Katy and AJ arrived at the golf club to find a throng of people waiting for them. Some were dressed in golfing attire and leaning on their golf bags, and others appeared to be members of the club staff.
A man wearing a black suit and an anxious expression approached them. “Are you the police?”
“We are indeed. DS Katy Foster and DS Alan Jackson. Are you Mr. Wallace?”
“Yes, I’m the manager here. I placed the call as soon as the woman and her child were taken.”
“Did anyone else see the incident?” Katy asked, scanning the crowd.
“Yes, a few of us. We tried to intervene, but the men threatened us with guns.”
Katy and AJ exchanged worried glances. “Was anyone hurt?” Katy asked.
“No, only our prides for being so useless.”
“Don’t feel bad. Can you give us a description of the men? Or how many there were?”
“There were three men, and no, I can’t tell you what they looked like as they wore balaclavas.”
“Hmm... that’s not really helpful. Perhaps you heard one of them call one of his associates by name?”
“No, not that I can remember.”
Katy asked the crowd, “Did anyone hear one of them mention a name?”
The crowd shook their heads. Katy feared as much. Nothing seemed to be going their way. “What about the vehicle? Did anyone get the number plate?”
Mr. Wallace thought for a moment then shook his head. “Do you know what? I don’t think the vehicle had one.”
“Really? That’s not what I was expecting to hear.”
“What vehicle was it?” Katy asked.
“A black four-by-four. I didn’t catch the make, sorry.”
“Can you tell us a little about the woman who was taken?”
“She’s the wife of one of our directors, Sarah Lockhart. She’d just called in to see how the arrangements were going for her husband’s fiftieth birthday party.”
“I see, and when is the party due to take place?”
“This weekend. Her child was screaming.” The man shuddered. “The pair of them were terrified, reaching out for us to help them. We couldn’t do a damn thing. A few of us attempted to grab the child, but Tommy over there got a thrashing from one of the blokes.”
Katy glanced at the young man, who had blood running down his face. “He should go to the hospital, get that seen to.”
“He’ll go eventually. He wanted to hang around until you guys came. We’re all eager to give you as much information as we can to help you arrest these men and to get the family found as soon as possible. Why would anyone kidnap them like this?”
“That’s what we’re trying to work out, Mr. Wallace. How long ago did the incident happen? An exact time would help.”
The man tutted. “I suppose about thirty to forty minutes ago. Everything is such a blur.”
Katy addressed the crowd. “Anyone know an exact time?”
“Like Ray just said, about thirty to forty minutes, I think,” a man in red tartan trousers replied.
AJ took notes while Katy continued asking the questions. “Did anyone see the direction the car took off in?”
Mr. Wallace pointed at the main road. “They turned right, if that helps.”
“It does. Thanks. Did the men hurt either Mrs. Lockhart or her daughter?”
“Not that I could tell. Yes, they manhandled them into the back of the vehicle, but that was about it as far as we could see. That’s right, folks, isn’t it?”
The crowd nodded their agreement in unison.
Katy turned to AJ and said, “There’s not a lot else we can do here.” Addressing Mr. Wallace again, she added, “We’ll leave the two uniformed officers here. They’ll take down all your statements, and we’ll continue our investigation back at the station.”
“Sorry we couldn’t help more.”
“If you think of anything else, please, ring me.” Katy fished a business card out of her pocket and offered it to the man.
He took the card and popped it in his trouser pocket. “Thanks. There really isn’t anything else. Please, do your best to rescue Mrs. Lockhart and her child. I hate to think that kind of thing occurred here. We’ve never dealt with anything like this before, and in broad daylight, too.”
“We’ll do our best. Thanks for your help, all of you,” Katy said, giving the crowd a brief smile.
She and AJ returned to the car.
“Looks like this gang are keen to show they mean business,” AJ said, turning the key in the ignition.
“I think they’ve showed us that right from day one, AJ. Let’s hope the chopper locates that address soon. I fear it’s going to be our only way of stopping them.”
“I think you’re right. Back to the station?”
“Take the same route out of here as the kidnappers. Let’s see what we find down this road.”
The answer turned out to be a big fat zero, so they continued back to the station.
***
Warrior watched the men unload the woman and child. “Take them down to the cellar. The rats are lonely,” he ordered. The woman’s eyes extended in fear, and he laughed. “I don’t think they’ve eaten for a while.”
