The Alibi

by Jamie Raven

  Seconds later came another text, this one with a photo attached.

  Danny opened it. The picture showed a woman cowering in the corner of what looked like the back of a van. There was no mistaking it was Beth Chambers. And the terrified expression on her face told its own story.

  51

  Ethan Cain

  Cain was in the incident room when he took the call from Danny on his mobile. It was just after eight and most of the detectives had left.

  But Cain was in no hurry to go home. He was too busy staying safe and following up what he regarded as the most promising lead so far in the hunt for Megan Fuller’s killer.

  ‘I need your help,’ Danny said. ‘So drop whatever you’re doing and listen up.’

  Danny went on to say that Frankie Bishop had kidnapped Beth and was demanding a million pounds by midnight. Before Cain could ask the obvious question, Danny explained why Bishop felt that he could use Beth as a hostage.

  ‘She’s my half-sister, Ethan,’ he said. ‘Which makes her Callum’s daughter. I only found out last night. Anyway, Callum’s just been on the phone. He wants me to do whatever it takes to get her back safely.’

  Cain was speechless. He sat with the phone pressed against his ear, mouth agape, head on fire.

  ‘Don’t even try to get your mind around it now,’ Danny said. ‘There’s no time. I have to find out where that mad bastard has taken her.’

  Cain struggled to find his voice and when he did it sounded weak and barely audible.

  ‘What do you want me to do?’ he said.

  ‘For starters try to get a fix on their mobile phones. You’ve got Frankie’s number. He called about ten minutes ago, so there’s still a chance it’s switched on and transmitting a signal. I would have rung you before now but my dad phoned.’

  ‘Leave it with me,’ Cain said. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  ‘Ring me when you have something.’

  ‘Sure, but before we hang up I need to ask you a question.’

  ‘Go on then.’

  ‘If you don’t find them before midnight are you going to transfer the money to his account?’

  He heard Danny sigh. ‘I probably would if I thought he’d let her go. But I really don’t think he can afford to if he wants to be free to spend it.’

  The first thing Cain did was to call Beth’s mobile number. It rang for a bit and when a woman’s voice answered his heart jumped because he thought it was her and that Danny had got it wrong. But he realised instantly that it wasn’t Beth.

  ‘Is that you, Peggy?’ he said. ‘This is Ethan. I need to talk to Beth.’

  Long pause, then: ‘She’s not here.’

  Peggy was scared. He could tell that from her shaky voice.

  ‘Okay, Peggy,’ he said. ‘I’m well aware that something is up. So tell me if you know where she is and if she’s all right.’

  ‘He told me not to talk to the police,’ she said. ‘He said he’d kill her if I did.’

  ‘I’m not calling in an official capacity, Peggy. But I need you to tell me what you know.’

  Another long pause, then when she spoke again her voice was tearful.

  ‘A man came here a short time ago,’ she said. ‘He had a gun. He threatened me and Rosie. Then he took Beth away in a white van and warned me not to talk to anyone.’

  ‘Did he hurt you?’

  ‘No, but I think he’s going to hurt Beth.’

  ‘Right. Well, the man who’s taken her used to work for Danny Shapiro. He’s demanding a ransom for Beth and Danny has asked me to help find her. Did the man say where he was going?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Did you see the registration number of the van?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Very well, Peggy. Just sit tight and I’ll get back to you when I have some news. Is Rosie okay?’

  ‘She’s curled up on the sofa. She doesn’t realise what’s happened but she’s very upset.’

  ‘Take good care of her and I’ll phone you back.’

  As he ended the call, DC Fisher approached him and said, ‘I’ve found something, guv, and I think you need to see it.’

  ‘What is it?’ he said, distracted.

  ‘We got a result on that address and car you asked me to check out. Turns out there’s a CCTV camera at the end of the road. The recorded feed from Friday night has been patched through and I just viewed the tape.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The car is seen driving away from the house at nine thirty and returning at eleven forty-five.’

