A Hill To Die On (DI Fenchurch Crime Thrillers Book 8) Read online

  A Hill To Die On

  Ed James

  Contents

  Copyright

  Other Books By Ed James

  Day 1

  Prologue

  1. Fenchurch

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  8. Chloe

  The Driver

  9. Fenchurch

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  13. Chloe

  14. Fenchurch

  Chapter 15

  The Driver

  16. Chloe

  17. Fenchurch

  18. Chloe

  19. Fenchurch

  Chapter 20

  21. Chloe

  22. Fenchurch

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  The Driver

  26. Fenchurch

  Chapter 27

  Day 2

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  The Driver

  31. Fenchurch

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  The Driver

  41. Chloe

  42. Fenchurch

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  46. Chloe

  47. Fenchurch

  Chapter 48

  The Father

  49. Fenchurch

  Day 3

  Chapter 50

  Afterword

  Other Books By Ed James

  Next book

  Copyright © 2021 Ed James

  The right of Ed James to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or transmitted into any retrieval system, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover design copyright © Ed James

  Other Books By Ed James

  SCOTT CULLEN MYSTERIES SERIES

  Eight novels featuring a detective eager to climb the career ladder, covering Edinburgh and its surrounding counties, and further across Scotland.

  GHOST IN THE MACHINE

  DEVIL IN THE DETAIL

  FIRE IN THE BLOOD

  STAB IN THE DARK

  COPS & ROBBERS

  LIARS & THIEVES

  COWBOYS & INDIANS

  HEROES & VILLAINS

  CULLEN & BAIN SERIES

  Six novellas spinning off from the main Cullen series covering the events of the global pandemic in 2020.

  CITY OF THE DEAD

  WORLD’S END

  HELL’S KITCHEN

  GORE GLEN

  DEAD IN THE WATER

  THE LAST DROP

  CRAIG HUNTER SERIES

  A spin-off series from the Cullen series, with Hunter first featuring in the fifth book, starring an ex-squaddie cop struggling with PTSD, investigating crimes in Scotland and further afield.

  MISSING

  HUNTED

  THE BLACK ISLE

  DS VICKY DODDS SERIES

  Gritty crime novels set in Dundee and Tayside, featuring a DS juggling being a cop and a single mother.

  BLOOD & GUTS

  TOOTH & CLAW

  FLESH & BLOOD

  SKIN & BONE

  DI SIMON FENCHURCH SERIES

  Set in East London, will Fenchurch ever find what happened to his daughter, missing for the last ten years?

  THE HOPE THAT KILLS

  WORTH KILLING FOR

  WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU

  IN FOR THE KILL

  KILL WITH KINDNESS

  KILL THE MESSENGER

  DEAD MAN’S SHOES

  A HILL TO DIE ON

  THE LAST THING TO DIE (December 2022)

  Other Books

  Other crime novels, with Senseless set in southern England, and the other three set in Seattle, Washington.

  SENSELESS

  TELL ME LIES

  GONE IN SECONDS

  BEFORE SHE WAKES

  Day 1

  Thursday

  12th March 2020

  Prologue

  When PC Chloe Fenchurch yawned, it felt like it’d just keep going and never let go.

  Another dark East London street, lit up in sodium yellow unlike the white elsewhere. Late-night off-licenses and kebab shops. The lanes running off were shrouded in darkness.

  The tiredness coiled around her again. Like a snake, but it didn’t have the venomous bite – it just squeezed and squeezed. Even tighter than her uniform, strapped in by the stab-proof vest and the belt that bit into her thighs. Yeah, maybe she should get that bigger size.

  Her first night shift of the week and she’d seen the sun set. Now it rose again, hovering above the low buildings, the heat haze starting to blur everything. Another yawn and she managed to shake herself free of the fatigue.

  ‘Cheer up, kidder.’ Adam Burridge gave her that wide grin of his, the one that stretched out the crow’s feet around his eyes. He’d started the shift cleanshaven, but now he looked like he’d gone a few days without stepping near a razor. He tucked his thumbs into his stab-proof and looked along the road. ‘Not long until this is over.’

  Chloe tried nodding, tried smiling. For him, but not for her. Trouble was, she was so dog-tired she couldn’t muster anything. ‘And then I can spend all day trying and failing to sleep, only to endure this all over again tomorrow night. Great.’

  ‘Nature of the beast. You’ll get used to it.’ Adam laughed, then started plodding along the street, back in the loose direction of the station. ‘After fifteen years, maybe.’

