by C. D. Neill
“So, he’s aggressive, we know that at least. Do you think he knows you’re here?”
“He slowed down when he passed us on his way back the first time in his car, but he didn’t stop, it’s hard to tell.”
Hammond sighed. “It’s possible he was suspicious of having two men seated in a car observing the area, especially when he recognised the GN prefix to your car registration, in most cases it indicates a Kent Police vehicle.”
Morris snorted. “I doubt he would even consider that Hammond. You’re giving him credit for being more intelligent than he probably is.”
Morris’ tone was devoid of inflection. He evidently believed he was wasting his time being there. His comment irritated Hammond.
“Yet he walked around the apartment block afterwards, it could be he was checking you out.”
Morris interrupted Hammond by turning around to face him abruptly, The car wobbled slightly with the sudden movement.
“You and your theories Hammond, it’s a pity you don’t spend as much time exercising your body as you do your brain. What the hell are we doing here anyway? This whole case is a bloody waste of time! If you hadn’t poked your nose into suicides that were not even suspicious, we wouldn’t be here twiddling our thumbs for no good reason. Instead I would be at home, playing Mario Kart with my son like I promised.”
Hammond was about to reply, even though he was unsure how to, before Edwards pointed a finger up at the window on the third floor of the building.”He looked out the window! You think he is checking us out after all?”
Hammond moved his body closer to the back exit as Morris opened the driver’s door. He got out, then bent down sticking his head into the car and faced Hammond for the first time since he had arrived.
“You can come, just stay out of the way. Let him see you, but that’s all. Edwards, stay with the car for the meantime but get ready to join us. We don’t know how he will react.”
The ride in the elevator to the third floor of the building was stifling and awkward. The stench of stale urine contaminated the small enclosure. As soon as the doors closed, Hammond felt he was suffocating. He refused to open his mouth for fear of tasting the air. Pressed against the steel walls, Morris was making no effort to hide his displeasure in being there. He sighed loudly and tapped his foot until the doors opened and Hammond allowed himself to breathe. They found Kelsey’s door at the end of a long quiet corridor. The silence was interrupted by Morris’ knock on Kelsey’s door which echoed around them. From somewhere above them, Hammond heard a baby crying and then the sound died as quickly as it had begun. It was quiet again. There was no sound emerging from behind the door. Morris knocked again, harder this time and motioned for Hammond to stand to the other side of the door. They braced themselves expecting sudden movement but nothing happened. Hammond moved towards the window at the end of the corridor and looked down, he could see the back of Morris’ car but it was impossible to see if Edwards was still there. He wondered what Kelsey could see from the window in his flat, it was unlikely he was prepared for their visit so why didn’t he answer the door? He frowned at Morris and found himself becoming increasingly irritated.
“For God’s sake! Give it a kick!”
Morris scowled back at Hammond. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.. We need to bait him somehow.”
Hammond groaned inwardly. He motioned silently to Morris pretending he could hear movement, he ushered Morris back a step and then leant his head towards the door as if trying to get his ear closer to the imagined sound.
“I think I can hear a cry for help.” He said seriously before suddenly flicking his good leg up and threw muscle behind a kick at the door lock. The wooden frame splintered as the door swung open immediately. Hammond couldn’t resist a grin, he expected it to be more difficult, the door looked as if it had needed three good kicks at least.
