Clever Deception Read online

  “Hey, wait for me, Alex.”

  “I’m mad, Bob. Madder than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m also bloody scared for my sister’s safety. I can do without all this shit Jordan is flinging at me. If you want to stick with me, then fair enough, but if you think I’m going to sit on my arse all day back at my flat, you’re wrong.”

  “What are you talking about? Hey, when I said I would tag along and help keep you safe, I wasn’t signing up to anything that Jordan would deem as going against his orders.”

  She stopped walking and swung around to face him. “Then it’s going to be a waste of your time and mine, Bob. I’m going after this son of a bitch, and no one—you hear me?—no one is going to effing stop me. Scarlet means the world to me. I cannot—no, I will not sit back and watch this fucking shit take her from me. Is that clear?”

  Bob raised his hands in front of him. “Okay, don’t take it out on the one person who is bending over backwards to help you here. Should I wave goodbye to my pension now or after we bring this fucker down?”

  “Hopefully, your pension won’t be in doubt, but we won’t know that until we’ve rescued my sister.” She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Fuck the pension. Let’s hope both of us live to regret what we’re about to do, Alex.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Alex and Bob arrived back at her flat twenty minutes later. “Excuse the mess. Would you like some coffee? Or tea?”

  “Coffee sounds great.” He pointed at the paperwork strewn across the coffee table. “Are those all the cases pertaining to our serial killer?”

  “Yep, when I get home from the station, I spend the rest of my waking hours going over and over the cases, in the hope that a clue we might have missed jumps out at me.” She walked toward the kitchen. “Except, it never does.”

  After washing two cups and wiping them with a clean tea towel from the kitchen drawer, she boiled the kettle and made two strong cups of coffee. “Do you take sugar?”

  “Yep, two. Do you mind if I start putting the files into some semblance of order?”

  She cringed. The thought of someone meddling in the case that had become so personal to her was abhorrent. She shook her head at her own foolishness. Another set of eyes might help, not hinder, me. “Go for it.”

  Alex carried the two mugs and a plate of digestive biscuits into the lounge and stopped dead in the doorway when she saw all the case notes laid out neatly on the table. “Wow, you did that quickly.”

  He smiled at her. “They’re in date order. Do you want to start with the oldest case first?”

  “Can’t we start with Scarlet?”

  Bob shook his head. “You know we won’t find him that easy, Alex. We need to know why, and somewhere in these notes, we might find that.”

  “Sounds like a plan, then.” She suddenly felt fortunate to have Bob there with her. Maybe his insight into her notes would indeed bring something valuable to light. She went over to the drawer in the sideboard, withdrew a spiral notebook then sat down on the sofa, beside her new partner.

  “Let’s jot down all the major details we have uncovered so far—dates, crime scene locations, any DNA evidence—and see what we can come up with from that.”

  Two hours later, they both sat back. The disappointment on Bob’s face echoed her own. “Nothing, again.”

  Bob nudged her with his elbow. “Hang in there. Let’s go through it all again from a different angle.”

  “It’s pointless, Bob. I’ve been going over the same details every night for months, let alone what the whole team has been doing for the past four months during the day at work, and all we keep coming up with is the same result. Zilch! It’s like a freaking puzzle where none of the pieces fit.”

  “Because we don’t have all the pieces yet. I’ll tell you this once, and once only, Alex: negativity is not going to solve this case. If you want to give up on rescuing your sister alive, then just say the word, and I’ll get out of here now. He called you last night. What else did he say?”

  “He was taunting me. Said I could have caught him if I wanted to. Said that...” She felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh, God, this is my fault. He told me not to make him punish me. Warned me to leave the case.”

  “Why would he want to punish you?”

  Alex stared at the notes, something clicking in her mind. She’d been too tired to pull it out earlier. “When I asked him what these women had done to deserve his barbaric treatment, he said maybe he wasn’t punishing them.”

  “That’s a good lead, love, and another piece of the puzzle. We’ve been looking at the victims. Maybe we should start looking at the husbands.”

  “First, I’ve got to find Scarlet. I can’t lose her.”

  “Do you know what your sister was up to last night, before her abduction?”

  “She went to the theatre with friends.”

  “Names and addresses, do you have them?”

  “Not really. I suppose I could nip over to Scarlet’s flat and pick up her address book, although I think she’s more likely to store that kind of information in her mobile.”

  “Damn. Think! There must be a name she mentions more than others.”

  “Rhys someone. He works with her. No, wait, he left the office a few months back. This was the first time they had met up since his departure.”

  “So the firm where your sister works will still have his contact details on file, yes?”

  Alex got on the phone straight away to Walker and Associates, where her sister had worked for the past six years. “James Walker, please?”

  “He’s in a meeting right now. Can I get him to call you back this afternoon?”

  Alex hesitated. Jordan would have her hide. Sod it. “No. This is a matter of life and death. My sister’s life is in danger. This is Sergeant Alex Fox. My sister, Scarlet, works there. Is it possible to speak to someone in human resources?”

  “Hold the line a moment. I’ll see if I can connect you.”

  Alex drummed her fingers on her knee as she waited for a person at the next department to answer her call.

