Unseen Evil

by Liz Mistry

  Pulling his bandana from his hair and retying it, Gus continued. ‘I know this is a lot of pressure for you, with this ongoing investigation… truth is, Comps, you’re the best we’ve got and I know that you’ll catch anything that goes out there. I want this cut off at source.’

  Taffy, voice hesitant, glanced at Gus. ‘Maybe it’s just bluster. Maybe it’s an empty threat. Whoever took that photo didn’t say they had more.’

  Alice snorted. ‘You know, Taffy. The first lesson you should have learned as a copper is this. Imagine the vilest thing you can and then…’ her eyes clouded, ‘expect it to be even worse.’

  Her words had come out sharp and Gus recognised the momentary darkness in her eyes for what it was… despair. She looked up at him and just as quickly it was gone. Gus made a mental note to keep an eye on her. He didn’t want Alice going under and he was certain that despite her cockiness, she wasn’t as strong as she made out. He’d heard her pacing in her room the previous night. No, Alice was far from begin as ‘sorted’ as she made out.

  In the middle of working his magic at the computer, Compo stopped and looked straight at Gus. ‘You’ve alerted Patti, haven’t you, boss?’

  Shit! He hadn’t spoken to Patti. Partly because he’d not had time, but being honest with himself, it was mainly avoidance. He didn’t want to bring something so tawdry into their lives, but Compo was right. He didn’t really have much of a choice. As soon as the briefing was over, he’d speak to her. ‘I’ll deal with that in a bit, but for now, let’s focus on this investigation. We’ve got a murdered boy and no clue who did it. Taffy, you can bring Alice up to speed, Compo, any news on retrieving the Snapchat message?’

  For a second, the lad looked stricken and then he pressed a button and a headshot of Pratab Patel lying on the ground, a knife sticking out of his neck and blood pooling under him, filled the screen. ‘In the end, I didn’t need to. This image hit the Internet not five minutes ago.’

  The four of them looked at the image for a few seconds in stunned silence and then Gus yelled, ‘Get that down asap. Don’t care who you have to sell – but I want that image off the Internet right now. Taffy, contact the Patel’s FLO and alert her. Compo, can you trace it?’

  Fuck, he’d been worried about a few snaps of him and Patti being posted on some online platform, but this was infinitely worse. He only hoped it came down before the Patels saw it.

  Compo shrugged, his fingers speeding over keys, his gaze flicking from one screen to another. ‘I can try, but you know what it’s like – it’s already been bounced round the world from server to server. Whoever uploaded that had enough knowledge to hide their identity. I’ll extend my alerts to make sure if anything else comes up we’ll know right away.’

  Gus turned to Alice. ‘Baptism of fire for you, Al. You up for it?’

  Her smile may have lacked her usual buoyancy, but she nodded, resolute. ‘I was ready before, but that’s just fired me up. I’m on it. Come on, Taffy, update me so I can be useful.’

  After a perfunctory knock on the door, a familiar figure entered. ‘Ah, DS Cooper. So pleased you’re back. Last thing I wanted was to work with this one without you as a buffer.’ Professor Sebastian Carlton glared at Gus from over the top of his specs which, today, sported a Barbie plaster across the nose bridge to hold them together.

  Brilliant! Nancy had come through for him. Gus looked forward to hearing what the professor had to say about this case and, about his anonymous letter writer/stalker. True to form Carlton was straight over, at the screen, his nose, slightly peeling and a little red, twitched as he looked at the image. ‘And this is?’

  Gus explained about the Snapchat message Haider had received from the dead boy’s phone and how this had just been posted.

  Carlton listened attentively, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet like some kid’s wobbly toy. ‘I’ll need to see the crime scene photos. Compo, can you compare them to see how much the lad’s position was moved? This is interesting, very interesting.’

  Gus itched to ask if it was interesting enough to have brought the professor in on a professional basis, or just ‘interesting’.

  As if he sensed Gus’ question, Carlton turned to him. ‘You’ll need me for this one, Gus. No doubt about it, this killer, or killers, are just getting started. The positioning of the body, the Snapchat, the posting the images online – all of it smacks of look at me. Shame really, that the media’s added kudos to the killing with their stupid moniker. It’ll only egg the killer on and of course make the public bay for blood.’ He clapped his hands together and looked at Gus. ‘Now, I’ve told Nancy, I’ll waive my fee on one condition.’

