Taken to Die: A chilling crime thriller (DCI Danny Flint Book 4)

by Trevor Negus

DS Travers spoke quietly, out of earshot of Temple. ‘Sir, the new guidelines of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act say we should take him straight to a designated police station, to get him booked into custody, now that you’ve nicked him.’

  ‘I only need five minutes, Sergeant; a young girl’s life could be at stake here.’

  Travers nodded. ‘Okay, boss.’

  As soon as Travers had removed Brandon Temple from the garage, Brian said, ‘Where’s Stacey?’

  ‘She’s outside.’

  ‘Fetch her in here.’

  Rachel returned a minute later with Stacey Bloom. The geology student was carrying a bag of equipment.

  Brian said, ‘Stacey, will you have a quick look in there, please? I’ve looked as far as I can, but it’s very dark. We need torches. Do you think this entrance could lead into the main cave system?’

  Stacey grabbed a torch and a hard hat from the bag and crawled through the small hole. She was only gone for a few minutes before she re-emerged and said, ‘This entrance leads into the main mine workings, alright. He’s definitely been down here today as well. I can see his footprints in the soft, damp sand. It’s still very wet inside the caves, Inspector. I don’t think we should go in any further at this time.’

  ‘Okay, Stacey. I need to go and speak to the professor.’

  Brian jogged back round to Addison Street, where he saw DS Travers standing outside his car. Temple was sitting in handcuffs on the back seat.

  Brian opened the rear door of the car and said, ‘Professor, I know that the entrance in the garage leads into the mine workings below. It’s not too late to stop people getting hurt. Is Emily hidden in those mine workings?’

  ‘She’s down there alright, but you’ll never find her. Don’t even think about putting search teams down there. It’s so wet the whole system could collapse at any moment. I’d be surprised if the roof hasn’t collapsed already.’

  ‘Come on, man. Tell us where the girl is; none of this is her fault. Nobody needs to get hurt. We can go down there quietly and get her out.’

  ‘You really don’t get it, do you? Why can’t you understand that I don’t want you to find her? I want her to die down there. Her father took away the only person I’ve ever truly loved, so now he needs to know what real loss feels like.’

  ‘Professor, I’m begging you. This has nothing to do with that young girl. Whatever’s been happening between her father and your wife, it’s not Emily’s fault. Can’t you see that? Why should she pay the price for their betrayal?’

  Temple scoffed. ‘Somebody has to pay.’

  Brian said angrily, ‘So you’re too much of a coward to physically harm the girl, but you’re quite happy for nature to take its course, and allow that young girl to die a slow death underground?’

  Temple smiled malevolently. ‘You’re wasting your breath, Detective. I’ve said all I’m going to say.’

  Brian shook his head in frustration. He turned to DS Travers and said, ‘I need somebody to secure the garage while we search that cave for the girl.’

  Travers turned to DC Ryan and said, ‘Stevie, take Temple to Central, and get him booked in. Inspector, I’ll come back with you and secure the garage.’

  The young detective nodded. ‘Okay, Sarge.’

  Brian stared at Temple and said to the young detective, ‘Get this piece of shit out of my sight.’

  As Temple was driven away to Central Police Station, Brian and DS Travers ran back around to the garage. Brian said, ‘I want you to make sure nobody comes in the caves after we’ve gone in to look for the girl. It’s very unstable down there. If too many people go in at once, the roof’s likely to collapse. DCI Flint’s on his way. I want you to fully update him when he arrives. Remember, the most important thing is that nobody else enters the cave. Understood?’

  ‘Understood.’

  90

  11.15am, 18 October 1986

  Forest Road East, Nottingham

  Brian walked back inside the garage and spoke to Rachel and Stacey. ‘Professor Temple’s just told me that the girl’s hidden down there somewhere.’

  Stacey said, ‘Did he say how far down into the system?’

  Brian shook his head. ‘The only thing he said was that we’d never find her.’

  DS Travers said, ‘Temple was only down there about twenty-five minutes. How far could he get in that time?’

