by M A Comley
“Did they say what they wanted?”
“No. I tried to reason with them. It was a waste of time. They only had one thing in mind—to beat me up.”
“Did they speak to you at all?” Katy asked, looking up from the notes she was taking.
“Actually, they did. One man said that he’d warned me, and as I’d refused to listen, it was time for them to mete out their punishment.”
“And had they? Warned you?”
“No. Not that I could remember. When I got home that night, I rang my assistant manager, and he said it must have something to do with the accident he had a few weeks back.”
“Accident? On-site?” Lorne asked.
“No. David was leaving the site. He’d parked his car around the corner for some reason that day. I think a delivery lorry was blocking the entrance to the site, and he forgot to fetch his car later on to park it in the on-site car park. Anyway, he was crossing the road when a car came hurtling towards him. He didn’t have time to react. The car hit him with force. Before he lost consciousness, he said a man appeared and warned him not to return to the site. I told him that he’d probably hallucinated the last part because of the pain he was in, but he assured me he hadn’t.”
“What’s David’s surname? Is he all right?”
“Timmins. He ended up in hospital. Luckily, neither of his legs were broken, but it doesn’t stop him walking with a limp. The doctor reckons he’s ruptured the knee ligaments in his right leg. He’s on the waiting list to have an operation. No idea how long that’s likely to take to come through. The doctor wanted to sign him off. David refused to let the doc do it, though. He’s a trooper, that one. We’ve both been pretty vigilant ever since these guys beat me up. We wait around and lock up together. Safety in numbers and all that.”
“Always best in the circumstances. Do you have any idea who these two men could be?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ve tried to think, but nothing has come to mind since the incident happened. You mentioned you’re here to speak to me regarding your enquiries. May I ask what you were referring to?”
Lorne was fed up with skirting around the truth. It was obvious that these men had a right to know what was going on in the building trade, at least in the local area. “First of all, I need to ask you if you know a James Gordon.”
“I do,” he replied abruptly. “Why?”
“I sense some anger, Mr. French.”
“He left me in the lurch. I’ve tried to ring him constantly over the last few months, but he’s refused to answer his damn phone. Of all the people working for me, he’s the one person I’d least expect that type of behaviour from. He let me down big time.”
“There’s a reason for that. His body was found last week.”
“His ‘body’? Are you telling me he’s dead?”
Lorne nodded. “That’s right. Along with three other men connected to development sites in this area.”
“But that’s bizarre. Was it an accident…? Wait a minute! Does this have anything to do with the two masked men who attacked me?”
“Possibly. Can you think of anyone who has a grievance with either you or your assistant?”
“No, we’ve discussed this at length and couldn’t come up with anything. Where was James found?”
“This is the puzzling part. His body was found in the garden of a person who’d bought one of the new houses locally.”
“Really? But he only went missing a few months ago.”
Lorne shrugged. “I’m not sure of the timeline as yet, when he actually died.”
“What site? Perhaps that might give me a clue.”
“His remains were discovered on the Sutherland Homes site.”
“His remains? This gets worse by the second. What do you mean?”
“I don’t usually divulge facts about other cases, but I’m concerned for everyone’s safety now in light of what you have revealed and what has already come to our attention. James, who I actually know from when he carried out a plumbing job at my house years ago, was cut up and placed in several black bags before he was buried in the garden. Had the homeowner not wanted to dig out a pond at his new house, I doubt his remains would have been discovered for a while.”
“That’s dreadful. Shit! Who would do such a thing? Bloody hell, it looks like Dave and I got off lightly.”
“Exactly. The thing is, that since we discovered James’s body, the owner of the site where he was found has also been murdered.”
“No way! That’s unbelievable. Is someone targeting builders? Is that your assumption?”
“We’re going down that route now. We’re also investigating the deaths of two tradesmen who were working on nearby sites as well.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Any clues as to who or why the sites are being targeted?”
“No. The evidence is proving difficult to come by at present. We’ve just come from James’s girlfriend’s place. She said that she received a call from James saying that he had to go away to work, and that call came in around the time he went missing. Any idea what that was about?”
“Haven’t got a clue. He was contracted to this site for the next five months, until the build is complete. I was livid when he went AWOL. It’s nigh impossible to find a decent replacement for a good plumber at such short notice around these parts.”
“I’m thinking that the killer forced James to place the call for a reason, so that people wouldn’t realise he was missing and start searching for him.”
“That’s got to be premeditated then, right?” Adrian asked.
“I think so, yes. I need you to cast your mind back to perhaps the beginning of your time here on the site. Did any problems surface then? Anyone try to shut the site down, perhaps?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. This site has been one of the best I’ve worked on in that respect. All sites receive the odd patch of problems from some of the neighbours, but generally they back off once the estate begins to take shape. Saying that, we had nothing along those lines here. It’s only been the last few weeks that any trouble has surfaced.”
“That’s interesting. We’ve had a word with other site managers in the area, and I have to say that there have been several cases of accidents occurring on-site recently. It seems to be all of a sudden, not at the start of the build like you said.”
