by L M Krier
'Right, just so we do this thoroughly and by the book, can I take a witness statement from you, sir, as to what you were doing last night?'
Seeing Ted's look of astonishment, the DS went on, 'I've told you before, boss, you helped me a lot when I first came here so I watch your back. We came back with a witness account of two riders on a red motorcycle involved in the killing of someone who probably delivered a young boy to his death. I've seen you and Trev riding into action together on a red bike, and I know you're a former firearms officer. I just want to cover all bases, especially as I know we're coming under investigation because of the leak to the press you told us about.'
'Good thinking, Mike, I appreciate it,' Ted told him sincerely. 'It wasn't me, tempting though it would be. Luckily I have an alibi for last night. I missed the kids' self-defence club as I was in with the super but I went to the dojo in time for most of the adult session. Plenty of people saw me there. Unusually, afterwards, Trev and I went out for a drink and a meal with some of the lads from the club and we all went back to our coach, Bernard's, house for coffee afterwards. We were there till gone midnight.
'I can give you names and addresses so you can check it out and log it. And thanks, Mike, good to know you're covering my back, as ever.'
CHAPTER Fourteen
The water closed over Ted's head. It was filling his nostrils, the chlorine burning the back of his throat, making him gag. As he opened his mouth to retch, more water poured in, seeking its way to his lungs to choke and suffocate him.
He fought as hard as he could to regain the surface but he couldn't make any headway against the weight pressing him down. Lights were flashing in front of his eyes, coming from inside his head, not from anything he was looking at. By now his lungs were exploding with the pressure of the water. He was dying.
Suddenly the restraining grip on him was released and he was hauled back to the surface, shipping more water, starting to cough and heave in a desperate attempt to grab some vitally needed oxygen into his water-logged airways.
His ears were full of water so he couldn't hear much. All he could hear was derisory laughter, echoing all around him, and a man's voice, but he couldn't tell what it was saying. His eyes were streaming, as much with tears as with the stinging chlorine.
He was vomiting up water now, his stomach feeling as if it was being turned inside out. Then he was grabbed, dragged into even deeper water and pushed down under the surface again. Down, down and further down. This time he was sure he was going to die.
Ted shot upright in bed, gasping, choking, coughing. His whole body was wet with sweat and he shook all over as if gripped with a fever.
Beside him Trevor stirred awake and put a reassuring arm around his shoulders.
'Hey,' he said gently as he reached out the other hand to switch on the bedside light. 'It's all right. I'm here.'
He folded both arms carefully around his partner, attempting to stop the trembling, which was now violent. 'The same nightmare again?' he asked softly.
Ted couldn't speak. He couldn't even nod his head in agreement. He struggled to calm his breathing and regain control over the tremors. Trev just held him, murmuring soothingly, until, slowly, the shaking diminished to a slight shiver.
'You're freezing,' Trev said. 'Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?'
This time Ted managed to shake his head, glancing at the clock on the table at his side of the bed. 'It's time I was up,' he said, finally regaining enough control to speak.
'You look awful,' Trev told him. You can't go in yet, looking like that. Go and have a nice hot shower, while I make you some breakfast.'
'I can't eat anything,' Ted said, more sharply than he intended, then was immediately contrite. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just, you know.'
'Yes, I do know,' Trev told him. 'Are you sure you should be working on this case? It's so long since you had that nightmare.'
'I can't pick and choose the cases I work on. And I'm certainly not talking to the Ice Queen about why this one is so difficult for me,' Ted said firmly. 'I'll be all right, I just need to thaw out a bit.'
'Don't bite my head off but here's a suggestion,' Trev said warily. 'Have a shower, get dressed, phone Mike, tell him you'll be in a little bit later.' He held a hand up as Ted started to protest. 'I'll make you something really light, like a smoothie. Sit down and have some breakfast with me, then go in. You honestly do look absolutely awful. If the Ice Queen sees you like that she'll take you off the case anyway. Deal?'
