Chapter Thirty-Two
McFarland had not expected the reception that he and Terry had received from Martin, and had grown suspicious about his reaction. All they were trying to do was to help the man. Though once he had done a bit of digging in to Martin’s past, he then began to understand.
Martin was no stranger to the police. He had even served a little time behind bars – three months for non-payment of a fine for criminal damage. Nevertheless, he had brushed the wrong side of the law, and now the shoe was on the other foot. Martin could not bring himself to admit he was at the mercy of the people he hated so much. McFarland knew that there was nothing anybody could do to change the past and it was only Martin that needed to find some clarity, move on, and put his past experience behind him. It was his future he needed to focus on.
Martin had given up on himself, he had accepted whatever punishment was going to be dealt. Sharon, on the other hand, was begging for help and it seemed as though Martin was her key to the help she craved.
‘Terry,’ McFarland said, ‘what are we going to do?’
‘I haven’t got a clue at the moment, mate. We’re completely snookered.’
‘He’s going to kill again isn’t he?’
‘He hasn’t killed anyone.’
‘Terry, you know what I mean.’
‘Yeah I do. I would bet my mortgage that he’s already chosen who’s going to be next, he’s just choosing the right time. He’s a thorough bastard.’
‘He made contact, identifying his stance, Terry.’
‘His contact was more about stating his authority. But he’s methodical and enjoys leaving nothing of himself behind.’
‘But he wanted you to know of his existence, Terry.’
‘Yeah, and he wanted to give us something to call him.’ Terry paused. ‘I don’t think he’s going to rush things though.’
‘A keen eye for detail; making sure not to leave any loose ends.’
‘He only let Julian go because of two reasons: firstly, he knew that Julian could not tell us anything that we don’t already know, and secondly, Julian was never part of his plan. Julian was a victim. He will only do what he feels is necessary to make sure his warped form of justice is served.’ Terry began rubbing his head. ‘My head is pounding.’
‘It’s as though he disappears into thin air,’ McFarland said, placing his empty beer glass on the table. ‘I wonder what he does for a living because, now tell me if you think I’m wrong, but he seems the kind of guy that would have a professional job, a normal working class man, the guy next door. Sharon and Martin both told us that his accent stood out as being posh.’
‘That’s what scares the shit out of me. Are you going to get those glasses filled up or do I have to die of thirst here?’ Terry slid his glass across the wet table.
‘OK, OK. We should go and talk to some of the people we have already questioned.’
‘That’s an idea, but a shit one, and I’ll tell you why when you come back from the bar.’
McFarland enjoyed the buzz, he loved it when they bounced off each other like this and they were able to look at all possibilities, all the things that one person may miss. ‘Here you go,’ McFarland said, teasing Terry.
‘Just give it to me.’ The cold lager cleared his head.
McFarland obliged and sat down. ‘Right then, the reason I said that was a shit idea is that we can’t waste time going over old ground. We’re under the cosh here, with all eyes looking and the clock keeps ticking. We need something new to go on but I’ll be fucked if I can think what it is.’
‘OK if that’s a shit idea, why don’t you think of something? At the moment, pal, we have fuck all to go on. That means we are no closer to catching this arsehole than we are to winning the lotto,’ McFarland was feeling frustrated, and wanted Terry to feel the same.
‘I know,’ Terry looked at the Scotsman and smiled, ‘a public appeal! You and the adorable Jasper call another press conference and ask for the public’s help. Someone has got to know something. It’s seen as a bit of a last resort, we risk looking desperate, but we’re up against it here.’
‘Hey, that’s not a bad idea!’
‘Not bad… it has worked in the past, why shouldn’t it work now? He contacted us, The Ultimate, he’ll contact us again.’
‘I’ll run it by Jasper in the morning.’
‘Tell Jasper about the contact he made, and tell him the real reason for this press conference…’
‘I will, mate, and I’m sure that Jasper will be happy to oblige.’
The conversation continued. Both men only focused on the case, they did their best lateral thinking whilst under the influence of alcohol. It was in drunken moments like this, when any thoughts or ideas could be shared and it did not matter how stupid or diverse, all were welcomed as part of a productive process. The only thing was that the more they drunk, the less they would remember in the morning.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Karen had decided that she would invite herself round to Greg’s. She got her mobile out of her handbag and used the speed dial and waited for him to answer.
‘Hello, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you,’ Greg answered.
‘I know, I went to see my mate and she’s not in, so I thought that I would see if you were.’
‘Well I am. Are you coming round?’ Greg did not like this, but tried to keep his irritation out of his voice.
‘I am, if that’s alright, just a flying visit. I wouldn’t like to intrude,’ Karen said jokingly.
‘Yeah, of course you can. The flat’s a bit of a tip though.’
‘I’ll be there in two minutes.’
‘Fuck me, that’s quick,’ Greg panicked.
‘Not tonight, and yeah, I think that sometimes, ha ha!’
Greg did not find any of this funny, he was in a panic. There was packaging lying around from the mail order stuff that he had ordered off the internet. Greg had not cleared all the mess away. He had not planned on seeing Karen until next weekend and she was here on the door step. He quickly shoved all the paper under the cushions on the settee. All the stuff that he had printed off from the internet was shoved in the magazine rack under the coffee table and anything else went in to the draws under the television cabinet along with the purchases.
