“Yes, yes, ’cause we do,” said Callum, eager to get away.
“Thank you,” added Sam. “I hope your daughter’s OK.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Fuck off!” Adam threw the car keys at Callum.
As he started the engine, Adam added, “Oh, be careful wherever you’re going. That car’s soaked in fuel. Don’t go lighting any cigarettes, will you? I’d hate you to have an accident.” He laughed at his sick humour as they drove away with a screech of tyres.
Chapter 31
16:15 – Wednesday 19th December.
Had he made a big mistake?
Since his return from the farm, Adam had been mulling things over in his mind. Letting Callum Cliff and Samuel Barr escape with their lives had either been a great act of leniency and trust on his part, or a monumental error. If they stuck to their side of the agreement, then everything would turn out fine. But, what if they called his bluff? If he was forced into revealing their confessions to the police, he would be laying himself open to kidnap, false imprisonment, assault, and other charges. Was he willing to risk his own freedom in order to get them incarcerated for attempting to kill his family? On the other hand, if he passed the footage to Aaron Turner and he retaliated by attacking or murdering them, would being complicit in his actions sit comfortably with him? It was a conundrum, one that was out of his hands for the moment. What was done was done. He would just have to wait and see how it played out, given time.
For now, there was one more person that needed his full, undivided attention. Aaron Turner had been the one who had sanctioned everything, from the initial intimidation, to the attempted murder. He had been pulling the strings all along, he was the ringleader, and he was to be Adam’s next, and final, target.
However, he had no plan - his mind was completely blank. Aaron must have had a modicum of intelligence in order to have planned and executed his reign of terror on Adam’s family. Tackling him would not be as easy as it had been for the others. If he rushed into anything, it might go horribly wrong, undoing all of his good work thus far. He needed to take his time, plan everything meticulously, and for that, he needed to know his subject. He knew where Aaron lived, he knew that he visited the gym, and he knew what vehicle he drove, but what did he actually know about the man himself? He needed to dig into his past, become familiar with his routines, and look for his weaknesses. There must be something that he cared about, someone that he loved, some weak spot in his armour, or some vulnerability that Adam could exploit to his own advantage.
Over the next few days, between visiting the hospital and his wife, he needed to make time to research his next victim. He would see what information he could discover on the internet and social media platforms. He would watch his home address, follow him discretely, see who he interacted with, and look for any signs that he might be vulnerable to attack. Hopefully, as the details of his life were revealed, so a plan of action might develop - something that he could nurture and grow before implementing against his nemesis.
...
Aaron could sense that something was terribly wrong.
As he stood in his kitchen, sipping from a mug of tepid tea, he wondered why he had not heard from any of his gang in the last few days. Archie and Mark were still being held on remand for their drug supplying antics, something that he still could not fully understand. They, at least, had a valid excuse for not contacting him. Jared was laid up with his leg in plaster and so was unable to visit his house, but that did not prevent him from calling on the telephone. But then he remembered that it had been taken by Adam Greenwood during the attack - he had a valid excuse too. But what about Sam and Callum, where were they? Normally, they would pop in if they were passing the house. They would certainly call him at least once a day (if not more) to find out what jobs he wanted them to do. Their silence was unnerving and Aaron feared that something was afoot.
He picked up his mobile phone from the worktop counter and punched in Callum’s number. There was no reply. He tried Sam’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. This was not right! They both knew better than to ignore his calls. They knew that there would be consequences. Aaron was getting annoyed.
He called the number of one of the gang’s wannabes, somebody who hovered on the fringes of gang life, helping when required, but not being fully trusted by the inner circle of members.
“Yo, Aiden, it’s Aaron.”
Aiden seemed surprised at receiving a call direct from the boss. “How’s it going?”
Ignoring pleasantries, he continued, “Look, have you seen Callum or Sam recently?”
“Yeah, I saw Sam up the pub on Monday night. I think it was The Crown or Red Lion - one of them off the High Street, anyway. I was a bit pissed.”
“What time was that?”
“Dunno, ‘bout eleven-ish, I guess. Not seen ‘im since.”
“Right, do us a favour will you? Nip round to their houses and see if they’re there. If they are, tell ‘em to come see me NOW. They’re both in deep shit.”
“Will do.”
“If they ain’t there, dig around, see if you can’t find ‘em, eh?”
“Yeah, I’m on it.”
With that, Aaron hung up and refreshed his drink. About an hour later, his phone vibrated on the counter as its ringtone played ‘The Ride of the Valkyries.’
“What?”
“Hi, it’s Aiden. I’ve been round to both their houses. Spoke to their Mums. Apparently neither of ‘em has been home in the last two days. Their beds haven’t been slept in, nothing.”
“Seriously?” Aaron was confused. What was going on?
“I asked around. Literally nobody has seen or heard from them in two days.”
“OK, right, keep your ears open. If they surface, let me know.”
