Hunted: A psychotic killer is out for revenge... (THE DS HUNTER KERR INVESTIGATIONS Book 6)

by Michael Fowler

  As Richard drew back his baton — about to tell him to drop the canister — the man twisted swiftly, dragging the plastic container out of the broken window and flinging it in his direction. It hit him in the chest, some of its contents emptying over his stab vest, splashing onto his neck and face. The liquid went into his eyes, instantly causing a stinging sensation, blinding him. Within a split-second, the smell of petrol caught the back of his throat and panic overcame him. As he staggered back he heard a click, which reminded him of a zippo-lighter being struck, and then it felt as if his face was melting.

  The day was giving way to dusk by the time the Kerrs returned to the hotel. The entire journey Hunter had repeatedly checked his rear-view mirror to ensure they weren’t being followed. He tucked his car behind the hotel and ushered everyone through the rear doors. Taking the back stairs instead of the lift, he said goodnight to his parents and watched them enter their room five doors along, before entering his own room. He turned on the light, quickly taking in the surroundings as Beth and the boys followed. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed. It was only then he relaxed.

  Jonathan instantly grabbed the TV remote, threw himself onto the king-size bed and activated the TV. Daniel joined him, stacking the pillows against the headboard and making himself comfy. Hunter grinned and turned to Beth. “Still angry with me?”

  Beth held his eyes for a few seconds. Hunter could see that the spark in hers had returned, intensifying their blueness.

  She answered, “Not mad with you. Peed off with what’s happening, but not mad.”

  “Good, and I’m really sorry that you’ve been dragged into this.”

  “Your dad should be saying this, not you.”

  “Well, I’m speaking on his behalf.”

  Beth shook her head, releasing shimmering locks of honey-blonde hair, and broke into a smile.

  “I love you, Beth Kerr.” He was about to reach out and embrace her when the bedside phone rang.

  Beth was nearest and picked it up. Following a short conversation, she removed the handset and held it out to him. “It’s the receptionist downstairs; someone’s asking for you.”

  Hunter threw her a puzzled look and took the handset. “Hello?”

  “I’m guessing I’m speaking with Jock’s son… Hunter, isn’t it?”

  It had been over eighteen months since he had last heard the man speak, but Hunter instantly recognised the harsh, gravelly Scottish voice. He glanced quickly at Beth and the boys and then made for the bathroom. “How have you got this number, Billy?” he hissed, back-heeling the bathroom door shut.

  A short laugh came down the line. “I’m very resourceful. You should know that from last time. I found your dad once and I’ve found him again.”

  “Billy, you need to hand yourself in. This is only making it worse.”

  “Me and your dad have some unfinished business. You know that. I’m telling you this because I’ve no reason to hurt you, and I don’t want to. But if you get in my way, then I will. Do I make myself clear?”

  “I’m ending this conversation, Billy.”

  “Okay, but before you do, I have to say that wife of yours is a fine bonnie lassie, and your boys look like they’re going to be fine young men. You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to them as well, would you?”

  Before Hunter had time to answer, the line went dead. For several seconds he stared at the handset, listening to the strident burr. Then his hand started to shake.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Hunter immediately put in a phone call to Detective Superintendent Leggate while Beth re-packed the cases. Ten minutes later, two armed-response-vehicles screeched into the hotel car park, and four officers wearing Kevlar vests and carrying Hecklar & Cock MP5s jumped out and secured the premises. The manager wondered what the hell was happening. His face was still a picture as he watched Hunter and his family being rushed through reception under armed guard to their vehicles at the back.

  Within twenty minutes, Hunter and Jock were flooring their cars down the M1 under escort to Sheffield police headquarters, where the Chief’s top floor flat had been made available for them. This week, he was out of town at a conference.

  Halfway there, Hunter’s mobile rang. It was Dawn Leggate. He hit the hands free button. “Hello, boss…” He was about to update her when she interjected.

  “I know you’re on the way to Headquarters, and I’ve made sure there’s a parking spot allocated for both you and your dad. When you get there, I want you to go straight up to the flat, and all of you stay there until you hear from me. Understand?”

  Hunter could tell from the tone of her voice that something was wrong. He grabbed the phone from the hands free set and stuck it to his ear — he didn’t want Beth or the boys to hear any more of the conversation. “Is something up, boss?”

  “You could say that. I’ve currently got half your dad’s street on lockdown. Half an hour ago, one of the duty group officers was attacked at your dad’s house. One of the neighbours reported a prowler, and the cop who turned out had petrol poured over him and was set alight. He was found by other officers responding. He’s been rushed to hospital, and I’m waiting for an update to see how he is. I’ve got Grace and Mike Sampson on their way there as we speak.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve got the entire area cordoned off, and it’s swarming with officers, but there’s no sign of the person who did this, and to be honest we’ve only got a very vague description from your dad’s neighbours who saw the prowler.”

  Hunter’s thoughts spiralled back eighteen months. Billy had used petrol and set a husband and wife on fire then — after first torturing the husband, a retired detective, by chopping off each of his fingers on his right hand — forcing him to reveal Jock’s new identity and address. He responded sharply, “Billy Wallace?”