He was out of time. There was a knock on the door. He shouted in frustration before gaining control and calmly greeting Karen.
‘OK, I’m on my way,’ he responded, ‘for fuck’s sake!’ he added as he dashed to open the door.
‘Hi.’
‘Hey, you’re sweating. Are you OK?’
Karen felt the moisture on her skin as Greg leant forward and kissed her.
‘I’m fine, I’ve been dashing around trying to tidy up before you got here.’ Well it was the truth, he thought.
‘I’m not royalty, you know.’
‘I know, but I wasn’t expecting anyone round. I don’t bother so much when I’m here on my own.’ He took in some much needed air. ‘Drink?’ he asked.
‘I’ll tell you what, as I have interrupted whatever you were doing, I’ll make the drinks. What’ll it be?’
‘Right then, I’ll have a beer, there should be some in the fridge,’ Greg replied, thinking that with Karen out of the way in the kitchen, it would give him a few extra minutes to give the living room the once over.
‘OK,’ Karen replied as she entered the kitchen. ‘Think I’ll join you, do you want yours in a glass babe?’
‘I don’t want a glass, I’ll drink mine straight from the bottle.’
‘You may be a commoner, but I’m not drinking from the bottle – last time it left a funny aftertaste in my mouth.’
‘They are in the cupboard next to the cooker hood.’
‘I know where they are,’ Karen replied. Greg darted across the room to remove the offending paperwork. ‘Shit! Where do you keep your cleaning cloths? I spilt some,’ Karen said, as the first bottle she opened slipped on the work surface. The lager inside
frothed and bubbled out of the open top of the bottle.
‘In the cupboard under the sink,’ he replied, only thinking of where to hide the papers. As Karen opened the door she noticed a funny-looking bottle that was directly in front of the J-cloths and decided to see what it was. ‘Embalming Fluid’ the label read. ‘Why would Greg want embalming fluid?’ she thought. Then she remembered the sleeping tablets that she had stumbled across in the medicine cabinet and felt a little uneasy.
‘Are you OK in there?’ Greg asked. ‘You’ve been ages.’
‘Yeah, just cleaning up the beer I spilt.’
‘That’s sacrilege that is, spilling beer. The beer police should lock you up for that,’ Greg said, laughing.
‘What have you been up to then?’ Karen called from the kitchen whilst she closed the cupboard door.
‘Not a lot really. This and that, you know?’ Greg gulped a mouthful of his beer.
Karen came back in to the room and tried to act normal but she could not help but notice a leaflet that had fallen under the coffee table, she only spotted it because of the bright yellow lightning-like twin lines that went across the paper. She decided that she would have to wait to see what it was.
‘That beer has gone right through me, back in a second,’ Greg said leaving the room, eager to remove some of the packaging he had hidden in the bathroom.
Karen shot forward and picked up the leaflet and slid it in her handbag in a brief single movement. She’d read it later.
‘Fancy another?’ Greg asked, returning from the toilet.
‘OK then,’ she replied, not wanting Greg to feel her anxiousness, ‘but it’ll have to be a quick one, I’m going to see if Mum wants to go to the bingo… I’ll just text her while you go and get them,’ she smiled.
Greg slipped into the kitchen.
‘You don’t have to rush off babe,’ Greg smiled, giving a suggestive wink.
‘Too late,’ she smiled, ‘I’ve told Mum I’ll meet her at the bingo.’
‘I hope it’s not summit I said?’
‘Nah, I said it was just a flying visit didn’t I?’
‘Yeah, you did, but…’
‘But nothing, I’ve interrupted you enough. See you next weekend, hey?’
‘Yeah,’ Greg was stunned by the way Karen was leaving so suddenly. ‘We’ll go out for a drink somewhere if you’d like?’
‘Cool, see you later. Give me a bell,’ she said, planting a kiss on his lips.
Greg had no time to respond, he was still stunned by her sudden departure. Leaving like that was not normal for Karen. In the past, she had always taken her time to say Goodbye…
***
Karen waited until she was sitting on the train before she looked at the leaflet. She unfolded it and saw a picture of a taser gun. In the bottom right hand corner of the page it said ‘Thank you for your purchase.’ Did this mean that Greg had purchased this item, and if so why?
Karen thought about going to the police. Was her boyfriend involved in something untoward? She could not think of Greg ever being like that, though the people you least expect are the ones to watch. Karen went home thinking about nothing else. These things: the embalming fluid, the taser gun, potent sleeping tablets – why? All kinds of questions where racing through her head and tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart ached with sadness, pulling her insides, like a tug-o-war. ‘Greg.’ She unknowingly murmured his name…she would wait.
***
Greg had not noticed that the leaflet was missing as he finished tidying away anything that should not be left lying around. The evening was spent planning his next strike. Valerie was due to go for her weekly sleazy session with her fitness coach on Thursday evening, as she did every week. During his surveillance of the Hopes, Greg had timed Valerie’s movements, she was like clockwork and had never let her punctuality fluctuate. ‘We are all creatures of habit,’ he reminded himself. ‘Timing is key… timing is everything.’
