Taste of Fury

by M A Comley

  “If you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Again, I can’t really leave the bar until Tracey shows up.” At that moment, a young woman wearing ripped jeans and a tight T-shirt stretched across her ample breasts entered the bar. “Ah, here’s my right-hand woman now.”

  “I wondered why my ears were burning. Talking about me as usual, are you, Stuart?”

  “Not in the way you think, love. I’ve had some devastating news about Jason. These ladies are coppers, they’d like to have a word with you.”

  Tracey walked behind the bar, placed her handbag under the counter and stood alongside Stuart. “What are you going on about? What news?”

  Katy cleared her throat. “Was Jason here last night?”

  Tracey shrugged. “He’s always here. Why? What’s happened to him? Come on, Stuart, I’m getting worried now.”

  Katy pushed ahead, not giving Stuart the chance to respond. “How long was Jason here?”

  “Let me think. Ah, yes, he left earlier than normal with a young lady.”

  “Do you know the lady in question?”

  “Nope, she was a first-timer, not seen her in here before, at all. What did she do? Cut his dick off?” Tracey laughed, her gaze shot between Katy and Charlie, and her laughter died as quickly as it had emerged. “Oh, God, don’t tell me I’m right?”

  “I can neither confirm nor deny your statement.”

  “What?” Stuart asked. “Why the secrecy about this? You’ve told us bugger all and yet you expect us to tell you everything, it works both ways.”

  Katy gave a taut smile. “I’m sorry. It’s what it is, for now. Can you source the camera footage for me please, Stuart?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get on it right away on one proviso.”

  “Go on.” Katy sensed what was coming next.

  “You tell us what happened first.”

  Katy glanced around the bar and leaned over it. “I’m trusting you with this information. He perished in his car. That’s all I’m prepared to say at this point. Please, don’t hold back any information that could help us solve this crime; otherwise, I might think you have an ulterior motive.”

  “Oh, fuck! No, I wouldn’t dream of it. Poor Jason. And you think this woman was behind it?” Stuart asked, raking a hand through his greying hair.

  “It’s a possibility. We won’t know what her involvement is until we track her down and have a chat with her. We can’t do that without the proof of who she is. Which I’m hoping you’ll be able to provide.”

  Stuart turned his back on them and shouted over his shoulder, “Let me get things lined up for you. I’ll give you a shout once I’ve teed everything up.”

  Tracey was standing there shaking her head, bulging tears brimming in her blue eyes. “I’m in shock. I can’t believe what you’re saying. She seemed pretty nice to me. A bit tarty, but nice all the same.”

  “Can you tell us how they met?”

  “Sure, he was sat at one end of the bar and she was at the other. She smiled at him and he wandered down the bar and sat on the stool next to her. He bought her a drink. They were laughing, he’s a terrible one for telling awful jokes, most of them are rude… at least he used to be, sorry, forgot myself there. I can’t believe he’s gone. Sometimes he was a pain in the butt, trying it on with me, I knew he was married though. How’s his wife taken the news or is that a dumb question?”

  “Both she and her daughter are distraught. Going back to this woman, can you describe her at all?”

  “Hmm… let me see. She was a brunette with long hair and her boobs, well, every woman’s envy gene would be on full alert there. Huge they were.”

  “And you’re sure you haven’t seen her in here before?”

  “I never forget a face, I suppose you could say it’s essential in my job. A good customer service, recognising people, I mean, keeps the punters coming back to line Stuart’s pockets.”

  “Were they together long?”

  “Gosh, I can’t say I was clock-watching that much last night because I was kept on my toes most of the time, it was quite busy for a mid-week session. Maybe an hour or so. However, don’t quote me on that.”

  “I see. And they appeared to be getting along all right?”

  “Yes. I caught snippets of their conversation and have to say there was a hell of a lot of flirting going on, from both sides, not just from him.”

  “Did you overhear anything that you think might be useful to our enquiries?”

  Tracey’s head inclined to one side. “Such as what?”

