Deadly Vengeance: A gripping crime thriller full of twists and turns (Detective Jane Phillips Book 3)

by OMJ Ryan

  ‘Jesus,’ said Phillips, ‘it looks like Hawkins was right. She was kidnapped.’

  ‘Oh my God,’ said Green – with an unnecessary amount of drama, Phillips felt. ‘This can’t be happening. Not a kidnapping. Not at Marstons.’

  Phillips ignored him and turned to Jones, who was already nodding. ‘Jonesy, get Bov and Entwistle down here. And call in forensics.’

  ‘On it,’ said Jones, his phone already in his hand.

  ‘Mr Green, Mr Robbins. I need that area cordoned off immediately. Nobody is to go anywhere near it without my express permission. I’m also going to need copies of all your CCTV footage from the last twenty-four hours.’

  ‘I’ll start downloading the files immediately,’ said Robbins.

  ‘Thank you. Also, what you’ve just witnessed must remain totally confidential. You cannot say anything about this to anyone. Until I’ve spoken to Hollie’s parents, this has to remain between us. Ok?’

  Both men nodded.

  ‘You can count on us Chief Inspector,’ said Green, regaining his composure.

  Phillips and Jones surveyed the area where Hollie had been taken under torchlight. The forensic team would bring floodlights, but Phillips wanted to see if there was any immediate and obvious evidence. Sadly, there wasn’t, but she noted that the padlock was hanging on the gate, unlocked. That clearly didn’t match Green’s boast about the Marstons’s level of security, so she took a number of photos with her phone for future reference.

  Her attention was soon drawn to the sound of voices drawing closer from the direction of the tennis courts, and a moment later, Senior CSI Andy Evans appeared from around the corner, followed by a number of his team.

  ‘We really must stop meeting like this,’ he quipped.

  ‘Andy,’ said Phillips.

  Jones nodded his acknowledgement.

  ‘Can we have the space, Ma’am?’ said Evans.

  Phillips nodded. ‘Sure. We’ll head back inside. Can you let me know if you find anything significant?’

  ‘Will do.’

  Phillips and Jones made their way back through the tennis courts towards the main building. She was keen to speak to Robbins without Green and his drama getting in the way. As they reached the clubhouse, they were met by the other two members of Phillips’s core team from MCU, DCs Bovalino and Entwistle. At over six foot four and a former cage-fighter, Bovalino was a big man, and looked even bigger in his thick winter coat with the fur-lined hood bunched up behind his head. Entwistle, on the other hand, was slimmer and more athletic than his fellow DC, and dressed like an Armani model. His chiselled, mixed-race features were accentuated by the crisp collar of his overcoat, pulled up as much to look good as to protect him from the cold.

  ‘Here they are, “Bert and Ernie,”’ joked Jones. ‘Good of you to join us.’

  Bovalino shot Jones a playful V-sign in response. Entwistle ignored the jibe.

  ‘Right, guys. Looks like we’ve got the kidnapping of a minor on our hands. Let’s get inside and we’ll bring you up to speed.

  In the deserted bar, Phillips wasted no time in briefing Bovalino and Entwistle on the events of the evening so far. Given Sir Richard Hawkins's relationship with the Greater Manchester Police top-brass, she warned them that the pressure to get a result would be immense.

  ‘Entwistle, I need you to speak to the manager, Mr Green. You’ll find him in his office down there,’ she said, pointing to the corridor that led off the bar. ‘Get the names of every guest who attended the event tonight, then see if any of them have criminal records or questionable backgrounds.’

  ‘Sure thing, Guv.’

  ‘Bov, I want you to suit-up and get out there with Evans and the team. See if you can find any signs of who took Hollie.’

  Bov nodded with a heavy sigh. ‘I see. So the peasant Italian has to do the donkey work out in the cold whilst golden-balls here gets a nice warm office.’ He landed a playful punch on Entwistle’s shoulder.

  ‘What you complaining for?’ teased Jones, tapping Bovalino’s thick midriff. ‘You’ve got plenty of meat on you to keep you warm.’

  ‘Piss off!’ joked Bovalino, swatting Jones’s hand away.

