Death on Dartmoor

by Bernie Steadman

  He scrubbed at his hair again, unable to think past getting them all into ambulances.

  ‘Tell you what,’ she said, ‘I’ll take over here now.’ She held her hands up. ‘I’m not pulling rank, don’t get your knickers twisted. It’s your operation, but I can stay until the first searches are completed, ensure we have a safe site, and check everyone in back at the station. You can go and do what needs to be done. Would that help?’

  ‘Ma’am, that would be great.’ Dan did as he was told and took a lungful of cool air. ‘Thanks. I really want to go to the hospital with Adam. Shall we have a quick debrief at about eleven?’

  ‘That will be fine. I want to get us out of here quick, and secure it so forensics can get in and give it a good going over.’ She checked the clock on her phone. ‘They should be here soon.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, ‘I appreciate it, ma’am.’

  Dan’s radio buzzed. It was Ben Bennett, over in the barn. ‘Sir? Everything okay?’

  ‘We’ve apprehended the suspects but sustained several injuries, including Adam Foster,’ said Dan, ‘so give me some good news about the barn.’

  ‘Blimey. Right. Well, we’ve found the drugs stash. Photos done. We’ve bagged and labelled what we can find. Do you want a quick look before we move it?’

  ‘Give me a few minutes. I need to wait for the ambulance.’

  His watch said it was just before nine. He couldn’t believe that all the horror of the café kitchen had happened in less than an hour. He squatted down next to Sally and the drifting Foster.

  ‘Sally,’ he said, ‘once the ambulance arrives, I could do with you and Lizzie over in the barn. We need to see what they’ve found and process it.’ He looked at Sally’s stricken face. ‘Would you rather go to the hospital with Adam?’

  ‘Yes. I feel bad leaving him to a stranger,’ she said. ‘The silly bugger’s one of ours, now.’

  Lizzie’s gaze pierced him through the window. She held Nathan Solomon’s head like a mother would a child, and Dan felt a surge of what could only be labelled love. When he thought about how she and Sally had handled Annie, the acid and the burning Solomon, he was proud.

  ‘Okay,’ he said, ‘fair enough. Both of you go in the ambulance with Solomon and Adam. I’ll collect you when I get my car and take you back to the station for a debrief later.’ Sally smiled her thanks through tears.

  Dan called Lake over. ‘Thanks for your support tonight, Duncan. I didn’t think we’d need you, but we did.’

  ‘All part of the service. I’ll get two of my team to accompany our nasty friend to the hospital and stay until you’ve arranged a night guard rota for him, sir. I’ll get the cameras down, and then we’ll head off back to base.’

  ‘Of course, thanks again.’

  He glanced at Garrett on the ground under the armed officer’s guard. His leg was at an odd angle, and he was sweating. Blood was pouring more slowly from his arm, but he’d lost a lot. In some pain, then. Good. He walked round to the front of the building.

  Lines had kept Annie Garrett inside the front room of café. He had her sitting with her hand in a bowl of water, which was better than nothing, Dan assumed.

  He looked across to the cottage and saw Merlin Garrett with Bill Larcombe standing in the doorway. Garrett was on the phone. What the hell?

  Dan strode across the path and got out of the way as an ambulance sped to the café, closely followed by the first forensic team van. More animal calls and bleats rose from the pens as the lights strobed across the sky and the security light blazed on, blinding Dan for the second time. At least they would be able to get the photographs done and the wounded off-site soon.

  As he got close to enough to hear the conversation he understood. Merlin Garrett was arranging cover for the following morning. Someone was going to have to open up, feed the animals, and take the money. Well, Merlin was about to get a nasty shock. He waited until the call finished, then stood in the shelter of the doorway next to Larcombe. ‘So, you knew nothing about all this, Mr Garrett?’ he asked.

  ‘No. Not a bloody clue,’ Garrett said, rubbing his eyes. ‘I know you won’t believe me, but it’s true. Oh, I knew about Moss and the steroids, but not this stuff. And that poor kid who died. My own mother killed that child?’ He tugged at his beard. ‘Can’t get my head round it to be honest.’ He stared at his phone, then put it into his pocket. ‘I can’t get anyone to cover tonight. What can I do?’

