In Plain Sight: a hero series novel

by M A Comley

  “If I have to.”

  Myers grabbed the boy by the front of his jacket and pulled him closer. “Yes, you frigging have to. Now cut the smart-mouth remarks and do as I tell you.”

  “I’m sorry. Okay.”

  Myers left the vehicle. “Slide over behind the wheel. Wait for me to drive past, and then follow me.” He walked into the farmyard. There was a smart new Nissan Juke standing outside the farmhouse. He tried the door, and it clicked open. He slipped into the driver’s seat and couldn’t believe his luck when he found the keys sitting in the ignition. Idiot farmer! He started the car and immediately drove out of the farmyard. The Avensis followed him. When they were far enough from the farmyard, Myers pulled over and walked back to the Avensis. “Get in, bring the money with you. We’ll ditch this here.”

  “What about my fingerprints? They’ll be all over the car,” Dale said, scrubbing at the steering wheel with the sleeve of his jacket.

  “They won’t be able to trace your prints. Not unless you’re on their database for being a bad boy like me.” Myers laughed and went to the boot of the car. He withdrew the petrol can then returned to Dale’s side of the car. “Get out, unless you want to go up in flames with the car.”

  Dale scrambled out of the car and reached into the backseat to remove the sack of money. He ran to the Nissan, placed the sack in the rear, and turned to watch Myers douse the Avensis and strike the match.

  “Come on, let’s go before it blows.”

  Myers drove away from the scene moments before the large bang. He laughed at the young boy’s reaction when he turned in his seat to look back at the devastation he’d caused.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Hero had just got off the phone with Mr. Walker, who was enquiring how the team was getting on with trying to find Dale, when he heard a commotion coming from the incident room. He rushed to see what was going on.

  DI Pitt saw him standing at his office doorway and approached him. “We received a call about a shooting out in Prestwich—another post office was raided. Plus, we’ve received a call from a farmer in the same vicinity, telling us that his Nissan Juke has been stolen.”

  “Jesus, was anyone hurt in the raid? Unusual for him to hit a place in broad daylight.”

  “That’s the thing—the raid was carried out by a youth, not the man you’ve been chasing.”

  Hero scratched his head for a moment before the realisation dawned on him. “He’s using the boy.”

  “What?” Pitt asked, his brow furrowed in disbelief.

  “I’ve just got off the phone with Mr. Walker enquiring about his son’s case. I bet the suspect is using the boy to commit the crimes for him. He’s effing laughing at us.”

  “That sounds a bit far-fetched, Nelson.”

  “What other logical explanation is there? Jason, look into the CCTV footage, if there is any, of the area surrounding the post office. Let’s see if my assumption is correct.” Hero turned back to speak to Pitt again. “What about this car that was stolen? Did the farmer see anyone hanging around?”

  “No, there were several patrol cars who attended the 999 call at the post office. Witnesses said they saw an Avensis drive off after the crime was committed, two men inside the vehicle. Two patrol cars scoured the area, and one of them reported finding an Avensis that had been torched in one of the country lanes, not far from where the farmer had his car stolen.”

  “There you go. That’s all the evidence I need to know the suspect has struck again. We need to put out an alert on the farmer’s car ASAP, before he gets the chance to switch its number plates. I sense the net closing in. I’m wondering if the suspect is thinking the same thing. Why else would he use the boy to commit the crimes for him?”

  “I’ll have to take your word for that, Nelson. Do you want to go out to the scene?”

  Hero shrugged. “What’s the point? The damage has been done. How many casualties are there?”

  “One, the old postmaster. He died before help could arrive. The neighbours are appalled, said he was a gentle soul who never let the community down, always giving away goods to those in need in the village.”

  “Damn. Why kill him? Why not just rob these places and be done with it? What’s the intention behind the murders?”

  Pitt mulled over the question for a moment or two. “Added thrills, perhaps?”

