Vanished Beneath: DS Lasser six (The Lasser series Book 6) (26 page)

As soon as Bannister spotted the gents toilets he manhandled Spenner inside, Lasser catching the door before it slammed shut.

Bannister led the young officer to the far side of the room before spinning him around.
'Now, do you mind telling me what the bloody hell that was all about?'

Spenner looked manic, his eyes flitted left and right, his bottom lip wobbled, the dried blood on his chin cracked as he started to cry.

Bannister took a step back as if he had just caught the young PC performing a sex act in a public place. 'Listen to me, Spenner, I don't have time for tears and tantrums.'

Lasser sighed and slid his hands into his pockets. Bannister had often accused him of being tactless when it came to showing compassion and yet here he was pissing all over Spenner's emotional distress.

'Now, stop your
bloody bawling
and give us a description.'

Spenner fluttered his eyelashes like a silent movie star in turmoil. 'About six-two,' he sniffed.

'Go on.'

Spenner closed his eyes as if trying to recollect the attacker. 'Thirteen, maybe fourteen stone in weight.'

Bannister nodded.
'Good.'

'His hair was cut short,' Spenner lifted a hand and ran it across his head. 'Mousy brown and he had tattoos.'

'
Tattoo's
?' Lasser asked.

Spenner opened his eyes. 'I'm sorry I shouldn't have pushed DI Cooper.'

Bannister swiped a hand through the air. 'Never mind him, the tattoos, where did he have them?'

'Er, one on his neck and I think he had some stars on the knuckles of his right hand.'

'
Colly Roberts
,' Lasser sighed as Bannister spun to face him.

'You know this man?'

'Sarah Clark's boyfriend I went to see him after she died.'

'You're sure?'

Lasser nodded. 'He has a spider tattoo on his neck half finished.'

'
That's it
!' Spenner pushed himself away from the wall.

'Did he have old acne scars on his face?'

Spenner's eyes were alight with a kind of twisted glee. 'Yeah, yeah I remember now he had scars on his cheeks.'

'It's Roberts all right.' Lasser said.

'You have his address?'

'Millers Lane.'

Bannister looked up at the ceiling tiles and then his shoulders slumped. 'Spenner you need to take some time off.'

Spenner shook his head. 'No thanks sir, I'll be fine.'

'It isn't open for debate.'

Spenner sniffed as if he had just detected a foul stench. 'You want to get rid of me, you're just like
Cooper
he says my days are numbered.'

Bannister glowered. 'Did he now.'

'But I need this job; I've just moved into a new flat, I can't afford to lose...'

'Nobody is getting rid of you Spenner.'

Spenner looked unconvinced. 'I know I've been a liability sir, but give me another chance,
please
,' he clasped his hands beneath his chin like a small child kneeling at the foot of his bed in prayer.

'You're not
listening
, your job's safe, you have the makings of a good officer but you need to get yourself sorted.'

Spenner blinked in confusion. '
Sorted
?'

Bannister clapped him on the shoulder. 'It makes sense to talk to someone, take some time off, I'm not talking months, just enough time to get to grips with what happened. I mean, I told Lasser I thought you'd come back too soon. Now I admire your fortitude, but you can't rush these things it takes time to come to terms with what happened to you.'

Spenner looked at Lasser who gave him the slightest of nods. 'He's right Spenner.'

Bannister frowned. 'Of course I'm bloody right!'

'So you won't sack me?'

'I promise Spenner you get the help and your job will be here when you get back.'

Spenner juddered a huge sigh of relief.
'Thank you,'
his voice quivered with pent up emotion.

'Now go and get that lip sorted and then get yourself off home.'

'Will do sir.'

Bannister looked over his shoulder as one of the cubical doors opened and an elderly man tottered out on a Zimmer frame.

'
How's a fella meant to move his bowels with you lot standing outside the door
,' he grimaced and rubbed at his stomach.

'Sorry about that,' Bannister mumbled. 'We were just leaving.'

The man waved a hand. 'Don't bother it's worn off me now.'

They watched as he hobbled over to the door and pushed his way through.

'Right Lasser, we need everyone out looking for this Colly Roberts character.'

'Right.'

'He shouldn't be too hard to find, spider tattoo on his neck, stars on his knuckles and according to Doc Shannon more than likely drenched in blood.'

Bannister grinned wolfishly. 'Even you should be able to track him down Sergeant.'

'Any chance of
me
going off sick?' Lasser asked with a sigh.

'Forget it you're beyond help.'

Spenner smiled.

72

'But you must have something you can use?'

They were parked in Horwich town centre, the streets bustling with shoppers.

Emma shook her head. 'You dragged me out of the house remember, all my stuffs back at Medea's place.'

'Fuck!'
Forbes slammed his hand on the wheel.

Weak sunlight bled in through the windscreen, Emma could smell her stale body in the confines of the car.

'Right, you'll have to go into the bank tell them you've had your bank card stolen.'

'But...'

'Don't argue with me Emma, you'll do as I say and remember I know where your friend lives and your father so if you even think of running then they'll be the ones who pay for your stupidity, do you understand what I'm saying to you?'

Emma looked into his eyes and saw the promise there.
'Yes.'

'Right, we'll go together then I can keep my eye on you.'

'But...'

He grabbed her wrist and twisted; Emma gasped and tried to pull away. 'Like I said you need to learn a harsh lesson, for every action there is an opposite reaction.'

