Solomon's Key

by Tim Ellis

  I could see what Peter the nurse meant about Daniel’s eyes. They never seemed to change when he spoke. His face displayed the gamut of emotions, but his eyes were the eyes of a corpse – dead inside – with no guilt, no remorse, no love, nothing but a detached revenge.

  ‘It’s strange,’ KP said. ‘Watching him on the screen, I began to think there was something wrong with the picture, but then it occurred to me. Paul never looked me in the eyes – not once.’ I saw the others nodding. ‘Now I know why.’

  ‘OK, switch it off,’ I said to Perry. ‘I think we’ve seen enough. Is the other one the same?’

  ‘I’ve only recovered the data from this one,’ he replied, ‘but if you’re desperate I can stay on…’ His normal eyes pleaded for me to say no.

  I smiled. ‘No, I’ve seen what I needed to see. Have them sent upstairs when you’ve finished with them, and thanks for your hard work, Perry.’

  He smiled back. ‘Hey, no problem, Sir.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  My mobile rang. Thankfully the display indicated it wasn’t Sally Renshall’s number.

  ‘Harte?’

  Hello, Chief Inspector, have you missed me?

  I put my hand over the phone. ‘Get the communications centre to track the call,’ I whispered to KP. ‘It’s him.’ I uncovered the phone. ‘Hello Paul. Or should I call you Daniel Connell?’

  I imagine you’re attempting to trace the call. By all means try. I’m using an Internet service via Albania, America and Vietnam.

  ‘What do you want, Daniel?’

  Call me Paul. I’m used to that name now, and I’m also used to you calling me by that name.

  I didn’t say anything. As much as I wanted to beg him to tell me where Suzie was, whether she was still alive, and if he had raped and sodomised her, I gritted my teeth and remained silent.

  You’re not playing the game, Chief Inspector. Ask me.

  ‘Is she still alive?’

  Yes, Suzie is still alive, but her time is running out.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  At midnight I begin. I need her blood for my little experiment. There are demons to bring forth, and pandemonium to create on Earth.

  ‘Have you...?’

  Sexually assaulted her? No, not yet, she has that to look forward to.

  ‘Where are you?’

  You always want to know where I am, Chief Inspector. Well, tonight I’m going to tell you, but there are rules.

  ‘What rules?’

  You must come alone.

  ‘Why? If you’re going to kill Suzie anyway, what’s the point?’

  You might be able to save her.

  I knew he was playing with me. He had planned everything down to the finest detail. Could I save Suzie? If there was even the smallest chance, I had to agree to his rules. ‘I’ll come alone. Where?’

  Don’t be so hasty, Chief Inspector. I have my new quantum laptop hooked up to the security system, so I will be able to see if you’re following the rules or not. Any infringement will result in Suzie’s immediate death. Do you understand?

  Maybe that was what drew him to Suzie – her laptop. I wondered who his sixth victim had originally been. It certainly wasn’t Suzie; he hadn’t known anything about her until she joined us a week ago. Another thought ran through my head, which security system was the laptop hooked up to? ‘I understand.’

  You say you understand, but I know you, remember. Even now you’re wondering how you can out-manoeuvre me. How you can save Suzie and catch me. You can’t Chief Inspector. Haven’t I proved myself superior to you in every way?

  I said nothing. He was right; I was looking for something, anything, which would give me a chance of saving Suzie. I had no choice, but to play along. ‘What do you want me to do?’

  I heard him laughing.

  Changing the subject, so that you don’t have to admit my superiority. I don’t need you to say it, Chief Inspector, it doesn’t alter the fact, but the recognition would be nice.

  ‘Yes Paul, you’re a superior being, on a par with God if I’m not mistaken. Is that what you want to hear?’

  No, Chief Inspector, not when it’s obvious you don’t believe it. Never mind, once the night is over I might very well be on a par with God, then you’ll believe.

  ‘You don’t really think that what you’re doing will work, do you?’

