“What’s wrong Eric?”
“They pinged the GPS signal it traced back to a mobile phone it’s a burner throw away phone. No way of tracing it.”
“Ok no way of tracing who is in possession of the phone but we don’t really need to know that. All the time the phone is on however, we can track the use of it and location of it and they wont know that.”
“That is why you are the brilliant Detective and I am just the lowly servant. Thank you, brilliant idea. What has put you in a better mood?”
“I have just got off the phone with the head of security at Perry’s company in Linford. He has given me access to the system. So not only do we have access to the CCTV footage for La Luna we have access to every single company that Perry still owns and any others that use his firm. We can track movements across the board on a complete twenty-four hour rotation.”
“That’s excellent. I tracked the Mercedes. It belongs to Peter Ray himself. We can tie Blake Jones to him and I found it in the security footage at La Luna that the manager gave us.”
“Excellent what about the facial recognition?”
“Running that now.”
Another thought had just occurred to Jane, Parker must have seen Peter Ray at La Luna giving his Nan the pen. And Parker had seen the man come in from the back of the house that took his dad. Parker would be able to tell them if it was the same man or if there was someone different there.
“Ok we have made some excellent progress thanks guys.”
Just as Jane was praising the members of her team that were present the Superintendent and Joanne walked back in interrupting Jane from telling the team her new thought.
“Hey did you have any luck with the judge getting the court order for Charlene’s records?”
“Yeah we did I have sent over the access to Amy so she can continue looking through that why we continue here. I have also managed to set up the Police patrols and extra presence at all of Perry’s establishments. Have you heard from our friends at all?”
“Nothing yet but I’m sure they will be in contact soon. We have learnt some interesting things here this morning. But I’ll let Ian and Eric fill you in I have just had another idea and I want to check before I tell. I need to talk to Parker again. I’ll check in with Amy as well.”
“Ok Detective everything ok?”
“Yeah just a question I realized I didn’t ask Parker earlier. It won’t take a moment. Grab some coffee and anything you want from the fridge guys.”
Once again Jane escaped into the office for peace and quiet. For reflection on her feelings, she had started to get swept up in the hope of the investigation. The hope that her team could solve anything but Jane had to remind herself whom she was dealing with. Swallowing back the fears and bringing the hope and confidence back to the surface Jane dialed Amy.
“Hey Amy its only me everything ok? How you feeling?”
“I’m fine Jane no need to worry. Parker is fine too there are no problems here. You just relax and concentrate on what you’ve got to do. I’ll help all I can I’ve just got the clearance through for Charlene’s files but I haven’t gotten in yet if that is why you were calling.”
“No, no I didn’t expect you to have gotten in that quick don’t worry. I would like to speak to Parker?”
“Of course I’ll get him for you. Honestly though Jane he has been fine all morning he even helped a bit with the business stuff I sent you earlier.”
“Good I’m glad he is doing ok.”
There was a pause and silence on the phone for a while that was making Jane anxious and her nerves stand on end. When Jane heard the voice of sweet Parker filling the end of the line her nerves were sedated.
“Hey kiddo how you doing?”
“I’m ok are you coming back soon? Any sign of my dad yet?”
“Not yet kiddo but I’m working hard. While I was talking to some people I thought of another question you might be able to help me with. I know you would like to help find your dad so I didn’t think you would mind.”
“No I don’t mind what is it?”
“Parker you remember the man from the restaurant that gave your Nan a pen. Do you remember what he looks like?”
“Yeah he was old, not like dad older. He was tall wearing a smart suit like dad does though with brown and gray hair.”
“Ok now think was that the same man that entered through the back of the house and took your dad?”
“No that man was a dark coloured man.”
“Are you sure Parker?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Ok that’s great Parker just something I needed to know. We know who the man is from the restaurant and we know he may have your dad. But I wanted to know if he was the one that picked him up. You did great kiddo thank you for helping.”
“Ok I love you mum.”
“I love you to Parker. You continue being a good kid for Amy ok and I’ll come back soon and check on you.”
With that Parker handed the phone back to Amy.
“Thanks Amy I know you have got a lot going on with just yourself at the moment. It means a lot that I can have him with somebody I trust.”
“Don’t you worry at all Jane my mum is here with them playing so I can keep my feet up. Working on a computer is not taxing at all. I’ll call as soon as I have anything on Charlene.”
“Thanks Amy.”
