Taken Chapter 2

Chapter 2



Pc Adrian Chester had just started working at The Kennel and was fresh out of training school at Hendon.
The local police station got its more affectionate name in the early 90’s after it had changed from a dog shelter into a fully functioning nick. However, due to budgeting and the sheer laziness of the builders certain parts of the lower floor, particularly the cells and muster room had an uncanny habit of wafting up the smell of wet dog and animal faeces especially in the summer where the heat and the smell were almost unbearable, the heat they were currently experiencing was proving that point down to a tee, making officers and prisoners alike gag on the rancid scent. It was something that the board had promised to be sorted just like many other things in the past and just never was.
As Adrian did the last part of his patrol in Bravo Two he was looking forward to getting home after a long night shift. He thought about his new posting at The Kennel. He had endured the normal right of passage here for the last 6 months and deduced that he either had to do something extremely brave or pull-off a really good prank to finally get accepted into the team.

“Bravo Two from Hotel Alpha.” The radio crackled into life making Chester jump. It was his call sign surely not another prank from the boys he had already been called to an arson which turned out to be nothing more than a wastepaper bin on fire and a suspected serious assault which had been a pensioner with a grazed knee and a touch of shock after being pushed over by a group of local youngsters on skateboards. Surely they wouldn’t try it again right at the end of the shift.
“Bravo Two to hotel alpha go ahead Jane” Jane was the ancient but lovely lady who helped and pretty much single handedly ran the control room at The Kennel. She reminded Adrian of his mother. As strict and brisk as she was she always cared and  looked out for ‘her’ officers. Although she held no superiority over any of the PC’s in the station or anyone for that fact. Every officer at every rank found that talking to Jane for help and advice on professional and personal matters was often a lot easier than going to a senior officer or a friend.
As an only child and living so far away from his parents Adrian always found talking to Jane was a way of relieving stress, the pair had got on almost instantly when he had moved to The Kennel. Jane looked upon him as the son that she always wanted but never had. She had always put her job first and when she met Adrian he was exactly the way she had wanted her own child to be. He was smart, respectable and very handsome.
The pair had spent Christmas together eating a great home cooked dinner and it had brought them closer together as friends. Adrian would do anything for Jane and vice versa. “Adrian, I’ve had a missing persons report come through would you mind picking up PC Brians from the Herald Estate and proceeding to 3 Harcourt Drive to take a statement from a Mr. Mark Criter?” Great he thought so much for knocking off early.
“All received Hotel Alpha on my way”
         As Chester spun the car round in the direction of the Herald Estate he started to wonder why anyone would ever run away from Harcourt drive? The place was full of new houses that were built like palaces. Unlike the Herald estate that he was now headed to with its six sky high concrete giants each with close to two hundred flats and housing some of south London’s finest scum which the local council had gratefully placed there in an attempt to save the main town of Headly Hill which for the most part resembled an upper middle class town, with its Victorian houses and sedate feel to it.
Nearly every resident in the Herald Estate had a relative who was either in jail or in a gang. The local gang was ‘originally’ named the Herald Road Crew. It was a large gang with any number of members of which only half were known to the police the other half were either high up the chain or new. The wannabe American gangsters had pretty much taken over the place in the last twenty years since the estate was built. There wasn’t a day that went by where there wasn’t a shooting, stabbing or sexual assault. The lead man was none other than a Mr. Alan Green with no shortage of followers willing to go to jail for him he had the respect of nearly everyone young and old, part of the HEC or not, he portrayed himself as a truly caring man, despite this he would kill a person without so much as blinking and the correct term for that is a total fucking psychopath. However he ran the gang with military precision and it was for those reasons alone he had not been sent down sooner. It was not uncommon for anyone who didn’t follow Mr. Green’s exact orders to be found floating down the Thames or left in a burning car. There were many rumors surrounding the illusive man which included the fact that he had men and women from the police force in his pocket and not just impressionable young PC’s either.
         Men like Alan Green were the whole reason Chester joined the police force not him himself but people like him, people who made a profit off other peoples suffering, who didn’t have any boundaries. Users who think they can buy anything or anyone around them. People like that were evil on every level possibly imaginable people who would shoot their own mothers if they could get the right price. 
The only human being Mr. Green had ever loved was his son who was brutally stabbed to death by a rival gang last autumn. His son was the innocent, nothing to do with the empire his dad had created and owned, he had been a simple school kid who wanted to get good grades and join the army. The case had gone to court only a few months ago after all three suspects were arrested and held in custody. The verdict had come in last week all but one of them had got off on circumstantial evidence.
The one man that was jailed was none other than Derek Harper an equally violent tyrant but with no brains to counter act the violence. This had all but tipped Mr. Green over the edge and he vowed to seek revenge on those who not only killed his boy but helped those responsible for the murder evade any justice.
         After picking up PC Emma Brians he headed back out of the ever-looming estate when local hoodies started throwing stones and hurling abuse at the two officers. Adrian turned to his colleague “Shall we stop?”
“Nah we are on a shout fuck ‘em’ ” PC Brians had been on foot patrol in the estate for the last week and consequently had had quite enough of the grief the locals gave her. “Honestly Adrian they shout abuse at us one minute but as soon as their mate gets stabbed or killed the little bastards want our help funny how the world works isn’t it?” The conversation carried on for the entire journey to Harcourt Drive. In the back of his mind Adrian wondered what damage his six month old German Sheppard puppy was doing to his flat.
As they pulled up at the house with number three on and started to walk up the gravel driveway both officers gazed at it with respect and envy. “Think you’d ever be able to afford a house like this on our wage?” Emma said not looking at Adrian.
“Fat chance be lucky if I can afford a bungalow on my pension!”
They knocked on the large heavy oak door and waited. A very tall dark headed man with red puffy eyes and the smell of whisky on his breath answered the door. “Mr. Criter? You rang us earlier to report your daughter missing? Can we come in sir?”
“I guess so” the man spluttered in reply.