Ted smiled at him. 'It does sound tempting,' he admitted. 'You have a deal.'
DS Mike Hallam had proved himself an invaluable right-hand man to Ted. He had got off to a shaky start but had quickly learned that his new boss was fair and respectful with all his team members, which in turn earned him their respect. He had the team sorted and working when Ted arrived, later than usual.
'Are you all right, boss?' he asked, looking and sounding concerned. 'You look a bit rough.'
Ted made light of it. 'Just a bit of a bug, I think,' he said dismissively. 'Where are we up to with the list of registered sex offenders on our patch?'
Steve was just printing out documents from his computer and handed one to Ted. 'Here's a copy, sir. I've marked the ones who are inside.'
'I've had Rob and Sal out checking whereabouts, and we've got a short-list of those without alibis,' the DS said. 'Maurice has done the ring-round to double check who's out and who's safely in custody. This is the list of those we're going to start hauling in for questioning.'
Ted glanced at the list. It was a depressingly long one. As his eyes scanned the names, the trembling began again and he started to struggle for breath. Hauling the hated tie down and loosening his collar didn't help. He was soon coughing and gasping, sweat springing out again on his forehead, starting to trickle into his eyes and sting them, the same sting as the chlorine, the smell of it filling his nostrils.
The DS hauled a chair closer. 'Shit, sir, you look shocking, are you all right?' he asked anxiously. 'Steve, get the boss a glass of water.'
Ted half fell into the chair, struggling for air, desperately trying to stop the shaking. He waved away Mike's concern with a trembling hand as he fought to regain control.
The TDC looked even more worried as he held out a glass of water to the boss. Water was the last thing Ted wanted but he took it anyway, hoping he could manage to drink at least some without spilling it everywhere.
'Thanks, both of you,' he said, once he could manage to speak. 'Honestly, it's nothing, just a bit of a virus perhaps, a touch of asthma or something. Sorry to have worried you.'
Neither of them looked convinced but they said no more on the subject.
'Do you want me to start interviewing the known offenders as we bring them in, sir, until you're feeling better?' the DS asked. 'By the way, the super was asking for you first thing. I told her you weren't well and would be in later. Are you really sure you should be here? You really do look ill.'
'Mike, you'll quickly find the best way to get on the wrong side of me is to make a fuss, about anything,' Ted said, but he was smiling to take the sting out of it. 'I'm fine, really. I'm off down to see the super. You've done a good job so far, keep at it.'
The Ice Queen looked searchingly at Ted when he went into her office.
'Good gracious, Inspector, you don't look well at all,' she told him, indicating the chair. 'Are you sure you should be here?'
'It's nothing, ma'am, just a bug,' he said. 'I have a murder to solve.'
'Well, please don't play the martyr,' she told him. 'You're no use to anyone if you're ill, even worse if you infect the rest of your team with a virus of some sort. For goodness' sake take some time off it you need to. Is this case causing you particular difficulty? Is there anything I should be aware of?'
Ted held her gaze unwaveringly. 'No ma'am,' he replied levelly. 'Like I said, just a bug, which I will soon shake off. I wanted to bring you up to speed with a possible eye-witness to the shoo
ting.'
He briefly outlined what Virgil had found out from the homeless man, Nat.
'Two people on a red bike, you say?' she asked. 'Doesn't your partner ride a red bike?'
'Ahead of you there, ma'am,' Ted said. 'DS Hallam also spotted that coincidence. He has already taken my witness statement and is checking out my alibi.'
'Strange choice of getaway vehicle for what otherwise looks like quite a professional job, from what you've told me,' the Ice Queen mused. 'A red bike is easy to spot, why not a black one? Why draw attention to themselves like that, even at night?'
'I was going to ask if we could release that information to the local press, even the national media, ma'am, ask for the public's help? Ask if anyone saw two riders on a red bike in that area, around the time of the shooting?'
