“I have no idea,” said Adrian, frowning impatiently. “I think so. Is that really important right now? We need to get to Lenny. He’s in danger.”
“And we will,” said PC Morgan, getting out of the car. “Bobby, take the squad car and call this in. Tell them the intruder’s armed and we’re gonna need AFOs just in case things gets nasty. Head straight to the front entrance and park up. Use your lights, but no siren. Mr Lamperton and I will take his vehicle. I’ll keep an eye on things with the security feed, and I may use the back way to the property. But I’ll need you at the front.”
“Right you are, Charlie.”
Back way? Adrian had thought the house had only one access point.
“We’ll monitor what’s going on from the car. From here to there’s no longer than ten minutes. Whatever you do, don’t spook the intruder. As I say, I’ll keep you posted on what we’re seeing on the security camera.”
“Copy that, boss.”
“Mr Lamperton. Let’s head to your truck.”
Adrian moved quickly, feeling idiotic with the bag of Chinese food still dangling from his hand. As soon as they reached the truck, he unlocked the driver’s side and dumped the bags in the back.
“Do you want me to drive?” asked PC Morgan.
“No,” said Adrian, climbing into the driver’s seat. Adrenaline filled his veins, but he managed a thin smile and a shake of the head. “But, don’t worry, I’m fine to drive. And I know how this truck handles better than anyone. Do you want me to head the same way I came? The Newbridge road?”
“Yes,” said PC Morgan, jumping into the passenger seat, slamming the door and clipping the police-issued mobile phone onto his yellow jacket. “That’s the quickest route back. And as long as you drive safely, you’ll be okay to push the speed limit, son.”
Once they’d both belted up, Adrian put the car into gear and headed for the car park exit. Keeping his calm, he took them smoothly out onto the main street.
“What’s an AFO?” he asked, without taking his eyes from the road. “You told PC Lewis you needed AFOs?”
“Authorised firearms officers. Look, I don’t want you to worry, son. As police officers in this country we’re trained to deal with these situations, even though we don’t carry firearms. But in cases where a person is armed, we need to call in AFOs just in case the situation turns ugly. I’m sure it won’t come to that, but we have to follow procedures.”
Adrian loved hearing people say they didn’t want him to worry because that was precisely what he ended up doing. While he concentrated on driving, PC Morgan kept close tabs on the video movement on Adrian’s phone. With the mobile device on his lapel, he stayed in constant communication with PC Lewis.
“Bobby. Looks as though they’re moving outside. Out onto the back patio. The external camera only covers the lawn down to the end of the garden.”
Adrian’s pulse hammered in his neck. His heart cried out to be there with Leonard, even though his head reasoned that having the police with him right now was the best he could hope for. If anything happened to Lenny, and the person was still standing, Adrian wasn’t sure what he would do to them.
“No, Bobby. Stick to the plan. Come in from the front of the premises. See if the intruder used any mode of transport. If anything happens, they’ll have to come back out that way. Hang on.”
Adrian glanced over at the phone in PC Morgan’s hand.
“Mr Lamperton, would you or Mr Day have left the front door open?”
“No. After the intruder, Lenny knows to keep the door shut.”
“Good to hear. But is there an access path around the side of the house?”
“There is. To the right of the front door.”
“Did you catch that, Bobby?” said PC Morgan, then to Adrian, “Looks like they’re leading your friend to the end of the garden. They’ll be out of camera range in a moment. Good job I know this area well. Take the next right up ahead.”
“What?” said Adrian, his head snapping round to look at PC Morgan. “But that’s not the road to—”
“Do as I say. I’m fairly sure I know where they’re heading. There’s a pathway from the back of your place that leads directly to the Hughes farm.”
Adrian slowed the truck and took a hard right, before bumping and bouncing down a small lane. A few minutes farther along, through the gaps in hedgerows, Adrian glimpsed a dark-coloured vehicle parked just beyond a turnstile. Only as they drove closer and PC Morgan told him to stop did he realise the make and model.
