Blood Brothers

By Roger Honeybul

Intriguing crime novel from Roger Honeybul, who has 25 years’ experience of working with the police and the Ministry of Justice.

As David Mearside completes a prison sentence for a double murder he can't remember committing, Garth Simmons struggles with the barbaric killing of his parents long ago.

A gangland boss, his minder, a sinister pharmaceutical company and an honest policewoman detective interweave with corrupt police to expose the horrifying truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SDS Publishing
• Release date: Dec 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310653179

Book preview

Chapter 1

Garth Simmons awoke to a high-pitched scream and panic immediately took hold of him. Adrenaline pumped wildly through his body as though he had received a double boost intravenously, and it took a short while until the realisation set in that it was his tormented dream which had caused him such anxiety. 30 seconds later, his breathing had started to slow to a reasonable rate, and his heart rate had started to drop back to regular beats. He lay in his sweat-soaked bed for another minute or two, before looking at the digital clock on his bedside table. 04:30 it read in its familiar green glow. He decided to get up and shower before going for his morning run, he would shower again before starting his working day.

He thought about his dream whilst on his run, and it worried him a little that the all too recognisable dreams had come back to him after all this time. At 37, Garth had made a reasonable success of his life so far.

His memories were of being an only child brought up into a comfortable life, with his parents having both had careers in a company called Kilby Pharmaceutical Research which was involved in bio-chemical research. His uncle Joshua also worked at the plant. The work his parents undertook, although never discussed in front of Garth, had afforded them a nice house in a village in Kent, a couple of foreign holidays a year, a nice car, and some savings nicely tucked away for later in life.

He was close to his uncle, whom he had only ever addressed as Josh; not Joshua, not uncle, just Josh. They were both keen on football and fishing, and were often seen along the local river, or on the terraces of the local football club. Garth in fact spent more time with Josh than he did with his parents, often staying overnight, even though his parents’ house was in the same village. Josh was much more active and outward-looking than his parents had seemed, they always appeared pre-occupied and entwined in their careers, not uncaring, just a bit distant. This never bothered Garth a great deal as he always had Josh close by who would regularly call in sick, so they could go fishing. Josh had more sick days than anyone would normally be allowed. He always seemed to get away with not going to work, it was as if his bosses never seemed bothered.

The later life had never arrived for Garth’s mother and father. They had been murdered on a cold January evening, 19 years ago. The murders were attributed to a loner called David Mearside, a drunk and drug addict from the neighbouring village. His DNA was found in the house when there was no reason for it to be there, and so he was charged and found guilty in what seemed like an incredibly short time for the British justice system. Mearside was sentenced to 25 years with no chance of parole for 18 years. Garth had gone to stay with Josh, and his memory of the events was clouded by the grief he had suffered. Before the murders, Garth’s grades at college had been good, and he was recognised as a star pupil with a brilliant future in front of him. After the murders he became withdrawn and not willing to push his obvious academic talents. Instead he just drifted through life to the end of college and attained average grades before jumping from one dead end job to another, with Josh always on hand to try and keep him from straying far.

At 21, Garth met Corinne on a sunny afternoon whilst spending some time with Josh in a local beer garden, sampling the new ale that had arrived. Corinne was a bright girl with a great sense of humour and came from Donegal, Ireland. She was in the area visiting friends. After a short time, she decided to move permanently into a rented apartment after gaining employment in the local hotel. Garth started to live his life again, and with some ambition and determination, he went back to college and gained higher qualifications to gain entry into the research lab’s training programme where his parents had once worked, and where Josh still did. There were people there who had worked alongside Garth’s parents, but his parents were never spoken of. He had thought this was because no one had wanted to open old wounds with either himself or his uncle. Garth’s job was in the same department as Josh, but not in the same lab, although they seemed to spend more and more time together, with Josh never getting into trouble for not doing what he should be doing, even though Garth had no idea what that was supposed to be. Josh never spoke about his work at KPR and although Garth had asked on a number of occasions, the answer would always be ‘you know, a bit of this and a bit of that’. He gave up asking in the end.