Jane put down the phone and headed back into the living area where the Superintendent, Joanne, Eric and Ian were all standing around discussing the progress of the investigation.
“Amy ok?”
“Fine Ian, her mum is there helping she just starting to look into Charlene. I rang because there was a question I forgot to ask Parker. We established that Peter Ray was at the restaurant he gave Angie the pen. So Parker would have seen him. Parker also saw the man enter from the back of the property and take Perry. Parker says it wasn’t the same man. The man that came in and took Perry was of dark colour. Do we have any dark skin suspects?”
“Ok from these profiles we have three. They have all been through the system so it shouldn’t take long for the lab to match prints.”
“Ok that’s something at least Amy said she would ring when she has learnt something about Charlene.”
“Ok what so we do for now? What’s next?”
“Ok well while we wait for Eddie, Mark, Charlie and Tony we have access to a load of CCTV that could help us trace movements. We have a bankcard with receipts from La Luna to still look into, a phone that needs tracking, and we still need to continue looking through the buildings of businesses that we have registered to see if any of them sit further off land as the lab found soil particles in the tread of Blake Jones trainers. It showed that he had walked through wet mud.”
“Ok well Joanne why don’t you take the bank card, Eric continue with the phone, Ian keep digging through what ever you have in your hand and Detective we can look through the CCTV footage.”
“Sounds like a plan. Ian what are you looking at?”
“The facial recognition from the CCTV footage from La Luna trying to match everyone that worked or ate in there throughout the hours that matter. We might get a link somewhere else. You never know.”
“Ok if we can run that software over as much of this footage that I have access to as well were be able to put a face to every name and work out all the key players.”
“Excellent. That should be enough to keep us busy for a while. I mean there are hours and hours of CCTV footage we have access to here Jane where do we start?”
“From when Perry went missing those are the most important hours we can track backs earlier in time if we have to but for now we will start there.”
Jane and the Superintendent had just settled down in front of the computer screen to start going through the CCTV when her phone ringing interrupted Jane. Pulling out the mobile that Perry had left her Jane found that it was Eddie calling.
“Hey Eddie everything ok?”
“Yeah all goo
d here George is unconscious for now but will walk away with no lasting damage. You can send officers and an ambulance were clear out.”
“Ok did he have any useful information?”
“Yeah some, were coming back to your house now we will fill you in when we get there.”
“Ok Eddie, all you guys ok?”
“Yeah George got one swing off that collided with Mark’s jaw but that things is made up of steel. I think George hurt his hand more.”
“Ok good I’ll deal with George you just make your way back here.”
Jane hung up the phone to find her team all staring at her waiting for the news.
“George is unconscious should have no lasting damage Eric, Joanne why don’t you go. Call an ambulance on your way just says we had an anonymous tip off that a guy is pretty badly beaten that needs medical attention. They said he had some info but they will share it when they get here.”
“Ok once we have George set up at the hospital then what do we do?”
“Get two beat officers to stand guard at his door. Make your way back here. I’ll go up the hospital later tell him the situation of the turf war he got caught in while Superintendent and Joanne you take care of the press conference on it.”
“Ok Detective we will call you to update you.”
With that Eric and Joanne left to make their way to George and the rest of the team settled back into their work and waited for the arrival of Eddie. No more than ten minutes had passed when the phone rang once more, this time Jane’s personal mobile phone, it was the station calling, simultaneously the Superintendent’s phone started ringing. They both answered and some of their worst fears were just confirmed. They were too late to deter the attack. They had shot up Perry’s casino in Southend-On-Sea. There were six confirmed dead and five seriously injured and not all of them were Perry’s employees some had been customers. When the Superintendent and Jane made it off the phone both of them were looking greyer in colour than Jane actually thought existed.
“What happened?”
“They followed through with their threat they shot up a casino that Perry owns in Southend-On-Sea.”
“How bad?”
“Six dead, five seriously injured.”
“Lets get over there. Were calls Eric and Joanne on the way tell them to detour their selves there when they have finished up with George.”
“Yeah we should go.”
Just as they were about to leave the phone rang again this time it was Amy.
“Amy everything ok?”
“Yeah everything is fine stop panicking I’m not going in to labour yet. I got into Charlene’s file. You sound strange is everything ok?”
“Yeah sorry you caught us at a bad time there has been an incident at one of Perry’s establishments we were just heading there.”
“Oh my God how bad?”
“Bad but continue Amy this might help.”
