Desolate Sands Crime Book 5 (Detective Alec Ramsay Crime Mystery Suspense Series)

by Conrad Jones

  “Why would you hide that from them? They were protecting you.”

  Tibbs drained half of his water in three long gulps and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He thought about his reply. The second hand on the clock moved from the five to the twenty before he spoke. He knew that the detectives would wait for his reply. They were trained to wait. Silence is uncomfortable and suspects don’t like silence. “You have no idea who they are.”

  “So tell us.”

  “I arrested an Iraqi interpreter in Basra. He worked inside the base but lived off base. Many of them wouldn’t do that because they became targets. He was never touched. We thought he was passing information to the resistance. He was injured during the arrest and he died from his injuries.”

  “I’m listening,” Annie said.

  “One of my friends was kidnapped and tortured with a drill. I blamed him. Looking back, I had anger issues. The death was brushed under the carpet by my superior officer but then he started asking for favours in return.”

  “Favours?”

  “We worked closely with the Iraqi police. I’ve never met a more corrupt bunch of bastards in my life. They knew all the bad men. My superior and some of his friends wanted introductions into certain circles. Life is cheap there.”

  “And you facilitated these introductions?”

  “Yes.”

  “They got caught?”

  “Red handed. I was given the choice to testify or go down with them. They were powerful men.”

  “So you went into witness protection and hid your daughter from them?”

  “My handlers were faceless. I never met them.”

  “Where was the birth registered?” Annie asked. “Which registry office?”

  “I can’t remember.”

  “Personally,” Alec interrupted, “I think the old soldier routine is a cry for sympathy. Major Bradshaw wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. He thinks that you’re a very accomplished liar.”

  “Fuck you,” Tibbs hissed. Anger flashed in his eyes and then disappeared just as fast. He took a deep breath and tried to control his breathing. “I don’t care what you think.”

  “Why lie about it when you came in?” Annie asked. “If you had come clean, we could have avoided all this in the beginning.”

  “I was worried that this would happen!” He tapped the table with his index finger. “I was frightened that you wouldn’t believe me. I gave you Lacey Taylor’s kidnapper and now you throw it in my face. I was helping you.”

  “Of course you were,” Annie agreed, “because you’re a registered sex offender and you had just visited a primary school with a pocket full of chocolate.”

  “I’ve explained that to you.” His face twitched and reddened. Annie could see that he was becoming stressed. “I am not a nonce.”

  “Oh yes,” Annie checked her files. “You were visiting your grandchildren.”

  “That’s right,” Tibbs stuttered. Annie didn’t want him to shut down yet. She had to keep him talking. She decided to back off a little to see if he would slip up. “I explained all this to you. I love those kids.”

  “Then you saw someone who resembled John Ryder, dumping the dog collar into the litter bin?” Annie changed tack. “Because you had seen John Ryder on the television, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. It was the bloke who was with him that dumped it.”

  “The man you say that you saw, Brendon Ryder, is his stepson.”

  “Okay,” Tibbs quipped. He shrugged. “I told you he looked like him and look what happened when I did. They found out that I had told you and followed me. I told you they were bad news.”

  “I think you were worried because you know that they are dangerous men,” Alec added. He sat back and took off his jacket.

  “I said that already.”

  “You told us that, because you know them well.” Alec said. He placed a picture of Breck Road onto the table. “You know them from this address. In fact you rented the building from them. I think that you managed the place for them.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What is this?” Alan Williams asked. He scrambled to put on his glasses and looked at the photograph. Tibbs sat back and sighed. He shook his head and looked at the ceiling. The solicitor studied it but it meant nothing to him. “What has this building got to do with my client?”

  “It has nothing to do with me.” Tibbs turned to the brief. “It’s a brothel that I went to a couple of times.” He shrugged. “So what?” His face was purple with rage.

  “I don’t see the relevance,” the brief said.

  “You did more than visit the place, Tibbs. Your client rented this property under his first alias, Mark Weston,” Annie said, as she put a copy of a tenancy agreement onto the table. “It is still in his name.”

  “Bollocks!” Tibbs shouted. His face was red with anger. “I visited the place a few times when I was drunk. Someone has cloned my details. Let me see that document.” He snatched the tenancy agreement and studied it. “That is never my signature. Wait a minute,” he said excitedly, “I remember now!”

