Taste of Fury

by M A Comley

  “Umm… from what I can remember when Mum was cursing you back in the beginning, didn’t you get the job because of who your father knew at the time?”

  Katy laughed. “Yep, that about sums it up. I hope I’ve proved my worth by now, Roberts appears to at least be happy with the results the team delivers.”

  “You’re an amazing leader. We all love working under you, take my word for that.”

  Katy looked in her direction. “Are you saying you guys are giving me marks out of ten?”

  Charlie sniggered. “Hardly. Put it this way, if you were performing badly, I believe the knives would be out for you.”

  Katy almost choked on the laugh rising in her throat. “Tell it as it is, partner.”

  “I just did. Sorry, I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. I meant it as a compliment. The team adore working for you as much as I do. I’ve learnt so much already. I’m still learning daily from how you battle through life and your duties at work. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

  “Barring your mother, of course.”

  “Okay, yep, with the exception of Mum. Look at it this way, she wouldn’t have handed over the reins if she felt you weren’t up to the undertaking.”

  “Thanks for the pep talk, Charlie. I’ll take on board the advice you’ve dished out today.”

  “Good. Please remember as well that I’ll always be on your side, Katy.”

  Katy smiled and leaned her head back. “We do make a pretty awesome partnership.”

  “Long may it continue.”

  10

  There was a positive sign when they approached the house, a large vehicle was parked on the drive which Katy presumed was mainly for Daniel’s benefit. “Hopefully they’re in.”

  “What if Megan is here?”

  “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.”

  They exited the car and walked up the path. Katy rang the bell and delved into her pocket to retrieve her warrant card. A grey-haired woman in her sixties opened the door.

  “Hello. Can I help?”

  Katy held up her ID. “Mrs Carr? I’m DI Katy Foster and this is my partner, DS Charlie Simpkins. Would it be possible to come in and speak to you for a minute or two on an urgent matter?”

  “What on earth are you talking about? What urgent matter?”

  Katy glanced over her shoulder and then leaned in closer. “It’s concerning your niece, Megan. I don’t suppose she’s here?”

  “No. She’s at home. What’s she supposed to have done?”

  “Can we come in?” Katy urged a second time.

  Mrs Carr motioned for them to join her and led them through the house to the kitchen-diner at the rear where a gentleman was sitting at the table alongside a younger man in a wheelchair.

  “We’re just finishing our lunch. Sam, these two ladies are from the police. They’re asking me about Megan.”

  “Me Me!” The young man, Katy presumed to be Daniel, shouted.

  Katy’s stomach tied itself into knots, the last thing she wanted to do was upset the family.

  “What? What do you want with our niece?” Mr Carr demanded. He pushed what was left of his roast dinner aside, leaned back in his chair and wiped his mouth on his paper napkin.

  Katy’s gaze settled on Daniel and then she turned her attention to Mrs Carr. “I don’t think I should continue this conversation in front of Daniel.”

  “Why? Has something happened to Megan?” Mrs Carr said, fear emanating in her grey eyes.

  Daniel wriggled in his chair and shouted, “Me Me!”

  “It’s Daniel’s nickname for his sister. He’s fine, he’ll be okay, just tell us what’s going on, you’re scaring us.”

  “If you insist,” Katy began only to be cut off by Mr Carr bouncing forward in his chair.

  “No, I’m not liking the sound of this. I disagree with my wife, I don’t think Daniel should be subjected to what you’re about to tell us. I’ll take him in the lounge, love. Let you deal with this.”

  Mrs Carr shook her head vehemently. “I can’t, not without you, Sam. I can’t deal with any further upset, we’ve had enough to contend with over the years.”

  “Please, we’re only here to make enquiries at the moment. There’s no need for either of you to become upset, although I do think it would be best if Daniel left the room.”

  Daniel angled his head and glared at Katy. His uncle wiped the dribble tracing a line down his chin. “I think it’s best if we leave.” He then wheeled Daniel out of the room.