  He stepped out from under the porch, and stood facing Dan, head cocked to one side. ‘You must think I’m stupid,’ he said, ‘or a liar. Didn’t know what was going on right under my nose. Mind you, I had no idea you were a copper when you were in the other day.’ His voice rose. ‘No idea my mother and brother were killing people with drugs made in our own café.’ He shook his shaggy head once more. ‘That is pretty stupid, I have to admit.’ He looked Dan in the eyes. ‘Have you been spying on us for long?’

  Dan weighed Garrett up. He was hoping the bloke was telling the truth, for Claire’s sake rather than any other reason. ‘Not long, but we needed to see how you operate. I’d like you to come down to the station to give a statement, and then we’ll see where we stand.’

  ‘No, you don’t get it. I’ll have to lock up, and I need to check on the animals, they’re really disturbed. And I can’t go until I’ve got someone to stay the night. We can’t leave them on their own. You must see that? And, no offence, but a couple of coppers patrolling the site isn’t much good to me.’

  ‘No other live-in staff?’

  ‘Well, we did have Dani Bonner, but Moss frightened her off. Now it’s just the three of us. Or actually, just the one of me.’ His mouth twisted into a grimace.

  Dan gave Merlin another searching look. He had a point. ‘I do understand, Mr Garrett. Don’t worry; you won’t need to be kept in overnight.

  ‘Bill, take his statement here, then release him for the night.’

  Then he broke the rest of the bad news to Garrett. ‘Mr Garrett, the café kitchen and barn are crime scenes. You can’t go past the tape until they have been processed properly by the forensic team. Okay? I really mean this. In the house, no going into your mother or brother’s rooms until Sergeant Larcombe has searched them. I’m trusting you to comply. And, I’m sorry, but you have to close The Retreat until further notice.’

  Garrett blew air out through his lips. ‘How long’s “until further notice”?’ Do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep this place open? No, I guess you don’t.’ He cracked his knuckles and took a couple of breaths before he spoke again. ‘But I guess I have no choice. I’ll put a Closed notice up until you’ve finished. It’ll give me time to sort out temporary staff.’

  ‘Thank you. I know you have to be here to look after the animals, but we can’t have the public trampling over the crime scene.’ He hadn’t the heart to suggest that permanent staff might be more appropriate than temporary ones. Mother and brother would not be returning home any time soon.

  ‘Any news about Adam?’ asked Bill Larcombe.

  ‘I think he’ll live. He was looking at me, anyway.’

  ‘He’s a lucky lad not to be dead.’

  ‘And a terminally stupid one.’

  Larcombe laughed gently. ‘He’s just young and keen, boss. Like we all were, once.’

  The sound of ambulance engines starting up interrupted the conversation.

  Merlin watched impassively as his brother and mother were taken away in the ambulance. ‘I just hope they get what’s coming to them,’ he said.

  Dan hoped the same.

  ‘Bill, search Moss and Annie Garrett’s rooms before you release Merlin back into the house, please.’

  Larcombe nodded and checked his watch. ‘Should we be back at the station for…?’

  ‘Eleven, for a debrief. I’ll see you later,’ said Dan and walked into the middle of the pathway. He texted Oliver to let her know that Merlin would stay on site and she needed to leave a PC with him overnight. Then he got Adam Fos
ter’s mother’s number from control, and rang her. It was a marginally easier conversation than it might have been.

  * * *

  Overhead strip lights cast a hard, white glare over the central part of the barn. Dan closed the door behind him to keep in the little heat that remained as night came down cold outside. Beyond the pools of light, shadows grew and shrank as the little knot of people in the centre of the barn carried out their tasks. He walked across and stood, hands tucked into the opposite armpits for warmth, at the spot where the underground pit opened up. ‘Ben,’ he said, ‘what have you found?’

  Bennett placed his hands on his hips and looked around him. ‘Wraps of made-up powders, contents unknown. Dozens of boxes of steroids of all descriptions, an air rifle, gay porn, a set of bowie knives. It’s a veritable treasure trove, Boss.’

  ‘Good news, then. Well done. That’ll help. Have you searched the rest of the space?’

  ‘As far as we can without moving every bale of hay. We had a look in the corners and they don’t look like they’ve been touched for years, so I think we’re done. We’ve certainly got enough to prosecute him.’

  ‘And his mother, Ben.’

  Bennett widened his eyes.

