by Jay Nadal
“Nathan, why don’t you come with me, you need some help and that’s available to you if you just put down your knife and come with me.”
Nathan was shaking his head by now, “What’s the point, you’ll only tell me off like all the other men have done. Wherever I went, they told me off and hurt me,” his voice a fraction louder than a whisper, his eyes darting around looking for those men to come and get him again.
Even though Scott would be lying, he needed Nathan to come quietly now or risk far worse if the armed officers stepped in. “Nathan, no one’s going to tell you off, we just want you to be safe.”
“I’m going to prison for a long time, aren’t I?” his voice steely and focused as he looked at Scott.
Again, Scott saw the adult side of Nathan surface momentarily as the magnitude of his actions hit home.
“Nathan, that’s a discussion for another day, we can’t sit here all day, the ground’s cold, I’m hungry and I’m sure you must be too, come with me now before it gets out of hand and someone else gets hurt…. What do you say, mate?”
Nathan held Scott’s attention for what seemed minutes.
By now the sound of rotor blades were whipping the air overhead, but didn’t seem to capture Nathan’s attention. He was so deep in thought, that it took Scott interrupting his chain of thought, to bring him back to the present.
“What do you say; don’t let Stephen’s death have been in vain.” Scott could sense the fight draining from Nathan’s eyes, the look of surrender washing over him, as his shoulders dropped, his chest heaved and his grip on the knife loosened. The knife fell to the concrete with a metallic clang.
He stood up slowly, his whole body offering no resistance. Scott reached for the back of his trousers and pulled out his rigid handcuffs. He was still fully expecting some resistance, but none was offered. Stepping behind Nathan, he pulled one hand after another behind and secured the cuffs.
“Nathan Taylor, you’re under arrest on suspicion of the murders of Edward Stone, Dave Fraser and Peter Tomlins. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."
Nathan held his head bowed, lost in his own sadness as he was led away to the awaiting swell of officers.
Chapter 27
“You did well getting a result in the end,” Cara commented, as she slowly stirred in the decorative pattern in her latte. Coffee@33 was her favourite place to grab a latte and chill for a bit; as far as she was concerned they made the best ones in Brighton.
Scott sighed, “I got there in the end, but shit, the DCI tore a strip off me. She could have thrown the book at me and I’d be doing what they are,” he nodded his head in the direction of the waitressing staff behind the counter. “Mind you, as she said, ’The end justifies the means,’ so I took a bit of rap on the knuckles, and she took the glory.”
Cara sighed and shrugged her shoulders a little, engrossed in what Scott was saying.
“To be honest, I felt a bit sorry for him, actually.”
“How comes?” she replied.
“I examined Stephen’s death in more detail, so I looked up births and deaths to start with, and focused on his mum. From social services reports, it was evident that she ran away from the boy’s dad because she was pregnant with twins. She never told him about it, so as far as he knew, she was expecting just one child.”
He paused whilst he took a sip of his now cold cappuccino.
“She went back to her parents in Reading for a while before returning to Brighton, but couldn’t cope with the prospect of raising two children, so one was taken into care, that was Nathan, and Stephen was given up for adoption when she couldn’t cope.”
“Ah ok, so how did Nathan find out about Stephen?”
“Well, Nathan, the poor lad went from care home to care home, suffered traumatic and sustained abuse, and when he was old enough, went in search of his family.”
Cara grimaced at the thought of what Nathan had gone through.
“He found out from social services that his mother had passed away through an OD. He was informed that he was a twin, and so he went looking for his brother. He snooped around, asked in the pubs and clubs, but didn’t get anywhere. Stephen had been adopted, had a good upbringing but had a different surname through his adoptive parents, so Nathan never found out much about him.”
Cara was silent as she listened to this story being played out.
