‘We wanted to talk to you about some scars that Ketha had?’ Nick said.
Ruth got up and went over to the windowsill where there was a large framed photograph of a girl.
Langley rolled his eyes as he dropped tobacco into the cigarette paper. ‘That bloody business. I don’t know what she was doing mixed up in all that.’
‘Is this a photo of Ketha?’ Ruth asked.
Langley nodded. ‘Aye. You can take it if you need. As long as I get it back.’
Ruth showed the photo to Nick for a second. Ketha had dyed black hair, lots of make-up, and piercings around her ears and on her lip.
Ruth took out her phone and gestured. ‘Okay if I take a photograph of this, Mr Langley?’
‘Aye, help yourself,’ Langley said. He then coughed, which sounded more like the deep bark of a dog.
‘Sorry, you said that Ketha had got mixed up in all what, Mr Langley?’ Nick asked, glancing down at his notebook.
‘Bloody religious nutters ... Weirdos,’ Langley groaned.
‘Ketha was hanging out with some kind of religious group, is that right?’ Ruth asked.
‘That’s what she said. Then she came back here for a bit. Said they were pissing her off. She went to court a few days later.’ Langley shrugged.
‘And you’ve no idea where she went? She didn’t say anything?’ Nick asked.
‘No. No idea,’ he answered.
‘But you saw a friend pick her up from outside the court?’ Ruth asked.
‘Yeah ... Well, someone picked her up. I assumed it was a friend. If you ask me, she went back to them religious folk.’
‘Do you know where that was?’ Ruth asked.
‘Not really. Not near here mind. From what Ketha said, it was out in Snowdonia. Middle of nowhere.’
‘Nothing more specific than that?’ Nick asked.
‘No, sorry. I hope she’s still out there with them ....’ Langley looked upset and took a breath. ‘It’s just that I know that she would have been in touch by now. She wouldn’t have just left it, you know. She wasn’t that type of girl.’
Ruth nodded with a concerned look. ‘Yeah, of course. When was the last time you heard from Ketha?’
‘I got a text from her a few days after she went to court. You know, when she disappeared. Said she was fine. She said that Michelle was going to be looking after her and I didn’t need to worry.’
‘Michelle?’ Nick asked, writing down the name.
‘Yeah, I think that was her name. I told the police at the time,’ Langley said as he picked up his phone from the arm of the chair. ‘My memory’s not what it was.’
No shit, thought Nick. Long term alcohol abuse destroys your memory.
‘Here we go,’ Langley said as he scrolled through his text messages. ‘No need to worry about me. Rachel’s gonna be looking after me.’
‘Rachel?’ Nick said, his ears pricking up at the name.
‘Rachel? Yeah ...’ Langley said pointing to the text on his phone.
‘It’s just that you said ‘Michelle’, Mr Langley,’ Ruth said quietly.
‘Oh, did I? Sorry. Says ‘Rachel’ here. Rachel’s gonna be looking after me. And that was the last time I heard anything from her,’ he said sadly.
SIAN AND FRENCH WERE up in the first floor bedroom of the cottage keeping a watchful eye on the farm. Sian had let Ruth know that Rachel Ryan had made contact but it wasn’t clear if their cover was blown or if her story had convinced their new neighbours. For the moment, they were to stay put and keep the farm under surveillance.
Glancing at her watch, Sian saw that it was close to five o’clock.
‘Better get my party dress on,’ Sian joked.
‘I can’t believe you’re going up there,’ French said, shaking his head.
‘Open invite into the place we’re doing surveillance on,’ Sian said with a shrug. ‘The boss said it was fine by her.’
In fact, Ruth hadn’t been that encouraging. Sian was to have a look around and observe. Anything that didn’t feel right, she was to leave.
‘Well, be careful,’ French said.
‘Dan, I’m going to a kid’s tea party with a bunch of happy-clappy Christians. I’m guessing I’ll be all right,’ Sian said sarcastically.
