The Taken (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 3)

by Claire Merrington

  “You’re not going to like it and I’m not sure that it is even credible information. I think we should go to the casino.”

  “You can’t be seen at the casino that won’t help the investigation. What will help is what George told you I will determine if it is credible or not.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. George claimed that Perry has orchestrated the whole thing. He hasn’t really been kidnapped or put in any danger at all. He is playing an act it is all to wipe out who he really doesn’t want anymore and to play you like a bagpipe.”

  “What would he stand to gain from doing that?”

  “The enjoyment. Perry forced his ex to hold his baby against her wills for nine months it’s painting a pretty clear picture of how sadistic he can be. Don’t you think?”

  “I thought you were his friend, his right hand man. How can you say these things and not flinch. You don’t really believe them to be true?”

  “Because I know him better than anyone. I warned you that you wasn’t going to like it.”

  “Jane there is something else that you need to see.”

  “What Ian?”

  "Well now they have said that these facial recognition results make more sense."

  "What about the results from what time frame?"

  "I ran facial recognition over Blake’s kidnapping it was all caught on the camera from the back of La Luna. Peter Ray was there he was the one that got out the car but there was someone else sitting in the back seat. They opened the door and Blake and whoever was talking and everything were fine. It all looked comfortable, like they all knew each other. Then Peter whacked him on the back of the head and dumped him in the car. The other person sitting in the back though was caught on camera from the side. It was a seventy four per cent match to Perry."

  "Well that doesn't mean anything. Seventy four percent isn’t a direct match."

  "Jane for a side on glance facial recognition seventy four per cent is too high to ignore."

  “I don’t understand what you are all saying. How could this even be true it doesn’t make sense?”

  “Jane let me explain it to you. Just listen.”

  “Ok go on Eddie. You seem to have your brain wrapped round it.”

  “Perry orchestrated with Peter Ray, not Charlene, he has been double crossed on that one. He had no idea Peter had involved her. This isn’t about her this is about you. Perry orchestrated the whole thing the angst between people, the beginning of a turf war. He then gets kidnapped and someone has to die to make it look real. So there goes Blake. A person he knows full well will get all our backs up because he was just an innocent, decent kid.”

  “Ok so he uses the death of Blake to get you all riled up to make it looks more real. He has his own casino shot up which means we need to know the victim list from there. Someone there must have been a prime target that Perry wants rid off.”

  “Exactly it’s why I asked about Paul.”

  “Ok so who is Paul? And I’m still confused on everything.”

  “Ok hang in there Detective it will all make sense. Paul is the one guy that would question Perry on everything. Challenged his leading position for years, Paul is not a bloke to be messed with. And no doubt if he caught wind of all of this going down he would have called a dirty little rat somewhere.”

  “Ok so Paul didn’t trust Perry’s motives for anything and would have called him out on this. Making the deception less effective, so planned to have Paul taken out before we even heard his name to talk to him.”

  “Exactly. Perry didn’t count on Charlene being involved. Like I said he was double-crossed with that one. So he probably isn’t aware of where he is being held, and he probably doesn’t know about Charlene killing Angie.”

  “That we can use to our advantage when we catch up to the location we can use the whole team dynamic and all the deception between them to pull it all apart.”

  “Ok that helps with all of that but it still doesn’t sit in my head why Perry would do it. Who is his intended target to wipe out and why am I involved?”

  “You were a pawn, a means to an end. One of Perry’s best skills and the reason he is such an excellent businessman is he knows how to use people. He wheedles his way in when you’re vulnerable and helps play your knight in shining armor. He helped in an investigation and rescued you from the clutches of a mad man twice. He convinced you that he was legit by working with the police naming low life drug dealers that nobody cared whether they were around or not. But it made him look good and it made you all trust him. What better way to serve up his ego than to blag his way into the police force and into bed with a Detective?”

  “Perry needed a way into the police force to stir up the rising and turf war. I was the start of this, a pawn to manipulate the playing field how he wanted it. But why are you telling us this? Why are you helping us? And how do I know that we can trust you?”

  “Because Perry fucked up killing Blake. He should have known that.”

  “Blake was more to you than just an employee wasn’t he Eddie?”

  “I guess that’s why you’re the Superintendent. Quick and smart.”

  “Blake Jones is your son.”

  “Very good Detective.”

  “Did Perry know?”

  “Yes Ian he knew. No doubt he thought it would stir me up more. But Perry was the only one that knew and now these guys obviously. But Perry was the only one that knew that for it to be used against me. It raised my suspicions.”

  “I’m sorry Eddie.”

  “Yeah me to. We both have been royally played by Perry.”

