Christmas Killing

by Chrissie Loveday

  ‘Help,’ was all he could manage before he dropped his phone and passed out again.

  ‘Good man,’ breathed Ray. Someone could identify where the call had come from and hopefully, they would target it and find them. He almost found himself praying for that to be the case ... him who hadn’t prayed for many a year. He looked at Ted’s phone lying there and believed he could hear someone talking on it. ‘Get on with tracing us,’ he said inside his head. He wondered where Dickie and Sylvia had gone to. He’d filled up with petrol recently so he’d get quite a long way. Had he taken the woman with him? Perhaps he’d dropped her somewhere and left her. He could speculate all he liked but it meant nothing. His mouth was beginning to feel painful under the tape and his nose started to run. If it became blocked, he’d be suffocated. He had to let it run down his chin.

  Still Ray sat there, helpless to do anything for himself. Helpless to assist his colleague who was lying wounded. He positively hated Dickie Pryce. He would catch him and make sure he really suffered. He’d throw the book at him and Bert too. He’d be made to suffer as well.

  After what seemed like another lifetime, he saw some lights outside and then someone knocked at the door. He saw someone looking in through the window and finally a flash light was shone in. Thank heavens, he thought, certain he’d been seen. Another knock at the door and he heard someone calling out.

  ‘Bang through the bloody door,’ he was thinking. ‘Don’t hold back but break it down.’

  Then came the sound he’d been waiting for. A loud crash of the door thundering down.

  ‘Sir? Are you there?’ Two uniform branch officers came in.

  He mouthed several squeaks and banged his feet up and down. The lights came on.

  ‘Bloody hell. Are you all right?’ one of the officers asked. He leaned down and gently removed the tape from his mouth.

  ‘Ouch,’ he said. ‘Look at Ted. He’s been injured. Shot. Hope to god he’s all right.’

  ‘Looks pretty bad, sir. I’ll call for an ambulance.’

  ‘Do it. Number six Selby Grove. Tell them to hurry and then for heaven’s sake, let me go.’ The policeman called the hospital and ordered the ambulance and then turned to Ray.

  ‘I need to find something to cut through this tape. What on earth happened?’

  Ray told him the gist of it while he sawed through the tape. As soon as he was free, he went to kneel beside his friend and colleague, wiping his nose on his sleeve as he did so.

  ‘Are you all right matey? Don’t worry, the ambulance is on its way.’

  ‘Ray? You all right?’ he whispered.

  ‘Course I am. Take it easy now and don’t try to move. They’ll soon fix you up in hospital.’

  ‘Dickie?’ he mouthed.

  ‘He got away. Bastard even pinched my car. Come to think about it, he took all my keys so I now have to work out how to break into my flat.’ He paused, really wanting to keep talking to his injured friend to keep him awake until the ambulance arrived. At long last, there was a flashing blue light stopping outside. ‘Thank goodness. The ambulance is here. Not long now before they’ll make you better.’ He kept his fingers crossed as he spoke, not wanting to tempt fate.

  Soon, Ted was being taken to the hospital and he cadged a lift in the police car.

  ‘Can you drop me at the hospital? I want to be there for Ted. I need to know he’s all right.’

  ‘You might want to get looked at yourself. You’ve got sores all round your mouth. I’m sorry if it was my fault taking that tape off.’

  ‘Thanks a bunch,’ he laughed. ‘Seriously, thank you both for coming when you did. I doubt Ted would have a chance if we’d been there all night.’

  ‘It was Ted’s phone call that alerted us. He left the phone switched on and we were able to track it. Lucky for you. Right then. Shall we go?’

  ‘How about the broken door?’

  ‘We can put something across it to keep it safe, though I don’t s’pose you’d care all that much if someone broke in.’

  Soon they were driving to the hospital where there was a long wait for news. Ray went to get a sandwich while he waited. It tasted like cardboard but solved his hunger problem. At last a doctor came out to speak to him.

  ‘Unfortunately he’s lost a lot of blood and he’s very weak. We removed a bullet from his chest. Fortunately, it missed his vital organs. I think he’ll be all right but only after a fairly long recuperation.’