‘And what if they know you’re a copper?’ French asked. ‘It’s all very well being a smart arse, but they’ve got guns up there.’
Sian nodded – she knew she was exhibiting too much bravado. It must have been her nerves.
‘Don’t worry. Anything vaguely weird or satanic and I’ll be back down here like a shot,’ Sian said as she went out onto the landing and walked down the stairs.
She left the house and made her way up the road towards Solace Farm. Even though it wasn’t sunset for another hour, the light was beginning to fade with a pale blue hue. The air was cold in Sian’s nostrils and in her lungs. Two grey wagtails, with their distinctive yellow breasts, flew out of a nearby tree and up and away into the dimming sky.
By the time Sian got to the main yard, she was almost out of breath. The surface of the yard was pocked with deep holes that were filled with rainwater. There was no one around and she assumed that everyone would be at Abel’s birthday party. Wandering across the yard, she folded her arms across herself to keep out some of the cold.
‘Can I help?’ said a voice.
Sian spun around to see a woman in a wheelchair looking at her with a kind smile.
‘Yes, I’m looking for Abel’s birthday party. Rachel said I should pop along,’ Sian said, feeling a little uncomfortable.
‘Right you are. Down the side of that barn, you’ll see double doors. That’s our main dining room. They’ll be in there,’ the woman said with a beaming smile.
She was friendly, Sian thought to herself.
As she got closer, she could hear music and singing from somewhere.
It must be the party.
Skipping over a large puddle, Sian reached the double doors and looked in. There were children sitting around a table, with adults close by. They were all singing and smiling.
‘Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya, Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya, Oh Lord, kumbayah ...’
Sian watched them for a moment. Whatever was going on at Solace Farm, there was something here making a lot of people happy. With the clothing, the simple party food, wooden furniture, and no mobile phones, the party could have been forty or fifty years ago. It was hard to tell.
As the song came to an end Rachel, who was at the head of the circle leading everyone in song, looked up and smiled. She waved to Sian, beckoning her in.
Feeling a little apprehensive, Sian entered and couldn’t help but smile at all the happy faces and enthusiastic singing.
‘Sian! You made it. Really glad you came,’ Rachel said warmly, taking her by the arm and guiding her into the middle of the room.
There is definitely something about Rachel. A presence. A charisma that seems to fill the room. She is very attractive.
‘Everyone! Everyone!’ Rachel shouted as the general noise died down around her.
Oh my God! She’s going to introduce me to everyone, Sian thought. It was too late to do anything about it. Bloody covert surveillance? That’s a joke.
‘I want you all to meet Sian. She’s moving in down the road with her husband ...’ Rachel looked at her.
‘Dan ...’ Sian said.
‘With her husband Dan,’ Rachel said. ‘Can we say a big hello to Sian, our new neighbour?’
‘HELLO SIAN!’ said everyone in unison.
Oh my God. If Ruth could see me now, she would go mental!
‘I think Sian is going to become very good friends with everyone here on the farm, don’t you?’ Rachel said loudly.
‘YES!’ everyone replied.
‘Hands up who wants to be friends with Sian?’ Rachel yelled.
Everyone in the room put their hands up and Sian couldn’t help but smile at the sentiment.
‘Okay. That’s brilliant!’ R
achel yelled.
‘Thanks for the introduction,’ Sian said quietly as Rachel smiled at her.
‘Fancy the grand tour?’ Rachel said, taking Sian by the arm and leaving her with no choice.
I need to focus on the investigation.
Sian needed to know if there was anything going on at the farm that warranted intervention by the police or social services. Were the kids being well looked after? If she was honest, the children had seemed very happy.
‘How long have you been here?’ Sian asked as they walked out of the room.
‘Me? I’ve been here for ten years. But the community has been here for over twenty years,’ Rachel said, as they began to walk down a long corridor. ‘Are you religious, Sian?’
How do I answer that?
‘I don’t know. I was brought up as a Catholic,’ Sian said.
‘Join the club,’ Rachel said, rolling her eyes. ‘What about now?’
