by G D Parker
26
Tammy watched the news feed intently on the TV in her hotel room. Tears filled her eyes, as she knew full well that it was Roberts that had been found murdered. Sitting on the hotel bed in a white dressing gown, she sipped her morning coffee, and all she could think about was Valentina and how she must have been feeling.
There was a knock at the door, and she slid off the bed, going to look through the viewing hole before quickly opening the door.
‘I was just thinking about you.’ Tammy looked at Valentina’s face, which was engulfed with sadness. She threw her arms around Valentina and whispered in her ear. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Valentina squeezed Tammy with her trembling body. ‘I didn’t know where to go. I couldn’t bear to be at home on my own.’
Tammy ran her hands down Valentina’s back, gently rubbing her for comfort. ‘Let it out,’ she whispered in return. They then moved from the doorway and closed the door.
‘Coffee?’ asked Tammy.
‘Please, with a drop of something stronger, if you have anything?’
Tammy smiled, collecting a whisky miniature from the minibar and pouring a small amount into Valentina’s coffee.
‘Why come here, if you don’t mind me asking?’ Tammy sat on the sofa next to Valentina.
‘In my line of work, you don’t make many friends. To be honest, you’re the only person I wanted to see.’
Tammy was flattered, being in the same boat and not really having anyone. ‘Well, I’m flattered DI.’
‘Please, call me V. The small number of friends I do have all call me that.’
Tammy smiled. ‘Well, I’m flattered.’
‘I miss Roberts,’ Valentina said solemnly. ‘He was my only close friend, and now the Chief Constable has removed me from the case, so I’ve quit.’
Tammy raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘Really? Surely you can’t mean that?’
‘I do. I can’t do this job anymore. It’s too much!’
‘Well, V, don’t do anything rash. I’m sure it’s just the emotion taking over.’
Valentina shook her head. ‘No, I really can’t.’ She slurped her coffee, flinching at the shot of whisky as it tickled her throat, forgetting she’d asked for it. She then turned and looked at Tammy. ‘It’s me and you now.’
‘What do you mean?’ Tammy asked.
‘We’re going to work together and find out who’s behind all this.’ Valentina gave off an air of confidence, but Tammy was not so sure as she shifted on the sofa.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Tammy.
‘I’ll take full accountability. You will not be associated with this, you have my word.’ Valentina took another sip of her coffee.
‘I do trust you, V. I’m just not sure.’
‘Tammy, I promise you, there will be no come back on you. I need your help. You can say no of course, but I need to seek justice for Roberts. Without you, the whole case will fold.’
‘What do you need me to do?’ asked Tammy sheepishly.
‘Track down Scientist83, give me all the evidence, and I’ll take it from there. I’ll get you all the kit you need to achieve this and will support you throughout.’ Valentina nodded as she spoke.
Tammy smiled. ‘Okay, but I have one condition?’
‘Go on?’ Valentina was confident she’d be able to fulfil the deal.
‘You stay with me until it’s over. I mean, I can’t be on my own. I’m a nervous wreck as it is!’ Tammy stared into her coffee.
‘I can do that! We’ll work from here,’ Valentina suggested. ‘I’ll nip home and get some basics. Write out a list of what you need, and I’ll pick them up.’
Tammy was relieved that Valentina had agreed to stay with her. She was not trained for this and appreciated the company, feeling more comfortable knowing that Valentina would be with her.
Hours later, Valentina returned. She squared the bill with reception and upgraded the room to a suite, so that they could both have separate bedrooms. They moved rooms to the seventh floor and set up all the equipment to get started - no time like the present.
‘Where do you want me to start?’ asked Tammy.
‘See if you can get him to communicate with you.’
They logged onto the Dark Net and, using Anderson’s profile, they made contact with Scientist83.
Anderson: “What’s next?”
The system showed Scientist83 as being offline. However, they waited patiently for his reply.