  “Did she mention where she lived, what work she did perhaps?”

  Tracey glanced sideways at the optics beside her and then nodded. “Yes, she mentioned she was a model, at least I think she did.”

  “A model?”

  “I caught the tail end of the conversation. Again, don’t quote me on this, but I’d say she was one of those underwear models. Let’s just say she had the figure for lingerie and leave it there, shall we?”

  “See, now that kind of information could be essential to our investigation.”

  “I hope it is. Jason didn’t deserve to die. I know I’m reading between the lines here, but are you saying you think this woman killed him?”

  “We have no way of knowing that at this stage. If she was the last person to see him then yes, it would make sense to lay the blame at her door. Which is why it’s imperative we find her ASAP.”

  “I get that. Let me chase Stuart up for you. He’s been known to step into his office and get distracted at times.” She left the bar area and returned a few seconds later. “As suspected. Why don’t you come round? I’ll show you through to the office.” She motioned for them to join her at the other end of the bar and held open the door for them to enter. Tracey then showed them to the office.

  “Come in. I’m nearly there. Why don’t you take a seat?”

  Katy and Charlie sat opposite him. He angled the monitor so all three of them could see and pressed play. “That’s Jason there.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll miss him. Interesting chap, always had a take on everything under the sun. Made me think mostly that there are different perspectives to all manner of things in this life.”

  “Sounds like a fascinating character.”

  “Yeah, he kept his customers entertained, that’s for sure, according to what he used to tell me, anyway. I reckon he spent more time chatting than he did working when he showed up at some of his regulars. It’s the old ladies, you see, he had them eating out of his hand. Lonely old biddies, always keen on having a man tend to their needs.”

  Katy frowned at his odd statement. “Are you telling me he used to rip his customers off?”

  “Good Lord, no. He wouldn’t dream of doing that, not in a million years. He cared about his customers, some more than others; he went the extra mile, offered them more than they paid for… like a few hours of pleasurable company. Damn, here I go again, I’m not very good with words and keep putting my bloody size twelves in it. What I’m trying to say is he cared about people, his customers. Had his head screwed on there. Always said if you lend an ear, the older ladies treat you well and you always get repeat business.”

  “Makes perfect sense to me. What about the younger ladies on his customer list?”

  His mouth drooped down at the sides. “I’m not sure he had any, not that he ever spoke about. Ah, here we are, this is the young woman Tracey was on about. Good grief!” His eyes almost popped out of his head.

  Katy glanced at Charlie who appeared to be equally shocked by the woman’s appearance on the screen. “Okay, can you fast forward to where he joins her?”

  Stuart hit the button, but never took his eyes off the screen, appearing to be mesmerised by the young woman. “Crikey, I can see why Jason felt the urge to talk to her. Sorry, maybe that was uncalled for.”

  “What’s not to like? A pretty, well-endowed woman walks into the room, it stands to reason that men would be drawn to her.”

  “And some. Bloody hell, it’s a go
od job my wife’s not here right now. That’s all I can say. I’d be black and blue just for playing the tape.”

  Katy chuckled. “Your wife wouldn’t be a tad insecure, would she?”

  He tapped the side of his nose. “Yep, she is that.” He froze the screen once Jason had joined the young woman. “Want me to continue?”

  “Yes, if you wouldn’t mind.” Katy withdrew her notebook and jotted down the distinguishing features of the woman, noting any wonkiness in her teeth as she smiled, going above and beyond what she would normally do in such cases, trying to satisfy the feeling she had that this woman might possibly go to ground. “And this is where they get up to leave.”

  “Yep. I can switch to the outside cameras if you give me a sec.”

  “Brilliant, thanks.”

  The camera switched from a bright one to one that was lit by the outside lights and the customer car park. “That’s Jason’s Pathfinder over there.”

  They watched the giggling couple hop into the vehicle. Jason, being the gent, opened the door for the woman before he ran around the front of the vehicle to jump behind the steering wheel. Then the car left the area.

