Vanished Beneath: DS Lasser six (The Lasser series Book 6) (11 page)

Jenna sniffed and smiled,
'Yeah.'

Ronnie clomped towards them his hob-nailed boots clacking on the surface of the road.

'Ow do, lad, I haven't seen you in a while.'

He was looking well considering the last time Lasser had seen him he'd been in hospital after suffering a heart attack. In fact, Lasser had found
him
lying in the middle of a country lane exactly like this one.

'I'm fine, Ronnie, you're looking well.'

'Never better, lad,' he said as he slipped an arm around Jenna's shoulder. 'This looks a bad do,' he nodded to where Spenner stood over the body in the road.

Lasser followed his gaze. 'I'm afraid so, Ronnie.'

Ronnie squinted. 'Is it a wench?'

Lasser slid his hands into his pockets; it was like he was having a conversation with some Dickensian character. 'Yes, Ronnie...'

'Has she been hit by a car?'

'Afraid not.'

Jenna started to attack a fingernail with her teeth. 'Oh God, this is
terrible.
'

'Listen, Jenna, you don't have to hang around here.'

'
But
...'

'Honestly you called it in but I presume you didn't see anyone driving away?'

She shook her head her ponytail whipped from one shoulder to the other. 'No, the road was empty.'

'Right then, you can go.'

'Are you
sure
, I mean...'

'I'm positive, there's nothing you can do here.'

She looked at Lasser and nodded. 'If you're sure.'

'Positive and thanks for calling us so quickly.'

'I don't know why I saved your number...'

'I'm just glad you did.' Lasser said as he clicked open the door of the Land Rover and Jenna clambered inside.

'By the way have you seen anything of Patrick Fossey lately?'

Jenna shook her head. 'Not much, he's working away at the moment but he still phones and we keep in touch by email.'

'What about the book you were working on together?'

He saw the flicker of excitement in her eyes and then she looked through the windscreen at the body in the road and a flush of colour rose in her pale cheeks. 'It should be coming out in a couple of months.'

Lasser smiled. 'That's great news.'

Ronnie dragged a roll up from the top pocket of his dark blue boiler suit. 'She's at Uni now aren't you, love?'

Jenna nodded. 'I'm only home for Easter.'

'Well, it's great to see you both looking so well, but I'll have to crack on.'

Jenna started the engine. 'Thanks for getting here so quickly.'

Lasser closed the door and slapped a hand on the roof. 'You take care, Jenna, and say hi to Fossey when you see him.'

'I will.'

He watched as she drove away giving the body a wide berth as she drove past. 'Right, Ronnie, I'd best get on.'

'Aye, lad, no problem.' Ronnie said as he hobbled back towards his van.

As Lasser reached the body, Ronnie drove past and raised a hand, the Land Rover belching diesel fumes into the air.

'What a waste,' Spenner said.

Lasser crouched down by the side of the body and threw him a sidelong glance. 'When the cavalry arrive I want everyone kept away from the cow shit.'

'Cow shit?'

Lasser pointed to the flattened mess in the road. 'Someone left those tyre tracks and you never know they could belong to the vehicle that was used to dump the body.'

'Right.'

Reaching down Lasser lifted the corner of her denim jacket and checked for an inside pocket, when he had no luck he scuttled around and tried the other side grinning when his hand slid a small leopard print purse free.

Clicking open the clasp, he pulled out the plastic Primark store card.

'Have you found something?' Spenner asked.

'Sarah Clark,' he blinked at the card. 'Twelve A, Roland House, that's on Millers Lane estate isn't it?'

'I'm not sure, the address sound familiar but...'

'What would someone from Millers Lane be doing all the way out here?'

'Perhaps she was killed somewhere else and dumped here?' 

Lasser looked up as a cow popped its head over the dry stone wall that bordered the lane, steam blasting from its huge nostrils. 'No, she was killed here,' he looked along the lane. 'But why was she barefoot?'

'Maybe the killer took her shoes?' Spenner offered.

'Took her shoes but left a purse behind with identification inside?' When Lasser saw the trickle of dried blood on the outside of her left thigh, he frowned and leaned in for a closer look. The puncture mark was small, the skin rose in a tiny lump, then his brain lurched.
'Fucker!'

Spenner frowned. 'What's the matter?'

Lasser stood up. 'Someone stuck a
needle
in her.'

Spenner whipped out his tissue and blew his nose. 'But...'

'Look at her leg, Spenner, she comes from Hindley we know that because of the address.'

'
So
?'

'The three bodies we pulled from the water had all been drugged right?'

'Well yeah, but...'

'We know whoever gave them the stuff kept a close eye on them, kept them inside somewhere.'

'If that's the case then what is
she
doing all the way out
here
?'

Lasser pulled out his cigarettes and sparked up. 'Think about it; say Sarah Clark was another guinea pig...'

'
Guinea pig
?'

Lasser flapped a hand and Spenner closed his mouth.

'He follows the same pattern; he offers the punter a free shot, something that'll blow their bloody minds and they can't wait to give it a go. He's in a flat or a house and he slides the needle in and then sits back to see what will happen.'

Spenner slid the tissue back into his pocket. 'But you've already said she was killed here, and if that's right then what were they doing driving around in the middle of nowhere. I mean, what would be the point, if she was alive then obviously the drug worked so why kill her?'

