Mutilated: A British Crime Thriller (Doc Powers & D.I. Carver Investigate Book 2)

by Will Patching

  ‘We got him though, Jack. It was worth the risk.’

  Only minutes before, even Doc had doubted his own plan — had almost cancelled the whole operation when he saw the oversized humidor on Koch’s desk.

  ‘So much for you being sacked, mate. Hah! Let’s see how Soundbite Sadie tries to wangle the credit for this.’ The sour note accompanied his chuckle, then a frown as Jack inspected the cut in Doc’s scalp, poked at the edge of the wound with a finger, eliciting a yelp of pain. ‘Don’t be such a wimp. He’s cut one stitch. That’s nothing compared with what Harding did to my belly. Anyway, looks like we were in the nick of time!’

  Even Doc had to smirk as both coppers chortled at Jack’s pathetic pun before they disappeared from sight, leaving him staring at the ceiling, relieved that his brain was still inside his skull where it should be. He listened as a very dazed Koch was cautioned and bundled away.

  ***

  Epilogue

  The hooks in Harry Butler’s back and arms tightened and pulled the flesh with a stinging sensation that began to throb before settling to a steady burn as Glen slowly hoisted him towards the cellar ceiling below his Streatham shop.

  Shazza appeared from behind him, her face shining with joy as she raised a pierced eyebrow at him, a silent question to ask if he was okay as his spreadeagled form rose above her, his arms outstretched in the Crucifixion pose. Harry answered with a smile of his own as hormones started to flood his system, a euphoric sensation engulfing him, releasing him from the grasp of the tormented memories littering his traumatic past.

  Earlier that morning, Shazza had come to Scotland Yard to meet him, to celebrate his release from custody. All charges had been dropped and although no explanation was given, the newspapers were already full of stories relating to the case. When Shazza had offered copies for Harry to read in the car as they travelled the short distance to Streatham, he had merely shuddered and said he had no further interest in the affair.

  The Metropolitan Police had given no apology for his arrest, the interrogations, the accusations and charges made against him, had merely told him he could leave.

  It was of no consequence. Harry was just glad to be free, though desperate to meditate in his cellar sanctuary.

  Footsteps echoed in the room as Glen tramped up the stairs and Shazza, face still radiant, her love for Harry unquestionable, blew a kiss at her man before dimming the lights, then left him hanging in blissful peace.

  ***

  ‘He’s in here, Doctor Powers.’

  Doc thanked the nurse as she closed the door behind him and he sat down beside the bed.

  ‘Hello, Antony.’

  The gentle words elicited no reaction from the patient whose head and neck were swathed in bandages, his body motionless, arms and legs useless, his breathing controlled by a machine.

  Doc tried to find some pity in his heart, some flicker of emotion, some empathy for the man who had killed his father so many years before. He searched inside himself, but found nothing.

  After a moment’s reflection, he stood and bent from the waist, his lips almost kissing Harding’s right ear, his voice raised as he spoke.

  ‘You may be hoping to recover your sight when they remove that dressing, but your cheek bone was shattered by the same bullet that entered your spine. The one that destroyed your tongue, pierced the roof of your mouth and exited through the side of your face. When your head hit the ground, a bone sliver from your upper jaw was driven into your one good eye, and ruined it. You’ll never see the sun rise again, no matter how long you live.’

  Harding’s head made a minuscule movement against the padded neck brace, as if he was trying to turn towards the sound. Or perhaps, Doc decided, he had felt the warmth of breath on his earlobe, yet was totally unaware of the coldness of the words.

  Even though Doc knew he might be wasting his time speaking to Harding, he needed to talk, to get the years of angst out of his system. He sat and for the next twenty minutes he talked about his father and all the regrets he had, the arguments that seemed so important during that early part of his life, the fights that had left father and son estranged before Doc left for university. His plans to apologise and try to revive things, to start over on graduation…

  All this, before the relationship came to a violent and permanent end at Harding’s hands.

  Being here, just vocalising the feelings, the thoughts, was cathartic, though little more than that, and Doc knew it. He explained to the man, once again pressing his lips close, voice raised.

  ‘They tell me you can’t hear me, Antony, but it doesn’t matter. The doctors say you’re almost certainly permanently deaf as your one good ear also disintegrated that day. They plan to scan your brain to see if you are likely to recover any hearing at all, though they doubt it.’

  Again, Harding’s head seemed to move a fraction, as if he was aware, listening to Doc’s voice.

  Or was that just wishful thinking on Doc’s part?

  ‘Whether you hear or not, they also tell me you’ll be tormented by tinnitus for the rest of your life. Incessant noises inside your head, filling your mind. All day, all night. Every day, every night.’

