Torn Apart

by M A Comley

  The second he saw the faces of his team as he pushed through the door to the incident room, he knew that his day would be long and troublesome.

  “Okay, let’s hear it.”

  “Well, late last night, there was yet another murder,” Julie said, looking up from her computer screen.

  Hero exhaled an exasperated sigh. “Prostitute or gang member?”

  “Another gang member. Correct that, another Krull Gang member.”

  “Really? Now I am surprised by that. You’d have thought, after what they did to Munroe, that the gang would have gone underground for a while.”

  Julie shrugged. “I suppose that just shows what kind of psychos we’re dealing with, sir.”

  “Where did it happen?” Hero sat on the desk next to his partner’s.

  “This is where it gets interesting. The crime scene wasn’t on the streets like the others, but in a hotel room.”

  “I see. Are we talking about the woman killer? Did she entice the gang member into the hotel? Who is the victim, by the way?”

  “It’s Johnson, and yes, the woman was definitely involved.”

  “Right, we’ll head over there and question the manager. Anything else I should know about?”

  “No, sir. Only that the chief wanted a word with you as soon as you got in. Thought you’d want to hear about the murder first before I told you that piece of news.”

  “You did right, Julie. I’ll see what he wants. Be ready to go when I get back.”

  “Okay, sir.”

  Hero made his way along the corridor to Cranwell’s office. The chief’s secretary asked him to take a seat for a minute while the chief finished an important call. Instead of sitting, Hero paced anxiously around the secretary’s office and noticed her grinding her teeth in annoyance.

  Finally, she showed Hero into the chief’s office. The chief didn’t even acknowledge his arrival.

  “Morning, sir,” Hero said, his voice faltering slightly.

  “Is it?” The chief picked up the paper beside him and threw it across the desk at Hero.

  Having not seen the morning paper, Hero skimmed through Dave Wheeler’s article about Trevor Munroe’s death. Hero’s gaze met his chief’s. “I had no idea this story was going to run today.”

  “So you knew about this?” the chief shot back at him.

  “Of course, sir. I attended the scene yesterday. Tried to get the witnesses, the other gang members, to give statements, but they refused. No one is willing to speak out against the Krull Gang.”

  “So, what do you intend doing about that, Nelson?”

  Feeling defeated, Hero slumped into the seat opposite his boss. “My hands—our hands—are tied, sir. Without evidence or witnesses, the CPS would laugh at us. Actually, you probably haven’t heard the rest of the story.”

  The chief sat back in his chair, clasped his hands together, and steepled his fingers in front of him. “You have my full attention, Inspector.”

  “At the moment, we’re on the trail of a woman. She’s been killing off prostitutes—”

  “Stop right there. What has that got to do with this notorious gang?”

  “Well, the prostitutes were all on the Krull Gang’s payroll. The thing is that in the last few days, things have escalated, in that, it appears this woman is now intent on killing off the Krull Gang. At least, that’s how it seems to me.”

  “And you’re sure about this? Do you know who this woman is?”

  Hero shook his head. “We have a poor CCTV picture of the woman and have showed it around to several people, but no one recognises her. When I arrived this morning, I learned of yet another one of the Krull members being killed. It’s all a bit sketchy right now. As soon as this meeting is over, I’m heading out to question the hotel manager.”

  “This isn’t good enough, Nelson, not in my area. I want this woman caught ASAP.”

  “Yes, sir, I’m doing my best, but the cases are mounting up, and my team are already under pressure. If…”

  “Spit it out, man. What do you need?”

  “Can you sanction some more overtime, sir? Another eight hours maybe. I was going to send the team out tonight. The murders are happening in a specific area and more frequently. We need to be out there on the street when there is a possibility of her striking again.”

  “What makes you think she’ll strike again so soon?”

  “I just do. She’s shown no signs of backing off, even when the stories have hit the news. She’s one gutsy lady. I’ll give her that. If I can get my team out there on the streets, it just might be the deterrent we need until we find some evidence to proceed with.”

