Broken Girls: A totally addictive and unputdownable crime thriller (Detective Bernadette Noel Book 2)

by Joy Kluver

  Bernie pulled out into the road as Alice called Tom. She hadn’t driven far when the radio crackled.

  ‘Ma’am, this is DC Parris. We’re in position and have back-up. Warrant is confirmed. Do you want us to proceed? Over.’

  ‘How much back-up?’ said Bernie.

  ‘Four uniforms. And we have a battering ram to force entry if necessary.’

  Bernie pursed her lips as she thought it through. It seemed unlikely Gardener would be there with the two girls but there might be vital clues inside to their whereabouts.

  ‘Go in and keep your radio on. I want to hear it all. I’ll be with you in about five minutes and Kerry and Matt are on their way too.’

  Within a minute there were sounds of banging and voices shouting ‘Police!’ coming out of the radio. Two loud thumps were followed by splintering wood and fast footsteps. More shouts of ‘Police!’

  Bernie picked up speed. She imagined her colleagues going from room to room as she heard the noise of doors being opened, with shouts of ‘Clear!’ She was so focused on what she was hearing she almost missed the turning.

  ‘It’s this road, ma’am,’ said Alice.

  Bernie turned sharply, the car tyres squealing. She saw Anderson up ahead, standing outside a small house. She pulled up outside.

  He grinned as she got out.

  ‘Just as well we weren’t going for a silent approach, ma’am. I think most of the streets round here heard you coming,’ he said.

  Bernie noticed the twinkle in his eye. She hoped Alice hadn’t.

  ‘What’s the story then?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s not here but we’ve found a super computer set-up. Think we need to get Tom in to take a look before we move it to headquarters. We’ve started a more detailed search now. There’s a loft and a couple of sheds in the garden. Mick’s gone to check them out. I’ve called Forensics and they’re on their way.’

  Bernie followed Anderson into the house, snatching a pair of gloves from her pocket. It was a new-build with neutral walls and carpets, more in line with rental properties. Furniture was sparse. The lounge had a brown leather sofa and a large TV opposite it, attached to the wall. A small bookshelf held only a few books.

  ‘Very impersonal,’ she said.

  ‘Most of the house is. However, upstairs is the heart of the operation,’ said Anderson.

  In the back bedroom, a counter, like a long breakfast bar, was fixed to the wall, going from one side of the room, widthways, to the other. Four computer towers and monitors were spread across the top. Unlike downstairs, there were bits of paper with scribbled notes on them, scattered along the counter. Bernie pushed one gently and saw the name ‘Maria’ on it. Underneath was a list of likes and dislikes. She spotted other familiar names on more scraps of paper, including Laura and Chloe.

  ‘Anderson?’ She beckoned him over to see.

  ‘I know. I saw them too. Strange, really – in my head I thought this guy was really methodical, and maybe he is. Perhaps it’s all in files on the computers. But to see these torn bits of paper with the girls’ names on…’ He shook his head.

  Bernie wanted to reach out to him but knew she couldn’t with Alice standing behind them.

  A shout of ‘Ma’am’ came from outside. Anderson opened the window.

  ‘You need to come and see this,’ said Mick, calling up.

  Within a minute they had congregated outside, at the end of the small garden. A shed door was open.

  ‘Look what I found,’ said Mick. He pulled back a tarpaulin to reveal a motorbike underneath.

  ‘BMW?’ asked Bernie.

  ‘Yes,’ said Mick.

  Bernie glanced around the rest of the shed. Motorbike parts and oil cans lay scattered across the grimy floor. She pulled out her phone and switched on the torch to illuminate the back. There was something vaguely familiar about it but she thought maybe she was imagining it. But then something glinted in the light. Something that appeared to be hanging on a nail in the wooden wall. She gasped. It was a gold chain with an owl pendant. Had Laura left it there for them to find?

  ‘Get Forensics to start here first,’ Bernie said.

  59

  Bernie assembled her team in the back garden. Tom had texted back, confirming her suspicions that the photo was a fake. She’d noticed nosy neighbours twitching their curtains so she kept her voice low.

