by M A Comley
Hero pulled a face and scratched his head. “Bummer. I’m really not sure what we’re bloody missing here. There’s got to be something. All right, gang, let’s call it a day and start afresh tomorrow. We’ll go over every tiny detail until something jumps out and bites us in the butt. Goodnight, all.”
He watched the team gather their coats and leave for the night. Then Hero went back into his office, and before he finished for the day, he rang his partner to see how things were with her mum.
After six rings, she finally answered. “Julie? It’s Hero. How’s your mum?”
Julie let out a shuddering breath. “She’s gone.”
Hero swept a hand over his face and fell back in his chair. “Christ, I’m so sorry. Is there someone there with you?”
“No, I don’t want anyone here. I just want to be left alone.” With that, she hung up.
As much as he didn’t take kindly to her hanging up on him, he totally understood the need for her to distance herself from the outside world. Julie had been very close to her mum, and Hero feared how she would cope with the loss. He would ensure that he cut her some slack and allowed her the space, and time, to grieve.
Hero pulled on his jacket and made his way through the building. In the car park, he rang Fay and told her that he had to make a slight detour on his way home. Within twenty minutes, he pulled up outside the training centre. He sat there, observing the comings and goings of both the recruits and uniformed officers for the next ten minutes, until he spotted the person he was after. When Wade left the building and got into his vehicle, Hero’s heart pounded. He could feel his pulse beating a drum-like rhythm in his neck as he followed Wade’s car out of the car park, mindful to keep enough distance between the two vehicles so as not to alert the man that he was tailing him.
They travelled across the city and towards the Eccles area. Seeing Wade slow down and pull into the driveway of a 1930s semi, Hero drove past and parked his car in a nearby parking space. He switched off the engine and twisted in his seat to look behind him. Hero was surprised to see a blonde woman in her early forties open the front door and greet Wade with a hug. The instructor shared a long kiss with the woman, which, for some unknown reason, sickened Hero. So he’s married, and still, he likes to touch up the girls, does he? Well, I’ll have to see what I can do about that, won’t I?
“Mess with my family, mate, and you better be prepared to suffer the consequences.”
Hero drove home and arrived just as Fay was putting Louie to bed.
“You’re late, love.” Fay was holding Louie’s hand. The sleepy boy lifted his chin to accept Hero’s kiss.
“Sorry, Fay, I had a detour to make. I’ll tell you all about it once this cheeky chappy is tucked up in bed. How have the girls been today?”
“We’ve looked after them well together today, Mummy, didn’t we?” Louie piped up.
“You’ve been an excellent help, sweetie. I’m most grateful. Now let’s go and tuck you in. Hero, put the kettle on. I’m dying for a cuppa.”
Hero flicked the switch on the kettle, greeted Sammy, then let the dog out into the back garden. The dog ran past him and returned carrying a tennis ball.
“Drop it then.”
The dog dropped the ball but quickly pounced on it before Hero had the chance to pick it up. He ruffled the dog’s head. “One of these days, you’ll learn to retrieve and leave it like any normal dog. Go on, off with you and do your business.”
Fay joined Hero as he was tucking into the evening meal he had heated up in the microwave. “Sorry if it’s spoilt. I hope the pastry isn’t too soggy?” She poured the coffee and sat down next to him.
“It’s fine. You worry too much.”
Fay took a sip from her mug of coffee before she asked, “Why are you so late?”
“First of all, I have some bad news to share.”
“What?”
“Julie’s mum died in the hospice today. She took a turn for the worse overnight. I’m really not sure how Julie is going to cope over the next few weeks. She was extremely close to her mum.”
“Maybe the force can set up some kind of counselling for her. I am sorry. That’s a bitter pill to swallow. I know how much losing Dad knocked me off my axis. Send her my best wishes the next time you talk to her, won’t you? It’s tough losing a parent.”
