Remains of the Night (Murder Force Book 3), page 15
“That’s got to be him,” Dani said. “What’s his name?”
Toombs grimaced. “I think the name he used is fake. A.C. Demonté.”
“Yeah, that sounds fake,” Tony said. “He’s obviously got the word demon in there.”
Toombs hit a key on the keyboard and a printer in the corner of the room whirred into life. It spat out a single A4 sheet of paper. The IT tech gave it to Dani. “The name may be fake but the good news is, we also have the address where the goods were sent.”
“Fieldstone Farm, Ampleforth,” Dani said, reading from the printout. “That’s about half an hour from here. We need to take this to Battle. Get a search warrant. Thanks, Chris, this is really helpful.”
“No problemo. Now I can finally get some sleep.”
Tony and Dani left the room and walked across the empty IT floor to the door.
Toombs rolled his chair out of the office again and called after them. “Hey, make sure you get this guy!”
“We will,” Dani said.
“We need to get a search warrant,” Battle said, looking up at them from his desk. “It’s going to have to be an armed raid. I’m not taking any chances.”
“How long will that take to arrange, guv?” Dani asked.
Battle shrugged. “The FSU will need to plan out how they’re going to approach the farm. And, knowing them, they’ll probably want to carry out the raid at night. Or the early hours of tomorrow morning.”
Tony had thought the Firearms Support Unit merely covered all the exits and smashed the door in with the metal ram they called the Big Red Key, but he could see how approaching a remote farm might require more forethought.
If “C” was in there, he might be armed. He might even have hostages. After all, Melody Stansfield had never been found. She could have been held prisoner at the farm near Ampleforth all this time.
If he was honest with himself, though, he doubted that Melody was still alive. Her parents had been sent a card to mark her death.
“Why don’t you both go home and get some rest?” Battle said. “You’ve earned it.”
Tony sighed. If it was up to him, there’d be a convoy of police vehicles heading for Fieldstone Farm right now. He knew that what Battle was saying was right—they had to take precautions and make sure they dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s—but it was still frustrating.
“Don’t worry, doctor,” Battle said. “He isn’t going anywhere. I’ll call you as soon as we’re ready to move.”
Dani put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Come on, Tony. We’ll feel better when we’ve had some rest.”
She led him out of the DCI’s office. “There’s nothing more we can do at the moment. Might as well get some sleep.” She grinned. “Besides, you need a shower.”
He gave a resigned nod. She was right, of course, and not only about the shower. The wheels of justice turned slowly and he was only a tiny cog in the machine.
They left the building together and Dani said, “I’ll see you later,” as she climbed into the Land Rover.
Tony slid behind the wheel of his Mini and started the engine. He turned on the radio and listened to pop tunes from the 80s at a loud volume to keep himself awake as he drove across the city. Rush hour was still some time away, so the streets were virtually deserted.
When he got into his flat, a sudden weariness seemed to settle into his bones. The shower would have to wait. He wandered into the bedroom, took his clothes off, and fell onto the bed. It was too warm to get under the sheets.
A noise brought him crashing out of sleep. He sat up in bed and looked around the room with bleary eyes. It was too dark to see anything clearly.
He realised now that the incessant noise was his phone ringing.
Reaching over the edge of the bed, he picked his trousers up off the floor and pulled the phone out of the pocket.
“Hello?”
“Tony, it’s DCI Battle.”
“Morning, boss.”
Battle chuckled. “I see you took my advice and got some rest, then. It’s night-time, Tony. The raid is happening at midnight. Get over here if you want to be part of it.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good. See you later.” Battle hung up.
Tony checked the time. Almost ten. He’d slept through the entire day.
Fully awake now, he pushed himself off the bed and went into the bathroom to shower. As he stood under the cool spray, he found himself grinning.
This was it. They were finally going to catch the Demon.
Chapter 18
The vehicles moved quietly through the night like lions stalking their prey. They drove along a country lane beneath the full moon, two unmarked black vans carrying armed police personnel and their equipment.
Following behind, in a police van marked with blue and yellow stripes, members of the Murder Force sat silently in their seats. An air of anticipation filled the van. They knew where the Demon lived, and they were going to root him out of his lair.
Tony sat next to Battle. Behind them, the other seats were occupied by Dani, Ryan, DS Matt Flowers, DS Lorna Morgan, and a Specialised Firearms Officer. Unlike the plain clothes detectives, he was dressed in black from head to foot and carried a helmet and goggles, along with his pistol and semi-automatic carbine.
They’d been briefed on the plan back at headquarters. The FSU would determine when it was safe to approach the farmhouse. The detectives would hold back while the armed officers did their job and made entry. Only when Carmichael—the team leader—said it was safe would the detectives move to the house.
The radio up front crackled and the driver—a uniformed officer from the regular force—picked it up briefly and spoke into it. He turned his head slightly. “This is it.”
The three vans slowed and stopped on the narrow road, shielded from the farm by a high tangle of hedges and bushes. As everyone got out, two marked police patrol cars pulled up and parked behind them. A number of uniformed officers got out.