Aaron cut the call. He could not understand what was going on. The more he thought about it, the more paranoid he became. His brother was in prison, thanks to Adam Greenwood. Jared had been attacked and put out of action, again, by Adam Greenwood. Archie and Mark had been arrested by the police for drugs offences that were totally out of character for them. By all accounts, they had been set-up, framed, and they assumed that the police had done it. But what if it had been down to Adam? He used to be a police officer - he would know how to go about it - maybe he pulled a few strings. That would seem more logical. And now Callum and Sam had simply vanished! Had Adam had a hand in that too?
Of course, it was all supposition. Aaron might have been seeing conspiracy theories that did not actually exist. But, what if he was right? In that case, Adam was actively targeting his gang. He had decimated its inner circle. The only person left untouched was Aaron himself. Might he be next? If he was, then he would be waiting, expecting the attack, in whatever form it might appear. Aaron smiled. This was becoming personal. He had underestimated his adversary. Adam had proven his abilities; he had eliminated his entire entourage. Now it was each man for himself, and Aaron had no intention of coming off second best.
...
Adam seriously considered not answering his phone as it rang for the third time in half an hour.
On each occasion he had checked the Caller ID and each time it had read, “Sarah.” It was not that he did not want to talk to his wife; it was just that he did not want to talk to her NOW. His mind was focused on Aaron Turner and anything else was an unwanted distraction. However, her perseverance won and he finally answered her call.
“Hiya, love, what’s up?” He tried to sound upbeat, but he was fooling nobody.
“No, nothing really. I was just checking if it’s OK to come home yet?” She lowered her voice. “You know what it’s like living with my Mum and Dad; they’re doing my head in.”
“Well, not really. I’m out a lot, what with the run up to Christmas, so I can’t really give you the attention you need at home. Won’t be for much longer, though.” What he really meant to say was, ‘the way that things are going, you’d be in even more danger if you came home just now; you
’re better staying away for your own safety.’
“Have you been up the hospital lately? How’s Jen?” Adam began to answer, but Sarah cut him off. “Only, I’ve been speaking to the doctors and they say that your visits are few and far between at the moment. What’s going on, Adam?” Clearly, this was what she was really calling about.
“Err...I’ve been busy at work, you know how it is.” There was hesitation in his voice.
“That’s funny, cos you’re doing all of that extra work and yet I called the bank and there have been no deposits in ages. In fact, not since about the same time that this Turner thing started.” She paused. “If you’re doing all of that extra work, then where’s the money?”
“It’s Christmas - nobody’s got any money - it’s just a bit of a cash flow problem. They’ll pay up once it’s all over. Don’t worry, it’s all in hand.”
There was a strained silence as both parties pondered his words. Sarah clearly had suspicions that Adam was not telling the whole truth. In fact, she doubted that anything he had just said was truthful. But that was not what concerned her most, that was just a symptom of the real problem. She suspected that he might be having some sort of breakdown. Whether it was work-related, or whether it was a result of the pressure that he had been under since the Turner affair started, she was unsure. Either way, she was concerned for his wellbeing.
“Look, what’s going on over there? Are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine, really, I am. Trust me. It’ll all be over soon. The court case can’t be far away, and once that’s done, we can move on and forget about this whole episode in our lives.” Adam was trying to convince his wife of the triviality of it all, but in reality, he only managed to make her worry more. Changing the subject, he continued, “Anyway, I’ll come over to see you on Christmas Day. If there’s no change, maybe we could both go to the hospital and spend some time with Jen, together?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.” It was said with a hint of resignation. She knew that Adam would not say anything more about what was really going on at his end. “Look, Adam, you’re not doing anything silly, are you?” She was concerned that he might be trying to take the law into his own hands following the car crash. She hoped that she was wrong, but she had never seen him behaving the way that he had been over the last few weeks. He was a changed person.
“Who, me? I wouldn’t do anything, silly, as you put it. I’m not like that.” He smiled to himself. She knew him far too well.
Chapter 32
14:30 – Saturday 22nd December.
It was almost time for ‘kick-off’ on the final weekend of Premier League football before the Christmas break commenced.
Adam would have preferred to be sitting in the warmth of his living room, a tin of beer in hand, watching Arsenal playing football on the TV. Instead, he was wrapped in his hat and scarf, fighting the elements, as he paced around the frosty parkland adjacent to Carlton Road.
He felt totally demoralised. Despite days of watching Aaron’s address, despite hours of internet research, he had discovered nothing new about his intended target.
Everywhere that he looked, people were gearing up for the festive season. Decorations had been hung, carol singers were moving door-to-door, and everybody was enjoying the last few days before the anticlimax of Christmas arrived. Even Aaron - on the rare occasions that he had actually seen him - had been going to, or coming from the pub. Yet Adam felt no joy, he felt nothing other than pure hatred towards his foe. After all, what did he have to be happy about? His daughter was still comatose with a very uncertain prognosis. His wife was separated from him, secreted out of harm’s way. And despite his best efforts, his plan to reap revenge on Aaron had hit a brick wall. He had lost all of the momentum that he had accumulated over the previous few days.