  “Yeah well if he expected me to crumble and break he doesn’t know me well enough. A woman scorned is a dangerous thing, just take a look at Charlene.”

  “What’s the plan now Detective?”

  “Well Superintendent I want you and Ian to go to the casino start the process there. Call Joanne and Eric on your way get them to explain to George what is going to happen to him now and put police officers on his door. Then get them to meet you at the casino where you and Joanne will hold the press conference. I trust you know what to say.”

  “Yeah that is fine Detective. What about you?”

  “I have Eddie, Charlie, Mark and Tony here to help. We are going to go pay someone else a visit.”

  “Who?”

  “Bill Rogers.”

  “Hahaha you want to go to the head of Perry’s security. Bold Detective.”

  “I told you I’m pissed. Its time Perry learnt.”

  “Lets go then Detective.”

  “Were ring you from the casino. If Paul is safe is there something we can tell him to know were on his side and we know what’s going on. Something quick to make him trusts us.”

  “Here give him this.”

  “Charlie is you sure? You never go any where without your lucky medallion.”

  “Yeah I’m sure Tony, it will make Paul trust them he will know I want that back.”

  “Thank you. We will let you know as soon as we do. And good luck with Bill I hope he can help some more.”

  “Thanks sir. Were check in.”

  With that Jane and Perry’s associates left to go see Bill, Jane had no idea what she hoped to gain from this visit or what her exact intentions were. The Superintendent and Ian were also leaving to go check in at the Casino after the mass shooting. Jane couldn’t believe all she had heard in the last hour her mind was reeling. Jane had begun to have doubts about the character of Perry when she had first heard the story of Charlene and how Parker came into this world from Detective Inspector Reynolds. But Jane had always been stubborn and refused to accept the opinions of anyone else. What had been suggested now seemed even worse, it was on a whole new level of deceit. Jane entered a car with Eddie as Charlie, Mark and Tony followed behind in a second vehicle. The journey over to Linford never seemed so long as Jane tried to get her mind and brain to catch up to all the facts and how she was feeling. Jane expected Eddie to try and fill every gap of silenc
e, to stop it from being awkward, but he to seemed lost in thought.

  *

  Meanwhile the Superintendent and Ian arrived at the casino to see a scene of carnage and mayhem. Paramedics and Police were already on sight along with a rush of press trying to cover what was probably to them another exciting story. Ian set to work on finding the injured casualties and collecting the names of the victims that had perished. While the Superintendent looked at trying to calm the situation and regain some control over the pandemonium. Joanne and Eric had been called in the car on the way, they were just waiting for an ambulance to pick up the now awake George and arranging a police escort and watch service on him for the hospital and they would be meeting them at the casino.

  “Ok I have the names of the dead, I spoke to one person in a uniform for the casino, most of the victims seem to be patrons caught in the cross fire. The Manager Paul, suffered injuries but is alive. He should be in one of the ambulances receiving treatment.”

  “Excellent Ian we should go talk to him.”

  Ian and the Superintendent went one by one to the ambulances checking on the wounded and trying to find Paul. The fifth ambulance they came to contained the injured manager of the casino.

  “Are you the manager of the establishment Paul?”

  “Yes I am, who is asking?”

  “I am Superintendent Steve Barrow. I came to ask a few questions about the incident. Are you up for answering?”

  “Yeah sure what do you want to know?”

  “Who do you think is behind the attack today?”

  “The owner Perry Fierce, he is one of your guys no isn’t he so why don’t you go ask him. I’m done with the questions.”

  “Charlie told me to give this to you.”

  “His lucky medallion, Charlie would never part with this. What’s going on here?”

  “Perry Fierce, your boss, has been kidnapped. We are trying to work out whether he is involved or a victim and how to find him and the people responsible. Can you help?”

  “He orchestrated the whole thing. I can tell you that for certain. He likes to be king pin and nothing else. He likes looking down his nose on all of us. Mark my words Perry Fierce is no victim your all pawns in his own game. You got played along with that pretty fox of a Detective he has been banging.”

  “Watch your mouth….

  “Ian take a walk, I’ll finish up here.”

  With that Ian gave him a begrudging look and trudged off. Ian wasn’t certain but he definitely did not believe Paul. He sounded like a bitter jealous man, nothing more. Hopefully the Superintendent could see it too.

  “Ian. What’s happened? What do we need to do?”

  “ Hey Eric, Joanne. We got a mass shooting six confirmed dead five injured. The Superintendent is talking to the manager of the casino.”

  “Why are you over here and not talking to him too?”

  “I was he became rude about the Detective, I think the Superintendent wanted to see if he was credible more before I offended him.”

  “That’s correct I did want to see if he was a credible character witness for Perry, and whether he really believes that Perry had anything to do with this.”