  Gus waited. Carlton was unpredictable at the best of times and he dreaded to hear what ‘condition’ Nancy had signed him up for.

  ‘Doughnuts… Krispy Kreme ones, mind… none of those cheapo six for a quid from Tesco, eh?’

  Gus would happily fork out for the cost of a few doughnuts if it gave them some insight into these killers. He nodded to Taffy who rushed off to get someone to go for them. They both knew they’d get little sense from Carlton until he had his doughnuts. It was purely an affectation from his doughnut eating FBI days, but Gus was happy to go with it.

  Walking over to an empty desk, the professor, his neon orange T-shirt riding up revealing a portly belly, sat down. Gus, reeling from the brightness of the T-shirt over the equally neon lime green budgie-snuggling Lycra cycling shorts, averted his eyes. It wouldn’t be half as bad if he thought for one moment that Sebastian Carlton had cycled to The Fort. Truth was, Carlton seemed to have a clashing-of-neon-colours fetish, which Gus was prepared to overlook on account of his ability to offer insights that might otherwise be missed. A sideways glance at Alice told him she was barely suppressing her laughter, while Compo’s, ‘Wow, love your T-shirt, Prof. where’d you get that?’ had him wondering if the lad lived on planet earth.

  Please don’t let Compo gain access to replicas of those T-shirts. Gus had forgotten his computer geek and the professor had forged an unlikely friendship in previous cases. He hoped that alliance wouldn’t extend to swopping wardrobe tips.

  CHAPTER 41

  I t was after lunchtime before the images of Gus and Patti hit the Internet. Compo’s, ‘Shit, they’re there. Don’t worry, Gus, I’ll get them down asap,’ momentarily confused Gus.

  He’d got involved in scouring interviews and reports for some glimmer of a clue into who could have killed Pratab Patel and had completely forgotten about the anonymous letter with its threatening photo. He’d shown them to Sebastian Carlton, who agreed that their tone and the fact that two had been delivered in such a short space of time combined with the added implied threat of photographing Gus in the privacy of his own home, was an escalation that would, more than likely, result in violence. Gus had cleared it with DCS Bashir to have an officer attached to Patti, until such time as they caught the letter sender.

  Carlton wouldn’t be pinned down on who would be on the receiving end of the violence, should it arise. ‘It all depends on how things pan out. If they decide to punish you, it might be Patti… or your dog that they target. On the other hand, depending on their perceptions, they may turn on you. You need to be just as vigilant as Patti… oh, and I’d make sure your parents are vigilant too.’

  That was all the hint Gus needed to get himself on the phone to his dad, telling him to be extra careful. He was relieved that his parents had such extensive security. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to them.

  Pushing himself to his feet, Gus took a moment to register the images that Compo had routed to the main screen. The screen split into eight sections, each of which had an image of Gus and Patti being intimate in his bedroom. He couldn’t drag his eyes away even as he snarled at Compo. ‘Get them down.’ It was at that point that he realised he hadn’t actually contacted Patti. He’d got distracted and it had just slipped his mind. Fuck, fuck, fucking, fuck, shit, crap. She’d be livid. What the hell had he
been thinking? Contacting Patti should have been his priority. What was wrong with him? Did he have some sort of masochistic desire to be dumped?

  Compo, flustered, fumbling with his keyboard, typing furiously, and muttering under his breath, struggled to do so. In under a minute, the images were removed from the screen, but as Gus turned around, he saw that Carlton, Taffy, and Alice had all seen them. His face went hot, and a streak of cold flashed up his spine.

  His colleagues averted their eyes and continued working, but Gus knew they’d seen him at his most vulnerable… his most intimate and he hated the person who’d exposed him.

  ‘Where are they, Compo?’

  Compo continued working, his eyes darting across his screen as he spoke. ‘They’re everywhere. Fucking everywhere. Soon as I get them down from one site, they pop up elsewhere.’ Gus strode over until he could see Compo’s work.

