HE WILL KILL YOU an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist

by Charlie Gallagher

  The search didn’t take long at all. Toby knew the game well enough not to have any stolen property at his home address. He usually got rid of it pretty quick and stuff he couldn’t get rid of he would farm out to a number of associates who would hold it for him. The irony was that he wasn’t stupid and sometimes he could be out late at night and for long hours waiting for his opportunity. These were the attributes that might stand him in good stead in the world of employment. But the rewards for working a legit job were slow burning. Toby Routledge was part of the generation of kids that wanted everything immediately — so why not just go out and take it?

  The night air felt colder still when Maddie stepped back out from Toby’s torrid flat. Vince led him to the back seat of their marked car and pushed the door shut. A figure appeared in the middle of the road where the street lights formed the brightest patch.

  ‘Oh, yeah, another man taken away! In this country you don’t care. You don’t care who he is, what he is.’

  Maddie looked over. The voice was slurred and in an accent that sounded like it was from Eastern Europe. She walked towards it.

  ‘You are police?’ He looked unsteady on his feet. His outline was portly. He was leant on a single crutch and didn’t look to be dressed for the weather in his polo shirt and jeans. She heard a car door clunk shut to her right. She looked over at Vince who was walking towards her.

  ‘Yeah, sure. I’m police. Are you alright? You look like you might be cold?’

  ‘Not alright! You are police. You are scum! You are taking people away for nothing!’

  ‘Do you know who that is over there or why we are taking him away?’

  The man seemed to consider this; it only took a second. ‘He has done nothing. I do not know him, but I do know this.’

  ‘I think you’re a little drunk,’ Vince said. ‘Maybe you should go home.’ He strode in front of Maddie and pushed himself right up close to the man, who seemed a little startled. He had to crick his neck to look up at Vince’s face. ‘I’ll say it once more . . . you should go home.’

  ‘The big man is the bully. Is this how it is? You here to bully me? Maybe you should take me in? Maybe I am bad man?’ He pushed out and caught Vince in the chest, but rather than moving him, the man on the crutch had to adjust his feet quickly to stop himself from falling over.

  ‘You get one more chance to piss off, mate.’ Vince’s tone carried enough menace. ‘Or you’re coming in.’

  ‘Piss off! You swear at me! It is okay then? Piss! PISS! FUCKING PISS!’ Vince’s patience snapped. His hand reached out. The man swatted it away but stumbled backwards. The instant he got himself onto a firmer base he swung a kick towards Vince. It was never going to bother him. Vince grabbed the man by his right shoulder and his arm snapped back. The man folded forward and crashed onto the road. Vince almost looked surprised, like he hadn’t meant to put him down so hard. He didn’t know his own strength. Maddie rolled her eyes as Vince snapped handcuffs onto the man’s wrists. She could see a graze on the bottom of his chin.

  Vince shrugged. ‘He just went down.’

  ‘I reckon he’s too drunk to feel it anyway. He might regret it in the morning, mind.’

  ‘Oh, he’ll regret it alright.’

  ‘I’ll do you a statement covering the assault.’ Maddie sighed.

  ‘Assault?’

  ‘That’s what you’re nicking him for, right? The push in the chest and a kick?’

  ‘No way! I ain’t admitting to that! He can come in for drunk-and-disorderly. He can have a ticket when he sobers up and be thankful for it. I ain’t wasting no one’s time interviewing him and going through that rigmarole.’

  Maddie smiled. It was a lot easier to deal with him for D-and-D, but she suspected that wasn’t the only reason for his decision. ‘That male pride of yours, Vince. You’re letting the man off for the sake of it!’

  ‘I don’t let people off. That weren’t an assault. I’ve been assaulted.’ Maddie thought he actually looked a little hurt. He moved on quickly, ‘I’ll get a van out. You don’t want a drunk in your car. What do you need from us before we go off tonight?’

  ‘Just Toby in the bin, Vince. The arrest statements can wait. We won’t be interviewing him until the morning, and even then I can’t see us charging him.’

