jessica. He knew full well that Jessica would not be happy if he arrested her new minder within a week of working for her. Suddenly he had a plan. He would ring Jessica directly and tell her he had found out who Rob was. He would also add that there was a reward out on Rob's neck. He would not disclose how much the reward was worth, or maybe even play it down, knowing full well that Jessica would want her cut.

  Johnson figured Foster would not be going anywhere soon, so he had time to sit on his hands and devise a plan. Maybe even he could put a scenario in place, a trap for Foster to walk into making Johnson look like a hero instead of the snake he was. Potentially, the reward money would go up. Either way, he enjoyed the idea that soon Foster would make him a lot of money. In the meantime, he would book one of Jessica's girls tonight, and then lean on her for information on Jessica's new minder.

  Chapter Fifty-four

  Rob settled in quite easily to his new role as a minder for Jessica's agency. Initially, he was nervous on every job. Particularly, as Amy had warned him not to trust Jessica but then Rob realised, part of that was the paranoia he was suffering from. The first job with Lexi at The Guards Hotel took an hour. He had picked Lexi up at the agreed time, making little conversation as he drove her to the job, Lexi in turn had made little conversation as well.

  However, when she returned an hour later, she was more open to engaging with Rob. She even discussed some of the activities that had taken place within the hotel room. However, Rob did his best not to pry. Rob collected Jessica's money and his own money and then received another phone call to pick up another girl called Summer and the work went on from there.

  At the end of every shift Rob would count all the money and separate Jessica's cut, the rest was his and by the end of the first night he had earnt over £100. Basically, the job was easy, and most of the time Rob found himself parked outside of some house, flat or hotel reading a magazine or newspaper. Within a week he had saved over £500 just by acting as a bodyguard for the girls.

  Rob was also aware that his injection was due soon and once he got his bearings of the city, he quickly sussed out the best places to obtain his medication. He just hoped the places he was going to break into had it in stock. He had recced a doctor's surgery with a pharmacist next door on the Pilton estate.

  The pharmacy itself was directly next door to the surgery. However, the security around it, was more vandal proof than burglary proof. The cameras on the side of the building looked like they had not been maintained for years, and it would not take Rob much to get up onto the roof to find if there was an unsecure point of entry. Rob told himself, as soon as he finished his shift that night he would go and do an in depth recce.

  Rob also met Amy's roommate Sophie for the first time, although her working name was Layla and although Rob and Amy were becoming quite close, Sophie almost seemed to keep her distance. It wasn't that she was unpleasant or that she was rude, it was just Sophie had a certain coldness to her. Again, Rob had not experienced this world before, and if Sophie did not want to engage in conversation, then it was best all round if he did not push it.

  By the same token, Rob and Amy would chat quite openly for hours. Sometimes after the jobs were finished, Rob would drive them to a twenty-four-hour McDonalds. They would both sit in the car park drinking coffee, eating and chatting about life in general. Even though Rob was guarded about what he said to Amy, he felt that if things had been different, then maybe they would have a lifelong friendship.

  However, this was never going to be an option given the fact Rob was on the run and again, Rob gave nothing away about who he really was, and what he was really doing in Edinburgh. Rob was intrigued that Amy was on a legal path and that she was hoping to become a barrister or a lawyer. So it came as no surprise to him, when Amy told Rob her roommate Sophie was also on an academic path and would soon finish her degree in accountancy.

  Up until this point Rob had always assumed people who went to university had affluent backgrounds and he was quite impressed that at least two of the girls he was working with, were using their spare time in order to improve themselves. It was obvious to Rob that some of the girls Jessica had on her books, although potentially were good looking, were drug users, and once their looks had gone, they would be disregarded, nobody would want to use them. Both Sophie and Amy were using escorting as a way to pay for their education. Rob had to hand it to them, they were both fighters. It reminded him of himself.

  In the meantime, Jessica had informed Rob that his passport would be ready in a matter of a few days. However, she gave nothing away, as to where the source of the passport would come from. Also, Jessica knew by now that Rob was on the run. However, she had not been given the full details of Rob. DCI Steve Johnson had timed it just right before he told her.

  He waited until he knew Jessica was high on heroin before he made the call. He even failed to tell Jessica that there was a reward on Rob's head, and he also played it down on what Rob was really on the run for. Because Jessica was comatose, she only got part of the information Steve was telling her.

  Chapter Fifty-five

  Rob parked up about half a mile away from the chemist on the Pilton estate. It was about half past three in the morning and Rob knew he did not have a lot of time before it got light. His last job that night had been with Amy, but he made his excuses and dropped Amy back at her flat, before making his way to Pilton.