Sian was stumped for a moment.
‘I don’t know really,’ Sian said with a frown.
‘You must believe in something?’
‘I guess I believe there is something out there that we don’t understand. Something that looks out for us. A power that is for good,’ Sian explained as best she could.
‘So, you do believe in God,’ Rachel said with a knowing smile.
‘Do I?’ Sian said uncertainly.
‘I choose to call that eternal power that watches over us God. You don’t. But that’s just semantics, isn’t it?’ Rachel said. ‘What do you do for a living, Sian?’
‘I’m a teacher.’ Sian said. It’s what she always said when she didn’t want to tell someone she was a copper.
‘I could tell,’ Rachel said as they went past a series of rooms that were clearly bedrooms. They had bunk beds and were decorated in bright, cheerful colours with kids’ paintings and drawings on the walls.
‘Is it that obvious?’ Sian asked.
‘I could tell that you help people. You have that kind of aura,’ Rachel said. ‘Warm, caring ... and I notice you’re not wearing a wedding ring? So, Dan is not your husband?’
Christ, she’s observant.
‘Partner ... I say husband. Some people are still old-fashioned,’ Sian explained nervously.
That was a bit unnerving.
Rachel nodded but Sian couldn’t read whether she disapproved or not.
‘This is the men and boys’ dormitory. The women live separately on the first floor of the main farmhouse,’ Rachel explained as they turned right and came into what looked like a large chapel.
The light came flooding in through a large window. There were religious pictures and hangings on the walls. A long line of flickering candles ran along the length of the room. Sian didn’t know if it was her imagination, but the light coming through the window seemed to intensify and change to a vanilla colour.
Wow. This place is amazing.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Sian almost whispered. An imperceptible atmosphere of peace and stillness had suddenly descended upon her.
Gosh. I wasn’t expecting this.
Rachel pointed to a pew. ‘Sit down for second.’
As they sat down, Sian tried to remind herself exactly why she was there. For a moment she had lost perspective.
Rachel turned, moved closer, and looked directly at Sian.
‘Now, if I were to guess, you were brought up by your mother only?’ Rachel asked.
How the hell does she know that?
‘Good guess,’ Sian confirmed with a smile.
‘Not a guess. You have a kindness that I see with people who have that sort of maternal upbringing,’ Rachel said. ‘You might think you know the reason why you’re here today, Sian. But I know why you’re really here.’
Sian began to feel uneasy. What is she talking about? She knows I’m a copper.
‘God brought you to me today for me to help you find your way. For you to find a deeper way of life. Are you truly happy when you wake in the morning, Sian?’ Rachel asked.
Sian shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Sometimes.’
‘Is that enough? When you lay on your death bed, do you want to think back over your life and say, “I think I was happy sometimes”?’
No, I don’t suppose that does sound enough.
Sian looked up and saw Abel coming into the chapel. In the light of the window and the candles, he looked like a cherub from a Renaissance painting.
‘Mummy?’ he said. He was carrying something in his hand.
‘Is everything all right, darling?’ Rachel asked, sounding concerned.
‘Yes,’ Abel said, nodding as he approached them.
‘Why aren’t you at your party?’ Rachel asked.
Abel reached them. In the napkin he was holding, Sian could see two pieces of birthday cake.
‘I just wondered if our new friend wanted some birthday cake to take home with her like everyone else?’
Oh my God. Could he be any cuter? Sian thought.
‘That’s a wonderful idea,’ Rachel said.
Sian looked at Abel. ‘Thank you, Abel. That’s very kind of you. And I love cake. Do you think Dan will mind if I’m greedy and eat both pieces?’ Sian said with a grin.
They laughed.
CHAPTER 16
Drake gestured to the case files that Ruth had in front of her. ‘We need to tread very carefully with this investigation at Solace Farm. I don’t want to see articles in the press about civil rights, or that as a police force we don’t tolerate those who have chosen to live a different lifestyle ... if that is within the law, of course.’
