Dark of Mind

by Robin Roughley

'How's the dog?' Bannister asked as he moved to Odette's shoulder.

  'We've just arrived, they've taken her straight through to surgery, looks like a big stitching job to me.'

  'What about Frank?'

  'In bits,' Lasser replied, his voice tense with concern.

  'Did he tell you anything about the attack?' Odette enquired.

  'It was Foster.'

  'Foster!' Bannister barked. 'How the hell do you know that?'

  'Frank said as soon as the guy walked into the shop, he knew there was something wrong with him and…'

  'The clock is ticking, Sergeant, so give us the unabridged version,' Bannister demanded.

  Lasser sighed. 'I was going to give you the unabridged version,' he paused, 'Frank said the guy was wearing a coat with the hood up and fastened tight to his head, around five-eight and skinny with it.'

  'That proves nothing, there are loads of people who would fit that description,' Bannister argued.

  'I know that but not many shout, ''I will, I'll kill him'',' Lasser explained.

  'Is Frank sure about that?' Bannister asked as he ran a hand over his short-cropped hair.

  'He's positive, Frank said he was a raving bloody madman and talking to himself and considering the physical description and the fact that he had his hood up then chances are it was Benny Foster.'

  'OK then, if it is Foster, he can't have got far, the bugger doesn't even drive, and we know he left the park on foot and was also seen walking on the CCTV cameras.'

  'Well, according to Frank, his ankle was badly mauled by Mandy and he went hobbling out onto Broadway bleeding all over the place.'

  Pulling out his phone Bannister, tapped at the screen, his eyes looking back at the blood on the floor of the shop.

  'Who are you ringing?' Odette asked.

  'We need a sniffer dog out here then it can follow the scent,' he explained as he held the phone to his ear and waited for it to be answered.

  'Listen, Odette, I'll just make sure Frank's OK and then I'll head back over there.' Lasser explained.

  'No problem,' she replied, ending the call just as Bannister did the same.

  'Paul Currie is on his way over with his dog, he should be here within the next ten minutes,' Bannister explained before sniffing the air. 'God, those chips smell good,' he said with a sigh.

  'Typical man – led by his stomach,' Odette said with a shake of her head.

  'I can't help being hungry,' he replied with a frown.

  'Needy baby, greedy baby,' she said as she headed towards the door.

  65

  Suzanne listened with a mounting sense of disbelief as Belle told her about the phone call that had taken place between Faith Hinton and her father. They were in the lounge, Belle sitting perched on the edge of the sofa, her hands twisting together in distress.

  'He just wouldn't listen, every time she tried to explain he just shouted her down, and the names he called her were just horrible,' Belle explained.

  'How did he find out about the pregnancy?' Suzanne asked as she held the cup of coffee between her clasped hands.

  'He didn't say, but Faith told us that she had left the pregnancy tester in the bin in the bathroom so she thinks he must have found it in there, which considering the bathroom is en suite is simply wrong. I mean, father or not he should never have even been in her room never mind going through her stuff.'

  Suzanne tried to imagine Alan going into either of the girl's bedrooms to have a nosey about and knew it would never happen, he might at times seem overbearing, but he respected their private space.

  'How is Faith now?' she asked.

  'In bits, Kelly's trying to console her.' Belle slid a lock of black hair behind her ear. 'Her dad kept demanding that she tell him where she was staying, I think he's convinced that she's with some boyfriend. She tried to tell him she wasn't, but he wouldn't listen to a word she said, he called her a whore and said he would find her and make her pay.'

  'Make her pay?' Suzanne said, her own anger starting to surface.

  'He was like a raving madman, but before I came out of the room, Faith was talking of going back home to try and explain things properly.'

  'But you don't think he'd listen, do you?'

  Belle shook her head. 'Not with the way he was behaving, I wouldn't like the thought of her going over there until he calms down.'

  'Well, that may take longer than we think, and time is the one thing Faith doesn't have a lot of.'

  'Her father told her she has to ''abort the bastard'', Belle replied, her eyes still laced with shock at the way John Hinton had reacted towards his daughter's predicament.