  “Remember what?” Annie frowned.

  “I had my wallet stolen there once. I went back the next day but the place was closed up. I cancelled everything and forgot all about it.”

  “So you don’t know Brendon Ryder?”

  Tibbs looked at the clock for inspiration. He thought about his answer which told Alec it was a lie. “I might have seen him there once or twice but I didn’t know who he was then. My memory isn’t great.”

  “You said you didn’t know him.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “But you may have seen him at a property rented in your name?”

  “That’s not my signature.”

  “It’s purely a coincidence then, that months later you bump into him at Crosby Beach and spot him dumping the dog collar?”

  “Must be,” Tibbs stuttered. “He’s a bad one. Take my word for it.”

  “I wouldn't take your word for anything,” Annie gasped. “You tried to set Ryder up didn’t you?”

  “What are you talking about now?” Tibbs sighed. “Set Brendon Ryder up?”

  “Yes. You brought it here and then pointed us in his direction.”

  “The man is a nutcase!”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I’ve heard stuff about him. He’s a nutter.”

  “I thought you didn’t know him,” Alec said.

  “I think I need a moment alone with my client,” Alan Williams interjected. “Don’t say anything more, Richard.”

  “You should listen to your brief,” Annie said smiling. “We can link you to the disappearance of Lacey Taylor, which means you’ve been lying to us all along.”

  “What?” Tibbs stood up and pointed his finger at Annie. “Are you off your head, you stupid bitch? I tried to help you!”

  “You’re up to your neck in it, Tibbs. We’ve found her dog.” Annie tapped the end of her nose. Tibbs’ eyes rolled skyward. His face darkened with anger again. He looked as if steam was about to erupt from his ears.

  “Good!” Tibbs shouted. “It’s about fucking time. It took you long enough to find it!”

  “Don’t say anything else, Richard,” Williams flapped. “I must insist that we take a break.”

  “Is she there, too?” Tibbs asked in a calm but concerned voice. His eyes narrowed. He had spittle on his chin and a confused look on his face. “Did you find Lacey Taylor with her dog?”

  “Not yet,” Alec replied. “Is she in your mother’s garden, too?”

  “What?” Tibbs whispered. “Mum’s garden?”

  “I must insist that we stop this interview now!” Williams stood up. “Shut up, Richard!”

  “You shut up,” Tibbs spat as he spoke. “In my mother’s garden?”

  “That’s where we found Cilla.”

  “Are you fucking mad?”

  “No, but then I didn’t bury a dog under the roses.”
/>   “In my mother’s garden?”

  Annie looked at Alec and they nodded at the same time. “Cilla was underneath your mum’s roses where you buried her. What did you do with Lacey?”

  Tibbs put his hand to his mouth and closed his eyes. He shook his head back and forth and muttered incoherently. “No, no, no, no, not again.”

  “What, nothing smart to say, Tibbs?” Annie laughed. “Watching you implode is almost amusing.”

  “You can’t do this again.” Tibbs muttered. He banged his head on the desk. “There must be someone up there who hates my fucking guts because this can’t happen to me again. Not again.” He leaned back and squeezed his eyes together tightly. “Please tell me that you haven’t found Lacey Taylor’s dog in my garden.”

  “We have found her dog in the garden of the house where you were arrested.” Annie shrugged. “That is a fact; a fact which gives us enough to charge you with her murder, without finding a body.”

  “In light of the evidence, I must insist that we stop here,” Williams said slowly and clearly. “I am insisting on record that we stop.”

  “That’s up to your client,” Alec glared at him. “Unless you’re not clear, we’re investigating the murders of eight women here. The dog connects your client to Lacey Taylor’s kidnapping, and we’re assuming, her homicide.”

  “Surely you’re not trying to connect my client to the Butcher’s murders too,” Williams scoffed. “That is a stretch isn’t it?”

  “He’s done this!” Tibbs slammed the table with his hand. “He’s a nutcase! He killed Lacey and he’s framed me. I cannot believe this.”

  “Who has?” Annie asked.

  “Ryder!”

