Definitely Dead

by Kate Bendelow

  He shut his eyes again and felt his body sink into the bed. ‘I’ll go and get a nurse,’ he heard his sister say. He sighed as he felt his mother fussing with the bedcovers around him, before gently placing a cooling kiss on his forehead. He heard a sudden strangled sob before he felt her warm tears falling on his face.

  ‘Please don’t cry, Mum, I’m okay,’ he said in a voice he barely recognised as his own. His mouth was swollen and worryingly, his teeth felt loose. He reached for his mum’s hand and squeezed it carefully as he attempted to open his eyes again.

  This time the light seemed more forgiving and he could take in more detail of the hospital room he was lying in.

  ‘How long have I been here?’ he asked, disorientated.

  ‘Since yesterday. Tania said she thought she’d heard some shouting not long after you left the house but thought nothing of it at the time. When she realised your car was still there, she went to look for you. She found you out for the count in the middle of the estate.

  ‘The doctors have kept you sedated since as they were concerned about a possible head injury although, thank God, everything seems fine. You’ve got a broken nose, fractured cheekbone, four broken ribs and a broken collarbone. Oh, darling, we’ve been so worried.’ Janine James broke into a fresh peal of tears as she clutched Spence’s hand for dear life, as if she was never going to let him go again.

  Well, with all those injuries, at least it explained why he felt as if he’d been hit by a bus. He had a fleeting memory of chasing after Lurch through the estate and then suddenly, all the events of the last few weeks came flooding back to him. There was only one person he could think of.

  ‘Maya,’ he said as he made a futile attempt to sit up. ‘I need to speak to Maya. I need to check she’s okay.’

  ‘You were mugged, love, your phone has been stolen. Who’s Maya anyway?’

  ‘I need to speak to her, Mum. Please get me a phone or something.’ Spence attempted to sit up again, just as Tania returned to the room accompanied by a doctor.

  ‘You’re going nowhere, son, lie back down,’ the doctor commanded in a no-nonsense, authoritarian manner.

  Consumed with pain and frustration, Spence sank back down onto the bed as the doctor began to examine him, poking and prodding and asking all sorts of questions. All he could think about was Maya. He didn’t have all the pieces to the jigsaw, but he knew Maya was central to it all. Tears began to fill his eyes and they had nothing to do with the amount of pain he was in.

  If Lurch had done this to him, what would he do to Maya?

  78

  Taking deep breaths, Maya fought to stay calm. It was easier said than done in the presence of someone as intimidating and unstable as Lurch. She decided to chance flattery and distraction. ‘Sydney is a nice name. Can I call you Sydney instead of Lurch?’

  Her gamble paid off as he gave her a shy, toothless smile. ‘I’d like that. I don’t want to be Lurch anymore. I want to be Sydney.’

  Maya smiled with more reassurance than she felt. ‘Okay, Sydney. Can you tell me what you’ve done? Then we can work out how I can help you.’

  He grimaced. ‘It’s my friend, Aiden…’

  ‘Aiden Donnelly?’ Maya gasped.

  Lurch nodded as he swiped his sleeve across his nose. ‘He’s gonna be so mad with me…’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I knocked him out and chained him up in our lock-up. He’s still there. It’s been days now. I don’t know what to do. Usually, him or Nowak tell me what’s what. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. My friends have always helped me.’

  ‘You said you’d done this because of me but I don’t understand why. I don’t even know Donnelly…’

  ‘Because it was supposed to be you in the lock-up. Aiden said we were going to follow you and kidnap you and tie you up in there to teach you a lesson. As a favour for Nowak’s cellmate.’ He sighed as he struggled to think. ‘And because they were all mad at you for giving Spence an alibi for the McCluskey stabbing. Aiden had fixed it that Spence got sent to prison so Nowak could come home.’

  As shocked as she was, things gradually began to fall into place. She didn’t know what was worse – the thought that someone had planned to kidnap her or the fact that Naylor was behind it. It was almost too incomprehensible.

