by M A Comley
“I’ll check. Probably not for a while with those kinds of injuries. Take a seat.”
Hero and Cara stood in the reception area, both pacing the floor, ignoring the available chairs on either side of the room. Cara coughed when a couple walked through the entrance.
“Are they Darren’s parents?”
“Yep.”
Hero took the lead towards the couple. He extended his hand before they reached the reception area. “Mr and Mrs. Rogerson, I’m DI Nelson. We spoke on the phone.”
“Hello, thank you for ringing. How is our son? Can we see him? Hello, Cara, it’s good to see you again so soon.” Mrs. Rogerson smiled weakly at them both.
Cara nodded and left Hero to explain what was going on.
“We’ve just arrived ourselves. We’re waiting to see the doctor attending to Darren. Let’s take a seat until someone comes to see us.”
The four of them sat in silence until a male doctor called out Hero’s name. They leapt out of their seats and surrounded the doctor. Hero could tell by the look on the doctor’s face and the sorrow showing in his eyes that he was about to share some terrible news.
“Doctor, these are Mr and Mrs. Rogerson, Darren’s parents.”
The doctor shook his head. “I’m very sorry. We tried our very best, but Darren’s wounds were too extensive. Your son passed away a few minutes ago.”
Hero flung an arm around his sister’s shoulders as his heart pounded. Cara collapsed against him and buried her head in his chest.
Mrs. Rogerson turned to her husband for comfort. “I’ll never see my boy again,” she mumbled over and over again.
“Thank you, Doctor. Is there any chance Mr and Mrs. Rogerson can see their son?” Hero asked, knowing full well that he would want to see his relatives to say goodbye while their body was still warm rather than at the mortuary later on.
The doctor smiled. “I’ll arrange that, if that’s what you want.”
“It is,” Mr. Rogerson told him, speaking for the first time since the couple had arrived.
Hero hugged Cara as her body shook. “Come on, love, be brave. That’s what Darren would have wanted.”
She looked up at him. “Why? Why Darren?”
He really didn’t have an answer for her, but he did have a stirring in his gut to string up the bastard responsible for robbing the three people around him of a loved one.
The doctor walked away and returned to collect them all shortly after. The group sombrely followed him down the stark white corridor and into a cubicle where Darren’s body was lying on a stretcher covered with a white sheet. Hero and Cara stood across the bed from Darren’s parents, and the doctor uncovered Darren’s face. Mrs. Rogerson flung herself on her son’s body. Mr. Rogerson tried to comfort his wife, but he was too emotional himself to pull his wife off his son.
Cara’s sobbing had intensified, and a large lump had formed in Hero’s throat that no amount of gulping would shift. Why break a family’s heart in two like this? What was this madman angry with? Was society to blame, or was this about more than that? So many unanswered questions rattled around his mind.
The group stayed with the deceased until Mr. Rogerson gently steered his wife out of the cubicle.
“Come on, Cara. I’ll take you home,” Hero said.
“I can’t go home, Hero, not while there’s a madman on the loose. I want to help you catch him.”
He held her face between his hands, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You can’t. The force wouldn’t allow it, especially now that you’re personally involved. You know how these things work.”
“Then take me back to work. There’s no way I’d want to sit alone in my flat at a time like this.”
“If you’re sure.” He turned to Darren’s parents and held out his hand to Mr. Rogerson. “I’m deeply saddened about what has occurred today. You have my word that I will punish the person responsible for robbing you of your son.”
“Thank you. I hope you find him before you have to deal with yet another grieving family, DI Nelson.”
“That’s my intention. Are you all right to get home?”
“We’ll be fine. Thank you.”
Cara hugged the couple. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
Hero and his sister left the hospital. They were both quiet on the ride back to the station. He dropped Cara off at the fraud squad room before he headed up the stairs to DCI Cranwell’s office.
Cranwell’s door was open when he arrived. “Come in, Nelson. What’s been going on with the investigations?”
“It’s been on hold for the past few hours, sir. I take it you’ve heard about the two men he’s taken out today?”
“Yes, very sad. All the more reason we need to put more effort into finding this criminal.”
“But, sir…”
“No buts, man. You have your orders to put everything behind catching this man. He’s going through this town as if he owns it, and that needs to stop.”
“He’s tying us in knots, sir, hitting us from all angles. He’s very well organised—”
“And you’re supposed to be one of my best inspectors. Now get out there and prove it.”
Hero rose from his chair and headed towards the door, feeling incompetent. Cranwell had never been the type to accept excuses, and he was definitely living up to his reputation.
Hero walked back to the incident room in a daze. Who the fuck does he think he is? I doubt he could do much better in my shoes. The DCI’s dressing down did spur him on, however. The way he stormed into the room made his team stare at him. “Back to work, team. If we don’t find this bastard soon, I can guarantee all our jobs will be on the line.”
Julie tried to speak to him, probably to complain about taking out his foul mood on the team, but Hero ignored her and walked into his office, slamming the door behind him. He needed an hour or so alone before he returned to the Baldwins’ residence, no doubt so Mr. Baldwin could tear him off a strip next.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When the delivery arrived, Myers forced the girl to help him carry the heavy wardrobe upstairs to the back bedroom. “Put your back into it, girl. What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m not used to carrying heavy things.”