  “You might as well sit down,” Mrs Carr instructed them. “Please, I don’t want any hassle. My family have been through the wringer over the years.”

  Katy and Charlie sat down. Charlie placed her notebook on the table and flipped it open while Katy began, “I can imagine, taking on your niece and nephew at such a young age must have been traumatic for you?”

  “We were happy to do it. I’m not saying our lives have been easy ever since, but our house has always been filled with love. The kids have grown into fine adults under our guidance. Now, perhaps you’ll tell me why you want to speak with Megan?”

  Katy glanced in Charlie’s direction for a split second and then back at Mrs Carr. “It must have been hard taking on the responsibility what with Daniel’s disabilities?” Katy asked, choosing not to raise the subject about Mrs Carr’s niece for now.

  “At first, yes, I admit, it was very difficult, but we’ve grown to accept life and the situation we’re in as a family. We love this new version of him. I know you’re going to find that hard to believe after seeing him, but you get into a routine. Our main aim in life now is to ensure he has an exceptional quality of life.”

  “That’s admirable. Does Megan pop round to see you often?”

  “Yes, a few times a week and regularly at the weekend, when she’s not working.”

  “And where does she work?” Katy probed, homing in on the one fact that had managed to escape them so far.

  “She works in a bottling factory on the production line. She hates it and has tried several times to leave the damn place but has been unlucky; each time the other job she had an interview for has fallen through at the last minute. She’s a clever girl, she doesn’t deserve to be slogging away in a factory.”

  “Has she worked there long?”

  Mrs Carr paused and placed a finger on her cheek as she mulled over the question. “She worked in a café when she left school, but that closed down after a few months. That’s when she saw the opening for the factory job. I warned her that it would be too mundane for her, but she wouldn’t listen. She wanted a full-time job that would enable her to stand on her own two feet.” She sighed heavily. “I told her there was no need for her to leave here, tried to tell her this was her home for however long she needed it to be, but she insisted she needed to get out there, to make something of her life. That’s why the job at the factory was supposed to be a temporary measure. I think she’s been there around four years now, waiting for another more prosperous opportunity to arise.”

  “Interesting. I’ll get to my point, do you know where Megan is right now?”

  “I’m guessing she’s at home. Now, you need to tell me why you’re so desperate to find her.”

  “There’s no easy way to tell you this, but we believe your niece has been involved in some terrible crimes this week.”

  Mrs Carr gasped and covered her mouth with her shaking hand. After a few seconds, she dropped it and asked, “What sort of crimes?”

  “The worst kind. We believe she’s responsible for five deaths.”

  “What? This can’t be true. There must be some mistake. Megan wouldn’t… she doesn’t have it in her to harm people. I think you’ve made a grave mistake.”

  Mr Carr appeared in the doorway. “Everything all right, love? What are they saying? Where’s Megan?”

  “Come in, Sam. You need to hear what they’re accusing Megan of. It’s unthinkable. It can’t be true, I refuse to even contemplate it. How’s Daniel? Sho
uld I go and be with him?”

  Mr Carr entered the room and stood behind his wife. He placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged her neck. “He’s fine. He’s having a snooze.”

  “Good. I don’t want him to hear this, it would kill him to know what they’re suggesting of our… little girl.”

  “What’s going on? I demand to know. You can’t come in here accusing our niece of doing all sorts and not expect us to be upset.”

  “I appreciate you getting upset, the news isn’t good, sir. We believe your niece is responsible for the deaths of five people. We’re eager to speak with her.”

  “Wait! What? I can’t get my head around what you’ve just told me. Back up a second. Five deaths? How? I want facts. How did these deaths occur?”

  Katy nodded. She needed to tread carefully, so decided to leave the victims’ names out of her summation. “Okay, the first death, the man was found in his car, it had been set alight.”

  “No way! Not Megan.” Mr Carr paced the room.

