Mackenzie pushed some keys on his laptop and the whitewall exploded into life. They watched in sombre silence as the scene unveiled. The gang of youths pushing and shoving. Arguing over the stolen remote control car. They heard Red’s voice before she appeared, back to the camera, heading towards the group.
The silence of those watching overpowered the soundtrack of the video as they saw the scuffle break out between two youths. They saw the white flash as the knife appeared. Saw the knife plunge. Saw the blood spurt. Saw the youth fall to the ground.
Mackenzie hit pause.
“There’s more. Right through until the ambulance arrives.”
Red nodded. “That’s good enough to convict. Clear as day. An unprovoked attack. Not even Pippa could get him off that.”
Mackenzie hit another key and a shot of the assailant’s face came up. “And here he is in glorious close-up. All we need now is a name.”
“Okay, Jim will send that to your mobiles. Like he says, we need a name to put to the face. I suggest we meet back here at four and compare notes. Whoever brings this one in is on free drinks for a week.”
Taylor looked up from reading a text on his mobile. Looked around at his colleagues. “You all witnessed that, right? Free drinks for a week. And I know the Guv wouldn’t go back on her word.” He grabbed Harris by the shoulder. “Come on, Jez. We’re on a roll!”
Chapter 25.
Red watched Taylor and Harris go.
“What are they looking so smug about?”
Metcalf shrugged. “Beats me. Barry seemed in an unusually good mood this morning. Something about a bullseye?”
Red grinned. “Jim will fill you in on that one, Pete. And I hope you’ll be there tonight with the rest of us. Right, Terri?”
Chapter 26.
Red stared at the clock on the wall. “Which part of four o’clock do they not understand? It’s gone five!”
“My guess is the four bit and the o’clock bit,” Metcalf laughed.
“Aw, poor Jez,” Terri Miller said. “Don’t be too hard on him, Guv.”
The door pushed open before Red could answer and Taylor and Harris appeared, sporting smiles so wide they had to come through the door sideways.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry, Guv.” Taylor had his best toothy grin on show. “We can’t all be perfect.”
Terri Miller stared lovingly at Harris. “I don’t know, Barry. Jezza comes pretty close in my book.”
Taylor swung round to stare at Harris. Harris beamed. Nudged Taylor. Taylor’s smile vanished.
“Well, Barry?” Red demanded. “We all drew a blank today with the name. I don’t suppose by some miracle you two did any better, what with the extra hour and all? Or was that spent down the pub drowning your sorrows?”
Taylor’s smile returned with a vengeance. “Pub, Guv? Us? Have you no faith?”
“Where you’re concerned, Barry? No. None whatsoever.”
Taylor maintained the smile. Harris smiled even wider.
“Free drinks for a week you said, Guv, right?”
Red hesitated. Slowly, “I did. But for the right name, Barry, not someone you picked out of the telephone directory with a dart.”
“As if. The name you’re all looking for is Nigel Saunders,” Taylor said. “But understandably, with a name like that, he prefers to be known as Damage.”
Red folded her arms, head inclined to one side. “Damage? Is this another of your feeble attempts at humour, Barry?”
“Straight up. A hot-shot in a Blackheath gang known to the public as the Black Death Boys. Or as they call themselves privately, the Death To Black Boys.”
Red let out a low whistle. She mentally calculated how much she was going to be paying out in drinks if this were true. She said, “And you’re certain it’s the same kid as on the video?”
“One hundred per cent, Guv. Right Jez?”
“Two hundred per cent, Guv,” Harris said.
Red stared around the room, taking time to collect her thoughts. She said. “I suppose an address would be asking too much?”
Taylor’s smile threatened to split his face in half. “You tell ’em, Jez.”
Harris thrust back his shoulders and straightened his tie, struggling to keep a straight face. “112-118 Battersea Bridge Road, Guv. Postcode is SW11 3—.”
Red’s up-thrust palm stopped Harris in his tracks. “The suspect’s address, Jez, not the Station address.”