“Anyway, word got back to Stubbins that Nathan had been sniffing around the clubs looking for his brother. This gave Stubbins the ideal opportunity to get Nathan to do his dirty work for him, and get rid of the competition. He instructed his brother Luke to track down Nathan and tell him that it was Stone, Fraser and Tomlins who were responsible for his death, with Tomlins delivering the final blow. That was enough the send Nathan over the edge, he was already unbalanced, and they exploited that weakness in him.
As far as he was concerned he’d lost the last chance of having any family.”
“And that explains the hair fibre analysis results… twins, they’d have the same DNA profile,” she said.
“Yes and no. I know what you’re thinking, but this case is slightly different. They were fraternal twins, not identical, so didn’t share the same DNA. Luke was on the door the night Stephen was hit, Stephen’s black hoodie was left behind and Luke hung onto it. Rather fortunate to be honest. He gave it back to Nathan with a whole sob story about the only memory of his brother, yada yada…and Nathan wore that, as he put it, ’to be close to his brother.’ They effectively manipulated him.”
“Poor bloke, I know he’s committed multiple murders, but I kinda feel sorry for him a bit,” Cara offered.
“If I’m honest, I do too. His upbringing was completely different than Stephen’s. He was damaged goods by the time he left the care system, and this was the final nail in the coffin. Any chance of normality gone, I’m not condoning his actions by any means, but life dealt him a shit hand,” Scott said shaking his head.
Scott reflected on the case for a minute. ”Sadly Nathan and to an extent Stephen were nothing more than pawns in a dirty battle for supremacy of the drugs scene and nothing more…that’s the callous extent of this case. The only winner in all of it is Stubbins.”
“So what happens next, Scott?”
“Well we’ve only interviewed him with an appropriate adult from social services. The next thing is to get a mental health assessment organised for him. Social believe he only has a mental age of between fourteen to sixteen, and I have to agree to some extent. When I was talking to him, it was like he had a dissociative identity disorder, one minute he was thinking and talking like a kid, the next he showed signs of being a mature adult.”
“What, like a split personality?” the morbid curiosity ignited in her as she perversely smiled.
“I would think so, yes….we may never get a conviction in the end, he might not be deemed fit enough to stand trial, I could see the defense team putting that one forward.”
“So what would happen?”
“Secure mental unit or hospital possibly.” He paused as he stared at his cup. “Another institution.”
“Shit…after all that effort on your part.”
“Don’t forget the rest of the team…oh and of course you.”
Cara smiled. “Just doing my job; give me a corpse, and I’m a happy bunny.”
“You bloody weirdo,” Scott jested as he shook his head in disbelief. “Well anyway, I couldn’t have done it without you, so thank you on behalf of Sussex Police.”
She laughed and tossed her hair back, “That sounded like some Oscar acceptance speech.”
Scott smiled as he gazed out of the widow and watched pedestrians navigate around each other on the narrow pavement. In all the darkness of the past few weeks and the stories of human tragedy that had stretched his abilities as an officer, there had been one ray of light, and that
was he’d found how to laugh again. It was all due to the person sitting opposite him.
I owe you one, Cara, he thought as he smiled.
Next in the Series
“Their Innocence comes at a price…How far would you go to protect it?"
A girl’s body washes up on the beach. She needed to be silenced. But what secrets did she take with her to a watery grave? Secrets so dark she had to be eliminated.
Detective Inspector Scott Baker and his team are thrown head first into their most challenging case to date. What did the girl know that led to her violent, slow and painful death. As they dig deeper, evidence emerges of an organised trafficking and teen prostitution ring, where girls are commodities, their childhoods erased, and their futures uncertain.
The sudden death of a loving mother and devoted wife complicates the case. Is there a connection or is it a tragic random murder?
The investigation rocks the team to the core. Emotions run high as they uncover a dark, sick, twisted web of human depravity that causes Scott to question the notion of justice.
Scott faces his own demons as the case stirs deep seated grief that he fights hard to contain. Old memories race to the surface making him confront his difficult past and look to the future.
It’s now a race against time, can Detective Inspector Scott Baker save the girls from an unknown future of human slavery which offers one outcome…their eventual deaths.