  “That’s great. At least, we can place the woman in his car after they left the pub, always a good sign in an investigation.”

  “Do you need a copy?”

  “That would be excellent. We can’t thank you enough. It’ll definitely help, having the footage to hand.”

  He inserted a disc, pressed another button and looked up to ask, “Will you be running one of those appeals on TV?”

  “Possibly. We’ll see how things pan out first.”

  With the task completed, he placed the disc back in its case and handed it to Katy. “My pleasure, I’m always happy to help the police whenever I can.”

  He saw them back through to the bar area. Katy smiled and shook his hand. “It’s much appreciated. Let’s hope we find the woman concerned, and quickly.”

  “I hope you bloody bring her to justice when you do. Poor Jason, he shouldn’t have gone out that way.”

  Katy and Charlie left the pub and returned to the cars. Katy placed the disc on the passenger seat beside her. Charlie leaned on the driver’s door and looked down at her. “And so it begins. Let’s hope we find this bloody woman soon.”

  “What’s her motive?” Charlie asked, her brow furrowed. “Do you think she intentionally went in there to trap a man in her web and do away with him? Or do you reckon Jason was specifically targeted?”

  “Both valid questions that I just don’t have an answer to, as yet. On the positive side, we have an image of her. If we get desperate, we’ll share that with the media, but only as a last resort. I’d rather try and catch her using our detective skills, keep our attempts under the radar for now. The last thing we want to do is give her the heads-up and for her to take off, it’s only going to bloody frustrate us in the long run.”

  “I get that, but where do we start?”

  “We need to see if Patti has found any possible DNA at the crime scene.”

  “Tough one, considering the car was burnt out.”

  “I know. Let the daunting task of the mammoth mission that lies ahead of us begin. See you back at the station. I’ll stop off and pick up something for the gang to eat.”

  En route back to base, Katy stopped off at the baker’s around the corner to buy lunch for the team. They were going to have a long afternoon ahead of them, and it was important for them to keep their strength up; what better way to do that than with a hot pulled pork roll and a sticky iced bun? Sod the calories, needs must at times.

  The team were grateful for the sustenance Katy and Charlie appeared with. They were just tucking into their lunch when DCI Roberts decided to pop his head around her office door.

  “Caught you at a bad time, have I?”

  “A girl has got to eat sometimes. Take a seat, sir, what can I do for you?”

  “I was hoping we could have a brief chat about Charlie.”

  Katy frowned and pushed her lunch aside. She wiped her mouth on a napkin and said, “Something wrong?”

  He waved away her suggestion. “Ever the detective. No, nothing is wrong. I wondered how she was doing since her promotion, that’s all.”

  Katy loved seeing him on the ropes. He looked awkward and shifted in his seat. “In what respect? If you’re asking me whether the power has gone to her head, then no, it hasn’t. Women aren’t like that, it’s the men who are usually keen to exert their authority, in my experience.”

  He squirmed some more and winced. “Ouch! I suppose I asked for that. Maybe we should veer off the subject, I’m sensing you’re super prickly today.”

  Katy sniggered. “Only when you raise a daft subject. Tell me, have you spotted a difference in Charlie since she obtained her promotion?”

  Sean sat back in his chair, steepled his fingers and rested them against his chin. “No, I can’t say I have. Ignore me, I shouldn’t have singled her out.”

  “By that, you mean you haven’t done the rounds checking up on how other sergeants who have recently been promoted have adapted to their new roles?”

  “Ah, you’ve caught me out.”

  Katy refused to let the subject drop, he’d succeeded in getting her back up now, picking on her partner. “Why Charlie? Is it because of who her mother is? I know you two had a history, but come on, Sean, give the girl a break.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “You’re reading more into this than is necessary, Katy, and no, it’s not because she is Lorne Simpkins’ daughter. It’s because I have a genuine interest in her career. I’ve always predicted that she will go a long way, I aim to keep her on course, if it’s possible. Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Nope. Why didn’t you say that in the first place, instead of going all around the houses to get to your point, Sean?”

