All Things Bright

by Ted Tayler

  Neil turned off the main road into the pub car park and saw the flick of a headlight ahead.

  “Jake’s here, guv. Sunset is at nine o’clock. It won’t be long now.”

  “One way or the other,” growled Gus as they got out of the car.

  “Nervous, Gus?” asked Jake Latimer. “I know you’ve done this a hundred times before, but not for a while.”

  “Are you alone?” asked Gus.

  “No, I brought a friend,” said Jake.

  As Gus got nearer to Jake’s car, he recognised PCSO Travers.

  “Is he any good in a fight?” asked Gus.

  “Taekwondo,” said Jake. “Only a red belt so far, but he’s keen.”

  “Did Gareth Francis agree to help out?” asked Gus.

  “He would have liked to be here, but he’s taken a DS with him. He’s awaiting your call.”

  “Let’s get into position then, gents,” said Neil. “A quick comms check. Are you receiving me?”

  Alex and Luke replied in the affirmative.

  A brisk walk through Rushey Platt Park brought the four men to the nature reserve.

  Darkness enveloped them as they spread out as far from the canal bank as possible. Their dark clothing and face-masks meant that anyone on the footpath would be unaware of their presence.

  “Target A is en route,” said Alex.

  “Target A will approach your sector in fifteen minutes,” said Jake. “Traffic control teams, on standby.”

  “Target B has left the house,” said Luke.

  “Stand by for further orders,” said Gus.

  The park was empty and eerily quiet. Gus expected there to be birds fluttering, animals scurrying along the canal bank. Even a courting couple Jake needed to send packing, but there was nothing.

  Gus sensed the first twinge of cramp in his right calf. He wasn’t used to crouching for long periods. Gus eased his leg out from under him and massaged the affected area. In the distance, he heard a car door shut.

  A dark, hooded figure appeared from the entrance to the nature reserve and strolled along the footpath. Target A looked over their shoulder every twenty yards.

  Gus switched his attention to the left, where a bright light pierced the darkness.

  Target B was on their way.

  The two figures stopped by the canal bank and spoke a few words. Gus couldn’t hear what they said, but a package passed between them. In seconds, the two figures had turned to leave.

  “Go! Go! Go!” shouted Neil.

  Jake Latimer and Travers had reached the hooded figure and cuffed him before he could escape or discard the package he held.

  Neil had sprinted to the footpath to intercept the cyclist.

  He shone his torch into her face.

  “Stop where you are, Debbie. The game’s up.”

  Debbie let her bicycle drop to the floor. She was in shock.

  “Blessing, can you hear me?” said Gus.

  “Yes, guv,”

  “Check Lucy is alright. She can’t stay in the house alone. Get Luke to contact Mary Bennett and drop Lucy off in Penhill. She’ll take care of her tonight.”

  “Got it, guv,” said Blessing.

  “It worked like clockwork, guv,” said Neil.

  “You didn’t have cause to be nervous, Gus,” said Jake. “It was just as you thought.”

  “What was in the package, Travers?” asked Neil, staring at the man in handcuffs.

  “Until we get the contents checked for concealments, they purport to be machine parts from Brazil,” said Travers. “The packaging indicates the items were destined for RJNM Engineering, guv.”

  “I suspect we’ll discover equipment in one of those outbuildings which Maidment used to retrieve the heroin,” said Gus. “Any other signs of engineering work will just be camouflage for what’s really going on.”

  “Our drug dealer didn’t want his product delivered to his door,” said Gus, “Debbie working at Dorcan meant they could arrange a system whereby she intercepted packages and carried them home on her bicycle panniers.”

  “On a Friday,” said Neil. “The extra weight slowed Debbie’s return journey.”

  “I’m confused,” said Jake. “I thought you reckoned James Neville, the father of Ryan Lock, was the dealer. Where did this chap enter the equation?”

  “Take a closer look,” said Gus. “Say hello to Rodney James Neville Maidment. Shall I take you through the events as I see things?”

  “I think you had better,” said Jake. He called for two cars to leave the blockade and come to collect the prisoners.

  Several minutes later, Jake, Travers, Neil, and Gus were back in the pub car park.

  “One more thing before I start,” said Gus getting his phone from his pocket. “Gareth? Go ahead and take the statement. They have nothing to fear now.”

  “Come on, guv,” said Neil, “time to explain.”

  “Maidment arrived in Swindon in 2000 and targeted the young Karen Lock,” said Gus. “He’d hardly tell her his proper name, would he, when the object of the exercise was rape. Maidment left in 2001 after learning Karen was pregnant. Maidment couldn’t have moved far away because he started work at Honda. During his second spell hunting for victims in town, he met the promiscuous Debbie Read. We never got Debbie to admit whether she took several lovers between 2002 and 2007 when Pat walked out. A paternity test will prove the point. Lucy is Maidment’s child. I looked at Ryan Lock as a babe-in-arms in the photo his mother supplied and compared it to Lucy's photo from Mary Bennett’s collection. The eyes have it, as they say.”

  “Debbie admitted she’d lied to us, guv,” said Neil. “But she didn’t move the dates she spent with Maidment back to a time before Pat walked out.”

