PEEL-BEHIND THEIR EYES. Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter 25. Sink or swim

The darkened room hummed with a static crackle that was just within the range of human hearing, Havers could hear it and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The air conditioning made his throat dry and itchy, he began to cough loudly over Polmis's shoulder as they watched the TV screen.

"For god sakes put your hand over your mouth " Polmis moaned, irritated by both the man's poor hygiene and the intrusion into his personal space.

"What is it you are looking for anyway?" Polmis asked as he pressed eject on the decades old VHS recorder and removing the tape cassette.

Havers pointed to the computer tower and said "I want to review the security footage we collected of all the white vans that could possibly have been used to abduct the girls, especially the last one we haven't managed to identify"

Polmis rested the palm of his hand over the mouse and guided the arrow on the computer monitor until it floated over the small file icon named Meredith 1.8.8.2. Double clicking the mouse Polmis opened it to reveal a list of ongoing threads that were being constantly updated. At the bottom, he found CCTV and opening it found yet another list of files, mid-way down where the video files Havers was asking to see, especially the video titled VAN and a question mark.

Polmis tapped the play button and the monitor screens police logo was replaced by a grainy black and white video of traffic passing by the SAVE 'A' LOT shop that Havers recognized as the one down Scathor road.

Already unsettled by the possibility that he was sleeping with the sister of the murderer they were hunting, now he was looking a video waiting to see a white van similar in description as one seen at two of the abduction sites and which was the same type as the van he had seen Richard Barringer drive away in earlier.

Havers miserably waited for the imaged of the white van to appear on the screen, in a blink of an eye there it was and in a flash was gone. Polmis quickly rewound the footage and as the van reversed back into view he froze the video. There on the screen was a poor quality image that had been captured on a shops cheaply installed security camera that had been angled to capture images of escaping shoplifters through the shop front window and which was not meant to capture fast moving vehicles.

"Shit, the angle is all wrong you can't see even a bit of the number plate and the driver is just a dark blur" Havers blurted out, but he did notice that the vans front wheel trim was missing, whereas the rear wheel was a light gray disk the front was almost black. Havers knew he had to check out the van Richard Baringer was driving before he met up with Stephanie later that evening. As soon as Malloy had left with the DNA samples earlier Havers had phoned Samantha, he knew it wouldn't be a happy meeting.

Staring at the blurred image of the van on the flickering screen he thought "I can't tell Samantha that I suspect her brother of being Grimsby Gouger's copycat unless I have some sort of evidence to at least place him in the area and at roughly the time of one of the abductions"

Turning away from the computer he dug his phone out of his pocket and began to dial and headed for the door.

Polmis raised a hand as if to wave farewell and shouted sarcastically after the retreating detective "NO THATS OK I DON'T MIND HELPING" and under his breathe finished with "Arsehole!"

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Constable Jameson approached the open door of DCI Peels office and knocked on the frame. Seeing Detective Grayson look up at him Jameson stepped into the office and clearing his throat, said.

"I was hoping to see... I hmm guess it's obvious who I expected to see. I didn't mean to disturb you, I'll come back later" he turned to leave.

Muck half smiled at the lad's mumblings and remembered when he had been that young and that green. "You just missed him. What is it you wanted lad I'm sure I can help you"

Jameson stepped forward and looking from Mason to Muck asked "I was wondering what next, do I hang around with detective Polmis or shall I get back to my normal duties"

Muck shook his head with disappointment, he wasn't sure why Peel had shown an interest in Jameson but personally he thought the lad was lazy but he trusted Peels intuition more than his own doubts so he would go along with it. Throwing down the pen he had in his hand he said.

"Look Jameson you've got a chance here DCI Peel has chosen you for advancement if you shine you can become a detective and join us here or you can dither be lackluster and be left behind. It's your choice you need to decide what you want and drive it forward. Don't stand around waiting for us to tell you what to do, go read the latest on case Meredith 1.8.8.2 and come tell us what you think and what we've missed and where we should go from here, or go back to your normal duties, you understand?"

Mason smiled as he watched Jameson squirm as Muck gave him a kick up the arse and said "Sink or swim boy around here people tend not to get a second chance"

Jameson nodded "Yes sir, sir's I understand thank you" turning he dashed out of the office and headed back down to the incident room.

Mason laughed at the sight of Jameson all but running down the hallway "Nice dressing down Muck it was almost like watching Peel himself in action"

Muck picked up his pen held it with both hands and said as he remembered a very similar memory "Yes it did didn't it, that was almost word for word what the Boss said to me when I was still in uniform over 15 years ago"

Mason climbed to his feet with a groan as his knees audibly cracked and placed his stained coffee mug down on the desk.

"I guess I can't sit here talking all day, things to do people to see murderers to catch," he said and headed for the door.

Muck nodded in agreement and asked, "What have you planned next?"

Mason slowed "There's a lot more going on, or there was a lot more going on with both Roberts father and the Barringer woman and I'm going to find out. I have a strong feeling there's a skeleton in a closet somewhere dying to get out" he chuckled at his own quip "You?"

Muck tapped his pen on the phone and said "I need to have a word with Doctor Roper about the DNA results before the boss pays him a visit like the one his psychiatrist is about to receive; I don't like either of their chances once he has a temper burning. And I need to see if Malloy has given him the latest batch of evidence"

As muck lifted the phone's receiver and dialed Mason closed the office door and headed for the archive room. He knew he had a long day of searching through documents that probably hadn't seen the light of day for over three decades. Taking a strip of tablets from his jacket pocket he popped a single tablet from its foil shell and swallowed it. He hated dust, like pollen, it set off his allergies. Hopefully, the antihistamine would allow his to survive the oncoming battle to see and breath. As he skipped down the stairs he said to himself "Right let's find out what the hell was going on between the Peels and Barringers. This is going to be good I can feel it in my bones"

(Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. All comments are truly welcome and are very helpful. If you could walk your finger over to the star and vote, that would be marvelous. Thank you!)