The Value of Life

by Andy Crowson

  Chapter 27: Jamie Beacham

  They met Bentworth as he drove into the car park. Bentworth had arranged a search warrant by phone and there were two patrol cars and a van waiting. They had the address and the families were waiting in the canteen under the watch of a couple of uniformed officers. Bentworth didn't stop, he spun the car round in the car park so it was facing the exit. Josef and Whitlock jumped in.

  "Are they ready?" Bentworth asked. Josef offered him a handheld police radio.

  "Yes Sir." Bentworth keyed the mike.

  "All units follow me," he said.

  Josef pulled out a printout of a street map.

  "Sir I told the cars to wait here and here," Josef said indicating two circles on the map. "I told the van to wait here." I thought we could stake out the street see if he's home. I can take the back you and Whitlock can take the front."

  "Looks good," Bentworth said. "If he's home we'll call in the cavalry, if not we'll wait for him." He pulled out of the car park and into traffic.

  When the other units were in position Josef jumped out of the Jaguar and walked into K's street and up to his neighbor's house. He knocked on the door and had his warrant card ready. The door was opened by a middle aged stocky woman.

  "Police," Josef said and gave her the warrant card then pushed his way in. He let her take the card.

  "Where's the back door?" he asked, pushing the front one shut.

  "Follow me," she said.

  Josef could see that each house had its own landscaped back yard. The gardens lay back to back with another row. If K wanted to run this way he'd have to do some garden hopping. There was a six foot fence between this and K's back garden but Josef could see over it from the kitchen step. He pulled out his mobile and called Bentworth.

  "Clear at the back," he said and hung up.

  Bentworth drove the Jaguar up K's drive and in front of the garage. The garage door was wide but Bentworth countered this by parking almost touching it. He and Whitlock walked to the door and rang the bell. They rang it twice more. When no one answered he called Josef.

  "Hold your position: looks like it's going to be a wait," he said. "We're coming to you."

  Bentworth drove the Jaguar out into the street and parked in the driveway of the house Josef was in. He came up to the front door. The lady let them in, and after a short explanation from Bentworth she made them tea. Whitlock kept watch by the front door.

  Bentworth's telephone rang.

  "Bentworth," he said. "Go on." Bentworth's face lost its colour. He looked sick. "In a taxi?" he asked. There was another pause. "Please tell me they didn't see you open it. Oh Christ Bryan. You stay there, get Dave to chase up the cab office. Call me if you come up with anything. At least we know he's in the area. You better hope he comes home before going out to take another one," he hung up.

  Bentworth turned and saw both Josef and Whitlock looking at him from their place by the window.

  "Please excuse us Mrs. Samuel." The lady left the room.

  "Come on," Josef said.

  "They just had a delivery in a taxi to the Beachams'. There was a card and a box with one of the boy's fingernails in it. Looked like it was ripped straight out." Josef cringed. Bentworth made fists of his own hands.

  "In the card he wrote 'Is that all Jamie was worth? Here's something to bury. They say that's important. He signed it K."

  "And that's it?" Josef said.

  "Yup"

  "Delivered in a taxi?"

  "Better than last time. This time he rode the taxi to the off license in Freemasons Lane, then rung up and said he'd left stuff in the car and where to drop it off."

  "This just keeps getting better," Josef said.

  "Sir," Whitlock said. "If he takes another kid we can get him at the sorting office."

  "Won't work," Josef interrupted. "Tomorrow's Sunday, no post on Sunday, he'll pull another stunt with a cab or something."

  "He's right," Bentworth agreed. "We'd better just hope he comes back here today."

  "What time did they get it?" Whitlock asked.

  "About fifteen minutes ago." Bentworth looked defeated.

  "Well he should have been back here by now if he was heading straight back here. He must have stopped somewhere first," she said.

  "I know," Bentworth agreed, "and I know what you're getting at. You want to go in there and take a look, see if we can find out where he's got the kids. I've got to say I'm thinking the same thing, but did you notice the alarm on the house?"

  "Yes Sir," Whitlock said. "We raided a drug dealer once. He had an alarm on his house, telephone line to the alarm company. They rang and told him his house was being burgled before they called the police."

  "Well I think these latest developments change the game. I'll call for an alarm specialist, we wait until we get the all clear. I don't want to screw this thing up any more then it has been," he said bitterly. He left the room and Whitlock returned to watching the street.

  "You think he killed the boy?" she asked.

  "I think he could have. You heard what happened to this guy. He gets told his son's life is worth two thousand pounds and a two year driving ban. He tries to fight for justice and gets put in prison when the guy who killed his son doesn't. That's sick you know. So he fights the system, trying to prove to us what a life should be worth and some idiot tries to be smart. He's being serious and we're not. He has to get us to play the game or we won't find out who he is or why he's doing this. We thought it was about the money. We were wrong."

  "That's all very interesting but you didn't answer the question."

  "I said I think he could. Why not? His family dies, why not anyone else's?"

  "You can't murder in the name of justice," Whitlock said.

  "This isn't justice. He's teaching us a lesson. We have to learn the value of life. How much do you think the Beachams' would pay if they had a second chance?"

  "Point taken. Maybe if this were America he'd just have gone nuts with a gun."

  Josef said nothing and after a few minutes Bentworth returned.

  "I think at least an hour. In the meantime we keep surveillance," he said.