  Once he killed the engine, he carefully scanned the route for any sign of CCTV. He found none. The estate itself seemed like a ghost town at this hour in the morning. As he made his way towards the doctor's surgery, again he checked for CCTV, and again there was none. The surgery itself was a prefab with a chemist next door, and the graffiti on the surgery was paramount.

  The local Neanderthals could not even spell bastard properly from graffiti that they had left on the side of the surgery. There were no shops next to his target, in fact, there was nothing but a park and some waste ground. He knew straight away, there would be no access to the surgery from the front of the building, so carefully he made his way around the back. As if by chance, there was a drainpipe going onto the roof and although it was covered in vandal grease, it was still easily accessible.

  He made his way quite comfortably onto the flat roof. Again, Rob would occasionally check to make sure there was nobody in the vicinity. On the roof were two sky l
ights. Just as Rob had assumed, the steel girders covering the sky lights, would be easily removed with a screwdriver. One even had a couple of screws missing, so Rob decided this would be his point of entry. He toyed with the idea of coming back straight away once he had a screwdriver, but the best laid plans were not rushed. Therefore, he would come back in the next couple of nights. In the meantime, he was sure he could cope with his PTSD condition for the time being.

  He lowered himself down via the drain he had come up through, again getting more vandal grease all over his palms. He chose to take a different direction back to the vehicle he had left half a mile away. At every street corner, he pretended to tie his shoes while he checked behind him to see if there was anybody present, his regimental training kicking in. About an hour or so later, he had returned to the Rock, the reception hardly noticed him as he walked in. Soon, he was asleep on his bunk, he would live to fight another day.

  Chapter Fifty-six

  DI Denman was not happy. The Beaumont case was going nowhere, and even the hierarchy within the Met Police force, whom Denman normally got on well with, were beginning to ask questions. This did not bother DI Denman as much as the fact a seven-year-old girl was missing, and next to nothing was being done by the Kenyan authorities to find her. If there was a body that was one thing; the parents and family could get closure, but there was nothing. It was another reason for her to press on harder, to find the missing little girl.

  The sense of hopelessness that bequeathed Denman was with her all day. If it had been her own daughter that was missing, she would be going crazy. She could not believe how Charlotte Beaumont had kept her composure as long as she had, knowing full well she risked never seeing her daughter again. All the options of the investigation were thin, however, Jonathan Beaumont had been given the all clear from the Kenyan hospital, and the British Embassy were making arrangements to fly him home.

  Soon Denman would be able to interview Jonathan and find out what he could tell the investigation. Other than this, all Denman could do was to start looking into Charlotte Beaumont's employers. Maybe there would be a connection there that the Met Police had not seen yet.

  Within a few days DI Denman had booked an appointment at the hospital where Charlotte Beaumont worked. Denman felt that if she looked, there must be some sort of connection in order to find a successful outcome to the case. However, Denman knew that success meant different things to different people.

  "I've got a bad feeling about this job," Sophie said to Rob while driving to the next appointment.

  "What do you mean?" Rob asked. "It's a bog-standard job isn't it?"

  "Well Jessica says that it's two guys, and they want me for half an hour each but I've just got a bad feeling about it."

  It wasn't like Sophie to open up. This in turn almost sent alarm bells ringing in Rob's head. "Well you don't have to do the job if you don't want to. I'll just take you home."

  "Oh, yeah, I'm sure Jessica would like that, if I don't turn up to a job that I'm on my way to," replied Sophie.

  "Well look, if there's any problems I'll be outside," replied Rob.

  "Yeah I know," replied Sophie. "I've got a bad feeling about it, that's all. Can we just drop it?"

  As Rob turned on the car radio a slow nineties boy band song came on, and Rob could tell that Sophie was not impressed by what she was hearing.

  At the same time Sophie began rummaging through her handbag. "What music are you into? Because this is shit," asked Sophie.

  "Classic rock in all honesty. AC/DC, Van Halen, Led Zep, stuff like that," said Rob.

  "Just like my little brother," and as she was talking, she pulled a CD case from her bag. "I bought him this today for his birthday." She took the CD out of its cellophane, and placed it into the radio. Soon all that could be heard was a crowd screaming, and then the singer announced, "Oh yeah."

  The crowd responded, "Oh yeah!"

  Again, the singer shouted, "Oh yeah!"

  And again, the crowd responded accordingly.

  "Who's this?" Rob asked.

  "Judas Priest," replied Sophie. "It's proper music.'"

  "You sound like a woman after my own heart," Rob replied.

  Sophie almost smiled, as a singer announced to the crowd, "You've got another thing coming!"

  Just as the music burst into life, Sophie turned the volume up to full as the heavy rock 'n' roll pumped around the car.

