He blanked out what Sara said. He was back in the office in the slate museum building immediately after the discovery of Smith’s body. All he could see was the image of various photographs on the wall.
‘Let’s go,’ Drake said.
It took them less than five minutes to reach the museum building. Crime scene investigators were still working inside. Drake barged his way towards the office and stood, Sara alongside him, staring at the photographs on the wall. Grabbing one, he pointed his finger at the image.
‘Glyn Talbot. He knew all about this place.’
‘We need to bring him in, boss.’
Every muscle in Drake’s body tightened. He reached for his mobile but it rang first. He grabbed it from his pocket recognising Winder’s name.
‘Boss, I thought you should know. A Maldwyn Owen has been reported missing.’
Drake struggled to place the name – it sounded familiar.
Winder continued. ‘He’s on the system as a friend of Frank Smith.’
Chapter 35
Drake ran back to his car, and fired the engine into life. At the junction of the main road his tyres screeched and he raced towards the home of Maldwyn Owen. He pulled the car onto the pavement near the property. Sara, following, did the same.
Drake shouted a greeting as he crossed the threshold into the kitchen.
A man he took as Maldwyn Owen’s father appeared in the doorway to the hall. A thickly wrinkled brow contrasted sharply with the warm, round lived-in face. ‘Who are you?’
‘Detective Inspector Ian Drake.’
The wrinkles abated a notch.
‘I’m Andy Owen, Maldwyn’s dad. Come through.’
A woman stood by the window of the sitting room, her posture stooped. She clawed at a nail.
‘This is Inspector Drake, Liz,’ Andy said.
Worry was chiselled into every part of her face.
‘Do you have any idea where Maldwyn might be?’ Drake said.
‘He sent me a message telling me to expect him back last night. We both work nights.’ Liz nodded her head towards her husband. ‘So when I got back today I expected to see him.’
‘We’ve called his friends, but no luck,’ Andy said. ‘After the business with Frank Smith we’re really worried. They were good friends.’
Drake nodded.
‘Does he have a girlfriend?’ Sara said.
‘We’ve tried to contact Sioned. But we haven’t heard anything.’
Sioned was a common name but still it jolted Drake. ‘What’s her full name?’
Liz shrugged.
Andy replied. ‘Jackson, I think. She works in the Fox and Hounds.’
Drake couldn’t say anything for a moment. His right leg started to shake.
Liz nodded quickly. ‘I’ve left a message for her.’
‘And she hasn’t called you back?’ A heaviness gathered in Drake’s mind. He could feel his lips drying. His immediate thought was to find his mobile, call Sioned and reassure himself she was safe.
Liz shook her head. ‘I really like Sioned.’ It sounded like a desperate hope she was safe. The cloud in his mind darkened.
‘Have you tried Maldwyn’s work?’ Drake said.
‘He didn’t turn up this morning. The foreman has no idea where he might be.’
Liz’s eyes took on a watery glaze. ‘I told him not to get involved with Frank Smith. He was bad news. Maldwyn is a good boy.’
‘Are there any friends he could be staying with or family? The urgency in Drake’s tone resulted in a panicked, desperate sobbing from Liz Owen.
‘I’ll see if I can find Sioned at the Fox and Hounds.’ Drake headed for the door. ‘Please give Sergeant Morgan details of his friends.’
How could he have known Sioned was Mal’s boyfriend? He slammed a hand against the steering wheel as he drove over to the car park of the public house. He fumbled for his mobile, dialling Sioned’s number, praying she’d answer. A voice message cut in and the darkest possibilities swamped his mind. Did the killer assume Maldwyn was the only surviving eyewitness to the murder of Heulwen Beard?
Their only eyewitness to any of the killings?
Drake parked outside the Fox and Hounds, imagining Sioned busy at work, her telephone lying at the bottom of her handbag; perhaps its battery was flat. Drake bustled into the public house and demanded to see the manager. He didn’t bother with his warrant card. ‘Where’s Sioned?’
‘She called in sick last night.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Sick, like unwell. What the hell is this about?’