  “You don’t honestly believe him do you?”

  “God no he is just a jealous bitter man. Its obvious he wants Perry’s throne as his own. I’m starting to think this was all just a ploy to get us to doubt Perry.”

  “You could well be right. What better way to ruin him.”

  “Well were be seeing what the Detective makes of it all.”

  *

  “Detective, are you ok?”

  “I’m fine Eddie. Confused but mainly pissed. I’m nobody’s pawn in anyone’s game.”

  “That’s all well and good to say Detective and I believe when you say that you would never intentionally be used for anyone else’s hidden agendas. But you have been.”

  “I am fully aware of that now. But what they didn’t account for will be my reaction. Speaking of which how can you be so calm?”

  “I’m not calm don’t be mistaken by my composed exterior. Inside I am a raging, bubbling ready to explode volcano. I have been Perry’s friend and colleague. I have helped him build his empire and turn it in to a legal, profitable, reputable company. The fact that he turned it all to shit, the fact that the one secret I trusted him with, my son Blake, that he used it against me makes me want to vomit with pure and utter vile outrage. He is a complete and utter sociopath that enjoys the game.”

  “Ok I take back that I said you weren’t angry.”

  Eddie couldn’t help but smirk even through everything the Detective still had a way of finding some discreet humour.

  “What do you plan to gain from Bill?”

  “Information. There is no way the head of security who monitors everything doesn’t know anything of Perry’s real plan. He must know or have seen something and I want to know what he has.”

  “Ok Bill Rogers is a tough cookie even by our standards. How exactly do you expect to get him to talk?”

  “I have a few methods of persuasion of my own.”

  “Intriguing. Well were here now Detective time to get to work.”

  The building was not what Jane expected to see, it certainly didn’t project the image of being a security firm. It looked like it was a former barn that was once an integral structure on a farm. Jane had expected to see something like a fortress, fancy and professional, modern and technologically minded for the upmarket security firm she had been led to believe it was. When Jane stepped inside however she was surprised at how well it had been done. The barn had been turned into exactly what she had expected to see from a security firm. The woman on the front desk looked a little taken aback to see so many people entering through the door. Jane guessed this wasn’t the kind of business that normally had face-to-face visitors. And probably no visitors that seemed to have an entourage of men. Jane decided to play the part.

  “Bill Rogers office? Which door?”

  “Is he expecting you mam?”

  “Mam how sweet, I don’t really care for whether he is expecting me or not I will certainly be paying him a visit. And FYI its not Mam its Detective.”

  “Oh excuse me Detective I’m sorry it is the first door on the right. But I should really warn Mr. Rogers that he is going to be getting some company.”

  “Not to worry were warn him plenty enough. Come boys.”

  Jane turned on her kitten heel and clapped on the tile surface as she sashed towards the first door on the right. Jane wasn’t often an empowered bitch it wasn’t a character she liked to play. But Perry needed to know and learn that she was not a woman to be messed with. And Bill Rogers was about to get first hand experience of what a dangerous game had been played.

  “May I just say Detective wow? I think that woman just fell over her own chin she couldn’t pick up her jaw of the floor quick enough. I certainly don’t think you were what she was expecting from a Detective.”

  “Yes well it may have been a tad too much, I certainly don’t like being a bitch, it comes natural though I might add. But still Perry is certainly going to know I’m coming now and I’m taking no prisoners. Starting with Bill. Hold on tight.”

  “Here’s to that. You ready?”

  *

  Perry hoped Jane was coming soon, after Blake Perry didn’t know how much more he could take. This was going to kill Eddie and maybe even cost Perry his friendship. Perry was the only one that knew that Eddie was Blake’s dad and now he was dead. This was going to cost Perry. They had done everything since trying to make Perry crack but he couldn’t risk anyone else. They were playing the game too smart; Perry had doubted them too much before.

  “What’s wrong Perry realization finally hitting home?”

  “You don’t plan on killing me, you want me to suffer, and you want me to lose everything.”

  “Very good Perry. We have been watching for ages. All with little spies on the inside. Its how we knew Eddie was Blake’s dad. What a
way to make your right hand man doubt you. We have just had your casino shot up; I wonder how many are dead. Hopefully not Paul we need him to sew the seeds of double conspiracy more. They had George beaten, spiteful and very audacious of your detective really but I already had the event covered. I wonder how much longer your dear sweet Jane can hold onto her belief of your innocence.

  “You want Jane to doubt me. You want her to give up on me”

  “Exactly and then I a going to make your bitch of a future wife lose everything. So you will eventually die.”

  “Leave Jane out of this Charlene she has nothing to do with this.”