Chapter Thirty-Four
As soon as he was showered and dressed, McFarland looked at the clock which sat on his dressing table. It was time. He picked up his phone and dialled. ‘Morning, sir…’
‘Good morning, James. What’s on your mind?’ Jasper knew that he was only ever contacted by McFarland this early in the day when he was after something.
‘Well, sir, we think that we should call another press conference and appeal to the public for help,’ McFarland cringed.
‘Not a bad idea. Though haven’t we already done that recently, James?’
‘But, sir, this time we want Terry in front of the camera.’
‘Terry Bane can’t be seen and you know that.’
‘Sir, with respect, he’s part of this investigation,’ McFarland interrupted.
‘I’d like to remind you who is the superior officer here.’
‘Sir…’ McFarland took a deep breath, ‘Terry has been contacted directly by the guy who has been orchestrating these recent crimes.’
‘What?’ Jasper interrupted.
‘He calls himself “The Ultimate” and we know that he’s the real deal because he phoned Terry using Hector Hylie’s mobile phone.’
‘He would have to come back on to the payroll James. That’s the only way I would be able to wangle it.’
‘No, that is not what this is about, sir. It’s about catching this guy. It’s about public safety, let’s forget the pride of The Yard and concentrate on why you called Terry back in.’ McFarland felt like he was almost clutching at straws but continued, ‘To catch the person responsible for these hideous crimes. We thought that it was a one-off until he struck again, now we are helpless, waiting for him to dish up another corpse. Why shouldn’t the public know that you’ve had to call Terry back in? Tell them that we have been contacted by this monster and that this monster has named himself as “The Ultimate”. Get this on the front of every newspaper. Sir, I guarantee that you’ll have their undivided attention, along with their full backing.’
‘I don’t know about this… I agree with you regarding the public’s right to know, but we don’t want people running scared… what I mean by that is we don’t want vigilantes roaming our streets, James.’
‘What then? What do you suggest we do, sir? Terry and I are dancing in the dark. What exactly have we got? We have two people in custody, we have an eyewitness who told us what we already know. What I’m trying to say, sir, is if we don’t appeal to the public, we are no further forward than when we started this investigation. It is our opinion that we tell the public as much as we legally can. Sir, please trust us with this. We’ve always delivered results in the past.’
‘OK, James. Meet me at The Yard, in about…’ Jasper checked his watch, ‘let’s say, a couple of hours. We can debrief and draw up a statement for the press. James…’ Jasper growled, ‘don’t keep me waiting,’ Jasper hung up.
‘Yes,’ McFarland yelled, punching the air. He then dialled Terry.
‘You’ll have to come back full-time you know?’ McFarland stated, in a quiet tone.
‘Jasper agreed? Fucking hell, wonders will never cease,’ Terry chuckled. ‘And no I won’t,’ he replied calmly.
‘It’s the only way he’ll agree for you to face the press and be in full sight of the cameras, mate.’ A silence followed.
‘Did you tell him about the contact with The Ultimate, McFarland?
‘I had to, mate, but it was your idea, and listen, we have to keep him in the loop. He would never have agreed to it if I hadn’t. We’ve been summoned to his office – a couple of hours. We need to go through the press release, agree on a formal statement, and blah-de-blah, mate.’
‘I was just checking… If it means me putting pen to paper.’
‘How do you want to play this press conference then?’ McFarland interrupted.
‘Let’s see what Jasper says, hey?’ Terry knew that he would be provided a script, which would have been edited over and over.
‘I’ll be with you in about thirty minutes.�
�
Chapter Thirty-Five
Greg decided that he should do a final scout of the area surrounding the fitness instructor’s flat. Lavender Gardens was a nice residential area of London, right next door to Kensington Gardens, ideal for Greg, who could park his van on the other side of the park, slip across the park undetected, do what he had to do and slip away across the park again. ‘Perfect,’ he thought.
Conrad Michaels had been a fitness instructor for over ten years, he had a history of sleeping with wealthy married women, a guy getting the best of both worlds, you might say. At thirty-four, Conrad looked great but none of this was natural, he had worked very hard to achieve his physical prowess. Various cosmetic surgeons had played their parts in chiselling his looks. Women couldn’t help themselves.
Greg understood, and mildly respected, that Conrad must be a man of discipline – though vanity drove his strict training schedule. Nevertheless, Conrad was behind many a divorce, though somehow he always managed to come up smiling of roses. Nothing ever stuck to him – Teflon – nonstick.
Greg had also managed to find out that Conrad had studied karate and earned his black belt, this was why Greg, who by his own omission, was and is a very accomplished martial artist, did not want to have to waste time and energy overpowering Conrad. Weapons weren’t cheating – they left nothing to chance.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Both men approached the door to Jasper’s office in silence – in order for them to compose themselves. This press conference could make or break the case. McFarland reached for the door handle and opened the door, leading the way.
The Ultimate Selection: Be Careful Who You Talk To Page 20