by P. F. Ford
‘It sounds as if you had a lot of time for him,’ said Slater.
‘I have lots of time for anyone who can recognise they’re going nowhere and do something about it, Inspector. So should we all.’
Slater thought that was fair comment, even if it had been delivered like a reprimand. ‘What happened next?’
‘What happens to all of us? He met a girl and fell in love. Her name was Kylie Mason.’
‘How old would he have been then?’
‘About twenty, I think.’
‘Did it last?’ asked Watson.
‘Oh yes, it was the real thing, believe me. You could see it in his eyes. Now he had even more purpose about him. About a year later he told me he would be leaving the army to get married and work on a farm. As far as he was concerned, he had found his happy ending. And when he left, I really didn’t expect to see him again.’
‘So how did he come to end up in prison for assaulting a police officer?’ asked Slater. ‘That wasn’t very gentle, was it? Didn’t you feel let down?’
‘I couldn’t believe it when I heard he was in prison,’ admitted the Major. ‘And yes, at first I was very disappointed, but I knew there had to be more to it. I couldn’t accept he would have punched a policeman without a damned good reason. So I went to see him.’
‘That was beyond the call of duty, wasn’t it?’ asked Slater. ‘I mean, he’d already left the army.’
The Major gave a Slater a pitiful look. ‘It wasn’t beyond my duty as a human being.’
Slater felt slightly irritated at this second ticking off from the Major in as many minutes, but this was all good background and he didn’t want to spoil it. ‘Err, yes, quite right,’ he said. ‘So why did Hudson punch a police officer?’
‘Before he left the army, he had one more tour of duty to do. It was six months trying to keep the peace in Kosovo. By this time, Kylie was pregnant, but before he left the country he had found them somewhere to live. Kylie was going to move into the cottage in October while he was away, and he would be home a couple of weeks before Christmas. They had their whole lives planned out.’
‘But?’ asked Slater.
‘When he got back home, Kylie should have had the baby and been in their cottage for a couple of months. I remember he got a letter telling him he was a father while we were only halfway through the tour. Of course, we have the internet and email these days, but back then, the best way to communicate was still by letter, so if anything had gone wrong after that, he would have had no way of knowing unless she had written to tell him.’
‘So what had gone wrong?’
‘When he got to what he thought was his new home, there was no sign of Kylie. What’s more, the people living there told him they had never heard of a Kylie! According to their story, they had moved into the cottage in the middle of November and the place was empty before that.’
‘So, where was Kylie?’ asked Watson.
‘That’s the million-dollar question,’ said the Major, ‘and as far as I’m aware, we still don’t know the answer. Of course David went straight to the police and reported his family missing, but he told me he felt they never took him seriously.’
‘What made him say that?’ asked Slater.
‘Because there was no sign of Kylie or their possessions at the cottage, the police at first seemed to assume David was making the whole thing up. Then, when he persisted, they told him that even if his story was true, Kylie was an adult and as such, had the right to go wherever she wanted without having to tell anyone.’
‘Why didn’t he come to you?’ asked Watson.
‘The poor lad thought he couldn’t as he was no longer in the army. It’s a pity because there was so much I could have done to help him, but he was so far out of his depth I don’t think he could put two thoughts together. And then, when he was out of his mind with worry, one of the police officers told him Kylie had been taking him for a ride all long. He said she had probably planned to run off with someone else all along, and that’s why there was no sign of their stuff in the cottage.’
‘And that’s when he punched the man’s lights out,’ finished Slater.
‘He did six months in prison,’ said the Major, ‘and then I managed to get him released on parole. The conditions were that he had to live on the farm here, in one of the cottages, and work for me. He was still a prisoner, in effect, but I hoped if I could get him out of prison and keep him out, I could help him rebuild his life.’
‘You thought he had been unfairly treated and deserved a second chance,’ said Slater.
‘Exactly! I’m not condoning what he did, but can you imagine coming home for Christmas thinking you’re going to spend the rest of your life with your family and then finding them gone? I’ve met that DS Norton. My goodness, if there was a prize for being obnoxious, that horrible little man would win it every time.’
‘Norton?’ asked Slater. ‘DS Colin Norton from Ramlinstoke?’
‘Yes, that’s the man.’
‘Do you mind if I ask how you met him?’ asked Watson. ‘Was it over David Hudson’s case?’
‘No, it was years later. I suppose it’s a bit unfair to condemn him as a bad man. He can’t be all bad. I met him when the Randalls’ son disappeared. They’re neighbours just down the lane there. He came to support the family and volunteered for all the searches.’
Slater was getting that old familiar tingly feeling. He glanced at Watson. She had perked up too. ‘Did he know them?’ asked Slater.
‘Apparently he had worked with Diana before, had become a family friend, and kept in touch.’
‘Would David Hudson have known Diana Randall?’ asked Slater.
‘Yes, of course. The Randalls were good friends of ours and often came over. David was always treated as one of the family so he would often be here too.’ The Major made a big deal of looking at his watch. ‘I really have to be getting on.’
‘Yes, thank you, Major, you’ve been very helpful,’ said Slater. ‘There is one more thing. Do you know where David Hudson is now?’
