Syn (The Merseyside Crime Series Book 2) - Malcolm Hollingdrake (world of reading TXT) 📗

‘No. He’d been to lunch, met with a client earlier than planned and then dashed out again.’

April issued a series of instructions.

‘Put a call out for his car registration and get it logged on the PNC. I want responses to any hits. Ensure we have co-operation with the ANPR cameras in carparks in the Southport and Liverpool areas. Emphasise that it’s life critical so any reads on his registration number we need to know. Let’s find him. I want the name and address of the person he saw earlier too. Has he done a runner and gone to ground or are we staring victim number three in the face?’ She held up the photograph she had brought from the meeting with Brian. ‘This is whom we seek.’

They each looked at the picture.

‘We need to chat again with the beautiful Nicola. Something’s beginning to cloud the facts. But before we close, you’ll be aware that Forensics has found the titles of the films. We thought they were CDs but they were, in fact, DVDs located at the site, dangling from the scarecrow. They were: Gladiator, Playback and The Revenant. Black market copies. If you do a quick internet search or you know your films, we come up with …’ she paused and waited.

‘Good old “get your own back”,’ mumbled Tony.

‘Indeed, revenge and you can add killing to the end of that. We’re assured by the farmer that these were not what he used, his were damaged music CDs. We have writing on the wall. “Who had done what to whom?” is the question that should be added to the boards. Just within this small group we have a number of people who in some ways upset others. But upset enough to kill …?’

Tony waved a hand. ‘One other thing at this stage. I believe Fred was making enquiries about the direction in which Carla ran her circuit. Skeeter mentioned that runners have a preferred direction. Well, according to Brian he always saw her running clockwise which matched the CCTV footage we had from the park-and-ride camera. However, the webcam clearly shows the runner we believe to be Carla running in the opposite direction. Brian confirmed on that morning she was running in the same direction as he and that was clockwise. So, we can assume she ran back towards the car as it pulled into the club driveway. She knew the person in that car. She willingly climbed in. From Brian’s first-hand account, she didn’t look troubled or under duress. The questions are, who was it and what made her stop her run?’

Chapter 16

Skeeter and April were approaching Scarisbrick on their way to the salon when the report was received.

‘Stuart Groves’s body has been found on the roof of the Tulketh Street carpark. The registration had been read entering at 13.51 and according to the system it’s still there.’

A police request to the National Carpark Company responsible for the building to organise a computer check on the registration numbers of vehicles entering and leaving from 1pm had brought an immediate hit. They had located and reported the information within fifteen minutes of beginning the search. Such co-operation was not compulsory but was often regarded as an essential, professional and commercial duty. It might, on occasion, save lives.

April informed Skeeter of the situation.

‘A PCSO was sent to check. According to his report it’s gruesome. The crime scene’s been closed off which will cause a few worries for those collecting cars but once CSI arrive, they’ll get a route in and out to clear the place. Blue lights and horns. Let’s get there.’

Skeeter’s driving was as aggressive as her persona. Although the road had few clear passing places, the sound of the siren and the blue strobes were enough in most cases to allow good progress. April slipped her hand into the handle above the passenger door and forced her feet into the footwell. Scarisbrick New Road slowed their progress as they faced a number of junctions that needed careful negotiation.

Tulketh Street was clear and the light traffic was still flowing. It was only the multistorey carpark that had been closed off. Skeeter pulled up on the roadside ignoring the double yellow lines. The entry had been blocked but cars from the lower levels had been allowed to exit. It was not unusual to see a group of bystanders collecting at the scene of a crime and today was no different. Many held their mobile phones so social media would soon be awash. On this occasion they had been moved to the far side of the road to congregate on another open, ground level carpark. Occasionally, one person would be escorted into the pedestrian entry by a carpark attendant on receipt of the parking ticket. To clear them quickly, the fees had been waived and the exit barrier had been raised to ensure the vehicles were cleared from the area as swiftly as possible. The position of the body on the top floor was, if a murder can be classed as such, a convenience to those trying to keep some semblance of order below.

Skeeter heard the noise first and looked up scanning the sky in the direction of the sound. She quickly identified the distant police helicopter. It hovered in the direction of the railway line, its high-pitched drone gradually diminishing as it left the area. April and Skeeter had covered their shoes before following the designated route into the stairwell, carefully progressing from ground level and exiting on the roof. They followed the tape and cones placed to guide those attending the scene on a thin pathway until they reached a further cordon. The front of the red Audi was all that could be seen at this point. It was only when moving further round and on examining the car’s windscreen did the extent of the crime become apparent. Although still transparent, there was an opaque quality to the