  ‘She’s been making the duff batches as far as we can tell. It seems like they lost their original manufacturer, and Mommy Dearest decided to carry on the tradition.’

  ‘Dear God. They’re not human, those two. What about the other brother?’

  ‘He’s an interesting one. Claims to know nothing about all this, and I’m inclined to believe him. DCS Oliver thinks he’s straight as well.’

  Dan picked up the evidence bag containing the bowie knife collection. ‘There’s another knife out in the garden vegetable patch. The position will have been marked by now. Moss Garrett used it to cut Adam Foster.’

  ‘What? Has he been stabbed? I know you said injured, but I had no idea…’

  ‘Garrett pulled a knife across his throat, so I’m not sure how bad it is, Ben. But I think he’ll be okay.’ As their eyes met, Dan knew they were both thinking about Ian Gould.

  Dan cleared his throat. ‘Right, I’m off to the station with the van. I’ll take anyone who’s ready to go. Then I’m going to drive over to the hospital. See you back at the ranch. We’re meeting briefly at eleven, then calling it a day. No-one’s fit to be interviewed tonight, they’re all injured. See you later.’

  Dan walked back down the road to where the van was parked. He was exhausted, and he was glad he wasn’t due to see Claire, because he had no idea what he was going to tell her.

  The PC looking after the van was outside it having a cigarette as Dan arrived, and quickly stamped it out on the ground. ‘Sorry, sir,’ he said.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Dan said, ‘you’re entitled to a break. Let’s get the van into the main driveway and pick up whoever’s ready. I need to get back to the station to get my car.’

  41

  The last place Dan had wanted to end up was back walking the corridors of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Outside, the night had turned mild again as clouds had covered the sky, and he sweltered in his coat. The accident and emergency waiting area was quiet. He showed his warrant card to the nurse at the desk and was taken to a set of examination cubicles.

  DS Lake and the armed officer waited by the curtain. ‘Sir, Garrett’s waiting for an op on his broken knee. They’ve stitched the arm wound, but he’s lost a lot of blood. At least he’s quiet now. They’ve given him morphine for the pain and a blood transfusion.’

  Dan pulled back the curtain. Garrett was sleeping, mouth open, arms restrained by his sides. His leg was encased in a temporary cast and suspended at an angle. Dan knew he was going to have to answer to complaints for the kick that broke Garrett’s knee. Another bloody investigation. Still, he was pleased it had worked. He was more pleased that his bad foot had supported him long enough to get a good kick in.

  A charge nurse glanced up at him and went back to checking the fluids going into Garrett’s arm.

  ‘He’s been on a lot of steroids by the look of him,’ the nurse said, ‘which means he’ll be difficult once he starts withdrawal. We’ll need to keep him restrained, and I’d be grateful for a police presence until he goes down to the theatre.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Dan. ‘Will he have the operation tonight?’

  The nurse shook his head. ‘No, it’s not an emergency. We’ve dosed him up with painkillers and put him on the list for tomorrow morning. He won’t be fit to talk to you until the afternoon or evening.’

  ‘Thanks. Where did they take Solomon?’

  The nurse finished what he was doing and walked out, pulling the curtain closed behind him. ‘He’s in special care in the burns unit, with the woman patient. Do you want to see him? I doubt he’ll be able to say much. He’s sustained burns to his face, mouth and hands.’

  Dan was relieved the nurse was professional enough not to ask how Solomon had been doused with sulphuric acid. ‘I would like to just check on him before I go back to get on with the paperwork.’

  The nurse led him out of the A and E department and up to burns. ‘You know, your Sergeant Ellis has probably saved Mr Solomon’s eyesight and a lot of his skin.’

  ‘She’s a cool head in a crisis,’ agreed Dan. He knew the outcome wouldn’t have been half so good had Sally not been there.

  Once the nurse left, he hovered about near the entrance for a couple of minutes, checking his emails. He felt reluctant to see Solomon. It wasn’t squeamishness, more a sense that he had failed the person he needed to protect the most.

  Once in the cubicle, he stood for a moment and looked at Solomon lying inert on the bed. His face was covered in a protective mesh mask. His bare chest had a wad of bandage taped to it just below the neck and reaching as far as his ribs. His right hand was bandaged up to the wrist.

  Sally sat next to Solomon’s bed. ‘You look knackered,’ said Dan, from the end of the bed. ‘How’s the patient?’