“That is the suspect’s address,” Harris beamed. His eyes ran around the room to make sure he had everyone’s full attention. “He’s in the cells downstairs right now. That’s why we were late, Guv. We were booking him in. And his prints match the prints on the knife you found.”
Red steadied herself against the desk. “Oh. My. God. Guys, I could kiss you.”
Terri raced across and flung her arms around Harris. A big kiss on the cheek. “Beat you to it, Guv. But you can do Barry if you like.”
Taylor gawped at Harris. Gawped again at Terry’s arms around Harris’s neck. Shook his head in disbelief.
He quickly regained his composure. “If it’s alright with you, Guv, I’ll start my freebies tomorrow after shift. Gotta shoot home now. It’s Brenda’s night off. We’re going to see a film.”
“You do that, Baz,” Red said. “You deserve it. Anything good on?”
Taylor shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. I wasn’t planning on watching it. I’ve booked the back seats.” He looked at the clock. Soft-punched Harris on the arm. “Just over six hours, Jezza. Not a chance, mate.” To Terri, “Be careful, Tex. Jez has got his own reserved parking place at the clinic. They call him Yo-Yo Harris, he’s in and out so often.”
Chapter 27.
“Of course, Jezza has to take some of the credit,” Taylor grinned over the after-film drink at the Union. “It wasn’t all my doing. I’m just the brains of the team.”
Brenda looked unconvinced. “If you say so, Barry.”
“I expect they’ll offer me promotion again, but I’ll turn it down, the same as usual. I just ain’t interested. Too much paperwork.”
Brenda nodded her understanding. “But the extra money would be nice surely?”
Taylor shuffled himself straight. “Ah, but you see, Bren’, I can make money just as easy on the side. Take today. I’m on free drinks for the next week thanks to getting this Damage kid in the cells. And I’ve got a bullseye coming tomorrow from Jez for a bet he lost.”
Brenda’s face darkened. “Oh. You’re a betting man?”
“No, no,” Taylor assured her. “Not that sort of bet. Just a private wager. I mean, when someone offers you fifty smackers on a plate with a bet they can’t possibly win, it’s only right to take their money. But I never go near the bookies or—”
Taylor’s bleeping mobile cut short his damage-limitation exercise. He stared at the screen. “Video message? From Jezza?”
“Well are you going to answer it or gawp at it all night?”
Taylor reluctantly pressed the accept key. The screen burst into life.
Taylor’s jaw dropped so low it almost hit the table.
In shaky footage Harris was staring back at him, an insane grin on his face. In a bed, the covers up just below his shoulders.
“Hi Bazza! Ten to midnight, mate. Thought I’d call and let you know the latest on the bet. You owe me a bullseye in the morning. Oh yeah, I suppose you’ll want proof.”
Taylor’s jaw almost drilled through the table to reach the floor as the bedcover next to Harris lifted. Terri Miller’s smiling face appeared, blonde hair draped over bare shouldered, and very much in bed with Jez Harris.
Chapter 28.
Taylor was last in the next morning. A reluctant arrival He glared at Harris. Then at Terri. A grudging nod to the others.
“I believe you’ve got something for Jez,” Anna said as Taylor took his seat.
Taylor stared around the room. “What, you all know?”
“Just pay the man,” Pete Metcalf urge
d. “A bet’s a bet.”
“Something’s not right here,” Taylor muttered beneath his breath as he fished his wallet out. He extracted five ten pound notes and handed them to Harris.
Anna stepped forward and took them. “Benevolent Fund, Jez. Remember?”
Taylor stared at them in disbelief. “What the hell is that all about?”
Terri came across and theatrically sat on Harris’s lap. To Harris, “Make the most of it. Jezza. It won’t be happening again.” To Taylor, “Barry, the bet was that Jez would get me in bed with him by the end of the month. And that’s exactly what happened. I got in bed with Jez. Fully clothed, I might add. Anna, Pete and Mac were there too, to make sure everything was above board.”