  She kept in step with him, her equipment rattling. Cuffs, radio, even her bloody notebook. Fifteen years felt like a hell of a long time. His gear was entirely silent. ‘How do you—’

  His radio buzzed and crackled, the shards of a voice audible through the noise.

  Adam stopped and pressed the button. ‘Serial-Alpha receiving, over.’

  ‘Got a report of a robbery at Ibrahim’s Store on the Minories, over.’

  Chloe looked along the street. There it was, past the boutique hotels sandwiched between two fried chicken places and the Subway franchise. One of those signs of gentrification her old man kept banging on about, how the East End was losing its identity, blah blah blah. Double fronted and painted navy blue with orange lettering, Ibrahim’s sat next to a chain shop Chloe didn’t recognise the logo of.

  ‘On our way, over.’ Adam looked at Chloe, eyebrows raised, jaw clenched. ‘You ready for this?’

  Truth was, she was loving it. All that training hadn’t prepared her for the reality. The months and months at police college were electric. But the reality was, she was toiling with the mundanity of her new job. Her old man would capitalise it. The police magazine was called The Job. Him and her grandfather talked ab
out the Job in hushed tones, like it was a thing you could touch and feel.

  Her fantasy had been seeing police work as a noble enterprise. And, of course, being the third generation of Fenchurch walking the streets of East London as a cop. Doing some good in the world, helping those less fortunate than herself.

  And it was so bloody boring. All those forms, all that admin.

  Speaking to people.

  Doing nothing.

  And it was like her prayers had been answered. A robbery, even at this time.

  Chloe gave Adam a tight nod. Eyes twitching, teeth almost chattering. ‘Let’s do it.’

  He gripped his baton on his belt, so Chloe did the same, then he walked over to the door. ‘Right.’ He stopped, took a look at Chloe, then peered inside.

  Chloe followed him to the entrance, heart racing, ice climbing her spine.

  The shop owner, presumably Ibrahim, stood behind the till, his arms folded across his chest. Stubborn, proud, determined.

  A young guy stood on the other side, dressed in the latest trendy clothing. Baggy hoodie, skin-tight jeans tucked into white basketball boots. Face mostly covered by a mask and hidden by a baseball cap. He jabbed a finger towards the owner, his wrist filled with bands of all colours. ‘Open the till, man!’

  Ibrahim just shook his head.

  ‘Man, just do it.’ Wristbands smacked the counter. ‘Open up and give me my payday, man!’

  ‘Or what?’

  ‘Or I kill you, man!’

  ‘Here we go.’ Adam’s whisper faded as he stepped inside the shop, hands raised. ‘What seems to be the problem here?’

  Chloe followed him in.

  Wristbands jerked around and his eyes widened. He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a pistol, side on, training the barrel at Adam.

  Chloe took in the situation, trying to assess it like she’d been taught to.

  One assailant, armed.

  One civilian.

  Two cops.

  A confined space.

  Two exits. Only one definitely led to the street. The other was presumably a storeroom. The backs of the shops were so built up around here that it’d probably been sold off and developed years ago, so wasn’t likely to lead to a lane.

  It all meant that Wristbands would have to come through them. With his gun. And his anger and desperation, making him more likely to use it.

  He thrust the pistol towards Adam, finger on the trigger. ‘Get out of my way, man.’

  Adam raised his hands higher in the air, fingertips level with his ears. ‘How’s about you put the gun down and we talk this through, yeah?’

  ‘No, man. I want what’s mine!’

  ‘What’s that? A prison sentence for armed robbery?’

  ‘Man, this is… This is…’ Wristbands walked closer to Adam, pointing the pistol right at his head. ‘You want to choose this hill to die on, man?’

  ‘Nobody’s dying here, mate. Just put the gun away and it’ll all be fine.’

  ‘Man, you do not wanna—’

  ‘Shh.’ Adam lowered his hands and reached for the gun.

  Chloe braced herself, feeling everything clench.

  Adam grabbed for the gun and Wristbands punched him, but missed Adam’s head, instead catching him on the shoulder.

  Adam grabbed him, but Wristbands fell over backwards with Adam on top of him. Not a fair fight, but they were paid to win.

  Adam was gripping the gun, twisting as he fell. Wristbands was still trying to keep hold of his weapon and they struggled, but Wristbands stayed on his feet.

  The gun pointed towards Chloe.

  Chloe’s gut plunged.

  Wristbands squeezed his finger around the trigger.

  Chloe shut her eyes.

  Liquid sprayed over her face.

  A water pistol.

  A bloody water pistol!