‘I have an address, but I doubt it will be much use. He moved on ten years ago. I wrote to him two or three times, but I never got a reply. I had the feeling he’d left here to get away from all of us.’ He found an address book, opened it, and gave it to Watson. ‘It’s the top one there.’
Watson copied the address into her notebook.
‘Can you tell me what this is about?’ asked the Major as they got ready to leave.
‘We’ve found a child’s body,’ said Slater. ‘DNA testing indicates David Hudson was the father. We’d like to find him so we can tell him.’
The Major took a sharp intake of breath. ‘Oh my God,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘You will be careful, won’t you? I did my best to help him rebuild his life, but he remains heartbroken. It’s a very deep wound you’re going to reopen.’
Chapter 13
Slater had elected to drive back from the Major’s to allow Watson to call the team back at base. He had tuned her telephone conversations out almost straight away and had been deep in thought ever since they had left Flipton Dene. Last night, for the third night running, he’d had yet another heated exchange with Jenny, and he was beginning to wonder what was behind it all. He didn’t feel he was being unreasonable in not wanting to drive for hours every day. It wouldn’t be forever, after all.
Once he got settled in his new base, the plan was to find a house and then they could be together every night. They had agreed all this weeks ago, and yet now she seemed to have forgotten and did nothing but complain. He was beginning to wonder if maybe this was a warning of things to come, and if he was honest, he was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole relationship. He became vaguely aware someone was talking to him.
‘Hello? Hello? Is there anybody in there?’ called Watson.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘I was miles away.’
‘I wasn’t sure if you were deep in thought or in some sort of trance,’ sa
id Watson.
‘I was trying to make sense of it all,’ said Slater. ‘I’m sorry. What were you saying?’
‘Okay, the wheels are turning. Now we have a location and a rough idea when this Kylie Mason and her son went missing, I’ve got the team searching for the missing persons report Hudson says he made. I’ve also given them the address Hudson gave to the Major and made it a priority to find him. I’m afraid it means the pendant gets put on the back-burner for now, but I’m sure you agree finding David Hudson is our main priority now.’
‘Definitely,’ said Slater. ‘You realise there could be another reason for his broken heart?’
‘You mean they might have disappeared because he killed them himself?’ asked Watson. ‘Yes, I thought that was a possibility, too, but if he was telling the truth about the cottage, and Kylie moved in during October, he couldn’t have done it. He was in Kosovo.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Slater, ‘but the Major said the people in the cottage said it was empty when they moved in. What if he made that up, and Kylie was already dead before he went to Kosovo?’ He felt pleased with himself, but his pleasure was short-lived as Watson immediately shot his theory down in flames.
‘Sorry, boss, but I’m not sure that works,’ she said, nervously.
‘Why not?’
‘Don’t forget she had the baby while he was away. If he had murdered her before he went, she would still have been carrying. He wouldn’t have got the letter telling him he was a daddy.’
‘He could have sent it himself,’ countered Slater, then he thought about it for a moment. ‘Nah. You’re right, it’s a non-runner, isn’t it? That would mean a lot of advanced planning, and from what the Major was saying this guy doesn’t sound like a criminal mastermind, does he?’ He glanced across and gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Good work.’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I know it’s not my place to tell you what I think, but—’
‘Oh, but it is!’ he assured her. ‘I told you before, we’re a team. It’s no good having a brain as good as yours on the case if you’re not going to contribute anything. You need to get it into your head that I don’t want a, yes sir, no sir robot alongside me, I want someone with an opinion who’s not afraid to voice it. I’m just as capable of going off in the wrong direction as anyone else, and if you think that’s what I’m doing I want you to tell me. It could save both of us a lot of embarrassment, especially me.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Watson. ‘Right, I’ll try to remember that in future.’ Her mobile phone began to ring, and she snatched it up and listened to the voice on the other end. ‘Apparently no missing person report was ever made by David Hudson about Kylie Mason and her son,’ she told Slater as she ended the call.
‘But that makes no sense. He must have approached Ramlinstoke station about something,’ said Slater. ‘He was actually in there when he belted Norton.’
‘Do you believe this story about her going missing?’ asked Watson.
‘Well, I’m beginning to lean that way,’ said Slater. ‘You’ve just proved he couldn’t have killed them before he went away because of the baby, and the Major certainly seemed to think it was kosher, and I got the impression he’s no fool. Even so, I think I’ll feel happier if we can actually find Hudson and speak to him ourselves.’
They drove on in silence for a couple of minutes before Slater spoke again. ‘So, we know we need to find Hudson, but where do we go in the meantime? What’s our next step in this investigation?’
Watson thumbed through the notebook on her lap. ‘What about trying to find a connection between Hudson and Diana Randall?’
‘So you noticed the Major was suddenly in a hurry for us to leave when I asked about that?’
‘It could have been that he really was in a hurry,’ suggested Watson.
‘You’re too forgiving,’ said Slater with a wry smile. ‘Let’s get it checked out anyway. Let’s make sure we leave no stone unturned and all that.’
Watson made a note in her notebook.
‘Anything else?’ asked Slater.
