The Child Taker & Slow Burn (38 page)

CHAPTER 18

MALIK AND ASHWAN/ present day

Malik Shah pulled his cashmere overcoat tighter around himself. The wind from the River Mersey was howling through the railings that lined the front lawn at Ashwan Pindar`s house. The river was half a mile away down the hill, and he watched the dark green waters flowing lazily past into the Irish Sea. White horses tipped the waves, caused by the propellers of the passenger ferries, which crisscrossed the river heading to Ireland. The streetlights reflected from the murky waters like blurred yellow torches. His dark brown eyes were full of anger, and frown lines creased his forehead.

“You have no idea who is doing this?” Malik turned to his colleague. Ashwan looked into his eyes momentarily, but the anger in them frightened him, and he looked down at his black shiny brogues. Malik frightened Ashwan; he had always dominated him since school. He had a violent temper, and Ash had witnessed its ferocity on many occasions.

“Get rid of that,” Malik said kicking the dead body of Abdul Salim. Two bruisers moved in silence, one at the feet and one at the head. They lifted the body into the back of a Renault van. The van was sign painted with the name of a funeral parlour, one of three in the city owned by Shah`s limited companies. They were very good businesses, and handy for transporting bodies across the city.

“What about the runners?” Ashwan asked. Once he had alerted Malik to the problem, he`d sent men out to find out what was happening. The news wasn’t good.

“Both dead, and both connected to us,” Malik snarled. He spat on the floor in disgust.

“How have we been connected?” Ash asked.

“According to our men, the killers left a note pinned to Rozzo`s forehead, naming us as his employers. The police are all over the place,” Malik punched the garage door and it rattled. The funeral parlour van pulled out of the driveway, and Ashwan noticed Lana watching them from the front bedroom window. Malik followed his gaze. His eyes narrowed. “What has she said?”

  “Nothing,” Ash swallowed hard. It was a stupid answer, but he couldn’t think straight.

  “One of your dealers is shot and dumped on your lawn, your son is missing presumed kidnapped, and your wife hasn`t said anything?” Malik shook his head slowly in sarcastic disbelief. “I bet she`s had plenty to say.”

  “Fucking hell, Malik!” Ashwan snapped. He took the picture of Mamood out of his pocket. “This is my son tied to a chair, Malik. We are going insane with worry, what do you think she has been saying?”

  “Let`s calm down and go inside,” Malik softened his voice for a moment. He wanted to speak to Lana. He had to speak to Lana. If she telephoned the police then all hell would break loose. Someone had crossed the line. He was under attack, there was no doubt about it, and he couldn’t for the life of him think who it was.

Both men headed for the front door. Malik wore an expensive designer suit and a long overcoat. Ashwan was still wearing jogging bottoms and an old sweatshirt. Lana was walking down the staircase as they entered the hallway.

“Who was that poor boy?” She asked.

“No one we know,” Malik lied. His face was like stone, his eyes dark and narrow.

“Why haven’t you called the police?” She looked directly at Ash. He shook his head and bit his bottom lip. The thoughts of his eldest son Mamood were consuming him. The kidnappers told him where to find a memory stick on the murdered dealer that`d been dumped on his lawn. It contained pictures of his son, bound and gagged; he looked terrified, and his eyes were reddened from crying. The photographs played constantly in his mind, each one worse than the next. Three of his employees had been butchered in order for this message to be sent to him, and he was under no illusions that his son was in grave danger. What he didn’t know was who was responsible, or why he had been targeted specifically. The kidnappers had made contact, but no ransom demands received yet. 

“We think someone is trying to set us up, Lana,” Malik interrupted before Ash could answer.

“How so, Malik?”

“One of our business rivals is out to cause us trouble,” Malik found it hard to hold her stare. Her eyes were red from crying. She was desperate to call the police and report her son`s kidnap. Ashwan had pleaded with her to wait for Malik to come. He would know what to do.

“Are they the same people that have Mamood?”

“I`m guessing so, Lana,” Malik needed to keep her on side. “I`ve asked Ash to think of someone that has been disgruntled or upset. An ex-employee or a rival that has lost a contract?”