  ‘You’re not expecting a confession, then? The lad putting his hands up to the horrible things he’s done and asking for a chance to apologise to his victims?’ Vince’s grin was back.

  ‘No. I’m expecting the normal Toby Routledge. He’ll strut around our custody block with his hand constantly down his trousers, moaning loads and then he’ll give us a no comment with his middle finger in the air. The best I can hope for is to keep him in for as close to the twenty-four hours as I can.’

  ‘And that starts with bedding him down and talking to him in the morning?’

  ‘Yup.’

  ‘So, you’ll be going off-duty soon? I finish at eleven. It’s been a long shift, what with me coming in on overs to help you out earlier. Maybe we should find somewhere open for a drink, you know — just one.’

  ‘Washing my hair, Vince. You remember?’ She turned to where Rhiannon was approaching. ‘Thanks for your help today, though.’

  ‘That’s it? See ya later and thanks for the help? I was seriously assaulted today! What about my welfare?’

  Maddie was still chuckling when she got to Rhiannon and their car.

  ‘He does make you laugh,’ Rhiannon said. ‘Vince, I mean. That’s a start surely?’

  Maddie moved into the car without looking back. ‘I’m laughing at him. That’s not really the basis for anything more now, is it? Let’s get back shall we so I can go home. I really do need to wash my hair.’

  * * *

  Tim Betts walked through an area of Canterbury Police Station with the nickname the range. The name had stuck, a hangover from its previous use. Beneath the scattered photocopiers, files and cluttered desks, you could still see the origins of the long, slim, open-plan building that would once have housed targets down one end and trainee firearms officers at the other. Now it was the home of CID — the Criminal Investigation Department, the team that dealt with creeper burglars like Toby Routledge. But Toby was already asleep in his cell. Tim wasn’t here about him.

  ‘Hey, Maddie. I hoped you would still be here.’

  Maddie Ives was leant over her desk. The range was dimly lit as a whole. The only detective Tim had seen had been typing under a desk lamp. None of the main lights were on. Maddie looked up from under her own lamp.

  ‘Always here, Tim. That’s what it feels like at least. I think there are a lot of people working long days today. This bomb incident is still headlines, we got lucky being left alone today.’

  ‘The CT lot have turned up with a lot of resources. It seems they all come out of the woodwork for the juicy jobs, where were they when we had four immediate calls outstanding earlier though, eh?’

  ‘Not quite so keen to assist I would imagine.’

  ‘They didn’t seem so keen, no. It’s one of those calls I was coming over to speak to you about. I won’t take up your time. I just wanted to let you know that I saw Grace Hughes today. Early evening. A disturbance call from a neighbour.’

  Maddie had started pushing items into her top drawer. Her computer was shutting down. She stopped her packing now. She sat back in her chair and gave him her full attention.

  ‘And when you got there, there was no sign of any disturbance. Right?’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘And Grace . . . Did she speak to you?’

  ‘She did. But only because I forced it. I made sure we got them separated so her fella was nowhere near. She didn’t tell me anything, though. Suggested we were at the wrong house.’

  ‘And you don’t think you were?’

  ‘I know we weren’t. I told her about how you went out to meet people sometimes — women like her — who didn’t think they could talk to us — off the record, like. I know it’s one of y
our things. She said you’ve already met.’

  ‘If you mean one of the things I’m passionate about, then I’ll agree with you. These women need our protection and the old methods aren’t working. I take it you met Craig, too?’

  ‘Yeah. Bit of a lump.’

  ‘He’s a bit of a something, alright. His last partner is still in hiding. The police moved her to a refuge somewhere out of the area — somewhere he should never find her. I’ve spoken to the officer who sorted that move. She’s pretty convinced they saved her life, not that she appreciates it.’

  ‘You see it a lot. They go as far as getting them arrested but don’t support a prosecution and then get the hump when we have to let the offender go.’

  ‘Well, it takes a lot of guts to speak out. You can times that by ten to do it again in a courtroom. I’m working on Grace. She is getting there. We might start getting something from her soon. The only time he’s been arrested since he’s been with Grace was when he had a go at her in a supermarket and a member of the public made a call. I dread to think what happens to her behind closed doors.’

