A Cold Grave: A DCI Danny Flint Book

by Negus, Trevor

  A terrified Melissa nodded quickly.

  Wade released his grip on her throat, and she spluttered as she drew air back into her bruised windpipe.

  ‘Go on, then. Get inside the pub,’ he growled.

  Shaken and frightened, she got out of the driver’s door and walked along the narrow pavement to the pub. Stepping inside the smoke-filled public bar, she quickly glanced around, remaining in the doorway.

  Fred Barnes was sitting alone at the bar, nursing the last remaining drops of his pint. She heard the young barman say, ‘You having another, Fred?’

  ‘No, that’s it for me tonight. I’m back at work in the morning.’

  Melissa turned, hurried out of the pub and back to the van.

  Opening the passenger door, she spluttered, ‘He’s on his way now.’

  ‘Good, wait by the front of the van. You know what you’ve got to do?’

  The terrified woman nodded.

  Wade got out of the passenger door, then got back into the van by the side door. Climbing into the back of the vehicle, he left the sliding door slightly open.

  No sooner had he got back into the van than the pub door opened. A clearly tipsy Fred Barnes stepped outside. As the pub door was closing, he waved his right arm and shouted, ‘G’night, Tom. See you tomorrow!’

  Barnes staggered along the narrow pavement of the gloomy street, towards the dark van. He fumbled in his jacket pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. Stopping by the side of the van, he took a cigarette out of the packet and lit up.

  A seductive voice floated softly out of the darkness. ‘Can you give me a light, sweetheart?’

  Hearing the soft voice, Barnes looked up and, for the first time, saw the gorgeous blonde standing by the front of the van. She held a cigarette between her full red lips and walked very slowly and very sexily towards him. He turned to face her fully. He couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

  She was stunning.

  Having turned to face her, he’d now left his back turned towards the side of the van. Fumbling for his lighter, he never heard the side door of the van slide open.

  Wade emerged silently from the van, clutching a chloroform-soaked rag in his right hand. Barnes stood motionless. Transfixed by Braithwaite’s sexy charade, he was oblivious to Wade’s presence.

  Jimmy Wade slipped his left arm around Barnes’s neck and with his right hand clamped the drug-soaked rag across his face, fully covering his mouth and nose.

  Almost immediately the burly charge nurse went limp, his arms falling by his sides. Wade supported the dead weight of the now-unconscious Barnes.

  He growled at Melissa, ‘Get in and drive.’

  Wade dragged Barnes backwards, off the dark street and into the rear of the Daihatsu van. He quickly checked that the street was still deserted before getting in the back and closing the side door. He shouted to Braithwaite, ‘Get going, Mel. I’ll bang on the side panel when I want you to stop.’

  The diesel engine of the Daihatsu growled into life, and she drove the vehicle away slowly.

  Neither Wade nor Braithwaite had noticed Barnes lose his grip on the metal cigarette lighter as he was dragged. The stainless-steel lighter had been presented to Barnes when he left the army. It was engraved with his name and his regiment, the Scots Guards.

  As the van was driven away, Wade busily secured the still unconscious Barnes with cable ties before gagging him with gaffer tape.

  A grinning Wade punched the stricken nurse hard in the face and growled, ‘You’re all mine now, Barnes. I’m going to make you suffer so bad, you’ll wish you’d never been born.’

  He banged on the side panel of the van, and Braithwaite immediately stopped the vehicle. Wade got out through the sliding door and jumped into the front passenger seat.

  He roughly grabbed Melissa by the hair and pulled her towards him, kissing her hard on the mouth. ‘You were awesome, sweetheart. It went just as we’d planned. He’s ours now, darling. We’re going to have so much fun with him and the others, when we get them.’

  Braithwaite smiled weakly.

  Wade grinned and said, ‘Come on, sweetheart; let’s get home. We need to celebrate properly in our nice warm bed.’

  Braithwaite started the van; she knew only too well what that comment meant.

  She would have to endure another night of depraved, rough sex with her master.

  15

  24 June 1986

  Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

  Danny turned over in bed and stared at the illuminated display of his alarm clock. It was still only four fifteen in the morning. Another hour and he would be getting up. He’d been wide awake since three o’clock.

  Thoughts were racing through his head about his first day back at work. The discovery of the child’s body, then the post-mortem and the full realisation and understanding that the young boy had been brutally raped before being murdered.

  Already he could feel the pressure building to find the men who had committed the disgusting act. The words of Seamus Carter had been the most troubling. Several offenders had raped the child. An organised paedophile ring well used to covering their tracks would not be easy to identify and bring to justice.

  Danny felt his wife stirring in bed next to him. ‘Are you awake, Danny? Everything okay?’

  ‘I’m fine, sweetheart. Go back to sleep.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.’

  ‘Listen, Danny, when something’s bothering you, you’ve got to talk to me. I’m wide awake now, anyway. Let’s go downstairs and have a coffee. We’ve both got to be up soon anyway. I’m on early turn at the hospital today.’

  Danny sat up in bed. ‘Okay. I’ll go and put the kettle on.’

  Ten minutes later, Danny and Sue sat at the breakfast table, sipping hot coffee.