  ‘Blimey.’

  ‘Do you want to come and have a look?’

  ‘Not right now, Rachel. I’ve got to make a couple of calls. But I’d like you to see if you can track the car from there. I want to know if it went anywhere near Ramsden Road in Balham.’

  ‘Those wheels are already in motion, guv.’

  ‘Good. And one other thing. I think you should alert the DCI. I know he’s on his way home, but he’ll want to be in on this. Tell him I think we should apply for a warrant to search the house.’

  Cain knew that he should have made that call himself, but Beth was his priority now. So for the next fifteen minutes he sat at his desk and stayed on the phone.

  That was how long it took to get the information he needed from the network service provider. As soon as he had it he phoned Danny.

  ‘Beth doesn’t have her mobile with her,’ Cain said. ‘And Bishop has switched his off. According to the location history the last call he made was earlier this evening from the Fleet services on the M3 motorway.’

  ‘In that case I bet he’s heading for his old stomping ground of Southampton,’ Danny said. ‘I know he still has a place down there but I don’t have an address.’

  ‘What are you going to do, Danny?’

  ‘Drive there myself, and while I’m doing that I need you to find out where they are.’

  ‘That might not be possible.’

  ‘I know, but you have to try.’

  ‘Have you got someone to check his flat?’

  ‘Yeah, but he’s cleared it out. He lived there alone and it’s one of our properties so he’s never paid rent. According to the lads all his personal stuff has gone.’

  ‘What about the van he’s using? Is it his own?’

  ‘Not as far as I know. He drives an Audi and that’s still parked outside his flat apparently. My guess is he’s either borrowed the van or hired it to take away his stuff. Try the rental companies or one of those car-sharing clubs. There are a few around Camberwell.’

  ‘I’ll do what I can, Danny. But you have to understand there’s only so much I can achieve on my own.’

  ‘I know, Ethan, but neither of us can afford to make this official. If your lot get involved we’ll be drawn into a mess we can’t get out of.’

  52

  Beth Chambers

  The van was on the road for two and a half hours according to my watch. It stopped once and Bishop opened the door so that he could take a photo of me on his phone.

  Now the engine was turned off and I guessed we’d arrived at our destination, wherever that was.

  The fear and dread grew inside me, and the blood thundered in my ears. I had no idea what was going to happen. The only certainty was that my life hung in the balance.

  The doors were pulled open and Bishop was standing there. He said, ‘Welcome to Southampton. Now get out.’

  Why Southampton? I wondered. And then I remembered reading somewhere that he used to be based down here before moving to London to join Shapiro’s firm.

  I stepped down onto the gravel driveway of a large detached house.

  He immediately grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip.

  ‘The only way you’ll survive this is to behave yourself,’ he said. ‘If you scream or try to run away I’ll hurt you bad.’

  I believed him. There was violence in his eyes, and I sensed that he wouldn’t need much of an excuse to lay into me.

  ‘What is this place?’ I as
ked, looking up at the two-storey house that looked like it needed some work done to it.

  ‘I bought it a few years ago,’ he said. ‘Time to sell up, I reckon.’

  He pulled me roughly towards the front door. I looked around, tried to separate the shapes from the darkness. The property was screened by a high hedge, beyond which I could see the lights of other houses. So it wasn’t a rural setting. We were probably in a suburb of Southampton. It was a place I didn’t know at all well, having only been here a couple of times, once to board a ferry to take me to the Isle of Wight music festival.

  Bishop pushed me to one side and used a key to open the door. Once inside, he turned on the hall light and led me through the house. Dust sheets covered what little furniture there was. The wooden floors desperately needed treating and the air felt cold and damp.

  He led me through to the kitchen where he made me sit in a high-backed chair. Then he produced two zip-ties from his pocket. One he used to secure my hands behind my back and the other to attach my right foot to the chair leg.

