The Escape (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 2) Read online

  “Yeah I still have a few people that I trust to ask that sort of stuff. I’ll look into who he has been in contact with and see if any one knows his where abouts. Jane you going to be ok?”

  “Yeah I’m ok don’t worry. You can get going I know you have a lot to do I’ll be fine here.”

  “Ok babe I’ll ring or drop back in if I manage to find out any major information. And I will be back later to pick you up. No leaving the station.”

  “Yes Sir. Go on get going I’ll be fine here.”

  With that Jane, Amy, Ian and the Superintendent all set to work on their tasks. Amy and Ian to Jane’s relief seemed to be working well together like their normal happy selves. They were trying to trace the location of the phone booth the call was made from. There aren’t many left in the area so hopefully it shouldn't be too hard. Jack and Eric were still scanning through the security footage from the train station. Jane and the Superintendent were looking through some of the associate files. Ruling out some of the ones that he couldn’t of spoken to because they were registered in the system at being in custody. But again they were having to cross reference to see if any of them had been in the same prison institute as Thaddeus to see if he could have had any help like that on the inside. Hopefully Perry will be able to help cut down the list even further. He must have been in contact with someone in the area. Assuming that he has come here. Time flew by without any of them realising. The Superintendent had also set to work at setting up a press conference with the Chief warden of the prison to update the public on safety precautions. And also to get a tip line set up for any sightings of Thaddeus although they never really yielded much useful information. Jane hoped that it would be another way for Thaddeus himself to get into contact with them; Jane still remembered how much Thaddeus liked to talk. Eric and Jack had scanned their way through most of the security footage and found photographic evidence of Thaddeus entering a train at eleven fifty six with the last stop on the line he was on being Basildon. So from Fenchurch Street where Thaddeus had dumped the police van he had picked up a train, which left London, and re-entered the boundaries of Essex. So they could be pretty certain he was in the area somewhere. They were going to see if they could get hold of the security footage from the rest of the stops along that trains route to see if they could trace where he got off. Ian and Amy had also had some luck they had managed to track down the pay phone that the call had been made from and it came from one in Grays. So they told Jack and Eric to check those security tapes first. It also meant that for now they could narrow down the associates list to any one in the Thurrock area. Jane sent Perry a quick text to update him with the new information. As they were all sitting there discussing the progress they had made so far Alan Henchman the police officer that sat on the front desk came in with a package. He had just had to sign for it in receipt for Jane. It had been delivered by a parcel force delivery guy, which Jane found unusual, as it wasn’t a big box it was a hard cardboard thick envelope. As Jane set to opening the envelope the tension in the station was at an all time high, she figured nobody else had forgotten how Thaddeus had sent her letters before. As Jane slid out the contents of the envelope she had to fight to keep the contents of her stomach down as her eyes caught sight of what were photos. Jane pulled out a total number of five photographs. Each one displayed and depicted a different view of a woman being murdered. She was roughly the same age and had the same physical attributes as Jane. From the photos Jane could tell that the woman was suspended from a tree by ropes that were tied round both her arms and her neck. Thaddeus as it seemed then depicted in his photos, carved the word Jane into the ladies abdomen, while she was alive. He then subjected the poor lady to having both her eyelids cut and torn off. So she could do nothing but stare into the mad face of Thaddeus. The next photos showed him cutting the ropes from around her arms so she was left suspended from the tree by the rope at her neck. She was literally hung. Jane couldn’t believe it. Thaddeus had only been escaped from police custody a day and he had already murdered and tortured a poor woman. The next problem they had was where was the body. No body had been reported so what had he done with it. They needed the body to examine for evidence. Hopefully it would yield something to reveal his location. And the family would want it to lay the poor woman to rest. For two hours none of them could concentrate on any other work that needed doing. All they could think about was finding the body. They tried scanning the background of the photos hoping to find some distinguishable landmark or building, but to no prevail. What Jane wasn’t expecting was to receive a phone call from her neighbour John who lived two doors up. Jane had never really spoken to him much but her whole floor had her private number for emergencies. So she was highly concerned when she first saw the caller ID. He had actually phoned to ask if she wanted him to take the big parcel that was on her doorstep in to keep it safe. And because it looked quite heavy. Jane instantly had the horrifying thought as to what it was, as she hadn’t ordered anything.

  “No John leave it where it is and don’t touch it. If anyone else comes along before I get back make sure they don’t either. I am on my way now.”

  Jane couldn’t believe it but she was pretty sure that Thaddeus had delivered the body they were looking for right to her doorstep.

