Hero series Box Set

by M A Comley

  “All seems clear to me. Maybe you can hunt around down here, see if anything has been tampered with, Mrs. Baldwin, before we leave.”

  She scurried from room to room then returned to the hallway, and shook her head. “It doesn’t look as though anyone has been here, and I checked the phone; there are no messages on there, either.”

  “That’s great. Maybe it would be a good idea to call a friend to come and sit with you for the next few hours, just until your husband comes home.”

  “Good idea. I’ll ring Molly, see if she’s available.”

  They waited for Michelle to make the arrangements and for her friend Molly to arrive at the house before Hero and Julie returned to the station.

  They had just settled into the car when an announcement went out over the car radio. “Any cars in the vicinity of Vicarage Road, Swinton, we have an officer down who needs assistance. Officer down, Vicarage Road, Swinton.”

  “Attach the blue light, Julie. We’ll attend.”

  “That’s miles away, sir. It’ll be a waste of time.”

  He glanced sideways at her and shook his head. “Attending a scene where one of our colleagues has been injured or killed is never a waste of our time. You hear me?” Hero said, not bothering to disguise how furious he was at her flippant remark.

  “Sorry, sir,” Julie apologised over the roar of the engine and the siren.

  Fifteen minutes later, Hero arrived at the scene. He yanked on the handbrake and shot out of the car. He flashed his warrant card at the PC guarding the tape and ducked under the cordon. Then he addressed the group of uniformed officers staring blankly at him. “What the hell is going on? Guys, you know the procedure—you should be on that side of the tape, not this side, destroying the crime scene.”

  A female WPC approached him. “Sorry, sir. Both men were alive when we got here. Our first priority was to try and save them.”

  Hero nodded. “You’re right. What’s the situation now?”

  “Officer Ford has since died, sir, but Rogerson is still alive. It looked very bad, sir. He has several bullet wounds to his stomach. The ambulance has just arrived, and the paramedics are working on him in the back.”

  Hero’s heart sank when he heard the name. “Rogerson? Darren Rogerson?”

  The officer gave a brief nod. “Yes, sir.”

  “What happened? Have you apprehended the person responsible for this?”

  “No, sir, he got away. We think he lured the officers into some kind of trap.”

  “What brought the officers here?” Hero scanned the crowd that had formed on the other side of the cordon. It wasn’t uncommon for criminals to immerse themselves in people gathered, gloating at the police as they surveyed the crime scene.

  “Someone placed a 999 call, saying that their house had been broken into, sir. They gave this address.” She pointed at the terraced house behind her.

  “Then what?”

  “Rogerson and Ford got out of their patrol car, ready to approach the house. A man opened the front door and started firing two guns at them. They didn’t get the chance to run, sir.”

  “So you have witnesses?” Hero asked. Several patches of blood stained the pavement in front of the house. Hero studied the blood and found himself fearing for Darren’s life. Damn. What am I going to tell Cara? Nothing yet—not until there is concrete news on his condition.

  “Yes and no, sir. The neighbours we’ve spoken to want to keep out of it, sir, afraid in case the man returns to punish them.”

  “That’s logical, I suppose. Use your policing skills to assure them of their safety and explain how important it is to get this man off the streets.”

  “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  “Walk with me to the ambulance. How long was it before the paramedics arrived?”

  “Within minutes, sir; they were dropping off a patient a few streets away,” the female officer said as they approached the back of the ambulance.

  “Okay, speak to the crowd, see if anyone saw anything useful. Thanks for the information.” He stepped into the back of the ambulance and showed his ID to the paramedics. “How’s he doing?” He glanced over at the body covered with a sheet and shook his head.

  Two paramedics were working on Rogerson, giving him CPR and checking his vital signs. “We just need to get him stable,” one replied calmly, but a concerned look travelled between the two professionals.

  Hero tried to remain positive, but it was growing increasingly difficult, as Darren was still unconscious. A machine beeped, and even though it was faint, it gave Hero a little hope.

  Julie appeared behind Hero, her face pale and eyes wide.

  The older paramedic glanced up at Hero. “We need to go, sir.”

  Nodding, Hero quickly reversed out of the ambulance. “What are his chances, lads?”

  The driver hopped out the back to secure the door. “The truth? I’d say very slim. We’ve done everything we can to stem the bleeding but we need to get him to the hospital.”

  “I appreciate your honesty. Do your best for him.” Hero backed away, pulling Julie with him and the driver rushed to the front of the vehicle. He turned to Julie as the ambulance sped away. “Julie, you need to keep a clear head. Push it aside if you can. We’ve got a suspect on the run who we need to track down. Stick with me.”

  She glanced at him, her eyes still wider than normal. “Yes, boss. Do you want me to ring the station, get things started with the team?”

  Hero smiled at her and nodded. “That’ll be grand. CCTV footage a priority as normal. Let’s see what cars were in the area.”

  Julie turned and walked towards the car to place the call.

  Hero was still staring after the ambulance when Julie joined him again. “All sorted, sir. Any change?”