  “Hello, Ms. Fox. You’re through to Ginny Slater. How can I help you?”

  “My sister, Scarlet Fox, has been abducted while she was out with friends last night. I’m hoping you’ll give me the name and address of one of her friends who used to work there until recently. All I have is this man’s Christian name, which is Rhys. Please say you’ll help me.”

  “Oh Lord, not Scarlet. Of course, I’ll do anything to help you. Let me try and locate his file. Wait a second.”

  Alex smiled at Bob, who was anxiously awaiting news as he sipped his coffee.

  “Hello, I have his details here for you.”

  “Oh, thank God. Let me get a pen and paper.” Bob held the items out to her, and she jotted the details down as the woman reeled them off. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “No problem, please just bring Scarlet back to us. Good luck. Have you informed her boss?”

  Alex tutted. “I forgot to do that. Would you mind contacting him for me?”

  “Consider it done.”

  Alex hung up and let out a relieved sigh. “Let’s hope this guy can tell us something.”

  “If not, maybe we should go to the theatre. It’s worth a shot.”

  “Good idea. Let me ring Rhys first.” She punched in the number and waited. “Hello, is that Rhys?”

  “It is. Do I know you?” he asked cautiously.

  “I’m Scarlet’s sister, Alex. You were with her last night. Is that correct?”

  “Ah, the copper. That’s right. We went to see Les Miserables. Is there something wrong?”

  “I hate doing this over the phone, but it’s really urgent that I find her.”

  “I don’t understand. Find her?”

  “Yes, she was abducted last night, I’m assuming sometime after the performance. Can you tell me if you left the theatre together?”

  “Oh crap, I knew I
should have gone home with her. She said she’d be all right, and when that man showed up...”

  Alex’s heart sank and her hand shook. “What man?”

  “A tall man, well-dressed. She said she knew him. The rest of us said farewell outside the theatre. God, I’m mortified that this should happen to Scarlet. Are you sure she’s missing and not just tucked up in bed with this bloke? They seemed pretty friendly to me.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. She’s been abducted by a... serial killer...” Alex almost choked on the words. She cleared her throat and continued, “He’s already been in touch with the police to tell us that he has her.”

  “Shit, I’m so sorry. I just don’t know what else I can tell you.”

  “Did you get a good look at him? Maybe you could go down to the station and look through the suspect database?”

  “Of course, I’ll do anything. I’m sure the others will say the same.”

  “How many were you with last night?” Alex asked, her heart racing at the prospect of finally having something on the killer.

  “There were six of us in total. Some of us had drifted away. Only two of us got a good look at this guy. I can ask Sandra if she’ll come to the station with me after work, if you like?”

  “That would be fantastic. I really appreciate it. Ask for a member of DI Jordan’s team when you arrive.”

  “Won’t you be there?”

  She hesitated again. Explaining would take too much time. “No.”

  “Well, if either me or the others can help, don’t hesitate to ring me. We want Scarlet back safe and well as much as you do.”

  “Thanks, Rhys, I really appreciate that. Just go to the station today. That’ll get the ball rolling.”

  She hung up and sat back on the sofa. “She knows him, Bob. How, I have no idea, but I intend to find out.”

  “Okay, that’s incredible. Maybe he’s been planning this for weeks and wormed his way into her affection. Are you sure she hasn’t mentioned anyone new in her life?”

  Alex thought over his question for a second or two then shook her head. “I really can’t think of anyone. Mind you, I’ve been so wrapped up in the case lately. Maybe she didn’t want to bother me with that kind of thing.” She punched the arm of the sofa, and a cloud of dust escaped the material.

  “There’s no point beating yourself up about this, Alex. Remember, negativity solves nothing. Let’s use the information Rhys has given you and do something about it. I think we should go over to the theatre now and see if anyone down there can tell us anything more. I might ring the station, ask one of the team to check the CCTV footage in the area, on the quiet, of course. We wouldn’t want Jordan finding out about this.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to fling some cold water on my face, freshen myself up, and then we’ll shoot off. Okay?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Alex and Bob parked the car in the nearby car park and walked into the theatre. Alex showed her warrant card to the woman on reception. “DS Alex Fox, and this is DS Bob Bachelor. We’d like to speak to the manager please?”

  “Just a moment. I’ll call his office. Can I ask what it’s about?”

  “An incident that occurred last night.”

  The woman’s eyebrow rose as she placed the call. “Mr. Turnball, I have two police officers in reception requesting to speak with you... Yes, sir, I’ll tell them.” She replaced the phone and pointed at the seats across the reception area. “Take a seat, he’s dealing with something at the moment. He’ll be with you in five minutes.”

  Alex paced the area near the seats while Bob sat down. “Calm down, Alex.”

  “I’m as calm as I can be, Bob. Did you notice how many cameras were outside when we came in?”

  “I spotted four, angled in different directions. I’m thinking this could be our lucky day, providing they are actually functioning properly and not just there for show.”

  “God, don’t say that.”

  “No negativity now. I’m sure they were working just fine. I think this is him now.” He nodded in the direction of the man walking up behind her, smartly dressed in a black suit.