  “No, she admitted they had met up again just before Christmas 2012, and things continued for ten months. Debbie’s words to Luke were that they had seen one another for a while before. When he asked when that was, Debbie said it was eighteen months after Pat left. That may well have been true, but one look at those photographs and you can see that she omitted to tell Luke this personal relationship has been going on for years.”

  “When did the drug dealing enter the equation?” asked Jake.

  “I suspect it was after December 2012,” said Gus. “Ryan Lock will give us details of the first time his father met him outside school. Maidment targeted schoolchildren in the town for more than one purpose, based on his history. Stacey Read spotted an older man with her best friend, Ryan, and investigated. Stacey was an intelligent girl; it wasn’t long before she realised they were father and son. Remember what Vanessa Nicholls and Mary Bennett told us. Stacey asked if it was her fault her father had walked out. Vanessa and Mary told her not to blame herself. What was Stacey’s response? I knew it. Dad left because of Lucy. Neither woman picked up on the true meaning of that.”

  “They thought they’d dealt with her concerns,” said Neil.

  “When Maidment and Debbie split up in October 2013. He went straight to Vanessa,” said Gus. “Debbie hasn’t told us whether any of her lovers saw Stacey at the house in Gorse Hill, but Vanessa admitted Maidment might have bumped into her during the time they were together. Stacey recognised him as the man pestering Ryan and selling him drugs. She already suspected Lucy was that man’s daughter and worried he would try to manipulate Lucy too. The lone visits to Vanessa’s house were to protect Lucy. True to form, Maidment took one look at Stacey Read, and she became a target, just as Karen Lock had fourteen years earlier.”

  “How did things play out here in the nature reserve then, Gus?” asked Jake.

  “I could never fathom why Stacey didn’t run back towards the entrance,” said Gus. “When I worked it out, it made this case far worse than I ever imagined. Ryan will fill in the sequence of events when he gives his statement to Gareth Francis. I won’t hypothesise, I’ll wait until the facts appear on my desk in the morning.”

  EPILOGUE

  Monday, 30th July 2018

  Gareth Francis c
alled Gus first thing. An email arrived in his inbox one minute later, which contained a copy of Ryan Lock’s statement.

  I waited with Stacey in the cold and dark until my father arrived. I stayed hidden when Stacey ran from our hiding place and shone the torch in my Dad’s face. Then she took the photo. My Dad recognised Stacey and realised I told her he would be there that night.

  He shouted my name and told me I was a goner. I didn’t move; I couldn’t let him know I was there, watching. Dad laughed and told Stacey he was going to do what I should have done by now. Stacey stood frozen to the spot holding the torch and the phone. He grabbed her coat, undid it, and I heard Stacey scream as he touched her.

  I saw the torch spinning out of her hand into the grass. In the torch beam, I saw Dad holding her coat in one hand. I heard Stacey running away, but she stumbled and fell. Dad must have found the knife in her coat pocket. He ran after Stacey, and I heard her cry out when he stabbed her. Dad was still trying to get her clothes off her, but somehow Stacey got free and made it onto the footpath. I could hear her footsteps.

  I wanted to yell at her to come towards me, hoping we could fight him off together, but Stacey saw a bright light in front of her a hundred yards away. It was a cyclist. It must have been the person my Dad was meeting. I couldn’t tell who it was; they wore a hooded jacket and a helmet.

  Stacey screamed once more. It was a dreadful sound. The cyclist turned off the headlamp, and it was pitch black once more. The police reckoned Stacey fell into the canal because the stab wounds weakened her. It wasn't easy to make out, but they pushed her in and stood watching until everything went quiet.

  Next, my Dad and the other person seemed to be looking for something. They retraced my Dad’s steps and must have collected the phone, the torch, and Stacey’s bag. I waited until they had gone before creeping home to Mum. When I told her what I’d seen, she told me to remember what my Dad said. I was a goner if he knew I’d been there. I did my best to get caught soon after that. It was safer in here than on the streets in Swindon.

  Gus heard the lift descend to the ground floor. The team would soon share the news. Stacey’s agonised scream came when she realised the cyclist was not her saviour.

  “Did Gareth provide the telling blow?” said Neil, as the others gathered around.

  “He did, Neil,” said Gus. “I learned a salutary lesson from this case.”

  “What, guv?” said Neil.

  “All things bright aren’t always beautiful.”

  You have just finished reading ‘All Things Bright.’

  The tenth book in the series featuring ‘The Freeman Files’.

  ‘A Genuine Mistake’ the eleventh book in the series will follow.

  Feel free to Tweet about any of my books and please tell your friends about them. Every writer likes to receive a review; it’s our lifeblood. If you can, then please do.

  About The Author

  Ted Tayler is the international best-selling author of The Phoenix series:

  “The core message in my Phoenix novels is that justice is failing today. The Phoenix believes criminals should pay for their crimes; the current system fails to deliver the correct punishment. His fellow Olympus agents help redress the balance.”

  December 2019 saw the launch of his latest venture, The Freeman Files:

  “With Gus Freeman and his cold case investigations there will be bursts of frantic action, of course, but they will intersperse with romance, humour and country life. Life is all about balance. Good and evil, love and loss, laughter and tears.”