  “No, it doesn’t look good, Julie. I need to get back to the station promptly before Cara hears about this.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand, sir.”

  “Darren Rogerson is her new boyfriend.”

  “Holy shit! I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

  Hero smiled briefly at her, and they marched towards the car.

  Once they arrived at the station, he told Julie to go back to the incident room while he went along the corridor to the fraud squad to share the bad news with his sister.

  “All right if I have a quick word in private with Cara?” he asked Dave, her immediate boss.

  “Sure, we’re at a lull at the moment. Take all the time you need.”

  Cara’s brow creased in concern before she left her desk and followed him out of the room. Hero paced the floor and ran a hand through his hair.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Is one of the kids sick?”

  “No, I was called to attend an officer-down call half an hour ago. Sorry, love, it was Darren and his partner.”

  He reached out to support his sister as her legs gave way beneath her. “What? Tell me he’s going to be okay, Hero, please? Or is he already dead?” Tears spilled from her eyes.

  “No, love. He’s hanging in there. They’ve whisked him off to hospital. I can run you over there if your boss gives you permission to have the time off.”

  “Sod what he says—I’m going, even if I get the sack. Tell me the truth. Is he really bad?”

  Hero gulped. “Yes, he’s bad. It doesn’t look good at all. If you give me his parents’ details, I’ll ring them and tell them to meet us at the hospital.”

  “Bloody hell. It must be bad if you want to ring them…I know how these things work.”

  “Now don’t go letting your imagination run away with you. Just get the info. I’ll have a word with Dave, then we’ll shoot over there.”

  Cara nodded and marched into the fraud office. Hero approached Dave to apprise him of the situation. He gave the permission needed for Cara to leave work, then he and Cara left the office and ran down the stairs to Hero’s car. Before driving off, Hero placed the call to Darren’s parents and arranged to meet them at the hospital.

 
; Hero glanced sideways as Cara sniffed then blew her nose on a tissue. He rested his hand on her leg. “I’m sorry, love. I feel terrible. I know I was against your relationship to begin with, but I wouldn’t wish anything like this to happen, not to my worst enemy.”

  “Thanks, Hero. Can you tell me how it happened?”

  Hero recapped what he knew about the incident.

  Cara gasped. “Shot? How many times?”

  “It was hard to tell, love. Let’s not speculate on things until we find out the facts from the doctor, eh?”

  “What chance do the bobbies on the streets have when there are fuckers out there carrying guns?”

  “I totally understand what you’re saying. I’ve been known to tout the same thing over the years. It’s certainly making our job harder. But then, if there’s a person out there who has uniformed officers in his sight, there’s very little we’re going to be able to do to stop him.”

  “You’re kidding me?”

  “No. When I get back, I’m going to have a word with the DCI, see if he can speak to the super about us working closely with an Armed Response Team. Think we’re going to have to go down that route if we want to rid the streets of this guy. He’s hitting us hard and fast from all sides.”

  “This is the guy you’ve been chasing regarding the post office murders—is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Speculation on my part at this point, but so far, we’ve had three uniformed officers killed in the line of duty.”

  “Three? I knew about Portman and Wilmot. Who’s the third one?”

  Hero mentally kicked himself for putting his foot in it. “Darren’s partner died at the scene.”

  “Jesus, why didn’t you tell me? If he’s dead, then Darren must be in a hell of a state.”

  “Sorry, love. Stay positive. At least he’s alive.”

  “Stay positive? What the fuck am I going to see when I get there?” Her head lowered onto her chest, and she sobbed the rest of the way to the hospital.

  Before they exited the car, Hero hugged her. “Please, Cara, for Darren’s parents’ sake, try and hold things together?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  He held her hand as they walked across the hospital car park. Hero flashed his warrant card at the girl on reception.

  She smiled at him. “Back so soon?”

  “I wondered if you’d recognise me. Unfortunately, one of our colleagues was brought in by a paramedic team not long ago, bullet wounds to the abdomen. Any chance we can see the doctor in charge?”

  “I’ll check. Probably not for a while with those kinds of injuries. Take a seat.”

  Hero and Cara stood in the reception area, both pacing the floor, ignoring the available chairs on either side of the room. Cara coughed when a couple entered.

  “Are they Darren’s parents?”

  “Yep.”

  Hero took the lead towards the couple. He extended his hand before they reached the reception area. “Mr. and Mrs. Rogerson, I’m DI Nelson. We spoke on the phone.”

  “Hello, thank you for ringing. How is our son? Can we see him? Hello, Cara, it’s good to see you again so soon.” Mrs. Rogerson smiled weakly at them both.

  Cara nodded and left Hero to explain what was going on.

  “We’ve just arrived ourselves. We’re waiting to see the doctor attending to Darren. Let’s take a seat until someone comes to see us.”

  The four of them sat in silence until a male doctor called out Hero’s name. They leapt out of their seats and surrounded the doctor. Hero could tell by the expression on the doctor’s face and the sorrow showing in his eyes that he was about to share some terrible news.

  “Doctor, these are Mr. and Mrs. Rogerson, Darren’s parents.”