  Suzanne felt the anger rise ever higher, her hands closing tighter on the cup. 'I'll have a word with Alan when he gets back, see what he has to say about it all.'

  Belle looked relieved and nodded. 'Thanks, I know he's busy, but I think it's too much for Faith to deal with on her own.'

  'I know Alan can be a bit fiery at times but perhaps he can get Faith's dad to see sense rather than coming out with disgusting comments about his only daughter.'

  'Well, if her dad kicks off then maybe he could lock him up for a few days until he calms down,' Belle said with a nervous smile.

  Suzanne sighed. 'If only life were that simple,' she said as she returned the smile though inside, she felt the concern continue to grow alongside the anger.

  66

  Zero drove along the country lane, the road twisting and turning, the headlights spearing out into the darkness.

  'My ankle hurts,' Foster whimpered in pain.

  Pulling into a small lay-by, Zero leaned over and opened the glove box. 'Take three of these,' he said, dropping the tablets into Foster's open palm.

  'But I can't take them without a drink.'

  Reaching over into the back seat he grabbed a bottle of spring water and unscrewed the lid before handing it over.

  Foster tossed the pills into his mouth and gulped down half of the water. 'Thank you,' he mumbled before wiping the sheen of sweat from his brow.

  'What's your name?'

  'I don't know if I should tell you, he might not like it if I go blabbing without his permission.'

  'The man on the phone?'

  'Yes, the master,' Foster answered as he took another glug from the bottle.

  'How did you damage your ankle?'

  'I can't say,' Foster whispered.

  'Can you do anything without being told what to do?'

  Foster glanced at the man but the shadows inside the car made it difficult to see his features. 'I just don't want to upset him; he gets mad when I do something stupid.'

  The driver's side window slid down slightly letting in the cool evening air. 'I saw you walk into the chip shop and when you came out you were bleeding and limping, I know that whatever happened in there caused the injury, so you might as well tell me, after all I was sent to help you so perhaps the master might be angry when he finds out you were unwilling to talk.'

  Foster thought about what the man was saying and then sighed heavily before taking another drink from the bottle of water.

  'He sent me in there to do a job, an important job.'

  'And did you do it?'

  Foster started to cry again and shook his head, his mouth hanging open, a sliver of drool dangling from his bottom lip. 'I just don't know what to think anymore, I'm so confused with it all.'

  'Did you attack someone in the shop?'

  Eventually Foster nodded his head. 'I didn't mean to, I tried to ask why the man had to die but the master screamed at me, he told me never to ask him questions, he threatened to leave me.'

  Zero's right hand closed tight on the wheel. 'What happened?' he asked.

  'The man had a big dog and it bit me, it had its jaws on me and I screamed and stabbed it and…'

  'You stabbed the man's dog!?'

  Foster nodded, his face hot with pain and shame. 'I had to, I hurt so much and then it let go and I ran from the shop.'

  'And you were sent in
there to kill this man?'

  'Yes,' Foster whispered.

  'Yet you have no idea why?'

  'I was just doing as I was told,' Benny Foster said lamely.

  'What do you know about the man on the phone?'

  'What do you mean?' Foster asked as the confusion continued to clatter through his brain.

  'Do you know his name?'

  'Of course not, he's the master, he tells me nothing.'

  'He told you to kill the man tonight.'

  'I…'

  'What else have you done for him?'

  Foster started to chew his bottom lip, the anxiety mounting. 'I don't want to say.'

  'You killed the man in the park, didn't you?'

  The accusation made Foster cringe back against the door, his mind starting to twist and turn, his world shrinking until all he knew was pain and abject confusion.

  'Please, I didn't mean to, Mr Banks was a nice man, a kind man,' he whispered.

  'And yet you slaughtered him.'

  Benny Foster clapped his hands to the sides of his head, covering his ears in a feeble attempt to block out the voice of the man who sat behind the wheel.

  When he heard the muffled ringtone, he felt his heart stutter and his hands fell back into his lap.

