Suffer the Torment, page 24
“What do you want to do?”
“I’m okay for another hour, here, I think. Found a couple of bookshops and might browse there. I can just meet you at work, I don’t mind.”
“Okay,” Roy exhaled. “Just wait at the reception and let me know when you arrive. Stay in touch. Don’t speak—”
“Yes, Dad, I know. Got to go. Bye.”
Sarah had a sly smile on her face when he hung up and glanced at her. He frowned. “What?”
“She told you to shut up, didn’t she?”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t be like that. It’s sweet.”
“What’s sweet? Being told to shut up?”
The smile slipped from Sarah’s face. “I didn’t have a father. Mum and Aunty Claire raised me. So, it’s good you’re there for her, despite not being with her mum.”
Roy looked out the window. Although he didn’t see Anna that often anymore, he couldn’t live without her. There was no way he could explain that to Sarah, or anyone else. He didn’t know about Sarah’s father though.
“Sorry to hear about your dad,” he said quietly.
Sarah waved a hand as she drove. “Don’t care anymore, really. Been a long time. I tracked him down and got in touch with him. We did become friends. He died last year, and I went to his funeral. That’s about it. But—” She stopped speaking and when Roy looked at her, her face was drawn and tight. He didn’t know what to say, and chose silence, as he often did.
Sarah said, “My Matty doesn’t have a dad now. Although in his case, I’m glad. His dad’s more trouble than he’s worth. Soaked in booze the whole day.”
Roy remained quiet, and Sarah spoke eventually, like she did. “I wonder what it’s like for him not having a male figure, you know. But I guess it’s alright. It’s the ADHD that bothers me, but the doctors say it gets better with age.”
“Yes, I heard that too. He’s good at cricket, isn’t he?”
Sarah grinned. “Highest scoring batsman for two seasons running, in his age group. Going to Yorkshire County junior camp this year.”
“There you go. He’ll be alright.”
They arrived at the station, and Sarah parked the car. She switched the ignition off, then tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.
“You think so? The doctors say ADHD is common in boys from single parent families. By which they mean boys raised by their mothers.”
“That’s a lot of boys, and most of them grow up to be good, normal men. You and your mum look after him well. Matt will be alright.”
“Did you know your dad?”
Roy nodded. “My parents are still together in the care home, bless them. They live in adjoining rooms. Losing Robin almost split them apart, mind. But somehow, they kept it together. I’m glad they did. We needed each other, after what happened.”
Sarah sighed, then went to get out of the car, and stopped. “It’s just that, it would be good for him to see a man every now and then. Right now, all he sees is my mum and me.”
She looked at him then, her green eyes direct and probing. Roy raised his eyebrows as he was confused.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Any reason why you’re telling me this?”
Sarah struggled with her words, then exhaled. “Not really. No, I’m not. Let’s get on, shall we?” She got out of the car, slamming the door shut.
Roy stared at the door for a few seconds, his mind frozen all of a sudden, wondering what Sarah meant, or tried to say. He had met Matt once; he was in the car after Sarah picked him up from school and came by the station. He seemed like a good kid.
Roy gave up thinking about it and got out of the car. Sarah striding ahead, walked through the double doors, into the station.
The office was a hive of activity. Uniformed officers buzzed in and out of the doors. Pickering almost bumped into Roy as he rushed out of the open plan office.
“Well done today,” Roy said.
Pickering stared at him with his usual rabbit in the headlight appearance. “For what … oh yes, you mean that guy.”
“Good,” Roy said patiently. “Were you one of the team who found him?”
“Yes, guv,” the constable nodded. “There was five of us in the woods. We saw his car first and spread out. He didn’t put up a fight because he was like, dead.”
Roy stared at the constable, wondering for the hundredth time if there was actually something wrong with Pickering. He gave up in the end. “I know. Thanks.”
