The morning passed and it was almost lunch time before she made her decision. She’d been thinking about it all morning. Once she’d fed Rusty, she picked up her phone and dialled the number she’d memorised from earlier.
After several rings, it was answered.
‘Hi, my name is Linda Fallows. I’m wondering if I can speak to one of the lead detectives who is dealing with the recent murders in Darlington?’
‘Hold on,’ the operator said, ‘I’ll put you through.’
‘Thanks.’ Fallows waited half a minute before she heard a firm voice.
‘Hi. This is Detective Inspector Max Byrd of Durham Constabulary. Who is calling?’
‘My name is Linda Fallows. I’m a retired criminal psychologist.’
‘How can I help you, Mrs Fallows?’
‘You can’t,’ she said. ‘But I have a very good feeling I can help you.’
35
Monday Evening
Darlington
Lisa Felon and Sarah McKay were cuddled together on the dark, cold floor. They had got over the fact they wouldn’t see Lorraine again. It had been four days since she’d been there. Four horrendous days that, without any awareness of the time or light inside the dark space, had felt like weeks. They had tried to keep count of the days. At times, it was all they could think about, but they’d given up. They were tired, dirty, and hungry. They still didn’t know how they’d got there and had stopped trying to work it out. One minute, they were getting into a minibus to take them to a party, the next, they woke up in this dark room without the ability to see or even begin to understand the situation they were in.
After two of them had vanished, their confusion worsened, understanding less about what was happening.
Watching them through the one-way mirror high up on the wall, were the two men responsible for putting them there. Mitch and Brad.
‘They’ve given up, haven’t they?’ Brad said, standing at the window, peering down on them.
‘What do you expect, Brad?’ replied Mitch. ‘If I was in there, I’d have given up too.’
Brad shrugged, turned, made his way back over to the desk where the computer screens were positioned, and sat down on the empty chair. ‘Who are they wanting next?’
Mitch, watching the computer monitor, said, ‘Votes are really close so far. See what it’s like on Thursday.’
‘I think we should mix this up a little,’ suggested Brad.
‘How?’ Mitch swivelled on his chair, smiling, curious about what he had to say. ‘What ideas do you have?’
‘Nothing yet, but people will start to get bored if we keep things the same. We need to mix it up every so often. Maybe throw in a curveball of some sort. It’ll get them all excited, won’t it?’
‘I’ll think about it,’ considered Mitch.
Both men focused on the screen for a while, looking at the various profiles. A message popped up in the lower right-hand corner.
‘Ooo is that another one?’ asked Brad, recognising the notification sound.
‘Looks like it. We need to keep it quiet. It can’t grow too quickly. I’d love it to, but it will attract too much attention.’
Reluctantly, Brad nodded his head.
‘We’ll put them on the reserve list for the next lot. There’s so many to choose from.’ Mitch smiled widely. ‘We’ll pick a selection when the time is right.’
‘Sounds good,’ agreed Brad. A moment later, he said, ‘Hey, I was thinking.’
‘Yeah?’
‘You don’t think what happened to Danny Walters and Jane Ericson had anything to do with this, do you?’
Mitch frowned at him. ‘How could it? This is untraceable. Trust me. No one will get beyond the firewall. Have you seen the film Inception?’
Brad squinted, wondering where he was going with it. ‘I have…’
‘It’s like that. A dream within a dream within a dream. This site’—he jabbed a finger toward the computer screens—‘is like that. Even the best IT wizards won’t find it.’ Mitch’s eyebrows shot up. ‘They’re paying through bitcoin. Trust me, it’s untraceable.’
Brad nodded, absorbing Mitch’s words. ‘How does the bitcoin work?’
Mitch waved it away. ‘You don’t need to worry about a thing. It’s a safer way of doing things, Brad.’
Brad wasn’t sure but nodded again. He pointed to the screen. ‘How’s it looking?’
‘The vote’s tilted. They want Sarah now.’
Brad grinned. ‘How many votes is that so far?’
‘Three hundred and six.’