“I’ve been robbed!” Taylor glared at Harris. “It’s a bloody stitch-up.”
Red laughed. “You win some, you lose some, Barry. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll drink more than fifty quid’s worth off me this coming week. Which reminds me. The Super sends his kindest regards to you both. Needless to say on the brownie points scoreboard you two fine, outstanding officers are way out in front.”
Terri extricated herself from Harris. A final kiss on the cheek. “Yeah, congrats to you both, guys. God knows how you got that name so fast, but well done.”
Anna, Mackenzie and Metcalf chimed in their appreciation too.
“So spill, Baz,” Metcalf said. “How did you manage to trump us all?”
Red said, “It’s probably best we don’t know, Pete. All will be explained in their official report. And as we all know, the official report is what actually happened. But bloody good work, both of you, guys. Seriously, I’m impressed. Superintendent Blake said you’ve set a new Station record for wrapping up a murder inquiry.”
As Taylor and Harris basked in the praise Red’s thoughts turned to the fifteen year old victim she last seen in the morgue. The OTT autopsy. The marks on the neck. The mystery blood cells. The meeting Thewliss had just booked for that afternoon. Off the record, at his request.
The case might be solved, but Red had a feeling the mystery was only just beginning.
Chapter 29.
“Atishoo! Atishoo! We all fall down.”
Ruby yawned as she fell to the bed for the umpteenth time.
“Come on, sleepy head. I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day, don’t you?”
“Can we do a different nursery rhyme tomorrow, Cassie?”
“Sure thing, babe.” Red set the book aside. Pulled the blankets up to Ruby’s chin.
“Cassie,” Ruby said. “What’s next?”
“Next, sweetheart? What do you mean?”
Ruby considered her response. “Well, it was summer and we went on holiday with Daddy. And then it was Halloween and I was a bad fairy. What’s next?”
Red thought for a second. “Well, it’s fireworks night at the weekend.”
“I don’t like fireworks. They scare me. And Mummy says they are dangerous.”
“Well, Mummy’s right. On this occasion. I don’t like fireworks either.” Red fended off childhood memories of Nathan throwing lit bangers at her. “Yeah, let’s give bonfire night a miss.” A smile spread across Red’s face. “Tell you what, though, Rubes. It’s just ten weeks until something very, very special.”
Ruby’s eyes lit up in anticipation. “What? Is it my birthday?”
Red said, “Better than that, sweetheart. It’s Christmas. And I hear Santa Claus is coming to town.”
END
Rose Red Rhymes
A Rose Red crime thriller short story
The Night Before Christmas
by
Saffina Desforges
© Saffina Desforges 2012.
All rights reserved.
This story is a work of fiction. The resemblance of any characters to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN Number: 978-1-908961-22-8
Published by Mark Williams international Digital Publishing.
Chapter 1.
“I so love that poem.”
Red held the book steady, misty-eyed, momentarily transported back in time to when she was a four year old like Ruby. A felt-tip scarred Sindy doll in her hand. Sitting between Mum and Dad on the green vinyl sofa with the taped-up rip in the arm. On her lap, that wonderful nursery rhyme book with the Mabel Lucy Atwell illustrations.
The cute Atwell water colours slowly dissolved into the glossy, garish twenty-first century images of Ruby's latest addition to the bookshelf. The green sofa with the taped-up rip in the arm became Ruby's pink bed. The little girl sitting between Mum and Dad became Ruby, hugging a long-since fluffy rabbit, faded pink ears flopping wistfully. Pink pyjama-clad legs stretched out on top of the quilt, barely reaching a third of the way down the bed.
Ruby's loud sniffle broke the spell.
"Rubes?" Red set the book down as she saw the tears forming in Ruby's sienna eyes. She drew the child to her. "Rubes, what’s wrong? Didn’t you like the rhyme?”
Ruby nodded slowly. Sniffed loudly.
“Okay, honey, help me out here. I thought you wanted a Christmas story.”
“I did.”