“I will. Then, I heard that this Wade guy—you know, Cara’s instructor—has been up to no good with a few of his other pupils, and I decided to follow him home.”
“What are you talking about? Other sexual harassment charges?”
“No, it never went that far. The two girls involved left the force. But I also heard that he’s been bullying the male recruits, too.”
“That’s appalling, Hero. What can you do about it?”
He smiled. “What I always do in cases like this. I intend getting to the bottom of it.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hero stood at the whiteboard the following morning, awaiting his team’s arrival. “Come on, guys. Let’s get cracking.”
Lance was the last of the team members to join them. He scurried to his seat and gave Hero an embarrassed smile.
“Okay, first of all, I have to impart some sad news. Before I left the office yesterday, I rang Julie. Sadly, her mother has passed away.”
The team mumbled their sympathies.
Foxy raised her hand to speak. “That’s a shame, sir. Do you want me to organise a whip round for a bunch of flowers? To let Julie know that we’re thinking of her.”
“Nice thought, Foxy. Everyone agreeable to that?”
The team all nodded.
“Right, now where were we yesterday? Lance and Jason carried out surveillance on our prime suspect, Cathy Daws, and returned with a disappointing result. I heard back from the pathologist that yet another set of prints were found on the victim from under the railway bridge. As yet, we have nothing to match them up to. I’m hazarding a guess they belong to Cathy. The thing is, we can’t keep bringing her in for just questioning. We need something solid to go on. Any suggestions?”
“Do we have any DNA evidence which places her at Foster’s flat, sir?” Jason asked.
“Not at the moment. It’s too soon to get any results from the scene, and I didn’t want to push my luck with the pathologist. He’s got a lot on his plate right now. He’ll give us the results as soon as he can. What else have we got?”
“Well, we do have the fact that the neighbours of Foster and Lomax picked Daws out in the photos they were shown,” Foxy said, tapping her pen against her cheek as though she were thinking aloud.
“That’s right. What are you thinking, Foxy? Ask them to come in for a line-up?”
“Yes, sir. Of course we’d have to bring the suspect in, too. That’s why I hesitated bringing it up. You’ve already said that you can’t keep yanking Daws in for questioning without a solid foundation for doing so.”
“You’re right, but I think this will be the excuse we’re looking for. When she’s here, we could fingerprint her, see if the prints match up to those found on the tunnel victim, Lomax.”
“That’s the line I was going down, too, sir,” Foxy said.
Hero nodded. “Let’s see what else we have first, and then we’ll get this organised between us, Foxy. Has anyone got anything additional they want to offer? Come on, guys, there has to be more stones we’ve yet to peep under.”
The room remained silent as the team members shook their heads.
Jason clicked his fingers together. “Did we ever find Lomax’s vehicle, sir?”
“At the scene of his murder, you mean?”
Jason nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“No, I don’t think we’ve even looked for it yet. Good thinking, Jason. I’ll leave that with you. Anything else?” When the group failed to offer any further suggestions, Hero said, “Okay, let’s get to it, peeps. Foxy, a word in my office before we start, please?”
Foxy followed him through to the office and closed the door
behind her. “Sir?”
“I just wanted to bring you up to date on the other matter we discussed yesterday. Take a seat.”
They sat at his desk. Hero placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his fists. “I did something last night that some of our superiors might deem as foolish.”
“Uh-oh, I’m not liking the sound of that, sir.”
He reclined in his chair and grinned. “It wasn’t that bad. Actually, I’m pretty pleased with myself for the restraint I showed.”
“Are you going to let me in on what you did, sir?”
Hero chuckled. “Okay. Well, after I rang Julie last night, I left the station, and for some strange reason, my car chose a different route home.”
Foxy smirked and shook her head. “Uh-oh, I think I know where this is leading. Pray tell me, sir, where did your vehicle take you?”