  ‘The photo’s fake. Chloe’s face has been superimposed on Laura somehow. Which means Ben Gardener is probably a lot further away than we first thought.’ She flicked through her phone to find the details school had given her. ‘We’ve found out that he drives a black Nissan Note, registration RX62 SJM. Those details have been sent out across Wiltshire and to surrounding areas. There have been no hits yet on ANPR or traffic cams. I suspect he’s sticking to quieter roads, assuming he’s not already at his destination.’

  ‘So how the hell are we going to find him then?’ asked Mick Parris.

  Bernie hoped the defeat she felt wasn’t showing in her face. ‘I don’t know. Until we get a hit from a camera somewhere or someone spotting it, we’re a bit stuffed.’

  Matt pulled Chloe’s phone out from his pocket and waggled it. ‘Or we could message him?’

  Bernie bit her lip. It was tempting. ‘No. Not for the moment. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.’ Her phone buzzed. She looked at the screen but didn’t recognise the number. She answered anyway.

  ‘Detective Inspector Noel.’

  ‘Please tell me he hasn’t got my girl. I got stuck in traffic so I couldn’t pick her up on time. I tried my husband but he couldn’t get there either. I left a message at school. She was supposed to wait for me, just like you said. You promised she’d be safe if we helped you.’

  Bernie could hear the desperation in the woman’s voice.

  ‘I know, Mrs Hampton, I’m sorry. I don’t know for certain but we believe our suspect may have her. She wasn’t at your house when we checked and obviously we have her phone.’

  ‘Yes, I know. I’ve given her mine and I’m using my old one but it’s just ringing and then going to answerphone. But she has to have it on silent at school so maybe she can’t hear it. Oh God! Where is she?’

  Bernie looked at the others. They had all realised who was on the phone. A thought popped into Bernie’s head. If Ben Gardener knew that they had Chloe’s phone, would he have thought or even had time to search her for another mobile?

  ‘Mrs Hampton, what kind of phone do you have?’

  ‘An iPhone.’

  ‘Don’t suppose you have an app—’

  Chloe’s mum interrupted before Bernie could finish. ‘Yes. Why didn’t I think of that? Hang on, let me get my iPad… here we go, find my iPhone… yes, I’ve got it. It looks as though she’s heading south towards Salisbury but not on the main roads.’

  Bernie briefly closed her eyes. Thank God. ‘OK, that’s good. If you zoom in, you should be able to see the road names and numbers. If you can text those details to me, please. Are you at home?’

  ‘Yes.’ There was strain in Mrs Hampton’s voice.

  ‘I’m going to send an officer to you who will take over watching the app and then can radio directly to me. We’ll get her back, Mrs Hampton, whoever she’s with. Speak soon.’

  Bernie hung up. ‘I think you can all guess who was on the phone and what’s happening. Chloe’s phone, or rather her mum’s, and hopefully Chloe with it, are heading towards Salisbury.’ Bernie paused. She looked at her detectives and tried to decide who would work best where.

  ‘Anderson and Mick, you’ve started here, so I’d like you to carry on with searching the house and deal with Forensics when they arrive. And in particular, look out for anything that might have belonged to Ria, including her phone. Get Tom over to start work on those computers. Once we apprehend Ben Gardener, aka Luke Davidson, we’re going to need to know what’s on there for when we question him and we don’t have time to transport it all back to headquarters.

  ‘Alice, I’
d like you to head over to Mrs Hampton. Make sure you have a radio with you…’

  Bernie stopped. Alice had a face like a petulant child.

  ‘Have you got a problem with that, Alice?’

  ‘No, ma’am… well, actually, yes. Ever since I got pregnant and had my baby, I’ve not been allowed to go out on arrests or raids. I’ve been stuck behind a desk or sent on safe errands and I’m sick of it. I know we all have to do our fair share of paperwork but I didn’t join the police to push paper around. I joined because I wanted to make a difference. Sorry, ma’am. Rant over.’

  Bernie’s eyes widened in new appreciation for her latest DC. ‘Well, that was quite a speech. I’m not sure if the DCI would want you—’

  ‘Oh God, he’s the worst at keeping me back.’

  Bernie smiled. She’d been wrong to dismiss Alice. ‘If you want action, then let’s give you some. Matt, you go over to Mrs Hampton then. I trust that’s OK with you?’