  “This is all very frustrating for me, Inspector. Very well, eight hours, and that’s your lot. Report back to me with good news tomorrow morning.”

  And I’m not frustrated? You want to live in my shoes for one day a week!

  Hero stood up and left the room. He made his way back to his team and told them to cancel any plans they had that evening and explained his decision. The majority of them didn’t seem happy about the extra work, but they understood. He added Johnson’s name to the board before leaving the station, with his partner in tow.

  • • •

  They parked the car in the hotel car park and walked up the side alley to the main entrance. “Nice place,” Julie mumbled.

  “We’re not here to book a room, Sergeant.” When he turned to look at her, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I apologise. That was uncalled for.”

  “Accepted,” she said, giving him a brief smile.

  The hotel had remained open. Only the bedroom where the murder had taken place was off limits to the general public, not that it looked as if the hotel had customers breaking down their doors to rent a room.

  Hero approached a man in his late thirties who was sitting behind the tiny reception desk his head buried in what appeared to be a porno magazine. He quickly threw it in the drawer when he glanced up at them.

  Showing his warrant card, Hero introduced himself and his partner. “Are you the manager?”

  The man gave him a toothless grin. “I’m everything around here. Are you here about the murder?”

  “Yes. Were you on duty when the man and woman paid for the room?”

  “Yep. Saw him, but she was kind of shy. Had her face hidden behind her hair and stood over there against the wall most of the time.”

  “So, you wouldn’t be able to identify her in a line-up?”

  The man’s lip turned up. “Nope. After she’d killed the bloke, she ran out of the fire escape, so I only saw her the once.”

  “I see, mind if we take a look at the room?”

  He shrugged. “Why not? People in white suits have taken root up there anyway.”

  “Are SOCO still there?”

  “Yep. Any chance you can hurry them along? That’s my best room they’re tearing apart up there.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He and Julie started up the stairs and heard the man grunt and mutter something.

  Inside the room, three people in protective clothing were dusting and collecting hairs from every surface. Hotels were notoriously time consuming for scenes of crime officers to process. Unlike private houses, hotels had hundreds of fingerprints and fibre particles hidden in the carpet for them to deal with. The person in charge equipped Hero and Julie with blue paper shoes and white paper suits. Once they were suited and booted, they entered the room.

  Hero didn’t hold out much hope of the manager getting his room fit for letting out again anytime soon. Arterial blood spray patterns stained the walls and the ceiling. The room would need half a dozen coats of paint before another customer could set foot in it.

  “Is it proving pointless?”

  The officer in charge, whom Hero had seen before at various scenes, nodded and led Hero and Julie over to the hundreds of evidence bags resting against the wall.

  “Shit! You can’t tell if any of the evidence is fresh or not?”

  “There w
as some surface hair on the carpet, from at least ten different people. Let’s just say that if I employed the chambermaid responsible for cleaning this room, she’d be fired on the spot.”

  “I don’t suppose the killer left the weapon behind, did she?”

  “No such luck, I’m afraid.”

  Hero surveyed the room and then bent down to inspect the brown paper bags. Without opening them, he read the content notes written on the outside of each one. Most of them contained hair samples and different fibres from the carpet. He saw really nothing of interest that would tell him who the murderer was.

  Deciding they were wasting valuable time at a scene throwing up such varied and useless evidence, Hero signalled to Julie that they were leaving.

  “Why?”

  “Our skills are needed elsewhere. Let’s leave these guys to do their jobs. Looks like they’ll be here for hours yet. Come on, time’s a wasting.”

  They shrugged out of their suits and headed back to the station. When they reached the incident room, Hero called the team together.

  “To make use of the eight hours overtime the DCI has offered us, I’d like you all out on the street tonight. Let’s use the time wisely. Looking at the times of death on all the murders, each one has taken place between nine and eleven.”

