by M A Comley
“The mother’s name is Helen Davis, her daughter’s Layla Davis.”
“Okay, I’ll need her contact details in a second, no, wait, let’s deal with them now.” Sara jotted down the address for the woman and then returned to the reason Craig had initially called her. “And the concerned parent, what was that all about?”
“Ken Thompson rang up about his daughter, Nicola. He was expecting her to join him for his fiftieth birthday, but she hasn’t shown up. He realises that he should wait twenty-four hours before reporting her missing, but wanted to ignore that, sensing that something is wrong and in light of the appeals that you’ve put out this week, well, he thinks it’s something we should investigate ASAP.”
“I agree with him. I’m going to ask you to deal with that, Craig, otherwise, it could be hours before I can get back to him. Get Nicola’s car and phone details, do the necessary checks on both. We’re going to be stretched with what we’ve got on our plate. They’re going to hate me for this, but I think we should rally the troops. Nicola’s dad isn’t the only one who senses something is wrong.”
“I’ll ring the rest of the team now and get back to Thompson afterwards.”
“Okay. I’m going to give you a brief rundown on what we’ve learnt here.” She recapped the terrible incident Elizabeth had just had the courage to convey to her and the other information she’d imparted about the brothers. “Now, you can see why I need more hands on deck. There’s too much information for us to sift through, just the three of us. If possible, I’d like to wrap this up tonight. Strike swiftly.”
“I get that. Let’s hope we can nail these bastards, and soon.”
“Okay, I’ll be in touch again soon. We’ll nip over to see Helen Davis after we’ve finished here. You do what’s necessary to action the team at your end. As soon as Jill gets there, providing she doesn’t turn the plea down of course, get her to call me and I’ll get Carla to relay the information we’ve gathered about the brothers.”
“Will do, boss. Good luck.”
“You too.”
Sara inhaled a deep breath and then headed back into the lounge. Three sets of expectant eyes turned her way. “No news, not in the respect that we’ve arrested him anyway. Quite the opposite, we’ve learned that another young woman has possibly gone missing.”
Elizabeth gasped and shook her head. “That’s terrible. Please, you must try your best to find her.”
“We will, I promise. Do we have all the information now?”
Carla nodded. “I think we’re done, aren’t we, Elizabeth?”
“I believe so. I hope it helps you to arrest the… I’m sure you can add an appropriate name at the end.”
“We can. I can’t thank you enough for having the courage to come forward today, Elizabeth.”
“I couldn’t sit here and do nothing, not when there are lives at risk.”
“It was admirable of you to get in touch, nonetheless. We’re going to get off now, looks like a busy evening ahead of us.” Carla joined her at the doorway. “Stay there, we’ll see ourselves out.”
They left the house and jumped back in the car. Sara entered the postcode for Helen Davis’ address into the satnav and went over the details of the conversation she’d had with Craig.
“Bugger, we’re about to devastate this woman’s life.”
“I know. I can’t say I’m looking forward to holding this conversation. I’ve also told Craig to call the rest of the team in.”
“Really? You’re adamant we’re closing in on the brothers?”
“Aren’t you?”
“I think there’s a lot of research to be done before we can even consider that.”
“Hence my calling the team in. We can’t be out here breaking bad news to a victim’s family and do the necessary research at the same time.”
“I know. It’s an unprecedented situation, I grant you.”
The next hour or so was one of the most harrowing of Sara’s career. She had the misfortune of telling Helen Davis that her daughter had lost her life. Sara instantly corroborated it was Layla whose body had been found when she saw all the photos of the young woman dotted around the lounge. When Helen broke down and her husband, Andy, asked how their daughter had died, Sara’s heart went out to the couple when she revealed the truth.
“What? You suspect she was thrown or fell from a plane?” her father asked, dumbfounded.
“We believe so, yes.”
“You’re telling us it appears she was abducted like these other girls who have tragically gone missing this week?” Andy probed.
“Apparently, yes.”
“How many of those have ended up… dead?”
“It’s hard to say. To date, only your daughter’s body has been discovered.”
“Oh God. This is all too much for me to take. I need my daughter, I need to see her, to make sure it’s her,” Helen mumbled, clearly overwhelmed.
“I was about to suggest the same. I can contact the mortuary, get the all-clear from them for you to view your daughter’s body.”
Helen broke down in tears again and nodded.
Andy hugged his wife and ran a soothing hand over her hair. “Hush now. We’ll get to see her again soon, love.”
“But it’ll be for the last time,” Helen’s words came out staggered as if she was having problems breathing.
Sara knew she needed to get back to the station, but she also realised she had a responsibility towards the couple. After breaking such news, she couldn’t just run within seconds. She had more compassion within her to see things through.
She and Carla listened to the couple’s grief-filled anecdotes of what their daughter had got up to as a child for the next thirty minutes until Sara’s phone rang. She excused herself and went into the hallway to take the call.
“Hi, boss, it’s Jill. Just to let you know we’re all here. Craig told me to ring you the second I got in.”