He mimicked her whining and glared at her. They struggled to get the wardrobe around the top of the stairs, and in the end, he forced it through and took a chunk out of the banisters.
“Right, at last,” he said when they finally made it into the bedroom. He lowered the wardrobe onto its back and opened the door.
The girl stared at him, wearing a puzzled expression.
“Get in.”
“What? In there? Why? No… please don’t make me get in there.”
“Get in!”
She backed into the wall in the small room. “Please, I’ll be good. You don’t have to lock me away. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me so far. I won’t change, I promise.”
He held open the door and pointed. “One, two… three.” He let the door slam shut and marched across the room. Grabbing a handful of her hair, he yanked her head back. “Disobey me at your peril, bitch. I’ve killed seven, more likely eight, people, already this week. Do you want to be the ninth?”
“No, I’m sorry. Please, I just want to go home.”
“Is that how it works in your house? You say ‘I want’ and Mummy and Daddy give you everything you need?”
She hesitated before she answered. “No.”
“Don’t bullshit me, girl.” He dragged her across the room by her hair and opened the wardrobe door. “Get in before I make you feel sorry for disobeying me. Hey, here’s a thing—maybe we should take this back downstairs and out into the garden. I’ll get you to dig a hole deep enough for the wardrobe to fit in, and then I could bury you alive. Fancy that?”
Tears trickled from her eyes, and her body began to tremble. “No. Please, you don’t have to do that. Look, I’m getting in now.”
She stepped into the wardrobe, then he slamm
ed the door shut and locked it with the little metal key that was sitting in the lock.
The girl banged on the door. She sounded panicked when she cried out, “Please, I can’t breathe. There’s no air in here. I’m going to die…”
“Really? You expect me to believe that shit?” His mind worked overtime. He didn’t want her dead—not yet. He had grand plans for her. He clicked his fingers and ran downstairs. He opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs and grabbed the hammer that was sitting on top of some other tools. He ran back up the stairs two at a time. When he reached the wardrobe, he hit the carcase a few times with the hammer, puncturing a hole in the wood. The girl screamed. “Shut up. It’s for your benefit.” The girl fell silent. He looked at the side and saw two of her fingers wiggle at the hole.
Myers went back downstairs and switched on the TV he had brought with him. The news was already running the story about one copper being killed. The other was in critical condition. Being a perfectionist, he felt angry for not completing the job properly. Something the newsreader highlighted sparked his interest. The Greater Manchester Police had decided to ask the neighbouring forces for help to capture the man causing havoc on the streets. He laughed and tilted his head back. “One force can’t handle me. They’ve had to draft in reinforcements. That’s bloody made my day. But it means I’ll have to be more alert now. Time to put plan B into action. The kids will come in handy now. They better not screw up, either.”
~ ~ ~
Julie tentatively stuck her head around the door to Hero’s office.
He sighed. “What is it, Shaw?”
She walked into the room and stood upright. Heavy breathing was causing her chest to rise and fall in a frantic rhythm. “I think you should have told us, sir. I’m speaking on behalf of all the team when I say this.”
He shrugged and held his hands out in front of him. “What am I? Bloody psychic? Want to give me a clue as to what you’re talking about?”
Julie chewed on her lip a few seconds. “The reinforcements. If you’re not happy with the way we’re doing things as a team, sir, then I think you should have spoken to us directly rather than pull a stunt like this.”
“What in God’s name are you talking about, Shaw? How dare you speak to me like this?”
“You have no idea about the reinforcements?” Julie asked, tilting her head and looking puzzled.
“No. Where did you hear about this?”
“It’s on the news, sir.”
Hero shot out of his chair and marched past her, into the incident room. The newsreader had moved on to a different topic, but the banner running across the bottom of the screen was hard to miss. He looked around at the team. Everyone was staring back at him.
“I had no knowledge of this. I’m as furious as you lot; I can assure you of that.”
He strode back into his office and rang DCI Cranwell. His personal assistant said that he was on another call and that she’d get Cranwell to ring him back when he was free. Hero waited over half an hour for that call to arrive. In the end, Hero gave up and ordered Julie to join him. They both left the station furious.
“Are we returning to the Baldwins’ house?”
Hero nodded. During the speedy trip, Hero saw his partner holding on tight to her seat. Once they arrived at the mansion, he let out a breath. “I apologise for driving like a maniac. To say I’m incensed about this situation is a gross understatement.”
They got out of the vehicle before Julie responded. “I feel the same way, boss, however, taking it out on me and the team isn’t going to help matters.”
“If I was taking it out on you, Shaw, you’d know about it. As far as I’m concerned, I vented my anger out on my car. Sorry if the drive over here was a hair-raising experience for you. Thems the breaks, as they say.”
He rang the front doorbell, preventing Julie from discussing the subject further.
A tall, slim man in his forties opened the door. “Yes?” he asked curtly.
