In Plain Sight: a hero series novel

by M A Comley

Dale sighed. “I meant, do you just want us to take the jewellery, or do you want us to see what they’ve got in the safe, too?”

  “Ah, I see my efficient training is making you think outside the box. No, just get all the jewellery and get your arses out of there ASAP.”

  “What happens when we’ve completed the job? Will you let us go back to our families?”

  “Yes, if you complete the task correctly. If, however, you screw up, then of course, I’ll be forced to reconsider my options.”

  The teenagers glanced at each other, fear resonating in their features, before they both turned back to look at him.

  “Nothing will go wrong. We’re both keen to get back to our families,” Dale assured him.

  “Good. Then I suggest we get on the road.”

  The three of them tucked their chairs under the table and left their plates and cups where they were. Myers collected the weapons he stored in the locked cupboard under the stairs and placed them in a carrier bag.

  “Wagons roll then, kiddos,” he shouted, standing at the front door. The road outside was quiet since all the parents had taken the kids to school. Myers held open the car doors. Vicki sat in the front, and Dale sat behind her, where Myers could watch what he was up to in the rear-view mirror.

  They drove to the main Manchester shopping area on King’s Street, and Myers pulled up on double yellow lines a few doors away from the jeweller’s. He twisted in his seat to face the teenagers. He smiled, but his gaze held a stark warning. “Remember what I told you: screw up, and I’ll immediately go to your homes and kill your families. Don’t disappoint me, kids. If the haul is big enough, I might even treat you to a little thank-you present.” He laughed at the shock etched on their faces.

  “I’d rather not, thank you,” Vicki told him.

  “But women love diamonds. Aren’t they supposed to be a girl’s best friends?” Myers challenged her.

  “If they’re bought for you out of love, not stolen!” She glared at him before turning away in disgust.

  He grabbed her chin and roughly twisted her head back to meet his gaze. “Oh, dear. Have I offended you, little one?”

  She pulled her head out of his grasp but said nothing.

  “Whatever! Right, have tons of success, kids. I’ll be here waiting for you. Just be vigilant, and watch they don’t press any alarms, all right?”

  The teenagers reluctantly left the vehicle. The brief conversation they had outside the shop before they entered annoyed him. If they’re planning something—maybe my warning about killing their families wasn’t stern enough. He lowered his window and beeped his horn once. “Get on with it,” he shouted, startling the youngsters.

  The boy nudged the girl in the ribs, and they entered the shop. It seemed an age before Myers saw any sign of them again. He kept a constant eye out for the police. His heart raced when he spotted a white patrol car heading his way in his rear-view mirror. Shit! I hope they haven’t done anything stupid. As the car slowly drove past, he pretended to be looking at a map. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the police car halt beside him, and one of the policemen lowered his window to address him.

  “Everything all right, sir? You’ve stopped on double yellow lines.”

  “A little lost, sir. Just jotting down the route I should take now.”

  The officer surveyed his dashboard and nodded his head. “I take it your sat nav isn’t up to date?”

  “Oh dear, that might explain why I took the wrong route into town. I’ll update it when I get home. Thank you for the reminder, officer.”

  “Right you are then. I’ll have to ask you to move off now, sir, as you’re causing a traffic jam.”

  “Sorry. Will do. Thanks for pointing that out.” When the patrol car refused to move, he reached across his seat and picked up the gun. At the same time, the kids came out of the jeweller’s, laden with bags. He did the only thing open to him: aimed the gun at the young officer and pulled the trigger. The policeman fell back against his seat, giving Myers direct access to aim the gun at the copper sitting behind the steering wheel, who was already raising the alarm via his radio. Myers pulled the trigger numerous times until the man stopped talking and slumped over the wheel.

  He glanced at Dale and Vicki standing on the pavement halfway between the car and the row of shops. “Get in the damn car before any more turn up.”