  No, not really, but you never know. Solomon’s Key added some fun to the proceedings. Just killing the women wouldn’t have been so much fun, and let’s face it, being locked up for so long has prevented me from having any fun.

  I felt sick just listening to him. ‘Are we going to talk all night?’

  No, you’re right to be concerned. Time is slipping away from all of us. Go to Ravenscourt Park tube station. Take the District line to South Kensington. Ring this number when you get there: 18002237754.

  ‘Then what?’

  Then I’ll tell you what to do next. Oh, and remember, I’m stood over Suzie’s naked body wondering what to do with this scalpel in my hand.

  Just before the phone went dead, I heard him laughing again.

  KP looked at me. I quickly told the team what I had to do, and made a move towards the door.

  ‘Surely you’re not going on your own, Sir?’ KP challenged me.

  ‘What choice do I have? I don’t want to give him an excuse to kill Suzie.’

  ‘He could kill Suzie anyway, and you, Sir,’ Jane said.

  ‘That may be so, but give me another option and I’ll consider it.’

  I waited, but options were not forthcoming. ‘I thought so.’

  ‘At least get a wire fitted so that we can monitor you,’ KP said.

  ‘It’ll have to be quick. Time is not on Suzie’s side. I have an hour and a half before he starts to...’ I didn’t finish, everyone knew what he was planning to do to her.

  We went down to forensics. A po-faced man with red blotchy skin and a paunch replaced my tie pin with a microphone. I always wore a tie pin so a microphone would not look out of place. He clipped the battery on my belt in the small of my back, and the wires between the two were taped onto my bare skin, which I knew would painfully pull out hairs when this was all over.

  ***

  KP drove me to Ravenscourt Park tube station. It was ten forty-five and the roads were quiet. The snow had stopped falling, but the freeze had begun and it was treacherous underfoot. I entered the station and bought a rover ticket so that I could go anywhere. South Kensington was probably not my destination and I didn’t want to waste valuable time buying tickets to other stations to get to where he wanted me to be. There were a few – mostly young – people still out, but the majority of London had the good sense to stay inside homes warmed by real fires or central heating. I thought of Lexi tucked up in bed, and Harry probably weeping in front of a black and white classic, and wished I were with them.

  The train arrived. I stepped on when the doors opened and sat down, ignoring a gang of white youths with tattoos and an array of piercings causing trouble in the next carriage. How trivial life sometimes seemed, I thought morosely. Earl’s Court and Gloucester Road passed by and disappeared into the blackness.

  It didn’t take long to reach South Kensington. I rang the number he had given me. There was a click and then an automated voice said, Get on the Piccadilly line to Knightsbridge. Call me when you get there.

  I ran up one escalator and down another to get to the Piccadilly line platform. The display said I had to wait three minutes before the next train would appear. I paced. There were a few stragglers also waiting. Whether they were waiting for the train, for God or something in-between, I had no idea.

  At last the train arrived. I boarded. Knightsbridge was the next station. On the platform I rang the number again.

  Leave the station then ring me.

  I followed the exit signs. Outside the station, I called again. His number had wormed its way into my address book like a virus, making my phone seem infected. I knew I’d
have to throw it away after tonight.

  He was still using the automated voice. Walk to the Jumeirah Carlton hotel, enter the Reception then call me.

  I jogged along Sloane Street, turned left into Cadogan Place, and went into the hotel Reception. Was he in the hotel? How stupid, I thought. We should have checked the guest list. Had he got himself a room and moved Suzie in there? Staring into the CCTV camera in a corner above the reception desk, I rang the number again.

  ‘I’m here, now what?’

  Before I tell you, let KP know that if any police come into the hotel through the front, back or underground car park, I will kill Suzie.

  ‘I’m on my own, if you can see me, you know that.’

  Don’t take me for a fool, Chief Inspector. I know you’re wearing a wire. But that’s fine, I welcome an audience for my piece de resistance.

  ‘Did you hear that?’ I said into the microphone.

  KP’s voice hissed back at me. Yes.

  ‘She knows,’ I said into my mobile.

