The Mark of a Man
Prologue
"TYLER!"
No-one in CID even turned to look any more as the familiar shout echoed around the office.
DS Ray Carling glanced up as the Guv paused by his desk, knocking his feet from the pile of files where they'd been resting comfortably.
"Grab your coat Raymondo. We've 'ad a shout. Kiddie's gone missing – witness says it were a gang. Bastards! Where's Chris?"
Ray surged to his feet, grabbing his jacket and hurrying after his boss.
"Off ill, Guv. 'Is Mam rang in this morning. Hangover I think."
"Useless twat."
Gene Hunt was in no mood to hear about Chris Skelton's woes today. A child had been kidnapped – stolen from her parents on his patch, his watch. If there was one thing that drove him insane it was the thought of kiddie fiddlers operating in his city, preying on the young, delighting in the corruption of the innocent.
"We've got to find 'er, Ray. Now. Before the bastards have a chance to . . to . ." He couldn't even bring himself to think the worst, let alone say it, but he knew that Ray's feelings on the matter would be the same as his own. Striding down the corridor towards the lift he raised his voice and shouted again.
"TYLER! Where the bloody 'ell are you?"
"I think 'e's down in the canteen, Guv."
"Well get down there and bloody well drag 'im out. I'll meet you at the car."
Gene turned on his hill and strode through the station leaving Ray to go and search out his nemesis.
DI Sam Tyler was sitting in the canteen, sharing a bowl of treacle tart and custard with Annie Cartwright. Ray paused by the double doors for a second, watching them. They made a handsome couple, the dashing detective inspector and the pretty WPC. Sam laughed at something Annie said as she dipped the spoon into the bowl and raised it to his mouth. Sam carefully licked all the remnants of the dessert from the spoon and his lips whilst Ray's own lip curled in distaste; what was a fit girl like her doing with a nancy boy like Tyler anyway. Ray doubted that Tyler had even kissed her yet. Pouf!!
Sticking his head around the door, Ray summoned Sam who rose, apologising to Annie, and sauntered over, grinning and relaxed.
"Get yer skates on." Ray jerked his head in the direction of the car park. "Guv's waiting in the car. There's a kiddie been abducted"
The smile fell off Sam's face and a look of determination hardened the normally soft features. "Brief me, then. Tell me what I need to know."
"The Guv'll do that on the way."
All thoughts of their personal antagonism fell away as two grim, professional police officers strode out of the station to the Cortina, where Gene was waiting impatiently.
--o0o--
Having dropped Ray off to do the rounds of the local snouts, Gene and Sam pulled up outside a small, clean terraced house in a small, clean terraced street. The front door flew open as they approached and an almost hysterical woman rushed out to meet them.
"Have you found her? Have you found my Sarah?"
"I'm sorry, Mrs Kirk, but not yet. I'm Detective Inspector Tyler and this is Detective Chief Inspector Hunt," Gene nodded curtly at the mention of his name, "but I want you to call me Sam. OK?"
"Yes, thank you." She sniffed. 'Please, won't you come in?"
They followed her into the front room, Sam talking constantly, soothingly, trying to calm the distraught mother down so he could extract as much information as he could about her missing daughter. Gene sat and fumed silently like a corked volcano, waiting to erupt into action once he had a lead, a hunch, a gut feeling, anything to go on.
Finally Sam had finished his gentle questioning and they left the house clutching a school photo showing a smiling, red headed 9 year old, all bunches and missing teeth. Gene snatched the photo from Sam's hand as they walked back to the car and glared at it, imprinting the image in his mind, snarling in rage that someone, anyone, had dared to lay hands on a child under his protection.
"You can't be everywhere, Gene." Sam began before Gene turned on him savagely.
'Of course I should be everywhere! The scum of this city should be so afraid of me that they wouldn't even dream of pulling a stunt like this. Bastards! Bastards!" Gene threw his cigarette end to the floor and stamped on it viciously.
"Come on, then. Let's see if Raymondo has had any luck."
Ray, as it turned out, had unearthed one of his most reliable snouts, a sleazy little toe-rag who worked casually down in the docks. He'd been working that morning, loading pallets, when he'd seen a little girl being hustled into one of the empty warehouses that lined the decaying waterside of the Manchester Ship Canal. Ray had had to expend a fiver of his own money, plus considerable energy in the form of slaps of encouragement before finally getting the exact location of the warehouse, which he gleefully passed on to Gene when he leapt into the rear seat of the car.
"Got 'em." Gene gloated. "I know that area like the back of me 'and. OK, let's go and get Sarah back."
