ALONE WITH A KILLER an absolutely addictive crime thriller with a huge twist (Detective Mike Nash Thriller Book 6)

by BILL KITSON

  ‘That’s settled, then.’

  ‘By the time we come back from his holiday, he’ll probably be looking forward to the change, seeing it as a new adventure.’

  The traffic division of the local force had recently taken delivery of a new piece of equipment that they hoped would help crack down on vehicle theft, the evasion of excise duty and uninsured drivers. The kit was known by the acronym ANPR, which stood for automatic number plate recognition. The device was installed in an unmarked car and two of the area’s most experienced traffic officers were charged with trialling it.

  The ANPR had already proved valuable on their first day’s patrol, bringing to book two vehicles that had no current tax disc, plus one driver whose insurance had lapsed. It was on the second day, though, that they really hit gold. As the officers were driving through the Carthill estate in Netherdale, the ANPR pinged a motorcycle as it turned into the drive of a house. Rather than alert the rider at this stage, the police driver cruised past whilst his colleague retrieved the information from the on-board computer.

  The operator whistled as he read the details. ‘I think we’d better park up and contact CID. I don’t fancy tackling this bloke if the info on here is correct.’

  He repeated the message to the driver. ‘Quite right, let the suits deal with it.’

  Fleming ordered the house to be put under surveillance until an ARU unit could be assembled. When the armed officers were in place, she supervised the raid personally, flanked by Mironova, Pearce and DC Andrews. ‘Viv, stick by me. You’re the only one who has actually seen this Freeman character. That’ll make identification easier.’

  The raid took the occupants of the house by surprise. In addition to Freeman, two other men were detained, and the detectives discovered a suitcase in the bottom of a wardrobe containing over two-hundred-thousand pounds in cash. Significantly, a considerable amount of the money was inside cash bags emblazoned with the name and logo of Good Buys supermarket. On searching Freeman, they found a paying-in book along with seven-thousand-five-hundred pounds in cash.

  ‘You must have been doing a roaring trade in posters,’ Fleming told Freeman, who maintained a surly silence. ‘The trouble with money-laundering from the criminals’ point of view is that it has to be done gradually, a bit at a time, to avoid arousing suspicion. Banks have instructions to report suspiciously large transactions. That’s obviously what our Easy Rider friend here was in the process of doing.’

  Six weeks later, Nash stood by the rail of the cross-Channel ferry, watching the Kent coastline appear through the slight mist. Alongside him, Daniel was prey to mixed emotions as they neared the English shore. News of the loss of their flat, the only home he’d shared with his beloved papa, had at first been traumatic. Now, the idea of the two of them finding a new place to live excited the small boy.

  It would be their house. One which held no conflict of memory for either of them. Not that Daniel viewed it that way. He saw it merely as a great new adventure.

  During their absence, the British press and media had been full of the identification and death of the notorious serial killer known as the Cremator. Despite that, Nash felt uncomfortable, dissatisfied.

  His feeling had nothing to do with the injuries he’d suffered or the destruction of his home. Although the media had hailed the unmasking of the Cremator as a great triumph, Nash knew that the truth was that it had been down to pure luck rather than good detection. They had gone to interview Dawson about one crime, only to find evidence that linked him to a far worse one.

  On top of that, although media and public alike were unconcerned by the inquest findings, which recorded a verdict of murder, Nash felt frustrated that this too remained unsolved. His only solace, at what he knew to be a low point in his career, was that women would feel marginally safer knowing that with Dawson’s death, the Cremator no longer prowled the streets. The media would talk about closure for the families of the Cremator’s victims. Nash didn’t believe there was such a thing as closure. It was the sort of glib phrase used by those who were not closely involved with violent crimes and who didn’t witness at first hand the anguish they caused.

  Nor had their efforts in the other cases proved much more successful. Although they had arrested three potential suspects in the van hijack and bank robbery, and recovered a substantial amount of money, the rest of the gang remained at large. They had no idea who the other men were: hardly Nash’s finest hour.

  Before leaving England, Nash had bought a laptop, one of his main aims being to search for properties suitable for purchase. Shortly before he and Daniel were due to return, he had received a long e-mail from Clara containing an item of good news. Viv Pearce had asked Lianne Ford to marry him. ‘The girl must be an idiot,’ Clara wrote, ‘because she said yes. Can you believe it? Viv setting up home and playing happy families? He’s already talking about the wedding.’

  Her message also contained an item of far less welcome news. It had been decided that the police presence in Bishopton was to end with immediate effect. The small team headed by Fleming and Nash would be responsible for crime prevention and detection over an area that had just doubled in size. It was somewhat ironic that Nash had left the Met in search of a quieter, less stressful existence. Well, that hadn’t worked.

