by J. D. Weston
Harvey turned the shower off, quietly stepped back to his bedroom and retrieved his Sig. He swept the house, checked the spare room then ventured downstairs. There was no sign or trace of anybody. The front and back doors were locked with no signs of forced entry, as were the windows.
Harvey crept back up the stairs and dressed in clean cargo pants and a plain white t-shirt. He picked up his phone and dialled Denver’s number from memory.
“Harvey?” said Denver. “What’s up? It’s late.”
“I have a problem.”
9
Knock Knock
At four am, Denver and Melody stood in Harvey’s bathroom looking down at the dead body that lay in the bathtub.
The man had been in his fifties by the look of his grey hair and the paunch that protruded from his midriff. He wore a pair of cheap running shoes, blue jeans and a dark grey cardigan over a checked shirt.
Two small dents in the bridge of his nose suggested he’d worn glasses, which may have been lost during his attack. A laminated identify card hung around his neck stating that Arthur Bell worked for Hackney Carriages as a black taxi driver. The card gave Arthur’s driver number and showed a photo of the man much like a passport photo.
Harvey stood in his kitchen and watched Melody and Denver walk down the stairs to join him. Melody picked up the coffee she’d walked in with and leaned against the kitchen counter holding the cardboard cup in both hands.
“I’m guessing you don’t know him?” she asked.
Harvey didn’t reply.
“It’s a bit random isn’t it?” said Denver. “I mean, what the hell?”
“Well it's not the first time you found a dead body in the bath,” Melody said to Harvey. She was referring to the Sergio incident when Harvey had boiled his sister’s rapist alive. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”
Harvey didn’t reply. He had learned from his training with Julios a method of communicating without words. A look, a gesture, or sometimes no response at all could express his thoughts.
“Shall we tell Frank?” asked Melody, moving the conversation along. “We need to get the body out of here.”
“I don’t see what Frank would do,” said Denver, “except call the police, and have it dealt with the same as any other murder. Then Harvey will be arrested and out of action until he clears his name.”
Harvey looked up at Denver.
“Let’s get Reg on it,” said Melody. “He can do some research on Arthur Bell for us. Find out who he is, his history, and probably even the last fare he had.”
Just then, there was a hard knock on the door, three taps. Denver and Melody looked at Harvey, who put his finger to his lips and crept toward the door. He looked through the spy hole and edged back to the kitchen.
“Police. I’m being set up. Back door, quick.” Harvey picked up the rucksack he’d packed the previous night and quietly opened the back door. They stepped out into the dark morning. The sun was still way below the horizon and the trees from the forest cast a gloom over the long, narrow garden. There was no side entrance to the house so any police looking to cover the rear would have to walk to the end of the street and find their way along the fence in the forest.
Harvey peered over the fence into the trees. He saw no movement, so quietly opened the back gate and let Melody and Denver out. As he closed it, he heard the sounds of the front door being forced in. Lights came on in the house.
Harvey led his two colleagues into the forest and took a wide circle back to the high street, five hundred yards from the entrance to his road. Once clear of the house, the three walked like they were walking off a Sunday roast. Melody cradled her coffee, Denver strolled with his hands in his pockets, and Harvey walked calmly and quietly. They reached the tree line where the forest met the main road.
“Denver, tell me you didn’t park the van directly outside my house?”
“Give me some credit, Harvey. It’s parked on the main road. We walked the five hundred yards down to yours.”
“Okay, Melody and I will wait here in the tree line. You want to grab the van and get us? If I’m being framed for murder, then my face will be on the minds of every cop around here.”
“Sure,” I’ll take a look down your road and see what’s happening too.”
“I can tell you what’s happening, Denver. Uniformed police have found Arthur Bell, have called in the brain squad to deal with the body, and also put a call out to all units to be on the lookout for an IC1 male that fits my description.”
“At least it solves your problem,” said Melody.
Harvey looked across at her.
“You don’t need to worry about getting rid of the body anymore.” She smiled apologetically.
“Is the house clean?” asked Denver.
“Yeah, of course,” said Harvey. “Everything I own is here apart from my bike.” He gestured with his thumb to the backpack. “I can’t go back there. I’ll need to find somewhere else, at least until we find out who did this.”
“Right, sit tight, guys, I’ll be a few minutes,” said Denver and strode out of the forest. He looked both ways then walked towards the van.
“To work out who did it, we need to understand why they did it,” said Melody. “Any old enemies?”
“How many fingers you got?”
“Okay, are there any old enemies that you have seen or been in contact with recently?”
“None, I cut free of all that. The only thing I’ve done recently that links me to anything is what I’ve done for Frank and you guys. And we-“
“Yeah, we locked everyone up who you didn’t kill,” said Melody straight-faced.
“I don’t think it’s that,” said Harvey. “Someone’s getting me out of the picture.”
“And framing you in another?”
Harvey didn’t reply.
“But what’s framing you for a murder going to achieve?”
“Is Reg online?”
“Bit early for him, he’ll be there in about half hour.” Why?”
