Under The Woods: a heart-stopping police thriller (The Forensic Files Book 4)

by K. A. Richardson

  What the…? Her eyes were full of sincerity and he nodded slowly.

  ‘He came to the hospital. The man who took me came to the hospital. He tried to take me back to that horrid building. He said I was his Angel. He threatened to kill everyone I know.’ She tightened her grip on his hand. ‘Please – you have to protect Danial. Don’t let this monster get him. Please. I’m begging. Don’t let him hurt my son.’

  Ali pulled back in shock. ‘He came here? When?’

  ‘Earlier today – not long after you’d left. I didn’t tell anyone, because I was scared. And I’m still scared. I don’t want to go back to that room. That horrid furnace. Him. He will come back – he said he would. Please, Inspector. Don’t let him hurt Danial.’

  ‘I need to make some phone calls. I’ll be right outside. Don’t worry. He won’t be hurting you or your son.’

  Ali practically ran into the corridor. Jesus, can this shit get any more messed up? He pressed his speed dial and waited for Alex to pick up the phone.

  * * *

  18th December, 2030 hours – Rainbow Riding Stables

  Jackson pulled up the driveway to the stables in the work van – he’d still been on duty when he’d had the call off TJ. He grabbed his blood presumptive test kit from the back of the van and rushed to the front door. When it didn’t open, instead of knocking and potentially disturbing or contaminating whatever substance had TJ so scared, he made his way round the back.

  TJ was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar, staring at the stain on her fingers. For a minute, he had a throw-back to his school days where Lady Macbeth was forever seeing blood on her hands – he ignored the comparison, though – she’d been ravaged by guilt, and it had driven her crazy.

  ‘Hey, I’m here.’

  She glanced up at him. ‘It smells like blood. It can’t be blood though, right? Not in the middle of the woods.’

  ‘That’s what this LMG kit will test for.’

  ‘LMG? What if it’s an animal? It’ll be an animal, right? I’m just over-reacting because of everything that’s gone on. Right?’

  ‘LMG is short for leucomalachite green – it’s a presumptive test we use on fluids to see if the proteins in blood are present. It won’t differentiate between animal and human blood, but we’ll do the test and go from there, okay?’

  TJ nodded, and he ripped open the pack, folded the round filter paper into a quarter, and lightly rubbed the corner over TJ’s finger. Concentrating, he applied a drop of the chemicals – it turned a dark greeny-blue colour instantly.

  ‘What does that mean?’ asked TJ, peering at the test.

  ‘It’s positive for blood. Let me take some photos of your hand, and I’ll swab it just in case, then at least we’re covering our bases. While I’m doing it, tell me everything you noticed from the area. We’ll head out there after I’m done.’

  TJ nodded silently. Jackson could see she was scared.

  ‘We’re just taking precautions – it’ll be okay. It’s more than likely an animal, but we’ll make sure – for your peace of mind, if nothing else.’

  TJ led him through her walk to the woods, finally stopping at the footwear marks she’d noticed, and the feeling she was being watched. Jackson stilled beside her, his face showing emotion – it all sounded very suspicious.

  Once he was done, they made their way through the woods, and TJ paused at the edge of the clearing.

  ‘It’s all in there. I don’t really wanna go in.’

  ‘That’s fine – just hang back while I have a look around.’

  Jackson shone his powerful Maglite around the area – he picked the footwear marks up immediately – so much larger than TJ’s dainty ones. The stain was also obvious – almost glaring in the snow. He was aware the scene hadn’t been preserved – if anything came of this stain and footwear marks, he didn’t want to be the one who ruined it by traipsing through the whole clearing.

  He set his camera up and took some images of the lead up to the clearing and the clearing itself, using his torch to highlight the stains and footwear marks. It was all a little strange – it could be explained away with logic, though. The stain could be a dead animal, the footwear marks poachers. It could even be that the poacher killed said animal in the clearing. But still, something was making him uneasy.