  Chapter 6

  Jane couldn’t believe it she was fighting the urge to be sick. Not only were the images of the woman being murdered still playing around in her head. She now had the horrifying thought that the body of that victim was sitting on her apartments doorstep. The sick way that he had intricately carved her name into the woman’s abdomen. The way he had cut and tore of her eyelids made Jane’s insides rot and twist with guilt and apprehension. He had pretty much addressed the body and the death to her. And left it at her home. It was all a message for Jane a sick little note of Thaddeus mind. If it was a message from Thaddeus Jane didn’t understand it yet. All Jane could get from the removal of the eyelids was the fact that the lady seemed more able to stare through the camera lens. Straight through to Jane as if to say why would you let this happen to me it’s you he wants. Thaddeus knew the guilt that would manifest in Jane at that thought. He had seen it first hand when Jane had to watch Layla being tortured and there was nothing she could do about it. Jane had to remember Thaddeus was all about the mind games; he wanted to throw Jane off balance, to cause as much fear as possible. And tearing off a woman’s eyelids while she is still alive is definitely an extreme form of causing fear and pain. Thaddeus was all about the dance and the hunt between the two of them. He loved being able to show that he was in control, he loves watching the fear brew, not just in the victim that he is murdering but the people surrounding the investigation, and the general public for that matter. And so far with all the moves that he had played from whatever game he had invented he had managed it perfectly. So now Jane needed to stop throwing herself her pity party. Take back control and get moving on catching the little rat and putting him back in his cage. Her Superintendent was on the phone to Doctor Dave Berry the coroner he was telling him it would be best to meet them at Jane’s apartment, as they believed a body of a victim had been delivered there and they needed him for on site analysis and removal of the body. Amy was on the phone telling the rest of the crime scene technicians to meet them there as well. Which was good Jane did not want to be the one that was responsible for messing up a partial crime scene. Jane thought she had best ring Perry and give him an update as to what was going on plus the fact she had promised that she wouldn’t leave the station. But unfortunately that was now a promise that was not available for Jane to keep. But as always Perry was the most understanding and concerned partner he could be. He was more interested in making sure that Jane was going to be safe. He even offered to meet Jane and her team at her apartment. But Jane said there was no need, as the place would be crawling with police and crime scene investigators as well as the coroner. She would be more than safe. Jane rode in the car with Ian and Amy while their Superintendent rode in t
he car upfront with Eric and Jack. There were also another two escorting police officer cars that were to remain outside the building circulating the perimeter. When Jane arrived at her apartment block Ian and Eric who had been driving pulled down into the underground parking lot of Jane’s apartment building. She directed them through the downstairs entrance and made their way up to Jane’s floor. When they arrived her neighbour John was still standing outside his front door staring at the package with unique interest but apprehension at the same time.

  “Jane is everything ok? What is in the box? I haven’t touched it but as I got up close to it it’s making the weirdest humming sound.”

  Eric who had once been in the army was the first to approach the box as the rest of the team stood back and stared with a mix of puzzlement and cautiousness. If the box contained human remains like they thought why was it humming. The box certainly did look big enough Jane thought to fit a body in. Eric started to have a look around Jane thought from the outside that nothing seemed unusual or distinguishable about it. But Eric seemed rather perplexed and then almost as though the fog had lifted and the perplexing in his mind had been resolved as the answer to their problem presented itself the colour drained from his face.

  “We need to clear the area and we need to get the bomb disposal unit here now!!”

  “Eric what is it? How bad are we talking?”

  “The box is rigged with a trigger bomb so that as soon as you go to open the box boom. Bang there goes our evidence. I’m pretty sure as well although without the right tools to check but I’m sure it’s sitting on a pressure plate bomb. So if the weight of the package changes or the position shuffles too much again boom. Bang there goes our evidence.”

  “Oh my God this is unbelievable we need to clear the area now. When and how did Thaddeus learn about explosive devices? There was nothing in his file or anything ever in his signature that he has included thus far involves him having the knowledge to pull this off and now we have two bombs.”

  “Well it’s safe to say that what we need to help us find him is definitely in that box. Otherwise he wouldn’t have gone to so much effort to make it so hard for us to get at.”

  “Definitely sir. At all costs we are going to need to make sure that the evidence makes it out of that box in one piece and to where we want it.”

  Jane was certain that Thaddeus did not have the extensive knowledge needed to build such devices. It would take years of practice; knowledge and experience to create two devices like this. He could of easily blown up himself while making them. And she was almost certain that Thaddeus did not possess that knowledge before he went to prison. But could he possibly have learnt it while he was incarcerated, Jane was doubtful but she would need to take a closer look at the system. It would probably be a good ides to have a chat with the Chief warden at the prison as well. See if any of the inmates that Thaddeus could of come into contact with had the appropriate knowledge and skill. The Superintendent was off down the hall putting the request in for the bomb unit. Eric was showing Jack rather cautiously all the signs that pointed to the package being rigged that you could see on the outside. Jane realised as she looked around that Ian had pulled Amy into a small alcove further up the hall as Jane stepped a few feet closer to them she realised they were having a rather intense and personal conversation. From the part that Jane overheard was Ian telling Amy that it wasn’t safe for her to be in the field and that the first thing an active police woman should do when she finds out is take herself out of the field. From that one statement Jane thought she had guessed their situation and why their relationship had been a tad more fraught lately. Jane came up with an idea that would hopefully help them both out without it causing too much notice before they were ready to announce their news. And to great timing her Superintendent had made it off the phone.