  Phillips allowed herself a smile before refocussing the team. ‘Right. Jonesy and I need to talk to the head of security. I want to know why that gate wasn’t locked. Everyone clear on what they’re doing?’

  ‘Yes, Guv!’ the team replied in unison, and got busy.

  John Robbins was back in front of the monitors, checking the CCTV footage, when Phillips and Jones walked into his office, this time without knocking. He spun round to face them.

  ‘Found anything else of interest?’ asked Phillips.

  Robbins’s brow furrowed. ‘Nothing yet, but I’ll keep looking. The footage you wanted will be downloaded within the hour. It’s a massive file.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Phillips.

  ‘Happy to help.’

  ‘In the meantime, we have some more questions.’

  ‘Go ahead. What can I tell you?’

  ‘Is the gate where Hollie was taken usually locked?’

  ‘Of course. As Mr Green said, the members are often subject to unwanted media attention, so every exit and entrance is secured.’

  Phillips produced her phone and presented Robbins with one of the photos she’d taken earlier. ‘Well, this is how we found it when we went over there just now.’

  Robbins took the phone and studied the photo for a moment, using his fingers to zoom in.

  ‘As you can see, the lock is open, but remains intact,’ Phillips continued. ‘It was either left that way or the kidnappers had a key.’

  Robbins’s mouth fell open. ‘But that’s impossible. Every lock is checked at the start and end of each shift. No one mentioned any issues with the gates down there to me.’

  ‘Who would have been the last person to check it?’

  Robbins thought for a moment. ‘Erm, it would be Sam Cartwright. She’s been looking after that section of the building tonight.’

  ‘And do you trust her?’ asked Jones.

  Robbins jerked his head back. ‘Sam? Absolutely. She’s one of my best. A former medic in the Army. She served in Afghanistan and Iraq.’

  ‘Where is she now?’

  ‘She’s still here. She’s on until 6 a.m., when the next shift takes over. She’ll be doing her rounds.’

  ‘Can we speak to her please?’

  ‘Of course. I’ll radio her now.’

  A few minutes later, the door to Robbins’s office opened and Sam Cartwright stepped inside. Short and stocky, with close-cropped hair, someone not paying attention could easily have mistaken her for a man.

  ‘Sam, this is DCI Phillips and DS Jones from the Major Crimes team. They’d like to talk to you,’ said Robbins. ‘Please, take a seat.’

  Cartwright moved across the room, her stooped posture giving her an apologetic air. She smiled weakly as she sat down, revealing heavily stained teeth. Like Robbins, she wore a shirt and tie, but the collar could not fully hide a tattoo running up the left side of her neck to just under her jawline.

  Phillips wasted no time getting to the point. ‘Sam, where were you at 8 p.m. this evening?’

  Cartwright repeated the question. ‘Where was I at eight o’clock?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Cartwright’s eyes narrowed. ‘Er. I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

  ‘What don’t you understand?’ shot Phillips. ‘It’s a simple enough question.’

  ‘Well, I was here, wasn’t I?’ Cartwright said, and glanced at Robbins, half smiling.

  ‘Yes, we know that,’ said Phillips, ‘but where specifically were you within the club at that time?’

  Phillips watched Cartwright closely as she gazed up at the ceiling. ‘Er, well, I don’t remember exactly, but I think I would have been out on the tennis courts.’

  ‘Did you see Hollie Hawkins at all?’

  Cartwright shook her head. ‘No. I’m afraid not. I mean, to
be honest, with all the guests wearing costumes, it was hard to tell who anyone was this evening.’

  Phillips turned to Robbins. ‘Could you bring up the footage of Hollie talking to the masked man, please?’

  Robbins obliged, and the image filled the middle screen on the wall.

  ‘Did you see this man anywhere tonight?’

  Cartwright spun the ring on the middle finger of her right hand with her thumb as she scrutinised the image. She shook her head. ‘No, I can’t recall seeing him.’

  Phillips said nothing for a moment, allowing the silence to linger as she watched Cartwright’s face.

  Cartwright shifted in her seat.

  ‘Do you recognise this?’ Phillips presented her with the image of the padlock they’d witnessed on the external gates.

  Again, Cartwright scrutinised the image for a long moment before shaking her head. ‘No, sorry.’