Garth’s relationship with Corinne was at times fiery, but on the whole they were enjoying life and moving forward, they spoke briefly about cementing their relationship, but decided to hold back for a while and make the most of their time together. Josh never interfered in their relationship, but always kept a keen eye on developments which Garth had thought he was being parental, but Corinne sometimes thought of him being a bit too close, but understood after hearing what had happened to his parents.

It was the eve of Garths 26th birthday when he received a call from someone at the hotel, saying there had been a motoring accident and Corinne had been badly injured. Josh was away for a two-day break, and Garth felt a panic beyond belief, he needed to speak with Josh but there was no answer from his mobile. He drove as quickly as he could to the hospital, and on arrival the nurses would not let him to her bedside so he waited in reception for further news. After what seemed like hours, a doctor appeared in his gowns. Garth knew straightaway the seriousness of what was happening, the old memories of when he was told of his parents’ murders flooded into his mind, and the look on the doctor’s face told him that she had not survived the accident.

Over the next day or so, Garth with Josh’s help contacted Corinne’s family in Ireland and broke the devastating news. Josh had helped with arrangements after her parents said it would have been her wish to be buried locally. The burial was a heart-breaking day for Garth, he seemed to gush emotion for both his parents passing, and Corinne at the same time. He seemed to let go of some of the pent up grief from years earlier. The coroner had come to the decision that although no other vehicle was involved and there were no mechanical faults on the car, accidental death was the cause.

After two weeks of staying with Josh, Garth went back to the house his parents had left him, and threw himself into his work at KPR with more vigour than before. He would never know that Corinne’s birth control pill had been substituted for a time-inhibited capsule that would release its contents some hours later. As the drug entered her body, it caused her body to go rigid, which in turn kept her foot hard on the accelerator. She could not turn the wheel, which forced her to crash. The drug would have killed her anyway, and the narcotic had no traceable chemicals after her body ceased to live.

Chapter 2

David Mearside sat on the edge of the concrete-framed bed, looking at the TV, but not seeing much. He was used to letting his mind go into a meditative state, having spent so long in prison.

He had very little recollection of the night on which the murders of Mr & Mrs Simmons took place, he vaguely remembered being in a strange house with blood all over the walls, floor and his hands, looking at two bodies. His next memories were being led away by police, and being in court pleading guilty to whatever it was he was being told.

His mind did not start clearing until he had been behind bars for two or three months, after his body had cleaned itself, so that he no longer needed drugs. He had tried to take his own life a couple of times, when he was informed of the terrors he had committed, as he could not believe he was capable of such atrocities. He knew he had issues with drugs and alcohol as a youngster, but the combination had never made him violent before that night, in fact the opposite could have been said. He was often arrested, and locked overnight in the local police station for his own safety, as most of the time he could hardly stand up or be heard coherently. He realised he must have taken some really bad shit to have been violent, and to have only sporadic memory of a few months.

HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire had been his home for 16 years after initially being sent to a number of different establishments at the beginning of his sentence. Cells were no longer for sharing, they were individual secure rooms with toilet facilities, TV and a video box game. There was a bed, small bookcase and a table at which to sit, read or write. The association room had a larger TV, pool table and comfortable sofas, but he had not used it that often. David preferred his own company and could not get used to being part of a crowd, and did not get involved with the regular drugs or alcohol taking which was common in A Wing. Most of the contraband was brought in by the guards for favours on the outside. A couple of guards were caught in the spiral of crime which infects most custodial establishments. This one was no different, a Category A men’s prison operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service, the largest maximum security prison in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. The prison had been nicknamed the ‘Monster Mansion’, due to the large number of high-profile, high-risk offenders incarcerated there. The prison had recently undergone a refurbishment, and security was extremely tight. No one since the war had tried to escape, as it was deemed nigh on impossible. The modern technology security systems were much smarter than some old lag trying to get out.