  Nash looked at his son. He thought briefly of the boy’s mother, wondering how much of a struggle it had been for her to raise him alone. Now, Daniel’s future lay in Nash’s hands. He wasn’t one to shirk a challenge, but this would be like no other he had faced before. And perhaps it would be an adventure for him too.

  As they turned to walk towards the car deck, Daniel reached out and took his Papa’s hand. Nash looked down and smiled. Whatever the challenges, he thought the future was going to be that much brighter, for both of them.

  ‘Papa,’ Daniel said. ‘When we buy a new house, could we get one with a lawn big enough to play cricket on?’

  THE END

  The D.I. Mike Nash Series

  Book 1: WHAT LIES BENEATH

  Book 2: VANISH WITHOUT TRACE

  Book 3: PLAYING WITH FIRE

  Book 4: KILLING CHRISTMAS

  Book 5: SLASH KILLER

  Book 6: ALONE WITH A KILLER

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  HE IS WATCHING YOU

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  A young woman’s body is left in a metal container in a remote location. The killer is careful to position her under a camera that links to his smartphone. He likes to look back at his work.

  HE IS WATCHING HER. BUT SHE ISN’T DEAD.

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  Glossary of English Slang for US readers

  A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital

  Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression

  Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets

  Allotment: a plot of land rented by an individual for growing fruit, vegetable or flowers

  Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)

  Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings

  A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18

  Auld Reekie: Edinburgh

  Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.

  Barm: bread roll

  Barney: argument

  Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids

  Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle

  Benefits: social security

  Bent: corrupt

  Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)

  Biscuit: cookie

  Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town

  Bloke: guy

  Blow: cocaine

  Blower: telephone

  Blues and twos: emergency vehicles

  Bob: money

  Bobby: policeman

  Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)

  Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead

  Bun: small cake

  Bunk: do a bunk means escape

  Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant

  Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit

  Charity Shop: thrift store

  Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket

  Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for

  Car park: parking lot

  CBeebies: kids TV

  Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments

  Chemist: pharmacy

  Chinwag: conversation

  Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food

  Chips: French fries but thicker

  CID: Criminal Investigation Department

  Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)

  Clock: punch

  Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake

  Cockney: a native of East London

  Common: an area of park land/ or lower class

  Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school

  Cop hold of: grab

  Copper: police officer

  Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit

  CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward

  Childminder: someone who looks after children for money

  Council: local government

  Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic

  DC: detective constable

  Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block

  Deck: hit (verb)

  Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character

  DI: detective inspector

  Digestive biscuit: plain cookie

  Digs: student lodgings

  Do a runner: disappear

  Do one: go away

  Doc Martens: Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole

  Donkey’s years: long time

  Drum: house

  DS: detective sergeant

  ED: accident and emergency department of hospital

  Eagle: boys’ comic

  Early dart: to leave work early

  Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg

  Enforcer: police battering ram

  Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)

  Estate agent: realtor (US)

  Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982

  Fag: cigarette

  Father Christmas: Santa Claus

  Filth: police (insulting)

  Forces: army, navy, and air force

  FMO: force medical officer

  Fried slice: fried bread

  Fuzz: police

  Garda: Irish police

  Gendarmerie: French national police force

  Geordie: from Newcastle

  Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold

  Gob: mouth/ can also mean phlegm or spit

  GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community

  Graft: hard work

  Gran: grandmother

  Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s

  Hard nut: tough person

  HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck

  HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents

  Home: care home for elderly or sick people

  Hoover: vacuum cleaner

  I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise

  Inne: isn’t he

  Interpol: international police organisation

  Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services

  Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman

  ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital

  Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous

  JCB: a mechanical excavator

  Jerry-built: badly made

  Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais

  Lad: young man


  Lass: young woman

  Lift: elevator

  Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.

  Lorry: a truck

  Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased

  Luftwaffe: German air force

  M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop

  Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie

  MOD: ministry of defence

  Mobile phone: cell phone

  MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area

  MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

  Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer

  Naff: lame, not good

  Naff all: none

  National Service: compulsory UK military service, ended in 60s

  Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain

  NHS: National Health Service, public health service of UK

  Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest)

  Nowt: nothing

  Nutter: insane person

  Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)

  Old bag: old woman (insulting)

  Old Bill: police

  OTT: over the top

  Owt: anything

  Pants: noun: underwear adjective: bad/rubbish/terrible

  Para: paratrooper

  Pay-as-you-go: a cell phone you pay for calls in advance

  PC: police constable

  Pear-shaped: go wrong

  Petrol: gasoline

  Pictures: movie

  Pillbox: a concrete building, partly underground, used as an outpost defence