  “Love, take a seat and calm down. You and I know this can’t be true. Let’s hear what the inspector has to say for now. Let her speak without interruption.” Mrs Carr reached for her husband’s hand. He accepted it and gestured for Katy to continue.

  “The second victim was knocked off his bike and run over several times.” Katy watched the couple closely. Both of them seemed bewildered by what she was divulging. She continued, “The third man was attacked while he was taking a run through the forest. The three victims were specifically targeted.”

  “You mentioned five victims,” Mr Carr said, frowning.

  “We believe the man and woman found at the third murder scene were innocent bystanders, in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Murdered?” Tears ran down Mrs Carr’s cheeks. “Not Megan, she’s not capable of murdering anyone. You’re making a huge mistake, you have to be. Why do you think it’s her?”

  “Well, we believe it has to do with the accident that happened eighteen years ago.”

  The couple shared an anxious glance at each other. Then Mr Carr faced Katy again and asked, “What do you mean? She got over the accident years ago.”

  Katy cocked an eyebrow. “Did she? We believe she’s been on a revenge mission. Megan has killed three out of the four men involved in the crash.”

  Mrs Carr let out a scream and sobbed. Her husband quickly tried to comfort her. “Hush now, you’ll disturb Daniel and make him anxious. I don’t know what to say. Is there any way you could be wrong?”

  “We’re ninety-nine percent certain Megan is to blame. There’s more.” Katy sighed.

  Mr and Mrs Carr both stared at her. “What more could there be? Don’t tell us she’s gone after their families as well?”

  “No, not yet. However, the final man, Ethan Romero…”

  “The scum who was driving the damn car,” Mr Carr finished off for her. “What about him?”

  Katy sighed. “His eight-year-old son is missing.”

  Mr Carr sat back and dragged his gnarled hands through his greying hair. “My God, don’t tell me that. Could this day get any worse?”

  “I’m sorry to break the news, but as you can imagine, the family are at their wits’ end and are desperate to get their son back home safely. That’s why I need your help in trying to locate Megan. Can you think of anywhere she might go? Do you have a second home? A holiday home perhaps?”

  “No, we’re okay financially, but this house is all we have, anywhere else would need to be specially adapted for Daniel.”

  “Is there anywhere she liked to go as a child, maybe? Please, it’s imperative we find her before she does something she might regret to the boy. He’s an innocent party in all of this. If we can find her, it’s possible we might stop her from making another huge mistake.”

  Mrs Carr wiped her nose on a tissue. “I understand. I swear, we would tell you if we could think of any likely places. We want Megan found as much as you do. You have to believe us, this has come out of the blue. We had no idea that she had such destructive thoughts running through her mind.”

  “Never in a million years would I have classed her as a killer,” Mr Carr added. The colour had drained from his once ruddy complexion.

  “Love, are you all right? You look a bit peaky.”

  He let out a shuddering breath and clutched his chest. “I don’t know.” With that he slumped in his chair.

  “Shit! Charlie, ring for an ambulance.” Katy loosened his tie and felt his neck for a pulse. She glanced up at Mrs Carr. “He’s still with us. Does he have heart problems?”

  “Not to my knowledge. Please, help him, he’s always been a healthy man. Oh God, if I lose him, how will I ever cope? You have to do something.” She frantically tugged on her husband’s arm.

  Katy unlatched her hand. “Mrs Carr, that’s not going to help. You need to remain calm. Maybe you should go and check on Daniel, see if he’s okay.”

  “Yes, yes, I’ll do that. Take care of him.”

  “Of course.”

  Charlie finished her call. “They’ll be five to ten minutes. Is there anything we can do to help him?”

  “No, I’ll keep monitoring his pulse, that’s all we can do for now. Can you go wait by the front door for the paramedics, Charlie?”

  “I’m on it. Jesus, what a day this is turning out to be.”

  A scream from the other room made Katy leap to her feet and tear after Charlie who had disappeared into the room.

  “What’s wrong?” Katy screeched.