  My chest was tight and burning and I had to fight a rising panic. I wanted to scream and shout and launch myself at my captor. But I knew it wouldn’t do me any good because he’d be able to neutralise me in seconds. I was no match when it came to physical strength.

  I watched him looking through the kitchen cupboards, probably checking to see if there was anything to eat or drink.

  ‘What are you expecting to get from Danny Shapiro?’ I said.

  He stopped what he was doing, turned, gave me a steady look.

  ‘Money,’ he said. ‘And lots of it. I need it to start a new life away from this stinking country.’

  ‘And if he doesn’t come through with it?’

  A grim smile touched his lips. ‘Then you can kiss goodbye to life, Chambers. He has until midnight to wire the money to my account. If he doesn’t then he’ll discover that I mean business.’

  ‘So you’ll kill me?’

  ‘If I have to, yeah. And you’ve probably guessed it’s not something I’ll find too difficult.’

  The taste of vomit rose in my throat and my lungs started pumping for air.

  ‘No need to panic,’ he said. ‘I’m confident he’ll pay up. His dad will make him.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ I said. ‘You were his main man. His enforcer.’

  ‘That was until he found out I’d been poking his wife.’

  ‘My God. Is that why he killed her?’

  ‘He didn’t kill her,’ Bishop said. ‘If he’d wanted her dead then he would have got me to do it. I didn’t kill her either – even though she tried to blackmail me too by threatening to tell Danny about the affair I had with her years ago.’

  ‘But he found out anyway?’

  ‘That’s right. Though not from her. She backed down after I threatened to cripple her. No, it was that slimy ex of yours who told Danny after he got access to her phone records.’

  ‘Ethan!’

  ‘That’s right. It amazes me what a bird like you saw in that creep.’

  I didn’t say anything, just sat there feeling the cold finger of fear dragging along my spine.

  ‘You do know he’s as bent as a nine-bob note, don’t you?’ he said. ‘He’s been on the payroll for years. In return for helping the firm he gets to satisfy his passions for young tarts and cocaine.’

  He was only confirming what I already knew. But I didn’t want to hear it. Not now, not here.

  ‘I feel sorry for your kid,’ he said. ‘It’s not fair on her having a shit like him for a father.’

  ‘He’s not all bad,’ I said, surprising myself by defending him.

  ‘Yeah, well, you don’t know the half of it,’ he said, his eyes ablaze suddenly. ‘You think you’re so fucking clever while all the time you’re just as gullible as the rest of them.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  He took a step towards me, his arms splayed aggressively.

  ‘The Peter Kline thing, for example. You confronted him, didn’t you? Told him you’d found out that Danny’s alibi was a fake one. Well, that was when Danny decided that Kline had to be put out of the picture. So I went to his house. And guess who was with me when I did the deed.’

  I just stared at him as the adrenalin crashed through my bloodstream.

  ‘That’s right, Chambers,’ he said. ‘Your ex-husband. The detective. He saw me strangle the poor fucker with a piece of nylon rope.’

  Two men, the neighbour had said. Two men seen walking up to the house in the dark.

  ‘But he won’t get away scot-free if it’s any consolation,’ Bishop said. ‘His colleagues at the Yard will soon receive a computer flash drive in the post with my compliments. On it is enough evidence to get him banged up for years.’

  A cold sweat trickled down my spine and I felt a crushing heat in my chest. It wasn’t just because of what he’d said about Ethan, although that was bad enough.

  It was because by telling me about Peter Kline I couldn’t believe he would ever let me go, even if he did extract money from Danny Shapiro.

  53

  Ethan Cain

  Cain couldn’t shake Beth from his thoughts. He was terrified of what Frankie Bishop would do to her.

  He had seen first-hand what the man was capable of and he had heard the stories. A couple of the young girls the firm had sent to his flat had told him how brutal Bishop had been towards them. One said he’d raped her and another that he’d crushed a lighted cigarette on the back of her neck because she refused to go with a client who was into rough sex.