CHAPTER 58
Roy’s phone beeped and he answered. It was Anna, and she’d arrived at the station. He excused himself and went to the reception. Anna was sitting on a chair opposite the main counter and reading a book. She had two shopping bags at her feet. As she read, she ran a hand through her long black hair. Roy stepped out across the sliding double doors. Pickering was on duty at reception, and he waved at the constable, who looked startled to see him, as usual. He recovered and waved back, then leaned over the counter.
“All ok, guv? I mean, you’re out here, so I was wondering.”
“No worries. Here to pick up a shoplifter. Has she given you any trouble so far?” He came to a stop in front of Anna, who was looking at him like he was the King of Planet Embarrassing.
“Who, her?” Pickering shrugged. “She just came and sat down.”
“Relax. She’s my daughter. Anna, this is Constable Pickering.”
Anna smiled and waved. Roy said, “I need another five minutes, then I can take you back. Is that ok?”
“Yes, guvnor,” Anna said, grinning.
“What did you buy?” Roy indicated the bags. “Nothing too expensive, I hope.”
“Nope. Just some running shoes, as I left mine at home. And a couple of books. One of them’s a police procedural.”
“Hmm.” Roy was secretly proud that his daughter read widely. She could devour books in a matter of hours. “Right, give me five, okay.” He turned to Pickering. “Keep an eye on her. I’ll be back soon.”
Pickering scratched the back of his neck and nodded. Roy winked at his daughter, who had a withering look in her eyes that said – He doesn’t need to keep an eye on me, and I can’t believe you just said that.
Oliver was not at his desk, Roy noted. It’d been a long day for everyone, maybe Sarah had allowed him an early evening off.
He sat down facing them, and turned to Melanie, who was scrolling through her tablet screen. She looked up when Roy spoke to her.
“What about the website for Steven Burns? Did we speak to the admins?”
“Haven’t heard back as yet, guv. But there is something I wanted to show you.” She came and stood next to Roy with her tablet, and Sarah joined them.
“I downloaded the dark web browser called Tor. Ollie and I have applied to join the ‘Reset’ app, here.”
Melanie showed where their request was still pending on the app website. The layout of the dark web was different to the normal internet. Lists dominated both sides of the screen, and thousands of users were shown as being online, with green dots next to their screen names. There were no advertisements, or pop-ups, in this strange twilight cyber world, one had to know where to go to get what they wanted. There was a search facility, where Melanie had typed the name ‘Reset’ app. A number of lists appeared on the screen-like threads on online chat forums. The screen background was dark, and the letters were various colours, giving Roy a headache as he squinted at the screen.
“Rather you than me, Mel,” Roy said, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. Then he looked at the screen.
“But that’s not all, like,” Melanie said. “I searched for under Burns name, and I found this whole new forum, where anyone can join in and post.”
Melanie took the tablet from them and put it on the desk. They stood on either side of her, with Skipton looking on.
The website, if it could be called that, was a collection of links. Roy’s spine snapped straight when he saw Steven Burns’s revolting face on a banner on the main page. Thunder crackled in his mind, splitting his world, when he saw the other photos below it. He raised a hand to stop Melanie from scrolling and leaned closer. Photos of the other child killers were arranged below Burns. Gary Hutchins, Charlie Allerton, Antony Smith – three men he had put behind bars. There were three other photos he didn’t recognise. The men were in relaxed poses, on holidays, or in the garden. Charlie Allerton was even in the pub, holding up a drink.
That sick bastard had abducted and killed the Bristow boy, and Roy had been too late to stop him.
“What the hell is this?” Roy growled, his fists bunching up, nostrils flaring. “A fan zone for sickos?”
He stepped back from the table, fire and fury warming his breath. If he could smash that table right now, he would.
“Looks like it,” Melanie said. “Hard to know who set this up, or who the people on this forum are, but they seem to appreciate what these men did, and the messages fantasise about what they would do, if they had to follow in the footsteps of these men.”
She shook her head. “Some pretty sick stuff in here. Hard to read. I let Ollie do most of the work.”
