Vanished Beneath: DS Lasser six (The Lasser series Book 6) (44 page)

'Well I never knew your first name; what about you Lasser did you know?'

'Well...'

'See none of us knew. You keep your eye on this one, Odette, he's a sly bugger.'

Shannon's face was a picture of indignation.
'How dare...'

'So come on,
John
, is it the same MO or not,' Bannister interrupted.

'Of course it is!'
The doctor swiped a hand across his head. 'He was attacked on the doorstep, the needle went into the neck you can see the mark. As per the others he would have gone into seizure almost immediately.'

'So he wouldn't have had the chance to defend himself?' Lasser asked.

Shannon gave Bannister a look of fury before turning to the sergeant. 'I doubt it, needle in and bang down he went. I mean, he didn't even raise his hands to break the fall.'

Lasser could see a patch of red beneath the head mingling with the soil and pansies.

'Has anyone told his brother yet?'

Bannister grinned. 'I thought we might go together to break the good news.'

Odette slipped her hands into her pockets.

Lasser shrugged. 'I look forward to it.'

'I thought you would,' Bannister replied. 'Right,
John
, we can leave the tidying up to you can't we?'

'
Sod off
,' Shannon mumbled.

Bannister laughed aloud as if the pathologist’s discomfort had just made his day.

'Come on you two we'll take my car,' he said as he strode down the gravel drive.

Odette and Lasser locked eyes before setting off after him.

108

Albie sat in the bath, water from the shower cascading down onto his head and shoulders, his stomach gripped with a mixture of terror and euphoria
.

He'd gone to Mellor's house and waited by the garage door, in a constant state of tension. Three hours he waited, three bloody hours, before he'd heard the sound of tyres on gravel.

He’d flattened himself against the wall, his nerves thrumming, his body jittering with adrenalin. Then he heard the sound of the car door closing and footsteps on the crushed stone. Albie had glanced around the corner just as Boris placed one foot on the bottom step his right hand rummaging in his trouser pocket for the front door key.

Swallowing his fear, he’d bolted from his hidey-hole, the syringe held high in his right hand. Boris had looked around with a frown on his face, though there had been no panic, no fear, after all he was Boris Mellor, top of the food chain.

'Who the fuck are...'

Albie lunged forward his finger squeezing the plunger as the needle slipped into the exposed neck.

'Twat!'
Boris snarled in disbelief then his eyes had snapped wide, his arms had shot rigid to his sides and he had toppled forward like the statue of some hated dictator being overthrown by a repressed people.

Albie hadn't waited to see the rest, the thought of Sharon Cliff sprung to the front of his mind as she twitched and writhed on the living room floor.

Albie ran across the front lawn, forcing himself to slow down as he reached the road.

As he walked along the pavement, he popped up the hood on his jacket and thrust his hands into his pockets. By trying to look inconspicuous, he looked guiltier than ever.

Tilting his head, he opened his mouth and let it fill with water before spitting it towards his bare feet. Now all he had to do was wait to see if he was home and dry.

'You killed Boris fucking Mellor,'
he whispered in awe.

The weight of his actions came crashing down and he slumped back into the water, as he suddenly realised what life had in store for him. He would spend the rest of his days looking over his shoulder or waiting for the filth to break down the front door, everything rested on trusting the person who had drove him to murder.

Albie closed his eyes as the water sprayed onto his upturned face.

'Fuck me,'
he said and shuddered.

109

As soon as they drove through the gates they spotted Norvil Mellor clambering down the metal steps of a JCB.

When he saw them, he leapt down and shook his head before heading towards the office.

The Audi slid to a halt in a cloud of grey dust. 'Right Lasser, watch this bugger I don't want him reaching for a monkey wrench when we tell him about his brother.'

Lasser nodded before climbing from the car. Odette grabbed her ponytail and tucked it inside her jacket as they headed between a row of mangled cars.

They rounded the corner to find Norvil standing stroking the huge German shepherd, the animal licked his hand and then started to pant as it eyed the three newcomers.

'What do you lot want?' Norvil asked, his eyes flicked towards Odette and widened, Lasser moved slightly in front of her.

'We've got some distressing news for you Mr Mellor,' Bannister said in a neutral tone.

'Oh aye what's that then?'

'Maybe it would be better if we went inside.'

Norvil narrowed his eyes.
'Just tell me and fuck off.'

'Don't say I didn't warn you, Norvil,' Banister sighed. 'It's about your brother Boris.'

'What about him?'

'He's dead.'

Norvil blinked once, twice, a nerve in his cheek twitched.
'What do you mean dead?'

Lasser watched as the fingers of Norvil's right hand grasped the dogs' fur.

'He was found two hours ago at his home.'

'Dead?'

Bannister nodded. 'I'm afraid so Mr Mellor.'

'Fucking dead!'

'I...'

Norvil's face suddenly twisted in hatred.
'Fuckers!'
he screamed and then he unclipped the chain.
'Fucking kill em Bella!'

The huge animal licked its jaws and came for them. Bannister stayed rooted to the spot as the dog bulleted towards him. Lasser snapped his head around desperately looking for a length of metal or a brick, any fucking thing to hit the beast with.

He snarled in disbelief, a scrap yard and nothing around to arm himself with.

The sound of the dog barking drilled into his head and then Odette brushed him to one side, Lasser tried to grab her sleeve but she was too fast.

She shot her hand forward just as the dog lunged, wide jaws opening ready to clamp shut on Bannister's genitals.