Morris’ face inflamed with fury but he had no chance to reprimand Hammond for his stupidity before the full weight of Kelsey came flying towards him through the doorway. Morris’ legs buckled as his body was caught up and thrown towards the opposite wall of the corridor. From his position beside Kelsey’s exit, Hammond registered a blur that was Morris and his attacker joined together in a ball of motion before Morris’ head slammed against the wall. His limp body slid down to the floor, his eyes glazed and open in surprise. Kelsey righted himself but Hammond reacted quickly and leaped forward, delivering a blow to the man’s right kidney. Kelsey whirled around, his left arm flying in an arc directed towards Hammond’s chest. Without thinking, Hammond lifted his right knee and made contact with Kelsey’s genitals. There was a loud gasp as Kelsey lost his breath but he recovered quickly and managed to grab Hammond’s leg, twisting it and causing Hammond to lose his balance. The two men fell, Kelsey on top of Hammond, the full force of his weight lay on Hammond’s chest. The pain from the impact on his injured rib shot through Hammond’s body, circles of light danced before his eyes before nausea welled up within him. Choking, Hammond pulled himself to the side as Kelsey tried to stand. Hammond used his free hand to clasp Kelsey’s foot, holding him down with the full strength of his arm but it wasn’t enough. It took a microsecond for Kelsey to free his foot and kick at Hammond’s arm, before wriggling out of his grasp. He sprung with surprising agility to his feet and turned as if to leave but then stopped as he registered Hammond on the floor. At that moment Hammond realised that he had been recognised, but instead of the fury he would have expected. Kelsey grinned, looking down at him. Lying on his back on the floor at his attacker’s feet made him more vulnerable than he had ever been. Hammond’s eyes turned towards the wall where Morris had laid but saw nothing. Kelsey’s foot stamped down towards his chest, but he missed his aim as Hammond rolled sideways, The force of Kelsey’s foot slammed down onto the hard floor, impacting his heel before he raised his leg again, this time his foot aimed for Hammond’s head. Hammond dared himself to look up, he tensed his stomach and neck muscles ready to shoot his upper body towards the man’s groin, but instead he saw Kelsey suddenly teeter to the side as Morris’ arms enclosed Kelsey in a bear hug from behind. Kelsey’s leg faltered in mid-air for a second. It gave Hammond the opportunity he needed to wriggle towards the wall and heave himself onto his feet. By now Morris was shouting, his arms pinned Kelsey’s to his sides but he wasn’t able to hold the man for long. With a burst of energy, Kelsey threw his head backwards and connected with Morris’ chin. Morris grunted and tumbled backwards, his back slammed against the wall. Seizing his chance, Kelsey pushed himself away and managed to get himself free. He ran towards the fire exit. Morris stunned by the sudden impact against the wall, didn’t recover in time to halt Kelsey’s progress but by now, Hammond was on his feet and ready to pursue. He was oblivious to pain in his ankle as he propelled his body after Kelsey. Behind him, he could hear Morris shouting in his radio at Edwards.
Neither Edwards nor Hammond reacted in time to prevent Kelsey’s escape, by the time Hammond had made his way down the stairs of the fire exit, Kelsey had got to his car and roared off in a dramatic display of screeching tyres and blowing exhaust. Hammond reached Edwards whom had attempted to block Kelsey’s exit from the car park. His eyes were widened in partial disbelief.
“I didn’t expect that.”
All of Hammond’s energy was concentrated on breathing. His lungs were on fire, he felt shaky from the adrenaline that was coursing through him. There was no sensation or pain but he knew it was only a matter of time before his body reminded him it was still in the process of recovering from a car crash. It couldn’t cope with the extra demands of fighting with a man heavier than himself. He bent over coughing as his lungs attempted to correct their intake of oxygen and he waved a hand at Edwards gesturing to rejoin Morris at the apartment where Hammond had left him moments before.
He hadn’t noticed before that Morris’ head was bleeding but now, in the aftermath of battle, the injury to the back of Morris’ skull was evident. His hair was matted with the bloo
d that seeped a steady stream onto the collar of his shirt. Morris seemed dazed and Hammond was concerned. He told him to sit down as he attempted to stem the bleeding by grabbing his jacket and rolled it to a ball, pressing firmly against the wound. Morris was groggy but resilient, he made attempts to get up but his concussion caused him to overbalance before he vomited onto the floor. Hammond barked at Edwards to call an ambulance.
With Morris safely despatched to hospital, Hammond and Edwards were free to examine inside Kelsey’s apartment. The living room was confined but furniture had been placed to ensure maximum comfort. A wing-backed armchair faced two televisions connected to several DVD players. Edwards went straight to the players, looking for any DVD’s whilst Hammond checked out the bedroom. A double bed and a wardrobe were the only items of furniture. The wardrobe housed several shirts, a pair of jeans and some trainers. Hammond prodded the items with his pen, part of him expected to see his one trainer that Kelsey had stolen from his house but it wasn’t there. It disappointed him, having Hammond’s trainer in Kelsey’s wardrobe would act as evidence that Kelsey had been at his house as well as at the scene of Cheryl Bailey’s murder. He continued to look under the bed and behind the wardrobe, eventually giving up and checking the bathroom. He met Edwards in the hallway.