“To the training centre. Fancy that, eh? Anyway, I waited for a good ten minutes before I spotted the person I was looking for. I followed Wade home, and imagine my surprise when Mr. Wade gets out of his car and shares a loving embrace with his wife. At least I’m presuming she was his wife.”
“Never! Ew…I feel deeply sorry for her living with a creep like that. Tell me you didn’t do anything rash, like confronting him in front of her.”
“Grant me with some sense. No, I just wanted to see what I was up against. I’m biding my time before I hit him, so to speak. I think we should definitely organise a visit with his other victims though, don’t you? The sooner, the better. Maybe see how the day progresses with Daws first. Can you get the two women’s details for me, for us, to pounce on once we’re clear of this case?”
“I’ll do it right away, sir. Do you want me to make the arrangements for the witnesses to come in sometime today, too?”
“Yes, do that. We’ll probably have to send a car out to both Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Wilson. Let’s get that arranged for this afternoon around three, all right?”
“Won’t Cathy Daws be at work then, sir? She generally starts her shift at the pub around that time, doesn’t she?”
“Precisely. I’m going to wait until she’s at work and pick her up from there. Let’s stir things up a little, eh?” Hero winked at Foxy.
She stood up to leave. “I like your line of thinking, sir. I’ll start the ball rolling on this lot then and get the collection started for Julie, too.”
Hero dug out his wallet and handed Foxy a ten-pound note. “Here you go. This will get you off to a good start.”
“That’s generous of you, sir. I’m not sure the others will be giving up that much of their pay packet.”
“That’s okay. Just tell them to put in what they can afford. I’ll make up the difference. Buy something decent for Julie. Let’s show her how much we care and value her contribution to the team, eh?”
Foxy pulled open the door. “Leave it with me. I’ll get back to you within the hour, sir.”
Hero nodded. He puffed out his cheeks and began sorting through the post littering his desk.
True to her word, Foxy knocked on his door within the hour.
“Come in and take a seat, Sally.”
She placed her notebook on the desk and started reading from her notes. “First things first. The team did us proud, sir. We managed to scrape together fifty pounds for Julie. I’ve placed the order with Interflora. They promised me that they would deliver the bouquet early this afternoon.”
“Excellent, I’ll be sure to thank the team for their generosity. Anything else?” He nodded for her to continue.
“Mr. Wilson was adamant that he couldn’t come in until his lunch had gone down. He actually said ‘passed through,’ which was a little too much information. I told him that someone would collect him at two thirty.”
Hero laughed. “You have my permission to shoot me if I ever get to be his age and turn out to be as crotchety as he is.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make a note of it. Mrs. Taylor was lovely about coming in to help out. She wanted to remind you of your promise, though, about cleaning up the area.”
“They always want something in return. I was mulling over her circumstances last night and thought I might ring a contact of mine at the housing department. It would be nice to see the old dear settled in a safe area. It can’t be fun living alone and on your nerves like that.” Picking up his pen, he pulled a scrap piece of paper in front of him and jotted down a note for himself.
“I agree. It would be nice if you could get her moved. I’m sending another car to pick her up around the same time as Mr. Wilson. What do you want to do about Daws?”
“Well, if the two witnesses are coming in around two forty-five or thereabouts, I don’t want to keep them waiting too long. Be ready for two fifteen. We’ll go out and pick Daws up then. We’ll be a nice surprise waiting for her when she turns up for her shift.”
“I can see your evil streak on show, sir.” Foxy laughed as she left the office.
Hero snatched up the phone and rang his contact at the local council to bend his ear about Mrs. Taylor’s predicament.
“Hi, Todd. Long time, no hear. It’s Hero Nelson.”
“Hero, well, this is a surprise. I heard on the grapevine that you’ve just become a father. My sympathies to you.”
Hero laughed. “Cheers, mate. I’m calling time on three kids. Couldn’t cope with six kids like you and your missus. Jeez, the thought of never having a decent night’s sleep again would make me want to kill myself.”