Hero and Julie presented their IDs. “DI Nelson and DS Shaw. I take it you’re Mr. Baldwin?”
“I am. And I take it you’re the copper in charge of my daughter’s case that has so far done bugger all to help her.”
Hero fixed a smile on his face even though he wanted to rip the man’s head off for insinuating he was crap at his job. Maybe he was—otherwise, why would the DCI draft in reinforcements?
“That’s right. Can we come in and speak to you and your wife?”
He flung open the door and marched through the house to the living room at the rear.
Hero turned to face Julie and rolled his eyes. “I fear this day is about to get even tougher.”
Mrs. Baldwin was sitting in a leather armchair, her husband standing by her side. “Hello, Inspector, Sergeant. Any news yet?” she asked wearily.
“Not yet. I just wanted to drop by to assure you that my team and I are doing the best we can to try and locate your daughter.”
“We’ve seen the news. Why the need for reinforcements? Not that we’re objecting. Is that because you’re incapable of doing your job properly?” Mr. Baldwin demanded harshly.
“No, although I can understand you thinking that, sir. If the man who has abducted your daughter is the same man we’ve been chasing recently, then he’s highly dangerous and will need to be caught immediately. In cases such as these, we draft in the services of experienced officers and have the Armed Response Teams on call at all times. We believe the culprit has already killed four serving police officers.”
Mrs. Baldwin gasped, and her husband squeezed her shoulder in support. “Jesus Christ, man, is that kind of speech supposed to put our minds at ease?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I was merely stating facts. What I think will put your mind at ease is the fact that your wife is still alive. This man prefers to kill his victims.” Hero winced. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I have reason to believe that he has no intention of harming your daughter. He would have left both your wife and your daughter dead at the scene if that was his intention.”
“You’re not making sense. Are you suggesting that this man is going to use my daughter in some way?”
Hero shook his head. “We won’t know until the killer contacts us, sir. Your daughter is being held along with another young man. We have no idea the ins and outs of the reasoning behind their abductions.”
“And that’s supposed to reassure me? Do you know who this man is? What his motivation is? They all have a motivation, I gather.”
“Not yet, sir. We’re trying our hardest to figure that out. He’s throwing a lot at us at the moment; we’re dealing with a new crime each and every day. That in itself takes a lot of man hours to sort through.”
“I don’t give a stuff about that. All I’m concerned about is that my daughter is out there, being held by some madman. Well, here’s what I intend doing, Inspector—you’re not going to like it, but my wife and I have discussed it at great length, and we’re prepared to do just about anything to bring our daughter home safely.”
“I’m listening, sir. However, if you’re about to tell me that you intend offering a reward, that will only make our job more difficult.”
“How the hell do you work that one out?”
“If you mention money, we’ll get inundated with a lot of hoax calls. Those calls will have to be screened, and that will take my team away from their roles in tracking this man down. I’m asking you to reconsider this.”
“It’s decided. Anyway, you have reinforcements joining you. That should help combat the amount of calls you receive. I have the press coming here this afternoon. I will announce a reward of one hundred thousand pounds.”
“I don’t know what you expect me to say, sir, except that I think it’s a grave mistake on your part and that you may actually be putting your daughter’s life in jeopardy by your actions.”
“Don’t be so naïve, Inspector. Surely you would do the same if a member of your family was in the same situation—don’t try an
d tell me otherwise.”
Hero sighed. “You’re probably right, even though I’m aware of the extra man hours we’re going to have to use for the task. Mr. Baldwin, if I can’t persuade you not to offer a reward, then I have to say my time would be better spent elsewhere, trying to find your daughter. Good day to you both.”
Hero walked towards the front door of the house, leaving the shocked couple staring after him and Julie trotting to keep up with him.
She didn’t say anything until they were back in the car. “If you don’t mind me saying, sir, I thought you were a bit harsh back there.”
“I do mind, Shaw. I have a tough enough job as it is. We need to get back to base, and I’ll tell you this: if I’m getting it in the neck, then so are you lot. If reinforcements have been brought in, then as a team, we need to knuckle down and show the new arrivals that we’re a force to be reckoned with. No pun intended. I expect you to start cracking the whip as soon as we arrive. Got that?”
She mumbled a response that he couldn’t quite hear.
“Sorry?”
“Yes, sir.”
Hero drove at the same hectic speed on the return journey back to the station. When he and Julie walked in the incident room, there were another four men mingling with his team.
“And what’s going on here?” Hero demanded.
The men all glanced his way briefly before they went back to their discussions with his individual team members.
A stern voice bellowed from his office, “Nelson, I’m in here.”
“Great. Remember what I said, Julie, or we could both be out of a job.”
“Yes, boss. Good luck.”
“By the sounds of it, I think I’m going to need it.” Hero pulled back his shoulders and marched into his office, where he found a balding man with a rather large stomach squeezed behind his desk in the small room. “And you are?” He had decided on the way back to the station that he wasn’t going to take any kind of shit from the newcomers from the instant they arrived.
“DI Matthew Pitt,” the man replied in a scouse accent.