‘I need to speak to her. It’s urgent.’ Drake realised he didn’t know where Sioned lived. He assumed she lived over the Fox and Hounds. It dawned on him that wasn’t the case.
‘What’s her home address?’
‘I thought she was staying in Liz-halfway’s place?’
Drake paused. ‘What do you mean, Liz-halfway?’
‘Didn’t you know? Liz Owen runs the café halfway up Snowdon.’
‘Is that Andy Owen’s wife?’
A confirmatory nod curled a knot of anxiety tightly in Drake’s mind. He hurried back to his car and then stood, before getting in, taking deep breaths. He had forgotten that morning that a decision had to be made about releasing Perdue. Having him locked up safe and sound in the police station suited Drake. He had to concentrate on Talbot and finding Maldwyn Owen and Sioned. So he called the search team at Perdue’s property who confirmed they had a full day’s work.
Perfect reason to deny him bail for another twenty-four hours.
He called Price and explained the position with Perdue before turning to Talbot. An ominous silence down the telephone told Drake the superintendent was unconvinced by his suspicions. ‘So you think there’s a risk of Maldwyn Owen’s and Sioned Jackson’s lives being threatened?’
‘Yes, sir,’
More breathing down the telephone.
‘I’m sticking my neck out, here, Ian. But I’ll authorise the detention of Perdue for another twenty-four hours to preserve evidence. I hope you’re right about Talbot.’
Relief washed over Drake. If Drake wasn’t right, he would have to explain Perdue’s continued custody. But he had other suspects too and he realised he had focused too much that morning on Glyn Talbot.
‘Thanks, sir.’
Drake called Winder. ‘I need to know the whereabouts of Wolfgang Muller, Fiona Jones and Glyn Talbot. Right now.’
‘Yes, boss.’
‘Once we know where they are I need officers to babysit them.’
‘What, all day?’
‘Yes, Gareth. The lives of Maldwyn Owen and Sioned Jackson depend on it.’
He finished the call. He didn’t want to comprehend that Sioned’s life might be threatened. He needed her safe and well.
* * *
Andy Owen stood in his kitchen gazing through the window when Drake arrived back at the Owen house. Sara appeared from the living room and gave him a questioning look. He hoped that his brief nod made clear he’d bring her up to date shortly.
Drake turned to Andy. ‘I need to speak to you and your wife.’
In the living room Liz Owen looked up at Drake; he didn’t bother sitting down. He got straight to the point. ‘Do you run the halfway café on the path up Snowdon?’
‘In the summer.’ Liz nodded.
‘Jesus, you don’t think that he’s gone up there?’ Andy turned on his heel and strode into the kitchen. Drake and Sara followed him and watched as he squirrelled through various cupboards. ‘They’re not here.’ He turned to give Drake and Sara a desperate look. ‘The fucking keys aren’t here.’
Liz joined them. ‘He would never go up there.’
Drake wasn’t so certain. ‘It would be safe. Nobody would suspect they’d gone halfway up the mountain.’ Already he was making the assumption Sioned was with him.
‘Does anyone else have a set of keys?’
‘Only the local park ranger.’
‘Call him,’ Dra
ke said before nodding at Sara to step outside with him.
He unlocked his car and they sat inside for a moment.
‘They’re in danger,’ Drake said. ‘Maldwyn’s not in work and Sioned called in sick. Something’s wrong.’
‘Frank Smith and Maldwyn must have been outside Heulwen Beard’s property the morning she was killed.’ Drake tightened his jaw. ‘They probably heard, may even saw, the killer.’
Sara baulked. ‘So Smith tries to blackmail the killer?’
‘And Maldwyn is the next target.’ Drake turned to Sara. ‘We need to get up to the Halfway café.’
‘Why would he take Sioned with him?’
‘Maybe he thinks she’s a target too or maybe he’s being overprotective. Whatever is happening, we need to find them both.’
Andy Owen appeared at the back door and jogged over to the car. He leaned down as Drake powered down the window. ‘The park ranger has got his set of keys. He lives round the corner.’
