by Clare Revell
“Maybe there aren’t many left,” Zander said. “Kids get stuck in them, so do cats and dogs.”
“Kids?” Austin laughed. “That personal experience, Sarge?”
“I wish. The most dangerous thing I encountered growing up was a combine harvester. And don’t start singing that song at me either.” He groaned as the whole room promptly launched into the first two lines of the track.
Isabel turned back to her computer. “Maybe we can ask the aerial unit to fly over town for us.”
“You have any idea what that will cost out of our budget?” Zander tapped his pen on the desk.
“A lot less than a ninth dead girl!”
DI Holmes held up a hand. “I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, get searching online photos.”
“Already on it.” Isabel moved the mouse, then froze as with a click, the computer shut down and all the lights went off. “Guv?”
The building shook as a massive explosion sounded. Fire alarms rang, loud and insistent.
“Everybody out! Now,” DI Holmes ordered. “I’ll see you downstairs at the muster point.”
Isabel slung her bag over her head and hurried out to the stairs with the others. She could smell smoke now.
Zander grabbed her arm. “Stay close. I don’t want to lose you.” He guided her down the stairs and outside through the fire exit.
Smoke and flames leapt from the left side of the building.
Sirens got closer as the fire crews arrived. Two familiar faces, Jared and Kacie, leapt down from the truck in full gear.
DI Holmes came across and counted. “Good, you’re all here. We won’t be allowed back inside until at least tomorrow. I know it’s the weekend, but I’d like you all here at eleven, so we can help with the clean-up. No doubt the squad room will be covered in soot.”
“Guv, where’s the fire?” Isabel had a sneaking suspicion but needed to know.
“Evidence locker.”
Isabel took a deep breath, turning to watch the flames. They had photos on their phones, and she had the original postcards in her bag, had for a long time, not that she’d told anyone that, but that wasn’t the same as having the physical paintings to look at. “Did we lose everything?”
“Too early to tell.” He moved to her side. “Why?”
“Just wondered.”
“OK, go home,” he said raising his voice. “I’ll see you all at eleven tomorrow.”
Isabel didn’t move as the others headed off.
Zander elbowed her. “Want a lift?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you at the car.” She watched him head off then looked at DI Holmes.
“What aren’t you telling me?” he asked.
She patted her bag. “I still have all the postcards—both murder cards and paintings. I was comparing them. I’d signed them out, just hadn’t got around to returning them.”
“Give them to me, and I’ll put them in my safe at home for the weekend. I should berate you for taking evidence off site, but in this case, I won’t.”
Isabel shook her head. “I’d rather keep hold of them, Guv. I haven’t finished studying them yet.”
“Just make sure you bring them back Monday.” DI Holmes gave her the ‘don’t mess with me’ look.
“Of course. Why would someone target the evidence locker?”
“It’s not just our stuff in there. It’s every single case for years. Destroy the evidence and there is no physical proof a crime was committed. We have computer back-ups now, but it’s not the same as the actual gun you used to kill someone with.” DI Holmes winked. “At least I know it wasn’t any of my squad, as you were all in the office when the alarms went off.”
Isabel caught her breath. Only they hadn’t been all the time. Zander had been missing for a good half hour, if not slightly longer. Again.
“Apart from Frank, that is. And I will be chasing that up myself. There’s nothing more you can do here. Go home.”
“Yes, Guv.”
~*~
Zander and Isabel spent Saturday helping clear several inches of soot from the squad and briefing rooms. The evidence lock up and three floors above it were destroyed, despite the fire brigades prompt attendance and sterling work. The smoke however, and the stench, had pervaded everywhere.
Isabel emptied the dustpan into the large dustbin. “He’s playing with us.”
“The Slayer?” Zander asked.
“Yes. The card was too soon and then a fire just happens to destroy all the evidence. The paintings and so on. He obviously intended the fire to spread and destroy everything. He doesn’t want us to catch him too soon.”
