by M A Comley
“No, I’m sorry. Please, I just want to go home.”
“Is that how it works in your house? You say ‘I want’ and Mummy and Daddy give you everything you need?”
She hesitated before she answered. “No.”
“Don’t bullshit me, girl.” He dragged her across the room by her hair and opened the wardrobe door. “Get in before I make you feel sorry for disobeying me. Hey, here’s a thing—maybe we should take this back downstairs and out into the garden. I’ll get you to dig a hole deep enough for the wardrobe to fit in, and then I could bury you alive. Fancy that?”
Tears trickled from her eyes, and her body trembled. “No. Please, you don’t have to do that. Look, I’m getting in now.”
She stepped into the wardrobe, then he slammed the door shut and locked it with the little metal key that was sitting in the lock.
The girl banged on the door. She sounded panicked when she cried out, “Please, I can’t breathe. There’s no air in here. I’m going to die…”
“Really? You expect me to believe that shit?” His mind worked overtime. He didn’t want her dead—not yet. He had grand plans for her. He clicked his fingers and ran downstairs. He opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs and grabbed the hammer that was sitting on top of some other tools. He ran back up the stairs two at a time. When he reached the wardrobe, he hit the carcass a few times with the hammer, puncturing a hole in the wood. The girl screamed. “Shut up. It’s for your benefit.” The girl fell silent. He looked at the side. Two of her fingers wiggled at the hole.
Myers went back downstairs and switched on the TV he had brought with him. The news was already running the story about one copper being killed. The other was in critical condition. Being a perfectionist, he felt angry for not completing the job properly. Something the newsreader highlighted sparked his interest. The Greater Manchester Police had decided to ask the neighbouring forces for help to capture the man causing havoc on the streets. He laughed and tilted his head back. “One force can’t handle me. They’ve had to draft in reinforcements. That’s bloody made my day. But it means I’ll have to be more alert now. Time to put plan B into action. The kids will come in handy. They’d better not screw up, either.”
Julie tentatively stuck her head around the door to Hero’s office.
He sighed. “What is it, Shaw?”
She walked into the room and stood upright. Her chest rose and fell in a frantic rhythm from her heavy breathing. “I think you should have told us, sir. I’m speaking on behalf of all the team when I say this.”
He shrugged and held his hands out in front of him. “What am I? Bloody psychic? Want to give me a clue as to what you’re talking about?”
Julie chewed on her lip for a few seconds. “The reinforcements. If you’re not happy with the way we’re doing things as a team, sir, then I think you should have spoken to us directly rather than pull a stunt like this.”
“What in God’s name are you talking about, Shaw? How dare you speak to me like this?”
“You have no idea about the reinforcements?” Julie asked, tilting her head and appearing puzzled.
“No. Where did you hear about this?”
“It’s on the news, sir.”
Hero shot out of his chair and marched past her, into the incident room. The newsreader had moved on to a different topic, but the banner running across the bottom of the screen was hard to miss. He glanced around at the team. Everyone was staring back at him.
“I had no knowledge of this. I’m as furious as you lot, I can assure you of that.”
He strode back into his office and rang DCI Cranwell. His personal assistant said that he was on another call and that she’d get Cranwell to ring him back when he was free. Hero waited over half an hour for that call to arrive. In the end, Hero gave up and ordered Julie to join him. They both left the station furious.
“Are we returning to the Baldwins’ house?”
Hero nodded. During the trip, Julie held on tight to her seat.
Once they arrived at the mansion, he let out a breath. “I apologise for driving like a maniac. To say I’m incensed about this situation is a gross understatement.”
They got out of the vehicle before Julie responded. “I feel the same way, boss; however, taking it out on me and the team isn’t going to help matters.”
“If I was taking it out on you, Shaw, you’d know about it. As far as I’m concerned, I vented my anger out on my car. Sorry if the drive over here was a hair-raising experience for you. Thems the breaks, as they say.”
He rang the front doorbell, preventing Julie from discussing the subject further.
A tall, slim man in his forties opened the door. “Yes?” he asked curtly.
Hero and Julie presented their IDs. “DI Nelson and DS Shaw. I take it you’re Mr. Baldwin?”
“I am. And I take it you’re the copper in charge of my daughter’s case that has so far done bugger all to help her.”
Hero fixed a smile on his face even though he wanted to rip the man’s head off for insinuating he was crap at his job. Maybe he was—otherwise, why would the DCI draft in reinforcements?
“That’s right. Can we come in and speak to you and your wife?”
He flung open the door and marched through the house to the living room at the rear.
Hero turned to face Julie and rolled his eyes. “I fear this day is about to get even tougher.”
Mrs. Baldwin was sitting in a leather armchair, her husband standing by her side. “Hello, Inspector, Sergeant. Any news yet?” she asked wearily.
“Not yet. I just wanted to drop by to assure you that my team and I are doing the best we can to try and locate your daughter.”
“We’ve seen the news. Why the need for reinforcements? Not that we’re objecting. Is that because you’re incapable of doing your job properly?” Mr. Baldwin demanded harshly.
