by M A Comley
“Yes, sir.”
Hero ended the call and picked up his mobile again. “Julie, sorry to disturb you, but things are kicking off, and I need you to get back to the station ASAP.”
“Of course. Why?”
“We’ve got a lead on the kids. A neighbour has rung in with the location. I need you to go over there—not alone, though, organise an ART to go with you. We know they’ve got weapons and aren’t afraid to use them.”
“Okay,” she replied hesitantly.
“I know what that tone of voice means. I promise I’m not slacking. At the same time Jason rang me, French also called to say that Baldwin has left his mansion with a holdall. I’m setting off now to see what he’s up to. Looks like a ransom payment and possible exchange is in the air.”
“Ah, I see. I’ll get back to the station ASAP, sir. Let me know what’s happening at your end when you can.”
“You’ve got it. Maybe we should call the rest of the team back in just in case.”
“I’ll get on it, sir. Good luck.”
“You, too.” Hero hung up under the watchful gaze of his wife. He shrugged, rushed towards her, gathered her in his arms, and kissed her on the forehead. “Sorry, love, duty calls. Hopefully, I won’t be long. It wouldn’t be fair to leave it up to my team to deal with, would it now?”
Fay tapped him on the backside and pushed away to look up at his face. “No, we’ll be fine. You go. It wouldn’t be right for you to be at home when an arrest is made.”
“I hope it comes to that, love. I’ve had enough of chasing this madman. I couldn’t cope with this being another false alarm. He’s killed too many folks. It’s imperative I get out there. You understand, love, don’t you?”
“There’s no need to say that, Hero. Of course I understand. Go! Make the streets of Manchester safer for all our sakes.”
He kissed her again and rushed out the front door, his phone rang. “Yes, French? Any idea where you’re heading yet?”
“We’re on the A6010 just past Withington Road. I’m three cars behind him; pretty sure he hasn’t spotted me.”
“Good. Keep it that way, French. Have you rung DI Pitt?”
“Yes, sir. I’m keeping him informed of my progress at the same time.”
“Very well. I’m on my way now.”
Hero jumped behind the wheel of his car and started the engine. Checking over his shoulder that the road was clear, he pulled out and immediately put his foot down. He was at least fifteen minutes away from the location French had just called in.
His phone rang again just as he joined the A6010 at Withington Road. “Yes, French. Where are you now?”
“Still on the A6010, sir. We’ve passed Princess Road now, and Wilmslow is just coming up. Hold on…no—he’s gone past that, sir.”
“Right you are. I’m not far behind. I’ll put my foot down. You maintain your distance behind Baldwin. Hope to catch up with you soon. Any news on DI Pitt?”
“He’s just joined me, sir, two cars back.”
“Good. Keep me informed on Baldwin’s progress.” He ended the call and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel then he eased his foot down on the accelerator.
Another five anxious minutes passed before French called again. “French here, sir. Baldwin has continued on the A6010 past Birchfields Road. Looks like he’s heading towards Levenshulme. He’s gone over the roundabout and on to Slade Lane.”
“Good man. Okay, I’m just going round the roundabout myself. I should be with you soon.”
Hero peered through the darkness at the lights of the cars ahead of him, but it was impossible to make out either DI Pitt’s or French’s car. It was another three minutes before French contacted him again.
“Sir, he’s turned right, right, right onto Old Hall Lane and appears to be slowing down. I’m easing back as there are no cars between us now.”
“Wise man. I’m almost with you.” Hero hung up and pressed his foot down hard on the accelerator, his heart pounding.
His phone rang again two minutes later. “Sir, he’s stop, stop, stopped just outside the Park Grove Tunnel. I’ve pulled over, and so has the DI behind me.”
“Good. Any sign of Myers? Or another car in the area?”
“No, not yet, sir.”
“All right. Remain alert at all times. We’re all aware of what this bastard is capable of.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hanging up, he accelerated once more. He pulled into Old Hall Lane, spotted the two police cars at the side of the road, and parked behind Pitt’s. He hopped out of his vehicle and into the front police car. He nodded at French and Pitt when they both turned in their seats to face him. “Any sign of Myers?”