  “I think you tried to frame him.” She sat back and raised her eyebrows. Tibbs glared at her angrily. “It was all part of your plan.”

  “I didn’t kill anyone,” Tibbs said flatly. He stared at the table, his hands by his side. “How the hell can you connect me to the Butcher’s victims? This is a joke.”

  “We’ve recovered blood from one of the victims from a bedroom at Breck Road,” Alec changed direction. He placed a photograph of a mattress on the table. “It was taken from this mattress, along with samples of your semen.”

  “That’s a connection right there,” Annie said.

  “You’ve got nothing!”

  “We have blood and your DNA,” Annie laughed sourly. “It’s pretty damning evidence, Tibbs.”

  “So you have a mattress? So what?” Tibbs shook his head. “The victims were all prostitutes weren’t they?”

  “Not all of them,” Annie said.

  “I told you that I went there for sex. So what if you found my semen there? If you found her blood, big deal; women bleed every month but it doesn’t stop some of them working. Know what I mean?”

  “Come on, Richard,” Annie coaxed. “You wanted to stop. You wanted us to stop you, so you took us to Crosby Beach.”

  “No!”

  “You knew that we would search for Lacey and find the other victims there.”

  “I did not kill anyone.”

  “Who did it then?”

  “Ryder.”

  “We found the dog in your garden.”

  “I didn’t bury her there.”

  “So someone randomly buried Cilla in your mother’s garden?”

  “I’ve had enough of this.” Tibbs folded his arms and buried his head in them.

  “How many times did you ‘visit’ Breck Road?” Alec took over.

  “I don’t remember.”

  “How many of the woman did you sleep with?”

  “I don’t remember?”

  “Four, five, more?”

  “Is there a point here, Detective?” Williams intervened again. His face was pale and drawn. Watching his client drowning beneath the flood of evidence was mentally draining.

  “Yes there is. You see, three of our victims worked at Breck Road. The house with your client's name on the rent book. The same house where we’ve removed semen from a mattress. Can you see the pattern forming here, Tibbs?”

  “They’re stitching me up for the lot?” Tibbs shook his head and sat back. He stared at the ceiling tiles for a moment. “I don’t believe this.” He sat up and reached over the table, touching Alec on the hand. “I came here to help. I wanted you to find Lacey because Ryder is an arsehole. I didn’t kill her and I didn’t kill those women.”

  “I need to make it clear here,” Annie said. “We will also be investigating the arson of Breck Road, which resulted in the deaths of two officers.”

  “And I suppose I did that too?”

  “You’re familiar with the building and you knew that your DNA would be found.”

  “You bitch,” Tibbs said under his breath.

  “We’re going to charge your client with the murder of Lacey Taylor, Mr Williams,” Alec said. He felt Annie’s eyes on him. It was a pre-emptive strike before Tibbs claimed he was in witness protection and complicated things. Now he was being charged, the MOD wouldn’t touch him. “Unless he has anything further to add?”

  “This is madness,” Tibbs sighed.

  “It certainly is,” Annie agreed. “How many more will we find, Tibbs?”

  “God knows,” he whispered.

  A knock on the door interrupted them. A uniformed officer peered around the door. “DC Mason needs a word urgently, Guv.”

  “Interview suspended while we have an update,” Annie said stopping the recording. “I suggest you use the time to speak to your client. Tell him to save the families of the victims any further pain by pleading guilty.”

  “Fuck you bitch,” Tibbs muttered.

  “You’ve got ten minutes,” Annie called as she slammed the door behind them. Her nerves were on edge, excitement tinged with fear. It was a compelling case but just not as tight as she would like it to be. Alec had walked ahead and was down the corridor leaning against the wall drinking a bottle of water. DC Mason stepped from the lift, file in hand and an air of excitement about her.

  “Has he coughed yet, Guv?” she approached them in a flurry of arms and legs. “We’ve got the bastard now,” she added. Her scouse accent made her words seem slurred. “Kathy has got the lot at the lab, Guv, but he can’t wriggle out of it now. Not a chance!”

  “Slow down,” Alec said. “One thing at a time please.” He could see from her excited state that something big had broken. His heart quickened as he waited for confirmation that they had something solid.