  “What type of people do you do business with, Ashwan?” She looked bitter and angry. Her expression was pure contempt. Her son had been kidnapped; a boy had been murdered and dumped on their lawn, and her husband wouldn`t call the police. What type of father was he? What type of husband was he? She didn’t know what to do or think. “What type of businessmen would take your son, kill a teenager and dump him on your lawn, Ashwan?”

“I don`t know, Lana” Ashwan turned his back and walked away from her.

“Why haven’t you called the police, Ash, or am I missing something?”

“Mamood would be in grave danger if you involve the police, Lana,” Malik leaned his back against an oak Welsh dressing table. He was cool, almost cold about it. “The kidnappers said, `no police or he dies`, correct?”

“Why haven`t you called the police, Ashwan, what have you got to hide?” Lana ignored Malik. She hated the man with a passion. He was evil, and bullied Ash at every opportunity. Ashwan was his partner in name only. Malik Shah made all the decisions, and Ash was his whipping boy. He made her skin crawl the way he looked at her sometimes. “Tell me, Ash. What type of business associates would do this to you?”

“Think hard, Ashwan,” Malik grinned. His whitened teeth seemed too straight to be real, but the Hollywood smile looked more like a sneer to Lana.

  “I have no idea, Malik. I`ve racked my brains trying to think who could do this, but I haven’t got a clue,” Ashwan shrugged his shoulders and tears filled his eyes. “Mamood has nothing to do with our business, why have they taken him ...why?”

“Get a fucking grip of yourself!” Malik hissed. He couldn’t stand weakness in a man. “There are hundreds of people who would want to hurt you and your family, absolutely hundreds.” He pointed a well manicured finger toward Ashwan`s Porsche 911, which was parked fifty yards away on the driveway. “Do you think you`d be driving that if we sold newspapers?”

“No, of course not, Malik, but...” Ash mumbled and tried to compose himself.

“What do you do, Malik?” Lana tilted her head slightly.

“Shut up, Lana, you`re not helping,” Ash tried to calm her, but she shrugged him off and stood eye to eye with Malik.

  “Tell me what my husband does for you?”

“We import and export commodities,” Malik sneered. His patience was wearing thin. “You should be grateful, Lana, it pays for your nice house.”

“Look, that`s not important now. Mamood is in danger,” Ash walked over to his wife and tried to hold her. She froze and held up her hands.

“Don`t you touch me, Ashwan Pindar.”

“I know you don’t understand, Lana, but...”

“But nothing, Ashwan!” Malik had enough. He grabbed Lana by the upper arms, pinning them to her side. He shouted in her face.

“We sell drugs, we sell whores, and we sell guns and ammunition, Lana.”

  Lana looked stunned, as if she had been slapped. Malik had his face inches away from hers; she could smell chilli and tobacco on his breath. His words echoed around her brain, drugs, whores and guns. Her husband imported drugs, whores, and guns. They were gangsters. Ashwan Pindar, the father of her child was a drug runner, people trafficker, and arms dealer. She went weak at the knees, only Malik`s grip held her up.

“We work in a dangerous world, our enemies are always trying to steal our products, and take our business. When they do, we kill people and take all their money and drugs from them. It`s the survival of the fittest, Lana. Dog eats dog.” Malik let go of one of her arms, and grabbed her chin. For one awful moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. She felt bile rising in her throat. “Someone has taken your son, and I`ll find them. When I do I will cut his fucking heart out and bring it to you cooked and stuffed with cheese. The police cannot help you, Lana, but I can.”

Lana slid down the wall slowly as her knees finally gave way. Spittle dribbled down her chin and her lips quivered. She stared at her husband.

“You are a liar!” she shouted to Malik. He stood over her like a boxer stalking his injured opponent. “Tell me that he`s a liar, Ash.”

Ash couldn’t look at her in the eye. He rolled his eyes skyward and wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

  “Tell me!” She screamed. “Tell me he`s lying!”

  Ash walked over to her and moved Malik away with his forearm.

“He`s not lying, Lana, but it`s not as bad as it sounds,” Ash could hear his own words, and he thought they sounded like the words of a desperate man; a drowning, man clutching at fresh air.

“It`s not as bad as it seems?” Lana wiped saliva from her face and tried to gather herself together. “There was a dead teenager on my lawn tonight. My husband dragged the body of a dead teenager into my garage, and then telephoned his business partner to come and take it away.” She glared at Malik.