‘Show us.’ Drake left the vehicle and followed Andy Owen into the next street. A Land Rover with a high wheelbase covered in the markings of the Snowdonia National Park stood in the drive of a semi-detached property. A tall man in the national park’s uniform opened the door before Drake or Andy Owen had a chance to reach the doorbell. ‘Llew’ was sewn into the name badge.
‘What’s all this about?’
‘It’s a police matter,’ Drake said. ‘Is that your Land Rover?’
‘Yes, why?’
If Maldwyn and Sioned had made their way up to the halfway house overnight Drake had to get there quickly. A mental calculation told him it was a hike of an hour and a half and about the same back down. He had no time to waste.
‘We’ll need you to take us up there.’
He snorted at first. But he stopped when he looked at Drake’s face. ‘You’re joking, right?’
‘Get your keys.’
‘I’ve got things to do.’
Drake pushed his warrant card into the man’s face. ‘This is official police business; three people are dead. I’ve got two missing persons and unless you’re prepared to help me I’ll requisition your vehicle.’
Llew’s jaw fell open. ‘Give me a minute.’
In the two minutes he took to find his jacket and keys Drake had sent Sara back to his vehicle. She returned with two expandable batons and stab jackets – no substitute for a bulletproof vest but it was the best they could do in the circumstances.
The first part of the route after leaving Llanberis was a steep section of tarmac. Several startled walkers descending the mountain stared at them as the Land Rover heaved its way up the road. After a few minutes Llew pulled the vehicle to the left and stopped in front of a gate. The tarmac abruptly finished although a narrow track continued along into the moorland on the valley floor. Once the gate was open the Land Rover bumped its way over the rocky surface.
‘Are there many gates?’ Drake said as Llew got back into the vehicle after locking the gate.
‘It’s not the gates you need to be worried about,’ Llew said, frowning as he gazed upwards towards the narrowing path.
He selected the low gear ratios for the vehicle, glancing at Drake and Sara. ‘No turning back now until halfway.’
Drake nodded.
The engine roared. It bumped and meandered its way over the slabs of rock and the narrow path. Occasionally it felt like the vehicle was tipping itself over. Llew cursed and allowed the vehicle to drift backwards until he could find a firmer, safer route. When they reached some open sections Drake was tempted to urge him to accelerate. Llew peered through the windscreen, concentrating intently.
‘I haven’t been up this path with the Land Rover for a long time.’
It wasn’t an invitation for small talk, so Drake kept his mouth shut.
He and Sara were thrown around their seats. He grabbed onto his safety belt watching Llew selecting the right gear, cursing when he didn’t get it right. More walkers gave them startled looks. A thin woman in running kit descending the mountain paid them no attention.
Down to their right Drake could see the railway track as it began its journey up the mountain. The shallow valley reached out into the distance and ahead was a steep escarpment leading up to the summit of Snowdon, it’s top curtained in thick cloud.
Llew told them the journey would take half an hour and within twenty minutes a building appeared ahead of them. A group of walkers sat in its lee drinking from water bottles. They turned to gaze at the Land Rover as it neared.
Drake peered through the windscreen. He would have to warn the hikers.
‘The only area where I can turn is a small flat area after the café,’ Llew said.
‘Slow down near these people,’ Drake said.
He wound down the window as the vehicle slowed. Drake perched on the side of the window, warrant card in hand. ‘This is a police matter. Please leave this area immediately.’
Stunned faces gawped at him. It took them a few seconds to gather their equipment and scamper away.
The Land Rover parked.
Drake jumped out, his heart pounding, and Sara followed him over to the door.
Drake found the keys in his pocket while Sara peered in through one of the windows. She looked over at Drake, shaking her head.
The door squeaked as it opened; Drake and Sara entered. A damp, musty smell filled the air. A couple of old chairs were pushed underneath the table. In the middle of the floor was a small tent. Drake drew to one side the opening and looked inside. There were two sleeping bags but nothing else.