  He grinned. “That would be because I’m a man and tend to engage my mouth before my brain.”

  Her tension eroded, and Katy finally broke into a smile. “No disrespect intended, but you’re a strange one at times.”

  He cocked an eyebrow, but his eyes sparkled with merriment. “In your professional opinion, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “Tell me what you’re working on?”

  “We’ve spent the morning speaking to the family of a deceased man. He was found early this morning in a burnt-out car. Not pretty, as you can imagine.”

  “Ouch! Any idea what happened?”

  “It was deliberately torched. Patti suspects the man was bound inside his vehicle before it went up in flames.”

  “So he couldn’t have escaped?”

  “About sums it up.” Katy sighed. “Speaking to the wife and daughter, it turns out he was a bit of a sex pest. I think the wife has led a tormented life over the years; he abused their daughter and was violent towards her.”

  “Could either of them be guilty of killing him?”

  “I don’t think so, but I definitely haven’t crossed them off the suspect list, not yet. However, when Charlie and I showed up at the pub he frequented a lot, the barmaid told us that he got talking to, or should I say he was flirting with, a young woman last night and ended up leaving with her. So she has to be our main suspect.”

  “Can you ID the woman?”

  “We’ve got CCTV footage of her. Plus, we have proof that he gave her a lift in his car. So that definitely puts her in the frame for being the last person to be seen with him.”

  “Interesting. Did the barmaid know this woman? Could she put a name to her?”

  “Nope. She told me that Jason had an eye for the ladies. Maybe the woman was aware of that and targeted him intentionally.”

  “As some kind of payback?”

  Katy shrugged. “Who knows? In my experience, it’s rare to find a killer out on the prowl just for the sake of it.”

  “Good point. So you think she was against the type of man he was as opposed to him as a person?”

  “The
honest answer to that is I really don’t know.” She let out a deep sigh. “That’s the huge undertaking we have ahead of us.”

  “Press conference?”

  “Too soon. The last thing I want to do is drive the woman underground.”

  “You think she’s likely to strike again?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine on that one.”

  He rose from his chair. “I’ll let you get back to your lunch. Keep me informed.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do that, as and when I can.”

  He left the office. Katy glanced out of the window at the black clouds up above. She watched the speed they were travelling at, momentarily mesmerised by their intensity and movement. “Hey, this isn’t getting any work done, shake a leg, missus!”

  She returned to her roll, consumed another third of it and threw the rest in the bin. After downing the remains of her lukewarm coffee, she joined the team in the incident room.

  Charlie eyed her with caution. Katy knew what was running through her mind. Her partner was intrigued to know if everything was all right after the chief’s visit. She smiled, putting her partner at ease.

  “Okay, now lunch is out of the way, let’s get down to business.” She turned to bring the whiteboard up to date with the name of the victim. “Jason Davis, married to Jane, daughter Sammy. While the wife and daughter were both upset, I sensed there was some form of relief coming from the wife. He abused their daughter when she was ten. Saying that, Sammy idolised her father. Which must have put a strain on the family unit. He spent a minimum of four nights a week at The Fallow Deer Inn. Charlie and I dropped over there and picked up the CCTV footage from last night. It proved that his attention was drawn to a young woman. I don’t wish to cast aspersions, but you’ll be able to see for yourself what I mean, she’s not your run-of-the-mill type of woman out for a drink. In my opinion, she’s ‘dressed to kill’ some might say, pun intended. Stephen, can you run the disc for me?”

  He inserted the disc into his computer, and the image appeared on the large screen against the far wall.

  “As you can see, they seemed comfortable in each other’s company, so much so that after a while, they left the pub together.” The image changed to outside. “This is the last picture we have of the couple. They drove out of the car park and turned right in the direction of the piece of wasteland where Jason’s body was found, inside his burnt-out vehicle.”