  Cain didn’t want anything to happen to Beth. He still had feelings for her and she was the mother of his child.

  He was already finding it hard to live with himself after the things he’d done. But if Beth was killed or seriously hurt the guilt would surely suffocate him. He was both appalled and amazed at how the drama had played out. Only yesterday Danny Shapiro had been making all kinds of threats against Beth. Now he was desperate to save her life because she was his half-sister! What’s more, the man who had abducted her was Frankie Bishop, who for years had been the firm’s most trusted enforcer.

  Cain was going to do all he could to find her, although it wasn’t going to be a doddle with so much else going on.

  Through his own initiative the murder inquiry had been ramped up a gear and he was beginning to believe they were closing in on the real killer. He was seriously tempted to walk away from it and tell Redwood that he had another migraine. But that would mean leaving the incident room and make it harder to find Beth. At least here he had access to all the police resources.

  He was already making use of them. Calls had been made and wheels were turning. He had been onto Southampton CID and they were searching their files for information on Frankie Bishop. They’d told him that when Bishop lived in the city he had rented a flat near the football stadium, but there were rumours that when he came out of prison he’d bought a property in the area before moving to London. That was all they were though. Rumours.

  Cain was now busy calling round the rental firms and car-sharing clubs. Identifying the van offered the best chance of locating it, through either the number plate recognition network or GPS.

  But he was wasting his time if Bishop had borrowed the van from someone or had stolen it.

  He made a note on his pad to check to see if any white Transit vans had been nicked in London since this morning. This would be another shot in the dark because it sometimes took owners days to discover that their vehicles were missing.

  Cain kept looking at his watch and wondering how far Danny had got. It was about a two-hour drive to Southampton in light traffic. But it was a huge city with a population of over 250,000. Danny had no hope of finding Beth without knowing where to look.

  ‘Get off the bloody phone, Ethan. We need to get moving on this.’

  Redwood’s voice startled him. He hung up midway through a conversation with the manager of a car-sharing club and turned towards his b
oss who was standing behind him.

  ‘What did you say, guv?’ he asked.

  The DCI was in a state of high excitement. ‘I said we need to move. Fisher just went back over the CCTV footage we already had in from Balham on Friday night. And your hunch was right. The car she was looking for is on there. It drove along Balham High Road just before the murder. We didn’t spot it before because we weren’t looking for it.’

  ‘Christ.’

  Redwood beamed a smile. ‘Looks like the bastard has been lying to us all along. If it hadn’t been for Megan’s shrink we’d be none the wiser.’

  ‘So what now, guv?’ Cain said.

  ‘We’re about to get a warrant to search his home. We’ll bring him in and put him through the wringer. Put your coat on and let’s get going.’

  Cain’s mobile phone rang as he stood up. It was on his desk so he recognised the number. It was one of the car hire firms ringing him back.

  Did that mean they’d got a result on the van?

  ‘Don’t even think about answering that,’ Redwood warned him. ‘There’s no time. Whatever it is will have to wait.’

  54

  Danny Shapiro

  Before leaving the house, Danny armed himself with the revolver he kept in the safe. It was a Glock that had belonged to his father. He’d used it only once before and just having it on him made him nervous.

  Once he was clear of London, he thundered down the M3 in his BMW 5 Series. The motorway would take him through southern England all the way to Southampton. What he would do when he got there remained to be seen. It would depend on what Cain was able to come up with, and whether Bishop had actually travelled to the city. After all, it was just an assumption that he had. Maybe he’d called from the Fleet services because he’d known that Danny would get Cain to triangulate the signal. It could have been a ploy to make Danny think they’d travelled south when in fact they’d gone in a different direction.

  Danny knew that Bishop shouldn’t be underestimated. He was a thug and a nut job. But he wasn’t stupid. In fact like all psychopaths he was cunning and shrewd, which was why he’d been such an asset to the firm.