  She gripped her baton in her damp hands then shot forward, clubbing Wristbands in the thigh with the metal. He tumbled backwards, falling into a fridge. A long crack ran down the glass. She took another swipe, bashing the metal against his forearm.

  Wristbands squealed.

  Chloe stood there, panting hard, heart like it was going to burst. But she felt a glow of pride at doing her job. Taking down an armed robber. ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Ain’t giving you my name!’ His fingers were covering his throat. ‘Tried to kill me, man!’

  Adam grabbed his shoulders and pinned him back against the cracked fridge door. ‘Stay. Still.’ He looked over at Chloe. ‘Well done, kidder. Read him his rights; we’ll get the rest out of him later.’

  She focused on Wristbands, on Adam holding him down. ‘I am arresting you for attempted armed robbery.’ She grabbed his wrist, tight, and pulled out her handcuffs, opening one of the rings. ‘You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court.’ She snapped the cuff on his left wrist. ‘Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’ Then the right side. ‘Do you understand?’

  ‘I understand but I ain’t done nothing.’

  Adam let go of him and stood up, shaking his head. He held out his hand for Chloe to bump, then turned to Ibrahim. ‘Thanks for calling this in, sir.’

  Wristbands’ arm lashed out, swinging the handcuff out and lashing off Adam’s knee.

  He collapsed against the counter and went down.

  Chloe reached for him and caught the dangling cuff. Wristbands snatched the metal and pulled hard, tugging her forwards. Her head bounced off the fridge and the doors fell off. Bottles of soft drinks rolled out onto the floor.

  Wristbands swung out with the cuffs, aiming at Chloe’s face.

  She caught the movement in time and raised her hands. The metal glanced off her palms and nicked the skin.

  Wristbands shot off through the shop, out onto the street.

  Chloe set off after him. A 7-Up bottle rolled into her path. She stood on it and went down again.

  All she could hear was Wristbands’ footsteps pounding along the road outside, fading away as he made for the Tower.

  Ibrahim was out from behind his till now, pointing out to the street. ‘Get after him!’

  Chloe groaned. She wanted to curl up into a ball, go to sleep and wake up whenever the shame had died. And her head was throbbing like she’d headbutted a fridge.

  But he was right – she needed to get him.

  ‘Come on, kidder.’ Adam reached out his hand and hoisted her up to her feet. ‘Let’s get him.’ He waved at Ibrahim, ‘Back in a minute, sir,’ then darted off out of the shop.

  Chloe gave Ibrahim a tight smile as she left, but she was burning up with shame.

  Get over yourself!

  She charged on out onto the road, then followed Adam towards the river, their feet thudding off the pavement.

  He was about eight stone heavier than her and not built for running, so she caught up by the pub that shared its name with the street. ‘Hey, kidder, don’t beat yourself up.’

  Chloe kept pace with Adam. ‘I’m going to beat him up.’

  ‘Happens to everyone.’ Adam was struggling, his breaths coming in gasps now. ‘Rookies either put cuffs on too loosely or with enough force to double as a tourniquet. You did the former. The latter is actually worse.’

  Chloe just grunted.

  ‘And in my first month, I ended up…’ Adam sucked in a breath as they ran. ‘I’ll tell you later.’ He laughed. ‘And you better get used to it. It’s not all murders and intrigue. This is real policing. Nonsense and reports.’

  ‘So my dad says.’

  Up ahead, Wristbands took the right onto Tower Hill, heading for the tube station. Even this early, the place was crawling with commuters heading to the City, all suited and booted, headphones clamped to their skulls, thumbs hammering their phones as they walked. Wristbands sliced through a group and they went down like skittles at bowling.

  Chloe waved ahead of them. ‘He’s heading f
or the Tube. We’ll lose him in there if he gets inside.’

  ‘Agree.’ Adam sucked in a deep breath and reached for his radio. ‘Control, we need back up at Tower Hill tube, over.’

  Chloe lost the response in amongst the crackles and whistles. Sod it, she needed to take charge here, so she bombed ahead of Adam, her gear rattling hard with each stride.

  She was closing on Wristbands.

  He made for the path through the gardens up to the tube station, but glanced behind him and made eye contact with her, hurtling towards him. His eyes bulged and he kept on along the street.

  The Tower was hidden by railings and the modern buildings springing up around it. Just bars and offices up ahead, but it would be busy enough to lose yourself in. Lots of places to hide and wait it out.

  Chloe was five strides behind him now and closing. ‘Stop!’

  Wristbands shot right, weaving through the Tower Hill Memorial, into the gardens.

  Chloe followed him in.