Outside the car, the damp chill of the air sweeping in off the fell danced around them, Liz and Jen made their way over to meet the man who had put in the call.
‘Thank you for coming out,’ the man said. ‘Look, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have had my daughter call you.’
Liz stepped forwards and introduced herself. ‘And this is Police Constable Blades,’ she said. ‘You must be James Fletcher, yes?’
She knew he was in his mid-seventies, but Liz couldn’t help noticing that he was fit for his age, his face showing little in the way of the chubbiness she had noticed with some who hit retirement and then relaxed perhaps a little too much. But his eyes, now they were tired, she thought, seeing the grey shadows beneath them, like dark dunes swept up by a cold sea.
‘It’s very kind of you to come out,’ James said. ‘I’ll be honest, I’m feeling a bit daft now, having got you over, but best to be sure, isn’t it? I mean, you never know, do you? It’s why I insisted Patricia call you.’
Liz caught the raised eyebrow from Jen. ‘Can we go inside, please, Mr Fletcher?’ she said. ‘Then you can tell us exactly what it is that you saw. Okay?’
James gave a nod, and there was sorrow in it, Liz thought, and as he moved away she saw him do his best to stifle a yawn. He was limping a little as well.
‘Would you like some tea?’ James asked as they neared the house. ‘I can do a coffee as well, if you prefer.’
‘Tea would be grand,’ Jen said. ‘But don’t go putting yourself out.’
Entering the house, Liz was immediately greeted by the smell of burning wood. The day was cold, so she could understand why a fire was lit, but the smell itself seemed to be part of the fabric of the house, an aroma not just of today but of numerous yesterdays and numerous fires all set against the cold.
‘We’ll go to my study this time, I think,’ Mr Fletcher said, marching on down a high-ceilinged hall, and along past a large staircase. ‘It was outside last time, you see, when I saw her, that is. That’s why I took those other two officers out there, to my shed. But this time, I was in my study when I saw her. So I can show you better from in there I think. It’s comfy, too.’
‘Is there anyone else here with you?’ Jen asked. ‘In the house I mean?’
James said, ‘It was lovely when the girls were children, and to be honest it is a little too big now, just for me and Helen.’
‘We were so sorry to hear about your wife,’ Liz said. ‘Really terrible. You have our sympathies.’
‘That’s very kind,’ James said.
‘So, you’re alone here, now,’ Jen said, getting back to what she had just asked because James’ answer hadn’t really been one at all.
‘Yes and no,’ James said. ‘I’ve got Ruthy, my youngest, she’s in the little house next door, with Anthony.’
‘Husband?’
‘God, no!’ James said. ‘That man will never set foot here ever again, of that you can be assured!’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Jen said.
‘Don’t be,’ James replied. ‘He was an utter bastard. And he’s never given a penny towards his son. But to be honest, Ruthy wouldn’t want it anyway. Anthony is their son. He’s turned into a lovely young man. Suffers from headaches though. He’s home today, I believe. Can hardly believe that he’s sixteen! Where does the time go? And there’s Patricia, my eldest, she’s come up to stay with her husband. She’s the one who called you for me. Though she wasn’t exactly happy about it.’
‘That’s kind,’ Liz said.
‘They’re going to be here for a whole month! It’s the longest I’ll have seen her for years, since she left for university, actually.’
James Fletcher led Liz and Jen into the study and Liz was surprised to find that it wasn’t as grand as she had initially expected it to be. There was a simple desk facing a window, which gave a view out of the rear of the house to the fields and fells beyond, a few well-stocked bookshelves, and a couple of armchairs flanking a burning fire. What Liz noticed most of all, however, was the number of photographs of a dark-haired woman, not just on the walls, but on the mantlepiece, the desk, and a small coffee table. It was more than clear that this was Helen.
‘She was out there,’ James said, standing around the other side of the desk and pointing out through the window. ‘Just over there, do you see? Under that tree. The large oak.’
‘Do you mind if we take a few details first, please?’ Liz said, taking out her personal notebook.