  The doctor shook his head. “I’m very sorry. We tried our very best, but Darren’s wounds were too extensive. Your son passed away a few minutes ago.”

  Hero flung an arm around his sister’s shoulders and his heart pounded. Cara collapsed against him and buried her head in his chest.

  Mrs. Rogerson turned to her husband for comfort. “I’ll never see my boy again,” she mumbled over and over again.

  “Thank you, Doctor. Is there any chance Mr. and Mrs. Rogerson can see their son?” Hero asked, knowing full well that he would want to see his relatives to say goodbye while their body was still warm rather than at the mortuary later on.

  The doctor smiled. “I’ll arrange that, if that’s what you want.”

  “It is,” Mr. Rogerson told him, speaking for the first time since the couple had arrived.

  Hero hugged Cara as her body shook. “Come on, love, be brave. That’s what Darren would have wanted.”

  She glanced up at him. “Why? Why Darren?”

  He really didn’t have an answer for her, but he did have a stirring in his gut to string up the bastard responsible for robbing the three people around him of a loved one.

  The doctor walked away and returned to collect them all shortly after. The group sombrely followed him down the stark white corridor and into a cubicle where Darren’s body was lying on a stretcher covered with a white sheet. Hero and Cara stood across the bed from Darren’s parents, and the doctor uncovered Darren’s face. Mrs. Rogerson flung herself on her son’s body. Mr. Rogerson tried to comfort his wife, but he was too emotional himself to pull his wife off his son.

  Cara’s sobbing had intensified, and a large lump had formed in Hero’s throat that no amount of gulping would shift. Why break a family’s heart in two like this? What was this guy angry with? Was society to blame, or was this about more than that? So many unanswered questions rattled around his mind.

  The group stayed with the deceased until Mr. Rogerson gently steered his wife out of the cubicle.

  “Come on, Cara. I’ll take you home,” Hero said.

  “I can’t go home, Hero, not while there’s a madman on the loose. I want to help you catch him.”

  He held her face between his hands, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You can’t. The force wouldn’t allow it, especially now that you’re personally involved. You know how these things work.”

  “Then take me back to work. There’s no way I’d want to sit alone in my flat at a time like this.”

  “If you’re sure.” He turned to Darren’s parents and held out his hand to Mr. Rogerson. “I’m deeply saddened about what has occurred today. You have my word that I will punish the person responsible for robbing you of your son.”

  “Thank you. I hope you find him before you have to deal with yet another grieving family, DI Nelson.”

  “That’s my intention. Are you all right to get home?”

  “We’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  Cara hugged the couple. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Hero and his sister left the hospital. They were both quiet on the ride back to the station. He dropped Cara off at the fraud squad room before he headed up the stairs to DCI Cranwell’s office.

  Cranwell’s door was open when he arrived. “Come in, Nelson. What’s been going on with the investigations?”

  “It’s been on hold for the past few hours, sir. I take it you’ve heard about the two men he’s taken out today?”

  “Yes, very sad. All the more reason we need to put more effort into finding this criminal.”

  “But, sir…”

  “No buts, man. You have your orders to put everything behind catching this man. He’s going through this town as if he owns it, and that needs to stop.”

  “He’s tying us in knots, sir, hitting us from all angles. He’s very well organised—”

  “And you’re supposed to be one of my best inspectors. Now get out there and prove it.”

  Hero rose from his chair and headed towards the door, feeling incompetent. Cranwell had never been the type to accept excuses, and he was definitely living up to his reputation.

  Hero strode back to the incident room in a daze. Who the fuck does he think he is? I doubt he could do much better in my shoes. The DCI
’s dressing down did spur him on, however. The way he stormed into the room had his team staring at him. “Back to work, team. If we don’t find this bastard soon, I can guarantee all our jobs will be on the line.”

  Julie tried to speak to him, probably to complain about taking out his foul mood on the team, but Hero ignored her and walked into his office, slamming the door behind him. He needed an hour or so alone before he returned to the Baldwins’ residence, no doubt so Mr. Baldwin could tear him off a strip next.

  Chapter 13

  When the delivery arrived, Myers forced the girl to help him carry the heavy wardrobe upstairs to the back bedroom. “Put your back into it, girl. What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m not used to carrying heavy things.”

  He mimicked her whining and glared at her. They struggled to get the wardrobe around the top of the stairs, and in the end, he forced it through and took a chunk out of the banisters.

  “Right, at last,” he said when they finally made it into the bedroom. He lowered the wardrobe onto its back and opened the door.

  The girl stared at him, wearing a puzzled expression.

  “Get in.”

  “What? In there? Why? No…please don’t make me get in there.”

  “Get in!”

  She backed into the wall in the small room. “Please, I’ll be good. You don’t have to lock me away. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me so far. I won’t change, I promise.”

  He held open the door and pointed. “One, two…three.” He let the door slam shut and marched across the room. Grabbing a handful of her hair, he yanked her head back. “Disobey me at your peril, bitch. I’ve killed seven, more likely eight, people, already this week. Do you want to be the ninth?”