burned, probably whilst still alive, and because of the way their skin had burnt and the residue of rubber around their necks, heads, and shoulders, it looked like they’d been subjected to being necklaced. Tyler was able to find out that it had been done because the two victims had been suspected by Melanie Patterson of having talked to the police about the Gorton boys activities’.
‘And had they?’
‘They’d both approached us but we hadn’t been able to talk to them before they were murdered. But it was enough to convince me and fellow officers that they’d been got at before they’d had the chance to talk to us’.
‘It certainly looks that way’.
‘Now Melanie Patterson and the rest of the community on the Gorton estate have remained tight lipped about the murders of Chaplin and Clayton which gave us more reason to believe that our theory was correct’.
‘With all due respect’ said Jeff. ‘Why am I only hearing about this now?’
‘It was vital with regard to protecting the operation and protecting PC Moore, Jeff, that we kept silent’ said Geraldine. ‘Something could’ve easily leaked out that we had someone in there and he could’ve easily been fatally compromised once we knew what Melanie Patterson was capable of’.
‘Okay, point taken, but do we have evidence that Melanie Patterson ordered these deaths?’
‘We have her recent admission to Tyler Moore or, to her, her nephew Jackson Williams’.
‘Then why on earth didn’t you pull Tyler out once you’d got what you needed?’
‘Because there was still more to find out’ Mike responded. ‘Tyler was gathering evidence on all the names, dates and places that would’ve made a cast iron case against Melanie Patterson’.
‘But you are going to pull him in now surely?’
‘I ordered it twenty-four hours ago as soon as got word from you that Jackson Williams had been identified as Tyler Moore’.
‘But I sense there’s still a problem?’
‘I haven’t been able to get hold of Tyler’ Mike admitted, a grave look suddenly covering his face. ‘He’s not responding to any of my communications’.
‘
STORMS SIX
He’d been careless. He knew that. He should’ve known better. He’d been a fucking idiot. The man had looked like some kind of delivery driver and called over to him to ask for directions. He was standing at the back of his van which was parked down a small access street that formed a kind of border between the backs of two rows of houses on the edge of the Gorton estate. Tyler clicked out of being belligerent Jackson Williams and clicked back into being a police officer. He walked over to the man. The back doors of the van were open. The man looked like he was consulting some paperwork that was in his hand and the next thing Tyler knew was a kind of cotton pad being forced over his mouth and nose. Chloroform. Jesus, how could he have been so stupid? He’d fallen into what was, for a police officer, such an obvious trap. He’d read descriptions of this sort of thing so many times in relation to other abductions. Now he had his own to deal with and the fear was racing through him with an intensity he never thought was possible to feel.
His annoyance at his own failings had stopped him from trying to figure out the reality of his situation. He was naked. There was tape over his eyes and his mouth. He was lying flat on his back and spread eagled with his wrists and ankles cuffed tightly and with no room for him to move his hands or feet by even a small amount. There was some kind of bulky apparatus around his neck that separated his head from the rest of his body and his wrists were restrained to what felt like either end of it. What the hell was this sick bastard going to do to him? Leroy Williams had been garotted. He’d been told about it when he’d reported in to DCI Phillips. He wanted to cry but was determined not to crack for as long as he could hold on. He’d wanted this
‘And had they?’
‘They’d both approached us but we hadn’t been able to talk to them before they were murdered. But it was enough to convince me and fellow officers that they’d been got at before they’d had the chance to talk to us’.
‘It certainly looks that way’.
‘Now Melanie Patterson and the rest of the community on the Gorton estate have remained tight lipped about the murders of Chaplin and Clayton which gave us more reason to believe that our theory was correct’.
‘With all due respect’ said Jeff. ‘Why am I only hearing about this now?’
‘It was vital with regard to protecting the operation and protecting PC Moore, Jeff, that we kept silent’ said Geraldine. ‘Something could’ve easily leaked out that we had someone in there and he could’ve easily been fatally compromised once we knew what Melanie Patterson was capable of’.
‘Okay, point taken, but do we have evidence that Melanie Patterson ordered these deaths?’
‘We have her recent admission to Tyler Moore or, to her, her nephew Jackson Williams’.
‘Then why on earth didn’t you pull Tyler out once you’d got what you needed?’
‘Because there was still more to find out’ Mike responded. ‘Tyler was gathering evidence on all the names, dates and places that would’ve made a cast iron case against Melanie Patterson’.
‘But you are going to pull him in now surely?’
‘I ordered it twenty-four hours ago as soon as got word from you that Jackson Williams had been identified as Tyler Moore’.
‘But I sense there’s still a problem?’
‘I haven’t been able to get hold of Tyler’ Mike admitted, a grave look suddenly covering his face. ‘He’s not responding to any of my communications’.
‘
STORMS SIX
He’d been careless. He knew that. He should’ve known better. He’d been a fucking idiot. The man had looked like some kind of delivery driver and called over to him to ask for directions. He was standing at the back of his van which was parked down a small access street that formed a kind of border between the backs of two rows of houses on the edge of the Gorton estate. Tyler clicked out of being belligerent Jackson Williams and clicked back into being a police officer. He walked over to the man. The back doors of the van were open. The man looked like he was consulting some paperwork that was in his hand and the next thing Tyler knew was a kind of cotton pad being forced over his mouth and nose. Chloroform. Jesus, how could he have been so stupid? He’d fallen into what was, for a police officer, such an obvious trap. He’d read descriptions of this sort of thing so many times in relation to other abductions. Now he had his own to deal with and the fear was racing through him with an intensity he never thought was possible to feel.
His annoyance at his own failings had stopped him from trying to figure out the reality of his situation. He was naked. There was tape over his eyes and his mouth. He was lying flat on his back and spread eagled with his wrists and ankles cuffed tightly and with no room for him to move his hands or feet by even a small amount. There was some kind of bulky apparatus around his neck that separated his head from the rest of his body and his wrists were restrained to what felt like either end of it. What the hell was this sick bastard going to do to him? Leroy Williams had been garotted. He’d been told about it when he’d reported in to DCI Phillips. He wanted to cry but was determined not to crack for as long as he could hold on. He’d wanted this
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