  Stacey said, ‘That’s good. He couldn’t have gone too far.’

  Rachel said, ‘We don’t even know if she’s still alive.’

  Brian replied, ‘She’s alive, alright. He wouldn’t have bothered coming here, bringing food and water, if the girl were already dead. It’s obviously not for him, is it?’

  Stacey looked worried; then she said, ‘Any second now, you’re going to ask me to go with you to look for her, aren’t you?’

  Brian replied, ‘I’m going down there anyway. I can’t leave the girl down there alone in the dark, when the roof could fall in on her at any moment. I’ve got to try to get her out of there. Stacey, I can’t ask you to go into the caves if you think it’s too dangerous.’

  Stacey smiled. ‘It would be far more dangerous for everybody if I didn’t go with you. I’m coming. Look in the equipment bags. You’ll find hard hats and utility belts. Find ones that fit you and put them on. Understand this though, when we’re down in the caves, what I say goes. I’m in charge. If at any time I tell you to get out, just do it. There won’t be time to have a debate; just get out as fast as you can. These caves can be treacherous and deadly. I know the signs before a roof fall, so you must listen to me.’

  Rachel started to open the bags, searching for kit.

  Brian said, ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m getting kitted up as well. I’m coming with you.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

  ‘Are you ordering me to stay here? You may need an extra pair of hands when we eventually find her. We have no idea how she’s being held, or what state she’s going to be in after spending a fortnight down here.’

  Stacey interrupted, ‘It doesn’t really matter if you both go. As long as you’re extremely quiet while we’re underground. Noise is going to be our enemy. Loud noises from above or below ground can suddenly cause an unstable cave roof to collapse completely.’

  The detectives nodded and both began rooting around inside the bags for equipment.

  Brian removed his suit jacket, rolled his sleeves up and clipped on the belt. The belt contained a torch, first aid kit, spare batteries and a bone-handled sheath knife.

  ‘What’s the knife for?’

  ‘We use it to scrape lumps of rock off the walls. Sometimes we need to take samples to determine the age of workings. The point of the knife will be blunt, but the blade is still razor sharp, so be careful with it.’

  Stacey finished adjusting her own equipment. She looked at the two detectives, who were now fully kitted out, and said, ‘Ready?’

  Brian said, ‘Realistically, what are our chances of finding the girl?’

  Stacey said, ‘It’s extremely wet – saturated, really. This means the rock is in a very unpredictable state. It’s friable at the best of times, but when it’s soaked like it is now, it’s bloody dangerous. The plus side to it being so wet is that I’ll easily be able to see the footprints left by the professor when he was down here earlier. I’m hoping those footprints lead us straight to the girl. If you’re both ready, let’s go.’

  91

  11.30am, 18 October 1986

  Forest Road East, Nottingham

  Andy Wills drove the CID car at speed along Forest Road East. The derelict garages were on the right-hand side of the road, directly opposite the cemetery.

  Suddenly, Danny shouted, ‘That’s DS Travers outside the garages! Pull in!’

  Andy braked hard and brought the car to a juddering, screeching halt. Danny jumped out of the car and ran across the road, towards Travers.

  He said, ‘Where’s DI Hopkirk?’r />
  DS Travers said, ‘The DI’s gone down into the caves to look for the girl.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘We followed Professor Temple from his house to here. He left his motorcycle just around the corner and walked back to this garage. Your DI made the decision to arrest him.’

  ‘Why did he arrest him?’

  ‘I think it was the bag of food. We watched Temple purchase food and water from the services at Redhill when we were following him into the city. After he left his motorcycle, he walked back around to this garage. When he went in, he was carrying the food and water. When he came out again, he was minus the food and water. It was a good call by your DI, I reckon.’

  ‘So why has he gone straight in the caves?’

  ‘Brandon Temple admitted to us that the girl’s down there somewhere. He wouldn’t say where, so both your officers have gone looking.’

  ‘Officers?’