“We need his research skills.”
Denver pulled over to the side of the road beside the trees. He checked in front and behind then gave them the all clear. Melody and Harvey walked out of the trees. Melody climbed into the passenger seat, and Harvey laid down in the back of the van out of sight.
“Cheers, Denver, let’s go, mate. Let’s get out of here before they shut the place down.”
Denver indicated and pulled off into the empty road. The houses opposite Harvey’s road behind them flashed blue every second. Harvey imagined the road chock-a-block with police cars. The neighbours would be at their windows. Discretion was not on the MET’s priority list when it came to murder.
“Good morning sunshines.” Reg’s voice came across the radio. “How are we on this splendid day at such a fine hour?”
Melody picked up the handset and looked back at Harvey who shook his head.
“Is Frank there yet?” asked Harvey.
“And good morning to you, Reggie, you’re bright and breezy this morning,” said Melody over the handset.
“Well it’s nearly five am, and I’m sitting at my desk alone in the dark. If I don’t keep myself happy, I’ll happily fall back to sleep.”
“No Frank yet?” she asked.
“No, he said he’d be in later, said he’d give us time to get some results.”
“That’s kind of him. Listen, Reg.” Melody turned back to Harvey, who nodded and held up his thumb and first finger, indicating that she tell Reg only what he needed to know. “We need you to look something up for us, but hey it’s only a stab in the dark, so keep this one on the down low.”
“Wow, early morning mysteries, what you got?”
“If I gave you the registration number of a black cab driver, could you do some digging? We’re still about an hour from the manor house.”
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can find. Is that it? It’s a bit vague.”
“Right now that’s all we have, Reg.”
“Yes, we will do, Reg, of course, but right now I need you see what you can get with an open mind. When you get back to us, we’ll fill you in.”
“I see, out of sight out of mind,” said Reg, slightly deflated.
“Reggie, come on, I just want that brilliant mind of yours to not be obscured by details. I want to see what you can find. What do you say? Thirty minutes?”
“You know how to get me going, Melody. Righto, thirty minutes it is.”
“Thanks, Reg, we love you,” said Melody and put the handset down.
Once they were out of Buckhurst Hill, Harvey sat up and leaned against the side of the van on the wooden panelling behind Melody. The side behind Denver was home to Reg’s workbench. Two computers were fixed down beneath it and two large screens sat atop the surface with a single keyboard and mouse.
A single cable ran up to the van’s ceiling and out through a grommet that Denver had drilled into place. A motorised aerial increased the effectiveness of the van’s radio comms with headquarters. A small, hidden transponder and receiver spoke to the satellites, allowing Reg access to the internet from virtually anywhere. But without Reg in the van, the whole workbench and associated electronics were useless.
Harvey felt the van’s speed increase and knew that Denver had just pulled onto the A12, a busy four-lane motorway that ran from East London to the East Coast. Braintree was about thirty to forty minutes up the A12, so Harvey settled in and closed his eyes. He didn’t know when the next sleep was coming.
10
Monster of Depravity
“Did you see our little martyr?” asked Al Sayan into the phone.
“You sick bastard-“
“Now, now. You are forgetting yourself,” replied Al Sayan. “How are your plans coming on?”
“You’ll get what you want, just don’t touch my-“
“Your little Angel?” asked Al Sayan. “Now that you have seen how serious I am, I hope you will apply the same level of professionalism to the job as you would any other job. The stakes are high.”
“And Stone? You said he was running. What from?”
“I imagine right about now he’s being locked in a cell where he belongs,” said Al Sayan. “But he is a troublesome fellow, so I urge you to take precaution. You have less than two days. What are you doing now?”
“I’ll run my own job. I don’t need your help, it’s better that way.”
“Good, I’d hate to see Stone come between you and your daughter, so do tell me if you need assistance. I have men who would gladly give their lives to take the nuisance down and allow me to carry out my own plans.”
“I told you I don’t need your help.”
“Good, so you don’t need me to tell you that all of your phones are being monitored by Stone’s team. They are watching your every move. I’ll leave you to deal with that shall I?”
Silence.
“I shall contact you again before the deadline is up.”
“Wait.”
There was a pause.
“I’m here,” said Al Sayan.
“Let me talk to her.”
“I told you before that you do not call the shots. I can assure you she is safe with me. The next time you talk to her will be in one of two potential circumstances. One, you have achieved your goal and delivered to me what I have requested.”
“You’ll get it.”
“Two, little Angel will be trundling out of here with a little surprise in her cute little pink backpack.”
“I need proof of life.”
Al Sayan was silent for a moment. “Send your man to me, Mr Larson. Send him to my garage in Stratford. He will be followed, no doubt. He will see how well I am caring for Angel, and I will make sure the pests are eliminated.”
11
Monster’s Manor
“We’re coming into Wethersfield now,” Harvey heard Denver say. He opened his eyes and rubbed his face.
“We have water?” Harvey asked.
A bottle of water appeared over Melody’s shoulder which he took, drank and returned.