“So what’s the face for then, gorgeous? It's the night before the night before Christmas. This was supposed to get you all excited, not all upset. Santa's coming tomorrow."
"But he can't," Ruby said. "Not like in the story. How can he get down the chimney?"
"Down is easy, sweetheart. He just jumps down. And to go back up he just puts his finger on the side of his nose and gives a nod, like this."
Red managed a fair imitation of Santa preparing to ascend a chimney, but Ruby just stared at her, oblivious to the Oscar-winning potential. A tear began to roll down the child's cheek.
"But Cassie, we haven't got a chimney," Ruby whispered.
Red reached out and wiped away the tear from Ruby's cheek. "Sweetheart, we didn't have a chimney last year, either, but Santa still left a big sack of presents for you, didn't he."
Ruby nodded slowly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"You see, babe, Santa's elves are very clever. You know how I've got that sat-nav in my car that shows me where to go? Well, Santa has an extra-special sat-nav on his sleigh that not only tells him where all the children live and whether they've been naughty or nice, but it also tells him which houses have chimneys and which don't."
Ruby raised her eyes to Red's. "Really?"
"Would I lie to you, Ruby Tuesday? Do you remember that Santa sleigh that came round a few evenings ago?"
Ruby nodded. "But it wasn't the real Santa, because it was being pulled by a car. The real Santa has reindeer."
"Very true. But the Santa sleigh being pulled by the car was still special. The driver was one of Santa's agents."
Ruby looked unconvinced.
"Honestly," Red said. "Do you remember when Ella showed you our house on Google? Well this was the same sort of thing, but this time it was Santa's elves driving up each road photographing each house without a chimney, so Santa will know where the gate to the back garden is, so he can come in the back door."
A smile began to spread across Ruby's face.
Red leaned in and whispered to Ruby, "Last year it rained Christmas Eve and Santa left muddy footprints all across Mum's new carpet!"
Ruby's hesitant smile burst into a full-blown laugh. "Did Mummy tell him off?"
"You're kidding, Rubes. No-one can tell off Santa. It's against the law. I'd have to arrest them."
Ruby's face became solemn again. "But Cassie..."
"Yes, gorgeous?"
"We've got a new gate, with a secret number. How will Santa get in?"
"Where's Grandma taking you tomorrow? To Santa's Grotto, right?"
"Yes, but it's not the real Santa."
"Of course not. It will be Christmas Eve. The real Santa will be in bed getting some rest. He's going to be very busy at night delivering presents all over the world. But when you go to the Grotto you can tell the pretend Santa about the gate
and then he'll pass on the message to the real Santa."
Ruby beamed, the tears vanishing. "Will the reindeer stop on the roof?"
"Of course, and they'll be hungry for a carrot or an apple. Or both! Make sure you buy some tomorrow when you're with Grandma. But right now, bedtime, young lady. Remember, Santa knows who's been naughty and who's been nice."
Ruby scurried beneath the quilt. "I know, I know. He's making a list and he's checking it twice."
"He certainly is. And don't forget the reindeer list," Red added.
Ruby popped her head out from beneath the quilt. "What's a reindeer list?"
"It's a special contest Santa runs," Red improvised. "What you do is, Christmas Eve morning you write down the names of all Santa's reindeer, and then you have to find their reindeer names somewhere around you. Like, if you look up in the sky and see a comet then you could cross Comet off the list. If you can find all eight, Santa brings you an extra present."
Chapter 2.
"Ruby, last warning. Will you kindly sit down and eat your breakfast like a normal, civilized human being," Pippa said for the third time.
"But Mum..." Ruby craned her neck towards the kitchen window, scanning the clouds.
"It's no use looking for Santa in the daytime, Tues," Ella laughed. "He only comes out at night."
Ruby turned to glare at her sister. "I know that, silly. I'm not looking for Santa. I'm looking for a comet. Jack said you can see them in the sky. He said they look like a bright star, but with a tail."
Saffina Desforges' ROSE RED Crime Thriller Boxed Set Page 70