  A crowd had formed, a bunch of indecisive people wondering if they should intervene or not. The teenagers rushed towards the car, threw their bags in, and scrambled across the backseat.

  “Hold on tight.” Myers put his foot down and squeezed past the patrol car, debating whether to go back to the house or not. As he drove, he checked his mirrors constantly, making sure his car wasn’t being followed. Satisfied, he returned the teenagers to the house and inspected their bulging haul.

  He let out a long, loud whistle. “Holy crap! You guys are becoming pros. We make a good team, right?”

  The teenagers’ eyes widened, and they looked at each other and shook their heads before Vicki turned back to him and said, “I couldn’t go through that again. I nearly crapped myself in the shop.”

  Myers threw the bag on the couch and took three large steps towards her. “What did you say?”

  The girl averted her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. Her voice shook. “I said I couldn’t go through that again. Please, let us go… you promised you’d let us go.”

  He struck her hard across the face. She yelped, and the boy stepped closer to the girl. “Fancy your chances with me, boy?”

  “No. Look, we’re doing everything you ask of us. There’s no need for you to hit her. She’s scared enough as it is. We both are.”

  “You’ll shut your mouth if you know what’s good for you. Get on the bed, both of you, now!”

  The teenagers rushed across the room, threw themselves on the bed, and placed their hands in the usual position, ready to be secured to the bedframe. He suppressed the laugh bubbling inside as numerous scenarios ran through his mind. The kids were so scared of him, they were likely to do just about anything he asked to keep themselves and their families safe. He tied them to the bed then continued to look through the bags. There were dozens of trays of diamond rings, watches, and several velvet trays of gold and diamond earrings. He looked over at the teenagers and raised his thumb. “You guys have done well. Who’d have thought you’d have a successful career ahead of you as thieves?”

  Both kids hung their heads in shame, and he laughed at their obvious embarrassment. He walked over to the window, surveyed the oblivious community around his property, and smiled.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Shit, shit, shit! Looks like this bloke has struck again—more to the point, the teenagers have,” Hero stated to the team as soon as he heard about the two incidents. Damn! That’s another two decent men that bastard has taken out. “We better get over there, Pitt.”

  DI Pitt nodded. “Team, we need all eyes on this one. Let’s get the CCTV footage covered. Track the bastard’s movement away from the scene.”

  “Let us know what you find. Do your best, people.”

  Hero and Pitt rushed to Hero’s car and arrived at the scene ten minutes later. The area had been cordoned off. The two fallen officers were still in the car. Gerrard and his team were just setting up their gear, and the traffic had been diverted away from the town centre. “Jesus! How many more lives have to be lost before we take this bastard down?”

  “Let’s not be negative about this, Nelson. That’s not going to help. Come on, we should question the staff, see what they can tell us about the incident.”

  Hero led the way in through the shop’s entrance. Five members of staff were standing around, nursing cups of coffee and looking shell-shocked. Hero and DI Pitt flashed their warrant cards and introduced themselves to the manager.

  “I’m Will Drake. My staff are pretty shaken up. Can we make this quick? I’d like to send them home.”

  “Of course. We want to thank you all for h
anging around to speak with us, and I apologise for what you were forced to go through this morning. Can I ask the obvious question first? Did anyone recognise the suspects?”

  An older woman sniffled. “No, they were just babes in arms. How do teenagers get hold of guns like that? I hope their parents are suitably ashamed of them.”

  Hero sighed. “If they’re the same suspects we’ve been tracking, I have to inform you that we believe the two teenagers are being forced to carry out these crimes.”

  “Forced? You know these two? Why haven’t you picked them up by now?” Mr. Drake asked, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

  “We know of them. We’re in contact with their families, and we believe they’ve been kidnapped by the main suspect in a few other robberies that have taken place in the area. He’s using the kids to carry out the crimes now, probably threatening their families. Was anyone hurt?”