‘I gave those other police officers my details,’ James said.
‘I know,’ said Liz, ‘but if I can just confirm a few details and then we can go through what happened?’
Jen turned back to the door. ‘Tell you what, Mr Fletcher, if you stay here and have a chat with PCSO Coates, I’ll go and have a walk around, have a check on the place. How does that sound?’
‘Yes, I think that would be a very good idea,’ he said, then looked over to Liz. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Very much so,’ Liz said, her smile wide and bright, hoping in some small way to reassure James that they were doing, and would do, everything that they could to help.
‘Anyway, like I said, she was out there,’ James said, as Jen made to leave, pointing once again out through the window, this time with his stick. ‘That tree over there, you see it, yes? Beautiful, isn’t it? So have a look there, as it’s probably the best place to start.’
Jen nodded and made to leave the study, but as she stepped through the door, she turned and said, ‘There’s a public right of way across the grounds, isn’t there? I remember Detective Sergeant Dinsdale mentioning it.’
‘There is, yes,’ James replied.
‘And have you ever before seen anyone end up on your property from that path at all? Perhaps they’ve decided to take a short cut, or maybe knocked on your door to use the toilet or something?’
‘No, never, at least not that I can recall,’ James said.
‘Well, I’ll go and have a look around, then,’ Jen said. ‘I’ll take a look over by the footpath as well, just to see if I notice anything.’ And then she was gone.
Chapter Thirteen
‘Perhaps we should take a seat?’ Liz said, gesturing to the two chairs by the fire.
James hesitated and Liz saw his eyes darting across to the tree. One minute he seemed to be calm, the next jumpy. He was clearly under a lot of strain, she thought, but that was no surprise really, after what had happened.
‘Please,’ Liz said. ‘If you can just go through what happened, I think that would be really helpful.’
James turned from the window and came over to sit down on one of the chairs by the fire. Liz did the same, the heat from the flames resting on her like a warm, toasty blanket. Give me a blanket, she thought, and I could stay right here for hours.
To break the awkwardness that was in the room with them, Liz said, ‘The photos, this is your wife, Helen, yes?’
‘They are,’ Mr Fletcher said, and Liz saw a crack in the military front the man wore like armour. ‘Beautiful, isn’t she? I still can’t believe she’s gone. I keep expecting to hear her voice or see her in the house. I’ve even called her a couple of times, you know? Picked up the phone just to have a chat, only to remember then that she’s gone.’
‘I really am so sorry about what happened,’ Liz said, hearing James’ voice falter.
‘You have no need to be sorry,’ James said. ‘It was hardly your fault now, was it?’
James, Liz then noticed, had somehow managed to acquire a glass of what looked like whisky, on his journey from the windows to the seat, and was swilling the amber liquid around and staring into the fire.
‘She really was quite wonderful,’ James said. ‘Life made more sense with her in it, I’m sure of that.’
Liz said, ‘First, and like I said before, can I just confirm your details?’
James did as requested and although Liz already had the information he had given her, she did it to relax him more than anything else, and to l
et him know that this was a statement she was taking, that she was treating whatever he was about to say, very seriously.
‘So, Mr Fletcher,’ Liz asked, ‘what exactly is it that you saw?’
James’ mouth went tight and Liz watched as the man twisted around in his chair to look out the window. ‘First, call me James, please,’ he said. ‘I was at the window. My daughter, Ruth, well she had just popped in to say that she was heading into town to do a bit of shopping. Then, a few minutes after she had gone, I was just staring out across the lawn, when under the tree, there she was! I looked up again, and she’d gone, but I’m so sure that I saw her. She must have gone to hide in the trees. I mean, can you imagine it? Seeing her? Just there, right in front of my eyes? I sound mad, I know I do.’
‘So, it was a woman?’ Liz asked. ‘You’re sure about that?’
‘I may be old, but I’m not blind,’ James said, and Liz for the first time heard the faintest of hints of the man’s humour just behind what he was saying.
