Driven by Fear (The DS Lasser Book 27) Page 11

  He looked at the bottle and burped, then suddenly he was being yanked back out of the chair, his knees hit the underside of the table and it tilted before crashing to the floor, the bottle landing on the laminate and rolling towards the fridge, spilling its contents as he was hauled into the air and spun around.

  Although he was well on the way to being pissed, Draper still gasped at the sheer size of the man in front of him and then he saw nothing as his attacker crashed his forehead forwards, two skulls cracking together with bone-jarring force, knocking Draper out cold.

  Max Abbot made no sound as he hauled the injured man over his shoulder before turning and heading for the open front door that now hung by one hinge.

  He was striding from the house when the woman appeared on the doorstep, her eyes widening in shock as the hulking shape barrelled towards her.

  'What are you doing?' Gemma Fox gasped in confusion.

  The man paused only to grab her by the throat, his huge hand closing on her slender neck. Then he whipped her to one side, her head slamming against the doorframe, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground.

  Max glanced down at her before striding down the drive, reaching the car, he thrust Draper over the back seats and slammed the door before getting behind the wheel.

  Brewster watched in astonishment as the car drove away, only when it had vanished completely did he clamber out of the MG, the excitement building as he jogged across the road, his unfashionable hair bouncing as he headed for the house and his colleague who lay unconscious by the open front door.

  35

  Lasser waited in the queue of traffic, the water board were digging up the roads again, trying to fix yet another leak. Water gushed along the gutter, taking an assortment of rubbish with it.

  He had decided that taking a shortcut was the best way to get to Draper's house and now he was regretting it.

  'Best laid plans,' he muttered to himself, his fingers tapping at the wheel.

  Half a minute later, the lights changed, and he sped forward making it through as the lights changed back to red, forcing the driver waiting at the other end to shake his fist as Lasser came through.

  'Relax, Mr Road Rage,' he commented as he drove past.

  When his stomach rumbled, he pictured the food at The Owls, his mouth starting to water at the prospect of home-made steak pie, smothered in gravy with chips and peas, food of the gods.

  Reaching a turning on the left, he made his way along the road, taking his time between the cars parked left and right, the streetlights splashing splodges of light to the tarmac.

  Ten minutes later, he pulled up in front of Draper's house, and felt the sudden sense of tension as he saw the figure slumped by the open front door.

  Yanking on the handbrake, he snatched the seat belt free and leapt from the car before running up the drive, he was ten feet away when Brewster appeared in the hallway, his face blanching with shock as he saw Lasser dashing towards him.

  Glaring at him, Lasser eased to his haunches by the woman's side, his fingers sliding to her bruised neck, when he felt the pulse, he heaved a sigh of relief before reaching down and easing her into a sitting position.

  When her eyes flickered open, he tried to smile reassuringly.

  'It's OK, I'm a police officer,' he said, keeping his hands on her shoulders as she blinked at him in confusion.

  'What happened?' she mumbled before wiping a shaking hand across her lips.

  'I was hoping you could tell me that?' Lasser replied as she continued to look at him, baffled as to what she was doing propped against the front of the house.

  When he felt Brewster brush past him, Lasser whipped his head around.

  'Where do you think you're going?' he demanded.

  The reporter came to a halt but didn't turn around.

  'I asked you a question, Brewster?'

  'Michael?' Gemma mumbled his name as she focused on the back of his poodle hair.

  'You two know one another?' Lasser asked, his eyes narrowing.

  Brewster turned, his pinched expression full of spite. 'Her name is Gemma Fox, she's a colleague.'

  Lasser looked at the woman as she rolled her head on her shoulders and winced.

  'Well, what was she doing out cold and why were you not helping her, why were you in the bloody house?'

  'I was just going to help her and…'

  'And how were you going to do that?' Lasser demanded, his voice hardening.