  The staff all shook their heads. “What a dreadful situation,” Mr. Drake said. “But surely, if you know who these people are, why haven’t you apprehended them yet?”

  “We’re doing our best to do just that, I can assure you. Yet another two of our colleagues were killed in the incident outside. That’s what we’re up against here.”

  “I see. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you. Can you supply us with any CCTV footage you have of the incident as evidence?”

  “Of course.” Drake called across the shop to a young brunette woman, “Jill, can you sort that out for the detectives?”

  She left the shop and returned five minutes later, carrying a DVD case. She handed it to Hero with a taut smile and went back to stand with the rest of the staff.

  “That’s very kind of you. Hopefully, we’ll have news on your jewellery soon. We’ve put out an alert to other jewellers and pawn brokers in the area to get in touch with us if any of your goods end up in their hands. Can you supply an inventory of the stock you’ve lost to one of the uniformed officers ASAP?”

  “I’ve already started gathering the details for you. Once I’ve finished, I’ll do just that. I hope you find the culprits and return our stock soon.”

  Hero and Pitt left the shop, had a quick word with one of the uniformed officers standing guard outside, and instructed him what to do next. The officer headed inside the shop while Hero and Pitt made their way back to Gerrard.

  “It’s always nice to see you, Gerrard, but it’s happening all too often for my liking. Another two of our guys you’re gonna have to deal with.”

  Gerrard nodded. “Isn’t it about time you caught this chap, Hero?”

  Hero’s arms flew out to the side and dropped again. “We’re doing everything we can to get him. He’s using the kids to do his dirty work now, and the incidents are occurring far more frequently than we can cope with.”

  “In other words, he’s got you by the short and curlies?”

  “We’ve even drafted in another team to help us. Not a lot we can do if he keeps hitting us from every angle.”

  “I can understand your situation. Maybe you need even more teams to join you in the manhunt.”

  “Maybe you’re right. We better get off. Look after our lads, Gerrard.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  Hero and Pitt walked back to the car, scouring faces in the crowd for Myers or the kids.

  “I suppose we better organise someone to go and inform the officers’ families.” Hero withdrew his mobile and rang his partner. “Julie, has anyone contacted the families of the two killed officers yet?”

  “Not that I know of, boss. Do you want me to get on with it?”

  “Thanks, Julie. Can you go round there in person?”

  Julie tutted. “I wouldn’t do it any other way, sir.”

  “Good. We’re going to stick around out here for an hour or so. Any news of the CCTV footage?”

  “Jason is still working on it. He’s located the car at several points through the city, but then it seems to disappear.”

  “Maybe he’s dumped it again. In which road did he last see the car? We’ll nip over there and see what we can find.”

  “Just a moment.” Julie left the phone and returned within a few seconds. “Knoll Street off Bury New Road.”

  “We’ll get over there now. Julie, sort out another press conference for this afternoon. Someone must know where he’s keeping these kids.”

  “I agree, sir. I’m checking into Myers’s address. I know we couldn’t locate one before, but I’m searching under his wife’s name now.”

  “Excellent thinking. What about his prison mates? Anything there?”

  “Sally and I are going down that route too, sir. Nothing has surfaced as yet.”

  “Keep me updated. The priority has to be to get the conference organised. Thanks, Julie.”

  Hero ended the call and started the engine.

  “What if he had another getaway car lined up? We’re never going to find him,” Pitt complained.

  “He’s a slippery bugger, but he’s bound to make a mistake somewhere along the line, especially if he has the three of them to consider now. That’s my reasoning behind calling the conference—the likelihood of seeing two or three of them together far outweighs seeing only Myers and not recognising him, if you get where I’m coming from.”

  “I do. I still think we’ll be wasting our time out here, though. But it’s your call.”

  “Maybe I’m going on my instincts, so bear with me on this one, for the time being. I wonder if French and Powell have any news on Baldwin.”