“That is strange. Do you think someone is trying to sabotage the builds when they’re nearing completion?”
Lorne nodded thoughtfully. “I’m willing to put money on that, Mr. French. One last question before we go. I haven’t noticed it on any of the other sites and didn’t look before we came in. Do you have any form of CCTV here?”
“No. Everywhere is securely locked up, so there’s really no need for it.”
“Locked up by a padlock?”
“Yes, a large padlock with a heavy chain. Of course, if someone was really determined to gain entry, it’s possible they could use bolt cutters to cut through the chain. That type of thing has never occurred on any site I’ve worked on, surprising really, considering the cost of some of the machinery involved. I hope I’m not tempting fate now I’ve said that.”
“Hopefully, your equipment will be safe, but it’s your workforce I’m more concerned about, given what has been reported the past few weeks. Can you ensure that your employees remain vigilant at all times, while they’re on-site and when they’re leaving the area?”
“Don’t worry. After what you’ve told me, I’ll be sure to impress that upon them. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Not for now. Actually, there is. Did either you or your assistant report the incidents you were both involved in to the police?”
The man’s head dropped a little. “I didn’t. I was too ashamed. I think David did, only because an ambulance was called to the scene to take him to hospital. I believe the police questioned him there.”
“Would it be all right if we had a quick chat with David before we leave?”
He reached for his mobile and pressed a number. “Can you spare me a second in the office, mate?” He ended the call. “He’s on his way. I still can’t believe what you told me about James. His name has been dirt around here for weeks, and all the time, the poor guy was dead. I’ll have regrets about my behaviour for years.”
“Please, you mustn’t blame yourself. There was nothing anyone could do. The killer appears to have covered his tracks well. The call he placed to James’s girlfriend prevented her from worrying about his lack of presence.”
“That makes me feel a little better. All the same, James has still lost his life—for what? Because he worked on a new development? That just doesn’t seem right, Inspector, no matter which way you look at it.”
“Hey, I’m with you on that one. I wish we had more evidence to go on, so we could nail this killer, but the truth is we don’t, which is becoming even more frustrating to the investigation.”
The door to the office opened, and a young man in his mid-twenties walked into the room. Lorne winced. He appeared to be dragging his right leg behind him. She left her seat and held out her hand. “Hello, David. Is it all right to call you David? I’m DI Lorne Warner, and this is my partner, Katy Foster. We’re with the Met police.”
He shook Lorne’s hand, and his gaze immediately landed on his boss. “What’s this about? Am I in some sort of trouble?”
“Pull up another seat, mate. No, you’re not in any bother. This is genuinely a case of us trying to help the police with their enquiries,” Adrian said. He turned to Lorne and asked, “Can I tell him about James?”
Lorne nodded, thinking the news would be better coming from his boss.
Once David was seated and his right leg was extended in front of him, Adrian told him the reason behind their visit.
David’s eyes instantly widened for a few seconds before he shook his head in disbelief. “Jesus! Really? He’s dead?”
“That’s right. Sorry if the news has come as a bit of a shock,” Lorne interjected. “Adrian told us that you were involved in an incident not long ago. Would you mind telling us what happened?”
David’s gaze flew between his boss and Lorne and Katy. He relayed the incident, then the penny dropped. “Wait a minute—you think this is connected to James’s death. Is that what you’re telling me? Those two guys killed James?”
“Possibly. Pure conjecture at this stage. I’m really not the type to believe in coincidences, though. Did you see who was driving the car that hit you?”
“I don’t think so. When the accident happened, it was all over in a flash. Since then, everything has been a bit of a blur, regarding the accident. Although, I have to live with the excruciating pain those guys left me with every hour of the day.” He thumped his thigh. “I’m still waiting on a date for the surgery, but even then, the docs aren’t willing to give me any kind of guarantee that will fix the damage.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope they’re wrong. Have either of you seen or come across anything suspicious on-site since that accident, barring the incident that left you with the black eye, Adrian?”
The two men looked at each other and shook their heads, then Adrian replied, “Nothing is coming to mind off the top of my head.”
“Nope, nothing is surfacing for me, either,” David said.
Lorne stood up. She shook both the gentlemen’s hands and placed a card on the desk. “Here’s my number. Ring me day or night if you either think of anything or have any other incidents crop up that concern you.”
“We will, thanks, Inspector. Hope the investigation becomes clearer for you soon,” Adrian replied with a smile.
“So do we.”
Katy followed Lorne out of the office. During the walk back to the car, Lorne sighed heavily a few times. It wasn’t until they were in the car that she vented her anger. “This bloody investigation is going to be the death of me. We’re no further forward than we were a few weeks ago. Nothing. That doesn’t seem possible, does it, Katy?”
“I’m inclined to agree with you. We need to catch a break if we’re going to haul these bastards in. Don’t you go thinking you’ve missed something, Lorne. I know how your mind works. Because if you’ve missed something important, then the whole team is guilty of doing that too, and I really don’t think that’s the case.”