  Lurch’s lower lip began to tremble with emotion. He couldn’t look Maya in the eye as he continued. ‘I couldn’t do it though. I’ve always done what they’ve told me to do before, but not this time. I can’t stop thinking about you since I saw you in bed. That was wrong. I’m really sorry if I scared you.’ He started to hit his head again, more violently this time.

  ‘Sydney, stop, please.’ Like last time, he dropped his hands immediately. He was clearly used to acting on instructions. He stared solemnly at the floor.

  ‘I didn’t know how to say no to Aiden. Even if I had, I knew he’d do it anyway and I couldn’t stand the thought of you being hurt. But I can’t keep him in there for ever. And I know I hit him too hard because he was knocked out for ages.’ Lurch let out a sob. ‘He’s going to kill me. Worse, he’s never going to speak to me again. What am I going to do, Maya?’

  Wretchedly, Lurch sunk to his haunches and wrapped his arms around himself. He buried his face between his legs and sobbed noisily. He looked so pitiful; Maya couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Whatever Lurch may have done in the past, Maya was confident he had not acted with any deliberate criminal intent. He had clearly been following orders.

  She strongly suspected he didn’t have the mental capacity to know the difference between right and wrong. He had been used and manipulated by Donnelly and Nowak. He had spent his whole life being told what to do by other people. He was lost now he had no one ordering him about. He had come to her in the hope she would tell him what to do.

  ‘Sydney,’ she said carefully. ‘What’s upsetting you the most?’

  He wiped a hand across his face, smearing tears and snot like a child. ‘The fact I’ve hurt Aiden. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore. I’ve done some bad things over the years, Maya. Really bad. I don’t like it. I want to be a good person. I want to be the type of person that someone like you would want to be with.’ He blushed again and gave her a shy smile. ‘I know I scare people. I know I scare you.’

  Maya stood carefully and walked towards Lurch, then, sinking to the floor, she sat cross-legged facing him. ‘I’m not scared now I’ve got to know you.’ She smiled reassuringly. ‘You’ve asked me to help you and I will. First of all…’

  Her mobile rang, cutting her off mid-sentence. She glanced at Lurch who nodded at her to answer it. It was Ewan. Her eyes widened with shock as she listened to him. Her hands shook as she ended the call and her mouth hung open in disbelief.

  Lurch frowned with concern. ‘Are you okay, Maya?’

  She shook her head imperceptibly before pulling herself together. ‘Sydney, I need you to tell me where Aiden Donnelly is. I need to get to him.’

  Lurch shook his head frantically. ‘No, you can’t go. If he gets out, he’ll hurt you. Really hurt you.’

  ‘I need to go. He’s not safe there. I think somebody else might know where he is. And they’re going to kill him.’

  79

  Aiden’s eyes widened with incredulity at the sight of the gun. ‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’

  ‘Something someone should have done a long time ago. Putting you down like the rabid animal you are.’

  ‘Have you forgotten who you’re talking too? You’ve not got the balls. Fair enough, you’ve got this far. Let me go now and I might be prepared to forget about it.’ His bluster was starting to wane now. As incredulous as the sight in front of him was, even he couldn’t help feeling anxious when a gun was pointing in his direction.

  ‘I’d like to take the credit for chaining you up like that, but it wasn’t me, I’m afraid. I’d have left you to starve.’

  ‘Then who?’

  ‘Your good friend Lurch.’r />
  ‘Lurch? Fuck off. He’s as loyal as a dog.’

  ‘Seems you misjudged him. I’ve been watching. He’s been coming and going, bringing you your little food parcels.’

  ‘Bollocks,’ Aiden spat with contempt at the floor. ‘Why would Lurch do this?’ He indicated his head to the squalor he was in.

  ‘I’ve not worked that out yet. It looks like you’ll have to die not knowing. Lurch is going to have a nasty shock next time he visits.’

  ‘Tell me what this is really about. It’s money, isn’t it?’ He sat up eagerly. ‘That’s what you want. It’s what you lot always want.’

  ‘And if I say yes, how much will you give me?’