  ‘Sleeping, at last,’ said Sally. She took her hand away from Solomon’s gnarled left hand and moved into the corridor to talk. ‘Jesus, that was hard to cope with. Burns are the worst, aren’t they?’ She shuddered, memories of the evening coming back. ‘He’s not going to look great, but they reckon his face will be okay with a couple of skin grafts. His hand, though…’ She put a hand up to her mouth and wiped her lips. ‘It burned down to the bone on a couple of fingers. How can they graft that?’ she looked at Dan as if he could provide answers. ‘How will he be able to work?’

  ‘Leave it to the doctors,’ he said, ‘they can work miracles these days.’ His empty words rang hollow, so he changed the subject.

  ‘You were brilliant with your quick thinking tonight. Getting his head under that water saved his sight.’ Dan felt the emotion of the evening well up into tears at the corner of his eyes. Luckily, Sally was staring at the floor, pretending not to notice.

  ‘I did what anybody would have done, Dan. What a bloody mess, though.’ She pointed down the corridor to where Lizzie stood outside another cubicle. ‘That’s Annie Garrett in there. Not sure what’s happening to her hand, but I can’t say I really care. I don’t think DC Lines was as careful to run her hand under the water as I was with Nathan.’ She shrugged. ‘Tough. Are we being relieved soon?’

  ‘Any minute now. I want you back at the station for eleven, just for a quick debrief, then it’s off home for all of us.’ He checked the time just as two burly uniformed PCs approached.

  ‘Sir, we’ve put two men guarding Moss Garrett, and I gather you need us to ferry someone to the station?’

  ‘I do. Thanks, lads. Come with me.’ They walked the short length of corridor to where Lizzie stood. ‘You were great tonight, Lizzie,’ said Dan. ‘Between you and Sergeant Ellis you’ve probably saved Nathan Solomon’s eyesight. Bloody well done.’

  Lizzie flushed a deep shade of red. ‘Just following DS Ellis’s orders, sir. Thanks,’ she said. ‘Mrs Garrett’s in the next cubicle u
nder restraint. The docs have done all they can, so she’s fine to be discharged into a cell for the night.’

  Dan pulled back the curtain and stared at Annie Garrett, who stared back at him. He took in the bandaged hand and the handcuffs tying her by her good hand to the bed. ‘I hope you’re going to come quietly, Mrs Garrett, and not cause a problem.’

  She smirked and looked Dan up and down. ‘Ready to take me on yourself, are you inspector?’ She shifted her feet off the bed, planted them heavily on the floor and held out the cuffed arm. ‘Come on, then.’

  Dan smiled at her and moved aside to allow the PCs to enter. ‘I’m sure you’ll find these nice young men more to your liking, Mrs Garrett.’ He took a ridiculous amount of pleasure in watching her sullen expression as she walked down the corridor.

  ‘Right, ladies, I have my car so I’ll give you a lift back to the station, but should we go and look at Adam first?’

  They took the stairs up to the second floor and found the high dependency ward. It was the same nurse on duty who had told him off for keeping Lee Bateson awake. Was it only a week or so ago? She pointed them towards the room and put her fingers up to her lips.

  Adam opened his eyes as they shuffled in. ‘Hey,’ he said in a croak no louder than a whisper. ‘Told you it was only a scratch.’

  Sally glared at him and all her anger and fear tumbled out. ‘You can’t speak properly, you twerp. You may never get your voice back. You were a bloody foolhardy idiot, PC Foster. Didn’t I tell you to stay behind DC Lines? Did you see him leaping through windows like bloody Spiderman? Did you?’

  ‘No sarge, sorry sarge,’ Adam croaked and looked away.

  ‘You’ve got no more sense of danger than a bloody two-year-old,’ she continued, ‘risking your life, and everyone else’s. What would we have told your mother if that knife had been in his undamaged hand and you were lying in the mortuary? Eh? Eh?’

  Dan put a hand on her arm. ‘Point taken, Sergeant Ellis.’

  She stopped abruptly, eyes wild. ‘Yes, sir. Sorry.’ She looked at Adam’s stricken face and took a deep breath, ‘Sorry, love, I’m just a bit worked up. We lost a member of the team not long ago, and I didn’t want to lose another. Hope you feel better soon,’ she added and squeezed his hand.