Brad smiled wider. ‘We’re doing well.’ He stood up, went over to the window again. ‘Seeing as Danny and Jane aren’t going to be joining us anymore, are we going to let two more players in?’
‘We are. I’m checking their profiles now. I’ll pick two of the voters later. But for now, I need to go to work. How long are you staying?’
Brad looked down at his watch. ‘Not long, the missus will be expecting me soon. By the way, have the three remaining players voted?’
‘Two have. The other is online but they haven’t decided yet.’
Standing up, Mitch yawned and stretched. ‘Can’t be bothered with work tonight. When you leave, turn off the lights, and lock up. Leave this system on. Might be good to keep playing the video from Friday. It’ll keep them entertained.’
Brad nodded. It made sense. ‘We’ll need some more, won’t we?’
‘We will. Look around town on Saturday night. With a little persuasion and charm, you’ll be able to pick up a few drunks in town that would be happy to go to a house party.’
‘You got it, boss. See you tomorrow.’
An hour passed. Brad was still there, watching the women down on the floor through the glass. Through the microphones they’d positioned in the room, he could hear their tired, exhausted whispers.
He moved over to the left, stepping around the desk, and, reaching for the valve fixed to the wall, he opened it. Through the vents positioned in several locations around the dark room, gas silently filled it, and after three minutes he turned off the valve, grabbed the plate of food they’d prepared earlier, opened the door, went down the dark steps, and along the corridor. He picked up the mask from the floor and put it on. Then, using the key from his pocket, he opened the door and picked up the tray of food. The light from the hallway illuminated their peaceful faces; it would have been a pleasant sight if not for the rancid smell of urine and faeces hitting his nose. He gently placed the tray of food on the floor near them, and left, locking the door on his way out.
36
Tuesday Morning
Police Station
After Tanzy and Byrd had been into DCI Fuller’s office to give an update on current investigations, it was safe to say he was less than impressed with how things were going. He barely spoke a word. Instead, he listened to them explaining the four women were still missing and forensics hadn’t found anything further at the house fire they didn’t already know.
The only links between the two murders was the posted videos to the internet and the name Roger Carlton, who they knew to be Mackenzie Dilton.
‘Have we found Dilton yet?’ Fuller asked, his tone flat.
Byrd shook his head. ‘We’ve searched and searched. His picture is with the media. His last known employment was working for the IT firm up in Newcastle.’
Fuller sighed, leaned back. He was wearing a thin black jumper, something that fitted him better when he was a little slimmer, the bottom of his stomach appearing over the edge of the desk.
‘So, we aren’t doing very well, are we?’ Fuller raised his hands to his face and rubbed hard.
‘But, we may have something that can help us,’ said Byrd.
‘That so?’ Fuller seemed sceptical.
‘I spoke with someone yesterday. A woman called Linda Fallows. She’s from Essex. A retired criminal psychologist. Seems to think she can help us with the investigation regarding Mackenzie Dilton and the videos posted
to the internet.’
Fuller frowned, and for a moment, said nothing.
‘What is it, sir?’
‘I’m sure I’ve heard that name before,’ Fuller said. He leaned to his left and wiggled his computer mouse. The screen came to life, and using the internet search bar, he typed in her name, clicked ENTER. ‘Yes, I thought the name was familiar.’
‘Who is she?’ enquired Tanzy, finding a sudden interest.
‘She received an award a few years by the chief constable for her hard work and diligent efforts in finding a missing victim. The killer had confessed to her whereabouts, and the girl was saved.’
Byrd and Tanzy nodded their approval.
‘And she thinks she can help us track our guy down?’
‘That’s what she says.’
‘Are you going to send her some information about our current findings, see what she comes up with?’
‘Better than that, she said she’s coming up.’
Fuller seemed surprised. ‘From Essex?’
Byrd nodded. ‘Told me she’d be here sometime this morning.’
Fuller smiled thinly, feeling a trace of hope inside. ‘Good. That’s good. Hopefully, we can make some progress with—'
There was a knock on the door.