  Good. Now walk up the stairs to the presidential floor then ring me.

  ‘Walk up the stairs?’

  I’ve got things to do, Chief Inspector, and by the time you get here you’ll be in no fit state to cause me any trouble.

  I pushed through the door that led to the stairs. Twenty-two floors! I was reasonably fit, but twenty-two floors! I would probably be dead by the time I reached the presidential floor. Paul was more than likely laughing his head off at how the tables had been turned.

  How’s it going, Sir? KP asked after two floors.

  ‘How do you think? I said ungraciously.

  Twelfth floor: Are you OK, Sir?

  ‘Stop asking stupid questions,’ I panted.

  Fifteenth floor: I think we might know a way in, Sir.

  ‘You know what will happen if he sees you?’

  I know, but we have no choice.

  ‘You could leave it to me.’

  I’m afraid it’s been taken out of my hands. I called the Chief, and she’s now in charge.

  ‘Great! I hope the dementia is still in remission, Chief?’

  Don’t worry, James, the Doctor has said that I had to keep my brain active.

  I don’t know how I managed it, but I forced a smile. ‘Well, are you going to tell me?’

  No, James. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, or Miss Palton. Just be ready to protect her.

  I wondered what the Chief had planned. I hoped it wasn’t going to get Suzie killed or me for that matter.

  Seventeenth floor: Where are you now?

  ‘It would be considerably more palatable if people didn’t keep asking me stupid questions.’

  Nineteenth floor: I had to sit down. My legs were like jelly, and I was struggling to breathe. I think if Brian had been doing this, he would have collapsed before reaching the second floor.

  Are you there yet, James?

  I didn’t say what I was thinking. ‘Nearly.’

  It’s eleven-forty. You don’t have a lot of time.

  As if I didn’t know what time it was. I got up and made a Herculean effort to climb the last three floors.

  We need to know the number of the room, James.

  ‘Yes,’ was all I could manage to say.

  I rang the number again. ‘I’m here,’ I forced out.

  You sound a bit out of breath, Chief Inspector. Come to room number two-two-seven. The phone went dead.

  Drenched in sweat and feeling light-headed I walked along the corridor. ‘Two-two-seven, that’s Suzie’s original room,’ I said out loud as much for the Chief as for me. I was surprised. How did he get Suzie back in there? ‘Seems that your hunch was correct, KP.’

  She didn’t answer.

  ***

  I reached the room and went to knock, but the door had been left open. I pushed it and walked in. It was the room I remember, but not as tidy. To the right, on the floor, were what must have been Suzie’s two suitcases. Then I saw him stood by the bedroom door.

  ‘Come through to the bedroom, Chief Inspector,’ he said, ‘you don’t want to miss anything do you?’ His voice was mocking and he looked dishevelled, as if he hadn’t slept for days. In his right hand he had a scalpel.

  He backed into the bedroom. I followed. Suzie turned her head to look at me as I entered. A gag prevented her from crying out. Her eyes were filled with terror. She lay naked inside a large double circle on the floor in the position we now knew so well. Her arms were at right-angles to her body, and her legs spread in a v-shape. At each of her hands and feet and at her head was a gory mess of flesh and blood, with the exception of a pair of withered hands. Her wrists and ankles had been secured to the floor by manacles with half-inch bolts. As if she were giving blood at the local community centre arranged by the Blood Service, he had inserted a large-bore needle into Suzie’s left femoral artery, which was connected to a long tube and blood ran into a plastic bag by her side – the bag was already half full. Between her legs sat what looked like a mouldy old pot, but what must surely have been the Monarchia Daemon. It was about eighteen inches high and twelve inches in diameter. The top appeared to be sealed and it was covered in a number of strange symbols.

  What could I do? He stood over her with the scalpel in his hand. I knew if I attempted to rush him, he would slit her throat in an instant. There was no doubt in my mind that he was capable of such an act. I looked at my watch – five minutes to midnight. If the Chief was going to attempt something, I thought, she had better do it soon.