  In many ways, Harding was now suffering something similar to the terrible trauma inflicted on Patrick Rawlings, and the symmetry of it gave Doc a shred of satisfaction.

  Justice.

  For a few seconds, Doc was silent as he reflected on the reason why his father had died. A phone conversation with Dickie Maddox the previous evening had finally enlightened him, and after ending the call, Doc had been in a murderous rage himself, but now his voice was calm as he continued.

  ‘Your larynx, your voice box was ruptured too, and they’ve had to remove most of your tongue. You won’t be talking to anyone again, tormenting people for fun, like you did with me. You’ll never enjoy another meal or a drink. Your life is over, but you will continue to exist — for as long as they choose to keep you breathing while feeding nutrients into your bloodstream. Conscious, but incapable… It’s nothing more than you deserve.’

  While driving to the hospital this morning, Doc had been sure he would feel an irresistible urge to unplug the device that pumped life into Harding’s lungs, especially after Dickie Maddox had explained the reason why Doc’s father had been murdered. But now he was just glad he had come to see the convict for himself, finally convinced he could put aside any further thoughts about the man.

  ‘Goodbye, Antony. I have better things to do than waste any more time with you.’

  Doc took one last look at the man who had murdered his father, the vicious thug who had almost killed him and his friend Jack Carver, then pulled a ferry ticket from his pocket, his thumb caressing the destination as he thought to himself:

  Far better things to do.

  If it took him forever, he would track her down and tell her how much he needed her, how much he wanted to be with her.

  He was going to Paris.

  To find Judy.

  ###

  Author’s Comments

  Thank you!

  Thank you for taking the time to read this novel. Having got this far, I hope you enjoyed reading it - I certainly enjoyed writing it! I really do appreciate that readers have a huge range of choice these days and I am very grateful you spent some time with me, Doc, Fiona and Jack. They have more adventures underway so I do hope you will join me in sharing their thrilling escapades in future.

  Please help!

  If you enjoyed this novel I would really appreciate you posting a review on your favourite online bookstore and/or readers’ site. If you have any comments or questions please contact me: I really enjoy getting feedback from readers and have incorporated some of their comments in this edition.

  Theme

  If you have read any of my other novels, you will know I like to have a theme to develop the plot round, and Mutilated is no exception. For this novel I chose to explore the abuse of power and the effect it has on outsiders: from the crimes of colonial
rule perpetrated by state and its representatives, through the abuse of medical prowess and a position of authority by The Surgeon, to Jack’s occasional bending of the rules to achieve a ‘collar’ as he does at the end of this story.

  The way that Pillar of the Community psychopaths affect all our lives is a source of inspiration for me, such that I have created a unique website that explores the real life phenomenon, along with more mundane criminal psychopaths — Psychopaths in Fact & Fiction.

  Outsiders, suspension, scarification and moulded skulls…

  At the same time as exploring my theme, I wanted to look at ‘outsiders’ who are often scapegoated and abused by those in power — colonial subjects and wartime enemies who are seen as ‘the other’, not like us, and of course, those on the fringes of society who undertake experiences most of us find incredible — like eyeball tattoos and human suspension.

  For me, this makes the story more interesting, and I hope it did for you too, without taking anything away from the main point of writing this novel — to give enjoyment to the reader while taking you somewhere a little different to your day to day life.

  To find out more about these exotic practices then head here and the State of Bliss Facebook page here.

  DIY surgery?

  Yup! Really. If you are intrigued by the possibility — or doubtful of the existence of online courses and videos designed to teach budding surgeons, then check this out, although it is just one of many such resources… Don’t bother if you are in any way squeamish or offended by the sight of blood!

  For deleted scenes and more - join my Readers Group

  As a special bonus for readers who enjoyed Mutilated and would like to know more about the story and characters, I have made available the deleted scenes plus some unique author insights on the novel, along with similar background information on the first book in the trilogy, Remorseless.

  These extras are only accessible to my Readers Group through the exclusive Members pages in the password protected section of the Remorseless trilogy website - if you would like access then you might like to join this group - and receive a free copy of The Hack.

  Throughout 2016 I gave away over 180,000 ebook copies of Remorseless and The Hack (my other crime thriller trilogy) combined, and I am often asked this one question:

  Why?

  Well, although many readers think my work is on a par with more famous authors, as an indie with no prior ‘name recognition’ offering my novels for free was the only way to reach a broader audience and gain some visibility with the online retailers. I needed to give away free books to build a readership among a wide range of people to find those who enjoy my rather quirky approach to writing.