“Anything?”
Edwards shook his head. “So far, nothing, the DVD’s are copies of Disney Films!”
Hammond frowned. “You checked them all?”
Edwards nodded. “I didn’t go through them all but so far, there’s nothing incriminating.”
Hammond sighed, he ignored the twinges that were beginning to spread across his back and thighs. “What about the kitchen?”
The two men went towards the kitchen, Hammond looked in the washing machine for laundry. There was none. He checked the fridge-freezer. It was empty.
“That’s odd. Why is the fridge switched on if there is no food in it?”
Edwards looked across from where he was looking in the cupboards. “He hasn’t got much in the way of utensils. Maybe he doesn’t live here full-time.”
Hammond agreed with the possibility but remained standing in front of the fridge. He checked the drawers of the freezer and noted scratch marks and indents in the frost as if something had recently been removed.
“It’s too clean. Do you think he was prepared for us?”
Edwards slammed the cupboard door closed and scratched his head with a gloved finger.
“There’s no smell of burning or anything to suggest he has destroyed any evidence.”
Hammond looked up. “He left the apartment and walked around the building, do you think he could have deposited anything outside?”
Edward’s features set as he concentrated. “No, he wasn’t carrying anything. The only time he could have deposited anything was if he took anything away in the car and that would have been before he knew we were there.”
“In which case, any evidence he had was either left in the car, or was small enough to have been secreted on his person.” Hammond swore, he knew in his gut that Kelsey was guilty but without any proof, he was helpless. Worse still, he would have trouble justifying his search to Beech. The frustration mounted within him, he wanted to shout out his rage but instead he tried to rationalise.
“Ok, Think back to where Kelsey walked. You say he went down London Road. We have to re-trace his steps. Presuming he did see you waiting in the car, maybe he was clever enough not to leave anything in his car with the presumption, that, like his flat, his car may also be searched. So, what would he do? Probably take whatever it was to another place where he could return later and collect it.”
Edward’s nodded hesitantly. “No offence, but we are grasping at straws here. We don’t even know what evidence we are looking for, there may not be anything. What are we trying to prove anyway?”
Hammond met Edward’s eyes and stared him silent. “We need to seal this apartment, get uniform to block the doorway just in case Kelsey comes back. In the meantime, walk me to where you saw him earlier this morning. It’s worth checking.”
Hammond ignored Edward’s sigh as he made his way back out the apartment.
It was luck that the elevator was stuck on the fifth floor. Hammond didn’t believe it at the time, his healing ankle was resisting any weight and the pain was now coming in waves but he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that time was precious. He made for the fire exit where he had chased Kelsey earlier and leaned heavily on the banister to take some of the weight of his ankle. They had descended the stairs to the first floor when Hammond saw the mobile phone lying face down on the step. He picked it up, it could be anyone’s but nonetheless he felt excited at the find. The back of the mobile had cracked so that the battery compartment was exposed; it had fallen with some force, possibly whilst running down steps as had Kelsey. Hammond held his breath, and used his pen to select the menu. First he checked for any photos in the media album. There were pictures of children. Head and shoulder portraits of children of various ages and ethnicity. He passed the phone to Edwards and raised his eyebrows. Edwards scanned the photos one by one.
“They are not incriminating photos, there is nothing here to suggest foul play, it could be quite innocent.”
He returned the phone to Hammond. “Bag it. Check out the contents later, just in case.”
Hammond nodded, but remained staring at the phone. He looked at the call lists and scrolled down. There were only two numbers. One of them was vaguely familiar but he couldn’t work out why. He took his own mobile out of his pocket with the intention of scanning his own contacts list but checked the found phone for any text messages first.
There was a text message alerting a message in voicemail. He dialled the number instructed, selecting the loudspeaker option to avoid putting it against his ear.
“Don’t do it tonight. I tried to keep him here as long as I could. I really tried but he was difficult...please don’t do it tonight.”