Stolen is the latest gritty police procedural in the DI Scott Baker Crime Series. A story of injustice, greed, control and heartache.
Stolen is a murder mystery thriller peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set in the coastal town of Brighton on the south coast.
Grab your copy now:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
For a full list of books in the series check out my website:
http://jaynadal.com/books/
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Acknowledgements
There are a number of people without whom this book would not have been written and I want to thank them while I have the chance. Without their input, advice and support, I would have not got this far.
First, my thanks to Detective Inspector Andy Wolstenholme of Sussex Police, based in Brighton, whose invaluable advice on technical and local policing has proved invaluable. The tour of Brighton Police station helped immensely, Thanks Andy.
To Detective Sergeant Sara Yems of The Metropolitan Police for her ongoing support and advice on police procedural issues which allowed me to focus my writing.
To Kelly Lowe of The Queens Hospital Mortuary who’s invaluable and detailed insight into the work of the mortuary team and the guided tour allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of post mortems.
I’d also like to thank some very special beta readers who helped me to stay focused by writing compelling stories. I’ll never forget their support, advice, feedback and encouragement. Thank you Clare Doughty, Jay Rughani and Paul Henderson.
About the author
I’ve always had a strong passion for whodunnits, crime series and books. The more I immersed myself in it, the stronger the fascination grew.
I live on my own by the forest, but have the pleasure of my two lovely daughters aged 18 and 13 coming to stay with me a few days each week. In my spare time you’ll find me in the gym, reading books from authors in my genre or enjoying walks in the forest…it’s amazing what you think of when you give yourself some space.
Oh, and I’m an avid people watcher, I just love to watch the interaction between people, their mannerisms, their way of expressing their thoughts…weird I know, but i could spend hours engrossed in it.
I adore Brighton having spent alot of my life here, the diversity of people, the relaxed and vibrant atmosphere never dulls my enthusiasm for this beautiful and special city.
I hope you enjoy the stories that I craft for you
Glossary of terms used in the DI Scott Baker series for US readers
ARV: Police armed response vehicle. Officers authorised to carry firearms.
B&B: Bed & Breakfast accommodation.
Bogs: Lavatory/rest room.
Boot: Trunk of car.
Breakkie: Breakfast.
CID: Criminal investigations department. Deals with all serious crime, including suspicious deaths; sexual assaults; GBH; robbery; burglary; arson and any other crimes requiring complex investigation.
Copper: Informal/slang term for a police officer.
Crime Scene Manager: The main role of crime scene manager is to supervise the examination of a scene to facilitate any input of specialist information to ensure maximum evidence is gathered.
Estate: Public/municipal council housing development.
Fag: Cigarette.
NHS: National Health Service, a free UK government funded health service for everyone.
Nicked: Arrested.
NPAS: National police air service.
PM (post mortem): Autopsy.
Police titles and how they’re often called by other officers (or referred to in books) to:
Detective Constables - First Names (DC’s)
Detective Sergeant - Sarge, Skipper, Skip (DS)
Detective Inspector - Sir/Ma'am, Guvnor, Guv, Boss/The Boss (DI)
Detective Chief Inspector - Sir/Ma'am, or if you know them Guvnor/Guv (DCI)
Superintendent - Sir/Ma'am, or if you know them really well Guvnor/Guv (Super)
Chief Superintendent or above - Sir/Ma'am (Chief Super)
Rubber neck: To stop or slow down to take a look.
Scene Guard: A uniformed police officer who maintains a police cordon at a crime scene. Their role:
Protect the scene from contamination by onlookers;
Preserve the integrity of exhibits;
Account for the presence and movement of people in a designated crime scene area;
Maintain a scene log which is a document logging the movements of officers in and out of a crime scene.
Shag: Sexual intercourse.
SOCO: Scenes of crime officer.
Solicitor: Lawyer/Attorney.
Scroat: Term of abuse for a despised or despicable person.
Torch: Flashlight.
Trousers: Slacks.
