Never Return

by Stephen Barnes

  “Why was it an error of judgement?”

  “I did it without considering the possible complications and Eddie’s impatience to claim what he saw as his heritage made it difficult to address them. He wouldn’t wait and in the end, I had to tell him to forget what he’d been told. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.”

  “How do you communicate with Eddie?”

  “We only speak when he calls me. He always withholds the number.”

  “Is there anything you can tell us which might help us find Eddie?”

  “I assume he’s back in England, possibly in Thorbury. I don’t know exactly where.”

  “But you told our colleagues you believed Eddie was still in Belgium,” Marsh pointed out.

  “Yes. I’m sorry. My overriding concern was for my son. The possibility of Eddie being involved in murder unnerved me but now I realise the truth is best for us all.”

  “You need to give us the whole truth Mrs Thorbury,” Evans said.

  “Mila told me that Eddie hadn’t been a drug user, that he’d returned from Belgium almost straight away. She said she didn’t know where he was.”

  “When did you first hear from Eddie after his return?”

  “Not long after. He said he was okay, that he’d keep in touch.”

  “And when did you tell him about the family secret?”

  “About two weeks ago. He hadn’t been calling quite as regularly and when he did, he wouldn’t say where he was living or what he was doing. It was the only thing I could use to bring him back to the fold.”

  “If you knew Eddie wasn’t a drug user, you must have suspected he was dealing,” Marsh said. “He’d been expelled from the academy for drug possession.”

  “Despite his denials, I chose to believe he was a user and couldn’t face the treatment even if it was for his own good.”

  “Very well Mrs Thorbury, we’ll leave that issue for now,” Evans said. “We believe you know a family in Shoresby by the name of Devonshire. Would that be correct?” he asked.

  “How is that relevant?” Louise Thorbury asked, unable to suppress the nervous quiver in her voice.

  “It’s been reported that Eddie was at the Devonshire’s house on Wednesday evening with a woman who matches your description.”

  “Reported?”

  “Yes. By someone else who was there.”

  Louise Thorbury looked sheepishly at Evans. “The Devonshire’s have been family friends for years. Eddie knows them too. He called me on Wednesday morning and asked if he could use the house for a party that evening. He’d been in touch with Susan and David’s son, Philip. He’s at university in London. Philip had told Eddie his parents were in America and I had the keys to the house.”

  “And you agreed to let Eddie use it?”

  “At first I said he couldn’t. I wasn’t going to be responsible for any mess or damage but Eddie talked me into it. He said I could act as host so I agreed.”

  “Which means you must have seen Eddie on Wednesday. I’m yet to be convinced about your commitment to the truth Mrs Thorbury,” Evans stated.

  “I agreed because I wanted to see my son. I hadn’t seen Eddie since the Easter holiday but I only saw him briefly on Wednesday. We met as arranged at the house. He told me a Dr Paul Cahill would be arriving early, that his partner Carol was meeting him there and would I make sure he was given a drink. After Dr Cahill arrived, Eddie said the party had been cancelled and I could leave. He’d explain to Dr Cahill and return the keys to me next day.”

  “And you did as he asked?”

  “Yes. Eddie said he would come to see me at Long Malden. I’d have done anything for that.”

  “Did you see anyone else in the house?”

  “No. I only saw Dr Cahill. If his partner was there, I didn’t see her or anyone else.”

  “And Eddie didn’t say why he wanted to hold the party or how many people to expect?” Marsh asked.

  “He didn’t tell me any more than I’ve already said. My only interest was in seeing him again.”

  “It appears from Paul Cahill’s account of his visit to the house that he may have been drugged. What did you give him to drink?” Evans asked.

  “A whisky and soda. Are you suggesting I put something else in it?”

  “Did you?”

  “Of course not. Why would I do that?”

  “It’s just a question we have to ask,” Evans replied, not wishing to provide a full account of Paul’s reported experiences.

  “Eddie obviously didn’t keep his promise to visit you,” Marsh said.

  “No. And he still has the keys to the house.”

  “We need to know if he contacts you again,” Evans said. “And if you really want to help him, get him to tell you where he is. We have to speak to him.”

  “Eddie will keep his word,” Louise Thorbury said. “He’ll turn up at the house before long. There can’t be any truth in Dr Cahill’s malicious accusations.”

  “You’re very trusting of your son Mrs Thorbury,” Marsh observed.

  “I assume you have no children,” Louise Thorbury replied. “If you did, you’d understand. But one thing you must realise is that Eddie couldn’t be involved in any form of violence. Eddie is harmless. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  Chapter 49

  “The police won’t act until he calls again,” Paul said. Peter was at his colleague’s flat hearing about the efforts to find Carol and her captor.

  “At least we know she’s still alive,” Peter said, trying to reassure him.

  “We can’t be certain about that until we find her.”

  “What can we do?”

  “There must be something. Colin called earlier to say there were no signs of forced entry to the hall but he also told me the caretakers didn’t know about the carriage entrance.”

  “Which confirms that someone has tried to get into the tunnel from the grounds. And if the door was opened before we discovered the subway, there would have been a way in,” Peter reasoned.