Sarah was still scrolling through the screens. “This is a network of child abductors. They’ve shared these horrible photos. They’re goading each other on.” She straightened, swearing under her breath.
Roy was trying to control his temper, and it was proving difficult. He sat down, a dark fist squeezing his heart, pressing on his lungs. This was what he had feared – not one crazed, deranged pervert, but a whole community of them. He knew they existed, a couple of years ago, he had worked with NCA and Interpol to take down a gang of violent sex offenders across Europe.
He couldn’t help thinking a similar group had now formed again … and they were using the men he had caught as their inspiration. It didn’t bear thinking about.
“What if the man who killed Emma is in this club?” Sarah asked, voicing the question in everyone’s mind.
CHAPTER 59
“Riz,” Oliver said, “You’ve just got to do what the guv said. There’s no other way.”
They were sat in the car, outside Rizwan’s house in Nether Edge. “I know mate,” Rizwan sighed. “I handed in my badge and signed the papers for voluntary suspension.” He looked out the window. “Paul’s out there, now. I hope Sharon’s going to be alright. And her mum.”
“The guv asked for UKPSS to take them for a while.”
Rizwan turned to his friend. “Well, I doubt they will. It’s not like they’re witnesses to an important crime, or owt.”
Oliver shrugged. “She told us where Paul would be, and he was a murder suspect. But aye, I know what you’re saying, like. Don’t worry though. He won’t do nowt to his sister, will he?”
Rizwan crunched his back teeth together. He lost his cool back there and made a mistake. He should’ve let Paul go. He made the situation worse, and the frustration was eating him up.
“I hope not. Flippin’ heck.” He passed a hand over his eyes, then eyed Oliver.
“Why don’t you come in for a cuppa? Go on,” he urged, seeing the hesitation on Oliver’s face.
“Alright then,” Oliver relented. “But I can’t stay long. Mum’s made dinner.”
Rizwan lived in a semi-detached family home, and he had the converted loft all to himself. He was an only child. His mother was in the kitchen when they walked in. His father was watching TV, which was on loud as he was hard of hearing. Rizwan said hello to his dad and shut the door gently.
“Hello Oliver,” Mrs Sara Rizwan said. “Not seen you for a while. Working too hard?”
“Trying not to, but it keeps getting in the way,” Oliver smiled, sitting down at the table, while Rizwan put the kettle on.
“I’ve made some biriyani,” Mrs Rizwan said. “Would you like some?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Rizwan turned to watch his friend. Ollie had been to his house several times in the past. He knew how much Ollie loved his curries and biriyani. Ollie’s palate for Indian food was refined to the extent he didn’t eat at most Indian restaurants because the food wasn’t to his taste.
“Go on mate,” Rizwan urged. “Have a small plate. I know you want some.”
It’d been a long day at the nick and Rizwan knew Ollie was famished. He could see it in his face, the resistance slowly wearing off, replaced by the pangs of hunger he no doubt felt in his belly.
“No, really, I’m fine.”
“Not like you to be polite,” Rizwan grinned. “Normally you ask for seconds.”
“Stop it,” Sara said. “Ollie, I can’t remember the last time you ate at ours.” She was standing next to the hob and pointed at the big brass tub. “There’s a lot of biriyani in there. I’m going to give some for your parents anyway. How are they?”
“They’re fine, thank you. And alright, I’ll have a bite, thanks.”
“That’s more like it,” Sara smiled, and got busy to serve them. She talked to them casually as she put food on the plates.
“Riz is working very hard on this case, isn’t he? Riz, I didn’t tell you, but one of my friends saw you chasing after someone in Burngreave. They said you caught a woman who was shoplifting. Is that correct?”
Rizwan and Oliver looked at each other. Rizwan said, “Er, kind of, I guess.”
“So, she wasn’t a shoplifter?”
“Not really, no.”
“Oh right. Why were you chasin’ after her then? What did she do, like?”
Sara Rizwan finished ladling the biriyani into the plates, and Rizwan helped his mother put the lid back on and carry the plates to the table. Oliver offered to help, but Sara refused.