  ‘This is the lock that secures the gates to the air-conditioning units. That area was under your watch tonight, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, it was.’

  ‘And Mr Robbins tells me they should remain locked at all times?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Cartwright affirmed.

  ‘Yet tonight they were left unlocked, which allowed four men to abduct a person we believe to be Hollie Hawkins.’

  Cartwright’s eyes widened. ‘You don’t think I had anything to do with that, do you?’

  Phillips stared at Cartwright for a long moment. ‘Did you?’

  ‘Oh my God, no. This job is my life. I would never do anything to jeopardise it.’

  ‘So how do you explain the open lock, then?’

  Cartwright’s mouth fell open, but she said nothing, her eyes darting to Robbins before staring back at Phillips. She continued to spin the ring on her middle finger at a pace. ‘I honestly don’t know. I checked all the locks tonight at the start of my shift, as per usual. They were all secure then. Every single one of them.’

  ‘Sam is one of my best operatives, Chief Inspector, with a decorated military record,’ Robbins cut in. ‘If she says they were secure, I believe her.’

  Phillips locked eyes with Robbins now. ‘Of course, Mr Robbins,’ she said, without feeling, ‘I’m sure you understand the seriousness of the situation, though. We have to check everybody involved, including you.’

  Robbins eyes bulged, and he leaned back in his chair. ‘I can assure you, I have nothing to hide.’

  Phillips offered a polite smile. ‘Of course, Mr Robbins. I’m merely stating that, in order to eliminate people from our enquiries, we have to check every avenue – and every person.’

  This seemed to placate Robbins somewhat, and his shoulders and face softened. ‘Yes, yes. I understand.’

  Phillips knew there was nothing more to be gained from pressing either Robbins or Cartwright further at this exact moment. Plus, she was keen to hear what forensics had found, if anything. ‘How’s that download, going?’

  Robbins moved back to the PC positioned in front of the CCTV and reactivated the screen. ‘All done,’ he said a moment later, and ejected the USB stick and handed it to Phillips.

  ‘Thank you. Much appreciated.’ Phillips forced a thin smile. ‘We’ll get this back to the tech guys and see if they spot anything we’ve missed.’

  She pushed back her chair with her legs and stood. Jones followed. ‘Will you be here much longer, Mr Robbins?’

  He nodded. ‘You tell me. I can’t leave until your forensic team are finished.’

  ‘In that case, based on experience, I’m afraid you may be in for a long night.’

  Robbins remained stoic. ‘It won’t be the first time I’ve gone without sleep, Chief Inspector.’

  ‘Quite,’ said Phillips. ‘Well, thank you for your time. You’ve been most helpful.’

  ‘Like I said, anything I can do to help.’

  Phillips and Jones made their way back towards the tennis courts and the forensic team. On the way there, at a safe distance from the offices, they stopped to debrief.

  ‘What do you make of them, Guv?’ asked Jones.

  ‘I haven’t made my mind up, Jonesy. Robbins seems pretty straight, and his arsy reaction to my suggestion that he might be involved seemed genuine enough. But Cartwright? There’s something going on with her. I’m not sure what just yet, but I’m keen to find out more about her.’

  ‘She did seem a bit edgy, didn’t she?’

  ‘Anxious is the word, Jonesy,’ said Phillips. ‘Believe me, once you’ve suffered with anxiety, you can spot it a mile off in others, and she was as jumpy as a frog. Did you see how she was spinning that ring on her middle finger?’

  ‘You noticed that too?’

  ‘Impossible not to. I thought she might pull it off at one point. Anyway, let’s see what Evans and the team have found, then head back to Ashton House. I want a full background check on Robbins and Cartwright, and first thing in the morning we need to update the Hawkinses on what happened to Hollie.’

  Jones’s face fell. ‘Oh God. I’d forgotten about them.’

  Phillips bit her lip. ‘Yeah. I’m really not looking forward to that, I can tell you.’

  4

  The conversation with the Hawkinses was as unpleasant as Phillips had expected, especially given the fact that the forensic team had found no evidence that could help trace Hollie. They had, however, found her mobile phone, which had been discarded near the exit to the main road. It was a long shot, but Phillips had sent it to the digital forensics team in the hope Hollie may have inadvertently taken photos or videos of her kidnappers before she was abducted.