Fuller said, ‘Come in.’
PC Amy Weaver entered. ‘Sir, there’s a Linda Fallows here to see you, Max.’
Wasting no time, Byrd, Tanzy, and Fuller stood and went through to the office to find a very slender woman with long, well-kept blonde hair, who Byrd assumed, to be in her fifties. Despite the warmth of the morning and it being summer, she was wearing a long brown cardigan that went down to her knees, black jeans, and high brown boots. She had a very attractive, thin face, with prominent features: high cheekbones, and a thin nose that sat below bright blue eyes.
Byrd extended a hand. ‘I’m Detective Inspector Max Byrd.’ Immediately, even though she was older, he found her attractive. She had something about her; charisma and confidence that Byrd assumed had stemmed from her years as a criminal psychologist before she retired.
‘It’s nice to meet you, Detective Byrd. I am Linda Fallows.’
Fallows then shook Tanzy’s hand, then Fuller’s, who both introduced themselves with the professional courtesy when addressing someone in the force you didn’t know.
There was an uncomfortable silence, then Fuller checked the time on his wrist, and said, ‘I have a meeting I need to attend to. I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of our detective inspectors, Max and Orion.’
‘Thank you, DCI Fuller.’
Even without knowing she was from Essex, her accent was a giveaway.
‘Thank you for coming all this way,’ Byrd said, with a smile. ‘Can I get you a coffee or tea? Water?’
‘Coffee, please. Little milk. No sugar.’
‘Okay.’ Byrd turned to Tanzy. ‘Should we go to meeting room 101? I’ll grab the coffees, meet you in there?’
Tanzy nodded.
Byrd made his way across the office towards the canteen. Tanzy asked Fallows to follow him. As she did, curious eyes from behind desks watched her, noticing her new face.
Once inside room 101, Tanzy motioned to a chair across the desk. Fallows took off her coat, revealing a long-sleeved black t-shirt that enhanced her slim physique, and hung it on the rear of the chair before she sat down. They made small talk, discussing what time she’d arrived in Darlington and where she’d stayed last night. She even told Tanzy about leaving her dog, Rusty, with her next door neighbour.
It wasn’t long before Byrd came back holding a small tray. He placed the three coffees down on the table and asked if she wanted a biscuit. She said she didn’t, which didn’t surprise Byrd, judging by her figure.
‘I’ll waste no time, Detectives. It seems like we don't have much of it,’ she said. ‘Have you heard of the four elements?’
37
Tuesday Morning
Police Station
‘The four elements?’ Tanzy asked, a frown lining his tanned forehead.
Fallows, sitting with one leg over the other, nodded.
‘You mean fire, air, water, and earth?’ said Byrd.
‘That’s right.’
Tanzy glanced to Byrd, feeling like he was missing out on something very important.
‘I’m aware of there being four elements in the world,’ said Byrd. ‘Everything is made up of the four elements. I’m no expert, though.’
Next to Byrd, Tanzy looked lost. ‘You need to tell me what you’re talking about, Max.’
Byrd, without waiting for Fallows to explain, added, ‘It originated from the ancient Greeks, who believed that everything was made up from four elements. Air. Water. Fire. And earth.’
‘That’s right,’ Fallows agreed. ‘But more importantly, this theory had developed in scientific terms and the meaning that it gives to our earth. For example, the air is a gas, water is a liquid, the earth is a solid, and fire is plasma.’
‘The states of matter?’ asked Tanzy, remembering something about it from school over twenty years ago.
‘That’s right. The way the atoms in each object or matter are made up of these four elements. It’s everywhere. Earth could be defined by wood, rocks, metals, and ice. The liquid is water but could be hot lava. The gases are oxygen and nitrogen, which are the main gases we breathe.’
‘What about plasma?’ asked Tanzy before she had the chance to speak, not able to think how plasma fits into it.
‘The plasma, to put simply, could be fire. But on a scientific level, we could think of lightning, solar wind, the sun, neon signs, and fluorescent lighting. These four elements are everywhere.’