  ‘She said she would speak to you again, if she needed to. I’m not convinced she will. I’m worried about her — we both were. There was a lot of bad feeling in that house, you know what I mean?’

  ‘I do. You pick up on it.’

  ‘I think she was hurt too. She had definitely been crying.’

  ‘Hurt?’

  ‘Her arm. She was holding it funny and it didn’t look like she had full movement in it. I asked to see it and she quickly backed away. I didn’t push it. Maybe I should have.’

  Maddie closed her drawer. She now switched off her monitor completely and picked up her bag. She stretched as she stood. ‘It’s been a long day, Tim. I’ll have a think about our Grace. I was looking for an excuse to approach her again and maybe this is it. Last I heard, Craig was out all day with his work. He’s a delivery driver. One of these self-employed types for Amazon and the rest.’ She rubbed her face. She looked tired all of a sudden. ‘It would need a bit of planning, though. I couldn’t risk him coming back. I would have to put someone outside to give a heads up if he came near.’

  ‘Let me know if you need some support. I’ll jump in a plain car and do the lookout bit. There’s only one way in and out of that estate. It would be easy to sit up on.’

  ‘Yeah, okay. You know what? I will go see her.’

  ‘We’re back on tomorrow — two o’clock start. But we would do a few hours early on overs if you have a budget. Let me know what you need. We’d appreciate an excuse not to get tucked up with this bomb investigation too. I never mind helping out but they’ve got us locals stood on scene preservation or picking up CCTV. The dirty work.’

  Maddie nodded. ‘Tomorrow it is then. Assuming we can stay free too and nothing else comes in. Thanks Tim. Keep your job mobile on and I’ll confirm.’

  ‘No problem. Vince will come in too. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind helping you out.’ Tim couldn’t help but smirk. Maddie must have picked up on it because she had a smile of her own.

  ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t!’

  Chapter 6

  Tuesday

  Maddie stood at the custody desk watching the clock on the wall click over to 10 a.m. The custody staff had been on the phone to her first thing, asking what the plan was for Toby Routledge. She had delayed coming down for as long as she could. Rhiannon was leading the interview. She had gone to get their prisoner, leaving Maddie doing her best not to make eye contact with the scruffy-looking man who had been led in by the detention officer and was now stood opposite her. You couldn’t interview someone in custody aged under eighteen without someone present who was deemed an ‘appropriate adult’. Toby’s mother had refused, as she generally did, so the only option left was to consult with the Appropriate Adult Scheme, who could provide willing volunteers to stand next to the ‘child’ in question. They varied in quality and today the scruffy man was their provision. He was a thirty-something male with smudged lenses in his glasses and hair tied back around a bald spot. He was painfully thin and looked like he was resisting being physically dragged to the floor by the plastic visitor pass hanging round his neck.

  A movement to Maddie’s left caught her eye. She turned to where two of her uniform colleagues stood at the desk further along. They were looking to get rid of the drunk-and-disorderly that had come in at the same time as Toby after upsetting Vince. The man himself looked a little steadier on his feet than he had the night before, despite not having his crutch. The custody sergeant handed it back to him over the desk.

  ‘The woman last night!’ The man pointed to where Maddie stood before turning to the custody sergeant then to each of his accompanying officers. ‘She will tell you! She was there! She will tell you that I was not — what you say? Drunk and disorderly! I was not this! The officer! He pushed and he swore. This is not how you do this!’

  ‘Alright, Viktor,’ the custody sergeant cut in, ‘you’ve got your ticket, okay? So now you have two options. You can pay your fine, as it says on there, or you can have your day in court. We’re not going to stand and discuss the circumstances here, okay?’

  ‘I will discuss! I want to discuss. And, ah, look! The innocent boy! He saw them too. You saw this, right?’ Toby appeared with Rhiannon. His hands hung by his side. His usual swagger was missing, he almost looked unsure of himself. He looked over at the gesticulating man for a brief second, then his eyes snatched away as the man continued to shout towards him. ‘He knows what happen! He see it! I would like for his details. Can I take your name, boy? I would like for you to say what happened in the court?’