'Good idea, do it. I hope you and your partner aren't out and about often on his, or we are going to have to do a lot of checking up on you.' It was the nearest thing to a light-hearted remark Ted had heard her make since her arrival. 'And seriously, Inspector, take some time off if you need to. As I've told you before, I'm not your enemy.'
CHAPTER Fifteen
There was an air of anticipation about the team. After a lot of leg-work, finally some tentative leads were starting to appear. There had been some response to televised requests for information on the red bike and its riders, although so far nothing definite, but at least the public were trying to help.
Jancis Reynolds had been doing well talking to children who had known Aiden. She told the team that the boy liked to boast of the places he went to and the people he met. Although some of it was no doubt exaggerated, a lot of it was consistent and had been helpful in tracking down a possible for the hotel they were looking for.
Rob O'Connell had found the Hotel Sorrento, small, private and less than a mile from where Aiden's body had been found. It had a modestly-sized but impressive function room, complete with oak parquet dance floor and crystal chandeliers, which could perfectly fit Aiden's grandiose description of a ballroom.
Jancis began the feedback on their progress. 'Aiden also liked to boast of being in bedrooms which he said had poles and curtains round the bed, by which I'm assuming a four-poster bed and, Rob...?' she looked across at Rob to continue.
'Several of the rooms in the Sorrento have four-posters, complete with heavy brocade curtains,' he said. 'To a young kid with not much money, living in a home, it would look like quite a posh place, he may well be impressed by it. And a possible clincher – cards for the right taxi firm on the desk in reception and in the bar.'
Ted was watching DC O'Connell closely as he spoke. Something was not right. Rob was one of his best officers, keen, enthusiastic. Now he delivered his input in a flat voice, where Ted would have expected him to be excited at the prospect of a real lead at last. He made a note to make time to talk to Rob on his own, to see if he could find out what the problem was.
It was Ted's turn for some input. 'The post mortem hasn't shown up anything we weren't expecting,' he told the team. 'Two shots to the head from close range, very accurate. We've had the ballistics report and the gun was a Glock 17. Nothing unusual, in fact it's standard issue for a lot of police forces.'
The Ice Queen had been quick to point that out when Ted briefed her on the weapons report. Both she and Ted were former firearms officers who had trained with the same weapon and were proficient in its use. It was an easy enough weapon to get hold of on the street and often cropped up in gun-related crime on their patch.
'Right, Rob, I think it's time you and I paid an official visit to this Hotel Sorrento to ask them some searching questions about the day young Aiden died. I have things to do this morning, we'll make it straight after lunch. Mike, in the meantime, can we get everyone available out with pictures of young Aiden in the area around the hotel, any shops nearby, ask any kids hanging about, anything we can find that might place him in that area.
'But I want all of you to keep clear of the taxi ranks, and that goes double for you, Sal,' Ted told the team. 'That's dangerous territory for now, strictly off limits until we get a clearer idea of who we're up against. Let's not take any risks.'
Ted headed back towards his own office, asking DS Hallam to join him as he went.
'Is everything all right with Rob, do you know, Mike?' Ted asked as he switched on his kettle. 'Can I offer you a green tea?' he asked, although he knew most of his team disliked his favourite brew, even when laced with honey.
'He is quiet at the moment, boss, I had noticed that,' the DS said, shaking his head to the offer of tea as he sat down. 'I don't know of any reason, except I think most of us are finding this case a bit tough, because it involves kids.'
'It doesn't get much harder,' Ted said in agreement. 'Don't forget, there's no shame in anybody asking for other duties if they find they're struggling. I wanted to talk to you about interviewing the sex offenders, who's doing what on that.'
His tea was ready so he sat down with his steaming mug and picked up the list on his desk. He noticed his hand was shaking slightly, so he put the sheet of paper back on his desk to look at.
'I think you and I should talk to the majority of these,' he told the DS. 'I daren't trust Maurice, he might thump someone. There's just one name on this list I can't get involved with, as it's someone I know, so it wouldn't be correct for me to question him.'