Tanzy and Byrd both nodded, but they weren’t sure where this was going. They’d enjoyed the few moments of education but didn’t understand what she was getting at. Fallows could see this on their blank faces.
‘You’re both wondering why I’m telling you all this?’
They nodded in unison.
‘Well, the first victim died in a house fire. The Walters. That’s our first element. The second victim, from reading it correctly, fell from four floors up onto the concrete. She—’
‘So that’s earth?’ Tanzy asked, jumping the gun.
‘I could see how you would think that. Because she hit the ground, which, as we know, is solid. But reading the report, she was gassed inside the lift beforehand, wasn’t she? That’s what knocked her unconscious to begin with?’
Byrd frowned, glancing at Tanzy for a moment, then back to her.
‘How do you know that?’
‘Because I read the report, Detective.’
‘How did you read the report?’ Byrd exchanged a look of confusion with Tanzy. ‘Our reports are only for us to see, no other forces.’
‘I asked someone to request it.’
Byrd leaned back a little. ‘Who?’
‘A friend of mine.’
‘I thought you were retired?’
‘I am,’ she admitted. ‘But I still have friends in Essex.’
‘Why did you feel the need to access the report. This, as you know, happened in Darlington. What interest would you, or anyone else from the Essex police department have to request the report?’ Byrd’s tone had turned sour after learning what she’d done, now unsure of her motives.
She held up her palms. ‘Listen, I can see how this looks. But rest assured, I’m here to help you.’
They absorbed her words for a moment. ‘On what grounds did you have to request the report?’
‘After seeing both videos on the internet about the fire and the fall, I needed to know if the fall was because of the earth, which in that situation, was our solid element. As it turned, out the victim was gassed out in the lift beforehand, so I’m assuming it’s the air element.’
Byrd didn’t reply straight away. All he could think of is who from Durham Constabulary had authorised the report for Essex police to get a hold of it.
‘What are you saying, Mrs F
allows?’
She looked at Byrd. ‘Please, call me Linda. Mrs Fallows seems too formal for someone who speaks the way I do.’
She had a point.
‘What are you saying, Linda?’
‘I’m saying that’s two of the elements down. There are two to go. Water and Earth.’
‘Why do you think that? Surely, if what you’re saying is true, that everything links to the four elements, is it possible you’re trying to make it fit when in reality, it doesn’t? Maybe you’re just trying to fill in your retirement time with something to do?’
Tanzy craned his neck to Byrd, knowing it wasn’t a nice thing to say. He could tell his words had upset her a little.
‘Well, Detective Byrd...’ She hung her head for a moment, then lifted her gaze to meet his. ‘I would agree with you. And I don’t blame you for thinking that. I would think the same if I was you.’
‘But?’ asked Byrd, knowing there was more. Two hundred and fifty miles was a long way to travel for nothing.
‘Because, Mr Byrd, when I watched the videos, I knew,’ she said.
‘Why?’
‘Because I’ve seen this happen before. And I’m not letting the sonofabitch get away with it again. Not this time.’
‘What happened?’ asked Tanzy.
‘Let me start from the beginning,’ she replied.
38
Tuesday Morning
Darlington
Rachel Hammond hadn’t been awake long. She’d finished at three in the morning and once she’d got home, she’d taken a quick shower, then went straight to bed. Her shifts at the factory were unusual. On a week-to-week, zero-hour contract, it was the manager who decided what shifts she was given. If the orders weren’t very high and he didn’t need a full shift in, he’d tell her not to turn up. The only problem with that was if she didn’t work she didn’t get paid; it wasn’t the end of the world because of the inheritance that her grandfather had left her. Plus, she had other things to do. Going out. Partying with her friends.
She went downstairs and saw a leaflet on the doormat. It was unusual because the post didn’t normally arrive until the afternoon, so she assumed it was a pointless leaflet, someone trying to offer another pointless service. She picked it up and made her way down the narrow hall, through the dining room with it in her hand.
No One's Safe: DI Max Byrd & DI Orion Tanzy book 3 Page 12