  “Maybe. I’ll ring the pathologist and get back to you.” Hero returned to his office, and after slamming his fist on the desk a couple of times to vent his frustration, he rang Gerrard. “Hi, Gerrard. It’s Hero. Are you out at the post office in Prestwich?”

  “Yep, got here about twenty minutes ago. Poor old sod didn’t stand a chance. Are you thinking this is the same suspect?”

  “That’s what I was about to ask you. Do you need me to attend the scene? Not trying to duck out of anything, but I’d rather get on with chasing this bastard than waste my time coming over there only to find nothing.”

  “I wouldn’t bother. I can give you a quick rundown, if you like?”

  “Excellent news.” He listened as Gerrard walked him through the scene. It consisted of pretty much the same details as the others he’d attended to in the past few weeks.

  “Thanks, Gerrard. You’re aware that he might have an accomplice now?”

  “The uniformed officers at the scene said something along those lines. I’ll ensure my team fingerprint everywhere. Have you got anything to match it to?”

  “I can send someone over to find something at the boy’s house and then send it to you to match the results. How’s that?”

  “If you know who the suspect is, then that indeed would be a great help. What about the victim’s family? Are you going to inform them?”

  “Damn, slipped my mind, so intent on finding the suspect. I’ll get Shaw to deal with that. Thanks for the reminder. Let me know the results as soon as you can, mate.”

  “I will. Good luck.”

  Hero hung up and bellowed for Julie to join him.

  She appeared in the doorway seconds later. “You called, boss.”

  “I need you to make the victim’s family aware of what’s happened, Julie.”

  “Me, sir?”

  “Yes, sorry to pass the buck. I think DI Pitt and I need to up our game in catching the two suspects now, don’t you?”

  “I understand. Yes, sir. I’ll get on it right away.” She turned to go back to her desk.

  “Wait, I haven’t finished. I need you to send someone over to Walker’s house to go to the boy’s bedroom and pick up some DNA plus find some of the lad’s fingerprints. Don’t mention to the father why. Just say it’s procedure in these types of cases.”

  “Yes, sir. Shall I do both?”

  “If you think you can deal with both tasks in a timely manner, then yes. It’ll free the rest of the team up.”

  Julie nodded and left the office.

  Hero rejoined Pitt in the incident room. “Know what I’d like to do?”

  Pitt frowned. “What’s that?”

  “Get out there and trawl the streets looking for this bastard. I hate the fact that he’s toying with us.”

  “I understand your frustrations, Nelson, but let’s just go over everything one more time first, eh? Look at it this way: you’ve got reinforcements helping you now.”

  Hero raised his eyebrow but kept quiet. Hmm… we’ll see how that turns out.

  “Sir, you might want to see this,” Jason called out.

  Hero and Pitt both walked across the room to Jason’s desk. “What have you found?”

  “I didn’t bother looking around the post office because I knew how unlikely that would be given its location, sir, so I extended my search to the outlying areas and picked up this.”

  Hero leaned in closer to the monitor and watched the Avensis fill the screen. “Jesus, can you get a close up, Jason?”

  “I can, but the image starts to go out of focus.”

  “Do your best. If we can get a decent image of this man, we’ll
run it through the system and contact the media. I’ve had enough of sitting back and twiddling my thumbs.”

  Jason whizzed through several more camera angles until he found a clearer image of the two men travelling in the car.

  “That’s brilliant. I doubt we’re going to get much better than that,” Pitt said, equally enthusiastic.

  “Print it off, Jason, and get it circulated ASAP.” Hero felt the stirring of excitement churning up his insides. “This will either make him panic, or drive him underground.”

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t vent his anger on either the boy or the girl,” Pitt replied, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

  The team worked longer than usual that evening. The team from Liverpool had given them a different perspective through fresh eyes. They watched the evening news bulletin displaying the image of the suspect together in the incident room before most of the team dispersed for the evening. Jason and Scully from the Liverpool team volunteered to man the phones during the night shift. Hero had a feeling that the TV announcement would at least furnish them with a name to be going on with. He drove home, resisted the temptation to dip into the pub to down a few pints, and arrived just as Fay was coming down the stairs.