“Thanks, Jill. This could be it. I need you to do some research for me on Burrows Finances. We believe the suspects own the firm, Harvey and Daniel Burrows. Let me know what you find out about them. The most important thing we need to do is find out Harvey’s car details. Once you have that, I need either Craig or Will to try and locate the car on the ANPR system.”
“I’ll get on it right away, boss and call you back with any news.”
Sara lowered her voice. “We’re almost done here. We’ll be heading back to base soon.”
“Hopefully, we’ll have the information you’re after by the time you arrive.”
“Let’s hope so. I’ll see you soon.”
Sara ended the call and made her excuses to leave. “Sorry, I’m urgently needed back at the station.” Carla left her seat and joined her at the door.
Andy squeezed his wife and walked towards them. “Is it good news? Have you found the suspect you’re after?”
“Possibly. I need to get back to make sure. Again, I’m sorry for your loss. I’ll make the arrangements with the mortuary and ask them to contact you soon.”
Andy opened the front door and shook their hands. “Thank you for what you’re doing for us. Please, catch the culprit before he can damage anyone else’s life.”
“We’re going to do our very best, I promise.”
12
Harvey arrived at the cottage. Furious that everything had been left up to him now. He exited the car and opened the boot. Nicola was lying there, her eyes wide with fear, staring up at him. Her pleas were muffled through the gag.
“Don’t wriggle. If you do, it’ll make things worse, and I’ll probably drop you. No skin off my nose, sweetheart, you’ll be the one who will end up with the broken bones.”
The woman took his threat seriously and remained still and rigid. He heaved her out of the car, and a twinge appeared in his lower back due to his exertions. He placed her on the ground and stretched out the kink. Realising that her feet were bound, he roughly grabbed her arm and threw her over his shoulder. “Someone needs to lose weight.” Even though
she was a possible size eight or ten, he couldn’t resist the dig, aware of what effect his words could have on the woman.
He entered the house and pressed the key fob to lock the car. Once inside, he placed the woman in one of the kitchen chairs. She stared at him, resembling a startled deer caught in a hunter’s sightline. “I’ll take you through to meet the others soon. First, I need to make them some food; it’s been a while since they’ve had anything to eat. This place isn’t a prison where you get three square meals a day. Around here, you get fed and watered when I remember, so don’t expect to get fat while you’re here.”
There was no response from his latest asset. He boiled the kettle and got the cups ready. Then he went to the freezer and withdrew three meals. He didn’t care what they were. He defrosted them in the microwave and then heated them up for three minutes, not caring if they were cooked thoroughly or not. “You girls need to appreciate what you’re given.” He pulled her to her feet and hauled her onto his shoulder again. It would have been easier to have untied her bindings, but the consequences rattled through his mind. What if she lashed out? Caught me with a blow and knocked me out? There are knives everywhere, it wouldn’t take much for her to kill me. No, it’s better this way, not for the old back, though. A good soak in the bath tonight will put things right. He opened the door to the room where the other girls were. He switched on the light, and they scurried to the back of the bed, huddled together against the cold wall behind them.
“Another friend to keep you company. I’ll leave you to introduce yourselves while I fetch your meals.” He deposited the girl on the bed, and it creaked beneath the extra weight of a third person. He went back into the kitchen and took three plastic forks out of the cutlery drawer. He was being cautious, didn’t trust the women with metal ones. He could trust no one in this game. Even his own brother, after the way he’d treated him in the past few hours. Once the girls had been given their meals, he went back into the kitchen and placed the call he’d been contemplating and worrying about for a while.
“Hi, Shipman. Yep, it’s Harvey. Are we still on for tomorrow?”
“Yep. Transport has all been arranged at my end. Have you got the correct number of girls?”
“I have, three as arranged. Where do you want me to make the drop?”
“I’ll text you the details. Same phone number?”
“That’s right.”
“Okay. Hold tight. I’ll get back to you later.” Shipman hung up.
“Fuck. I need more than that, arsehole. I hate being in limbo, babysitting the fucking girls like this.”
Tiredness overwhelmed him. He rested his head on his arms on the table and promptly fell asleep.
“Hello, I’m Nicola. I don’t mind confessing that I’m petrified. How long have you been here? Why is he holding us here?”
“I’m Amber and this is Davina. We’ve been here a few days now, one day merges with the next. With no windows, we’re struggling to know if it’s day or night out there. He keeps the light off in here. You asked why he’s holding us here. The truth is, we haven’t been told.”
“Has he… umm… done anything to you?”
“Do you mean has he raped us?”
Nicola nodded. “Yes. Has he?”
“Yes, a number of times. We’ll try and stop it happening to you,” Amber replied.
“Oh God, I don’t want him near me.” Nicola noticed how dead Davina’s eyes were and sobbed at the thought of him touching her.
“Hush now, none of that. What will be will be.”
Nicola wiped her nose on her sleeve. “But why is he keeping us here, is it just for the sex?”
Amber paused, taking her first mouthful of her meal and replied, “We don’t know, he hasn’t mentioned anything. There’s usually two of them.”
With no more words to share, the three of them began eating their meals; it was lukewarm, cold even at the bottom, but Nicola tucked in all the same, not knowing when her next meal would be supplied. He’d already warned her of that.