  The man looked at him as he lifted the phone from the holder.

  'Can you guess who is calling?' he asked.

  'The master,' Benny said in reverential tones.

  Zero smiled, his teeth white in the gloom.

  When he hit the reject button, Foster gasped in astonishment. 'You didn't answer,' he said in a voice full of awe.

  'All good things come to those who wait,' Zero replied cryptically.

  67

  'What's the world coming to?' Frank asked, his voice quivering with emotion as they drove away from the vets.

  'I have no idea, Frank, but the good thing is the vet said Mandy will recover, so just try and hold onto that fact.'

  Frank pulled hard on the hand-rolled cigarette, his face set in craggy lines of fury. 'Do you think I should have chased the bastard?' he asked pensively.

  'No way, Mandy needed seeing to and it's our job to catch the prick not yours.'

  'Thanks for getting her there so fast, Lasser, I think I would have lost her if you hadn't got your foot down.'

  'Not a problem,' Lasser replied as he drove through Hindley town centre, slowing down when he came across a group of men staggering down the pavement with three more walking in the road.

  'I used to love this town,' Frank said, glaring balefully at the drunks as Lasser pulled around the men and grabbed another gear. 'People around here never had much but they were the salt of the earth and now you have nowt but chavs and layabouts who would sooner rob you blind than do a day's work.'

  Lasser kept his mouth closed, afraid that he would sound like Bannister if he set off ranting.

  'I mean, you were brought up around here, you know what I'm talking about.'

  'I know, but the truth is it's the same all over, Frank.'

  'This country is fucked,' the chip shop owner spat out the words as he folded his arms.

  Lasser slid the window down and lit a cigarette of his own as he pulled up at the traffic lights. 'And you're sure you'd never seen the attacker before?' he asked in an effort to change the depressing subject.

  'I never forget a face and he was an ugly bugger, so I would have remembered him right enough.'

  'Well, don't worry he won't get far.'

  'What I don't understand is why he never went for the money in the till.'

  Lasser glanced in the mirrors, his hands resting easily on the wheel. 'He wasn't after any money, Frank, he was after you.'

  'What the bloody hell have I done?' Frank asked, his eyes widening in astonishment.

  Lasser suddenly thought of Frank heading across the car park of the infirmary, the plastic carrier bag in his hand.

  'You still go and visit Pamela Fitzsimmons, don't you?' he asked as the lights changed and he took a left.

  'Three times a week regular as clockwork.'

  'And how is she these days?'

  Frank sighed as he stubbed the cigarette out in an empty tobacco tin before snapping the lid closed and slipping it into his pocket. 'Damaged, but at least she's safe in there.'

  'Does she ever talk to you about someone called Bradley Robbins?'

  Frank turned; his eyebrow raised. 'That man is a bastard slimeball.'

  Lasser checked his mirrors again as he slotted into third gear. 'What makes you say that?'

  Frank shifted in his seat before replying. 'Usually I do most of the talking, you know telling Pammy about my week and what I've been up to and she just sits and listens, sometimes she might ask about certain things.'

  'What things?'

  'Basic stuff, she likes to hear about the people who come into the chippy and then I'll tell her about the changes to the town, you know about the shops closing down and the chavs ruling the bloody streets.'

  'So, you try and cheer her up,' Lasser said straight-faced.

  'Aye, I does my best,' Frank replied, missing the sarcasm by a mile.

  'When did she mention Robbins?'

  'She spoke about him a lot at one time, but I think the drugs they give her make her forget things. She used to cry a lot as well, saying she loved this Robbins character and asking when he was coming to visit her.'

  'And I take it he never has?'

  Frank shook his head. 'According to Pammy, he loved her back and promised to help her, but he's never been in touch to see how she is, never been to visit the poor lass.'

  'Right.'

  'Why are you asking about him?'

  Lasser slowed down for a speed bump. 'Listen, Frank, I want you to do me a favour.'

  'Anything,' Frank replied in an instant.

  'I want you to shut up shop for a few days.'

