The Binford Mysteries: A Collection of Gritty Urban Mystery Novels (3 - BOOK BOX SET)

by Rashad Salim

“Yes.”

  “I heard about that. It was on the news. I didn’t hear anything about Marcus being mentioned though.”

  “That’s because he hasn’t been caught yet.”

  “I don’t follow,” Curly said. “You said he tried to kill you and now he’s on the run?”

  “I don’t know if he’s on the run.”

  “Why wouldn’t he be if he killed someone and almost you too?”

  “Because the police still have to prove it was him.”

  Curly frowned. “They don’t know for sure it was him?”

  Tom shook his head. “The attackers wore masks.”

  “So you didn’t even see their faces? And you can’t definitely say it was Marcus who attacked you?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ah, I see...” he nodded. “Then why the fuck are you even here? You making a habit of accusing random people?”

  “Not random.”

  “No?”

  “No. There’s nothing random about my suspicions of Marcus.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I have a feeling he had a grudge to settle.”

  “What grudge?”

  “I had him expelled and he threatened to kill me.”

  Curly sneered at Tom and shook his head.

  “Then a couple of months later someone tries to kill me and ends up killing one of my fellow teachers. A man, by the way, who happened to be a good friend of mine.”

  “You had him expelled?”

  “He was a threat to other students.”

  “It’s Binford School, Mr Teacher. Everyone’s a threat to each other there!”

  “Some more so than others.”

  There was an awkward silence between them.

  “Why did you lie about not having seen Marcus recently?” Tom asked.

  “Just protecting my nephew from a man looking for under aged boys, that’s all.”

  Tom smiled, glad the man didn’t bother keeping up the lie. “He’s sixteen now and if he was the one behind the attack, I’m gonna make sure he rots for a long time.”

  “You threatening him?”

  “I’m threatening the boys responsible for murdering my friend!” Tom didn’t know how he had mustered up the courage to be so bold with Curly but he was on a roll. “Now where the fuck is he?”

  The man smiled at Tom. “I don’t know. Not that I’d tell you even if I did.”

  Tom nodded. “...You went a bit overboard out there, didn’t you? With them boys?”

  “Just reminding them of the house rules.”

  “And what happens if they break them, right?”

  “Don’t do the crime, if you can’t handle broken fingers.”

  “And if Marcus did the crime, you won’t think twice about harbouring a murderer?”

  Curly smiled, letting know Tom had him.

  Tom looked around the office, studying the various notices and displays. “I keep hearing about how Marcus is heavily involved with gangs now and that they frequent this pool hall.”

  “And that’s what brought you here, eh?”

  “I was curious. You seem to have a hard-line approach against unruly behaviour in your venue but you don’t seem to mind the heavy gang presence. And it’s got me wondering... maybe it’s because the gang is under your rule.”

  “When they’re in here they do as I tell them.”

  “...Tell me, do the Lions Crew do what you tell them when they’re here too?”

  Curly grew more serious. “I didn’t know anything about an attack on some teachers.”

  “But some of your underlings do, don’t they?”

  “I’m not a mind reader.”

  “But if you asked them, they’d tell you, wouldn’t they?”

  “If I asked them.”

  “If I was you and I was looking out for Marcus’ best interests then I’d get my arse in gear and do what I could to find out who knows what about what, you feeling me?”

  Tom thought he had overdone it with that last bit. He had gotten carried away with his prodding but refused to feel any regret over it. Curly was no faint hearted person. He’d have to take what Tom threw at him.

  Curly tossed a stack of sticky notes at Tom. “Put your number down. I’ll see what I can find out.”

  Tom looked at him warily. He still held the pool ball and switched hands to scribble down his mobile phone number. “I’ll be expecting your call,” he said and tossed the sticky notes back to Curly.

  Curly studied Tom’s phone number as if committing it to memory right then. “Marcus know you’re looking for him?”

  “That depends doesn’t it?”

  “On what?”

  “On whether or not someone out there just tipped him off I was here ...and if he’s sharp enough to remember I wouldn’t forget him threatening to kill me.”

  Curly nodded and leaned back in his seat.

  Tom stood up and thanked him for his time. He turned and walked towards the door.

  “Smith?”

  Tom opened the door and looked over his shoulder at Curly.

  “Don’t ever sneak around my house looking for dirt. I meant what I said before. I never wanna see you in here again.”

  Tom sneered at him and tossed the pool ball back.

  Curly caught it.

  “...Likewise,” Tom said and walked out.

  29

  Tom was tired of it all.

  He sat in his car and dwelled on his findings. He hadn’t learnt much but his visit to the pool hall wasn’t a complete waste of time. He had established contact with Marcus’ uncle and regardless of whether Curly was complicit in hiding his nephew, the boy was now aware of Tom’s pursuit of him.

  If that meant Marcus would flee further away from Binford in an attempt to avoid the authorities then so be it. Tom doubted this possibility since most of Marcus’ associates, if not all, were based in Binford. Binford was all he had, Tom thought, and if that was the case it was only a matter of time before the police caught up with him.

