‘There must be a connection to the previous two murders. It was the same man for God’s sake; he used the same weapon on Jacqueline Bartlett,’ he continued.
‘Excuse me sir,’ Sergeant Drummond interrupted. ‘How do we know that the killer was a man?’
‘The ferocity of the attacks, of course! I don’t think a woman would have the strength to carry out such a brutal attack.’
He then paused to consider the facts before continuing, ‘We know the connection between Amanda Morris and Jacqueline Bartlett, but where does this Ernie Cummings fit into it? What do we know about him?’ he asked Sergeant Drummond.
‘He’s a small time crook and drug user sir, no fixed abode and no known connections with either Amanda Morris or Jacqueline Bartlett, but he is known to frequent the Blue Macaw nightclub.’
‘The Blue Macaw? Right, well let’s get down there and start digging!’
He yanked his coat from the stand and proceeded towards the exit, almost taking the coat stand with him in his haste to get to the Blue Macaw. Sergeant Drummond eyed her half-finished coffee, which she was forced to abandon when Inspector Bowden ordered her to hurry up.
After interviewing several witnesses in the Blue Macaw, Inspector Bowden and Sergeant Drummond found that one name kept cropping up as an associate of Ernie Cummings, but nobody seemed to know his current whereabouts. It was that of Leslie Stevens.
‘Well sergeant, we’ve found our connection,’ said Inspector Bowden proudly. ‘I suggest we get over to his flat straightaway and see if he’s there.’
‘OK sir, but one thing’s puzzling me.’
‘What’s that sergeant?’
‘Julie Quinley and Rita Steadman; how do they fit into all this?’
Inspector Bowden stared with contempt at Sergeant Drummond. ‘Forget them two; that was just a red herring!’
Within minutes they had arrived at Leslie Stevens’ flat but found that he wasn’t at home. In their desperation to get a result they decided to search the place anyway, and prised open the recently mended front door. As they searched for a clue as to Les’s whereabouts, little did they realise that at present he was in another of his favourite haunts; the Hacienda, carrying out his trade.
Another customer of the Hacienda was also planning to carry out his trade there tonight. It was Dan Burroughs and his bit of trade relied on the presence of Leslie Stevens.
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Thursday 16th October 1986
‘Have you seen this Bill?’ shouted Betty, and as he approached her she continued. ‘It’s another one of those letters.’
Stress lines began to cross Bill’s face as he digested this latest threat.
‘What the bloody hell does it mean?’ he asked.
‘Oh what does it matter?’ snapped Julie. ‘It’s just one of many. Do we have to talk about it so much? Can’t we just forget about it?’
‘I’ve told her to go to the police,’ Betty urged, prompting another verbal onslaught by Bill.
‘Listen to what your mother’s telling you Julie! You’re doing yourself no favours by keeping it all bottled up. They should be able to put a stop to it.’
‘I’ve told you both before, it’s a waste of time. They don’t believe a bloody word I’m saying. I’m a murder suspect don’t forget!’ Julie retaliated before storming out of the room and heading up to her bedroom.
She didn’t realise of course that she was no longer a suspect, and that Inspector Bowden and his cohorts were now searching for Les Stevens, ready to arrest him. In the absence of that knowledge she had already made her own arrangements to deal with Les.
She plonked herself down on her bed where she was seized by an attack of guilt. She knew that her parents didn’t need reminding that she was a murder suspect, and it was spiteful of her to bring it up again at a time when they had enough troubles with the threatening letters and phone calls they had been receiving. But she just wished that they would get off her case.
She had enough on her plate herself; there were many things that she hadn’t told them, such as the parcel that she had received that day. As soon as her mind began to wander back to it, she put a block on her thoughts and, instead, reached for a tablet to ease the familiar muscle tensions that hounded her. That was another thing that she hadn’t told her parents about, her increasing need for something to calm her down, and her fear that she might be returning to the same anxiety state that she had been in not so long ago.