  ‘Come on, let’s head back. I’ll have a chat with my supervisor when I get back to the nick tonight. I want you to stay inside and lock the doors, though, okay? I’ll come back when I’m done with my paperwork.’

  * * *

  18th December, 2050 hours – Durham Crematorium

  The drive to where his favourite ever Angel lay was longer than he wanted it to be. He remembered three days before she’d died, sitting on the edge of her bed while she told him that no matter what he did, she’d always be looking out for him. Even after she’d gone, she’d still be there. She’d died fifteen years previously, in June. He’d killed his first Angel in the August, needing to believe that he had angels watching over him, wanting to believe they were always there. His for the taking.

  He never felt his mother more than when he was beside her grave. It was what had prompted him to bury money in the soil covering her after each kill. It was his rainy-day fund – his mam had always stressed the importance of a rainy-day fund. He’d emptied it a few times to replace the notes when the treasury had brought new ones out. So it was always up to date. He could still hear his mother telling him that everything was going to be alright.

  So, he didn’t panic at the thought the police, by now, knew about him – he’d take his money, find somewhere to stay, ditch his car and get a runabout, and go from there.

  Even as he dug up the money, though, there was a thought rattling round his brain.

  If I leave, they’ll leave me. My Angels. They won’t stay around me, if I leave. They’ll hate me, and they’ll leave.

  Everyone he’d ever been close to had left – it was why he buried his Angels all in the same place. So they wouldn’t leave. They’d be there whenever he wanted them. They were his whole life. The thought of leaving them behind gripped him like a vice.

  Maybe I’ll just book into a hotel nearby – a small one. Cheap and cheerful. And then, I’ll still be near my Angels.

  He knew TJ hadn’t found them – he’d watched as she’d scurried off towards the house. His heart had been in his throat when she’d reached down and touched the dark stain, he knew was Alan Brown’s blood on the snow. For a millisecond he felt regret – regret because he’d have to kill her if she realised about Alan. He’d never had a problem with TJ – she was a nice enough boss. She wasn’t an Angel, though – and it wasn’t self-defence, like it had been with Alan. It would have been self-preservation. If she’d not left.

  He needed to wait it out until spring – when the ground thawed enough, he could get his Angels and take them with him. As far away as his money would take him.

  * * *

  18th December, 2125 hours – Rainbow Riding Stables

  TJ hugged her arms close to her chest as Jackson and his colleagues unloaded their vans. Three CSIs including Jackson and Kevin, his boss. The other was Deena, the girl who’d warned TJ off Jackson. Alex had arrived in his own car followed by another couple of cops in a marked car.

  She shivered and pulled the thick wool coat around her shoulders tighter as Jackson approached.

  ‘Not just animal blood, then?’ she whispered softly, what little colour she’d had draining from her face.

  ‘The LMG test can’t differentiate between animal and human. Remember? I spoke to Kev who told Alex, our DCI, and Alex decided it was worth looking into because of the anonymous report about the body near the stables. It’s too suspicious just to leave. If it turns out to be something, we risked losing whatever evidence might be there. Alex decided we’ll treat it as a crime scene until it’s either proven or disproven.’

  ‘The anonymous tip – it wasn’t anonymous. It was Matthew.’

  ‘The kid from earlie
r?’

  ‘Yes, he told me about it before his aunt picked him up. He was afraid that Barry would come after him if he found out Matthew had made the call. He’s still afraid. But he told me and he believed what he’d seen. I was on the fence, but now, I don’t know what to believe. What if Barry did have a body down there? What if something’s happened in the woods? Seriously doing my best not to freak the hell out here.’

  ‘You’re doing great. And you’re still conscious and not throwing up. That’s a good start with your jaw thing.’

  ‘I guess so, though, I wouldn’t count my chickens. There’s never any warning when it comes on.’

  ‘Let me tell Alex that the initial tip came from Matthew. I think he’ll want to have a cop go visit him.’