David roused himself from his faraway-land state of mind and heard the familiar sound of dogs barking. A Wing was closest to the dog kennel area, and large German Shepherd Dogs barked from dawn to dusk and sometimes through the night if something had rattled their senses. He had finished his breakfast and was getting ready to go to class. His time inside was spent learning carpentry and he had become an excellent craftsman of wood. Most of the furniture he made was either used by the prison or sent to local charities, but he was allowed to keep a photographic portfolio of his work, in case he needed it for future employment on his release.

Whilst walking in line between the wing and the workshops, a note was slipped into David’s pocket by an inmate he had hardly noticed before, no words were exchanged and he waited until he was back in his cell before opening the neatly folded piece of paper. The words were quite simple; ‘be in the common room at 19:45, which was 45 minutes before everyone had to be back in their cells. He had no idea what this was about, and felt slightly anxious about being summoned by an unknown person. He deliberated over dinner about going to the rendezvous, and concluded it would not be in his best interest to ignore the note. There were some extremely dangerous men on his wing, and to upset someone could lead to severe punishment and a trip to the prison hospital.

At 19:40 he wandered down to the room, and slipped inside the door as inconspicuously as he could. None of the other prisoners or the duty guards looked up at him. He took a seat toward the back and fixed his eyes on the TV, not noticing what programme was being shown. As the clock on the wall moved to 19:45, another inmate silently sat down next to him and said, In 21 days’ time you will be released on parole, you will be given a place to stay and a reference for finding a job. Your parole officer will need you to see him every other day until employment is found. Two days after you take the keys to the flat they send you to, you will be contacted by a man who will instruct you further.

Instruct me in what? asked David, feeling quite rattled as he had experienced no real contact with anybody over the years; no visitors, no friendships made, nothing. But as he turned his head to look at the man next to him, to look for an answer to his question, the talker left the room. David had not looked at the messenger, so had no idea who he was.

The following day, David Mearside was called to the duty office, and informed of the fact he was due to be released on parole in about three weeks’ time. He would go through the process of re-integration classes and seminars until the day he left. A certain amount of fear and excitement seeped through his body, as the enormity of what had just been said to him filtered through his brain.

Chapter 3

Danny drove the Bentley Continental effortlessly through the streets of London, trying to find a suitable parking place. Tony and Michelle DeSantos sat in the back discussing a holiday break they were planning in the near future.

Tony DeSantos was arguably one of the most ruthless gang bosses south of Birmingham. He came from Spanish descent but had been born and bred in South Norwood, London. He was a heavy, thick-set man with jet-black hair and a year-round tan. His most noticeable feature was his piercing green eyes that sparkled like emeralds when he was in a good mood, but faded into dark murky pools with soulless large black pupils when he was riled. He had numerous businesses; clubs, gambling dens, illegal car finding services, physical security, pawn shops and a tidy drug importation network. He was of course known to the police as he had served time for petty crimes, but had gotten away with the bigger crimes due to the fact he had several police officers on his payroll, including a couple of high-ranking officers.

Michelle was a typical gangster’s wife, stunning to look at, but nothing between the ears. She always dressed impeccably and knew her place when it came to Tony’s business interests. When he was working, she loved nothing better than to spend her day in the spa, getting her hair and nails done and lunching with the girls. Her drinking had got worse over the years due to the boredom of when Tony was away on business, and when she drank, a darker side of her nature became apparent.

Danny had been a good servant to Tony after they met years before at Ascot races. Danny had been minding a Glaswegian villain that was hosting the function to which Tony had been invited. A hit on the Glaswegian had been ordered, and Danny had taken a bullet through his chest while trying to save him. Tony had visited him a few times in hospital to coax him to work for him, as the sort of loyalty shown was hard to come by, and with the Scot out of the way, Tony could apply the right amount of pressure for him to move over to be his minder and driver. The relationship was very professional with no emotion, Danny was well paid and Tony had a top muscleman with unshakeable loyalty, although Tony was very capable of looking after himself. The two were rarely very far apart. As DeSantos always commented, another set of eyes were always helpful in most situations.