  ‘They’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram… they’re being shared faster than I can stop them. Patti’s school Twitter and Facebook accounts have been tagged. The Fort’s been tagged and West Yorkshire Police and Visit Bradford.’

  Gus’ phone rang. Patti. He answered, aware that he was breathing heavily. ‘You’ve seen them? Compo’s on it, Patti. He’ll get them down.’

  Gus walked over to the corner which afforded a semblance of privacy and back to the room, fingers dragging through his dreads, he asked, ‘Are you okay?’

  Patti’s words came out slow and precise. ‘What do you think? The kids are sharing it. My pupils have seen this, Gus… how can I run a school when the pupils have seen me having sex? My career is shot to pieces.’

  Her voice cracked and Gus could tell she was narrowly holding it together. This wasn’t like Patti. He’d never heard her so defenceless before. ‘I’m coming! Wait there. I’m coming.’

  Her reply was colder than a glacier. ‘Don’t you dare come anywhere near my school. You’ve done enough damage. Stay away from me… just stay away.’

  ‘Patti… wait…’

  But she’d hung up and as Gus slipped his phone back into his pocket, he became aware of the silence in the room. Everyone was looking at him. And as his heart collapsed, he looked back, unable to speak until Compo said, ‘Facebook’s trying their best. They’re trying to remove them.’

  Inhaling deeply, he tossed his phone on his desk and shoved his hands in his pockets. Maybe that would stop the shaking. He strode over and positioned himself behind Compo, watching in fascination as, before his eyes, the images of him and Patti were liked and shared. One hundred shares… one hundred and twenty, one hundred and fifty…

  Ping!

  Ping!

  Ping!

  LMAO, Ms Copley screwing that hot copper :)

  Got some tits on her has Ms Copley. Wouldn’t mind a bit of that!

  So, this was the power of social media? Gus, unable to watch any more, turned and walked out.

  CHAPTER 42

  Zodiac

  P issing myself laughing. It was better than I thought it would be. I deliberately waited until lunchtime so the kids in school would have their phones on and see it. It was all scheduled ready to go at the press of a button. Can’t believe how many shares on Facebook. Over eight hundred. It’s brilliant.

  Patti Copley’s racked, in’t she?

  Watch the tits on her, eh?:-)

  Wouldn’t mind a go with Mr Hot… Well fit for an old geezer!

  He’s dad fit, he is. Bit of a DILF

  Wonder if he cuffs her up.

  All afternoon the images were posted on FB and Twitter and Snapchat. They might have brought the photos down but loads of kids screenshot them and they’re still doing the rounds.

  Just a nice little distraction for DI McGuire, before things hot up even more.

  I hang about outside school until home time. Should’ve seen her face as she came out to her car. All the kids were sniggering, and she couldn’t do a damn thing. She’s got herself a policeman following her. Doesn’t matter to me. I couldn’t care less… who says it’s her I’m after?

  Time to head home for a bit of distraction. All that stuff’s made me well horny.

  CHAPTER 43

  B y the time it got to seven o’clock, Gus knew he could put it off no longer. He’d told Katie he’d turn up for tea and, with no more leads on the case, there were no excuses left. The fact that they hadn’t wanted Patti around pissed him off big time. Although, with the images of the pair of them having sex all over social media, she wouldn’t have come, anyway. He fleetingly wondered if Katie and Gabriella would have seen it… or his dad… or mum? He reckoned not. It wasn’t like any of them would be following Patti’s school Facebook or Twitter accounts and anyway, his dad could barely use WhatsApp, never mind anything else.

  The Facebook shares had come to well over eight hundred by the time the company had managed to shut them down and Patti was still not answering his calls. He wondered if she ever would, or if his stalker had driven too wide a wedge between them.

  He’d been subject to some juvenile grins and smart-ass comments from colleagues, but Patti was the head teacher of a secondary school. Where Gus could brush it off and ignore it, Patti was in a very different position. Her ability to command respect from her pupils was paramount… who knows if she could get that back? Who knows how the parents would react? Who knew how the kids would be with her? It was crap. It was especially crap because, he suspected, that had it been a male head teacher, reactions would be very different.