  Whilst the hard rock blasted on the way to the next job, the streets of Edinburgh almost looked electric, and the heavy rock and roll made the hairs on the back of Rob's neck twitch, the same way he felt when he broke out of the medium secure hospital. Rob was almost enjoying himself again.

  It wasn't long before Sophie and Rob reached the next destination. It was a bog-standard house on a bog-standard street. If anything, the house looked rundown. Rob maneuvered the car so he was pointing at the direction he would be leaving once the job was over.

  He turned the music down and said to Sophie, "Any problems, I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."

  Sophie then sighed as she opened the car door and walked to her next appointment. Rob watched as the door was answered by a dark-skinned Asian looking guy, who quickly ushered Sophie inside.

  Although the sounds of Judas Priest were great, Rob had to stay focused on the job. He killed the radio and picked up the newspaper he had bought that day. It wasn't long before the phone rang. The light green handset told him it was Jessica ringing.

  Rob picked up the receiver and said, "Yes, boss, what's up?"

  Jessica was on the other end sounding annoyed. She replied, "Rob, something's not facking right with this job. "

  "Ok," replied Rob. "What's the problem?"

  "It's always the same with the facking foreigners. There's supposed to be two guys that wanted one escort for half an hour each, she's just rang me and there's four blokes in there. Go in and get her. Ring me back as soon as you know what the fack's going on."

  "Yes, boss," replied Rob, and he hung up.

  The nerves in Rob's stomach began to twitch. What was on the other side of this door? Also, were they armed? Gun, knife, hammer, all the scenarios were playing around in Rob's mind. He didn't even bother to lock the car, and as he made his way towards the front door, he tried the door handle. It was locked.

  Should he break a window to gain entry? Instead Rob swallowed and raised his fist, and banged as loud as he could on the front door. Through the frosted glass Rob could see Sophie and the Asian guy. However, the Asian guy almost jumped out of his skin when Rob banged even harder on the door for a second time.

  He could see through the glass that he was getting closer and Rob psyched himself up for whatever was about to happen. As the door opened, a weedy looking Asian figure stood there, maybe in his mid-twenties or early thirties. Rob looked at Sophie at the bottom of the hall.

  "What's going on?" he said to Sophie.

  She looked at Rob, annoyed, but without fear in her eyes. "Jessica said there was only two guys. There's fucking four in here and one of them looks about fourteen. I'm not fucking doing it!"

  Rob turned his attention to the Asian guy. "So, what the fuck do you think you're playing at?" demanded Rob.

  The Asian guy almost smiled and replied in a Bangladeshi accent. "I don't understand," and began shaking his head. Rob could see a door opening behind Sophie.

  With authority Rob turned to Sophie and said, "Get in the car now."

  The Asian guy suddenly decided that he could speak English. "No, no, you can't do this," just as Sophie made her way past him.

  As he spoke, he tried to stop Sophie from leaving. Within a split-second, Rob reacted. He grabbed the guy by the throat and pinned him to the wall. Sophie quickly ushered past, making her way to the car. Rob brought his knee up to the Asian guy's groin and in a matter of seconds he continued to knee the guy as many times as he could.

  From the corner of Rob's eye approached another Asian guy from the hall, again in his late twenties or ea
rly thirties. He looked like he had an implement in his hand. Rob turned his attention to the second guy, and with his southpaw, punched the second guy in the face as hard as he could.

  He wasn't done there, with his right hand he punched and punched into the guy's head. Rob could hear one of his teeth crack. He looked up to see if there were any others, but all he saw was the door closing. The others in the house certainly didn't want to play. Both men fell to the floor and Rob turned to the first assailant. He picked him up and slammed him into the wall. "Right, so we understand each other?" Rob said under his breath. "I need paying."

  The guy looked terrified. However, he almost said, "I don't understand," again.

  Rob retrieved the wallet from the guy's pocket and removed what must have been about fifty pounds. He then threw the wallet on the floor. "Do you fucking understand now?"

  The guy looked defeated and replied, " I sorry. I very, very sorry."

  Rob closed up the door behind him as he made his way back to Sophie and the vehicle. He got in the car and wasted no time to get out of the area. It was Sophie who filled Rob in on what had happened. Although she had been booked for two clients, there were four in the house. One of them happened to be a young male, about fourteen-years-old.

  They'd all chipped in together for him. When Sophie refused to do a child, who was obviously underage, they began to taunt her, and refused to let Sophie leave. This reassured Rob because it meant he did the right thing. Soon, Sophie was on the phone to Jessica, filling her in on how effective Rob had been on the job.

  When Sophie finished the call, she turned to Rob and said, mimicking Jessica, "Jessica says you're facking beautiful!"

  Sophie then began texting Amy.