An old black Ford Fiesta.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sins
Leonard had not seen his cousin since the funeral. Back then, Matthew had dressed in a black suit and tie, with dark glasses. Today he wore a dark-grey hoodie covering his head, matching grey track bottoms more befitting a teenager and black motorcycle boots. Without the sunglasses to hide them, his dark, wild eyes darted around the room, checking each corner, before settling to glower at Leonard.
When Leonard met his gaze, Matthew levelled the gun directly at his chest. More from a primal instinct than anything, Leonard sensed by his cousin’s shifty body language that he was unbalanced.
“You couldn’t leave things alone, could you?” came the nasally voice, which might have sounded amusing under any other circumstances. “You had to pry, didn’t you? Had to keep digging? You couldn’t just leave things alone.”
“Matthew. What are you doing here?”
“Is that it? Is that what you found?” said Matthew, his head turning to the Welsh dresser, the barrel of the gun flicking in the same direction. “Where did he hide it? There was nothing here last time I came.”
“Boarded up behind that wall,” said Leonard, pointing to the side of the chimney breast. When Matthew turned in that direction, Leonard used the heel of his left palm to push the envelope beneath the drawer on the table.
“Don’t lie to me,” said Matthew, returning his glare. “That alcove was empty when I came here last.”
So Matthew had been the intruder.
“In which case, we’d moved it to the other side. Covered by a dust sheet. Is that what you want? Is that what this is all about, the dresser?”
“Shut your mouth. What did he hide in there? What lies did my sick excuse of a brother leave behind for you? Did he blab about what happened here that summer?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There are some Polaroids of your family and his friends, a camera and film and books, nothing more. You can check if you like. They’re still in the cupboards.”
“Liar.”
“Why would I lie? See for yourself.”
Matthew stood stock-still. His mind appeared to be working, his hands and the barrel of the gun shaking slightly. Once again his eyes flicked to the dresser. Leonard realised then that Matthew had not thought everything through, something he might be able to use to his advantage.
“Did you kill him?” asked Leonard.
Asking such a direct question might run the risk of provoking Matthew, but he reasoned that if he could keep Matthew talking, maybe Adrian would return and notice something amiss. Did Matthew bring his motorcycle with him, and if so, would he have left the machine visible in the lane? Leonard hadn’t heard anything. And the last thing he wanted was Adrian walking in unaware and stepping into the firing line. Perhaps he could distract Matthew somehow and then try to alert Adrian.
“Did you kill Luke?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Luke took his own life. He hanged himself. Another of his sins, the sin of desperatio, the rejection of God’s mercy, because when he choked himself he would have been unable to ask for repentance. Not that a heathen like you would understand.”
“But why, Matthew? Why did he hang himself? Surely not because he was gay?”
“Homosexuality is also a sin. My brother was an abomination, a sinner and a pervert. Just like you. Yes, my mother told me. And just like him, you will be going straight to hell.” Matthew thrust his chin
out with pride. “I was the one who caught him, you know? Caught them both. That dirty, evil paedophile who molested my brother.”
“Max Williams?”
Now hidden beneath the drawer, the beautiful monochrome photograph Leonard had uncovered showed a clearly besotted Luke being cradled in the arms of Max Williams.
“In our house, in our bedroom, lying there with my brother, kissing and touching each other. Disgusting. Not only was it a sin, it was against the law. He tried to deny everything when I confronted him. But I took an instant photo of them without either of them knowing.”
“And Luke denied it?”
“Not Luke. Him. I went to see Williams. On the farm. Told him I would go to the police if he didn’t do what I asked. Get him thrown into prison. And I would have, too. But then he got all crazy and tried to grab me, take the photo from me, and I screamed back at him, told him not to touch me with his filthy, corrupting hands. I didn’t mean to push him so hard, but he slipped in the mud and fell into the water.”
“You pushed Max Williams into the pond?”