  ‘Whatever you want.’ He was aware of the desperation in his voice and tried to shrug it off. ‘Within reason. Obviously. Just fucking untie me, okay?’

  ‘Manners?’

  ‘Please,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘Look, just tell me what it is you want. How much?’

  ‘I don’t want your fucking money. I want you dead.’

  ‘So, what? You’re just going to shoot me? Just like that? You?’ He shook his head incredulously. As unbelievable as the situation was, he was scared now. Very scared.

  ‘Yes, Mr Donnelly, I am. But it’s not going to be quick. And it’s certainly not going to be painless…’

  80

  Despite Lurch’s concern for Maya, the thought of Donnelly being in danger was all the persuasion he needed to give her the location of the lock-up. She looked the address up on Google Maps and was relieved to discover it wasn’t too far away. She could make it there in fifteen minutes.

  Lurch was hovering in the middle of the room looking more vacant and lost than ever. ‘Will Aiden be okay?’

  ‘I hope so. I’m going to go now and do whatever I can to help him.’

  Lurch nodded his thanks. Maya chose her next words carefully. ‘Sydney, whatever happens with Aiden, you know the police are going to come. Because of… things that he and Nowak have done. Because of the things they’ve asked you to do.’

  Lurch nodded solemnly, his face a mask of pain and contrition.

  ‘I probably shouldn’t even say this. But you asked me to help you.’ She took a deep breath. ‘You need to go. Now. Get as far away from here as you can. Start a new life somewhere new. Be a good person. Be Sydney.’

  They stood for a moment staring at each other. A thousand words passed unspoken between them. Maya tenderly squeezed Lurch’s arm as she left. She couldn’t waste another moment. The thought that Andy Carr was behind the deaths had been disturbing. Knowing who was really responsible for all the killings, was terrifying.

  81

  Maya pulled over on the dirt track which surrounded the back of the industrial unit. Parking carefully to make sure the van stayed out of sight; she could see the green shipping container through the trees. She was chilled by the sight of the white car parked alongside it, which she recognised immediately. Maya shook her head at her own naivety. She had been so convinced that Andy Carr was behind everything that she had overlooked the truth. She almost wished it had been Andy. That would have been easier to deal with. She had never trusted or liked him. She felt sickened that someone so allegedly respectable could be behind this. Someone she could once almost have considered a friend.

  Straining towards the windscreen to consider the lay of the land, Maya’s mind was whirling with how to proceed. Every moment she faltered could mean the difference between Donnelly coming out of that lock-up alive. She couldn’t cope with having his death on her conscience. She needed to get in there. But what could she do alone and unarmed?

  Maya grabbed her phone and began to dial the office number. She hesitated as the call began to connect and hung up quickly. She no longer knew who she could trust. God knows how many people were involved. She urgently needed police backup but how could she ask for it if she didn’t know who the good guys were. Shouting up on the police radio would get her the help she needed but could also compromise her safety. And what would she even say? How could she explain the situation without sounding like a complete fantasist?

  Looking at the radio in its vehicle holder she knew what to do. She pressed the emergency button. She knew this was one way of communicating with comms. It had worked when officers at The Farmhouse had used it when arresting Donnelly. They would be able to use GPS to track her location, and when she didn’t respond to a welfare call, patrols would be allocated to her. She pressed the button and heard the alarm chirrup into life. On wobbly legs, she left the safety of the van and walked stealthily towards the shipping container. She passed the familiar vehicle before quietly and hesitantly pushing her way through the open door.

  The heat was oppressive and the stench unbearable. Aiden Donnelly spotted her first, the figure clutching the gun totally unaware of her presence until Maya spoke.

  ‘What’s going on?’

  The killer turned and smiled at Maya, seemingly unsurprised by her arrival, as the gun was turned in Maya’s direction.

  82

  Amanda arrived back at the office at the same time as Elaine. Chris had dropped her off, stating he needed to do something before he returned to work. She was just settling her things down on the desk when the police radio chirruped with the recognisable tone of the emergency activation button.