‘What if he knows Anderson has been arrested?’ asked Tammy, turning to Valentina.
‘That won’t be possible, don’t worry.’
‘What if he still wants me dead?’ Tammy’s eyes widened as her mind processed these thoughts.
‘If he does, then we will deal with it. You are safe, I promise.’ Valentina rubbed Tammy’s back to provide reassurance.
‘Okay.’ Tammy took a deep breath, then noticed that Scientist83 had come online.
Scientist83: is now typing…
Tammy could feel a small amount of sweat starting to bead on her forehead. It felt like hours as they waited to see the message that he was typing.
Scientist83: “You know what!”
Anderson: “What? Payment?” Tammy used the fact that money was owed as the incentive to contact him.
Scientist83: “You will get your money once you’ve completed the last task, as I have requested!”
Anderson: “What task?”
They both knew what the task was, but they needed him to say it again, so it could be logged as evidence. Everything was being logged and captured. The wait was long as Scientist83 paused before replying. Anticipation built as they waited.
Scientist83 is now typing…
Again, it felt like hours passing them by as they waited for the words to come up on the screen. The sweat on Tammy’s forehead became more apparent.
Scientist83: “Remove DI Valentina.”
Scientist83: **IS NOW OFFLINE**
They both looked at one another, and Tammy was the first to speak.
‘It was me the other day, now he’s switched to you?’ Her voice was low.
‘That’s okay, let him try.’ Valentina was not phased by her name coming up on the screen.
‘Doesn’t it bother you? asked Tammy.
‘Not at all! He’s either playing with us or genuinely wants me dead. Either way, I will be meeting this person face to face.’
‘Aren’t you scared?’
‘I’m terrified, but I have to seek justice for Roberts. If the only way to find out who’s behind this is by using me as bait, then so be it.’ Valentina tried to look brave, but Tammy could see through the facade.
‘So, what do we do now?’ Tammy asked.
‘Can you track him?’
‘I’ll try, but he’s most probably on a VPN. There is one way, but it’s going to be a tough one.’
‘Which is?’ asked Valentina.
‘Through Anderson.’
‘No chance. I’ll never get near him in my current situation. There’s got to be another way.’
‘I’ll try,’ said Tammy, turning away and focusing on the screen. ‘I need my own laptop. It’s got my tracking software on it.’ She looked at Valentina. ‘You’ll need to go to my place. Do you mind?’
‘Not at all. Where will it be?’ Valentina asked.
‘In my office. Go through the front door, turn left through the kitchen, then head towards the back. The door is locked, but this is the key.’ Tammy held out a bunch of keys. ‘And this one is for the front door. The alarm code is one eight one eight.’
Valentina nodded and set off to find Tammy’s laptop.
The alarm panel beeped as Valentina entered Tammy’s home. She punched in the digits, disabling the alarm instantly, then followed Tammy’s instructions. The place smelled empty, like that noticeable smell when you first get back from a holiday. Her footsteps echoed on the kitchen floor as she treaded through towards the back of the house.
There was
a strange noise, and Valentina froze on the spot to listen. She heard it again, this time causing a cold shiver to cascade down her spine, as she had the feeling that someone was watching her. She began to move quickly through the house, found the office and fumbled with the key to unlock the door, not remembering which key it was.
Eventually, she found the right key, turned the lock and went into the plush office. Tammy’s laptop was sitting there on her oak desk. What a lovely place to work, Valentina thought. Then another sound broke the silence, causing her to flinch. The knowledge that someone wanted her dead had quite rightly put her on edge. She started to move quickly again, locking the office door behind her and making her way back through the kitchen.
The hairs on her arms stood on end as a shadow crossed her peripheral vision. She gasped, turning her head in the direction, but there was nothing there. Moving again, she headed for the front door, feeling panic-stricken. She couldn’t press the numbers to set the alarm and gave up, managing to lock the door behind her.
