Ewan’s head dropped. Caelan said, ‘Nash was hysterical, struggling and kicking. I doubt three men could have held him.’
‘I’m not going to argue with you. You already know that the victim’s brother crying over the body, holding it and having to be forced away could compromise the investigation. Forensics aren’t happy.’
‘It couldn’t be helped.’ Caelan wasn’t going to apologise for something that had been out of her control. ‘What do we know so far? When’s the post-mortem?’
‘You don’t need to know. Come on, Caelan, this is basic stuff. You can’t know any more than is reported in the news.’
‘I’m guessing he died from the blow to his head?’
Penrith held up a warning finger. ‘Nothing’s been confirmed.’
‘I can keep my mouth shut, Ian.’
He gave her a level stare. ‘You’re not going to be given the opportunity to do anything else, not yet anyway. And what about the fifteen thousand pounds?’
‘What about it?’
‘You think we’ve room in the budget to pay off drug debts?’
All at once, Caelan was exhausted. It was now 10.30 in the morning, and she and Ewan had been awake for over twenty-seven hours. ‘What was I supposed to say? I’ll have to talk to Harris, try to reason with him. I said we couldn’t trust Mulligan. I think this whole operation is a waste of time and resources. He’s introduced us to a few people, but they all seem to regard him as a joke. I think he made himself sound more important than he actually is.’
Penrith looked thoughtful. ‘You don’t think he knows anything?’
‘Not as much as we thought. Not as much as he pretended to.’
‘You’re saying he lied about how much he could help us so he’d receive a lesser sentence.’
‘Is it such a surprise? He told you he never knew the names of the people who organised the people trafficking, said we needed to speak to his two assistants again.’
‘Which we’ve done,’ Penrith said.
‘And?’
‘They say the same as Mulligan – all done anonymously, burner phones, go-betweens, et cetera. They don’t have any names to give us.’
‘Convenient for them.’
‘I think if they could have helped us, they would have. They think Mulligan’s looking at life for murder. They’ve no loyalty to him now he’s not paying them, and they know they’re also looking at lengthy prison sentences.’
Caelan could believe it. Mulligan’s men, Andri and Erdi, had been his employees, not his confidants or friends. They were mercenaries, paid to do the dirty work. She knew Penrith was right – if they’d been able to trade information to help themselves, they’d have done so in a second.
‘Okay, so getting information from the brothers is a dead end. What about Ryan Glennister?’
Penrith picked at his lower lip. ‘Who?
‘Come on, Ian, you know who I mean. He worked for Mulligan, one of his little helpers.’
‘Isn’t he in prison?’
‘Why are you asking me questions you already know the answers to? Glennister was allowed to walk away. We got him into a rehab programme.’
‘Did we?’
Caelan held back from throwing herself across the desk and throttling him. ‘He might be able to help. I could try to track him down.’
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
Penrith shrugged bulky shoulders. ‘From what Mulligan said, Glennister didn’t know which way was up. Mulligan didn’t confide in him, he used him. It’s a dead end.’
She stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. ‘You’re taking Mulligan’s word for it? Of course he’d say Ryan knew nothing, because he doesn’t want us talking to him. We know Mulligan kept him sweet with crack, feeding it to him like you’d give treats to a dog. When I saw Ryan, he was barely conscious. If that happened regularly – and I’ve no doubt it did – Mulligan won’t know how much he knows, and it’ll be worrying him.’
Penrith seemed to be thinking it over. ‘Glennister walked out of the rehab clinic without completing the programme.’
‘Shit.’ She was disappointed. She’d felt sorry for Ryan Glennister, made to dance like a puppet by Mulligan, who’d exploited the other man’s addiction shamelessly. But then he’d been given a chance to start again, and it looked as though he’d turned his back on it.
‘Feeling less sympathy for him now?’ Penrith said, with a knowing look.
‘No. Why was he allowed to leave the clinic?’
‘They don’t hold people prisoner. If someone wants to go, how can they stop them?’