The child tried to reach for her mother and cried out, “Mummy, please don’t let them hurt me.”
Her mother glared at him, and he challenged her with his head cocked to the side. “Are you going to save your little princess, Mummy?”
She held his gaze for a second or two longer then smiled at her daughter. “Do as they say, Tara baby, and these nice men won’t hurt us.”
“Wise words for a rich bitch. Let’s hope hubby comes up with the money quickly to get you out of this mess, eh?”
“He will. He loves us.”
Warrior chuckled. “How many times have we heard that over the years, boys? Only for the husbands to turn round and say, ‘Do what you want to them. I don’t give a shit’ Eh?”
The three men laughed and pushed the girl and her mother into the house and down the creaking staircase, through the wilderness of thick cobwebs to the seating area they had laid out for the visitors. Two chairs sat side by side with ropes lying on each of the seats.
“Sit,” Warrior ordered.
The woman tried again to reassure her child that they wouldn’t be hurt if she did as she was told. “Be brave, sweetie.” Their hands were tied behind their backs around the chairs, the woman’s tighter than the child’s.
“Yeah, be brave, girlie. You’re going to need to be,” Warrior said, pointing at something that moved in the corner of the room.
The girl screamed when the rat’s eyes glowed in the darkness.
“Let’s get out of here and leave our visitors to make acquaintances with the other inmates.” Warrior laughed, and the four men left the room, closing the door behind them, ensuring their visitors were thrust into complete darkness. The woman and child screamed again.
Warrior sighed and headed back into the kitchen, where the infant child was yelling once more. “Jesus, this place is getting more and more like a crèche with every passing hour. Go and get the woman to see to her child, Spike.”
Spike left the house, returned with a terrified and filthy Bethany a few moments later, and untied her hands so she could feed her baby. “Deal with the sprog. Not long now, bitch.”
“Has my husband paid the ransom money?”
“Not yet. He’s got about six hours to come up with the dosh, or you and the kid get buried together, alive.”
Bethany gasped and grabbed her child, cradling him in her arms. “You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t I? We’ll see, eh? The countdown to your demise has begun in earnest, lady. It all depends on how much your husband values your lives if you get out of this scenario alive.”
“Please, let me try and persuade him to get the money together. We’re not as wealthy as you think we are.”
“Who the fuck are you trying to kid, lady? I saw your mansion, remember?”
“You saw a home that has a one hundred percent mortgage on it. My husband works over eighty hours a week to try and recover the money we lost in a big contract.”
“Yeah, we’ve all got sob stories like that we can bandy about. Take me, for instance—I’ve just booked a two-week holiday in the Bahamas, but I ain’t got two beans to rub together to pay for it. I will have, when your hubby stomps up the ten mill, though.” His head fell backwards as he cackled.
“How can you do this? Treat people no better than if they were animals?”
He took a few steps towards her and touched her nose with his. “Stop questioning me and my motives, lady. Some of us have to work hard in this life to achieve what we have today.”
“That’s us. We work hard. Seven days a week. My husband hasn’t had a holiday in five years because he’s always striving to make the business flourish and grow. The money, when it comes our way, doesn’t just fall from the trees in our back garden, you know.”
“I’ve warned you once to shut your mouth—now do it.” His fist connected with her jaw, and she stumbled back against the wall but didn’t loosen her grip on the baby.
Hatred filled her eyes, then suddenly she turned away from him and ran for the door. The men in the room stood and watched her hand tremble as she fumbled with the doorknob. She managed to get the door open, only for her attempt to be thwarted as another one of Warrior’s men blocked her path. She beat his chest with her free arm. He swivelled her in place and shoved her back into the house. “That’s it. I’m done with you, bitch. Take your effing kid with you and get back in that bloody pit where you belong.”
Warrior clutched a handful of her hair and dragged her through the back door. She was yelling and clawing at his arm while her child’s crying escalated to an even higher level than it had reached previously. He opened the door, latched onto her free arm, twisted it, and lowered her into the hole. “You’re going to stay there indefinitely now. No food or water, nothing. I’ll teach you to respect me, woman. You hear me?”
“Yes,” she muttered quietly as she descended into the wooden hole.
Warrior slammed the doors shut and applied the bolt. In the distance, he thought he heard something but had trouble distinguishing what the noise was. Angry, he stormed back into the house and picked up the phone.