  “He’s certainly at the top of my list.”

  “Who’s the cop?”

  Dawn revealed his name. Hunter knew him; Richard was an experienced cop in service, but at thirty-two, still relatively young. He and Beth had been to his wedding reception three years ago. He had an eighteen-month-old daughter. Hunter felt his stomach empty.

  “There’s something else as well. It looks as though the prowler was about to fire your mum and dad’s place. That’s how Richard Flynn got doused in petrol and set on fire.” Dawn paused a moment and continued, “I want you to keep that to yourself. Your parents will be worried enough. I’m arranging for extra security for both your places as we speak, so I don’t want you worrying. Besides, with the boots I’ve put out on the ground, if it is Billy Wallace, he’s going to be keeping his head down. When I find out anything else, I’ll ring you. You stay put until I get back to you. I’ve got my hands full, as you can imagine, but I will get back to you sometime this evening. Until then, I don’t want any of you wandering off.” With that, she ended the call.

  For a brief moment, Hunter’s thoughts went into a spin. Beth’s voice quickly dragged him back.

  “Something happened?” she asked.

  Hunter removed the phone from his ear and put it back in the hands free. He jerked a nod to the back seat where Jonathan and Daniel were belted up. “I’ll tell you later,” he replied, his thoughts still getting to grips with the news that he’d just been given.

  From the underground car park at Headquarters, Hunter and his family were ushered up a back stairwell to the top floor by two of the armed contingent. Jonathan and Daniel were enjoying every moment, but Hunter could see that Beth looked scared. They were shown into the flat by one of the leading armed officers, who did a quick eye-sweep of the place.

  He said, “I understand there’s tea and coffee in the cupboards and some fresh milk in the fridge. If you want food, you’re to contact reception downstairs and they’ll order it for you. Other than that, the Chief says to make yourself comfortable.” The armed officer winked. “It’s not every day you get to use the Chief Constable’s place, is it? I’d make the best of it.” Handin
g over a key, he tipped Hunter a quick nod and left.

  Closing the door and placing the key in the lock, Hunter first looked to Beth and then to Fiona and Jock. They all looked bewildered. “My boss says she’ll ring me tonight. Until then, it’s as the officer just said: we’re to make ourselves comfortable.”

  For the next hour, they made drinks and freshened up in the one bathroom the flat had. Jonathan and Daniel took up the sofa, and after channel-surfing the TV, they found it had Sky movies and selected the new Iron Man film. Hunter saw that they at least had made themselves at home.

  In the bedroom Beth opened up the cases, and while she selected a change of clothes for herself and for the boys, Hunter told her in a hushed voice what had happened.

  She clasped a hand to her mouth. “Oh God, Hunter, that’s terrible. His poor wife. His daughter.”

  “I know.”

  “And do they think it’s this Billy Wallace guy?”

  Hunter shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think it could be anyone else. It certainly has all his hallmarks, especially with this happening at Mum and Dad’s house.”

  “So, what’s going to happen now?”

  Hunter again shrugged his shoulders. “The boss says she’ll ring me this evening and update me, but other than that we have to hang on here.”

  “You mean in this flat?”

  “Well, given what’s just happened, and that phone call I got from Billy back at the hotel, it’s too dangerous to go back home or anywhere else at the moment. No one knows where he is.”

  Holding out open hands, Beth aimed a look of frustration at him. “We can’t stay in this place for more than a couple of days — it’s not big enough for us all. You can see for yourself.”

  “What else can we do? What do you suggest?” Hunter tried his best to hide the irritation in his voice.

  Beth sucked in a deep breath, turning her head away. “Jesus! I can’t believe this is happening to us.”

  Hunter ordered a Chinese takeaway for them all over the phone and went down to reception to collect it when it came. As they laid out the table, which was only big enough for four, Hunter broke the news to his mum and dad about the attack on the young cop. They were as shocked as Beth, and initially they sat around the table eating in silence. The only sound in the room came from the TV; Jonathan and Daniel were back on the sofa watching another movie, eating from plates resting on their knees. It was one big adventure for them. For the grown-ups, it was different. There was a feeling of tension around the table, especially coming from Beth. Hunter had found a bottle of red wine in the fridge and he decided to open it, hoping it might relax her. He poured out four glasses.

  “I don’t want to speak out of turn here…” Beth said on a soft note, spooning out another portion of egg fried rice from its container, “but I think this place is far too small for all of us. Living like this for longer than a couple of days is going to get me down.”

  “I agree,” said Fiona.

  Hunter’s mouth stretched taut. Shifting his gaze between Beth and his mum, he said, “I guess I have to agree as well. I’ll speak with the boss tonight — see if she can come up with anywhere else more suitable.”

