Taken Chapter 5

The last thing however on DI Bowlenn’s mind was giving up. He had been at work now for over fourteen hours straight it was now too late to go and see  the leads that he had, so he dutifully wrote a list of the people he had to see first thing in the morning.  On the list included the ominous Mr. Green. James had dealt with Alan Green when his son had been killed, and as he knew every thing there was to know about what went on, on the estate James resolved that he may be able to get some info from him. After ringing Mr. Criter, at just after half past nine James resolved to go home and get some sleep because he needed a fresh mind for the meeting with Mr. Green tomorrow. As he walked out of the station a refreshing breeze whipped his face and instantly cooled him down. It then dissipated and he was left standing in the hot sticky air outside the nick.

         He slid the key into the lock and immediately something did not seem right. He slowly walked through the front door not daring to turn the light on. He put his keys down and grabbed the asp he kept in the drawers by the door. He flicked it out, the metal of the asp clicking into place made more of a noise that he wanted it to.  Slowly stalking from room to room James tried to block out the noise of his heart drumming loudly in his ears, as his eyes darted through each room looking desperately in the shadows, but looking for what a thief, a squatter, an assassin? It had been many years since he had received his last death threat but he was still a targeted man all the same. As he reached the kitchen he saw something out of place, something that shouldn’t have been there something that wasn’t there when he left the house. He quickly and efficiently searched the rest of the flat. When he was completely satisfied that he was alone he put his asp back in its place and carefully locked the front door. Then he went to his bag and took out his forensic purple gloves. Slowly approaching the large cardboard box that now occupied his breakfast bar he flicked on the light taking a pen he slowly lifted the lid of the box looking for any sign of wires. He saw none. However what he did find made him wish it was a bomb Looking inside the box firstly he found a note which read:



Dear Mr. Bowlenn. I know who your looking for and I have her. You need to start looking harder. Or there are more parts to follow. Try not to let your heart get in the way of your head. I want Derek Harper released from prison within the next 48 hours otherwise you will receive more and more parts.

I suggest you heed my warning and meet my demands for I have the power to kill not only her but many like her many like YOU. I knew this case would hit home for you. You two are so alike. But for now just call me…

GOD.

He slowly read the note through again. Then peering back into the box found a smaller shoe box. Again taking the pen and checking for wires he flipped the lid inside was something he wished he hadn’t seen. A human hand. He quickly called SOCO and his guv’nor. Then reluctantly made his way back to the office.













It was getting late and the few remaining members of the team who had decided to stay late and work on the case, either through dedication or for the over time James couldn’t decide. The new evidence had caused most to carry on like an energy boost it had awoken them, fresh leads. All that was needed now was news from the lab. The letter that the kidnappers had sent had asked for one Derek Harper to be released with immediate effect or else the Anna’s body parts would be sent back piece-by-piece. They had proved, by sending the severed hand they meant business. So not only was the attack aimed at Mr. Criter it was now aimed at him as well. The DCI had argued with James for a good hour trying to get him to back down go to a safe house and lay low. James however had other ideas if this was a personal attack and this girls life lay in his hands he was going to do everything in his power to not only stay on the case but solve it. Now it was to find out why Derek Harper.

         Had they asked for anyone else to be released then maybe the threat wouldn’t have been taken quite so seriously, however Derek Harper and his cronies were one of the most feared people who quite often visited the Herald Estate.

         Harper had been imprisoned only a few months ago after the brutal and gruesome stabbing of Alan Green’s son out of the three who were sent to trial he was the only one who got sent down. Word was he was still running things from the inside. Derek Harper was the worst of the worst an aging man with eyes that shot through you and made everyone he looked at shudder. Like Mr. Green he ran a firm on the other side of town in an equally large and trashy estate. However he wasn’t as clever as Green and this had led him to being imprisoned. Although he had only half a brain cell occupying his head Harper was not a man you messed with. The wrong thing said in the street or pub could lead to glasses being smashed over heads, stabbings and murders.

         The tragic stabbing of Green’s boy last autumn had not been planned by Harper it was nothing more than an unlucky coincidence that the two men had been drinking in the same bar. Harper had overheard the boy talking about his father to a close college friend and as soon as he had heard the name flipped out. Not stopping to ask any questions Harper hurled himself over the bar stabbing the boy in the side of the head. From there he kicked, stamped and punched the boy until he was barely conscious. The two men who stood trial with Harper had tried to pull him off knowing that his victim had nothing to do with the HEC but knowing full well what would happen when Mr. Green found out his only son had been assaulted. The thing with Green was he wouldn’t have just gone for Harper he would seek justice on anyone who didn’t help who was in full possession of the facts. It was no good Harper had lost it that red mist had descended and there was no going back. He stabbed the boy 37 times in the head and chest leading inevitably to the young man’s death.

         Who on earth would want that man out of jail? His gang? Family? Nothing made sense in James’ already shattered brain.

          He had to save this one no matter what he couldn’t lose. He now had to rearrange his list of leads number one on his list was taking a visit to HMP Grenthust to see Harper. Something he was not looking forward to he had been the SIO on the Green case and consequently had been the one who secured the conviction on Harper and also exposed several corrupt officers who had been working to protect him.

Although respected officers had been dismissed out of the public eye James hadn’t had to endure the usual whistle blower treatment maybe because these officers had done wrong and tried to protect a murderer or maybe because the murder that had taken place was more horrific than any other that had been worked in the last 30 years.

The image of the boys blooded and mangled face and body would be something that would stay with not only James but also many of the people who worked the case who had the unfortunate experience of either having to see the body itself or the photographs that were taken at the crime scene. Some of which were too gruesome to be used as evidence at court. A sudden thought came into his head. Something that Danny had said about Mr. Green. After his son’s murder Green had taken Danny under his wing. That explained all the nice new furniture in the boys flat. Not only that it gave James a direct link to Green. However that made no sense after the trauma of losing his son and going through the inevitable months building up to the court date why would he want his son’s killer released from Jail? Not only that but if he had taken Danny on as some kind of surrogate son why would he want to hurt him? Had they had a disagreement? No they couldn’t have James was more that sure that if they had James would have found a corpse today rather than a fully working human with all his limbs and digits in tact.

         Sometimes just sometimes James wondered why he did this job. Trying to get inside peoples heads think and assume a killers, rapists, criminals mind for just a brief moment in the vague hope that he could know why people do the sick and twisted things they do. He often felt apart from the ‘real’ world that maybe had he chosen a different career he would be immune to the horrible things that men and women inflict on the innocent. Maybe he could have a good nights sleep without the nightmares that seemed to follow him along with the memory’s of past cases dismembered body’s, crying victims, the screams of his mother. The evil.  Every world needs good and bad in it and he was just the fighter for the good. He needed sleep he had now been working for nearly twenty hours it was now six a.m..

         He slowly rose from his office chair going to his cupboard and grabbing a fresh shirt he watched as the early morning team came in and the last of the evening shift handed over to them. For James though it was just the start of a new day and even though he was physically and emotionally tired he pushed through it, he went to get a coffee and then stood at the front of the incident room surveying the team he had in front of him. They each had the look of a restless hot, humid nights sleep. All had bags under their eyes and looked every bit as tired as he felt. He needed to get them excited in the case again. For the following ten minutes he kept his speech short and to the point and told the team about the over night break through. They all seemed genuinely interested and excited about the new leads. James dished out the work for each officer and then left the nick for the long journey to see Derek Harper.