  ‘Yes, sir. The DI and the DC he was working with have both gone down with the cave expert they brought with them.’

  Danny turned to Andy and said, ‘We need to get a full search party organised. We need to get in and search the caves fully. I don’t know what Brian was thinking, rushing straight in there like that.’

  DS Travers said, ‘That’s out of the question, sir. The cave expert said a big search party would be far too dangerous because of the state of the rock. She said a large search team would be too noisy. Apparently, noise can be enough to cause the roof of the caves to collapse. That’s why your detectives have gone down now. It’s the best chance of getting the girl out alive.’

  ‘Bloody hell!’ Danny looked at Andy and said, ‘Who is this cave expert?’

  Travers spoke before Andy could. ‘The cave expert is a young woman; I didn’t hear her name though.’

  Andy said, ‘It sounds like it could be the professor’s assistant, Stacey Bloom. Rachel was telling me yesterday how impressed she was with her.’

  Danny turned back to DS Travers. ‘How long have they been down there?’

  Travers glanced at his watch. ‘About ten minutes.’

  ‘How long was Temple in the garage alone?’

  ‘From going inside the garage to coming out again, about twenty-five minutes to half an hour.’

  Danny said to Andy, ‘This is going to be a long fifteen minutes.’

  92

  11.35am, 18 October 1986

  Nottinghamshire Police Headquarters

  Chief Superintendent Adrian Potter was drumming his fountain pen on the blotter on his desk. He looked up at the clock. Snatching the telephone off its cradle, he punched the button for his secretary. The call was answered immediately: ‘Yes, sir.’

  Potter growled, ‘Amanda, you can send in Detective Chief Inspector Flint now.’

  ‘I’m sorry, sir, the chief inspector hasn’t arrived yet.’

  ‘Has his office called to say that he’s going to be late?’

  ‘No, sir. I haven’t had any messages from the MCIU.’

  ‘Very well. Can you put me through to the chief constable, please?’

  ‘Of course, sir.’

  The next voice Potter heard was that of the chief constable. ‘Jack Renshaw.’

  In a queasy, servile voice, Potter said, ‘I’m sorry to bother you, sir. I really need to speak with you about Chief Inspector Flint and the MCIU. The whole department are a disgrace. They appear to have no respect for authority at all. It stems right from the top, all the way down.’

  ‘I don’t understand, Adrian. What lack of respect?’

  ‘I had scheduled a meeting with Chief Inspector Flint this morning, to discuss the organisation and cost-effectiveness of the MCIU. He just hasn’t bothered to show up. I’m totally disgusted by his lack of professionalism and courtesy.’

  ‘Have you phoned his office to see where he is?’

  ‘I don’t think I should be running after him to attend a prearranged meeting, sir. That would send out all the wrong signals. He should have the common courtesy to attend. I really think something needs to be done about this department, sir.’

  Jack Renshaw was surprised by what he was hearing. He had always considered Danny Flint to be the consummate professional. He could tell there was no love lost between Detective Chief Inspector Flint and the new head of CID.

  The chief constable was all too aware of Potter’s talent for alienating his staff. That lack of management skills always had to be weighed against the excellent administrative brain he possessed.

  Renshaw decided to intervene personally. ‘Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Adrian,’ he said. ‘I’ll contact Chief Inspector Flint myself and see what the hell he’s playing at.’

  Potter allowed a satisfied, smug grin to form before saying, ‘Thank you, sir. I knew you would understand.’

  Renshaw hung up the phone and said to himself, ‘Oh, I understand alright, Adrian.’

  He picked up the telephone and dialled the direct line number for Danny Flint’s office. There was no reply.

  With growing frustration, he put the telephone down.

  He thought that maybe Flint was on his way and had been delayed in traffic.

  Jack Renshaw decided that he would wait thirty minutes and try his office again.