“I didn’t—it was his fault. I never meant him to fall. I wouldn’t have even told anyone, as long as he’d agreed to give me the money I asked for. But when he tried to grab me, to touch me with those disgusting hands, I had to fight back. After that I ran back to the house to tell Mother. She told me not to worry, that it was God’s retribution.”
“Your mother knew and did nothing? Did Mary know?”
“What do you care?” said Matthew, frowning, but then an eerie, calm expression settled on his face. And then he smiled. “No, just me and Mother. And, of course, we had to tell my brother. That’s how she finally got him to agree to enlist, to become a real man and exorcise the sickness from him. Except he managed to weasel out of that by taking his life.”
Poor Luke. From what Leonard could tell, he had only just carved out a life for himself, a happy ever after, only to have everything ripped away from him by his family. Being coerced into join the army must have been the final straw.
“You tried to blackmail Max Williams?”
“I needed money. I still need money. Some of us have—debts—to pay. And then you go and steal this house from me, this house that should rightfully be mine. I’m the oldest male member of the family, not you.”
Right at that moment, Leonard’s phone rang. When he looked down, the name Mary appeared on the display. Leonard leant forward, began to move his hand towards the device.
“Don’t!” shouted Matthew.
Leonard turned at the sudden movement of Matthew striding forward, ramming the handle of the shotgun into Leonard’s head. Knocked out of his seat and sent sprawling across the floor, agony flooded his temple. Black spots swam before him, dotting his vision. After a second or two, the ebb of warm liquid began to pool in his hair, with each heartbeat, each agonising throb of pain. He touched the spot gingerly with his hand and pulled away to find his palm covered with blood.
When he looked up, Matthew had cradled the shotgun in the crook of this arm, and had picked up the device to silence the call. After that, he put the phone into his pocket. Returning his attention to Leonard, he pointed the gun at him again and stood back a couple of steps.
“I warned you.”
“Whatever it is you’re thinking,” began Leonard, cold dread filling him, “you don’t need to—”
“Shut up!” he said, waving the gun in the direction of the garden. “You have left me only one way. Get up. Go out through the glass door. Walk to the end of the garden. Slowly. Left-hand side. There’s a door in the back fence. Go through and follow the path. And don’t try anything, because I’ll be right behind you and I will not hesitate to shoot you in the back.”
Leonard did as asked, climbing slowly and awkwardly to his feet, a wave of nausea hitting him when he stood upright. All the time Matthew observed him carefully, obsessively, the gun pointed at his body. Leonard stopped at the door, placed a hand on the cold glass to steady himself. After a moment, Matthew prodded him forward with the barrel of the gun. Outside in the garden the cooler air filled his lungs and steadied him, sharpened his consciousness. Very slowly and a little unsteadily he walked ahead, but could hear Matthew’s footfalls behind. He had never checked the back fence of the garden, so had no idea what to expect. But just as Matthew had said, a gate of slatted wood stood behind one of the larger fir trees, already open. He stepped through, leaving the doorway open.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“I told you to shut up,” came Matthew’s voice, followed by the sound of the gate scraping closed behind them.
Leonard noticed brown earth marking out a path between the tall grass and bushes growing wild either side. When he trod forwards onto the route, he heard Matthew’s heavy breathing right behind him.
“Why are you doing this, Matthew?”
“You know why I’m doing this. Because with you gone, the house will pass to me.”
“I have no idea what kind of delusion you’re under, but if anything happens to me, everything passes to my mother.”
“And from what I saw at the will reading, she cares as much about Bryn Bach as your father. With you out of the way, she’ll give me what is rightfully mine.”
“Not if she finds out you’ve killed me.”
“She won’t. Nobody ever will.”
Leonard’s skin began to prickle. Had Matthew planned to get rid of him all along? Surely Adrian would think to come and look for him. He tried desperately to come up with ways to stall Matthew, but all he could think about was trying to stay alive.