“Still,” she thought. “It might all be over soon,” and she tried to comfort herself with the thought that, even at this very moment, her and Vinny’s plans might have been carried out, putting an end to this nightmare.
--------------------
Friday 17th October 1986
Dan had visited the Hacienda a lot after finally making contact with Les. The Hacienda and the Blue Macaw were the two clubs that Les frequented the most as they both gave him a steady stream of customers. Dan wanted to gain Les’s trust before he could complete his work. So he came here often to deal with Les and to mingle; to see and be seen.
He had made quite a few acquaintances over the last few weeks; some male, some female, and he hadn’t gone short of offers. Sometimes he would take up an offer from a girl if he found her attractive enough, but he was careful not to give any secrets away no matter how intimate they might become.
A few of the regulars nodded at Dan as he passed them. He inwardly chuckled to himself thinking about their willing acceptance of him as the character he portrayed. How gullible these people were! His inner pleasure was brought on by the knowledge that tonight was the night. After weeks of planning, scheming and living the life of his alter ego, the time had now arrived for Dan. Quite soon it would all be over and he would be able to heave a sigh of relief as he pocketed the cash and turned his back on the whole sordid affair; at least until the next time someone needed his services.
Dan continued to walk through the nightclub until he reached an area that was near enough for him to achieve his objective. He took a seat at a chipped and stained table and stretched his legs. He was aware that his cool, detached air attracted wary glances from many people, but this added to the thrill. It was reassuring to think that they saw him as the threatening character he purported to be.
A tasty brunette named Paula soon joined him. She leaned tantalisingly across him, revealing an ample cleavage, and asked why he was alone. He ignored her question and sent her to the bar to get him a drink, telling her to keep the change. Her face lit up as he passed her the five-pound note.
On her return from the bar, she decided to sit with him, taking his generosity as a sign of encouragement. “Shit!” he thought. “This could really cock things up.”
‘Do me a favour love, make yourself scarce; I’ve got some important business I need to carry out if you know what I mean?’ he asked.
She pouted sulkily, the hurt evident in her eyes.
‘Go on love, go and treat yourself with that change,’ he said, winking at her and smacking her bottom as she left the table.
Dan now had Les in his line of vision and he smiled as Les nodded towards him in silent acknowledgement of a known and trusted acquaintance. Les had no reason not to trust him; they had conducted business together a few times, producing a satisfactory outcome for each of them. This had secured Dan a place as one of Les’s allies. Dan knew that because of their connection Les wouldn’t feel any uneasiness by his proximity, or by the way in which Dan watched him carrying out his business. Les didn’t see him as a threat.
Tonight, however, Les was about to discover the true meaning of their relationship. Dan bided his time, waiting for the right moment. He needed a clear path through to Les with no obstacles or people blocking the distance between them. He covertly held the small but heavy mechanism in readiness. After a few minutes he knew that the moment had arrived, and he had to act straightaway.
CLICK. The blinding flash and eruption of noise took Les by surprise. Dan swiftly follow
ed it up with another shot. Les’s associates gaped in horror and began shouting and cursing. Some of them searched around for the perpetrator but Dan had vanished long before they had a chance to carry out reprisals.
Chapter 32
Saturday 18th October 1986
Julie and Rita were becoming impatient as they sat in Vinny’s front room, and Rita had begun chain smoking to pass the time.
‘He’s half an hour late now!’ Rita complained. ‘I bet he’s not coming, I bet he’s took our money and done a bleedin’ runner!’
‘Has he ’eck,’ Julie tried to assure her.
Rita addressed Vinny, ‘Well, what do you think? You’re the one that hired him?’
‘He’ll be here.’ Vinny replied. ‘He’s sound Dan. He’s done the job, but he’s just got held up on the way here, that’s all.
‘By the way, he was telling me on the phone that there’s been another murder, a guy called Ernie Cummings. Dan knew him and so did Les. He said the police were asking questions in the Blue Macaw. Dan didn’t speak to the police though ’cos he was busy in the Hacienda at the time.’