“Ok well nothing stands out too much to me, other than the fact that she didn’t have a nice start to life, maybe it will mean more to you.”
“Ok I’ll put you on loud speaker I have got Ian and the Superintendent here with me. Go ahead Amy.”
“Ok when Charlene was three her and her older brother Edward were taken from their parents by social services. Their mum was a drug addict and working the streets, sound familiar, anyway their dad was their mum’s pimp who beat on them. Social services intervened and the children got put into the care of the state. Charlene was only three and was put up for adoption, she was lucky an older couple the Simmons adopted her and she lived with them until they passed away when she was eighteen. Her brother wasn’t so lucky he was older he was seven, he didn’t get adopted he got put into a multitude of foster homes. He bounced around never staying with one family longer than a couple of years when he finally made it out of the system at eighteen.”
“Ok well that all sounds horrific but how is there a tie back to Jane?”
“That I can’t work out sir.”
“Amy what was their surname before adoption and foster care?”
“Well Edward kept his name he is Edward Torrens. Does that mean anything to you?”
The colour drained from Jane’s face again and her heartbeat began to race. This might not have anything to do with Thaddeus but there once had been a criminal, the first big case she faced, she hadn’t thought about him in a long time but now he had come back with a vengeance.
“Hello, what’s going on at that end? Why has everyone gone quiet?”
“I’m not sure Amy but I think by the colour of the Detective’s face she knows who Edward Torrens is.”
“Edward Torrens was the first big case I worked on when I was just a beat cop.”
“Ok well what did he do?”
“He brutally raped six women.”
“What happened to him did he go to jail, is he still in prison? Can we go talk to him? He might know a way to calm Charlene down.”
“No he never made it to jail. I was there when we finally caught up to him. It all went to plan to begin with then it went horribly wrong so fast.”
“Jane what happened?”
“I killed him. Edward Torrens was the first offender to die at my hand, the only one. Even Thaddeus I wasn’t the one to pull the trigger but Edward was me.”
“So this started because of Edward Torrens being Charlene’s biological brother.”
Jane was lost for words. This was not something Jane had thought about for a long time. It wasn’t something she had forgotten; you never get over taking someone’s life even for the most honorable reasons. The dead stay with you but it looks like this ghost has come back to haunt Jane.
Chapter 15
Ian took over the phone call from Amy, as Jane had been rendered speechless once more from the new information. As Jane was standing there in a daze as the realization of how all her actions as a police officer came back to haunt her the doorbell went. The Superintendent answered to find himself face to face with Eddie, Mark, Tony and Charlie.
“Come in sorry the Detective is a bit incapacitated at the moment were be with you in a sec. Do any of you want a drink?”
“Yeah coffee would be good. Then were fill you in when the Detective is ready.”
Jane could hear Ian telling Amy to stay where she was, that there was nothing extra she could do. Amy eventually relented and Ian managed to come off the phone.
“Jane are you ok?”
“Yeah I’m sorry that isn’t a case I have thought of in a long time.”
“Sorry to be rude but can someone fill us in please? I was expecting a warm welcome with excitement to see what we learned and none of you seem interested.”
“Sorry Eddie a lot has happened in the time that I spoke to you. We received a phone call the casino that Perry owns there has been a major incident.”
“How bad the manager there, Paul is he ok?”
“Were unsure on all of the specifics at the moment we were literally just heading there now to find out. We have confirmed five deaths and six serious injuries.”
“Ok well lets get going.”
“Hold up there is more. We have learnt why Charlene is so angry. Do any of you remember the case of Edward Torrens?”
“Wow long time back but yeah proper bad time scum, raped women. But what has that got to do with Charlene?”
“Charlene was adopted when she was three. Edward Torrens is her biological brother.”
“Ok and how does all that tie back to Perry? I’m sure he didn’t know anything about that and he had nothing to do with her biological brother.”
“It doesn’t she was angry at Perry and Angie for forcing her to continue her pregnancy with Parker. It’s why she killed Angie. That was her revenge for that anger. This anger is directed at me she hopes to take someone from me that I love and rely on like I did to her.”
“She plans to kill Perry because you arrested her brother?”
“I shot her brother in pursuit of arrest.”
&nb
sp; “Ok how does this help find Perry?”
“Apparently I’m the key to finding the location where they are holding him. It must be something in the old case, a place that they have gone back to. What did George give you?”
The Taken (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 3) Page 12