“It ain’t that bad. I keep a mallet beside their beds in case they wake up. Before you come over here and slap the cuffs on me, I’m only winding you up.”
“Yeah, I thought you might be. I know how much those kids mean to you. Right, the reason I’m ringing is to see if you can help me out at all.”
“I’ll try my best, mate. What do you need?”
“Well…how about a nice home for a sweet widow in a safe area?”
“Are you kidding me? In Manchester?”
Hero replied, cringing, “That’s what I was hoping, yes.”
“A place such as that no longer exists, Hero. Even you should know that.”
“I just thought I’d try and help out a witness. Can you do a little digging for me? Maybe, there’s some kind of residential flat with some form of security.”
“Not on our patch and nothing that is council owned. She’d need to stump up cash for a dwelling like that.”
“See what you can do, please?”
“I will. It might take me a few days, but I’ll do my best.”
“Cheers, Todd. You’re a star.”
Hero hung up and glanced at the neighbouring buildings outside his window, lost in thought. His frustration mounted as he summarised the conversation he’d just had. What a terrible thing to say—there didn’t appear to be a safe area at all within his region. Despite banging up criminals day in and day out, there was still far too much crime in the Manchester area for them to police adequately.
Shaking his head, he set about clearing his paperwork. There was no point dwelling on things out of his control. Hero had learnt that the hard way over the years. Why couldn’t I have chosen a quiet rural location in which to bring up my family? Maybe I should have a serious chat with Fay soon to see what her position is about them bringing the kids up in one of the roughest parts of the UK.
Late morning, Hero sent Jason to collect sandwiches for the team, which they shared in the incident room while running over the final plans for that afternoon.
“Lance, you questioned Mr. Wilson. Therefore, I think it would be best if you picked him up after lunch.”
“Yes, boss,” Lance said then gulped the last of his coffee.
“Jason, I want you to bring Mrs. Taylor in, all right?”
“Yes, boss.”
“As we’re a man—I mean, a woman—down, I’ll get control to divert any calls to another department until we all return. Foxy and I will be out picking Daws up. Right, we set off in ten minutes, guys. Let’s m
ake this count. I hope the witnesses come up trumps for us today.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
During the course of the drive to the Dog and Duck pub, Hero’s stomach flipped numerous somersaults as he anticipated Daws’s reaction when they asked her to accompany them to the station. There was only one way to find out.
Hero and Foxy walked into the pub and approached the bar.
“Can I help you?” the man serving asked.
“Steve Gillan?” Hero flashed his ID at the man.
“It is. What can I do to help, Inspector?” He continued to wipe the glasses and place them in neat rows on the shelves behind him.
“I need to ask you a favour.”
“Go on.”
Hero looked around the near-empty public bar and lowered his voice as he leaned towards the landlord. “We’re here to take Cathy Daws in for questioning. I know it’s going to disrupt her shift, but we need to do so immediately, in light of new evidence that has come into our possession.”
He angrily threw his cloth on the bar. “Jesus, I need to go out this afternoon, and I was relying on Cathy running the place in my absence. Couldn’t you guys have done this earlier? Like this morning, when she was at home?”
“Sorry, our witnesses couldn’t make it then. Can you arrange for another staff member to stand in for her?”
“I suppose so. I’ll call Paula now. You guys want a drink while you wait? Cathy isn’t due for another ten minutes or so.”
“No thanks. We’ll sit over here, out of the way.”
“Whatever,” the landlord grumbled as he left the bar and slipped into the back room.
Cathy Daws walked through the pub’s entrance five minutes later and headed for the bar.
Hero called out to her before she reached it, “Cathy, we’d like a quick chat, if you don’t mind?”
Cathy hesitated as if deciding whether or not to take flight. In the end, she retraced her steps and stood in front of them. “What do you want now? Do we have to do this here?”
“We’ve cleared it with your boss. We’d like you to come down the station for further questioning.”