Pitt shook his head. “Not yet.” He looked at the digital clock on the dashboard. “It’s ten to eight. My bet is that the drop-off will take place at eight.”
“I agree. We’ll leave it five minutes and then get into position, either side of the tunnel.”
“Maybe we should call for backup, knowing what this bastard is like. If he starts shooting at us, we’ll be fucked.”
“I’ll ring Julie now.” Hero withdrew his phone and rang his partner’s number.
She answered on the second ring. “Yes, sir?”
“Just checking in, Julie; what’s going on at your end?”
“I’m with the ART unit outside the property now, sir. They’re just running through their plan. I can’t see any sign of life in the house, and the lights are all off, so it doesn’t bode well from where I’m standing.”
“Okay, keep me informed. I’m going to put my phone on vibrate. Bear with me if I don’t reply straight away. Can you get the ART commanding officer to organise another team to join us here? Baldwin is parked up outside the Park Grove Tunnel. We think he’s going to be dropping off the ransom at eight. Before you say it, I know it’s short notice. It’s the best we could do. We’ve only just found out about this.”
“I’ll do my best, sir. Do you want to hang on while I ask the question?”
“Yes, thanks, Julie.” There were mumbled voices for a few moments until Julie came back on the line.
“He wasn’t happy, sir, but said he’d contact base and try and get another team with you ASAP. He can’t promise anything, though.”
“Tell him I appreciate that and to do his best. There are three of us here, but we’re unarmed. We will go after this bastard if the need arises, however. We cannot let him get away again. Ensure the commanding officer is aware of that, Julie. And let me know what happens when they hit the house.”
“Yes, sir, on both counts. Stay safe.”
“You, too.” He ended the call and immediately put his phone on vibrate in readiness and instructed the other two men to do the same.
The car remained silent for the next few minutes until French said, “Here we go!” when Baldwin left his vehicle.
“Let’s stay cool and just watch for the time being.” Hero scanned the area around him. “Still no sign of Myers.”
“I think we should get over there sharpish, Nelson. For all we know, Myers could be on the other side of the tunnel and just made contact with Baldwin, ordering him to join him.”
“You might be right. We’ll wait until Baldwin enters the tunnel then make our move. I’ve been to this tunnel before. I think I can squeeze down the side. If I can, I’ll take that route while you two position yourselves on either side of the tunnel at this end.”
Pitt and French both nodded. The three of them waited for Baldwin to enter the tunnel, then they exited the car. They moved swiftly, surveying the area around them just in case Myers was ready to pounce on them. Hero left Pitt and French on either side of the opening and ran down the side of the tunnel. A huge tank blocked his path. He tried to get a foothold but failed. Not one to give in easily, he looked down the other side of the tank and spotted a tight gap. He was sure he would ruin his suit in the process, but it had to be done. Turning sideways, he tucked in his belly and squeezed through the t
iny opening. Fear caught in his throat when he thought he was going to get stuck, but he sucked in a deeper breath and managed to successfully squeeze through the gap. He dusted himself down and inhaled and exhaled a few times before continuing on his journey. He strained his ear, to see if he could hear any voices coming from inside the tunnel. There was nothing yet. He kept his back against the side of the tunnel as the rumble of an engine heralded a car approaching. The bastard had switched off his headlights before he arrived.
Hero swallowed the saliva that had filled his mouth. Closing his eyes, he offered up a little prayer to aid his future movements. Then came the crunch of gravel that sounded like two sets of footsteps. It must be the girl—shit! We’re going to have to be extra careful now.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He withdrew it and saw on the caller ID that it was Julie calling. “Julie, what is it?” he whispered.
“Just letting you know that the boy was in the house, tied to a bed. No sign of either Myers or the girl, sir.”
“Thanks. I think they’ve both just turned up here. Any news on the ART unit?”