  ‘Move that chair to the door and sit on it,’ he said pointing at a chair to my left by the window.

  I shut the door, put the chair behind it and sat down.

  ‘Now, pull out your handcuffs and put them on so that your hands are behind the back of the chair.’

  I did as he instructed, snapping the first cuff round my left wrist, then locking the right one.

  Once I was secure, he put the scalpel down on a coffee table and picked up a really old-looking book. Opening it, he smiled and said, ‘Let’s begin should we...’

  Just then the lights went out. Mayhem came to visit. From within a cacophony of noise, I picked out the distinct sounds of rotor blades from a helicopter overhead, gunfire, and glass shattering. Freezing air caressed my face as I ran and dived on top of Suzie to protect her. I caught a whiff of CS gas. My eyes began streaming and the uncovered skin on my body started to burn. Suzie must have been in agony.

  I heard a whisper in my ear, jerked my head to the left in the darkness, but he was gone. Had he really been there? What did he mean?

  ‘Armed police,’ a deep gravelly voice shouted.

  The room had begun to freeze. Having no windows during the worst winter in London since the first Ice Age was not a good idea.

  ‘Get these cuffs off me,’ I shouted.

  I felt the cuffs being unlocked. I remained lying on top of Suzie. I could hear her quietly sobbing. I reached up and tried to pull the gag off, but couldn’t work out how he had knotted it just by touch. I kept saying over and over, ‘It’s all right, it’s over now.’ I wanted to kiss her, to make it better, but it would take more than words and a few kisses to bring Suzie back to the light from the dark place Daniel had taken her.

  ‘I need some light over here,’ I shouted.

  A light on the top of a sub-machine gun came towards me. ‘Is that you, Sir?’

  I recognised Inspector Pete Withers from CO19. ‘Yeah Pete, shine that light down here will you.’ I was conscious of the blood draining from Suzie’s body. I saw the needle still drawing blood from her femoral artery and yanked it out. The bag was nearly full and I felt warm liquid spurt from the wound over my hand as I pressed down hard into her groin. ‘Sorry,’ I muttered. It wasn’t as if my hand hadn’t been there before, but this time it wasn’t pleasant for either of us.

  ‘Get the medics in here,’ I bellowed. I wished they’d switch the lights on. I shrugged out of my coat and covered Suzie up with it. I didn’t want Wither
s and his cronies getting an eyeful when the lights did go on.

  KP’s voice erupted in my ear. ‘You don’t have to shout. None of us here are deaf. An ambulance crew are on their way up. Are you all right, Sir?’

  ‘You could have warned me about the CS.’

  ‘Would it have made any difference?’

  ‘That’s not the point. At least I would have been prepared.’

  ‘Some people are never satisfied.’

  ‘Did we catch him?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘No! What the hell were CO19 doing? They had infra-red visors. He couldn’t hide in an infra-red environment.’

  ‘I don’t know, Sir, but he’s gone.’

  ‘Shit.’ He obviously hadn’t left his escape to chance either. I suppose he would go into hiding now. He’d know we were looking for him. It wasn’t the ending I wanted. The wolves would pounce on the lack of closure, but I could hardly be held accountable for Daniel getting away. I wondered whether Pete Withers would be used as a scapegoat. A fall guy was always required, both by the press and the powers that be.

  At last the lights came on. I removed Suzie’s gag. She cried uncontrollably as I held her.

  I tried to remove the bolts in the manacles, but they wouldn’t shift. ‘Get someone up here with a pair of bolt cutters,’ I shouted.

  ‘Will you stop shouting?’

  It was then that I noticed the Monarchia Daemon had gone. I looked around for the old book, but couldn’t see that anywhere either.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tuesday 24th December

  It was five-thirty. I sat at the kitchen table drinking a mug of coffee with my brain dawdling along in neutral. I felt like shit. I’d only had two hours sleep. Although what I experienced could hardly be called sleep, it had been more like a two-hour nightmare. I woke with my heart racing, but couldn’t remember anything of what transpired in my dream world.