Julie sounded surprised. ‘I can’t believe it, first Amanda, then Jacqueline and now this Ernie. It’s got to be connected to Les, but why?’
Vinny responded by shrugging his shoulders. Rita just wriggled around on the sofa impatiently until they had a chance to digest this latest piece of news, then she resumed complaining. ‘How much longer is he gonna be? I’ll give him held up!’ she said. ‘He’s cost us enough, the slimy looking get. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. They’re all the same in that line of work.’
‘Why, how many have you dealt with before?’ Vinny asked sarcastically.
Julie knew that it was unusual for Vinny to resort to sarcasm, and she realised that he must have been growing tired of Rita’s grumbling. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and attempted to change the subject. Rita, however, did not react. Julie wondered if perhaps Rita was aware that she was irritating him.
A few seconds later there was a loud, self-assured knock at the door. Without comment Vinny got up to answer it. Julie watched as Dan sauntered in, grinning from ear to ear.
‘Evening ladies,’ he announced.
They uttered reciprocal greetings and Julie watched him take a seat next to Rita and put down the briefcase containing all the tools of his trade. Before Vinny had a chance to sit Dan addressed him. ‘Got any coffee on the go mate?’ he asked. ‘I’m gasping of thirst. I’ve had a right job getting here, I can tell you.’
While Vinny disappeared into the kitchen, Dan ingratiated himself with the two girls.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting ladies. As I said, I’ve had a terrible job getting here. I’m sure there’s a thousand things two lovely ladies like you would rather be doing with your time. I bet the fellas are queuing up to take you out!’
Julie noticed how quickly Rita responded to his slick charms, despite herself.
‘Oh we don’t mind, not if you make it worth our while anyway,’ she quipped.
‘Oh don’t worry, it’s all signed, sealed and delivered,’ replied Dan. ‘I never fail to deliver.’
Rita giggled but their flirtation was hindered by Vinny’s return to the room.
‘Here he is, the main man,’ declared Dan. ‘Right, before we start getting down to business I thought you might want to take a look at this.’
He passed Vinny a copy of that day’s paper and the girls crowded round to read the headlines, “Man Found Stabbed to Death”, which were accompanied by a photograph of Ernie Cummings.
‘Jesus,’ said Rita. ‘That’s the man that came out of the building where Les lives, that night. Do you remember? It was the same night we saw Jackie coming out of there as well?’
‘Oh my God! Yes it is, and now they’re both dead,’ Julie replied.
Vinny joined in the discussion. ‘Like you said Julie, it’s got to be connected to Les.’
‘Well, just take a butchers at this lot!’ Dan interrupted, and Julie watched in awe as he clicked his briefcase open and withdrew its contents. He began by placing several small packages on the coffee table followed by a bound exercise book.
‘Drugs,’ he confirmed. ‘They’re all labelled and I’ve kept details of the types, amounts and dates purchased in this log, all bought from Leslie Stevens of course.’
Vinny nodded, indicating that he should continue. Dan withdrew some envelopes from his case in response and handed them to Vinny.
‘This is the icing on the cake,’ he said. ‘Caught the bastard good and proper, and then took another one just to make sure.’
Vinny studied the photographs. ‘These are just what we need,’ he said. ‘I can’t wait until Inspector Bowden sees these. Maybe he’ll start to take us seriously at last.’
He passed the pictures to Julie and Rita who looked at them together. Both of the photographs showed Les dealing in drugs with another man. The first shot had captured Les passing a white package to the man with one hand whilst, at the same time, taking money.
‘You’d better be quick if you’re going to the police with these,’ Dan urged. ‘That Les will soon be on your tail. You should have seen the commotion when him and his cronies realised I’d photographed him. All hell broke loose. He was shouting at them to grab whoever had taken the shot. This big nasty looking bastard ran towards me, but he couldn’t get through the crowds soon enough.’
‘Was he dark and thickset?’ asked Julie.
‘Yeah, that’s right.’
‘Sounds like the motorbike rider, the one that followed me from work.’ she affirmed.