She closed her eyes for a moment, seeing Glennister’s vacant face. She had hauled him to safety during the incident where Mulligan had been shot. Mulligan himself had fired at two men, one of whom had died at the scene. Caelan was certain he would have killed Glennister too if he’d had the chance. ‘Ryan should have been sectioned,’ she said.
‘That decision wasn’t ours to make. When he was assessed, it was decided the rehab clinic was the best place for him. You know all this.’
‘I still think he might be able to help us.’
‘He was interviewed at the time, more than once. He didn’t tell us anything. He’s terrified of Mulligan.’
‘As far as he knows, Mulligan’s in prison.’
Penrith pressed his lips together. ‘As I said, he left the clinic and he had no fixed address. He could be anywhere by now. Looking for him would be futile.’
Caelan didn’t agree. ‘How do you know he didn’t finish the programme?’
Was Penrith blushing? She couldn’t believe it.
‘I… kept an eye on him.’ He coughed, cleared his throat. ‘When I heard we were considering sending you out with Mulligan, I mean.’
She laughed. ‘For an undercover expert, you’re a terrible liar. Don’t tell me you were concerned about him?’
Penrith scowled. ‘You and I were both concerned, but he made his own decision. Like I said, we’ll never find him.’
‘Can I at least try?’
He held up his hands, and she took the gesture as acquiescence, though she’d no idea where to start looking. No point worrying about that now. She decided it was time to change the subject.
‘You told Mulligan he had one chance to give us information we could use, and he hasn’t done it,’ she said. ‘He’s introduced us to a barber, a con artist, two drug dealers and an ex-soldier who’s now been murdered.’ Caelan blew out her cheeks. ‘Not a resounding success so far.’
‘He must know more than he’s told us,’ Ewan said. Penrith and Caelan both looked at him. ‘If he doesn’t, why would someone bother to threaten his sister?’
Caelan nodded, returning her attention to Penrith. ‘Have you found her?’
‘No. We don’t know where to look. The threats she received by text and email are untraceable. No one saw her leave her house; there are no useful CCTV cameras in the area. There’s also no sign of any communication between her and this mysterious new boyfriend we were told about. We’re still going through all the contacts on her phone in case she had his details stored under a different name, but so far everyone checks out.’
‘That seems strange. Or suspicious,’ she said. ‘How else did they communicate, if not by phone?’
Penrith raised his eyebrows. ‘Maybe they spoke face to face. I hear some people can still manage it.’
‘He could be married,’ Ewan suggested. ‘Or her lecturer maybe – a relationship they need to keep quiet for some reason.’
‘It’s possible, but why would she tell her housemates about it if she needed it to be a secret?’ Penrith said.
‘Because they kept asking where she’d been and she wanted to give them a reason they’d believe?’ Caelan replied.
‘Meaning you think she was doing something else?’ Penrith frowned. ‘You’re not going to come up with another of your wild theories, are you?’
‘You mean the wild theories that have been prove
d right more often than not?’ She grinned at him, and he gave her a tiny smile.
‘They’re the ones.’
‘She’s an intelligent woman, who I assume knows how to access all kinds of information. If I were in her position—’
‘She’s not you, Caelan,’ Penrith said quickly.
‘If I were in her position, I’d want to know what was going on. Why I was being threatened, who was behind the threats. Where the danger was coming from.’
‘You would because of your job, your training. Most people would get into bed and pull the duvet over their head until it was safe.’
‘Something else is going on here. We need to find out what it is.’ She folded her arms.
‘I know. We’ll keep digging,’ Penrith told her.
‘What about her bank account? Debit and credit cards?’
‘No recent activity.’
Caelan blinked. It wasn’t looking good. ‘Social media?’
Penrith spread his hands. ‘So far, we’ve drawn another blank. She doesn’t seem to have any accounts, at least none we’ve found.’
‘A computer expert who doesn’t use social media? Probably wise,’ Caelan said.