'You're hurting me!'
she whimpered.

'Not half as much as I will do if you fuck me about, and remember your frail old dad, well just keep him in your mind and we'll be fine.' He let her arm go and climbed from the car watching her over the roof as she stood on the pavement blinking in the sunlight like a cave dweller seeing daylight for the first time.

Closing the door, he beeped on the alarm and moved to her side before taking hold of her hand, just another young couple strolling along doing a bit of window-shopping.

Emma could feel the scream building inside, with so many people it should have been easy to drag herself free kicking and screaming. Trouble was she had spent too long in London, a place where people never got involved in others arguments. She'd seen it on the streets enough times, couples screaming at one another and passer-by’s looking the other way desperate not to become entangled in the drama.

Forbes tightened his grip as if he could sense her intentions.
'Go on,'
he hissed from the corner of his mouth.
'Scream and see what happens.'

Emma clamped her lips together in fear, somehow she knew that if she did manage to break free then he would disappear in the crowd and make good his promise. By the time the police had been called, he would be pulling up in front of her father's house or worse still on Medea's drive. Precious minutes would be wasted as she tried to explain to some faceless police officer and then he would probably contact his superior to find out what he should do about the mad woman with the tall tale to tell. It was hopeless, surrounded by all these people and yet she was still a prisoner.

'Right in we go,' Forbes said as they reached the bank.

Emma blinked as he steered her inside.

73

Boris looked at his brother in disbelief, for the first time ever he could see a look of confusion on Norvil's face.

'What do you mean he's dead?' Boris asked.

They were back in the yard the sound of metal twisting clanged out as the crusher belched into life.

Norvil shook his head before dropping the phone into his pocket. 'Our man said he was killed an hour ago, some bugger attacked him in the ozzie and smashed his fucking brains all over the room.'

'But who'd want to kill Elliot?'

'Well me actually,' Norvil grinned. 'But it looks as if someone saved us the bother.'

Boris nodded slowly as he absorbed the news. 'But it still doesn't help us get the gear back Norv.'

'No but at least we know Elliot won't be grassing us up.'

Boris smiled. '
Yeah
that's right.'

'It also means we can try and find out where he stashed it without having the filth breathing down our necks.'

'So what do you want me to do?'

Norvil flicked out a cigarette and sparked up. 'You dealt with the man, I want you to get out there and track down any friends he had. People like Elliot can never keep their mouths shut, he'll have bragged to someone about taking the gear, he won't have been able to help himself.'

'Right I get you.'

'Start with any girlfriends.'

'Good idea Norv.'

Norvil grabbed his sleeve. 'We don't have time to mess about Boz so turn the
fucking screw
.'

Boris smiled widely, for the first time in days he felt back on familiar ground, Norv might be the brains, but when it came to threatening behaviour then Boris was in his element.

'I'll get right on it.'

'First I want you to get over to Iknoff's place, remind his missus what will happen if her husband decides to talk.'

'You want me to give Pitt a call?'

Norvil thought for a moment, Dave Pitt was an animal, when he wasn't lifting weights at the gym he would make people disappear, usually for a very small fee. Boris could be frightening but when Dave Pitt knocked on your door then you knew it was serious.

'Yeah why not, but don't let him off the leash unless you absolutely have to.'

Boris nodded, 'Understood.'

Norv looked up at a sky the colour of smudged lead. 'As soon as you know anything you ring me.'

Boris fished the car keys from his overalls. 'No worries.'

74

As they pulled off the car park the first of the media vans were arriving, Lasser caught a glimpse of Michael Brewster climbing from a white van, his hair blowing in the breeze his trademark leather jacket flapping as he ran towards the hospital.

'Look at that
bastard!'
Bannister snapped. 'Why couldn't it have been him battered to death with a bed pan?'

Lasser smiled and then they were back in the mid-morning traffic.

'Right do you think Colly Roberts is thick enough to go home for a change of clothes and a shower?'

Lasser thought for a moment. 'Normally I'd say no, but when I saw him the other day he seemed genuinely crushed about what had happened to Sarah Clark.'

'Love’s young dream eh?'

'He said he didn't deal anymore and according to him Sarah was clean.'

'Well he's hardly going to admit he was supplying her with gear is he?' Bannister took a left at the Tesco traffic lights.

'Nah, he seemed different somehow.'

Bannister glanced sideway at Lasser. 'Not turning soft are we Sergeant?'

Lasser shrugged. 'I can only tell you what I think.'

'Well you never know we might find him at home, drunk with remorse about his actions.'

'I said he seemed different I never said he was soft in the head.'

Bannister grunted a noncommittal response. 'You do realise that Superintendent Mills will go ballistic when he finds out about Elliot.'

Lasser looked out of the window, as far as he was concerned Mills could go and fuck himself. 'It won't be the first time.'

'After what happened over the
‘Mack’
case he hates the both of us with a vengeance.'

'Yeah well I've crossed him of my Christmas card list so see how he likes that.'

Bannister sighed heavily. 'You refuse to take things seriously don't you Lasser?'

'I don't lose sleep over Mills if that's what you're asking.'

Bannister eased over the canal bridge and then turned right before heading out to Platt Bridge.

When Lasser's phone began to warble, he slid if from his pocket and checked the screen.