Dan then proceeded to withdraw another document from his briefcase and passed it to Vinny. ‘My bill,’ he said.
‘Bloody hell, you don’t mess about do you love?’ remarked Rita and Dan rewarded her with a dashing smile.
‘Hang on,’ interrupted Vinny. ‘You’ve done a brilliant job Dan; I’m impressed, but there’s just one last thing I’d like you to do for us.’
This put Dan on his guard. ‘Oh yeah, what’s that?’ he asked.
‘I’d like you to come to the police station with us, preferably as soon as possible. I think Inspector Bowden might still need some convincing. We’re not exactly flavour of the month right now, and I think it might be better if you were there to back us up.’
‘Oh yeah, and I am?’ asked Dan.
‘So you’ve met Inspector Bowden before then?’ Julie enquired.
‘Once or twice, yeah. Poxy old bastard isn’t he?’
There was then a few moments silence as Dan mulled over Vinny’s proposal.
‘We’ll pay you once we’ve been to see the police and cleared this up,’ Vinny told him.
Dan sighed. ‘Oh go on then, I suppose it would be good to see Bowden grovel for once.’
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Monday 20th October 1986
The scenario in Inspector Bowden’s office had a different air about it this time. This was helped by the fact that Vinny had called the inspector beforehand and explained the evidence that they were going to present. In addition to the drugs and photographs supplied by Dan, Vinny had urged Julie to bring the motorcycle registration number and the latest package she had received along with the threatening letters.
Little did they know that the investigation had now switched emphasis and Julie and Rita were no longer suspects. But Inspector Bowden didn’t divulge this information; their evidence could be just what he needed to nail Leslie Stevens. He had already questioned him but didn’t yet have enough evidence to charge him.
Amazingly the forensic tests carried out on Jacqueline Bartlett had come up with nothing; no hairs, fibres or prints and they hadn’t managed to trace the murder weapon. There was always a chance that tests carried out on Ernie Cummings might show something, but that would mean having to wait. Much better to tie things up now thought the inspector.
At first Inspector Bowden tried a defensive approach. As he read the letters, he
asked Julie, ‘Why haven’t you brought these to my attention before now?’
‘Phuh,’ sounded Julie, now feeling in control. ‘Do you mean to say you would have taken me seriously?’
‘Yeah,’ chipped in Rita, ‘… just like you did the last time and the time before.’
Inspector Bowden adjusted his tie before replying. ‘All cases of harassment are taken seriously no matter what the circumstances,’ he stated and, before they had a chance to retaliate further, he cut them short by asking Dan if he could see the remaining evidence.
It was becoming apparent during their time with the inspector that he was impressed by the evidence that they presented before him. However, not wishing to be outdone, he gave Dan a stern lecture about entrapment and said that because of this the drugs would prove useless as evidence. Inspector Bowden then surprised everyone with his next statement.
‘These, however …,’ he said, as he handled the photographs of Les, ‘… will prove very useful.’
He marched to the door and shouted at one of his minions to come into the office. Seconds later a young constable stepped inside. The inspector issued a set of instructions and then dismissed the constable and everybody else.
‘Hang on a minute!’ cried Rita. ‘We want to know what you’re going to do about it, and an apology wouldn’t go amiss either.’
Inspector Bowden glared at Rita.
‘Miss Steadman, the evidence is by no means conclusive. We have a lot of work to do before we can prove Mr Stevens’ guilt or your innocence for that matter. Now good day!’
He strode from the office leaving them all gasping in bewilderment.
‘The cheeky get!’ shouted Rita. ‘He’s in the bleedin’ wrong, and he acts as though we’re the ones to blame.’
The only reply she received was the sound of Inspector Bowden’s voice outside his office addressing Sergeant Drummond. ‘Get these people out of my station, and then I want you to come with me. We’ve got work to do!’
The rest of them remained flabbergasted as Sergeant Drummond led them, retreating, out of the station once more.
Slur: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 1 Page 21