“They couldn’t get another one over to you, sir. I’ve asked the commanding officer if he’ll come over to your location next. He’s just rounding up his team, sir.”
“Thanks, tell them to make it snappy,” he instructed then ended the call. He rang Pitt’s number to apprise him of the situation.
“We’re ready. We can hear voices coming from inside the tunnel, can’t see a damn thing as it’s too dark. That’s going to be a hindrance to us.”
“Not necessarily; it might just be our saviour. I’m going in.”
“Be careful, Nelson. You’d be better off waiting for the ART to arrive,” Pitt insisted quietly.
“They’re on their way. I won’t do anything foolish.” Hero disconnected the call and breathed in deeply before he inched his way closer to the tunnel entrance. The voices inside got louder with each step he took. He had no idea what lay beneath his feet and cursed when something jagged pierced the bottom of his shoe.
The tunnel fell silent until a man’s voice boomed, “All right, wise guy, show your fucking self.”
Hero limped towards the mouth of the tunnel. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark. The man they had spent the last ten days tracking was standing a few feet away from him, his arm around a girl’s neck, the tip of a large knife touching her throat. Baldwin was in front of the man, carrying the holdall in one hand and reaching out with his other as if pleading with the man to let his daughter go.
“Why don’t you put the knife down, Myers? We have this place surrounded.”
Myers laughed. “Are you winding me up? What do you take me for, man? There’s you and only you here. Anyway, I warned Baldwin what would happen to his precious daughter if he involved you.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want to believe. Look, I know Baldwin has got the money you requested. He did everything behind my back, didn’t involve me at all. I put a surveillance team on his house; intuition told me that you would make a substantial demand. You’re getting tired of all this, aren’t you, Myers? You want out—that’s why you requested the ransom money. Am I right?”
Myers’s eyes narrowed. “You think you have me sussed? Well, you don’t. I’ve been messing with your head for years, committing crimes you’ve had no idea about for years now. You fell lucky this time.”
Hero was aware the man was getting more agitated, and the last thing he wanted to do was wind him up even more so that he eventually slit the girl’s throat. Think fast, man! “Is this what she would have wanted, Myers?”
“Who the fuck are you talking about?”
“Gillian.” He paused to let Myers’s wife’s name settle between them. “Is this truly what your wife would have wanted? You abducting innocent kids to do your dirty work for you?”
The anger in Myers’s face slipped away, and the contemplations set in.
Hero pressed on, “Well, would she? Is this what your life has descended to? Kidnapping kids to commit crimes that you’re no longer able to do—is that it?”
Myers laughed. “You know nothing. You think you do, but at the end of the day, if you knew anything about me, you’d know I could keep messing with your head for years to come.”
“Then why? Why present your endgame now?”
“Who said this is my endgame?”
“Because we have you cornered. We know where you live, where you’ve been keeping the kids. Oh, I forgot to mention—we’ve got the boy. He was tied up at the house, and he’s safe with us now.”
“I hope he’ll be spending time in the cells after the robberies and murder he committed.” Myers laughed again.
“Hardly, the fact that he carried out those crimes under duress will go in his favour. Give it up, Myers. Do the right thing and hand yourself in. I’ll even put in a good word for you, if it’ll help to sway your decision.”
Everything happened at lightning speed. Myers jerked on the girl’s throat, and she yelped. Baldwin hurried forward to try to rescue his daughter before Myers could use the knife. Hero rushed at Baldwin to stop him from reaching Myers, who laughed at them all. He pushed the girl at her father, grabbed the bag, and ran towards his car. Hero, hampered by his injured foot, tried to prevent Myers from leaving, but the man was getting away from him. Then several shots whistled past Hero’s head. Myers cried out and slumped onto the bonnet of his car.
Hero called out, “Hold your fire, men. He’s down.”
The sound of several people running echoed through the cavernous tunnel as Hero approached Myers with caution. For all he knew, Myers could be pretending to be hurt, yet another one of his mind games. Once Hero was standing over the assailant, he instantly realised the man had taken his final breath.