  Matt’s hand instinctively went to his head where he had been hit with a hammer by a suspect earlier in the year. Bernie knew that feeling. The hammer had also smashed her left wrist at the same time and the normal dull ache was increasing. It wouldn’t be long before the scar in her side would start to itch too. She still woke up in the night, a few years on from that incident in London, feeling the stabbing and then wetness running down her skin, although it was now sweat and not blood.

  ‘More than happy, ma’am,’ answered Matt.

  ‘Thank you. Kerry and Alice with me then. Everyone get on and hopefully we’ll find Chloe and Laura as well.’

  Bernie started to leave when Anderson caught her arm.

  ‘Please be careful and make sure you have back-up,’ he said quietly.

  ‘I will. I’ll ask for officers from Salisbury.’ She locked eyes with him. His concern was evident. He would have to change teams.

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ She pulled away from his hand and ran round the side of the house to her car. Her phone buzzed. She gave it to Alice as they got in the car.

  ‘Open the text please and tell me where we’re going,’ said Bernie.

  Alice’s hands trembled slightly as she fiddled with the phone.

  ‘Sorry, ma’am, um… back on A360 now, heading towards Salisbury.’

  Bernie turned the engine on. ‘Kerry, get on to Salisbury and ask for back-up. They’re not to approach but to keep under observation if they find the car before us, which is pretty likely. Think we need to hold back on the helicopter for the moment – it might spook him if he notices it and we don’t want him to do anything stupid with Chloe in the car. Then ring the school and ask them to email a photo of the suspect and don’t let them pull any of that data protection crap. If they’ve employed a paedophile then there’ll be a lot of questions asked. Get it sent out so that everyone knows who they’re looking for. A photo of Chloe too.’

  Bernie winced as she put the car into gear and screeched out of the road with her sirens and lights on. She would definitely be triggering the speed cameras.

  60

  The countryside whizzed past, the autumnal colours turning into red and gold streaks. Matt was now sending the directions through the radio and Bernie raced towards Salisbury. Rush hour would be in full swing when they arrived and she knew there were pros and cons to that. On the one hand, Ben Gardener would have to slow down, making it easier for him to be spotted. On the other hand, even with blues and twos, she would be slowed down as well.

  Bernie heard a phone ringing in the car. She was too busy concentrating to see if it was hers.

  ‘Is that your phone?’ she asked Alice.

  ‘No,’ said Kerry. ‘Mine. Hang on.’

  Bernie kept her eyes on the road and only half-listened to Kerry.

  ‘That’s great, thanks for letting me know.’ Kerry leaned forward from the back seat. ‘Good news, ma’am. Our Nissan Note was picked up on CCTV and Salisbury police are now covertly trailing it. We can keep in contact via Control. Do you want me to radio in?’

  ‘Yes, please. Tell them we’re about ten minutes away from the outskirts. And find out how many officers they can spare. Thanks, Kerry.’

  Bernie glanced briefly at DC Hart, sitting next to her. She was even paler than usual.

  ‘You OK there, Alice?’

  Hart gave a vague nod. ‘Bit nervous. It’s been a while.’

  ‘You’ll be fine. Just think of us as Charlie’s Angels. And don’t let Kerry’s petite stature fool you. She’s like a bloody ninja. So if you get worried, step back and she’ll take over.’

  ‘I heard that,’ said Kerry.

  ‘Good. Then you’ll know it’s a compliment,’ said Bernie.

  Ten minutes later, they were weaving through the traffic in the city centre.

  ‘Kerry, can you check in with the officer on the ground, please?’ asked Bernie.

  ‘Sure. DS Allen to Control. Over.’

  ‘Go ahead, DS Allen.’

  ‘Can you patch me in to our covert officer please?’

  ‘Will do.’

  A minute later.

  ‘This is PCSO Vicky Banks for DS Allen. Over.’

  ‘Where’s the Nissan Note?’

  ‘It’s in a service road behind a row of shops. I have visual now. I saw a man and a girl get out of it about five minutes ago and they went in the back of one of the shops.’

  Bernie looked back at Kerry briefly. The words ‘service road’ had stood out for her.

  ‘Do you know which shop exactly?’ Kerry asked.