  'Shut up shop!' his voice rose in disbelief, as if Lasser had asked him to rob a bank or mug an OAP.

  'Take a holiday.'

  'But why?'

  Lasser pursed his lips before answering, telling Frank all about Benny Foster and his rampage around town.

  'And you think the same guy tried to do me in?' Frank asked in bewilderment.

  'It was definitely Foster, but the worrying thing is we suspect that he was following orders.'

  'Bloody orders!'

  Lasser told him the rest – about Marshall and the acid attack and about Banks being killed in the woods, he even told him about the attack in the park on the woman who had screamed abuse at Foster.

  'So, when he was ranting and raving you think he was talking to some sick bastard on the phone?'

  'That's what we suspect, but it might be best not to let Bannister know I told you all this, some of it is guesswork on my part.'

  Frank nodded in understanding. 'Which means the bastard who stabbed my Mandy is just a puppet?'

  'That's what I think.'

  'OK, but what has Bradley Robbins got to do with any of this?'

  Inwardly Lasser cringed, he had hoped that Frank wouldn't have asked the question and he tried to find a way to answer without sounding like a conspiracy theorist or setting Frank on the warpath, in the end he decided to simply tell the truth.

  He told Frank about his suspicions that Robbins had brainwashed Pamela Fitzsimmons into killing his brother and then he had simply walked away while she would spend the rest of her life in the secure unit. By the time he had finished, Frank had fallen silent, Lasser slowed down and glanced sideways.

  'I'm telling you this because I trust you, Frank, trust you not to do anything stupid. You asked me about it and everything I've told you is just my opinion, Robbins was questioned, and we had nothing on him, so…'

  'So, he used Pammy, used the fact that she was ill to turn her into a murderer?' Frank's voice was full of loathing as he looked at Lasser questioningly.

  'Like I said, we had no proof, Frank, and don't get any mad ideas about revenge, because if you do then
I will be the one out of a job, Robbins will see to that and he will walk away again and Pammy will still be behind bars.'

  'She burned a man to death, so she'll always be behind bars,' Frank snapped.

  'I know and I'm sorry,' Lasser replied with a heavy sigh.

  Then he felt Frank clap a hand on his shoulder. 'Don't worry, lad, none of this was your fault, I promise not to do owt stupid and thanks for being straight with me.'

  'I'll be having words with Robbins soon enough, but for now I want you to shut shop for a few days and get out of town.'

  'If Mandy feels up to travelling, I might head off up Scotland for a few days, I have a sister up there and she's always asking me to visit.'

  Lasser felt the years roll back to when he was a kid and he used to call at the chippy to get a bag of chips he would then share with his sister, back then it had been Frank's parents who had run the chip shop, he could remember a young Frank learning the trade with his sister.

  'Bloody hell, I'd forgot all about your Ruth.'

  Frank smiled and nodded. 'Aye, she left years ago.'

  'I remember having a crush on her when I was a kid, she was a stunner and always gave me plenty of extra scratchings,' he said with a smile of recollection.

  'She ended up opening a bakery in Hamilton, but she's put on a bit of weight since you last saw her, hit the cakes big time,' Frank said with a sad shake of his head.

  'Well, when you see her tell her I said hello.'

  'Oh, she remembers you right enough,' Frank replied.

  Lasser glanced across in surprise 'She does?'

  'Aye, she said you was always a bonny lad and she asked what you were like now.'

  Lasser found himself grinning. 'And what did you tell her?'

  'I told her you were a big bugger and a copper to boot,' he paused, 'I also said you looked knackered all the time.'

  The grin slipped from Lasser's face. '''Knackered''?'

  'Well aye, she said it sounds as if you needed looking after, according to her you need to sample her buns.'

  Lasser blinked, suddenly wishing he hadn't asked about Frank's sister. 'To be honest I'm more of a savoury man,' he replied lamely.

  When the chip shop owner laughed, Lasser sighed before turning onto Broadway, as soon as he saw the flashing blue lights in the distance he eased forward in the seat as he went quickly through the gears.