“That`s what you did, isn’t it, Malik?” She stood on shaky legs and looked from Malik to Ash incredulously. “You made the body disappear didn’t you?”

“We have to do what they say, no police.” Ash pleaded with her. She stared at him wide eyed, shocked and devastated at the revelations that she had heard tonight. She walked over to Malik Shah and looked up into his face.

“Do you know who has my son?”

“Not yet.”

“The men that killed that boy, have Mamood?”

“Yes, it looks that way.”

“Get my son back.”

“We will, but no police, Lana,” Malik half smiled. “You must let me do what I need to do to get him back. The police will get in the way.”

Ashwan needed to sit down and walked across to the wide sweeping staircase. He plonked his weary body down on the bottom step.

Lana leaned closer to Malik. She whispered in his ear. “You make me sick.” Malik frowned. He didn’t do insults well at all. “I see the way you look at me, Malik. Get my son back and you can have what you want. I`m not sure who disgusts me the most you or them.”

Malik nodded and an evil smile crossed his lips as she walked away. He would enjoy doing that bitch, whether Mamood lived or not, and he would make sure that she regretted that remark many times over.

“Take your things and get out of my house,” Lana said as she walked by Ashwan.

“What?” Ash stood up and grabbed her arm. “This is a shock, but we`ll fix it.”

“Get your hands off me,” she hissed in his face. “I don’t even know who you are. Get out of my home. Get my son back, you owe me that.”

CHAPTER 19

SARAH/School days

The court usher seemed to glide as he walked into the Crown Prosecution chambers, his cloak floated behind him. At the door, he turned and waved his skeletal arm to guide Mr Bernstein and his daughter into the meeting room. They stepped in nervously.

“Take a seat at the back please, Mr Bernstein.” The prosecution lawyer, Carol Smythe, smiled and tried to make them feel more comfortable. “Sarah, if you could sit here next to me please.”

Sarah shuffled toward a long wooden bench piled high with manila files and lever arch boxes. Her hands were pulled up inside her coat sleeves, just the tips of her fingers showed. Her face blushed pink and her head was down, shoulders stooped. The lawyer pulled out a pine chair and patted the red seat pad, indicating to Sarah to sit down. The young girl flopped into the chair and stared at her nails. She looked like a frightened young girl.

“Could we introduce everyone please, so that Sarah knows what is going to happen today,” a grey haired woman spoke. Her hair was pulled tightly back into a bun on the back of her head, and rimless spectacles perched on the end of her nose. She peered over the lenses as she spoke. “I`m Louise, and I represent the Crown Prosecution Service.” Her thin lips formed a smile, but there was no warmth in it.

“Margaret Bangor-Jones, representing the defence,” a crisp, assertive, female voice came from the right hand side of the solicitors bench. Sarah stole a glance in that direction. The defence lawyer had jet-black hair tied into a ponytail; it shined as the electric lights reflected from it. She was early thirties, stunning, with high cheekbones and full lips. Sarah looked away when she caught her eye. Her eyes seemed to look inside her and read her mind.

“Mr Bernstein. For your benefit I will explain what will happen,” the clerk removed her glasses and spoke to the victim`s father at the back of the room. He was ten yards away from her, at the most. The room was no bigger than a large living room. There was no dark wood panelling in there. The room was windowless but well lit; the austerity of the court building had been omitted purposely, because of the nature of the cases dealt with here. “We will gather the details of the prosecution`s case, and Sarah`s statement. Then the defence`s representative will ask questions based on the statements from the accused.” The thin smile returned. “Is that clear to you, Sarah?”

“Yes,” Sarah nodded mutely and stared at her fingernails again.

“This is not a trial, Sarah. We want to establish the facts so that we can make a decision to prosecute your attackers.”

Mr Bernstein shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He had not been given access to Sarah`s evidence, and as such he had a gut wrenching feeling inside. He couldn’t help but feel anger and revulsion toward his daughter. Sarah had been the apple of his eye when she was younger, and he struggled to remember at which point she had grown up. One minute she was playing with dolls, the next she was having consensual sex with one boy, and accusing several others of drug-induced rape. He wanted to feel sympathy for his little girl, but he had nothing inside but disgust. As for the pregnancy, it had caused blazing rows in the Bernstein home. Sarah was adamant that she loved Malik, and the child was his. There was no talking to her about abortion. The shame she had brought on the family amongst the Jewish community was too much to bear. Mr Bernstein was struggling to cope with the situation. It was a never-ending nightmare.