  “Hard day at the office, dear?” she asked, sashaying towards him.

  “Is that a note of sarcasm I detect, Mrs. Nelson?” He pulled her towards him and kissed her. She wrapped her arms seductively around his neck.

  “No sarcasm intended.”

  “I’m starving… umm, for food. Mind if we eat first and then snuggle up on the couch?”

  Fay pecked him on the cheek and pushed away from him. “Whoever said the art of romance is dead was right. She grabbed his tie and pulled him through the lounge and into the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry, love. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

  “When? On holiday, when we’re crammed in a poxy caravan with three kids and your sister around? I think I’ll give that a miss, if it’s all the same to you.”

  Hero smacked her backside playfully. “How was your day?”

  “Probably far busier than yours, but I still made it home on time.”

  Hero laughed. “You’re nuts. At least your office is within spitting distance of the kitchen and the kids’ bedrooms.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just like making you feel guilty for not pulling your weight where our kids’ upbringing is concerned.”

  His jaw slackened for a moment before he clamped his mouth shut again. “Bit below the belt, love.”

  “Was it? I hadn’t noticed. Keeps you on your toes, though.” She winked and took a bottle of wine from the fridge. “Do the honours while I heat up our meal. Hopefully, it hasn’t spoilt.

  “What’s on the menu?”

  “Lasagne and salad.”

  It was Hero’s favourite meal and his mouth began salivating in anticipation. He devoted the rest of the evening to making it up to Fay for being late home and missing out on helping to get the kids ready for bed.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  After depositing the boy back to where he was keeping him and ensuring he had enough food and drink to last him until his next visit, Myers dropped by his own house to feed his four-legged friend. While he was there he switched the number plates on the Juke, before he made a huge fuss of Tiger. “Sorry, pal. Just a few more days, and this will all be over. We’ll take off together and start afresh, leave all the memories behind, eh?” The cat purred and rubbed his body around Myers’s legs. He left the house and drove back to check on the girl he’d left in the wardrobe at the other location. He unlocked the wardrobe door and looked down at her.

  She held up her hand to shield her eyes from the overhead light. “I didn’t think you were going to return.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind. Do you need the toilet?”

  “Yes, please,” she whispered, embarrassed.

  He held out his hand to help her stand. She seemed hesitant to trust him and he laughed at the fear swimming in her eyes. “Be quick. I’ll be waiting outside, listening, so don’t try and open the window and cry for help, or…” He left the unspoken threat dangling between them.

  She gulped and walked unsteadily out of the room and along the hallway with him six inches behind her. He didn’t fully close the door to the bathroom but left it ajar, ready to fulfil his threat if necessary. Two minutes later he heard the loo flush and the water running in the sink. “There’s no towel in here,” she complained.

  “You’ll have to improvise.” The girl emerged wiping her hands down her jeans. “What’s your name?”

  Eyes averted, she replied, “Vicki, Vicki Baldwin.”

  “Well, Vicki Baldwin, you and I are about to get personally acquainted.”

  Her gaze locked with his, and her body began to tremble. “Please, all I want to do is go home. I promise not to tell anyone where this place is. I’ll tell them it was all a misunderstanding and that you didn’t hurt me.”

  “Which is the truth—I haven’t hurt you… yet.” He laughed, grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the bedroom. “Get in.”

  She dug her heels into the worn carpet, and her free arm hit out at him. “I don’t want to be confined in there again. I won’t do anything wrong, I swear.”

  His mind raced. He needed the girl to be compliant—would that be in jeopardy if he kept her locked up? “Okay, come downstairs. Give me any form of crap, and you’ll be locked up in the wardrobe again.”