  Mrs Carr was leaning over Daniel and shaking his shoulders, tears streaming down her flushed face. “It’s Daniel, he’s unresponsive. I knew we shouldn’t have left him alone. He needs an ambulance as well. Please, help us!”

  “Charlie, wait by the door and make another call. Tell them to get their skates on for goodness’ sake.”

  Her partner flew out of the room. Katy could hear a distant wailing of sirens a few streets away. Now they had a dilemma on their hands, who did the paramedics attend to first?

  That’ll be their decision when they get here, not mine, thank goodness. What are the odds on both men needing medical help at the same time? She rubbed her forehead.

  Megan, you have a lot to answer for, not only because of the crimes you have committed, but also because of what you’re now putting your family members through. Would you come out of hiding if you knew?

  The question sparked an idea to run through her head. What if she held a press conference? Pleaded with Megan to come forward. Would she think Katy was trying to pull a fast one? Or would she take the plea seriously enough to give herself up? How much did her family really mean to her? Did she truly care about Daniel?

  Katy observed the fear in Mrs Carr’s eyes as she stroked Daniel’s face. Katy tried to find a pulse in his neck, and she managed to find a slight one.

  A paramedic burst into the room, carrying his bag. “Okay, step back, ladies. Can you tell me what happened?”

  Mrs Carr filled him in. Katy left the room. In the distance, the sirens could be heard. It won’t be long now. They’re almost with us. Hang in there, Mr Carr!

  The same paramedic who had dealt with Daniel came into the room and checked Mr Carr’s vital signs. “He’s faring better than the young man in there. We’ll need to get them both on a stretcher and to the hospital immediately.” He glanced up as Charlie joined them. “You ladies did well calling us immediately. Most people would have panicked.”

  “There was a certain amount of panic thrown into the mix, I assure you,” Charlie replied. “What are their chances?”

  “It’s too hard to say. I’ve not dealt with many disabled people, they often have ongoing health issues which are hard to fathom unless you’re a specialist. We’ll take good care of them.”

  He went to find a colleague and they could hear them making arrangements with the other team of paramedics in the hallway. It wasn’t long before a stretcher was being wheeled into the house and Mr Carr was place
d on it. The other paramedics wheeled Daniel into the ambulance, still sitting in his wheelchair.

  “I need to go with them. What I also need is for Megan to be by my side. Please, do your best to find her. She’ll be devastated to hear what has happened to her uncle and her brother.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to put out an appeal on the news, hopefully she’ll see it and get in touch with us soon. I’ll send a couple of officers to the hospital to be with you, just in case she shows up there.”

  “Will you give me your word you won’t hurt her?” Mrs Carr pleaded pitifully.

  “Of course. All we want to do is find her and make sure the child is all right. You go, we’ll be in touch soon. Do you have your keys and some money?”

  Mrs Carr ran into the kitchen and returned carrying her handbag. She slipped on her coat and smiled at Katy. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here to assist us. Thank you.”

  “Glad to be of help.” Katy smiled at the woman. “Now go, we’ll lock up for you.”

  “Thank you again.” She walked out to the ambulances and decided to get in the second one holding Daniel.

  Katy watched the woman get in the ambulance and groaned. “God, I feel so guilty now. If we hadn’t—”

  “Don’t even go there, Katy. All we did was carry out our job. We couldn’t have foreseen any of this happening. I’m sure both of them will be okay. We need to take stock and get back to the station, right?”

  Katy patted Charlie on the forearm. “Too right. Let’s lock up, you drive and I’ll try and call in a few favours with the media.”

  Thirty minutes later, Katy had managed to get the all-clear to hold an emergency press conference. In attendance were journalists from both the written and TV media. She ran through the urgency behind trying to find Megan, stating that two of her family members were in hospital and that her aunt was desperately seeking her help in caring for them. She purposefully omitted mentioning anything about the crimes Megan had committed. Although she did add that Megan was likely to be with an eight-year-old boy.