Lasser blew a blast of smoke into a cloud of midges. 'Because he thought she was dead.'

Spenner shuffled his feet a frown corrugated his brow. '
I don't get it
?'

'He gives her the drug right?'

Spenner nodded.

'Like the others she collapses and he shrugs his shoulders and says hey ho another stiff to get rid of. So, he bundles her in the back of the van...'

'How do you know it was a van?'

'The tyre tracks in the shit, look at the width of the tread.'

Spenner glanced at the dried out cow pats and nodded. 'I suppose so.'

'Now, he won't go back to his usual dumping ground too risky, so, he decides to try and put some distance between the other bodies.'

'But...'

'By this time he’s probably shitting himself, all it takes is some interested plod to pull him over for a dodgy brake light and he's fucked.'

'So, he panics and pulls over here?'

Lasser nodded. 'And then when he opens the back door - out she pops.'

'But...'

'Imagine it, he's here to dump a body and then he finds she's alive and kicking, now what would
you
do in that situation?'

Spenner scratched his chin in thought. 'But smashing her head open, I mean, it's a bit extreme.'

'You think extreme bothers this tosser? He's already dumped three bodies so we know he doesn't give a shit about these people.'

'I guess.'

'Right, so she comes flying out of the back of the van and sets off running.'

'But how do you know she ran, I mean, she could have attacked the bloke instead?'

'Spenner, she woke up in the back of a van, her head would have been mashed with the drug, more than likely she'd have been terrified. Besides, the wound is to the back of her head, so it stands to reason she was trying to flee the scene, he chases her and wallop.'

Suddenly the sound of sirens buzzed in the distance.

Lasser flicked the cigarette over the wall before popping a mint into his mouth. 'Want one?' he asked.

'Thanks,' Spenner pulled one free and slid it between his chapped lips.

Bannister nodded as Lasser explained his theory. 'You
have
been busy, Sergeant.'

'So, what do you think?'

They were parked by the side of the road in Bannister's Audi watching as the ambulance pulled away, Doc Shannon in pursuit in his rusting Land Rover. Half a dozen officers were walking along the roadside searching in the long grass for clues.

'I think you could be right.'

Lasser grinned. 'So, what do you want to do?'

Bannister drummed his hands on the steering wheel. 'How did you go on at Mary Sheldon's place?'

'We were knocking on doors when Jenna Fotheringay rang so we headed straight out here.'

'OK, for now I want you to concentrate on Sarah Clark, you have a possible address so get over there and check it out.'

'Do you want me to take Spe...?'

'
Sir
!'

Bannister looked up PC Spenner was waving his hand towards the car his face alight with urgency. Then he started to jab a finger down into the long grass.

'Come on, Lasser, before he pitches a fit.'

Climbing from the car they hurried over, by the time they reached him the other searchers had gathered round.

'Right, Spenner, what have you got?'

Spenner pointed down into the grass, the tyre iron glinted up at them, russet red with dark hairs stuck to the metal.

28

Andrew Forbes walked out of the guesthouse and slid the zip up on his leather jacket. The room had been poky the furniture all dark wood, the bedding busy with a garish floral pattern that had made his eyes ache.

Taking a deep breath, he trotted down the steps and turned right walking past the local college with the huge pit wheel in front. The streets were full of people milling about looking in shop windows, Andrew glanced at a couple of girls sashayed past, long tanned legs on view, hair shimmering in the afternoon sunlight.

Checking the traffic, he crossed the road and headed over to a man who was standing at a small kiosk selling papers and magazines.

'Excuse me.'

The man turned and smiled. 'What can I get you, mate?'

'I'm looking for the library.'

'You're not from around here?' The man asked as he straightened a stack of newspapers.

'That obvious is it?'

'Cockney?'

'Something like that.'

'Right well, go to the top of the road and turn left Library Street is the first on the right.'

Forbes nodded. 'Thanks for your help.'

'No worries, pal.'

Andrew set off, a spring in his step a plan in his head.

29

Lasser swung into the small car park behind the drive-in McDonalds; the bushes that bordered the patch of tarmac were littered with empty boxes and burger wrappers.

As he opened the door a kid flew past on a mountain bike his feet lashing at the peddles as if his life depended on it.

Lasser looked up at the new build flats; they'd been up for about four years now and were already showing signs of wear and tear. He counted half a dozen doors covered with galvanised metal sheets; all of them had been sprayed with graffiti. Another had a crude image of a giant cock and balls scrawled on the surface.

Lasser beeped on the alarm and headed over to the stairwell of Rodney House. A couple of teenagers eyed him as he walked past, then he stopped and turned back towards them.

'Do either of you know Sarah Clark?'

One of the lads shrugged, the other spat onto the ground.

'Right thanks for your help, lads,' Lasser said as he started to climb the flight of concrete stairs.

'Pig.'

Lasser leaned over the balcony. 'Oink-oink and that means if either of you touch the car I'll break your legs.'

The two boys looked up at him in shock and Lasser pointed a finger down at them.

'Take me seriously, lads,' he smiled before continuing to climb.

Walking along the landing he stopped when he came to the door of number 12 A. Pressing the bell, Lasser looked down over the balcony, the two yobs from the stairwell were walking across the car park, he watched as they slouched past the Audi heading inevitably towards the drive-in McDonalds.

When he heard the door open he turned to find a man looking out at him, his face scarred with old acne, his hair shaved closed to the bone.