--o0o--
"Guv. . . Gene. We should call for backup. We don't know how many of them are in there; if they're armed; if they'll hurt the kid. Gene, please, just wait."
Sam's pleas fell on deaf ears as Gene studied the layout of the warehouse, laying his plans.
"Ray?"
"Guv."
"Take the outside stairs and check the first floor offices. Me and Worry-knickers here 'll check the ground floor."
Ray nodded shortly and headed towards the stairway. At the top he drew his gun and slid silently through the unlocked door. He watched through the window as Gene and Sam disappeared around the corner before beginning to pick his way through the empty offices lining the upper floor of the building.
He worked slowly and methodically, checking each room in turn as they led one onto another, looking in every cupboard and cabinet. All the while he prayed that he would find nothing, that she wouldn't be here. The happy face of the little girl in the photograph burned into his mind and his stomach turned over every time he opened a door, fearing what he might find inside.
He was nearing the end of his search and had just about managed to convince himself that the building was empty when he heard a scratching sound coming from the next office. Peering through the cracked and dust covered window in the door, he saw her – Sarah – hunched up in a corner, her small face streaked with dust and tears.
Ray went dizzy with the relief of finding her, apparently, unharmed. Easing the door open he padded into the room.
"Hello, Sweetheart"
A solemn tear-stained face looked up at him and deeply ingrained good manners made her reply.
"Hello."
Trying to school his rough features into a less fearsome aspect, Ray knelt down in front of her.
"I'm very glad to see you, Sarah. Your Mam and Dad have been ever so worried about you." He held out his hand to her. "D'you want to come with me to go and find them?"
She shrank away from him shaking her head.
"No," she replied, "My Daddy says I mustn't talk to strange men."
Ray's bright blue twinkled at her.
"But I'm not a strange man. I'm a policeman and I've come to take you home."
"My Daddy says . . . ."
Her words were cut off as a rough voice from behind Ray cut mockingly across her.
"My Daddy says – the only good copper's a dead copper."
Ray froze as he heard the unmistakeable click of a pistol being cocked near the back of his head.
"Hands behind yer 'ead, Pig."
Moving slowly so as not to provoke a reaction, Ray laced his fingers together behind his neck. He kept his eyes fixed on Sarah's face and smiled comfortingly at her.
"Don't you worry, Sweetheart. Everything's gonna be alright. You'll see."
A sardonic laugh came from behind him.
"If yer countin' on yer mates, then don't bother."
The sounds of punches being thrown came from the opposite door as Ray's captor huffed his pleasure.
"'Ere they are now."
The door burst open as Gene and Sam were manhandled through it, Sam cursing and swearing loudly at his captors while Gene's face was white and drawn. He leant heavily against Sam, appearing only half conscious, relying on Sam's strength to hold him up. Ray's stomach sank as he watched his hopes of Sarah and himself getting out in one piece collapse to the floor, hands tied and surrounded by men wielding baseball bats.
"Say goodbye to your little friends, Carling." Snarled the unknown voice.
Ray shot a quick glance of comprehension at Sam's horrorstruck face then turned back to Sarah.
"Don't you fret." He told her calmly. "None of this is your fault. OK?"
She nodded solemnly back at him. "OK." She replied.
"Good girl." He said and smiled at her, a smile of such valour that Sam couldn't bear to watch it and turned his head away, not wanting to intrude on such a private moment.
"Close yer eyes, Sweetheart." Ray whispered just before a cannon exploded in his ear, an anvil landed on his chest and all the lights suddenly went out.
--o0o--
"Noooooo! Ray!"
Sam howled as Ray toppled sideway, hitting the floor with a sickening thud. He fought to reach the silent body but was kicked back into his corner.
"Why?" He spat at the gunman. "What was the point?"
The gunman shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't need 'im. I've got what I want right 'ere. As he spoke he aimed a vicious kick at the unconscious Gene.
"I've got Gene Hunt."
A beatific smile crossed his face, disappearing as quickly as it came. "I've waited so long for this. But I can't play wi' 'im while 'e's asleep can I? So it's up to you to wake 'im up for me. You can look after 'im until 'e's fit enough."
Sam gaped in confusion. "Fit enough for what?"
"Fit enough to feel it when I beat 'im to death." The tone made it sound self evident. "Oh," he added, "when 'e wakes up, tell him Malcolm Daley says 'ello."
The self-named Malcolm Daley turned to his men. "Take 'em down and lock 'em up." He ordered as he left the room, taking Sarah with him.
There was nothing Sam could do as he was efficiently bound and gagged and he and the comatose Gene were dragged unceremoniously down the stairs to be thrown into the back of a Transit van, leaving Ray's body lying unheeded on the filthy lino floor.
TBC