The night was quiet as the FSU gathered around their vehicles and the detectives waited. Tony could see a metal gate up ahead that he assumed led to the farm, but he couldn’t see the farmhouse itself because of the bushes.
Carmichael—a stocky man dressed in the same black outfit as his team but without the helmet and goggles, walked over to Battle and said, “We’re going to send the drone up. Have a look around.”
Battle nodded. Carmichael returned to his team and a minute later, a drone buzzed into the air like a nocturnal dragonfly. It passed over the hedges and out of sight.
Carmichael peered over the shoulder of the man operating the flying surveillance device, scrutinising the screen on the drone’s remote control panel that showed the view from the airborne camera.
Tony felt sweat trickling between his shoulder blades. There was no breeze and the night felt too warm.
Everyone waited while the drone did its job. When it came buzzing back over the hedges five minutes later, all eyes were on Carmichael.
“It all looks quiet,” he said. “We’ve got two structures; the farmhouse and an outbuilding. I want Delta Team to take the farmhouse. Bravo Team, you’re on the outbuilding. Let’s get in there quickly and neutralise any hostiles. Remember, he may be armed and there may be hostages.”
The team donned their helmets and goggles, switched on night vision cameras and checked their weapons. They moved forward to the gate and opened it quickly before slipping through into the field beyond.
Carmichael waited by the radio. He clicked the button and said, “This is Alpha Leader. Bravo Team, report.”
“Approaching the outbuilding,” came the reply. “No contact.”
“Delta Team, report.”
“Twenty yards from house. No contact.”
“Proceed with caution.”
Tony felt tension tightening every muscle in his body. He wanted the radio to burst into life and the words, “He’s here. We’ve got him!” to come out of the speaker. Until that moment, he didn’t dare let himself believe that “C” would end up in custody tonight. He’d let himself believe it earlier, in his flat, but now the time had arrived to actually apprehend the Demon—the man who had killed for years under the radar—he was filled with doubt.
He glanced at Dani. She looked as tense as he felt, and her eyes held a hint of worry.
“Bravo Team in position. Ready to breach.”
“Delta Team in position. Ready to breach.”
Carmichael waited for a heartbeat, then clicked the radio and said, “Go, go, go.”
Tony heard a distant bang beyond the bushes as the doors were being forced open. He had no idea whether the Big Red Key had been used to batter the doors open, or if the FSU had breaching charges and the doors had been blown off their hinges. Either way, they were inside.
He heard one of the officers shout, “Armed police! Search warrant!” Then more shouts of, “Clear!” as the teams methodically cleared each room.
He looked over at Ryan. The DC was leaning against the van with a wistful expression on his face. He probably did this sort of thing all the time when he was in the SAS.
The radio crackled a few times. Carmichael placed it on the bonnet of the van and approached Battle. “There’s no one in there. The property is clear. You can search the place now.”
The DCI, who until now had been standing erect, trying to see over the bushes, seemed to deflate. When he spoke, the disappointment in his voice was obvious. He’d wanted to catch the Demon as much as any of them. “All right, Alan, thank you.”
“It’s not the result any of us wanted,” Carmichael said, “but perhaps we’ll get him next time, eh?”
Battle nodded, but there was no optimism in the gesture. He turned to the detectives and uniformed officers. “He’s not there. Let’s find out what is in there that will help us catch him.”
The officers made their way through the gate, donning plastic gloves as they went. Tony hung back. Battle had told him earlier that his role here was not to take part in the actual search of the property, but to interpret what was found within the farmhouse.
Of course, at that time, the DCI had been hoping that they’d not only search the house, but also arrest “C.” Tony had thought the same thing.
Dani also stayed by the vans. There were more than enough police personnel searching the property. If too many got involved, they ended up getting in each other’s way.
Battle leaned on the gatepost and gazed across the moonlit field at the place he’d hoped to end this case. Tony and Dani joined him.
The farmhouse was unremarkable. A two-storey building that looked as if it had been standing here for years and would do so for many more. The outbuilding looked like an old stable block that had been converted from its original purpose at some point in the past and turned into a garage. Its arched wooden double doors stood open and torch beams illuminated the interior as members of the search team went through the contents of the place.
The house was similarly lit by torches from within. Tony wanted the search team to finish their job quickly so he could get in there and see the inside.
The FSU teams walked back across the field to the vans. One of them shook his head when he saw Carmichael. “No one lives in there, sir. The place is abandoned.”
The second disappointment of the night hit Tony like a blow to the stomach. He was sure they’d been getting closer. To have that hope snatched away felt utterly devastating.
Battle turned to face him and Dani. “How have we got this wrong?”
“We’re not wrong, boss,” Tony said. “This is the place where the man calling himself A.C. Demonté had his Dark Angel orders sent. He was here, at some point. He just isn’t here now.”
“If we check the records and find out who owns the house,” Dani said.