“No, although I can understand you thinking that, sir. If the man who has abducted your daughter is the same man we’ve been chasing recently, then he’s highly dangerous and will need to be caught immediately. In cases such as these, we draft in the services of experienced officers and have the Armed Response Teams on call at all times. We believe the culprit has already killed four serving police officers.”
Mrs. Baldwin gasped, and her husband squeezed her shoulder in support. “Jesus Christ, man, is that kind of speech supposed to put our minds at ease?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I was merely stating facts. What I think will put your mind at ease is the fact that your wife is still alive. This man prefers to kill his victims.” Hero winced. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I have reason to believe that he has no intention of harming your daughter. He would have left both your wife and your daughter dead at the scene if that was his intention.”
“You’re not making sense. Are you suggesting that this man is going to use my daughter in some way?”
Hero shook his head. “We won’t know until the killer contacts us, sir. Your daughter is being held along with another young man. We have no idea the ins and outs of the reasoning behind their abductions.”
“And that’s supposed to reassure me? Do you know who this man is? What his motivation is? They all have a motivation, I gather.”
“Not yet, sir. We’re trying our hardest to figure that out. He’s throwing a lot at us at the moment; we’re dealing with a new crime each and every day. That in itself takes a lot of man hours to sort through.”
“I don’t give a stuff about that. All I’m concerned about is that my daughter is out there, being held by some madman. Well, here’s what I intend doing, Inspector—you’re not going to like it, but my wife and I have discussed it at great length, and we’re prepared to do just about anything to bring our daughter home safely.”
“I’m listening, sir. However, if you’re about to tell me that you intend offering a reward, that will only make our job more difficult.”
“How the hell do you work that one out?”
“If
you mention money, we’ll get inundated with a lot of hoax calls. Those calls will have to be screened, and that will take my team away from their roles in tracking this man down. I’m asking you to reconsider this.”
“It’s decided. Anyway, you have reinforcements joining you. That should help combat the amount of calls you receive. I have the press coming here this afternoon. I will announce a reward of one hundred thousand pounds.”
“I don’t know what you expect me to say, sir, except that I think it’s a grave mistake on your part and that you may actually be putting your daughter’s life in jeopardy by your actions.”
“Don’t be so naïve, Inspector. Surely you would do the same if a member of your family was in the same situation—don’t try and tell me otherwise.”
Hero sighed. “You’re probably right, even though I’m aware of the extra man hours we’re going to have to use for the task. Mr. Baldwin, if I can’t persuade you not to offer a reward, then I have to say my time would be better spent elsewhere, trying to find your daughter. Good day to you both.”
Hero walked towards the front door of the house, leaving the shocked couple staring after him and Julie trotting to keep up with him.
She didn’t say anything until they were back in the car. “If you don’t mind me saying, sir, I thought you were a bit harsh back there.”
“I do mind, Shaw. I have a tough enough job as it is. We need to get back to base, and I’ll tell you this: if I’m getting it in the neck, then so are you lot. If reinforcements have been brought in, then as a team, we need to knuckle down and show the new arrivals that we’re a force to be reckoned with. No pun intended. I expect you to start cracking the whip as soon as we arrive. Got that?”
She mumbled a response that he couldn’t quite hear.
“Sorry?”
“Yes, sir.”
Hero drove at the same hectic speed on the return journey back to the station. When he and Julie walked in the incident room, there were another four men mingling with his team.
“And what’s going on here?” Hero demanded.
The men all glanced his way briefly before they went back to their discussions with his individual team members.
A stern voice bellowed from his office, “Nelson, I’m in here.”
“Great. Remember what I said, Julie, or we could both be out of a job.”
“Yes, boss. Good luck.”
“By the sounds of it, I think I’m going to need it.” Hero pulled back his shoulders and marched into his office, where he found a balding man with a rather large stomach squeezed behind his desk in the small room. “And you are?” He had decided on the way back to the station that he wasn’t going to take any kind of shit from the newcomers from the instant they arrived.
“DI Matthew Pitt,” the man replied in a scouse accent.
“And may I ask why you’re here?”
“My team and I have been drafted in to catch this copper killer that you and your team are having problems apprehending.” Pitt smiled tautly.
“I’m not exactly sure that’s an accurate assessment of the situation, but I’m willing to let that one slip. If you’re here to help, then that’s fair enough. What I will object to is you taking over the case—and my desk.”
Pitt struggled to his feet, marched around the desk, then plonked himself into the chair next to Hero.
Hero sat behind his desk and linked his hands together in front of him. “That’s better. I don’t want to fall out with anyone regarding this case but I have to make it clear from the start what we’re up against here.”
“I’m up to date on the case notes. I’m aware that he’s killed four of our guys so far. Even more reason to drop everything else you’ve been dealing with and pull the bastard in.”
“Okay, of course that is our intention; however, we’re not dealing with your run-of-the-mill scumbag here. We believe he’s constantly changing tactics. That’s what is hampering our investigation. He steals cars when the need arises and looks like he changes the number plates on the vehicles to fox us. Now we believe he has also kidnapped two teenagers, one male and one female. He’s keeping them somewhere. He’s committing crimes almost daily. No sooner do we knuckle down to the investigation than we get hit by yet another aspect to deal with. That’s why we haven’t caught the bastard yet.”