‘They must have left in a hurry,’ Drake said.
Sara was standing by the kitchen sink. Drake joined her and looked out through the window over the bleak, windswept moorland. A thin fog gathered in the air. A bird of prey drifted in the afternoon currents.
‘Where the hell have they gone?’ Drake said.
Chapter 36
When Drake returned to Llanberis, dusk was approaching. He gazed upwards and recalled from childhood the spectacular autumn sunsets over Anglesey: there wasn’t anything spectacular about that evening. It was dark and dismal, with a hint of drizzle and rain.
He had been jolted and banged as the Land Rover eased its way down the mountain. The muscles in his hands were sore from grasping tightly anything that would prevent him from rolling around in his seat.
Descending the mountain had given him little time to think until the last section when the vehicle covered the steep road down into the village.
Maldwyn and Sioned were hiding from someone; he was certain now. And he had to find them.
Once the Land Rover had parked Drake jumped out and stretched his back, pleased to be standing straight and not thrown around like some rag doll. Sara joined him, deep in thought.
After the intermittent coverage on the mountain Drake was pleased that his mobile showed a full signal. He called Winder.
‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you, boss.’
‘Bring me up to date.’
‘Wolfgang Muller is in his wellness centre with his wife and a class full of students doing yoga.’
It was good news – one suspect accounted for. ‘Good, and Fiona Jones?’
‘She’s not at home.’
Drake’s chest tightened. ‘And Glyn Talbot?’
‘An officer called at his home, but he wasn’t there.’
‘Find him, Gareth.’
‘Where—’
‘The army museum, the local library, the supermarket… any bloody place you can think of. And tell the officer to wait outside his house.’
He called Sioned again – another voice message.
He had to call Huw, his brother and Sioned’s father. He had dreaded making the call and had delayed as he travelled to and from the halfway café. There was no avoiding it now. Sioned, Huw’s daughter and Drake’s niece, was missing. If his assumption about Maldwyn and Frank Smith was correct then Maldwyn knew something, and he might even be an eyewitness to the murde
r of Heulwen Beard.
He hoped, he prayed, that Maldwyn was somewhere safe and that Sioned was with him.
He had to find them before the killer did.
‘Hello, Ian,’ Huw said.
Drake took a deep breath. ‘Have you been in contact with Sioned today?’
‘No, why? Has something happened?’
‘Did you know about Maldwyn Owen, her boyfriend?’
‘She mentioned his name. I didn’t think it was anything serious. What’s this about?’
Tension laced Huw’s every word. Would Huw be satisfied if he reassured him that everything would be all right, and that they would find Sioned and Maldwyn alive?
‘Has this got anything to do with the murders in Llanberis? For Christ’s sake, Ian, I need to know. I’ll call her now.’
Drake wanted to say he had tried Sioned’s mobile telephone number several times, but he doubted Huw would pay him any attention. Drake could hear the fumbling over the telephone. A moment later he heard Huw’s voice again.
‘All I get is her messaging service.’
‘I’m sure everything will be fine. We’re doing everything we can, Huw.’
‘That sounds like a real fucking cliché. I’m coming over to Llanberis.’
‘I really don’t think you need to.’ Huw didn’t hear Drake. The line went dead.
Would he have reacted differently had it been one of his daughters? He turned to Sara. ‘That was Huw Jackson – Sioned’s father, He hasn’t heard from her either.’
‘Any news about Talbot?’ Sara said.
‘There’s an officer outside his home. Let’s go up there now.’
* * *
A marked police car had taken the parking slot Drake had used when he last parked near Talbot’s home. He nudged his own car up into a grassy layby a few yards away. He glanced in the mirror; the street was quiet. He read the time from the dashboard clock – more valuable minutes were flying by. They left the Mondeo and spoke to the young officer in the police car.
‘I’ve tried the door and nobody answered. And nobody has called.’
‘Thanks,’ Drake said.
He stood with Sara on the pavement.
‘We’ll need a search warrant.’ Sara drew the collar of her jacket to her face.
A Time to Kill Page 25