  “Bomb squad five minutes out.”

  “Ok Sir you should probably head back to the station the Chief warden will be arriving soon for the press conference.”

  “Oh dam I forgot about that.”

  “I was thinking Ian and Amy why don’t you head back to the station with him. I’m pretty certain that Thaddeus didn’t have the knowledge or skill to pull off something like this before he went to prison. So if you two could look back into the logs perhaps maybe mention to the chief warden about it see if he knows of anyone that could have taught him. Plus bomb squad is going to want the least amount of people in here possible.”

  “Ok Jane good idea are you sure you have everything covered here? The two escorting police cars will still be here as well as Eric and Jack.”

  “Yeah not a problem just sends a few more unit cops to help start banging on the doors and get a perimeter set up.”

  “Sure thing ring us with any updates.”

  “Yes sir.”

  As Ian, Amy and the Superintendent walked off Amy looked back at Jane with an expression of gratitude and I’ll explain later. Jane thought to herself that she had figured the situation between Ian and Amy but she would wait until Amy was ready to give her that explanation before making any comments. The look of gratitude showed Jane that she had probably just saved Amy from more of an ear bashing. Jane, Eric and Jack started to bang on as many doors as they could get too without leaving the package unattended too much. Jane wanted to get the vicinity closed up as much as possible. Jane sent Jack down to start co-ordinating with the new units that were pulling up to help and to liaise with bomb squad as soon as that turns up to discuss protocol and how far the perimeter should be back. The bomb unit was there faster than their five-minute call out and they were even quicker to get the ball rolling. They wanted at least a five street block out perimeter and they wanted that pushed out as quickly as possible. The young man that they sent up to do the initial investigation of the package was a young man of thirty-two Tony Hill. He seemed very quick and efficient as he worked over assessing the package while conversing with Eric, as he was the one that made the initial discovery.

  “Ok the trigger bomb is very simple and will be easy to disarm so one bomb down no need to worry. The pressure plate bomb underneath is going to be a little trickier but I do have the right equipment to do that. What do we think is in the package?”

  “Human remains of a murder victim that we really need in tact for obvious reasons.”

  “Ok that’s a first. How much do you estimate the package at weighing?”

  “She was approximately five feet five say 135 pounds so what’s that nine stone five.”

  “Ok that’s great I can work with that. Now I know you are concerned about getting to what is in this box and making sure I don’t compromise any evidence. But I need you to push out to the perimeter. I promise you I will get you what you need safely but you need to clear the area first.”

  “Ok if we must but be careful and good luck.”

  Jane reluctantly left the scene as much as her heart was racing from the adrenaline of being in such a situation, it was the first time Jane had ever been in the vicinity of a bomb, and Jane still wanted to be there.

  “First time around a bomb Mam?”

  “Yeah Eric how did you guess?”

  “You got that look. Don’t worry I was talking to that young guy he knew what he was doing. Were gets to our evidence and everything will be fine. Any ideas where Jack is?”

  “No he should be along here somewhere.”

  It felt like forever that Jane and Eric were pacing the perimeter line, with no sightings of Jack and no help to Jane’s level of patience. Jane wanted to be up at her apartment so she could learn the outcome fast and first hand. Her patience wasn’t being helped much by the fact that she had developed three extra shadows. Every move Jane made Eric and the two escorting officers moved with her. Jane respected the fact that it was risky being out in the open like this. I mean Thaddeus could of set the whole bomb thing up as a distraction so that he could get to her. But Jane’s patience or tolerance was not built for the apprehension of the bomb and feeling like a
child under watch. It felt like a lifetime had passed while Jane was pacing when finally the bomb tech radioed through that the scene was clear and the bombs were disarmed. Jane pretty much ran dragging Eric and her two escorting police officers with her. She made it back outside her apartment within record time.

  “How did it go? All well and the evidence is fine?”

  “More than fine all the bombs have been deactivated now for safety. I did have to open the package to remove the rest of the trigger bomb device and to check that it was clear of all others. We will take these away with us and carry out an investigation into how these were made, components, ingredients and signature with the bombs and such and we will get in touch with that information. I have scanned the contents of the box and its clear and free. No more incendiary devices so your coroner and crime scene technicians are free to start their work. Before I cut into the box I did remove this from the front as I didn’t want to ruin it but it has your name on it Detective.”

  Jane placed on crime scene gloves and took the envelope of the bomb disposal technician and thanked him with as much gratitude as she could muster. Jane couldn’t believe that he was only thirty-two. He didn’t seem fazed by that experience, he did not bat an eyelid at the situation and handled it all with such care and grace it amazed Jane. Jane held the envelope in her hands for a few moments dubious and cautious about opening it knowing full well it was probably a communication from Thaddeus. To no surprise it was another letter reminding Jane of the first one he had ever sent her.