Back in her car, Valentina exhaled, taking a moment to regain her composure. She looked over at the house and could see a light on, although she couldn’t remember having touched any lights. She argued with her conscience about whether to re-enter the house to investigate or to just leave it. Looking up at the house again, she noticed the light was now off. Her conscience won, and she decided she couldn’t just leave it. The police officer in her urged her to check it out.
Valentina treaded carefully up the path towards the front door, inserted the key into the lock and re-entered Tammy’s house. The feeling that someone was watching hit her instantly, and she shivered.
‘Is there anyone there?’ Valentina shouted. ‘I am Detective Inspector Valentina from South Wales Police. If there is anyone here, please come forward.’
She listened for movement, but there was nothing. She spotted the stairs, that curved upwards to the first floor. Suddenly, the light flicked on and she jumped, but edged forwards cautiously.
‘I repeat, this is South Wales Police!’ Valentina took baby steps towards the stairs, looking up, then placing her foot on the first step, slowly making her way to the top. The stairs opened out onto a large landing area. The spot lights felt warm as they pointed downwards onto her face. She moved slowly across the landing. There was another noise from a room at the end of the corridor with the door slightly ajar.
‘Who’s there? Show yourself?’ she demanded, the back of her neck tickled as her nerves were electrified with fear.
Valentina stepped into the room, and the light went on without her touching the switch, causing her to jump. There was a large bed in the centre of the room. She checked behind the door, but there was no one there. The noise could be heard again, and she worked out that it was coming from under the large bed.
On one knee, Valentina crouched down and peered underneath. Two eyes stared back at her, watching her with suspicion. Then a chocolate coloured cat slinked out from under the bed, purring against her.
Her body relaxed immediately, relieved it was only a cat. She looked up at the light and realised that the lights were all on a PIR system. More relief followed and Valentina stroked the cat, which returned the enjoyment with a purr.
Valentina casually left the house, setting the alarm and getting into her car. She turned over the engine and looked ahead, only to be confronted by a large, broad figure staring directly towards her with a black balaclava covering their face.
Valentina’s fight or flight response kicked in, and she hit the gas. The car propelled forwards towards the figure, causing them to jump out of the path of her car seconds before impact. Then Valentina was gone.
Tammy jumped as Valentina burst into the hotel room, catching her breath.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Tammy.
‘He was there,’ Valentina replied with breathlessness.
Tammy’s hairline shifted with surprise. ‘Who?’
‘I think it must have been Scientist83.’ Valentina parked herself on the sofa, taking off her shoes.
‘What happened?’ Tammy looked shocked.
‘For starters, you could have mentioned you had a cat! Scared the crap out of me!’ By this point Valentina had caught her breath and was able to talk in a more relaxed manner.
‘Sorry,’ said Tammy, stretching her face. ‘That’s Whisper. He just does what he wants.’
‘Anyway… I left the house, and there he was, standing in front of my car. I just floored it, and he jumped out of the way.’ Valentina placed her palm on her forehead. ‘I was terrified!’
‘I bet you were! Similar thing happened to me not so long ago.’ Tammy sat next to Valentina on the sofa.
‘Yes, I do remember. He must be watching your house to know that I was there.’ Valentina looked at Tammy, but Tammy avoided making eye contact. ‘Did you get anywhere?’
‘With the system? No, I tried to make contact with Scientist83 again, but he’s not been online yet.’
‘Okay, did you keep a record of your attempt?’ asked Valentina.
‘No, sorry, I forgot,’ replied Tammy, placing her chin to her neck.
‘If we are going to catch him and put him behind bars, it’s imperative we log every single communication, okay?’ Valentina’s tone was stern, trying to get her point across.
‘I know, sorry.’ Tammy looked sheepish, and Valentina picked up on this.
‘You okay?’ Valentina asked.