  93

  11.35am, 18 October 1986

  Caves below Forest Road East, Nottingham

  Stacey Bloom shone her torch along the floor of the narrow tunnel. She ignored the sound of water constantly dripping from the roof and concentrated fully on following the footprints left by Brandon Temple. There was one set of footprints leading further into the cave system and another set returning.

  Brian and Rachel crept quietly along behind the young student, hardly daring to breathe. They made painfully slow progress. Every so often, without warning, a piece of the tunnel roof dropped to the floor with a wet thud. Each time it happened, all three of them stopped and crouched down for a minute, fearing the worst.

  Brian whispered, ‘Do you think it’s much further, Stacey?’

  Stacey shrugged and whispered, ‘No talking.’

  They were deep into the cave system now and had walked past countless examples of the old hourglass-shaped pillars carved out by the sand miners.

  The footprints illuminated by Stacey’s torch suddenly veered off to the right and into yet another narrow tunnel.

  Suddenly, from out of the darkness came a solitary shout. ‘Help me!’

  The sound of the young girl’s mournful voice instantly caused large pieces of the roof to start dropping into the tunnel.

  Once again, the three would-be rescuers crouched down and waited for the inevitable.

  Eventually, the lumps of rock stopped falling, and the only sound to be heard was that of water constantly dripping into the tunnel.

  Stacey turned back to face Brian and Rachel.

  She had a worried expression on her face and said in a voice that was barely a whisper, ‘It’s really bad here. If she shouts again, we could all be buried. I think we need to get out while we still can.’

  Brian whispered, ‘She didn’t sound that far away. You two wait here. I’ll go on for another twenty or so yards and see if I can find her.’

  Stacey breathed, ‘It’s too risky. We need to leave now.’

  ‘I’m not leaving that young girl down here to die. I’m sorry, Stacey. I won’t be long.’

  Brian squeezed by Stacey and began making his way along the narrow tunnel, shining his torch on the footprints left by Temple.

  Twenty yards along the tunnel, the footprints suddenly stopped.

  Shining his torch right and left, Brian saw the entrance to the pot cave.

  Suddenly, he heard a voice that was little more than a breathy whisper. ‘Please don’t leave me here to die.’

  Brian shone his torch directly into the pot cave, and for the first time he saw the girl. As he climbed down into the pot cave, he said quietly, ‘Don’t worry, Laura.’ He didn’t even notice he’d used his own beloved dau
ghter’s name. ‘I’m going to get you out of here.’

  The girl answered with a sob.

  Brian shone his torch onto the roof, illuminating the entire pot cave. He could see that the girl’s hands were bound with thick rope, and that the rope was attached to a large stake at the centre of the cave. Grabbing the rope around the girl’s wrists, he could feel that the knots had been covered in a resin-type substance. He realised that he would be unable to untie the knots that secured her wrists.

  He turned his attention to the stake and found that the knots securing the rope to the stake were also covered in the same type of resin.

  Grabbing the sheath knife from his belt, he felt his way along the rope until he found an area that hadn’t been smothered in the hard resin. He quickly set to work with the knife, trying to saw his way through the thick nylon rope. The blade of the knife was as razor sharp as Stacey had said it was, and Brian was able to sever the rope near to the clump of knots that bound the girl’s wrists.

  Now that she was finally freed from the stake, he was able to help the terrified young girl to her feet.

  He said in a whisper, ‘As soon as you’re in the tunnel, walk to your left. There are people waiting there to help you get out. You’ll see their torches. I’m going to be right behind you.’

  The girl simply stared back before nodding.

  Brian physically lifted her up and out of the pot cave, placing her into the main tunnel.

  Emily looked to her left and began to sob when she could see the light of the torches held by Stacey and Rachel along the narrow tunnel.

  Brian stood below her in the pot cave. He said, ‘Get going, Laura. I’m right behind you.’

  As Emily staggered along the tunnel, Brian started to climb out of the pot cave. He was almost out when his right foot slipped on the wet sandstone and he fell backwards. He landed heavily onto the wet floor of the pot cave, narrowly missing the wooden stake in the centre of the floor.