Ted found his throat was starting to constrict so he hastily took a gulp of his tea, which was too hot. At least it gave him an excuse for his sudden coughing bout and struggle to get his breath.
'Are you all right, boss?' Mike Hallam asked anxiously. 'I know you said not to fuss but you do still sound a bit rough.'
'Tea went down the wrong way, that's all,' Ted waved away his concern. 'This David Evans,' he said, forcing himself to say the name out loud without his voice betraying any emotion. 'He's the one I know, the one I can't interview, so that's down to you. Have Sal in with you on that one, and be ready for him. He's very devious, extremely plausible.'
Mike reached across to look at the list on the boss's desk, to remind himself of the offences for which Evans had served time.
'Ten years for serious sex assaults on young boys,' he said aloud. 'Nice.'
'There's a strong possibility that when you bring him in, he'll ask to speak to me,' Ted told him. 'I am not available, at all, no matter how much he asks. In fact, don't even confirm my presence in this station. You don't tell him anything at all about me.'
'That goes without saying, boss,' Hallam said, with a hint of reproach in his tone.
'Yes, of course, sorry, Mike, teaching you to suck eggs, and all that,' Ted apologised. 'I just wanted to forewarn you that he will in all likelihood ask for me and the answer is no.'
Ted waited until Mike had left his office before he attempted to drink his tea. There was still a noticeable tremor to his hands and his throat felt constricted so it fought against swallowing the hot liquid.
He took the morning to clear the paperwork backlog from his desk, then collected Rob and they headed in his car to the hotel.
'Is everything all right, Rob?' he asked. 'You don't seem quite your usual self.'
'I could ask you the same thing, boss,' Rob parried. 'I heard you gave Steve and the sarge a bit of a fright the other day.'
'A slight virus,' Ted said quickly, 'and we were talking about you. If there's a problem, you know you can come and talk to me, don't you?'
'Yes sir, but it's fine,' Rob assured him, 'just not the nicest of cases to work on, for any of us.'
The Hotel Sorrento was set back from a quite busy main road by the parking area in front of the building. It was a large brick structure in Victorian style, with Virginia creeper covering part of the façade. It looked as if in some previous life it could have been a large vicarage or something similar.
Ted and Rob walked up the three steps to the entrance door and went into a lobby with a reception desk where a young woman was on duty. Her badge announced her name as Maggie
. She had what looked like naturally red hair and a sprinkling of freckles.
'Good afternoon, gentlemen, welcome to the Hotel Sorrento. How may I help you?' she trotted out what was clearly her standard script for phone or personal greetings.
Both men pulled out their warrant cards and held them up for her inspection. 'I'm Detective Inspector Darling, this is Detective Constable O'Connell,' Ted told her to save her the trouble of reading the cards. 'We'd like to speak to the manager.'
'Mr Rossi is busy at the moment, if you could just tell me what it's about …'
'I'm busy too,' Ted told her politely, 'but I have made time to come here to talk to Mr Rossi to save him the inconvenience of being summoned to come and talk to me at the station.'
The young woman hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone and calling the manager. He came bustling in after only a few minutes.
'Scusi signori, how can I help you?' he said, his Italian accent thick, almost theatrically so, Ted thought.
Ted introduced the two of them and said, 'Mr Rossi, we are making enquiries into a serious incident which took place a few days ago quite near to this hotel. I would be interested to know if you had any special functions at this hotel on the night in question. I would also like to see your guest register for that date.'
The man looked stricken. 'But is confidential,' he said. 'I cannot just show you this, without you bring a warrant.' He appeared to notice Rob for the first time and said, 'You already come here. You ask me about hotel for wedding.'
'That's still a possibility,' Rob told him dryly.
'I can, of course, go away and come back with a warrant, Mr Rossi,' Ted told him, 'but it would be so much easier for everyone if you just gave me the information I ask for. While you're making up your mind about what to do, perhaps you could show me your main function room? The one which has the dance floor?'