‘And you recognised her, you said?’ Liz asked. It was clear that James was distressed, so if he had seen someone, and if there was a connection between this and the sighting the previous week that Harry and Matt had dealt with, then they would have to investigate further for sure.
James hesitated at this, before he said, ‘She was too far away for me to see her clearly.’
‘And what was she wearing?’
‘I’m not really sure,’ James said. ‘It’s quite hard to picture it now. It’s not long ago, I know, but it was all rather quick.’
‘It just helps us to draw a picture of the intruder,’ Liz explained.
‘It wasn’t a dress or anything like that,’ James said then. ‘But then Helen wasn’t one for wearing fancy things, you know. She was a bit more practical. Jeans was her thing.’
‘So this person was in jeans, then?’ Liz said.
‘I think so, yes,’ James said. ‘That’s all I could tell really. It was hard to see clearly through the rain anyway.’
‘Can you tell us anything else about who you saw?’ Liz asked. ‘What she looked like at all? Any small detail?’
‘Long dark hair,’ Mr Fletcher said. ‘It’s a family thing I think. Pat, Ruth, they both have it. Even Anthony! But then he’s into all that loud heavy metal music, isn’t he, so he has it all long and seems to hide behind it a bit. Plays guitar, you know? And he’s very good, too. Or so I’ve been told! It’s not really my thing, but I don’t tell him that.’
Liz allowed James to ramble, but in her mind had already latched onto what he’d said about his daughters and his grandson, and the photos around them of his wife, Helen. Because if they all looked so similar, then there was every chance that it had been one of them outside, and James was probably just spooked by it, thanks to his clearly heightened state of anxiety. But that didn’t matter, Liz thought. If they could just get to the bottom of it, come up with an answer, then perhaps he would be able to relax a little. He certainly looked like he needed to. And they couldn’t just keep coming out to check things over based on James seeing things that weren’t there.
‘And what time was this?’
James checked his watch.
‘About an hour ago now, I think,’ he said.
‘And you said that this woman was standing under that tree,’ Liz confirmed.
‘Maybe not standing,’ James said, ‘but that’s where I saw her, and then she was gone.’
‘Did you see where she went after that?’
Mr Fletcher lifted his glass and took a hefty hit of the drink it held, wincing a little as the liquid filled his mouth.
‘Back into the shadows,’ he said, the whisky swallowed. ‘She was there, right over there! I bloody well saw her! And then she wasn’t! And I want to, you know? I really want to see her! It’s awful. I can’t bear it. That’s why I need to know where she is, that’s she’s okay.’
Liz wasn’t sure what James was now talking about, and was searching for something else to say when Jen came back into the room.
‘Anything?’ Liz asked.
Jen looked thoughtful for a moment then shook her head. ‘If there was someone there, then they could easily have slipped off back into the woods behind. Nothing on the footpath either. But it’s hard to tell, really. And the ground isn’t wet or soggy enough to show footprints,’ Jen continued. ‘It actually looks fairly dry under the branches.’
‘Mr Fletcher,’ Liz said, ‘I wonder if it would be possible to speak to the rest of the family? Are they around at all?’
‘They didn’t see her though,’ James replied. ‘It was me. And they all think I’ve gone a bit loopy anyway, don’t you see? And I can hardly blame them.’
‘We just need to confirm where they were, that’s all,’ Liz said.
‘Yes, I can see that,’ James said. ‘I’m just so sure that I saw her, you know? But then she’s everywhere, even now, she’s here in this room with us! I’m sure of it!’
Liz shivered and decided it was best to not think too hard as to why.
‘If you could give me their numbers,’ Liz said.
‘No need,’ James replied. ‘Ruthy will be back soon, I’m sure, and as I said, she lives next door in the little cottage. Anthony is up in his room with one of his headaches, poor lad. Patricia is here with her husband, Dan, but I think they’re avoiding me right now because of this, what I think I saw. They’ve come over, you know, to stay for a while. Which is very kind, don’t you think? Oh, I’ve told you that already, haven’t I? Everyone is just so worried, which I do understand, but it’s not necessary, it really isn’t. Shall I go and get them now?’