  TJ nodded and watched as Jackson walked away.

  She didn’t know how to feel about any of this. It beggared belief that someone she knew could be traipsing all over the place she called home and had always felt most safe, with a body in tow.

  She felt a little like it was all happening to someone else. That she was standing on the side-lines, observing someone else living their life.

  * * *

  Jackson strode back over to her. ‘Alex is ringing Ali to go and speak to Matthew. He’s had dealings with him before. Can you just lead us through the wood to the clearing – I can’t quite remember the way we went. You can come back to the house once we’re all out there.’

  TJ nodded again – she felt as though all she was doing at the minute was nodding and feeling out of place.

  They were all silent as they trudged through the snow behind her – most of them carrying equipment so the CSIs didn’t have to keep running back to the vans.

  ‘The clearing is up ahead.’ TJ waved her hand forward.

  Alex went first, followed by a cop she wasn’t familiar with. The cop tied the end of some police tape to a tree and disappeared into the darkness with it trailing behind him.

  Finally deciding that standing around wouldn’t do her any good, TJ headed back to the house. She could at least make sandwiches and coffee for them all. And ring Jacob. He would need to know what was happening. She’d been keeping him apprised, but when he heard this, he was likely to turn up with Ben and Grace in tow.

  * * *

  18th December, 2345 hours – woods near Rainbow Riding Stables

  The cold had seeped into his bones not long after he’d arrived in the clearing. Now, a couple of hours later, the shaking had stopped, and Jackson was strangely numb to it. He, Kev and Deena worked well together – they’d taken decent night-time images of the scene, taken a sample of the snow stained with blood and were currently waiting on the dreaded footwear casts to set – it always took ages when it was as cold as it was. He thought the footwear marks looked the same as the ones he’d lifted at the back of the stables – same brand and size, anyway. The rest would be up to the footwear examiner.

  He shone his torch over the next metre or so of clearing in front of him. He was the middle man, with Deena and Kev either side of him doing the same with their torches.

  There were close to having done about a third of the clearing when his torch shone on a small mound of snow that was disturbed.

  ‘Might have something.’

  Deena and Kev made their way along in a straight line to his position as he kept the torch beam shining down.

  Kevin leaned in and placed a marker, before taking some photos.

  Jackson gently moved the disturbed snow and hard chunks of soil with his gloved hands. He didn’t have to move much – Deena gasped behind him as she saw the face emerging from the earth at the same time as he did.

  Stepping back, he glanced at Kevin who was snapping furiously with the camera.

  ‘It’s buried. We’ll need the forensic archaeologist here before we do anything else. You two put the tent over the top for preservation, I’ll go speak to Alex.’

  * * *

  19th December, 0030 hours – Rainbow Riding Stables

  TJ stood in the doorway listening to the conversation between Alex and Kevin, Jacob standing by her side, equally silent.

  ‘Archaeologist? Really? You can’t just dig it up?’ Alex was resigned as he asked the questions he plainly already knew the answers to.

  ‘I’m sure. The scene will need to be secured until morning. Comms are contacting one now, but we don’t have that many in the UK. It’s likely they’ll have to travel. I’m not disturbing the body any more than what we’ve already done in taking the soil and snow off its face. Not until the archaeologist is here, anyway. It could ruin potential evidence recovery. Jackson and Deena are placing a tent over the location to prevent any further disturbance. He said the footwear marks from the clearing are similar to those recovered from the stable area – the ones where Matthew claims to have seen Barry with a body. I’m going to head back to the nick and compare the photos from both scenes now – though, I don’t doubt Jackson is right. The only thing I’d add is this. If there was a body down at the stables, it wasn’t the same one that’s buried in the clearing. That one’s been there for some time – it’s buried in frozen soil and hasn’t been disturbed other than the facial area we uncovered. So, it’s possible you’re looking for two bodies.’

  Alex looked suddenly thoughtful.