  “I think of myself as a storyteller; with each successive book, I hope I get better at it. I’ve heard that the reader feels as if we’re across the table from one another, and I’m chatting with them. There are more stories left to tell.”

  Ted Tayler lives in West Wiltshire, England where many of his stories are based. Born in 1945, Ted’s been married to Lynne since 1971. They have three children and four grandchildren.

  Acknowledgements

  The love and support of my family; without them, this would have been impossible.

  The Phoenix Club

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  Sign up at - http://tedtayler.co.uk

  Thanks again for reading. Until the next time.

  The Final Straw

  An only child, unloved and unwanted by his parents, Colin Bailey, is a bitter, emotionally damaged young man. He’s hell-bent on exacting revenge on anyone who has stopped him becoming the person he believes was his destiny. What sets Colin apart is his intellect and meticulous planning. Detective Phil Hounsell pursues his man relentlessly while trying to avoid the small town in which he works sliding further and further into the grip of two rival gangs.

  A devastating event in Colin’s life provides the final straw that herald’s a bloodbath. Can Phil prevent it happening, or will he too be a victim? This tale of revenge spans two decades, yet the police are chasing shadows; it builds in pace and tension to a thrilling climax against the backdrop of a quiet West Country town.

  Unfinished Business

  The sequel to the award-winning ‘The Final Straw’ sees Colin Bailey return to the UK after a decade abroad. With a new name and a new face, he still has scores to settle. His meticulous planning takes him ingeniously across Scotland and the North of England ticking names off his list with the police completely baffled.

  DCI Phil Hounsell pitted his wits against Colin before, and so he is sent to Durham where he teams up with super intelligent young DS Zara Wheeler; together they track their man to Manchester and then eventually south to Bath. The final scenes take place on the streets of the Roman city; Phil Hounsell’s family is threatened. In a dramatic conclusion reminiscent of Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, the two men struggle above the foaming waters of the historic Pulteney Weir.

  A Sting In The Tale

  A collection of twelve short stories, each with an unexpected twist at the end. Love stories, ghost stories, and tales of revenge sprinkled with a touch of humour.

  There is something for everyone, young or old; from the elderly bookshop owner with an unusual talent and his summer of love with a young schoolteacher. To the haunting account of the journey on the last bus back to town from the heart of the countryside. Each story has characters and situations you will recognise. But will you identify the 'sting in the tale' before you turn that final page?

  The Olympus Project

  Rescued by strangers from a watery grave and given a new identity.

  The Phoenix is a stone-cold killer.

  An ideal fit for the Olympus Project, a secret organisation fighting injustice.

  With hard, fast action and a cast of characters you can reach out and touch, this is the thriller series for which you’ve been searching.

  Gold, Silver, and Bombs

  The eyes of the world are on London 2012.

  British security services anticipate an organised terror attack.

  Safety is paramount. What if the real danger comes from a lone wolf?

  You won’t want to miss the page-turning intensity of the second story in this gripping series.

  Nothing Is Ever Forever

  The action never slows. The tension never slackens.

  The Phoenix stares death in the face once more.

  Detectives Hounsell and Wheeler return.

  The past threatens to catch up with Phoenix.

  What will the future hold for the Project? What dramas lie ahead? After all, nothing is ever forever.

  In The Lap Of The Gods

  Olympus battle vicious gangsters on home soil. The body count rises.

  Dimitar Marinov cements his reputation as the most brutal criminal to have set foot on UK soil.

  Phoenix and Athena attend their first meeting with Zeus and the other Gods.

  If you’re a fan of savage, underworld cri
minals, fast-paced action and intense characters, then you’ll enjoy following the Olympus Project and its fight against evil. Take a deep breath; once you start, you’ll want to keep turning pages until the end.

  The Price Of Treachery

  The Olympians and the Titans are in a power struggle.

  A traitor inside Larcombe Manor must be uncovered.

  There’s a new life to protect as Athena prepares to become a mother.

  All these story threads in book five are woven together to produce a rich tapestry of good and evil. Life’s all about balance. Who will win the day to face ‘A New Dawn’ that awaits?

  A New Dawn

  A rogue cosmetic surgeon causes the deaths of several patients.

  Drug dealers target even younger children. The school gates are the latest point-of-sale.

  The Project’s leaders need to strengthen the organisation after the recent attempted coup.

  The Titans may have been defeated, but a new era dawns. The nightmares are far from over.

  Who is the mastermind behind this network? Can Olympus prevent it from gaining a stranglehold? Time will tell.

  Something Wicked Draws Near

  Newly-weds Phoenix and Athena battle The Grid and its leader Hugo Hanigan.

  Olympus seeks fresh faces to join the Gods and provide finance for its missions.

  Grid gang leader, Tommy O’Riordan, is convicted of murder.

  Hugo Hanigan immediately takes bloody revenge.

  A nostalgic trip to Dublin for Hugo Hanigan brings the curtain down on this part of The Grid’s story. It continues in the eighth book ‘Evil Always Finds A Way’.