  Rather than pull resources away from the office, she had made the trip alone. It was never easy to tell a parent their child had been hurt – or may be in danger – and her job was made harder by Richard Hawkins’s clear mistrust of Phillips and her team. At one point he had been at pains to remind her of his connections in Whitehall who, he suggested, would have a significant bearing on how the case was to be managed. When she pushed him on what he meant, he said it would become clear soon enough, then refused to expand any further.

  Sir Richard Hawkins was the kind of man whose words and actions made it very difficult to like him. Phillips had to remind herself of the fear and anguish he must be feeling, not knowing where his only daughter had been taken – or by whom. She resisted the temptation to defend herself and her team against his constant criticism and chose a more pragmatic approach. So, after assuring Sir Richard and his wife, Sandra, that she and her team were doing everything they could – and would utilise every available resource – to find Hollie, she had taken her leave and set off back to Headquarters.

  As she left the suburb of Altrincham behind, Sir Richard’s threats rang in her ears. What did he mean when he said his connections in Whitehall would have a bearing on the case? There was one person in Ashton House who never missed a trick, so she decided to call Chief Superintendent Fox to update her.

  A moment later, Fox’s assistant, Ms Blair, put her through, and the chief super’s voice boomed through the car’s speakers.

  ‘DCI Phillips. How was your meeting with Sir Richard?’

  ‘Not the easiest, Ma’am, I must say.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Fox. ‘Knowing his reputation, I can believe that.’

  ‘He seems very unhappy with the pace of the investigation, which feels a little premature considering it’s less than fourteen hours since Hollie was snatched.’

  ‘That sounds like Sir Richard.’

  Phillips paused for a moment as she searched for the right words. ‘Ma’am, is there something I need to know about his connections in Whitehall in relation to this investigation?’

  Fox didn’t miss a beat. ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘Well. It’s just that he said Whitehall would have a significant bearing on how the case would be handled, but when I pressed him on what that actually meant, he wouldn’t say.’

  ‘He’s probably just venting,’ said Fox.

  ‘No. It was more tha
n that, Ma’am. It sounded like a threat.’

  ‘Well, whatever he meant, I’m afraid I don’t have the time to try and second-guess his motives.’ Fox appeared keen to change the subject now. ‘So, where are we up to on finding the girl?’

  ‘Well, we know Hollie spoke to an individual shortly before she was snatched, someone wearing identical mask and clothing to three other people.’

  ‘Sounds like it was well organised, in that case,’ said Fox.

  ‘Yes, Ma’am. And I’m beginning to think they may have had help from someone connected to Marstons.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘The lock on the gate through which Hollie was taken was left unlocked,’ said Phillips.

  ‘And do you have anyone you like for it within the club?’

  ‘Nothing concrete yet, but the security guard in charge of that section of the club seemed very edgy when we spoke to her last night.’

  ‘Do you have any background on him yet?’

  ‘No Ma’am,’ said Phillips. ‘I’m hoping for an update when I get back to the station. Oh, and he’s a she.’

  ‘Ok. Do you have anything else?’

  ‘No, Ma’am. Not at this stage.’

  ‘Well, in that case, you’d better do yourself a favour and get on with finding Sir Richard’s daughter pronto, hadn’t you?’ said Fox, and ended the call.

  Phillips drove for the next few minutes in silence, replaying the two conversations in her head. She was convinced Sir Richard’s comments were threatening, but couldn’t figure out how. Something was in play, she was certain. As she drew nearer to Ashton House Police Headquarters, her heart rate began to climb. ‘How come I get all the shitty cases?’ she whispered to herself as she turned into the car park.

  She parked the car and killed the engine. To calm her racing heart, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, in through her nose and out through her mouth, for exactly one minute. Her nerves steadied, she stepped out of the car.

  A few minutes later, she strode into the incident room hoping for positive news. Given the importance of the case, MCU’s wider support team had almost doubled, and every available desk was taken by both plain-clothes and uniformed officers. The noise level in the room had ratcheted up significantly since the previous afternoon.