  ‘So what is it that’s keeping you awake after one day back at work, Detective?’

  ‘The body of a young boy was found in the woods yesterday; he’d been raped and then suffocated.’

  ‘Do you know who he is yet?’

  ‘Yes, we found out late last night. He was only eleven years old, for Christ’s sake.’

  Sue reached across the table and gripped her husband’s hand.

  Danny went on: ‘At the post-mortem, Seamus Carter found evidence that the boy had been assaulted by a number of men before he was killed.’

  ‘That’s awful. Where will you start to look?’

  ‘We’ll start where we always do, I guess. By looking at the victim and trying to find a link that somehow leads to the bastards who are responsible.’

  ‘So you know exactly what you’re doing, then? How you’re going to catch these men? How you’re going to protect other innocent children?’

  ‘I know what I want to do, sweetheart, but will it be enough? Will I be able to catch them?’

  ‘Stop doubting yourself, Danny. I know you’ll catch them. I also know that you won’t stop until you do. Whenever you need to talk, sweetheart, I’m here. Don’t forget, I’ve seen plenty of death and heartache as well. Too much. You’ve got to let me help you. We’re a team, you and me. When I took those wedding vows, I meant every word. I don’t want you bottling things up inside you; that’s when the pressure can become destructive. Please talk to me.’

  ‘Thanks, sweetheart. I suppose I’m just not used to having anyone to talk to about things, that’s all. I do feel better now we’ve spoken. I’ll talk to you more, and I will catch these bastards.’

  ‘I know you will, darling. Now drink your coffee. We both need to shower before work.’

  Danny smiled and said, ‘It’s a good job we’ve got a big shower, then.’

  They both stood up and, holding hands, made their way upstairs.

  16

  24 June 1986

  South Lodge, Retford

  It was the freezing temperature that finally roused Fred Barnes.

  He was shivering violently as he woke.

  Horrified, he di
scovered that he was now totally naked and lying on a dirt floor. His eyes gradually became accustomed to the dim light, and he started to scan the room he was in. He could see it was very small and that the walls were made of a bare rock. The roof was way above his head, and he could see bare wooden rafters beneath the tiles. The only door into the room looked heavy and was made of hardwood. The only light coming in was through a small window that looked to be about six inches square and was situated high above him. It allowed a single shaft of sunlight down into the gloomy room.

  His arms were aching.

  He had no idea what had happened to him, or how he had arrived at this place.

  He tried to stand and instantly realised why there was such a nagging pain in his shoulders. Both his wrists had been secured to steel manacles that were bolted into the stone walls. The movement he made as he tried to stand caused agonising pain to fire through his wrists. He immediately gave up the attempt to stand and slumped back onto his side. He twisted his arms to the right to try to ease a little of the pressure caused by the manacles to the tender skin around his wrists.

  As his eyes cleared and got used to the gloomy light, he made a closer inspection of the metal that secured him. He saw that the manacles were, in fact, secured to the wall on a short length of chain. He manoeuvred himself around until he was sitting in the best spot for comfort.

  He looked down at his wrists and to his dismay saw that both were red and extremely sore. The skin around the bones on his right wrist had almost broken. Whoever had imprisoned him in this dungeon had taken no care about the condition he’d been left in.

  Barnes sat in silence.

  He tried desperately to control his shivering and come to terms with his predicament. Vainly, he tried again and again to pull the chains securing the manacles from their fixings. All he achieved was to finally break the skin and cause his right wrist to bleed.

  With a resigned groan, he gave up.

  He breathed in deeply through his nose. The only smell he could detect was the damp earth he was sitting on.

  Suddenly, a thought flashed into his mind. It was a vision of a beautiful blonde asking him for a light. It was only there for a fleeting second before it disappeared again.

  His head was aching.

  Barnes could feel the blood coursing through his temples as the trepidation and panic he was feeling within began to rise.

  He strained his ears for any clues to his whereabouts.

  The only sounds he heard were birds singing and, away in the distance, the sound of running water. What sounded like a small stream falling over stones was definitely not far from the building.

  He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Help me!’

  There was no response.

  Five times he shouted and got no reply. Resigned to the fact that there wasn’t a single person nearby to hear his cries, he gave up.

  Again, he tried to recall how he had come to be there.

  As the fogginess in his brain cleared, he started to recall the events of the previous night. He remembered leaving the Crown and Anchor pub after his fourth pint. It was unusual for him to have more than two pints, and he remembered that he had felt tipsy. He could recall walking along the dimly lit street towards his car.

  He remembered lighting a cigarette.

  Again, the vision of the gorgeous blonde burst into his mind.

  ‘She asked me for a light,’ he said aloud.

  Who the hell was she? How did giving her a light for a cigarette cause me to be here?

  Who would want to capture me and hold me captive?

  Nothing made any sense.

  With a sense of real despair and hopelessness, once again Barnes shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Somebody help me!’

  Once again, his pitiful pleading was answered with a stony silence.

  17

  24 June 1986

  Major Crime Investigation Unit, Mansfield

  Danny Flint walked into the briefing room at the Major Crime Investigation Unit. The clock on the wall showed it was now six fifteen. Every detective on the Unit was already present.