“Cheers guv, yeah, poxy bloody trains will be there as quick as I can” DI Bowlenn had been stood on the train platform now for nearly an hour. Seeing as it was yet another warm day he had used the time to top up his tan.  When the DCI had rung him less than fifteen minutes ago he had to do a double take of his watch to make sure he wasn’t later than he thought he was, the guv’nor usually only rang when he was proper in the proverbial poo. Now standing waiting for the only train that went anywhere near the nick he tried to digest the information he had just been given.

After radioing all the details of the statement he had just taken back to the control room Adrian promised Mr. Criter that they would do all they could to find his daughter, and that a family liaison officer would be round shortly and would be his way of finding out what was going on in the case.
Of course none of these facts needed to be explained to the forty six year old barrister who had been doing the job for twenty years and knew perfectly well that the next three days were crucial. It had only been eleven hours since he had noticed his daughter wasn’t at home but like any parent had assumed that she had gone to a friends. However nerves started to set in during the night when she hadn’t rung and had finally broken that morning when he checked the machine and found no message from her on either the house phone or his mobile. It was now nine a.m. and escorting the two officers out he resolved to have a stiff drink.
         Sat in his office he was now bitterly regretting not phoning the police sooner. His daughter was the only thing he had left on the planet the only reason he managed to get out of bed some mornings after the tragic suicide of his wife a few years ago. Mr. Criter was well aware that his drinking had steadily increased he had always been partial to a drink however now he needed to drink. He poured himself yet another generous helping of whisky, sat down and felt the warm tears running down his face. It was then he realized it was the first time he had cried since his wife’s death.
         
A hot, sticky hour and a half late DI Bowlenn emerged into the briefing room. His eyes scanned round the room first to the mounted white board on the wall where there was a picture of a girl in her school uniform underneath were the words MISSING Anna Criter age 17. Next to it was her home address and an empty time line drawn out.
He turned to the table where DC Parks and DS Walker were sat they were nicknamed the twins or the brothers. The DC and the DS had absolutely nothing in common with each other, which is perhaps why they got on so well both lived with their respective girlfriends in the same house, which became the brunt of many a CID joke about swingers and student houses. But however much they were jibed about it all four of them were happy together and that was that.
Bowlenn took a seat next to a young PC whom he had never seen before and assumed he was here because he took the statement but before he even got to ask the young lads name a massive crashing at the doors made everyone turn. DCI Shields forcefully opened the door and strolled into the room followed closely by the superintendent. Both came to an abrupt halt and surveyed the team in front of them looking each in the eye for a brief second or two. “Right men, and lady” bellowed the DCI as if his team were sat at the other side of the nick. “This is Anna Criter daughter of the well known barrister Mark Criter” he glanced round the room to check everyone knew the man he was referring to. “She was reported missing at eight thirty this morning but hasn’t been home since around six o’clock yesterday evening. I want this one solved quickly before information is released to the press, we all know they’ll have a field day with this and we don’t want to put the victim in more danger by giving the bastards a bit of publicity. PC Chester here took the statement. The DCI invited Adrian to stand and give the room details of what Mr. Criter had told them. As he stood Chester took out his police issue notebook and began to tell the room what he had been told. ÒÉ And then he decided he would ring us.”
“What does he seem like as a person?” asked Bowlenn
ÒI think he really loves his daughter sir, he seemed genuinely distressed and worried. There was also a very strong smell of whisky on his breath I would say he’s probably been drinking all morning.” Adrian finished and sat down. The DCI allowed a few minutes to let the information sink into the troops minds. ‘So’ DC Parks Ds Walker I want you to check at the college friends, teachers anyone who knows Anna. Does she have a boy friend?”
“Her father doesn’t seem to think so sir.” Adrian replied.
“Fathers don’t know everything double check boys” with that the DC and DS left. “James I want you to check with your informants some one must know something, anything about the scum who have done this”
“Um sir?” Adrian piped up as Bowlenn left the room.
“Yes constable” Shields replied politely but briskly. Looking at Adrian straight in the eye, which made him feel decidedly awkward.
“With your permission sir I’d like to stay with this case.” Adrian’s eyes instinctively dropped to the floor as he asked the question.
“Of course you can PC err’ “
“Chester sir, Adrian Chester”
“Right, well, can you run a PNC check on Anna her father and any cars they might own I doubt it will turn up much but we may as well cover all our bases. Oh and can you speak to your inspector sort out a family liaison officer.”
“Yes sir " Adrian replied getting to his feet. As he walked down the polished lino stairs to find his inspector Adrian was beaming and couldn’t wait to get stuck into the case.