“We’ve done that, detective,” the DCI said. “It’s owned by a man named Henry Shaw. I want you to speak to him tomorrow but I can tell you now that he isn’t our man. He’s in his eighties. Lives in Northumberland.” He pointed at the farmhouse. “It’s logical to assume that our man found the place empty and used it as a mail drop for his Dark Angel paraphernalia. But the house is fairly remote, so I doubt he found it by accident. Find out from Henry Shaw if he gave anyone the key, or if he can think of anyone who might have used the house to receive packages.”
“We’ll do that, guv,” Dani said.
“Tell me more about this pet connection you mentioned. The kennels.”
“I think it’s possible he may work in a kennels,” Tony told him. “He knew the Lloyds, the Jensons, and Linda Danes were on holiday. They all had pets.”
Battle nodded, but looked uncertain. “Not much to go on.”
“There’s something else that supports the theory.”
“What’s that?”
“When the Lloyds house was broken into, the house next door—belonging to Laura and Chris Jones—wasn’t. Yet it was also empty. Two remote, empty houses sitting next to each other, yet the burglar only bothers with one of them. It doesn’t make sense. Unless you consider that the Lloyd family was being targeted specifically by someone who knew they were on holiday. Their dog was in the kennels. A different place to the Jones’ dog. I think that’s where they came into contact with the killer.”
“It’s something to look into,” the DCI said. “Especially if all the victims’ pets went to the same place.”
“We’re waiting for that info, guv,” Dani said.
“Fine. Go and see Henry Shaw in the morning and keep working the kennels angle.”
She nodded. “Will do, guv.”
Battle looked back toward the house in the moonlight. “Now, let’s see what this search turns up.”
The search team emerged from the farmhouse half an hour later. Matt Flowers, taking his gloves off as he came back across the field shrugged at Dani, Tony, and Battle. “The place is virtually empty. There’s an old mattress in one of the bedrooms but I don’t think anyone has lived there for a long time.”
Battle turned to Dani and Tony. “All right, go and have a look.”
Matt handed Dani his torch and she and Tony crossed the field beneath the moonlight. The team in the outbuilding was still hard at work. Tony could hear clattering and voices in there. The old stables were obviously not as empty as the house itself.
The front door was open. Dani turned on the torch and they went inside. The first thing that hit Tony was a musty smell. He had a feeling the house had been closed up for a long time. Mould was growing in the walls.
“I don’t think anyone’s lived here for a while,” Dani said, echoing Tony’s thoughts as she swung the bright beam of light over the hallway. Her voice was low and seemed to be swallowed up by the brown, patterned wallpaper.
“And no one’s decorated since the 70s,” he said. The downstairs consisted of a living room that was furnished with a rotting sofa and nothing else, a dining room that had a dining table but no chairs, and a kitchen that was completely empty.
Dani opened the fridge. There was nothing inside. Not that it would have been kept cold anyway, because the fridge was turned off.
Tony flicked the light switch. Nothing happened. No electric.
“Must have been turned off when the old man moved out,” Dani suggested.
They climbed the bare wooden stairs. All they found were more empty rooms and a bathroom that was losing its battle against mildew.
In one of the bedrooms, a mattress and a pile of blankets lay on the floor, but that was all.
“Looks like this place is a bust,” Tony said, fighting back his disappointment. “C” had been here at some point to collect his deliveries from Dark Angel, but now, he was obviously long gone.
As they went back downstairs, one of the female officers in the outbuilding shouted, “I’ve got something.”
They rushed out of the front door and around to the side of the house. The inside of the old stables was a hoarder’s paradise. It looked like the entire contents of the house had been piled up in here. Beds, cabinets, the dining chairs, and various pieces of bric a brac filled the space. Dozens of damp-smelling cardboard boxes lined the walls.
One female officer was pointing her torch down at her feet, where a wooden trapdoor-complete with a padlock—had been built into the floor.
“It was underneath this cabinet,” the officer said, pointing at a wooden and glass cabinet she’d just moved.
“Let’s get it open,” Dani said.
“Hang on, I saw a hacksaw somewhere around here,” a male officer said. There was some scrabbling and then he said, “Here it is.”
He went over to the trapdoor and crouched down, sawing at the padlock. A couple of minutes later, he kicked the broken lock away and looked at Dani expectantly.
“Open it,” she said.
He pulled the door open gently, revealing a shaft that descended into darkness. A ladder had been fixed to the wall of the shaft with large bolts.
Dani stepped forward and shone her torch down into the space below the floor. “It goes down about ten feet. I’ll go first. Tony, you follow me. The rest of you, wait here.” She got down on her hands and knees and lowered herself onto the ladder, testing its weight. When she was satisfied, she descended into the darkness.
Tony followed. He wasn’t exactly keen to go down there, but he swallowed back his trepidation and climbed down the ladder.
He and Dani stood in a small subterranean room with concrete walls. Unlike the walls, the floor was simply bare earth.
“What the hell do you think this is?” Dani asked, moving the torch’s beam methodically over every inch of the walls. There were no doors that led to secret tunnels or anything else of interest. It was simply a small, empty room beneath the old stable block.
“I don’t know.” Tony examined the wall closest to him. There were no shelves or evidence that there had ever been any, so the underground space was unlikely to have been a store room.
“Tony.” Dani had the light trained on the floor.