He had been toying with the idea of breaking into Aaron’s house to see what secrets he could discover there, and so, on this cold Saturday afternoon, he found himself watching the address, scanning the locale, looking for telltale signs of cameras or alarms that might hinder his ingress.
Suddenly, there was movement in the periphery of his vision. The front door to number 17 had opened and a woman and child were leaving. Who were they? Adam had not noticed any indications that anybody lived there other than Aaron. The woman had her back to him, her Parka hood pulled up, her identity concealed. She placed her key in the front door lock and secured the house. Clearly, she lived there. Was she Aaron’s wife or partner? The child looked to be about the same age as Jenny, playfully running around in the front garden as he waited for his mother. She turned and leaned down to fasten the zip on the boy’s coat, and as she did so, her hood fell back to reveal her face.
Adam stared, his mouth agape. He knew her!
She had been little more than a child when he had last seen her. Now she was somewhat older and looked much more mature, but it was definitely her – Kelly Jackson. What was she doing with Aaron Turner? It made no sense.
Adam was instantly transported back to the past as memories flooded his consciousness.
...
The Glebe Estate, Barrington – 2008.
PC Adam Greenwood had been a constable for almost three years.
His training and probationary period had been busy and varied, but the majority of his time had been spent patrolling the streets of the Glebe as that was where most of his clients resided. He knew them well, the same faces popping up in custody for the same offences, time and again. But his first encounter with Kelly Jackson had been slightly different – Concern for Welfare – she had been truant from her school and had been reported missing.
Using good old-fashioned police investigation techniques, he had managed to locate her quickly, and, as was the custom of the time, he duly returned her to the supposed safety of her own home. She had been 14 or 15 years old, plain-looking, quiet, and up until the previous few months, a model student. However, something in her life had drastically changed - as to what it was, she was not saying.
Over the following few weeks and months, Adam encountered Kelly time after time – petty shoplifting, truancy, drinking in the street, and public disorder. Her life seemed to be spiralling downwards, out of control, but what was it that had triggered this change? During his many visits to her address and school, he built up a rapport and gradually she began to trust him. She had started to self-harm, had self-esteem issues, and had dabbled with drugs. Alcohol was becoming a major influence in her life. All were classic signs of some underlying problem; something that Adam suspected might be related to her home environment. Was she being bullied, abused, or worse? Although she would not tell him why she was behaving the way that she was, she often asked for him to handle her cases whenever she was detained. He became her personal police officer and her liaison between Social Services and her parents. They got on well, but Adam only ever acted in a totally professional manner. Despite this, he had the distinct impression that she felt differently. Was it simply that he had shown concern for her wellbeing when nobody else had? Or was it that he was the only person that she could relate to? Either way, he felt that she was developing a crush on him, something that needed to be nipped in the bud, sooner rather than later, but in a sensitive and diplomatic manner.
He informed his sergeant, who had a quiet word with her and warned her off. However, if anything, this only made matters worse. She became reliant on Adam, infatuated with him.
Things came to a head on May 17th.
Adam received a private radio message from his Inspector who stated that Kelly was at her home address, apparently drunk, barricaded in her bathroom, and threatening to cut her own wrists. Something had happened at home, but nobody could make sense of it. The only person that she was willing to talk to was Adam.
He rushed to the house only to receive a less than welcoming reception from her parents. Nonetheless, he took on the unofficial role of a negotiator, propped himself against the outside of the bathroom door, and attempted to talk to her t
hrough the wooden barrier. Forty minutes later he had discovered the source of her behavioural problems - she was being abused by her uncle! On informing her parents, they had instantly taken his side and called her a liar.
Having unburdened her soul, Kelly figured that she had nothing left to live for. She cut her wrists, the blood draining into the bath as her consciousness waned. As her conversation diminished, Adam feared the worst and forced entry to the room only to find her struggling to stay awake. An ambulance was summoned and he attended to her wounds, as best he could, before carrying her out of the house to the waiting paramedics.
It had shocked him. As he stood dealing with the aftermath, his uniform and hands smothered in her blood, he questioned his own actions. He had known that something was seriously wrong, so why had he not been able to spot the signs before it went too far? Her behaviour had been building up to this desperate act, it had been her way of crying out for help, and yet he had missed it. She had been vulnerable and he had assumed that she simply had a schoolgirl crush on him. He had got it totally wrong and now she was fighting for her life. He felt responsible, in part, for what had just happened to her.
In a way, cutting her wrists had been the best outcome for Kelly. She was helped medically, and psychologically, to recover. She entered the social care system which kept her away from the other members of her family and got her away from the Glebe. And the law dealt with her uncle as harshly as it was permitted to.
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