  Jock took a sip of his wine, lowered the glass and hopped his gaze from one to the other. “Can I make a suggestion?”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “I’m really sorry this has happened.” Jock paused, casting a look around the table. “Look, I’ve got a bit of money put by. Why don’t I book us a holiday somewhere abroad?” He paused again, then added, “When your boss rings up, son, just tell her we appreciate what she’s done, but we’ve decided we want to go away. I’m sure something can be fixed up without Billy finding out. He’s not like one of them drug cartel guys, who can afford to have everyone in their pocket. Billy’s just a vicious thug. We could book something on the internet for a couple of weeks and get some of your cop friends to take us to the airport. What do you think?”

  Hunter looked from his dad to Beth.

  She nodded. “I totally agree, and that’s just given me an idea. Why don’t I speak with my mum and dad and see if they can get us a cottage on Sark? It’s off-peak there now. I’m sure with their contacts they’ll be able to find us a nice place for a couple of weeks.” She looked around the table. “What do you say?”

  Jock reacted first. “That sounds a great idea, Beth.” Letting out a light laugh, he added, “Not only will it be a nice family gathering, but it won’t hurt my pocket as much.”

  With the briefest exchange of nods the holiday was agreed.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Beth secured flights and ferry tickets via the internet — their flight to Guernsey from Manchester was scheduled for 8.50 a.m. the next day. Hunter hardly slept — his head was so crowded with the day’s events. At 4.30 he gave up trying and got up, made himself a cup of tea and had a shave. At 5 a.m. the alarm woke everyone, and Hunter made tea and toast for the family and did a final check of the room to see that everything had been gathered. Just before six, the Kerr family picked up their cases and took the back stairs down to the underground car park where two dark blue SUVs were waiting. Each of the vehicles had two plain clothes officers up front. As Hunter shook hands with the driver of his vehicle, his coat flapped loose and he caught a glimpse of a shoulder holster. He guessed each of their escorts were discreetly packing handguns, and that thought suddenly brought home to him how serious this situation was.

  With no traffic hold-ups they got to the airport shortly after seven, where an Airport Security Officer was waiting. After a quick handover, Hunter and his family were whisked through priority booking, passport control, and security, to the VIP lounge, where tea and coffee and daily newspapers were on offer to them while they waited. The only people in the lounge were several flight crew members and two other passengers. It was Hunter’s first experience inside the VIP lounge, and he was suitably impressed. Dawn Leggate had certainly pulled out all the stops for them. He would make sure he thanked her later.

  Hunter stared at the flights board and saw that their plane was on time and that boarding would commence in twenty minutes. He checked his watch. Not long now. He had already been told that there would be no queuing for his family; at the appointed time, someone would be coming to take them straight onto the plane. He let out a long sigh of relief. For the first time in 24 hours, he could feel himself starting to unwind.

  He walked across the lounge to where the free newspapers were and picked one up to take on the flight. As he took a quick look at the headlines, his mobile rang. Taking it from his pocket, he saw only a mobile number with no caller ID. Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have answered it, but he wondered if it was someone from airport security checking in with him.

  “I’ve been doing some asking around, and they’ve told me you’ve gone to ground.”

  Hunter’s heart lurched. Billy Wallace! He glanced over his shoulder. He could see that Beth was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot, with Jonathan and Daniel, and his mum and dad were each reading one of the papers. He quickly made his way to the toilet, nipped inside and leaned back against the door to prevent anyone coming in before he said anything. Hunter could feel his heart pounding. “You’re taking a big risk, Billy.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Mr Detective. This is another burn-phone, just in case you were monitoring my last one, and it will be gone once we’ve finished our conversation.” Following a quick pause, he added, “So you’re in hiding, then. Trembling in your boots? If you’re not, you should be.” He finished the sentence with a short laugh.

  Hunter took a deep breath. He didn’t want to let Billy think he had rattled him. “Not hiding, Billy, and certainly not scared of an old man like you. Just keeping our heads below the parapet for a while. You know, until they put you back in Barlinnie where you can rot.”

  Billy returned another short laugh. “Didn’t you know I’ve no intention of going back there? Like I said during our last conversation, I�
�ve some unfinished business, and it won’t be too long now before it’s finished.”

  “No chance, Billy. You might as well give yourself up now.”

  “I think you underestimate me, Detective. Oh, and by the way say hello to that wife of yours — Beth, isn’t it? And those two fine young men of yours. It’s a good school you’ve chosen for them, but I know they’re not there at the moment because I’ve checked.”

  “Fuck you, Billy.” As soon as it came out, Hunter regretted saying it. He had lost it, and now he’d let Billy know he’d got to him. He tightened his grip on his phone as if squeezing the very life out of it.

  The laugh Billy let out this time was a little longer. “Oh well, can’t stand around here all morning chatting. Things to do, you know. Got some business to deal with.”

  “Oh yes. In your dreams.”

  “Not in my dreams. In your nightmares. I’m a lot closer than you think, Detective. In fact, I’ve just got you back on my radar.”

  “Fuck you, Billy, you worthless piece of shit.” Hunter ended the call before Billy could respond. For a moment he stared at his phone. He was kidding, right? Course he was. How could Billy know where they were? Surely their escort would have checked they weren’t being followed?

  Hunter immediately rang Dawn Leggate and told her about Billy’s phone call. She responded that she would make some enquiries, put a trace on the phone number Billy had used and get back to him.