Tammy still avoided eye contact. ‘Yeah, of course.’ She stood and collected her laptop, taking it over to the desk to begin working on the trace back to Scientist83. Valentina watched her. Tammy turned back and looked at Valentina, seeing that she was watching, and then looked away instantly. Valentina frowned. Something’s not right! she thought to herself.
27
Cardiff Prison didn’t differ too much from Swansea Prison. Anderson had been remanded, but there was a need for him to be transferred to Cardiff Prison due to conflict with the case, as Tommy McGregor was already being held in Swansea.
Anderson laid on his bunk, bored and regretful of ever starting all this nonsense. Nothing was worth incarceration. It was 11.00pm, the lights were out, and snores could be heard from the occupier of the top bunk. A guard passed Anderson’s cell, gently tapping on the door to get his attention.
‘Some Becks for you,’ said the guard, handing him a small plastic cup of beer. Anderson smiled, and the guard looked shiftily from left to right. ‘Courtesy of cell fifty-two.’
Anderson looked at the guard with suspicion. ‘I don’t know anyone in here?’ he whispered back.
‘Well, apparently you have some supporting fans. Quick take it! You didn’t get it from me, okay?’ The guard moved swiftly away from the cell.
Anderson sniffed the beer. It’s lager alright, he thought to himself and swigged it back in one, instantly feeling the warmth in his stomach. He laid back on his bunk, thinking and letting his mind drift to another place.
From the age of twelve, Anderson had some horrific memories. His stepfather had been a horrible man, who was drunk most nights, and was often aggressive and abusive to Anderson’s mother. One night, Anderson had been sitting playing on the rug, watching as his mother screamed in fear as she took blows from her husband in his drunken rage. His stepfather had been angry because she hadn’t done something or other.
When the abuse had first started, it affected Anderson badly. By the age of twelve, he had become accustomed to it, as though it was the norm; something no twelve-year-old should ever have to witness, let alone become accustomed to.
It was 17th August 1997, a night that Anderson would never forget. He had laid in bed, listening to his Walkman, trying to drown out the sound of the screaming and shouting. A sickly feeling had grabbed hold of his tummy, like a fist, as he tried to take his mind to another place. His bedroom was dark and his eyes were closed when his bedroom door had burst open, the light in the hallway lighting up the room. His stepdad stepped in, and Anderson had watched him
through a small gap in his eyelids as he had pretended to be asleep. His bedcovers were pulled from him, causing the cold to hit him as he shrivelled into a ball with his arms covering his face. He could hear his mum shouting something but couldn’t hear the words. He’d felt a sudden pain in his back as his stepdad punched him.
‘You little shit! When are you going to learn?’ his stepdad had shouted. Anderson didn’t move. He had tensed his body, absorbing the pain, trying not to yell out. ‘I said, when are you going to learn?’ his stepdad shouted again. Anderson had rolled off the mattress in fear and scrambled under his bed, trying to get away.
Suddenly, light filled the area as the single wooden bed frame had been thrown across the room. Anderson was now vulnerable and had scrambled to the corner of the room, cowering, terrified of his stepdad.
His stepdad had lurched forwards, planting a size twelve into Anderson’s face. He’d screamed in pain and fear, terrified of this large man on a mission to assert control. Another blow had hit his little legs, and Anderson screamed again.
His stepdad had suddenly gulped, his empty eyes staring into Anderson’s as he gasped for air, then his dead weight had fallen on top of him. Anderson had squirmed from the weight and had run to another corner of his bedroom. His mum was standing behind his stepdad trembling with fear.
Anderson had looked back at his stepdad laying lifeless on the floor as a large kitchen knife had stood on end, protruding from his back. Anderson screamed and his mum had rushed over to him, cradling him close.
‘I’m so sorry, my sweetheart. I’m so, so sorry this has happened to you,’ she’d whispered into his ear, kissing his face over and over, and brushing his hair.
Anderson had sobbed his little heart out. Police sirens could he heard and he’d looked up as blinking red and blue lights illuminated his bedroom wall.