  Tom pulled out his mobile phone and checked the unread text messages from Kate. They were short and vague, giving away nothing and only requesting that he call her back.

  Now that he had made attempts to confront all the suspects on his list, he felt it was time he finally called her. It was something he wanted to do earlier but couldn’t - not without any answers regarding Chris’ murder.

  Kate answered on the third ring. “Why are you ignoring me?”

  “I’m not.” It was a lie but he moved on. “I was just busy.”

  “Doing what?”

  “There were a few things I had to do and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to anyone.”

  She was silent for a moment. “Well, I hope you feel better now because there’s something important I’ve got to talk to you about.”

  “Yeah?” His curiosity piqued. “What is it?”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m just on the high street. Why?”

  “Come on over. I don’t wanna talk about it over the phone.”

  Tom checked his reflection on the rear view mirror. The marks on his face were obviously not caused by accident and there was no fooling Kate, any more than Donnell had been by Tom’s excuse.

  “I don’t kno-”

  “Come over now, Tom! I fucking mean it!”

  The sound of her screaming alarmed him. “Okay, okay. I’ll be right over.”

  Kate lived in a neighbouring town of Binford. She had been telling Tom to move out of Binford for ages and he had said he’d give it some thought but he never did. It was only when he drove up to where she lived that he regretted not following her advice.

  She lived in a pleasant looking neighbourhood. There was no litter or obvious pollution in sight and Tom didn’t have to wonder about the crime rates in the area. The rent prices were much higher than where Tom lived, but as Kate had said on several occasions, it was worth it.

  By the time Tom had reached her flat, it was late in t
he evening. The sun had already set and it was getting darker.

  Tom got out of the car and made his way to Kate’s door. He had been wondering what she wanted to tell him throughout his journey and if it was going to be good or bad news.

  The door opened and Kate looked at him. She put her hand over her mouth and stared at him in silence.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he said. He forced a smile.

  “You fool,” she said and pulled him inside. She led him into the living room and sat him down, began to inspect his facial injuries but then abruptly stopped. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “It looks worse than it really is. Trust me, I’m fine.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “You really look it.”

  He stood up and moved away to avoid her gaze.

  “The police don’t know anything,” he said. “There are potential suspects on the loose out there and nobody knows where they are.”

  “Someone told you?” she asked.

  He looked at her. She was frowning.

  “Told me what?”

  “About Gilby? Gilbert Waters?”

  “What about him?” he asked, his mind already racing.

  “He’s gone missing, apparently.”

  “What do you mean ‘missing’?

  “I’ve been trying to tell you all day. He hasn’t been in for the last two days. Just didn’t show up for work. Woolrich had the school secretaries try contacting him in every way. Called up the police too. They said they had no idea where he was and that they’ve been searching for him too. Still are.”

  Tom took it all in and tried to make sense of it. “He’s...gone on the run.”

  30

  “Everyone else thinks he’s fled too,” Kate said.

  Tom sat down on the armchair opposite Kate and stared at the floor in silence.

  So it had been Gilby responsible all along, he thought.

  Kate got up and went to Tom. She knelt on the floor in front of him and took his hand.

  He looked at her still stunned by the news.

  “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

  She gave him a sympathetic smile. “How could it? Who knew how long he had been plotting the attack?”

  Tom thought about that. Had Gilby really tried to kill him for being reported to Woolrich?

  “He was a long-time criminal, Tom. Rotten to the core. Don’t blame yourself.”

  “I don’t,” he said. “But it doesn’t make any sense.”

  She caressed his thigh. “Don’t try making any of it all. Don’t even think about it. You’ll only make yourself sicker.” She rose from the floor and sat down on the arm of the armchair. She put her arm around his shoulder to sooth him but he was still deep in thought, trying to understand the situation.

  “Can you stay the night?” she asked.

  He was slow to respond and when he did it was only a nod.

  “The fucking caretaker...”

  “Sssh...” She leaned in to him.

  He never cast Gilby out of his mind even as she began kissing his neck. There was no peace for him until Gilby had been captured.

  Later that night as he lay in bed with Kate he began to think about his future out loud.

  “I’m thinking about going back to Nottingham.”

  Kate turned to him. “You serious?”

  “I’m sorry, Kate. You know how much I like you and I’m not saying we need to go our separate ways but all this...”

  “It’s okay,” she said and put her hand on his chest. “I understand...but you don’t have to, ya know.”

  “How can I stay?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How can I stay after all this? I really care about you, babe, but what else have I got to look forward to now?”

  “You could move to another school. I’m sure there’ll be an opening for you somewhere around here. You wouldn’t have to work in Binford.”

  “What difference does it make? London is ruined for me now. It was meant to help my dreams come true. Not my nightmares.”

  “What about your promotion?” she asked.

  He thought about the Head of Year position Woolrich had offered him and wondered if it was worth staying at Binford School.