  Sitting at the front of the room, flanked on either side by Rob Buxton and Brian Hopkirk, Danny commenced the morning briefing.

  ‘Good morning, everyone. First things first. Tina, Rachel … how did you get on last night at Tall Trees?’

  Tina answered, ‘We spoke with the matron in charge, a woman by the name of Caroline Short. She’s provided us with the list of staff who work there and the list of other residents that you wanted. She’s assured us that none of the other residents will be going anywhere today, and that she’ll endeavour to ensure that all staff will be available to be interviewed at some time today.’

  ‘Thanks, Tina. Come and see me after the briefing with those lists so the enquiries can be allocated to their teams by the detective inspectors.’

  Tina nodded.

  Danny continued, ‘Rachel, how was the matron?’

  ‘She was very helpful, boss. She hasn’t been in post that long, just over fourteen months. She seems keen to help, but also comes across as being a little cold and aloof at times.’

  ‘Did she have details of Evan Jenkins’s parents?’

  ‘There’s only mum. It would appear that dad was never really on the scene. Mum is Tania Jenkins; she lives at Valley Walk in Hyson Green flats. Caroline Short described the mother as being a drug-addicted prostitute. I did some checks last night, and Tania does have several convictions for soliciting and possession of class A drugs. She’s been cautioned numerous times, and two years ago she received a twelve-month prison sentence for possession of drugs. No convictions over the last five months, though.’

  ‘Thanks. Did you manage to ascertain if Evan Jenkins had a social worker?’

  ‘Yes, we did. Again, that information came from Caroline Short’s records at Tall Trees. She was able to tell us that Evan’s social worker works from the Strelley office. Her name’s Bethany Jones.’

  ‘What did Caroline Short have to say about the deceased?’

  Tina replied, ‘She was quite harsh in her assessment of Evan. She described how he was already abusing class A drugs, namely heroin, and that whenever he had absconded previously, he was located in the red-light areas of Hyson Green. Without actually saying as much, she inferred that Evan was selling his body to pay for drugs.’

  ‘That’s interesting. When we’ve seen the mother this morning, I would like you and Rachel to track down this social worker and see if she confirms or refutes that rather damning assessment.’

  ‘Will do, sir.’

  ‘Okay, everyone, our priorities today are to find out as much as we can about our victim, Evan Jenkins. You will all be given either a member of staff or one of the other residents to interview. Make sure you are as thorough as possible. The more we can find out about our victim today, the more likely we will be able to find out whoever did this to him. Detective Inspectors Buxton and Hopkirk will see you all individually with your allocated subject. Until they have spoken to you, please spend your time wisely and familiarise yourself with the location where Jenkins was found, the location of the Tall Trees Children’s Home, and the injuries sustained by the deceased. Are there any questions?’

  The room remained silent.

  Danny turned to Rob and Brian. ‘Come into my office. We need to get these lists organised so you can start allocating individuals to your detectives for interview. I’m going to Hyson Green this morning with Tina and Rachel. I want to see Tania Jenkins, break the news about her son personally, and tell her about our enquiries so far. I intend calling at headquarters on the way back, to fully brief Chief Superintendent Wainwright. I want to discuss with him how soon we release details of the victim to the press.’

  Rob said, ‘While you’re at Hyson Green, do you want me to chase up Seamus Carter for the results of the toxicology tests?’

  ‘If he hasn’t called by eleven o’clock, be my guest. He had quite a late n
ight yesterday sorting out the identification. I’m sure he’ll contact us as soon as he has the results, but chase him at eleven o’clock anyway. After that bombshell from Carline Short about him already being a class A drug abuser, those toxicology results could be very interesting.’

  18

  24 June 1986

  Hyson Green, Nottingham

  Rachel Moore drove the CID car into the large car park of the new Radford Road Police Station.

  Danny was already waiting; he was leaning against the side of his car with his arms folded across his chest.

  It was just after eight fifteen in the morning, but the sun was out, and it already felt warm. It was going to be another hot day.

  ‘Come on, ladies, what kept you? I’ve been here five minutes already.’

  It was a joking rebuke, and Danny grinned.

  Rachel smiled back and said, ‘When I’ve got a sergeant in the car with me, I prefer to stick to the speed limits, boss.’

  ‘This is your old stamping ground, isn’t it, Rachel? I thought I’d better wait for the guided tour.’

  ‘Oh yes. I’ve got lots of unhappy memories of working these streets. We can walk to the flats from here. It’s not far.’

  ‘Come on, then. Let’s go and break the bad news to Tania.’

  The three detectives walked out of the car park and along Radford Road towards Gregory Boulevard.

  The grey concrete jungle that made up the infamous Hyson Green flats soon came into view.

  ‘Valley Walk’s this end of the flats. We can get to it up that walkway.’

  Rachel indicated a sloping ramp that led from the street up to the raised walkways, which in turn led to the flats.

  Danny noticed that many of the flats were now boarded up with secure metal grilles.

  ‘Why are so many boarded up, Rach?’