The Taken (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 3)

by Claire Merrington

  "Honestly at first I'll admit I doubted Perry, when those doubts were confirmed as such I started to write him off. But now, I'm not so sure."

  “Me either, these people want to ruin Perry. Not necessarily kill him but ruin him. The torture for them will be better if he is alive and having to live with losing everything. Watching his friends and his colleague’s die, losing his businesses, his job with Frank and their biggest win is if they can make you doubt him. I think it is all part of an intricate plan to destroy him."

  “It's a valid point detective. Jane if we can see that surely you can."

  "I can see how that could be the case. What makes me doubt, because every part of me wants to believe it, I mean I love this man he is my fiancé, but why are Eddie and everyone doubting him so much. They have known him longer surely they shouldn't be convinced so easily."

  “Maybe detective but Eddie is the second in command the other men are following his lead. Eddie is blinded by grief and anger for his son."

  “A love for a child can make any rational human being do awful things Detective. Eddie probably knows in his heart of hearts that Perry isn't responsible for this. But his judgement is clouded."

  "You're right but there is only one way we're going to prove it and end all of this."

  They sat in silence the rest of the drive to the house. Jane was lost in thought; it was nice to hear that she wasn’t the only one holding faith in Perry. Jane was starting to doubt her perspective in being a Detective by getting too distracted by personal attachments. Jane was forming a plan in her mind, it was risky, but it was the only hope she had. To prove the innocence of Perry, to save Frank and to end this mess that Peter Ray and Charlene had spread. As they pulled up at the house they each got out of their perspective vehicles and closed the doors as quietly as most car doors allow. Jane gathered the team.

  “Ok listen up. This has been a mad, mixed up case driven by high emotions that we have all got caught up in. The initial fear that I felt when I knew Perry had been taken, that as my friends you felt, the outrage at the death of Angie. And then the outrage in general at the thought of being betrayed by people we hold dear. That throughout all of this, we have been on their ride. Their rollercoaster, playing their game. None of us have stopped to take a look at this from a different angle. These people don’t want to kill Perry.”

  “Of course they don’t he is working with them.”

  “Look Eddie I understand why you believe that I do but just listens to me. Just trust me.”

  “Hear her out boss.”

  Eddie reluctantly nodded with an uncomfortable shrug of the shoulders that was just as half-hearted. He did seem to have a high regard for Charlie’s opinion, which is probably the only reason Jane was going to get him to hear her out.

  “Thanks Charlie, Eddie. As I was saying these people don’t want to kill Perry, they would have done it all ready. They first want him to suffer, to right the wrongs they perceive him to have committed. But they also want to destroy him. What’s the best way to do that?”

  “Sew doubt. Cut him off from everything and everyone. Plant the seed that it was one big conspiracy. To make sure he looses the lot friends, family, businesses and other work and most importantly he looses you.”

  “Exactly Joanne, this was an intricate plan of deception that Peter Ray and Charlene put in motion. They watched and learned everything. Our weak points along with all of Perry’s, they then knew exactly what buttons to press to make us jump. To manipulate us so we would fall hook line and sinker into their game.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I’ll enter first alone. Joanne did you bring that new equipment with you?”

  “Yes me and Eric have it in the car.”

  “Excellent get that set up. That way when I go in you can all hear everything. My first port of call will be to establish the situation. Whether they have Frank and what condition he is in. I’ll try and establish the truth about Perry. To do that I am going to need to get Peter Ray talking, and perhaps anger Charlene. Ian has you got that information I asked for?”

  “Yes mam right here.”

  “That’s great we need to establish a code word or phrase. Something I can say that gives you an idea of the situation and to basically storm the place.”

  “You need something inconspicuous. Something that doesn’t scream that you are calling for the cavalry.”

  “What does Perry call you?”

  “Normally his sweet little skirt. It was some pun he dropped when I interviewed him during the case that started all this mess.”

  “Ok well just say I’m still your sweet little skirt. We know you have established Perry’s innocence and were be your cavalry without them knowing.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Joanne, Eric you two already to go over there?”

  “Ready when you are boss. We picking up some chatter now. Two voices one male one female. Hushed speaking so cant make out too clearly but the male doesn’t sound like Perry or Frank so must be Peter Ray and Charlene.”

  “There tone suggests they are nervous and the speed in which they are talking suggest they are disagreeing on something.”

  “Ok that’s good we know they are both there and perhaps even their bond is breaking in the strain of the plan. Well its time I crashed their little party.”

  Jane tried to fake the confidence, her team all needed to see it and she needed to feel it. But this was not something Jane wanted to do. So much was riding on it. The safety and the life of Frank her future with Perry and the downfall of two very spiteful, uncontrolled sociopaths.