“In that case, the Slayer isn’t Rev. Eke, because he was in custody downstairs at the time of the fire.” Zander dumped stuff into the bin.
“Who says it’s a lone man? Maybe there are two of them.” She grimaced.
He tilted his head and glared at her. “Are you saying one man can’t figure all this out on his own? That he’s not clever enough?”
She threw a cloth at him. “No. I’m just saying it would be easier with two men. The transport, making her change, keeping a look out. Just a thought.”
“I still think it’s a lone bloke, but whatever floats your boat.”
She grinned. “I need to pop out. I have my phone if anyone needs me.”
“I’ll come with.”
She scowled. “I won’t be long. And I need to go alone.”
“The Guv said—”
“For Pete’s sake, Zander!” She cut him off. “None of the other one hundred and forty odd women are being followed twenty-four-seven. All I want is five minutes on my own, that doesn’t involve being locked in a bathroom.” Grabbing her bag, she flounced from the room.
Hiding his grin, Zander turned his attention back to cleaning his desk. He hated mess. He had to clear it up, reorganise, and straighten. Like sin. It had to be scrubbed clean and removed from every aspect of life. Sometimes his job as a cop didn’t go far enough. The courts didn’t do what he termed justice, and the bad guys got released too soon, or didn’t get prison at all and were released scot free. Where was the justice in that?
Divine justice was one thing. The earthly judicial system something else altogether.
“Zander you’ll rub a hole in the desk if you’re not careful.” DI Holmes sounded amused.
“Just want it clean.”
“Where’s Isabel?”
“She demanded some alone time and stepped out,” Austin said. “Well, stormed out is more like it, having bitten off a few heads on the way to the door.”
“When?”
“About twenty minutes ago. I’ll ring her.” Zander pulled out his phone. He waited for the call to connect. “Is, it’s me. Guv wants to know where you are.”
“Tell him there and back again to see how far it is.”
Zander laughed. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Haven’t told you where there is, but it does involve the best gingerbread latte in town.”
He knew instantly where she was. “Order me a hazelnut latte, and I’ll see you there in five.” He hung up. “I’ll find her.”
“OK. I think we’re almost straight here, so go home, and come back on Monday. Just make sure everything is locked away, and the computers shut down.”
“What about the aerial photographs?” Austin asked. “I can keep working. I don’t mind.”
“They’ll be on the system first thing tomorrow. Feel free to look at them then.”
Zander headed downstairs to his car.
Rosa stood the other side of the gate.
He strode over to her. “You all right?”
She shook her head. “Can you give me a ride home? I’ve lost my purse so can’t get a bus.”
“Sure. I’ll pick you up in a second.” He hurried to his car and drove over to the gate. Once it opened, Rosa hopped in. He pulled onto the main road. “Can you give Isabel a call, and tell her I’ll be twenty minutes and not five? My phone’s on the shelf. Just shove
it in the glovebox when you’re done.”
“Sure.” She reached for the handset. “Is your code still the same?”
“Yes. And it’s work, before you asked.”
“I wasn’t going to. How bad was the fire? The news said it was electrical.”
“Pretty bad. We’ve been clearing up, and she went to get coffee.” He stopped at a traffic light.
Rosa read the text as she typed. “Isabel, taking Rosa home then coming to you. See you in twenty. Z kiss kiss.”
Zander frowned. “Kiss kiss?”
She grinned. “Seen too much ‘send to all’ on the telly. There, sent.”
A minute later the phone beeped. Rosa read the text aloud. “She says, OK. Will order your coffee in fifteen. Didn’t know you cared. Three kisses. I care more than you do.” She put the phone in the glovebox. “How’s your grandfather?”
“Better. He’s coming out of hospital on Wednesday and moving in with me for a while.”
“That’s good. I’m glad.”
He glanced at her. “What about you and Phil?”