  The team nodded as they listened to Hero.

  “We’ll split up into teams. Concentrate on the four corners of the Brickfields Estate where the girls hang out. If anybody needs to go home for a few hours, I’m not averse to that. However, I’m not saying tonight is compulsory overtime. What I am saying is let’s take this opportunity to wrap this case, these cases, up once and for all.”

  • • •

  “Where the fuck is that piece of shit?”

  “I don’t know, Crabbie. The last I heard, he was going out recruiting girls. I ain’t seen or heard from Johnson since. You don’t think anything’s happened to him, do you? Like Jez.”

  “How the fuck should I know? He probably shagged some bird last night, and she offered him seconds and thirds this morning.”

  They both laughed for a moment before Stuart got serious again. “I’m not so sure. Maybe the Tidy Gang have kidnapped him or something. Payback for doing over Munroe, maybe?”

  “Nah, you’re worrying for no reason. Anyway, they wouldn’t have the balls. None of the gangs will have the balls to mess with us after what we done to good ol’ Trevor. I’ll tell you what we need to do tonight, though.”

  “I’m listening, bro.”

  “We need to get out there and grab the money off the girls. You’ll have to take over Jez’s role doing that. Plus, we’ve gotta get some more girls on board. Our income has been sliced by a third since the girls got topped.”

  “Me? I’ve gotta take over Jez’s job?”

  “Yep, you. Not scared of a few slags, are ya?”

  Stuart reclined on the sofa in his brother’s flat to contemplate his response for a second or two. His brother had never bestowed any kind of responsibility on his shoulders before. He sat upright and puffed out his chest. “All right, I’ll do it.”

  Crabbie grinned at him, and his eyebrows rose high into his forehead. “Like you had a choice in the matter. We’ll both go out tonight. I’ll show you the ropes. Maybe we’ll get a free fuck while we’re out there.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  She had set the alarm for eight p.m. just in case she fell asleep again, but she needn’t have bothered. She’d been too busy running yet another plan through her mind. Smiling, she jumped off the bed and opened her wardrobe door. High up, above her head, the corner of the box she was after peeked over the ledge. Standing on her tiptoes like a ballerina, she pushed boxes out of the way and tried to reach the one she wanted. After failing, she picked up one of her stilettos, squeezed the five-inch heel under the box, and pulled it to the edge of the shelf. She opened the box and removed the small knick-knacks concealing the metal object she needed for her evening vigil.

  Letting out a heavy breath, she lovingly caressed the gun. It had been her father’s. He used to take her out into the woods when she was a teenager and teach her how to use it. Several hundred cans later, he had pronounced her a very competent markswoman. The fact that she hadn’t practised or even held the gun in years didn’t deter her in the slightest. Firing a gun is like riding a bike, isn’t it? She placed the bullets in the barrel and spun it. Then she tucked the gun in her handbag and set to work on making herself look irresistible, in preparation for her quest to attract a certain young man.

  She studied the various coloured wigs she owned and decided that she wanted to be a brunette. After showering herself in numerous smelly products, she dressed in a mid-thigh red skirt and flimsy pink blouse. Underneath the blouse, she wore a matching pink T-shirt, which would act as another barricade for any wannabe groper to get past. She positioned her wig and sat down at the dressing table to plaster her face with the garish makeup she knew would attract her next target. Her tactics had worked thus far, so she didn’t see any need to change them.

  She took one last look at the clock, which read five minutes to nine, before giving herself a final once-over in the mirror, then she walked out the front door to wait on the corner for her taxi to arrive. Feeling the weight of the gun in her purse made the blood pump around her system faster and harder.

  The taxi pulled up in front of her, she gave him the address, and they set off to a location she hadn’t visited before.

  • • •

  The convoy of vehicles left the station and split up at the end of the road. Hero turned to Julie. “Let’s hope we can nail this girl this evening.”