“Ms Smythe, if you could begin please,” the clerk placed her spectacles on, and pushed them up her nose with her index finger.

  Carol Smythe shuffled her papers and remained seated as she spoke. “The outline of the case is as follows. Sarah Bernstein is fourteen years old, and pregnant. She was involved in a relationship with her boyfriend, Malik Shah. Malik is a sixteen year old male, from the same school.” The clerk looked down her nose at Sarah as her lawyer detailed the basis of the accusations. “Sarah attended several parties with her boyfriend, and over a period of a few months a sexual relationship between them ensued.”

  The clerk and the defence lawyer scribbled notes as Carol Smythe spoke. Mr Bernstein felt physically sick listening to her. He wished that there was a window in the room, so that he could look out of it and pretend that this wasn`t happening. After everything he had done to educate his daughter, this was how she repaid him. She gave her body to a Muslim boy, at the tender age of fourteen. Her grandparents would be turning in their graves.

“It was at one of these parties, February the second, to be precise, that Malik Shah gave drugs to Sarah. Cannabis and an acid tablet. They went into a bedroom and had consensual sexual intercourse. Later on Malik gave her tequila shots. Sarah took them willingly; however, on this occasion she believes that she was spiked; drugged with a sedative such as Rohypnol. The drug is used as a sedative. It can affect both the motor functions, and the memory.”

“I think we can skip the medical blurb, Ms Smythe. We are all familiar with this drug, unfortunately,” the clerk interrupted.

“Later Sarah remembers waking up in the bedroom again. There were several males there, and they were carrying out various sexual acts on her, including non-consensual intercourse. Sarah has memories of what happened, but she couldn`t do anything to stop it. The names of the accused are noted in the records. Although we admit that the prior sex with Malik Shah was consensual, he was complicit in the rape because he administered the drug.” 

Mr Bernstein wiped his hands against his pinstripe trousers. It was his best suit, and under normal circumstances he wouldn`t dream of doing such a thing. His hands were sweaty, and his stomach felt knotted. The thought of his daughter having sex at fourteen was sickening. Worse still was the fact that she had been drugged and abused by a group of men. He wanted to throw up, scream and kill them all at the same time.

“Is there any evidence of the use of Rohypnol Ms Smythe?” The clerk asked. She raised her eyebrows quizzically.

“No. There was too much time elapsed between the rape and the reporting of it.”

  “Alleged rape,” Margaret Bangor-Jones objected.

  “We`re not in court yet!” Carol Smythe retorted.

  “Quite, save the legal jousting for the trial please Ms Bangor-Jones,” the clerk looked over her glasses like a headmistress scolding her class.

  “Then I think we must have more robust evidence to include it in the case,” the clerk looked concerned. It seemed the entire allegation hinged on proving that Sarah had been drugged against her will, and then abused.

  “Bottles of Rohypnol were found in the possession of Malik Shah, Ashwan Pindar, and Amir Patel,” the prosecutor pointed out the evidence gathered by the police, upon the arrest of the accused boys.

  “I see. Okay we`ll allow it for now,” the thin smile flashed briefly across her lips. “Ms Bangor-Jones, your questions please.”

  Sarah felt a chill run down her spine as the defence lawyer turned half toward her, so that she could address the clerk and Sarah simultaneously. Her face blushed red and she pulled her hands back into her sleeves as a tortoise would its head. Her father put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward protectively.

“How long had you been seeing Malik before you had sex with him?” The defence lawyer asked. Her black hair shone. She smiled warmly at Sarah, disarmingly.

  “I can`t remember,” Sarah mumbled.

  “I`m sure you can remember, Sarah, if you try.”

  “I can`t.”

  “Sarah has answered the question twice,” Carol Smythe interrupted.

“Make your point please,” the clerk said without looking up.

“It was your first date with him, Sarah.”

  “How can you possibly know that?” Mr Bernstein was outraged. He stood up and folded his arms defiantly.

  “Mr Bernstein, while I realise that this is difficult to listen to as a parent and guardian of a young girl, you must understand that we are trying to save your daughter the trauma of doing this in open court,” the defence lawyer spoke calmly and with sympathy in her tone.