‘DS Norton seems to be cropping up rather a lot,’ said Watson. ‘I really think we need to speak to him.’
‘Yes, I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy that particular conversation,’ said Slater.
* * *
They were just fifteen minutes away from Trillington village when Watson’s phone rang again. There was a brief conversation, during which she glanced several times in Slater’s direction. Finally, she ended the call with, ‘I’m sure the boss will be delighted to provide a bottle for your birthday.’
‘Does Bradshaw know you spend his money like that?’ asked Slater as she ended the call and put the phone back in her lap.
‘Do you mean about the bottle?’ she asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘Oh, I didn’t mean him,’ she said with a broad grin. ‘Didn’t you say we should call you the boss?’
‘But I don’t even know who you were talking to!’ Slater protested.
‘Her name is Shanaya, and she’s a very bright, talented, and beautiful young lady who works in our offices back at base. She’s one of the best we’ve got, and the reason you’re providing the bubbly is because she has found David Hudson.’
Slater was suitably impressed. ‘That was damned quick. How did she manage that?’
‘While the rest of us were assuming he had gone into hiding, like some sort of outlaw, Shanaya considered an alternative idea. It occurred to her that maybe he wasn’t hiding at all but was perhaps living abroad, and if he wasn’t hiding, it was quite likely he would still be using his real name.’
Slater couldn’t help but smile at the simplicity of it. ‘So she did a search and?’
‘He’s living in France. He manages a small farm with a campsite and a few gîtes. She’s going to email us the address and any other info she can find. It should be waiting for us at the office.’
‘D’you know, I thought it would take us ages to find him,’ confessed Slater. ‘You’re right, the boss will be delighted to provide a bottle for Shanaya’s birthday. In fact, I might even buy her a whole case!’
‘I’d better book us tickets to France,’ said Watson. ‘When would you like to go?’
‘Sooner rather than later, I think,’ said Slater.
‘I’ve never used the Eurotunnel before, it’ll be a bit of an adventure,’ said Watson, sounding like a kid with a new toy.
Slater glanced across at her. She did actually look excited, but he didn’t share her delight. ‘Ah, yes, about that,’ he said. ‘I’m not a big fan of tunnels. I even get a bit queasy driving under a motorway bridge.’
Watson looked at him, mouth open in disbelief. ‘Really?’
‘I’m afraid so, ever since I can remember.’
‘Well, fancy that!’ She looked away but Slater detected the hint of a smile on her face.
‘I suppose you think I’m weird?’
‘The word I would use is “different”,’ she said, ‘I’d definitely say you were different. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, we can take the ferry. I love standing on deck watching the water go by.’
‘I’m afraid I’m not mad about boats either,’ he said, with a half-smile.
‘Oh dear, that’s going to make life difficult.’
‘A ferry is big enough to be okay,’ he said. ‘It’s little boats I hate. A ferry will be fine, as long as I don’t have to look over the side. You’ll have to do that on your own. I’ll stay in the bar.’
Chapter 14
After a thankfully calm crossing, Slater and Watson disembarked the ferry and Slater tentatively pulled out onto the open road. While he drove, Watson described the farm from the information they had downloaded. Set in a valley, surrounded by farmland, there were ten gîtes on the farm – some created from converted barns and some purpose-built log cabins. The original farmhouse housed the reception area and also served as a small shop selling a few essentials and produce from farms in the local area.
�
��It looks as good as it sounds,’ she remarked as Slater turned the car off the road. ‘Just the sort of place to come if you wanted to have a quiet break and do some walking.’
‘If you’re that keen, you can make a booking while we’re here,’ said Slater. ‘But perhaps you should curb your enthusiasm until after we’ve spoken to the suspect.’
Watson looked like she had a retort on the tip of her tongue, but Slater gave her a look.
‘Is that how we’re going to treat him?’ she asked.
‘That’s what he is,’ said Slater as he parked the car, ‘but we’ll stick to the plan and approach him as the father and see where it goes from there.’
They climbed from the car and made their way through the door marked ‘reception’. As Watson pushed the door open, they heard a bell ring somewhere deeper in the house. Almost straight away, a curtain behind the counter was swished back and a big, tall man ducked his way through to greet them. He had large, rugged hands and the sort of deep suntan that came from working out in the fields. The lifestyle obviously suited him, and he didn’t appear to have changed much from the photograph the Major had given them.
‘Bonjour,’ he said, with a big amiable smile.
‘Bonjour,’ said Slater and Watson in unison.
The man’s smile widened. ‘Ah! You’re English.’
‘My accent never was much use,’ admitted Slater.
‘How can I help you?’
‘David Hudson?’ said Slater.
‘That’s me,’ he said, cheerfully.
Slater flashed his warrant card. ‘I’m DI Slater, and this is DS Brearley. D’you think we could have a word?’
‘What’s it about?’
‘It might be better if there was somewhere a bit more private where we could talk,’ Slater suggested quietly.
Hudson’s expression had changed from amused curiosity to confused concern. ‘Now you’re worrying me. I’ve just spoken to my wife, so I know she’s in town and she’s okay, and I don’t have any other family so it can’t be anything like that.’