“I don’t get it. If you wanted the house so much, why did you try to burn it down?”
“Because I wasn’t thinking straight. I worried that my brother had left behind lies about me, worried you might discover something incriminating. And I decided if I couldn’t have the house, then nobody would. I had no idea you were staying there that night. When I heard and found out you’d been lucky enough to survive, how a tragedy had been averted because what would have happened if you’d gone up in flames along with the house—well, let’s just say, the solution suddenly presented itself. There was a much better way to get what I deserved, what I needed, staring me in the face. My mother always told me that everything comes to those who wait. Well, now I’ve had the patience to wait for you to rebuild and redecorate, I’ll get a far bigger sum when I sell.”
“My friend is expecting to find me home. Any minute now. He’s driving back from Llandrindod Wells.”
“If I have to, I’ll deal with him, too.”
If Leonard needed any incentive to stay alert and alive, Matthew had just handed him one. He only hoped Adrian would notice the bloody handprint he had purposely left on the sliding door and realise the danger.
“You don’t have a clue about this area, do you?” said Matthew. “I bet you’ve never even ventured outside the house. If we keep to this path, we’ll end up at the Hughes farm. How about a history lesson to bide the time? A couple of centuries ago there used to be lead mining around this region, but the mines were abandoned long before Bryn Bach was built. Nobody’s even sure where the entrance used to be and only a few of us know there’s a sinkhole just off this path. We used to come here as kids. Goes down some sixty feet, by my reckoning. A sheer drop into darkness. Might even be full of water this time of year. How do you fancy a dip?”
Dismay washed over Leonard. His cousin had already thought this through.
Five minutes later and they had reached a curve in the path, surrounded and secluded by tall bushes, where the ground on the left of the path sloped gently down.
“Step off the path here, to your left, and keep going.”
Leonard staggered into the long grass where no path marked the way and, for another few minutes, kept moving down the incline. Eventually he reached a clearing with a much steeper slope. Almost immediately he spotted the edges of the dark hole in the ground, at least two metres in diameter. Somebody had tried to erect
a knee-high wire fence around the perimeter, but time and the weather had knocked over most of the posts on one side. When Leonard stopped, Matthew moved to the left, around the rim of the slope, to where a cluster of evergreen bushes grew.
“Go to the edge of the hole and turn around to face me,” called Matthew, pulling Leonard’s phone from his pocket. “Good, stop just there. Now you’re going to put your password in this phone and unlock it. Then throw it straight back to me. And if you try anything stupid, I will shoot you.”
The phone landed on the grass by Leonard’s feet. He picked up the device and did as asked. What else could he do? On the display he noticed more missed calls from Mary but nothing from Adrian. Was this how everything would end? Just as his life had begun again? Once he had the phone unlocked, he lobbed the device back to Matthew. With one hand cradling the shotgun, and while constantly glaring up at Leonard, Matthew tapped a message into Leonard’s phone.
“There. Done,” he said with a grim smile. “Now as far as your friend’s concerned, you’ve decided to stretch your legs and get some fresh air, gone for a stroll to investigate the field behind the property. According to your message, you’ll be back soon. But, of course, you won’t. And one day they’ll find poor Leonard left the path and, tragically, fell into this long-forgotten sinkhole. Or, then again, maybe they never will.”
“You’re insane.”
“In debt, maybe. But I am most definitely not insane.”
A soft rustle of wind in the trees caught Leonard’s attention. Was his imagination playing tricks on him or did something dark move in the bushes behind Matthew?
“Put the gun down, son,” came a familiar calm but assertive voice, from a completely different direction.
Leonard turned his head towards the sound. PC Morgan stood there in full view with Adrian behind, appearing on the far side of the sinkhole. How had they known where to find them? Leonard had difficulty interpreting Adrian’s attention which was fixed on Leonard, and seemed to carry a mix of fear, despair and anger. In the meantime, Matthew had swung the shotgun around to point in the policeman’s direction.
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