  ‘Viktor!’ The desk sergeant’s voice cut in loud and firm. ‘You have to deal with me first. I’m trying to get you out of here. If you decide to go to court later, all the relevant people will be contacted and asked to attend to give their evidence. That’s how it works. You cannot do this here.’

  ‘This is how you do it, is it? In England? This is how you run things? What about my human rights? I am citizen — EU citizen! You know this. You are Brexit people! Racist people!’

  ‘Viktor, calm yourself down.’

  Viktor still stared over at Toby. ‘You, innocent boy. You say nothing! You do yourself a favour and you say nothing to these people! These are not good people, these are not people that are interested in you!’

  ‘Maddie . . .’ She turned her attention to the custody sergeant who had addressed her. ‘Do you mind sitting him in the holding cell while I deal with Viktor here? I don’t think he needs any more distraction.’

  ‘Sure.’ Maddie smiled knowingly, and signalled for Rhiannon to follow her. Toby walked dutifully alongside. The appropriate adult moved over too, but he hung just outside the door like he was unsure where to stand. The holding cell was out of sight of the desk but not quite out of earshot. They could still hear Viktor shouting.

  ‘YOU TELL THEM NOTHING, INNOCENT BOY! THEY BRING YOU HERE . . . YOU SAY NOTHING! THEY DO NOT WANT TRUTH. THEY JUST WANT ARREST AND THEN YOUR SILENCE!’

  ‘Friend of yours?’ Maddie jerked her thumb back towards the desk.

  ‘Nah. Seems crazy to me.’ Toby was now hunched on a wooden bench, his back pushed against a painted brick wall. He played with his hands. Maddie had seen him in custody more times than she could remember. Today was different.

  ‘You okay today, Toby?’ she probed.

  ‘Yeah. I just wanna get this done.’

  ‘You got something better to be doing?’

  ‘Anything’s better, right?’

  ‘I guess so.’

  ‘I don’t want no solicitor, yeah? I just want the chat and then you can do what you need to do. I don’t want to hold this all up.’

  Maddie scowled. ‘You sure? The skipper will ask you again anyway.’

  ‘Yeah, I’m sure. I just want to get it done.’

  ‘Your choice. This is your appropriate adult. Do you want to speak with him before we make a start?’

 
; Toby leaned forward to see beyond her, to where the man still lingered outside of the holding cell.

  ‘Fuck, no! Let’s just get this done, yeah? I don’t need no one.’

  In other circumstances Maddie might have needed to hide a smirk, but she was concerned. Toby had seemed to enjoy the custody process on previous visits, like it was all some big game. He would strut around, giving the jailers a hard time and generally doing what he could to frustrate the process. He always had a solicitor; always the same one and they would take as long as possible in their consultation. Toby would then emerge to answer every question with a succinct no comment. He would treat every part of the process with utter contempt. Today was different. Maddie had no idea why.

  Viktor was finally gone and some decorum returned to the custody block. Toby walked back to the desk so the skipper could ask him if he was healthy and happy to be interviewed. He typed that he had asked the question and then noted the answer. Another paperwork exercise. The police service was drowning in them. Toby still declined a solicitor. He looked a little more at ease, but his swagger was still missing as he walked the corridor to the interview room. He asked for water. Maddie got it for him while Rhiannon readied the recording device. She got herself a tea.

  Toby found his seat without being asked. He still seemed furtive. His eyes flicked round the room, his head jerked to the door when a detention officer knocked to ask a question. It wasn’t just nerves. He was scared. Maddie was desperate to know why. He hadn’t seemed scared last night, even if getting through his front door had been easier than it could have been.

  The door was closed and the tapes started. Rhiannon rattled through the formal parts. She paused before asking her opening question. Toby’s attention was fixed on her, as if he was waiting for his turn to speak. In previous interviews Maddie could recall him being sat right back in his chair with his legs straight out in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest and his face looking up to the ceiling. He had even pretended to be asleep at one point. He was wide awake today.