  ‘Can’t say for certain but there’s a couple of food shops along here, a card and gift shop and there’s a café as well.’

  The traffic edged forward and Bernie briefly put her blue lights on to push through the car jam.

  ‘Would that be The Little Teapot, by any chance?’ said Kerry.

  ‘Yes, that’s the one. What do you want me to do?’

  ‘Stay put for now. Any sign of movement, let us know immediately. How many other officers are there?’ Bernie asked.

  ‘Two more officers in a car at the other end of the service road. My car is parked just behind me.’

  ‘OK. We’ll be there soon.’

  Bernie caught Kerry’s face in her rear-view mirror.

  ‘What do you think, Kerry? Coincidence?’

  ‘No. What did that girl say to you again?’

  ‘Katie? She said Laura had come in looking scared and had asked to leave through the back door. I’m now thinking that Laura was following instructions and that Katie was in on the whole bloody thing,’ said Bernie. ‘Maybe she’s another one of Luke’s girls.’

  ‘I’m not sure – I’ll check the list later,’ said Kerry. ‘Really, one of us needs to go into the café first but you and I have both been in there.’

  In the mirror, Bernie saw Kerry nod her head towards Alice.

  ‘So, DC Hart,’ said Bernie, ‘you wanted some action. How about a bit of reconnaissance work? Fancy a cup of tea in the café?’ She looked at the time. It was nearly five fifteen p.m. ‘If I remember rightly, the café closes at half past five. You might be able to get a quick cuppa and maybe ask to use the loo? Have a sneaky look around. There’s definitely an upstairs.’

  ‘OK.’ From the corner of her eye Bernie could see Alice sit up straighter and square her shoulders. ‘I’ll do it.’

  ‘Good. We’ll keep in contact by phone but make sure you have yours in your pocket on silent and no vibration. We’ll hear everything that’s happening,’ said Bernie. ‘Kerry, just check in with Matt about Chloe’s phone. Make sure it’s in the same spot as the car. We’re almost there. I’m going to try and park on the other side of the road from the café but just a bit further back. In fact, I can see a car pulling out of the perfect spot.’

  Bernie finished parking as she heard Matt’s voice on the radio.

  ‘Yes, the phone has stayed put for a good ten minutes now. I can’t see exact location, in terms of shop names but it’s definitely in the middle of the row. Does that
help?’

  ‘That’s perfect, Matt. Thanks. Be careful how you monitor the radio for the next ten minutes or so,’ said Kerry.

  Bernie looked at Alice. ‘Ready?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘OK, key word is “peppermint tea”. Say that and we’ll come in.’

  Bernie could just hear voices over the rustling of Alice’s coat. They’d connected the call before Alice went over.

  ‘Sorry, I know you’re almost closing but is there any chance of a quick cuppa, please?’ Although distant, Alice’s voice sounded clear.

  ‘Oh, go on then. But I can’t do any food now.’

  Bernie recognised Barbara Finch’s voice.

  ‘Is it OK if I use your loo?’

  ‘No problem. It’s just through there, past the stairs.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  There was more rustling noise and then Alice’s voice was low.

  ‘I’m going upstairs.’

  Bernie could hear quiet footsteps. She hoped a boiling kettle in the kitchen would cover the noise of Alice creeping around. Bernie could imagine the DC moving silently up the stairs, her heart pounding with nerves.

  There was a creaking noise coming through the speakerphone that sounded like a door opening to Bernie.

  ‘Oi! What are you doing up here?’

  It was a man’s voice. Bernie looked at Kerry. Her DS nodded. It was Ben Gardener.

  ‘Sorry, I was looking for the toilet.’ Alice sounded startled.

  ‘It’s downstairs, you dozy mare.’

  ‘Ben, that’s no way to talk to our customers.’ It was Barbara. ‘Sorry, love. I forgot to ask you what sort of tea you want.’

  ‘Oh… I’d like peppermint tea, please.’

  Bernie grinned at Kerry. She muted the phone as Kerry spoke into the radio.

  ‘All units, go, go go.’

  Bernie and Kerry ran across the road and entered through the front door as uniformed officers came in through the back. They dashed up the stairs to find Ben Gardener holding Alice around the throat with his arm.