“Thanks for the reassurance, Katy. What do we do, and where do we go from here? That’s the bloody question. The body count is rising along with our frustrations. Something has to give soon, surely, doesn’t it?”
“It has to. Let’s go back to the station and go over the minute details again.”
Lorne hit the steering wheel with the heel of her hand. “What’s the bloody point? Usually, we can call upon the CCTV footage to help us, but not this time.”
Katy clicked her fingers together. “That’s it. You’ve got it. The accident involving David—it’s all we have right now. Why don’t we get Graham working his magic? We’ll look up the incident on the records. There’s no need to go back and bother David and Adrian.”
“You’re right. It’s the only thing we have to go on, so let’s grab the opportunity and run with it.”
Lorne drove back to the station and set the wheels in motion the second she walked through the door. “Graham, I need you to look up an accident report from a few weeks ago, involving a David Timmins, who was knocked down by a car. Let’s try and see if we can locate the car through the ANPR cameras and any CCTVs in the area. Give it everything you’ve got, Graham. It isn’t much, I know, but it’s all we have at this point.”
“You’ve got it, boss. I’ll get back to you with the results ASAP.”
Lorne headed towards the coffee machine before going through to her office. She hadn’t long started on the paperwork needing her urgent attention when the phone on her desk rang. Distracted, she answered it, “Hello. DI Warner. Can I help?”
“I see you’re a stubborn woman, Inspector.”
She closed her eyes as her heart rate sped up. “I’m sorry, who is this?”
The muffled sound of laughter filled the line. “Nice try. What part of back-off didn’t you understand?”
“I told you before, idle threats don’t wash with me.”
“If that’s how you want to play this, then you’ve only got yourself to blame for the consequences. I’m giving you one last chance to do the right thing.”
“Do the right thing? That would be catching the sadistic bastard causing havoc within the building trade.”
More laughter rippled in her ear. “A sadistic bastard who is willing to veer off course for a while to punish the investigating officer for putting her nose where it’s not wanted.”
“I’m doing my job. Innocent people are dying to fulfil your warped plan, whatever that might entail.”
“I’m glad you don’t have any idea what that is. It’s going to make my life so much easier. So much for you closing in on me—that was what you said the last time we spoke, was it not?”
“We are. Every day another clue is uncovered. Unlike you, I don’t make idle threats. We are closing in on you. It’s only a matter of time before the net drops and a rat is caught.”
“And there was me thinking that I was pitting my wits against one of the best coppers London has to offer. My mother always told me never to believe the hype about something.”
“You don’t seem the type of guy to listen to what your mother says. Maybe I should have a word with her; maybe she can talk some sense into you.”
“Unless you’re in touch with the spirit world, that ain’t gonna happen, lady.”
Lorne jotted Carol’s name down on a piece of paper. “What’s your motive behind these killings and attacks? I am right—you’re guilty of intimidating the tradesmen on these sites too, right?”
“Ah… we have the female version of Sherlock Holmes in our midst. People should heed my warnings. If they don’t, then there’s only going to be one outcome. Doubt my abilities at your peril, Inspector. This is
your final warning. You have until the end of the day to start on a new case… otherwise, you will only have yourself to blame for the next body you discover. Am I making myself clear now?”
“Perfectly clear. One question for you before you hang up.”
“Let’s hear it. Not that I have any intention of answering it of course.”
“Why choose innocent people? If you want to make a name for yourself, why not come after me? You’ve said it yourself that my reputation precedes me.”
Silence.
“Are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“Then answer the question. Innocent people or a top-notch DI? If I were in your shoes, I know which one I’d choose to put an extra feather in my cap. It’s a no-brainer to me. Of course, if you’re not up for the challenge, then that’s entirely up to you.”
“Oh, I’m up for the challenge, Inspector. The trouble is, coming after you doesn’t suit my agenda at this time. Definitely something to think about in the future, once my aim has been accomplished. Nice speaking to you, Inspector. I repeat, either you heed my warning and knock this investigation on the head by the end of the day, or suffer the consequences.”
Before she could retaliate, he hung up. Lorne replaced the phone in its docking station and tilted back her head. The pain in her neck told her that she was in desperate need of a massage, but that would have to wait. After twisting her head from side to side to ease the tension, she left her desk and returned to the incident room.
“He’s definitely watching us, Katy. At least that’s the impression I’m getting.”
“The killer?” Katy shuddered and shook her head.
“Yep. He’s contacted me again. Warned me that if I don’t end the investigation on the case by this evening, he’ll be dishing out the consequences.”
“Then we need to up the protection. Do you think he’ll come after you or a member of your family?”
“I told him to come after me—”
Katy’s eyes widened. “What? Are you bloody insane?”
“I don’t think so. It is debatable at times, depending on the little shit I’m trying to apprehend at any given moment. Look, I’d rather goad him into coming after me. I’m the experienced one. I’d hate him to target Charlie. She’s been through enough shit as it is. Karen, it’s probably a long shot, but can you try and trace the call?”