‘I didn’t say she doesn’t use them, I said we haven’t found them.’
‘Do you think the new boyfriend exists?’
‘Who knows? But why would she lie about it?’
‘Have the housemates been questioned again?’ she asked.
He was nodding. ‘They don’t know any more than they’ve already told us.’
‘Did they meet the boyfriend, or did Lucy just tell them about him?’
‘They said he’d never been to the house. We’re doing everything we can to find out more about him – speaking to students on her course, her parents… Nothing. It’s early days though.’
She pursed her lips. ‘Maybe I should talk to the housemates myself. I’m supposed to be a cousin of Lucy’s, after all. I could go there, play the concerned relative.’ She knew there wouldn’t be much acting involved. The thought of anyone being held prisoner by the kind of people they were assuming were involved was unbearable.
‘No,’ said Penrith. ‘You’re not the only person on the force, Caelan. You need to trust that some of the rest of us also know what we’re doing.’
‘What harm could it do? The people Mulligan knows don’t seem to conduct much business during the day. We wasted yesterday sitting around watching him play video games.’
‘Badly,’ added Ewan.
‘Regardless, your brief is to integrate yourself with Mulligan’s contacts, not his sister’s student friends,’ Penrith said.
Caelan tipped her head to one side. ‘All right, Ian, where have you stashed her?’
Penrith’s expression didn’t alter. ‘I’ve no idea where she is. I wish I had.’
He didn’t move, didn’t fidget. Watching his face, she had no idea if he was telling her the truth or not. ‘Then like I said, we need to find her. Shouldn’t that be more of a priority than going after Mulligan’s cronies?’
‘We’re doing both. And now we also have a murder to investigate.’ Penrith closed his eyes for a second as though weary, then seemed to perk up. ‘Guess who’s SIO?’
Caelan considered it. ‘No idea.’
‘Detective Chief Superintendent Adele Brady.’ He gave a grim smile. ‘Assisted by Tim Achebe and team, of course.’
Caelan had encountered Brady before. At first they hadn’t known whether they could trust each other, though they had got the job done. Even so, she knew she would need to be on her toes. ‘Brady’s okay.’
‘There’s a ringing endorsement.’ Penrith checked his watch. ‘What are your plans for the rest of the day?’
‘Depends what you’re going to do with Mulligan.’
‘I think I’ll have another chat with him.’
Caelan cleared her throat. ‘I was thinking…’
Penrith gave her a sharp glance. ‘Well?’
‘Do we need him anymore? Like I said, he’s introduced us to small-time criminals, and even they think he’s pathetic. Stefan Harris and Reuben Nash seem to be the biggest players, but they’re drug dealers, not people traffickers.’
‘You’ve decided that after two days?’ Penrith pulled a face. ‘They’re not going to broadcast the fact that they’re bringing people here and forcing them into slavery, are they? Not to someone they’ve known for a few hours.’
‘No, but—’
He frowned at her. ‘I think you’re already impatient because you don’t want to do this. You haven’t believed in the operation from the start.’
Her laugh was scornful. ‘You blackmailed me into—’
‘Blackmailed?’ Penrith let out a guffaw, and she glared at him.
‘You used the threats made to Lucy, whether they were genuine or not, to persuade me to do this job, just like you tried to use them to change Mulligan’s mind.’
Penrith leant forward. ‘And your point?’
‘I’ve already made it. We need to find her, because if we don’t do it quickly, she won’t be alive when we finally do.’
Now he looked pained. ‘Don’t you think I’m aware of that?’
‘Then let me go and talk to the housemates, the friends, anyone. Mulligan can come with us; Ewan will keep an eye on him.’
Penrith snorted. ‘Yes, that’s obviously his area of expertise.’
Ewan blushed again, and Caelan scowled at Penrith.
‘And if Mulligan is seen to be poking around, searching for his sister, it might bring the person who snatched her out of the woodwork,’ she said.
‘Or they might kill her.’