  ‘Thank you so much. Can I see him?’

  ‘You can see him but he’s well out of it now.’

  He followed the doctor into the recovery room and saw his colleague looking so pale as to be almost unrecognisable.

  ‘I’ll get that bastard,’ he promised. ‘He won’t get away with this. I’ll guarantee it. Thanks doctor.’

  ‘Go and get some rest now. You need it.’

  ‘I’ll borrow Ted’s phone if you don’t mind. I need a taxi to get me home.’

  It was fortunate that Ray had a ground floor flat and he broke a small window to gain access. He was shivering with cold and turned the heating up high. Totally exhausted, though he didn’t quite know why, he slept solidly till the next morning. He called headquarters and asked for someone to collect him. While he waited, he called the hospital to enquire about Ted. Evidently he had spent a quiet night and was heavily sedated. Relieved, he went to work to discover where the wretched Dickie had gone and what had happened to Sylvia.

  There was news about the female very quickly. She had phoned a police station near Birmingham to complain that she had been left at a service station.

  ‘He dumped me after we stopped to fill up with petrol. Made me go and pay and then drove off. Never known anything like it,’ she told them.

  This was reported to DCI Jones and he asked where she was now.

  ‘I think someone’s organised a train ticket for her. She should be at the station sometime soon. Do you want us to meet her?’

  ‘Oh yes please. Bring her straight here. I need to know where he’s gone or at least if he told her where he was planning to go.’

  ‘And what about the chap you charged?’

  ‘He’ll have to be seen by the magistrate. Let him decide if he needs to be imprisoned. Personally, I think he should be but who am I to say? Now then. I need to borrow a car till mine’s found. Not that I much fancy it after Dickie’s driven it.’

  ‘Do you want me to see if there’s a pool car you can have?’

  ‘Good idea. Organise someone to collect Sylvia and then do that. Thanks.’ Suddenly his life seemed even more complicated. His phone rang.

  ‘Are you coming down to the briefing?’ he was asked.

  ‘On my way.’ At least he could now say who had killed the elf and Santa.

  ‘Right everyone. We now have suspect for the two murders. The downside is that he’s escaped custody.’

  ‘We’d heard that sir. How’s Ted? And you, are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine apart from damaged pride. Ted is going to recover, eventually. No damage to any major organs but he lost a lot of blood. We’ve got Bert Pryce in custody and Dickie Pryce is somewhere north of Birmingham. In my car, I may add. I’ve given my number to the motorway police and hopefully, they’ll soon catch him. They’ve been warned that he has a gun. Sylvia Edwards should be here soon so I’ll go and interview here when she arrives. Any questions?’

  Murmurs of not really and no sir reached his ears.

  ‘Very well. Get back to whatever you were working on before. And thanks, all of you.’

  Ray went back to his office. It seemed strange to him to be there without Ted at the other desk. He’d have to get someone else to take his place on a temporary basis until Ted was ready for work again. He glanced at his watch. He really ought to go to Foredyce’s and tell them the latest news but he decided to wait until Dickie had been arrested. He almost felt like driving along the motorway in chase but realised that would be quite ridiculous. He picked up his phone to ask if Sylvia Edwar
ds had been brought in yet. She hadn’t. He felt restless and decided to go to the hospital to see how Ted was faring. He found the car he’d been allocated and set off. It was something of a heap he decided.

  At the hospital, he found Ted sitting up and looking extremely restless.

  ‘When can I get out of here?’ he demanded.

  ‘You need to ask your wife about that. I somehow doubt she’d even consider you coming out for a while yet. I take it she’s been in to see you?’

  ‘She came last night but I was out of it. I’ve spoken to her on the phone and she’s on her way in now. Hang around and you’ll see her for yourself.’

  ‘I’m delighted you’re not suffering too much. But forget all thoughts of coming back to work. Enjoy a bit of time with your kids. It’ll be Christmas in just over a week.’

  ‘Yer, so they tell me. They’ve also told me I can’t even drink a drop of alcohol while I’m on medication.’ Ted’s mobile, ensconced in Ray’s pocket, rang. ‘That sounds like my ring tone,’ he said accusingly.