When the pepper spray hit the dog’s eyes it snapped its head from side to side in surprise and then it began to snort and sneeze, shoulders hunched, snout almost touching the dusty ground.

Then it turned and ran clattering against a pile of dusty hubcaps before vanishing down the avenue of twisted metal.

Norvil stood breathing hard his chest rising and falling in fury.
'Twat!'
he bellowed and then he dashed forward, hands gripped into fists.

Bannister seemed to inflate on the spot and then he bolted forward. When the two men collided Bannister felt Mellor's fist glance off the top of his head and then he snapped his right leg up plunging it hard between Norvil's legs. The effect was instantaneous; Norvil hit the floor like a sack of shit, his face twisted in agony, the veins in his neck cable hard as he fought for breath.

Bannister drew his leg back and then Lasser was dragging him away.

'Don't do it boss!'

Bannister struggled but Lasser kept hold.

Odette stood over the crumpled form, the can of pepper spray held easily in her right hand.

'Alright Sergeant. Alright get you bloody hands off
me!'

Lasser took a backward step hands raised.

Bannister wiped a hand under his nose; his eyes still alight with anger. Then he walked slowly back to stand over Mellor who had both hands clamped between his legs.

'I warned you Mellor I said someone had a grudge against you, and you laughed it off, well you're not laughing it off now are you?'

Norvil's face was puce with pain, his eyes screwed shut.

'Cunt!'
he managed to mumble and then groaned and tried to curl himself into a ball.

'Someone stuck a needle in your brothers neck, now do you have any idea who would want to do that?'

Norvil gasped and then clamped his lips together
.

Bannister sighed. 'Right, I think a trip to the station is in order and while I'm there it'll give me the chance to brush up on the dangerous dogs act. Whichever way you say it Norvil,
you're nicked
.'

110

Amy Frodsham sat by the side of the bed and cried as the doctor quietly closed the door to the small room. All the machines had been switched off, Kylie's face was deathly pale against the starched white of the pillow.

Amy grasped her sister's hand rubbing the fingers as if trying desperately to generate some heat.

The room seemed to shrink around her until all she could see was the bed and Kylie's ravaged face. Even in death the pain was still etched there, the lines cut deep, the dark circles beneath her closed eyes, eyes that would forever remain closed. She found herself watching the sheet desperately looking for the rise and fall of her chest. Then the realisation hit home, as she rested her head on the bed, the tears came streaming down her face, the pain inside swelling until it filled every part of her.

Pushing to her feet, she leaned forward and brushed the brown hair from her sister's forehead before kissing the cooling skin, a solitary tear dripped down and landed on Kylie's cheek.

Amy left it there; grabbing her bag from the floor, she yanked out a handful of tissues and scrubbed at her eyes as if annoyed by the sudden outpouring of grief.

'Enough
!' she hissed before ramming the soggy tissue back into the bag.

As she reached the door, she stopped and turned, taking one last look.

'Bye sis,'
she mumbled before walking out into the corridor.

The nurse watched her walk away before ringing the porter, it was a hard life, but beds were in short supply. She knew that within the hour it would be occupied by another soul who had made too many bad decisions in life until it brought them here to die.

With a sigh, she reached for her buzzer.

111

Dave Pitt glanced over the garden fence to make sure no one was snooping around before slamming the sole of his boot against the back door. The door sprang inward and he stepped inside, the kitchen was neat and tidy, one cup and one plate sat on the drainer, the sink devoid of dirty pots and pans.

Closing the door he moved down a narrow hallway, stopping to look at a photograph on the wall, it showed two women with their arms draped over each other's shoulders, wide grins on their faces.

Shaw had said the bird in the pub with Elliot had been a good-looking piece. He leaned forward peering more closely at the picture. Both women looked to be in their early twenties, both with shoulder length brown hair, however, the one on the right had a light in her eyes that was missing in her sister. Pitt grunted, it was obvious they were related, they shared the same high cheekbones the same coloured eyes.

Moving to the lounge he pushed open the door and stepped into the room, he could see a thin film of dust on the flat screen in the corner, a couple of gossip mags on the arm of the sofa.

Turning he opened the small cupboard under the stairs, that contained a Dyson and an ironing board the rest of the small space was taken up with a jumble of shoes, trainers mixed in with high heels.

With a sigh, he headed up the stairs and onto the landing, the first door he came to opened into a bedroom with floral wallpaper, the double bed was neatly made, a matching flowered throw folded back, the pillows looked fresh and plumped to perfection.

Dave Pitt frowned, this didn't feel right he'd expected the house to be a dump. He had pictured the usual mixture of empty takeaway trays and grime. He’d imagined the rooms to be filled with the stink of stale cannabis and unwashed bodies.

With a shake of his head, he continued inside and opened the wardrobe door, everything had been neatly organised, three shelves contained jeans and T-shirts folded rather than shoved into the space, the wider section had half a dozen dresses draped over plastic hangers.

Pitt eased himself to his knees and peered under the bed the frown on his pit bull face deepening when he saw the empty space.

With a grunt he stood up and headed back onto the landing, a quick look in the bathroom revealed nothing of interest. It was like looking around a show house, the shower curtain free of mould, the taps on both the bath and sink shone to a high gleam.

When he opened the last door on the left, his eyes narrowed as he saw the suitcase in the corner of the room. The single bed was devoid of either sheet or duvet; instead, a blue and yellow sleeping bag had been rolled up and left near the headboard.