She sat down opposite the two men. Oliver looked at his plate. “I thought this was going to be a small portion.”
“Stop whingeing and dig in, will yer,” Rizwan said.
Sara said, “Eat what you can, Ollie. I’ll put the rest in a tub for you and I’ve put some aside for your parents.”
She looked at her son. “So, what did this woman do?”
Rizwan chewed, letting the uncomfortable silence drag on. “She knew someone we wanted to speak to,” he said shortly. When he glanced at his mother, there was a knowing look in her eyes. She knew he couldn’t talk about work matters that were confidential.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Sara clapped her hands. “Sharon dropped by today. You know, Sharon Gibson. She wanted to see you. I asked her to call you, but she wanted to speak to you in person. She seemed a little upset, to be honest.” A coy expression flitted across Sara’s face. “Is she okay? As far as you know, I mean.”
Rizwan put his fork down. He was starting to lose his appetite. His mother knew Sharon well. The two of them got on like a house on fire, in fact. But that was last year, and a lot had changed since then.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Sara frowned. “You’ve only just arrived, and Ollie’s here as well. It slipped my mind. Is something the matter?”
Rizwan felt Oliver’s eyes on him. He glanced at his friend, who looked down at his plate, and moved some rice with his fork.
“No, it’s fine. When was she here?”
“Around four o’ clock.”
Rizwan did a quick mental calculation. That would be a couple of hours after the incident with Paul in the car park. He wondered what Sharon wanted to tell him, and he became anxious. He couldn’t call Sharon … he wasn’t allowed. But what did she want to tell him that was so important?
It was ironic that he had been rehearsing in his mind what he was going to tell his parents. Sharon and him had decided to get back together. If it meant they moved in with each other, then so be it. Sharon’s parents were Irish, and Catholic, and his were Muslim. Living in sin wasn’t something either side would approve of, even in this day and age. However, Sharon’s parents were a LOT more lenient in that regard, compared to his.
Not to mention that Sharon would never convert to his religion, and he had now accepted that. With that acceptance, he felt a sense of relief.
He had these critical things to discuss with his parents, while all the mess with Paul was unfolding. Regardless, he’d made his mind up. He couldn’t help what his parents thought any more. He loved Sharon, and he had to do what his heart was telling him. He closed his eyes and sighed.
“Son, what is it?” Sara asked.
“Nothing.” He scraped his chair back and stood. “Excuse me for a minute.”
Ollie’s eyes flashed at him in warning. Ollie knew what was afoot. He was warning him not to do it, but Rizwan didn’t have a choice. He went outside. The time was half-past-seven. He hoped Sharon would be in, but more importantly, was Paul with her? Was he threatening her again?
Rizwan went outside and pulled his phone out. He rang her, counting the seconds till she picked up. The phone rang out and went to answer phone. He tried her again; aware he shouldn’t be doing this. Once again, Sharon didn’t reply. He left her a message, then followed up with a text to call him back. He thought for a while. He’d told Sharon he would speak to his parents, and then he would invite her over. She wasn’t supposed to come around now, before he had a chance to break the news to his parents. The fact that she had spelled a warning – Sharon might be in danger. He stared at his phone, hoping, and praying she’d call back. Time ticked by, and she didn’t call. Rizwan started to fear the worst.
The back door opened, and Oliver came out. “What’re you doing?”
“Nothing. Look, I’ve got to be somewhere. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, okay?”
Rizwan went in and bumped into Sara. “I’ve got to go, Mum. I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going? You haven’t finished eating yet, neither of you?” Sara looked confused.
But she was speaking to her son’s back, as he was already out the door, sprinting for his car.
CHAPTER 60
Rizwan jumped into his Audi A3, firing up the engine. As he swung out, he saw Oliver running down the steps of his house, heading for him. He didn’t stop. It was dark now, and the rain had started. The wipers worked furiously as Rizwan pressed on the gas, hurtling the car through the narrow residential streets.