Rosa sighed. “It’s over, and I know there’s no getting back with you and I’m fine with that. Honestly, he’s freaked out by this whole Slayer thing, and it’s just affected everything. Besides, the school put me on extended leave. I was on leave for the jury service thing anyway, but they extended it indefinitely. They cited child safety, but there’s only four weeks left of term.”
“What will you do?”
“I rang a place on Sark, one of the Channel Islands yesterday—a hostel. They have a room, so I took it until New Wine starts. They don’t allow cars on the island, and there are only a couple of shops. I can vanish until this is over. I might even stay there, who knows.”
“So, this is goodbye.” He pulled up outside her house.
“For now. I fly from Heathrow to Jersey tomorrow and then get the ferry to Sark. It’s all sorted, apart from the taxi to the airport. It was slightly cheaper flight as it’s a Sunday.”
“I’ll take you. What time is your flight?”
“Ten. I need to be there at seven.” She opened the door.
“I’ll pick you up at five.” Zander watched her go up the path and inside the house. The judge had been far too soft on her. Perjury should come with a bigger sentence than the one she got.
21
Isabel caught the bus back from the morning church service as Zander wasn’t back from taking Rosa to the airport. Just as she dished up dinner, she heard his key in the lock. “Back late,” she called.
“Traffic was a nightmare. There was a pile up on the M4. I stayed for a bit, left when her flight was called. She didn’t have any luggage to check in, just one of those carry-on bags.”
“That’s above and beyond the call of duty for an ex-boyfriend.”
Zander shrugged. “She’s on the list, so call it protection. Anyway, she’s gone now. How was church?”
“Still in the school hall. Pastor Jack was good. He preached on Daniel in the lion’s den. He said that even when we are surrounded, God provides a way out. That instead of telling God how big the lion is, tell the lion how big your God is.”
“Sounds good. Right, I’m going to shower and change.”
She nodded. “I’ll leave your dinner here. What do you use your coal bunker for?”
“I don’t. I honestly haven’t ever looked in it. It’s most likely full of the previous owners’ leftover coal. And I’m not looking as it’s probably full of spiders.”
She snorted that had been her excuse too. “Fine bloke you are. You are meant to save me from the spiders.”
“Oh. Does that mean I have to provide being-a-big -baby cakes?”
“Yes. I shall add it to the Cake Act tomorrow.”
“How about I make some and take them in.” He grabbed the phone as it rang. “Hello. Yes, this is he.” He pulled a face at Isabel. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting that until Wednesday. No, that’s fine. I can be there in an hour.” He hung up.
“Problems?”
“The hospital needs all the beds they can get because of the accident on the M4. So, they need to send Gramps home today.”
“It’s fine,” she told him. “If the hotel can’t take me early, I can crash on the Guv’s sofa or something. Chill. Or we simply explain the situation.”
Zander shook his head. “I’ll ring Jan at the hotel and see if she can take you early.”
“Eat first,” she told him. She put the plates on the table. “At least the room is ready for him. I’ll make the bed when you leave and let myself out.”
“Thanks.” He ate quickly, and then took the phone into the other room.
Isabel sighed. “I’ll just do the dishes alone then, shall I?” She filled the sink and began washing up.
Zander came in as she was almost done. “Jan says the room is there from today if you want it. Any time after four. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for work.”
“I can get the bus again.”
“It’s fine.” He dried the dishes. Once he was done, he hung the tea towel up to dry. “Right, I must go and collect him.”
“OK. See you tomorrow. Text when you leave, and I’ll be waiting out at the front of the hotel. I’ll lock up when I leave.”
Zander hurried off without another word.
Isabel shook her head. She made up the bed for Gramps. Next she packed a bag for the next day or two and headed out.
~*~
Zander helped Gramps from the wheelchair into the front seat of the car. “OK?”
“Yes. You fuss way too much,” Gramps replied. He reached for the seatbelt. “I may be old, but I’m not useless just yet.”