  She offered her hand to the manager. “I’m DS Fox, and this is DS Bachelor.”

  “Pleased to meet you. How can I help?”

  Shoulders back, she put on her best professional voice and said, “We have reason to believe that a woman was abducted outside your premises last night and wondered if we could take a look at the theatre’s CCTV footage.”

  “Really? That’s news to me. How appalling. Of course I’ll be willing to help. We have a designated room I can show you to where you can view the footage. Would you like to do that now?”

  Alex smiled at the slim man. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

  The three of them walked along the ruby-red carpet and into a small room at the end of a narrow corridor. “I’ll fetch another chair and then arrange the DVDs for you.”

  “I can get the chair,” Bob suggested.

  “Pop next door. There should be a spare chair in there.” Bob left the room, and the manager flicked through some of the DVDs before ejecting the one in the machine. “Actually, I think they’re still in the machine; we don’t tend to change them until around five. Let’s see what we have here.” He pressed Play, and the images sprang to life on the four tiny screens on the shelf above the desk. “Any idea what time the incident occurred?”

  “I think she met up with the person sometime after the performance. Would that be around ten thirtyish?”

  “Indeed. Okay, that’ll save us a lot of time.” He stopped the DVD and fast-forwarded it to ten thirty.

  Bob returned with the chair and sat down beside Alex.

  At around the ten-forty time mark, Alex pointed at the screen. “That’s her with her friends. Okay, there’s a man approaching from the right. No, he’s walked right past them. Hang on. What’s this?” A man in a black overcoat walked up to Scarlet. She seemed pleased to see him and kissed him on the cheek. “So, she did recognise him,” Alex said quietly.

  “Maybe we’ll get a better view of the guy from one of the other cameras,” Bob suggested.

  The man linked arms with Scarlet, looked over his shoulder at the camera, and gave a cheeky wink. Alex was amazed how normal he looked, considering the evil running through his cold veins. She would even have described him as borderline handsome, the total opposite to what she had envisaged.

  “Jesus, how brazen is that? He doesn’t care that we’ve seen him. The picture is fuzzy, but still, that’s a first. What do you make of that, Bob?”

  Bob shook his head and chewed his lip.

  “Go on. I’m asking for your opinion.”

  He tutted. “Crap, Alex, to me, it’s bloody obvious... this is his endgame.”

  Alex’s head dropped onto her chest. “Please don’t say that.”

  “Sorry, love, we need to find your sister, fast.”

  “Your sister?” the manager of the theatre asked.

  “Yes, the woman that was abducted last night is my sister. Can you let us have a copy of the DVD, and can I also ask you to print off a still image of the man as he looks up at the camera?”

  “Of course. I’m so sorry. I hope you find her soon.”

  “So do we,” Bob mumbled.

  They left the theatre fifteen minutes later. “What do you want to do now?” Bob asked as they walked towards his car.

  “If I hadn’t been told to stay away from the station, I’d march right in there and shove that evidence down Jordan’s throat. To be honest, I’m not sure what to do about it, Bob. With all of us working on it, we might find him faster, but if Jordan kicks me out—and you know he will—he’ll just muck up the whole thing. I’m open to suggestions if you have any.”

  “Let’s go back to your flat and figure it out.”

  When they arrived, a small package was sitting by the door to her flat. Alex picked it up and unlocked the door. “Why don’t you make us some coffee?”

  Bob went to p
ut the kettle on while she opened the package. It had no address, just her name. She ripped it open, and wished immediately she’d waited for Bob. Bile rose, and she gagged and covered her mouth.

  “Alex? Are you all right?” She held the open box out to him. He took it and swore under his breath. “Crap. Okay, I don’t care what you say; I think we need to take this to Jordan now!”

  Tears ran down her cheeks, and she collapsed onto the sofa behind her. “I know, but it’s Scarlet, Bob. My Scarlet.”

  Bob looked down at the bloody fingers again. “We don’t know for sure that it’s Scarlet, love. It could be another poor victim we’re unaware of. Alex, you know how much I love you, but we’re not going to be able to do this on our own.”

  “Jordan made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t allowed to continue on the case. The fact that it’s my sister who this madman is now holding hostage means bugger all to him. She’s just another statistic.”

  He sat down beside her and gathered her hands in his, gripping them firmly. “You need to remain positive that we will find her, Alex. If you crumble, you might as well be signing Scarlet’s death certificate.”

  She turned to face him. He was right. Her mobile chimed. She scrambled across the room, retrieved her mobile from her handbag, and opened the text. A video started to play instantly, and a woman’s scream filled the room. Bob quickly joined her.

  “I thought I’d give you a chance to say goodbye. I didn’t do that for the others, but you’re different, Foxy.” His voice turned cold and hard. “You should have walked away. This is your fault.”

  “Alex!” Scarlet screamed. “Please!”

  A long-bladed knife glinted under a light on the tiny screen. Alex desperately wanted to block out the images, but her eyelids refused to obey her mind. Tears misted her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand and watched the knife’s slow progress towards her sister. Scarlet screamed until her throat sounded raw, her eyes wide open in terror as the killer walked towards her.

  “Don’t watch, Alex. Save yourself from that pain, please.”