  “That’s right and it was bolted when we found it which means someone could be inside but the police are sticking to the plan of waiting until he calls. That means we’ll have to wait as well unless we can get in there ourselves.”

  “Are you serious?” Peter asked.

  “Colin thinks a raid on the hall would be too big a risk. He may be right but if we could get in there unnoticed, we might be able to get her out.”

  “But Eddie or whoever it is will be armed and probably prepared to kill. There’d be a risk to us as well as Carol.”

  “If Carol is locked in one of the rooms, he wouldn’t need to stay in the hall. The carriage entrance might be open now.”

  “Why don’t the police check it? They could deploy a surveillance team.”

  “They say they’re certain the hall is empty.”

  “Checking it ourselves could be dangerous.”

  “It could,” Paul agreed. “D’you want a beer?”

  “Why not.”

  After several bottles of larger, consumed while waiting for Paul’s mobile to ring, the urge to act was irresistible.

  “We could get straight into the hall from unit twelve,” Paul said. “It might be a safer option.”

  “We’d have to break in. We’d be risking our careers as well as our lives.”

  “That’s true. I realise it’s different for you but I’m prepared to take the risk.”

  “In that case, let’s go,” Peter said with alcohol fuelled bravado as he rose from the sofa.

  Paul sprang from his chair. “We’ll need torches and gloves,” he said.

  “There are CCTV cameras on most of the units. We’ll need to cover our faces.”

  “I may have a couple of baseball caps from way back. And we’ll need a way of breaking in. What can we use?”

  “How would I know?” Peter declared with incredulity. “I’m a university lecturer. I didn’t take any courses in burglary.”

  “Is there an alarm?” Paul asked
.

  “If there is, it was off when we went in on Wednesday but that makes sense in view of what the unit was being used for. The people involved wouldn’t have wanted the police to attend if there was a break-in. We’ll have to hope it’s still off.”

  “We may be able to spring the door lock. I’ve got a chisel somewhere.”

  Paul left the room and returned quickly with the caps as well as gloves, torches and a chisel.

  “And how do we get down to the subway if there’s no ladder?” Peter asked.

  “We’ll have to improvise. I’ll get a sheet.”

  “That might work for getting down there but what if we have to leave in a hurry and unit twelve’s the only way out?” Peter asked.

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to let fate take its course,” was all Paul could suggest.

  Once fully equipped, the lecturers quit the flat. It was dark outside when they emerged and began the short walk to the Lord Alfred Trading Estate. They were wearing the gloves and the baseball caps which Paul had found in a draw full of things long forgotten. The sheet and chisel were tucked inside his jacket.

  When they arrived at the estate, there was little sign of activity. Cars were parked outside some of the units where lights indicated occupation but there was no one to observe the intruders.

  Paul and Peter approached unit twelve making sure the peaks of their caps covered their faces as they came within range of the first CCTV camera.

  Unit twelve had no security lighting. Peter stood behind Paul to shield him as he took out the chisel. Considerable effort was needed to force the door back against the hinges far enough to spring the lock. Success came with insufficient noise to attract attention from the occupied units.

  “Well done,” Peter said. “At least you have a talent to fall back on when you get sacked.”

  The lecturers slipped inside and made their way to the cupboard.

  “That’s handy,” Paul said after flicking the light switch. A ladder was leaning against the wall by the cupboard door. “The police must have left it. They may be planning to return.”

  “Hopefully not tonight,” Peter said as they opened the cupboard and slid the ladder into the hole.

  Paul discarded the sheet before they climbed down into the subway. The atmosphere below ground was unpleasant due to the lingering chemical vapours from the drugs lab. In the torchlight, they headed in the direction of the hall.

  “This is impressive,” Peter said, scanning the ornate pillars supporting the roof and the patterned tiling which adorned the walls of the subway.

  “This isn’t the time to admire Lord Alfred’s taste in tiling,” Paul said, hurrying Peter along. “We may not have very long to live.”

  “If we survive, I want to come back down here,” Peter declared.

  The further they progressed, the staler the air became but after picking their way through the darkness, they found the end of the subway. The extension built by the second Earl continued beyond the remaining steps which would have led to what was now the bin store. It was narrower than the subway and lacked its elaborate tiling. The second Earl had been much less extravagant than his father.

  “There must have been some form of ventilation when the tunnel was built,” Peter said. “Probably shafts which are likely to have been sealed when the tunnel became disused and it’s nearly half a mile to the hall.”

  “We should keep going and hope for the best,” Paul said.

  They moved down the dark tunnel with Paul in the lead, their torches barely bright enough to guide them but Peter was lagging behind as if something had diverted his attention. “I think I can see stars,” he said. “One of the shafts must have been opened up.”

  Paul turned as Peter shone his torch on a pile of rubble and soil which had fallen down from the hole.

  “Whoever’s involved in this business isn’t afraid of hard labour,” Peter said.

  “At least we won’t suffocate but there’ll be other things to worry about if we get into the hall. We may need to split up to search for Carol.” Paul took out his phone and shone his torch on the display. “No signal down here but we should be alright in the hall if that’s where he called from. If we do split up, we’ll be able to keep in touch by phone.”