  Obviously, that smarmy arse Jez Hopkins had tried to get in on the act, phoning up for a comment. Tosser! It had taken all Gus’ self-control to drop the receiver without giving him a comment. What with the Snapchat Killer and now this, that little turd would be creaming his pants. He was surprised the idiot wasn’t stationed outside The Fort when he left. Of course, Patti was prettier than he was.

  As he crossed the road from The Fort to Lister Mills, where his sister and Gabriella lived, he felt at a disadvantage. Two against one – typical Gabriella bullying tactics. While Katie could be manipulative, Gabriella was normally brutally blunt to the point of cruel. This was not an evening to look forward to. On the plus side, his parents would be pleased that he’d at least made the effort to smooth over their differences. It was that ‘we’ve got something to ask you’ of Katie’s that niggled him though.

  He got into the elevator wishing with every fibre in his body that he could just go home and share a drink with Alice, but no, he had to suffer Gabriella’s half-hearted attempts at a reconciliation because his sister felt bad. As the elevator pinged open, Gus realised he hadn’t brought wine. Tough shit! He was investigating a murder, if they wanted wine then they’d have to open one of their own bottles.

  Straightening his spine, he reached out a hand, and pressed the doorbell. From inside he could hear voices and, wishing he was anywhere but here, he pasted on a smile as Katie opened the door. She stepped back, revealing Gabriella standing just behind her… his smile faded. ‘Hi.’ He nodded at his sister and then, keeping his gaze slightly to the right of his ex-wife’s shoulder, he repeated the nod.

  ‘No wine, I see?’ Gabriella’s voice was like cut glass and Gus’ head jerked up his gaze spearing her.

  Before Katie could respond he said, ‘No. Didn’t think it was a priority in light of the dead boy who’s murder I’m investigating.’

  Gabriella’s chin lifted and she opened her mouth. Before she could speak, Katie ushered Gus past the shelving unit in the hallway that housed a cloying lit scented candle and led him into the kitchen where a small table was set for three people.

  Gus sat down without being asked and waited while Katie pottered about pouring wine and bringing the pasta bake onto the table. Her body seemed tense, and her face looked strained, like she was barely holding it together. She was on water, so things must be serious. Seemingly aware of his scrutiny, she smiled at him and handed him a full plate, before doling out one for herself and Gabriella.

  Well this was nice! Wit
h conversation at a minimum, Gus wished he could just eat and go. This was going to be a disaster. What had Katie been thinking? Gabriella could barely look at him and he could think of nothing to say. Gabriella, not for the first time, had behaved appallingly, blaming him for her brother’s death, although in fact, it was her brother who had been responsible for the deaths of many people. Though Gus wasn’t one to bear grudges, he had no desire to have her in his life. Of course, there was the tricky fact that Gabriella was living with his sister… that made the idea of never having to interact with her again impossible. With that in mind, he raised his wine glass.

  ‘Here’s to the future, leaving the past behind us and moving on.’

  With a nervous smile at her partner, Katie raised her glass, water he noticed, while Gabriella hesitated. ‘Gaby,’ Katie’s tone was pleading, and Gus had the desire to tip his wine over his ex-wife’s head. How dare she make Katie feel like this, especially when he was trying so hard? Finally, Gaby lifted her glass a few inches off the table and tipped it in Gus’ direction.

  Katie shook her head and glared at Gaby, who lifted her glass higher and said, ‘Moving on.’ In a tone that left no doubt of her sincerity.

  They ate in near silence, Katie trying to keep the conversation going, but failing to hold a conversational ball between the three of them.

  At last, Gus placed his fork over his half-eaten food. ‘Look, I really need to get back – you know, active investigation and all that?’

  Katie wiped her mouth with a napkin. ‘Before you go, Gabriella and I want to speak to you. About something very important to us.’

  A flicker of a smile passed over her lips as she linked her fingers through Gaby’s. Gus swallowed his sigh. He’d suspected this was coming and he could just about stand to go to their wedding. Might be a bit odd – his ex-wife marrying his sister, but he’d cope. It would only be one day after all, and he wouldn’t have to do much. He began to smile, congratulations forming on the tip of his tongue…