  She let out a relieved sigh. “I promise.”

  He pushed her ahead of him, and they descended the stairs. He pointed for her to take the door ahead of them. Once in the lounge he paced the floor, deep in thought. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl watching him with a puzzled frown. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, ravenous.”

  “Sit,” he ordered. Dipping his hand into the carrier bag he’d brought with him, he withdrew a sandwich and a can of Coke, and threw them at her. “Here. You need to keep your strength up for what I have in mind for you.”

  She ripped open the packet and took a huge bite out of the sandwich. Once she’d finished the first mouthful, she asked, “Can I ask what?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough. We’ll see then how far you’re prepared to go to save not only your own life, but also your parents’, too. Just Mummy and Daddy at home, is there?”

  “Yes. Please, I’ll do anything as long as none of us are hurt.”

  “What a wise girl you are. Eat your food. I need silence to run a few ideas through my mind.” By the time she had consumed her sandwich and gulped down her drink, he’d come up with a plan that he thought would put the inspector working on his case in a quandary what to do next about capturing him. He glanced out the window; dusk was already descending fast. If his aim was to keep the coppers on their toes he had to use the kids frequently and wisely, unless…

  “How wealthy are you?”

  “Me, personally? I don’t have much in my bank account.”

  He tutted. “Your family? They must be fairly well off if they’ve put up a reward for you,” he said, remembering the snippet of news that had caught his attention on the radio during the drive over there.

  “They’ve put up a reward? I knew Mum and Dad wouldn’t let me down.”

  “Cut the melodramatics, just answer the question. What are they worth?”

  The girl shrugged. “They keep their finances a secret from me.” He glared and took a step towards her. She backed away. “No, wait. I can only give you a rough estimate.”

  Myers tapped his foot impatiently. “Go on.”

  “About five million or so, plus there’s the house.”

  A satisfied smile stretched his mouth apart. “Hmm… now that’s worth considering. Let me think about that one for a few minutes.”

  The room fell silent. He continued to stare at the girl, who began fidgeting under his gaze. He switched on the TV as several plans ran through his mind. The female newsreader was talking about the sad deaths of
the two police officers and announced that their funerals were going to be held the following morning at ten a.m. The plans he’d formulated dissipated and gave way to a new and much improved one that would coincide with the coppers’ funerals.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “What do you think?” Hero ran a finger underneath his collar.

  Unexpected tears welled up in his wife’s eyes, and she walked towards him. “You look wonderful—dapper even. I always get a thrill seeing you in your proper uniform.”

  “It’s been a while since I’ve had to wear it. Thought I better make the effort to give the boys a send-off they deserve. Maybe I should take a change of suit for after the funeral. What do you think?”

  Fay smiled and kissed his cheek. “Would it really hurt you to wear it all day, as a mark of respect?”

  “I guess not. Forget I said anything. Okay, I better shake a leg and get to work. Be good for your mum, kids. See you later.” Hero spent the next few seconds kissing his wife and three children goodbye before he hopped into his car. His drive through the heavy traffic that morning was full of memories of the time he’d spent with Chris Portman on duty with the Territorial Army. His thoughts lay with Chris’s fiancée, Fiona, on this very sad day. He felt extreme pride being a member of the Greater Manchester Police Force, as the planned funeral for the boys was going to be conducted with full honours. Several of the surrounding forces had volunteered to cover the shifts of those officers wanting to attend the funerals, which made Hero’s heart swell with pride. It wasn’t every day people chose to give up their days off to cover a colleague’s shift, but then it wasn’t every day that a copper got killed in the line of duty, although it was becoming more prevalent.

  The second he stepped into the incident room and saw the rest of his team in uniform, a large lump wedged in his throat. Pitt was sitting in his office and jumped out of his chair the moment Hero walked in.

  “Stay there. I don’t intend dealing with any post or mundane paperwork today. Any news on the investigation from the guys on the night shift?”