‘I understand that, boss. My instinct is that we’re about to open a can of worms. We have two teenagers, both wayward and with troubled backgrounds. Both with distinctive scars on them. One of them was shot, and was so scared of something that he ran onto the A5 and was killed. The other one had already spent time at Solace Farm when she walked out of Mold Magistrates’Court eighteen months ago and vanished,’ Ruth explained.
‘That evidence is circumstantial at the moment. Is the surveillance operation giving us anything?’ Drake asked.
Ruth knew that Drake was already worrying about budgets on something that could prove to be a waste of time. ‘This woman that runs the place, Rachel Ryan, lied to us about Callum Roper’s whereabouts on the night of his death. My instinct tells me that Ryan knows where Ketha Langley is and what happened to her.’
‘And we’re not bringing Rachel Ryan in for questioning because ...?’ Drake asked, arching an eyebrow.
‘There may be a bigger picture here. If we bring Ryan in now, and start to unearth something much bigger, all her little devoted followers up at the farm will bury any evidence of criminal activity,’ Ruth explained.
‘You do know that the brass upstairs would suggest sending in armed response officers to secure the farm and any evidence there?’ Drake asked.
‘That would give you the PR disaster you’re trying to avoid, boss. You’ve got women and children living there. Plus we know there are firearms on the site. Anything goes wrong, and you’ve got another Waco on your hands,’ Ruth explained and then looked at Drake. ‘Let’s do this in small steps, boss.’
Drake nodded. ‘I’m backing you, Ruth. You know that. And how are things with Sian?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, fine. We’re being professional about the whole thing.’
God this is uncomfortable.
‘Good. Glad to hear it. I knew you wouldn’t let it get in the way of the job. But I’m not naïve enough to think that it’s not difficult for you both. And Llancastell CID is going to miss her experience,’ Drake said.
‘Yes, boss,’ Ruth said. She and Sian were no closer to working out what they were going to do. And now that Sian was stuck doing surveillance for a couple of nights it felt like everything was on hold. ‘We’re all going to miss her.’
At that moment, Nick knocked at the open door and looked at them both.
‘Thought you would want to see this straight away,�
�� he said with a sense of urgency.
‘Come in, Nick,’ Drake said, sitting forward on his seat.
Nick was holding a memory stick. ‘All right if I use your computer for a second, boss?’
‘Be my guest,’ Drake said while moving his chair back and gesturing to his computer.
Nick clicked away for a few seconds and then brought an image up on the screen that was mounted on Drake’s wall.
‘What have you got?’ Ruth asked, feeling a sense of anticipation that Nick had made some kind of breakthrough. She could tell from his manner that he was on to something.
Nick clicked and showed CCTV footage of a road. ‘This is the CCTV footage from outside Mold Magistrates’ Court, June 2018. That was the day that Ketha Langley was released on bail. And the day that her father claimed she was picked up by a friend and then vanished.’
‘Wasn’t there some kind of investigation in to where she had gone?’ Drake asked.
‘According to the file, officers spoke to everyone that knew Ketha. When those leads ran out, she was put down as another runaway teenager.’
Nick forwarded the footage and then paused it. The screen showed a young girl waiting by the side of the road. ‘This is Ketha Langley here.’
‘And she’s waiting for her lift,’ Ruth said.
Nick played the footage forward until it showed a blue Land Rover stopping. Ketha Langley got in and the Land Rover pulled away. ‘So, this is the car that she gets in. And this is effectively the last time anyone saw Ketha.’
‘Why has no one ever looked at this before?’ Drake asked, sounding concerned.
‘Ketha Langley was mixed up in a county lines drug gang. She was well known to the police and social services. She’s out on bail and disappears. Everyone thinks she’s done a runner and no one looks very hard to check where she’s gone,’ Nick explained.
‘But we don’t know that she hasn’t skipped bail and isn’t living in Liverpool now?’ Drake asked.
The Solace Farm Killings: A Snowdonia Murder Mystery (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Book 7) Page 10