James, Liz knew now, had a habit of rambling on a bit, though she wondered if it was mainly a coping mechanism.
‘That would be very helpful,’ Liz said. ‘Then what we’ll do after is we’ll knock on a few doors. There aren’t exactly many properties out this way and someone might have seen something, you never know. We’ll also check your security, have a look around the house to make sure everything’s okay here. We’ll also give you the number for the Hawes office, so if you see anything else, you can contact us directly and immediately.’
‘Actually, I’ve got that somewhere,’ James said. ‘I was just in a bit of a panic and Patricia had to call for me and I forgot to give it to her.’
Just then, the door to the study opened. Liz and Jen turned to find themselves facing a pale-faced woman with long hair dark with tired eyes and car keys in her hand. Liz did a double-take.
‘Forgot to give who what?’ the woman asked. ‘And why are the police here? Dad? What’s happened? Is Anthony alright? What’s going on?’
Liz looked at the woman, then at the numerous photos on the walls of James’ study, remembering what he had said about the family similarity, but seeing it in the flesh was striking to the point of being uncanny.
‘It’s nothing, Ruthy,’ James said, approaching the woman. ‘Don’t go getting yourself all worked up.’
Liz approached the new arrival. ‘I’m PCSO Coates. You’re Ruth, yes? Your father called us over. He believes he saw someone outside the house.’
‘What did you see, Dad?’ the woman asked, pushing past Liz. ‘You know this isn’t right, don’t you? It can’t be what you think it is! It just can’t be!’
‘A woman,’ Jen said. ‘He saw a woman, outside the house.’
At this, the new arrival turned to gaze out through the window. She raised a hand and pointed.
‘Under that tree?’ she asked, her voice heavy and sad. ‘That one just over there on the right, yes? I’m right, aren’t I?’
‘How did you know?’ Liz asked.
The woman turned back around, looked at her dad with sadness in her eyes. ‘Because,’ she said, ‘it was Mum’s favourite place, wasn’t it, Dad?’
And at this, Liz heard the faintest of cries, and she turned to see James holding his head in his hands, and sobbing.
Chapter Fourteen
Jim was pleased to b
e doing something, anything at all actually, that might have a chance of snaring the people who had taken his dad’s sheep. It was a week to the day now and what they had was, in the simplest of terms, bugger all. Back home, his dad was trying to put a brave face on it, had been sorting out insurance and the rest, but it wasn’t just the money that was the issue. It was so much more than that. Those animals weren’t just pound signs and never had been because that wasn’t what farming was about. If it was, the world would be full of rich farmers and everyone would want to be one. It wasn’t and they didn’t.
Farming, as Jim knew all too well himself, was in the blood. It was a compunction, a passion, something primitive, deep inside you which was impossible to escape. And to be able to do it in a place like Wensleydale? There really was nothing better. Which, in many ways, made his decision to be a PCSO all the stranger, didn’t it? But he’d wanted to at least try something else, and being a PCSO meant that he was useful, didn’t it? Which, in many ways, made what had happened sting even more, because he hadn’t been able to prevent what had happened on his own property.
‘So, what’s the plan?’ Jadyn asked, as Gordy and Harry led the way, with Jim and Jadyn just a step or two behind. They had just passed the ropemakers and were now heading up the hill towards the auction mart, which was a few minutes away yet.
‘There’s no plan, as such,’ Gordy said.
Harry said, ‘Probably best if we keep that to ourselves though, eh? Wouldn’t want to come off as unprofessional.’
Jim laughed as Gordy continued, ignoring Harry’s interruption. ‘We want you two to be very visible. We’ve got details of the flock, and Jim, you’re well known up at the mart anyway, so you’ve a better chance than any of us of finding out if anyone’s seen or heard anything. And folk will be asking after your dad, no doubt, so go with that, see what happens.’
‘And he’s doing okay, is he?’ Harry asked.
‘He is,’ Jim said. ‘He’s good at keeping busy, and just out of range of Mum.’
Restless Dead (Harry Grimm Book 5) Page 11