“Mr Bernstein, my honourable colleague is right, however I do need you to justify that statement Ms Bangor-Jones,” the clerk said. “How exactly can you know that?”

“I have statements from witnesses who saw Malik Shah coming out of the bedroom waving a used condom over his head and bragging that, `I took her cherry on the first date, a hole in one`.” Ms Bangor-Jones looked embarrassed as she glanced at Mr Bernstein and his daughter. Mr Bernstein crumpled into his chair, broken and confused. “If I may continue?”

“Please do,” the clerk said looking down at her notes. Her face had darkened to a scowl. Nobody enjoyed watching a young girl being dissected publicly, but this had to be done.

“Do you remember the night when Malik and Ashwan drove you home after a party?”

Sarah`s head stooped lower. She stared at her fingers and bit her lip. Mr Bernstein could tell by her posture and body language that Sarah knew what was coming.

“Sarah?” The clerk prompted her.

“Yes I remember,” she whispered.

“They stopped the car near to your house and you performed oral sex on both of them,” Margaret Bangor-Jones spoke calmly. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” Sarah whispered. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her chin sunk to her chest. “Malik told me it was to prove how much I loved him, making his friend feel good. I didn’t want to.”

“Oh my God!” Mr Bernstein took a deep intake of breath as she spoke. He couldn’t get the sickening images out of his mind. Tears of anger leaked from the corners of his eyes and he wiped them away quickly.

“I do not want to make this any more painful than it is already, Sarah, but you had performed sexual acts on all of the boys that you have accused of raping you, at one time or another, prior to this allegation, had you not?”

The prosecution lawyer was aghast, as was the clerk. This revelation had come unexpectedly. Mr Bernstein sat open mouthed as he digested the information.

“Is this true, Sarah? A simple yes or no will suffice,” the clerk removed her glasses. She had heard enough in five short minutes to realise that this case was going nowhere.

“Yes, it`s true, but not that night. They drugged me, and they raped me, all of them did.” Her voice was monotone, defeated.

The legal representatives looked at each other, and a silent communication passed between them. Raped or not, Sarah would never be believed in a court of law by a jury of ordinary people. The prosecution had to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that guilty was the only verdict. Sarah`s prior behaviour would make that impossible.

“I can see no point in proceeding any further with this. I`ll submit my findings to your offices and the police by finish of work tomorrow. Thank you both for your time, and thank you Mr Bernstein. This cannot have been easy for you. I would thank your lawyer to recommend some counselling for Sarah, and your family.”

“You don`t believe her do you?” Mr Bernstein was livid. He wasn’t sure who he was angry at. Sarah? The Crown Prosecution? Himself? How had he allowed this to happen?

“Whether I believe Sarah or not, Mr Bernstein, is irrelevant. I have to assess the evidence from both parties and gauge the probability of gaining a conviction,” the clerk removed her glasses and looked at him with a stern face. He had to face the truth, like it or not. “Sarah has given her evidence, as have the accused. You have heard some of it yourself, Mr Bernstein. If you were on a jury could you convict, beyond all reasonable doubt?”

“These animals put my son in intensive care, they cut him with a knife, and now they have raped my fourteen-year old daughter. She is fourteen!” Mr Bernstein`s face was purple, and his jowls shook as he spoke. The veins at his temple throbbed angrily. “Are they going to get away with this?”

The room was silent. The lawyers began to pack away their files into briefcases. The clerk shook her head and stood up from her chair. She looked as if she was going to speak again, but then she thought better of it and walked hurriedly toward a door at the back of the chamber. Carol Smythe led Sarah away from the bench toward her father. The young girl looked pallid and drawn. She couldn’t look her father in the eye. Sarah kept her head down and walked past him, heading for the doors. Mr Bernstein followed her with a look of disdain on his face.

“Don`t be too hard on her, Mr Bernstein. For what it`s worth, I believe that she was drugged and abused. If it means anything to you,” Carol Smyth tried to smile.

“Your opinion is of no importance to me. It doesn’t mean anything to me at all, absolutely nothing,” Mr Bernstein turned and walked out of the courtroom. He felt like his daughter had died. He felt like he was a grieving father, pining for his innocent little girl that had somehow been lost. As they left the antechamber, the two detectives turned to face them. Mr Bernstein`s face