  Jane swallowed her fear it wasn’t helpful or needed. As she broached the door Jane had to remind herself that as much as she was entering alone, she did have a cavalry. She had backup. That’s more than what she has ever had before. With a deep breath and a shake of her hair Jane gave herself the pep talk she needed and swung the door she had come to open. With a click clack of her heels on the rundown floor in the abandoned house at the back as she entered. Jane decided to make a scene, one so that they know she is there, and two to piss Charlene off.

  “Eurgh Charlene I got to say your brother kept these digs in a much nicer condition when he was living it up in here. Jesus you ever heard of a duster. Not much of a party atmosphere.”

  “Trying to be callous Jane mentioning my brother. How pathetic.”

  “Really because it rattled your cage enough to bring you down here. What ever happened to your brother?”

  “You should know….”

  “Oh yeah that’s right I shot him round about where your standing actually.”

  Charlene came rushing at Jane with her gun exposed. Her temper surely did have a short fuse and with little self-control that Charlene had Jane had already managed to anger her into a fit.

  “Enough Charlene bring her here.”

  The cold, stark and dictating voice of Peter Ray. It had an ascendency tone that made the hairs stand on the back of your neck. Almost the same affect that the head teacher at Jane’s old senior school used to be able to do whenever he called her name out for running in the corridors or using the short cut past his office that you wasn’t allowed to.

  Charlene grabbed and twisted Jane’s arm to make her follow.

  “Ooh tight grip man hands.”

  Jane wrenched her arm away and out of Charlene’s grasp as the slight insult that Jane had thrown washed over in rage on Charlene’s face.

  “I gatecrashed this party remember, I want to be here, no need to man handle me.”

  With that Jane sashed off after the trail of Peter Ray’s voice hoping she was going to get her first glimpse of Perry and Frank so she could assess the situation. Treading her way carefully up the rickety set of stairs that were almost swaying in the breeze that was flowing through the wrecked house Jane made it to the second tier of the house. Jane precariously entered into the nearest room, which had the door open with a faint light glowing from it. Where had Peter Ray gone? Jane did not get to ans
wer her own question before she heard a creak of a floorboard behind her. As she swirled round to see who it was she was cracked round the head with what she thought was a board and everything started to go black. Jane hadn’t quite lost consciousness when she heard the muffled voices of people she couldn’t make out arguing and the sound of a muffled cry of indignation. As Jane tried to lift her head to see whom it was she spotted Perry, tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth and blood dripping from an open wound on his head wild eyed with fear as Jane lay sprawled in her half conscious state on the floor. Frank was in an even worse state also tied to a chair but he was fully unconscious with blood dripping from his left arm. Jane tried to look closer and thought she saw that several fingers were missing but her head was pounding too hard and her eyes were too blurry. Jane tried to crawl to her feet, to speak, to send out her call for help but it was too much. Jane collapsed back to the floor she was out.

  *

  Meanwhile outside the impatience level was rising in the rest of the team. Eric had gotten fed up of listening to the house waiting for some noise of Jane or Perry. Waiting for Jane’s call sign to say come in and help. Jane had been in there nearly half an hour. Other than her initial taunts to Charlene to get their attention Jane had not been heard. Once again their had been some muffled arguing between two voices and a loud thud but nothing. Joanne was still listening intently as the rest of the team and Perry’s men paced.

  “She shouldn’t have taunted Charlene like that. Were getting nowhere. Jane could be hurt in there, Perry could be dead and they might not even have Frank. But were never know because we are stuck out here waiting. This was a bad plan from the start.”

  “Ian calm down, you’re frustrated and we get that. This was the Detective’s plan. She needed to taunt Charlene you know that. Everything is fine I’m sure. They may well be in part of the house that this technology that Joanne is using just cant hear as well. But the Detective is smart; she will work that out and move till we can. We just have to trust her.”

  “Ok Superintendent I don’t’ want to seem like I’m butting in or bossing you around, heck I’m not even a cop. But can we make a back up plan at least.”

  “Ok what are you suggesting?”

  “If we have no sign of Jane or anyone within the next fifteen minutes we move.”

  “Ok fifteen minutes it is. But we go in quiet. We don’t let them know we are there until the time is right and we have a clear view of the situation.”

  “Deal.”

  All the team was in agreement but this was going to be the longest fifteen minutes of both Jane and the team’s life.

  *

  Jane had no idea how much time had passed but she didn’t think it could have been long. Her team outside hadn’t heard a peep from her. They were probably getting anxious and may have already made their way into the building. Jane just had to pass time. Jane was abashed to find herself tied to her own chair. But also confused. Standing in the room was not only Peter Ray and Charlene but also another man, the one that must have knocked her around the head before she got a clear sight of him. But this man Jane knew but she could not comprehend why he was here.