“I see. Do you have a name for the suspect yet?” Pitt asked, sounding a little more amiable than he had when they’d first met.
“Not yet. All we know is he appears to be very cocky. Witnesses at three crime scenes all reported seeing the same man, which gives me the impression that his main motive is to wind us up.”
Pitt hit the desk with his fist. “Damn it, strikes me as a bloody coward. Nelson, I’m laying my cards on the table as I think we’re wasting time and should get out there and hunt this madman. I’ve been told to take over the investigation.” Pitt raised a hand when Hero’s mouth dropped open. “Hear me out, Inspector. After reading through the case notes in your absence, I’m satisfied that you and your team have been doing your utmost on this case. I’ve also checked out your record, and to be honest, I think we’d work well together. I’m prepared to work alongside you in this investigation, if you’re okay with that?”
Hero shrugged. “Gee, thanks. Not sure what else you expect me to say. What will the bosses think about your decision?”
“Leave them to me.” He reached across the desk with an outstretched hand.
Hero shook it and smiled. “Thanks. As soon as I heard that reinforcements were on the way, to be honest with you, I was coming back here to clear my desk.”
“Whoa! Seriously? Now, I wouldn’t have you down as a quitter, Nelson.”
“I’m not. It’ll be a pleasure sharing the load on this case. Let’s hope we can wrap it up soon.”
“Right, now that’s sorted. What do we do about food and drink around here? I didn’t get this shape skipping meals, you know.”
Hero laughed. “I can imagine. I can send one of my lads out to the nearest baker’s. Will that do you?”
“I’d rather have a large portion of fish and chips, but I’m prepared to compromise. We’ll leave the chippie trip for our celebratory meal. That’ll be on me.”
They shook hands again. “Deal.”
Hero left the office, called Jason over to join him, instructed him to go around the team to see what their preferences were for sandwiches, then gave him a twenty-pound note. “That should cover it. If it’s any more, let me know when you get back. I’ll clobber DI Pitt for the rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
DI Pitt emerged from the office and stood alongside him as Hero addressed his team. “Stick around for this, Jason, before you go. As you’ve probably gathered by now, DI Pitt and his team have been assigned to help us solve this case. I have no doubts that you will all ensure that he and his team feel welcome. I want to stress that they are not here to take over the investigation but to work alongside us. Give them what they need. Let’s hope the extra hands and minds will help draw this bastard out into the open. I see you’ve all teamed up. Is everyone happy with their partnership?”
The team all nodded in response.
“Okay, I think the best thing is to go over what you’ve individually been working on so far, see if your new team member can offer anything you might have overlooked—two brains and two sets of eyes and all that. Good luck, team.”
Hero strode over to study the board with Pitt and brought him up to date with his earlier encounter at the Baldwins’ house.
Pitt tutted and rolled his eyes. “Jesus, couldn’t you dissuade them?”
“I assure you I bloody tried my hardest, but they’re adamant. Again, fending off the calls could be our downfall in this investigation.”
“It needn’t be,” Pitt replied.
“What are you thinking?”
“We assign two, three members of the team tops, to man the phones, while the rest of the team gets on with the investigation.”
&
nbsp; Hero nodded. “That could work. Maybe if the volume of calls gets too excessive during the day, we can use another member of the team to pick up the slack.”
Pitt gave him the thumbs-up. “Sounds good to me. Where are we at on the forensic front? Has anything useful surfaced there?”
“Nothing the last time I checked. That was a few days ago. I’ll get on to the pathologist to express the urgency on this one.”
“See? We’re already thinking and working as a team.”
Hero smiled. A huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. However, he had no intention of letting Pitt in on that revelation. He went back to his office. With all that had happened during the course of the day, he’d forgotten to ring Fay to tell her about Rogerson.
“Oh, Hero, that’s just too awful for words. How’s Cara?”
“Back at work.”
“What? Why?”
“She said the last thing she wanted to do was dwell on things back at the flat. I’ll drop by and see her at the end of the shift, if she’s still here.”
“She needs to be around people she loves. Insist on bringing her home with you. I’ll change Louie’s bed. He can sleep on the couch tonight. It’ll be his little adventure.”
“I can’t promise that she’ll come, love, but I’ll put it to her all the same. I better fly. Love you.”
“I love you, too. Please be careful out there, Hero.”
“Of course. Kiss the kids for me.” He hung up and immediately rang his sister. “Hey, sis, it’s me. No excuses—Fay insists that you come back to the house with me tonight. Are you up for playing Auntie Cara? It might help take your mind off today.”
“You guys are the best. I really appreciate your kindness, and yes, I’m up for playing Auntie Cara this evening.”
“No, seriously, how are you?”
“Shell-shocked. I’ve just been ploughing on with work. It’s been a good distraction. It’ll probably hit me when I get back to your place this evening.”
“At least you’ll be surrounded by people you love, sweetheart. Keep your chin up. I’ll drop by and pick you up after work.”
“Thanks, not sure I’m up to driving.”