The car was parked in a prime location outside one of London’s top restaurants, where DeSantos was booked for a working lunch to have a meeting to arrange a large deal. Both DeSantos and his wife got out of the car, and unusually, Danny was asked to stay in the car while the lunch took place. DeSantos knew this was an extremely low risk meeting, and did not want to let his driver in on what could be the biggest deal he had ever undertaken. They were shown to their seats by the maître de and ordered a sparkling water and a glass of champagne. Tony looked at Michelle with a touch of annoyance that she would choose to drink alcohol this early, and before such an important meeting. He kept a mental note to himself to keep her under strict observation, and to speak with her when they got home. He could let absolutely nothing get in the way of the deal.

As his guests arrived, introductions were made and more water was ordered, before the lunch menu arrived. The conversational tones were light and good humoured, but with an underlying tone of nervousness. There was a lot of money and credibility placed upon the deal, and nobody was going to show their hand too early. After everyone had finished eating, arrangements were made to meet again in a week’s time to finalise delivery details and financial transfers for the first order. It was to be a small order to ensure everything went smoothly and there were no hiccups.

The visitors left the table after saying their goodbyes, leaving DeSantos to review what the conversation points meant to his way of thinking. He glanced at his wife and in the short hour or so they had been at the restaurant, she had managed more champagne than he wanted her to. He stared at her, his eyes beginning to cloud slightly. He reminded himself to sort it out in the near future.

Danny was patiently waiting in the car when they returned. Good meeting, boss?

Fine, fine, said Tony with a bit more edge than normal. Danny looked at Michelle and could see why his boss was a bit tense. He had seen it on numerous occasions, steadily becoming more and more frequent over time. He pulled the car away from the kerb and started the steady drive back to Kent, where the couple’s mansion was located.

Chapter 4

Garth sat on the bench catching his breath, while beads of sweat were being forcefully expelled from his body. Squash had always been an extremely physical pastime and today was no exception. Great game, he gasped.

I’m getting a bit too old for this, panted Josh in reply.

The pair showered, and met up in the bar, as was their usual routine on a Tuesday. Garth’s body had calmed down after his shower, and he was now under control of his breathing and body temperature. Josh on the other hand was still perspiring, and his breathing was still short. After the fruit juices were ordered, Josh looked at Garth in a manner that meant he had something to say, but did not know how to start.

Whatever it is you need to say, Josh, just go ahead and say it, Garth prompted.

Well, it’s like this, Josh said, somewhat uncomfortably. I have heard that David Mearside is being released from prison soon.

Garth felt a surge of anger rise from the pit of his stomach. When, where? he asked, slightly harsher than he intended.

I don’t have the full details, I just needed to make you aware, so that you didn’t find out from another source.

Garth fell quiet, his head spinning, his anger increased. He felt sad, even depressed, knowing he had to do something, but didn’t know what that something was. Josh realised the anguish he had caused and put his arm on his nephew’s shoulder. It was a long time ago, Garth, you must try and move on.

How the fuck do you expect me to move on? hissed Garth. That man took away from me something that no person should ever have to go through. He could feel the tears of anger welling up behind his eyes, but determined not to let them burst through. Although you were there for me, Josh, I still miss mum and dad.

I know, son, I know, Josh said, as he gripped Garth’s shoulder a bit harder.

Garth breathed in more deeply, gathered himself together, and said, I’ve got to go, Josh, I need to do some laundry.

It was obviously an excuse to get himself out of the squash club and into the fresh air. OK, I understand, said Josh, as he let go of Garth’s shoulder. He let him leave without saying any more.

Garth walked to where his car was parked, jumped in and sped away. Josh watched from the clubhouse window, and as Garth turned out onto the main road, Josh removed the mobile from his pocket and made the call.

How did he take it? the voice on the other end enquired.

How do you think he bloody took it? Josh replied angrily.

The voice replied, Keep things in check, Joshua; you know the consequences of not going through with this.

Josh pushed the end button on his phone, and pushed it back in his pocket. He had this very real nauseous feeling in his stomach. He knew things were going to get extremely tough very soon.

Chapter 5

As Garth drove away from the club, his heart was pumping a bit harder than it should have been, and this made him tense. He was travelling faster than the speed limit allowed. The Bentley pulled out behind him as he sped past a side street, and began to follow him unnoticed. Danny tried to tail