The message ended. Hammond felt a shudder run through his body, he felt paralysed on the spot where he stood. Edwards was confused, the message told him nothing. But to Hammond it told him everything. The voice message had been left by Kathleen two nights ago. The night his house had been burnt down.
“The artist is one who sees life as beauty”
Henry Havelock Ellis. The Dance of Life. 1923
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Bradley Kelsey hoped she had watched the news report on the television, that she had seen his artwork, had admired his mastery. She wouldn’t tell him in words or actions but he knew she would be pleased. Deep down he knew there was an appreciation for him and the work he did. He had never declined her requests, he never would. The television was switched on in the sorting office when he returned to the depot. The shift supervisor was standing in front of the television whilst dipping a Garibaldi biscuit into his mug of tea. He nodded a greeting before his eyes returned to the screen, transfixed by the drama that was unfolding. The noise of the machines drowned out the words spoken by the anchorwoman, but it didn’t matter. For a while, Kelsey pretended to be occupied with sorting out the parcels but the temptation to watch his own work was too great. His eyes kept returning to the screen. The flames reminded him of a blazing snake that writhed and licked at the air before contaminating it with its venom.
As soon as his shift ended he returned to the site. He couldn’t help it, he was drawn there. He wanted to relive the experience, breath in the smell of smouldering debris, savour the moment for as long as he could. That was the problem with great works of beauty; most of them were temporary, like the chalk drawings on the pavements or the sand sculptures that were admired for no more than a few hours before the waves took them. Kelsey wasn’t alone standing there. There were others watching. The ignorant few who were more interested in being captured by the television cameras so that they could point at their images during the evening news and prove they had been witnessed the drama. He didn’t mind so much, although he envied t
heir freedom to declare their involvement openly. More than anything he wanted to say “I did that.” But of course, he couldn’t. Only to her.
There had been no news on the Policeman, he read that someone had been pulled out of the burning building. The possibility that the policeman had survived again didn’t disappoint him as much as he thought it would. He was beginning to admire the man who couldn’t be defeated although it would mean she would demand him to do things her way from now on. He knew she would enjoy making the policeman suffer, he had caused too much interference with his meddling. She had reason to be angry, there was a lot to lose if the Policeman discovered everything. He had spoken to her about the possibility of using Katie, even though he had concerns. Katie was weak, he didn’t know how far she would be prepared to go and he suspected she was beginning to like the Policeman more than she let on. He obeyed the instructions and kept his head down during the day that followed. He occupied himself preparing copies of the DVD’s and checked on Katie as he promised he would and then returned to the depot for the night shift. In the morning he returned home to discover the unmarked car parked near the apartment block. He looked casually as he drove past, and saw the two men dressed in shirts and ties. He knew they weren’t covert but his gut churned at the prospect that they were there to watch him, to surprise him with a visit no doubt. He parked the car as usual and went to his flat where he looked down from his window. They were still there. Luckily he was prepared for this eventuality. She had always told him that there was a risk he would be traced, but there was no reason to suspect him of anything as long as he got rid of the evidence before they found it. The package hidden under the wardrobe was removed first, then the frozen bags from the freezer, he wrapped them several times in plastic bags, worried they would defrost. He needed to find somewhere cold to hide them. If he was being surveyed, he couldn’t take the car, they might follow him and he couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t be picked up by the street cameras. He had to carry the packages under his clothing and walk to the hiding place. There was no other way. He left the apartment and made a performance of walking around the building, occasionally he would check the reflection in the windows to see if the car was still there behind him. Satisfied it was, he ambled his way towards the road. His pace changed to a brisk walk as he approached the cafe. The proprietor smiled at him as he entered, she recognised him from the deliveries he had fulfilled there several times previously. He returned her smile politely and asked her how she was, hoping she would reply by redirecting his question. She did, and he made a performance of acting frustrated with the explanation that his freezer had broken down and he was worried about his prized fishing trophies defrosting too quickly. The cafe proprietor took the bait immediately and offered to store his package in her freezer which he accepted gratefully. He kissed her on the cheek, wondering if his display of gratitude was over acted. He smiled as he left the cafe; all he had to do now was to find somewhere safe to store the passports.