“So what your game plan?”
“Reg, you there?” Melody called over the radio.
“Of course I am.”
“Okay, give us some news, buddy.”
“Arthur Bell. Fifty-two years old, married with two grown children. Lives in Slough, west of London. No previous record, same for his wife and kids.”
The team were silent for a moment.
“So he’s basically lived an average life?” asked Melody.
“Yeah, sounds about right.”
“So why would somebody kill him?” asked Denver.
“For his taxi,” said Harvey. “Whoever did it needs his taxi for something.”
“Reg did you-”
“Check his taxi? Yeah of course. It was re-registered and tested two months ago at Hackney Carriages, hasn't picked up any speeding tickets and has the GPS switched off.”
“Reg?” said Denver.
“Go ahead, Denver.”
“We’re coming into Wethersfield now, can you give us a sitrep on Larson?”
“He and the mystery man are at the Manor House Hotel already, looks like they stayed in the hotel as they haven't moved since nine pm last night.”
“Thanks, Reg,” said Melody. She turned to Denver and Harvey, “how would you guys like to get some breakfast in the manor house?”
“Oh breakfast, come to me, baby,” said Denver.
Harvey was on one knee between Melody and Denver’s seats as they turned into the manor house’s long driveway. Frank had been right, the surrounding landscape was only fields. The sun was rising somewhere behind a wall of grey but shone enough light for Harvey to see that escaping from the place would be difficult, especially if helicopters were in the air. There were no other buildings nearby, and no other streets for miles around.
Harvey leaned forward and picked up the handset. “Reg, Harvey.”
“Go ahead, Harvey.”
“Send us through any details of Larson’s car, and Stimson’s if you have it.”
“Will do, it’s coming at you now.”
Harvey’s phone beeped an incoming message. “Larson drives a black BMW seven series.” He read the plate number out.
“Hey, Reg,” said Melody, “we’re going into the hotel side of the house for breakfast, see what we can see, keep your eyes on Larson and tell us if they move. We’re hoping to catch them at breakfast and slip them a chip.”
“Will do, you want to do a comms check?”
“Will the ear-pieces work this far out of London?” asked Melody.
“Should do, I beefed up the transmitter in the van. As long as you stay in range of it, the comms should be okay.”
“What’s the range?” asked Melody.
“Don't go more than five hundred yards away, the closer the better obviously.”
“Gotcha, thanks, Reg,” said Melody. She pushed the button on her ear-piece. “Reg, come back.”
“Loud and clear,” said Reg.
Melody looked at Denver and Harvey, they all nodded, confirming that they’d heard him. “Yeah, copy that, we’re parking now.”
“Just a heads up,” said Reg, “I can see Larson and Stimson’s minder in the hotel.
“Thanks, Reg.”
“Black BMW seven series, first row of cars, near the door,” said Denver.
“Melody, you have some of them chips on you?” asked Harvey.
“Yeah, Reg gave me a bag.”
“Good, first chance we get we’ll chip the BMW.”
The team were greeted at the door of the manor house by a well-mannered man in a very stylish three piece suit.
“Good morning, welcome to Cornish House. Are you here for breakfast?” he said.
“We are,” said Melody.
“If you’d care to follow me, then,” he said and headed towards a set o
f large double doors, which he opened ceremoniously, and stood to one side. Melody followed close behind him, and Harvey and Denver tried their best not to look out of place.
As soon as the doors opened, Harvey scanned the room for Larson. He spotted him at a table with a lady and a large man at the back of the massive room, away from the windows.
“Are there others joining your party, ma’am?” the man asked Melody.
“No, just us, thanks,” she replied.
“I’ll hand you to our concierge, and I hope you have a pleasant breakfast.” He gave a small, discreet bow, turned and left through the double doors. Another man in an identical suit as the first man’s greeted them. “Good morning. Do you have a reservation?” he asked.
“No, we don't know-”
“That’s perfectly fine, I have a table for you over by the window just there, if you’d allow me to show you?”
“Can I ask where the washroom is?” asked Harvey.
“The washroom, sir?” the man said. “Yes, not at all, through the double doors at the back of the room. You’ll also find shower facilities and our spa.”
“That’s great, do you think we could sit closer to the doors?” said Harvey.
“He’s not feeling well,” said Melody, “Are you dear?” Melody rubbed Harvey’s back.
“No, I’m not feeling great.” Harvey agreed.
“Perhaps then I might suggest another table. Please do follow me.” The man turned and walked away, and the team followed. They reached a table for four, twenty yards from Larson and his company. The man offered Harvey a seat, but Harvey chose his own, one with an optimum view of Larson. Melody sat beside him, and Denver sat opposite with his back to the targets.
“I shall ask a waiter to join you shortly, please do have a nice breakfast, and I do hope you feel better, sir.”
“Thank you, that's very kind,” said Melody.
“That’s Larson and Stimson’s minder,” said Harvey under his breath.
“Who’s the woman?” asked Melody.
“Not sure,” said Harvey. “We need ears over there.”