  ‘Oh yes. I’ve borrowed it for a while. Till I can get another one. I knew you wouldn’t mind. Yes?’ he said into it. ‘Oh right. Thanks,’ he said and hung up. ‘They’ve got Sylvia Edwards. I’d better go and see her. Do you really want me to leave this here phone with you?’

  ‘Yes please. I hate being without it.’

  ‘Bloody typical. You can’t be away from work can you?’

  ‘Nope. I need to be able to call you at midnight. You know, when I’ve got the night naggers.’

  ‘Okay. Here you are. I’ll tell the office not to call you. Bye mate. I’m so pleased you’re going to be all right.’ He saw Mrs Wilkes as he left. ‘He’s going to be fine,’ he told her.

  Ray interviewed Miss Edwards and learned that Dickie had been her house guest for the past couple of weeks. She had no idea that he’d murdered anyone and was quite horrified when she learned of it.

  ‘What a bastard. I would never have had him there if I’d known. Bert brought him round and then he stayed as well.’

  ‘So how did he behave when he drove off with you?’

  ‘He was a bit threatening, as it goes. When we stopped to get petrol, he made me go and pay and then he drove off and left me at the service station. I was pretty mad, I can tell you. Just you wait till I see Bert again. How could he saddle me with that lummock?’

  ‘Lummock?

  ‘Well, whatever you’d call him. He’s a total bastard.’

  ‘That I’d agree with. Right, well I think that’s about it. I’m afraid your door was broken down. I’ll organise someone to come and sort it out.’

  ‘I should bloody well think so. I can’t say it’s been a pleasure knowing you.’

  ‘No, quite. My feelings are probably the same. I’ll get someone to take you home now. Thank you for coming in.’

  Once she’d left he breathed a sigh of relief. He’d be so glad to be rid of all of them. Kevin, Miss Pringle and the rest of the staff of Foredyce’s.

  Ray’s phone rang.

  ‘Yes?’ he answered.

  ‘I’m afraid we’ve got some bad news for you sir.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Dickie Pryce has just been killed.’

  ‘Killed? How on earth ...?’

  ‘That’s where the bad news is sir. He managed to turn your car over and it burst into flames. I’m afraid it’s a write off.’

  ‘And Dickie Pryce?’

  ‘So’s he.’

  ‘So how did it happen?’

  ‘The motorway cops were chasing him. He swerved off the road just a bit too fast and well, it turned over.’

  ‘Does this mean there’s about to be another enquiry?’

  ‘I don’t think so sir. He was the one who drove off the road. It was a complete accident.’

  ‘So that’s it. He won’t even get punished for all his crimes.’

  ‘No sir. And you’ll need a new car.’

  ‘Now that might be an advantage. After he’d been in it, I don’t really think I fancied it again.’

  Epilogue

  It was Christmas Eve. At Foredyce’s the store had been closed for half an hour and the staff were all gathered on the main shop floor, drinking the free booze provided by the owners. Miss Pringle was busily serving them, making sure they all had a fair share of the goodies on offer.

  Geoffrey and Sydney Foredyce were also present, being polite to everyone. Miss Pringle came to Geoffrey and asked him to make a speech. He stood and cleared his throat.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen. My thanks are to everyone who has helped us to bring this Christmas season to a close. We had some most unfortunate occurrences this year and, I speak on behalf of the entire Board, when I say how sorry I am to those of you who were involved. Now, do we have some prizes to be given out Miss Pringle?’

  There followed several members of staff being rewarded for making good sales and meeting targets.

  ‘And finally, I’m sure you’ll all want to join me in thanking Miss Pringle for organising this splendid gathering this afternoon.’ He paused for the ripple of clapping. ‘We all wish you a very happy Christmas.’

  ‘Thank you sir,’ said Miss Pringle, flushed from her consumption of wine. ‘It’s certainly been a difficult time this year.’

  ‘Well done to you anyway Miss Pringle. And here’s to a trouble free next year. We’ll see you on Monday, bright eyed and bushy tailed.’

  She looked at him and smiled. Silly man, she was thinking. She was due back on Saturday for the Boxing Day sales event. Some things never stopped.

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