***
Lorne snatched the ringing phone from her pocket and answered the call.
“Simpkins, where are you?”
Lorne paused her running to speak to the kidnapper. “I’m almost there now. What do I look for?”
“I’ll give you another two minutes to get there.”
Lorne looked at the phone then quickly tucked it in her jacket pocket as if to avoid it burning through the palm of her hand. The crowd was thick in front of her, so Lorne left the pavement and ran in the kerb of the road. Traffic had virtually ground to a standstill anyway, so she didn’t have to contend with the extra worry of a speeding car knocking her over.
Moments later, she reached the steps of the incredible building that housed all of London’s past under one roof. She waited outside the front door for Warrior to ring. Her foot started to tap, and she anxiously checked her phone.
Finally, he rang.
“Hello.”
“Are you there?”
“I’m here.”
“Right, I want you to make your way inside the building and head for the Crime Museum. Lucky this was one of the places you picked out earlier, because I’ve ‘planted’ something inside for you to find.”
A cold, sinister laugh rippled down the line. “Sounds ominous. Care to give me an extra clue?”
“Nope. Just get in there and go towards the Jack the Ripper exhibit. You have ten minutes.”
He hung up, and Lorne joined the small queue at the door, waiting to gain access to the museum. When it was her turn to step through the doorway, she shuddered at the sense of history the building held. Stay focused! I haven’t got time to linger. She rushed past all the ancient Roman artefacts close to the entrance and tried to locate the signage that would lead her to the appropriate area she needed to conclude her quest. Perplexed, she studied the signs but found no mention of the Crime Museum. Lorne walked over to the reception area.
The woman sitting behind the desk greeted her warmly, “Hello there, how can I help you?”
“I’ve been told to, er... meet someone at the Crime Museum. Only I can’t find any mention of it on the signs.”
“That’s because it’s still being created. The exhibition is due to be opened to the public in October 2015. You’re a few months early, I’m afraid.”
Panic forced Lorne’s mouth to drop open.
“Are you all right? You look as though you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“Yes, I mean, no. I’m sorry. Is it possible to point me in the direction anyway? I’ll take a look around for my friend there.”
“Of course. Here, take one of these. It’ll give you a better idea of where you’re going.” The receptionist handed Lorne a glossy brochure opened up to a map of the museum. On it, she had circled the area designated for the Crime Museum.
“That’s brilliant. Thank you so much for your help.”
“It’s a pleasure. I hope you find your friend.”
Lorne smiled and walked swiftly through the corridors of history, promising herself that she would bring Charlie and Tony for a visit one day in the near future—if she got out of the situation alive.
After arriving at the sectioned-off area, she paced the hallway, until finally, Warrior called back.
“You lied,” she said, instantly regretting her outburst.
“I told you I would keep you on your toes, Simpkins.” He laughed, imitating a dastardly villain from a 1930s horror film.
“I’m glad you think torturing people and messing with their heads is a fun exercise for you. I have to inform you that I’m finding it all a tad boring.”
“Oh you are, are you? Okay, I’m sure you’ll find your next trip far more exciting. Oh, and by the way, you know I mentioned this would be your last stop? That huge mouth of yours just extended your little adventure.”
Lorne’s shoulders slumped, and tears of frustration pricked her eyes. Keep your trap shut, girl!
Refusing to let on how disappointed she felt, she stretched, pulled her shoulders back, and said, “Bring it on, buster. Bring it on.”
Warrior growled, forcing a smile to break out across her face. “Get on a river cruise,” he said.
“What? You need to give me more than that.”
“Go to the Thames Circular Cruise. You’ve got thirty minutes.”
“Wait!” she cried, but it was too late. Crap! I have no idea where that sets off from.
She retraced her steps back through the corridors to the receptionist.
“Any luck?” the woman asked, smiling.
“No. I rang her, and she’s been held up. She suggested that we meet at the Thames Circular Cruise. I have no idea where that is. My friend’s phone died before she could give me directions. Can you help at all?”
The woman left her seat and walked over to a large display rack housing an abundance of tourist leaflets. She picked one off the top row before returning to Lorne and placing it on the counter in front of her. “There you are. All the information you require should be in there.”
“You’ve saved my life for a second time today. I’m extremely grateful. Thank you.”
“No problem. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
If only you knew what I’m up against!