  The response has been incredible, with many hundreds of enthusiastic fans reaching out to me with words of encouragement, delighted to have found a new author to follow, with even more ‘silent’ Members of my Readers Group who signed up to receive my fairly infrequent newsletters to keep abreast of what I’m up to.

  Prior to the release of Mutilated, a select group of these Members volunteered to help spread the word about my novels to help me build a full time career through writing. This Launch Team received a pre-release copy of this novel and many of them chose to leave honest reviews voluntarily as a result - and quite a few chose to pay for a copy too, to support my efforts financially. All Members who join my Launch Team will receive free advance copies of my future releases too - for as long as they remain part of the team. If you are interested in joining, more details can be found on the website in the Readers Group pages - you have to be a Member of the wider group to be eligible.

  I am hugely grateful to everyone who has read my novels, and in the coming years I hope to grow my Launch Team along with my more passive Readers Group to ensure my work has a willing audience whenever I have a new book to release.

  The broader benefits to Members, besides the exclusive website pages, include ebook giveaways from other authors I have enjoyed, signed paperback prize draws, and joint author promotions with discounted and free books on offer, and so on.

  Please join if you wish to read about these offers, or just to keep current with what I am up to, through my occasional Readers Group newsletter. All I need is your email address and first name. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.

  A few words of thanks...

  There are not enough pages in this book for me to mention everyone for helping me, and motivating me, to complete Mutilated, but I would like to formally thank my amazing Readers Group. This growing band of enthusiastic supporters who all rather enjoy my dark and disturbing writing, includes hundreds of readers who have taken the time to contact me to share their thoughts regarding my writing, including some amazing compliments. I offer a very sincere and humble ‘thank you’ to everyone.

  There are three people I would like to mention by name as being particularly inspiring and supportive, and hence I am recording my gratitude here.

  Barbara Tsipouras (Reading Experience blog) wrote to me a year ago and told me she thought I should be a bestselling author, and since then has helped spread the word about my writing in the hope I might one day achieve that lofty status. Thank you Barbara for your support and for your excellent feedback during the editing phase of Mutilated. I am honoured to be counted among your favourite authors.

  Scott M. (UK detective on active duty) tweeted to me after reading Remorseless to tell me that the book was the best he had read. Later, he also said the novel helped him understand his ‘clients’ rather better, thanks to my descriptions of what goes on in the psychopathic mind. Like Barbara, Scott has been spreading the word, including among his colleagues, and also was generous enough to assist with Mutilated by offering some detailed feedback. Thankfully, he thinks this novel is my best yet. Thank you Scott for your support and efforts to spread the word — and I am delighted you felt reading this tale was rather like working with your crew!

  Joseph Romero Jr. (Life Member of the US Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) contacted me after reading The Hack as he felt the story reflected his own experiences in international law enforcement — and as a result, he thoroughly enjoyed reading both that novel and Remorseless. Like Scott, Joe has been recommending my work to his colleagues, and also provided a testimonial which can be found on my websites and in the book details hosted by the major online retailers. Thank you Joe for your continued support and efforts to share my work with others in the legal professions.

  Needless to say, I am particularly honoured to have Scott and Joe as avid readers given their experiences in law enforcement.

  *

  Other books by Will Patching

  Join Will’s Readers Group for your free Member’s copy of

  The Hack - out now!

  A fast paced international crime thriller set in the US, the UK and Thailand

  George Simm, friend of the US President and well-respected international business guru, leads a double life... until he is viciously murdered in Thailand.

  For Kate O’Sullivan, a freelance journalist, his death provides the scoop of her dreams when her brother discovers Simm’s dark secret — by hacking into the CIA’s confidential report on the killing.

  Kate sells the story to a UK tabloid newspaper, setting in motion a bloody chain of events that destroys many lives, and threatens her own.

  With an CIA serial killer on the rampage in Thailand, the US authorities on the hunt for Kate’s brother, and a ruthless VIP ring in London determined to do anything to prevent Simm’s death exposing their paedophile activities, Kate’s world will never be the same again...

  www.thehacknovel.com

  Available in eBook and Paperback...

  Currently free to Members of my Readers Group!

  Join today while the offer lasts!

  Coming early 2017

  The final instalment of the Remorseless trilogy:

  Gaslighting

  If you are wondering what happened to Billy Leech after his trauma
tic appearance in Remorseless, you will need to grab a copy of Gaslighting. The tormented lad is now a highly manipulative teenager harbouring a burning rage...

  Has young Billy inherited the psychopathic Leech genes? Find out in:

  If you’re wondering who Billy Leech is as you have not yet read Remorseless then you might like to check out the first novel in the trilogy - but be warned, this one is not for the squeamish!

  www.remorselessthriller.com