Zander chuckled and put the bag behind the passenger seat, as the porter took the wheelchair back inside the hospital. Then he rounded the car and climbed in.
“Smells in here.”
“New carpet in the boot. I managed to spill paint on the old one.”
Gramps shook his head. “No, it’s not that. Smells rotten, like something died in here.”
“Last week’s take out, maybe. Or sweaty gym socks. Anyway, we’ve set up the dining room for you, with a bed, storage and so on. Your chair from your flat is in the lounge until you decide where you want it.”
“Fair enough. I don’t want to cramp your style if you have people over.”
“It’s just Isabel, and you’ve met her several times.”
“Isabel…your partner. She’s a pretty girlie.”
Zander nodded. “Actually Gramps, she’s house sharing with me right now. She had to leave her flat in a hurry and had nowhere to go, so she’s staying with me.”
“Separate rooms, I hope.”
“Of course! She’s my work partner, nothing else. Though I have put her in a hotel tonight until Wednesday.”
“Whatever for? Silly boy. Did you really think that I’d object to what you do in your own home?” Gramps shook his head. “You’re doing me a favour by taking me in. You call the girlie and tell her to forget the hotel and come back to the house.”
“I’ll try, but Isabel is a stubborn woman.”
“Nothing like you at all.”
Zander chuckled. “Nope.” He parked outside his house. “Let’s get you inside and settled. Then I’ll call Is and Mum to let her know you’re home. Stay there while I take your bag in and open the door.”
Gramps shook his head. “It’d be easier to open the door and then take the bag in.”
Zander grinned. “That works too. I’ll bring your walker back.”
“Darn thing. Just give me the sticks.”
“The doctor said you were to use the walker for six weeks. I’m not arguing with him. And before you try looking, your sticks are in the loft for now.”
He left Gramps grumbling and took the bag inside the house. He took the walker out to the car. “OK. Nice and slow.”
“Are you going to fuss all the time?” Gramps asked, slowly twisting his legs out of the vehicle.
Zander tilte
d his head. “Let me think…I have to sleep and work, but other than that, yes.”
“That’s what I thought.” Gramps slowly pulled himself upright. “Just like your mother.”
“I bake like her too. I thought I might make scones and fresh jam for tea to go with the cream in the fridge.”
“Nice, better than hospital food.” Gramps grinned at him. “So why are we standing here yakking? Get inside and start baking.”
Zander locked the car and walked with Gramps towards the house. Halfway there he realised he’d left his phone in the glovebox. Oh, well. He had a landline if anyone needed him.
~*~
Isabel looked out of the hotel window over the grounds. The hotel was on a main road, yet quiet and comfortable. She pulled the postcards of the paintings from her bag and spread them out over the bed. Each one was more gruesome and stranger than the one before. She put them back into her bag and headed down to the lobby. The bus was due in five minutes. She would have time to get photos printed from her phone to replace the ones they’d lost in the fire.
She got to the supermarket half an hour before it closed. Heading to the photo section, she was pleased to see they had the self-service booths. She connected her phone and printed the photos of the paintings the Slayer had altered. Once she’d paid, she headed back to the hotel.
Sitting on the bed, she pulled out her phone. She sent a text to both Zander and DI Holmes.
Printed off photos of paintings from phone. Will bring them 2moro.
DI Holmes responded:
Thanks. Although you do realise that there's no character limit with I-messages, so you don't need to use text speak anymore or half-written sentences with words missed out.
She replied:
That's so rude. Cake fine…No come back, Zander? You could at least back me up here.
Still no response from Zander, but DI Holmes responded:
Cake fine for ignoring your partner. See you both in the morning. With cakes.
She added five cake emoticons.
Isabel put her phone in her bag as her stomach rumbled. The dinner bell rang. She headed down to the dining room. She had a choice of salmon or roast chicken. She went with the salmon with salad and sautéed potatoes.