  “Right. Let’s press on,” Peter said as they continued their underground journey towards Thorbury Hall.

  Chapter 50

  Marsh had gone off duty and Evans was mulling over the day’s events when Hinton returned with Fuller and Garton after their aborted journey to Long Malden.

  “Is she still here?” Hinton asked.

  “No. Her story tied in with Tom and Mila’s. She was very co-operative,” Evans said before retelling Louise Thorbury’s account of her limited role in the events at Shoresby.

  “There was nothing to hold her on?”

  “There’s no evidence of her involvement in any criminal activity. She’s only concerned about Eddie’s welfare. She says he’s harmless. I have some doubts about her but there’s nothing we can prove.”

  “What doubts?”

  “Someone drugged Paul Cahill’s drink. She claimed to know nothing about it but how was it done if it wasn’t Louise?”

  “Well at least we know for certain that Eddie was at Shoresby and that means he can’t be entirely harmless. She couldn’t help at all with his whereabouts?”

  “No but he must be in Thorbury or nearby.”

  “Isn’t there a risk of her telling him what we know about Shoresby?”

  “It’s a risk we’ll have to take. She said she didn’t have any contact details but she’s lied before.”

  “Everyone seems determined to prove their innocence,” Hinton moaned. “We’ll find out next that Carol Jones and Eddie Thorbury are secret lovers.”

  “Perhaps they are. Tessa and Gary have discovered that Carol met a blond haired man at the Parkland Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. I gave Tessa the photograph but she just called to say that no one at the hotel could be certain it was the man Tom identified as Eddie.”

  “So we have four members of the Thorbury family and their former servant who’ve all been in some way linked to the investigation and all, with the exception of Eddie, have slithered off the suspect list.”

  “And if Eddie really is as harmless as his mother claims, it may not be long before we have to rule him out as well,” Evans added.

  “I take it Cahill hasn’t had another call?”

  “Not yet. He’ll contact me when that happens. It could be any time. We need everyone on standby.”

  “You can recall anyone on the team. I’ll make sure there’s armed support available if required. Where’s Cahill right now?”

  “He should be at home.”

  “And you’re sure he’ll contact you when he gets the call?”

  “I can’t be absolutely certain. Have Fuller and Garton gone off duty?”

  “I’ve asked them to wait. They could keep an eye on Cahill if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “I was. I’m not entirely convinced he won’t act independently. They could confirm he’s at home and make sure he stays there.”

  Hinton agreed with the suggestion and Fuller and Garton set off to Paul’s flat in anticipation of a few easy hours on overtime. On arrival, they rang Paul’s bell and got no response.

  “We don’t think he’s at home Boss,” Fuller announced when he called Evans.

  “Wait there,” Evans instructed. “I’ll be with you as soon as possible.”

  Before leaving, Evans called Marsh and told him to head for Paul’s flat. His call to Paul’s mobile was unanswered.

  Twenty minutes later, Evans met Fuller and Garton outside the flats.

  “He must be out,” Fuller said. “We’ve buzzed him several times.”

  “We may have to assume he’s taken matters into his own hands,” Evans said as Marsh arrived and joined the group.

  The four detectives sat in the car which Fuller had used for the wasted journey to Long Ma
lden.

  “Paul may still be waiting for a call from the abductor,” Evans said. “But he may also have convinced himself that Eddie is holding Carol in Thorbury Hall.”

  “You think he might have tried to find a way in?” Marsh asked.

  “Possibly. Let’s check unit twelve and take it from there.”

  Fuller drove them to the trading estate and parked in front of unit twelve. Marsh got out and trotted to the door, noticing immediately the signs of forced entry.

  “Someone’s broken in,” he told the others after returning to the car.

  “Let’s take a look,” Evans said.

  Marsh led the way to the door and pushed it open. “The lock’s been sprung,” he said. “I heard the SOCOs were back here this morning which means this must have happened quite recently.”

  “Well it’s unlikely to have been Eddie,” Evans said. “According to the landlord, he still has the keys.”

  They all trouped inside and headed for the cupboard, finding Paul’s discarded sheet on the floor and the ladder in the hole.

  “D’you want us to take a look Boss?” Fuller offered. “There’s a torch in the car.”

  “Shouldn’t we call for armed support?” Marsh asked.

  “Hinton has firearms officers on standby. He’s off duty now but I can call them up if necessary,” Evans replied.

  “Why not do it now?” Marsh asked. “If Paul has found his way into the hall, he could be in danger.”

  “Let’s hold off for the time being. The original subway was less than a hundred meters long. It should be easy enough to check if the tunnel to the house is still accessible. Do that and come straight back,” Evans said to Fuller and Garton. “We’ll wait here for you.”

  Fuller got the torch from the car and he and Garton disappeared into the subway. Evans and Marsh could hear the grumbles as the two DCs encountered the acrid atmosphere of the drugs lab.

  “They should be back soon,” Evans said. “Then we’ll decide on the next step.”

  *