  ‘You said there’s a lot of blood in the clearing, right? That means the victim would have bled profusely?’ Once Kevin agreed, Alex added, ‘You and Ali had the wheelie bin bodies today – one of whom looked like his throat had been cut. It wouldn’t be beyond reason to think that that body had bled out in the clearing, would it?’

  ‘I wouldn’t like to say, to be honest – the thought had crossed my mind but don’t believe that just on your assumption. I get why it could look that way, but you don’t want to overlook anything by clouding your view of events. Wheelie bin guy looked like his throat had been cut, but equally, we can’t rule out the bin wagon mangling him that much. The female victim didn’t appear to have bled out – she hadn’t been mangled at all.’

  ‘No, you’re right, and I won’t put my faith in it. But it’s something to consider. I’ve put a rush on the fingerprints off the two victims from the bins – hoping to get them through any minute from the fingerprint bureau. Provided they’re in the system, of course. Covered one of the examiners working overtime out of my budget.’

  ‘Excuse me, officers?’ Neil Brown’s voice drifted on the wind towards them before he came into view from further down the track. ‘I can see a lot of commotion up here. Have you found my Alan, or has something happened I need to worry about?’

  TJ stepped out of the house intending to speak with him.

  ‘And you are?’ asked Alex.

  ‘Neil Brown – I live down the way. My son went missing a few days ago. I saw the commotion and thought maybe you’d found him?’

  ‘No, I’m sorry, Mr Brown, we’re not here about your son. TJ has had some people on her land. It’s nothing you need to worry about.’

  ‘Please, here’s his picture. The cop I spoke to a couple of days ago asked for it, but I couldn’t find it. This one was taken last year, I think. Will it do, or shall I find another one?’

  Kev was closest to Neil, and he handed the photo to Kevin with a small smile.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt – I know you’re busy. I just hoped…’

  TJ took her neighbour’s arm. ‘Neil, why don’t you come in for a coffee – is Daryl not home?’

  ‘You don’t have to do that, TJ. I know I’ve been a bastard to you. I don’t deserve your niceness.’

  ‘It’s all water under the bridge. Let’s just let bygones be bygones, okay? Come and have a cuppa. You shouldn’t be on your own at the minute.’

  Kev waited until Neil followed TJ inside then handed the picture to Alex. ‘Looks an awful lot like the guy from the wheelie bin today.’

  Alex’s lips tightened as he stared at the photo of the young lad with a can of beer in his hand, smiling widely at the camera. ‘I’l
l ring the fingerprint bureau – ask them to compare the prints against Alan’s – if they haven’t done it already, and he’s recorded, of course.’

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and was surprised to see the screen flashing with an incoming call.

  ‘McKay,’ he said sharply.

  ‘Sir, it’s Tony Watson from the fingerprint bureau. I’ve ran both prints through the system and have found matches for both the victims from the wheelie bins. The male comes back as an Alan Brown – he lives out in the sticks at Brown Plantation near Durham. Has a record for typically minor things, like possession. The other is for a female known as Cheryl Whiffen. She’s got a couple of theft priors on her record – it says no fixed abode for her home address. Her warnings mention she had possible multiple personality disorder, if you need to know that.’

  ‘The fingerprints from the male definitely come back as Alan Brown?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I’ve verified my results with the other on-call before ringing you.’

  ‘Okay, thanks. Get yourself off home. I’ll ring the on-call number if I need anything else tonight.’

  He ended the call and looked at Kevin thoughtfully. ‘No longer a presumption. I’d best go tell his father.’

  24

  19th December, 0320 hours – Rainbow Riding Stables

  TJ had shut and locked the door after everyone had left. Neil had stayed at the house until his other son, Daryl, arrived to take him home. For all the problems she’d had with Neil, it had broken her heart seeing him cry like he had. She knew she’d be checking in on him over the coming days.

  She was too wired to sleep but also exhausted. She’d tried watching TV for an hour, but it hadn’t made her sleepy in the least. It bored her half to death but nothing else.