  Pitt withdrew his mobile. “I’ll check in with French, bring him up to date and see what’s new at his end. “French, you’ve been a bit quiet. I take it you have nothing to report?”

  As Hero listened to Pitt’s side of the conversation, he pulled away from the kerb and into the diverted traffic, leaving the grisly scene behind.

  Pitt hung up and sighed heavily. “Nothing. He said that Baldwin left for work as normal this morning at his usual time and took the same route into work.”

  “Interesting. Another gut feeling is telling me that it’s only a matter of time before we get some action there. Myers can’t keep hitting places. He knows that the whole city will be on high alert after this, right?”

  “I guess. It depends how much fun he’s having toying with us.”

  They drove up and down Knoll Street and the roads on either side numerous times, but found nothing of interest. They did another circuit of the adjoining roads before they decided to call it a day and return to base.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, sir. I wanted to check and double-check the address I managed to locate,” Julie said as soon as they walked into the incident room.

  “First things first, Julie. The press conference?”

  “Actioned for this afternoon at two, sir.”

  “Thanks for that. Now, what have you found out about this address?”

  “We believe we’ve found Myers’s main residence. A house out in Darley Grove, Farnworth. Do you want me to send a car out there to have a look, sir?”

  “Send an unmarked car to survey the residence from a distance. The last thing we want is to scare this bugger into hurting those kids. Don’t forget we’re dealing with a double hostage situation here, Sergeant.”

  “I’m well aware of that, sir,” Julie replied brusquely.

  “Sorry. Of course you are. Just emphasise the need for them to be discreet.”

  “Will do, sir.” Julie walked back to her desk and picked up the phone.

  Hero and DI Pitt grabbed a coffee each from the machine then made their way around the room and their individual team members. Hero checked the clock: two hours until he had to go before the TV cameras again. He only hoped they would have something positive to share with the media instead of just having to put out yet another plea for assistance.

  ~ ~ ~

  Myers decided to return to his house. Not only did he need to feed Tiger, but he also ne
eded to hide the stolen jewellery. There was no such place at the other house suitable to store the stash. Once the fuss died down, he would fence the stuff with his contacts on the street.

  He was a few hundred feet from the property when he noticed a car parked twenty feet away. Inside the vehicle were two men in uniforms.

  “Bloody idiots, as if I wouldn’t recognise a cop car when I saw one. He stopped and reversed into a driveway before he was spotted. “That means they’re on to me.” He struck out at the steering wheel with his clenched hand. “Damn, I should have taken care of Tiger, brought him back to the other house. Sorry, mate. I hope they look after you.”

  He drove back the way he came. His mind worked overtime, searching for a way out of the mess he’d suddenly found himself in. Only one thing came to mind: to contact Baldwin. He drove far enough away from the house, checking behind him in case the coppers were tailing him. Thankfully, they weren’t. Tucked into a lay-by, he dialled the number that was the last call he’d made.

  Baldwin answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “It’s me. Have you got the money?”

  “Not yet. I’m hoping to hear back from my bosses about a loan today.”

  “Don’t you value your kid’s life?”

  “Yes, of course I do. Vicki is our world—”

  “Yeah, you told me that shit before. You know what: there’s a fucking difference in saying it and meaning it. Words are cheap, after all, right?”

  “No. That’s not the case. We love our daughter. The time restraint you gave us to work with has been very limited. There are only so many hours in a day for me to keep pleading with my bosses.”

  “Why do you need them? Sell your goddamn house! That must be worth a packet.”

  “It is. Don’t think I haven’t looked into that, but the housing market is in a mess right now due to Brexit.”

  “I ain’t stupid. That’s not what the reports on the news are telling us.”

  “I’m not trying to wriggle out of this. The lower-price houses are the ones the reports take into consideration, not huge mansions like ours. Where the Russians used to be on the millionaire pads in a flash, now they’re running scared of investing in places like this. That’s not bullshit—it’s fact! You have to believe me.”