  “Detective Gregory Brown my old boss, why are you here?”

  “Because I’m no longer a Detective, because this case, the one where you shot Edward in this very house. It made you this case but it ruined me. And now alongside Charlene I am going to ruin you.”

  Jane’s whole world was spinning again and it wasn’t because of the blow to the head. A man that she had once looked up to, the best Detective she had ever known. The reason she had pushed so hard to become a Detective herself was now standing before her a broken man and a part in all this mess.

  Chapter 18

  Jane was dumbfounded and speechless. She could not say or do anything. Annoyingly and at completely the wrong time tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes out of anger, confusion and disbelief and out of sheer frustration at the now even more complicated situation.

  “Oh Jane what’s wrong my dear why so sad?”

  “I’m not sad I’m angry and confused. Why Gregory? You were a fantastic Detective I looked up to you, admired you. This case, this house wasn’t what ruined you, your drinking did and that was almost a year after so don’t give me none of that crap.”

  “I started drinking because of this case, because of what went down in this house. It was a high profile case with so much press coverage. Essex was in uproar. Six women had been brutally raped and beaten. And I was the one taking the fall the one having to deal with all the bad press for it going on so long. And then you come along with your fresh eyes and enthusiasm. You shot him. And then you were the one that got the good press and all the praise and I got swept to the side like I was nothing.”

  “That was the first case we worked there were so many more after that where you still got all the glory. Why are you so pent up on this one?”

  “Because this one changed everything, because you changed everything.”

  “I take it your still an alcoholic because you whine and bitch like everything is everyone else’s fault and the decisions that you made played no part in the events.”

  “Oh so I’m at fault for you shooting Edward. Killing this poor young woman’s only biological family and ruining my career?”

  “You let me go in through the back of the house by myself. You left me. I had no choice.”

  “And look still doing the same. Coming into situations on your own. You haven’t learnt anything. You’re still the same predictable, stupid young girl that I first met. You did it with Thaddeus twice and now here. Well there is no one to save you now we have your precious Perry and we have ruined him haven’t we Peter?”

  “Well I must say it was so easy to do. To spread the doubt, and to sew the seeds of conspiracy within his ranks. We planned it so well. First with Blake. Only you knew he was Eddie’s son and we took him. What a coincidence. Then George we knew you would go after him first so we gave him the story to tell Eddie and the rest of those thugs you sent to beat him. And of course Eddie believed it because of his anger and loss at Blake. We ruined his businesses. The shooting at the casino will have done irreparable damage. The death of his dear mum, Angie sating the anger of Charlene. And now he has even lost you. All it took for you to doubt Perry was then the kidnap of Frank here and a little help from Bill Rogers.”

  “You haven’t convinced me I’m still your sweet little skirt Perry.”

  That was it Jane had sent up her flare. She just hoped they were still listening and were coming. Jane didn’t know how she was going to get out of this one. Perry seemed broken after listening to everything that Charlene and Peter Ray had done to destroy him. Even Jane’s comment that she was still his hadn’t seemed to lift his spirit. Frank was still unconscious and both Charlene and Gregory were looking more and more impatient.

  “Boss can I kill him now?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What are we waiting for? He knows now he is broken, he is ruined he has lost everything and he knows it.”

  “I want to hear him beg. Then and only then can we kill him and you can show her what it is like to lose everything. When she has felt it then Gregory can have his reward.”

  “And what exactly is his reward?”

  “YOU ARE. I want you. I am going to reenact everything that Edward did to his victims as that case has haunted me for all of these years and then I am going to leave you for dead. Lets see how you like it after everything its how you left me and my career. Dead and out in the cold.”

  “Wow the self pity you have is astounding. You know unlike you who only seem to be wrapped up in what that case did to you. I still talk to some of the victims do you remember them? I spoke to Kathy the other day; she is married now with three kids. She works in victim support, she has grown from what happened to her and created a loving happy life. Ann she is teacher now. Beth is a police officer; Maggie is also married with two kids and is stays at home mum. Lyn
n is a personal assistant in a banking firm up London and Liv moved to Australia with her family. All six of Edward Torrens victims they all survived and moved on with their lives. They recovered, have families, have children, and have successful careers. And you, you sad, pathetic old man you felt the loss of not being the hero so much you let it dent your pride and your ego until you drowned your sorrows in the bottle of cheap whiskey you still smell like. Your right you are nothing.”

  “How dare you. How dare you insult me as being self-pitying and self absorbed. I made you who you are.”

  “No you are not the bloke I thought you were. That man that I looked up to died with that case obviously. I made me and I have continued to grow.”

  Out of the corner of her eye Jane spotted some movement her cavalry had arrived. Jane chanced a glance and found Ian giving her the wink, as they were about to blow this party out of the water.