This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story.
I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity.
As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that.
*
Jerry walked leisurely down the road from where he had parked his car trying to look as unconcerned as he could. The house with the old air raid shelter was in the next street and turning the corner he smiled to himself when he saw the old Scouts hut surrounded by trees next to the house that Patrick had drawn in the diagram.
Patrick had chosen his hiding place well. The house had metal stair railings and a gentle slope leading down from the front door, pointing to the person that lived there being disabled, and the Scouts hut with the trees would make easy access at night into the back garden where the old run down air raid shelter left over from the second world war sat at the end of the back garden.
Walking past the house to the end of the road and then turning back he sauntered slowly checking out the houses opposite and next door. It all looked quiet and from the looks of it no problem for tonight when he came back to retrieve the goods under the cover of dark.
Getting in his car he drove over to where Patrick had told him he stashed his spare car and other stuff in a rented garage about five miles away. Checking all the way to make sure he wasn't being followed he parked his car with the boot towards the garage and getting out walked up to the end of the row of garages looking for the slab of pavement stone next to the brick wall at the end of the dead end of twelve garages. Lifting the stone he found the key as Patrick had told him he would. Walking back to the garage he opened the padlock and eased himself in.
The garage was dark and it took a few moments for Jerry's eyes to adjust. Squeezing down the side of the car that was parked in the small space he moved to the back of the dark garage until he came to the end and lifting up the pile of old plastic bags filled with rubbish he found the one holding the two bags of cocaine, wrapped in newspapers. Leaving the garage, he locked it up and placed the plastic wrapped bags of coke in the special concealed hiding place in the boot of his car that he used in his normal retrieval job for Snake. He then replaced the key under the paving stone from where he found it and got in the car, driving off to see Megan for a couple of hours.
*
The Police were running the prints through the computer to see if they could come up with a match, and within the hour they did. One set belonged to a known criminal called Patrick Curtis, a known associate of Nick 'Snake' Armstrong, the local head of a criminal Firm.
At the Police team meeting of Rachel's disappearance Curtis's profile was discussed.
"He's mixed up with a lot of scams and is thought to be the brains behind planning for Armstrong, but has never shown any bent towards violence before, especially towards women."
"Not that we know of." One of the detectives dropped into the discussion. "That doesn't mean he hasn't done this before."
"He's not usually that far from Armstrong's side who does have a reputation for treating woman as scum. Maybe he's picked her up for him."
"I don't see Curtis pimping, not even for Armstrong."
"They've been together for ten years since they met in the nick. In all that time Curtis was the brains behind the scenes, Armstrong the boss of the firm. We get Curtis this might help us to bring down the whole lot of them. Clear up the manor and put away that bastard who has his bloody fingers into everything that happens locally."
"What about the girl?"
"What do you mean 'what about the girl'?"
"Isn't she our main focus? Finding her?"
The main detective on the case looked down at the other man sitting behind a desk as if he was a stupid child who had asked a dumb question. "Of course she is, but we find the girl, we get Curtis, we get our hands on Curtis we bring down Armstrong.....we get to clear up a pile of the outstanding crimes in one full swoop."
All eyes stared at the Detective Inspector standing in front of them, all to a man thinking the same thing. That he would get the glory and they would do the work.
*
Jerry's mobile rung just as he and Megan had settled down in the small kitchen at the table for supper. Looking at the number he answered it with a grunt. The voice at the other end told him, "Get down to the lab ASAP, Snakes orders."
A cold chill went down his spine as he listened to the voice at the end of the phone.
"What's up?"
"No idea, just get there now." And the phone line went dead.
Looking across the table to Megan her face one of concern he bit his lip and then told her. "Sorry......got to go....something has sprung up....an emergency at work."
Getting up from the table she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a foil wrapped bundle. "I made this for you for later tonight during your shift.....its mushroom quiche....better take it with you and I'll put your supper in the fridge if you want it warmed up when you get back." Kissing Megan and taking the wrapped food he hoped he would see her later and that Snake hadn't discovered he was working with Patrick, and that he wasn't just walking into the Snakes pit and his possible death.
Climbing into his car he sat there for a couple of minutes, he stomach churning, heart beating fast. He wondered to himself if he had time to hide the two bags of cocaine in the compartment in the back of the car. He couldn't hide it here near Megan. If it was found it might pull her into the mess and he would never to that. No he was going to have to drive over to the lab fast, with no time to dump it and just pray that if Snake hadn't found out that he was working with Patrick no one asked to search the car and give himself away.
*