  'But what are you even doing here?' Gemma asked, her eyes still laced with confusion as she continued to look up at Brewster.

  Lasser raised an eyebrow. 'Hang on, are you saying that you two didn't come here together?'

  When Gemma tried to get to her feet, Lasser helped her up, keeping hold of her arm for support.

  'You followed me here, didn't you?' she suddenly asked, her eyes starting to clear as she glared at the reporter.

  Lasser watched as Brewster's face curdled, with a strange amalgamation of hatred and greed.

  'I checked your pulse, I knew there was no serious damage and I wanted to make sure the house was secure and…'

  'What the fuck are you talking about?' Lasser demanded.

  Gemma Fox gasped; the air between the two men seemed to crackle with anger.

  'I've just explained and that's all I have to say on the matter,' Brewster snapped as he folded his arms, his weak chin tilted in defiance.

  'How can you secure a house when you are in it, you lying bastard?'

  Brewster said nothing in reply.

  'You followed me to Mr Lomax's house and then here, didn't you?' Fox asked.

  'I was simply doing my job,' Brewster glared at her.

  Lasser turned his back on the slimeball and looked at Gemma. 'Are you sure you're OK?'

  'Yeah, yeah I think so.'

  'I take it you came here to question Mark Draper?' he asked.

  She nodded and then winced again, her right hand tentatively rubbing at her neck. 'He grabbed me like I was a rag doll and slammed me against the doorframe, I can't believe how strong he was, how big.'

  'Who are we talking about?' Lasser asked, once more confused by her words.

  'He moved fast, I mean, I didn't have the time to get out of his way and he was carrying a man over his shoulder.'

  'Carrying a man?' Lasser asked as he felt the sense of dread close in.

  'Who's Draper?' Brewster suddenly asked.

  Lasser closed his eyed for a moment in an effort to control his anger. 'Can you wait here a moment whilst I check inside and…'

  'There's no one in there,' Brewster interrupted. 'And she's right, whoever the man is he was carrying someone over his shoulder.'

  'And how would you know that?' Lasser turned, his eyes full of loathing.

  'Because I saw him throw the injured man into the back of a car and by the time I was out of my vehicle he was driving away, he had no lights on, so I didn't get the make and model of the car and…'

  'No doubt that's another lie,' Lasser snapped, stepping into the house. Flicking a quick glance in the lounge, he pulled out his phone and called Bannister before heading into the kitchen.

  The DCI answered on the third ring. 'I fancy steak tonight with all the trimmings and…'

  'We've got a problem,' Lasser broke in as he looked towards Brewster who was still standing on the drive, his face like a slapped arse.

  'Explain?'

  Taking a deep breath, Lasser started to talk.

  36

  Rea had slipped the padded winter jacket on, and now she looked at the tins of food in the box. Wiping the tears from her eyes, her hunger vanished as she and tried to come to terms with her situation. She thought of her father, knowing that by now he would be frantic with worry, fearing the worst, and she had no doubt that the police would be involved.

  Lifting the woollen hat from the box, she trapped her hair beneath as she slipped it on and then she sat down on an overturned tea chest.

  The police would have known t
hat she was the one who put the call in to report the woman named Julie dead in the road, so no doubt they would be out searching for her, using Hamley Road as a starting point, the problem was she had no idea if there would be any clues to follow.

  When she thought about her captor, she felt the anger rise inside along with the hatred. He had stood there with the easy smile on his face as if he were her friend, rather than the bastard who had clubbed her from behind before bringing her here to this cold dank place of thick stone and damp earth.

  She thought about the woman named Julie, dashing through the darkness being pursued by the man who now held her. No doubt she had seen the headlights of the car lancing out into the night and hope would have flared in her heart, sensing escape. Then she pictured Mark behind the wheel, bleary eyed and pissed, probably cursing her for getting out of the car. For the first time she felt the sense of guilt cut through her anger as she realised that if she had stayed in the car, then she might have been able to stop him from hitting the woman as she ran out of the darkness.