  “Twine,” she said quickly. “The second search team has found twine at his flat. The bastard had spools in a sports bag. We’ll find the needles soon. Sick bastard is nailed to the wall now, Guv.”

  Annie felt her knees wobble and she could hear the blood pumping through her ears. Had she just heard what she thought she had heard? They had the body of Cilla linking him to Lacey Taylor and now the twine. It was nearly game over. Nothing else mattered. Alec looked thoughtful for a moment while the information sank in. “I want to hear it from his own lips.” Alec rubbed his hands together. “We have got him but a confession at this point will take us to trial by express.”

  “Let’s get back in there,” Annie agreed. She hugged Mason and walked briskly back down the corridor. “Do you want to tell him, or shall I?”

  “It’s your case, Annie. I’ll take great pleasure in watching his face.”

  They opened the door and stepped into the room. Tibbs had his fingers locked together as if in prayer. His eyes were closed and his lips moved silently. Alan Williams held up his hand. “Mr Tibbs is in shock,” he said. “He won’t speak to me. In fact he won’t say anything at all. I think that he’s had a psychotic episode.”

  “The man is one long psychotic episode,” Annie snapped. “We’ve found spools of twine at your client’s home address. CSI are running the DNA as we speak, to see if it is the same brand. Do you want to take a bet that they match up?”

  The brief removed his glasses and let out a long sigh. He shook his head in the negat
ive. “I’m not a gambling man, Detective but if I was, I would say that the odds are stacked against my client.”

  “I can’t blame anyone but myself,” Tibbs stuttered. His hands clenched into fists and then relaxed again repeatedly. “This is my own fault!”

  “Felling sorry for yourself, Tibbs?” Annie goaded him.

  “They all asked for it, fucking bitches.”

  “What did you say?” Annie was aghast.

  “The sluts here are the same as the sluts everywhere. They get everything that they deserve!”

  “You sick bastard,” Annie said sitting down opposite him.

  “No one cares how many whores are slaughtered. Why should they care?”

  “Charge him,” Alec ordered. He had heard enough of his ranting.

  “Fucking sluts!” Tibbs snatched the Parker pen from his solicitor’s hand and launched himself across the desk. He swung it down hard, striking Annie on the forehead. The nib pierced her flesh to the bone, ruptured her left eye and tore a deep rent down her lower face. She cried out in agony and reached for her ruined eye. “My eye!” she screamed. Alec was shocked by the attack, frozen to the spot for a second. Vitreous jelly ran down her hand, mingled with blood. The shiny orb looked like burst ping-pong ball. Alec sprang to her aid and reached for Tibbs.

  “You fucking bitch!” he screamed like a lunatic. He brought the makeshift weapon down again piercing her temple. Blood splatter hit the ceiling tiles. Alec grabbed at his wrist, but Tibbs was enraged. His momentum broke his grip easily and he stabbed again. Alec hit the panic button and a deafening siren reverberated in the corridor. He punched Tibbs hard in the face splitting his lip and cracking his front teeth. A second blow cracked his jawbone but did little to stop the onslaught. Alan Williams grabbed at his client’s collar trying to wrench him away from Annie, but Tibbs broke free easily. She was pinned to the chair, the floor bolts stopping it from tipping. Tibbs was on her, flailing his arms like a demented windmill.

  “You slut!” Tibbs stabbed. The pen ripped through her cheek and into her gum. He tugged it free, leaving a ragged black circle in her face. Annie howled in pain. Alec saw terror in her remaining eye as he stabbed again. He tried to deflect the blow but the pen punctured her neck below her ear. A fountain of blood jetted against Alec’s face, blinding him. He tried to wipe the blood from his eyes but his vision was nothing but a red blur. The blood made it impossible to gain purchase; everything was too slippy to hold. Tibbs was writhing out of his grip and Alec tried desperately to keep a hold of him. “Fucking whore!” He stabbed again. Alec threw himself between Tibbs and Annie. The nib pierced his shoulder and he kicked out hard. “Bitch!” He stabbed again but Williams grabbed his sleeve from behind. Alec kicked him against the wall and he banged his head against the stud wall. His eyes rolled and then cleared quickly. The door opened and three burly uniformed officers piled into the melee. “Bastards!” He let out an ear piercing scream, “Bitch!”