  “You know you’re the best one for it. Think of where you’ll be in a few years from now. Imagine going back to Nottingham after that.” She stroked his chest and gave him a congratulatory pat. “Besides, you can’t leave me alone with Nigel.”

  They both laughed.

  “Come on,” he said. “He’s not that bad. He’s a bit of a tight arse, but he ain’t that bad.”

  “He asked me out, ya know.”

  Tom looked at her and she burst out laughing.

  “It’s true,” she managed to say, still laughing hysterically. “...Oh, god.”

  “I never knew that.”

  She rested her head against his chest. “You don’t know much, do ya?”

  “When was this?” Tom thought about how Nigel had been critical of Kate in conversations with him.

  “Ages ago. When I was new.”

  “I bet he still fancies you,” Tom said.

  “Please.” Kate feigned disgust. “Don’t make me sick.”

  Tom laughed.

  She smiled back at him and caressed him again. “Anyway, never mind him. And don’t give any thought to Gilby either. That’s all police business and you’ve got other things to take care of.”

  She rolled on top of him and kissed him. He hadn’t this much pleasure in a long time.

  Kate was an amazing woman, he thought, and he was felt so lucky to have her. He decided to follow her advice and come back from the assault as a stronger person. He vowed to make a genuine effort in pushing for a brighter future even if it was in a bleak place like Binford.

  The next morning, Tom got up early. Kate had to go to work and he told her he’d go home and try to relax. When he switched his phone on he was alerted to several miscalls and text messages from DS Barker.

  He stared at the phone, reading the brief messages from the law man. The detective must’ve been trying to contact him in regards to Chris’ murder investigation or to let him know there had been a break in the case related to the vanishing of Gilby Waters.

  Tom still couldn’t believe it. In his mind he had accepted the notion of Gilby’s guilt but the whole situation was still too surreal to comprehend. He had wondered how many other teachers there had been who were either murdered or almost murdered due to a work dispute.

  Tom didn’t mention the messages from DS Barker to Kate. He just kissed her before leaving her home and telling her he’d be in touch properly from now on.

  Once he was back out in the street he decided to call DS Barker. It was just past eight o’ clock in the morning and Tom hoped it wasn’t too early to return Barker’s calls.

  Barker answered on the second ring. “Where the hell are you?”

  Barker’s urgency startled Tom. He had hoped the detective wouldn’t have been so angry at the delay in getting back to him. His phone had shown the messages and miscalls had come through around 2am..

  “Sorry, I had my phone off,” Tom said. “I just got the messages now.”

  “Where were you last night and where are you now?”

  Tom hesitated. He was reluctant to mention his relationship with a fellow teacher. “Why?”

  “Because you weren’t at home, were you?”

  “No, I wasn’t. So what?”

  There was a shift in tone from Barker. “We need to talk and in person. Right now. So where are you now, and don’t bullshit me?”

  “I’m just getting in my car. I can come to the station right now.”

  “When was the last time you were at home?”

  “I spent the night at a friend’s. I haven’t been home since yesterday afternoon.”

  “Well, you better come home now. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Tom got into the car and made his way home. Barker had been
anxious to speak to him urgently and had a lot of questions for him, he thought. During the ride he wondered what exactly it was Barker thought he had done this time. By now he was aware Barker had been keeping tabs on his behaviour and he was sure the detective was in a bad mood because of him.

  When Tom drove up to his neighbourhood he spotted two police cars parked near his flat. He slowed down to get a better look at them but he hit the brakes when he saw his home and that of his neighbour John Thompson.

  His own home was fine. It was Thompson’s that alarmed him. He gawped at it now.

  It had been cordoned off with tape by the police, who had two uniformed officers in bright coloured coats guarding the perimeter.

  He spotted DS Barker standing on the pavement in front of Tom’s address and the detective had spotted him too.

  Barker put his hands on his hips and stared at Tom.

  Tom shuddered as Barker shook his head at him.

  “What happened?” Tom asked, having staggered out of his car and approaching DS Barker.

  Barker looked at the ground at his feet kicked a stone around. “We’re still digging around and working it out but early indications are not pretty,” he said, avoiding Tom’s gaze.

  “Something happen to John?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Barker said and looked up. “He’s dead.”

  31

  Tom froze. He felt himself going through shock but at the same time he wasn’t truly surprised to learn of Thompson’s death. It had been his first thought the moment he saw the uniformed officers guarding the house. Now his mind was racing with other assumptions like Thompson being killed by burglars or maybe a drug deal gone wrong.

  He wondered if there would’ve been police tape if Thompson’s death was from natural causes. There was no doubt in his mind – Thompson had been murdered.

  Tom looked around him, he scanned the police cars and the uniformed officers and the entrance to Thompson’s home. The door was closed and if it wasn’t for the police tape you wouldn’t have known anything was awry.

  Barker hadn’t said a word since informing Tom of Thompson’s death.

  Now Tom looked at him in desperation and confusion.