  She would have made him stop and they could have helped the woman named Julie. Instead, she had died alone and broken in the darkness, and now the man who had been chasing her had taken her as some form of…

  'Compensation,' she muttered the solitary word.

  The man had been furious over the death of the woman named Julie but now he had his replacement. She was clueless about what his real motives were, though she had no doubt that eventually he would tell her, and she instinctively knew it wouldn't be good.

  When she heard the key in the lock, she tensed, and then it swung open, and she saw the darkness beyond as the man stepped into the building and closed the door behind him.

  The draft causing the candle flames to flicker and splutter.

  'I see you're making good use of the supplies,' he smiled stepping towards her, head tilted slightly. 'Is there anything else I can get you, anything you need?' he asked.

  'I need to get out of here,' she replied, her hands forming fists.

  'And you will, just not yet.'

  Rea felt the slight sense of hope flicker inside as she looked at him and he nodded.

  'Believe me, I have high hopes for you and by the time you are free you will be a better person, more complete, more able to make your mark in life.'

  'What are you talking about?' she asked, bemused by his nonsensical words.

  'You never really explained why someone like you was with a cretin like Draper?'

  'That's none of your business,' she suddenly snapped.

  The man laughed and clapped his hands again and she felt like flying at him, nails out to rake down his face, though she knew that if she tried then he would move again with lightning speed and she would be sprawled in the dirt once more, unable to breathe… or knocked out cold.

  'Please believe me, Rea, I am not one to judge, far from it, I believe in liberal freedoms.'

  'How do you know my name?' she suddenly demanded.

  'You had your driving licence, credit cards and phone in your bag, and if you give me the chance and cooperate then I may let you contact your father to let him know you are OK.'

  'But I'm not OK, am I, you are holding me against my will, so how can I ever be OK?'

  The man pursed his lips and nodded, the smile slipping. 'You're right of course, but such is life.'

  'And what the hell does that mean?'

  'It means that for now you will remain here and that's an end to the matter.'

  She saw the subtle change in his stance, heard it in his voice and Rea Lomax held her words in check, aware that the man was close to losing his temper again, she could sense it quivering in the air between them.

  'Now, enough of this doom and gloom, is there anything you need, anything that would make you more comfortable?' he asked again.

  'Where am I meant to sleep?' she asked, and then felt the amazement lance through her mind at how easily she was accepting her situation.

  'I have a camp bed; you can use that and a sleeping bag.'

  When she heard a beep, he lifted the phone from his pocket and she watched as his face was suddenly lit up with a smile, she heard the mumbled voice on the phone though she was unable to make out the words.

  Seconds later, he tapped at the screen. 'I have to leave you for a while, but I will be back shortly with the camp bed,' he said placing the phone back into his pocket.

  Rea tried to think of something to say but then he turned, and he was out through the door, she winced as it clanged shut and the key turned in the lock, once more the candlelight danced in the draft of cool air.

  Then she felt the emotion threaten to swamp her again and she gritted her teeth.

  'Not this time,' she hissed, her eyes flaring in anger, fists clenched.

  37

  'I'm sorry, but I have no idea what the man looked like, the house was in darkness, and it all happened so fast, I just know that he was huge,' Gemma Fox explained as she rubbed again at her tender throat.

  They were sitting in the Audi; Brewster had been ordered to wait in his ridiculous MG until Lasser could have a word.

  'And Dan Lomax told you where Draper lives?' Lasser asked, keeping his eye on the road waiting for Bannister to arrive.

  'He hates this Mark Draper; in fact, he's convinced he has something to do with the disappearance of his daughter.'

  Lasser said nothing as he tried to fathom how she had known about Lomax in the first place.

  'Is that what you believe?' she asked. 'Is Draper involved?'

  'What is wrong with you people?' Lasser turned his dark eyes on the woman, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, slight of build with light brown eyes.