‘They’ve no reason to. The threats were about him grassing to the police, and as far as they know, he’s said nothing. Trying to find her himself is different.’
‘Maybe.’ Penrith clicked his tongue against his teeth a few times, thinking it over. ‘Let me speak to Adele Brady.’
‘Why? This has nothing to do with the murder of Nathan Nash.’
‘As far as we know. Anyway, she’s going to need you to talk to the people Mulligan’s introduced you to so far, the ones who knew Nash. Maybe they’ll be more open with you than they would with us.’
Caelan had to admit it made sense. ‘What about the three people who were murdered? Is there any progress?’
‘Not as far as I know, but that’s not your concern.’
‘Not my concern? After you used their deaths to persuade me to do this?’
He held up a finger, infuriating her. He made her feel as though she was always trying to catch him up, like a child struggling to keep pace with a parent.
‘That wasn’t my intention,’ he said. ‘Your role is to stick close to Mulligan.’
‘I’m a bodyguard now?’
‘No need for that. Mulligan would be dead by now if someone wanted him to be. The attack on his house would have been the perfect opportunity.’
Especially as I went charging outside and left him in the house, Caelan thought. She was glad Penrith was unaware of the full details of what had happened, knowing there had been mistakes on her part. Maybe he was right, and she wasn’t as invested as she had been in past operations, despite the three murders and Lucy Mulligan’s disappearance. The thought sickened her, guilt and anger at herself pushing their way to the surface. She was a hypocrite. All right, she would never sell information to criminals, but she knew her actions could have put Mulligan at risk.
All the more reason for her to push for more involvement, but she knew she’d have to tread carefully. Penrith was no fool.
‘Can’t I speak to Brady myself? Find out what she wants me to ask Harris and the others?’
Penrith narrowed his eyes. ‘You’re asking for orders? What are you up to?’
Nowhere near careful enough, then. ‘Nothing,’ she said.
‘Which in my experience always means something, especially with you. You don’t need to be told what to ask, Caelan. It’s a murder investigation
. You ask them the same questions you’d ask if you weren’t undercover, but in a subtle way that won’t get you killed.’ He gave her a hard stare. ‘As you already know.’
She met his eyes, didn’t look away. ‘I just want to help.’
‘Your priority is speaking to Mulligan’s friends. Nathan Nash’s murder is a complication, but it might actually help us. We need to have a good look at his life, his friends and enemies, his past and his business activities.’
‘You’ll want me to talk to his brother, then,’ Caelan said, not relishing the prospect. She remembered Reuben Nash falling to his knees beside Nathan’s body, desperately searching for a pulse, and his guttural howl of grief when he was unable to find one. Penrith was right: he should never have been allowed near the scene. Caelan knew he would be a suspect, top of the list. If he had killed his brother, any traces he might have left while doing so could now be explained away by a defence lawyer because he had come into contact with the body after death.
‘But we didn’t see Reuben leave his office,’ Ewan said. ‘He would have had to walk past us to get outside, unless there’s an exit we don’t know about.’ He glanced at Caelan. ‘Would he even have had enough time to get outside, attack Nathan and then come back in?’
It was a point she had been going to raise herself, but as Ewan had been speaking, she had realised something else. ‘Did you see him go upstairs?’ she asked.
Ewan looked confused. ‘Sorry?’
‘Reuben. Once Harris left, he went storming off towards the stairs. I assumed he’d gone up to his office, but I was watching Nathan, listening to Mulligan telling him to make a run for it. I didn’t actually see Reuben go upstairs.’
Ewan’s eyes were wide. ‘Now you mention it, me neither.’
‘He could have gone through one of the fire doors, met his brother outside and killed him.’ Caelan frowned, thinking it through. Penrith stayed quiet, though she knew he would be absorbing everything they said.
‘We need to check with Mulligan. He might have seen where Reuben went,’ she said.
‘I doubt it,’ said Ewan. ‘He was too busy telling Nathan what to do. Anyway, Reuben must have been in his office. We saw him come down from the floor above.’
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