  Amanda frowned. ‘You’ve not pressed yours by mistake have you, Elaine?’

  ‘No.’ Elaine picked it up to check. She could see on the display the collar number of the officer who had activated it. ‘Hey, isn’t that Maya’s collar number?’ She hurriedly passed the radio to Amanda. She squinted through her reading glasses. ‘Yes, it is. Shit, I hope she’s okay.’

  ‘She was only going to the garage, wasn’t she?’

  ‘As far as I know, yes,’ replied Amanda. ‘Unless she’s been allocated another job while we’ve been out. It might be an accidental activation. I’ll ring the garage and check if she’s still there.’

  The comms officer was responding to the activation over the air, calling Maya’s collar number and asking if everything was okay, but getting no reply. Amanda suddenly put the phone down, looking pale. ‘Elaine, shout up and let comms know, Maya left the garage ages ago. She should be back here by now. I’ll phone Chris. Out of all of us, if there was a problem, she’d have rung him first.’

  ‘Shit,’ breathed Elaine as she attempted to stay calm and relay the information to comms. She informed them that the emergency activation was by a SOCO officer, but they didn’t know her current whereabouts.

  Comms replied that they were currently accessing her location by using the Northgate mapping system. Amanda shook her head as she put the phone down. ‘Chris isn’t picking up.’

  After what seemed like an age, the comms officer shouted up with a location. ‘Confirm emergency activation is coming from Weir Industrial Estate. Any patrols free on an immediate response please?’

  Several officers acknowledged that they were en route. A couple of sirens began to scream from the rear yard as they made their way. All Amanda and Elaine could do was sit huddled around the radio and wait for an update. They were both frantically hoping and praying that Maya was okay.

  83

  Maya thought the state of Aiden Donnelly was almost as shocking as the sight of the gun that was pointing in her direction. Alison Mitton smiled at Maya. She appeared completely unconcerned, as if Maya had walked in on a team briefing. ‘Aiden here has had a rough few day,’ she explained nonchalantly. ‘I was just about to put him out of his misery.’

  ‘Really? Like you did with the others?’

  Alison smiled at her, nodding slowly. ‘Oh, Maya, I knew you were smart enough to work it out. What gave me away?’

  ‘I sent Celeste Warren’s suicide note off to the lab for chemical treatment. The ident has just come through. I thought there was something unusual about the note. The way the wording was crossed out.’ Maya heard the shakiness in her own voice which was mirrored by the trembling in her legs.<
br />
  ‘Very good, I’m impressed. Obviously, I couldn’t wear gloves while I was with her, it would have looked too suspicious, but it didn’t matter as in view of the fact it was a suicide, I knew there wouldn’t be any need for a fingerprint exam. The stupid bitch thought it was all a big joke. I told her I wanted her to write a note to say sorry to one of the many victims she had damaged over the years. I told her what to say, but she couldn’t spell. My inner pedant couldn’t allow her to not correct it.’

  ‘What the fuck is all this about?’ Aiden’s voice lacked the bravado he intended. ‘Where’s Lurch?’

  ‘Shut up,’ the two women replied in unison. Alison laughed. ‘I like you, Maya. You’ve got the same drive and ambition I had when I joined the job.’ She turned the gun back in Aiden’s direction, but didn’t take her eyes off Maya.

  ‘I’m nothing like you,’ Maya spat. ‘I’m doing this job because I want to help people, not kill them. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they’ve done in the past, there is no excusing you…’

  ‘Really? Your morality is commendable. Or at least it nearly is. Why didn’t you tell anyone that Marcus Naylor is your biological father?’

  ‘You knew?’

  ‘Yes. I make it my business to know everything. That’s what a good cop does. I also know that for the last twelve months, Andy Carr has been taking bribes off this piece of shit to provide him with Operation Chrysalis information. I hadn’t done anything about it earlier, as I find it’s always best to bide your time and wait for the perfect moment. I’d quite like to put a bullet in our Andy, but I’m running out of time. Donnelly will be my last.’