  'What do you mean?' she frowned at his response.

  'Look, I understand you want a story, but is it really worth your life?'

  'My life?' she asked in bafflement.

  'If this guy is as big as you say, and he slammed you against the door like a ''rag doll'' then it seems that the only thing that stopped him doing serious damage was the fact that he was in a hurry and he had Draper over his shoulder.'

  He watched as her eyes widened with the reality of his words.

  'I know when the shock wears off, you'll convince yourself it wasn't really that bad, you might even get some kind of thrill from it all, after all that's what a 'real' investigative reporter does, they put themselves in danger to get to the truth, to get to the story.'

  She opened her mouth to reply but he didn't give her the chance.

  'That's how you probably see Brewster, after all, he had his own TV show, he's had big headlines in his career, but he still stepped over you to get into that house, is that how you want to end up?'

  'I was just following the leads, like you do.'

  Lasser shook his head. 'In my job I have people I can rely on, you on the other hand have Brewster,' he raised an eyebrow. 'In your job you are terrified of sharing anything because you could have the scoop snatched from under your nose. I mean, you had no idea that Brewster had followed you here, did you?'

  Gemma thought about his words and shook her head. 'My editor had told me to watch Michael Brewster.'

  'That was big of him, but where was your editor when that man was throttling you?'

  'Look, I know how to do the job and I appreciate the advice, but I'm not a child.'

  Lasser looked at her for a few seconds longer and then he shook his head and pushed the door open. 'You're free to go,' he said as he climbed out just as the headlights appeared in the darkness and Bannister pulled up alongside the car, the window sliding down letting out a blast of smoke in the process.

  'What's the score?' the DCI asked.

  By the time Lasser had explained about what had taken place, Bannister's expression was one of disbelief.

  'And you say this cave man had Draper over his bloody shoulder?'

  'Correct.'

  'And he almost throttled the reporter?'

  'Her name's Gemma Fox and let's just say she d
oesn't realise how lucky she's been,' Lasser said.

  Seconds later, the woman herself climbed from the Audi, Bannister watching as she made her way over to a white Astra, throwing them both a sharp look as she climbed into the car.

  'I take it she's the reporter?' Bannister asked.

  'Yeah, Brewster was spying on her, hoping to find out what lead she was following. It was only when the guy knocked her out and tossed Draper into the back of a car that he came sneaking forward and stepped over her to check the house out.'

  'So, he ignored her in the hope that there would be something in the house he could write about?'

  Lasser nodded as he pulled out the pack of cigarettes and lit one. 'You know what a bastard he is, he'll shit on anyone if it gets him a front page.'

  'That man has to be the biggest wanker ever to walk the face of this earth,' the DCI said, his eyes suddenly crammed with disgust.

  'Question is, why was Draper targeted, and who is responsible?'

  Bannister raised an eyebrow. 'Well, you normally have a theory or two up your sleeve, so let's hear them?'

  'The cupboard's bare,' Lasser admitted with a sigh.

  Opening the door of the Range Rover, Bannister stepped out and looked up at the night sky. 'There's another question, how did this Gemma Fox know about Lomax in the first place?'

  'She said it was her editor who gave her his details, she went to see him, and Lomax gave her Draper's address.'

  'Remind me to grill this editor.'

  'He'll only say, ''no comment'' or he's not at liberty to ''reveal his source'' you know what they're like.'

  Bannister grunted as he looked over to where Brewster was parked, his face a pale blob behind the windscreen.

  'Even from this distance he has the kind of face you want to repeatedly slap.'

  They walked over and Lasser opened the driver's door the hinges of the MG squealing. 'Out,' he demanded.

  'I have nothing to say to either of you two,' Brewster replied, still facing front, his face hidden by his stupid hair.

  Then Bannister leaned forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his 'Biggles flying jacket', the reporter yelping as he was hauled out of the car.