“Oh shit! Do they both… you know?”
“It’s better if you don’t think about that, it’ll make you go out of your mind.”
“How do we get out of here?” Nicola asked, her gaze swiftly scanning the square room.
“We haven’t come up with a plan yet. He has us chained to the bed.”
Nicola glanced down at her legs. “Mine aren’t.”
The three girls stared at each other. “This could be good news. One of us could pretend she’s ill, we trick him and pounce on him. The odds are in our favour, three to one if the other man isn’t around. Once we’ve killed him, Nicola, you could set us free,” Amber suggested.
“We have chains at our disposal,” Davina chimed in.
“That’s right. We could lure him in and chain him up,” Nicola suggested before her heart sank. “What if he has a knife or gun and retaliates? Shit! I can’t do this.”
Amber stroked the back of Nicola’s hand. “What’s the alternative? I think I’ve probably been here nearly a week already. I’m starving. Look at the tripe he feeds us. We haven’t had a shower or been allowed to use the loo since we got here. Our personal hygiene sucks. I can’t live like this much longer, I just can’t. And we have no idea where any of this is going to lead. It’s tearing me apart, the not knowing.”
“Where do you go to the toilet?” Nicola glanced around the room.
Amber reached under the bed and pulled out a bucket that stank.
Nicola retched. “Fuck, no, don’t tell me that. Shit, I wondered what the smell was. How degrading is that?”
“It’s true. He expects us to use the bucket, depriving us of our dignity.” Amber shoved the disgusting vessel back under the bed.
“I’m scared about what his intentions are. He can’t keep us here indefinitely, can he? Have either of you tried to figure out how to get out of here? We have to do something. My father always taught me it was better to fight than accept the inevitable, if someone is taking advantage of you.”
“That’s all well and good. Maybe it would be worth a try, but on the other hand, what if we screw things up and he punishes us further? As in kills us?” Amber replied.
Silence descended and the girls finished their meals. “That was vile. I have no idea what I’ve just eaten,” Nicola announced.
“Hey, be thankful for what you got, that was one of the better meals this fucker has given us.”
“I don’t want to be here. We have to escape, we just have to.”
“We’ll put our heads together. If he comes in, make sure you tuck your legs under you. If he spots that he’s forgotten to tether you, then we’ve had it,” Davina said.
Nicola put their containers on the floor and then tucked her legs underneath her. The girls chatted, telling each other about their families and the jobs they held in order to while away the hours that followed.
13
Sara rang Mark on the way back to the station to make him aware of the situation and told him not to expect her home anytime soon.
“Thanks for letting me know. Sara, stay safe, don’t put yourself in harm’s way unnecessarily.”
“As if I’d do that. Honestly, I’ve got an excellent team around me, they’ve all stepped up to the plate when I needed them most. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“I will. Take care and no heroics, promise me.”
“I promise. Carla will ensure that doesn’t happen, won’t you, partner?”
Carla tittered. “I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble, Mark.”
“Thanks, Carla.”
Sara tutted. “I love you. See you later.”
“Me too. I’ll be thinking about you.”
She ended the call. “Soppy bugger.”
“He’s adorable. Someone to treasure for sure.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
She parked in her usual place at the station then she and Carla ran through the reception area and upstairs to the incident room.
“We’re back. Don’t all shout at once, what have you got for us?”
Jill raised her hand. “I’ve managed to locate the brother’s address, Harvey’s car registration and where their business is located in the city centre.”
“Well done, you. Right, I think we need to set up some surveillance on the brother’s address. Will and Marissa, why don’t you take that?”
Will and Marissa leapt out of their seats, collected the address from Jill and then tore out of the office.
“Keep in touch,” Sara called after them. “Craig, what have you got for me?”
“I put a call out to the patrol vehicles in the area to be on the lookout for Nicola Thompson’s car. Five minutes ago, one of the patrols alerted me that her car had been spotted in a lay-by down a country lane. So, once Jill gave me Harvey’s registration number, I entered the details in the system and spotted his car a few miles from the area of her abandoned vehicle. Thinking it was too much of a coincidence, I’m in the process of tracking his car at present.”
“Great. Where is he?” Sara asked.
“At the moment, I’ve got him heading out through Ludlow.”
“Ludlow? Shit, out of our jurisdiction. I’ll get on to our associates in the Shropshire police. I had it in mind to do it, anyway. That’s where the plane has been landing. Keep me up to date, Craig.”
“Sure will, boss.”
There was an air of excitement and positivity running through the team. Sara asked Carla to get them a round of coffees and left a handful of coins on the nearest desk on her way into her office to place the call.
Once she’d been put through to a DI Lloyd who was manning the office, she relayed the details she had regarding the plane and what Craig had informed her about Harvey’s car and which direction it was heading in.
“Okay, let me take a look at the ANPR system from our direction and I’ll get back to you as soon as I find anything.”
“Are you sure it’s not putting you out, DI Lloyd?”
“Not at all, and it’s Ray. I’ve been twiddling my thumbs all evening, so you’re doing me a favour.”