Pitt joined him and slapped Hero on the back. “You did it, mate. Congratulations!”
“We did it. It’s not exactly the outcome I would have wanted, but at least Myers can no longer cause us any more trouble.”
Pitt offered to aid the limping Hero as they walked back to see how Vicki and her father were doing.
“You should have confided in me, Mr. Baldwin. I would have been discreet. You’re lucky this all worked out well for your daughter. I have a feeling if we hadn’t shown up, Myers would have taken the money and killed you both,” Hero stated abruptly.
“I guess we’ll never know if you’re right about that, Inspector. I was prepared to do anything and follow the man’s instructions to the letter to try and save my daughter.”
Hero shook his head, aware that it was pointless trying to get the man to see the error of his ways in trusting a killer over an experienced serving police officer, an officer who had put his own life at risk for Baldwin and his daughter.
Epilogue
Hero and Cara attended Darren Rogerson’s funeral together, along with most of their colleagues from the station. In fact, the funeral was not only for Darren, but all four officers Myers had taken down before he was finally killed. It was a very sad day, which Hero knew would remain with them all for a very long time. Unlike he had for the previous funerals, which had taken place a few weeks before, Hero insisted that he and his sister take time off work after they paid their respects. Cara was a mess. Although she’d only just started dating Darren, she had known him since the first day she’d joined the force.
Hero had surprised Fay and the kids by arranging a weekend away at a five-star caravan park in Looe, in Cornwall, and he had even managed to persuade Cara to tag along, too, in spite of her grief.
Fay started the singing off in the car while Hero drove down the M6 motorway. He kept a watchful eye on Cara in his rear-view mirror. She appeared to be okay as long as the kids kept distracting her.
Hero relaxed into the long drive and reached over to hold Fay’s hand. He squeezed it tightly and mouthed, “I love you.”
Once they arrived and unloaded the car, Fay took Hero aside and handed him a letter.
“Hey, what’s this?
You writing me love letters after all this time? Are you feeling all right, love?”
Fay slapped his arm. “Stop messing about—open it and see.”
He eyed her suspiciously. She had a twinkle in her eye, and she could be a mischievous minx when the opportunity arose. After he’d opened the letter, his mouth gaped open.
Cara joined them. “Bloody hell, it’s a long time since I’ve witnessed Hero being speechless.”
Hero looked agog at his sister. “I think this concerns you, too, Cara.”
“It does?” Hero handed her the headed notepaper. “Bloody hell, a commendation. I’m not surprised. You did save that woman’s life, Hero. I doubt I’ll get one, though.”
Fay slung an arm around Cara’s shoulders. “You also deserve one, love. I couldn’t be more proud of you, Hero. The kids are going to be over the moon when you tell them that their father is a real-life hero.”
“It’s amazing. I only thought to check up on Caroline Mullins the other day. I was relieved to hear that the doctors had managed to save her legs and that she had returned to modelling already. I had no idea this award was in the air. I’m thrilled and amazed at the same time. Of course, I’ll treasure it—we both will.” He threw an arm around his sister’s waist and hugged her tightly. “That’s two heroes we have in this family now. It feels great, doesn’t it, sis?”
“Hold your horses, Hero. I haven’t had a notification yet.”
With a wink at Hero, Fay produced a letter from her handbag and gave it to Cara. “Your Mum asked me to pass this on. It was delivered the other day. Same postmark, love. Congratulations.”
Cara ripped open the letter as tears ran down her cheeks. “I can’t believe it. I’m honoured that this should happen. I can understand Hero getting one, but I really didn’t do anything other than care for the casualties at the scene.”
“I’ll have to ring Sergeant Milton, see if the whole team have got one. If they have, what a wonderful way to mark Chris’s passing. Makes you wonder if he was instrumental in what happened that day at the crash site.” Hero looked up at the blue, cloudless sky above. “Cheers, Chris. This one is for you, buddy.”