  “If it is the girl doing all these murders.”

  “What? You have your doubts about that?”

  Julie stared ahead at the road. “All good coppers work on instinct, don’t they? Mine’s saying that something isn’t adding up.”

  Hero remained silent. He’d had the same instinct himself only last week, but this week, things seemed to be slotting into place and highlighting the woman as the murderer they were after. The thing still puzzling him was the fact that he was at a loss as to her motivations—not that he thought one was necessary for knocking off the Krull Gang.

  They pulled up behind a people carrier. From Julie’s side, she had a perfect view of the prostitutes working the area, while Hero’s vantage point took in several roads leading to the girls’ positions. He picked up the radio and contacted the other members of the team, who were, by then, also at their allocated posts.

  They sat there for the next hour or so until the radio sparked into life again. “Foxtrot zero one, are you reading me?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Sir, we’ve been watching a girl for the past half an hour. She’s been loitering on the corner, observing the prostitutes in this area. We weren’t sure if it was her or not. She’s dyed her hair, or it could be a wig.”

  “Keep her under surveillance, Foxy. We’re on our way now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Hero started the car and rammed it into first gear. “Here we go, Shaw. Hold on tight.”

  Julie hit the button and set the siren going.

  “Turn it off when we get to within a few streets of where the girl is, okay?”

  “Of course,” Julie replied, giving him one of her dirty looks.

  He grinned and put his foot down. The radio crackled to life again, and he eased off the pedal, listening as Julie answered the call.

  “Sir, a car has approached the girl. Two men inside the car. Do we hold off or intervene?”

  “Does it look as though she’s going to get in the car, Foxy?” Hero shouted as his partner pressed down the button.

  Foxy’s excited voice filled the car. “Yes, sir, she’s getting in it now. What do you want us to do?”

  “Hold off and follow. We’re two minutes away. Keep us up to date with the route they take, okay?”

  “Roger that, sir.”

  Hero pressed down harder
on the accelerator, so hard that both of them jerked back in their seats. “Kill the siren, Julie.”

  Hero listened to the directions Foxy was giving them and made the appropriate alterations to their route. His heart started pounding against his ribs. The killer was within striking distance, he hoped.

  “Sir, they’ve pulled into a hotel car park, the Chance Hotel. The three of them are entering the building. What do you want us to do?”

  “Hold back. We’re two streets away. We’ll go in as a team. Instruct the others of your position, Foxy,” he shouted over the noise of the engine, which was going at nearly full speed. Then muttered under his breath, “Let’s hope it’s not the Last Chance Hotel for the two men, eh?”

  Moments later, Hero drove into a parking space, then he and Julie raced out of the car to join up with Foxy and Powell. “Let’s go. Are the others en route?”

  “Yes, sir, they just checked in, they’re a few minutes away.”

  “Right. Powell, you wait out here for the others. We’ll ask reception what room they’re in.”

  Hero led the way. The hotel receptionist seemed surprised to see them. The man eyed them with a look that matched his seedy hotel, obviously thinking it was a night for threesomes.

  Hero flashed his warrant card. “What room are they in?”

  The man frowned. “Who?”

  “Like you’re that busy. The three who just arrived.”

  “Oh, Room Ten. Second floor, at the end. Hey, I don’t want no grief. What they been up to?”

  “Don’t warn them, or I’ll close this place quicker than a fly can shit on your pizza.” Hero clicked his fingers to emphasise his point.

  The three of them ran up the stairs. At the top, they could hear raised voices. Hero held his finger up to his mouth and cautiously led the way down the corridor to Room Ten. The voices were all male. He couldn’t hear the girl saying anything at all.

  “Mess with me, and I’ll fuckin’ kill ya. Untie me, bitch,” one man’s raised voice said.

  Hero listened with his ear pressed against the door, he heard scuffling and lots of cussing coming from inside. He shot across the other side of the hallway when he heard a gun go off inside the room.